Fifth Annual Twin Cities Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Potluck

It's that time of year. Sweet smells of cranberry jelly, mouthwatering vegan pumpkin pie, and savory Tofurky.

Enjoy delicious, animal-friendly food with fun people at CAA's Fifth Annual Twin Cities Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Potluck. Last year's feast was a smashing success, with over a hundred hungry attendees, so mark your calendars and invite all your friends and family! Prepare yourself for delicious food, fun games, and good music.

Although some food will be provided, this is a potluck, so be sure to bring a vegetarian or vegan dish/drink that has five to eight servings! If you are unable to bring food or drink, please consider making a small donation to help us cover the cost of the extra food.

Time: Saturday, November 17, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Luxton Community Park, 112 Williams Ave. SE, Prospect Park neighborhood of Minneapolis

Luxton Community Park is within walking distance of the East Bank University of Minnesota campus and right off of highway I-94. There will be free parking in the park's lot and surrounding residential neighborhood

Reminder: November Book Club

While there are many books available on how to become vegetarian or vegan, Living Among Meat Eaters by Carol J. Adams addresses communicating with those who have not yet adopted compassionate food choices. Often, dealing with the omnivores in our lives is more difficult than becoming vegan or vegetarian ever was! At times, vegetarians may become the target of unsolicited comments ranging from gentle teasing to outright hostility.

The author understands that eating is a complex emotional issue influenced by culture, family, and politics—and that when food choices clash, mealtimes are not always harmonious. Adams offers practical advice to improve the quality of vegetarians’ interactions with omnivores in both casual and business meal settings. The final pages of the book provide over 50 vegetarian recipes to convince even the most devout meat eaters that a vegetarian or vegan life is not one of deprivation.

This book is available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Hennepin and Ramsey county libraries, as well as CAA's library. Anyone is welcome to attend the book-club meeting, wherever you are in the book or if you just want to join in the conversation.

If you would like to join CAA's book club or have questions, please contact Suzy at suzy@exploreveg.org.

Next Book Club Meeting:

Time: Wednesday, November 7, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Common Roots Cafe, 2558 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis
Book: Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian’s Survival Handbook by Carol J. Adams

Action Alert: California Farmed Animals Need Your Help!

An important and precedent-setting ballot initiative campaign is under way in California to ban the cruelest confinement systems in the veal, egg, and pork industries. California animal advocates are working hard to gather the required 650,000 signatures to get this measure on the November 2008 ballot. Since there are only five short months in which to gather these signatures, your help is urgently needed today!

If you live in California, please volunteer to help collect signatures for this important campaign. Visit HumaneCalifornia.org to learn more! If you’re not a California resident, but know others who are, please pass on this alert and refer them to the web site.

Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Try this animal-free version of a holiday favorite: pumpkin pie! This is an easy recipe and will go over well at any holiday gathering—perhaps CAA's upcoming Thanksgiving potluck!

Enjoy the recipe here.