Food for Thought Radio

And Now, Vegan Poetry Lovers...

2012-02-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well boys and girls, I got the itch to write Haiku in honor of my favorite place to grab a burger in days gone by. Look for more creativity in the days to come from your FFT Radio team - "Home for a Whopper!" - "Meat-free" Mike :)

Propylene glycol
Ammonium hydroxide
I’m Mc-Lovin’ It!

Show Notes for January 15, 2012

2012-01-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

Today's show featured a special guest: Rachel's son, Lance. With Vegan Linda, they discussed what Lance likes to take in his lunchbox to first grade (PB&J), and his favorite fruits and vegetables (apples, green beans, and kale).

Rachel brought some rapidly-disappearing Vegan Spinach Balls to the last meeting of the Vegan Meetup Group on Friday. The link above goes to the recipe.

Eric brought a delicious Double Corn Cornbread from the Jazzy Vegetarian website to the Meetup, made with banana. (Scroll down the page for the recipe.)

Linda's many offerings included a Corn Chowder from Robin Roberts' Quick-Fix Vegan cookbook.

And speaking of cookbooks, if you're looking for a new recipe or two, check out the Urbana Free Library. They have a brochure highlighting several vegan and vegetarian cookbooks from their large selection. There's also a list of local veg-friendly resources.

We hope you'll tune in next week, when Meat-Free Mike will join and Rachel, who's scheduled to bring you a report on the newest vegetable she's trying: turnips.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

Advice for your 2012 Vegan Resolution

All of us at Food for Thought hope you have a peaceful and healthy 2012! Thanks for listening!

Show Notes for December 11, 2011

2011-12-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Greetings, listeners!

On Sunday, Meat-Free Mike and Rachel talked up tofu, bantered about beans, and hatched plans for awesome and more compassionate holiday dinners. Here are some helpful links and notes from our latest show.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole - http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6137.0
Thanks to Amelia for providing this yummy recipe for a vegan green bean casserole. Grab your herbs and spices and whip this up from scratch. Meat-Free Mike may take this one to his next family gathering. We'll give you the full report.

Your guests may know the difference, and that's ok - because it will taste a lot better than the traditional recipe with all these fresh ingredients. Fresh or frozen green beans would be better choices over canned.

Another simple green bean recipe
One of our listeners called us and shared a favorite green bean combination: green beans sauteed with olive oil, lemon, pepper, and sunflower seeds. If you try this delicious and simple combination, leave us a comment and tell us what you think.

Vegan gravy
'Tis the season for gravy. If you're vegetarian or vegan, don't feel left out. There are plenty of plant-based gravy options, from green chile to slow cooked mushroom. Some, like the the tomato-based varieties, are even healthy. If you're looking for a little plant-based indulgence at your holiday dinner, Tofu Mom over at Tofu-n-Sprouts blogged an entire month (31 saucy posts!) of delicious vegan gravy options for Vegan Month of Food this October.

Lacinato (dinosaur) kale
Ready Made has a great article with lots of raw and cooked options for lacinato (dinosaur) kale. If you've never eaten kale, try this easy-to-prepare variety. As the article says, "lacinato kale shares its brother kales’ phenomenal nutritional profile: it’s chock-full of vitamins K, A, and C, dietary fiber, calcium, antioxidants, and a host of other nutrients." Tell your kids it's dinosaur food!

Common Ground classes
Meat-Free Mike and Vegan Linda recently attended a class at Common Ground Food Co-Op where they learned to make their own tofu. I was not sure of the coagulant used in the process when we were talking about it on the show. It appears that edible powdered calcium sulfate or lemon juice are two options.

Next Sunday, Vegan Linda and Meat-Free Mike will be back with another hour of Food for Thought on WEFT 90.1. We hope you tune in.

- Rachel

More ThanksLiving Recipes

2011-11-20T10:22:00.001-08:00

Hearty Holiday Main Courses for Vegans
What's a Good Entree for a Vegan/Vegetarian Thanksgiving
Vegan Thanksgiving? It done deliciously
A Vegan Thanksgiving: 12 Recipes That Could Change Your Holiday

We are now on FB

2011-11-13T20:50:00.001-08:00

Food for Thought now has its own Facebook page. I'll put a icon on this page soon, but if you want to look for us search for "Food for Thought Radio Show". As always, thanks for listening!

The Kind Life Club - THIS SUNDAY!

2011-11-08T05:46:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to have The Kind Life Club from Decatur, IL join us this Sunday!

Their description on FB:

The Kind Life Club at Millikin University is a group devoted to developing healthy lifestyles through veganism and vegetarianism, and through leading a life filled with kind intentions towards animals, other people, our community and our planet.

We meet Wednesday's at 4 in Lower Library 28, or outside when the weather is nice! Come join us to learn about what fun projects we have in the works, or just to meet lots of friendly, awesome people!

Pledge and participate in our Meatless Mondays movement and get a pair of bright green shoelaces for FREE! Sport them around campus however you please on Mondays to show your support!

Just in Time for ThanksLIVING!

2011-11-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

Check out the Happy Thanks Living coloring zine. How adorable and perfect for veg kids and adults who are kids at heart!

With Thanksgiving or Thanksliving right around the corner, check out several of my favorite blogs for cruelty-free eats.

VegKitchen with recipes from Nava Atlas
Vegan.com's Recipes of the Year 2011
FARM's Gentle Thanksgiving
NYTimes has an article with recipes from Chef Chloe
Savvy Vegetarian's tips and recipes
Canadian veg bloggers are a great resource for Thanksgiving feasts since they have already been there done that this year:
Oh She Glows
Vegan Dad
Bryanna Clark Grogan
VeganMoFo Roundup for Canadian Thanksgiving

Don't feel like cooking? Head to the Chicago Diner for Thanksgiving.

Dining Options on U of I Campus

2011-11-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

Veg Options at Dining Halls

Dinner Time at The Red Herring Vegetarian Restaurant - Come ONE Come ALL - Starting Monday 10-31-2011 - Dinners AT THE RED HERRING!!!!!! New hours... M-F 11am - 3pm AND M-F 5pm - 8pm.

(limited menu
10-11am and
3-5pm and soon
... during the RH Coffeehouse Fri-Sat 8pm till Midnight)

Free parking in our lot after 6pm. Most days... lots of street meter parking is available. Since they raised the meters to 75 cents/hour... spaces are usually available during lunch as well.

Local Veg Bloggers

2011-11-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few local veg bloggers (the ones I am aware of, please let me know if you are local and want to be added to this list). We talk about veg blogs quite a bit on FFT and I thought it would be nice to have the local blogs listed in one place:

Creating with Parker (my son's blog)
The Hannah Cafe (Jacqueline is often on the Common Ground Corner segment of FFT)
I Eat Grains (Rachel is also on the FFT team)
Just Another Vegan Blog
Loves to Eat Vegan
Necessary Strangeness
Theme from an Imaginary Film
Vegan Linda (me)

Pea Counter from Jack Norris

2011-11-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Jack Norris created a new website for all you out there interested in nutrition. I mentioned it last week on our program and didn't want you all to miss it.

Halloween Doesn't Have to be Mean

2011-10-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Want to have a cruelty-free Halloween celebration? Boy do we have ya covered.

Check out these links for luscious homemade treats:
Fork and Beans - now you can make your favorite candy bars at home in a humane and healthier way, also sans gluten.
Bittersweet - if you don't own one of Hannah's awesome dessert cookbooks, you can still make some of her creations by checking out her blog. I linked to her Chocolate Candy Cups.
Eat Drink Better - recipes which go beyond chocolate, you can even make your own candy corn.

We need more than candy to sustain us, even on Halloween:
Vegetarians in Paradise - hosting your own party? A Halloween-themed party menu all put together for you.
If you have Party Vegan (you still have time to buy it or check it out from your local library), Robin has a section just for Halloween.

Homemade not your thing or want to know what to hand out to the neighborhood kiddos? Lists of candy that is accidentally or intentionally vegan:
VegNews
PETA Kids
Our lovely friends over at Pangea have you covered for ready made treats. My kids love their pumpkin cookies.

Hosting a veg Halloween party or handing out special candy or have an alternative way to celebrate the holiday? We'd love to hear from you.

Friday Fun

2011-10-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Listen to this from Leslie Hall! Thanks to VeganMoFo and Get Sconed! for posting this awesomeness.

I Eat Grains

2011-10-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, we have a special treat...Rachel from I Eat Grains will be on Food For Thought for the second time, but this time she will hopefully become part of the regular show! I'll be gone Sunday and more often as Rachel becomes more a part of the show. Tune in!

Dada Veda

2011-08-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks for listening today. I promised some links so you can check out Dada Veda, his yoga blog, and Ananda Liina. Dada Veda also shared two songs with us:

A Better Deal

and
I Don't Eat Meat

We hope to have Dada Veda on the show again and thank him for spending some time with us today.

DADA VEDA TO BE ON "FOOD FOR THOUGHT" THIS SUNDAY!

2011-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings! The day is near! Dada Veda will be making a visit to WEFT THIS SUNDAY, August 21 as a guest on "Food For Thought!" Please tune in or listen on line to experience a different perspective on vegetarianism! Don't miss it!

The Face Behind the Voice and Loads of Links

2011-07-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, a bunch of links for you all and a special treat...

Here is Meat-free Mike (he's the one with the hat on and anticipating all the wonderful food on his plate) at the last Vegan Meet-up. Now you can put a smiling face with the voice you hear every Sunday. See what you are missing if you don't come to the meet-ups?

Okay now to links to much of what we've been discussing the last few weeks:

Vegan for Life - this is the essential guide to living well on a vegan diet. I am a long-time fan of Jack Norris and Virginia Messina and mention them often on-air. Now they have put all the latest vegan nutrition advice in one book!

Mark Bittman on taxing junk food and subsidizing vegetables to feed people. I couldn't agree more!

Meat Eaters Guide to Climate Change and Health (interesting read for anyone interested in/worried about the environment). For those of us who like pictures, don't skip this graphic.

We've been talking a lot about local farmers markets. Like the Farmers Market on Historic N. 1st St., Market at the Square, Sustainable Student Farm on the U of I quad, etc.

My friends have started a mini CSC and weekly farm stand for their farm, The Mulberries Farm and Orchard.

We played a song last week from Dada Veda and hope to have him on the show in the near future.

We have several guests we need to schedule and we'll let you know when and who very soon!

Great Minds Think Alike

2011-06-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

Two of the sources I site the most on FFT, both wrote about understanding nutrition research this week. Check out the post from Jack Norris, here, and Virginia Messina, here. I might have linked to Jack's before because it was posted a little while back, but worth a second looksie.

Another Link for You

2011-06-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

We discussed the German E. coli outbreak, see here. Don't forget where E. coli comes from. Plants don't have E. coli without animal poop getting in the picture some how.

Can we all agree that intensive factory farming practices are harmful to everyone involved? Good. Let's abandon the insanity.

Interesting Links for Today's Show

2011-06-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

Mark Bittman rounds up some "must read" articles about meat eating. Check out the link here. He is a big proponant of "less meat". While, I love my veg*ns, it is nice to have meat-eaters who espouse being more plant-based. I feel like Mark Bittman "gets it" in a way that Michael Pollan doesn't yet, but they both get people talking and that is important.

As if there weren't enough reasons to not eat fish (mercury, genetic-engineering, by-catch, environmental impact, human working conditions), now fish caught in US is sent to China then back. See link here.

New USDA food guide graphic. See here.

Vegan research subjects needed. See here.

Happy Mother's Day from FfT!

2011-05-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had an fun Cinco de Mayo! Meat-free Mike is giving me Mother's Day off, thanks Mike!! I'm sure he has lots of awesome stuff planned for you all this Sunday, so tune in. I'll be back the next Sunday to hopefully share some information my family has been learning about chocolate and sugar. A sweet show indeed! Don't miss it!

Josie's Radio Debut and Karma-free Dining

2011-05-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last week Meat-free Mike was busy bailing his basement after the Illinois monsoon so I recruited a new co-host, Josie, my three year old daughter. Josie shared her views on veganism, foods she enjoys, cooking tips, pitched for the WEFT Spring pledge drive, and much more. She loved her first time on air and has several fans already. We might have to ask her back again sometime.

We also replayed Mike's interview with the folks who run the Krishna dinners at The Channing-Murray Foundation. We highly suggest you check out the delicious Karma-free dining for a price that won't stretch your budget.

You never know what useful information we might be dishing out on Food for Thought, so don't miss it!

Spring Pledge Drive

2011-04-24T10:20:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air, people are planting gardens, cleaning house, and looking for worthy organizations to donate money. We can help you with the last one. WEFT is a non-profit community radio station and we depend on listener, like you, to keep us on the air. No donation is too little or too large. You can call in during Food for Thought today or donate online. I will be flying solo and I want to be available for your pledge call, so for most of the show I'll play Dr. Will Tuttle's Livving in Harmoney with All Life. If you have not heard about The World Peace Diet, you will want to listen to today's show. We'll also have the Common Ground Corner from our local food co-op.

Please show your support for YOUR community radio station today!!

On Tap Today

2011-04-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Some of the things we'll be covering of FFT today:

Passover the vegan way. Check out Alicia Silverstone's post from last year to for tips. Another great resource is Jewish Vegetarians of North America.

VegNews blues. Quarrygirl blew the whistle on doctored photos in VegNews. The news travels fast and even The New York Times covered the scandal. Some responses to this news can be seen here, here, and here. Listen today to see what we think. Leave a comment and tell us your reaction.

Other sad news for vegans this week was pregnant Natalie Portman's comments about eating dairy and eggs again. She has been a long-time vegetarian and went vegan after reading Eating Animals (reviewed previously on FFT).

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is finding it difficult to get their foot in the door of the LA school system. At the same time, Chicago schools ban homemade lunches.

Want to raise your HDL (good cholesterol), maybe dried apples could be a tasty solution.

I talked about the French couple who's baby died a couple weeks ago. Here is the link I promised to Virginia Messina's response.

The local humane society is taking donations for their garage sale benefiting homeless companion animals. They also need volunteers and of course people to come out and shop.

As the weather warms up, many people get ready for outdoor events. If you are including alcohol, you might want to consult barnivore to ensure your drinks are veg. Please drink responsibly!

Tune in for more on these stories and much, much more!

Last Sunday on FFT

2011-04-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Steve Coxon was my guest on Food for Thought. We discussed veganism, favorite recipes, effective vegan activism, the veg scene in St. Louis, and much more. You can check out his link for his favorite vegan recipes and lots of other interesting things like his time in Malawi and Lego. It was great to meet Steve and his family and I appreciate him taking time out of his weekend visiting friends to come in a talk with me.

FFT on the Road

2011-04-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

Both Mike and I traveled (in different states) a bit the last couple weeks and shared some of the restaurants they visited. Here are some links to the restaurants we covered:

Mellow Mushroom (ironically, we both went to a Mellow Mushroom, Mike in KY and Linda in NC) has been a great place for veg*n to eat for years. The Mega Veggie (without cheese for vegans) is always yummy, but they now have Daiya cheese as an option.

Deejai Thai is a mom and pop restaurant and the best Thai food in Charlotte, NC (at least of all the places we've tried). Easy to order a vegetarian entry and brown rice is available. The staff is helpful and while the ambiance is nice enough for a date night, children are welcome.

Common Market has two locations in Charlotte, NC and I recommend them both. They are little neighborhood convenience/specialty shops with a deli that makes me want to move south. Their vegan breakfast/brunch options are spectacular. I would kiss someone if they opened up a similar place in C-U!

Whole World Natural Restaurant and Cafe in Columbus, OH is a long established veg eatery. We had the pleasure of dining there for Sunday brunch. The portions were big, food was excellent, the vegan options were many. We will return again when we are in Columbus.

Anna Lappé Interview

2011-03-05T22:53:00.000-08:00

This Sunday we will be airing Mike's Anna Lappé interview, for the first time. If you didn't get a chance to see her while she was guest in residence at Allen Hall, you won't want to to miss this interview!

Food for Thought - At the Movies

2011-02-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

I promised two weeks ago, I would post a list of food related movies (and a couple more animal related, at the bottom of the list), which might interest our listeners. If you have a chance to watch some of these, we'd love to hear your reactions. If you have a favorite which isn't listed, let us know. You can click on the links to see trailers and/or information on the movies.

*Food, Inc. (we've talked about this one in the past, although I don't think it goes far enough, it is worth a viewing.
Food Fight
*The Future of Food
Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution
Earth Voice Food Choice
*Food Matters
*The Meaning of Food
Fast Food Nation (I've mentioned Eric Schlosser's nonfiction book on air and this is the fictional movie based on the book)
*King Corn (this is another one we've discussed on the show)
Our Daily Bread
Fed Up!
*Deconstructing Supper
Chow Down
*Super Size Me
I Am An Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA
*Change Your Food, Change Your Life
Vegan Cooking for Animal Lovers
Fresh

*The Cove
*The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

*These movies are available, at the time of my posting, to watch instantly on Netflix.

Anna Lappé to be in Residence at UIUC Allen Hall Next Week!

2011-02-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

Heads up! Another wonderful guest at Unit One/Allen Hall on the UIUC campus next week! "Vegan" Linda and I hope to secure an interview with Anna to play on FFT Radio on a future broadcast.

Hope to see you at some of these sessions!

- "Meat-free" Mike

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bestselling author on food politics, sustainable agriculture, globalization, and social change,
Anna Lappé will be a Unit One/Allen Hall Guest-in-Residence February 21-24 . All programs are open to the public and take place in the South Rec Room of Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana.

Monday, February 21 7pm - Hope’s Edge: Fighting Hunger, Building Communities Around the World Based on her extensive research travel, Anna Lappé shares stories of social movements addressing the root causes of hunger in Bangladesh, Brazil, Poland, Kenya, France, and here in the United States.

Tuesday, February 22 7pm - Eat the Sky: The Climate Crisis at the End of Our Fork and What We Can Do About It The food-climate connection, why and how food contributes to global warming, and what we can each do to support a climate-friendly food chain.

Wednesday, February 23 7pm - Froot Loops, Pop Tarts, and Big Macs: The Selling of Our Selves What role do the media and advertisements play in informing our taste buds? How does the food industry use media to shape our demand for certain foods? How can we be “food sleuths” and be equipped to be wise consumers of food—and media messages?

Thursday, February 24 7pm - Fresh Ideas: Grassroots Solutions to Creating Healthy, Sustainable, Affordable Food for All in the US A film screening of Ana Joanes’s documentary FRESH, will be followed by a discussion with Anna Lappé. The film and conversation will touch on on-the-ground efforts throughout the United States to address the underlying forces behind hunger and malnourishment in America.

Anna Lappé is a bestselling author and public speaker on food politics, sustainable agriculture, globalization, and social change. Named among the fourteen forward-thinking Who’s Who in Time Magazine’s Eco-Guide, Lappé and her work have been featured in The New York Times, Gourmet, O Magazine, OrganicStyle, and Vibe, among other publications. Lappé’s first book, Hope’s Edge, co-written with her mother Frances Moore Lappé, chronicles courageous social movements around the world that address the root causes of hunger and poverty. Her second book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, with chef Bryant Terry, offers readers ideas, hands-on tools, and menus to create healthy lives for themselves and their communities. Lappé has appeared on television on Fox, NBC, PBS, and the CBC in Canada, as well as numerous nationally syndicated radio programs, including National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, The Diane Rehm Show, and Talk to America. Lappé’s writing has been widely published in The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, and Canada’s Globe and Mail.

(Asian) Indian Cooking Class in C-U area!

2011-02-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

Hey there fellow foodies!

"Meat-free" Mike here to let you know about a cooking class that'll be offered this Saturday, February 19, 2011! Sorry for the short notice...will try to keep y'all informed sooner next time. This sounds like a good chance to learn how to cook basic Indian vegetarian food! Note advance registration is required.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Shuchi has been teaching culinary skills across continents to people of all age groups and ethnicities for many years. We are offering an introductory class open to people of all age groups, ethnicities, and affiliations. You do not have to be a part of University of Illinois or Asha member to signup for this class.

PRICE: $20 for individual, $35 for couple.
TIME: 1130am - 200pm
DATE: Feb 19th, 2011 Saturday
LOCATION: AACC kitchen (Asian American Cultural Center, 1210 West Nevada Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801)
SIGN UP: email to uiuc@ashanet.org with confirmation to reserve your seat.

Suggestions:
Come in comfortable clothes ready to learn. There is free parking in the parking lot of AACC over the weekends. If parking by meters, make sure it says Saturday is free (I cant remember). Bring your cameras to take pictures. Teaching would be very relaxed and you may ask questions regarding the course selected for you, or other Indian recipes. The class is more on the lines of - instruction, demonstration, and tasting. At the end you will have fair understanding of the spices, their use, recipe of the cooked food.

Following things would be offered to the students:

Opportunity to learn basics of Indian cuisine and cooking in a small interactive group.
Taste the main course, and dessert (description below). Enjoy the drink khatta-meetha pana.
Detailed Menu and recipe so that you can follow the simple steps back at home.
Raw ingredients for purchase after the class (original grocery store price.)
Opportunity to make requests on what you want to learn for future classes.

Main Course
Chole - Chole are also known as Chickpeas or Garbanzo beans. This is a north Indian style of making Chole in mildly spicy curry of onion and tomato.

Shahi Pulav - A royal rice preparation; made with basmati rice, dry fruits and mildly flavored with whole spices.

Dessert
Meethi Seviyan (sweet vermicelli preparation) is a very delicious and quick dessert. Seviyan (vermicelli) is an Urdu word. In Indian cuisine it has come from Mughal period. For this recipe Seviyan are made in milk and garnished with dry fruits.

Apart from this, in drinks, Khatta-Meetha Pana would be offered to students. This is a sweet and sour drink made from mango, mint, herbs and spices.

To learn more about Indian cuisine, recipes, and your teaching Instructor, visit http://chezshuchi.com/. And stay tuned for future classes with Shuchi. Only 10 seats are available to keep this class small and interactive. Pass on the word to your friends you might enjoy this class!

Please signup by confirming your participation at uiuc@ashanet.org.

Palm Oil

2011-02-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

Last week, Meat-free Mike and I discussed palm oil and some of the issues surrounding this product. Here are a few links you might want to read prior to this Sunday's show.

What is Palm Oil?

Cargill's Problems with Palm Oil

What's Wrong with Palm Oil

Palm oil: the biofuel of the future driving an ecological disaster now

Palm Oil Not a Healthy Substitute for Trans Fats, Study Finds

Cruel Oil

What I've Been Reading

2011-01-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

Here are links to a coupe books I've read recently and talked about on Food for Thought. I highly recommend both books.

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer

I put off reading Eating Animals for a while because I have literally dozens of books on how "food" animals are treated. I really didn't think I would learn much and frankly, it is depressing. I was wrong to avoid this book. It is a great read and Foer addresses the issue as no one else. This book is interesting and has some humor mixed in with what can be an overwhelmingly sad topic. I hope anyone who has any interest in animals or food, veg or non-veg reads this book. I promise you will be glad you did.

Thanking the Monkey Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn

Karen Dawn is hip and fun. I see Thanking the Monkey appealing to the same crowd as Skinny Bitch (although, I have to admit, I still have not read this one). If you are interested in animal welfare, animal rights, activism, etc. or you think activists are crazy, I think you will really like this book. There are lots of quotes by famous people, pictures, cartoons, and funny (sometimes sexual, of course) comments splattered among all the hard information on how animals are treated in all aspects of our culture. Dawn leaves no stone unturned and covers animals in entertainment to animals used for "science". Lots of important information in a package which is easily accessible to everyone.

Happy reading everyone!

Halloweegan Ideas, Book Reviews, and More

2010-10-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall, C-U listeners, gotta love these beautiful warm days we are having before the cold sets in. I didn't get a post out last week and I want to give you the link to Dr. Greger's site since last Sunday I gave a lot of info from his latest DVD. If locals are interested in watching his DVDs, I am willing to loan out my copies. Just leave a comment.

Oh and I gushed about Michael Franti, one of my personal favorite vegan musicians. Here is the video on PETA's site about his veganism. He is all around amazing person so please check out his music.

Now on to this week! We will have a couple book reviews and the Co-op Corner. Halloween is just a week away and I wanted to share some links for making your Halloween, Halloweegan (get it, Halloween and vegan...I have Wing-it Vegan to thank for that bit of cuteness).
In fact, Wing-it Vegan is the first place I want you to check out for great vegan Halloween ideas from food to crafts (just look at the left of her page and click on Halloweegan).

Vegan Halloween links from Veg for Life.

Halloween tips from Veg Family.

The Official Guide to Vegan Candy from VegNews.

My veg family will be hosting their first ever Halloween party this year. Listen in for all the fun.

We love your feedback so leave a comment!

FFT for October 10, 2010

2010-10-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Greetings! "Meat-free" Mike here to let you know that we'll be listening to another edition of Deconstructing Dinner on this week's "Food for Thought!" It's a great one! Originally aired in March, 2009, "Hosting a Community Dialogue on Local Food Systems (I)" introduces to the audience a bounty of ways some communities in Canada are making more secure their local food systems. Don't miss it!

On Tap for Today

2010-10-03T11:52:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank Lovely Loretta for being on the show last week while Meat-free Mike was away. If you missed the show, do not despair, I will ask Loretta back soon.

On tap for today...

I, Vegan Linda, will review The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids. It caught my eye at the local library and I give it a B. I'll cover what I liked and didn't like.

Vegan Mania is happening again this year in Chicago. Saturday October 9, 2010 from 10-ish to 6-ish. Check it out.

I attended a Vegan Meet-up get together of drinks and games. It reminded me that I should mention, not all alcoholic drinks are veg. Check out barnivore if you would like a list.

For our veg celebrity news (we need a name for this segment, my husband suggested OMV - Oh My Vegan!, but I would love for some creative listener to come up with a better name for this portion of the show):

Check out Jane Velez-Mitchell's response to Tim Love's reasons to eat meat.

My favorite vegan musician is in the Midwest. I highly advise people to try to make it to one of Michael Franti's concerts.

I ran into Meat-free Mike and JQ at Common Ground Co-op this week recording the Common Ground Corner so tune in for this as well.

Veg Camping, Thai restaurant reviews, What's Cookin', and More

2010-09-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

The Vegan Linda family went camping recently and vegan camping food is on my mind. I found some organic veg. camping food packets locally at Champaign Surplus (have not tried them out yet). Here is a link to veg camping. We would love to hear your suggestions for tried and true veg camping faves. I will compare Dandies vegan marshmallows to Sweet and Sara vegan marshmallows.

What's cookin' in Mike's house? Meat-free Mike will share his recipe for Garlic Rice.

We both have Thai restaurant reviews. Mike will review the Thai House in Bloomington and I will review the newly opened My Thai (named by local vegan and former guest on FFT, Wade Albright) in Champaign.

Veg Celebrity Watch:

Bill Clinton goes plant-based for his health.
Ellen gives Lady Gaga a kale alternative to her meat attire.

As always, we appreciate your support of community radio and welcome your comments/questions.

Thanks for listening!

Chow Down This Weekend with Food for Thought

2010-09-05T10:33:00.000-07:00

Meet-free Mike is out of town on this lovely holiday weekend, but Vegan Linda and her side-kick, Rob, will be laboring at the station, keeping you up to date on all the latest in veg news.

Chow Down, check out the trailer my kids can't stop watching.

Remembering Donald Watson.

Classes and Events being offered this month at Common Ground Co-op.

Find out what is baking in our house and much more!

Wedrose Acres Animal Sanctuary, Half a Billion Eggs Recalled, and More

2010-08-26T01:55:00.000-07:00

This week Vegan Linda will talk about her trip last Sunday to Wedrose Acres Animal Sanctuary.

We will also cover:

Huge Egg Recall in the news. NPR actually ended with "Vegan Anyone?"

Central Illinois Hog Farmer goes vegan.

Dueling B12 Myths; B12 not an issue, B12 are you getting it. I think I've gone on record on air several times with my stance on supplementing. I feel it is better safe than sorry. See what Jack Norris RD, founder of Vegan Outreach, has to say. While you are at it, maybe check out his interview with Let Them Eat Meat.

MF Mike will have lots of surprises in store as well. Don't miss it!

Voices from the Historic N. First St. Market

2010-08-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

This week, Meat-free Mike is back and he has a recording from his visit Thursday to the Farmers Market on Historic N. First St.

Veggie Trails is for sale! We are sad to see this exciting new business for sale, but V-Jerky is sticking around. Neil and Hilary are just selling the food cart. We appreciate all their hard work and inspiring enthusiasm. We are lucky to have them in our community! Click on the link for details and if you end up buying, let them know Food for Though sent you.

It seems that everywhere I look or listen the past few weeks, people have been writing/talking about the 21 Dollar Week Challenge. We'll discuss what it means, hunger and poverty in the community and all that goes along with it.

As always, we welcome any and all feedback/questions. WEFT is community radio and we love to hear from you! Thanks for listening!!

Last Week in Review and This Week

2010-08-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we mentioned the untimely loss of a very active community member and chocolate-maker extraordinaire, Daniel Schreiber. There are several events today to honor and remember Dan. He is in our thoughts and we extend our deepest sympathy to his family.

We also discussed activism burnout and feelings of frustrating and being overwhelmed by world and local events. Sometimes it feels like there are so many fights to fight and so many wrongs to right, it can wear even the most positive person down. How do we seek out help when it is needed? How are we there for others in our community? How do we take care of ourselves? This topic will be ongoing and can't possibly be covered in one show. Here are some sites I found valuable when preparing for last week's show:

Stress Management and Burnout Prevention
Activist Burnout
Sustainable Activism

A book I suggested and will be reading and reviewing, The Lifelong Activist.

We also talked about gardening and storing food by dehydrating, canning, freezing, etc. I noticed this week that Common Ground Co-op has several books on storing food and I will check them out next week. I have Preserving Summer's Bounty in my own library and while it is not veg, it is quite helpful. The Simply Grande Gardening Cookbook is another useful (but not veg) book on my shelf.

This week, Meat-free Mike will not be with us, but I will have a special guest. We will talk about the Clintons, raw foods vs. cooked foods, can one be too healthy?, and including veg options in community events. Don't miss Food for Thought!

Tea Time

2010-07-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today's Food for Thought will focus on ways to stay cool, recipes which require little cooking or use the outdoor grill, tips on how to use and store the bountiful local foods we have available this time of year, and much more!

One topic I've wanted to cover for a while is tea. What we drink can be as important as what we eat. Not only can one drink tea, but tea can add a new dimension to your cooking as well. Check out these vegan recipes which incorporate tea. In the Vegan Linda household, we've been consuming a lot of ice cold sun tea to try to keep us cool as the heat and humidity tries to get the best of us. A dear highschool friend of mine and a native from Champaign recently started her own tea business. She is so dedicated to her business of tea that she traveled to Taiwan to learn about tea from the source. Chatting with her about her trip renewed my interest in researching tea, the health effects, the possible negative effects, and the different types of tea. The world drinks a lot of tea, what is it doing to us or for us?

Beautiful blueberries! I'll share my experience and the recipe for Vegan Yum Yum's Blueberry Grunt.

FFT for June 11, 2010

2010-07-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings! "Meat-free" Mike blogging to let you know we will audition PETA's "Christianity and Vegetarianism" on this week's edition of Food for Thought! Enjoy this stimulating presentation THIS Sunday 3-4PM CST on WEFT 90.1 FM, Champaign IL & online at weft.org

Vegetarian Pregnancy, Backyard Chickens, Olympian Dr. and More!

2010-05-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

This Sunday we Meat-free Mike and I will have Deborah Frank Feinen as our special guest. You won't want to miss this show. Deb is a Champaign City Council Member, local lawyer, runner, mother, and she is vegetarian. We will talk with Deb about vegetarian pregnancy, veg eating in the workplace, vegetarianism and family, Backyard Chickens, Olympian Drive, and much more!!

If you have a question you would like us to ask, just leave a comment here.

As always, thanks for listening!

Vegan Linda

FFT for May 12, 2010

2010-05-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Greetings! "Meat-free" Mike here once again to invite you all to listen this Sunday from 3-4 PM as Food for Thought presents an exclusive interview with eco-chef Bryant Terry! Terry was in residence on the University of Illinois campus this past March where yours truly caught up with him for an interesting chat! Don't miss it!

FFT for April 18, 2010

2010-04-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Hey there! "Meat-free" Mike here to let you know that we'll listen to Howard Lyman's talk, "Vegan Cattle Ranchers & Oprah," on Sunday's program along with a great Common Ground Corner from Jacqueline Hannah of The Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana! Happy Earth Week and don't forget to rsvp to the Vegan Meetup for April, to be held at Vegan Linda's pad!

Restaurant Reviews, Dehydrated Food, and Veg News

2010-04-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Today Meat-free Mike will be back with some restaurant reviews from his time away. Vegan Linda will tell about her new dehydrator and her friend's experience with raw foodism. Maybe a word or two about Easter without the eggs.

Last week Vegan Linda and her guest (son) Parker talked about food in public schools; The Healthy School Meals Act of 2010, what is being offered currently in one of our local school districts, Fed Up With School Lunch blog, and ten year old Parker's take on how to get kids to eat healthier. Also, there was discussion about one vegan dietitian's take on healthy fats and low-fat diets. Oh yeah, and a lot of talk about poop and gas, teehee*, see what you miss when you don't tune in??? *Actually, it is no laughing matter. Environmental issues with small Indiana dairy farm are becoming explosive.

Listen today and send us questions/comments, we love feed back!

Vegetarian Cowboy Cuisine

2010-03-21T03:41:00.000-07:00

Today we will interview, Neil Bernstein from Veggie Trails, a new veg mobile concessions trailer specializing in "cowboy" food. We'll find out what cowboy (or cowgirl, I'm guessing) food is. What makes their business special and where/when you can find them locally. If you have any questions for us to ask, post them in the comments here. You won't want to miss hearing from Neil about his new business adventure. Y'all listen in!

Chicago Restaurant Reviews

2010-03-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

I (Vegan Linda) promised links to the restaurants my son and guest, Parker, and I reviewed last Sunday.

India House in downtown Chicago

Service was excellent, food was excellent, menu is quite large, expensive, but worth it! Two thumbs up from my kids (10, almost 6, and 2.5 years so I guess that is a total of six thumbs up). One of the neat things for children is the glass wall so they can see the chefs in action. It is a large restaurant and more upscale than most of the Indian restaurants we frequent. The kids loved the hot napkins after the meal. They are easily impressed. I would love to go back.

Earwax Cafe in Wicker Park Chicago

Unfortunately, they don't have much of a website so I'll link to some reviews, here and here. I don't remember where I first heard about Earwax, but the name makes it hard to forget and it has been on my list of must try restaurants for a while. We needed a place for breakfast Saturday morning so we were up at outside the restaurant a few minutes before they opened. The menu isn't completely veg, but there were so many options it was hard to choose. The serve their entire menu all day so I was tempted to try a sandwich, but we all went for breakfast fare instead. My 2.5 year old had the bagel sandwich (scrambled tofu and vegan sausage, but they were out of sausage...one point against for being out when we were their first customers of the day, but they subbed fresh fruit which is preferred anyway) with a side of home fries, 5 year old had the vegan short stack (scrambled tofu, their last vegan sausage, pancakes), 10 year old had the banana walnut pancakes, and my husband and I both had the tofu benedict. We did a lot of sharing and it was all very good. Thumbs up all around. The atmosphere is pretty hipster and the waitstaff took a while to warm up (a little to much angst and attitude), but by the end of the meal they were quite sweet to the kids and somewhat attentive. We overheard lots of artsy talk, including the scoop on a movie being filmed nearby. It reminded me of Berwyn Cafe in College Park, MD. We will go again.

Viet Bistro on Devon St. (773-465-5720 1344 W Devon Ave Chicago, IL 60660)

I can't give a completely fair review since we attended a private party at Viet Bistro and did not have a sit down meal at the restaurant. I can say the atmosphere was very nice for a party. We were there for several hours and the food kept coming (they have vegan items on for us requested by the the hostess of the part) and the drinks at the open bar were great (they even made special juice drinks for the kids). The bar tender was very sweet and engaging. The food we tried was quite good. I've heard they are not doing so well. I am guessing price and location have something to do with it. Try this place out if you are in the area and tell your friends! I have a couple coupons for 15% off, just let me know if you would like one.

Last but certainly not least, save room for dessert!

Bleeding Heart Bakery in Oak Park

Our hostess for the weekend ordered vegan cupcakes from Bleeding Heart Bakery for our family. The kids are not huge cupcake fans, but they are still raving about these. Very moist, wonderful icing (only one icing fan in the family, but we all had to admit the icing was quite good), and possibly the best cup cakes I've ever eating (vegan or no). The is another place I've been meaning to try. They are woman owned (or it seems couple owned from the website) and just sound plain awesome. I will definitely be giving them more business! Check out the website and drool!

Bryant Terry on University of Illinois Campus this Week!

2010-03-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Heads up, folks! A great lecture series this week at Allen Hall on the UIUC campus. Vegan Linda & I will attempt to get an interview with Mr. Terry for future broadcast on "Food for Thought!" Not to be missed!

Bryant Terry
Eco-chef, food justice activist, and author Bryant Terry will be a Unit One/Allen Hall Guest-in-Residence 3/7-3/11.

Sunday, March 7
7pm - FOOD JUSTICE FOR ALL! (south rec room)
For the past ten years Bryant Terry has worked to build a more just and sustainable food system and has used cooking as a tool to illuminate the intersections between poverty, structural racism, and food insecurity. In this session Bryant will discuss his journey as an eco chef, food justice activist, and author.

Monday, March 8 4:45-6:30pm – Vegetarian Feast in the Allen Dining Hall
Get your grub on with vegetarian soul food recipes from Bryant Terry (dining plan or meal pass necessary for entry)
7pm - Grub Parties 101: Using Food to Build Community (south rec room)
In 2004 food activist Anna Lappé and Bryant Terry started grub parties to bring communities, groups, and organizations together to share a good meal and conversation centered on the theme of local food. Join Bryant and learn more about using this model in your communities.

Tuesday, March 9
7pm - Liquid Lessons: Making Winter Soups and Stews in Bulk for Cheap Healthy Meals (kitchen)
Soups are almost the perfect student food. They are cheap and easy to make; they are comforting and nutritious; and when made in bulk, they provide tasty leftovers that can be frozen for a later date or warmed up the next day. In addition to making a few flavorful vegetarian stocks, we will make Gumbo Z—an all green Gumbo using 7 different greens—and Creamy Yellow Potato Soup with Rosemary Oil and Crispy Rosemary. Arrive early, as space is limited.

Wednesday, March 10 7pm - Redefining Soul Food: Politics and Pleasures of Food and Eating in African American Communities (kitchen)
Beyond the confines of Southern-style comfort food lies a culinary history and rich heritage of a people that have historically grown their own food and have employed gastronomic resourcefulness and creativity to transform local, seasonal, and sustainably grown food into hearty, humble, and satisfying fare. Join Bryant for a discussion about the pleasures of food and eating in African American communities, along with a hands-on cooking class of some recipes from his latest book, Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy & Creative African-American Cuisine. Arrive early, as space is limited.

Thursday, March 11
7pm – What’s On Your Plate?: Young People in the Movement to Create a Just and Sustainable Food System (south rec room)
What’s on Your Plate is a witty and provocative documentary about kids and food politics (Bryant was an advisor, and he makes an appearance in the film). Bryant has been active in supporting youth-centered food initiatives for the past decade. He founded b-healthy--a five-year initiative designed to educate low-income youth about healthy cooking and food politics and train them to be peer educators and community organizers able to address issues related to community food security. Join us for a film screening, snacks, drinks, and a discussion about the role of young people in the movement to create a more just and sustainable food system across the United States.

Bryant Terry is an Oakland-based eco chef, food justice activist, Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow, and author of Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African American Cuisine. For the past nine years he has worked to build a more just and sustainable food system and has used cooking as a tool to illuminate the intersections between poverty, structural racism, and food insecurity. His interest in cooking, farming, and community health can be traced back to his childhood in Memphis, Tennessee, where his grandparents inspired him to grow, prepare, and appreciate good food. Called “ingenious” by The New York Times Magazine, Bryant’s first book, Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, is a winner of a 2007 Nautilus Book Award. Bryant’s work has been featured in Gourmet, Food and Wine, The San Francisco Chronicle, Vibe, and many other publications.

Community

2010-03-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

This week we have special guest, Wade Albright. Wade started a local Vegan Meetup group. We will chat with him about the whys and hows of starting your own group in your area. For locals, you will find out how to join in on the vegan potluck fun (you do not have to be vegan yourself). We will discuss community and how to create one if it doesn't already exist. Join us Sunday from 3-4pm central time for some Food for Thought!

Pizza, Pizza!

2010-02-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

We will talk about pizza this week! Specifically, vegan pizza. Pizza without cheese? Does it taste good? Absolutely!

Here is a link for eating out at chain restaurants while veg (including a few chain pizza places). Please note that this is a guide and you should check with the specific restaurant to ensure the ingredients are veg*n or suitable for your dietary wants/needs.

It is amazing how far vegan pizza has come. Little Caesars mentions vegans on their website. There are videos on making vegan pizza, even by famous chefs. There is apparently even one totally vegan pizza/sub place or maybe two in the country (my dream business!).

Locally-owned pizza joints where you should be able to buy a vegan pizza (please check ingredients before ordering to make sure): Monical's Pizza (multiple locations, but started locally), Village Inn Pizza on the corner of Springfield and Mattis in Champaign, Antonio's Pizza on Green St. in Campustown, Manolo's Pizza and Empanadas on Oregon in Urbana, Jupiter's Pizzia and Billards in downtown and at the Crossing in Champaign, and the new kid in town - Vinny's East Coast Pizzeria on Kirby in Champaign. We've heard that Papa Del's has dairy in all their crust so unfortunately we aren't aware of any vegan pizza offerings from this local icon. I've also been told that One World Pizza has dairy in all their crust. Do you have a favorite pizza place and know they are able to make a vegan pizza, let us know!

My husband is a special guest this week and will share his homemade pizza secrets!

In veg*n news:

1. Neal Barnard has a new article on Settling the Soy Controversy.

2. I mentioned this before, but here is the link to the PCRM 21-Day Vegan Kickstart.

We will also have a Co-op Corner and much more!

Weight, Sugar, Yummy Food

2010-02-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

Today on FFT, we will attempt to tackle a sensitive issue.

Weight. Underweight to overweight, what are the health effects. How to find a balance.

Discrimination for people we are "overweight" such as the recent Kevin Smith incident.

What health issues may be linked to obesity?

Health issues which may be caused by being underweight.

Denying health insurance for children based on weight.

Veg*ns love to support other veg*ns. Now that tax time is quickly approaching, you might want to check out this ad for a vegan accountant on vegan.com.

I (VeganLinda) will also talk about vegan birthdays and mardi gras celebrations. We have a newish tradition of going to our friends' house for a vegan potluck and an awesome vegan King's Cake! Now that the festivities are over, I explore my intentions for giving up sugar or being more mindful of sweets at least until my next child's birthday in mid-April.

Meat-free Mike will have lots of fun stuff too! Listen today!

FFT for February 14, 2010

2010-02-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

Greetings! "Meat-free" Mike here inviting you to listen THIS Sunday, 2/14/10, as Food for Thought radio presents the earlier-announced but highly delayed broadcast of Frances Moore Lappe's "Ending Hunger, Feeding Hope." Vegan Linda will be out this Sunday so it's a good time for us to listen to this thought-provoking lecture.

Happy Valentine's Day!

If You Haven't Been Listening, You've Been Missing...

2010-02-07T23:09:00.000-08:00

All sorts of fun, interesting, informative content has been aired on Food for Thought over the last several months. Here are just a few links which we've mentioned.

Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture - PCSA:

All our listeners know we are big fans of local food and supporting local farmers. We interviewed Anna Barnes from our local CSA. She explained what a CSA is, what makes our local CSA special, and how you can buy a share (2010 shares are still available!).

Winter Composting:

Just because it is cold outside doesn't mean you need to throw those kitchen scraps away. Keep them working for you and keep them out of the landfills. Some tips on winter composting can be found here and here.

Vitamin D:

As much as I prefer to get nutrition through whole foods, I suggest people (veg or not) check out information on supplementing with vitamin D. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you want to look for D2 since it is plant-based (D3 is from animal sources). D is especially important in the winter months when one lives as far north as we do or for people who avoid or lack sun exposure.

E. coli O157:H7:

Article on grass-fed beef and e coli.

Local Eats:

Smile Politely is a wonderful local resource and online magazine. Often, they have articles about local food, food production, and restaurants. Now they have a new contributor with tips on eating vegan in C-U.

As always, we welcome your input. Let us know what you like, what you don't like, questions, comments, people you would like to hear us interview, topics you would like us to cover, etc. We love hearing from you!

FFT for 12/20/2009

2009-12-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Join "Vegan" Linda and I for a Vegan Baking program by request! Listen on line at weft.org
Happy Vegan Holi-daze!
-"Meat-free" Mike

FFT for December 6, 2009

2009-11-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

Howdy! Hope you all had a wonderful meat-free Thanksgiving as I did! I want to apologize for not airing the Frances Moore Lappe talk as I had posted earlier. As I mentioned on the show yesterday, the Lappe talk ran exactly 59 minutes. But I also had a longer, most welcomed excellent co-op corner from Jacquline Hannah at the local Common Ground Co-op, so I opted to play this and PETA'S "Judaism and Vegetarianism," which is a very good lecture as well. Stay tuned for "Ending Hunger, Feeding Hope" by Frances Moore Lappe in the near future!

On this week's Food for Thought, we welcome back "Vegan" Linda from her Thanksgiving excursion to the south and will prod her to tell us some stories about her visit there! Linda also has some restaurant reviews and new information on swine flu. In addition, we'll have a new Common Ground Corner, and an interview with the manager of locally operated Natural Gourmet market and Thai fast food in south central Champaign.

FFT for November 29, 2009

2009-11-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

Join us for Food for Thought at 3PM CST on 90.1 FM this Sunday as we present a pre-recorded talk by Frances Moore Lappe entitled, "Ending Hunger, Feeding Hope." This talk was recorded in February, 2009 by Deconstructing Dinner at the University if Alberta during their International Week. Lappe is known for her work in sustainability and her groundbreaking book, "Diet for a Small Planet," which offers "simple rules for a healthy diet; a streamlined, easy-to-use format; delicious food combinations of protein-rich meals without meat; hundreds of wonderful recipes, and much more. "

FFT for November 22, 2009

2009-11-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

"Meat-free" Mike here! I'd like to invite you to listen in this Sunday, November 22, 2009 from 3-4PM as Food for Thought Radio presents a pre-recorded lecture from October of 2008 by Howard Lyman entitled, "Destroying the Earth a Bite at a Time." Howard is certainly Veg*nism's most outspoken and convincing representative. If you are uncertain about where YOU stand about a plant-based diet, this lecture should influence you greatly in favor of a vegan diet! Also this Sunday, the Common Ground (Co-op) Corner with our friend Jacqueline Hannah!

That's "Food for Thought" on 90.1 FM WEFT, Champaign. Sunday at 3PM CST on the radio or on the internet!

A Very Veg Thanksgiving

2009-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple week or so and for the next week or so (how is that for nailing things down?), we will be talking about how and why to have a Very Veg*n Thanksgiving!

Here are some resources we have mentioned or will mention on the air for great Thanksgiving type recipes:

A Vegan Thanksgiving Feast by Robin Robertson

A Bountiful Vegan Thanksgiving

Vegan Holiday Dining Recipes by Bryanna Clark Grogan

The Cancer Project

If you would like more information about turkeys and reasons not to eat them, check out United Poultry Concerns.

Vegan Linda put together a list of her favorite children's books for the holiday season. Unfortunately, vegan Thanksgiving books are not in abundance, but there are a few that we love to read to our kids.

Meat-free Mike might have to change his name to Vegan Mike. He decided to go vegan for the month of November so check tune in a check out how things are going!

The World Peace Diet

2009-10-18T07:21:00.001-07:00

On today's show we will hear half of a talk by Dr. Will Tuttle. This kids have been a fan of his music for years and I was able to hear him talk last weekend at Chicago Vegan Mania. You will hear Dr. Tuttle's take on veganism and its role in creating a peaceful planet. We will also have your local Co-op Corner and more!

Vegan Mania and More!

2009-10-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, we will have a report from Saturday's Vegan Mania in Chicago.

We will discuss food safety and one woman's tragic story of being paralyzed by ground beef.

Recipes for squash just in time for fall.

Maybe a restaurant review or two from the Windy City.

Much, much more!

So, tune in this Sunday from 3-4pm (CST) to 90.1 FM (WEFT).

Food for Thought - Veg Pregnancy and Children

2009-10-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Meat-free Mike is out of town, but today on Food for Thought (90.1 FM WEFT), Vegan Linda will be discussing veg pregnancy, raising veg children, and talking with a special guest.

Books we'll discuss:

Your Vegetarian Pregnancy by Holly Roberts
Raising Vegetarian Children by Joanne Stepaniak and Vesanto Melina
Restaurant Reviews:

Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant (317-299-0608)

5352 W. 38th St. Indianapolis, IN 46254

Sesame (317-228-1688)

1413 W. 86th St. Indianapolis, IN 46260