Unlike Montreal, Quebec City is far from the cutting edge of veg. Here are a few places to get a good vegan meal in Quebec City.

Monastére des Augustines

This 17^th century monastery turned wellness center is my top pick for vegans and vegetarians. If you like a quiet atmosphere, history and yoga, I highly recommend staying at the Monastére des Augustines.

Breakfast is eaten in silence as a throwback to the Augustinian sisters’ tradition, who have lived in this building for centuries. Vegan choices include several nut butters for your toast, and multiple milk alternatives for your cereal, plus lots of fruit.  At lunch, the monastery lays out ten different premade salads on its all-you-can-eat salad bar. The day I ate there, all were vegan. They always offer a veg entrée, and even had a chocolate vegan dessert. You can order a green juice or a ginger infusion.

The monastery is very forward-thinking about minimizing food waste, supporting local organic farmers, and even developing new cultivation techniques for a winter greenhouse. Check out their wellness packages, which combine accommodations, meals and onsite yoga classes and spa services.

Nina Pizza Napolitaine

Who goes out on a Monday night when it’s 39 degrees and pouring rain? Quebec City’s pizza lovers, and apparently they’re all headed for Nina’s. The joint was jumping when I visited. The menu is all in French but a bilingual staff helped me translate the words I couldn’t figure out. Tip: Just order the piena di verdure, an inventive vegan pie with “bacon de champignons” and “feta de tofu.” The mushroom bacon was delicious.

Nina’s uses the wood that powers the oven as a decorative element, with big piles stacked around the edges of the dining area. My server told me that about once a month everybody comes in early to load in a new batch.

Le Chic Shack

This kitschy burger place doesn’t overlook the veg folks. They even offer a vegan poutine made with vegan poutine gravy, sweet potato fries, tofu curds, herb pesto and pickled onions, giving vegans a rare chance to try the national dish. The Tex Mex salad, which includes ancient grains and roasted sweet potatoes, is a lighter choice. Le Chic Shack also makes their own veggie patties.

Table at Hotel Pur

A short walk from old Quebec, the lively Saint Roch District boasts tons of restaurants and boutiques. The Hotel Pur’s chic modern look extends into Table, its timber-and-chrome restaurant. Vegetarians will appreciate a special veg section of the menu. The grilled, maple-marinated tofu with toasted fennel seeds, lemon cranberry and toasted almond couscous and gomasio is a delicious choice for vegetarians and slacker vegans who don’t mind a bit of honey.

There’s also a lentil curry with roasted pita bread, yogurt, cilantro and lime that you could order without yogurt.

La Carotte Joyeuse

If you’re staying at an Airbnb or other accommodation with a kitchen in Quebec City, you can stock up on organic groceries and cook your own meals. The Happy Carrot is also good for picking up picnic supplies and snacks.

The post Eating Vegan in Quebec City appeared first on Chic Vegan.

I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they’ve switched to a plant-based diet or have decided to go vegan. Since it’s a new way of cooking, starting off can be a little difficult. Even armed with a shelf full of vegan cookbooks, mealtime can be a little tricky, as some of the ingredients can be foreign. Once you get familiar with these items, cooking can be a breeze though.

While I make weekly shopping trips to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and seitan, there are certain items I keep stocked in my pantry at all times. I like to keep essentials on hand, as I use them often – sometimes even daily. Having them in the kitchen at the ready makes cooking and meal planning super easy. In addition to spices, herbs, and teas, these are the 10 items in my vegan pantry that I use the most.

My Top 10 Vegan Pantry Essentials

Beans– Beans are extremely nutrient dense, and they’re incredibly versatile, too. They’re great in tacos, pasta dishes, soups, and salads. They can be mashed up and made into burgers or pureed and turned into dips. I like to buy dried beans and cook them myself, either in the slow cooker in the Instant Pot, but I also keep cans of beans on hand for those times when I want something quick. I usually have chickpeas, black beans, cannellinis, and pinto beans in my pantry.

Whole Grains– Like beans, whole grains are also loaded with nutrients. They contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also provide the body with sustained and high-quality energy, and they help regulate blood sugar. I love having quinoa for breakfast and rice with dinner, but I also have less popular grains such amaranth and millet on hand as well.

Nutritional Yeast– Known affectionately as “nooch” in vegan circles, nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast that has a nutty, cheesy taste. It contains protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it’s a good source for vitamin B12. My cats go bonkers for it, as do most of my vegan friends. I use it to make cheese sauce, and I sprinkle it on pasta, popcorn, avocado toast, tofu scramble, and about a million other things.

Chia, Hemp, and Flax Seeds– Most people think of those little terra cotta lambs when they think of chia, but it’s not just for novelty Christmas gifts. While you certainly can sprout them, chia seeds are so packed with nutrients that it’s worthwhile to throw them into smoothies or add them to oatmeal. They’re loaded with fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium, among other things. They turn gelatinous when wet, so they’re often used as an egg replacer or to make pudding. Flax and hemp seeds are also full of nutrients like fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids. It can be a little difficult for our bodies to break down whole flax seeds, so it’s best to grind them before using. Store them in the fridge, as they can go bad pretty quickly. Contrary to what you might hear from late-night comedians, hemp will not get you high. I sprinkle them on my avocado toast, add them to smoothies, and grind them together with nutritional yeast to make dairy-free parmesan.

Raw Cashews – Raw cashews aren’t raw, because the nuts need to be processed with heat in order to remove them from their toxic shells. So what we call raw cashews are actually nuts that haven’t been roasted and salted. Raw cashews are amazing in that they can easily take the place of dairy products by simply blending them with water. If you have a high-powered blender, you don’t need to soak them. If you don’t have a fancy blender, soak them in water for at least two hours before using them in a recipe.

Nut Butters – I always have a few open jars of nut butter in the fridge as well as a few on standby in the pantry. I like to have them on toast for breakfast and with apples as an afternoon snack. And I make my beloved Spicy Peanut Sauce often as part of dinner. In addition to peanut butter, I also love cashew butter and almond butter, and I like to buy mixes, such as Nutzo, too. When buying nut butters, go for the natural kind that’s made with just nuts and mix them yourself when you get home.

Tahini – Tahini is just simply sesame paste. It’s kind of bitter on its own, but once it’s mixed with lemon juice and garlic, something magical happens. I use it often in salad dressings and on sandwiches and I go through jars of it quickly.

Tamari – Tamari is a Japanese variety of soy sauce that’s usually gluten-free. (Always check the labels if you have a food sensitivity!) It typically has a darker color and richer flavor than Chinese varieties of soy sauce, and it’s less salty. I prefer to use it when cooking. I will sometimes use Bragg Liquid Aminos or coconut aminos in place of tamari when cooking.

Non-Dairy Milk – Non-dairy milks can be used in everything from cereals and porridges to sauces and dips. Sometimes I make my own, but often I just buy containers and store them in the pantry. When I first went vegan, soy milk and rice milk were the popular options, but now there are so many more options available, including oat milk, hemp milk, flax milk, and macadamia milk. Almond and coconut milk are my favorites.

Apple Cider Vinegar – I use apple cider vinegar all the time, in salad dressings, stir-fries, and even in drinks. It has many health benefits, and it can help with everything from digestion to cold and flu prevention. When buying apple cider vinegar, I suggest looking for the raw, organic, unfiltered variety. My favorite brand is Bragg.

What are your vegan pantry essentials?

Reprinted with permission from Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen.

The post My Top 10 Vegan Pantry Essentials appeared first on Chic Vegan.

I love Door County’s pastoral landscapes, with lots of green fields and red barns. Fortunately, it’s an easy place for vegans to visit. Here are five good bets if you find yourself in Door County.

Grasse’s Grill

This breakfast and lunch place in Sister Bay was my favorite restaurant during this trip to Door County. They offer lots of vegetarian options, many of which can be made vegan. I ordered the South by Southwest, a taco salad, with the optional house-made black been veggie burger on top. Those were some beautiful lettuce leaves! And no wonder. Grasse’s is devoted to local sourcing, with a board posted up front to let customers know where key ingredients originated. They also serve a veggie wrap, veggie burgers done a bunch of different ways, a veggie bowl and “hippie tacos” with corn tortillas, cauliflower and sweet potato hash.

Wild Tomato Wood-Fired Pizza and Grille

My favorite dinner spot in Door County is Wild Tomato. They have two locations – Sister Bay and Fish Creek. I’ve been to both, but the Sister Bay one is especially good for sitting outside and watching the beach. Pizza, of course, is the star at Wild Tomato. Their pizza toppings run from typically delicious things, like kalamata olives and caramelized onions to…wait, am I hallucinating? Vegan cheese and vegan sausage in the far reaches of Wisconsin?! Yes, dear readers, it’s true. They make their vegan cheese from tapioca. The grilled veggie and hummus plate is a good starter, and a way to pack in a few more vegetables.

Inn at Cedar Crossing

The Inn at Cedar Crossing was built in 1884, and boasts exposed brick walls and pressed tin ceilings. Its former occupants include a tailor, soda fountain, doctor’s office and apothecary. Now it’s an attractive restaurant with nine B&B rooms located upstairs. I was excited to have a choice between a falafel burger and a kale salad with black bean chili.

Bistro at Liberty Square

The bistro is a casual place with several solid vegan options. I tried the hummus, the Portobello burger and a made-to-order pizza with extra tomato sauce. Even sharing with another vegan, we over-ordered. But I’m happy to say that pizza held up and made a good snack a few days later.

Wilson’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor

Wilson’s has one good vegan option – a veggie wrap doused with vinaigrette – and tons of nostalgic character. This old-fashioned diner opened in 1906. Personal jukeboxes on the table play hits by artists like Perry Como and Vaughn Monroe. Vegans with a sweet tooth can try a huge frosty house-made root beer or a scoop of sorbet.

SaveSave

The post 5 Good Bets for Vegans in Door County, Wisconsin appeared first on Chic Vegan.

The Local is Number One in Cody Wyoming

Wyoming has a surplus of steakhouses and a dearth of vegetarian restaurants. However, The Local in Cody prides itself on sourcing quality ingredients that are organic when possible, seasonal and, well, local, all served in a simple, elegant décor. I managed to visit three times. My first time was at lunch, where I was thrilled to find five clearly marked vegan choices. A miracle! They included a vegetable platter of beet puree, sweet potatoes and fresh herbs; a falafel sandwich; and the island wrap, which featured tofu, mango and kale slaw.

Sandwiches came with a choice of yam chips, fries or kale slaw. I got an excellent veggie burger one night for dinner, complete with a stunning, thick yellow tomato slice. And I sampled their almond milk cappuccinos, twice. The Whole Foods Trading Company (no, not that Whole Foods) is attached to The Local and under the same ownership. This health food store has tons of good stuff for traveling vegans to pack in the cooler, like Daiya cheese, milk alternatives and nut butters, fresh vegs and lots of snacks. Vegans, stock up here if you’re driving around Wyoming.

Buffalo Bill Center of the West

If you’re visiting Cody you won’t want to miss the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This Smithsonian affiliate is a collection of five museums: the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Plains Indian Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum. I spent four hours there and still felt like I’d just skimmed the surface.

Plan your museum visit to coincide with lunch. Or, better yet, dinner. At lunchtime, the museum dining area has a salad bar with good quality spring mix and several other vegetables. There’s also a veggie sandwich, and bottled juices and smoothies. But if you stay for the buffet dinner, you’ll get to see singing cowboys! I know it sounds totally hokey, but Dan Miller’s Cowboy Music Revue was awesome. The buffet dinner had a surprising number of vegan items. I piled my plate with roasted rosemary potato wedges, excellent organic spring mix salad with good tomatoes and vinaigrette, sourdough roll and green beans and mushrooms cooked in a little olive oil.

The trio – Dan Miller, Hannah Miller and Wendy Corr– were accomplished musicians with close harmonies and fabulous comic timing. Each had a distinctive voice, but when Hannah sang her ballad about Wyoming, it was like an angel was crooning to us.

Other Places around town

Most of the other places I ate took a little negotiation. Zapata’s, the Mexican restaurant with a cute outdoor patio, unfortunately puts lard in its beans, and the rice isn’t veg, either. But you can get a fajita salad – hold the meat and dairy – of lettuce, grilled peppers and guacamole, served with rice and chips. The unpromisingly named Rib and Chop House can make you a simple but good salad of spinach, beets, candied walnuts with blood orange vinaigrette, and a plain baked potato. You can doctor your potato up with vinaigrette or ask for olive oil and add salt and pepper. The baked potato is probably the workhorse for vegans in all the region’s steakhouses.

Coffee

I lucked out with the coffee shops. Almost every place I went had dairy alternatives for my coffee and cappuccino. Rawhide Coffee Company had almond, soy and coconut milk. The drive-through coffee kiosk Rocky Mountain Mudd made an excellent soy cappuccino, and The Local was tops for almond cappuccino. I even learned a new trick there – the barista added a couple of ice cubes when she steamed the almond milk. She said this works with both dairy and nondairy milks to make it foamier.

If you go

Don’t let your vegan diet make you miss seeing Cody Wyoming and environs. Eat at The Local as much as possible, and pack lots of snacks.

The post A Vegan Visit to Cody Wyoming appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Tehuti’s Café

Proprietor Tehuti Maat started cleaning up his lifestyle at an early age. He wasn’t even 20 when his doctor said his blood pressure would keep getting higher and higher, and soon would be as dangerously high as the rest of his family. So he quit eating meat. “Then I transcended to another type of vegetarian, then another, and here I am.” Here being a lovely raw vegan café run out of his home in Kingston, Jamaica. An offshoot of his lifestyle and nutrition consulting business, the café has only a few tables. It’s not a place to come if you’re in a hurry. But if you like fresh, natural food, and want to meet other health-conscious people, don’t miss Tehuti’s when you visit Kingston.

Menu

The day I visited, menu choices were a salad plate, pizza, cheesecake, fresh juices and turmeric dessert balls. I chose salads and cheesecake. Some of my dining companions ordered pizza, so I got to try that, too.

As is the case with raw pizza, you can’t really expect it to taste like regular pizza, but it’s good in a raw, salady way. Instead of a crisp crust, or even a doughy crust, the raw crust was a mushy mixture of zucchini and walnuts. The marinara sauce combined sundried with fresh tomatoes and herbs from the garden. Cashew cheese, diced tomatoes, peppers, pineapple and olives completed the pizza.

The salad plate included a half dozen different cold salads, including beets, curried coconut, green salad, hummus and plantains. I washed it down with a circulation booster juice, which contained lots of ginger and cayenne.

Food as Medicine

“It’s great that it turns out tasting okay, but it’s really about medicine,” Tehuti says. He designs juice and raw food detox programs for people with medical conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular trouble, obesity and diabetes. Tehuti has a reciprocal arrangement with some doctors in Kingston. He sends his clients to doctors when he thinks they need medical attention. They in turn refer patients to Tehuti. “Doctors send me people who aren’t into medication.”

Tehuti used to write recipes for people, but many said they were too busy to prepare healthful food themselves. When he started juicing for clients, his business immediately grew. Now he offers meal delivery service in addition to running Tehuti’s Café.

Your family medical history is not your destiny, Tehuti says. When a doctor asks what diseases your relatives died from, “that doesn’t mean you have to have it.” Instead, now is the time to clean up your lifestyle and give yourself the best chance possible at health and longevity. For that, Tehuti recommends raw vegan food.

The post Raw and Vegan in Kingston, Jamaica at Tehuti’s Café appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Goldie

This upstairs vegan falafel spot was a little hard to find, since I was focused at street level. But it’s well worth looking up. The menu is simple – mostly falafel sandwiches and falafel salads. I opted for the lighter salad because I’d come for a vegan tahini-based milkshake. This was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever consumed. I would love to drink one every day but then I probably wouldn’t make it up the steps to Goldie. The shakes come in original, banana, coconut, mint chip and Turkish coffee. I had the coffee flavor, but I need to return to Philadelphia to try the mint chip. The salad was good, too. However, everything I ate in Philadelphia was dwarfed by that shake.

Vedge – Heart of Vegan Philadelphia

I probably first heard of Vedge, one of the most famous vegan restaurants in America, about five years ago. The reviews are so rave that I made my reservation for one a week in advance. It’s an elegant, upscale place that specializes in small plates. As it turned out, not really the best place to go by yourself, because it felt a little weird to be the only single at a table. And the romantic lighting makes it impossible to read while you wait for your food. A local later told me that she comes alone and sits at the bar for a more convivial experience.

The small plates run $12 to $18 each, so it would have been more fun to share with a group and try more things. I ordered the stuffed avocado (described as romesco, pickled cauliflower, “fried rice,” black salt) and the charred Brussels sprouts with kimchee glaze and pickled mushrooms. The Brussel sprouts tasted as good as they sounded – charred and spicy, which I love. I think my expectations of Vedge were overinflated. Still, it’s a must-visit for travelers who like to hit all the vegan hotspots on their travels.

Bar Bombon

This bar/vegan Puerto Rican food restaurant looks awesome. I poked my head in on a Sunday afternoon and it was packed. The menu features empanadas, Spanish meatballs, plantains, guacamole and buffalo cauliflower tacos. There’s even a vegan tres leches cake!

Philadelphia Chutney Company

Since Bar Bombon was a little too crowded for me – I was sure I’d knock somebody’s taco off their table with my backpack and winter coat – I looked for a quieter late lunch option. Nearby Hip City Vegan and Mama’s Vegetarian were also packed (yes, all within a few blocks of each other!) so I wound up at the Philadelphia Chutney Company. This is not a veg place, but has lots of vegetarian and vegan food. The Chutney Company specializes in dosas, those South Indian crepes made from lentil flour. I opted for the Mysore masala dosa, which is curried potatoes in a spicy lentil/rice crepe served with chutney and a cup of sambar, or lentil stew. This restaurant’s big windows and green and orange interior looked more like a fast casual Mexican restaurant than an Indian restaurant. They took a modern twist on the dosas by offering lots of add-ons, including spinach, avocado and Portobello mushrooms. Posters on the walls explained what dosas are and their health benefits, as though the owners are dosa evangelicals. But I guess I’m a dosa evangelical, too. And if you’ve read this far, you might have noticed I appreciate a good value. This dosa was bigger than my forearm and cost $9.99.

Another visit required

It would probably take a month to visit every vegan and veg restaurant in the Philadelphia area. Alas, more research – and more tahini shakes – will be required to write the comprehensive Philadelphia vegan guide.

The post Vegan Philadelphia: Exploring Philly’s Vegan Scene appeared first on Chic Vegan.

20 ways to Love Yourself and Help Animals During the Holidays

1. Keep an abundant supply of healthy vegan snacks available to help avoid temptations to indulge in sugary and other unhealthy snacks. Nuts and seeds in moderation, raw vegetables and fresh fruits are good snack choices.
2. If you attend a holiday potluck, take a healthy vegan dish to eat and share with others. If you are going to a restaurant or attending a holiday function where you know your options will be limited, eat something before you go to satisfy your appetite.
3. Take time to research and select healthy vegan recipes to prepare over the holidays. Try to focus the bulk of meals on vegetables, fruits and legumes. A great source for tested holiday recipes is the Vegan’s Eat What Blog.
4. Get creative with raw recipes. One of my favorite sources for raw holiday recipes is Fully Raw Kristina.

   

5. Eat raw garlic to prevent getting sick. It may seem strange, but raw garlic is one of my best home remedies for staying cold free. I’ve heard that we should eat at least 1 raw clove of garlic a day to prevent illness!
6. Take it easy on the alcohol. Instead of selecting alcoholic beverages at parties and office functions, opt for mocktails, apple cider, kombucha, herbal teas, or fruit/herb infused water.
7. Walk as much as you can to ensure 30 minutes of exercise per day. Walking with family, a friend, or the family dog is a fun way to meet daily exercise goals.
8. Don’t forget the importance of deep breathing and practicing yoga or some sort of daily stretching. Practicing deep breathing techniques helps strengthen our respiratory system which is especially important as we age.
9. Implement your favorite self-care strategies. Meditate, use aromatherapy, or indulge in a massage or other special spa treatment.
10. Get lots of rest. Good sleep is essential to long term good health.
11. Plan your holiday shopping to make it as stress free as possible. Online shopping is a huge timesaver and can help alleviate a great deal of the stress associated with traditional holiday shopping
12. Be social. Spending time with good friends and loved ones is a great way to boost your immune system.
13. Learn to say, “No.” Holidays can seem overwhelming so focus on activities and events that make the best use of your time and bring the most joy to your life.
14. Give the gift of homemade vegan foods. Homemade granola, spiced nuts, prepackaged soup mixes and spice blends are always appreciated and easy on almost any budget.
15. Ask for and give gifts such as healthy cooking classes, vegan cookbooks, or a session with a Vegan Lifestyle Coach. Coaches help many people get healthy and stay healthy and could be just what you need to help you get through something you may be struggling with. In fact, this is a great time to pre-order the delightful Main Street Vegan Cookbook written by my Vegan Lifestyle Coach colleagues to share with your loved ones!
16. Instead of buying or making gifts, donate to vegan advocacy and animal welfare organizations.
17. Save a life by serving a vegan turkey or ham alternative at your holiday meal celebrations. There are several good commercial brands currently available, or make your own animal-free holiday roast. One of the best main dishes I’ve made and served at holiday events is Lynn’s Meatloaf from the Engine 2 Diet.

18. 

    Adopt an animal in need and encourage others to do the same. Animal are great for improving your overall mood and well-being, and please remember always adopt and never shop for a companion or other animal.

19. Sponsor a farm animal at a local farm sanctuary . One of my favorite new sanctuaries is the Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary in Colorado where the amazing Andrea Davis rescues and cares for numerous neglected and abandoned animals. You can sponsor a farm animal at Broken Shovels and at most farm sanctuaries throughout the United States and abroad.
20. And above all; stay positive, happy, and have fun at all your events. As happy, healthy, vegans we must lead by example and show people the great things being a vegan can do for them too!

SaveSave

The post Love Yourself and Help Animals During the Holidays appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Let that sink in for a moment.

If I worked for the dairy industry, that statistic would probably make me happy. It indicates that there are millions of consumers who really don’t know the truth about where their food comes from. That’s great for the food industry, but it’s horrible for the billions of animals who are bred for their meat and secretions.

Billboards, magazine ads, and television commercials are designed to influence us to consume. Animals are cut up, packaged in cellophane and styrofoam, and packed into the grocery store as beef, wings, breasts, shanks, and loins. Industry takes cows, chickens, turkeys, and pigs out of the language it uses, which makes it easier for consumers to forget to even ask what those cuts of meat started out as.

Even “conscious consumers” are in the dark. When it was announced that Amazon had purchased Whole Foods Market in a multi-billion dollar deal, an email went out to customers. In part, it read:

Meat will still come from animals raised with no-added growth hormones, ever. And all eggs in our dairy cases will continue to come from cage-free hens that aren’t given antibiotics. Those standards are core to Whole Foods Market and we will remain committed to them.

What Whole Foods’ antiobiotic and hormone-free, 5-step Animal Rating program leaves out is the reality that awaits every animal raised for food products. Free-range or otherwise, there are no happy chickens. Grass-fed or grain-fed, there are no happy cows. The painful and difficult lives of these animals end in violent deaths that are rarely seen and certainly not considered by millions of adults who think brown cows are responsible for their chocolate milk.

This ignorance is one of the reasons why I’ve supported campaigns run by organizations like Mercy for Animals, where they pay people a dollar to watch a video, exposing them to the abuse that is rampant in food production. I believe we should know where our food comes from. I believe that people should know the truth.

And yet, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to engage on social media when faced with these videos and violent images. “If you eat pigs, you should watch this.” “Would you be able to slit her throat? Then why pay someone else to?” These statements are valid, of course. We need to speak out for those who can’t speak. But can we do so with warning, with compassion?

Is there a happy medium between violent images and sugar-coated memes? I hope so. Because while the dairy industry is laughing its way to the bank, we’ve got animals to save.

Image: Tim Abbott

The post Chocolate Milk and Truth in Vegan Activism appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Vegan Love is a dating guide for vegan women. In it, Maya Gottfried offers advice on dating and dealing with non-vegan partners. Being vegan can often alienate others, but Maya shares tips on how to let your date know that you’re vegan as well as vegan-friendly ideas for a night on the town. She even includes a handy chart of dos and don’ts for dating as a vegan.

The dilemma of whether or not to date an omnivore is addressed, with arguments for both dating strictly vegan and dating outside the vegan pool. Because it can be difficult to meet other vegans, she includes some tips where to find like-minded people. Sometimes letting your omni date know about you veganism can be a bit daunting, but Maya believes it’s important to let him or her know right away (and I agree with her). She also includes a list of movies and books to share with your omnivore partner who might be curious about veganism.

Since getting ready to go out is a big part of dating, Maya discussing vegan fashion and beauty as well, including quick guides to vegan clothing and cosmetics. Professional makeup give their tips on cosmetics, too.

Just in case those dates go well, there are chapters on cohabitating and weddings, too. Tips for living with a partner who isn’t vegan and how to plan a vegan wedding are included.

Maya shares her own dating stories throughout the book, and she also speaks to other vegan women, both straight and LGBT, who share theirs. Jane Velez-Mitchell, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Jasmin Singer, JL Fields, and many others are included.

If you’re a vegan who’s out there in the dating scene, Vegan Love is the perfect book for you!

The post Vegan Love by Maya Gottfried appeared first on Chic Vegan.

Much like there are food deserts throughout the country, I’d count airports among the places with some of the worst food options around. Sure, if you do some digging you can find a few sorry, overpriced bananas or red delicious apples, and maybe some packages of raw nuts in Hudson News. Can we pause for a moment and talk about why red delicious apples are so prevalent? They’re arguably the least delicious of all apples — instead they’re sad, waxy, and practically devoid of flavor. Their only redeeming quality is that they look like a quintessential apple, which is probably one of the main reasons that they are everywhere. But I digress.
On our flight from Los Angeles to New York City, I was fully prepared for a day of travel. Empty water bottle to fill up after going through security, an apple, banana, and pink lady apple that I packed at home, and a big tupperware full of recently dehydrated homemade kale chips. But on our flight back west today, I am woefully unprepared and despite scouring the meager options in Terminal A of Newark Airport, have resigned myself to a day of fasting until we get back home. I sit here looking directly at a wall full of candy, chips, cookies, and crackers. To my right is a coffee stand with a bursting pastry display, nary a vegan option in sight. To the left of the pastries lie some sugar-laden (and in lots of cases, honey-laden) granola bars that, if I were truly famished, I might think about purchasing, save for the fact that they all contain the ingredient dreaded by vegans everywhere: milk fat. It boggles the mind why food manufacturers choose to add milk fat to items that would otherwise be dairy-free, but such is the world we live in.

I briefly perked up at the Ruby Tuesday To-Go stand when I saw a big, luscious display of garden salads…but much to my chagrin, they were overpriced and topped with not one, but two types of cheese. I’m kicking myself for not at least packing a peanut butter sandwich from my in-laws’ house, but we were in such a rush to leave that I neglected to do so. My husband and I actually just now decided to forgo any food at the airport, and instead indulge in Veggie Grill as soon as we touch down in Los Angeles — land of sunshine, sea breeze, and vegan options galore. He suggested getting an apple and a banana, but on principle alone, I refuse to pay $6.00 for two pieces of fruit that, let’s be real here, have probably been sitting on that shelf for days. Instead, I shelled out $7.00 for two passably decent coffees. I was ready to drink mine black, assuming that they had no dairy-free milk options…but was pleasantly surprised to hear “yes!” when I asked if they had soy milk. I’ll chalk that up to one small victory for airport vegans, and hope for a day when healthy, delicious, vegan options can be found in every single airport.

So you don’t find yourself in the same pickle that I’m currently in, here are some of my go-to vegan meals and snacks that I’ve packed in the past to enjoy mid-flight or while waiting at the airport:

• “turkey and cheese” wraps with mustard, lettuce, pickles, and cucumbers
• fruit salad filled with berries
• overnight oats (mine have always passed the liquid rule for carry-ons)
• DIY trail mix with carob chips and nuts
• dried fruit
• carrot sticks with peanut butter
• grapes
• homemade granola bars or energy bites

The post Traveling While Vegan: The Horror of Forgetting to Pack Your Own Snacks appeared first on Chic Vegan.