Found a new site I like a lot...

http://vegansaurus.com

Vegansaurus! is a neat site with great recipes. Go over and take a look.

The 10 Worst Things about "Frankenfish"...

What do you know about genetically engineered salmon?

This article was written by the Organic Consumers Association's Political Director, Alexis Baden-Mayer. To take action to stop Frankenfish, please click here.

10. Frankenfish Aren't Animals, They're "Animal Drugs"
Obama's FDA is regulating genetically engineered salmon, a genetically modified organism (GMO) that is the first of its kind, not as an animal, but as an animal drug.
Source: FDA's Guidance for Industry #187 Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals (PDF)
Normally, a veterinary drug would be used for health purposes, but there's no therapeutic benefit associated with jacking up an Atlantic salmon with the genes of a Chinook salmon and the eel-like ocean pout to make it grow twice as fast. On the contrary, genetic engineering increases the poor salmon's mortality, disease and deformity.
Source: American Anti-Vivisection Society
So, why would the FDA treat a the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption like a drug? The idea came from the biotech industry. They knew that the FDA's animal drug process would keep companies' "proprietary" information secret, while limiting public participation and downplaying food safety concerns. Genius.

9. The GMO Part of the GMO Salmon Isn't Being Safety Tested
Since 1992, the FDA has operated under the legal fiction created by the Bush-Quayle Administration that there is no risk associated with the human consumption of genetically engineered plants and animals. The FDA explains that DNA is Generally Recognized as Safe, so genetically engineered DNA is safe, too, and it doesn't have to be safety tested.
Source: FDA's Statement of Policy - Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties (PDF)

8. Frankenfish DNA Could Change the Bacteria of Your Gut
A human study conducted by the UK's Food Standards Agency found that consuming genetically engineered soy can result in "horizontal gene transfer," where the bacteria of the gut takes up the soy's modified DNA. With GMO salmon, the bacteria of our digestive tracks could take up the engineered salmon genes, but the FDA isn't looking into whether this would happen or how it might effect our health, because...
Source: Nature Biotechnology

7. If It Swims Like a Salmon, FDA Says It's Safe to Eat
Instead of reviewing the safety of consuming genetically engineered salmon DNA, the FDA food safety review is a simple quacks-like-a-duck-style comparison of genetically engineered and normal salmon for hormone levels, nutrition, and allergenic potency.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

6. FDA Lets the Frankenfish Company Test Its Own Product's Safety
The FDA's food safety review of GMO salmon consists of collecting data produced by AquaBounty, the company that wants to sell it. Not surprisingly, that data is seriously flawed.
* AquaBounty did not always segregate, or even collect, data specific to their AquAdvantage GMO Salmon. And, FDA did not require AquaBounty to produce data in the actual conditions under which the salmon will be commercially produced, so we don't have food safety data on the Panama-raised, triploid, monosex AquAdvantage Salmon that people will be actually be eating if the FDA grants approval.
* FDA did not require AquaBounty to show that AquAdvantage and normal salmon were similar when raised under the same conditions. AquaBounty's food safety data for genetically engineered salmon did not have to match data for its control salmon. FDA compared AquaBounty's data for genetically engineered salmon to data for farmed salmon raised under unknown conditions and data for salmon from other scientific studies.
* AquaBounty only tested a few fish, making it less likely that its food safety studies would reveal statistically significant differences between genetically engineered and normal salmon.
* AquaBounty's detection levels were often set too low to produce food safety data for comparison.
* AquaBounty selected which fish to test, and unblinded samples.
But, even with all of the flaws and biases that likely hid differences between GMO and normal salmon, it's clear that Frankenfish isn't same...
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)


5. Frankenfish Is More Carcinogenic
GMO salmon has 40% more IGF1, a hormone linked to prostate, breast and colon cancers in humans.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

4. Frankenfish Is Less Nutritious
GE salmon is less nutritious than normal salmon. It has the lowest omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of all the salmon in the studies FDA reviewed.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

3. Frankenfish Is More Allergenic
GE salmon have mean allergenic potencies that are 20% and 52% higher than normal salmon, increasing the risk of potentially deadly allergic reactions.
Source: FDA's Veterinary Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Materials (PDF)

2. GMOs Can Mess a Fish Up! (But, Salmon Are Already Deformed by Factory Farming)
The FDA notes evidence of "increased frequency of skeletal malformations, and increased prevalence of jaw erosions and multisystemic, focal inflammation" in the tissues of GMO salmon.
Most people wouldn't be too surprised to learn that genetic engineering can mess a fish up. What might shock you is that the FDA dismisses these findings as "within the range observed in rapid growth phenotypes of non-genetically engineered Atlantic salmon."
The abnormalities FDA found weren't much worse than those currently plaguing the factory farmed salmon selected for rapid growth and subjected to the physiological stress of intensive production. "Screamer disease" deforms 80% of Chilean salmon and "humpback" spinal compression is found in 70% of Norwegian salmon operations.
Thanks, FDA, for letting us know that factory farmed salmon are so messed up! But, that's no reason to turn them into Frankenfish!
Source: GMO Salmon Frankenfish and Screamer Disease

But the freakiest thing about all of this is ...
1. The Government Wants More Transgenic Fish and Less Wild Fish
The main justification for GMO salmon is that it could "reduce the pressure on wild fish stocks". But, consumption isn't the primary pressure on wild Alaskan salmon, which gets a "best choice" rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. The biggest threat to wild Alaskan salmon is the destruction of their habitat.
Ironically, as Paul Greenberg, author of the new book "Four Fish," explains, "While the government seeks to boost farmed salmon supplies through transgenics, it is simultaneously letting wild salmon go to pot."
The spawning grounds of wild salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska, are threatened by the international mining giant, Anglo-American, which plans to construct Pebble Mine, the largest open-pit copper and gold mine in the US. Two months ago, a copper mine failure in China's TingRiver killed millions of fish. A similar disaster at Pebble Mine could mean the destruction of a quarter of a billion pounds of salmon, curiously, about the same amount of GMO salmon Aqua Bounty hopes to produce. The EPA could stop Pebble Mine through the Clean Water Act but has failed to act.

Greenberg writes, "More transgenic fish, less wild fish. You have to scratch your head at a government that's planning that kind of seafood menu for its citizens. Instead of endorsing a risky experiment in genetic salmon modification wouldn't it be better if our leaders protected wild salmon habitat? In the end we'd have just as much fish on our plates and a safer environment to boot."

Here's a great article from Business Week...

Bill Clinton

The Rise of the Power Vegans

Steve Wynn, Russell Simmons, Bill Clinton and a comparable cast of heavies are now using tempeh to assert their superiority. A look at what gives

By Joel Stein

Steve Wynn

It used to be easy for moguls to flaunt their power. All they had to do was renovate the chalet in St. Moritz, buy the latest Gulfstream (GD) jet, lay off 5,000 employees, or marry a much younger Asian woman. By now, though, they've used up all the easy ways to distinguish themselves from the rest of us—which may be why a growing number of America's most powerful bosses have become vegan. Steve Wynn, Mort Zuckerman, Russell Simmons, and Bill Clinton are now using tempeh to assert their superiority. As are Ford Executive Chairman of the Board Bill Ford (F), Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, venture capitalist Joi Ito, Whole Foods Market (WFMI) Chief Executive Officer John Mackey, and Mike Tyson. Yes, Mike Tyson, a man who once chewed on human ear, is now vegan. His dietary habit isn't nearly as impressive as that of Alec Baldwin, though, who has founda way to be both vegan and fat at the same time.
It shouldn't be surprising that so many CEOs are shunning meat, dairy, and eggs: It's an exclusive club. Only 1 percent of the U.S. population is vegan, partly because veganism isn't cheap: The cost comes from the value of specialty products made by speciality companies with cloying names (tofurkey, anyone?). Vegans also have to be powerful enough to even know what veganism is.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Expecting Raw Earth Organics to open in Shepherdstown this weekend...

The most recent post from the long-awaited Raw Earth Organics is November 6 (tomorrow.)
We've been waiting for the last month for this one to open on German Street.

All Organic and Natural Foods... Proactive in the Local Food Movement. Natural Body care, Organic Skin Care, Hair Care. Supplements/Vitamnins and Raw Foods.Bringing the Mind, Body and Spirit to a whole.

Information

Location:

125 W. German St.

Shepherdstown, WV, 25443

Phone:

304.876.0851

Tues - Thurs:

9:00 am - 7:30 pm

Fri - Sat:

10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Sun:

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm    

  ___________

UPDATE: Well, it's Monday morning and they still haven't opened. If anyone knows what's going on here...please post a comment and let me know. -Bill 

I've been unavailable...

...but I'll be putting some new recipes together this weekend and looking into some shopping locations in The Panhandle. Come back soon.

- Bill

Bill's Vegan Biscuits

I needed a biscuit that does not use dairy products and does use whole wheat flour (at my wife's request.) So here's how I made them (recipe makes 10  2 1/2" Biscuits).

Ingredients:
    •    2 cups whole wheat flour
    •    4 teaspoons baking powder
    •    1 teaspoon salt
    •    4 tablespoons vegan butter substitute
    •    2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
How to make 'em:

Preheat oven to 375°
then...
    1.     Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into bowl.
    2.     Mix butter in with knife or fingers.
    3.     After butter is well mixed, add milk slowly.
    4.     Roll dough out on floured board.
    5.     Cut with biscuit cutter
    6.     Bake on greased baking sheet in oven for 12 minutes.

Enjoy.

Fruit Fly Problem?

If you are like me, you eat a lot of fruit and probably have an exposed fruitbowl full of apples and oranges, etc. This time of year, a lot of fruit flies appear to make your life miserable.

I have been battling with fruit flies for the last week or so... they pop up everywhere... drains, fruitbowl, cutting board area... and, since we don't use any poison sprays, getting rid of them was a real problem. Until I did my research, of course, and discovered how to make "fruit fly traps" which have worked so well that you hardly see any of the little bastards around.

How does one make a fruit fly trap? Simple. Start with a good, widemouthed jar (we always have plenty of old Ball jars around which we use for canning) and put in about an inch or two of warm water with a squirt of dishwashing soap. Then add a shot of apple cider and a shot of red wine. Cover the top of the jar with a piece of Saran Wrap and use a rubber band to keep it tightly sealed at the neck of the jar. Now comes the tricky part... you have to punch a few very small holes through the plastic wrap... small enough for the fruit flies to get in but not so large that they can go right out again. I use a nut pick to punch the holes, but a fork could do it, too.

Then all you have to do is put the jar wherever the greatest number of the pests have been spotted. I made four jars and put them in various places in my kitchen. Now all you do is wait. In about an hour or so you will notice a distinct reduction in the bugs. The next day when you check the jars you will find they are full of little drowned fruit flies. Amazing!

I change the liquid and reseal the jars every few days and my fruit-flies are now nowhere to be found (on the first refill day there were much fewer of them caught in the traps, so we are succeeding quite well.)

An apology and a recipe...

I've been away from Panhandle Vegan for a couple of weeks, for which I apologize. I've been spending most of the time shopping for a car, getting through a theater production at Full Circle Theater, and a pile of other things (I spend what time I have available keeping Under The LobsterScope going and we're in a heavy political season).

But I'm back today and I have a recipe tailored to diabetic vegans out there... Blueberry Coffee Cake.


OK... here we go.

Dry Ingredients:


1 cup old fashioned oats 
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup stevia powder
 2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt


1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thaw frozen blueberries after measuring - 1 minute in the microwave should do it.)


Wet Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsweetened almond, soy or coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon canola or sesame oil


Topping:
2 tablespoons stevia powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly spray or wipe the bottom and sides of a 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.


Put the oats into a blender and grind until they are a fine oat flour. Mix the oat flour with the other dry ingredients. Stir in 1/4 cup of the blueberries.


Put the remaining cup blueberries into a blender or food processor with the water. Pulse (quickly turn on and off) to coarsely chop the blueberries, but do not completely puree.


Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in blueberry mixture and other wet ingredients. Stir until moistened and completely combined, but don't over-mix.


Pour into the prepared pan (batter will be quite thick). Mix together the sugar and cinnamon topping, and sprinkle it over the top.


Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick or fork inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool.

You'll really like it and it will be pretty safe for any diabetic Vegan on my block!

Bill Clinton... Vegan?

There's been a lot of press lately about Bill Clinton having become a Vegan. If so, that's really great. On TV today he looked pretty trim... he's lost a lot of weight (and all the fat that used to be around his neck) and seems like his energy level is pretty high.

There was also some comment that he occasionally eats fish... now, I know this throws a wrench into the Vegan definition, but I think "Bill, do the best you can... you are looking great!"

Wow! Amy's makes a soy cheese macaroni and cheese and it is great!

I'm so glad I discovered this, after reading about it in one of the Vegan mags online. This comes in single serving units and takes about six minutes in the microwave.

And it is DELICIOUS. The Soy Cheddar Cheese actually tastes like cheddar.


For people who can't tolerate soy cheese, they are also coming out with a Non Dairy Rice Mac & Cheeze that uses a non-soy, non-dairy cheese (I think it's Daiya's cheddar)... this should be on healthfood shelves soon!

UTF Type Foundry: I've started using my picture fonts to punctuate blog postings.

UTF Type Foundry: I've started using my picture fonts to punctuate blog postings.
I guess I'll start using them on Panhandle Vegan postings as well.

Goodbye High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hello Corn Sugar (Signed, Corn Industry)

This is part of a longer article in today's Huffington Post which I suggest you read in order to stay on top of the obesity problem.

Cross posted on Under The LobsterScope.

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com The makers of high fructose corn syrup want to sweeten up its image with a new name: corn sugar. The bid to rename the sweetener by the Corn Refiners Association comes as Americans' concerns about health and obesity have sent consumption of high fructose corn syrup, used in soft drinks but also in bread, cereal and other foods, to a 20-year low. The group applied Tuesday to the Food and Drug Administration to get the "corn sugar" name approved for use on food labels. They hope a new name will ease confusion about about the sweetener. Some people think it is more harmful or more likely to make them obese than sugar, perceptions for which there is little scientific evidence. Approval of the new name could take two years, but that's not stopping the industry from using the term now in advertising. Renaming products has succeeded before. For example, low eurcic acid rapeseed oil became much more popular after becoming "canola oil" in 1988. Will shoppers swallow the new name?

Read the rest HERE.

Related Articles

• Goodbye High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hello Corn Sugar (Signed, Corn Industry) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Corn Syrup Producers Want Sweeter Name: Corn Sugar (abcnews.go.com)
• A New Name for High-Fructose Corn Syrup (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Summary Box: New name for corn syrup? (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

I just read a really good analysis of McDonald's "real fruit" smoothies...

Go here and see if you can take the amount of sugar they put into this stuff:
http://spoonfulofsugarfree.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/mcdonalds-real-fruit-smoothies

If the outrageous sugar content turns you off, Alex puts some great Smoothie recipes in her article... cheaper and MUCH less sugar:

Smoothie Ideas:
~I love making smoothies all the time! They are quick and easy to bring. Just throw the ingredients in a blender, and take it to go in a cup! I make mine by putting frozen fruit (or fresh) in the blender, fill it with juice, water, milk substitute, and add other miscellaneous items like spices, extracts, or protein powder

• PiNa Colada: coconut milk, pineapple, banana
• Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry
• Strawberry Mango
• Chocolate Peanut Butter: cocoa powder (or chocolate protein powder), milk, peanut butter, banana
• All the fruit in your pantry smoothie: and add milk and juice!
• Peachy: peaches, papaya, mango, orange juice
• Orange julius: orange juice, ice, milk
• Chai smoothie: banana, milk, cinnamon, chilled chai tea

The possibilities are endless!

Sustainable Shepherdstown to show "Age of Stupid"

"The Age of Stupid," a British environmental film made in 2009, will be presented by local environmental group Sustainable Shepherdstown on Friday, September 10 at 7 p.m. at the Byrd Center Auditorium at Shepherd University. The film runs 89 minutes and is free of charge.Oscar-winning actor Pete Postlethwaite (In The Name of the Father, Brassed Off, The Usual Suspects) stars as an old man living in the devastated world of 2055 who asks: Why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance?

Runaway climate change has ravaged the planet by 2055. Pete plays the founder of The Global Archive, a storage facility located in the (now melted) Arctic, preserving all of humanity's achievements in the hope that the planet might one day be habitable again. He pulls together clips of "archive" news and documentary from 1950-2008 to build a message showing what went wrong and why. He focuses on six human stories: Alvin DuVernay, is a paleontogolist helping Shell find more oil off the coast of New Orleans. He also rescued more than 100 people after Hurricane Katrina, which, by 2055, is well known as one of the first "major climate change events". Jeh Wadia in Mumbai aims to start-up a new low-cost airline and gets a million Indians flying. Layefa Malemi lives in absolute poverty in a small village in Nigeria from which Shell extracts tens of millions of dollars worth of oil every week. She dreams of becoming a doctor, but must fish in the oil-infested waters for four years to raise the funds. Jamila Bayyoud, aged 8, is an Iraqi refugee living on the streets of Jordan after her home was destroyed - and father killed - during the US-led invasion of 2003. Piers Guy is a windfarm developer from Cornwall fighting the NIMBYs of Middle England. 82-year-old French mountain guide Fernand Pareau has witnessed his beloved Alpine glaciers melt by 150 metres.

"This is a signally important film--a very clever and very powerful reminder of exactly where we stand on this fragile, lovely planet."
Bill McKibben, Author, Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

"Think An Inconvenient Truth but with a personality."
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

Wow! Being a Vegan is paying off...

It is now the beginning of September and I am 10 months into being a Vegan... and I have lost 50 Pounds 0ff my 385 pound start (which means I've lost as much as Marie Osmond did on Nutri-System, but I am still not pretty!)

If I continue this way I should have at least 60 pounds off by the end of my first year (my ultimate goal, as folks who read my stuff know, is 150 pounds... at least another year away and probably two.)

Now it's time to increase the exercise (I can actually move around more than I could when I started. Amazing!)