10 Foods Vegans CAN Eat

I was checking out YDV today and discovered a very frustrating post in reference to an even more frustrating article, "10 Foods That Vegans Can't Eat". Granted, it was one of those stupid Yahoo! articles that seem to be just there for content sake, rather than actually being anything worth reporting, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

And actually, the article itself was a nice little nod to the vegan community, in a way. It's intention seemed to be to inform the masses (who for whatever reason don't know already) what being vegan actually means. And I appreciate that. The real frustration was the comments. They all seemed to be ANGRY at vegans and often referred to them as hypocrites. YDV did a great job of pointing out that perhaps a better article would have been "10 Principles of Veganism".

But since I'm primarily in the business of cooking and eating, I would like to instead write a list of 10 foods we CAN eat. After all, that is the question we get asked the most, right?

'Tis the Season: Give the Gift of a Charity Donation for Animals!

December 1st has come and gone (with snow, too!) and if you're slacking on holiday shopping, look no further! The best gift you can give to the compassionate people in your life, is the gift of giving. Giving to any charity in someone's name shows you care about that person and their causes. Not to mention, you don't even have to leave your home. So, pull up a mug of hot, mulled apple cider, grab your laptop, and get holiday shopping!

Here's a list of some great animal organizations that you could gift to someone this year!

• Mercy For Animals: If you live in Columbus, you probably hear about MFA a lot. They sponsor meetup groups (like our Thanksgiving Potluck last month), hold charity events, and Dec. 11th they are having a holiday party at Dragonfly Neo-V. They are a great organization, dedicated to giving a voice to animal rights: Read more about their mission.
• PeTA: We all love to hate PeTA, I think. They're certainly controversial. But what they do a good job of is keeping animals rights a part of the conversation. Gift a donation for PeTA.
• You can also go to this website and gift over hundreds of charities of your choosing, including American Humane Association, SPCA, Wildlife Conservation Society, etc.
• Donate to a Farm Sanctuary! Or take a trip down, and volunteer. It's the best way to directly help animals in need.
  

Tip Top Update Via Twitter

Cyber Monday, for Vegans

Check out VegNews, and gift someone a subscription for 15 bucks!

Forever21 is doing free shipping on all orders (no minimums!), plus other discount offers. They have TONS of faux leather jackets and cotton, wool-free coats.

Check out these adorable, vegan, heart-shaped soaps on Etsy. Or, get these soy candles with free shipping!

Love Olsen Haus vegan designer shoes? Amazon.com has tons of deals, with free shipping!

American Apparel has 20% off EVERYTHING online.

You can get 20% off vegan shirts and aprons at CottonFactory.com.

Plus, check out Cyber Monday's twitter to see the dozens of other deals online.

VegNews First Annual "Great Vegan Dessert Giveaway"

Go to the VegNews Facebook page, "like" them, and comment your favorite vegan dessert on their post about their dessert giveaway. Then, that's it. You're automatically entered to win a trio of awesomeness from Allison's Gourmet, BabyCakes NYC, and Sticky Fingers Bakery.

Best of luck!

Starbucks SOY Frappuccino

Coming next week, Columbus, OH will have vegan frappuccinos.

I was informed by my friendly, neighborhood Starbucks barista that their frappuccinos will no longer be made with the cream based mix and can now be made with soy. She says they are even better. And although you still can't have the caramel frapps (caramel sauce is cream/butter based) or the whipped cream, you CAN have the mocha frapps or any other flavor of frapp you can think of.

The plus side of the vegan frapps: they're not all that bad for you. Since they're mostly ice, and you can't eat the whipped cream, a tall coffee frapp is only 125 calories.

It's not all stores, though. And the only one I can absolutely confirm in Columbus is the store on Henderson Rd. You may want to check with your local starbucks to find out.

Boca is back!

So my beloved Boca Meatless Spicy Chicken Patties are back! They didn't actually go anywhere. Boca just made the stupid move, to cut costs I assume, of adding egg whites to their recipe. One of the first things I ate my very first day of my vegan bet was this patty with vegan ranch dressing. This patty helped me to realize it wouldn't be that hard to be vegan. I ate these all the time. I couldn't understand why Boca would suddenly make them not vegan. But thanks to the tons of angry vegans out there, Boca has made it vegan again. Go get some!

Go South Florida!

``A generation ago, it was quite unusual,'' said Dr. Neal Barnard, founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which advocates for vegan and low-fat vegetarian school lunches. ``Nowadays, kids do it for political reasons, environmental reasons, animal rights reasons.'' [[full article]]

I always wondered what the vegans in my high school ate for lunch. I know the vegetarians probably just ate candy, chips, and pizza [[so healthy, right?]]. But I did know a few vegans growing up-- and there was nothing for them. Not even a vegan salad dressing. So, it's really refreshing to hear about schools in South Florida, and not just college campuses, offering vegetarian AND vegan options. They recognize the switch in the way youth thinks, and they're feeding that demand.

Some of the veg*n options they offer:
* indicates vegan meal

Salad with sunflower seeds *

Gardenburger *

Cheese pizza

Black beans and rice *

Red beans and rice *

Egg salad on wheat bun

Grilled cheese sandwich

Some vegetarian and vegan offerings in Miami-Dade public schools:

Hummus and veggie platter *

Veggie chik tenders *

Vegan patties *

PBJ sandwich *

Rice and beans *

Cheese pizza

I don't have a kid, otherwise I'd probably try to push this. But if you do and you're veg*n, I would try to get more options in your child's school! It's possible-- they'll respond if a need is expressed. So, go do it!

In Vitro Meat

For a few months now, I've been reading about in vitro meat that the Dutch have been brewing in labs from a small, fleshy sample of a pig. They say it may be in grocery stores as soon as 2014. PETA's been throwing cash at them in support, and I'm trying to decide if I support it myself. I'm working out the implications of in vitro meat in my mind and I can't really see anything wrong with it. Personally, I don't think I'll ever eat meat again. This meat is supposed to be healthier, greener, and cruelty-free [[all the major reasons to go vegan]], but I don't think I could stomach it. I guess the only issues I have with in vitro meat are in my imagination. What if it proves to be unhealthy? More cancerous than meat already is? And since I've been playing Left 4 Dead 2 a lot-- what if it's the start of the zombie apocalypse and we run around like mad cows gnawing our faces off?? It's a stretch, but what if...?

This is a picture of lab grown meat from TreeHugger

Then, I come to the question of eggs and milk. I haven't heard any word about growing dairy and eggs, but I start to wonder-- could I eat that? Could I go out and get pasta without worrying if they use butter or oil? Probably. I may not cook with it anymore, since I've harnessed this passion for MacGyver vegan cooking, but it'd sure be nice to eat out and not have to ask a thousand questions.

Anyway, I'm curious about what you guys think. Would you eat it? Is it technically "vegan" to you? Any zombie apocalypse thoughts?

November Treats: Pumpkin Spice Granola

Hey, Columbus. I wanted to do a quick post about the most amazing granola I've ever had. I never got into the whole seasonal food thing, mostly because the thought of a pumpkin spice latte made me cringe a little. BUT I'm here to tell you, I've been converted. Pumpkin spice granola is officially my new favorite thing ever, served with vanilla rice milk. You can get it in bulk at the Clintonville Community Market, and I highly recommend that you do! It's flavorful, crunchy, and feels like fall in a bowl.

Tiny Canary Indie Design Market

Sorry I've been gone-- first Andrew got sick, then I did. So it's been a long week of being sick at work or staying home in a coma all day. Sunday was our first real day out of the dungeon that had become our living room. We pried ourselves away from the hours of Left for Dead and Mad Men season 1 to go to the Tiny Canary Indie Design Market and it was awesome. Tons of people came from all over the country to showcase their awesome crafts, and Patty Cake was there with cookies and cupcakes and sticky buns.

I think people were pretty run down by the time we got there late in the afternoon the second day. It was funny. I like people that way. They don't really care what they say, and they don't try too hard to sell you on stuff. So you can peruse in peace. Here's some of the awesomeness we bought:

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The first place we stopped at was this soap booth, Metropolis Soap Co. The owner isn't vegan, but she does hate working with animal fat [[because it's nasty, duh]] so all of her soaps and lip balms are 100% vegan! She claims she can't bake, so she makes soap. The owner didn't want to be in the photo, so I cut her head off. Like I said, everyone was tired. She's based out of Brooklyn, NY and has this sweet retro wrapping that's kitschy, which I know you vegans love, and funny. You can buy any of her soaps, lip balms and other products online.

Some awesome orange creme lip balm. It smells amazing!! They're five dollars each.

Some soaps. The Black Soap Horror has charcoal in it which is said to extract toxins from your pores. And the green one is a really nice smelling spearmint soap. More lips balms and a flier. I think the soaps were 6 dollars each.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

This one is my absolute favorite. They are a brother and sister duo from Minneapolis, and they make these amazing necklaces with REAL, super tiny flowers in them. They are so beautifully hand crafted, you have to see them in person to really appreciate them. The only downside is that they are pretty pricey. This necklace, with a chain, came out to $74. But you get a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted necklace. I recommend clicking on this picture to see it up close and checking out the amazing selection on their website.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

And finally something awesome and Columbus-based! Wholly Craft is that pink, handmade looking store on High St. I had never gone in there, but after seeing them at Tiny Canary I definitely want to make the trip over. They have these awesome comic book coasters, posters, and Columbus theme magnets. I saw these and had to get them. They're just so sick. The one on the left is Superman saving a boat or something. The one of the right is Wonder Woman leaping from planes. Check out Wholly Craft!

Bodega Cafe Sucks @$$: Calling All Vegans

Yes that's cheese one my side salad. They fudged up my order and brought me a new one.

So, Bodega used to rock for one super awesome reason-- their tempeh salad sandwich. It was the best faux-chicken salad I've had, and my favorite one to get. For some stupid, crazy reason -- they got rid of it!! I don't know if you've ever had it or even been to Bodega, but if you're vegan and in Columbus, please call them requesting it, demanding that they bring it back. Or you can do what we did. We ordered it, they said they no longer carried that item, so Andrew screamed in the background "well fuck you then!" and I said, "well we're not ordering then". Just so they know how much we miss it. Hopefully the message will get relayed, and they'll bring it back.

Here is their info (address, phone number, hours, and twitter):

Bodega, 1044 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio
614-299-9399
11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Mon-Wed,
11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Thurs-Sat,
11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun
TWITTER: @ColumbusBodega

Write them letters. Call them. Walk in and leave in a huff. If not for the salad, then for vegan options everywhere. Too often they get removed from a menu, because restaurant owners think there's no demand for them. So demand it!!

Top Chef Preview: Don't Forget!

I got an email from Bravo, who passed along this preview. Don't forget to watch Natalie Portman and her vegan challenge on Top Chef. I hope Robyn will do well, considering she was a raw foodist for a while. We shall see, friends.

Vegan MoFo Day 22: Natalie Portman on Top Chef

I almost didn't post today, because well... I haven't made anything recently. We went to the Airborne Toxic Event concert last night and went out to eat, and Andrew's birthday is coming up, like I said... so I'm a little disoriented.

BUT I was watching Top Chef tonight and found a reason other than my cooking to post. Natalie Portman is a part of the challenge for next week's episode! And that means, vegan!

I was so excited when Zooey Deschanel was on Top Chef Masters, but I was pretty unimpressed with their turn out. Someone just bought rice dream ice cream and topped it on some strawberry soup?

Anyway, this crop of chefs seems young and innovative, so hopefully they'll bring the heat. Although the preview had Natalie Portman talking about how disgusting something was... sooo, I'm not that hopeful.

The Ad That Launched a Thousand Ships

PeTA has a new billboard that says "Save the Whales Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian".

My first reaction, as most people may have, is "That's hilarious!" Upon further reflection, I think "That's fucked up!"

But now I'm sort of stuck. This ad has launch dozens of debates today about "sizeists" (well, mostly I've been called a sizeist for thinking obese people are unhealthy). And while I still think being over-weight is bad for you, I don't necessarily think this ad is right. Is PeTA incapable of not exploiting SOMEONE to help animals. Usually it's using female sexuality, and now it seems they're targeting the morbidly obese (and the female morbidly obese mind you).

Anyway, you can't deny that their marketing is effective, but does it bother any of you? Everyone seems SO angry about this ad. Are there any overweight people out there not completely offended by this? If you are offended, can you deny that being overweight is unhealthy?

PETA Upset Over Fly Swatting Incident

If you have twitter, you've probably noticed the new "PETA" trending topic. The animal rights group is apparently angered because President Obama swatted a fly out of his face on television [[watch video here]]. People have mixed reactions; from disgust "I can't believe that PETA is on about Obama's fly killing crap...", to humor "PETA That fly had a micro-chip implanted and was on a spy mission from North Korea! Bravo Obama!". I like the spy mission theory.

Their expectations really confuse me. They get on the president because he swats a fly -- who was invading his space -- but when he gets cheese burgers with the vice president -- a ground up, innocent cow -- they turn the other cheek. I appreciate their efforts to bring to light this issue that most people don't think of; however, after reading some of the trending topic conversation, it seems to alienate people more.

Nevertheless, I hope the president puts to use this new fly catching contraption, the Katcha Bug, to safely release flies [[although I don't know how easy it is to bust out during an interview]] and helps people become more compassionate towards even the smallest of life forms.

New Documentary: Food Inc.

Peter Pringle came on Bill Maher recently to talk about his book "Food Inc". I have not read the book yet, however, from the interview, it seems that the book aims to expose some of the truths about much of the industry that we as vegans hate. The meat industry, the corporate greed, the lies.

Check out their website and this trailer. The movie came out today, however, it's not in Columbus yet. I'll keep you posted if I see it around here.

Raising the Bar: More Crazy Vegans

I'd like to say seeing vegan characters on TV shows makes me happy, but it just doesn't. They're always wackos, like the vegan chick from True Blood-- a psycho vamp killer, now dead-- or the Hockey mom from last night's Season 2 premier of Raising the Bar [[P.S. Did you see Mark-Paul Gosselaar on Jimmy Fallon?]].

She's a crazy, "organic-lovin', vegan" lady who sues this nice frumpy, fat lady for "punching her with a hot dog". The show is geared towards the little man, so we all feel so bad for the poor, frumpy lady who can't make bail, and we hate the evil, vegan bitch who needs to let it go. I'm not saying getting punched with a hot dog is sue-worthy. I'd be angry as heck, but I don't think I'd sue a fellow soccer mom. The point is-- they made vegans look ridiculous and crazy once more.

Why can't the vegan be the little guy? And why do they have to be wackos? Are people that threatened by progression and change that writers feel compelled to make vegans the evil villains in their stories?

Don't Let Them Scare You

I wanted to do a quick bit on this vegan/vegetarian guide on MedicineNet. I think this is the discourse of many omnivores. They try to scare you and tell you what you're doing is unhealthy. I often fall prey, as a lover of science, to these studies about nutrient absorption and lots of planning.

You DON'T have to do any more planning than a meat eater. Most meat eaters are overweight morons who should pay attention MORE [[based one my own experiences, I'm sure there are plenty of heath nut meat eaters]]. If you eat your vegetables and your proteins [[beans and tofu]] -- you will be fine. Take a supplement or two [[like everyone should]] and exercise often. You'll be fine.

NOW, if you eat french fries and iceberg lettuce all day, you'll run into some problems. I hope you all know better than that by now. :)

I just wanted to give a little pep to talk to everyone. Don't worry about this hullabaloo saying when to eat a grain with a protein or whatever -- there have been many vegans and vegetarians throughout history who have done just fine and lived long healthy lives. Remember that.

Vegan Documentary

"I'm Vegan" is a documentary created by Eric Prescott [[producer/directed]], which aims to remove any stereotypes about vegans by traveling across North American interviewing vegans. I feel a little dumb for just hearing about this now. I need to get better with my news updates. The tour started March 16th and has since ended. Check out their website for updates on the completed documentary. And although the tour is over, go to their downloads section and post the "I'm Vegan" logo on your website to help spread the news about this documentary.