With movies like Food Inc which expose the way food and meat are produced in the US and fears of Global Warming brewing, vegetarianism is growing. In fact in 2008, there are 7.3 million Vegetarian Americans and 22.8 million Americans eat a vegetarian inclined diet. In 2008 Vegetarian Times conducted a study on the statistical breakdown of vegetarians. This interesting study broke down the statistics on vegetarians in America. The study reported that about 1% of the population are vegetarians, with a million of those following a strict vegan diet.

And if you are curious to who is a vegetarian the study broke down this diet by gender, age, and the length of their commitments. It was shown that more women and younger Americans have chosen vegetarianism. 59 percent of reported vegetarians are female while only 41 percent are male. It was appears that the majority of vegetarians are between 18 and 34 years old. 42.0  percent of vegetarians are age 18 to 34 years old while 40.7 percent are 35 to 54 and 17.4  percent are over 55. And on top of the showing that vegetarians are made up of mostly a younger female population, the study reported that most of these committed vegetarians have been following this diet for 10 years or more. 57.1 percent have followed a vegetarian diet for more than 10 years while 18 percent for 5 to 10 years; 10.8  percent for 2 to 5 years, and 14.1 percent for less than 2 years. These figures are compelling because it is evident that most Americans who decide to follow a plant based diet do so as a long or lifelong commitment.

As well as showing who is a vegetarian in America, the study explained the reasons most Americans are choosing to live an herbivorous lifestyle.  The 2008 study reported that over half, 53 percent, are currently vegetarian for health reasons. Environmental factors were also played a huge part in American’s decision, showing 47 percent as their reason to become vegetarian. It was also shown that 39 percent cited “ natural approaches to wellness” while 31 percent cited food-safety concerns,  54 percent cited animal welfare; and finally 25 percent cited weight loss while 24 percent reported weight maintenance as a reason. There are so many reasons to chose a vegetarian diet, as it is clear by this data, but it seems that most Americans choose to live a meat free life for a variety of reasons.

The study provides great information about those Americans who are eating a vegetarian or vegetarian inclined diet. Perhaps the most encouraging statistics to come out of this study is that the 11.9 million non vegetarians who were surveyed stated they  are “definitely interested” in eating a vegetarian diet in the future: meaning more and more people are interested in the lifestyle. Finally, the editor of Vegetarian Times, Elizabeth Turner said “the vegetarian sector is one of the fastest-growing categories in food publishing,” In fact magazine sales for Vegetarian Times has been growing after the last few years while the mainstream publishing industry has been hurting.

Now that we know the breakdown of Vegetarian Americans it makes  fact that this trend is growing incredibly exciting. Looking at concrete data showing that more and more Americans are changing their lifestyles, makes the excitement all the more real. So in the words of Brain, we vegetarians are “trying to take over the world.” Look out, American we are taking over…well in the end at least we are a growing population.

The Autumn leaves have almost all fallen from the trees and it is that time again to prepare for the rush of holiday season. This week’s vegan recipe of the week is Thanksgiving themed. With the feasting holiday approaching it is important to have vegan options to the traditional standbys. Whether you are attending a dinner and want to impress your omnivore relatives or if you are cooking an entire vegan feast, the traditional recipe for stuffing is essential to the Thanksgiving menu. This week we have a recipe for Vegan Cranberry-Walnut Stuffing. So enjoy the fall send off in vegan style!

Vegan Cranberry-Walnut Stuffing 

5 Cups of Stale or Toasted Vegan Bread

1-2 Cups of Wild Rice

2 Cups of Chopped Celery

1 Cup Chopped Onion

1 Cup Vegetable Broth

3/4 Cup Chopped Cranberries

3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts

3 Tbls of Earth Balance Vegan Margarine 

1 1/2 Tsps Thyme

1 Tsp Sage

1 Tsp Rosemary

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Fully cook the wild rice before hand.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a large pan heat up the margarine and cook the onions, celery, and cranberries for about 15 minutes or until soft and tender.  Add in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. In a large  bowl mix the bread crumbs, rice,walnuts, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour hot mixture over the dry ingredients and mix. Grease a pan with margarine and  pour mixture into pan. Dot the top with extra margarine and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until the top is crispy. Serve with Tofurkey and other Thanksgiving dishes.

The idea for taking it upon myself to forage for my own foliage in an urban setting was introduced to me by one Joe Medeiros, biology and ecology professor at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA.  A scruffy and adventurous man, he would often entertain his classes with tales of surviving bear encounters in isolated wilderness and complaining intelligently about the earth’s rapid over-populating of humans, all with wry wit and heartfelt sincerity.  We all trusted him immediately.  Thus, it was not so surprising that, on frequent field trips around campus and in the nearby Northern Californian foothills, I thought it ingeniously resourceful and just plain rad that he would stop, bend down and pick some random green-leafed herb on the side of a sidewalk or trail and cram it into his mouth.  We watched and were amazed, realizing that, contrary to a vague assumption we all seemed to have, every little green thing growing in your backyard isn’t horrifyingly poisonous.

Over the years, the impulse he instilled in me to be curious about the plants that surround us on a daily basis never died.  The more obvious edibles, such as oranges in the historic trees growing on the landscaped sidewalk plot in front of my apartment in downtown Sacramento or the plethora of Himalayan blackberries encroaching on my aunt’s backyard in Berkeley were easily taken advantage of, for urban foraging may encompass all available resources.  Questions of the right people have to eat from plants growing on public and easily-accessible private land have been raised, but I must confess that no fence nor fear would stop me from stuffing a few ripe peaches, fallen on my then-neighbor’s lawn in Oakland, into my pockets.  In fact, once caught doing so, she encouraged me to continue to help myself.  This tendency to consume what others might neglect has resulted in a number of organizations designed to connect people in communities with plant locations and people willingly providing fruit surplus, such as Urban Edibles in Portland and Fallen Fruit in Los Angeles.  The wonderful, humanistic benefit of such organizations, in the spirit of social charity, is that individuals in local settings become better-acquainted through the very old and even sacred act of food gathering, using what the Earth is already providing to share and sustain themselves.

But the idea of urban foraging doesn’t need to be limited to easily identified fruits you’ll also see at the market.  So many plants that you might pass on the way to a corner store are very-likely palatable and nutritious.  This ventures into what is now commonly called Wild Food, plants that sprout up naturally, where they please, entirely uncultivated by people, be they native species having existed in an area for eons or invasives accidentally introduced by people in the last century or less.  Recall my former professor, Joe; he had an expertise at identifying and discriminating seemingly obscure edible plants from inedible or occasionally poisonous ones.  Such an in depth knowledge requires much practice and perhaps a guide for the new forager; a notable one would be the famous “Wildman” Steve Brill of New York City who leads many of the curious on tours through the city, helping them sort through available resources (his website also offers an extensive identification guide with color pictures).

Years after learning from Joe I found an incredibly useful book: Wild Edible Plants of Western North America, written by Donald Kirk and expertly illustrated by Janice Kirk.  Living in Sacramento at one point, equiped with this guide as well as a friend conveniently enrolled in a plant taxonomy course, I decided to stroll a few blocks to the American River parkway to try to come home with something to cook.  Hardly ten minutes into our search, my friend identified mustard plants with broad, dark leaves and little hairs on the underside.  Certainly not something you would immediately think to be edible, let alone tasty in a salad or stir-fried in a wok.  Shrugging, I cross-referenced them with the illustrations and descriptions, picked some, brought them home, and did just that: put them in a salad and stir-fried them in a wok.  They were great.

And this easy find is minor compared with the variety and availability of wild and once-cultivated plants permeating our urban environment.  For example, not long after at a local farmer’s market, I found a vendor selling twist-tied bundles of dried oat straw, yellow and hay-looking, intended to be boiled as a tea, with a pantheon of reported health benefits ranging from B-complex vitamins to assuaging depression to helping cure forms of cancer.  Looking it over, I realized that this stuff grows frickin’ everywhere, in open lots and unkempt front yards all over any city I’ve lived in California.  The farmers themselves just harvested the bundles in their backyard before market.  I thought of Joe back at Sierra College and his mouth full of what I later learned to be tangy, vitamin C-fortified Miner’s Lettuce he found next to the science building, and couldn’t help but smile. 

Do you need to be crazy to start eating the stuff that grows in the cracks in your driveway, or crazy not to?  

This weekend marked the 14th annual Boston Vegetarian Festival and we had a blast! It was wonderful to meet some of our fans and make new friends! We also enjoyed sampling the many vegan goodies from around the country. With tasty bites from Teese Cheese, Crazy Camel Dessert Hummus, and many local eateries, the festival was a bountiful display of veganism. We definitely enjoyed every second of the goodies, however we must say the highlight of our time there was meeting and tasting the desserts of Vegan Treats Bakery from Bethlehem, PA. This amazing bakery is every vegan’s dream offering the old staples of doughnuts and pies to more involved items such as French pastries and whoopie pies!

Death By Chocolate

Although we have yet to visit their storefront, we tried several different treats from their very full display of mini cakes! The first day we had the honor of diving into a delicious Carrot Cake and a Death By Chocolate. We tried the Carrot Cake first and it was flavorful and very moist! However, we couldn’t wait to sink our teeth into the Death By Chocolate. It was chocolate cake with a hardened chocolate shell, sprinkled with crispy balls, sprayed with gold dust, and a pretty chocolate star to top it off! One bite and we instantly went into a choco-gasm. This mini cake was packed full of chocolaty flavor and the crisps were just a perfect touch. It was extremely hard to believe these were vegan!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

The second day we knew we had to try as many mini cakes as possible, since we don’t know the next time we will be in Bethlehem. For Sunday we thought we would try the Peanut Butter Cheesecake and Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake. Both were so creamy and there was no way you could tell either of these desserts were “lacking” any ingredients. Although we enjoyed both cheesecakes to their core, the Peanut Butter Cheesecake floored us! There are almost no words to describe the fudgy chocolate and gooey peanut butter mixed with the creaminess of cheesecake that touched our tongues! This was is by far the best cheesecake, vegan or not, we have EVER come across!!

We can hardly wait to feast upon those delicious little cakes once again and have been brainstorming on how we can travel down to Bethlehem for AP. That way we have an excuse to overeat and spend our money on these incredible vegan goods! If you are ever passing through the area, this Vegan Treats Bakery is worth visiting. We unfortunately didn’t have a chance to try all their items, but one look at their menu will make one want to make a special trip to the town!

We want to thank our new friends at Vegan Treats and look forward to indulging in many more of their desserts. In fact, until we taste another Vegan Treats cake, we’re not sure anything else is comparable.

Technology has brought many notable changes to the way we live modern life. The personal computer, cell phones, surgeries performed by robots….all of these pale in comparison of the evolution of the abbreviation “app”. Once upon a time an app’ was a fun way to describe a pre-meal whistle wetter, often times used in the sentence with the name your favorite chain restaurant and the words “fresh margs”, example; “Let’s go down to the local T.G.I AppleBottoms and order some delicious apps and fresh margs, I hear their flowering onion is to die for!”

Fast forward to the future, aka right now, with the advent of iPhones, the abbreviation app has become ubiquitous with the word application. As in “there’s an app for that”, as in, really, do you have an app featuring chronological photographic history of the great thespian Corey 

Feldman? (Hint, hint…magical makers of iPhone apps, give the public what it wants!)

These iPhone apps may not be battered and deep fried, but they are just as desirable. While the CoreyNow app is just in the dream stages, countless other applications are available for iPhones. They rank anywhere from useful to pointless fun. On the more useful end of things, numerous Green Apps currently exist and seem to be multiplying with every passing month. Below are just a few examples of iPhone’s socially conscious side, the tip of the electronic iceberg, if you will. But there are many more out there!

Go Green: This free application gives users a helpful tip for living green each time it is opened. Each tip accumulates into a handy, running tip list, making it a great tool for both newly minted environmentalists and green living devotees, alike.

FindGreen: Helping you locate thousands of green and sustainable businesses throughout the United States and Canada, FindGreen is an outstanding iPhone application. Locating where you are through the magic of computer technology – some type of ritual in the woods, involving sacrifices and fire, I’d imagine- FindGreen gives you step by step directions to nearby green businesses that are approved through a thorough evaluation process at GenGreenLife.com. When you are done paying patronage to these lovely businesses, feel free to get your Roger Ebert on and submit your own business review to FindGreen. Two thumbs way up for this free application!

Irecycle: This application does exactly what its name would lead you to believe it does; it finds nearby recycling locations for its users. With access and directions to over 110,000 recycling locations, this completely free application will make the excuse of not knowing where to recycle something of the past. Thank you magical internet devices, you are so mighty and wise, please accept my sacrifice of a gaggle of empty, recyclable cans.

GreenCard: No, this free application does not bestow upon its users residency in the good ‘ol U.S of A, but what it does do is change the way its users exchanges business cards. Allowing you to create and exchange business cards digitally, this application eliminates the need for paper waste, it also notifies your contacts to any modifications to your personal card immediately. I am sure both trees and your wallet alike will thank you for sparing them the suffering of producing/ holding archaic printed business cards.

VeganSteven: For all you tech-loving vegans, this app, complete with its own adorable carrot mascot, gives you environmentally friendly walking and biking directions to all your local vegan eateries. The GPS in your phone will locate the closest vegan or vegan friendly restaurants no matter where you are traveling to or in your hometown! Vegan Steven may not be Corey Feldman, but he does have a certain charm to him, plus he has a job, so plus one for the carrot. (Burn on Feldman, sorry buddy!)

While calorie rich-apps are quickly becoming a thing of the past, I take comfort in knowing that this abbreviation lives on for a much more noble cause; advancing our lives through the almighty magic of technology.

Remember to live green and to keep your iPhones happy through frequent human sacrifices…hmmm, I mean, frequent charges of their batteries.

What better way to spend your Halloween Day and All Saints Day than to indulge in countless vegetarian food items and vegan goods? The FREE 14th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival has extended to 2 days this year! One of the largest and most popular vegetarian festivals, Boston’s annual veggie get down is occurring this weekend , October 31st and November 1st. We are really excited to be a part of the festival again this year and are SUPER excited they have decided to expanded the festival to 2 days.

The event is chalk full of free vegetarian food samples, including many up and coming products, vegan clothing and footwear, vegetarian books and other gifts. Since this year’s festival is two days long, there are even more great speakers and cooking demos including a holiday cooking demo from a Vegan Culinary Arts professor, a comedy hour, a Vegetarian 101 panel, and so much more! We of course will be there selling our vegan sneakers, t shirts, handbags, and now our NEWEST line of Organic, Fair Trade, and Vegan Children’s and Baby line. So come on down and fill your belly with veggie snacks before celebrating Halloween and be sure to get some early ethical holiday shopping in! Just please be sure and stop by the Autonomie Project table and say hello to Anne and Gina

2009 Boston Vegetarian Food Festival

WHEN: Saturday, October 31, 2009, 10 AM – 6 PM and Sunday, November 1, 2009, 10 AM – 4 PM

WHERE: Reggie Lewis Athletic Center: 1350 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts

Roxbury Orange Line T Stop across the street and Free Parking

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our new children’s apparel collection! Little Green Radicals™, a quirky and cute brand already popular in the UK, is now available here in the States exclusively from Autonomie Project!

A perfect addition to our super rad Ethletic children’s sneakers, Little Green Radicals offers t-shirts, hoodies, one-sies, bibs and playsuits for kids ages infant to 6 years. And just like our Ethletic shoes, all our children’s apparel is 100% organic and Fair Trade! Made from the highest quality hand picked Egyptian cotton that is soft and gentle on your child’s skin.

Choose from a large selection of fun and bright designs. These clothes make the perfect gift for all moms and dads and will most certainly put a smile on the face of any little eco warrier in your life!

Shop now while they’re still hot!

Fun and games,
The AP Team

And PLEASE add us to all your favorite social networking sites!!!

It’s a fright outside with ghosts, ghouls, and monsters around every twist and turn as Halloween approaches. Everyone is putting together their costumes and its time to start thinking of yummy Halloween desserts. Parties are popping up everywhere and they generally call for potlucks. What better than Vegan Cupcakes, and not just any cupcakes but Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Powdered Sugar Frosting (optional). These tasty Autumn inspired treats will be a hit at your Halloween party or upcoming Fall Holiday! So treat those little ghosts and ghouls to some delectable Pumpkin Cupcakes. Happy Halloween from us at AP.

Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1/4 Cup Organic Soymilk
1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 Cup plus 2 tablespoons Organic All-purpose flour
1/2 Cup Whole-wheat pastry flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/3 Cup Organic Evaporated Cane Juice 
1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Tsp  Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Ginger
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Cup Pumpkin Purée
1/4 Cup Applesauce
3 Tbls Vegetable Oil
2 Tbls Pure Vanilla Extract

Frosting:

3 Tbl Earth Balance Margarine 
1 Tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
3 Cups Powdered Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you are using cupcake holders, place into cupcake pans, if not add a little bit of oil to each cupcake hole. In a medium bowl mix the soymilk and apple cider vinegar together. In a large mixing bowl sift the dry ingredients: the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugars, spices, and salt. Whisk pumpkin purée, applesauce, oil, and vanilla into the soymilk and vinegar mixture. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together, be careful not to over-mix.  Pour the mixture the cupcake pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. To make the frosting cream together the margarine, vanilla, and powdered sugar until smooth. Be sure the cupcakes cool before applying frosting.

Climate change is fun!  No, wait.  Human-induced change of our global climate that threatens all life on earth is shocking and alarming.  But, that doesn’t mean one can’t have fun raising awareness of the looming threat of global warming on a day in which people all over the world come together in like fashion to demonstrate how important this crisis is to them.  The day is this Saturday, October 24th, the International Day of Climate Action.  350.org is the day’s motivating force, the brainchild of Bill McKibben, renowned activist and author of the first book on global warming, “The End of Nature.”

350 Pyramids Action--Provided by 350.org

The concept of 350.org is simple: 350 parts per million CO2 in our atmosphere is the limit at which global temperatures can remain balanced and non-destructive; anything beyond and we begin to see far-reaching effects, such as polar melting and erratic weather patterns.  And you guessed it: our current CO2 level as measured for 2009 is 387 parts per million, well into the danger zone.  350.org seeks to help reverse this destructive rise by calling critical attention to it through the use of mass demonstration around the world, this Saturday.

350 in the Maldives--Provided by 350.org

“There will be big rallies in big cities, and incredible creative actions across the globe: mountain climbers on our highest peaks with banners, underwater demonstrations in island nations threatened by sea level rise, churches and mosques and synagogues and ashrams engaged in symbolic action, star athletes organizing mass bike rides—and hundreds upon hundreds of community events to raise awareness of the need for urgent action.”  And the coolest thing is all of these events, largest to smallest, will incorporate “350″ as an image, sometimes on signs and banners, sometimes spelled out over large areas with (live) human bodies.  These images will then be collected and presented to world leaders as an eye-opening expression of concern before they descend on Copenhagen in December to compose a new treaty on reducing emissions.

The beauty of this combined effort is that it’s “open source,” meaning you or anyone you know can spontaneously organize an event of any size or join one already planned.  International Day of Climate Action is a unique way to get out and help make change happen beyond the normal scope of one’s daily life.  Take advantage tomorrow and bring the idea of 350 to those who need to recognize it most!

Last week: October 12th through the 18th was World Rainforest Week. The Rainforest Action Network was promoting education and attention to the protection of rainforests worldwide. The worldwide tree population is at risk due to irresponsible logging techniques, clear cutting for cattle production, and the effects of global warming. Education about stopping these destructive forces is incredibly important as rainforests, both tropical and temperate are vital ecosystems. They are completely necessary to our environment as well as the critters and species that live within them. 

Even thought World Rainforest Week has passed, we want to remind everyone how precious these forests are and how important it is to stay involved. Although the Week brought attention to the cause, it should not be the end point of the effort. In fact, the Rainforest Action Network has some great tips on raising awareness for movement, as well as directly getting involved. Probably the easiest and quickest way to help out is through making a monetary donation to the Rainforest Action Network. But if you have more time to spare consider helping out by gaining signatures for the petition against Cargill, or telling President Obama how you feel about clean energy jobs and stopping dirty oil producers,  or start a local chapter and get involved in your community. 

Remember that even though the official World Rainforest Week is over, the rainforests are still an intrical part of this world. We can not let them be destroyed and be sure to keep spreading awareness and involvement for the trees. Because after all we should be celebrating them all year long!