Free Stuff Friday: 'The Conscious Cook' Cookbook! October 16, 2009

Posted by Tiffany Wright at October 16, 2009 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 177 ) | TrackBack

Who's hungry? I'm starving! I just finished flipping through chef Tal Ronnen's new book The Conscious Cook, and, now, my stomach won't stop rumbling. Everything looks so damn delicious! It's no surprise Tal's cooked for some of Hollywood's elite, including Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres. He's also helped tons of restaurants, schools, and corporate cafeterias get some vegetarian options on to their menus. Way to go Tal!

If you're a fussy foodie, this book's for you. But don't just take it from me. Oprah loves Tal's food so much, she raved about it in her blog.

To win a copy of The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat, containing 75 original vegan recipes, comment below with what inspired you to go veg or, if you haven't gone veg yet, let us know what it's going to take to make the switch. Comments must be received by October 23. The three people with the most original comments will be chosen as our winners and notified by October 26.

Just so you know ... by commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

GOOD LUCK!

Make Something for Your Dad This Father's Day! June 16, 2009

Posted by Marta at June 16, 2009 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

Since so many of you loved making a cake for your mom this past Mother's Day, we wanted to make sure that your dad got in on the good eats too. And we couldn't think of a better way for you to show how much you appreciate him on Father's Day than by dishing him up a big, homemade, delicious breakfast! Here's a recipe for you to impress your meat-loving dad with, straight out of PETA's Vegan College Cookbook. This recipe is ridiculously easy and I could eat vats of it because I love it. Yummmm.

Toasty Sausage Surprise

The surprise? Your omni friends will never know this isn't real sausage.

1 (14-ounce) tube veggie sausage, crumbled
2 cups soy milk
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup flour
6 slices of bread, toasted

Mix together the sausage, soy milk, margarine, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Heat for 3 minutes, then add a dash of flour while stirring. Heat for an additional 2 minutes. Repeat this flour-adding process until the mixture is thick. Place toast on plates and top with the sausage mixture.

Makes 3 servings.

Serve this up with some of your fave breakfast foods (I personally like hashed browns, fresh fruit, OJ, and tofu scramble), and your dad will totally give your cell back to you after you sent way too many texts last month. Well, maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to try, right?

E-mail StreetTeam@peta2.com a picture of your Toasty Sausage Surprise and let us know what your dad thought of it and we'll give you 1,000 Street Team points.

Happy eating!



P.S. Have you gotten a copy of PETA's Vegan College Cookbook yet? What are you waiting for?! It'll make your life easier and more delicious. Seriously.

Free Stuff Friday: PETA's Vegan College Cookbook June 5, 2009

Posted by Tiffany Wright at June 5, 2009 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 200 ) | TrackBack

When you head off to college this year, you'll have a lot on your plate. Between classes, homework, study sessions, and frat parties, the last thing you need to worry about is food. That's why we're giving you the chance to win PETA's Vegan College Cookbook. This cookbook provides you with 275 vegan recipes you can make in the comfort of your own dorm room. PETA's Vegan College Cookbook includes simple (and delicious) recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks, drinks, and much more! Better yet, the only appliance you'll need to make all this scrumptiousness is a microwave.

And, by the way, this book isn't just for college students. It's for anyone who wants cooking to be quick, delicious, and cruelty-free. If that sounds like you, or anyone you know, then you'll want to enter to win one of five cookbooks we're giving away this week (see below!).

Wanna know more about the cookbook? Check out what the book's co-authors (and peta2 staffers), Marta Holmberg and Starza Kolman, had to say:

Tiffany: What made you guys decide to put together this cookbook?
Marta: College students write in all the time looking for vegan recipes that are easy and delicious, so we wanted to give them something they would really benefit from and love.

Tiffany: What was your favorite thing to eat in college?
Marta: I tend to go through certain periods where I only eat one type of food. Sometimes, it's stir fry, sometimes it's pancakes ... you never know.
Starza: Ramen with all kinds of different stuff like vegetables, nutritional yeast, and spices. In college, I always took weird dishes and morphed them into something delicious.

Tiffany: What's your favorite recipe from the book?
Marta and Starza: "I'm, Like, So Easy!" Blueberry Pancakes.

Tiffany: What do you think people will love most about the book? ... Besides the food, of course.
Starza: This book makes cooking so easy. You can just roll out of bed and whip something up. This book makes cooking so convenient and fun that you'll actually want to cook.

Tiffany: What advice would you give students whose friends or family don't agree with them being vegan?
Starza: Make them some sample food to show them how good and nutritionally balanced vegan food can be.
Marta: Live by example—people will see how easy and delicious vegan food is if they see how happy you are being vegan.

Tiffany: What's the best thing about being vegan?
Marta: The food!
Starza: The fact that no animal had to suffer for the meals you prepare.
Marta: Oh yeah, that too! :o)

For your chance to win PETA's Vegan College Cookbook, comment below with what we should name our 276th recipe. Right now, the book's recipes include Butt Ugly Sticky Buns, Hangover Helper, WTF Wings, and Frozen Frat Balls. Entries must be received by June 12th. The five people with the most creative comments will be chosen as our winners and notified by June 15th.

Just so you know ... by commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

GOOD LUCK!

Free Stuff Friday: BabyCakes Cookbook! May 8, 2009

Posted by Tiffany Wright at May 8, 2009 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 260 ) | TrackBack

It's finally here! The long anticipated BabyCakes cookbook was released on Tuesday! If you haven't gotten yours yet, this is your chance to win a signed copy from author Erin McKenna herself!

Erin is quite the celeb. Not only is she the owner of New York's most talked-about vegan bakery, but she's appeared on the Food Network as well as Martha Stewart Television and been featured in The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, InStyle, VegNews, and Modern Bride.

Erin has filled BabyCakes with amazingly delicious vegan, gluten-free, and (mostly) sugar-free recipes for cupcakes, brownies, cookies, muffins and more! So don't just sit there! This is your one and only chance to win this Holy Grail of vegan cookbooks.

To enter to win this signed copy of BabyCakes, pretend you own your own bakery and comment below with what you'd call it. You must enter this contest by May 15th to be eligible to win. The person who comes up with the most creative name will be our winner and will be notified by May 18th!

Just so you know ... by commenting here, you're acknowledging that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

Want more? Click here to see Erin and rest of the BabyCakes crew in action.

P.S. If you're still looking for a great gift to get your mom for Mother's Day, this is it!

Something for Robert Pattinson to Bite Into April 3, 2009

Posted by Marta at April 3, 2009 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack

sugarslam / CC

If there's one thing I like, it's a guy who knows how to work a microwave. That might sound weird, but hear me out. For the past many months, my friend Starza and I have been working hard to bring you PETA's Vegan College Cookbook: 275 Easy, Cheap, and Delicious Recipes to Keep You Vegan at School. Here's the really exciting part: The most complicated cooking contraption you'll need for these recipes is a microwave!

WTF does this all have to do with Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson? Well, as it turns out, the lovely Mr. Pattinson loves microwaves too. According to an interview with Pattinson in the April issue of GQ, "He explains that the place he's staying at in L.A. has a microwave, and that he's never had a microwave before, and that he spends a lot of time looking for new things you can microwave." Including a carrot! Talk about a match made in heaven (meaning Pattinson and the cookbook, not him and me, although now that I think about it ... ).

Anyway, I can't imagine a more perfect gift for him right now than PETA's Vegan College Cookbook, which is exactly why we sent one his way today. After all, the cookbook is perfect for any busy person—whether you're a college student or a movie star. Wouldn't it be awesome if he realized how easy it is to be vegetarian and gave up the flesh?

Now, the cookbook doesn't come out until May, but here's a sneak peek at a recipe you can sink your teeth into right now!

Campus Streaker Sausage Dip

Great for when you're on the run. Guaranteed to turn any party into a sausage fest.

1 (14-ounce) tube vegan sausage
2 (10-ounce) containers of vegan cream cheese, room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained

Crumble the sausage as best you can and stir it into the cream cheese and tomatoes until evenly blended. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes, or until hot. Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes 8 servings.

So, are you as excited about the cookbook as I am?!



P.S. If you're ridiculously obsessed with corny infomercials like I am, you'll love our cookbook infomercial!

Free Stuff Friday: My Sweet Vegan Cookbook! May 2, 2008

Posted by Ashleigh at May 2, 2008 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 221 ) | TrackBack

Hannah Kaminsky is a girl I would have loved to have gone to high school with. Why? Because during her senior year she created seventy-seven original recipes, tested them all, and photographed the finished product to make one amazing cookbook: My Sweet Vegan.

Not only would I have been honored to call such an ambitious girl a friend, but I would have loved trying out all the amazing recipes that made it into the book!

I want to share a Q&A with Hannah so you can learn more about this sweet vegan . . .

When did you start baking?

I would occasionally help my mom in the kitchen when I was much younger... she would measure everything out and work the oven, while I handled the mixing duties. However, my solo baking adventures began around the age of fourteen, when I became vegan.

What was it that made you decide to go vegan?

I began experimenting with vegetarianism when I was a freshman in high school, but before I knew it, I was enmeshed in the issues of animal rights. I decided that no matter how hard it might be to make the transition, I wanted to do all I could to help the cause. To my great surprise, I had no trouble at all going vegan! Not once have I ever regretted that decision, either.

What is your favorite recipe?

While it's really hard to pick favorites, one that I find myself making over and over again is the Root Beer Float Cupcakes. Most people are just curious about how they will taste, but once they trial a bite they get hooked on the flavor and can't get enough of them! Beyond these cupcakes, the Green Tea Tiramisu is one of my personal favorite indulgences.

Chocolate or vanilla?

Oh man, tough one... When manipulated properly, both can be incredible flavors that go well with just about everything else. Seriously, don't make me choose! Can't we all just be friends and bake a marble cake instead?

Pies or cakes?

Cake, definitely. I love pie just as much as any other baked goods, but the extra step of making a crust can sometimes be a real pain. But . . . if we're talking about a graham cracker crust, then that's a different story altogether.

Cupcakes or cookies?

Honestly, after making so many thousands (probably millions, even) of cupcakes, I am starting to get a bit tired of them. Cookies take my vote right now, but of course that could change with little persuasion.

Any advice for the novice vegan baker?

I know that this has been said countless times before, but the best advice I can give is to be unafraid and try things out. Don't know how to replace the eggs? Who cares! Look around your kitchen, find things of similar textures, nutritional profiles, chemical properties, anything, and just give it a shot. No one has a definite answer as to what makes great vegan baking, just like regular baking, so never close your mind to the many possibilities that exist in terms of ingredients and methods. Most importantly though, make note of your mistakes so that you can improve upon them and start cranking out awesome baked goods!

What's next for you?

I just started attending UMass Amherst, so a few more years of school lie ahead. However, whenever I'm lucky enough to get a ride home for the weekend, I go straight into the kitchen to work on my second dessert cookbook! There are so many exciting things brewing right now, I just can't wait to see where it all leads.

Wouldn't you want her to go to high school with you too? I want her to work for PETA and be my friend and teach me how to use my oven! But until that happens I am going to devour My Sweet Vegan and start baking! One lucky boy or girl will win this beautiful cookbook and join me in the adventures of vegan baking! To win, comment below with whether you like cake or pie better. I ALWAYS choose cake. What's better than frosting?

This contest ends May 16, 2008 and the winner will be chosen and notified by May 23, 2008!

Just so you know...by commenting here, we're taking that as acknowledgment that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

Good Luck!

-Ashleigh

We Need Your Help! April 23, 2008

Posted by Ryan at April 23, 2008 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

It's finally happening! peta2 is working on a brand-new vegan cookbook, specifically focusing on SIMPLE, and EASY recipes. Here's where you come in! We're looking for creative and delicious vegan recipes that we can use in the book!

peta2 staffers have already contributed our part. Check out this amazingly simple recipe Lara donated!

Pancake in a Mug

1/2 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup Soymilk
Vegan Butter/Margarine
Maple Syrup

1) Mix Soymilk and Bisquick together in a mug
2) Microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes
3) Add vegan butter and maple syrup
4) Enjoy!

Get the idea? So send all of your ideas and recipes (as many as you have) to peta2@peta2.com. Make sure to include your name, address, and email address, so that we can verify that the recipe is all yours! :)

Come on, blog-readers, don't let us down!

- Ryan!

Cookbook Contest for Hungry Banditos! October 9, 2007

Posted by Lara Sanders at October 9, 2007 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 ) | TrackBack

Hot Damn and Hell Yeah: Recipes for Hungry Banditos/The Dirty South Vegan Cookbook is the best cookbook I have laid eyes on since Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! With recipes like Southern Fried Tofu and Party in Your Mouth Cake, can you really argue with me?

Actually, it is a split of two cookbooks (double the fun): Hot Damn and Hell Yeah: Recipes for Hungry Banditos is by Ryan Splint and The Dirty South Vegan Cookbook is by Vanessa Doe. Thank goodness those two got together for the very important mission of getting the word out about the wonderful world of Southern vegan cuisine.

Recently, PETA's road warrior Lindsay tried out some of the mouth-watering recipes in the cookbook. Here is a pic of the cooking process...

And here are the results!



Hungry? I am! If Lindsay didn't live all the way in Louisville, KY, I would try to steal those biscuits from her. Fortunately for you, you don't have to resort to such measures—we are giving away two copies of the cookbook right here!

All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment below with your favorite vegan recipe!

The contest ends on October 30th, and the winner will be notified by November 6th.

xoxo,
Lara

P.S. Just so you know...by commenting here, we're taking that as acknowledgment that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

P.P.S. Also by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.