To Live and Eat in L.A. – A Vegan Food Photo Blog

I’ve been meaning to start putting together quick posts of stuff I want to update you about but which don’t need entire posts all unto themselves, such as links to interesting bits I find online and useful info that you just can’t live without. Basically, I needed a place for odds & ends… so this is it, and I’m calling it Quick Bites. Lets get this party started…

• Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? Leave it to your Your Vegan Mom to put together an excellent collection of cruelty-free gift ideas in her aptly named Your Vegan Guide to Holiday Shopping.
  
• One highlight in the above noted guide is her mention of Strawberry Hedgehog. They make fabulous vegan bath and body products that you can feel good about giving as gifts or using yourself. I’ve got a lovely bar of their holiday themed Winter Wonderland soap sitting right here in front of me. While I haven’t had a chance to actually use it yet (it’s so pretty I’m hesistant to ruin it!) I can tell you that the scent is divine… my whole house smells good just from having it sitting here out in the open.
  
• Books are something I can never get enough of. Perhaps you know someone who’s considering going vegan but needs more info? The new book The Ultimate Vegan Guide: Compassionate Living Without Sacrifice by Erik Marcus of www.vegan.com might be just what they need.

  Or maybe you’d like to give the gift of vegan cooking know-how? Maybe the brand spankin’ new book Go Dairy Free by Alisa Marie Fleming would do the trick.
  

• Had it up to here with cooking and just want someone else to feed you good food for the holidays? Madeleine Bistro, the much acclaimed gourmet vegan restaurant is gearing up for some special ‘Chef’s Holiday Tasting Menu’ events both on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Looks like they haven’t updated their website yet but I found the info on their Myspace page.
  
• It’s no secret that Vinh Loi Tofu is one of my favorite vegan restaurants in Los Angeles. One of the guys from Hot Knives put together a great video featuring Vinh Loi’s owner and mastermind, Kevin Tran. Check it out at: Sham Shanks: Behind the Scenes
  
• Sad news to report on the vegan restaurant front: It was recently reported over at quarrygirl.com that the Vegan Spot on Sunset has closed. Bummer of all bummers! Sure there’s lots of people that liked to talk smack about this place, but I wasn’t one of them and I’m sad to see ‘em go. There is hope however as some in the know are leaking little bits here and there about the Vegan Spot not really closing for good, but instead remodelling and revamping their menu, perhaps to resurface with a better look and a more comfortable space. I sure hope so!
  
• Have you been watching Whale Wars? It’s exciting to see the Sea Shepherds finally getting the attention they deserve in their efforts to stop the illegal slaughter of whales. Melisser reports in her recent article how the Sea Shepherds are exposing the decrease in all marine life in Madagascar, while Ecorazzi breaks the news of Daryl Hannah joining the Sea Shepherd crew to fight Japanese whaling. Like I really needed yet another reason to have a massive girl crush on Daryl Hannah!
  
• On that note, I was surprised to see this article on the vile practice of shark finning earlier today as the front page headline story at CNN. Good on them.
  
• Everyone knows that recycling is sexy. That’s why I got super excited when Green Girl L.A. passed along the good news that Brita will start to recycle its filters. Finally I can have my clean water without the guilt of clogging up yet another landfill at the same time. That’s not the same as having my cake and eating it too, but it’s close.
  
• Know what else is sexy? Well dressed vegans. The folks at the new website The Professional Vegan are to here to make sure that you’re never mistaken for a crusty straight-edge gutter punk ever again. Unless you are one.
  

Ok, that’s all for today. Hope you all like these mini-diversions away from food and find them useful. Fear not, there is plenty of food on the horizon.

Oh… if you haven’t noticed it already, I made a big mistake in my previous post on Bulan Thai with describing a non-vegan dish as vegan. It was pointed out by an astute reader and has already been corrected, apologized for and duly noted.

1. Quick Bites: The Sad Vegan Edition
2. Quick Bites: The “I’ve been super busy” edition.
3. Quick Bites: short but sweet
4. Quick and yummy veggie pasta at home
5. Festive Chickpea Tart & Red Pepper Cornbread

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