Celeb-vegan

My favoriate fashion magazine, Elle, had an article a few months ago on The Veronicas as part of their music issue. In the article, "The Veronicas Eat L.A.,"Elle takes the Veronicas to hot eateries in L.A., including a MexiCali-Korean food truck, where they taste all the new vegan-eatin' the city has to offer. Props to Elle for featuring fun new artists (they always write about cool new indie bands and singers that I always end up looking up on iTunes and then, without a doubt, end up buying some songs) plus detailing the vegan adventures of these artists.

On another note, Philly is food-truck heaven, particularly University City. One of the best is Magic Carpet, is the best for veggies.

Brussel Sprouts Like to Live, Too?

Please read: Sorry, Vegans: Brussel Sprouts Like to Live, Too

Now, tell me what you think.

Sarcasm? Heartfelt ode to plants' struggles? Other side of the argument? Attempt to recover some of the moral ground surrounding ethical vegans' reasons for their lifestyle?

I honestly don't know enough about the language of ethical veganism to defend their viewpoint in relation to this article, but it still seems to me something is missing from the "ode to the vegetable" Ms. Angier puts forth. Something about animals' inclusion in the category "sentient being" (a technical Buddhist term very broadly used to define beings with consciousness) alongside humans appears to have been left out.

At the end of the day, veganism is a choice that each person makes for him or herself, just as meat-eating is. It's just about understanding each person's choices, learning from them and allowing them to be what they are. I no more want Ms. Angier to tell me to eat meat than she wants me to tell her not to eat meat.

Moving on now....

More veg info than you'll ever need....

One of the best sources around for being connected to all things veg is VegNews. I used to subscribe but when it expired I found that I could rely on the website and an email subscription to get all the veg news I needed.

I love this magazine. Not only has it hooked me up with amazing restaurants in random locations in its travel section(Rishikesh, India, for example), but it also has great recipes so I can be an inspired veg chef all on my on. Info on veg providers ranging from travel locations to retail stores are invaluable. The VegNews online store is also excellent, offering books, snacks and other merchandise with no shipping! Stay tuned for an update on some choco-treats I recently ordered...

Hot hot hot!

Two of the hottest shoes of the season in vegan versions. Both are Cri de Croeur (trans. "cry from the heart," def. "an impassioned outcry, appeal,protest or entreaty"),

I first spotted these shoes at Cow Jones Industrials, a vegan boutique in Chatham, NY. Find eco-conscious shoes, bags, accessories and clothing here, but really, it's all about the great vegan shoes. For the Philly vegan, see what you can find at Anthropologie. They carry the line.

More high-fashion vegan shoes soon...

Mission: Vegan Dessert

How annoying is it to go out with your friends for ice cream, gelato, etc. etc.? Well, I for one am sick of it! Never a non-dairy dessert to be found from your average seller of sweets. For as long as I have been vegan I have wondered why ice cream parlours don't offer at least one non-dairy option beyond your boring, flavorless sorbet. What about the rich desserts? Why can't we eat them, too?

My favorite dessert after dark chocolate covered pretzels and maybe my mom's tofu pumpkin pie is vegan ice cream. I like it all: soy-based, rice-based, coconut-milk based. As long as it is not a fruit flavor, I'm all about it. Well, now our vegan dreams (or potentially just mine) have been answered! A purely vegan ice cream store. In my vegan eats reading I came across a review of Stogo, a non-dairy organic ice cream shop in the East Village. (Of course New York City has everything a vegan could want to eat--on the East Coast at least--and that includes ice cream.) Flavors include chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, toasted almond joy, oatmeal raisin cookie, and of course some fruit flavors for those of you who are not all about decadent, sweet 'n savory tastes like me. I envision a delicious bowl of chocolate, chocolate chip cookie and peanut butter fudge with some kind of vegan chocolate topping to polish it off. So delish!

When not in NYC and without any soy-based ice cream outside of the pint variety to be found (except I have heard Gianna's down near South Street has vegan soft serve, though I've yet to try it), I'm a pretty big fan of Turtle Mountain's Purely Decadent Peanut Butter Zig Zag.

If you are as big a fan as I am of the choco-peanut butter combo, then you might want to try out this recipe for chocolate peanut butter pie.

In my laziness, though, I usually just head over to Last Drop Cafe at 13th and Pine and pick up a peanut butter cup brownie made by Vegan Treats. The actual bakery is in Bethlehem, PA but thank goodness they sell their decadent cakes, doughnuts, brownies and cookies throughout Philly.

Stogo, here I come. But please, when will you come to Philly?

Tonight I'm trying to convince my friends that vegan really can be tasty...hopefully this Tofu Provencal proves that you don't really have to eat meat at every meal.

Tomatoes, red pepper, onion, black olives, tofu, capers plus saffron and oregano. Tofu plus a side of couscous should be convincing!