Bliss Bliss Bliss!

Love them greens'

PB & J all the way

The wonderful hostesses

So I've been saving this post for awhile, because it's gonna be a long one with a lot of pictures! When I was in Brooklyn, NY a couple weeks ago, the family friend my mom and I were staying with brought me to a superb Vegan restaurant in Williamsburg (we ended up going back a second time!). We walked into a small bright colored space, with a handful of trendy hipsters sipping tea and indulging in delicious looking lunches. We sat down and an extremely beautiful and friendly waitress (who happened to be scandanavian, like me!) took our order. I ordered a delicious soy chai laté that was so creamy, I double checked to make sure it was soy! My adorable little friend Dea (9 yrs old) ordered a fresh squeezed lemonade, sweetened with maple syrup. I took a sip- and the maple + lemon complimented each other extremely well. The girl told me it was made with simply lemon juice and maple syrup! It was incredible. Then came the food- I ended up getting the same thing the second time I went because I liked it so much! Feast your eyes on this: SEITAN STEAK SANDWICH. It was delicious, and would definitely satisfy a hard core carnivore. On a toasted multigrain roll, seitan was sandwiched with melty vegan cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. Did I hear caramelized onions? It was a sandwich fit for the gods. Rikke (my family friend) got a delicious orange citrus seitan with vegetables (pictured above as well). The seitan had a wonderful texture, and extreme citrus flavor! SEITAN= PURE WHEAT GLUTEN, so for those of you with celiac disease, you probably should stay away from the chewy goodness and stick to tofu. We had a classic dessert: Chocolate chip cookie and Double fudge brownie. Yummy yummy in Zoë's happy tummy! Williamsburg is SO HIP

The Most Magnificent Shake

Hello all!
So after eating a dinner of Mushroom tofu rice stirfry (frozen from Trader Joes, was a bit too spicy for my taste), I decided I needed to sip on something sweet. A soy milkshake wasn't an option tonight, as I had no more soy icecream... I looked in the fridge and pantry, and came up with a concoction that is nutty, chocolatey, sweet, to DIE for. I am currently sipping on the most magnificent shake- healthy and tasty! I didn't measure, but here are the roughs for about 2 servings:

Almond Cocoa Shake

- Handful of raw almonds
- Tablespoon + Teaspoon raw almond butter
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
- Less than 1/2 cup coconut milk (silk)
- Less than 1/4 cup soy milk
- Half a banana
- 2 medjool dates, pitted
- Teaspoon of sucanat or raw sugar
- handeful of ice

Blend everything and serve while cold! I'm sure this shake is super loose and open to other possibilities - if you wanna add more or less ingredients, replace, etc. go for it. Heres to happy and healthy sipping!

Spring Street Natural

Last night, my mother and I were walking through Soho, and we came upon a pretty large restaurant called Spring Street Natural. I had remembered seeing the name on urbanspoon- so we walked in to take a look. The restaurant wasn't a vegan restaurant (there was meat, eggs, dairy), but more of a healthy upscale restaurant with vegan options. The friendly waitress sat us down at a smooth wood table-booth, and we took a look at the menu. I ordered a tempeh rice vegi stir fry (vegan), and my mom ordered an almond cheddar burger (not vegan). My dish was alright- a very generous portion, a little too generous! The tempeh was very heavy, and I became full extremely fast. My mom disliked her dish, and thought it tasted like a "vegetarian diner burger". I was a little disappointed with the dinner portion, but the dessert made up for it all! For dessert I ordered a scoop of raw vanilla cashew gelato, made by a company called "Organic Nectars". It was so good. I was literally licking the bowl! I looked up the company, and apparently they make a whole line of gelatos, agave nectars, chocolate bars, etc. ! I look forward to trying more from them.  Overall, Spring Street was pretty good- but next time I think I'll go for a salad. In my experience, only full vegan restaurants know how to do mock vegan food amazing.
http://www.organicnectars.com/

New York Adventure

I'm a California girl, and this past week my mother and I took a trip over to the big apple. With my trusty iphone apps (vegan finder, and urbanspoon), I found many nearby vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants, and so far have been extremely satisfied with the places I have dined at! New York definitely has the largest number of Vegan restaurants I have ever seen, and most of the other restaurants we've been to have plenty of vegan options as well. I think Veganism is a lot more accepted and known here, and has become quite a trend. Tonight I went to Babycakes, which is a small hip all-vegan bakery filled with practicing vegans and non-vegans alike - hallelujah! Not only do the beautiful cupcake confections contain zippo animal products, but they -gasp- are pretty healthy! They use almost all organic ingredients, and sweeten most of their products with agave nectar. Who said you have to feel guilty when you lick creamy frosting off every single one of your fingers?
Babycakes has an extensive menu, carrying a wide variety of delectable delights for your vegan-sweet needs. The Babycakes I went to was on 248 Broome Street New York, NY 10002, but there is also one in downtown LA (130 E 6th St Los Angeles, CA 90014) and downtown Disney in Anaheim. 
Website: http://www.babycakesnyc.com/


I enjoyed the Carrot Spiced Cupcake, and Cookie Sandwich (filled with Mint frosting.)

Welcome!

Hello prospective followers!
My name is Zoë, and my reason for this blog is to document my journey through Veganism with recipes, restaurants, media, and other happenings. I've been vegetarian for a couple of years, and in November I saw the movie Earthlings (directed by Shaun Monson). Since I saw the film, I've been flirting with veganism, but I never fully commit. I decided to commit and become a vegan only a couple months ago, and I am extremely fascinated with the spiritual connection I have started to feel, and the physical energy I have acquired. Knowing that you aren't contributing to the horrible misuse of animals, while you are ALSO taking amazing care of your body, gives you the most incredible feeling. Fellow vegans, I'd love for you to follow my blog- and non-vegans, I would love for you to follow as well, join the community, and challenge yourselves to gradually cut down on the animal products you use. 
 :)