VeganMoFo: Silent Saturday 2011 (#3)

NYC restaurant inadvertently names itself after the BEST vegan secret ingredient ever:
nutritional yeast (AKA: nooch)!

VeganMoFo: Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Okay, okay, so I haven't quite kept up with my end of the VeganMoFo bargain, so to speak. Posting every, single, day was a pretty lofty goal (especially since I'm already 3 posts shy of blogging more during this month than I did during all of 2009 or 2010!). Plus, that whole MoFo schedule thing, well... it kinda went out the window, too!

Thus, I'm back at square one, in a way.

VeganMoFo: Silent Saturday 2011 (#2)

vegan graffiti - spotted on a subway movie ad

VeganMoFo: The Seasonal Produce Guide

Interested in buying healthy, local produce, but not sure what's currently in season in your area?

Never fear, Veggie Terrain is here! Peruse the chart below (via cuesa.org), and click on one of the links at the bottom of this post for even more location-specific harvest info.  And don't worry, you'll become an expert on local/seasonal fruits and veggies in no time...

VeganMoFo: The Best Roasted Cauliflower Ever

You know what drives me kinda crazy? When people say call-E-flower, instead of call-i-flower.

Yep, I'm picky like that.

VeganMoFo: Monday's VeganMoFo Round-Up Volume II

Lucky you! It's time for another installment of Monday's VeganMoFo Round-Up, where I try to point out some of the fantastic MoFo posts that you might have missed during the previous week.

Check 'em out!

1. Galub Jamuns, from Hobby and More
2. Fresh Young Coconut's Raw Vegan Creamy Tomato Bisque
3. Vegtastic's Low-Fat Black Bean Brownies
4. Cheezy Artichoke Crostini via Tasty Planet
5. Cheesy Quakers from A Bit Addicted to Cookbooks

VeganMoFo: Sweet, Sweet Sunday - People's Pops

The Brooklyn Flea

If you've started thinking that Veggie Terrain has taken a sudden - and not too subtle - shift towards focusing on New York City, well, you'd be correct. What I failed to realize, however, is that I never explained why!

Back in July, via my Twitter account (@VeggieTerrain), I shared the exciting news that CH and I were relocating from the Chicago suburbs to NYC. The one problem is, I completely overlooked that many of you who follow my blog don't also follow me on Twitter, and vice versa! Therefore, some of you must be slightly confused (annoyed?) that NYC has become the darling of Veggie Terrain as of late. 

VeganMoFo: Silent Saturday 2011 (#1)

Whole Foods, Lincoln Park - Chicago; AKA: Heaven

VeganMoFo: Restaurant Review Friday - Liquiteria

"berry powerful"
blueberries, strawberries, bananas, vanilla soy milk, vegan protein, & flax oil

I'm gonna keep this short and sweet. If you're in the NYC area and feel like drinking the most amazing smoothie you've ever had in your life, get thee to Liquiteria, stat!

The place is kinda loud, and crowded, and the service can be questionable, but what do you expect when you're paying $7+ for a smoothie? I mean, really?

Word to the wise - keep your eyes open for celebrities when you visit. Rumor has it that Jake Gyllenhaal, Russel Simmons (vegan!), and Natalie Portman (veganish!) all like to partake in the deliciousness that is Liquitera.

FYI: Besides smoothies, they also have freshly pressed and squeezed juices, and a tiny food menu, which is kind of irrelevant when their smoothies are this 'effin good...

VeganMoFo: Veggie Burger SmackDown (Good v. Better)

GoodBurger (L) v. Better Burger (R)

Start your salivary glands, because it's time for Thursday's edition of Veggie Burger SmackDown! 

This week's match-up is between two seemingly fitting foes: "GoodBurger" and "Better Burger," and it's up to this non-boxing fan to determine which one of these restaurants cooks up the superior veggie burger.  Now, before we really get rolling, let's get a few rules out of the way: 

1. Each burger must be completely vegan (obviously);
2. Condiments may be used to influence the overall outcome (after all, who eats just a plain burger?);
3. Side dishes (ex: french fries) may be analyzed and discussed, but may not be considered in the final tally;
4. The three main categories of veggie burger review are: (a) Appearance; (b) Texture; and (c) Taste; 
5. Burger participants may earn up to 5 points per category, with a total of 15 points possible.

VeganMoFo: Farmers' Market Food Porn - Sponsored by Humpday! (Part I)

grapes, plums, & peaches

In my initial MoFo post, I threatened to unleash some serous farmers' market food porn on you each Wednesday.  Because, honestly, what day of the week is better than "Humpday" for such vulgarity?

VeganMoFo: Orzo Con Confetti (AKA Orzo Salad)

If you're anything like me (and I know I am), you find it almost impossible to watch shows like "The Sopranos" without being overcome by the sudden urge to inhale a huge batch of pasta. 

"If we're outta nooch, someone's gettin' whacked."

VeganMoFo: Monday's VeganMoFo Round-Up Volume I

So, we're only two/three-ish days into VeganMoFo at this point, which means that there's absolutely nothing worth rounding up. Right?

Oh, so wrong.

There have already been A TON of amazing MoFo posts, which actually means that it's entirely unfair of me to pick just five of my favorites, seeing as there's no way that I could have read them all, and considering the fact that they're all great, simply because they're vegan, and... well, you get the picture.

Regardless, I humbly present to you...

Monday's VeganMoFo Round-Up Volume I:

1. Since I think we can all agree that vegan pizza montages are pretty much perfect, and that vegan activism - by way of food, especially - is pretty great, I'm gladly sharing Kelly's Vegan Pizza Takes Over the World post, via the Bitch blog.
2. Honestly, I adore adding "weird" stuff to smoothies, especially since I believe it's a true sign of vegan-ness.  As a result, I loved Carrie On Vegan's Anti-Cancer Green Smoothie post.  I mean, broccoli in a smoothie? Who would've thought?
3. Another thing that I adore is sneaking a peek at the contents of other people's refrigerators.  And because I can't always be there to do it in person, the occasional bit of virtual voyeurism will have to do. That's why I'm linking to Libra Loves' Stock Up for VeganMoFo post. I dare you not to look.  
4. True, I might be a little biased, but when I discovered that this veggie potpie recipe didn't contain any meat substitutes (eek!) or mushrooms (ick!), the first thing I thought was "best recipe ever!" Brought to you (and me) by Kristin's Kitchen of Vegan Creations. 
5. And last, but certainly not least, I wanted to share this awesome "Life-Hacking Tip/Trick" video post from the Unhealthy Vegan blog. After you check it out, I promise you'll never look at a 30-clove, garlic soup recipe in the same way again!

I hope you enjoyed my VeganMoFo round up for this week! Let me know if there were any posts that you think I should've looked at - especially if they involve illicit refrigerator-contents photos. Oooo...

VeganMoFo: Sweet, Sweet Sunday - PopBar

Psst...  

Hey you! 

Yes, you! 

The one sitting there smugly, rolling your eyes, acting like you've already heard about every, single, damn, delicious, vegan treat out there. 

You know - the gluten-free cupcakes, coconut ice creams, raw oatmeal cookie sandwiches, vegan pies, strawberry soy milkshakes, blah, blah, blah...  

Yea, yea, you've heard it all before.  

VeganMoFo: 2011, Baby!

That's how VeganMoFo makes me feel: All warm & fuzzy inside!

Guess what? The much anticipated VeganMoFo (ahem, "Vegan Month of Food") begins today, and that means ol' JD is back!

Blizzard-Style Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Here, as was the case in much of the Midwest, blizzard conditions have created an almost unprecedented amount of snow, wind, and even thunder and lightning. (Umm... "thunder snow" anyone?)

As a result, nearly every single business, school, courthouse, library, and grocery store is closed.