India Outreach

By Pooja Rathor, India Outreach Coordinator

Banaras_cow

Banaras

My Vegan Outreach leafleting tour in India started at the end of February in Banaras, a city located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. I met my friend and VO Intern, Saurabh Sonkar, and together we reached 6,000 people! We leafleted at the Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University)/IIT BHU, Vishwanath Temple—which is located inside the IIT BHU campus—and Ramnagar Fort. Saurabh and I had several encouraging conversations, and the energy was very positive overall.

One of the uplifting conversations I recall was with a BHU student—he told me he knew about the cruelty in the beef industry, but he’d never thought about how that abuse connected to the dairy industry.

We leafleted on Saurabh’s motorbike during the class changes! It was both fun and effective! We also enjoyed the fresh orange juice from the BHU campus and a spiced samosa chole (a pastry filled with potatoes and veggies, topped with chickpeas).

Leafleting on Motorbike

Siddharth. Pooja, Saurabh
VO’s Siddarth Sharma, Pooja Rathor, and Saurabh Sonkar

Samosa with Chole

Jaipur

A few weeks later, Saurabh and I traveled to Jaipur. Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan state, located in northern India. The temperature reached 104°F, but despite the heat, we reached 5,800 people.

I have two favorite moments from doing outreach in this city. The first was when we leafleted at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, where the Rajasthan festival was taking place. We met a group of young students who were surprised by the realities of the dairy and meat industries. They were so moved that they offered to help spread more information at their campus and hostel.

My second favorite memory from Jaipur was when we met a local police officer who told us that he doesn’t like the leather belt and shoes that he has to wear as part of his uniform. He said he’d be happy if the requirements changed.

To remedy the heat, we drank large glasses of sugarcane juice, orange juice, and shaved ice with some sweet flavored syrup. Overall, Jaipur was very good to us!

Pooja-Officer-SMS_Stadium-Mar17-5884

Indore

April was another great month of outreach! Indore is a city located in central India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Saurabh and I leafleted at five large colleges, a large coaching institute, and one small school. One of the highlights was when we met the school principals of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences, Indore School of Social Work, and Lakshmi Narain College of Technology. We were pleased to hear that these schools were supportive of our work!

In addition to campus outreach, we leafleted at a mall and an animal shelter that housed more than 150 dogs, 10 cows, a few peacocks, and other types of animals. We gave out nearly 7,000 booklets combined!

To our surprise, we found that Indore offers a variety of fresh juices at very cheap prices. Saurabh and I came across a vegetarian restaurant called Banana Leaf, which had plenty of delicious vegan options.

Principal_of_ISSW@Indore

Principal_of_LNCT(Indore)

I’m now in the process of planning my next leafleting events. Saurabh returned home to Banaras after we wrapped up our time in Indore—he was a great intern! When I met him just last year, he was eating meat. And since then, he’s opted for a more animal-friendly diet! We plan to do more outreach together in the future.

I want to say thank you to the donors who help fund my work—it’s very important we keep spreading the vegan message here in India.

Fancy Pear Pizza

By Alex Bury, Organizational Development Consultant

Fancy Pear Pizza

Is fancy better? Can we ever answer that question? Is a vegan Tofurky Frozen Pizza served on paper plates better or worse than a gourmet, homemade pizza served on Grandma’s china? If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound? What if you’re in the forest having a pizza picnic and unable to concentrate on nature sounds because Tofurky pizza is so delicious?

While you work on that, I’ll share one of two awesome pizza recipes I made recently. Why only one? Because I want to spread out the deliciousness. Don’t worry, the second one will be posted next week!

These fancy pizzas are ones you can serve at a dinner party, or to the people you hope will one day become your in-laws if you play it right.

The best part? It’s a lot easier than it looks! And it’s lighter than a traditional tomato pizza, so it makes a great appetizer that will leave room for a heavier main course. The mix of sweet, savory, creamy, and crunchy is delicious! You can also make this the night before and reheat.

Fancy Pear Pizza

Yields 8 slices.

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Vicolo frozen Corn Meal Pizza Crusts (some stores like Trader Joe’s sell these in the cooler section instead of the freezer section)
  • 1 tub of Kite Hill Ricotta Cheese or 1 batch of Homemade Vegan Ricotta (recipe below)
  • 2 red Bosc pears (should be ripe, but not too ripe—firm enough so they hold their shape)
  • 1 cup of walnut halves and/or pieces (not finely chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons orange marmalade mixed with 2 tablespoons water or 4 tablespoons of Apple Cider Reduction (link to instructions below)
  • A pinch of salt and pepper

Before you start to prep your pizzas—take a moment to appreciate those crusts. Of course, you can get super fancy and make your own pizza crust from scratch, but these Vicolo crusts are amazing. You’ll want to keep some in your freezer at all times! The corn meal crunch is a really nice addition to this sweet and savory pizza.

Directions

  1. Heat your oven to 400°F.
  2. Cover each crust with ½ the ricotta (whether you’ve made your own or are using Kite Hill’s).
  3. Slice the pears thin and arrange the slices on top of the ricotta.
  4. Scatter the walnuts over the ricotta and pears.
  5. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the fruit mixture (orange marmalade or Apple Cider Reduction) over each pizza.
  6. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  7. Bake until the crust and the walnuts are a nice golden brown.

Homemade Tofu Ricotta

Yields enough for 2 pizzas of 8 slices each.

This ricotta recipe can be used for lasagna, traditional pizza, and any other recipes that call for ricotta cheese. If you can get your hands on Kite Hill, be sure to try it at least once—it’s delicious! This recipe will cover you if Kite Hill isn’t available in your area.

Ingredients

  • 2 lemons, juiced (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 12 oz block extra firm fresh tofu, drained
  • 1 Mori-Nu Firm Silken Tofu, drained
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

  1. Purée all of the ingredients in a food processor. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Recipe Tips/Variations

  • If you like your ricotta on the thicker and lumpier side, don’t purée it for too long.
  • If you’re cooking for meat-eaters, double the oil and the salt—no, I’m not kidding.
  • You can vary the herbs to your taste and convenience—use more or less, use dried instead of fresh, etc.

Apple Cider Reduction Instructions

Q and A with VegKitchen

By Lori Stultz, Communications Manager

Vegan Outreach Leafleters

VegKitchen—a comprehensive online resource for all things vegan—recently reached out to Vegan Outreach and asked if we’d be up to doing a Q and A about the organization and the outreach we do. We professionally and somewhat calmly replied, “Um…Heck yes!”

We’d like to share the interview with you—our wonderful supporters and volunteers—because it’s a great overview of Vegan Outreach’s history, overall mission, and why we’ve focused on leafleting over the years.

Whether you’ve been following our work since 1993, or this is your first time on our website, we think you’ll enjoy reading the interview as much as we enjoyed answering it!

And we’d like to send a huge thank you to VegKitchen for featuring Vegan Outreach!

Excerpt:

VegKitchen got a chance to ask VO how they operate, why they’ve been so effective, and how others can get involved in helping them promote a compassionate plant-based diet, one person at a time.

Click here for the full article.

Video: Vegan Picnic Potato Salad

Kim Sujovolsky, with Brownble, is here to help you get the upcoming picnic season off to a delicious start!

And seriously, who doesn’t love potato salad? Thank you, Kim, for another easy and tasty recipe!

Vegan Picnic Potato Salad

Vegan Picnic Potato Salad

Yields 2-3 servings.

Ingredients

  • 3 large potatoes or 4 medium ones
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, cilantro, parsley, etc.
  • 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • ½ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon minced chives
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
  • 3 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Cut the potatoes into even, bite-sized cubes (you may choose to peel them or not, I like to peel some and leave the others with the peel for presentation).
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your potatoes. Cook until they’re tender, but they still hold their shape.
  3. Drain and place the potatoes in a large bowl.
  4. Add the rest of the salad ingredients and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Recipe Tips/Variations

  • Chill the salad in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve—the colder the better, as this will boost the seasoning and flavor of the salad. Take it to your next picnic or potluck, or serve it next to some vegan sausages—some sauerkraut and mustard for the perfect German platter!

Oblio’s Pizzeria Adds a Vegan Cheese Pizza!

By Taylor Radig, Campaigns Manager

Oblio's Pizzeria

Vegan Outreach reached out to Oblio’s Pizzeria—a popular family pizzeria in Denver—just a few short weeks ago, explaining the need for more vegan pizza options in the Mile High City. Owner Morgan McKay was thrilled to work with us, stating—

Nowadays, between health restrictions and people’s personal beliefs, restaurants need a much wider range of food options. I’m probably the opposite of a vegan, however, I know how frustrating it is to go to a restaurant and have very few options on the menu to choose from. We honestly hope that us providing vegan pizza will be an inspiration to other restaurants out there to follow suit.

They’re rolling out the pie with options of Daiya cheese, regular or gluten-free crust, red or special olive oil white sauce, and an endless combination of fresh vegetable and herb toppings.

Oblio’s Pizzeria joins Lala’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria in becoming the second pizzeria in Denver this month to work with Vegan Outreach to add a delicious vegan pizza.

Want more vegan options at your favorite non-veg restaurants? Make sure to make your request known to a manager and/or order some of our restaurant cards to leave at your table.

Why You Should Walk to the Golden Gate Bridge

By Lisa Rimmert, Director of Development

golden gate bridge

If you’re anything like Vegan Outreach supporter Eric Day, you won’t let a few miles—okay, 50—stop you from helping animals! For our upcoming Team Vegan fundraising drive, Eric plans to raise money by walking all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco!

Now we’re asking all our Team Vegan members to walk 50 miles.

Just kidding!

Beginning May 1—and through June 30—animal activists from all over the world will team up to raise much-needed funds for VO’s work. This campaign’s success depends on your participation! I promise you don’t have to walk 50 miles.

Will you join the fun today by starting your very own Team Vegan fundraising page?

It’s free to join, and you get to choose your own fundraising goal and activity. Past participants have done leaflet-a-thons, run 5K races, walked a mile for every dollar raised, and more! Others have simply raised money with no physical challenge, and that’s great as well! Email us for ideas!

The money you raise will pay for VO’s fall outreach work. Donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $235,000—doubling their impact for animals! And there are prizes and fun for you along the way!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to email Eric and make sure he has a ride home!

Register now to be part of Team Vegan!

Chris Shapard

Chris_Shapard-Utah-Mar17-2201

Keeping up with our series of activist profiles, today we’ll meet Vegan Outreach’s Christopher Shapard. He’s been leafleting college campuses—and braving the cold temperatures—in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Utah.

Chris has shown some serious dedication this spring, leafleting 20 schools and distributing over 10,000 booklets! Let’s get to know him a little bit better!

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I was born and raised in Park City, UT. I’m currently living in Salt Lake City after a brief hiatus away from Utah.

What got you interested in animal rights and veganism?

I’ve always felt a strong sense of empathy for others, animals and humans alike. I started to connect the dots with my food choices in high school, but didn’t make a big change until I started college and read the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. That book cleared up all the jumbled thoughts in my head, and it pushed me to become vegetarian.

After college, I felt my core values weren’t being fulfilled in the marketing world, so I decided to act on them completely. I applied for an internship with PETA and hesitantly embraced veganism at the same time. It turned out to be the best decision of my life. Since then my journey has been transformative and amazing.

How did you get involved with Vegan Outreach and leafleting?

I did some leafleting during my time at PETA, and I was introduced to Vegan Outreach and some other animal activists at that time. Once I returned to Salt Lake City to work with the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition (FFAC), I was connected with the Vegan Outreach team and asked to help with leafleting in the region!

Do you have a favorite leafleting moment to share?

One recent moment that comes to mind was at a smaller college in northern Utah. There was a religious group who’d traveled from their church in Mobile, AL to “have a dialogue” with some of the other religious groups on campus. Members from the Alabama group approached me throughout the day, and I had several interesting conversations! I spoke with a woman who was mostly vegetarian, and she got really excited when she realized why I was there. She launched into a small lecture to her peers on the ways veganism fits into the Christian worldview—I barely had to say anything! I directed her to some good resources and she was ecstatic.

What do you do for fun when you’re not leafleting?

I ski in the winter, and bike, hike, and golf when the weather permits. I mess around on my acoustic guitar just enough to keep me sane, and cook and bake as often as I can—which sadly isn’t much these days. I watch films at the local indie theater and I enjoy watching documentaries on Netflix. I like reading, listening to music, and getting together with other vegans and activists.

Do you have anything else you’d like to add about leafleting?

I applaud everyone who has done one or more leafleting tours. It takes a lot of stamina to go out there again and again, and it’s not always an easy role to play!

Can you tell us one of your favorite vegan products to share with our readers?

Louisville Vegan Jerky! If you haven’t had the pleasure of trying this brand yet, it’s excellent. All meat eaters I’ve given some to can’t believe it’s vegan.

Berry Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

Berry Cheesecake
Renee Press / Fire and Earth Kitchen

Who says you have to give up cheesecake when you’re vegan? You won’t find anyone at VO saying that—that’s for sure!

Thank you to Renee Press with Fire and Earth Kitchen, who has provided this delicious recipe!

Berry Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

Yields about 12 cheesecake squares.

Ingredients

Crust

  • ¾ cup raw almonds
  • ¾ cup raw walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup

Filling

  • 1 ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in water
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ cup agave or maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil
  • ½ cup berries of choice (blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries)

Chocolate

  • ¾ cup dark chocolate chips
  • ⅛ cup almond milk

Directions

  1. To Prepare the Crust: In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, sea salt, and cinnamon until a fine crumb is achieved. Add the pitted, coarsely chopped dates and the agave or maple syrup and process again until it comes together and becomes sticky. If you pinch the nut mixture it should hold together.
  2. Place parchment paper or plastic wrap into an 8″ x 8″ square baking dish, letting it hang over the sides a few inches so you can lift it out later. Press nut mixture into the bottom in an even layer. Put it in the freezer to chill.
  3. To Prepare the Chocolate and the Filling: Put chocolate chips in a small heat safe bowl. In a small saucepan heat almond milk and pour over chocolate, stirring to melt. Will take 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside. In a blender, put in all filling ingredients. Blend 1-3 minutes until completely creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add a little water if needed to make it totally smooth.
  4. Pour filling on top of nut mixture, and spread chocolate on top of that. Cover whole dish in parchment/plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least one hour, but up to overnight. To serve, remove from freezer and lift the entire dessert out onto a cutting board. Remove parchment/plastic wrap from the bottom and cut into cubes. Let warm a little bit at room temperature. Serve and enjoy!

Cristina Myers

Cris Meyers

A night home watching Netflix changed Cristina Myers life, transforming her into a dedicated activist for animals and other social issues.

Continuing our series of activist profiles, today we speak with Vegan Outreach’s Cristina Myers who, as an Outreach Coordinator, is spreading the vegan message to people all over the world in addition to the college campuses she’s been visiting this semester. She’s currently on tour in the Southeast and has passed out over 27,000 leaflets at 39 schools.

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I’m from Seville, Spain. I moved to the US when I was a teen. I’m currently based out of Miami.

What got you interested in animal rights and veganism?

I was 80 pounds overweight, dealing with pre-diabetic symptoms, and I struggled with my cholesterol levels. I had a horrible self-image. I suffered from migraines and I didn’t know why. I had difficulty breathing, and I had joint pain in my knees from carrying around extra weight. I was 24 years old and my doctor said that I should be very concerned about my heart.

One night I didn’t go out with my friends because I had nothing to wear that would fit me—I was embarrassed at how big I’d gotten. Netflix was just becoming a common form of media, and I stumbled over a documentary called Forks Over Knives and it changed my life. The first five minutes described my health issues to a T, and the film explained how to reverse all of those issues. I went vegan that night, and my first month I lost nearly 20 pounds by just cutting out meat and dairy!

My joints ached less and less and my migraines disappeared. I had more energy than I knew what to do with! I discovered weight lifting and kept going on my journey to loving myself. I made a connection to what was happening to animals after watching Earthlings just a few months later. The only way I got through the horrible footage is because I owed it to animals to watch what I had done to them for over two decades. I went vegan for my health, but I stay passionately vegan for animals and the environment.

I just want my fellow brothers and sisters to feel happy with their bodies and to be healthy. I want people to stop contributing to animal suffering. I want complete animal liberation. I want to heal the planet from what we have done and are currently doing to destroy it. There isn’t much time left—newer generations will not be able to enjoy life like we have. And I’m going to do the best I can to help.

How did you get involved with Vegan Outreach and leafleting?

I’d been hearing about the leafleting life for years. I started out as a volunteer, joining Vegan Outreach leafleters in the Washington, DC area. I’m still pinching myself VO gave me a shot to do my own tour!

Do you have a favorite leafleting moment to share?

I love meeting people who’ve gone vegan because of a leaflet Vegan Outreach has given them. I hope one day someone will do the same with one of mine.

What do you do for fun when you’re not leafleting?

I sing, weight train, create awareness on social media of the suffering of animals and people, feed the homeless people of Miami, volunteer time to entertain foster children, meditate, and read. I also have a huge interest in metaphysics.

Can you tell us one of your favorite vegan products to share with our readers?

Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter…is life!

Lasagna, Cake, and Cute Animals

By Victor Flores, Greater New Mexico Community Engagement and Events Coordinator

A few weeks ago, my family and I—representing Vegan Outreach—had the opportunity to join the season opening of Santuario de Karuna, a farmed animal sanctuary located about 30 miles outside of Albuquerque, NM.

Knowing that the majority of the visitors would not be vegan, we set up a booth with various types of pro-veg literature, in addition to serving the crowd vegan lasagna, ice cream, and cake. After the meal, several people returned to ask for the lasagna recipe, and many were surprised to learn that all of the meal ingredients could be purchased at their local grocery stores. Under the assumption that vegans don’t eat foods like the types we served, we overheard many of the visitors say that they’d changed their perspective on vegan food.

Attendees Sanctuario De Karuna

Serving Lasgana

Victor Serving Cake

Karla Serving Ice Cream

Being at the sanctuary helped the visitors make the connection between who and what they generally consume. As they toured the sanctuary, many were brought to tears as they heard the rescue stories of the animals. I don’t think the experience will be easily forgotten by those who attended this heart-opening event!

Musicians

Prince

We want to send a huge thanks to the sanctuary’s co-founders Tamara Hubbard and Coral Ricketts for allowing us to be a part of this event where many vegan seeds were planted.