Join us Saturday, September 9 for the First Annual Homes for Dogs Project adoption event hosted at Coldwell Banker Property Shoppe in Ojai!

Date: Saturday, September 9
Time: 11:00am to 3:00pm
Location: 727 W. Ojai Avenue in Ojai

There will be food, micro chipping, grooming, merchandise available for purchase and, of course, the chance to adopt a dog.

You just might find your new best friend!

We hope to see you there!  

Take this fun, quick quiz to test your Vegan IQ!

After you take it, I would love for you to leave a comment to let me know how you did.

I missed two the first time I took it, but I'm fixin' to have a rematch!

Pressure cookers have become increasingly popular in the recent past. This is mainly because they are convenient to use and they also prepare delicious foods. There are different kinds of foods that can be cooked using a pressure cooker. Some of the foods that are ideal to be cooked using this kind of cooker include the vegan-friendly foods. Here are the top 5 vegan-friendly pressure cooker recipes.

Sweet Potato and Black Eyed Peas

This particular recipe is ideal mainly because it makes delicious and healthy food. The combination of the sweet potato and black eyed peas ensures that almost all the necessary nutrients are included in the meal. Only one pot is needed to cook this combination since the ingredients can be combined and cooked together. The first step should be to add water and the blacked eyed peas for the peas take longer to cook. The sweet potato should then be added on top of the peas so that the steam from the peas can play a role in cooking the sweet potatoes. If everything is prepared properly the entire process should take about thirty minutes for the meal to be properly cooked. You can read power pressure cooker reviews for more instructions.

Black Bean and Lentil Chili

This is another popular recipe which is ideal mainly because it also requires a single pot to cook. The beans provide the meal with the necessary proteins while the chili helps in adding vitamins and also making the entire meal taste better. The black beans need to be put in the pot first because they generally take longer to cook than the lentil chili. The beans should be left to cook until they are tender and soft. One should then add the lentil chili on top so that they can be cooked by the steam produced by the beans. It takes just a few minutes for the chili to become tender and edible.

Corn on the Cob

One of the most ideal for enjoying corn is to cook it using a pressure cooker when still on the cob. This is because the pressure makes the corn tender uniformly and therefore every part is delicious. The first step of preparing the corn on the cob is cleaning the corn and ensuring there are no impurities. A small quantity of water should then be added in the pot that is to cook the corn. The small quantity of water is the one that will produce steam to cook the corn. One should know the corn is properly cooked when it turns from white to yellowish.

Eggplant and Olive Spread

The eggplant might take more time to cook properly and as a result, it is advisable to start by cooking it. To ensure it cooks within a short time it is advisable to use high temperatures. After the eggplant has been properly cooked one should then proceed to add the olive spread. By adding the olive spread one will be not only adding flavor to the meal, but it is also an ideal way of adding nutrients.

Millet, Veggie and Lentil

This is another recipe that is rated amongst the top 5 vegan-friendly pressure cooker recipes because it is easy to prepare. Only one pot is needed with the millet going first for it takes time to cook. After the millet has been cooked one can turn off the stove and let the steam from the pot to make the veggie and lentil tender until they are ready to be served.

This is just a quick note to make sure all of you know about this recently published list of the Top 60 Vegan Blogs to Follow for Inspiration in 2017.

I am so honored to be included in this list with so many awesome vegan bloggers. I encourage all of you to check it out to see if there might be some vegan blogs on there of which you are not yet aware.

Get inspired to go vegan or get tips to help you on your vegan journey!

Here you go:

Top 60 Vegan Blogs to Follow for Inspiration in 2017

SoCalVegFest is just 2 weeks away! Enter to WIN our OCTOBER GIVEAWAY and you could be eating for FREE at #SoCalVegFest!✨ 
 
Sign up, share and spread the news about our FREE upcoming SoCalVegFest event on 10/29 + 10/30 & WIN PRIZES! This month we will selecting 3 lucky entrants who will WIN $100 in Food Vouchers for SoCal VegFest (that’s a LOT of great veg food!) AND a signature vegan skincare swag bag from  Gaffer and Child including face scrub, shave butter, face cleanser + hydrating serum!! 🍕🌭🌮🍦👱‍♀️💄No catch - no purchases. All we ask is that you SHARE this post after you enter - it helps us to spread the word about this totally FREE, non-profit event. Thank you to Gaffen and Child for helping us create this awesome giveaway, we can’t wait to see you all in just a few short weeks! 
 
ENTER TO WIN at 👉 http://bit.ly/2e2Y9Xm [or at SoCalVegFest.org!]

Hi there!

If you found your way over here from the How to Go Vegan When You're Young and Broke article on VICE by Jay Stephens, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Cheap Vegan Chick!

Whether you are a long-time vegan, an aspiring vegetarian or just a fan of Meatless Mondays, I hope you will find lots of useful information here to help you save money on your journey towards a healthier, eco-friendlier, more compassionate, plant-based lifestyle.

As Jay's article shows, it really is possible to eat well on a budget (and to save lots of money on vegan personal care products and cruelty-free cleaning supplies).

To help you navigate this site and find resources to help you, too, become a cheap vegan, here are links to some of the pages and posts I thought you might find most helpful:

Where to Find Vegan Coupons

Where to Find Vegan, Eco-Friendly Deals on Almost Anything

How to Save Money with Coupons

Easy, Vegan Lentil Soup Recipe (Cheap and Great for Slow Cookers!)

Best Cheap, Vegan Dollar Store Finds Ever!

Four All-Natural, Easy, Cheap, DIY Bath or Baby Powder Recipes

Egg Substitutes: 11 Vegan Egg Replacers

Eliminate Carpet Odors with this Cheap, DIY Baking Soda Deodorizer

I would love to also connect with you on Twitter and Facebook, and feel free to email me if you have any questions or suggestions for things you would like to see on the site.

Welcome!!

If you knit or crochet, you’ve likely experienced the dreaded task of stopping in the middle of your project to waste a couple of hours untangling your skein of yarn. It's a frustrating, painstaking process that halts progress on your knitting or crocheting project and can bore you to tears. But, here are some tips to make the process a bit more manageable, and to prevent it from happening in the first place. 

The first thing to consider when you have a tangled skein is whether or not it is even worth saving. Untangling yarn can take the better part of an afternoon and if you only paid $3.00 or $4.00 for the skein, your time is likely better spent scrapping it and moving on.  
 
This is particularly true if you knit or crochet as a business. If you are selling your wares, then it is not worth spending three hours untangling a skein of yarn that you can replace inexpensively. It will make your hourly income nosedive and will make a project that should take two hours end up taking five, and the purchase price of your item will not go up accordingly. Once you’ve done this once or twice, that adds up to several hours of labor for which you aren’t getting paid.
 
On the other hand, if you were planning to chat on the phone or watch a movie anyways, then mindlessly untangling yarn while you are participating in these activities is a way to keep your hands busy and save the money it would take to replace the skein.
 

There is no quick, easy way to untangle yarn. Once it becomes a tangled mess, you can be sure that you will spend quite a bit of time partaking in the untangling process. If your yarn has become tangled simply from your skein flopping around while you are knitting or crocheting, then you can comfort yourself knowing that the yarn can be untangled. It has essentially wrapped around itself, generally in loops, and there should be no actual knots that cannot be undone. So, that’s the bright side.
 
If this is the case, then the best way to untangle the yarn is to patiently loosen the tangles as much as possible with a needle or your fingers and undo each tangled loop, slowly progressing towards a tangle-free skein. It is often helpful to find an end and work that single end back through the tangles one at a time. As you untangle the yarn wrap the now tangle-free yarn around a toilet paper tube, paper towel tube, piece of cardboard or even the back of a chair to keep the skein from tangling again.
 
If your yarn has been tangled by a mischievous pet or child, then there might be actual knots and the process can be much more meticulous. If this is the case, then find an end and begin to wrap the tangle-free part as mentioned above. Loosen the tangles as much as possible and work the end through the knots as much as you can. When you reach a knot or tangle that cannot be manipulated, cut that section of the yarn out and tie the yarn together leaving a tail that is at least a couple of inches long. Continue to do this and to wrap the untangled yarn until you have a nice new ball to work with.
 

So, you are in the middle of a project and your skein has gotten all wrapped around itself in tangles. If you don’t feel like untangling it, you can continue your project by cutting the yarn you are using and starting a new skein. If you have another skein of the same yarn, this will work great for color and texture consistency.
 
To start a new skein, cut a tail on the skein you are using that is at least six inches long. Then, either tie the new skein onto that tail (again leaving a long tail on the new yarn) and continue, or leave a long tail on the new skein of yarn and begin knitting or crocheting for about two rows. Then take the tail from the old skein and the tail from the new one and tie them together. Snip the tails after securing the knot, or weave them into your project.
 
If you don’t have another skein of the same yarn, or you want to get a bit creative, this is also a great time to take the opportunity to introduce a new color into your project.

The best way to avoid spending hours untangling yarn is to prevent it from tangling in the first place. Sooner or later, you will likely still have to tackle some tangles, but you can limit this by trying one of the following methods.

1. Use a yarn winder to turn your skeins into pull balls before beginning your project. Yarn winders can be purchased at your local fabric or craft store.
2. Place your skein in a Ziploc bag with one of the bottom corners cut out to feed your yarn through. This will keep your yarn from flipping around on itself as much and also keeps it nice and tidy.
3. Use a product like the Snapware Yarn-Tainer to keep your yarn organized and tangle-free. The Yarn-Tainer is basically a plastic cylinder (think pasta container) with a hole in the lid to feed the yarn through.
   
4. Pull one end of your skein through an empty paper towel or toilet paper tube. Hold the tail down as you begin to wrap your yarn the tube at an angle. After a few rows, the forming ball will hold the tail down. Turn the tube periodically as you wind and you will see a ball begin to form. Once you have finished, pull the tail through the tube and take care to keep it from hiding in the middle of the ball as you take the finished ball of the tube.
5. Cut a dowel into one foot lengths, then place one of the lengths in a power drill (like a bit). Tape one end of your yarn to the tip of the dowel farthest from the drill. Then, let the drill do the work of rewinding your skein onto the dowel. One note on this one – you will end up with your yarn very tightly wound around the dowel, it works fine, but I prefer a looser ball to work with.
6. If you prefer to work with the skein as-is, it may help to use the end that comes from the center of the skein. When I use this method, I usually secure the outside tail to the skein with a paperclip or something of that nature so that it won't tangle up with the yarn as the skein flops around.

How do you keep your yarn from tangling during storage or while working on projects?

This is just a quick post to introduce you all to our newest family member, Piper. She is the smaller one in the front and has been with us for a little over a month.

The bigger one in back is Samson, who has been with us for a little over a year now. Folks who follow the blog or follow me on Twitter know that Samson is the one who eats my strawberries and knocks the bell peppers off of the plants as soon as they get big enough to play with. Well, now Piper is getting in on the gardening fun by being quite the digger!

Here is what she recently did to the corn I had planted this year...

Here is the before...

And here is the after...

So, I guess we won't be having any corn this year!

It was super important to us that Samson pick his new friend -- rather than us picking a friend for him and hoping they got along. I think it worked!

We adopted both Samson and Piper from the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center (SPARC), which is a no-kill shelter in Ventura County (SoCal).

If you are in the 805 area and have room in your home for a furry friend or two, check out their website or make an appointment to see the many cats and dogs that need a good home!

Some of you may remember way back in 2013 when I started having issues with Facebook. After MANY months and MANY attempts to prove my identity and get control of my page returned to me, I gave up for a while and just focused on Twitter.

Well...after more than two years, Facebook finally believes me! This means that we now have our Cheap Vegan Chick Facebook page back, my friends!

So, you can certainly still connect with me on Twitter, but if you prefer Facebook, it is now an option.

Follow Cheap Vegan Chick on Twitter

Follow Cheap Vegan Chick on Facebook

I hope to see you out there in the world of social media!

Humanely Stop your Cat from Clawing your Drapes and Scratching your Furniture, Walls or Carpet

Prevent Cat Clawing and Scratching: Why Cats Scratch

Scratching is part of every cat’s natural behavior and provides a number of necessary functions. The function that is likely most apparent to you as a cat caregiver is the visual marking of territory, which may not seem important in your home, but in the wild this provides important information to other animals in the area. Aside from visual marking, your cat’s paws contain scent glands that are used to mark their territory by depositing their scent where they scratch.

Scratching also removes the dead outer sheaths from the claws and is a therapeutic activity providing relaxation and stretching; therefore, aside from marking territory, scratching is necessary for your cat’s health and wellness.

Prevent Cat Clawing and Scratching: Why Declawing is not a Humane Option

Somewhere along the line declawing has become an acceptable means of altering a cat’s natural behavior among some animal caregivers. There are many reasons not to declaw your cat, but the two most relevant and obvious reasons are your cat’s necessary defenses and humane treatment of the animals in our care.

A cat without claws cannot efficiently defend themselves if they happen to get outside, nor can they climb a tree to escape from danger. Declawing your cat will effectively leave them defenseless all in the name of saving the arm of a sofa. I don’t know about you, but I would prefer that my cat shred the hell out of my favorite piece of furniture than to have him injured or killed because I chose my convenience and possessions over his ability to defend his life.  

However, even if you are absolutely certain that your cat will never slip out through a door or find some escape to the outside world, declawing is not okay. Although many people seem to believe this procedure is painless and does not affect function, declawing is the cat equivalent of cutting off your fingertips at the last joint closest to your fingernail. Sure, you could learn to live without your fingertips, but after your long and painful recovery, do you think the function of your hands would ever truly be the same?

Now imagine that your hands are your primary physical defense mechanism and are also integral to your balance, and take a second to think about the fact that all the pain and loss of function did not benefit you at all and was purely to prohibit you from partaking in natural behaviors for the convenience of someone else.

Declawing is an inhumane practice that has been banned in some areas and will hopefully continue to move out of the realm of an acceptable practice and into its rightful place as another form of animal cruelty.

Prevent Cat Clawing and Scratching: Prevention Basics

It is nearly impossible to prevent a cat from clawing and scratching completely. Cats don’t respond well to punishment, so going that route will likely just frustrate you and harm your relationship with your feline friend. Your best bet is to provide appropriate scratching opportunities, take steps to dissuade your cat from scratching where you don’t want her to and to encourage her to scratch her you-approved scratching post or mat.

The first step is to provide appropriate scratching opportunities that your cat will actually use. When selecting an appropriate scratching tool, keep in mind that the post or mat should be stationary and sturdy. If it moves (or falls over) when your cat attempts to scratch on it, it will likely be disregarded and your cat will go right back to scratching your favorite piece of furniture.

Also keep in mind that your cat will choose what she will and won’t scratch and it may take a few tries to find a scratching tool that suits her needs. For example, one of our cats will only scratch on a round mat of corrugated cardboard that fits inside his favorite toy, which is a round track with a ball for him to push around. They are becoming increasingly hard to find, so I purchased a rectangle cardboard mat for him and placed it next to his favorite toy, figuring that, since it was still cardboard, he would transition to it fairly easily. I even rubbed organic catnip on it to entice him, but he has completely ignored it and has only touched it to move it out of his way so he can lay down and lazily push his ball around the track.

When choosing you-approved scratching tools, consider where and what your cat is currently destroying with her clawing and scratching. Then select an item with a similar look and texture and place it near the object they currently love to scratch.

Once you have found a scratching tool that both you and your cat can live with, it’s time to work on discouraging inappropriate scratching and encouraging appropriate scratching. There are several tools available to help dissuade your cat from scratching your favorite furniture, drapes or carpet. Most of them can be purchased online or at your local pet store, or you can make your own. Some of the most popular tools for discouraging your cat from clawing and scratching include double-sided tape, bitter apple or citrus sprays, vinyl caps for their claws, aluminum foil and plastic rug protectors (which are also great for keeping kitty off your counters).

In order to discourage your cat from clawing and scratching in particular areas, you must make that area less appealing for scratching. You can accomplish this by changing the texture to one your cat will find unpleasant (double-sided tape, aluminum foil, the points on the bottom of carpet protectors) and by removing your cat’s scent and adding one that she won’t like. Sprays designed to remove pet odors will remove your cat’s marking scents, which should help make the area less appealing for future scratching. Once you have removed your cat’s scent, add a scent that your cat will not like, such as citrus, which can be purchased at pet stores. Alternatively, you can make your own using orange essential oil or orange zest. You can even just place orange peels in the area and this may work just as well to dissuade your cat from scratching.

You might also consider covering the furniture with a throw blanket that will hide the marks your cat has already made and discourage him from making more, or investing in vinyl caps (available online or at pet stores) that cover his claws to limit damage from scratching. Vinyl caps should only be used on indoor-only cats. They will inhibit your cat’s ability to climb or defend herself if she is in danger, so this is incredibly important to keep in mind.

Other tips to keep in mind include keeping your cat’s claws trimmed to limit damage, making sure your cat has a variety of toys to keep him entertained and maintaining your patience while you and your cat come to terms on exactly how to meet his needs without destroying your furniture, curtains or carpet.

Do you have a cat that scratches furniture, walls or other spots that don’t particularly please you?

The more tips we share, the less likely frustrated caregivers might be to declaw the cats in their care, so please share your tips for encouraging appropriate scratching in the comments below!

Some scratchers are ridiculously expensive, but I'm including some affordable options below to show that you don't have to spend a lot to find a humane solution!