Join us with Derrick Slack and Taria Slack, Chief Culinarian of Black Leaf Vegan, as they showcase two delectable vegan dishes that redefine plant-based cuisine.

First up is the Horseshoe Blue Steak paired with Rosemary Smashed Potatoes, a savory delight that proves vegan meals can be both hearty and flavorful.

Following that, theyll present the Jazzy Jackfruit SNS (Sweet-N-Sour), a fusion of textures and tastes. What makes these dishes even more impressive is that they are 100% vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free without compromising on taste.

Black Leaf Vegan, a family-owned and operated business, is on a mission to promote health and wellness in communities by offering life-sustaining, plant-based products that nourish the mind, body, and soul.

For those looking to embark on a journey to a happier, healthier, and wealthier life, visit their website at https://blackleafvegan.com/.

Follow them on social media for more mouthwatering updates.

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Black Leaf Vegan to offer meal prepping in 2024 - WISH TV Indianapolis, IN

When youre thinking about cutting animal products out of your life or reducing the amount you use, its likely you start with your diet, before moving on to your clothing choices, and then perhaps your beauty routine. But what about your car?

The vehicles we use every day often get overlooked when it comes to making vegan choices, but it turns out, like most other industries, car manufacturers use animal products frequently. And one of the biggest culprits is leather. In fact, in 2021, the global automotive interior leather market was worth more than $31 billion.

But, if you dont like the idea of sitting on cow skin while you get from A to B, we have good news: a number of car companies are now offering vegan interior options. Heres what you need to know.

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Leather isnt the only animal-derived material used in cars. In fact, its actually very difficult to find a completely vegan car, and thats because animal ingredients can sneak into a number of different elements of the manufacturing process. For example, tires are made from rubber and plastic, which may have been toughened with tallow (fat from sheep), and steel frames may have also been lubricated with animal fat.

Unlike leather seats, tires and frames are very difficult to swap outbut this doesnt mean you should stop driving altogether.

Most leather used in automobiles comes from cowhide, which is produced by the meat industry. This makes leather a coproduct of animal agriculture (not a byproduct, as is commonly assumed). The latter is associated with the slaughter of millions of cows every year, but its also linked with major environmental issues, including deforestation.

That said, not all leather comes from animals. It can be made from plants, like cacti and mushrooms, and it can also be synthetic. If youre looking to avoid leather, here are eight popular manufacturers that offer cars without it.

BMW

In 2022, BMW announced plans to launch its first vehicles with completely vegan interiors. The BMW Group is serving the demand for vegan and leather-free interiors, which is set to increase further in the near future, especially in the US, China, and Europe, it noted.

In May 2023, it revealed that its new 5 Series is the first to feature an all-vegan interior made with its own Veganza leather. From July 2023, customers could also opt for Veganza in its BMW X1, BMW iX1, and BMW 2 Series Active Tourer models. Find out more

Ford

2 Ford

Ford is one of the most vegan-friendly car-makers on the market. In fact, according to one study by British car dealership Dick Lovett, it has 30 different vegan-friendly car models available. The latest models of the popular Ford Fiesta, for example, come with non-leather seats as the default. Find out more

Tesla/Instagram

In 2017, Tesla broke the automotive mold when it declared it would be moving away from the use of leather in its interiors. It started by phasing out leather seats, and after that, in 2019, it launched its first vegan steering wheel. Find out more

Volvo

In 2021, Volvo announced that by 2030, it will only sell electric vehicles, and all of them will be leather-free. We intend to reduce leather content in our cars and this will be a gradual transition, a Volvo spokesperson said at the time. We are conscious that consumers increasingly want leather-free materials, due to concerns over animal welfare.

But you dont have to wait until the end of the decade to get your hands on a Volvo with vegan-friendly interiors. According to PETAs European car survey, the Swedish manufacturer has several leather-free models right now, including the S60, the V60, and the C40 Recharge. Find out more

Toyota

5 Toyota

Toyota offers vegan interiors as standard in a number of its models, notes PETA, including the Aygo, the Prius, and the Corolla Hatchback. The Japanese manufacturer is in the top 25 vegan-friendly car companies, confirms Dick Lovett, with 11 leather-free models in its range. Find out more

Jaguar Land Rover

The attitude toward animal byproducts is changing. Personally, Id be quite happy to move away from leather tomorrow. I dont like that we have to slaughter all those cows to create leather, Jaguar Land Rovers Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern said in an interview in 2017. And in 2021, the manufacturer started to act on that sentiment when it introduced its first vegan interior options in partnership with Ultrafabrics. Find out more

Mercedes-Benz

In 2022, Mercedes-Benz debuted a concept car, called the Vision EQXX, which featured vegan interiors, made with materials like mushroom leather, cactus leather, bamboo, and bio-based vegan silk. But the German luxury car manufacturer also has several vegan options in its current models, too. According to PETA, models like the Marco Polo, the Vito, and the V-Class are all fitted with leather-free interiors as standard. Find out more

Citron

According to Dick Lovett, this popular French car manufacturer is in the top 10 vegan-friendly car brands, with 15 leather-free models on offer. PETA confirms this and notes that vegan-friendly varieties include the C3, the C4, and the -C4. Find out more

Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.

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These 8 Auto Makers Offer Vegan Leather Interior Options - VegNews

Believe it or not, cheese wasn't originally a standard ingredient on pizza. Ancient people had long been making flatbreads with various toppings, but pizza as we know it today was born in the coastal city of Naples in the early part of the 1700s. The very first variety was pizza marinara, topped only with tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano. It actually wasn't until the late 1800s that we have any record of pizza being made with cheese.

Over the past couple of centuries, pizza marinara has become anything but a relic, still highly respected and legally protected in Italy. Seriously, there's a regulatory body called the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, which dictates certain standards that a pizza has to meet to be considered true Neapolitan-style pizza. According to the association, there are only three true styles of Neapolitan pizza: marinara, Margherita, and "extra" Margherita. Marinara, by definition, includes only tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano as toppings. If you try to add cheese to a marinara pizza, you run the risk of the pizza police coming after you. (Okay, not really, but the fact that pizza styles are regulated by law should demonstrate how important Italians consider their recipes, even the humble marinara.)

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If You're Making Vegan Pizza, Say No To Imitation Cheese - Daily Meal

If youve been living under a rock and still havent heard of Christspiracy, its a hugely anticipated vegan documentary being released in 2024.

Its the latest brainchild of Kip Andersen, known for his renowned films Cowspiracy (2014), What The Health (2017), and Seaspiracy (2021). All of these explored different aspects of the benefits of veganism, covering the environment, health, animals, and human rights.

Christspiracy: The Spirituality Secret looks set to explore veganism and its links to spirituality. It explores the link between the vegan lifestyle and various religions, and aims to answer one question: Is there a spiritual way to kill an animal?

This question was put to Andersen by an audience member named Kameron Waters at a Q&A session a few years ago. The two subsequently teamed up, and decided to set off on a six-year investigation together to answer it through the lens of religion, philosophy, spirituality, sociology, and psychology.

Heres everything you need to know about the new release.

In an attempt to find out whether there is a spiritual way to kill an animal, Andersen and Waters traveled to four continents to explore animal ethics within five different religions. As the name suggests, one of these religions was Christianity. The two spoke to experts around the world to shed new light on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

The film includes conversations with a number of interviewees, including well-known archaeologists and theologians. The interviews were conducted, say the filmmakers, to uncover the biggest cover-up in the last 2,000 years, one that will transform history, forever.

Waters grew up in Georgia in the US, and spent much of his life in the church. He even attended a Christian hunting and fishing club, and didnt initially question the treatment of animals by members of his faith. After a few years, however, he eventually started to think seriously about his relationship with animals, leading him, eventually, to the Q&A session with Andersen.

Kams relationship to food and faith were intertwined from the day he was born, the filmmakers previously said in a statement. But it wasnt until he started reassessing how his Churchs interpretation of scripture had convinced him that hunting and eating animals was okay, that he started to question, How would Jesus kill an animal?.

While Christianity may have been the initial plan of focus, the film is by no means limited to this religion. It explores the issue of animal ethics in a variety of different faiths, and Andersen previously told Plant Based News (PBN) that the film has universal appeal for all.

Were not pointing fingers, were asking questions, he said. Its a very full spectrum discussion and exploration of this subject. Whats been really fun [in test screenings] is that from atheists to hardcore conservative Christians, any walk of life, they love this film.

Due to the name, however, some people have assumed that Christspiracy would focus wholly on Christianity. In response to whether Christspiracy is a Christian or Christian-bashing film, Waters and Andersen wrote on Instagram: Absolutely not. In fact, this film explores more than the Christian faith and includes Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and even philosophy, sociology, and history to deeply explore how faiths around the world answer the question: Is there a spiritual way to kill an animal? No Christians were harmed in the making of this film. We promise.

The filmmakers have also emphasized that, while the film does explore religion, it is more than a religious film focusing on ethics, as well as a number of different areas and disciplines.

We dont yet have a confirmed Christspiracy release date, but we do know it will be some time in 2024.

Andersens other films are available to stream on Netflix, but he previously confirmed to PBN that he turned down the streaming service for Christspiracy due to the fact that they wanted to retain their own edit of the film (which was initially called Cowspiritual).

Waters and Andersen have stated that Netflix wanted to redact key parts of the documentary to take it in a different direction than they had intended. They therefore decided to go it alone.

[We are] super grateful to Netflix for providing a platform and releasing the other three previous films, said Andersen. With this film it is a little challenging, as some of the subject matter is so bold and so controversial.

The filmmakers have fundraised to help bring the film to as large an audience as possible. They are aiming to bring the film to at least a billion viewers. According to their Kickstarter page, they raised USD $433,747 to help them to do this.

Andersen and Waters say that they want the Christspiracy documentary to go where no film has ever gone before, and that they hope to bring it to billions of viewers. To do this, they have launched a pay-it-forward model where its hoped that people will watch the film and donate money to allow someone else to watch it for free. Its a cycle of kindness that YOU get to start, they said. This philosophy allows the film to be accessible to anyone around the world, regardless of ones income status or subscription.

They hope that Christspiracy will be shown in movie theaters, places of worship, and many more platforms, including our own collective one. Its more than a movie, its a movement, they said.

Find out more about the film here.

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What Is 'Christspiracy'? Inside The Film Everyone's Talking About - Plant Based News

A winter party does not have to mean heavy, oily food that leaves you feeling stuffed. A vegan spread can be light, flavourful and healthy HUMMUS AND PITA/ HARA BHARA KEBAB A great option is hummus and pita bread, which is fully vegan and delicious, especially with a dash of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika. If you want to stick to something Indian, go for the hara bhara kebab, which is packed with the goodness of spinach and green peas. BRUSCHETTA Toasted, flavourful, and easy to make, you can throw open the evenings snack board with bruschetta. Its the simplest of starters you can use any type of bread, veggies like zucchini, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, black pepper, salt and basil leaves. Vegan chef Raveena Taurani says, Toasted quinoa sourdough bread gives a unique twist to the bruschetta. For an extra punch, crumble some vegan cheese on top. GAJAR KA HALWA Yes, you can make a vegan version of this winter special dessert! Simply substitute the ghee with coconut oil while cooking the peeled and grated carrots. For sweetness, add jaggery to the mix and replace the whole milk cream with coconut cream for the desired thickness, says chef Surabhi Sehgal. Add cardamom powder and a sprinkle of slivered nuts and rose petals to finish off. MISSI ROTI Made with khapli atta, besan, methi leaves, salt, chopped chillies, turmeric, achar masala, and ajwain, this crispy vegan delight is packed with earthy goodness and perfect for the winters. Methi and turmeric not only enhance the flavour but also contribute to its wholesome, seasonal appeal. The crisp rotis can be served with a vegan yoghurt dip. WATERMELON SALAD A watermelon salad is perfect, since it is light and easy to digest. Vegan chef Surabhi Sehgal suggests a combination of watermelon scoops, fresh basil leaves, capers, olives, pickled onions and pumpkin seeds with dressing of virgin oil, white wine vinegar, and a pinch of sea salt. Freshness is the key to delicious vegan food. Make sure that ingredients like herbs and veggies are not stale. Plant herbs like curry patta, mint and basil at your home. When you make a cream substitute, make sure you soak the nuts overnight and blend it properly for the sauce. Otherwise, they will remain coarse and grainy Surabhi Sehgal, vegan chef Instead of a cheese platter, go for a mezze platter with various types of hummus apart from baba ghanoush and muhammara. Going for South Indian cuisine is a great idea, since most of it is vegan, and ghee can be easily replaced with olive oil or coconut oil Sriharsha Narra, chef Vegan substitutes for dairy-based ingredients * Butter can be replaced with vegan butter, but opting for olive oil is a reasonable option * For creamy sauces, blend cashew nuts, almonds and pine nuts * Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds are great substitutes for milk when soaked and blended * If youre allergic to nuts, replace them with coconut milk for that creamy flavour * Nutritional yeast can be used instead of cheese in sauces * If you cant get your hands on vegan ghee, you can use coconut oil instead

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This New Years Eve, plan a vegan feast - IndiaTimes

Market on South doubled its vendors last year and continues to serve the local vegan community.

By Charlotte Skipper | on December 29, 2023

When the tenants of Market on South, Valhalla Bakery and Dharma Southern Kitchen moved out in April, it seemed like the popular vegan collective located at 2603 E. South St. might be gone for good.

But a resurgence came in June, in the form of four new vendors working together to enhance the Orlando vegan community while using sustainable practices and supporting dozens of local small businesses.

Market on South now consists of Vegan Scoops, Retro Roast, Main House Market and The Kind Cleaver. Customers can grab a hearty sandwich, wash it down with a craft kombucha and take home a slice of cheesecake for dessert without eating a single animal product.

Yeneisy Lopez, co-owner of Vegan Scoops, said the four businesses first knew each other through pop-up markets and retailing with each other before reviving the beloved collective.

Were all vendor friends first, Lopez said.

Along with its fully vegan menu, Market on South aims for sustainable practices. Jamie Jarlson, co-owner of the sustainable coffee shop Retro Roast, said customers can receive discounts by bringing reusable cups or by joining a glass jar program, keeping the glassware their drinks come in and returning it (or reusing it) at a later date. She said with vegan foods and sustainable practices, it all works toward a better environment.

It all really ties together with the sustainability aspect, Jarlson said. They all work hand in hand, and I just want people to see that here.

Brandon Wood, owner of Main House Market, uses Market on South as a home for vending fresh kombucha, beer and wine. He said although he doesnt strictly adhere to a vegan diet, he appreciates working in a collective that can introduce him to new foods and improve his own lifestyle in different ways. For people who claim themselves as carnivores, Wood urges them to consider the ways a vegan substitute may be just as tasty.

The meat doesnt have any flavor alone. What you flavor it with is what gives it the taste you love, Wood said. We add in those flavorings and spices to give it the taste you would want, and theres actually more protein in it than just a piece of chicken.

Even with traditionally unhealthy foods like ice cream and baked goods, Lopez said making a better version allows more people with various diets to enjoy an outing to grab a treat. However, she said that even with a vast number of options for vegans, the Orlando vegan community still has room to grow.

I think its strong, but it hasnt reached its peak yet, Lopez said. I know big things are coming though, and I think it will help the vegan community to be even more exciting and have more options available.

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Doubling up - The Community Paper

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Vegan activist Tash Peterson found herself in some controversy on Christmas Day, culminating in a tense standoff with West Australian police at the doorstep of the house where she was spending the holiday. The altercation unfolded as officers sought to arrest Peterson in connection with a recent protest at a Perth shopping mall.

Source: Tash Peterson/YouTube

Video footage posted by Peterson on Monday captured a heated exchange between her and a male officer at the front door. The officer informed her of her arrest on suspicion of criminal damage related to a protest at a local butcher shop. Peterson had posted a video of herself pouring fake blood over a glass display case of meats during the Sunday demonstration.

The arrest took a turn when officers requested the white T-shirt worn by Peterson during the protest as evidence. A dispute ensued over whether the police could enter the house without a warrant. An older woman, asserting her rights, insisted that the officers couldnt enter without proper authorization. The officer argued their authority to search for evidence at the location of the suspects arrest.

After a disagreement, Peterson eventually retrieved the garment featuring a graphic depiction of a pig in a slaughterhouse beneath the slogan End this Holocaust. Subsequently, she underwent a pat-down by a female officer before being placed in the back seat of an unmarked police vehicle.

In a Facebook post accompanying the video, Peterson shared the confiscation of her new shirt and disclosed the charges against her: Criminal Damage and Disorderly Conduct. She emphasized the temporary nature of the stage fake blood used in the protest. Peterson is scheduled to appear in court on January 8th to address the charges stemming from the controversial incident.

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Vegan Activist Tash Peterson Arrested Following Protest at a Butcher and Christmas Day Standoff with Police - One Green Planet

Dec 25, 2023, 10:43AM IST

Vegan treats can be just as festive and delicious as traditional ones! Here are six vegan Christmas treats you might enjoy making at home:

Use plant-based butter and replace eggs with flax eggs for a classic gingerbread cookie. Decorate them with vegan icing or try a simple glaze made with powdered sugar and non-dairy milk.

Melt vegan chocolate and spread it on a lined baking sheet. Top with crushed candy canes or peppermint candies. Let it cool and break it into festive, minty pieces.

Make a creamy and rich vegan eggnog using coconut or almond milk, sweetened with maple syrup or agave. Add a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon for that classic eggnog flavour.

Create decadent chocolate truffles by mixing melted vegan chocolate with coconut milk and a touch of vanilla extract. Roll them in cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or shredded coconut for a delightful finish.

Make a vegan-friendly pecan pie filling using ingredients like maple syrup and coconut oil. Pour them over a crust made from dates and nuts to create delicious pecan pie bars.

These powdered sugar-coated cookies, also known as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies, can easily be made vegan by using plant-based butter and replacing dairy with non-dairy alternatives.

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6 Vegan Christmas Treats To Try At Home - WION

There was once a myth that vegans were weak. In recent years, however, there has been growing awareness of the huge athletic potential plant-based diets can give you (thanks largely to high profile vegan athletes and documentary The Game Changers).

Its now widely acknowledged that a plant-based diet can have huge benefits for sporting performance. As well as personal anecdotes and scientific research, mountains of trophies and medals are proving that veganism is a recipe for sporting success. In 2023, vegan and plant-based athletes won world championships and ultramarathons without supporting the cruelty of animal agriculture industries. Here are seven of the top achievements by vegans and plant-based eaters in sport in 2023.

Whether running hundreds of miles or battling in brutal bare-knuckle fights, these athletes are all powered by plants. Living proof that vegans get enough protein, they are faster, stronger, and more successful on healthy plant-based diets.

Vegan athlete Jaqueline Geihe won gold at the European Jiu-Jitsu Championships in October. She fought her way to the Adult blue belt Featherweight (56.5kg) category.

I feel like it is important to see a vegan athlete winning competitions because even though there are already many amazing famous athletes and Guiness record holders on a plant-based diet, too many people still hold prejudices against individuals following this lifestyle, Geihe told PBN.

In April, vegan ultra-runner Austin Meyer took first place at the Zion Ultra 100km (62 mile) race. This grueling ultramarathon saw athletes race around the Zion National Park in Utah, with only experienced ultra-runners eligible to compete.

After completing the course in just over 10 hours, Meyer told Plant Based News (PBN): Eating a plant-based whole foods diet has allowed me to increase physical stress in training, and simultaneously, recover faster. This is due in part to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the food, which lead to reduced muscle damage.

In July, a 66-year-old vegan athlete secured first place in a 48-hour ultramarathon in Massachusetts. Trishul Cherns, who ran 142.5 miles (229 kilometers), credited his plant-based diet for his success.

Cherns has broken more than 110 Canadian ultra-running records. In an interview, he told Canadian Running: My success definitely comes from my diet. Im a vegan, and thats an anti-inflammatory diet. Im trying to prevent inflammation in my body because these are stressful events, so Im trying to make it as easy as possible.

The year 2023 has been quite a time for vegan athlete Lisa Gawthorne. In March, she won gold at the European Duathlon Championships. Then at the end of April, she brought home another gold medal from the Duathlon World Championships in Ibiza.

Vegan for more than 20 years, Gawthorne competes with Go Vegan emblazoned on her clothing. After her European Championship success, Gawthorne told PBN: Its my 20th veganniversary so what better way to celebrate that than with a European win to prove that veganism has a very valid place for supporting peak performance in sport, fitness, and athletics.

In November, vegan fighter Po Denman became Thailands straw-weight bare-knuckle boxing champion. Now ranked as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, she credits her plant-based diet as improving her performance and training.

Not only did it fuel me for the fight night, but also throughout the training regime, she is reported as saying. I feel light and I can train hard. I never measure the exact amount of what I eat but I make sure that in a meal, I just have a variety of food.

After last years success, the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt once again stole the show at the 84th Mr. America Sports Festival in Atlantic City. The plant-powered team took home 41 medals, including 32 first-place wins in Powerlifting, Strongman, CrossFit, and Kettlebell.

Mr. America provided a great opportunity for us to prove that plants have all the protein you need to be strong and healthy and to fuel wins at the highest levels said Giacomo Marchese, Vegan Strong PlantBuilt co-founder. We more than doubled our wins from last year, and competitors asked how we were doing it.

Plant-based tennis player Novak Djokovic won his 24th major singles title in September. By lifting three of the four majors in 2023 the Australian Open, French Open and US Open the 36-year-old equalled Margaret Courts record.

Djokovic has said that he cut out animal products after suffering from allergies since he was a child. He was listed as an executive producer on The Game Changers.

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7 Times Plant-Based Athletes Triumphed In Sports In 2023 - Plant Based News

When so many types of non-dairy milk exist, why would you go for starchy water instead of an actual milk substitute if you want to make vegan mashed potatoes? One reason you might want to avoid using non-dairy milk is its taste. Many non-dairy milks carry strong flavors that can clash with or even overpower the delicate flavor of the potato; milks like coconut, especially, have a stronger taste to them that can leave your mash tasting more like a tropical dessert than a savory side dish. Potato water, on the other hand, only carries the flavor of the potatoes that were boiled in it, and possibly a little added salt.

There are a lot of reasons you might want to hang onto any extra potato water, some might even be surprising. Potatoes are rich in nutrients such as iron, potassium, proteins, and B6 vitamins, so it stands to reason that potato water would be, as well. You can use the potato water to make a delicious gravyto pour over those mashed potatoes you just made, of course. Potato water is also a useful kitchen ingredient for any situation where you may need a bit of a thickener, such as soup or stew. Use potato water in dough for another layer of flavor; potato bread is a perfect example. Or, water your plants with your (unsalted) leftover potato water it will water and fertilize them in one go.

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Skip The Non-Dairy Milk Altogether For The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes - Daily Meal