Vegenista

Farm to Table Vegan Dinner For Non Toxic Revolution Attention...

Wed, 15 May 2013 21:24:00 -0700

Farm to Table Vegan Dinner For Non Toxic Revolution

Attention San Diegans with charitable hearts! JoinKeep A Breast/Non Toxic Revolution for a very special evening in Encinitas! Come out & enjoy a 5 course Prix-Fixe vegan, organic, & local farm to table dinner, craft cocktails with organic gin & vodka, fresh pressed local organic juices. Details:

Keep A Breast Pop Up Shop: It’s All Good - Farm To Table Vegan Dinner
SATURDAY, MAY 18TH, 6PM-11PM

KEEP A BREAST POP UP SHOP
1057A SOUTH COST HWY, ENCINITAS, CA 92024

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DIANNA COHEN CO-FOUNDER OF PLASTIC POLLUTION COALITION, VISUAL ARTIST, & ACTIVIST.
CHEF: MATTHEW PURNELL of LIVING ON THE VEG

MUSIC: NENA ANDERSON

This event sounds all kinds of awesome, if only it wasn’t $200 a ticket! I’ve got about that to last me to the end of the month! But I sure do wish I could make it happen because the menu looks out-of-this-vegan-world. We’re talking “Caribbean Coconut Spring Rolls with a Spiced Brazil Nut Pate Heirloom Tomato Stacks with a Pistachio Pesto, Raw Mozzarella, & an Aged Balsamic Glaze.” I mean!

And it is for such a good cause! If you’re not familiar with KABNTR here is a little background:

Non Toxic Revolution’s mission is to inform, educate & inspire young people to revolt against the dangers of toxic chemicals in their environment & food supply especially those linked to the initiation of breast cancer. Its aim is to focus on prevention as a means to maintaining long-term health & well-being. NTR also provides alternative choices so that young people everywhere can make smart changes. NTR is part of The Keep A Breast Foundation’s mission to encourage youth to embrace prevention as a deterrent to breast cancer & other breast diseases & cancers.

It’s such an awesome cause & such an important issue for women of all ages. If you can afford the ticket price I highly encourage you to lend your support!

For menu, more information & tickets click: HERE

Weekend Juice Cleanse Did any of you catch green juice guru Joe...

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:50:00 -0700

Weekend Juice Cleanse

Did any of you catch green juice guru Joe Cross, of the documentary film “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead,” on the Dr. Oz show recently? I (proudly) don’t have cable so I missed it too, but fortunately you can watch video clips here. And if you haven’t seen the documentary, I cannot recommend it enough. It’s a life changer! Here’s an overview:

Documentary filmmaker & health advocate Joe Cross discovered a whole new body by vowing to change his life & his health by only drinking fresh fruit & vegetable juices for 60 days. When Cross started filming Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, he was 100 pounds overweight, on multiple prescription drugs & suffering from an autoimmune disease. He decided to drastically alter his lifestyle & tap into the body’s natural healing abilities by juicing. The results: Cross lost the weight, got off his meds & sought out to spread his message & the success of his personal journey with the masses.

Wow. 60 days! That’s quite a commitment. The benefits of juicing are immense. When you drink juice, highly concentrated vitamins, minerals & enzymes rapidly enter the bloodstream absorbing all of the nutritional benefits of the fruits & vegetables while giving your digestive organs a much-needed rest. I do not juice daily, but I do it as often as I can. When I do not have the time to make a jucie, I’ll blend up a green smoothie with coconut water, frozen fruit, & “Vega One” protein powder.

Ready to give juicing a try? To help others reap the benefits of juicing, Cross has developed this “3-Day Juice Cleanse” & this handy recipe infographic! Three consecutive days is about all I can handle & while I do love the convenience of the pre-made juices there is nothing like a fresh pressed homemade juice cocktail! I am definitely gonna give this a try! Who’s with me?

Vegan Baked Coffee Cake French Toast I hope you all had an...

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:15:00 -0700

Vegan Baked Coffee Cake French Toast

I hope you all had an enjoyable Mother’s Day! Whether you have children or not, or are a dog mom like me, it’s a great day to honor all nurturing female beings - human & non-human alike.

I am so lucky to come from a strong line of women & spent the day honoring my Mom & Grandmother at our mountain getaway in Julian, CA. We decided to beat the brunch crowd (besides there really isn’t much aside from a fruit cup on the menus in this country town!) & make brunch ourselves. I thought about making this splendid coffee cake creation again, & we also considered trying to veganize a baked French toast recipe we’d made in the past but didn’t want to fuss with the trial & error of veganizing something unfamiliar. Then I remembered this “Baked Coffee Cake French Toast” from Keepin’ It Kind. Why try to decide between the two when you can have both?This was the perfect solution & everyone at the table loved it - vegan or not! We served it with warm maple syrup & coconut spread, alongside greens with an apricot vinaigrette, & fresh fruit salad for a wonderful homemade Mother’s Day Brunch Feast!

While my images pale in comparison to Chris & Kristy’s (wait until you see, so pretty!), I still had to share this to make sure you head on over to KIT immediately & pin this recipe! You won’t be disappointed!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the sweet, caring &...

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:56:45 -0700

Happy Mother’s Day to all the sweet, caring & nurturing mamas!

Raw Squash Noodles with Lemon-Basil Cashew Cream Sauce The...

Sat, 11 May 2013 17:08:11 -0700

Raw Squash Noodles with Lemon-Basil Cashew Cream Sauce

The farmers’ market is abound with so many of my favorite seasonal delights - fresh cherries, asparagus, strawberries, romanesco cauliflower, tomatoes, & summer squash! I’ve been waiting for the moment that summer squash arrived at my CSA stand & yesterday I caught my first glimpse! Why the excitement? Raw “pasta” of course! Last summer I bought a spiral slicer, & made my first batch of zucchini noodles with raw tomato marinara & my life changed that instant! I love pasta, but my ever slowing metabolism doesn’t. And really what’s pasta without the sauce? Isn’t it the topping - a spicy tomato marinara, a creamy cashew alfredo, a zesty basil pesto - where all the flavor is anyway? So the beauty of zucchini noodles is that they are practically, if not totally guilt free! And they’re way more fun to prepare than dropping a bunch of dry pasta in boiling water. I enjoy the meditative process of cranking the handle & watching the dense squash become delicate noodles. And I recently cashed in the Joyce Chen for the Benriner, which gives you 3 blade options for varied noodle sizes, & I find the middle size to be perfect for zucchini squash noodles.

While I was instantly inspired by the arrival of squash at the market, I was further inspired by the friendly marketeer at my CSA’s stand. After a brief hiatus, I am back to my bi-weekly share & anxiously rooted through the contents of my box to see what I had to work with. A bundle of “basil fino verde” caught my attention. It certainly smelled like basil, & that was a delight, but looked a bit like thyme. So what should I do with it? Use it as a garnish? Mmmm, sprinkled on pizza, or pasta? Perhaps. I asked the marketeer if he had any suggestions, & boy did he! Win! And turns out he’s vegan. Win! Win! He said he had recently used it to make a “Basil Cashew Pesto” that he used as a spread on toasted bread, & as a dip for artichokes. Wow. Right? Get me some artichokes & baguette! But then, with zucchini & summer squash in hand, my inspiration bell rang. Ding ding! Raw “Pasta” with Basil Cashew Pesto Sauce. I quickly called upon my blog friends for some recipe assistance & came across Dreena’s recipe for “Lemony Cashew Basil Pesto”, & looked no further. What I created was more like a cashew cream sauce than a pesto, & that was certainly the result I was seeking, if you desire more of a “pesto” double up on the basil as Dreena did in her recipe.

“Raw Zucchini Noodles with Lemon-Basil Cashew Cream Sauce”

***adapted from Plant Powered Kitchen

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchini, 3 medium summer squash

3 1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 clove garlic

3/4 tsp. dry yellow mustard

3/4 tsp. sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 Tbsp. water, plus more to reach desired consistency

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup raw cashews, soaked over night, rinsed & drained

1 cup basil fino verde leaves

2 Tbsp. pine nuts

Preparation:

Spiralize the squash & set aside in a colander to drain excess liquid.

In a food processor, combine lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, oil, & water, & purée until fairly smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Add cashews & basil fino verde & purée until smooth & creamy. Add more water to thin out the sauce if desired.

Toss zucchini noodles with desired amount of sauce. Top with fresh black pepper, a sprinkle of pine nuts, & basil fino verde leaves.

Tastes like summer around here! While I can imagine that this luxurious topping would be wonderful smothering my favorite brown rice spaghetti noodles, the pairing of crisp raw noodles with the rich & brightly flavored sauce creates a wonderful balance of decandence & freshness. This would also make a wonderful sandwich or cracker spread, if left on the thick side. It would also make a wonderful creamy salad dressing! Yum yum! As I plan on going at least 60% raw this summer, this will become a staple in my raw kitchen! Enjoy!

LAVBF, PART II Hey, there, heeeeyyy! I promised you part two, so...

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:00:00 -0700

Seabirds Menu

Cheesy Vegan Taquito from Seabirds

Cheesy Taquitos from Seabirds

Beer Battered Avo Tacos from Seabirds

Quesadilla making at the Follow Your Heart stand

I heart Vegenaise!

Cryptozoological Gonads on a Stick from Doomie's Home Cookin'

Mint Chip Cone from Kind Kreme

LAVBF, PART II

Hey, there, heeeeyyy! I promised you part two, so I give you part two of my one day adventure to the 2013 Los Angeles Vegan Beer Fest. In part one I gushed about meeting Tony Kanal, & shared delicious eats from Shojin, The Franken Stand, Mohawk Bend, & Susan Feniger’s STREET. And as if that wasn’t a lot of food already, oh you betcha, there’s more!

At last year’s LAVBF (recapped here) I experienced the magic that is the Seabirds Truck for the very first time. Their fried avocado tacos & jackfruit tacos are legit. I seriously craved them all year long, counting the days for the next LAVBF! They make daily appearances throughout Orange County, & will be opening a restaurant, Seabirds Kitchen, in The Lab this summer, so I really have no excuses if I let another year fly by without visiting them again! It was while I was in line at Seabirds that Tony Kanal walked by, so I jumped out of line to ~~bother, harass~~ gracefully approach him & when I returned to order my food I was so starstruck/flustered that I forgot all about the jackfruit tacos & delicious cupcakes they were offering. I did manage to blurt out a frenzied request for an order of the “Beer Battered Avocado Tacos,” while I tried to gain my composure. And once again those tacos did not disappoint! My friend also ordered the “Cheesy Potato Taquitos,” oh yeah! I had serious a late night love affair with potato taquitos back in my bar-hopping days, & pretty much O.D.’d on them years ago, but couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try out the Seabirds creation! Crispy, cheesy, comfort food, a perfect beer fest snack, for sure! Please, Seabirds, please come to San Diego before you retire the truck!

Follow Your Heart, the makers of everyone’s coveted vegan staple “Vegenaise,” & of my favorite vegan mozzerella, was there cooking up samples of grilled cheese sandwiches & quesadillas to show off their new line of gourmet shreds & sauces. The samples were gone just as quickly as they were plated, so I wasn’t able to snap photos, but I did catch them in their cute shirts while I stuffed my face! And lemme tell ya, move over Daiya, there is a new shred is in town! This stuff gets melty like whoa, & in the best way possible, & tastes divine! I cannot wait to get my hands on these shreds, & the “Chipotle Vegenaise!” Oh the culinary possibilities!

Next up a trio of “Cryptozoological Gonads on a Stick” by Doomie’s Home Cookin’! Holy, ha whaaaaat??? While I did not sample these myself (my friend got them for the road) I absolutely had to take a photo to share the ridiculous but creative awesomeness that is “Unicorn Nuts, Abominable Snowballs, & Loch Nesticles.” OMG! Haha! I wish I could give a better description of what these were comprised of, but I all know is that, while they appear to be sweet treats, they were actually savory! Absolute A+ for presentation & marketing!

Last, but most certainly not least I enjoyed a cone of vegan “Mint Chip Ice Cream” from Kind Kreme. They share a space in Echo Park with Sage Organic Bistro, where I had the pleasure of dining for lunch on my birthday! Although I was tempted to try a scoop of Kind Kreme that day, I knew there would be much more indulging later, so I refrained. When I saw them set up at LAVBF, I knew I wouldn’t be leaving without an ice cream cone in my hand! Even though I’d had more than my fair share of food that day, what’s a tiny scoop of ice cream? Besides, “vegan” means “guilt free” right? Sure! I hadn’t had a lick of mint chip since the dairy days & it was worth the indulgence. Sage was there as well, serving up mozzerella sticks & butternut squash tacos, but then my friends would’ve been rolling me out the door!

Thus, that concludes my 2013 LAVBF recap! There were so many other amazing food vendors with amazing looking food that I wish I could’ve stuffed into my belly - M Cafe, Cafe Gratitude, Gracias Madre (yep, they’re opening one in West Hollywood, yay!), LA Vegan Crepe, Mandoline Grill, Golden Road Pub, & more, more, more! LA, you’ve got it going on! I only hope that San Diego can get more on the ball & follow suit. Maybe a SDVBF in the future? We’ll just have to see!

Big props & THANK YOU to QuarryGirl, TDA, & The Roxy for a rocking good time!

new vegan cheese coming soon!!! dairy tree!

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:21:00 -0700

I am equally excited about the launch of Dairy Tree Foods! In addition to vegan cheeses,...

S.D. Animal Aid Unlimited Fundraiser Hey compassionate San Diego...

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:29:00 -0700

S.D. Animal Aid Unlimited Fundraiser

Hey compassionate San Diego peeps, this is for you! Martinis Above 4th is hosting an “Animal Aid Unlimited Fundraiser” on Tuesday June 4th, with special guest, Belinda Carlisle! Belinda was my absolute idol when I was in the 6th grade, & yes, I’m dating myself, but “Mad About You” was my jam! Charity, Belinda, Martinis? Sign me up!

Deets:

Come & support Animal Aid Unlimited & the homeless street animals they serve at an event featuring special guest Belinda Carlisle along with Spencer Day. Tuesday, June 4, 5:30-8:30 p.m. VIP tickets are $125, includes a pre-event reception beginning at 5:30, two drink tickets & vegetarian dinner. General Admission is $85, doors open at 6:00 & includes one signature martini & vegetarian dinner. Bring your credit card to the event for the silent auction!

Animal Aid Unlimited is a US-based charitable organization that runs a busy animal hospital & shelter in Udaipur, Rajasthan India, where ownerless street animals are rescued, healed, loved, & returned to the neighborhoods from where they came. Dedicated volunteers from all over the world work with Animal Aid’s staff who serve fallen angels with tenderness, respect, & joy. Animal Aid’s purpose is to both bring relief to suffering animals, & to awaken compassion among people.

Come on out & support the cause if you can! Click here for tickets & here for more information about Animal Aid Unlimited!

Jeffrey Campbell Vegan Spring 2013 Collection Guilty as...

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:36:00 -0700

Jeffrey Campbell Vegan Spring 2013 Collection

Guilty as charged…I’m a shoe hoarder! Always have been. Always will be. Me & Imelda. And thank goodness that vegan shoes are finally getting more fashionable. They have come a long way over the years! While I used to have to rely on places like LuLu’s & Target (shhhh!)to find leather-free gear, it’s no longer the case! With ethical brands like Cri de Ceour, Neuaura, OlsenHaus creating beautiful footwear, I am beginning to build a very chic collection of my own! I’ve always been a fan of Jeffrey Campbell’s funky styles, & now that they’re back with a vegan spring collection, my cruelty-free collection just got that much cuter!

via The Kind Life:

Jeffrey Campbell is once again collaborating with Convert to bring us vegan versions of the season’s hottest footwear trends. This season, look for small floral patterns, reds & yellows, knotted wedges, weaves & straps, & sneaker wedges.

Jeffrey Campbell’s collection will be available exclusively at Convert in Berkeley, California. If you’re in the U.S., you can also order online at Convert’s eBay shop.

I adore red shoes & these “Cinda Flats” are darling! I’m typically a flats kinda gal (love rocking the heels tho, too!) & have been looking for some metallic flats like these “Gold Metallic Wrapped Flats.”

Check out more here!

Vegan Fiesta! Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! And if you’re...

Sun, 05 May 2013 22:08:00 -0700

Vegan Fiesta!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! And if you’re like most silly Americans - Happy Cinco de Drinko! Not around here, though! More like “Cinco de Mellow,” as I am super tired from my whirlwind day trip to LA yesterday for LAVBF. Besides, while it does commemorate Mexico’s victory over France in 1862, it’s really just a minor holiday in Mexico, so why we make such a big deal of it in the States is a mystery. Any excuse for tequila, I suppose.

For me, it was an excuse to make my favorite mostly raw, totally vegan “Taco Wraps!” I had to pick up the Pug from my Mom’s house, so we decided to make said favorite tacos & wash them down with “Juicy Mango Margarita Mocktails” a la The Lunchbox Bunch. Good plan! The “margaritas” were super refreshing & I didn’t miss the alcohol at all! Okay, well maybe just a little? Nah, I didn’t!

So back to those tacos…My mom & I acquired a recipe for “Quinoa & Spiced Walnut Meat” at the very first vegan cooking class we took at Sur La Table a couple years ago, & since then, it’s become a staple recipe. We love Mexican food & we love tacos. Any excuse to make them & we will! And more recently, in an effort to eat lighter & explore more raw foods, we began swapping out taco shells & tortillas for green leaf lettuce leaves! By doing this, I find that the focus becomes more on the flavors & textures of the “fixins,” rather than the crunchy shell. And, there is less guilt! In the spirit of a lighter & healthier Cinco de Mayo, I thought I’d share the coveted recipe!

” (Mostly Raw) Vegan Tacos with Quinoa & Spiced Walnut Meat”

Filling -

Ingredients:

1.5 cups walnuts, soaked for 1-4 hours & drained

2 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

pinch chili flakes

2 garlic cloves, peeled

juice of 1 lime

sea salt to taste

1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled. ***option to use spouted quinoa if you wish to be 100% raw!

Preparation:

Place above ingredients in food processor. Pulse on & off for 10 seconds intervals until nut mixture resembles cooked taco “meat”

Fold in cooled quiona

Taco Garnish Ideas -

diced tomatoes

minced red onion

guacamole

cashew crema (my go-to is from Viva Vegan)

fresh cilantro

thinly sliced red cabbage

grated jicima

fresh salsa

lime wedges, to squeeze on tacos

daiya cheddar shreds

Taco Shell Options -

tortillas or taco shells

Swiss chard leaves

green or red leaf lettuce

ezeikel wraps

Taco Assembly:

Build each taco by placing “shell” on a plate. Fill with desired ingredients & fold around filling. Enjoy!

Oh & I must not forget to mention the corn on the cob! It may seem a bit out of place, but it’s perfect here! We picked up this “Chipotle Roasted Corn” recipe from Spork Foods at their Vegan BBQ class at Great News. Take 4-5 ears of corn, & make a “rub” of 1 Tbsp. safflower oil, 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. sea salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, & 2 tsp. maple syrup. Rub corn ears with the spice mixture & cook for 30 minutes at 400 F for 30 minutes, rotating 1/2 way through.

We’d intended to make vegan chipotle butter, but ran out of time, so we drizzled some adobo sauce over the steamy corn. Yum!

Well, my friends, there you have it! I hope you make & enjoy these tacos. The meat is also wonderful tossed in a “taco salad” which I’ll be making for tomorrow’s lunch.

LAVBF Part 1 Wow! What can I say? The 4th Edition of the Los...

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:30:00 -0700

4th Annual LAVBF

Me & my homeslice - TONY KANAL!!!!

"Dynamite Roll" from Shojin

SD Brewers Represent! Automatic Brewing Co!

Wolfie from Frankenstand! He's so creepy cool!

Franken Weenie!

Fave beer of the day!

"Bibimbap Lettuce Wrap" from Susan Feniger's STREET

"Chilled Soba Noodle Salad" from Mohawk Bend

LAVBF Part 1

Wow! What can I say? The 4th Edition of the Los Angeles Vegan Beer Fest presented by QuarryGirl, Tony’s Darts Away & The Roxy, was all kinds of AWESOME! This event was so much bigger than last year (2012 recap here!) - more food, more beer, more vegan peeps! It was so big, in fact, that they moved it across the street from its original location. It was so inspiring to see so many people out & about & living la vida vegan! It’s apparent that L.A. vegan foodie scene is going off right now - the amount of vegan food vendors was staggering, & that was just a small sampling. Kinda makes me wanna move to L.A., or get a stronger movement in my hometown of San Diego!

While I enjoyed tons of incredible food, sampled some tasty brews, & caught up with a few of my favorite vegan bloggers, the highlight of my day was meeting Tony Kanal of No Doubt! I’d caught wind that Tony would be in attendance via twitter & just about lost my you know what. I love that he is vegan & is becoming more & more outspoken about animal issues. I’ve been a huge ND fan since high school & was lucky enough to see them play a very intimate show at when I was in college at UCSB in ‘94. I shared that memory with Tony & he said “those were the best shows!” I’ve met very few “celebrities” in my life & it’s super out of my comfort zone to approach someone like that. But I’d seen him taking photos with other “fans” & took my opportunity! YOLO, as they say & I must say that he was super gracious while I dorked like a mega-fan. He was super gracious & his kindness totally made my day!

So let’s talk about what you see in some of the photos! It was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to decide where to start with the food, but there were a few “no-brainers.”

First off, I devoured the “Dynamite Roll” from Shojin, LA’s all vegan, macrobiotic, & organic sushi spot. I went there for this year’s pre-Moz show birthday dinner & it was awesome, so when I saw them on the bill I knew I needed to seek them out. Best vegan sushi ever!
Stopping by The Frankenstand is also always a must. They were slammed & sold out of frankenweenies by 3 o’clock! So glad my friend was able to grab one of the last “Creatures” before they closed up shop. The duo behind the cart “Wolfie & Vampy” are total characters & I love their spooky theme concept!

My friend Sarah recommended I try the “Korean Bibimbap Lettuce Wrap” offered by Susan Feniger’s STREET. I first learned about STREET from QuarryGirl’s video. While not an all vegan joint, there are vegan/vegetarian options always offered at the restaurant & is one QG’s top picks for dining out in LA. I had put it on my list of must tries, & there they were! The lettuce wrap was delicious. Super light & crisp with seasoned rice, tofu, kimchi & veggies. YUM!

Another dish that caught my attention was the “Chilled Soba Salad” from one of my fave LA joints, Mohawk Bend. I love a soba salad & this was super tasty with radish, avocado, orange, crispy onion, sesame, carrot, & soy vinaigrette. They were also giving away a small cup of “Spiced Horchata Cake” - how could I say no to that?

Obviously I was feeling the Asian foodie fare!

As for the beer…there was a lot. People consumed a lot. I however, did not. For one, I was driving. For two, I am not a day drinker. For three, & try as I might, I’m just not THAT in to beer. I can hear my craft beer nerd friends GASP at the sound of it! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate beer, especially vegan craft beer, but I just don’t geek out on it! But I was super happy to see a familiar face, though, as Lee Chase, the vegan 1/2 of SD’s Blind Lady Ale House & Tiger!Tiger! Tavern, & the brewmaster behind Automatic Brewing Company was there with his “Don’t Run Me Over” Tangerine IPA. And because I am a creature of habit, I naturally gravitated toward what I know I like - Saison - & really enjoyed North Coast Brewing Co’s “Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale.” Other than that, I stayed pretty dry & enjoyed watching the drunken shenanigans of others go down! You put that many people & unlimited beer pours together on a hot day in LA & you know tomfoolery is gonna go down hard. Fortunately, as this was a place full of compassionate vegans, no one had a drunken bro-down throw-down! At least not that I witnessed. Sloppy, yes. Disorderly, no.

Believe it or not, that’s not all folks! Oh yes there’s more! And you bet I didn’t forget about Seabirds! Oh no! Their fried avocado tacos really float my boat. But you’ll have to wait for part II to hear all about that.

And, that concludes part 1 of my LAVBF recap. Stay tuned!

Vegan Cinco de Mayo Recipes Did it sneak up on you too? How is...

Sun, 05 May 2013 09:18:00 -0700

Vegan Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Did it sneak up on you too? How is it May already? Wow!

Well, at least we have Kathy over at The Lunchbox Bunch to keep things legit. Check out her gallery of “Vegan Mexican Food Recipes” & mouthwatering “Juciy Mango Margarita Mocktail!” Yum! And yes please.

And I’ll be back later to share my almost-raw vegan tacos! Olé!

Juicing it up before hitting the road to LA! Spinach, Kale,...

Sat, 04 May 2013 09:14:53 -0700

Juicing it up before hitting the road to LA! Spinach, Kale, Celery, Romaine, Cucumber, Fennel, Ginger, Carrot, & Lemon. All organic & as local as possible! #LAVBF here I come! (at Vegenista’s Kitchen)

LAVBF!!! Getting packed up & ready to hit the road on my way...

Sat, 04 May 2013 08:28:24 -0700

LAVBF!!!

Getting packed up & ready to hit the road on my way up to the 4th Annual Los Angeles Vegan Beer Fest! This festival features Southern California’s best vegan food & beers with over 40+ participating brewers, 30+ food vendors, & music!

BREWERIES pouring VEGAN BEER: Golden Road, Brunhaut, Gluten Free Anchor, Hangar 24, Noble, AVBC, Sierra Nevada, Triple Voodoo, Firestone, Deschutes, North Coast, Figueroa Mountain, Stone Bootlegger’s, Epic Brewing, Lagunitas, Speakeasy, Cismontane, Taps, Drake’s Monkish, Karl Strauss, El Segundo, Dogfish Head, Ballast Point, Surf Brewing, New Belgium, Automatic, Bison Brewing, Noble Ale Works, Ass Kisser, Wolf Creek, Indian Joe Brewing, Ninkasi, Ballast Point, Monks’, Kinetic, Avery, Tap It, Fireman’s Brew

VEGAN FOOD VENDORS: Chicago Vegan Foods, STREET, Seabirds, The Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, The Frankenstand, Mohawk Bend, Fresh Fries, Gracias Madre, Sage Vegan Bistro, Kind Kreme, M Cafe, Madeleine Bistro, Food For Lovers, Amanda’s Bakery, Green Truck, LA Vegan Crepe, No Jodas, Tony’s Darts Away, Dosa Truck, Golden Road Pub, Southern Fried Vegan BBQ, San Diego Pretzel Company, Doomie’s Home Cooking, Beggie’s Taco Cart, MJ’s Vegan Gourmet, Follow Your Heart, Sweet Crush Ice Bar

I mean…

I plan on taking lotso fotos & can’t wait to return with a full recap!

Off I go!

I just recently completed a 14 day yoga challenge at the studio...

Thu, 02 May 2013 07:35:00 -0700

I just recently completed a 14 day yoga challenge at the studio where I practice. It was a wonderful lesson in accountability & discipline, & I felt incredible. The benefits of yoga are immense for mind, body & spirit. I am currently writing a more personal post about my path & relationship with yoga, but until then, enjoy this info-graphic!

quarrygirl presents: M Cafe de Chaya As mentioned in the Good...

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:30:17 -0700

quarrygirl presents: M Cafe de Chaya

As mentioned in the Good Eats interview, M Cafe de Chaya is one of quarrygirl’s favorite Los Angeles vegan establishments. Although I’ve only been there a small handful of times, M Cafe is definitely one of my top dining picks in LA too, & surely some place I wish to visit again & again. There is too much vegan coolness going on in LA. Oh, heck maybe I should just move there…ain’t nothing holding me back, no more!

Anyhoo, in this awesome vid, quarrygirl features chef Lee Gross, who breaks down some of the dishes that make M Cafe! Ooooooh, I’m hungry! I’ll take a “Big Macro” please!

Hey ya’ll be sure to check out the first all-vegetarian...

Wed, 01 May 2013 18:41:00 -0700

Hey ya’ll be sure to check out the first all-vegetarian show on KCRW’s “Good Food.” Tony’s Dart’s Away’s Tony Yannow & quarrygirl are among some of the incredible guests, & there is even a shout out for this weekend’s LA Vegan Beer Fest!

Is it possible to make curds & whey from almond milk? What makes some beer not vegan? Plus, Jonathan Gold gains a new appreciation of raw food.

It’s the first ever all-vegetarian episode of Good Food. Jonathan Gold gains a new appreciation for raw, vegan food when he visits Matthew Kenney’s M.A.K.E & Mark Bittman shares advice on how to eat (& cheat) vegan before six. Chef Tal Ronnen explains how he was able to coax curds & whey out of almond milk for a uniquely delicious vegan cheese. Tony Yannow & vegan blogger Quarry Girl are co-hosting the upcoming Vegan Beer & Food Festival. Yannow discusses vegan beer & Quarry Girl gives us a round up of her favorite vegan eats in LA. New York Times writer Jeff Gordinier weighs in on the juice trend & KCRW employees share what they love & hate about juicing. At the market, Laura Avery talks to Barnyard chef Jesse Barber about how he prepares oyster mushrooms & mushroom cultivator Tanya Wyatt says it took her a year to find the right growing conditions for her mushrooms.

Host: Evan Kleiman
Produced by: Gillian Ferguson, Laryl Garcia, Sarah Rogozen, Harriet Ells
Audio Mixed by: Ronny Mikkelsen

Hippie Crispie Treats Holy whoa & hello lover. I’ve...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:45:00 -0700

Hippie Crispie Treats

Holy whoa & hello lover. I’ve been a serious chocolate fiend lately. I am talking eating handfuls of Trader Joe’s chocolate cereal right out of the box, & practically polishing off 1/2 a batch of vegan chocolate-coconut macaroons yesterday, amongst other naughty indulgences. Then this recipe from Food 52 came across my dash & I practically gnawed through the screen. Some pretty cool things are happening over there including Gena’s column, “The New Veganism,” & I must say I’m impressed.

These marshmallow-free & vegan chocolately treats are filled with some wholesome stuff like brown rice syrup, coconut oil & almond butter, & are topped with a gooey layer of chocolate (YES MORE CHOCOLATE), chopped almonds & flaked salt. My oh my.

Get the recipe here.

NOT MILK! This is the harsh truth about what really happens in...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:55:48 -0700

NOT MILK!

This is the harsh truth about what really happens in the dairy industry. Not only do dairy cows & their offspring endure an incomprehensible amount of suffering, there is absolutely no reason for humans to consume cow’s milk. Read on, & if you haven’t already - ditch the dairy!

veganmovement2012:

Here’s a euphemism, one that’s widely used within the dairy industry. Because cows’ milk is a secretion that oozes from the udder, it’s filled with a “somatic cell count,” commonly known as pus, with the national average hovering around 350 million pus cells per liter. Basically, this means that each glass of milk in America can have around an eye-dropper full of pus. Over the years, The Hoard’s Dairyman & other dairy industry trade journals have run a few articles about the pus content in milk.

When machines are hooked up to the udders three times a day to suck the cows dry, the machines, & the countless drugs & myriad injections of Bovine Growth Hormone, cause mastitis, & irritate & infect the udders. Pus, mucus, & infections are sucked out with the milk, & pasteurization—which cleans the pus, but does not eliminate it from the milk—creates a concoction of sanitized pus. Organic, chemical-free cow milk is not pus-free either. It actually has more pus than non-organic milk because when cows come down with infections, as they always do, chemicals are not being used to treat the infection. Thus, more pus accumulates in the system. Soy, rice, almond, hemp, coconut, oat & hazelnut milks (the vegan ones)—along with human breast milk—are the only pus-free milks.

Moreover, mother cows make milk for THEIR babies & for THEIR babies alone. That case is closed forever. No debate. No discussion. The jury is in. They don’t make milk for baby humans, adolescents humans or adult humans. The human body has absolutely no need for cow milk, just as it has absolutely no need for dog milk, giraffe milk, zebra milk, camel milk, goat milk or rhinoceros milk. This is why dairy is responsible for most allergies, asthma, Crohn’s disease, childhood ear infections, acne, & breast, ovarian, colon, prostate & pancreatic cancers.

Cows, like every other female mammal, only produce milk during & after pregnancy. Cows, therefore, are artificially impregnated (raped) once a year to keep the milk-flow going. Within moments after giving birth, babies are stolen from their mothers. From a business standpoint, the dairy industry has to steal babies because it can’t have calves sucking up all that milk that was meant for them when they would rather sell it to humans instead. Every time humans have a glass of cow milk, some calf is not!

Like male chicks on an egg farm, male calves are useless by-products of the dairy industry. Unlike the chicks who are killed at birth, calves are sent to veal farms and put in tiny crates with ropes and chains around their necks to completely immobilize them. No movement is ever allowed because no muscle development is allowed. The veal industry is only in existence because of the dairy industry. If you don’t eat veal, but still consume dairy, it doesn’t alleviate the suffering of enslaved male calves, or mother cows! When cows no longer produce huge amounts of quality milk after 3-7 years, they’re killed. There are no cow sanctuaries in the dairy industry. Ninety percent of hamburger flesh in America comes from the dairy industry. For some amazing info about the scams & cruelty of the dairy industry, please check out www.NotMilk.com, www.coalitionforcancerprevention.org, and www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07fat.html?src=me&ref=general.

We Animals Book Project Photojournalist & animal advocate,...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:37:00 -0700

We Animals Book Project

Photojournalist & animal advocate, Jo-Anne McArthur, who is also the central human subject in Liz Marshall’s documentary about animals, “The Ghosts in Our Machine” (which I blogged about here). Is launching a book project & needs our help!

About the project:

Ten years ago I created a project called “We Animals.” What started as a small photo essay about our uses & abuses of animals has grown into an internationally renowned archive. From whale-poaching in the Antarctic to sheep farming in Australia, from zoos in North America to macaque farms in Southeast Asia, the project has grown to cover a lot of ground.

My goals have always been to educate people about our treatment of animals. To reduce their suffering. To widen our circle of compassion to include non-human animals. To make animal industries visible, & accountable.

One more way that We Animals can do this is through this book project. We are trying to broaden our horizon & diversify our audience. By supporting this book project, you’ll be supporting these goals as well.

We need to raise $32.5k to make this project a reality, & we’re offering many ways in which you can invest in this project. Have a look & thanks so much for taking part!

Please donate if you can, & if you can’t afford a donation, please spread the word! Let’s help Jo-Anne bring this project to light, so we can spread the message of compassion far & wide.

To learn more about the project & become a backer click here.