• Miley Cyrus Helps Push Horse-Drawn Carriage Petition Over 100,000 Signatures

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    It seems like Miley Cyrus' actions for animals are never-ending. This week, she asked her fans to help get horses suffering in the horse-drawn carriage industry off New York's streets, tweeting, "NYC is just 761 signatures shy of 100,000 petition goal to #FreeTheHorsesNYC! Sign @NYCLASS petition at StopHorseAbuse.com." Miley's fans' signatures pushed the New Yorkers for Clean, Safe, and Livable Streets petition well above the 100,000 that the group needed. And Miley and her mother, Tish, gushed about their gratefulness to their Twitter followers.

    Jason Mraz was likely grateful for all the help that he got from his Twitter followers, too. When he tweeted asking where to find the best vegan eats in Sydney, Australia, PETA and Jason's fans were quick to respond with some yummy suggestions.

    And Miley and Jason aren't the only sexy stars whose tweets we've been eyeing this week:

    We also caught a glimpse of yet another sweet quote from one of our Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity alums, Carrie Underwood. When The Guardian asked her about growing up on a cattle farm in Oklahoma, she answered, "The worst part of the year for me was when we took some off to sell, because they would cry for each other for a couple of days. That's why I don't eat meat."

    Ricki Lake has been inspired to embrace plants, too. She is reportedly enjoying more vegan meals after watching Forks Over Knives. PETA sent her some love in the form of a vegetarian/vegan starter kit, Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet, and our meat industry exposé "Glass Walls," narrated by Paul McCartney.

    Ricki's timing couldn't have been better, since this week marked Meatout 2013. Nikita's Maggie Q was in full celebration mode, encouraging all her Twitter followers to "[t]ry it!!!" 

    Sam Simon joined in, challenging his friend, radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, to watch "Glass Walls" and go vegan for one week. Sam asked PETA for help, so we sent "Lettuce Lady" Lindsay Rajt, associate director of campaigns, to Tampa, Florida, to help Bubba with the transition and to appear on his show all week to talk about it. Bubba says that he's enjoying the challenge and has a newfound love for vegan biscuits with meat-free gravy and rice milk.

    While the shock jock is warming up to faux food, Shania Twain's faux fur is keeping her warm. Her new show in Las Vegas features "dazzling costumes," including only faux fur, of course.

    And while Shania makes her point to the card sharks, Kyle Chandler is helping those other sharks. Alongside his daughter, Sawyer, he attended Humane Lobby Day in Austin, Texas, in support of a proposed bill that would ban shark-finning

    To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter

  • A Chicky for Ricky: PETA Pays Meatout Tribute to Ricky Martin

    Written by Jeff Mackey

    How delighted was PETA when musical sensation Ricky Martin announced that he's been enjoying vegetarian meals? So much so that we've sponsored a rescued chicken in his honor at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary—just in time for The Great American Meatout today, a day when everyone is encouraged to enjoy healthful and humane vegan foods.

    © StarMaxInc.com

    Of course, we encourage folks to do that year-round, and we're jubilant when people decide to make plant-based foods a regular part of their lives—even if they haven't recently been voted Broadway's Sexiest Man Alive or sold 60 million albums worldwide.

    You, too, can pay tribute to animals and help alleviate their suffering by choosing healthful, humane vegan foods. Make every day a "meatout" and order a free vegan starter kit today! 

  • A National Pig Day Reminder: The 'Humane Meat' Myth

    Written by Jeff Mackey

    Whether the new month is coming in like a lion or a lamb, March 1 is National Pig Day, which, according to its cofounder, has been set aside "to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place" as a smart and social animal. George Clooney and his dear departed companion pig would agree.

    And while there are plenty of great ways to celebrate our curly-tailed pals, none of them involves eating pork. Pigs raised and killed for meat spend their entire lives in cramped, filthy warehouses under the constant stress of intense confinement and are denied everything that is natural and important to them before being violently slaughtered.

    Now, some folks would like you to believe that you can have your (nonfakin') bacon and a clear conscience, too—but that's a bigger load of, um, manure than even a factory farm generates. Long story short: There is no such thing as "humane meat."

    But here's PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk to explain that (and read a cute poem):

    The good news is that March is also the month for the annual observance of Meatout, so there's no better time than right now to kick the cruelty habit in favor of healthy and humane vegan foods—and PETA can help you get started

  • Governor on Michigan Meatout: It's On!

    Written by PETA

    I can't think of a better way to ring in spring than to make like a garden and go green—which is why I'm stoked for tomorrow's Meatout.

     

    veggies

     

    This year marks the 25th anniversary of the nationwide celebration of cruelty-free eating, and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has gone the extra mile by officially designating tomorrow Michigan Meatout Day and encouraging all the state's residents "to choose not to eat meat." Her humane declaration has members of the state's cattle, meat, and dairy industries up in arms, calling on the governor to end Michigan Meatout.

    Not one to let bullies push her around, Granholm has stuck by her proclamation to promote a healthy, kind, and environmentally conscious diet. While Granholm puts the uber in "gubernatorial," tell us how you plan to bring tomorrow's festivities to your community.

    Written by Logan Scherer

  • Meatout Mock Crab Cakes

    Written by PETA

    Amy from the VegCooking blog here. It's that time of the year again for The Great American Meatout—the annual grassroots diet education campaign. Supporters worldwide donate a little of their time to educate the public about delicious vegan cuisine by giving speeches, leafleting, providing food samples, and giving cooking demonstrations. This is exactly where I come in.

    I'm confident in saying that I am more of a food expert than Jack, who has admitted to making the same meal for dinner every night for months at a time, which is why I'm here to share a Meatout recipe with you. Trust me, you should be happy it's me and not Jack. He would tell you to open a container of store-bought guacamole and just call it a day.

    Since the goal of this day is to encourage meat-eaters to kick that nasty habit (and take the pledge to be veg), I think it's the perfect time to feature a faux-meat recipe. Sure, there are many great products you can buy from the store that require little to no preparation (a few good ones to try are the Morningstar Farms Meal Starters, Boca Chik'n Patties, and Tofurky slices), but if you want to put in a little extra effort—which might be all that's needed to convince your loved ones that they, too, can go veg—try this recipe below for mock crab cakes served up on toasted crostini and topped with a little lemon-dill mayo. Yum.

    When your loved ones are done eating, and in awe of how fantastic vegan food can be, don't forget to ask them to take the pledge to be veg.

    Amy

    mock_crab_cake.jpgMock Crab Cakes With Lemon-Dill Mayo

    For the Cakes:
    1/2 cup finely diced onions
    1/4 cup finely diced carrots
    Oil for sautéing
    2 tsp. minced garlic
    2 lbs. firm tofu, crumbled
    1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
    1/4 cup nutritional yeast
    1/8 cup dry white wine
    1 Tbsp. salt
    1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
    Juice of 1 lime

    • Sauté the onions and carrots in a little oil until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes.
    • Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Let cool completely.
    • Add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Let cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
    For the Old Bay Breading:2 cups panko bread crumbs3 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning2 tsp. kosher salt1 1/2 tsp. pepper
    • Pulse the panko bread crumbs briefly in a food processor to form a medium-grain crumb.
    • Add the Old Bay, salt, and pepper and mix well.
    To Assemble:Tofu mixtureOld Bay breadingOil for sautéing 1 BaguetteOlive oil for brushingLemon-dill mayo (see recipe below)Dill for garnish (optional)
    • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
    • Form the tofu mixture into 1 1/2-oz. cakes. Dredge the cakes in the breading mix, being certain to cover all surfaces completely.
    • Sauté the cakes in a little oil over medium heat in a large, flat-bottomed pan for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy.
    • Slice the baguette on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices, then brush each side with olive oil.
    • Bake the baguette slices for 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to toast completely. Remove from the oven.
    • Top each crostini with one tofu cake, a dollop of lemon-dill mayo, and dill garnish, if desired.
    Lemon-Dill Mayo1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (try Vegenaise)1 tsp. grated lemon rind 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice1/2 tsp. dried dill weed1/4 tsp. garlic powder1/4 tsp. hot sauce (optional)
    • Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until just combined. Chill until serving.


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If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2. 

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Chicken Photo: © Rommel Manuel