AR-News: live on-line today: The Joy of Being Vegan

[Mary Finelli]

Noon EST (U.S.) on http://www.GoVegan.org and http://www.KPFT.org


                          The Joy of Being Vegan:
                    sharing recipes and stories

                      with special guests
                            vegan chefs and role models

                 Shirley Wilkes Johnson

                     and Ben Johnson

                     Go Vegan Texas!

            Monday at 11am (CDT) on KPFT
    90.1 FM-Houston and 89.5 FM-Galveston





"In my path of being vegan, my body, mind, heart, and spirit have all healed 
and grown stronger. And the incredible joy I receive from knowing that I am 
lessening my impact on this beautiful planet fulfills me in ways that a meat 
and dairy diet never could and never will."
                                        --- Julia Butterfly Hill, 
environmental activist,
                                              author, One Makes the 
Difference

"Many people have a serious vitamin deficiency, a deficiency of Vitamin J 
--- J for the joy of being vegan. I see the world, slowly but surely, 
turning vegan and  embracing this joy.  Welcome to Paradise, when we all 
do..."
                                              --- Shirley Wilkes Johnson
                                                    vegan chef and cooking 
instructor

" I take great joy from growing my own herbs, fruits and vegetables, from 
walking out the back door and picking a container of lemon peppers, or 
turning over the black soil in the compost and seeing the earthworms diving 
around happily...knowing  they will be nourishing the earth in some part of 
our garden."
                                        ---Ben Johnson, veganic gardener
                                            vegan recipe innovator

"Our food is celebration.  To the uninitiated, cooking vegan may sound like 
it means following  a lot of restrictions, but within those boundaries, 
there is an infinite world of flavors and influences. Our food is exciting 
because we pay as much attention to flavor, texture,  and visual appeal as 
we do to the food's healthful qualities."
                                        --- Eric Tucker, chef
                                             Millennium Restaurant, San 
Francisco and co-author
                                             The Millennium Cookbook


Shirlely Wilkes Johson and Ben Johnson, our special guests today on Go Vegan 
Texas! are a husband and wife team, soul mates true and true, and role 
models for the joy of living and following a vegan lifestyle.

Shirley stopped eating animals in 1961 and Ben went vegetarian in 1967, six 
months after they married.  When they first met,  Ben was a hunter.  They 
will talk candidly about how that affected  their relationship and the many  
challenges along their vegan path,  particularly raising  two young children 
vegetarian,  over 30 years ago, when there was not as much awareness or 
acceptance of the diet and lifestyle.

"The decision to become vegan is not one that is taken lightly, for it is a 
decision that is contrary to our culture, our tradition and what most of us 
grew up believing, writes Brenda Davis in "Becoming Vegetarian."

For Shirley, it was not only a courageous personal journey, but a political 
one.  Nearly 20 years ago, she founded the Lone Star Vegetarian Network that 
now embraces vegetarian societies in every major Texas city and holds the 
very popular annual Vegetarian Chili Cook Off.  (This past fall marked the 
15th annual  event that attracts hundreds of people and dozens of teams from 
across the state).

Shirley has become one of the best known vegan chefs in the state of Texas 
and like Eric Tucker, chef of Millennium Restaurant, a haute cuisine for 
vegan fare in San Francisco,  Shirley believes food should be exciting and 
adventurous.

In fact for the 2000 AD Millennium, Shirley began a monthly series of 
international themed classes, all in the spirit of world peace:  "If people 
explore each other's culture and cuisine, they will not want to put the 
other person in harm's way."  Shirley and Ben presented classes  on  
Australia, Brazil, Cuba, Denmark, England, France, Germany etc...

Many of the ingredients come fresh out of their vegan garden. "The fresher, 
the healthier and more delicious," says Ben, admiring the many varieties of 
peppers growing in their backyard in the quiet little hamlet of West 
Columbia ---   Anaheim, habareno, banana, lemon, cherry, and even fish 
peppers, that he will pick and turn into his own special recipe for pepper 
chutney.

Shirley has helped many people, myself included,  transition from vegetarian 
to vegan or meat to meatless, by teaching students how to prepare delicious 
and healthy meals, and how to turn almost every recipe into a vegan one by 
choosing cruelty free ingredients.  She and Ben will share some of their 
innovative recipes and stories of their joyful journey with us this morning.

It is wonderful to welcome Shirley back to the airwaves of KPFT.  She was 
the first host of Go Vegan Texas! which we started together back on May 6, 
2002.  She is my vegan mentor and she and Ben hold a special place in my 
heart.

Please join us...and phone calls are welcome:  (713) 526-5738.

Thank you for listening,

Janice Blue

Host, Go Vegan Texas!
Now weekly every Monday at 11am (CST)
On Pacifica Radio

KPFT, 90.1 FM - Houston and 89.5 FM - Galveston


Listen Live on www.GovVeganTexas.org
(Just Wiggle the Cow's Ears)
Or later on www.KPFTarchive.org

Every animal you eat
Was running for her life.
-------------------------------
Show Compassion, Go Vegan!

We have  Go Vegan Texas! t shirts for sale in adult and children's sizes.
Visit our website:  www.govegantexas.org
We regret we have run out of all our tote bags, large and small.


Contact for Today's Guests:


Shirley Wilkes Johnson and Ben Johnson

email: VeggieSue at aol.com

Vegan Cooking Class
taught by Shirley Wilkes Johnson
Fiesta Culinary School
Blalock at 1-10


Thursday, June 17, 2004

Call (713) 869-5060, ext 299 for Reservations
Cost $20

Sample the food, get the recipes, and get the lowdown
on low carb diets...


Menu:


Trio of sumptuous summer salads:
Italian Antipasto Toss
South of the Border Ensalada
Russian Friends Potato Salad
Nutty Multi-Grain Luncheon Muffins
Tantalizing Dessert

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