I’ve been crazy busy with work and life so I haven’t had much time to reply to your comments or to write about food (this shall be rectified as soon as possible). There’s been so much going on all at once! How about we skip the chit chat and get to the interesting stuff?
(Thanks everyone for voting for Sunny below, the contest is now over. She didn’t win… but we’re going to find her an even bigger and better contest to win next time!)
First up I’m going ask you all to help out with a fun favor. See that super hottie on the left? Well it’s not me (don’t you wish!), it’s the extremely cute & awesome Sunny from Vegan Beauty Review. She is one of the contestants competing in PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door 2009 contest. The winners (one female, one male) will each receive a trip for two to Hawaii, including roundtrip airfare and beautiful accommodations for seven nights. Sunny totally deserves to win because: She’s my friend! She’s super sexy AND vegan! She promotes cruelty-free beauty products to the masses so other girls can look just as hot as she does without killing puppies! She recently got married and a honeymoon in Hawaii for her and her hubby would be a dream come true!
While we’re still on the topic of PETA and people getting their sexy on, I can’t resist sharing this great new ad campaign to help save black bears being killed for their fur. The ad features a “bare skinned” Jamie Bamber posing butt naked. Those of you who love Battlestar Galactica as much as I do will recognize Bamber as the BSG character Apollo, and those of you who don’t watch it are missing one of the best frakking tv shows ever made.
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Ewwww… what’s up with that grody egg on this vegan blog? Chill out people, it’s not a real egg! Michael Natkin of the vegetarian blog herbivoracious.com pulled a pretty clever trick on his readers recently, and I totally fell for it. First he blogged about what to do with an inside out egg that he got at the farmers market. His is not a vegan blog so it’s not out of the ordinary to find an egg there, but it sure is unusual (to say the least!) to find eggs with the yolk on the outside. It’s looks pretty gosh darn real, just read the reactions he got in his comments. Well it turns out he was toying with us, it’s not an egg at all, it’s actually a very tasty sounding vegan treat made with mango, agar-agar and coconut milk, the recipe for which he revealed a few days later. Cute!
In local news, vegan Japanese restaurant Shojin is celebrating it’s one year anniversay for the entire month of March. I can’t believe it’s already been over a year since my friends and I got to experience Shojin’s pre-opening tasting dinner. In honor of their 1st anniversary they’re offering a special five course dinner including appetizer, soup, entree and desserts for $19.95, available every night for the month of March. They’re also throwing a party and you are all invited:
Shojin Anniversary Party “Matsuri”
Sunday, March 29 from 5:00pm – 10:00pmShojin is having our first anniversary party “Matsuri”.
$20 all-you-can-eat buffet-style dinner includes vegan sushi bar by charisma sushi chef. It is our great honor to invite Mr. Katsuhiro Tamashiro, former Executive Sushi Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel, to the first vegan sushi bar ever in Los Angeles! He will exclusively cook vegan sushi for you at the party. You also enjoy live music and Japanese traditional games at the party. Bring your friends and help us celebrate our first anniversary.Sounds like a fun time. Congratulations and happy birthday Shojin!
On to the new books… and there’s a bunch of good one’s to tell you about.
The Tropical Vegan Kitchen:
Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Dishes from the Tropics
by Donna Klein
Irresistible vegan recipes from all over the world from the author of The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen and Vegan Italiano. In this culinary tour of the Caribbean, Central and South America, Thailand, Indonesia, the Canary Islands, Hawaii, Australia, Africa, India, and many more exotic places, readers will learn how easy it is to prepare authentic tropical vegan dishes with readily available ingredients.
The book includes: More than 225 delicious and nutritious meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, side dishes, beverages, and desserts * A glossary of tropical fruits and vegetables with information on buying and storage * Cook’s tips throughout * Comprehensive nutritional analysis for every recipe.
The Face on Your Plate:
The Truth About Food
by Jeffrey M. Masson
The best-selling author of When Elephants Weep explores our relationship with the animals we call food. In this revelatory work, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson shows how food affects our moral selves, our health, and the environment. It raises questions to make us conscious of the decisions behind every bite we take: What effect does eating animals have on our land, waters, even global warming? What are the results of farming practices—debeaking chickens and separating calves from their mothers—on animals and humans? How does the health of animals affect the health of our planet and our bodies? And uniquely, as a psychoanalyst, Masson investigates how denial keeps us from recognizing the animal at the end of our fork—think pig, not bacon—and each culture’s distinctions among animals considered food and those that are forbidden. The Face on Your Plate brings together Masson’s intellectual, psychological, and emotional expertise over the last twenty years into the pivotal book of the food revolution.
This Crazy Vegan Life:
A Prescription for an Endangered Species
by Christina Pirello
A manifesto on being vegan and living healthfully from the award-winning host of public television’s “Christina Cooks, Naturally!”. Being vegan is not only about a plant- based diet. It means taking a whole new look at health, fitness, lifestyle choices, and the world. Christina Pirello not only advocates the development of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment, but also promotes their impact on wellness. Beyond the value of eating whole, and organic foods, Pirello explores a host of subjects from nutrition and fitness to education and emotional well-being as she helps readers take control of their lives and achieve their personal goals, whether they want to lose weight, regain health and vitality, or simply look and feel better.
Featuring a 28-day nutrition and fitness plan, This Crazy Vegan Life also includes sample menus and more than 100 delicious and easy-to-prepare low-glycemic, phyto-nutrient-rich, high-fiber, well-balanced vegan recipes that emphasize good carbs and good fat.
I’m not one to promote fad diets, but this next one is one of the first popular diets out there that just so happens to be not only very healthy, but also 100% vegan!
The Engine 2 Diet:Professional athlete-turned-firefighter Rip Esselstyn is used to responding to emergencies. So, when he learned that some of his fellow Engine 2 firefighters in Austin, TX, were in dire physical condition-several had dangerously high cholesterol levels, he sprang into action and created a life-saving plan for the firehouse. By following Rip’s program, everyone lost weight (some more than 20 lbs.), lowered their cholesterol and improved their overall health. Now, Rip outlines his proven plan in this book. With Rip as your expert coach and motivator, you’ll transform your body and lifestyle in a month. His plant-powered eating plan is based on a diet of whole foods, including whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
This invaluable guide features: Dozens of easy, mouthwatering recipes-from pancakes to pizza, Tex-Mex favorites to knockout chocolate desserts-that will keep you looking forward to every bite *Pantry-stocking tips will take the panic out of inevitable cravings and on-the-fly meals *Guidelines on menu choices that will allow you to eat out, wherever and whenever you want *Rip’s simple, firefighter-inspired exercise program that will boost your metabolism and melt your fat away.
Medically approved, easy-to-follow, and amazingly effective, this diet is designed for anyone who wants to make heroic strides in his or her health, weight, and well-being-all without heroic effort.
Vegan Soul Kitchen:
Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine
by Bryant Terry
The much-anticipated vegan soul food cookbook I told you about last time has just been released and is now available for immediate shipping.
In this deeply personal and cutting-edge cookbook, Terry revisits his Southern roots and offers innovative, animal-free recipes mostly inspired by African American and Southern cooking. Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Terry reinvents African American and Southern cuisine- capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition, without the animal products.
Includes recipes for: Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce; Double Mustard Greens & Roasted Yam Soup; Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Citrus and Spice Pickled Watermelon Rind; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits; and Molasses-Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts.
Thanks for purchasing any of these books through my website. Each time you shop at Amazon.com through my links I earn a small commission which helps to support the running of this blog (and my life). My life & I love it when you go on a shopping frenzy in our honor.
More food porn soon!
Great post! As always your “Quick Bites” are more than a mouth full!!!
+ 1 million for Sunny!
yowza! that is a hot picture of sunny! she totally deserves to win!!! :D :D :D
thanks for the continued cook book news. i clicked thru and pre-ordered that brunch one a while back. contemplating ordering the vegan soul food one as well. yum.
Vote for Sunny (and make sure to vote more than once!)!
Thanks for the Shojin news; I’m going to try to check that out!
Awww, I am beyond touched by y’alls kindness. I’m also beyond grateful to have you guys as my vegan homies. I’m a lucky lady. Mad love to you all! XOXOXOXO
p.s. I can’t wait for VEGAN PIZZA PARTY!! WOO-HOOOOO!!! :) :) :)
Nerds unite!! I am a huge Battlestar fan… and naked Apollo??? Frak me, that’s hot!
I’m so jealous of the vegan sushi bar! and I had the same reaction to the inside-out egg too!
I’m just lucky to have forgiving readers :)