Chapter 11: Beyond Food: Embracing the Whole Vegan Lifestyle A quick Internet search can help you find a good used instrument You’ll be saving money and the environment — and that’s music to this vegan’s ears! Cleaning up your cleaning products Cleaning products can be cruelty-free and nontoxic, which is a win-win for any vegan household! Choose your nontoxic cleaning products from companies that have taken a cruelty-free pledge Biopack, Biokleen, Seventh Generation, Shaklee, Dr Bronner’s, Citra Solv, and Green Forest are just a few vegan, cruelty-free companies that offer good cleaning products You also can make your own inexpensive, natural cleaning products at home using a few simple ingredients, including lemon juice, salt, and vinegar Here are some ways to use fresh lemon juice: ✓ Mix a paste of lemon juice and baking soda and rub onto chrome or copper Rinse off with water and then buff with a soft cloth ✓ Mix cup of fresh lemon juice with 1⁄2 cup borax for a powerful toilet cleaner that will leave a clean, natural lemon scent ✓ Get rid of lime scale on faucets and taps by rubbing with a cut lemon and then rinsing well with water ✓ To naturally bleach linens and whites, add 1⁄2 cup of strained lemon juice to the rinse cycle and hang clothes outside in the sun to dry ✓ Reduce bad odors in your fridge by storing half a lemon in it ✓ Freshen up a smelly garbage disposal by running the blades with fresh lemon rinds and water Here’s how to clean with salt: ✓ To clean your cast-iron pan, sprinkle it with salt and wipe clean Doing so helps protect the seasoned surface and ensures a more nonstick surface ✓ Sprinkle salt on fresh wine stains to absorb most of the color Wipe clean with a cloth and dab with white vinegar before washing ✓ Dabbing salt on mosquito bites takes away the itchiness Just wet the place of the bite and rub some salt in Here are some home uses for vinegar: ✓ To deodorize and unblock partially clogged drains, mix together 1⁄2 cup baking soda with 1⁄2 cup salt Pour this mixture into the drain and then pour in cup of white vinegar A foam will bubble up After an hour, flush the drain with hot water 149 150 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan ✓ Remove onion or garlic odor from your hands by wiping them with vinegar ✓ To remove the odor of smoke, paint, vomit, or alcohol, place a bowl of vinegar in the room ✓ Remove odors from older cars by leaving cups of vinegar in the car overnight Yes, you have to keep the windows rolled up Remove the bowl before driving, and repeat as often as necessary The Internet has countless “recipes” for making your own cleaning and beauty products from natural ingredients Annie B Bond’s classic book Better Basics for the Home (Three Rivers Press) is an encyclopedia of knowledge in these areas and is invaluable for anyone who wants to explore making their own products Keeping pests away in a gentle way Now that you’re beginning to clean out your coat closet of animal products, it’s time to move on to the hall closet Embracing the vegan lifestyle means holding respect in your heart for all living creatures, even bugs and mice Rather than using toxic cleaning supplies and bug sprays to keep little critters away, try using these alternatives at home: ✓ Trace an ant column back to the ants’ point of entry Set any of the following items at the entry area in a small line, which ants will not cross: cayenne pepper, citrus oil (soaked into a piece of string), lemon juice, cinnamon, or coffee grounds ✓ Purchase clove-, orange-, and mint oil-based repellents from health food stores Spray these oils at the bugs’ point of entry into your house ✓ Clean up your kitchen and living areas Sweep and mop frequently, especially where you prepare and eat food ✓ Don’t leave any food on the counters ✓ Block or build out rodents and bugs by sealing any holes and cracks in baseboards, doors, and windows ✓ Rub topical garlic oil on pets’ ears, paws, and the base of the tail to deter fleas Add raw or cooked garlic or garlic oil to pet food Part IV Tasting Is Believing: Vegan Recipes E In this part ating great food is part of the joy of living a vegan life! New tastes, techniques, and ingredients are waiting to be enjoyed These chapters offer a treasure trove of delicious, healthy meals for vegans — and their friends — to enjoy Everything you need is here: Breakfast recipes for slow, late morning brunches or for get-out-the-door-quick school and workday mornings; lunches for a crowd or for one; and dinner recipes for parties, celebrations, and quiet evenings for two I introduce a range of cooking methods as well as several gotta-have-’em vegan ingredients Chapter 12 Breakfasts of Vegan Champions In This Chapter ▶ Grabbing a fast vegan breakfast ▶ Preparing savory morning starters ▶ Fixing quick breads for a sweet breakfast B reakfast truly is the most important meal of the day Starting your day with sugary, caffeine-filled fuel dooms you to a day full of roller coaster cravings and energy crashes Eating no breakfast at all sets you up to feeling totally starved by lunch, which causes you to eat a huge meal and feel tired and bloated in the afternoon Now you know why a coffee at p.m is necessary to get you through your day! You say you don’t have time for breakfast? Well, no sweat I offer several nourishing ideas in this chapter to help you plan for success Baking some dense muffins on the weekend enables you to grab a healthy morsel on your way out the door for the early, hectic part of the week Simple, fast smoothies loaded with nutritional extras make the end of the week easier to finish Recipes in This Chapter ▶ Wake-Me-Up-Before- You-Go-Go Breakfast Smoothie ▶ Groggy Grain Breakfast Porridge ▶ Overnight Muesli ▶ Hungry Man (or Woman) Tofu Scramble ▶ Tempeh Hash ▶ Savory Breakfast Polenta Pizza with Spinach ▶ Better-Than-British Beans on Toast ▶ Cornbread Muffins ▶ Chocolate Chip Banana Bread ▶ SOD Scones (Sun-dried Tomatoes, Onion, and Dill) The beauty of vegan breakfasts is that you can make them in any array of flavors you choose, free of guilt Enjoy starting your day cruelty- and cholesterolfree with some of my favorite breakfast recipes Quick Fixes for Vegan Breakfasts Easy breakfasts can be so much more nourishing than a bowl of processed cereal or a piece of toast In one easy meal, you can get complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats (also important for longer satiety/fullness), and a variety of flavors to start your day right The quick and healthy breakfast options I share in this section can be tweaked to your liking too ... meals for vegans — and their friends — to enjoy Everything you need is here: Breakfast recipes for slow, late morning brunches or for get-out-the-door-quick school and workday mornings; lunches for. .. lunches for a crowd or for one; and dinner recipes for parties, celebrations, and quiet evenings for two I introduce a range of cooking methods as well as several gotta-have-’em vegan ingredients... animal products, it’s time to move on to the hall closet Embracing the vegan lifestyle means holding respect in your heart for all living creatures, even bugs and mice Rather than using toxic cleaning