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!

FFT for 12/20/2009

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