July Recipe of the Month: Champion Chili

 From the COK Kitchen: July's Recipe of the Month

Champion Chili

Serves 8

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup dry textured vegetable protein (TVP)
• 2 16-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 3-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 3 tablespoons chili powder (or more to taste)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 15-ounce can kidney, pinto, or black beans

Pour the boiling water over the TVP and let sit for 5 minutes. Then combine with the remaining ingredients except the beans. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add the beans and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Serve as-is or over rice or pasta.

For more animal-friendly recipes, visit VegRecipes.org

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Ask Dunkin Donuts to Serve Soy Milk!

ACTION ALERT: Ask Dunkin Donuts to Serve Soy Milk!

Dunkin' Donuts is the world's largest coffee and baked goods chain with more than 5,500 stores throughout the United States—yet, it's one of the only national coffee chains that does not have a policy to make soy milk available to all customers. A few stores located just outside the Washington, D.C.-area recently added soy milk to their menus after working with Compassion Over Killing and learning about the increasing demand for healthier and more humane options. Read more about this victory on SuperVegan.com!

After we announced this victory and launched our campaign in May 2008, several more locations have followed suit, including 8 stores in the Baltimore-area thanks to the help of the Humane League of Baltimore!

If you live near any of these stores offering soy milk (addresses below), please stop by to let them know that soy milk is in high demand—you can show your support by choosing from a variety of hot, iced, frozen and flavored coffee drinks!

How to Get Soy Milk in a Dunkin' Donuts Near You!

Don't live in the D.C.-area? Don't worry—here are some steps you can take to encourage Dunkin' Donuts stores near you to start serving soy milk:

• Contact your local Dunkin' Donuts store. Click here for store locations and phone numbers. Or, better yet, stop in to your local Dunkin' Donuts and ask to speak to the manager about adding soy milk. Be sure to let him or her know that there are other Dunkin' Donuts stores already making this option available to customers.
• Email Dunkin Donuts' Consumer Care Office and thank them for adding soy milk to two DC-area locations, and ask them to make soy milk available in all locations, like most national coffee chains already do.
• Call Dunkin' Donuts' Consumer Care hotline at 1-800-859-5339.
• Write to Dunkin' Donuts. Express your concerns in a letter and send it to:
  
  Dunkin' Donuts Consumer Care
  130 Royall Street
  Canton, MA 02021

Please let us know if the Dunkin' Donuts store near you adds soy milk to the menu (or if they already carry it)! We'd love to add it to our list below and help spread the good news.

Dunkin' Donuts Locations Serving Soy Milk

Maryland:

• 7000 Reisterstown Rd.
  Baltimore, MD 21215
  Phone: 410-764-6846
• 7846 Eastern Ave.
  Baltimore, MD 21224
  410-288-5668
• 112 Carroll Island Rd.
  Baltimore, MD 21220
  410-344-1010
• 2016-B N. Maryland Ave.
  Baltimore, MD 21218
  410-244-1830
• 10003 York Rd.
  Cockeysville, MD 21030
  410-666-2489
• 9701 Baltimore Ave.
  College Park, MD 20740
  Phone: 301-345-9601
• 2057 University Blvd. E.
  Hyattsville, MD 20783
  Phone: 301-434-6196
• 1508 Reisterstown Rd.
  Pikesville, MD 21208
  410-653-8182
• 10 Fila Way
  Sparks, MD 21152
  410-472-9402
• 6851 New Hampshire Ave.
  Takoma Park, MD 20912
  Phone: 301-270-2445
• 201 York Rd.
  Towson, MD 21204
  410-821-0810

New York:

• 166 2nd Ave. 1
  New York, NY 10003
  Phone: 212-533-4100
• 152 W. 31st St.
  New York, NY 10001
  212-594-1656
• 240 W. 40th St.
  New York, NY 10018
  212-395-9280

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July is Nat’l Veggie Hot Dog Month -- get involved!

July 23 Marks the Third Annual National Veggie Hot Dog Day!

COK's veggie dog feed-in D.C. in 2006.

July 23 has been declared National Hot Dog Day by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council—it also happens to be National Veggie Hot Dog Day, as declared by Compassion Over Killing!

In fact, after two years of celebrating National Veggie Hot Dog Day, with dozens of successful events around the country, we've expanded this single day of compassionate action to the entire month of July.

During July, while our nation celebrates its independence, your help is needed to expose the miseries forced upon tens of millions of pigs confined inside factory farms across the U.S. each year—from mother pigs crammed in narrow metal crates for months on end to their piglets who are taken away within weeks of birth and kept in barren, overcrowded pens until they are shipped to slaughter.

Taking Action: Host a National (Veggie) Hot Dog Day Event!

Here's some information and ideas to help get you started. If you plan on hosting an event any time during the month of July, please let us know. We'd be happy to answer your questions about organizing a feed-in as well as send you free pro-vegetarian literature for you to distribute! Please get started using our sign-up form.

Organize a Veggie Dog Feed-In: One of the best ways to encourage vegetarian eating is to pass out free samples of delicious meat-free foods. Our step by step how-to guide demonstrates how easy it is to host a successful veggie dog feed-in.

Distribute Pro-Vegetarian Materials: Whether or not you're planning to host a feed-in, you can help spread the animals' message by distributing our new flyer (view PDF) exposing the horrors on today's pig farms. Grab a friend and leaflet for thirty minutes or an hour—every little bit you can do to get the message out there makes a big difference for animals. View our Tips for Successful Vegetarian Leafleting.

Get your FREE flyers when you register an event, or order flyers without registering.

This year's event is being sponsored by Lightlife Foods!

For more ideas and inspiration, see photos from National Veggie Hot Dog Day in 2006 and 2007.

Other Ways You Can Make a Difference for Animals:

• Submit a short letter to the editor about the misery endured by pigs on today's factory farms.
• Take some extra veggie dogs to lunch to share with your co-workers or fellow students.
• Tell your friends and family how animals are mistreated on farms and encourage them to choose vegetarian foods.
• Visit TryVeg.com to order a free Vegetarian Starter Guide for yourself or a friend.
• Host an animal-friendly backyard barbeque and invite over your vegetarian-to-be neighbors.

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NEW FLYER: Eating Sustainably!

Due to the high volume of requests for free brochures, some orders may take several days to fill. We appreciate your patience.

Our new full-color trifold brochure lets readers know that animal agriculture is considered one of the leading causes of pollution and resource depletion today. By choosing vegetarian foods, each of us can help protect our planet—and animals—at every meal. In honor of Earth Day, we're offering our brochure for free, during the month of April only. Request your copies today and start encouraging others to fight global warming and animal abuse with their forks.

COK's Newest Brochure: Eating Sustainably

11:34 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Help animals this summer by interning at COK!

Internship Opportunities at COK!

Join Compassion Over Killing's efforts to help make the world a kinder place by interning with us at our office in the Washington, D.C.-area! We're currently accepting applications for full- or part-time general internships—there are no deadlines, and the length of each internship varies.

As an intern, you'll have the opportunity to help with:

• Local vegetarian outreach campaigns, including leafleting, tabling, feed-ins, and more
• A variety of online or library research projects
• Creating/brainstorming new campaigns, both locally and nationally
• Writing projects including web content and opinion pieces

Interns will also help with general office work including fulfilling requests for educational literature. No specific academic background is required. Internships for school credit or community service are welcomed.

6:49 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Is the egg industry deceiving you?!

COK Takes Egg Industry to Court for Consumer Fraud & Exposes Cruel Conditions inside New Jersey Egg Factory Farm

February 20, 2008

Continued use of misleading "Animal Care Certified" logo documented on egg cartons in five states

March 31, 2006 marked the last day the United Egg Producers (UEP) could advertise its deceptive "Animal Care Certified" logo. Starting April 1, 2006, all claims and logos relating to "Animal Care Certified" were to be removed from all advertisements, including egg cartons—at least according to two agreements that the industry trade group signed with the Federal Trade Commission as well as with Attorneys General in 16 states and the District of Columbia. (Read the Background section below to learn more about the "Animal Care Certified" program and logo.)

As recently as February 19, 2008—almost two years after the agreed-upon deadline—COK has documented egg cartons bearing the "Animal Care Certified" logo being sold on stores shelves in New Jersey. Further evidence recently obtained by COK reveals more widespread violations: the "Animal Care Certified" logo is also being marketed on egg cartons in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware. The packaging on these cartons identifies the eggs' origin: ISE America in New Jersey, an egg factory farm and packing plant with more than one million hens confined inside barren wire battery cages.

9:03 AM - 3 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Be My Vegan Valentine!

Just in time for Valentine's Day: Sweet treats for your sweetheart!

Show your loved ones—and the animals—just how much you care with these decadent vegan treats.

For more animal-friendly recipes, visit VegRecipes.org.

Truffles

Makes about 20 truffles

• 1 12-ounce package non-dairy chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces non-dairy cream cheese, such as Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese
• 2 cups powered sugar
• 2 tablespoons flavored syrup, such as hazelnut or vanilla (optional)
• chopped nuts (optional topping)
• coconut flakes (optional topping)
• 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional topping)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, saucepan, or microwave.

Put the non-dairy cream cheese in a food processor or high-powered blender and slowly add the sugar. Blend until well mixed. Then add the melted chocolate chips to the cream cheese mixture and blend until well mixed. If using flavored syrup, add the syrup to the mixture and blend for 30 seconds. Pour the blended mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Once chilled, roll the mixture with your hands into bite-sized balls and place on a serving tray.

If using optional toppings, pour the nuts and/or coconut flakes into a shallow bowl and roll the chilled balls into them. Place the truffles on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For truffles with a hard chocolate coating, after the chilled mixture has been rolled into bite-sized balls, melt 1 cup of non-dairy chocolate chips. Dip the balls into the melted chocolate, place on a tray, and refrigerate for 2 additional hours.

Creamy Chocolate Pudding

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 cups soy or rice milk
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the vanilla extract. Whisk rapidly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the pudding is thickened.

Stir in the vanilla and pour into individual serving dishes. Chill and serve.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 1 12-ounce package non-dairy chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
• 1 16-ounce package firm tofu
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (or more to taste)
• soymilk (to desired texture)
• 1 vegan graham cracker crust, such as Keebler's Graham Cracker Ready Crust
• 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional topping)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional topping)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, saucepan, or microwave.

In a food processor or high-powered blender, add the melted chocolate chips, tofu, peanut butter, and 1/2 cup of soymilk. Blend until very smooth, adding more soymilk if desired.

Pour the filling into a graham cracker crust and refrigerate for 2 hours.

For a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with a hard chocolate topping, after the pie has been chilled for 2 hours, melt 1 cup of non-dairy chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the pie. If desired, add chopped nuts. Refrigerate for 2 additional hours.

4:07 PM - 3 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

COK on MTV 2008: Spreading Compassion 30 Seconds at a Time

Starting tonight, COK's two most recently created pro-vegetarian commercials—"Exploring Your Food" and "A Side of Truth"—will hit the MTV airwaves in hundreds of cities from coast to coast with a message of compassion, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Support our MTV ad campaign today and your donation will be doubled!  That's right—every dollar you donate from now until Feb. 14 will be matched, up to $10,000, by a generous COK supporter! You can even make your gift in honor of your sweetheart for Valentine's Day!

Join our Facebook cause to help us get these commercials on the air, or visit our website to learn more about this campaign.

1:17 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment