Author: Ginaxy

Following my meditations and imaginings through the ever-shifting lifescape. Creating my reality and celebrating existence. Growing every day. Stumbling along the way. Crying for all beings who suffer, but believing in the heart. Knowing all we need to do is feel, feel, feel. Everything else will come.
Brown hen wandering freely on green grass with yellow flowers in the background, conditions for pasture-raised eggs.

What are Pasture Raised Eggs? Benefits and Standards

by Ginaxy, posted in Animal Rights, Veggan Ethics

If you are trying to live a more conscious and ethical lifestyle, you’ve probably wondered to yourself, what are pasture raised eggs? Is there a real difference? Am I wasting my money? First off, no, you are not wasting your money. You can’t put a price tag on animal suffering, and anyone who cares about animal welfare would agree that a couple dollars more for eggs that are humanely produced is worth every penny. And, actually, many brands can be found quite affordably – you just need to know where to look. 

Also, yes, there is a major difference between pasture, conventional, cage-free and free-range eggs. So before you make your next omelet, learn about what sets the pasture raised above the rest. 

What are pasture raised eggs? 

Pasture raised eggs come from hens who are free to roam pastures, grasslands and forests, pecking for insects, seeds and grasses (their natural food) during the day. At night, they retreat to their hen houses to roost, nest and lay eggs (this also protects them against predators). While pasture-raised is not a specific certification in and of itself, it does imply that the eggs come from small family farms with large pastures for egg-laying hens.

Certified Humane and American Humane Certified, on the other hand, are official certifications that comes with a list of requirements for the production of pasture-raised eggs. To receive the Certified Humane or American Humane Certified label, the hens must be kept on a pasture 12 months of the year and there must be 2.5 acres per 1000 birds, or 108 sq. feet per bird. At night, as outlined above, the hens are kept inside. Pasture raised are the most humane of all the egg types.

Many brands have the Certified Humane or American Certified Humane label. If they don’t, it may be a smaller, local family farm that has not yet applied for this certification. If ever in doubt about the conditions of the hens at the farm you get your pasture-raised eggs from, you can always call them and ask directly for more information about the conditions for their hens. Usually, they will be thrilled to provide this information and maybe even invite you for a visit.

Pasture-raised eggs in hay with one of them cracked open to expose orange yolk.

Are pasture-raised eggs healthier? 

Yes, according to research, pasture-raised eggs are healthier than conventional eggs. In fact, a study by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has shown that pasture-raised eggs contain double the vitamin E and omega-3s. Folic acid and B12 is 70 percent more, and vitamin A is over 30 percent more in pasture raised. Plus, chickens who have had exposure to sunlight lay eggs that contain three-to-four times more vitamin D.

All these nutrients provide much-needed nourishment to the body. Omega 3’s lower blood pressure, preserve hair and skin health, improve mobility of the muscles and joints and support healthy brain function. Vitamin D strengthens the bones and muscles, boosts immunity, and helps prevent diabetes and hypertension. Vitamin B12 is essential for anemia prevention, higher energy levels and healthy hair. So, as you can see, they provide way more nutrients than conventional, which preserves whole body wellness and beauty.

Soft boiled pasture-raised eggs on toast with avocado and pomegranate.

Free range vs. pasture-raised eggs

Pasture raised 

Pasture raised eggs come from hens that are free to roam on grassy pastures year-round eating their natural diet of bugs, grasses and seeds. The hens retreat to hen houses at night for warmth and protection from predators. According to Certified Humane and American Humane Certified standards for pasture raised, hens must have 108 square feet of pasture per bird.

Free-range

Free range eggs come from hens that have approximately 2 square feet of outdoor space each for around 6 hours per day. The space usually contains a large flock of birds in an open air warehouse. The ground does not need to be comprised of living vegetation and is often dirt or concrete.

Cage-free

Cage-free eggs come from hens with no access to the outdoors. Cage free simply means, as it sounds, that they are not in cages. They are in a crowded room, building or enclosed area, with approximately 1.25 square feet of space per bird.

Caged

Caged eggs come from hens who live the entirety of their lives inside large, enclosed warehouses in battery cages that measure no more than a sheet of paper. They are unable to move or flap their wings, and there are usually multiple hens stuffed into each cage, which can cause extreme anxiety, pain and frustration.

Where to buy them

Know where to look for affordable pasture-raised eggs. You may notice if you go to your local supermarket, pasture-raised eggs are actually more expensive than in major health food stores. Conventional supermarkets price gauge a bit because there is no house brand and not much competition between pasture-raised egg brands. If you go to a place like Whole Foods, Trader Joes or even Costco, you can find a variety of brands (or at least a house-brand) and for that reason, more reasonable pricing. Here are some common stores where you can find pasture-raised eggs: 

  • Costco. Costco carries Kirkland Pasture-Raised Eggs (their house-brand) 24 for just $8.99*
  • Whole Foods. Whole Foods has their house brand 365 eggs at $4.99 a dozen. They also sell other brands like Vital Farms for $5.99 a dozen*
  • Trader Joes. Trader Joes sells them for $3.99 a dozen. My local Trader Joe’s was selling Carol’s Pasture Raised Eggs.
  • Sprouts. Sprouts sells house-brand pasture raised eggs for $4.99 a dozen*
  • Local Farmer’s Market. Head to your local weekly Farmer’s Market where farmers of the region come to sell their eggs. Prices vary but it’s great to be able to purchase right from the farmer. You can even visit a local farm.

*Prices and pasture-raised egg supplier may vary according to region and time of year. Pricing as of Winter 2021.

Hen in the hen house on hay laying pasture-raised eggs.

Conclusion

Pasture-raised eggs are most definitely the most humane and healthy egg option at the market. However, since this is not an official certification in and of itself, you are going to want to do your research to ensure the farm is meeting your ethical standards. The easy way to identify this is via the Certified Humane and American Humane Certified labels. However, you can always go a step further and contact the farm directly if you have additional questions about their practices.

Best Vegan Cheesecake: Creamiest Non-Dairy NY Cheesecake

by Ginaxy, posted in Vegan Desserts, Vegan Recipes

My dad’s and fiancé’s favorite dessert is NY-style cheesecake. So it was my special mission to make the best vegan cheesecake for the 2 most important guys in my life. I am from New York (Long Island) and somehow never had cheesecake growing up before I was vegan. I didn’t like it — give me ice cream or brownies or cannoli plz. I think cheesecake is something you like as you get older? Do kids ever like it?

Over 16 years of being vegan, I tried different vegan cheesecakes from plant-based restaurants (huge shout out to Darbster’s in South Florida for their insanely delicious non-dairy cheesecake). And learned what makes a cheesecake so delicious — a buttery graham cracker crust, a creamy, light and perfectly sweetened cake and a fresh topping to finish it off. So this Valentine’s Day I decided to go ahead and make an awesome cheesecake. And my fiancé said it was the best cheesecake he has ever had!!

Finding Ingredients

  • Vegan Cream Cheese. The key ingredient in cheesecake? Cream cheese! And luckily, vegan cream cheese is available everywhere (in the US) now. If you don’t typically make vegan desserts or purchase vegan products, don’t be intimidated, trust me you can find it. If you go to Trader Joe’s, there is a green and blue packaging for their store-brand vegan cream cheese. At Whole Foods or your local supermarket, you can find Tofutti or Kite Hill brand. I used the Trader Joe’s cream cheese and had incredible success. I would suggest one of these 3 brands for best results: 1. Trader Joe’s 2. Tofutti 3. Kite Hill (Original). I can’t vouch for other brands.
Dark blue, light blue and green packaging for Trader Joe's Vegan Cream Cheese Alternative Plain and Classic.
  • Coconut Cream. Be sure to ideally get a can of coconut cream, or if you really can’t find it you can get a can of full-fat coconut milk. Just please be sure to avoid light coconut milk. Again, Trader Joe’s is an easy spot to find this. They have a great canned coconut cream. You can also find coconut cream at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Natural Grocers and most any other natural-leaning grocery store. You may be able to find it in a typical supermarket, though it may be trickier (it’s not available in my local Von’s, for example).
  • Vegan Graham Crackers. Most graham crackers contain honey (including the ones at Trader Joe’s). If you’re vegan, this is an issue! However, Nabisco Original Graham Crackers do not contain honey. Luckily, these are pretty easy to find at any standard grocery store. If you prefer a chocolatey finish, you can use Oreos. If you want to make it gluten-free, use your favorite gluten free graham cracker or ginger cookie. I used the Nabisco Graham Crackers.
  • Vegan Butter. Again, available literally everywhere. I used Earth Balance for this and this is probably the one you’ll find too because this is the most common vegan butter brand out today. If you can find it, that would be my pick. Alternatively, you can use coconut oil if you prefer.

The rest of the ingredients are super standard that you probably already have in your home, so no need to offer tips on how to find them.

Best Vegan Cheesecake Recipe

This NY-style cheesecake is so good you would never know it’s vegan. It’s every bit as good as dairy cheesecake, but without the cholesterol or animal products. You are 1 step away from making the best vegan cheesecake for your loved ones (or just yourself, no judgment here). Best prepared the day before so it can chill overnight.

  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 hour
  • Chill time: 6 hours to overnight
  • Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

Materials needed:

  • Hand mixer or fork/whisk
  • 9-inch spring-form pan
  • Mixing bowl

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 2/3 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs
  • 7 tablespoons melted vegan butter (or melted coconut oil)
  • 1/4 cup white sugar (for the crust, I used coconut sugar to bring down the glycemic index a bit)

Cake Ingredients

  • (4) 8-ounce containers of vegan cream cheese (48 ounces). Trader Joe’s brand works great, but you may use Tofutti or Kite Hill as well.
  • (1) 13.5 ounce can of coconut cream
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

  1. Prep.
    • Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
    • Lightly grease the bottoms and sides of your 9-inch springform with vegan butter, coconut oil or baking spray.
    • Wrap the outside (outside bottom and outside sides) of the springform snugly with tin foil to prevent leakage.
  2. Crust.
    • Crumble your graham crackers until you have 1 2/3 cup. I did this by hand for that homemade touch, but you can use a food processor if you prefer.
    • Stir in melted butter and sugar until incorporated.
    • Press your mixture onto the bottom and a bit up the sides of your prepared, greased 9-inch springform pan.
    • The crust will be pretty crumbly and not overly moist. That is fine, don’t worry, it will hold together in the end.
  3. Filling.
    • Whisk all cream cheese in mixing bowl until smooth. I started with a fork then switched to handheld whisk. It took a bit of strength so yay for exercise. If you have an electric mixer with whisk or hand beaters you can use those.
    • Mix until uniform and creamy.
    • Add remaining ingredients (coconut cream, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and lemon juice)
    • Continue whisking until uniform, fluffy and totally smooth. Don’t overmix.
  4. Pour.
    • Pour your cheesecake filling evenly over the crust in the springform.
    • Make sure it is level.
  5. Bake.
    • Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes. Do not open the oven during this time.
    • When ready, it should be slightly golden on top.
    • When finished baking, turn off oven heat and let sit in the hot oven for 10 more minutes.
    • Carefully remove from oven. It will be slightly jiggly on top, that is normal. It will continue to set in the fridge.
  6. Chill.
    • First leave the cheesecake out on the counter to cool for 20 minutes, then transfer to fridge for at least 6 hours.
    • I recommend whipping this dessert up the day before and letting it chill overnight in the fridge. I placed a clean dish towel over the top while it was chilling
  7. Serve.
    • The most fun part is taking off the springform and slicing into this beautiful cheesecake.
    • Slice a generous portion, top with your favorite topping and serve.
    • It can stay out on the counter for up to an hour, after which you should put it back in the fridge to chill.

Optional Toppings

Fresh Strawberry Topping

Slice a half-cup of fresh strawberries and set aside. Place another 2 cups strawberries, quarter lemon of fresh squeeze lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons agave nectar (or sugar) in a food processor and process until smooth. Mix fresh strawberry slices in to the puree and let chill in fridge an hour or 2 before serving.

Chocolate Drizzle Topping

Mix 1 cup canned coconut milk, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup agave nectar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Bring to a simmer in pot over medium heat. Remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup of (vegan) semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted and smooth.

Fresh Blueberry Topping

Set aside half cup of fresh blueberries. Place another 2 cups of blueberries, quarter lemon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons agave nectar (or sugar) in a food processor and process until smooth. Mix fresh blueberries into the puree and let chill in fridge an hour or 2 before serving.

It’s also nice to just have these toppings on the side in cute bowls with cute lil spoons and let your guests choose which they want to put on top.

Slice of plain vegan cheesecake golden on top, graham cracker crust with rose and strawberry in background.

And that’s it! It takes a little bit of time but nothing says special occasion like an absolutely delicious homemade cheesecake. I’m so excited to make this for my next family event. I hope you enjoy the best vegan cheesecake, and please be sure to share your experience!

Person eating a veggan meal of 1 sunnyside up egg, avocado, and 2 slices of whole-grain toast.

What is a Veggan? Vegans Who Eat Eggs

by Ginaxy, posted in Veggan Ethics

Vegganism is a dietary preference that is gaining popularity. Essentially, a veggan is an ethical vegan who eats eggs due to health or other reasons. It is a diet that can be adopted by vegans needing an extra boost of nutrients, vegetarians looking to make the next step for animals, or even meat eaters wanting to say goodbye to animal cruelty but not sure they can be entirely vegan yet.

Typically, since veganism and animal ethics is at the heart of this diet, a veggan will opt for humane-certified or pasture-raised eggs, as they are more ethical than conventional, cage-free and free range. Veggan is not an official term so it is still being shaped by the people who follow this diet. I feel I am one of those people wanting to give a voice to veggans and a structure to the veggan lifestyle, and so I think it is important to lay out not only what it is, but what it can be. 

What is the difference between vegan and veggan? 

VEGAN

A vegan is someone who eats no animal products whatsoever, or in other words, plant-based products only. Vegans do not eat meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, dairy products, honey or other animal byproducts in any form. They also typically do not wear leather, suede, fur, wool, silk or other materials made from animals. People are vegan due to ethical, health and/or environmental reasons. They may also just be vegan out of general preference or distaste for animal products. 

VEGGAN

A veggan follows the same rules as vegan, however they do eat eggs. So, in other words, veggans do not eat meat, poulty, fish, milk, dairy products (ice cream, yogurt, cheese, etc), honey or other animal byproducts, but they do eat eggs. 

While some may say veggans eat eggs in any form as long as there are no other animal products, I hold that a veggan specifically and consciously eats eggs with ethical impact in mind. For that reason, a veggan would restrict themselves to pasture-raised and humane-certified eggs only, doing their research to ensure the farms they get their eggs from treat their hens with respect.

Veggan vs. Ovo-Vegetarian

Not all eggs are created equal

You might be thinking, okay, so a veggan is the same as an ovo-vegetarian. This is the distinction that I think should be made. We need to keep in mind that not all eggs are created equal. Some eggs come as a result of some of the most horrific animal torture in the industry, and others come from family farm pastures where hens can roam and live a happy life. This is an extremely important distinction to make.

Ovo-vegetarian is the general term for a person who follows a plant-based diet but eats eggs of any kind (conventional, cage free, free range, pasture raised) in any form (baked goods, restaurant omelets, etc), without regard to where and how they were produced. A veggan would ensure that their eggs are coming from humane sources, and likely be very picky and avoid eating products that contain eggs, opting for the whole eggs to be prepared at home or by a trusted source.

Since veggan is a fairly new term, again I don’t want to claim this is the law of what veggan is. But it is what I feel and sense that veggan should be. It’s the avenue that vegans who are having health issues, or vegetarians who want to take an extra stop for animal rights, are looking for.  Ethics and love for animals and their wellbeing is at the heart and soul of vegganism.

Why be veggan?

For people who are vegan, the primary reason to switch to a veggan diet is health reasons. Though not at all impossible, it can be very difficult to get all the nutrients you need on a vegan diet. Egg is sort of that miracle superfood that fills in all the gaps in an otherwise plant-based diet. Eggs contains lots of nutrients that can be a bit tricky for vegans to get enough of (vitamin D, b12, protein, iron and more).

For people who are vegetarian, vegganism is an incredible step toward better health and more conscious choices for the planet. Vegetarians are often such for animal ethics, but unfortunately the milk and dairy industry is one of the cruelest in the nation. Not only that, vegetarians tend to lean their diet heavily on cheese, milk, and other dairy products, which are actually pretty bad for your health. Going from vegetarian to veggan is a huge step to make for yourself and for the animals.

Conclusion

If you can be vegan, of course that is the ultimate. I still 100% condone a vegan diet to all and everyone. This is the least harm you can do to animals and by far the most humane decision you can make. However, for some people for whatever reason it can be difficult to give up all animal products. Vegganism is the next best thing when keeping both your health and animal welfare in mind.

I myself was vegan for 16 years and mentally, spiritually and emotionally it’s the best I ever felt. Unfortunately, physically I was not doing as well — I was losing hair, I was always tired, and overall I just didn’t look or feel healthy. Vegganism has really helped my health and I feel and look like myself again.