Do you remember when you first learned about Native American Indians in elementary school? You may have learned, like I did, that when these tribes went hunting, they made full use of the animals they killed. They ate the meat, used the horns and feathers for tools and adornment, and made clothing and teepees from the leather. In today’s world, there’s a common misconception that our leather comes about in a similar way; that it’s simply “left over” from large scale meat production. Many people – including vegetarians, my former self included – believe that since the animal has already died, its skin will go to waste unless we manufacture it into something useful.

My name is Alexis Diaz and I run the vegan food blog Sugar Coated Vegan (you can find my blog at www.sugarcoatedvegan.tumblr.com). I veganize all different kinds of sweets and sometimes include, raw, gluten free and the occasional dish. I plan to start a new feature on my blog that includes veganizing a dish from every part of the world because I feel that other food cultures, spices and dishes should be explored more – and what better way to immerse yourself in a culture and learn about it than to try out their foods?!

By Ellen Jaffe Jones, Guest Contributor  My daughter recently said to me, “Mom , I hate to eat tomatoes at restaurants. I keep remembering how delicious and sweet the tomatoes were that we used to grow in our organic garden. Most tomatoes I taste now pale by comparison.” This was the same child who wowed

By Linda Kocsis, Guest Contributor When I was a child, I loved animals, or so I thought. When I was growing up, we always had pets: birds, fishes, hamsters, rats, hermit crabs, dogs, and many cats. I was an only child, and our pets were really a part of our small family of two humans.

It’s not news that adopting a plant-based style of eating offers a bevy of health rewards. Plant-based eaters generally have reduced cardiovascular risk, lower body mass index, and lower total mortality. But, plant-based eating is not just good for you, it’s also good for Mother Earth

Here’s how MSVA works: You come to New York City. The first response to that information is often, “Gulp!” But I look at it this way: The vision for Main Street Vegan Academy is to offer not only top-notch information, but also a life-altering experience, an experience that calls for bringing your body as well as your intellect along. New York is Disneyland for vegans

I’ve always loved mail and sharing cool things I’ve found with other people, it’s probably why I started blogging in the first place. In early 2012 I stumbled upon a foodie pen pal swap on the Lean Green Bean’s Blog, and signed up.

After participating for a few months and really enjoying it, I was still occasionally getting some non-vegan items in the swap and it got me thinking about how fun it could be to swap with people that were already vegan or already got that part of my life without a lot of explanation.

Many people become vegan all by themselves, including me. Well, do we really do it all by ourselves? I actually learned how to be a healthy vegan, and an ethical one, by reading blogs, going to vegan MeetUp events and taking cooking classes. So I guess I did get help, didn’t? I simply see coaching as a way to provide more concentrated support – even cheerleading – to people who feel a bit lost

We at DFV want to share our family tradition with our loyal readers. We’ve lined up a bunch of great presents for some of our lucky readers during our 12 Days of Christmas Celebration. We have food, t-shirts, swag and other vegan goodies to give away courtesy of some pretty cool companies, large and small with a couple of DFV goodies in there too

Have you heard? Vegans all over are celebrating CHEESE this week!

What’s the deal?

From November 1 to 7 vegan chef Miyoko and Vegan Mainstream are running an Artisan Vegan Cheese contest – it’s easy to enter, and the prizes are mouthwatering!