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December 2007 Edition
Brought to you by VegNews Magazine
vegnews.com
**Happy Holidays, VegNews Style
**V in the News
**Great Gift Ideas
**Cover Quandary
**Recipe: Raspberry Cornmeal Pancakes
**Product Review: The Hungry Vegan
**December VegNewsletter Giveaway
**Best Gift Ever
**Café VegNews
**Call for Writers
**January VegNewsletter Preview
We're glad you've discovered VegNews, America's premier vegetarian lifestyle magazine. The VegNewsletter arrives in your e-mailbox just once a month and clues you in on vegetarian news, dining, recipes, products, activist alerts, reviews, culture, giveaways, and all the other good things in life. It's the perfect accompaniment to a VegNews subscription.
 Happy Holidays, It's The Best of Everything
It's here, it's here! This time of year still brings us plenty of excitement, even though at this point we're fairly certain that it's not really Rudolph who so delicately munches the carrots left by the chimney. Aside from the inherent anticipatory glee of the season, here at VegNews we have something extra about which to work ourselves into an excited frenzy. Of course, we mean the Veggie Awards. By now you've probably already seen the winners, but have you seen them as potential holiday treats? Which do you think makes a better gift: another uninspired, last-minute glass candy dish, or a weekend trip to New York, the most veg-friendly city as voted on by a panel of nearly 20,000 of your peers? No time for travel? No problem. Many of the winners, like Company of the Year Tree Huggin' Treats and Favorite Vegan Store Vegan Essentials, make beautiful gifts available by bringing the best of the best right to you. Of course, if none of the winners inspire you, the rest of the magazine is sure to spark your interest. Here's what you'll find:
**The 2007 Veggie Awards, of course
**Holiday Gift Guide
**Gifts & Gratitude: The VN Staff Reveals Their Favorite Gifts
**Rory Freedman Takes on Vintage Fur
**Spicy Gingerbread Cake
**Vegan Egg Nog!
**Potato Pancakes
**Heavenly Honolulu
**Activism on Campus
**Plus... All the great reads you're used to, including the latest vegetarian news, book reviews, new products, health advice, hard-hitting features, celebrity buzz, and so much more. It's all in VegNews. Haven't subscribed? What are you waiting for?!?
Order The Best of Everything issue now for just $5
Cheeky Chimps
In other news that may not entirely surprise you, chimps are really smart. Researchers at Kyoto University recently discovered that our furrier fellows have better short-term memory capacity than we bald baboons do. The scientists tested all participants by showing them a screen with numbers. After a short period of time, the numbers turned into white tiles, and the subjects had to touch the tiles in numeric order, recalling what they had just seen. While the five-year-old chimps didn't have an advantage in accuracy, they did prove their brains superior to that of the adult humans in the test when the length of time during which they saw the numbers was shortened.
Atrocious Atkins
Guess what? The Atkins diet is bad for you. Shocking, but true. According to a recent story in the New York Post, doctors have come to the nail-biting conclusion that ingesting grotesque amounts of animal products is not the path to health. Whereas many people tried the Atkins diet in the hopes of losing weight, researchers at the University of Maryland found that while following the diet and maintaining their current weight (food intake was adjusted to ensure that the study subjects didn't lose more than 2.2 pounds) participants showed significant signs of increased risk for heart disease and raised cholesterol levels. The interesting part is that the Atkins diet was compared with the Ornish diet, which scored significantly better in terms of heart health.
Tales of Turkeys
With November just behind us and another large holiday meal waiting in the wings of late December, turkeys and their fates are heavy on the minds of many. Thankfully, even the mainstream press is taking note of the massive toll taken on turkey's lives for Thanksgiving and other holidays. The New York Times recently ran a story about adopting turkeys from sanctuaries. The line between food and companion animal is clearly crossed in the story, with quotes from a couple of adotped-turkey parents proclaiming their love for the birds.
In case you missed it, Bill Maher contributed a wonderful blog entry to The Huffington Post condemning the turkey-eating tradition and outlining quite clearly why it should come to a swift, un-stuffed end. Both this blog entry and the NYT piece mention the tradition of the Presidential pardon for two turkeys every year, and just how ridiculous it is that these birds get spared as a promotional gimic which reminds the nation to kill their feathered counterparts.
Bill Lueders, a reporter for Madison, Wisconsin's The Daily Page, decided to take a cue from Michael Pollan and see if he would be willing to kill his own turkey. Though he definitely condemns the factory farming of turkeys, he goes through with the killing and cleaning of his free-range bird. While there's no mention of whether or not he's actully decided to go vegetarian, he is sickened by the process of killing the turkey, and his graphic descriptions might just be enough to turn a couple of his fellow Wisconsonites off fowl for good.
Victorious Vegan
That pesky rumor that vegans are noodle-armed weaklings is forever dispelled thanks to one tough guy: Mac Danzig. On December 8 the longtime vegan trounced omnivorous fighter Tommy Speer in the final match of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's reality tv show, The Ultimate Fighter. Danzig earned himself a contract with UFC, and the respect and admiration of mixed martial arts fans everywhere. And just to make the story totally complete, Danzig will be featured in the January+February issue of VegNews, so don't miss it!
VegNews in the News
In an ongoing feature called "Going Green," Washington DC-based reporter Wendy Rieger brings the Metro area updates on all things green, and routinely incorporates vegetarianism into her definition of "green." In a new video, Rieger recommends her favorite gifts for the holiday season, and gives VN a lovely mention. Thanks Wendy!
This holiday season, all things VegNews make the perfect holiday gift. Your recipient will appreciate receiving a fresh copy hot off the press every two months of the magazine everyone's talking about. We'll also send an attractive gift note announcing the subscription. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
VegNews Holiday Gift Subs just $20
For just $20, we'll send your recipient a year of VegNews plus an attractive gift note. At this price, you can afford to send them to all of your friends, family, local library, doctor, chiropractor, masseuse, etc.
VegNews Gift Packages just $50
Also available are wonderful gift packages filled with our signature oversized tote bag, an organic cotton t-shirt, a one-year subscription to the magazine, the current edition, an attractive gift note, and six jumbo vegan cookies from Alternative Baking Company. The box of goodies will be delivered to your recipient just in time for the holidays and is only $50 (includes FREE shipping). Oh, and we won't tell if you send the gift to yourself.
Back Issues Galore just $5
At just 5 bucks each (includes FREE shipping), you can put together an unforgettable package of our back issue collection which includes an attractive gift note. Take this opportunity to complete your own collection!
Order your holiday gifts NOW to ensure timely delivery!
Cover Quandary
One of the most difficult aspects of putting together each issue of VegNews is deciding what image to place on the cover. We’d like to hear what grabs your eye in this month’s brief, ultra-scientific survey.
  Please pick ONE of the following as the cover image concepts that  most interests you:
A. Food, like the enticing cupcakes on Our Fabulous Food Issue, September+October 2006
B. Celebrity, like Ms. Emily Deschanel gracing our Summer Fun Issue, July+August 2007
C. Vegan/Vegetarian, like vegan bodybuilder Kenneth Williams on our Fitness Issue, January+February 2006
D. Models, like the lovely lady on our Fall Fashion Issue, September+October 2007
E. Other. You tell us! Imagine your perfect cover and tell us all about it.
Please email us with the letter of your choice in the subject line, and 50 words or fewer in the body of your email as to how you made your choice.
To sweeten the deal, we'll be selecting one respondent randomly to receive a copy of VN food columnist Dreena Burton's new book, Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. Be sure to look for a full review in the March+April issue of VegNews. We know that's quite a wait for the review, so in the meantime head over to Dreena's blog and check out her many recipe photos and comments. Delicious!
Recipe: Raspberry Cornmeal Pancakes with Celestial Cream
 Speaking of Dreena's new cookbook, Eat, Drink & Be Vegan is already poised to join her first two books, The Everyday Vegan and Vive le Vegan on the bestseller list. Currently enjoying Top Five status of bestselling vegan cookbooks on Amazon.com, Eat, Drink & Be Vegan is packed with "Everyday Vegan Recipes Worth Celebrating," as the book's subtitle so aptly states. Certainly worth celebrating is this recipe, which Burton descibes as "a treat for those late-morning breakfasts and brunch gatherings during the holidays."
What You Need:
Pancakes
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons vanilla non-dairy milk
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons oat flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
Canola oil for cooking
Celestial Cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1 to 1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
12 ounces silken tofu
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
What You Do:
1. In a small bowl, combine flax meal and non-dairy milk and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, and salt, then sift in baking powder and stir.
2. To the flax-milk mixture, stir in almond extract and canola oil. Add wet mixure to dry mixture and stir until just combined. Add raspberries.
3. Lightly oil your skillet or griddle and heat on medium-high. Once the pan is warm, turn heat to medium and ladle batter into pan. Cook until bubbles form on the outer edges and into the middle of the pancakes, then flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
4. For the Celestial Cream, melt the margarine with the maple syrup in a saucepan over low heat. Transfer to blender and add the remaining ingredients, then blend until smooth. Serve over pancakes.
Click here to order your copy of Eat, Drink & Be Vegan
Farm Sanctuary Online Auction
 Ever wanted to hang out with celebrities while simultaneously supporting a great cause? Well, wait no more! Farm Santuary is holding an online auction from December 3–17, the proceeds from which will benefit their programs. In case that isn't clear, "programs" means what they do to save sweet, wonderful animals like those pictured here from torment and untimely deaths. Sounds pretty good, right? They've gone and made it even better by commissioning some great lots for this auction. So what's on the block? How's about an original pen and ink drawing from VN columnist Dan Piraro or a dinner cooked in your home (if your home happens to be in New York City, that is) by VN Personality of the Year Isa Chandra Moskowitz? Would you care to dine with Alicia Silverstone or Paul Reubens? Done. Or, go crazy, spend the day in Disneyland with Jennifer Coolidge. There aren't any white elephants in this grab bag of potential gifts, so bid to your heart's content and remember, you are helping people do good work.
Click here to check out the auction
Product Review: So Delicious Yogurt
 This time of year there are so many fabulous things to eat. When you hear the words "cinnamon" and "vanilla," it's nearly impossible to not think of the cascade of cookies that comes with the holidays. What if we told that you could enjoy all the sweets of your favorite baked goods with a far lesser amount of guilt and flab? Well, you're right, we'd be pretty much lying, but there is good news. So Delicious, a Turtle Mountain brand, will be releasing their first product ever to be sold outside the freezer section. Already famous for the Purely Decadent line of non-dairy ice creams, there was a big buzz in the VN offices around this non-frozen, non-dairy mystery item. The wait is over and the answer is: yogurt! (As you may have been able to tell from the big picture...) While the idea of cultured soy isn't particularly anything new and exciting, the idea of flavors like Cinnamon Bun certainly is. The flavors of Cinnamon Bun and Vanilla are spot-on and the yogurt itself is very sweet, which made one of our testers think that it might have exciting baking applications for sweet recipes that call for yogurt. Or, try and convince yourself that your morning oatmeal is really from Sticky Fingers by adding a little Cinnamon Bun. For the more conventional consumer, there will also be Blueberry, Raspberry, and Peach flavors. You'll be able to find all the flavors in Whole Foods stores in January, and other outlets soon thereafter.
Click here for Turtle Mountain's website
 December VegNewsletter Question of the Month + Giveaway
Sometimes, even the hippest of vegetarians can sound like a broken record when asked about why we went veg. Of course the environmental impact, the protection of animals, and the health benefits are all great reasons to forgo the foie gras (and all other animal products), but, well, after hearing the same things so many times, maybe now is a good time to revamp our reasons.
Naturally, we thought of you, our readers, first. So, let's hear it! What is your absolute favorite reason to be veg? What really knocks your non-wool socks off? We know that there are plenty of great, interesting, and creative reasons just waiting inside of all of your heads, so please, let them out! Send us an email with your most overwhelmingly wonderful reasons for being veg. If you want to go High Fidelity-style and send us your Top Five, that would be perfect, just remember to make the individual reasons as concise and specific as possible. (For instance, "my mother's famous vegan carrot cake" makes a far better reason than "fer teh foodz.")
We'll be collating the best of the best and publishing them in the March+April issue of VegNews, so don't be surprised if you see your words in print! As if that weren't enough fun in and of itself, we'll also be randomly awarding one lucky respondent with some goodies. Oh, you want to know what kind of goodies? Well, since you asked, how about a fantastic collection of soy candles to light up your nights? Of course, these are all beeswax free and have been checked out by our editorial team. You can find the full-flame review in our upcoming January+February issue of VegNews!
 The Best Gift Ever
A few months back, we asked you to tell us about the all-time best gift you'd ever received. As you may have already noticed, we asked ourselves the same question, and listed the results in our backpage piece, "Gifts & Gratitude" in the November+December The Best of Everything Issue.
Since this month brings the nearly inevitable onslaught of gift-giving, we thought now would be the perfect time to share with you the answer we chose as the best of the best. The answer comes from Jodi Stone of Vestal, NY. She writes:
I can't honestly say that receiving this gift each year is easy. However, every year people are becoming more accepting of it. I still get the "I don't know if I can do that," response from some friends and/or family. Unfortunately, this is not a Christmas gift. This gift is one that I specifically asked for every year on my birthday. I pick my birthday, because my family does not gather for it. We all live in different parts of different states, so I figure asking for this gift would spread love and safety for all animals across the miles. Every year on my birthday I ask all friends and family to skip monetary gifts. I tell them to skip shopping for a present for me, and please don't send cards. All I ask for is that everyone GO VEGAN for the ENTIRE DAY on my birthday. I do this in hopes that, if only for one day, the people who (although they respect my decision) would never be vegan themselves will save the lives of animals!
We just can't think of a gift that's more in the true spirit of gift-giving than asking your friends and family to do something wonderful for themselves and for animals. It costs nothing, it saves lives, and, in this case, it's bringing members of her family together in a shared experience though they're geographically separated. Kudos to Jodi for her selflessness and fantastic idea!
Café VegNews
 Last month you may have heard a little something about our first-ever blog, Café VegNews. Since we all eat lunch together every day here at the VNHQ, talk about food all day, and definitely think about food all day, we figured that other veg-blog readers would have similar priorities. So, Café VegNews keeps track of all our awesome staff lunches, prepared right here in the office by one of our many on-hand professional chefs. Er, wait. Okay, actually only one person in the office has been to culinary school; the rest of us can only delude ourselves. Despite our home-chef status, the meals so far have been pretty consistently superb, and we even have the photos to prove it! Now that there's a full month's worth of fantastic food chronicled, there's even more to love about our little blog.
In case you haven't already seen it, here's a little teaser: the gorgeous spread that you see to the side was the photo that garnered the most comments for the month of November. Evidently you guys love brunch for lunch just as much as we do!
Click here for Café VegNews!
Call for Writers
So, you like us, right? We certainly hope so, considering that you are receiving our newsletter. Well, we'd very much like the chance to like you too, and on an even more intimate level than our regular magazine-reader relationship. That's right, we're ready to move to the next step: we want you to write for us!
If you're a serious freelance writer, or even if you've just got a really phenomenal idea but no clips to show for it, pitch us your most amazing, brilliant, veg-angled story. It's very important to us that the magazine stay as fresh, fun, and intelligent as possible, and that means we love discovering new writing talent at every opporunity. Make sure to read over our submission guidelines, and then submit away! We're totally ready for it.
Click here for our submission guidelines
VegNews Seeks Office Space
Yep, your favorite veggie magazine is expanding leaps and bounds, and we're quickly growing out of our current office space. Although we love our beach-front location, we're in need of more square footage (3,000+ to be exact) with ample room to grow. Know of an affordable office space for rent in San Francisco? Contact VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland with details.
Preview of the January VegNewsletter
Satisfy your between-issues cravings with this complimentary supplement, featuring exclusive product reviews, musician, artist and event spotlights, slammin' recipes, giveaways, plus the lowdown on how vegetarianism is bettering the world—one delicious bite at a time.
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