This latest contest has turned up an unexpected surprise. In my quest to give away two copies of Vegan on the Cheap, I asked you to leave a comment completing the sentence “Vegan equals ___.”  I was overwhelmed by the amazing response. Not just in terms of numbers (over 150 comments!) but in the depth of feeling in your responses.

It occurred to me while reading through these comments that it reads almost like a beautiful poem or an affirmation about what it means to be vegan. When I read these statements, I feel energized, even empowered, so I thought you might enjoy reading “Vegan equals ___” in the same way so you can see why I say that the responses I received from all of you is the best prize of all!  By the way....contest winners will be announced at the end of this post!

“Vegan equals ____.”
Vegan equals compassion
Vegan equals good food!
Vegan equals kindness
Vegan equals healthy
Vegan equals delicious
Vegan equals freedom
Vegan equals sharing
Vegan equals victory
Vegan equals health and happiness for all
Vegan equals life to the fullest
Vegan equals clear conscience, harmony, and connection to all beings
Vegan equals positive choices
Vegan equals simple
Vegan equals Consciously Humane
Vegan equals Exuberant! With a lust for life - my own and all other creatures!
Vegan equals happy tummy
Vegan equals a whole new way of thinking about the world
Vegan equals LIFE!
Vegan equals expanding your diet not diminishing it.
Vegan equals Yummy Compassion!
Vegan equals tasty
Vegan equals good
Vegan equals happy!!
Vegan equals exciting new foods!
Vegan equals feeling great, both mentally and physically.
Vegan equals peace.
Vegan equals doing something wonderful for my body, mind, and world around me!
Vegan = Power!
Vegan equals awareness
Vegan equals ethical consciousness
Vegan equals best way to live life!
Vegan equals peace of mind
Vegan equals a way of life
Vegan equals kind choices
Vegan = vibrant!
Vegan equals not eating my friends
Vegan equals energy
Vegan equals the future
Vegan equals variety!
Vegan equals simple and healthy.
Vegan = Equality!
Vegan equals living.
Vegan equals PEACE, COMPASSION AND LOVE
Vegan equals yummy!
Vegan equals truth
Vegan equals choices
Vegan equals inspiration and culinary adventure!
Vegan = DELICIOUS!
Vegan = Compassion + Conscious + Hunger
Vegan is respect, justice, and compassion
Vegan is kindness, peace & LIFE!!
Vegan equals happiness
Vegan equals a better planet
vegan = no harm
Vegan equal compassionate choices
Vegan equals Bliss.
Vegan equals peaceful, happy, healthy yumminess.
Vegan equals confidence.
Vegan = no body gets hurt
Vegan equal the sum of all that is wonderful and inspirational
Vegan equals harmony
Vegan = Living mindfully
Vegan equals compassion and respect. And great food!
Vegan equals my road to recovery.
Vegan equals adventure
Vegan equals saving 100 animals per year!
Vegan equals breathing space
Vegan equals cheap
Vegan equals smart
Vegan equals a healthy, happy world
Vegan equals healthy body, clear conscience!
Vegan equals understanding and clarity
Vegan equals raising your children to be healthy and ethical
Vegan equals recognizing sentient non-human animals as persons
Vegan equals teaching my children ethics
Vegan equals less suffering
Vegan equals peace
Vegan = a Loving Living!
Vegan equals consistent morals.
Vegan equals creative cooking, colorful eats and vibrant health.
Vegan equals balance
Vegan equals love for all beings.
Vegan equals thoughtfulness.
Vegan = Health and well being
Vegan equals creativity!
Vegan equals a healthier planet.
Vegan equals a better me, a better family, a better world.
Vegan=Love for yourself, the environment, the animals and for the future generations.
Vegan equals fun
Vegan equals joy
Vegan equals beautiful life
Vegan equals a whole new world!
Vegan equals feeling good and having energy!
Vegan equals compassion and peace.
Vegan = mercy
Vegan equals peace, love and happiness
Vegan equals Light
Vegan equals love
Vegan = love
Vegan. Equals. Love.
___

What do you think? Do you like this as much as I do? (Note: I deleted answers that were duplicates --except for those few at the end).

And now, here are the winners of the Vegan on the Cheap “Double Your Luck” Cookbook Giveaway.

As usual, the winners were chosen by the Random.org random number generator (I still can’t figure out how to post an image of that).
The first winner is: Sara whose response was “Vegan equals healthy body, clear conscience!” August 14, 2010 11:46 AM.  (a couple "Sara"s entered, so I'm including the time/date stamp.)
The second winner is: Radioactive Vegan whose response was “Vegan equals delicious!” August 13, 2010 10:39 AM.

Congrats to you both! Please e-mail me with your address and I’ll get the books in the mail to you. Thanks again to everyone who entered. Another contest will be coming soon, so stay tuned. And thanks again to everyone who participated in this contest. Your comments were really special!

I don’t want to leave you without a photo, so here’s one of little Mitski. Cute, isn’t she?