Blog Posts by OneGreenPlanet.Org

pulp not fiction vegan muffins

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I'm taking the risk of sounding like an infomercial by asking this, but: Do you ever feel like you're throwing away your hard-earned cash when you toss the pulp leftover from making your own nut or seed milks? Did you know the aforementioned pulp actually makes for a delicious and efficient substitute for binders in muffins and cakes? Because it does.

When you make your own peanut milk (see link in recipe below for easy instructions how to make peanut milk), all you need to do is squeeze out any remaining liquid from the pulp and throw it in the wet ingredients of the muffin preparation in order to bind, moisten, and even flavor the muffin batter without unwanted waste. If the pulp is rather lumpy, simply use a blender to combine it with the wet ingredients until smooth.

As a side note, if you ever run out of nuts and need milk for your morning bowl of cereal, and you spot a jar of whichever nut or seed butter hiding in your

Spring Salad Throwdown
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As a chilly winter season draws to an end, many of us are more than ready to make the transition from heavy comfort foods to the light and fresh fare of Spring. Although the looming thought of bathing suit season is usually convincing enough, in terms of health, Spring is a great time to make cleansing changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Spring is a season of growth and there is abundant produce coming into season at your local farmer's market or grocery store. Asparagus doesn't get any better than when it comes into season in mid-April. Don't miss out on this opportunity, as it will only last about two months. "New potatoes" are simply baby potatoes, picked when they are still immature. These tiny potatoes have a thin skin, so no need to waste your time peeling them. They work beautifully when boiled, steamed, or roasted.

Read the recipes here...

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Cooking with Seasonal Vegetables: Spinach

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When vegetables are rated in terms of overall nutritional value, spinach is usually among the powerhouse veggies at top the list. It's vitamin-rich and a good source of iron and fiber.

Spinach is a cool-weather green, and one of the first seasonal offerings at CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms and and farm markets, or if you're lucky enough, from your own garden. Like any veggie that can be cooked and eaten the same day it's pulled from the earth, just-harvested spinach is incomparable. Later in the summer, you might like to explore Malabar and other varieties referred to as summer spinach; they have larger, thicker leaves and stems, more akin to chard than its small and tender cool-weather cousins.

Supermarket spinach often comes in bags marked "triple washed," meaning that sand and grit trapped in all those crevices is not as much of a worry. Yet if this convenient type of spinach isn't organic, skip it.

Vegan + Fashionable = Totally Possible

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Spring is upon us, and it's time to start planning your warmer weather wardrobe! One would think it's challenging to find animal-free materials that still look fabulous, but if you take the time to look, there are actually plenty of options. Just as the plant-based diet has been going more mainstream in the past several years, so has the vegan fashion industry. No more dowdy hemp clogs, boring canvas belts, or "This is all I could find!" cotton totes. You can definitely put together outfits that say "I care about animals. But I also like to not look homely." Here are some tips to get you started on buying more compassionately!

Learn to Mix Pieces

A great strategy to adopt is learning to mix pieces from completely vegan designers with ones from non-vegan designers that happen to be made of cruelty-free materials (like a linen dress or cotton pants, for example). Many vegan designers focus on non-leather accessories like shoes

Veganism is Elite?

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Chances are - especially if you are a vegan, or interested in becoming one - you've heard veganism dismissed as a lifestyle choice of the privileged. But why? Vegans work wonders with simple ingredients. In towns and cities worldwide, no-frill Mediterranean diners offer spinach and onion pies, and smoked baba ghanouj or smooth hummus with salad in a fresh, warm wrap. For about the same amount as one would pay at a burger joint, we come out with simple, real food from a local business, and more nutrients for the money. Creative vegans find a use for most everything. A cashew roast saves bread by employing breadcrumbs, and any remaining roast can fill large vegetables the next day. There you have your Baked Stuffed Aubergine (Eggplant) or Chiles Rellenos - hearty, aromatic and intensely nutritious dishes, no strangers to the frugal cook.

Once we learn to make Vietnamese spring rolls ("Red Rose" wrappers, sold cheaply at many

Vegan Diets: Supplements for Optimal Health

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Dietary supplements are big business, bringing in more than 25 billion dollars a year. If you're eating a well-balanced plant-based diet, though, you can minimize your own contribution to that industry. With a couple of exceptions, it's possible to get all the nutrients you need from plant foods. But in a few areas, supplements (or fortified foods) can give some helpful insurance.

Vitamin B12: An essential supplement for people on a plant-based (vegan) diet.

So much has been written about vitamin B12 that it often leaves vegans thinking there is some controversy over this nutrient. There isn't, though. All experts agree that vegans need to supplement with B12, unless they regularly consume foods fortified with it. You can't get enough by eating organic vegetables or by consuming fermented soyfoods, spirulina or sea veggies. Anyone on a plant-based diet needs a daily supplement of 25 to 100 micrograms, or 1,000 micrograms

Pumpkin Cheesy Pasta Vegan

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People on a plant-based (vegan) and/or non-dairy diet often miss baked cheese-based pasta casseroles, and gluten-intolerant individuals truly have to sacrifice for their body's allergies in this department. However, with the advent of so many varieties of gluten-free pastas and the copious cheese-like flavors out there, this special group can, once again, enjoy the same foods as their friends. Here an an amazing dairy-free, gluten-free and completely plant-based recipe for Pumpkin Cheesy Shells Casserole with Broccolini

Ingredients

• 1 box gluten-free pasta (I like Ancient Harvest corn-quinoa shells)
• ¼ c. canned pumpkin
• 1 c. non-dairy milk
• 1 T. white miso paste
• 2/3 c. nutritional yeast
• 1/4 c. gluten-free flour (I used corn flour)
• ½ t. each curry powder and cayenne pepper (add more or less to suit your tastes)
• 1 T. canola oil, refined for medium-high heat
• 5 stalks broccolini, cut into

nuclear power not green dangers

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Is nuclear energy really part of the answer to preventing the devastating effects of climate change? Until the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, even some ardent environmentalists who'd previously rejected the technology had warmed to the idea.

Nuclear Renaissance?

Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in nuclear power as people search for ways to prevent the worst of climate change. As part of a so-called nuclear renaissance, some of the myths surrounding nuclear energy have been broadcast with increasing frequency.

Some, including President Obama, have argued that nuclear energy belongs in the mix as an effective means for combating climate change, and recently the president called for a tripling of public financing for new nuclear power plants.

During his presidential campaign Obama declared, "If we want to arrest global warming, then nuclear energy is a powerful, powerful ally in that cause." Obama's