Yes! It’s our best giveaway ever! Vaute has a new membership program, [love, Vaute], and to celebrate, we are giving away a three month membership! That means up to six Vaute tops for our lucky winner!

[love, Vaute] was created because, as you may already know, new Vaute stuff sells out so fast! So to reward their best customers, you can now get a membership that gives you a nice discount PLUS first dibs on new shirts before they go public! And there will be brand new designs launched each month, including two dedicated to Vaute’s favorite nonprofits.

This month’s top, benefiting Born Free!

Let me explain the program. You sign up for one of three options: a monthly subscription (two tanks or tees OR one long-sleeve shirt a month), a year-long subscription of new tops each month, or a 10-pack of tops to choose over a year. Like I said, when new designs come out, you will get first dibs before they go public. You’ll have a week to pick your tops (or they will pick for you if you want!) before they go on sale for everybody. 

After you sign up for one of the three membership plans, you take the membership quiz, this helps inform future designs or what they select for you if you don’t want to choose your own. Then, every month when the new designs come out, Vaute will email you a link to the pre-sale store and you get to pick your monthly designs! FUN TIMES!

Leanne designed this top for Earth Day New York and their kids organic garden program: Lettuce Grow a Beautiful World!

Ok down to the giveaway! Vegansaurus is giving away a THREE-month [love, Vaute] membership! That means early access to choose free tops (two tanks or tees OR one long sleeve a month) for three whole months!

To win! Answer one or both of these questions:

1. What sold-out top would you like Vaute to bring back most and why?
2. What specific animal or nonprofit would you like Vaute to create a design for in the next few months, and why?

Leave your answer in the comments on this post and we will pick a winner by 5 p.m. EST next Tuesday, May 27! We will email the winner Tuesday/Wednesday. 

UPDATE: It’s open internationally! Yay!

Guys, this is so exciting. I want to enter! But I won’t. But you guys can! Ok, go!

Today’s Teaching Tuesday topic is something I love and can’t get enough of: nutritional yeast (aka nooche)!

I always get asked about nutritional yeast (especially what it tastes like), so hopefully you’ll find this little “lesson” helpful.

And if you’re still not sure about it, give nooche a chance 😉

(Image source)

What IS nutritional yeast?

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast and is dairy & gluten free. It is a complete protein, and has a good source of vitamins. Most brands are also fortified with B-12.

What does it taste like?

It has a cheesy, nutty flavor! It took me several times before I got used to it; I thought it was smelly. Now I can’t stay away from it!

What brands do you use?

The only food I’m brand specific about is nutritional yeast (some brands are gross). I’ll only use Braggs or Red Star, even if it means having to order it online (like at bulkfoods.com).

How can I use nutritional yeast?

Nutritional yeast is commonly used in vegan recipes to replace a cheese taste. For example, I use it the Baked Shells & Cheese (The Happy Herbivore Cookbook), Grilled Cheeze (Everyday Happy Herbivore), Asparagus Quiche (Happy Herbivore Abroad), and the “Cheese” Ball (Happy Herbivore Light & Lean). I also use it in my tofu scramble and even like it sprinkled on popcorn!

Can I substitute it for active yeast?

Active yeast and nutritional yeast are completely different products that are used for two different things. When people ask me if they can swap out the two and use them interchangeably, I always have to tell them no because the results in whatever they’re making will come out completely different! Active yeast works as a leavening agent in breads and other baked goods. It’s primarily used to make your baked goods rise and add fluff to a piece of bread or a cinnamon roll. Active yeast can come in a jar, or it can come in little envelopes found in the baking aisle of your grocery store.

Do you like nutritional yeast?

“You see, Rodya, to my thinking, the great thing for getting on in the world is always to keep to the seasons; if you don’t insist on having asparagus in January, you keep your money in your purse.”
-Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

Like any normal person, I didn’t like asparagus as a child. But in my old age, I’m a big fan! And not only is it yummy, it’s a good source of calcium, iron, riboflavin, potassium, dietary fiber, protein, and vitamins A, C, E, K, and B6. Yowza! I hear it’s also high in antioxidants. You go, asparagus!

So I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when I got to the Carroll Gardens Green Market yesterday and saw bunches of asparagus at my favorite farm stand! It’s asparagus season again! Huzzah! I got me a nice little bunch. 

Once I got it home, I boiled it quick-like and dipped it in some Just Mayo and I called it a day. But I want to make something super cool next week! So I looked up some recipes and thought I’d share them with you guys. 

First up is a delicious looking alfredo pizza with roasted asparagus by Vegan Miam! It uses Victoria Vegan Alfredo sauce so it’d be super easy peasy. And it has beer in the crust or something! BEER!

Well look at this! SO PRETTY. It’s an asparagus and beetroot tartlet from Flavour Photos! And according to the blog, asparagus season (in the UK) starts on Shakespeare’s bday! How lovely. 

Helloooo, nurse! I would tear up this asparagus and sundried tomato quiche. From the Sweet Life Online! Gimme!

Next, for something super hearty, we have a lovely asparagus portobello risotto from our favorite food genius Vegan Yack Attack!

Here we have kale, asparagus, and chickpea pesto from Munchin with Munchkin. I could eat this maybe every day? I accept that challenge! 

Finally, if you need any tips picking the best asparagus bunch, our omni BFF Jerry James Stone has made this lovely video for you: 

So these are all the recipes I want to try! How about you guys?! Any recommendations for me?

Austin Stewart, an assistant professor in Iowa State University’s College of Design, is getting a lot of attention for his recent project Second Livestock. The project proposes fitting factory farmed hens with devices to give them a “virtual free range” experience. Apparently it’s a joke, or rather a “social experiment” as sites like TechCrunch are calling it. Stewart did an interview with the Ames Tribune on the project, stating, “The goal of the project is to raise that question of how do we know what’s best, or what is humane treatment, and also to look at how we treat ourselves. We’re living in these little boxes, just like chickens.”

I can’t tell if he’s trying to sound dumb or if they just aren’t going about quoting him very well. But the Second Lifestock site is very thought-out, so I wonder if he’s not just fucking with his interviewer to keep the whole thing vague. I suspect, or hope, that the project is actually a satire of the lengths people will go to to maintain industrial farming. However, at the moment, Stewart doesn’t shed much light on the realities of factory farming. Maybe that’s to come?

What are your thoughts? 

Beagle Freedom Project has come out with a new video of recently rescued lab beagles experiencing freedom for the first time. As the video says, no one knew how they would react to each other. But as you can see when you watch, they are total BFFs!

If you don’t already know, beagles are the most common dog used in animal testing. The heartbreaking reason is that they are so docile. So tragic. 

If you haven’t seen the 2011 Beagle Freedom Project vid, YOU MUST WATCH IT IMMEDIATELY:

via The Dodo!

Donate to the Beagle Freedom Project here!