November 30, 2008

Social Networking

Meet (vegan) friends and network!
Vegan Datng
Forums
MySpace vegans
Livejoural vegans
Facebook vegans
Twitter vegans
VegSpace
VeganWorld
Vegan MySpace
VeganForce
VegHaven
Vegan Network
Veggie Girls Online
Viva la Vegan
This Dish Is Veg Social
Gather
Hugg
Vegppl
Volentia
Vegetarian Newbies
Vega Community
Vegan Drinks
Vegan MeetUp
Vegan Wikia
JewishVegan
Start A Vegan Group
More links @ VegForLife

Remember to check back here often for new post, I try to update at least biweekly. Look at my past blog post for vegan information, resources, and links. E-mail me me if you have any suggestion post, questions on this blog or veganism or know any more sites relating to this post.




November 24, 2008

Vegan Thanksgiving 2008

Ways to give thanks, meal ideas & recipies!

Thanksgiving is about giving thanks not murder! This year give thanks and give others reasons to be thankful. More than 300 million turkeys are slaughtered for meat every year, 45 million are killed for Thanksgiving alone. They are hatched in incubators and never meet their mothers or live in nests, but are raised instead in huge windowless sheds called grow houses where they never see the sun. Factory farmers cut part of the birds' beaks and toes off, without anesthetic, and genetically breed them to grow so fast that often their legs actually break under their ballooning weight, and many young birds die from heart attacks because of the physical strain. Hopefully, the cruelty that millions of turkys suffer each year is enough to turn you off of turkey flesh for good.cite Below are some Vegan Thanksgving ideas and recipes!

Get Active!
Adopt a turkey!

Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary's annual Adopt-A-Turkey Project has rescued over one thousand turkeys from a thankless fate at the dinner table and given thousands of people an opportunity to adopt a turkey for the holidays.

Bring vegan food to homeless shelters to help feed the hungry, or a food drive.
Adopt A Family in your local nieghborhood.
Share a vegan feast with famly and friends.
Pass out flyers about the facts on turkeys and turkey alternatves.


Eat!
Recpes and meal ideas!


Cook a vegan feast for your friends and famly, or just for yourself with Thanksgiving vegan recipes, turkey alternatives, and Thanksgiving vegan meal ideas.
If you eat out check your local resturants and hotels for vegan food options


Links
Gentle Thanksgiving
Animal Suffering in the Turkey Industry
Happy Thanksgiving?
Meet the Animals - Turkeys
Joaquin Phoenix Thanksgiving Ad
Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Turkeys
Top 10 Reasons to Pardon a Turkey This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving e-cards
Thanksgiving e-cards from peta2
Thanksgiving Games
VeganCooking Thanksgiving
Vegan Thanksgiving food pictures
Vegan Thanksgiving search Google
Thanksgiving Fun
Turkeys for Thanksgiving -- as friends, not feast
Vegan Thanksgiving 2007

Remember to check back here daily for new posts, and e-mail me me if you have any suggestion post or know any more sites relating to this post.



July 6, 2008

Vegan Video Cooking

VegCooking TV
Veginity
Everyday Dish
Nancy Walker
Hippy Gourmet
Expert Village (search vegan)
Ani Phyo
Post Punk Kitchen (4 episodes total)
VeggieVision
Vegetarian Database
Rhymeswithvegan
SupremeMasterTV
The VeganicWitch's
Justwant2laugh
VeganFriend
LiveVegan
Rkaufmann
Vegan Food Videos @ FoodTube
Veginity
YouTube Vegan group

Remember to check back here daily for new posts, and e-mail me me if you have any suggestion post or know any more YouTube (or any other video) vegan cooking videos/channels!.



June 30, 2008

Lentil Cheezy TVP Soup

Now I am not one to post recipes, but I was experimenting with lentil soup and made a lentil soup recipe, that to me came out pretty good:

Lentil Cheezy TVP Soup
Lentil soup ingredients:
1 lb. dry lentils (sort, and rinse, brown, red, green)
8 cups water
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced red or white onions
1 cup minced fresh parsley
4 medium potatoes cut into 1/4 inch cubes
4 bay leaves
2-4 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
quarter cut squeezed fresh lemon juice
*optional: 1 teaspoon each of ground black pepper, dried thyme, cumin powder, paprika, garlic, curry, salt

Directions:
1. Rinse lentils and cook in pot with water for about 5 minutes.
2. Sauté all vegetables except for the parsley, garlic, and bay leaves in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat for about five minutes or until soft.
3. Add suatéd vegetables to pot with lentils/water, stir.
4. Stir in garlic and bay leaves, and the additional tablespoon of vegetable oil. Simmer until garlic looses its raw taste, about 2 minutes.
5. Add spices and squeezed lemon juice.
6. Simmer, stirring occasionally for at least 2 hours, until all cooked and blended well.
7. Remove bay leaves.
8. Let simmer on low heat.
9. *Optional: Remove from pot in to a food processor or blender and blend to puree.
10. Cook TVP crumbles and add to soup; stir in well.
11. Cook cheez sauce and then it to the soup.
12. Stir cheez sauce into the soup well on medium heat until all stired in and cheezy.
13. Remove from heat when done and let cool.
14. Serve, eat, enjoy!

Cheezy sauce ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon paprika
5 cups water
2 teaspoon yellow mustard
8 tablespoons or less of vegan margarine
Directions:
Mix first 5 ingredients (flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, garlic powder, paprika) together in sauce pan with water and mix thoroughly. Heat on med until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add mustard and margarine.

TVP crumble ingredients:
2 cups plain TVP/TSP (texturized vegetable protein/textured soy protein) granules
2 and 1/4 cups cold water
2 tablespoons Bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon diced onions
2 tablespoon diced bell peppers
2 tablespoon diced tomatoes
2 packages taco seasoning or spices: 1 teaspoon garlic powder, cumin powder, onion powder, paprika, curry powder, black pepper, salt. 1/4 teaspoon sugar, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, chili powder.

Directions:
Soak TVP in water for 5 minutes or so. Mix together in a saucepan all ingredients except for TVP, stir until cornstarch dissolves. Then stir in the drained TVP. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; stir and simmer until it is of the desired consistency, about 7-35 minutes.

You can just add the cheez sauce or tvp instead of both and the soup still taste good! More addition to soup options:

Vegetable type options: zucchini, avocado, asparagus, mushrooms, cilantro, spinach, finely shredded green cabbage, bell peppers, tomatoes, squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, tabouli, barley, kale, olive, cauliflower, corn, peas.

Other ingredients:
Red wine vinegar, kidney beans, split peas, black beans, bacos, tofu, seiten, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste/sauce, basil, fenugreek seeds, barbecue sauce, couscous, quinoa, bulgur, red pepper flakes, fresh mint or dried mint, coriander.

Sorry, I do not have a picture of it, but if anyone decides to make it and sends me a pic I will post it!

Check back for new posts, and e-mail me me if you have any suggestion post or questions relating to this post.



March 10, 2008

Vegan Foods

Vegan foods are foods that contan no animal products of any kind.

Basic [vegan] foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans, are low in fat, contain no cholesterol, and are rich in fiber and nutrients.



Basic food groups:
Put together based on the nutrients we need, based on vegan nutrition. In parenthesis, show the foods that contain the most nutrients based on vegan nutrition.

Grains (whole, breads, quinoa, oats, wheat germ, etc)
Fruits ( avocado, dried fruits, strawberry, apple, banana, cantaloupe, grapefruit, orange, berries, watermelon, kiwi, squash, tomato, etc)
Vegetables (green leafy vegetables, potato with the skin, cauliflower, pea, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, beet, brussel sprout, onion, turnip, squash, sweet potato, sea vegetables, etc)
Nuts (almond, cashew, peanut, pistachio, etc)
Seeds (ground flax, sunflower, pumpkin, etc)
Legumes (lentil, chickpea, soy/products, beans, etc)
Algae, yeasts, and fungi (seaweeds, spirulina, nutritional yeast, mushrooms, etc.)

Staple foods:
Staple foods are foods that forms the basis of a traditional diet, basically everyday typical vegan foods.

  • Water
  • Tea and other beverages
  • Dried or canned beans
  • Chickpeas
  • Ground flax seeds
  • Nuts (i.e almonds, peanut butter)
  • Breads (i.e pita, sourdough)
  • Gluten (i.e seiten)
  • Pastas
  • Potatoes
  • Quinoa
  • Rices
  • Soy/products (i.e tofu, tempeh, TVP)
  • Mushrooms
  • Breakfast cereals and oats
  • Green leafy vegetables (i.e spinach, artichoke, kale)
  • Sea vegetables
  • Other vegetables
  • Fresh and dried fruits
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Plant milks (i.e soy milk, hemp milk, rice milk)
  • Vegetable and seed oils
  • Spices and herbs

Other:
For detailed information of the below foods with recipe links, See: Vegan Foods, Part 2
Sweetners
Dairy substitutes
Meat substitutes
Egg substitutes
Desserts
Condiments
Beverages
Snacks
Vegan meal ideas
Vegan brand foods

National cuisines that are mostly vegan: Indian, Asian, Mediterranean, Vietnamese, Spanish, Ethiopian, Mideastern, Chinese, Japanese, Europe, Thai, Creole, & Indonesian.

Links:
Vegan nutrition
Vegan recipes
Vegan cuisine
List of fruits
List of vegetables
List of beans, nuts, & seeds
List of herbs and spices
List of nuts
List of rice varieties
Vegan cuisine @ WikiCookbook
Vegan Substitutions @ WikiCookbook
What do vegans eat?
How to Stock Your Pantry
Vegan Basics Food guide by Viva!
Vegan Products Guide
VegCooking Shopping Guide
TryVeg Shopping Guide
VeganOutreach:Vegan Foods
Vegan substitutions
Vegan alternatives
I Can't Believe It's Vegan! (not everything is vegan)
Vegan Alternatives
Substitution Tips
Vegan Food Guide: A Glossary of Vegan Ingredients

Note: Make sure when buying foods to make sure they are vegan, read the ingredients, some products may contain hidden animal products. For a list of what ingrdeients to avoid, go here. Of course organic, and unprocssed foods tend to be the best way to go.

Remember to check back here daily for new posts and this post revised, and e-mail me me if you have any suggestion post or know anything I forgot to add or something that is misplaced or missing relating to this post.




March 1, 2008

Vegan Dating

Websites to meet other vegans or vegetarians for friendship, dating, and more!
Veggie Date
Veggie Connection
Veg Connect
Vegetarian Dating
Veggie Romance (UK)
Green Friends
Vegetarian Passions
Vegan OkCupid
Vegan Singles at LJ
Vegan Passions
VegFriends
Vegan Myspace
VegSpace
Cruelty Free
Veggie Fishing
Vegans4U
Green Singles
Vegetarian Dating
Veggie Love
Veggie Kisses
Veggie Match Makers
Love Is Green
Ethical Singles
Planet Earth Singles
Vegan Meet Up
Meet WIthout Meat
Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness: Vegan Dating
VegSource Singles
UK Vegan Singles
Vegge Roommate
EcoRoomates
VeggieGlobal
Dating

Vegan Online Forums, Groups, & Communities

Note: I have not tried some of these sites so I do not know how good they are, and assume no liability if you meet someone through them. Practice safe Internet chatting & meeting!

Remember to check back here daily for new posts, and e-mail me me if you have any suggestion post or know any more sites relating to this post.



February 6, 2008

Vegan Nutrition

Vegan nutrition & food nutrient sources

Essential vegan foods: Water, fruits, vegetables, nuts (almonds cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, etc), beans (black, pinto, baked, kidney, etc), seeds (flax, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, hemp, etc), soy products (tofu, TVP, tempeh, fortified soy milk, miso, etc.) pulses, whole grains, quinoa, seiten, nutritional yeast, cereals, chickpea, seaweed, lentils, & vegetable, hemp, and flaxseed oils. Dairy & meat substitutes are optional but sometimes good to include.

Top vegan nutrient myths.
A lot of these can be found in fortified cereals, plant milks, and vegan meals (like tofu, meat substitutes, etc) as well:
(In parenthesis is the average amount needed per day)

Nutrients:
Fiber (25-40g) Beans, nuts, ground flax seeds, lentils, vegetables (such as artichoke, peas, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, celery, sun dried tomatoes), whole-wheat spaghetti, oats, fruits (avocado, prunes, plums, berries), whole grains, sesame seeds, bran, quinoa, chickpeas, high fiber cereals, fiber plus plant milks, popcorn.

Iodine (120-150mcg) Table salt, kelp, strawberries, dried fruit, canned vegetables, pears, soy products, potato with peel baked, wheat germ, seaweed, navy beans. Foods that contain carrageen, agar-agar, algin, or alginate.

Essential Fatty Acids:
Omega-3 fatty acids (1.1mg) Ground flax seeds, oils (flaxseed oil, linseed oil, canola oil, walnut oil, wheat germ oil and soybean oil), walnuts, algae, hempseed, hemp milk, fortified soymilk, spirulina, chia, perilla, lingonberry, purslane, camelina, pecan nuts, hazel nuts, persian walnuts, black raspberry, butternuts, green leafy vegetables (like lettuce, broccoli, kale, spinach and purslane), legumes (like mungo, kidney, navy, pinto, lima beans, peas and split peas), citrus fruits, melons, cherries, & tofu.
Omega-3 fatty acids loose it's nutrients when cooked.
Omega-6 fatty acids (1.1mg) Nuts, cereals, whole grains, vegetable and seed oils (sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed, soybean), black currant, borage, hempseed, hemp milk, fortified soymilk, & spirulina.
Omega-9 fatty acids (1.1mg) Vegetable/olive oil, rapeseed, wallflower seed, hempseed, hemp milk, fortified soymilk, spirulina, & mustard seed.

Calcium: (700-1500mg) Tofu, green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, collard greens, cabbage, etc.), watercress, dried fruit/figs, seeds and nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame), black molasses, chickpeas, parsley, wholemeal bread, oats, almond butter, cooked tempeh, broccoli, beans (baked, black, pinto, navy, kidney, soy), kale, TVP, mustard greens, soya flour, soy yogurt, turnip greens, tahini, okra, bok choy, soy milk. Plant milks, bread, cereal, & orange juice are often fortified with calcium. Hummus with pita bread also provides a great source.

Proteins: (50g-55) Complete proteins for vegans include spirulina, quinoa, buckwheat, hempseed, and amaranth, & soy products such as soybeans, edamame, tofu, tempeh, and miso. Other great sources of protien include lentils, seitan (wheat gluten), TVP, kamut, nuts & seeds (almond, cashew, walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, pecans, filberts, peanuts nuts, sesame, sunflower, flax, hemp, pumpkin seeds), beans, (black, lima, pinto, kidney, navy, baked, split peas, chickpeas, fava, mung, pink), grains (barley, cornmeal, brown rice, millet, oatmeal, rye, bulgur, whole wheat bread, wheat germ, wheat, wild rice, spelt, teff, triticale, whole wheat berries, whole wheat couscous), vegtables (raw seaweed, raw spirulina, artichokes, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, green peas, green pepper, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard green, onions, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, turnip greens, watercress, yams, zucchini, potato), fruits (apple, banana, cantaloupe, grape, grapefruit, honeydew melon, orange, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, strawberry, tangerine, watermelon), nutritional yeast, soy milks and other plant milks, pulses, meat substitutes (such as Boca, Gardenburger, Tofurkey, Lightlife, Morningstar, Yves, etc).

Magnesium: (320-420m) Nuts, cocoa, whole wheat bread, bran flakes, wheat germ, barley, brown rice, leafy green vegetables, cooked dried beans, soy products, seeds (pumpkin, iotus, squash seed kernels, flax, sunflower, sesame), quinoa, almond butter, nuts (almonds, cashews, pine, brazil, black walnuts), beans, oats, seaweed, cereals, & plant milks. Refined grains are a poor source of magnesium.

Potassium: (4700mg) Legumes, orange juice, potato with skin, avocado, banana, tomato, broccoli, soybean, apricots, dried fruit, artichoke, spinach, squash, sweet potato, asparagus, green bean, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, tomaine lettuce, crimini mushrooms, almond, cantaloupe, swiss chard, corn, mushroom, plantain, lentil, plant milks, some pre-made store bought [vegan] meals.

Sulfur: (15mg) Legumes, garlic, onions, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, broccoli, asparagus, coconut, watermelon, swiss chard, parsley, turmeric, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes , tea & coffee, cabbage, raspberries.

Iron: (2.8mg) Spinach, potato, beans (black, lentils, pinto, soy), quinoa, tempeh, peas, nuts (cashews, almonds), watermelon, meat substitutes, broccoli, seaweeds, dried apricots, wholemeal bread, raisins, prunes, dates, seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin), chickpeas, black-eyed peas, legumes, oatmeal, dark-green leafy vegetables, cabbage, tofu, pulses, wheat-germ, parsley, millet, blackstrap molasses, tomato juice, soy milk, teff, whole wheat bread, cream of wheat.

Zinc: (15-19mg) Dried seaweed, seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower), nuts (pine, raw cashews, raw almonds, raw pecans) whole grains, wholemeal bread, brown rice, beans (lentils, chickpeas, lima, split peas) soybeans, tempeh, tvp, tofu, wheat germ & oats.

Vitamins: (Keep most of these foods stored away from light to protect vitamin content)
Vitamin A Cereals, plant milks, meat substitutes, dark green and yellow vegetables (broccoli, kale, collard greens, peas, spinach, cilantro, turnip greens, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, maize, pumpkin, yellow fruits (cantaloupe, papaya, mango, apricots), barley, wheat, pasta, rice, quinoa, flaxseed oil, algae, & nuts.

Vitamin C (90 -2000mg) Kakadu plum, camu camu, rose hip, blackcurrant, brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, green vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, peas, avocado, berries (straw, cran, blue, rasp, etc), currants, lettuce, red, green & yellow peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, cilantro, sprouted alfalfa seeds, parsley, melons, cranberry juice, orange juice/orange , grapefruit juice/grapefruit, sweet red pepper, potato, collard greens, cauliflower, lemon, cabbage, tropical fruits: guavas, mangoes, kiwi fruit, & pineapple.

Vitamin D: (10 mcg) Sunlight, vegetable oils & margarines, some fortifed plant milks (such as soy, rice, & hemp), spirulina, fortified cereals & breads. Mushrooms also provide over 2700 IU per serving (approx. 3 oz or 1/2 cup) of vitamin D2, if exposed to just 5 minutes of UV light after being harvested.

Vitamin E (15 mg) Wheat germ, margarine, vegetable oils (soybean, corn, safflower, and cottonseed), avocado, sweet potatoes, yams, green leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds, broccoli, spinach, kiwi, turnip greens, whole grain, mango, nuts (peanuts, almonds, pistachio), & peanut butter.

Vitamin K 120 mcg) Dark leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, lettuce, cabbage), cauliflower, wheat bran, cereals, some fruits, beets, potatoes, seeds, & green tea. Vitamin K is also produced by bacteria in stomach.

Complex B vitamins:
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Wholegrain cereals, whole grain bread, fortified cereals, porridge oats, nuts, brown rice, yeast extract, soybeans, peas, legumes, pulses, beans, nuts, Vegemite, Marmite, & seeds (sunflower).
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) Almonds, whole grains, wild rice, soybeans, whole grain bread, beans, cereals, leafy greens (spinach), wheat germ, oranges, mushrooms, cereal, broccoli, turnip greens, asparagus, avocados, Vegemite, Marmite, yeast extract, & enriched food products.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Whole grains, dried beans, brewer's yeast, peanut butter, beans, nuts (peanuts), wholegrain bread, wheat germ, cereal, yeast extract, avocados, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts, corn, seeds (sunflower), Vegemite, Marmite, & peas.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) Peanut butter, yeast extract, brewer's yeast, wheat bran, wheat germ, nuts (peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts), molasses, avocados, sunflower seeds, oats, barley, & green vegetables.
Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine) Potato, banana, whole grains, nuts, legumes, oatmeal, wheat bran, baked potatoes, chickpeas, fortified cereals, oats, peanuts, soy, wholegrain bread, wheat germ, avocados, & beans.
Vitamin B7 (Biotin) Whole grains, fruit, vegetables, & soybeans.
Vitamin B9 (Folic acid) Leafy green vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, peas, brussel sprouts, spinach), mushrooms, fortified cereals and grain products/juices/plant milks, nuts (almonds, peanuts), dry beans (black-eyed beans, soybeans), & wheat germ.
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) ( .70- 2.4 mcg) Chlorella, fortified cereals, fortified soy/rice milks, meat substitutes/soy analogs, some brands of fortified brewer's & nutritional yeast (such as Red Star & Twinlab). Sea vegetables like seaweed, dried nori, & spirulina, may contain vitamin B12, but their content varies and may be unreliable, lactic acid fermented products such as like tempeh, msio, beer & sauerkraut, but their content as well varies and may be unreliable. Marmite, & So Delicious Dairy Free Yogurt also contains B12 (Cyanocobalamin).

Links
Source links:
Vegan food pyramid
Optimal vegan nutrition
Vegan nutrition from Vegsoc.org
Vegan nutrition from Wikipedia.org
Staying a Healthy Vegan
Healthy choices on a vegan diet
Vitamins and Minerals Information Sheet
Vitamins chart 1
Vitamins chart 2

Information links:
Vegan Foods
What do vegans eat?
How to Stock Your Pantry
VegCooking Shopping Guide
TryVeg Shopping Guide
VeganOutreach:Vegan Foods
Vegan substitutions
Vegan alternatives
I Can't Believe It's Vegan! (not everything is vegan)

Remember to check back here daily for new posts, and e-mail me me if you have any suggestion post, or more/missing information to be added to this post.



January 14, 2008

Veg*an Guides

Guides for living veg! (Most in PDF unless otherwise noted)
Cruelty-Free Eating by VeganOutreach
Shopping Guide List by VegCooking
Guide to vegetarian eating by The Humane Society of the United States
How to be dairy-free by Viva!
It's easy to be dairy-free by Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation
Vegan basics by Viva!
10 Steps Vegan Guide
Vegetarian Starter Guide by TryVeg
The V-plan diet by Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation
Why vegan? by Vegan Outreach
Many online guides by Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation (non-pdf)
Many online guides by Viva! (non-pdf)

Other:
The best vegan cookbooks
Veg*an starter kits
IVU Database Search
Vegetarian and Vegan Glossary by Vegetarian-Restaurants.net
Glossary of Terms A-L by Vegetarian Life Tips
Glossary of Terms M-Z by Vegetarian Life Tips

To read most of these you need a PDF reader, such as Foxit or Adobe.

Remember to check back here daily for new posts, and e-mail me me if you have any suggestion post.



January 4, 2008

Most Vegetarian-Friendly...





Most Vegetarian-Friendly...
Sites such as PeTA and others, have done some research to determine the best vegetarian-friendly universities, resturants, cities, and prisons. (that's right prisons!) Most of these are in the US, some in Canada and other Conties. If you know anny other infomation, or if you know how veg*an your city, college, etc is- e-mail me and let me know!

...Cities
As the popularity of eating animal-free continues to grow, more and more restaurants are offering great-tasting veg*an options. If your town is not listed, don't worry, there are online guides such as HappyCow.net, VegGuide.org, VegDining.com, Vegetarian-Restaurants.net, and VegetarianUSA can help you find the best places to dine in your area. Plus, many of the top chain restaurants and fast-food establishments are offering terrific vegetarian selections, so you can enjoy cruelty-free foods anywhere you go. For more information on where to eat when you're away from home, check out VegCooking.com. As well you can e-mail me and tell me about your city!

According to PETA North America's Most Vegetarian-Friendly Cities are: (click the city to find out why!)
Large Cities:
1. Portland, Oregon
2. Seattle, Washington
3. San Francisco, California
4. New York, New York
5. Atlanta, Georgia
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Minneapolis, Minnesota
8. Austin, Texas
9. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
10. Chicago, Illinois

Small Cities:
1. Asheville, North Carolina
2. Eugene, Oregon
3. Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Norfolk, Virginia
5. Santa Monica, California
6. Santa Cruz, California
7. Boulder, Colorado
8. Madison, Wisconsin
9. Athens, Georgia
10. Ann Arbor, Michigan

Canadian Cities:
1. Vancouver, British Columbia
2. Victoria, British Columbia
3. Toronto, Ontario
4. Montréal, Québec
5. Calgary, Alberta
6. Ottawa, Ontario

According to HappyCow the Top 5 cities from all over the world, according to the sites users/readers votes are:
#1 New York City, USA
#2 San Francisco , USA
#3 London, England
#4 Singapore
#5 Portland, USA

To see the runner-ups, and the top 50 cities from all over the world with the most listings, go here.

...Colleges/Univesties

Help to veganize your school, and adopt a college!

According to peta2 the Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges of 2007 are:
USA
#1 Northwestern University
#2 Yale University
#3 University of California-Berkeley
#4 Humboldt State University
#5 University of Puget Sound
#6 Brown University
#7 Indiana University
#8 Boston University
#9 Georgetown University
#10 University of Florida

Canada
#1 University of Toronto
#2 McMaster University
#3 University of British Columbia
#4 University of Victoria
#5 Trent University

...Prisons
PETA gets calls all the time from inmates who want to make a positive change in their lives by going vegetarian, and in the course of responding to these individuals. And with groups like theVegan Prisoners Support Group, vegan prisoners and options seem to be on the rise. Click here to read Newsweek’s coverage of the story.

According to peta2 the Most Vegetarian-Friendly Prisons are:
1. Idaho
2. Massachusetts
3. Pennsylvania
4. Georgia
5. New Hampshire
6. Utah
7. Hawaii
8. Tennessee
9. Kansas
10. North Dakota

...Pizzerias
According to VegCooking the Most Vegan-Friendly Pizzerias are:
1. Pizza Luce: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Pizza Luce in Minneapolis carries a plethora of pizza options. With its wide array of vegan mock meats—including mock duck and two different kinds of mock chicken—as well as two types of soy cheese and all your favorite veggies, you can put together almost any pizza your brain can imagine. Not in the mood for pizza? Grab one of the several vegan entrées, such as Mock Chicken Parmigiana or the Mock Muffuletta.

2. Pizza Pi: Seattle, Washington
Pizza Pi in Seattle doesn't just have vegan options—its entire menu is vegan! Not only is the pizza tasty, there's loads of variety. Mock meats range from pepperoni to Canadian bacon to veggie sausage, and veggies include sundried tomatoes, artichokes, and capers, to name just a few. Pizza Pi also carries vegan calzones, a wide range of sandwiches, and vegan desserts.

3. Gianna's: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A favorite when in the City of Brotherly Love, Gianna's has enough options to make any vegan happy. From its wide range of mock meats (sausage, beef, bacon, ham, chicken, and pepperoni) to its interesting list of veggies (broccoli rabe, anyone?), Gianna's has it all. And it gets extra credit for having vegan sandwich options, including a vegan Philly cheesesteak.

4. T.J. Scallywaggle's: Allston (Boston), Massachusetts
T.J. Scallywaggle's has an all-vegan menu that is even fun to read. With lots of specialty pizzas named in honor of "Captain Jazelda," in addition to your standard fare, T.J. Scallywaggle's is sure to bring out the pirate in you. It also has a bunch of tasty subs, calzones, salads, entrées, and desserts—all vegan!

5. The Pizza Research Institute: Eugene, Oregon
Don't be fooled by the name! This restaurant is much hipper than the words "research institute" imply. However, with all the one-of-a-kind pizzas on the menu, you would think that there really was a staff of food scientists in the kitchen. One standout is the 3P—pears, potato, and pineapple.

6. Slice of Life: Sebastopol, California
Slice of Life in Sebastopol (near San Francisco) is a fully vegetarian, and mostly vegan, restaurant with a huge menu. It includes not only pizza—such as the Cheeseless Wonder—but also other Italian options, as well as Mexican and traditional American dishes too.

7. Mac's Pizza Pub: Cincinnati, Ohio
Mac's Pizza Pub is a lively college hangout in Cincinnati. When winding down after an exam (or skipping class!), locals enjoy Mac's vegan pizza, which is topped with fresh veggies and gourmet vegan mozzarella. But veggie students aren't limited to just pizza at Mac's—the pub also offers a Boca burger.

8. Bella Pizzeria: Norfolk, Virginia
The hometown pizza favorite of PETA, Bella's makes a delicious pie, piling plenty of soy cheese on top of a tasty New York-style crust and, if you like, topping it off with classic veggies. In the mood for something a little different? Try the white pizza, which skips the tomato sauce and uses an olive oil-garlic blend as the base under loads of soy cheese.

9. Pizza Fusion Franchise
With 23 locations across the country, Pizza Fusion is definitely the biggest vegan-friendly pizzeria. As a company that prides itself on being "green," Pizza Fusion's got the right idea by giving the option to get vegan cheese on any pizza, because the best thing we can do for the environment is to go veg!

10. The Rudyard Kipling: Louisville, Kentucky
The official pizza place of frontline warriors against Kentucky Fried Cruelty in Louisville is The Rudyard Kipling. The restaurant offers a super-duper healthy crust with more grains than you can shake a breadstick at. Word has it that you can even get polenta on your pies. Also, be sure to check out its famous Vegan Rudyard Burger.Remember get active and help make your city, school, etc more veg*an/animal friendly!

Additional sites:
Best Vegetarian Friendly Restaurant by AOL City Guide
2005 Top 16 Best Vegetarian Cities in the USA by Vegetarian-Restaurants.net
2006 Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks by PETA.org
America's Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Cities (archived) by PETA.org and web.archive.org

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