Late Friday night, after the day that wouldn’t end..actually, just wouldn’t end the way I wanted it to…I was in need of some confort food. So, my sister and I headed to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for some FoodSwings. We weren’t alone; many are lookin’ for a little comfort after the long work week and vegan fast food seems to hit just the right spot.

I like to try different things, but I had a major craving for their Chick’n Cordon Bleu Sandwich. Essentially it’s a breaded chick’n patty layered with fried sham, vegan cheese and a sweet mustard sauce with lettuce and tomato on a roll. It’s a pretty good combination.

It’s not like traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu though. It just simply has the components. If you’re really up for giving a try at whipping up a veg*n variety, try these recipes from Veggie Converter and Vegetalion, which looks closest to the original. If you’re keen on a variation of the classic, try this recipe from Do Life Right.

Alternatively, if you’re more of a, ‘The Kitchen? You mean that room with the microwave in it?’, two brands have you covered. Try the Tex Mex variation from Gardein, Santa Fe Good Stuff, or the lacto-ovo vegetarian Cranberry & Goat Cheese Chick’n Cutlets from Quorn. (While I steer clear of the ingredient because of its possible contact with animal rennet, Quorn also makes Gruyere Chick’n Cutlets if you’re a vegetarian that does consume whey.)

As a former Bacon Enthusiast, I find Jim Gaffigan’s bit to be quite relatable. When I first became vegetarian, I tried “facon” and just wasn’t having it. MorningStar Farms had been my go to brand, so I gave their Veggie Bacon Strips a try. They never made it into my cart again.

When I decided to try to veganize the Turkey and Bacon Avocado sandwich from Subway earlier this month, I needed meatless Bacon. The market has expanded over years, but I had my doubts. Since I wanted to make the sandwich vegan, reopening a package of MorningStar Farms was out. I stood in front of the cold case contemplation.

I settled on Lightlife’s Smart Bacon. I’m pretty confident now that it’s the same brand used at B.A.D. Burger in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Best is that it’s certified vegan from Vegan.org, so there’s no lingering doubt. My veganized Subway sandwich turned out pretty good. After making it, I had nearly a dozen slices left. So what to do?

Then I stumbled upon Jim Gaffigan’s bit on bacon, or as he calls it, “the most beautiful thing on Earth.”

I laughed but I’ll never go back. So just some suggestions in case you’ve written meatless bacon off the menu:

Make sure you fry it up…so you can hear the applause. “Yay! [F]acon!”

Have it alongside your tofu scramble and toast on a lazy monring eating breakfast in bed. “That’s what makes it so special. You’re lying down and eating [F]acon.”

Forget McDonald’s. One morning, I fried up a couple pieces of vegan bacon and sandwiched them with a melted slice of vegan american cheese on a plain Pepperidge Farm bagel. Quick, easy, tasty and filling.

Bac’Uns Vegan Bacon Bits by FRONTIER for your baked potatoes and salads. “It’s like the fairy dust of the food community.”

Maybe a little Facon on your cupcakes?

B.L.T anyone? Or maybe this Vegan Elvis Sandwich with PB, Banana, and Vegan Bacon? It sounds so nasty…and yet, I want to try it. Hmmm….

For “Bacon” on the go, try Stonewall’s Jerquee Cajun “Bacon”.

I haven’t yet tried to improve other foods by wrapping them in meatless bacon, but I still have some strips left. Hell, I may even try making a vegan bacon bowl with mac and cheese!

You can even try making tempeh bacon yourself with these recipes from Lunchbox Bunch and No Meat Athlete!

As I watch Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver’s intensity seems more than a little overdramatic. Silly, really. I mean, it’s just food. Right? Wrong! Science shows how our eating habits can effect our bodies.

The premise of this season is Mr. Oliver’s quest to cook for the students of public school in California. At every turn, the just man can’t get a break. As the school board shuts door after door, Oliver climbs through windows, becoming a substitute teacher to show the school’s students how to make better food choices and what the long term effects our carefree youth can have on us.

Major corporations don’t make it easy on us. In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser notes how McDonald’s Corp and other fast food chains began purposely putting their restaurants near schools. From parents needing a quick and cheap dinner solution to children whining for the toys, the allure is evident.

And that is what Mr. Oliver is looking to combat. I remember watching Jamie’s show, The Naked Chef, on Food Network years ago. He’s not vegan or vegetarian; he wields poultry, meat, and fish but, for his core nutritional values, I can’t bring myself to hate on him.

Watch full episodes of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on the ABC Network and online at HULU!

My coworker has a huge soft spot for Jason Mraz. She even said that, when she gets married, “Lucky,” his duet with Colbie Caillet, will be played. I can’t argue. Mraz has been on my playlist since the man busted out The Remedy (I Won’t Worry).

So how did I not know that he was vegan? I stumbled upon his page on Wikipedia after reading a brief blurb on the recent end of his engagement with Tristan Prettyman. I’m sure some people sighed and some yelped. To each their own.

To each their own in their veg*n ways; every little bit helps the animals, planet, and ourselves. In a 2009 interview with Vegetarian Times magazine, the busy musician admitted that his diet is roughly 3/4 raw vegan. His Achilles’ heel? Soup. For more on Mr. Mraz’s veg*n ways, check out his interview with Tracey Pepper.

Running in Central Park last night, I saw a young lady wearing a NO MEAT ATHLETE t-shirt. It made me smile to see; made me push a little harder.

Be sure to check out the website with great resources for training.

Ok, so the days left in July are numbered and Westerly Natural Market in Manhattan, NYC has promised to reopen before the end of the month. Happy Birthday to me! Personally, I’m excited. I’m curious as to what their reception will be. I spotted a woman in Whole Foods with a Westerly tote bag and when I made mention of their re-opening, she didn’ have much of a reaction than a blink-and-you’d-have-missed-it smile and a placative, ‘hmmm.’ (Might have been the stranger randomly approaching her thing. I hear that can put people off.) After five months of getting by without, will the loyalists, so lost at the close of February, flock back? Or have they flown the coup to other feeding grounds? Well, we’ll never know if they don’t actually follow through this time. So cross your fingers.

We Shall See...

So I finally got around to contacting CRUMBS Bake Shop. When I first got to New York, I was practically eating my way through their display case. Over the last few months, though, as I’ve been scrutinizing ingredients even more (yes that’s possible), I’d begun to wonder. So I’ve been passing on the CRUMBS. I was half expecting a Soup Nazi response, ‘No CRUMBS for you!’ There’s a little tear in my eye. I’m not vegan, but as I’ve become much more strict, this response pretty much includes me. No more CRUMBS for me. At least they were nice to suggest an alternative…and, who knows, maybe one day they’ll take the challenge: a Vegan Colossal!

QUERY

July 24, 2011

Hello. My coworkers love your cupcakes but I’ve had to pass because I’m not sure I can have them. I’m a vegetarian with vegan leanings and in addition to no meat and fish, I also do not consume by-products of animal, fish, or insect slaughter (ie, animal rennet, gelatin, whey produced with animal rennet, carmine, shellac, or bone char filtered sugar). Some varieties are obviously a no, like the S’Mores cupcake, but do you have any cupcake flavors for strict vegetarians? Has Crumbs ever attempted or considered a cupcake for vegans? Thank you.

RESPONSE

Hi Sarah,

Thank you so much for emailing Crumbs! We are so sorry to disappoint you! We, unfortunately, do not offer any vegan products at this time. You might want to check out Babycakes. They offer refined sugar-free/gluten free/vegan cupcakes and baked goods. Their website is: http://www.babycakesnyc.com. I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if i can be off further assistance.

Have a great day!
Cristina Jimenez

Customer Care Representative
1-877-CRUMBS0

July 24, 2011

I’m sure it would be nice on any day, but I just happened in today. Now I’ve hit 4 of the 5 Blossom spots. My birthday’s just around the calendar, maybe I’ll round out the list.

Located at 174 Ninth Ave. NYC (right next door to Cocoa V), vegan fast food is what Blossom Du Jour specializes in. From Sloppy Joe Sliders to Filet No Fish, Mac and Cheese to Onion Rings, it’s comfort food.

I decided to go for the Midtown Melt. Something about the cajun spiced seitan, vegan cheese, guacamole, and chipotle aioli, just sounded like an amazing combination…and it was. The sandwich ran me $8.50 plus tax but it was well worth it and not just because it tastes amazing. You get a good size sandwich.

I couldn’t resist the cupcakes…especially when the words chocolate cheesecake came out. I asked for a knife so I could split it…but I’m so selfish. Next time I buy two.

I’d been taking pictures and Laura, behind the counter, asked if I had a blog. Everyone has a blog, though, right? As I left with my goodie bag, she hoped I had good things to write about. What can I say? This chain just can’t do much wrong in my book.

No excuses. If you're in a hurry, check out the cold cases stocked with prepared salads and sandwiches.

When my family members insist their ok with going to a vegan/vegetarian restaurant so that we can all eat together, it’s a treat. After 8 years as a vegetarian, my last birthday came around and my foot went down. The idea that restaurants existed where I wouldn’t have to pester the wait staff with questions about the kitchen conditions or ingredients had only been dreams. Dinners would be a brief scouering of the menu only to end up with a baked potato (unless of course you end up at the Texas Roadhouse where the waitress informed me they inject the backed potatoes with beef fat) and the bread basket fixed just a little closer.

I can’t complain; my family has become more and more sensitive. I always feel the need to provide a disclaimer: ‘Remember, the meat isn’t real.‘ Just trying to manage expectations. Actually, this past Saturday at dinner with my father, I had the opposite problem; I had to keep affirming to my father that if he ordered something with chicken in it, he would actually be getting chicken…not chick’n.

You get the oddest questions, though. It’s as though the awareness of being in a vegetarian restaurant accesses the part of people’s brains that recognizes colors. Sort of on par with how dangerous situations are supposed to heighten people’s senses, probably a jolt of panic/dread surges through them. ‘Am I supposed to eat this?’ I’m constantly asked as someone holds the garnish between their thumb and forefinger, as though it was some new plant life. ‘Would you eat it if there had been a sirloin steak next to/on top of it?’

Stumbled onto this and wanted to pass it on. If you’ve ever dragged (kicking and screaming) a loved one to a vegan/vegetarian, you’ll get a little laugh.

Subway’s got a new shtick. Each month Subway is featuring a new sandwich. May was the Orchard Chicken Salad Sandwich, this month it’s the Italian B.M.T, and apparently last month was the Chipotle Chicken and Cheese. For how much marketing went into the Turkey and Bacon Avocado Sandwich, though, if you forgot all about that other…what was it called again? Well, it’s okay.

The heavily promoted sandwich was for the company’s promotional tie-in with the much anticipated release of Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. The marketing meetings must have been painful, ‘It’s for Green Lantern. Avocados are green. It works.’ [(Forget that Bok Choy, Green Peppers, Lettuce, Spinach (nix that, already taken), Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Celery, are, um, yes, all green.]

If you couldn’t actually eat the thing, cause, you know, that whole, yummy avocado on a bed of dead animal thing…Tofurky and Smart Deli can help you out with that.

Don't judge my avocado too harshly. It was delicious.

• Italian Roll
• Annie’s Italian Dressing
• Whole Avocado
• Tofurky Turkey Slices
• Lightlife Smart Bacon Slices (pan fried)
• Romaine Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Galaxy Foods Vegan Grated Parmesan

In brightest day, in blackest night, nothing can’t be veg*nized.

(Um, yeah, don’t rub your eyes; you did just read that.)