With the wide variety of vegan blogs out there, Vegan Outreach is truly humbled to be ranked in the Top 10 of Feedspot’s Vegan Blog Top 100 List.
We’re happy that our blog can be a resource for anyone looking to reduce the number of animals killed for food. We do our best to make sure our readers are never short on uplifting stories, recent vegan-related news, fun interviews, and, of course, yummy recipes.
Feedspot ranks vegan blogs based on Google reputation and Google search ranking, influence and popularity on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, quality and consistency of posts, and Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review.
I’m from St. Louis, MO, and there’s something you should know about it that you might not.
It may be in the middle of farm country, but it’s home to many wonderful people who care about farmed animals!
I visit the Gateway City a few times a year, but my most recent trip, the weekend of September 25, was quite special. I picked up VO Campaigns Manager Taylor Radig, and we left Denver, CO to drive twelve hours east for a much-anticipated fundraising event in St. Louis.
VO’s Taylor Radig and Lisa Rimmert
We’d been planning the event for a while, and we were a little nervous. We know fundraising events work on the coasts, but would St. Louis come through?
The answer was a resounding yes! We met and enjoyed the company of dozens of compassionate animal advocates. Together, they donated more than $8,000 to make more outreach happen.
In other words, St. Louis rocks!
This fundraiser was the brainchild of wonderful VO donor and St. Louis celebrity, Amy Dubman. Amy and her brother Brook own Carol House Furniture, and they use the business in many ways to help animals.
They advocate for animals in their furniture commercials, they helped open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, and now, they threw an incredible party and matched the donations given by attendees! A huge thank you, Brook and Amy!
Attendees enjoyed a delicious menu, complete with vegan meats from MATCH Meats, a St. Louis-based company. I told you St. Louis rocks!
Event Host Amy Dubman Speaking to the AttendeesAsian Chicken Meatballs, and Sliders with MATCH MeatsSouthwestern Tortilla Cups and Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce
At the event, we had the pleasure of honoring VO President Steve Ann Chambers and hearing from her about her coming to work at VO. She told a story about deciding at age seven to become a lawyer for animals—that’s pretty incredible if you ask me!
We also heard from Taylor as she talked about her experiences as an undercover investigator on farms, as well as her exciting campaigns work for VO—partnering with eateries to provide vegan options.
VO’s Steve Ann ChambersVO’s Taylor Radig with VO Supporters Leah Patriarco and Dan PearsonVO Supporters Mack Freeman and Monica and Ryan StoutenboroughAnimal Advocates Debbie Dysart and Julie Dubman, and VO’s Taylor RadigEvent Attendees Enjoying Food and Friends
I spoke at the event too, but I resisted the urge to take a selfie (you’re welcome). I shared with attendees how lucky I feel to work with people like Taylor and Steve Ann, and how proud I am to help Amy facilitate this event in our hometown with such compassionate and generous people.
Thank you for making my heart soar, St. Louis. This blog post goes out to all of our donors in remote areas and in the middle of the country. Thank you!
This is my mom’s Shepherd’s Pie recipe that I learned to make in second grade—with hamburger and dairy back in those days. She went back to finish college and had evening classes on Wednesdays, so I was in charge of dinner. This is what I made every Wednesday! We still like it, and it’s very simple to make!
Grandma’s Shepherd’s Pie
Serves 2-3.
Ingredients
3 medium to large potatoes
2 low sodium vegetable bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup onion, diced
½ package of your favorite plant-based “crumbles” (Gardein, Beyond Meat, Boca, etc.)
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of green beans, drained
2 tablespoons vegan sour cream
Directions
Peel the potatoes and put them in a pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. If you cube the potatoes, they will cook quicker.
Add the bouillon cubes to the potatoes and place the pot over medium-high heat until the potatoes are fork tender. This will take 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
While the potatoes are boiling, put the olive oil into a skillet and cook the onions until translucent.
Add the crumbles, tomato soup, and green beans. Stir and heat thoroughly.
When the potatoes are tender, drain them and reserve the vegetable broth in which they’ve been cooking. Mash the potatoes with whatever utensil you prefer.
Add about ½ cup of the vegetable broth and sour cream to the mash potatoes. Mix until creamy. If the potatoes are too dry, add a little more broth and sour cream.
Put the crumbles mixture into an approximately 8″x8″ cooking dish. Cover with the whipped potatoes and place in the oven about 25 minutes.
By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
If you like vegan cheese, brace yourself.
Vegan Outreach’s Social Media Manager, Michelle Cehn, and VO’s former Food and Lifestyle Coordinator, Toni Okamoto, are about to take us inside Miyoko Schinner’s vegan cheese factory where her delicious vegan cheeses and buttery spread are made.
Even if you’re unfamiliar with Miyoko, or haven’t had the opportunity to try her products, I suggest you check out the video! It’ll certainly leave you smiling!
After you’ve watched the video, head on over to the Miyoko’s Kitchen website and order yourself some delicious vegan cheese! You won’t be sorry you did!
And a big shout out to Miyoko for her ongoing support, and for opening up her factory doors to give us a glimpse.
The recent 3rd annual Vegan SoulFest in Baltimore, Maryland marked my first presentation at a vegfest organized specifically for people of color (POC).
My talk—Oppression in the Food System—was about how systematically underserved areas are kept subjugated through a lack of proper access to nutritious food and food education.
I’m well aware of the food oppression in the area I grew up in—Los Angeles, California. However, in order to understand what the people of Baltimore City were going through, I reached out to friend and colleague, and Baltimore resident, Brenda Sanders.
Brenda graciously sent me an essay she wrote about her work—Food Sovereignty in a Racist Food System—and she spoke with me about the current and ongoing situation in the low-income POC communities in Baltimore. I also did some research myself—and pouring over statistics and studies were the key to truly understanding the severity of the issue.
When we arrived in Baltimore a few days prior to Vegan SoulFest, I decided to use the additional time I had to get out in the neighborhood and see first hand what access to real food looks like in the city of Baltimore. This is what I found—namely, poor and low quality food of the fast and junk food variety at the local corner stores.
Fast and Junk Food Found at a Baltimore Corner StoreFast Food in the Display Cases
Block after block nothing changed. In fact, it only got worse the closer I got to the low-income housing projects.
I currently have more produce in my refrigerator than most of the corner stores combined. How is this happening? How is this the reality when not too far from here children grow up without food insecurity and have the privilege of shopping at upscale grocery stores like Whole Foods Market?
Can you imagine for a minute—should you find yourself privileged enough to not be in the situation being described—walking into your local grocery store and your produce options there being comparable to what you might find at a gas station?
Children in these systematically underserved communities grow up never knowing what butternut squash is, or what an artichoke tastes like. I wasn’t sure what I’d see during my tour, but what I found was injustice.
A Meager Produce SelectionJunk Food Dominates the Store Aisles
When Saturday rolled around and Paige and I arrived at Vegan SoulFest, it was a sight for sore eyes. Seeing every color under the sun being represented harmoniously at one beautiful festival was unbelievably restorative for me.
Seeing a community with all the odds stacked against them still rise reminds me of a beautiful proverb I recently read—“They tried to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds.”
The Vegan SoulFest exemplifies the resiliency that lies within all oppressed people. It’s the desire for empowerment, fellowship, and knowledge—it’s community.
I cannot thank enough Brenda Sanders and Naijha Wright-Brown—the Vegan SoulFest co-founders and co-organizers—for seeing a need in their community and having the hearts to put this life-changing and life-saving festival together. We were truly blessed by what took place at Vegan SoulFest. The spirit of those two phenomenal women is why Baltimore is beautiful.
Keeping with the theme of breakfast—thanks, David!—today we’re serving up pancakes!
But not just any kind of pancakes—pumpkin pancakes!
If you’re mourning the end of summer like me, this recipe will help ease the change of seasons.
And if you’re happily embracing the shifting temperatures and fall-like flavors popping up in almost every kind of food you can imagine, then you’re probably going to love this recipe!
Pumpkin Pancakes
Serves about 3-4.
Ingredients
1 ¼ cups spelt or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups unflavored soy, almond, or other plant-based milk
⅓ to ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Oil, for grilling
Directions
Place all ingredients, except the oil for grilling, into a blender and blend until completely smooth—about 30 seconds—stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Lightly oil a griddle or skillet and place over medium heat. When the cooking surface is hot, drop ¼ cup of batter down. You can spread the batter out a bit by wiggling the pan around. Cook until batter begins to brown around the edges and a bubble or two forms in the center, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook about 2 minutes on opposite side. Repeat until all batter is used, adding oil to cooking surface as needed between pancakes.
Enjoy with vegan butter, maple syrup, and/or cinnamon!
Recipe Tips/Variations
⅓ cup of pumpkin puree will yield fluffier pancakes, but with less pumpkin flavor. ½ cup will yield moister pancakes with more pumpkin flavor.
If you choose to combine the ingredients by hand—instead of in a blender—the batter will mix better using only ⅓ cup of pumpkin puree.
By Lori Stultz, VO Rocky Mountain Outreach Coordinator
Check out David Carter, The 300 Pound Vegan, as he enjoys a Follow Your Heart breakfast quiche in bed! This clip will certainly bring a smile to your face.
They say dogs are a man’s—or woman’s!—best friend, and here at Vegan Outreach we consider ourselves a best friend to animals. Our new collar combines the best of both worlds! Show your favorite furry friend how much you care about all animals by ordering one here today!
The VO collar is:
black synthetic webbing with woven VO logos;
includes side release buckle, slide adjuster, and D-ring hardware;
3/4″ wide and 12″ to 20″ long (size medium);
made in the USA;
$12, plus shipping.
(A very special thanks to our adorable model, Tiger!)
Continuing our series of activist profiles, today we’ll get to know Sean Hennessy. Sean may be new to leafleting, but he’s quickly becoming a pro! In the newly created position of Greater Ohio Outreach Coordinator, Sean has already passed out 12,385 leaflets at 15 different schools. Sean went from being a mentor with VO’s Vegan Mentor Program to having a full-time job of saving animals. Let’s hear how he did it!
Where are you from and where do you live now?
I grew up near Chicago, IL in a sleepy little town called Riverside. I currently live in Columbus, OH.
What got you interested in animal rights and veganism?
I’ve always loved animals, but I used to love meat too. Then the summer before I started college, I was eating a chicken sandwich at home when I started thinking in depth about how that slice of meat was at one point part of a cute little baby chick. It seemed disgusting—I spat it out and went vegetarian that day.
About five months later, I realized I didn’t need eggs or dairy products either. Most egg-laying hens and dairy cows are slaughtered well before the end of their natural lifespan just for the sake of profits, which is pretty messed up and something I don’t want to support with my money.
In college, I joined my university’s animal rights club and I’ve been an advocate ever since. We can live healthy and more ecologically sustainable lives on a delicious and affordable plant-based diet.
How did you get involved with Vegan Outreach and leafleting?
I got involved with Vegan Outreach when I became a mentor in the Vegan Mentor Program during grad school.
It’s a great program and I really enjoy helping people shift towards a plant-based diet. I dove into leafleting while volunteering with groups like Mercy For Animals and writing my master’s thesis on the impact of vegan leafleting.
I received $4,700 in funding from my university’s student sustainability committee for a randomized controlled trial where I designed and printed two versions of my own leaflet. I gave people incentives to take a baseline survey, as well as a follow-up survey that investigated whether they reduced their consumption of animal products within three weeks after receiving a leaflet (as compared to a control group that didn’t receive a leaflet).
Do you have a favorite leafleting moment to share?
When I was leafleting at Wright State University in Ohio, one student told me he was trying to eat vegan, but wasn’t sure how to get enough vitamin B12. I explained that because vitamin B12 is generated by bacteria, the most efficient way to get it is from a supplement—rather than slaughtering an animal to get B12 from meat, for example.
I also told him about the specific supplement I take. He was genuinely grateful that I took a minute to speak with him, so it made me realize that not only are we inspiring new people to go vegan, we’re also helping current vegans stick with their diet.
What do you do for fun when you’re not leafleting?
I like to hang out with friends and watch TV.
Do you have anything else you’d like to add about leafleting?
Don’t hesitate to contact Vegan Outreach if you’re interested in volunteering with one of our staffers when they come to your town for leafleting!
And in the meantime, you can also order your own leaflets on the VO website for a small suggested donation.
What is your favorite vegan food product?
Gardein’s Ultimate Beefless Burger! They’re so good!
I don’t consider myself a sentimental person, but boy do I love a good wedding. What’s even better? A vegan wedding!
On May 21, 2016, VO donor and volunteer, Corinna Fish, celebrated a vegan and green wedding with her now-husband Chad Stockdale in Sacramento, CA. We asked Corinna to tell us about it, and I think you’ll love how they incorporated VO into their special day. We certainly did!
Lisa Rimmert: Tell us about yourself, Corinna.
Corinna Fish: I’m a proposal writer for the University of California – Davis. When my hands aren’t typing, they’re pressed against my yoga mat or crafting—I love crochet, embroidery, and paper crafts.
Lisa: How did you become involved in animal protection?
Corinna: My best friend became vegan when we were teenagers, and in my early twenties I had a vegan roommate who was an incredible chef and baker. I didn’t know how to cook at all, so I lucked out in that she helped me with my first vegan cooking attempts, and everything she made turned out delicious. She also had a lot of animal rights literature, including Vegan Outreach booklets, that influenced me.
To be honest I’m only vegan when it comes to grocery shopping and cooking at home—I’m still flexitarian at family holiday gatherings and when I’m dining out with friends or coworkers. But part of the reason I support VO is because its work made me realize I can still help animals even if I’m not a perfect vegan. And staying involved with VO inspires me to keep striving toward a completely cruelty-free diet.
Lisa: How did you first get involved with VO and what inspires you to donate and volunteer?
Corinna: In my early twenties I struggled with wanting to be 100% vegan and activism burnout. Around 2004 I read most of what VO had published up to that point and the essays were a huge influence on me, especially the ones about working toward a vegan world instead of a vegan club and making the movement as effective as possible. I appreciated the transparency and solid analysis behind choosing to focus on leafleting, and I really trust that my donation dollars are having the maximum impact on ending animal suffering.
Corinna Fish Getting Ready for Her Wedding in a VO Hoodie
Lisa: You got married this summer. Congratulations! Will you tell us why and how you incorporated VO into your special day? What did your guests think?
Corinna: It was important to Chad and me to have a green wedding, so we looked into purchasing carbon offsets. But after some research we decided they weren’t very effective. So we used a carbon footprint calculator, which also provides a suggested offset cost, and donated that amount to Vegan Outreach instead. We included a short explanation of why we did that on our wedding website, along with a link to VO’s Diet and Global Warming article.
We also displayed a small sign near the guestbook to let guests know we made donations to Vegan Outreach and another animal organization we support. That sign hangs in our house now and is one of our favorite keepsakes from that day.
Lisa: How was it planning a vegan wedding? How did guests respond?
Corinna: We are lucky enough to know Joshua Ploeg—the Touring Vegan Chef and author of many cookbooks including In Search of the Lost Taste—and we both adore his cooking, so it was an easy decision to hire him.
I did read wedding planning forums where there was a passionate consensus against serving vegan food to non-vegan guests, but it seemed like the primary concern was the common perception that vegan food is flavorless. So I think the key is to make the quality of the food a priority. Top shelf alcohol helps too!
We specified on our invitations and wedding website that there would be a vegan buffet. Nobody asked about it before the wedding and as far as we know everyone was happy. Many omnivores commented on how good the food was, including a die-hard carnivore uncle.
Lisa: What is your favorite vegan meal to eat with your new spouse?
Corinna: Our favorite quick-and-easy meal is soyrizo and spinach in a tortilla. When we want something fancy and have the time, we love Pumpkin Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Crumb Topping from Veganomicon. I don’t think we’ve ever tried a recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz that we didn’t like!
Lisa: Thank you, Corinna, and congratulations to you and Chad!
