#VeggieDag Thursday: Quick Links for August 2014.

VeggieDag Thursday is an occasional Thursday post
on issues of an animal-free diet, ecology, and the environment.

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Quick links for August 2014

• 27 August 2014:
  The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization is drafting voluntary guidelines for "responsible investment in agriculture and food systems." Responsible investments, according to the draft guidelines, will increase "sustainable production ... of safe, nutritious, diverse, and culturally acceptable food," which is defined as "food that corresponds to individual and collective consumer demand and preferences, in line with national and international law."
  —Via NPR.


• 27 August 2014:
  Due to changes in FDA regulations, shipments to the U.S. of French Roquefort, and other blue cheeses, may diminish sharply this year.
  —Via Planet Cheese (Janet Fletcher).




• 27 August 2014:
  "Quantification of Pizza Baking Properties of Different Cheeses, and Their Correlation with Cheese Functionality," or the science of why mozzarella melts and blisters better than most other cheeses.
  —Via Journal of Food Science (as reported by NPR).


• 20 August 2014:
  Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has led to a natural gas boom. However, many local governments are attempting to limit or ban the practice due to concerns over its effect upon health and the environment, such as water contamination and increased seismic activity.
  —Via Diane Rehm Show (WAMU, Washington, D.C.).


• 17 August 2014:
  The worst drought in the California's recorded history is hitting farmers in the Central Valley hard, threatening beef cattle, and crops of fruit, vegetables, and winter wheat. Now, across California’s vital agricultural belt, nervousness over the state’s epic drought has given way to alarm. Streams and lakes have long since shriveled up in many parts of the state, and now the aquifers — always a backup source during the region’s periodic droughts — are being pumped away at rates that scientists say are both historic and unsustainable.
  —Via Washington Post.


• 14 August 2014:
  Virtually every adult on the planet consumes too much salt, Tufts University researchers have determined, with an average of 3.95 grams of sodium consumed per person per day--nearly double the two grams daily recommended by the World Health Organization. Nearly 10 percent of all deaths from cardiovascular causes --heart disease and stroke-- were attributed to excess sodium intake.
  —Via Washington Post.


• 12 August 2014:
  "A BBC poll has revealed that fewer than one in 10 Brits know when some of the UK's most well-known fruit and vegetables are in season, and supermarkets do little to help." Some reasons for (and against) 'seasonal' eating.
  —Via The Guardian.
  —Via Wise Bread, a nice rundown, month-by-month, of vegetables (and fruits) in season, in North America.


• 6 August 2014:
  The 12 'best' vegan dishes in the Washington, D.C. area, including:
  • Tempeh Panini at Busboys and Poets
  • Piyaz (Turkish bean salad) at Zaytinya
  • Vegan Linguine Puttanesca at Maple
  • Plai Moana Chien (Cambodian-style stir fried pineapple with ginger) at Doi Moi
  —As chosen by DCist.


• 3 August 2014:
  The 21 'best' vegetarian restaurants in the United States.
  (In Washington, D.C., the choice was Elizabeth's Gone Raw.)
  —As chosen by Thrillist.

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RECIPES

• The top 15 tomato-based recipes of Washington Post readers, including
  • Sweet and Sour Tomato Toast
  • Tomato, Peach, and Barley Salad
  • Tomato Mango Jam
  • Nut & Date Stuffed Tomato Dessert
  • Gazpacho Cocktail
  • Summer Tomato Soup
  • Tomato and Roasted Tofu Salad
  —Via Washington Post.


• "Elote Corn" (Mexican-style grilled corn) With Charred-Corn Mayo.
  —Via Fish Taco Restaurant, Cabin John, Maryland (in Washington Post Food).


• How to cook the 'perfect' Scottish-style oatcakes.
  —Via The Guardian.



• Reusing pickle juice.
  —Via Washington Post Food.


• Fresh Corn Griddle Cakes With Spicy Salsa.
  —Via New York Times.


• 23 vegan meals with tons of protein, including:
  • Vegan Tempeh Reuben (lunchbox.com)
  • Chickpea and Edamame Salad (motherthyme.com)
  • Seitan Panang Curry (strawberrypepper.com)
  —Via Buzzfeed (which does include links to the original source for each item in the listicle).

-----more-----

• Why the name VeggieDag Thursday? Here.
• Read all the posts: here. Follow on Twitter with hashtag: #VeggieDag.
• Suggestions and submissions from chefs, writers, and home-cooks welcomed! Contact me here.