{VeganMoFo} A Trip to Farm Sanctuary

I've longed to visit Farm Sanctuary since I first read about it six or seven years ago.  The amazing part was discovering that a place like Farm Sanctuary - where rescued farm animals would be treated with the kindness and compassion they were completely denied their entire lives - even existed.  The not-so-amazing part was that the nearest Farm Sanctuary was 700 miles away from where I lived at the time.

So, when we made the move to NYC a little over a year ago, visiting Farm Sanctuary quickly shot to the top of my priorities list.  And, I'm happy to say, CH and I took a road trip to the inspiring Watkins Glen, NY farm just a week ago.    

{VeganMoFo} Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

There's a distinct possibility that I'm sitting on my kitchen floor, eating these pumpkin muffins in the dark right now, seeking cover from the "Frankenstorm" that's likely to hit NYC.  If so, thank heavens for auto-posting, otherwise I might not have been able to hold up my end of the MoFo bargain.  My fingers are crossed that that's not the case, but if so, let's just say these muffins are so amazing, they'll even get you through a hurricane.

 

Oh, pumpkin!  Why must you entice me so?

I mean, I know it's that time of year and everything, but seriously - pumpkin's in the air, and in our food, in a major way right now.  According to New York Magazine (my source for all important information), pumpkin drink offerings, alone, have increased 400% during the past 5 years.  Talk about an upswing!

The odd part is, many of the so-called "pumpkin" items on offer at restaurants and in coffee shops don't even contain actual pumpkin.  The secret of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte, for example, is that it's "just a latte spruced up with pumpkin-flavored syrup - connoisseurs cite cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove" as integral flavors, per NY Mag.

{VeganMoFo} Silent Saturday: Halloween PJ's + Dessert

{VeganMoFo} Kale Chips + a Brief Kale Primer

kale chips w/ nutritional yeast

 

It's official: Kale is finally getting its due.

These days, you can find kale salads in restaurants all over the country, kale in juices at gas stations/convenience stores, and even kale chips on the store shelves of non-health food stores (see:  Trader Joe's).

In fact, it has become so popular - so ubiquitous - that I'd be surprised if a backlash weren't a' brewing.  Soon enough, poor kale will be languishing on the "Not List," having been upstaged by some other food that vegans have been obsessing over for ages...

Regardless, its myriad health benefits (and fantastic, though some would call "acquired," taste) always keep me coming back for more.

{VeganMoFo} Restaurant Reviews: Dos Toros Taqueria

It's no secret that New York City isn't exactly a Mexican food haven, which is a bit tough, since I love Mexican food. That's why I was completely ecstatic to discover Dos Toros Taqueria, a fast-casual, Mission-style burrito place with three locations in NYC.

Now, before I go any further with this review, let me be clear:  Dos Toros doesn't exactly have a veg-friendly reputation.  Not only did they get into a bit of hot water back in 2010 (before I'd heard of them) for neglecting to note that their "Basic (No Meat)" burrito contained rice made with animal-based stock, but most people don't even realize that one of their locations has vegan options.

I'm hoping that this post will help change all of that.

So, wanna know which Dos Toros location is vegan friendly, and what I like to order there?  I bet you do.

{VeganMoFo} Apple Chowder with Maple Cashew Butter

JD and CH are currently on vacation in the Finger Lakes region of New York - sampling lovely vegan food, visiting adorable animals at Farm Sanctuary, and enjoying the wine trails at Seneca Lake (with limited internet access).  As a result, this Monday's VeganMoFo breakfast post will revisit an oldie, but goodie:  Apple Chowder with Maple Cashew Butter (now including the recipe!).

Dear reader, let me introduce you to the most fabulous breakfast that you'll ever meet. His name is Apple Chowder, and I have no doubt that once you see him in person, it'll be love at first sight.

Now, I know what you're thinking:

"I worked so hard to snag Mr. Popularity (aka: "Johnny Cereal"), and now that our "routine" is down to just 5 mins, why in God's name would I wanna leave him?"

or

"But Old Reliable (aka: "Oatie Oatmeal") and I have been kickin' it since the days of middle school, and he's always been so good to my heart - I'm not taking a chance on someone who might break it!"

Don't worry, I completely understand. You and your breakfast already have a great relationship going, right? I mean, it's not like you get hungry before noon is it? And you're certainly not getting tired of having the same thing over and over again, are you?

{VeganMoFo} Silent Saturday: Pasta, Up Close & Personal

{VeganMoFo} Raw Zucchini Pasta w/ Creamy Avocado Sauce

I know, I know, I just did a post about a raw zucchini pasta two weeks ago.  But come on!  That was fourteen whole days ago!  And it's not like you can ever have too many zucchini pasta recipes... right?

Also:  CH and I are headed off on a mini-vacation today (we're going to upstate New York to visit Farm Sanctuary and hit the wine trail, if you must know).  As a result, I'm gonna keep this post short and sweet.

{VeganMoFo} Restaurant Review: Sun in Bloom

chocolate chip cookie sandwich (gluten-free)

Sun in Bloom is an adorable little vegan restaurant, nestled in the heart of Park Slope, Brooklyn.  CH and I first dined there when we were scouting out Brooklyn neighborhoods to relocate to from the Chicago suburbs.

While waiting for our check, I remember fantasizing about living nearby - imagining that I'd visit at least once a week, laptop or Kindle in tow, seeking refuge from my busy New York life at a place that makes food so delicious I could weep.

{VeganMoFo} Chia Seed Pudding

Chia seed pudding.  The quintessential vegan food.  It sounds healthy, looks weird, and seems vaguely edible.

  

Fortunately, only one (well, okay, two) of those descriptors is correct...

{VeganMoFo} Silent Saturday: My Vegan Tattoo (w/ Vegan Ink!)

{VeganMoFo} Raw Taco Salad

This raw taco salad is something of a revelation.

In it, crisp lettuce marries with seasoned taco meat and tangy cashew cheese to form the main components of the most coveted raw recipe in my arsenal.  The trick is to throw in just a few of the usual taco suspects:  tomatoes, scallions, olives, and cilantro, and to top the whole thing off with nothing more than a bit of freshly squeezed lime juice, which allows every flavor to shine through brilliantly.

Yes, there's a little advanced prep work here.  Yes, it's totally worth it.

This is pretty much heaven in a bowl.

{VeganMoFo} Restaurant Review: Peacefood Cafe

fluffy quinoa salad w/ baby greens, sprouts, avocado, sweet peppers, onions, corn, & creamy lime mustard vinaigrette 

Peacefood Cafe is not only one of the first vegan restaurants I visited when I moved to NYC, but it's also one of my favorite restaurants in all of NYC, period.

Why?

Not because it's 100% vegan, so you don't have to ask questions about a single, solitary, ingredient.  Not because of the atmosphere, which is the perfect combination of sexy and cute.  Not because of the bakery case, which beckons you like a siren song with its decadent desserts.  And, certainly not because I once saw Sam Waterston (of "Law and Order" fame) dining there.

{VeganMoFo} The Perfect Bowl of Oatmeal

Blueberry, Walnut, Cinnamon Oatmeal

I'm a sucker for a good bowl of oatmeal.  Always have been, always will be.

And although I do have a bit of nostalgia for the old days - when making "oatmeal" meant tearing open a packet of instant Quaker Oats (maple 'n' brown sugar, represent!) - I'm quite enamored with the weekend ritual of preparing oatmeal from scratch.  The slow-cooking, don't-walk-away-or-the-pan-will-overflow cadence of breakfast preparation kinda feels good.  In my soul.

{VeganMoFo} Silent Saturday: Costco, Vegan-Style!

{VeganMoFo} Raw Zucchini Pasta w/ Fresh Tomato Sauce

I absolutely love the way that eating raw foods makes me feel.  It's kinda my equivalent to that feeling some people describe when making the leap from an omnivorous diet to a vegan one.

Since my path to veganism essentially started at birth (my mom can attest to this fact), and I was a long-time vegetarian before becoming a vegan, I didn't experience an overnight change in my mood and energy when I altered my diet.

Honestly, my changes have been much more subtle (but nonetheless magnificent), which sometimes makes me envious of people who have a different story.  Fortunately, however, I've been able to cultivate that missing feeling through raw foods.

{VeganMoFo} Restaurant Review: 'Snice

I have a bit of a confession to make: I'm kind of addicted to 'Snice.  And.  I.  Don't.  Care.

Even though NYC is full of great vegan options, I generally fall back on the same few places, mostly due to proximity (in this case) or to sheer picky-ness (my trademark).

Now, I'm not gonna sit here and claim that 'Snice is the be-all-end-all of vegan cuisine.  It's not.  But it is reliably good, and it's one of those places that you can take just about anyone - even non-vegans (le sigh!) - for a satisfying, relaxing meal.

Bonus: they even have vegan desserts.

{VeganMoFo} Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

Bananas are a staple in our house (ahem... very small apartment).  If we don't have them, it's a pretty safe bet that something crazy has happened.  Yet, because they're always around, they sometimes get passed by for more novel fruit, which means that overly-ripe bananas occasionally plague my kitchen counter.

Whenever I notice said offender(s), my mind instantly flashes to an episode of 'The Simpsons,' where Marge says to Lisa, "We have black bananas, and you know what that means!"  To which Lisa gleefully shouts, "Banana bread!"

Start Your Engines, it's Almost VeganMoFo Time!

Jerk Black Bean Burger from the Mac'n Food Truck @ The Seed Vegan Immersion (NYC)

In case you've been hiding under a blogging rock for the past few weeks, I'm here to remind you that Vegan Month of Food 2012 (aka VeganMoFo) is just around the corner.

For those uninitiated, VeganMoFo is a month-long period wherein hundreds of bloggers attempt to post as much as humanly possible about vegan food.  Translation: tons of delicious recipes, fascinating articles, and, most importantly, FOODPORN, delivered directly to your inbox (if you subscribe to the MoFo feed, that is) on a daily basis.

Super Easy No-Cook Pizza Sauce

I've never met a person who didn't like pizza.  It's basically the great uniter as far as food is concerned.

Oddly, some of my most vivid childhood memories revolve around it: saving up my "Book-It" reading coupons to earn a free personal pan from Pizza Hut (cheese and sausage!); visiting the mall with my family, specifically to devour delicious pizza-by-the-slice at Luca's (from the guy who always pretended to add anchovies - ick!); and drooling over "pizza night," when we made individual pizzas on Pillsbury dough crust (cheese, sausage, black olives!), just they way we liked 'em.

Ahhh... pizza.  The perfect food.

But what's a good pizza without a good sauce?  For this girl, nothin'.  Especially since becoming a vegan, I've noticed that sauce is immensely important on a pizza - even more so if you forego vegan cheese all together, as I do.

Instagram Pics: Cleo's Peanut Butter Cups

Let me be frank: I take a lot of Instagram photos, none of which has ever made it onto this blog.

Why?  The simplest answer is that I'm often too lazy to write up a lengthy post to go along with every single picture, so I figured it'd be kind of silly to put any of them on my blog.

However, it recently occurred to me that there's no rule stating that each and every Veggie Terrain post must absolutely, unequivocally contain "hard-hitting" (read: overly-verbose) analysis.  This is my blog, after all, and if one of my Instagram photos is itching to be shared, then gosh darnit, share it, I shall...

See that package of candy, above? It contains Cleo's vegan, gluten-free peanut butter cups.  They're made of "creamy peanut butter in a rice-milk chocolatey coating," and, I suspect, crack.  They're super-sweet, decadently melty, and highly addictive.  Proceed with caution.

Get your hands on Cleo's Peanut Butter Cups at:

• Whole Foods
• Fairway Market
• Lula's Sweet Apothecary (NYC)

Not near Whole Foods or Fairway? It's okay! Try online:

• Vegan Essentials
• Food Fight Grocery

DIY: The Perfect Iced Coffee (+ Coffee Ice Cubes)

I've become quite enamored with money-saving DIY projects as of late.  From homemade toothpaste and clarifying shampoo, to body lotion and laundry detergent, I can't seem to stop myself.  Of course, all of this do-it-yourself-ness has spilled over into the kitchen, as well, which is what brings me to this post.

All summer long, CH and I have been basking in the glow of refreshing iced coffee. Pitcher after pitcher disappears, yet I never tire of it.  One of the best parts is the serious savings that accompany the DIY aspect of making iced coffee, especially when compared to what you'd pay for it at Starbucks, or, say, Cafe Grumpy.  There's also something kinda magical about the way that two simple ingredients (plus one night's worth of sleep) can turn into sheer deliciousness.

When making cold-brewed iced coffee, feel free to use any brand or roast that you like.  Even flavored coffee is great, especially if you drink yours black (or with just a splash of soy milk) as I do.  Just make sure to start with fresh, whole beans - grind 'em yourself - and a French press (or a large container, a fine mesh sieve, and a cheesecloth), and you're good to go.

Now, even though CH informed me that once he learns how to make perfect iced coffee, he won't need me any more (ouch!), I'm gonna go out on a limb and share my method here.  I'm also including a quick primer on coffee ice cubes.  As if you'll have any coffee left over.  Right.

The Best in NYC: Dun-Well Doughnuts

coconut + vanilla w/ sprinkles

You know what I kinda hate? When I haven't posted in eons, and I (like so many other bloggers) feel compelled to apologize profusely before even attempting to get back into the game. 

Yea, it kinda sucks...

So, let's just skip over that whole thing, shall we?

On to the sweet stuff: Dessert at the famed Dun-Well Doughnuts. (Well, technically it's breakfast, but we all know that isn't quite true...)