Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 10

Easy Vegan Tempeh Reuben Collard Wraps

Thank you Lizz from sharing this delicious tempeh reuben recipe! I met Lizz in 2016 when I was in Portland. I tried these wraps and they are SO good, had to share with you all! Enjoy.
Love, Alicia

Tempeh Reuben Green Wraps

by Lizz Brommarito of Heirloom Commons

Tempeh Reuben green wraps are a perfect light, yet filling way to get a complete meal. Full of naturally fermented, probiotic-rich veggies, plant-based protein, and greens, they also travel well!
Recipe:
Makes 4 wraps
Ingredients:
4 big collard leaves, bottom of the stems sliced off
1 TB olive oil, or other high-quality vegetable oil
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
4 oz tempeh, thinly sliced into strips (approximately 1 heaping cup)
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed
1/4 cup sauerkraut
1 TB whole-grain mustard (stone ground or spicy brown would work too!)
1-2 teaspoons shoyu or tamari, to taste
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced into half-moons (approximately 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup cucumber pickle of choice, finely diced
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Directions
In a large pot bring about 3 inches of water to a boil. You will be using this to blanch your greens. If you prefer to save water and have a steamer, you’re welcome to steam your greens instead.
While you are waiting for the water to boil, you can sauté your tempeh filling. Begin to heat a medium to large skillet on high, on the stove top. Add your olive oil. Next, add your mushrooms. Brown the mushrooms, stirring frequently for 4 minutes. Now add the onion and mushrooms, and sauté 4 more minutes, on high, lightly searing the tempeh. Reduce the heat if it begins to burn. Add the caraway seed, mustard, sauerkraut, and shoyu or tamari, stir well. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Place a lid on the skillet, reduce heat to low, and allow to cook for 6 more minutes. Turn off heat and set aside.
Have a colander or strainer, that can fit in your sink, handy. When your blanching water is boiling, submerge the collard greens fully, allowing to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from hot water, and immediately place in the strainer. Run cold water over the greens till they no longer feel warm and use your hands to press out any extra water. Be careful not to rip the greens as you press.
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Lay one collard green flat, horizontally on a cutting board. Add one-quarter of your filling, as well as 2-3 slices of tomato, and one-quarter of the chopped pickle. Wrap like a burrito, by folding each short side first, then folding the bottom over the filling. Continue to tuck and roll to the edge, tightly. Repeat with the additional three wraps.
Serve as-is, or slice in half, and secure each half with toothpicks. The filling keeps about 5 days in the refrigerator, making it a great make-ahead item.
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About Lizz:
Lizz Bommarito is the creator of the produce-centric blog Heirloom Commons, a vegan chef, Esthetician, and Herbalist.

Easy, Creamy Vegan Carrot Top Pesto Pasta

This easy vegan carrot green pesto recipe looks yum and so fresh for summer eating. Thank you to Food Pharmacy authors Lina Aurrel and Mia Clase for sharing this recipe with us! Over to Lina and Mia.

Ingredients
3 large carrots
2/5 cup (100 ml) carrot tops
1 garlic clove
2/5 cup (100 ml) basil leaves
2/5 cup (100 ml) hazelnuts (filberts)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/5 cup (50 ml) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
This pesto is extra healthy due to the inclusion of some unusual vegetable parts. As in, using the carrot tops instead of the root. It’s so nutrient-dense that half a serving is enough. Say what? What should we do with the carrot? Turn it into spaghetti, of course!

Pull off the carrot tops and chop them coarsely. Mix them with garlic, basil leaves, hazelnuts, and lemon juice. Add olive oil in a thin stream until the pesto thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Use a potato peeler, mandolin, or vegetable spiralizer to make long spaghetti-like strands with the carrot onto an attractive plate. Top with the pesto!

Lina Nertby Aurell and Mia Clase run the blog Food Pharmacy, one of the most popular science health blogs in Sweden. They live in Stockholm, Sweden.

Excerpted from Food Pharmacy: A Guide to Gut Bacteria, Anti-Inflammatory Foods, and Eating for Health by Lina Aurell and Mia Clase, with permission from Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

Photography by Ulrika Ekblom

The Best Sustainable Gift Ideas for Dad

Is it just me or are guys always hard to shop for? I always struggle to find the best gift for guys, and so I have started keeping tabs for ideas. It helps! I love that all of these gifts have a sustainable or vegan component.  

 There are lots of DIY options and charities to support in honor of your Dads, too.

For guys, I really like making some clean body care products. While the industry is starting to cater to men with high-quality skin and body care products, they can still be difficult to find. 

Try a few of these.

DIY shaving cream or a DIY beard oil.Dads love brownies. It’s true. Make up a batch of vegan brownies. We have a great recipe in the Kind Diet for Coffee Fudge Brownies that dads go crazy for. Pack them into a nice tin for a really thoughtful, yummy gift.  Did you ever make paperweights in school as a kid? Decorate a rock, a piece of driftwood, or upcycle a box or bottle.A subscription to an audiobook app or Spotify.For guys with a green thumb, seed starters or mushroom-growing kits are super fun, too.Be sure to also check out our list of nonprofits. A donation made in Dad’s honor can be really nice for the guy who doesn’t ever seem to want or need anything.Best Gift Ideas for Dad1. Don’t Eat the Homies hoodie

For the woke Dads, a hoodie with an important message: Please don’t eat the homies.

Get it here.

 

2. Solios Solar Powered Watch

For the tech buff: A solar-powered, super stylish sustainable watch. Choose a mesh band or a vegan leather strap.

Get it here.

3. Hawkins New York Whiskey Tumblers

These recycled glass whiskey tumblers are perfect for an Old-Fashioned, a whiskey sour, or just a neat sip. 

Get it here.

4. Miomojo Marco Vegan Duffle

A sleek travel duffle bag made from recycled fishing net—how cool is that? Perfect to gift alongside a little weekend getaway. 

Get it here.

5. Pangaia 365 Hoodie

A cool organic men’s hoodie that’s dyed with a recycled water system. No yucky wastewater, all the gorgeous color.

Get it here.

6. Hyperboom Portable Bluetooth Speaker

For the techies or your next dance party, a cool speaker made from post-consumer recycled plastic. Turn up the volume on that.

Get it here.

7. Mate the Label Organic sweats and tees

Dad will love Mate the Label. Made from organic cotton and made in LA, this is a brand walking the walk. 

Sweatpants

Tshirt

8. Spruce and Pine Zero-Waste Kit

For the hard-to-shop-for man, the ultimate zero-waste kit.

Get it here.

 

 

 

 

Vegan Peanut Butter Granola Recipe

Homemade granola is easier to make than you might think! And it’s especially great because you get to control the quality of ingredients (especially the sugar content). This recipe calls for honey, which you can easily sub out for maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup.

Peanut Butter Granola
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons Peanut Butter (I used Better n’ Peanut Butter)
• 2 tablespoons Honey (Maple Syrup or any alternative is fine)
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 cup Oats

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray the cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Combine peanut butter and honey in a bowl and microwave until peanut butter melts (approximately 20 seconds). Stir.
3. Stir cinnamon and vanilla into the peanut butter and honey mixture.
4. Add oats and stir until oats are completely covered in a peanut butter mixture.
5. Spread out the oat mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 7 – 8 minutes until the granola is slightly browned.
6. Let cool until granola is crunchy.

Keep in mind that this is not a superhero breakfast. For me, this would be a dessert… a nice occasional treat!

What Is Maca? Are the Benefits of This Peruvian Superfood Real?

We’re all looking for more energy these days, right? The days move by so fast and it can be a struggle to get everything done without feeling completely zapped by early afternoon. Before you run for the coffee and donuts — what about maca? This ancient root holds energizing properties and so many other benefits that may be just what you needed.

What is maca?

Biologically, maca is a relative of the radish. It’s not like those spring radishes you might serve up with salad or avocado toast, though. This food is better suited to give you the endurance needed to thrive in its climate — maca is a Peruvian root that can grow high up in the mountains in altitudes of 12,000 feet in cool, often very cold, weather. Maca is warming, energizing, and even a libido enhancer.

Evidence of maca farming dates back thousands of years, but it wasn’t until 1533 when Spanish explorers made its presence known. They reportedly sent it back to Spain as payment of tax and fed the root to their horses and livestock.

Politics took a toll on this prized root, pushing it toward extinction in the 1970s. But thanks to the careful seed harvesting of Indigenous cultures, maca has been able to thrive in recent years, with more than 10,000 acres planted every year.

Benefits of maca

Research continues to show maca has a surprising number of benefits. These are some of the more common effects people turn to maca for.

1. Supports healthy stress levels

Maca’s story is more than just its survival, though. In fact, it’s its survival that speaks to its benefits. It’s a hardy root, falling into the adaptogen category — a rare class of herbs that work with the body to adapt to and manage environmental stressors. This means its benefits can vary from person to person, but generally, adaptogens help to bring balance to the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. This interaction between glands plays a key role in how our hormonal and nervous systems respond to stress.

Of course, most of us know that stress is a precursor to a number of physical and mental health issues. The less stress the better we are for it. And finding that balance isn’t always easy! But maca may offer some additional support as well.

2. Supports healthy energy levels

 One of maca’s attributes is boosting energy. But this isn’t that jittery short-lived coffee buzz many of us turn to throughout our days. In fact, it’s something you can use as an alternative to the coffee high-low to give you sustained and more natural feeling energy. But scientists don’t exactly know why maca boosts energy. It doesn’t contain caffeine, which is found in most foods associated with energy. It may be that its hormone- and stress-balancing properties allow the body to energize on its own.

3. Libido support

Who doesn’t love a good boost in the bedroom? Enhancing libido is one of the more anecdotal benefits of maca, but there’s some science to support the claims, too. Its reputation in the bedroom is widely regarded by both men and women. One  2015 study found women who were on antidepressants and took maca over 12 weeks saw a slight decrease in sexual dysfunction. But the National Institute of Health says there’s not enough evidence to warrant libido as a cure.

Some of its benefits in the bedroom may also have to do with its impact on stress levels. Reduced stress levels are linked to an increased libido. Maca consumption has also been linked to increased sperm count so there may be a benefit for men adding maca to their diet if trying to conceive. Some say it’s good for women trying to conceive as well.

4. Menopause support

Given maca’s reputation for reducing stress, boosting energy, and increasing libido, it’s not much of a surprise that it may offer women support as they experience perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Maca won’t interfere with estrogen levels, but one study found that women who consumed maca experienced fewer hot flashes than when not taking it. 

There may be another maca benefit for women experiencing menopause: improved bone density. Maca has been shown to increase bone density — but not because of calcium. Maca is a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which play a key role in bone health.

5. Nutrient-dense

In addition to its stress- and hormone-balancing properties, maca is also a good source of a number of key nutrients including iron, vitamin C, potassium, and copper. Vitamin C is crucial for healthy stress levels, too.

How to use maca

Maca can be used in a number of ways. It’s typically found in powdered or supplement form — there’s no raw maca available in most parts of the world. You can add the powder to smoothies (always get the gelatinized kind so it’s easier to digest), you can add it to oatmeal, I like mine added to tea, like green tea or kukicha, or even a water-processed decaf English breakfast tea. Add a bit of oat milk and brown rice syrup — yummy.  

Maca has a sweet, butterscotch, nutty flavor with just the slightest hint of its radish roots. Traditionally, the starchy root is consumed as food or in a tea. Nowadays, you can find maca in capsule and tincture form. But if you want to consume it the way the Peruvians do, use the dried, powdered form. 

MyKind Organics Maca

Made only with Fair Trade and USDA-certified organic maca, MyKind gelatinizes the maca so it’s easier on your stomach. We also add in probiotics to give your gut health a bigger boost. A little goes a long way! A teaspoon is all you need to feel the maca benefits. 

As with any supplement, you should always speak with your primary care physician before adding a supplement to your diet. 

 

5 Delicious and Healthy Reasons to Eat Plant-Based Diets From Around the World (Plus Recipes!)

Hello friends,
Today, I wanted to share a piece with you written by Sharon Palmer, a registered dietician, editor of the award-winning health newsletter Environmental Nutrition, and nationally recognized nutrition expert. Sharon is another champion of promoting a plant-based lifestyle and, in this piece, she shares the benefits of eating a diverse array of plant-based recipes from around the world.

Many cultures throughout the world expertly execute plant-based meals that star protein-rich ingredients like legumes, grains, and nuts that are packed with flavor thanks to the unique blends of spices and herbs found throughout the world.
At the bottom of Sharon’s article, I have also shared some of my favorite international dishes that can also be found in my book, The Kind Diet. I hope this piece inspires you to get adventurous in your plant-based kitchen (or at least order out from that Indian place you’ve been wanting to try!) and that these global cuisines can help satiate your wanderlust as well as your appetite.

Enjoy,
Alicia

—

A Trip Around The World With Plant-Based Global Cuisine for Health & Flavor

One of the best ways to embrace a healthful, delicious plant-based diet is to honor rich, global food traditions, which have been doing plant-powered food really well for centuries. Check out these tips for making your eating style more diverse and adventurous. Take a trip around the world with plant-based global cuisine for health and flavor.

You already probably know that adopting a more plant-based diet based on a variety of whole plant foods has numerous benefits for your mind, body, and soul—as well as the environment. All of those nutrients and phytochemicals flowing through your body leads to numerous health benefits associated with a plant-based diet. But you can take your plant-based diet a step further by honoring a big beautiful world of food traditions and flavors. By doing so, you’ll boost the flavor of your diet, as well as the nutritional profile.

The combination of culture, values, and lifestyle play a major role in the choices you make, especially when it comes to your diet. In comparison to other “diets” that focus solely on losing weight and result in short-term commitment, engaging in a plant-based diet is a long-term dedication that translates into a lifestyle choice for many people — especially those who are focused on their health and environment. As you know, food connects people around the world, within communities, and amongst immediate friends and family, as it brings them together to celebrate a common interest—food.

The variety of foods that originate from diverse cultures plays a major role in the expansion of food choices for many, specifically those who engage in a plant-based diet, because of the numerous plant-powered options available. The incorporation of different spices, herbs, seeds, whole grains, pulses, vegetables, and fruits differentiates the dishes that are prepared in each and every culture around the globe. For instance, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Vietnamese cuisines all offer a variety of delicious, unique meals highlighting key plant-based foods and culinary traditions that makes these foods shine!

Check out these five reasons why plant-based global cuisine can infuse your diet with health and flavor rewards.

5 Reasons to Dive into Plant-Based Global Cuisine

1. Global Foodways Embrace Plants. Many cultures simply know how to do plant-based meals right! Rather than emphasizing animal foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, these food cultures often focus on plant-based foods packed with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber. This is because of traditional factors related to food supplies, religion, and customs. For example, Mexican dishes are known for their abundance of legumes, including pinto and black beans, the Mediterranean diet highlights unsaturated and heart-healthy plant-fats such as nuts and olive oil, and the traditional Japanese diet embraces whole soy foods such as edamame, tofu and miso.

2/ Cultural Food Traditions Shift the Plate. Our mainstream diets in America are slowly transitioning from the mentality of preparing meals with meat as “the center of the plate” to focusing on plant-based foods as the star of the plate. In fact, we have been influenced by other cultures that simply use meat as a flavoring rather than the main event. This eating style is the basis of many global dishes, such as curries, stir-fries, stews and pasta dishes that are flavored with a small portion of animal protein and a pile of vegetables in order to serve a family sized meal. This is a great way to plant-power your diet.

3. Global Diets Practice Tradition. Many parts of the world, such as Copper Canyon, Mexico, and Cameroon, Africa, are cut off from modern society. As a result, the people there still follow the food traditions from the past, relying on local grains and pulses, locally cultivated and foraged fruits and vegetables, and some amounts of local animal foods. In these locations, which hardly rely on the packaged products that line our supermarket shelves, chronic disease and obesity are almost nonexistent. This is a great example of honoring traditions and the past in your modern-day diet. Find connections to your own food culture and let it seep into your own cooking.

4. Global Food Cultures Enhance Taste Just Right. Since the beginning of time, people have cherished plants–in particular herbs and spices–not only for their flavor, but also for their health benefits. In many popular global dishes, herbs and spices play a starring role. For example, turmeric, popular in Indian cooking, may protect against cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, gastrointestinal problems, and Alzheimer’s disease; garlic and oregano used in Italian dishes boast generous levels of anti-inflammatory properties; and hot pepper used in a variety of global-inspired dishes is well known for its pain-relieving effects.

5. Traditional Diets Aren’t Based on “Dieting”. In America, the word “diet” is typically associated with something you are “on” or “off.” In actuality, a diet is simply a style of eating you choose to eat for life, based on personal and cultural values. A diet isn’t ridden with restriction and guilt; the food you eat is meant to be enjoyed and is meant to be a reflection of you, your past, and your culture. And a plant-powered diet is one where you can come to the table with friends and family and celebrate delicious food, that also happens to be healthful.

—

Some Of My Favorite Plant-Based Recipes from Around The World

Nabeyaki Udon
This is a traditional Japanese dish that is generally cooked in an earthenware or iron pot. This dish is so full of noodles and vegetables that it’s pretty much a complete meal as is, but if you want more protein, add some tofu cubes to the simmering broth or serve a protein on the side. Either way, this dish is light, fresh, and satisfying. The shiitake mushroom soaking water gives the broth a deep flavor.
Serves 2
1 dried shiitake mushroom
1 tablespoon mistake mushrooms
1 carrot, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 stalk broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1 leek, white part only – cleaned and cut into large bite-size pieces
2 bok choy leaves, cut into bite-size pieces, or 1 baby bok choy
1 handful bean sprouts
2-3 napa cabbage leaves or collards, roughly chopped
4-6 dandelion greens, roughly chopped
1 (8 ounce) package udon noodles
1” piece kombu
Sauce:
2-4 teaspoons shoyu
3-4 tablespoons water or soaking water from shiitake mushrooms
5-8 drops ginger juice (grate a 1” piece of ginger and squeeze out the juice with your fingers)
1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or rice vinegar
Place the shiitake and maitake mushrooms in a small bowl with water to cover. Soak for 30 minutes or until softened. Bring a large pot to a boil for the noodles. Stir together the sauce ingredients in a  small bowl and set aside.
Arrange all the vegetables on a plate near your stove. Remove the mushrooms from their soaking liquid, reserving the liquid. Slice and add to the plate with the vegetables.
Cook the noodles in the boiling water until just al dente, drain and set aside.
In a nabe or ceramic pot that is safe for use on the stovetop (if you don’t have one, you can use a regular pot) bring 2-3 cups water and the mushroom soaking liquid to a boil. Add the kombu and the mushrooms and lower the heat so the water is simmering. Begin adding the vegetables one at a time, starting with the carrots and other vegetables that take longer to cook. Most of the vegetables shouldn’t take longer than 2 minutes to cook. You want them fresh and light, not mushy or overcooked.
Bring the nabe pot to the table. Give each person 3 bowls: 1 for their noodles, 1 for their nabe vegetables, and 1 small bowl for their dipping sauce. Everyone takes from the big nabe pot, dipping their vegetables and noodles in the dipping sauce as desired. The whole meal is pretty fun and healing.
Make sure to drink the vegetable broth at the end. It has very subtle flavor and all the goodness of the vegetables that cooked in it.
Variations:
You can lay fried mocha on top of the vegetables and garnish with toasted nori pieces and call lions! If you feel particularly ambitious, serve topped with a few pieces of vegetable tempura

Cuban-style roasted sweet potatoes
From The Kind Diet
Ahh, the sweet potato! Not actually related to the potato, but with the same satisfying texture..and it’s sweet! When I eat a sweet potato, I feel like I’m getting away with something. Feel free to cut it in any shape you want for this recipe, but I prefer it in big pieces.
Serves 4
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered (about 3 lbs)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fine Sea Salt to Taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Heat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
Place the sweet potatoes in a medium bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet, and roast until they can be pierced easily with a knife but still offer some resistance, About 30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes or so.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl, and toss with the garlic, lime juice, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
 

Sweet Calming Kuzu Benefits: Plus My Favorite Tea Recipe

Kuzu is a starch made from wild mountain kuzu root, which you can find in most natural and specialty food stores or online. It’s got a number of great benefits—kuzu tea is one of my favorite ways to get calm. Here’s everything you need to know about kuzu and how to make your own calming kuzu tea.

What Is Kuzu? 

Native throughout Asia, the kuzu plant is a climbing vine also used as an ornamental. It produces fragrant purple flowers that grow in long racemes.
But it’s the root that holds medicinal properties that have been favored by Eastern healers for thousands of years. Dried and ground into a white powder, kuzu resembles arrowroot.

Benefits Kuzu

Like a number of other botanicals, kuzu has many traditional uses. The powder can be added to sauce, soups, and desserts as a thickening agent.  But it’s also known for its calming properties, particularly for upset stomachs and anxious nerves.
It’s also used to relieve constipation, treat the common cold, and regulate blood sugar. Kuzu has also been used to relieve chronic migraines, and it may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and reduce high blood pressure.

Kuzu Tea

This tea really does help you relax and brighten your vibe. I have this when I’m cranky-pants. It’s great for so many reasons. Especially PMS—helping to nourish you when you’re on your period. And it’s also beneficial to calm/soothe little people Sip it a few times a week as a preventative remedy. Be mindful not to drink this too close to bedtime, because it might keep you up.
Makes 1 serving.
Ingredients

1 teaspoon kuzu1 cup cool water1-2 tablespoons brown rice syrup

In a small saucepan, add the kuzu and water. Let it sit for a moment, then stir until the kuzu is completely dissolved.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly so that the kuzu doesn’t get lumpy. Once the liquid turns clear, add the syrup and enjoy!

Photo & video: Kristin Burns

The Climate Crisis is a Women’s Issue

In Binta Yahaya’s hometown in Nigeria, women and girls cook over open fires. These traditional cookstoves are a leading contributor to climate change and make up more than half of all global soot, or “black carbon” emissions. The burning of fuels such as wood, charcoal, and kerosene can lead to chronic respiratory infections caused by inhaling the toxic smoke.

After recognizing this health crisis in her community, Binta attended a Women’s Initiative for Sustainable Environment (WISE) Clean Energy Training hosted by Women’s Earth Alliance. There, she gained entrepreneurial, leadership, and technical skills, as well as a grant to launch a clean cookstove enterprise. 

Within a week, she had sold 70 clean cookstoves to women in her village. Within a year, she’d sold more than 1,000 clean cookstoves — protecting the planet, and the women of her community.

Every day around the world, women like Binta risk their lives to ensure their families, communities, and future generations can access healthy food, safe water, clean energy and secure lands to call home.

That’s where Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA) comes in. Since 2006, WEA has trained, resourced, and supported women leaders who are innovating, designing, and implementing grassroots solutions to protect the earth and end the climate crisis. WEA brings together a global alliance of grassroots women leaders and like-minded individuals.

Women shoulder the heaviest burdens of the climate crisis

Climate change is a threat multiplier. It exacerbates existing structural and gender inequities, which means that as ecological crises intensify, women and girls are hit the hardest. 

Women and girls make up 80 percent of the world’s climate refugees and are 14 times more likely to die in a climate-related disaster than men. This is often because they are the last to eat or be rescued; face greater health and safety risks as water and sanitation systems become compromised; experience increased sexual violence and trafficking during climate-induced displacement; and are more likely to lose their jobs and sink into poverty. For Indigenous women and women of color, these risks are exponentially higher. 

Women are also those most severely impacted by climate change-inducing industries, like extractive oil and gas projects. Many of the communities where these projects are located have become sites of chemical manufacturing and waste dumping, and are known as “sacrifice zones.” These industries also lead to the introduction of large encampments of men (“man camps”) who work for the oil and gas industry. This causes devastating environmental violence including sexual and domestic violence, increased drug and alcohol use, murders and disappearances, reproductive illnesses and toxic exposure, threats to culture and Indigenous lifeways, crime, trafficking and other social stressors.

Women-led solutions are key to tackling climate change.

Although women are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, their leadership has never been more pivotal to reversing global warming and all the threats it poses.

A study of 130 countries found that women in government positions are more likely to sign on to international treaties to reduce global warming than men. And when women participate equally with men in politics and policymaking, climate policy interventions are more effective. 

Where women have higher social and political status, their countries produce 12 percent fewer CO2 emissions and boast more protected land areas than in countries where women are disproportionately disenfranchised. In fact, Indigenous women’s decision-making in local forest management significantly improves forest conditions and conservation. And increasing evidence shows that women’s empowerment, education and leadership could reduce 85 gigatons of atmospheric CO2.

Yet, the women who step forward to prevent environmental destruction and injustice face an uphill battle. Deep structural inequities and a lack of support rob women—half the global population—of their full potential to profoundly shape our communities, our values and the future of this planet.

Imagine what’s possible when those barriers are removed.

WEA Leaders Crystal Cavalier-Keck (Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation) and Desirée Shelley Flores (Monacan) are at the frontlines of the effort to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in the United States. 

The MVP is a proposed 303-mile pipeline carrying fracked gas from West Virginia to Virginia, with a proposed extension into North Carolina. It endangers multiple watersheds and sources of clean water for hundreds of communities, violates Indigenous rights as bulldozers plow through sacred sites, and it will be the single largest source of greenhouse gasses in Virginia, producing annual emissions of over 89 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

Crystal and Desirée have sparked an entire movement to stop the MVP in its tracks. As a result, at a regulatory hearing on permitting for the MVP last year, Virginia became one of the first states to recognize the disproportionate impact of pollution on Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities.

By standing with Women’s Earth Alliance, we can ensure leaders like Binta have the training they need to launch clean energy eco-enterprises that will turn the dial on carbon emissions. And we can connect leaders like Crystal and Desirée to a national and global network of partners and allies who will bolster and amplify their advocacy against a dangerous and destructive pipeline.

Support Women’s Earth Alliance today. Just $20 can help a woman buy the seeds she needs to start a climate-resilient garden, which will provide healthy and sustainable food for her family and her community. A gift of $40 will enable a woman farmer to convert her conventional farm to organic, ensuring healthy food for our communities, healthy soil for our planet, and more.

Together, we can empower women’s leadership and create powerful solutions that ripple out across regions, nations, and our entire planet—now and for generations to come.

How to Help Farm Animal Families on Mother’s Day

No mother or child should endure the heartache of losing their baby or their parent for someone’s profit. However, in a food system that commodifies motherhood, this happens daily. Mothers and children are continuously exploited, separated, and slaughtered all for human consumption.

Animal agriculture routinely separates families. In the United States, nearly 10 billion animals are slaughtered for food each year — many of those are still just babies. Cows used in dairy production are forcibly impregnated and then have their babies taken, and their milk stolen. In the United States, about 9 million cows are used to produce milk annually; in 2018, more than 3 million dairy cows were slaughtered for meat and more than 330 million hens were confined and expected to lay nearly 95 billion eggs.

At Farm Sanctuary, the harm stops, and the healing begins.

Since 1986, Farm Sanctuary has been combating the abuses of factory farming, advocating for institutional reforms, and encouraging a new awareness and understanding of farm animals and the benefits of plant-based living. Today our sanctuaries in Los Angeles, CA, and Watkins Glen, NY, house more than 600 rescued animals. These survivors are ambassadors, representing the billions of farm animals currently in the food system. They, and others like them, have changed the hearts and minds of generations.

Courtesy Farm SanctuaryMeet Bear, the Lost Lamb Who Found Her Family

Los Angeles-area animal control agents found Bear as a lamb, abandoned in an empty barn. The tiny newborn’s umbilical cord was still attached, and no one had cleaned her. Her mother was nowhere in sight, nor were any other sheep. At the most vulnerable time of her life, she was utterly alone.⁣⁣ Thanks to urgent medical attention, she survived — and with dedicated, loving care at Farm Sanctuary in Los Angeles, she began to thrive.

Bear has grown into a vocal, friendly adult despite her trauma and is now the biggest sheep at our California Sanctuary! She loves to meet our guests and often comes up beside them to ask for a back scratch.

A Cambridge University study found that sheep — like humans and some primates — can pick up emotional cues in humans and other sheep. Sheep are trusting, intelligent, social animals. Imagine what humans might learn from their behavior if we saw them as someone other than a resource to exploit.

“Adopt” Bear this Mother’s Day!

Celebrating and supporting mothers

On Mother’s Day, we celebrate the bond of motherhood in all its forms. Despite the circumstances of their previous lives, animals who arrive at Farm Sanctuary find family and community. Some residents arrive as mother-child pairs – but most come to us after being taken from their mothers, seeking refuge and finding support through a new herd or flock, with which they remain for life.

For many, sanctuary is where they can finally be a mom – or have one. We hope you will help us celebrate and honor motherhood in all its forms with a gift this holiday.

To support farm animal families this Mother’s Day, you can symbolically “adopt” rescued residents at Farm Sanctuary with a $35 donation. In gratitude, you’ll receive a digital adoption certificate featuring your chosen animal, which you can print for yourself or forward to someone you love – letting them know you made a gift in their honor.

With your generosity, you’ll help provide their ongoing care — including nutritious food, soft bedding, medical treatment, and the opportunity to live in community with other animals. You’ll also advance our rescue work to help more farm animal mothers and children in need, educate people about the conditions they face, and advocate for institutional reforms to build a more just and compassionate food system.

To learn more about our work to rescue farm animals and end animal agriculture, visit farmsanctuary.org. And if you’re able, please make a gift in support of farm animal families this Mother’s Day!

Candle Cafe’s Vegan Albondigas Soup for Cinco De Mayo

Albondigas is a Mexican soup that is traditionally made with meatballs and tomato broth, and it’s considered a classic comfort food. Here, we make wheat balls with ground seitan and peppers and a light roasted tomato and vegetable broth. It makes a beautiful starter for our Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

1 pound plum tomatoes, or 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup steamed corn kernels
1 bay leaf
11/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, to garnish

Wheat Balls

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to brush
1 white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1 pound seitan, drained and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cut dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional to garnish
1 tablespoon sea salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

If you are using fresh tomatoes, put them in a roasting pan and roast until softened, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Peel the tomatoes, transfer to a blender, and blend until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and corn and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika, and salt. Add the broth and simmer until reduced a bit, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. The soup can be made ahead of time up to this point. Reheat the soup before serving.

To make the wheat balls, preheat over to 300°F. Oil a rimmed baking sheet.

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and poblano pepper and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Put the seitan in a food processor and process until completely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the flour, bread crumbs, cilantro, and salt. Add the onion and pepper mixture and stir to combine.

Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and put them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and put 3 tablespoons of water on the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned, and then remove from the oven.

To serve, arrange two wheat balls in each soup bowl and pour the warm tomato soup over them. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Recipe from Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe: Celebratory Menus and Recipes from New York’s Premier Plant-Based Restaurants by Joy Pierson, Angel Ramos, and Jorge Pineda (Ten Speed Press 2014). Reprinted with permission.