Last night I attended a vegan cake tasting for event planners at Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington, DC.
OMG it was fabulous! They had an array of 7 different types of cupcakes. A favorite of couples is the Vanilla Cake with Almond Butter Cream, but my favorite was Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Butternut Cream and Chocolate Ganache. The Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream was also amazing. I just started drooling thinking about it again. I took the leftovers home to my chocoholic boyfriend who also gave them a thumbs up.
I know that SOME establishments give vegan and gluten free food a bad name. Not Sticky Fingers. Everything I’ve ever tried of theirs – from the sweets to the savories – is fabulous. Don’t just consider them for your wedding, if you need catering for an office party, they can do the job just fine.
So why go vegan for your wedding cake or birthday cake or Hey It’s the Weekend Let’s Celebrate Cake? As I wrote here previously, pretty much anything that comes from animals is bad for the environment because of all the care and, uh, feeding that goes into taking care of animals. The water, the feed, the fertilizers, the poop, it all makes for a bad scene for Mamma Earth. That is why vegan options are your BEST option.
The ladies at Sticky Fingers are hosting another cake tasting for planners THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 28TH at 6:00 p.m. at their store at 1370 Park Road, NW. It is just a five minute walk from Columbia Heights Metro on the Yellow/Green Line. They’ll also be serving organic coffee and tea (natch). If you want to go, RSVP to weddings@stickyfingers.com.
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Go Vegetarian. .. Even If Only for One Day
Thursday, October 1st is World Vegetarian Day and October is Vegetarian Awareness Month. Are you a vegetarian? If not, maybe you should try to become one, even if for just one day a week.
Why? A few years ago, I was sitting at Great Sage, my favorite vegetarian/vegan/organic/green/local restaurant in Clarksville, MD. I saw a statistic from the Worldwatch Institute that read:
Compared to grain/pasta, red meat is responsible for:
The switch for me was easy because I rarely ate red meat or seafood, so all I was giving up was the occasional chicken or turkey breast. If you think it might be too difficult for you, try for just one day a week. And then move to two and see how far you can go from there. If you are worried about how you will get your daily dose of protein, trust me, you can get plenty of protein with a diet of fruits, vegetables and legumes.
Try it. For a day.
Why? A few years ago, I was sitting at Great Sage, my favorite vegetarian/vegan/organic/green/local restaurant in Clarksville, MD. I saw a statistic from the Worldwatch Institute that read:
It takes 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat while it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat.If you haven't already heard, we are running low on water and the raising and slaughtering of meat wreaks havoc on our environment.
Compared to grain/pasta, red meat is responsible for:
- 20 times the land use due to cattle grazing
- 17 times the common water pollution due to animal wastes
- 5 times the toxic water pollution and water use from chemicals applied to feed grains and water for irrigation and livestock and
- 3 times the greenhouse gas emissions from greater energy use
- According to the EPA, animals are the largest polluters of U.S. waterways and
- The amount of land, food, water and energy used to raise 10 billion animals a year for slaughter could be used to grow food for all the starving people in the world
The switch for me was easy because I rarely ate red meat or seafood, so all I was giving up was the occasional chicken or turkey breast. If you think it might be too difficult for you, try for just one day a week. And then move to two and see how far you can go from there. If you are worried about how you will get your daily dose of protein, trust me, you can get plenty of protein with a diet of fruits, vegetables and legumes.
Try it. For a day.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Must-Read Book and Green Wedding Guide
While it is touted as "A no-nonsense, tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous" the book Skinny Bitch is also a great food and beverage guide for your green meetings and events. The most enlightening chapters are "Sugar is the Devil" which talks about the evils of artificial sweeteners and the wonder of Stevia. Do you really want to feed your guests poison? I think not.
As you may know, it takes 25 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of wheat, but 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. If that doesn't convince you that a vegetarian diet is better for the Earth, "You Are What You Eat" outlines the evils of slaughterhouses. It was a tough chapter to read, but very enlightening. You'll never want to eat meat again when you hear what really happens to chickens, cows and other animals.
If you can't handle profanity, this book isn't for you (which means it was perfect for me!). Other favorite chapter titles include: The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet; Pooping; and Have No Faith: Governmental Agencies Don't Give a Shit About Your Health.
While the title makes the book seem just for women, men should read it, too. In fact, I told my boyfriend to read it and he did. Unfortunately, he still hasn't kicked that diet Coke habit of his. One day at a time...
Green Tip:
Green Wedding Guide
Want to make your wedding green? Go to what Martha Stewart calls the #1 green wedding site - Portovert. It's your go to site for a sustainable wedding!
As you may know, it takes 25 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of wheat, but 2,500 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. If that doesn't convince you that a vegetarian diet is better for the Earth, "You Are What You Eat" outlines the evils of slaughterhouses. It was a tough chapter to read, but very enlightening. You'll never want to eat meat again when you hear what really happens to chickens, cows and other animals.
If you can't handle profanity, this book isn't for you (which means it was perfect for me!). Other favorite chapter titles include: The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet; Pooping; and Have No Faith: Governmental Agencies Don't Give a Shit About Your Health.
While the title makes the book seem just for women, men should read it, too. In fact, I told my boyfriend to read it and he did. Unfortunately, he still hasn't kicked that diet Coke habit of his. One day at a time...
Green Tip:
Green Wedding Guide
Want to make your wedding green? Go to what Martha Stewart calls the #1 green wedding site - Portovert. It's your go to site for a sustainable wedding!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Takeout Food for the Office and Facts on Holiday Waste
As a vegetarian and a locovore (someone who tries to buy local), I try to make as many meals at home as possible. However, last Monday when I was out shopping, I stopped by the local PF Chang's for some takeout before I journeyed back to the office because I was low on food in the office fridge.
Normally, when I do any kind of shopping, I BMOB bring my own bag. The one exception has been when I get takeout. I keep making a mental note to BMOB, but have continued to fail on this front. Also, I just read an article about a green office that leaves those little tiny sacs which are the size of a small ball at the front desk for employees to use when they get takeout. Well, I couldn't be outdone, so I've made it my mission to begin this practice and I began on Monday!
When the take out guy waited on me, I sweetly asked, "Do you mind putting my order in this bag?" He didn't blink an eye. Whew! Let's hope behind that pleasant smile, he wasn't thinking I was a crazy environmentalist. I also asked him to not worry about the plasticware and some of the condiments. When he brought my order in my own bag - in my own bag - I was ecstatic and handed him a tip. I didn't look in the bag until I got in the car. Big mistake. It contained not only chopsticks, but plasticware and TWO sets of condiments. Argh! Did he do this to irritate me or was he on automatic pilot when he was loading my food into the bag? I'll never know. I emailed PF Chang's headquarters to tell them about my experience (I was nice about the quick service and the ability to use my own bag), but chastised them for all the waste with the condiments. Think of all the energy that goes into making those chopsticks, the plastic ware, the condiments and the containers they come in. Think of how many get thrown away without being used. Think of all those products in the landfill. Think of all that money wasted. I hope they change their ways...
Green Tip:
Facts on Holiday Waste
Below are some facts on holiday waste that I received from Eva at Earth Alley, a Baltimore gift shop that provides Earth friendly, fair-trade, locally-sourced gifts.
From Thanksgiving to New Years Day, household waste increases at least 25%, an additional 1 million tons a week. U.S.'s annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons.
Christmas Trees
50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S., about 30 million go to the landfill.
Food
28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year - over 100 pounds per person. One less cookie on Santa's plate will reduce his snacking by about 2 million pounds.
Transportation
If each family reduced holiday gasoline consumption by one gallon (about twenty miles), we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons.
Cards
1.9 billion Christmas cards at this time, the amount of cards sold during the holiday season would fill a football field 10 stories high, and requires the harvesting of nearly 300,000 trees.
Ribbons
38,000 miles of ribbon is thrown out each year, enough to circle the Earth which is 25,000 miles.
Paper
Half of the paper America consumes is used to wrap and decorate consumer products.
(Sources: EPA; Use Less Stuff, 1998; www.recycleworks.org; Cygnus Group; Recycler's Handbook, 1990; Environmental News Network)
Normally, when I do any kind of shopping, I BMOB bring my own bag. The one exception has been when I get takeout. I keep making a mental note to BMOB, but have continued to fail on this front. Also, I just read an article about a green office that leaves those little tiny sacs which are the size of a small ball at the front desk for employees to use when they get takeout. Well, I couldn't be outdone, so I've made it my mission to begin this practice and I began on Monday!
When the take out guy waited on me, I sweetly asked, "Do you mind putting my order in this bag?" He didn't blink an eye. Whew! Let's hope behind that pleasant smile, he wasn't thinking I was a crazy environmentalist. I also asked him to not worry about the plasticware and some of the condiments. When he brought my order in my own bag - in my own bag - I was ecstatic and handed him a tip. I didn't look in the bag until I got in the car. Big mistake. It contained not only chopsticks, but plasticware and TWO sets of condiments. Argh! Did he do this to irritate me or was he on automatic pilot when he was loading my food into the bag? I'll never know. I emailed PF Chang's headquarters to tell them about my experience (I was nice about the quick service and the ability to use my own bag), but chastised them for all the waste with the condiments. Think of all the energy that goes into making those chopsticks, the plastic ware, the condiments and the containers they come in. Think of how many get thrown away without being used. Think of all those products in the landfill. Think of all that money wasted. I hope they change their ways...
Green Tip:
Facts on Holiday Waste
Below are some facts on holiday waste that I received from Eva at Earth Alley, a Baltimore gift shop that provides Earth friendly, fair-trade, locally-sourced gifts.
From Thanksgiving to New Years Day, household waste increases at least 25%, an additional 1 million tons a week. U.S.'s annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping bags totals 4 million tons.
Christmas Trees
50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S., about 30 million go to the landfill.
Food
28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year - over 100 pounds per person. One less cookie on Santa's plate will reduce his snacking by about 2 million pounds.
Transportation
If each family reduced holiday gasoline consumption by one gallon (about twenty miles), we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tons.
Cards
1.9 billion Christmas cards at this time, the amount of cards sold during the holiday season would fill a football field 10 stories high, and requires the harvesting of nearly 300,000 trees.
Ribbons
38,000 miles of ribbon is thrown out each year, enough to circle the Earth which is 25,000 miles.
Paper
Half of the paper America consumes is used to wrap and decorate consumer products.
(Sources: EPA; Use Less Stuff, 1998; www.recycleworks.org; Cygnus Group; Recycler's Handbook, 1990; Environmental News Network)
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