Order a Carlos Falchi faux
python bag from Target

Attention all fashionistas: Get yourself to Target and get your hands on a little piece of designer heaven that won’t cost you an arm and a leg … or cost snakes their lives. Just in time for the holiday-party and gift-giving season, Target stores will be carrying a super-cool, ultra-affordable line of fake python handbags by designer Carlos Falchi.

They come in fun colors like plum and teal, as well as the standard neutrals, and they range in size from compact evening clutches to larger bags to fit everything you need for a long day downtown. With prices at $49.99 or less, you can get one of each! These fab fakes are a lot more fun than walking around with the hides of snakes who were skinned alive hanging on your shoulder, if you ask me. It’s so easy to find affordable, nice fakes these days, so there’s really no excuse for buying the real (cruel, dead) thing.

We’d love to hear about other great fakes and where you found them—tell us in the comments!

Make a vegan green bean casserole

Many of us are thankful for animals every day and choose not to include them on our plates each day of the year. Around the holidays, however, we are given the extra opportunity to let our compassion shine through via tasty vegan recipes that inspire our loved ones to extend their circle of compassion too.

One of the nicest (and sneakiest) ways that you can show others how fantastic vegan food is, is to offer to prepare the Thanksgiving meal—or at least some of it. The following are the top five recipe cheats that help to veganize many a traditional holiday dish:

1) Vegetable broth. If your family tends to use chicken stock for everything, vegetable broth is a simple substitution that costs about the same and comes in boxes or cubes and can act just like chicken broth.

2) Vegan margarine. Spreads like Smart Balance® 37% Light Buttery Spread are the perfect substitute for cholesterol-laden butter. Just use it exactly the same as you would butter in all your cooking.

3) Plain soy milk. For recipes that call for milk, you can just use the exact same amount of soy milk to replace the milk.

4) Silken tofu. You might not expect your Uncle Bill to enjoy tofu, but hidden inside a pumpkin pie, it just might not seem so scary after all.

5) Just make a vegan green bean casserole. This isn’t an ingredient per se, but it is a secret weapon that helps to ensure a magical Thanksgiving dining experience for all. Woo them with this veganized recipe for the classic holiday dish.

For even more ideas on creating your compassionate holiday feast, check out these recipes and also this list of items of more instant versions (like premade gravy) at your local grocery store. Don’t forget to include a yummy faux turkey to complete your masterpiece!

Got a great vegan Thanksgiving tip? Post a comment!

Make your own
peanut butter cookies

The season of eating is rapidly approaching, and if you have a lot of cooking and baking planned this year, make plans now to do something better for animals and your body: Dump the dairy.

Thinking of baking up a batch of cookies for your sweet Aunt Sue? Instead of traditional butter-laden bites, give her the gift of no cholesterol instead! Replacing the dairy in your favorite recipes is easy. There is no fumbling around with complicated concoctions, and you don’t need to throw out all your favorite recipes or anything. You just need to clean up their act with a little vegan inspiration:

• Try substituting plain soy milk for recipes that call for milk. You can just use the exact same amount of soymilk to replace the milk that it calls for.

• If it’s buttermilk that you need, simply add one tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to one cup plain soymilk. The result will be a thicker, sour type soymilk.

• To replace butter, try a spread, like Smart Balance® 37% Light Buttery Spread. Just use it exactly the same as you would butter.

• To replace eggs, you can use things that you might already have on hand, like soft tofu or mashed potatoes. Check out this list of simple egg replacements.

Easy peasy, right? Now that you are ready to veganize your baking, need more inspiration? Search for recipes on the Veg Cooking Blog.

Got a good vegan-baking tip to share? Post a comment!

Woman’s Day / cc

As if the H1N1 flu (aka “swine flu”) weren’t evil enough, it now turns out that if you get sick with the flu, you could pass it along to your animal companions. A cat in Iowa recently made the news after testing positive for H1N1—the first time a cat has been diagnosed with the virus. Two of the cat’s three human companions had been sick with the flu before the kitty started showing symptoms.

So what can you do to avoid infecting Max and Mittens if you’re feeling ill? Basically, use the same precautions you would take to prevent spreading your germs to any family member. In case you need a refresher, here are some tips:

• Don’t cough or sneeze on your animals—cover your mouth with a tissue or the crook of your arm.

• Wash your hands frequently.

• Don’t share eating utensils with your animals (e.g., no letting Lulu lap up the rest of your veggie soup until you’re healthy again).

• Limit contact with your animal companions (e.g., hold off on the doggy kisses), but be sure not to ignore or neglect them. Enlist a healthy friend or family member, if necessary, to play with, walk, and cuddle your animals for a few days until you’re no longer contagious.

• Closely monitor your animal companions’ health. If they show any signs of the flu—such as lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, runny nose and/or eyes, sneezing, coughing, or changes in breathing—get them to the vet, pronto.

• For more tips on protecting your animal companions from H1N1, visit the American Veterinary Medical Association’s site.

Of course, the most effective way to protect your loved ones from H1N1 is to avoid getting the virus in the first place. My advice? Fight back against the cruel factory farming industry, which breeds H1N1 and other diseases, by going vegan!

serenityassistedliving / cc

It can be quite easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the busy holiday season, and what should be the season of giving turns into the season of fighting over parking spaces and standing in long checkout lines at the mall.

While many of us are fortunate enough to have a few spare dollars to participate in gift exchanges and delicious vegan holiday meals, many of us are still feeling the pinch of the economy and struggling to keep the bare necessities for our families.

One of the most valuable things that you can give to someone is your attention, so why not give some to those who need it most? You don’t have to go far out of your way to share with others. Check out the following suggestions:

• Most food banks welcome gifts of canned goods that can be used for holiday meals. Take up a collection of vegan items like canned sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetable broth, or pre-packaged vegan stuffing and drop it off.

• When making your own Thanksgiving dinner, bake an extra vegan pie or two and drop them off at a homeless shelter or church that might be offering free meals. If you have the time, why not stay and lend a hand with some dishes or even stick around and visit with patrons who might enjoy some nice conversation?

• Have a neighbor who lives far away from family and friends? Extend an invitation to them to come over and have some vegan green bean casserole.

• Visit a nearby nursing home and help spread some holiday cheer by dropping off flowers to patients who don’t have any visitors.

Giving is what this time of year is all about, and there is no greater gift that we can give than what is inside of us: our compassion.

With good-enough-to-eat ingredients and scents that revitalize and soothe, Pharmacopia body-care products are just what the doctor ordered to make your skin—and spirit—glow. Now, we are giving five lucky winners the chance to get a prize pack for free!

Lovingly crafted from organic, plant-based ingredients including essential oils, extra-virgin olive oil, chamomile flowers, sea algae, shea butter, and more, Pharmacopia’s hand creams, massage oils, body lotions, soaps, body washes, elixirs, and other products reflect the company’s belief that what you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it.

What won’t you find in Pharmacopia products? Nasty things like artificial colors, fillers, fragrances, synthetics, parabens, and animal-derived ingredients. That’s right—all of Pharmacopia’s products are entirely vegan! Best of all, Pharmacopia never, ever tests its products on animals. The company’s beautiful, hand-designed packages—which are inspired by 19th century apothecaries and herb stores in France—proudly feature PETA’s cruelty-free and vegan bunny logo.

To celebrate Pharmacopia’s kindness to animals, we’ve teamed up with the company to give five lucky winners a prize package, including Ginger Body Wash, Ginger Bath Salts, and Ginger Hand Cream—a $51 value! Just fill out the form below by November 23 to be entered in the running, and if you’re a winner, we’ll notify you by December 1. Good luck!

Order a free copy today!

The following post is a guest post by PETA celebrity marketing coordinator Lauren Gordon.

You can catch Kelly Carlson on TV’s hot dramas Nip/Tuck and Melrose Place—and now she can also be found in your pocket! Kelly is the latest face to grace the cover of PETA’s cruelty-free shopping guide and encourages consumers to buy only products that have not been smeared in rabbits’ eyes, injected into mice, or force-fed to guinea pigs.

Each year, millions of animals are forced to undergo excruciatingly painful testing to evaluate consumer products. These tests are barbaric and unreliable. Plus, there are effective alternatives that don’t involve hurting animals. Buying products from only cruelty-free companies saves the lives of animals while sending a strong message to government and companies that animal testing is wrong and unnecessary.

Stash PETA’s cruelty-free shopping guide in your pocket or toss it into your purse before heading to the store. With so many great companies inside, being beautiful is a snap!

Order a free copy of the pocket-sized 2010 Shopping Guide for Caring Consumers here. For more information, please visit CaringConsumer.com.

Wishbones have always been pretty bizarre. I mean, how exactly are your heartfelt wishes all supposed to come true by splitting a greasy bone that you pulled out of the dead animal lying on your table? And, after all, wouldn’t the turkey have wished not to be eaten?

Well, the folks over at Lucky Break Wishbone seem to realize that there are a lot of vegan wishes out there waiting to come true. Thus, they have created a wishbone that is most definitely vegan-friendly—the wishbones are completely synthetic.

So, now there is a cruelty-free option for all of you who still want to take part in this tradition. Just think—by using these wishbones, you can make all sorts of wishes about better treatment for animals.

You could even stick one in the middle of your Tofurky (just make sure no one tries to eat it!). Both the packaging and the wishbones themselves are recyclable and made in the USA.

Enter to Win!
We’re giving three “lucky” people the chance to win a pack of 10 of the wishbones. To win, post a comment below with a wish that you have for animals! (Don’t worry―the whole saying it out loud thing doesn’t really apply, since you are typing it.)

This contest ends on November 13, 2009, and the winners will be chosen and notified the same day. You should also be sure to read the contest terms and conditions and PETA’s privacy policy before you comment—you’re acknowledging that you have read and agreed to both by leaving a comment.

This contest has now ended.

peta2Flickr / cc

While there’s an obvious flaw in this competition, since Isaiah is disqualified from entry (nepotism, schmepotism), you should still check out PETA Kids’ Cutest Vegetarian Kid Contest and vote for your favorite tyke.

In addition to being pretty freakin’ cute, these kids have all gotten an early start on animal advocacy, from sharing vegan food with their friends to saving cicadas to sponsoring rescued animals at local sanctuaries. Read all about them at PETAKids.com and vote, then consider following in their considerable footsteps by taking a night off from SYTYCD and organizing a demonstration, joining PETA’s Action Team, or drafting a couple of letters to animal abusers.

K9 Magazine / cc

According to a recent poll conducted by the Associated Press and Petside.com, the majority of animal guardians said they wouldn’t hesitate to perform CPR on their cats or dogs to save their animals’ lives. But the same poll found that most people overlook an equally important way to protect their beloved companions: having an emergency evacuation plan that includes their animals.

Our animal companions are helpless against hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. Who could forget the images of terrified and dehydrated dogs and cats stranded on rooftops, clinging to trees, and frantically treading water after Hurricane Katrina? Please don’t let your animals end up like this. Make an emergency plan for your animals now, using the following tips:

• Never leave animals behind in an evacuation. You may not be able to return home for weeks, leaving animals stranded without food or water.

•Check with hotels, relatives, and friends to see if you and your animals can stay there until the emergency is over. Many hotels waive “no animals allowed” policies during emergencies.

•Make sure animals are current on vaccinations and are wearing collars with identification tags. Pack leashes, bowls, towels, blankets, litter pans, litter, and at least a week’s supply of food and medications.

•If you have no choice but to leave your companions behind, leave them indoors, with access to upper floors and at least 10 days’ worth of dry food and water. Fill sinks and multiple containers with water. Place signs in windows and on the front door indicating how many and what kind of animals are inside—rescue teams may be able to save them.

TVs, couches, and even homes are replaceable, but best friends aren’t. Please, plan ahead. Visit our page on protecting animals in emergencies for more tips. And to be an even more prepared animal guardian, check with your local Red Cross chapter about companion animal first aid and CPR classes!