Alicia Silverstone is a proud vegan who loves food. This recipe is featured in her book, The Kind Diet. She writes, "I adore couscous, and this is a wonderful way to prepare it. Not only is it tasty, it looks gorgeous on a big serving plate as the centerpiece of a meal. You can complement it with a simple salad or let it be the beginning of a feast that includes soup, hummus, and veggies. This recipe serves six, but you can halve it or just make a big batch and keep leftovers in the fridge."

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into ¼"  to ½" cubes
2 cups yellow onion, large dice
1 ½  cups carrots, cut into ¼"  to½" cubes
1 ½  cups zucchini, cut into ¾" cubes
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
1 ½  tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 ½  cups vegetable broth
2 Tbs. vegan margarine
¼ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. saffron threads
1 ½ cups whole wheat couscous
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Directions:

1. Place squash, onion, carrots, and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, 1 tsp.of salt, and 1 tsp. of pepper.
2. Roast for 25 - 30 minutes at 375 degrees, turning once with a spatula midway through.
3. While vegetables roast, bring vegetable broth to a boil in saucepan.
4. Remove pan from heat, and stir in margarine, remaining 1/2 tsp pepper, cumin, saffron, and salt to taste; cover pan and steep for 15 minutes.
5. Put roasted vegetables and their juices into a large bowl, and add couscous.
6. Bring vegetable broth back to a boil, and pour over couscous mixture all at once; cover tightly with a plate and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
7. Add scallions, toss couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve.
   

Find this and more of Alicia Siverstone's recipes in her new book, The Kind Diet!

 

Whether you’d like to drop a few pounds, boost your energy, or maybe save the world, Alicia Silverstone has a book that will empower you. In The Kind Diet, Alicia extols the benefits of a vegan diet, from effortless weight loss to clear skin and off-the-chart energy as well as smooth digestion. She introduces irresistibly delicious recipes and addresses nutritional concerns, from protein to calcium and beyond.

"When was the last time doing something wonderful for yourself actually had amazing benefits for everyone else around you?" Alicia asks. Try these recipes, and you’ll experience what she's talking about.

To purchase Alicia's book or find out more about it, click here!

A vegan diet fights heart disease, America’s number one killer. According to a scientific review in October’s American Journal of Cardiology, diets rich in nuts, soy and fiber cut cholesterol more than other dietary approaches used to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers examined 27 previously published scientific studies, finding that individuals following a vegan diet combined with nuts, soy, and fiber experienced the greatest reduction in risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This includes up to a 35 percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Dietary interventions that included small amounts of lean meat were less effective at reducing total cholesterol or preventing a cardiac event.

In the U.S., diseases related to high cholesterol account for more than 885,000 deaths and cost $634.2 billion annually. Lead researcher Dr. Ferdowsian concluded, “Heart-healthy plant-based diets could dramatically reduce spending on cholesterol-lowering drugs, cardiac surgery, and blood pressure medication.”

To read the full article, visit www.PCRM.org!

Luna Foxx truly inspires compassion. A vegetarian for years, she became vegan after attending the Animal Rights 2008 National Conference where she learned more about the cruelties involved with raising animals for food. Luna soon began to feel that being vegan wasn’t enough. She kept imagining animals suffering in laboratories, on factory and fur farms and in slaughterhouses; she wanted others to be aware that all animals feel pain and deserve to live. So she made her car a billboard for animal rights with bumper stickers collected at the conference. She explains, "Now wherever I go, someone, somewhere will read something about animals.”

Luna also raises awareness on her college campus by proposing vegan options for the school cafeteria and working to provide humane alternatives to dissection. She even motivated school clubs to participate in outreach campaigns such as the Great American Meatout and the recent World Farm Animals Day.

"Sometimes it's just the little things we do here and there that can make a difference,” Luna says. “We should never silence ourselves in regards to their suffering because, to the world you are one person but to one animal, you are the world.”

Check out the World Farm Animals Day 2009 Report with photos and videos!

 

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