Star Trek

I love Sci-Fi, I especially love the Star Trek franchise. I know, that qualifies me as a total nerd, but I don't care.

This past week, details about the upcoming Star Trek XI movie directed by JJ Abrams were released - it's going to be a prequel, and will include Spock and Captain Kirk at Star Fleet Academy.

Now you might be asking yourself, what does Star Trek have to do with Vegetarianism?

Well, my dear friends, that question is easily answered in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, Lonely Among Us , when Commander Riker informs a non-human species requesting freshly slaughtered meat for dinner:

"We no longer enslave animals for food."

That's right, since food is created in replicators in the 24th Century, they are all Vegan.

I'll end my nerd-monologue with this: Star Trek XI will be released 12.25.08.

Hummer

I found this interesting quote from Soul Veggie's Blog:

In fact a vegan driving a hummer would be contributing less greenhouse gas carbon emissions than a meat eater riding a bicycle.

I knew that eventually I would find justification for buying that zebra-print Hummer-Limo I've always wanted!

(Kidding)

The full article can be found on his blog and also below.



Full Article:
"The meat industry is one of the most destructive ecological industries on the planet. The raising and slaughtering of pigs, cows, sheep, turkeys and chickens not only utilizes vast areas of land and vast quantities of water, but it is a greater contributor to greenhouse gas emissions than the automobile industry. The seafood industry is literally plundering the ocean of life and some fifty percent of fish caught from the oceans is fed to cows, pigs, sheep, chickens etc in the form of fish meal. It also takes about fifty fish caught from the sea to raise one farm raised salmon...

... [There] is a solid conservation connection between eating meat and the destruction of life in our oceans. In a world fast losing resources of fresh water, it is sheer lunacy to have hundreds of millions of cows consuming over 1,000 gallons of water for every pound of beef produced... And the truth is that you can't practise solid and constructive conservation work without promoting veganism and/or vegetarianism as something that promotes the conservation of resources.

... our meat eating habits are more closely related to the vulture, the jackal or other carrion eaters. This means that we can't be described as carnivores. We are better described as necrovores or eaters of rotting flesh. Consider that some of the beef that people eat has been dead for months and in some cases for years. Dead and hanging in freezers, full of uritic acid and bacteria. It's a corpse in a state of decomposition. Not much that can be said to be noble about eating a cadaver.

... The bottom line is that to be a conservationist and an environmentalist, you must practise and promote vegetarianism or better yet veganism. It is the lifestyle that leaves the shallowest ecological footprint, uses fewer resources and produces less greenhouse gas emissions, it's healthier and it means you're not a hypocrite. In fact a vegan driving a hummer would be contributing less greenhouse gas carbon emissions than a meat eater riding a bicycle."

"Don't stay in 1408"

He should have listened.

I really like Stephen King books, I've read just about all of them. I even like the movie versions. 1408 was no exception...well, except that it was (in my opinion) the scariest movie so far.

Anyway, you should go see it.

So Good...

Once again, my father has given us delicious lettuce. I topped it with cubes of Follow Your Heart, Gardenburger chunks, and edamame.

So simply perfect for summer dinners.

Bike Socks

My friend Matt is awesome. He does amazing things like ride his bike to Belize. He has taken other unbelievable trips as well and they're all documented on his blog.

What isn't documented is his propensity toward wearing the same socks for days (weeks?) at a time while on his crazy adventures, leading his friends to joke about the ability to make disgusting tea with his socks.

The joke actually came about after sampling some not-so-great 'Crouching Tiger' tea at a holiday potluck at which time Dave exclaimed, "This tea tastes like it was made from Matt's socks!" And so a legend was born.

Anyway, Matt immortalized the joke on a pair of bike socks and sent Gian and I each a pair.

Awesomely hilarious.

Check out his site and his charity work involving biking insanely long distances in extreme heat here: Swarm.

Oooooh!

Today I sprinkled some Green & Black Hot Chocolate Mix on top of my Chocoloate Peanut Butter Soy Delicious.

Amazing.

Dog Beach!

Full of sand and water...
George was very scared at first, but as you can see, we were in an inlet that didn't get deeper than 3 or 4 feet, so it was safe. It took him some coaxing - at first, when Gian would go into the water he would go right up to the point where he couldn't stand and cry and whine -- after about 5 minutes of this, he built up his courage and swam all the way out. It was terribly cute!

They liked to just hang out in the water.
He's so cute!

Safety First

We decided to go to the beach with the dogs. Since we'd be traveling on some major highways for a few hours, we invested in some high-quality dog seatbelts.

Here they are trying them on

The seatbelts are more substantial than the old belts we had. They actually worked very well. At one point we were in immobile traffic for a draw-bridge opening and GG got very anxious and twisted herself all up so Gian unbuckled her, but the rest of the time they were safely secured in the back.

If you notice the 'handle' at the top - Gian commented that George looked like a dog-shaped suitcase when he had his harness on.

Salsa Dip

I really like to make layered salsa dips. This one has some Toffutti cream cheese, then smashed avocado, salsa, and shredded 'Cheddar' Follow Your Heart. Yum!!

Penne with Vegetable Bolognese Sauce

Frannie made delicious vegan Penne with Vegetable Bolognese Sauce! It was incredibly rich and delightful. She used tofutti instead of marscapone and vegan rella in lieu of mozzarella.

Amazing.

The recipe is from Food Network.

Seriously...

He's just so cute!

What the hail?

The dogs and I were relaxing in the backyard when I heard some rumbling....
I got up and looked off in the distance, I saw some ominous looking clouds so I gathered my things and went on the porch.

Not more than a minute later it began to pour...

Then it started hailing!
Here's a pile of hail on the landing...
It was all over in just a few minutes.

Green & Black Organic

The fact that Green & Black Organic is Bear Grylls' favorite chocolate has nothing to do with my decision to purchase a container of the company's hot chocolate. (Actually, it was Gian who wanted to try it.)

You add 4 tsp of powder to your cup of soymilk and voila - rich and creamy hot chocolate! The powder is only 74 calories, which is great for hot chocolate.

Definitely worth it if you see it during your next grocery shopping foray!!

Michael Moore's SiCKO (official trailer)

Unfortunately, Sicko isn't playing anywhere near me...yet.

A brief history of the Decepticons.

If, like me, it's been 20 years since you've watched the Transformers, this short clip will bring you right up to speed.

Watch for the cassette tape that transforms into a pteradactyl - classic!

Transformers: The Movie (1986) Original Trailer

This is the original movie trailer from the 1986 Transformers Movie.

I can't believe that was 20 years ago.

DC Eateries

We went to some amazing eateries in Georgetown (Harmony Cafe, M Street & 33rd), Alexandrai, and DC Proper:

A simple lunch in the hotel - roasted portabellos, red peppers, and sun dried tomatoes with spinach and served with tabouleh:

We went to an upscale Italian Trattoria in Alexandria - the waiter was VERY knowledgeable regarding vegan fare and the chef prepared my meal off the menu. It was amazing.

Insalata Piatta (tomatoes, asparagus, and an avacado drizzled with decadent olive oil and a light vinegrette):

Fresca pomodoro e basilico (fresh tomato and basil pasta) - amazing:
I had so many other great meals, but it was difficult to take pictures of them all.

Washington, DC

I was recently in our nation's capitol for a 3-day conference. One night we went to 'the mall' to see the memorials.

The Korean War Memorial is relatively new and is very eery. It's slightly larger than life-sized statues creeping through the underbrush. Seeing it in the dark probably added to the aura.
Of course, a memorial I have no qualms supporting is the Lincoln Memorial.


One of the people I was with had never seen the Vietman Memorial so we went there too...

The World War II memorial was more of a celebration than a somber remembrance.


I mean, it was pretty, but all in all it was a horrible reminder of the events that are occuring, largely unprotested, in 'Mess-o-potamia'.

Porch Garden

My backyard isn't very large: So I planted herbs on the porch:

Here are some flowers surrounding peppermint and speamint, thanks to Frannie:
I also have cilantro, basil (2 pots), and lemon spearmint in pots hanging over the railing. I LOVE being able to step onto the back porch to get some fresh herbs. It's so delicious and fresh!

Foot Scrub

Inspired by Urban Vegan's Face Scrub, I created a similar foot scrub.
In a food processor, blend together:

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup Epsom salt
Handful fresh of Peppermint leaves
1/4 cup olive oil

I then used it as a scrub on damp feet. Relaxing, refreshing, and moisturizing.

Lioness

Here's a candid shot of Good Girl, looking like a lioness. She has a crazy mane that is difficult to groom, so sometimes she looks like a Panthera Leo.

Pesto Pasta

I can't get enough pesto. This is pasta with a few tablespoons of Belletieri's Sauce and a heaping spoonful of pesto, topped with Vegan Rella and lightly sauteed to warm the sauces and lightly melt the Rella. Amazingly simple and delicious.

There's something about hot weather and pizza...

I don't know what it is, but hot weather makes me crave pizza!

I made my own yeast-free crust from How It All Vegan (Sarah Kramer & Tanya Barnard).

I topped the crust with Belletieri's sauce, Follow Your Heart 'mozarella' and fresh basil.


Of course, a hot summer dinner wouldn't be complete without a 'Nojito.'