vegan chocolate heart, Farm Sanctuary

I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day, going all the way back to elementary school when it meant writing out all those little valentines for my classmates. Whether I’ve had a sweetheart to lavish all the attention on, or my Valentine’s Day has been centered instead on surprising friends with flowers or fun gifts, I relish the chance to get creative and let some very special people in my life know just how much I adore them.

Last year, I looked into several fantastic options for Valentine’s Chocolates. If you’re wanting to surprise your sweetie with some vegan sweets, you’ll want to check out my previous post asap, to give yourself time for any ordering and delivery.

This year, I wanted to highlight a few other alternatives for the holiday, ways to surprise and indulge our loved ones while supporting some wonderful organizations at the same time. Check out the following online shopping opportunities:

• Farm Sanctuary
  For 25 years, Farm Sanctuary has been saving farmed animals from cruelty and raising awareness about how these animals need our protection and compassion. For this Valentine’s Day, the online store has a FS Logo Vegan Chocolate Heart available. The chocolates are made by Sjaak’s, one of my favorite chocolate makers.
• Humane Domain
  The Humane Society of the United States is offering some pretty adorable gift items as part of its online store’s  ”Be My Valentine” collection. Cute tee-shirts and apparel for both men and women include “Animal in Bed” boxer shorts,  pajamas and robes, “luv paws” fingerless gloves, and lots of jewelry items. But what I love even more on this site are all the gifts for our four-legged valentines: a play tunnel and other cool toys for the kitty; a heart box of V-Day pup treats and a catnip gift box; heart toys and “sweetie pie” tennis balls; and — my favorite — the Jumbo Love Pup Toy.
• National Canine Cancer Foundation
  Canine cancer affects one in three dogs. I love this organization and the research it’s funding, and it’s especially near and dear to my heart because my Pushkin lived with cancer for over two years. NCCF’s online store has everything from jewelry to apparel to personalized picture frames. The Peace Love Dog shirt would be a nice gift for anyone who has a soft spot for pups.

These are just a few of the many, many organizations that offer some special items for purchase in anticipation of V-Day. I hope everyone has fun making plans and doing a little shopping for the upcoming holiday!

The basket included:

• Sjaak‘s Organic Chocolate Assortment
• JJ’s Cocomels, coconut milk caramels
• Edward & Sons Exotic Rice Toast (Purple Rice & Black Sesame)*
• Wilderness Poets “Song of Abundance” Raw Trail Mix
• Betty Lou’s Organic Harmony Granola Bars & Cookies
• Dandies Mini Marshmallows*
• Eli’s Earth Bars (“Celebrate Bar” & “Treasure Bar”)
• Liz Lovely Ginger Snapdragons
• Pirate Brands Original Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks
• Sen Cha Green Tea Mints
• Primal Strips, vegan jerky (Hickory Smoked, Hot & Spicy, Thai Peanut, & Texas BBQ)*

I have to thank the team myself — I’m definitely enjoying my share of the goods! It’s been fun for me to sample some products that I’ve never had before, such as the Primal jerky. Which got me thinking: vegan gift baskets are wonderful to give anyone, from the well-seasoned vegan to an omnivore friend. A basket will have plenty to choose from, so there’s something for everyone. Besides purchasing a basket from a company like Garuda, there’s the option of creating a basket ourselves, filling it with things we love and think our friends would enjoy as well.

Whether it’s to welcome a new colleague, offer as a housewarming gift, celebrate a birthday or any other holiday, a basket filled with delicious treats is bound to bring a smile. And who knows… the recipient may discover some new cruelty-tree favorites of his or her own.

Thanks again to Seth’s new team for the basket, and for the thoughtfulness behind the gift.

*also gluten-free!

guest blogger: Jennie Schenck

When choosing a topic for my Law Review note, I was asked to consider a legal concept I had learned during my 1L year that I found strange or inconsistent with reality. I came up with a topic rather quickly: I wanted to write about animals as property—and why they ought to have a higher legal classification than that.

I remember writing “WTF?” in the margins of my torts book next to the case that explained why animals are considered property in the eyes of the law. I remember wondering if the judge who wrote the opinion could honestly sit there and analogize animals to inanimate possessions like cars or furniture with a straight face.  It doesn’t take studies and statistics to show that people regard their animals more as family members and less as mere property (though statistics do support that point time and time again). I grew up in a family that gave our pets Christmas and birthday gifts, spent thousands of dollars on our pets’ medical care when necessary, and took more pictures of our pets than the rest of the family combined.  Low and behold, we didn’t do this with our cars or our furniture. And I had a feeling my family was more of the rule than the exception.  In my note, I decided to focus on why the law is so stagnant in this area and what can be done to give animals a higher legal status.

I started by examining case law. Soon, I found a pattern—judges and juries really were sympathetic to pet owners whose pets had been injured or killed due to the tortuous conduct of another, but were almost always unwilling to award anything but economic damages, reflective of animals’ property status.  When they did award noneconomic damages, they were often very small and the court was careful to limit the award to the facts of that specific case. One involved an old lady whose dog was killed and whose house was subsequently burgled—the court awarded damages for the worth of the dog as a guard against intruders, but made sure to limit the award to the facts of that case.  I eventually decided the answer was with the legislature.  Courts would not be willing to extend noneconomic damages in tort cases involving animals unless they had some sort of clear vehicle for doing so.

As of a year ago, when I completed my Law Review note, three states—Tennessee, Illinois, and Connecticut—had enacted statutes that allowed for certain types of noneconomic damages in cases involving the loss or injury of a pet.  I examined two of these in detail (because the Illinois and Connecticut statutes were very similar). One specified that noneconomic damages were to reimburse the owner for the loss of companionship he suffered due to the loss of or injury to the pet.  The other gave the court more leeway in deciding the nature of noneconomic damages. Both were limited in the amount of damages that could be awarded.

Based on the two statutes and my perception of the amounts and types of noneconomic damages necessary to deter inhumane conduct toward animals and adequately reimburse pet owners, I created my own noneconomic damages statute.  I specified that damages should be to reimburse the owner for loss of companionship and for the owner’s foreseeable emotional distress. I included a limit on the amount of damages available (higher for intentional conduct than for negligent conduct), exemptions for governments and veterinary businesses, and a broad definition of “pet” (“pet” being an animal that would qualify his owner for damages under the statute).  My statute was meant to serve as a general template for states to use for their own pet-loss statutes.

Now that I have taken an animal law class and have had about a year to think about the note, I wish I had focused more on the suffering of the animal rather than the loss of companionship and suffering of the animal’s owner.  I now believe that this would get us closer to giving animals a higher legal standing than the statutory remedy I set forth.  However, this comes with a whole new host of problems, of which my note only skims the surface.

Also, ultimately, such a statutory remedy would only be a small step toward giving animals a more deserving legal status.  My note addressed only tortuous interference with pets—there are hundreds of other areas of law which would have to be tweaked to truly recognize animals as having a higher legal standing.

Jennie Schenck is a third-year law student at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. She is a board member for law school’s student chapter of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund. Her legal experience includes family law, personal injury, estate planning, and federal contracts.  

Verifying that cosmetics and skincare products are, in fact, cruelty-free sometimes can be tricky business. Cosmetic companies often are fuzzy on the details when it comes to their animal testing policies. They also might be making “cruelty-free” claims that are misleading: they might be outsourcing any testing; or, they might be testing individual ingredients but not the product per se, and so they’re able to add the “not tested on animals” to their labels. For this reason, I’ll take any help I can get to ensure my purchase power is not supporting animal testing. It’s nice to have VBM bringing together the products that truly pass muster.

Categories of products available:

• Face
• Body & Bath
• Hair
• Make-up
• Fragrance
• Kids
• Sun
• Gifts

Free Samples!
When it comes to skincare and cosmetics, I’m always on the lookout for new finds, but I always want to sample because I need to see how my skin is going to react. At a walk-in store, I’m drawn to the “tester” items, and I’ll accept any little packets of moisturizer, hand lotion, or shampoo that someone offers me (also great as a “travel-size” for the next overnight stay somewhere). Buying online from VBM, we don’t miss out on this aspect of the shopping experience: free samples come with every purchase.

“Giving Back” Policy
One more reason VBM is a fave: a percentage of profits are donated to nonprofits that support environmental, animal rights, and humane causes.

Bonus Tip!
For the lowdown on some of your usual cosmetic and skincare items, check out the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database for details on companies and specific products. In addition to a company’s animal testing policy, the site provides information about the individual ingredients and an overall safety rating for each product.

Thai Kitchen (Tahoe City)
We stopped here for lunch on our way into town from Reno Airport. Seth had the Pad Thai with vegetables and tofu, asking that it be made without egg; I had the Pad Pam Rum
Mit, mixed vegetables with brown rice.

Pad Thai, Thai Kitchen

Mamasake (Village at Squaw)
Miso soup to warm you up after a day on the slopes. Vegetable Bowls of  julienne vegetables with a yuzu-soy sauce served over red beans and rice. Later this week, I’ll tell you all about the sushi rolls that rocked our world!

Vegetable Bowl, Mamasake

Pianeta (Truckee)
Located in the heart of Truckee’s historic downtown, about ten minutes from the slopes. This bustling dining spot is, at the same time, intimate and festive. And I love the upstairs area with its mix of farmhouse tables that allow small groups as well as larger crowds to enjoy a meal together. Seth started with a tomato bisque, while I opted for the insalata special of the day, a wonderful combination of arugula and belgian endive with mandarin slices, roasted red peppers, and cucumbers with a balsamic vinaigrette. We both enjoyed this pasta dish for our main course:

Pasta at Pianeta

Wolfdale’s Cuisine Unique (Tahoe City)
For a romantic, inspired dinner, this is a winner. The Zen Plate comes with vegetables, lentils, tofu, and butternut mashed potatoes. Or, for something a little more casual, there’s also the Portabello mushroom burger that you can order with truffle fries.

Fireside Pizza Company (Village at Squaw)
Seth and I split a Thai Red Curry pizza topped with bell peppers, red onion, fresh tomato, basil, and a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Instead of the chicken and marscapone cheese the Thai Pizza usually comes with, the kitchen loaded up our pie with mushroom slices and arugula. We also got adventurous, trying out the gluten-free crust. Awesome!

Curry Pizza, Fireside

Six Peaks Grille (Resort at Squaw Creek)
Located at a resort that is quite the idyllic winter wonderland, Six Peaks may not seem particularly veg-friendly at first glance. However, the menu offers a host of “extras” that makes it easy to request a vegan plate from the chef: forest mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, and roasted potatoes. Simple and simply divine. Another option: the Pappardelle Pasta with peppers, white asparagus, and tomatoes (senza panacetta, per piacere!)

Soupa (Village at Squaw)
Fresh homemade soups and yummy quinoa bowls. Soupa relies on seasonal, organic ingredients, and daily soup offerings  include both vegan and vegetarian options. I had the tomato soup and Seth had the butternut squash, each served with a slice of freshly made bread. The quinoa bowls are made with red (Incan) quinoa. If it’s on the daily menu when you’re there, try the Thai Veggie quinoa bowl, which comes with spinach, tomato, cucumber, peanut sauce, and cilantro.

Plumpjack (Village at Squaw)
This hotel and restaurant dates back to when the 1960 Olympics were held at Squaw Valley. The breakfast buffet is made up of mostly non-veg stuff, so we ordered oatmeal a la carte, which was served with a nice variety of dried fruit and some soy milk on the side. Along with some coffee and orange juice, it was just what we needed to get the day off to a great start.

Wildflour Baking Company (Village at Squaw)
I enjoyed a freshly made bagel with sunflower butter, and Seth had the steel-cut oatmeal, served with nuts and dark chocolate. Wildflour also serves Scharffen Berger hot cocoa,which they will make with soy milk. While we didn’t indulge in the hot cocoa, we did pick up other treats — dog biscuits to bring back home to Otis and Galileo!

Steel-Cut Oats, Wildflour

Uncorked (Village at Squaw)
The perfect place for après ski, if a glass of vino is your thing (like me!). Walls lined with wine bottles and crates along the floor… with votive candles along the bar and just a few tables. Sparse, rustic contemporary at its finest. Tyler was a cheery Aussie who, when asked, presented us with three vegan-friendly reds and whites (tasting of three wines, $10).

apres ski at Uncorked

On the mountain…
The slope-side options seem to be getting better every season — hummus wraps, vegetable soup, and some pretty terrific salads. This past week, grabbing a bite to eat in
between runs also included black bean burgers and vegetarian chili. Clif and Luna bars were a nice mid-afternoon energizer, available for purchase at the cafeterias.

Bonus Tip!
Squaw Valley is one of the most fido friendly ski areas I’ve ever encountered. Happy wagging tails everywhere. So it was hardly a surprise to find that the Village at Squaw has a store devoted to our four-legged friends, canine and feline. For those of us with companion animals, stopping by Squaw Dogs is a must. Everything from fashion and accessories to fun treats to bring home to our little ones. Since our five year-old Galileo still loves to get new toys, we picked up a little NYC Taxi for him — already getting ready for the big move to the city coming up later this year! Also, check out the other Squaw Dogs in this neighborhood, a team of canines and humans dedicated to avalanche rescue and education.

Sweet Moroccan Fusion

Whether you’re wanting to shed a few holiday pounds, interested in going vegan and not sure where to start, or just looking for the convenience of delivered meals, the all-vegan Gobble Green is a great service to know about. The goods will arrive at your door in a packaged cooler, each meal individually vacuum-packed and clearly labeled.

"Meat" Loaf & spinach

Be forewarned: not all the meals are low calorie and low fat, but there is an option to sign up for the GG weight-loss program, where Gobble Green puts together a diet of three meals a day for you, for seven days a week. For the program, there’s a minimum sign up of twelve weeks at $699 per month. The long-term commitment was a little beyond the scope of my blog post exploration; however, I purchased several meals a la carte — choosing the ones with the lowest calorie and fat content — so that I could sample and report to you:

Dinner:

Sweet Potato Croquettes

• Chili Beans & “Chicken” (352 calories; 4 grams of fat)
• Seitan & Bean Stew (444 calories; 4.5 grams of fat)
• “Meat” Loaf w/ steamed vegetables (342 calories; 8.8 grams of fat)
• Sweet Potato Croquettes w/spinach 354 calories; 3 grams of fat)
• Sweet Moroccan Fusion, with cous cous (559 calories; 3 grams of fat)
• Cashew Pesto Pasta (341 calories; 5 grams of fat)

Lentil & Cauliflower Curry

Lunch:

• Lentil & Cauliflower Curry (331 calories; 1.5 grams of fat)
• Festive Seitan Stir Fry (406.5 calories; 3 grams of fat)
• Ocean Medley – “seafood” stew (293 calories; 5 grams of fat)
• Southwestern Salad (164 calories; 4 grams of fat)

Festive Seitan

Breakfast:

• Lemon Poppy Muffin (233 calories; 7 grams of fat)
• Chickpea Scramble (212 calories; 4 grams of fat)

Dessert:

• Sweet Carrot & Coconut Scramble (180 calories; 9 grams of fat)
• Vegan Beignets (nutritional data not available, but I was curious)

Ocean Medley

Including the $25.00 for shipping, all these meals for two came to $200. Not too bad! My favorite was the curry; my husband Seth’s fave was the Festive Seitan, which was just the right amount of “spicy” for him. We both really like the Ocean Medley — the vegetable protein reminded us of bits of clam. And the chickpea scramble is a nice treat for breakfast.

One more thing to love…
The message that comes with the confirmation of your order: By purchasing your meals from Gobble Green, you are enabling our company to continue sponsorship of shelter animals and are demonstrating your support for eco-friendly industry. Your patronage makes a difference!

To give you a better idea of the possibilities, here are some recent highlights:

• 52% off Nicobella Organic and fair Trade Truffles Assortment
• $12 for 10 PureFit Bars ($19.90 value)
• 43% off Vegan Cosmetics & Skin Care (by various companies including Aubrey Organics, Beauty Without Cruelty, Ecco Bella)
• 50% off gift card for Compassion Couture

Vegan Cuts is a terrific way to find bargains, and it’s also a fun way to learn about and try new products. As we all know, trying out new products can be risky business; no one can love everything, and so sometimes it seems easier just to stick with what we know. But when you can get such great prices on products and services, even the most risk-averse among us are likely to re-discover their inner-adventurer. And keeping it fun — so that choosing cruelty-free is more about what we can have, rather than what we can’t have — is the surest way to make a cruelty-free lifestyle a lasting life-long commitment. Enjoy exploring alternatives with the help of Vegan Cuts, and  please let me know if you discover any new favorites!

For more details and recipes, visit the Meatless Monday web site and follow on Twitter @MeatlessMonday. I usually retweet one recipe sent out by MM each Monday.

Bonus Tip for Companion Animals!
Fido and Fluffy also can get on board with Meatless Monday in your home, too! My pups enjoy vegan food such as Evolution, Dr. Harvey’s (with quinoa or tofu mixed in), and Humane Choice. Vegan food is available for cats, too.