Month: February 2010
Stogo- NYC Gourmet Vegan Ice Cream
This past weekend when my hubby and I were in NYC we decided that even though it was freezing out we just had to stop in to Stogo to try gourmet vegan ice cream. After tasting a few different flavors we settled on Salted Caramel Pecan and Peanut Butter Fudge both of which were delicious. The ice cream here is so good and unlike some other vegan ice creams it isn’t icy and if you didn’t know it was vegan you’d think it wasn’t. It’s a little pricey, $4.50ish for a small, but it is well worth the treat.
Book Reviews: Skinny Bitch
The Winner is lucky number 8: Congrats Emma!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My first impression of Skinny Bitch was that the name was just really not appealing as my husband and I are not ones to use the term “bitch” and I find it has just a negative feeling. I decided to over look this and give the book a chance since everyone has been reading it. I must say that the book has a lot of great information. It is just as it says on the cover “a no-nonsense, tough-love guide” and that is exactly what it is. The book is filled with important information about the foods people eat from animal products, sweeteners and coffee. However if you are easily offended this may not be the book for you.
Following the release of Skinny Bitch a new book came out Skinny Bitch In the Kitch . This book is filled with a variety of recipes for the girl (or guy) who wants to be a skinny bitch (or bastard). The recipes are all vegan and are easy yummy recipes for anyone- you can check out some of the sample recipes on the Skinny Bitch website.
Rory and Kim came up with some kick-ass recipes for every craving there is:
|
|
Lastly, my favorite SB book is Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven a “no-nonsense guide for pregnant gals”. This book is great for any pregnant mom to be and especially those who are vegan or vegetarian. For many vegan and vegetarian women there is a concern about eating properly during pregnancy and this book can help get you on the right track and give you great ideas. The book starts out much like the first SB book and then adds in things that are important for pregnant gals to know.
I received a copy of this book for review however I already own it myself so I am giving you a chance to win a copy of Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven. If you would like to win a copy of this book you can:
1. Leave me a comment letting me know why you’d like to win this book.
2. Tweet “I want to win SB Bun in the Oven @cookveganlover http://wp.me/ppaTI-vx”
Please enter to win by February 23, 2009 @ 8am
Blogger Disclaimer: Running Press provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.
'SNice- Vegan Breakfast in NYC
This past weekend while we were visiting the Big Apple my hubby and I met up with some of my girlfriends for breakfast at ‘SNice in Chelsea. To our disappointment we were unable to get sandwiches (which all sounded amazing) until 11am and we were too hungry to wait an hour so we decided to start with some lattes. After sipping on our lattes for a while hubz and I decided to split the tofu scramble wrap which was not bad and pretty filling. The GF’s went with a bagel with cream cheese and the other granola with fruit, yogurt and honey.
Everything at ‘SNice is vegetarian and all vegan options are marked accordingly. The menu is mostly that of salads and sandwiches with bagels and breakfast sandwiches in the morning. The place was pretty quiet for the sit in crowd until around 11am however there was always a line at the counter for take out bagels and coffee. I really would like to return during lunch ours to try one of their yummy salads or sandwiches. There is also a location in Brooklyn which I understand has a similar menu.
Crazy Rumors
Vegan lip gloss is one of those beauty items that I think most vegans have a hard time finding. I don’t know how many times i’ve read the ingredients list on the label of a tube of gloss and see that the only non-vegan ingredient is bees wax. Well vegans do not fret there are some great vegan lip balms out there and Crazy Rumors is one of them.
Crazy Rumors kindly sent me a variety of the all natural vegan lip balms in a variety of flavors and even colors. You can choose from 6 different types of flavors: HibisKiss- Hibiscus Inspired Lip Colors, Fresh Squeezed- Citrus Inspired Lip Balms, A La Mode- Ice Cream Inspired Lip Balms, Gumball- Bubble Gum Inspired Lip Balms, Perk- Coffee Inspired Lip Balms, Brew- Tea Inspired Lip Balms, and Candy Cane- Peppermint Infused Lip Balms. Crazy Rumors sent me four of their different flavors:
Blogger Disclaimer: Crazy Rumors provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.
Miya's Sushi- New Haven, CT
Friday night my husband and I had one of the most amazing meals of our lives. It was one of those meals that not only had amazing food but was topped off with the best service and experience at a restaurant that we have ever had. Prior to our trip away I had contacted Bun the owner of Miya’s Sushi about the vegan options as well as what was included in a vegan platter. He quickly responded back to me to give him to tell him how much we would like to spend and that he would put together a great vegan spread for us. Before we left he followed up on our reservation and told me to just let one of the guys know when we got there that we had a special vegan meal waiting for us. Much to our delight we were seated, ordered our drinks and then the food just started to come out. It was the best feeling to just sit down and not have to worry about what we were going to order and it was an exciting adventure to see what dish would be coming out next. Below are photos with descriptions of all of our dishes we had (we had 8 samples of vegan sushi rolls and I can’t remember what they all were):
Overall the food was amazing, the atmosphere was fun and the staff were great. Although Bun was not he created a magical experience for the two of us and I can’t wait to return for some more sushi.
Book Review: That's Why We Don't Eat Animals
My first impression of this book was that it seemed slightly morbid for a children’s book, however as I began to think about it there really is no easy way to explain to children why it is that we don’t eat animals. Although this book is slightly morbid for children it depicts accurate images of life for animals on factory farms, in the sea or in the rainforest in a way that children will understand. I think that the graphics are amazing in this book and that they are the closest thing to real photos of factory farms without actually having to show children such graphic pictures.
This book starts by introducing the idea that we are all Earthlings and explains what a Vegetarian and a Vegan is. The book is set up in a way that starts with the most familiar animals to the least familiar to children. The first section is about pets which is a great place to start because pets are the animals that children have the most exposure to whether in their own house or at friends/families. Following pets are farm animals from birds to pigs and cows. These pages explain what life is like for the animals when they are free to roam on their own and how life is dramatically different for farm animals when they are placed in factory farms. The last sections of the book are dedicated to ocean and rainforest life. Both of the animals and other living organisms are the least familiar to the average child that would be reading this book (at least in North America).
One of my favorite features of this book is the very last page that list ideas on what you can do to make a difference and learn more. I think that this was a great addition to the book as it gives children and parents ideas on what else to do after the book is done. I also have to add that this book is not only a great tool for teaching your kids why they are vegetarian or vegan but also to teach adults and others why it is important not to eat meat.
Overall this is a must have book for any vegetarian or vegan bookshelf.