Make this 4th of July memorable with vegan desserts that are new yet traditional.  While vegans do not typically eat white cane sugar due to the animal remains used in the refining process, there are many other sweeteners vegans can use to make yummy desserts.  Many vegans will eat beet sugar since its manufacturing process does not involve animal remains.  Some other alternative sweeteners for vegans include brown rice syrup, yacon syrup, agave nectar, maple syrup, stevia, Sucanat, and evaporated cane juice. For delicious 4th of July vegan desserts, try some of these ideas. 1. Patriotic Parfait In parfait cups, wine glasses, or other clear cups, layer blueberries, strawberries, and unsweetened flaked coconut for a red, white and blue dessert.  Drizzle agave nectar over each layer if you like.  As a variation, try using sliced bananas instead of coconut, blackberries instead of blueberries, and cherries instead of strawberries. 2. Cocoa-nut Balls Grind 1 cup of raw, unsalted almonds in a blender or food processor until fine.  To the ground almonds, add: 1/4 cup safflower oil 1/4 cup coconut oil Blend well. Then add: 2 cups of cocoa powder 1/3 cup agave nectar (adjust to taste) 1/4 tsp. salt Blend these ingredients until a stiff dough forms.  Form into balls and roll in ...

The great American Fourth of July picnic, with its traditional foods like grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, and fried chicken, is something vegetarians can enjoy participating in, too.  Here are some ideas for making your Fourth of July very vegetarian. The Grill The outdoor grill is actually very conducive to preparing vegetarian fare.  There is quite an array of pre-prepared, frozen burgers made from vegetable protein available in grocery stores.  There are also hot dogs made from soy protein.  Perhaps even more satisfying is making your own veggie burger patties and grilling them outside.  There are many recipes online and in vegetarian (and conventional) cookbooks.  Home-made black bean burgers are especially good on the grill. Grilled vegetables are versatile and tasty.  Corn, zucchini, summer squash, onions, and bell peppers are all in season around July 4th, so use them liberally.  You can prepare the vegetables simply by brushing them with olive oil as they grill and sprinkling on salt and pepper to taste, or get more elaborate and marinate sliced vegetables for a few hours before grilling. Sandwiches Some vegetarians eat eggs.  If that describes you, why not make egg salad sandwiches for your party?  If you don't eat eggs, consider substituting firm tofu, chopped, for ...

Apple cider vinegar remedies have been used for many years to help with all kinds of problems that people may have.  In fact, its use has even been extended to cover pets. Apple cider vinegar is a 100% natural product.  Traditionally it was made by fermenting apples to produce cider, then letting the cider ferment again into vinegar.  Vinegar is produced using what is called a 'vinegar mother', which is a live, natural substance. Most modern vinegars are produced using other methods often involving chemicals.  Even if vinegar mother is used, the resulting vinegar is normally pasteurized before bottling, which kills the live substance.  In order to benefit from apple cider vinegar remedies, it is crucial to always be sure to buy a brand of ACV that is live and includes the mother.  Usually these brands will be 100% organic.  You can find live apple cider vinegar in health food stores or online. Apple Cider Vinegar and Weight Loss People who use ACV to help with weight loss take 1-3 teaspoons before each meal.  You can mix it with water or even add a little raw honey. The link with weight loss is not entirely clear but it may help to increase the metabolism, reduce ...

Searching for a psoriasis remedy can be a long and difficult task.  Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that can be painful and disfiguring.  It is thought to be auto immune in origin, which means that it is a condition where the body actually attacks its own cells, in this case by producing excessive skin tissue which forms plaques or scaly areas. It is usually a response of the body to stressors.  These can include but are not limited to psychological stress factors.  Other triggers may be smoking, alcohol, pollutants in the atmosphere, prescription medications or withdrawal of them, and substances in the diet.  Psoriasis may also have a genetic component, in that the tendency to suffer from psoriasis and other auto immune conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes tends to run in families, although not in a predictable way.  However, many people with psoriasis also suffer from arthritis. Medical treatments for psoriasis tend to focus on soothing the skin.  Topical skin ointments may include vitamin D, coal tar, salicylic acid, vitamin A (retinoids), moisturizers and sometimes, corticosteroids.  Many people do not like to use corticosteroids and there are plenty of creams that avoid them. Vitamin D is essential ...

Acne medications may get rid of current acne breakouts, but most of them don’t do anything to help with acne scars or other skin issues left behind after the acne clears.  There are plenty of procedures you can go through to get rid of scars, but they are expensive and often painful.  And do you really want to go through skin grafts and other surgeries to get rid of your scars? Natural products and recipes may not only help clear your acne, they can also help get rid of your acne scars and improve the general health of your skin.  Plus, they don’t expose you to dangerous chemicals or procedures. Here are some natural, at-home cures to help get rid of your acne scars (and often your acne).  Plus, many of them will improve the general quality of your skin as well. *Aloe Vera Juice. Apply directly to scars with a cotton ball or towel.  Let it soak for 10-15 minutes and rinse.  Aloe is also known to treat burns and ease itchy dry skin. *Tomato. Lay down and put tomato slices directly onto acne scars.  Allow to sit for a few minutes, then rinse clean.  The nutrients in the tomatoes will not only ...