Halloweegan Ideas, Book Reviews, and More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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...

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!