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!

Lovers of chocolate single and coupled, likely take advantage of Valentine’s Day as an excuse to indulge. Why go for the same old sampler? Variety is the spice of life. Fire up your taste buds with some sweet treats. There’s something for everyone!

For the animal lover: Rescue Chocolate: 100% of the net profits go to benefit animal rescue organizations.

Last day to order for Valentine’s Delivery: Today! (Feb 5th)
For those in NYC, you can purchase at the Vegan Shop Up on Saturday, Feb 9th at Pine Box Rock Shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Pick: A gift box lets you try them all

For art lovers: Lagusta’s Luscious: Organic and handmade, Lagusta pays attention to the details. Each piece is like a little work of art.

Last day to order for Valentine’s Delivery: Today! (Feb 5th)

For those in New York, you can visit the shop in New Paltz, NY

Pick: Hand-painted chocolate love birds…maybe too pretty to eat

Gone Pie

Last day to order for Valentine’s Delivery: This Friday! (Feb 8th)

For those in NYC, you can purchase at the Vegan Shop Up on Saturday, Feb 9th at Pine Box Rock Shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Pick: Chocolate covered PB crispy hearts

Obsessive Confection Disorder

Last day to order for Valentine’s Delivery: This Friday! (Feb 8th)

Pick: Naught Bites

Gnosis

Last day to order for Valentine’s Delivery: By Noon This Friday! (Feb 8th)

Pick: Passion Truffles

Allison’s Gourmet

Last day to order for Valentine’s Delivery: request delivery by Feb 13th and they’ll try to accommodate.

Pick: Cherry Chocolate Brownies

Vegan Treats

Last day to order for Valentine’s Delivery: ASAP! They’re selling out fast.

Pick: Large candy box so you get the vegan Twix

NYC Special Pick!
Chickpea and Olive

For those in NYC, you can purchase at the Vegan Shop Up on Saturday, Feb 9th at Pine Box Rock Shop in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Pick: All their truffles are delicious, but definitely try the Sesame.

Following Hurricane Sandy, I got the chance to spend three weeks in New Paltz, New York. It’s a quaint little town. Highlights included runs up Main Street, a stop at the beautiful Mohonk Mountain House, visiting their campus of SUNY, eats at Karma Road, and sweets at Lagusta’s Luscious…of course.

Today, my father made the trip up for my last day in town and we couldn’t resist stopping at my favorite place. In addition to warming up with some spicy hot chocolate, we both enjoyed Chai and Chocolate cupcakes by Sweet Maresa’s…I could do shots of the icing. As well, I grabbed some treats for the road.

Along the counter were preludes of the treats to come this holiday season. Chocolate Christmas trees and reindeer.

While I am extremely excited to be settling back into my life, focusing on work, I’ll miss the solitude of my runs–just me and the road– and the stars in the sky…yep, that far out you can actually see those babies.

Lagusta’s Luscious
25 North Front St
New Paltz, NY. 12561
(845) 255-8834

Sweet Maresa’s
25 North Front St
New Paltz, NY. 12561
(845) 706-3626

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

When I became vegetarian over 10 years ago, TJ’s didn’t have much too offer me. I have friends, though, obsessed with TJ’s, so I decided to give them another go.

At Trader Joe’s, I spotted their brand of beef-less strips and decided to give them a try. As I kept shopping, I grabbed container of fresh sliced mushrooms (cause I’m lazy enough to pay the extra 30 cents), fresh garlic, and a bag of frozen broccoli florets.

After I got back to the house, the experimentation began.

• Tortillas (I grabbed Mayan Farm brand at the local supermarket; to my surprise, I flipped over the bag and saw the vegan.org symbol…sold.)

• Broccoli Florets, Frozen

• Fresh Sliced Mushrooms, Washed

• Onions, Diced

• Trader Joe’s Beef-less Strips

• Soy Sauce (low sodium preferable, so you can salt everything to taste)

• Fresh Garlic, Minced

• Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

• Red Pepper Flakes

• Salt (I used Trader Joe’s Himalayan Pink Salt Crystals; I like the built-in grinder.)

• Butter or oil for the pan (Seriously, I’m trying to burn through a tub of shortening so that’s what I used.)

Fry the mushrooms and onions in a pan until tender. Sprinkle some salt over the mushrooms. Mix some fresh garlic with the onions.

Pour the broccoli in a bowl and microwave for time specified on bag. Sprinkle with coconut and red pepper flakes and fold in. (If you have more time or no microwave, you can place them in the oven.)

Lay the beef-less strips on a plate. Drizzle soy sauce over and flip the strips to coat. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Tip: if you have a gas stove, put the burner on low to heat the tortillas a few seconds on each side. CHECK FREQUENTLY.

I love the TJ’s brand of beef-less strips. They have suggestions on the back for putting them in a variety of dishes. I could see myself making the fajita pizza or zesty fettuccine.

What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s find?

Yay! Georgia’s gettin’ a VegFest. Tomorrow, Saturday, November 10th, with be the first (and hopefully annual) Atlanta VegFest. With around 40 vendors, including Herbivore Clothing and Vegan Outreach, and more than a handful of great speakers, including Terry Hope Romero and Jenny Brown, the festival looks like a full day of fun.

Doors open at 9:45 a.m. and the first 300 guests will receive goodie bags! If you or someone you know lives in the Atlanta area, get to bed early so you can wake up bright-eyed!

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!

Happy World Vegan Day!

No matter how you come into veganism, for the animals, the environment, your health, it’s never been easier.

From restaurants to cookbooks to prepackaged foods, there is a way to leave animals off your plate no matter where you live.

The previous conception, my own included, is that to eat vegan was to live a life of deprivation. While I’m trying to eat smarter, I’m lured to the dark side…I have slutty brownies in the oven as I type.

So when I spotted this new tee from Compassion Co at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival, I went for it. A typically healthy plant-based diet really is best for your physical/mental well-being, but a splurge can be beneficial too.

Pretty much ‘anything you can eat [with animal products], I can eat vegan.’ Join me!

May your plates be messy but your conscious be clean.

Recently, I’ve been treated to some yummy goodness with a spice I’m not used to being front-and-center. Rosemary always seems to play second-fiddle to other herbs and spices.

Today pretty much solidified my growing love for it, though.

The ball got rolling a couple weeks ago when a friend offered me cookies with rosemary…and wow were they good!

At Veggie Galaxy, the fries came topped with rosemary and sea salt.

Now, today, I did no trick but was treated to a lovely Rosemary Caramel at Lagusta’s Luscious in New Paltz.

Rosemary is carving a new place in my spice rack.

Mission today: add an extra spice to your life!

Growing up, I looked forward to Halloween. As a child, I loved dressing up and heading out with my pillowcase. Our mom and dad would take my sister and I around our little neighborhood. As we got older, we were allowed to roam with our older brother.

We were ambivalent to the filling of our bags. We loved getting the candy but knew the weight of our bounty would eventually put an end to the night…even before the late fall, northeastern chill.

When we returned home, we’d plop ourselves down in the family room, and assess the .

‘They were stingy.‘

‘Jeez, this is lame.‘

‘Jackpot!‘

Aw, yeah, forget Fun Size; I remember one family on my block that gave out full size candy bars. Boo-yah!

I think my sister and I both looked most forward to Reese’s cups. Seriously, chocolate and peanut butter, who can resist?

Going vegan doesn’t mean going without, though. Reese’s may be a thing of my past, but the alternatives are nothing to slouch at.

The price points are not as low as their major competitor, but participating in the dairy industry is a hidden cost we pay beyond the register.

Indulge smart!

Mission today: keep the memories, but leave the (non-vegan) past behind!

CLEO’s by Go Max Go (Available nationally. Click for locations.)

VEGAN TREATS of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

LAGUSTA’S LUSCIOUS of New Paltz, New York

JUSTIN’S (Available nationally. Click for locations.) {Please note: Only the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are vegan.}