T. Colin Campell’s impact cannot be understated. His research has played a huge part in why veganism is being discussed on CNN, why we keep hearing that veganism is now mainstream, why a handful of public figures have recently gone vegan, and why veganism is increasingly being discussed as a healthier way to live. Campbell’s legacy, The China Study played an important role in inspiring Bill Clinton to go vegan. Campbell and his research were the focus of the film, Forks Over Knives, which got an amazing review from Robert Ebert and the Boston Globe wrote a good review of it too. Campbell has successfully introduced the health arugment for a plant-based diet to thousands and thousands people.

Read Campbell’s full bio at WorcesterVegFest.com and keep checking our blog to get updates about presenters, sponsors and exhibitors.

His bio from WorcesterVegFest.com:

T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. is a giant in the field of nutrition research, with a brilliant career spanning over 40 years.  His legacy, the China Study, is the most comprehensive study ever conducted of the connection between diet and disease. The China Study was the focus of the recent film, Forks Over Knives. Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and Project Director of the renowned China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project, the largest population study in world history of the effects of diet on health.  The study was the culmination of a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine.  The results were clear: People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease, and the closer you get to eating an all-plant diet, the greater the health benefits.

read the rest of his bio at WorcesterVegFest.com

Oh and have you RSVP’ed to VegFest on facebook yet? Do it, dude!

What can I do?

Between now and April, we need peeps to help us put up posters, design flyers, set up tables at events, prepare mailings, call people, make buttons, paint banners and signs, and lots of other crafty things.

Volunteer Work-Party Schedule

All work parties will have tasty (and free) vegan snacks. We’ll have projects ready, so no need to bring anything. Feel free to drop in for one or all of these.

• Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7pm-9pm at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center – come meet some of the VegFest organizers
• Thursday, February 9, 2012 7pm-9pm at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center
• Thursday, February 23, 2012 7pm-9pm at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center
• Thursday, March 1, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, March 8, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, March 15, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, March 29, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, April 5, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Thursday, April 12, 2012 7pm-9pm at 23 Barber Ave, Apt 2, Worcester
• Sunday, April 15, 2012 Worcester VegFest at Worcester Technical High School

Help us recruit volunteers.

Can’t make it to our volunteer work parties? Well, we could also use help printing and hanging up these flyers to recruit volunteers. Print out this PDF volunteer flyer and hang it up at your work, at coffee shops, where ever you can.

So, the new year is already in full force and you’ve likely started your new year’s resolution of cutting cheese out of your diet or turning your Meatless Mondays into Meatless Everyday. Heck, maybe you’re already vegan and your goal is to finally make that taco recipe from Terry Hope Romero’s Viva Vegan or spend some time volunteering at Maple Farm Sanctuary.

VegWorcester is setting our goals for the new year as well and we’re getting psyched to make some big announcements soon about our upcoming VegFest. It got us thinking; maybe we should briefly pause to reflect on the kick ass things that happened during the last 12 months in the microcosm of Worcester from a veg-head point of view. So, here goes…

In 2011…

• VegWorcester started the year off strong by hosting our second Mac Daddy Mac N’ Cheeze Cook-off, and the winner was WooDaddy Waffles!
• Duck Yao, the formerly underground vegan eatery made a comeback in Worcester, opening a small sit-in and take-out restaurant on Main Street in Worcester.
• VegWorcester members took trips to view veg-themed films such as Forks Over Knives in Boston and a showing of Bold Native at WPI in Worcester.
• In April, VegWorcester hosted the 2nd annual Worcester VegFest. We estimate that approximately 3,000 attendees came to the event at Worcester State University that included speakers Bruce Friedrich, Tracye McQuirter, Will Potter, and an awesome cooking demo by Terry Hope Romero. We had family-friendly performances, 40+ ethical and cruelty-free exhibitors, coverage in a variety of online/print/news media, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
• After a city-wide crackdown on curiously tasty vegan cupcakes (Okay, we’re exaggerating there,)VegWorcester’s vegan bake sale fundraiser was shut down. In response, we took it upon ourselves to legalize bake sales in the city of Worcester.
• VegWorcester started a more regular monthly general volunteer meeting where we discuss ideas for vegan outreach and invite anyone who is interested to join us and get involved.
• VegWorcester raised money with your help and created a snazzy updated Summer version of the Worcester Vegetarian Dining Guide. 5,000 copies were distributed over the summer around Worcester County. 5,000 more copies of a newly updated Fall version of the guide have also now been distributed in the thousands! …..Wow!
• Volunteers leafleted at local universities and events, and did a ton of tabling outreach at just about every summer and fall festival in out city including the 3th Annual Pet Rock Festival, Start on The Street: Spring Edition, 2011 Fall StART On The Street, King St. Block Party, Open Road Festival, 21st Century Worcester Pride, Main Street Celebrates, and more.
• As a community with many animal activists, we joined with other local groups and protested Ringling Circus, Fur as “fashion,” McDonalds cruelty, and other animal abuses.
• Local animal rights defenders such as Michael Budkie of SAEN and Alexis Fox of The Humane Society came to Worcester to educate about abuses in our own state and what we can do as a community to have the most impact.
• In the fall many of us enjoyed vegan “Thanks-living” celebrations such as the free SAVVY Vegan Thanksgiving at Clark University.
• Loving Hut celebrated 2 years of Loving Hut Buffet fundraisers, and continued to donate 10% of buffet profits to VegWorcester to support our outreach to help animals.
• Finally, to close out the year with a bang, VegWorcester hosted its 1st annual Holiday Vegan Cookie Swap complete with a vegan Santa. We had 24 entrants with bakers swapping over 1,500 vegan cookies!

If you’re interested in getting involved with VegWorcester or the 3rd annual Worcester VegFest, come to our General – Volunteer Meeting this Tuesday, January 17th @ WPI (Taylor Room – Campus Ctr) from 7pm~8:30pm and we’ll get you up to speed on what we have planned for 2012!

We’re meeting at WPI in the Taylor Room in the Campus Center at 7pm. See you then?

Here’s the fb event: https://www.facebook.com/events/254623084607588/

If you haven’t seen Forks Over Knives yet, go to this potluck on Saturday. (Well, after you fill up at Loving Hut’s buffet.)

The Seventh Day Adventist group in Worcester is hosting another showing of Forks Over Knives in Worcester this Saturday, January 14 at 5:30pm. The film screening is at the Better Living Center, 2 Airport Drive, Worcester. Vegan potluck too, but don’t worry if you can’t bring anything. They have some serious cooks who are already planning to bring plenty.

Earlier in the day Loving Hut is having their monthly all-you-can-eat buffet fundraiser for VegWorcester (RSVP to the buffet on facebook), so you can make an entire day of this.

Why haven’t you watched Forks Over Knives yet?

Ebert gave it a kick-ass review, and the Boston Globe liked it too. The Adventist group actually had a screening of of the film last month, so it was probably popular enough that they wanted to do it again. Watch Forks Over Knives! You can even get it on netflix now. So if you can’t make the showing this Saturday, maybe you could watch it on your laptop tonight while the whole world fills with snow.

Maple Farm Sanctuary in Mendon is a place where rescued farmed animals can live out the rest of their lives in peace. They’re having a volunteer get-together on Sunday, January 22 in Mendon. It’s a vegan potluck. RSVP on their website.

From Maple Farm’s invitation:

Past, present and future volunteers and friends – whether you are a long time herbivore or newly veg-curious, we welcome you to join us for a delicious vegan feast!

Here’s the plan…

• 6:00 pm – appetizers
• 6:30 pm – dinner
• 7:30 pm – desserts & hot drinks
• 7:30 pm – update and Q&A with Cheri

Please let us know if you’ll be bringing an appetizer, main or dessert by adding a comment below. (If you’d like to bring an appetizer, please arrive by 6pm.) Please refrain from using any animal products in your dish, this includes meat, fish, eggs, dairy and honey. It’s easier than it sounds, check out these links for tips and inspiration!

• www.theppk.com
• www.compassionatecook.com
• www.chooseveg.com/vegan-recipes.asp
• www.cestlavegan.com
• www.veganchef.com
• kblog.lunchboxbunch.com
• blog.fatfreevegan.com

Label your dish with your name so it can be returned to you at the end of the evening. Please also attach a list of ingredients or the recipe.

If you would like to help out with this event, please contact Laurie at info@maplefarmsanctuary.org

Coooooooookies!!! If some of you are still in a sugar-induced coma following the  Sugar Mama Vegan Cookie Swap we won’t blame you. We asked entrants to bake 6 dozen vegan cookies each. There were a few entrants with less than 6 dozen and a few with more than 6 dozen, but with 24 entries, the Sugar Mama Cookie Swappers swapped at least 1,500 vegan cookies last Thursday!

About 50 people attended the holiday-themed swap, and many brought all types of vegan goodies, including Coconut Macaroons, Chunky Peanut Butter & Banana Oatmeal, Chewy Chocolate-Raspberry, Almond Cranberry, Wood Stove Baked Mint-Chocolate-Chip cookies, Oatmeal-Raisin, Gingerbread Hanukkah cookies, Gluten-Free Gingerbread, Cookies & Cream truffles, Chocolate-Peppermint Graham Cracker, Oatmeal Pumpkin Walnut, Magik Bars, Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches, Oatmeal Jam, Espresso Chip, Snickerdoodles and many more! Vegan cookies do not contain any nasty animal products such as milk, butter, eggs, or gelatin. There are plenty of vegan alternatives to animal products and the cookie swap showed just how tasty they can be! There were also vegan snacks, apple cider, soy milk and other vegan “milks” to try.

Contestants voted for the first prize award of “Sugar Mama” for best tasting cookie overall. Jennifer Kunz took home the prize for Sugar Mama with a vegan handbag donated by Bello Iris. Her prize-winning cookies were the delicious Princess Squares.

RECIPE for Vegan Princess Squares
Cream together:
1 ¼ cups Vegan Margarine
1 ¼ cups Sugar
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
Egg Substitute for 2 eggs (such as ¼ cup Tofu or Ener-G Egg Replacer, etc.)
Combine:
4 ½ cups Flour
¾ tsp. Salt
12 oz. Shredded Coconut
Directions:
• Mix all together until crumbly.
• Press ½ of mixture onto a large baking tray (11 ½ x 16 ½)
• Flatten with hands or rolling pin.
• Spread a layer of fruit jam (10 – 12 oz.).
• Top with remaining crumb mix.
• Pat down lightly.
• Bake @ 375 for 20 – 25 minutes, or until lightly browned

Second prize was “Cute Cookie” for the most attractive or interesting looking cookie or display. The prize was a copy of the book My Sweet Vegan. Cute Cookie was won by Elena Cruz for her creative Calvin and Hobbes – inspired vegan cookies.

RECIPE for Gingerbread Snowmen Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup earth balance
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Directions:
Cream margerine and sugar. Blend in molasses, water, flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
Heat oven to 375F. Roll dough into small balls and place on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet and press slightly with a spatula. Cool.

Icing:
1 tablespoon organic extract: almond, vanilla, lemon, coconut, etc.
1 16-ounce bag of confection powdered sugar, sifted
8 tablespoons soy milk
1 tablespoon Karo Syrup, light

Decoration:
Add a vegan marshmallow and decorate with gel frosting and silly toothpick signs!

The prize for most ugly sweater or best holiday attire was won by Anne Lewenberg for her sweeeeeet holiday sweater! Her prize was also a copy of My Sweet Vegan.

 

 

Although there were several fantastical holiday outfits and ugly sweaters, Anne’s sweater won by a spirited show of hands for its mom-inspired style.

 

.

The event was held at Worcester Photo Studios and featured a holiday photo booth where participants took photos with vegan Santa. Check them out at UnityMike Photography’s Facebook . Please support his work by purchasing a high res print of your cookies and santa photo from UnityMike’s SmugMug.

Also check out Kaitlyn’s awesome review of the Sugar Mama Cookie Swap on The Tie Dye Files Blog.

The widely popular MacDaddy Vegan Mac N’ Cheeze Cookoff was the inspiration for the Sugar Mama, and it will be returning in early 2012. Keep an ear out for news of the MacDaddy. The title and belt is sought from all over Worcester County, the competition is fierce and the cheeze is bubbly. Be ready!

Post a comment with your tastyyy vegan cookie recipes from the swap!

From the facebook event:

Free! / Ugly sweaters & holiday attire encouraged!
Featuring HOLIDAY PHOTO BOOTH! by Worcester Photo Studios
(possible special appearance by Santa himself!)

Kick-Ass Prizes for:
Most delicious vegan cookie
Most attractive vegan cookie / cookie display
Most awesome ugly sweater or holiday attire

Feel free to bring any vegan drinks/food to share. Note: If you don’t have time to bake/enter the swap but want to attend the partay, you can’t participate in the actual cookie swap, but alternatively could bring a vegan food/drink item to share, participate in ugly sweater/holiday attire contest and have your photo taken with santar. Do it.

The Massachusetts state director for the Humane Society will be giving a presentation on Effective Animal Advocacy (facebook event) at Loving Hut at 11am. Right afterwards, there will the monthly all-vegan buffet fundraiser at Loving Hut (also on facebook). The workshop is free, but if you stick around for the buffet it’s $10 and 10% of your check is donated to VegWorcester.

If you still haven’t had enough excitement, join Massachusetts Animal Rights Coalition at 2pm for an anti-fur protest at the Greendale Mall. Many of the members will be at the buffet, so you can likely carpool from there.