The NYC Vegetarian Food Festival was so much fun. Big thanks to Nira Paliwoda and Sarah Gross for being confident enough to think they could pull this off…and craziness to do it…there are more pieces to a festival than most people would think.

Giveaways are also fun! So I collected goodies for one lucky reader. For this one, I’m taking a page from the women of Our Hen House and asking entrants to drop me a line…it’ll make it way easier to contact the winner!

To enter to win, all you got to do is send a quick email to ALifeVegan@live.com with the subject “NYC VFF goodie bag“.

The bag contains samples thanks to Raw Revolution and Vegan Cuts as well as gifts of Home Free, Pukka Tea, and Sea Shepherd.

Giveaway open 12:01am EST 3/20/2013 through 11:59pm EST 03/27/2013. Winner chosen at random. Open to U.S. residents only.

I can’t hide my enthusiasm for the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival this weekend. I still remember the first festival. The three plus hours in line. The team of FoodSwings dressed like devils and angels. Dayna explaining to me just what Sea Shepherd does. It was so worth it.

This year is shaping up to be memorable as well! Let’s share it! Scavenger Hunt!

All peeps need to do is tweet @ALifeVegan with #huntnycvff. Deadline will be 3pm Sat. Winner will be tweeted by 4pm and must pick up their prize in person.

• Stop by the fast moving snail (Bonus love if you get them to make a face)

• ‘I am not a nugget.’

• Grab some PHOOD!

• Find the Dolphin in the skull

• Find a running carrot

• Learn about one of the happiest places on Earth (Clue: especially of you’re a farmed animal)

• Go back in time with campfire favorites

• Spot the dapper gentleman with the spiffy mustache

• Find a feast for your eyes…and tummy!

How many can you find?

Game on!

I go the chance to meet Annie and Dan Shannon last night. Their new cookbook “Betty Goes Vegan” is getting tons of kudos. Be sure to catch the clip of them on The Today Show. Another chance to meet the duo next week, at GreenLight Bookstore in Brooklyn, Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 7:30pm.

If you’re in the NYC area, get ready for the holiday with A Very Vegan Thanksgiving hosted by U.S. Veg Corp. This feast will take place this upcoming Monday, November 19, 2012 at 7pm. At $45 a ticket, this three course meal will be well worth it.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating at one of Blossom’s newest restaurants on Carmine Street, this is a great opportunity. The night’s event benefits for the Animals Sanctuary in New Jersey to help support their efforts to care for rescued farmed animals.

There is limited seating, so get your tickets before they sell out!

If you’re not in the NYC area, be inspired by the menu for your compassionate Thanksgiving meal!

MENU
Appetizer
~ pumpkin ginger soup, ginger crème fraiche
~ cashew cheese crostini, roasted tomato, sweet onion jam
~ mini cordon bleu, cauliflower puree, dijon mayo, steamed broccoli

Dessert
~ pumpkin pie, cinnamon ice cream
~ apple cobbler, vanilla ice cream

Entree Choices
~ seitan marsala, roasted potato, sautéed spinach, shallots, beets, jalapeno, figs, marsala jus
~ miso mustard risotto, sautéed mushrooms, scallions, white cheese, cashew cream
~ whole wheat penne, sautéed smoked tofu, asparagus, baby spinach, basil, white wine cream sauce, petit lemon arugula salad, fresh avocado, shaved white cheese

Just finished up writing an article about veg-friendly smartphone apps available for both Android and iPhone. The impetus behind it being disappointment.

Recently, I read that BabyCakes NYC released an app. While I’m not a fan of everything they whip up in their kitchen, the application looks imposing…either that or there is a serious mistype in the App Store. Where popular Social Networking apps like Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and LinkedIn clock in at 22MB at most, the BabyCakes app packs a punch at 503MB.

While I heart my Android, searching the Apple App store made me long for an iPhone or iPad. First off, browsing for apps via the iTunes platform was more user-friendly than the Google Play Store.

Second, and much more important, some apps I really wanted to try, like that from BabyCakes NYC, were only available for iPhone and iPad users. Sadly, even the free 21-Day Vegan Kickstart from PCRM was only available on iPhone and iPad.

If you’re an iPhone/iPad user, let me know your feedback on some of the veg-friendly apps you’ve tried.

If you’re an Android user, let me know some good ones I may have overlooked!

Hurricane Sandy threatens the northeastern United States. While you’re calmly battening down the hatches and gathering your provisions to hunker down for what may come, lean on an old standby: PB sandwiches.

Click for more Food and Supply lists

Tomorrow, Farm Sanctuary will have their NYC Walk For Farm Animals. The organization holds walks in several cities around the U.S., including Atlanta, Boston, and Portland. Walkers for NYC have already raised more than $65,000 to help Farm Sanctuary promote their efforts on behalf of animals.

For all the years as a vegetarian, and even when I initially became vegan last year, I had no idea farm sanctuaries existed. The first two I visited were Catskill Animal Sanctuary and Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Check out my albums on Facebook for Woodstock and Catskill!

In August, I got the opportunity to visit Farm Sanctuary for the Country Hoedown. In Watkins Glen, Tweed and all the other animals carved out a little place in my heart.

Tweed and I

While I won’t be walking in Central Park tomorrow because I will be en route to a half marathon, I couldn’t pass up the chance to spread the word. Veganism isn’t just about what’s on our plates; it’s about what’s off them as well. Sanctuaries help people make the connection.

My goal has almost been met thanks to some generous contributions from Jake Johnston of PlayWithMyFood, Evan O’Brien of the Vegan O’Brien Baking Company, and Gretchen Primack, co-writer of The Lucky Ones.

Farm Sanctuary relies on your donations to help provide for the animals! All contributions are appreciated. Click to support!

Thank you Gretchen!

This weekend, the clouds were kept at bay for the Chile Pepper Fiesta at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. The event brought together vendors to showcase the many variances of the Chile pepper.

Sarah Gross of Rescue Chocolate once said to me, ‘if you’re gonna splurge on anything, make it chocolate.’ While I’m a cupcake gal, I can’t deny the indulgence of letting a piece of chocolate melt slowly on your tongue.

At the Fiesta, chocolatiers married their sweets with heat. Some, like Raaka, even went for broke; crafting a bar with the infamous Ghost Pepper.

My favorites:Pink pepper and Citrus from Madécasse: This bar wasn’t at the Fiesta. I tore into one in the last few weeks. Delicious sweet citrus chased by the subtle warming of the pepper. (Note: Madécasse is not a vegan company but offers a variety of vegan bars.)

Ghost Pepper from Raaka: This bar was made exclusively for the Chile Pepper Fiesta. Ghost pepper is one of the hottest (if not the hottest) in the world. This bar though, smoothed the heat from an intense burn to a strong warmth.

Mission: Warm up as the temperature starts to drop with some heat infused sweets.

Pictures from this event coming soon. Be sure to Like A Life Vegan on FACEBOOK!

Today, I threw caution to the wind, hopped the F, and headed downtown on my lunch break. My boyfriend and I popped into An Choi on Orchard St and shared a quick vegan sandwich. An Choi is not vegan; they actually have a very limited vegan selection. They do have an amazing Bahn Mi, just be sure to ask for it vegan (without the mayo).

What would you choose?

Afterwards, we decided to head around the corner to BabyCakes. He’d never been and, while it’s been hit or miss for me, we decided to indulge. These Spelt Skinny Buns definitely go in the pro column.
Before returning to the office and to our goodbyes, we wandered back onto Orchard and by MooShoes to share our sweet treats with a friend (human, not cat). Be sure to stop by and check out their great selection of vegan shoes and give Marlow a little love.
In this city, sometimes you need to get stolen away (or runaway) from the usual day to day.

If animals could talk, they’d be asking for it: some more protection. Join Sea Shepherd NYC on Monday, August 13, at the V-Spot in Park Slope, Brooklyn. There will be s’mores and chances to win great raffle prizes. To order tickets, click the banner below or here.

Click to learn more about Sea Shepherd’s conservation efforts.