If you embrace nonviolence

www.abolitionistapproach.com

“If the principle of nonviolence means*anything*, it means that you cannot justify *any* killing or suffering for transparently frivolous reasons such as pleasure, amusement, or convenience. And doing something ‘with compassion’ that is not morally justifiable does not change the fact that it’s morally unjustifiable.

When you decide what you want to eat, wear, or use, you are not acting under any sort of compulsion. You are simply indulging your palate pleasure, sense of fashion, etc., or allowing what is convenient to trump the interests of another sentient being.

So if you embrace nonviolence and you are not vegan, you need to think about what is unquestionably a serious inconsistency.”

~ Gary L. Francione

Veganism and Nonviolence

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/veganism-and-nonviolence/#.U5lGe_l5NyQ

 

The notion that we can be “kind”

www.abolitionistapproach.com

“Until animal advocates react with as much outrage to the promotion of ‘happy’ exploitation as we all react to the promotion of ‘happy’ pedophilia, there will be no real animal rights movement.”

~ Gary L. Francione

Excerpt from: “Humane” and “Compassionate” Pedophilia

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/humane-and-compassionate-pedophilia/#.U5faFvl5NyQ

Nonhuman animals have the fundamental moral right

www.abolitionistapproach.com

Video: Animals as Property

http://vimeo.com/4807775
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/video/#animals-as-property

Professor Francione argues that the property status of animals renders meaningless animal welfare laws that prohibit the infliction of “unnecessary” suffering and require the “humane” treatment of nonhumans. Professor Francione’s book, Animals, Property, and the Law (Temple University Press, 1995), provided the first legal analysis of the property status of animals and was described by Tom Regan as a “work of unquestionable historic importance.”

 

 

Once you decide

www.abolitionistapproach.com

Ingrid Newkirk on Principled Veganism: “Screw the principle”

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/ingrid-newkirk-on-principled-veganism-screw-the-principle/#.U46fxvl5NyQ

If you believe animals matter morally

Veganism is about nonviolence

www.abolitionistapproach.com

“Someone wrote to me and said that a welfarist who promotes ‘cage-free”’eggs and other forms of ‘happy exploitation’ suggested that the abolitionist approach was limited and did not provide an effective program for change while welfare reform had a wider and more effective effect.

I would call that nonsense but it would be an offense to nonsensical things.

Think about it.”

~ Gary L. Francione

Read more: We’re Going in a New Direction. Are You Coming?

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/going-new-direction-coming/#.U4LHmfl5NyQ

All sentient beings are morally equal

www.abolitionistapproach.com

“Humans are not the measure of things; we are only one measure among many.”

~ Gary L. Francione

Excerpt from: Equality and Similarity to Humans

http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/equality-and-similarity-to-humans/#.U4F92Pl5NyQ

Triple scoop blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry frozen dessert

Sometimes you need all three.

Ingredients

3/4 cups frozen blueberries
3/4 cups frozen raspberries
3/4 cups frozen strawberries
3T lemon juice each, separated
1 1/2 cups frozen banana, separated
1/2 cup soft, dried dates, pitted and chopped (or to taste)

Optional: 1t powdered maca root if you like. You could add a little chopped chocolate to the strawberry, ginger to the blueberry, a splash of white wine or 1T roasted red pepper to the raspberries to make the dish more ornate, or just keep it simple. You can leave the bananas out if you prefer or for a more sorbet like texture, but in that case, you may need to reduce the lemon juice a little and/or date more dates to taste.

Method

If your dates are quite dry, soak them a little ahead of time. Puree each set of berries separately with 1T lemon juice, 1/2 cup bananas and 1/3 dates. Scoop out and enjoy!

Spicy, smoky tempeh burrito with avocado, spinach and fresh tortilla

Simple, spicy and rich, this makes enough for 2 good sized wraps, but easily doubles. For a single large burrito, overlap the tortillas by about 5″ – 6″ and roll everything together.

Ingredients

For the filling
1T avocado oil (or similar)
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup sweet onion, 1/4″ dice
1/2 cup red bell pepper, 1/4″ dice
1T fresh garlic, minced
1T smoked paprika
1/2T garam massala
1/2t dried red chilis (or to taste)
125g tempeh, minced (use pasteurized)
1/2 to 1T coconut sugar (start with 1/2T but sweeten to taste)
1/2T lemon juice
1 cup mushroom stock
1/2 cup tomato passata (or puree)
2T nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the tortilla
1 cup heaping whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup water

For the rest
1 ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and thinly sliced
2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
2T nutritional yeast
A few pinches sea salt

Optional: Fresh habanero, jalapeno or even poblano pepper will add flavour and some heat to this dish. Maple syrup will do fine in place of the coconut sugar if that’s what you have. Use raw spinach if you prefer, but overall, expect some rolling challenges.

Method

First, start the tempeh, then make the tortillas and then the rest. Warm a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add the oil and sea salt. Add the onion and saute for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and spices. Saute another 2 minutes. Add the tempeh and coconut sugar. Saute for 3 – 5 minutes, until the pan is starting to brown a little.

Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock. Bring the pan to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Uncover, add the passata, and simmer another 30 – 40 minutes until the liquid is mostly cooked off. When done, remove from heat and set aside.

When the tempeh is getting thick, start the tortillas. Add the water to the flour. Knead until a smooth elastic dough forms, and then another 2 -3 minutes. Cover with a warm wet tea towel and let the dough rest about 15 minutes.

When rested, break the dough into 2 balls. Roll out on a floured board to 12″ – 14″, and about 1/8″ thick (or use a tortilla press if you have one). Repeat with the other ball of dough.

Warm a large frying pan on medium high heat. Dry fry until the tortilla is done on one side (it will be lightly browned and bubbled). Flip and fry the other side. Set aside and repeat with the other piece of dough. Cover both with a tea towel while you finish everything else.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450F. Add the spinach to a baking sheet or roasting pan and roast for about 5 minutes, until it’s nicely wilted. Remove and set aside. When the tortilla and spinach are ready and the tempeh has cooled a bit, season the tempeh to taste and add the nutritional yeast. Stir to combine.

To fill, add the spinach to a tortilla in a long, thin line toward the middle-bottom of the tortilla. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and nutritional yeast. Add half of the tempeh mixture. Add avocado slices. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and nutritional yeast, and roll up carefully (warm filing can easily tear through a tortilla).

To roll, bring the bottom of the tortilla up away from you over the filling. Tuck. Fold in the sides. Roll over. Repeat with the other tortilla. Let them stand 2-3 minutes (or wrap in foil if you like), and then serve.

 

 

Creamy jicama, clementine and habanero soup

A simple, mostly raw soup with a wealth of flavours and a little heat. This makes 4 small bowls or 2 large ones.

Ingredients

2 cups jicama, peeled and coarsely chopped
2T sesame seed butter
1 scallion, coarsely chopped, 2 – 3″ green reserved for garnish
1t fresh garlic, minced
4 small, ripe clementines, peeled, pith removed and seeded, 2-3 segments per bowl reserved for garnish
1/2T lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/8t fresh habanero pepper (I use 1/4t), minced with a pinch coarse sea salt
Coarse sea salt to taste
1/4 cup fresh mixed baby greens

Optional: Use dried chili or fresh, minced jalapeño as an alternative and/or sriracha for garnish to add flavour and colour. Oranges will also work in place of clementines, but they won’t work as nicely for the garnish. Add a little olive with the clementines for the garnish for an even richer flavor and colour. Raw sesame seed butter isn’t available everywhere, but you can grind your own, or if you prefer, simply use the regular kind. Raw almond butter will change the texture and colour, but raw cashew butter, macadamia nut butter, a little olive or avocado oil will all go nicely in this soup.

Method

Puree the jicama and sea salt until smooth. Add the scallion, garlic, clementines, sesame seed butter, lemon juice and water. Mince, then crush and grind the habanero with a little sea salt. If you haven’t handled habanero pepper before, be careful. You may even want to use gloves.

When your pepper is a paste, add it with the rest of the ingredients. Puree until mostly smooth and (mostly) creamy. Season to taste. Ladle out and garnish with baby greens, a few clementine segments and serve.