vegansaurus!

Save the date: May 10 NYC fundraiser for Japan  »

Hey everybody, guess what! There is going to be a benefit for Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support and Americares! But you haven’t heard the best part: I’m going to DJ! Huzzah! So now you HAVE to go.

I think I’m just spinning between bands and announcements so, essentially, I’m TOP BILLING. But don’t worry, I’m going to be so good, everybody will die. But not before eating delicious vegan food from V-Spot, Gonepie and more!

Here’s the skinny:

Tuesday, May 10, from 7 to 11:30 p.m.
Southpaw, 125 5th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY

It’s $15 and 18 and over. Yay, kids! You can hang! The event has a Facebook page and you can buy advance tickets on Southpaw’s website. Southpaw kind of rules so this should be fun! It’s only a few blocks from me so you might see me wheeling my records over. Say hi!

If you want a preview of my skillz, you can check out and download (for free!) a few of my mixes on Last.fm.

Vegansaurus NYC: pierogies from Union Market!   »

If you live in Brooklyn, you may be familiar with Union Market; it’s that expensive but really convenient place. I was there the other day buying pineapple as usual when I saw they had these pierogies! I checked the ingredients and they’re vegan! They have potato, and potato and spinach (they have cheese and potato too, but yuck). The pierogies are Union Market’s own brand; I don’t know where they’re made. They are near the milks, surrounded by a bunch of obnoxious non-vegan fancy-pants pasta. Jeez, pumpkin ravioli, get over yourself.

I eat mine with applesauce and I would eat it with Tofutti sour cream too if I had any on hand. The ingredients are so simple, it seems like I could make pierogies pretty easily! If I had any counter space! And the desire to do stuff!

Prospect Park goose slaughter continues  »

File under things to actually get mad about: New York City is set to kill more Canada geese in Prospect Park again this year. Last year, they killed hundreds without telling anyone but people noticed the geese were gone and it came out. This year, they’ve hired a “biologist” who, as the Brooklyn Paper describes it, is a gun-toting sharpshooter. Damn. Do people really go into biology thinking they will eventually be a goose sniper? Last year, they gassed the geese, they will probably do that again. I can’t imagine it will be straight-up Duck Hunt out there.

The city’s reason for killing the geese this year and last year is that they say the geese pose a risk to airplanes. Originally, they were killing birds within a five mile radius of the airport but they expanded the area to include Prospect Park, which is seven miles away. Why? I don’t know. People that oppose the mass goose murder say that 1. there are more humane ways to control the goose population and 2. the geese in Prospect Park are permanent residents now and don’t migrate north for the winter, so they aren’t the geese a plane would come in contact with.

Friends of Animals contends that the real issue for the USDA is the goose droppings. WTF? And here’s an appalling quote from Friends of Animals: “Mayor Bloomberg oversaw the gassing of 1,676 geese in city parks throughout the five boroughs last summer. A USDA report revealed that 89 percent of geese observed at sites throughout New York City and western Nassau have been killed.” God damn.

I’ll try to find more ways to help but for the time being, here’s what you can do:

Tell Mayor Bloomberg and city officials: Stop the killing and harassment of Canada Geese.

Contact Mayor Bloomberg to oppose the slaughter and harassment of geese in New York City:

• If you live in New York City, you can call the Mayor’s office at 311.
• Outside of New York City, call 212-NEW-YORK.
• Fax a message: 212-788-8123.
• Send an email to the Mayor.

[Photo of geese in Prospect Park by Robert Judge]

Hey New Yorkers! The Veggie Prom is May 13!  »

Holy cannoli, I love a school dance! So I am more than excited about the Veggie Prom. But I need a date, and I have a month to get one. OK, Megan, you can do this!

From the press release (so pro!):

Veggie Prom Party Kicks off NYC Veggie Pride Weekend on May 13 at Public Assembly (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Veggie Prom returns for a second year of drinking and dancing in honor of NYC’s veggie community. People of all dietary persuasions are invited to attend the party, slated for Friday, May 13 at Williamsburg’s Public Assembly. As party organizer Jessica Mahady of Veggie Conquest says: “This is a chance for a compassionate community to come together to celebrate!”

In addition to drinks and dancing, the party promises to serve up free vegan snacks, desserts, and door prizes for a lucky few. NYC’s vegan DJ Lil Ray will keep the dancefloor moving with prom classics and favorites from across the generations. Partygoers are encouraged to dress up in creative prom-wear and vote for their favorite activist to be prom king and queen. For the most up-to-date list of sponsors and giveaways and to submit a prom court nomination, visit veggieconquest.com/veggieprom.

Tickets are on sale now through the Veggie Prom website, and if there are remaining tickets, they will be available at the door ($10 advance/$15 at the door). Public Assembly is located at 70 North 6th St. (L to Bedford). No date necessary to attend!

I guess I can go stag! Regardless, I’m terribly excited. YOU KNOW your friend Megan Rascal likes to light up the dance floor. But don’t worry if your skills aren’t as great as mine; it’s like Miriam Makeba always said: If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing.

See you there!

Vegansaurus NYC: the Ice Cream House in Brooklyn!  »

Guys, I’ve been to heaven and come back to tell you all about it! Spoiler: HEAVEN RULES. And comes in the shape of a kosher ice cream shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: the Ice Cream House! They sell Klein’s ice cream and have like 20-plus vegan flavors of hard ice cream, chocolate and vanilla soft-serve with more flavors to come, several sorbets, and a sort of soft-serve sorbet. My gracious vegan host Jake gave me a full tour with a ton of samples. He explained that the whole vegan ice cream thing comes from the kosher diet; as he tells me, if you’re kosher and you have meat, you have to wait six hours before eating dairy. So if you have meat for dinner and you want ice cream for dessert, it’s got to be dairy-free. Blammo! Vegan ice cream!

The Ice Cream House is not like super-fancy with crazy exotic flavors like prickly pear and vinegar plaid; it’s just like a regular old place you went to after the movies as a kid. Above you can see all the yummy flavors—ALL of those are certified vegan. On the other side of the shop they have dairy ice cream, but everything is kept totally separate for the kosher rules, scoops and all! Here’s a view from the top:

I tried so many flavors! The mint chocolate chip was good; the pistachio, which I never get, was really good; I had one that tasted like walnuts or something, very good as well—everything was good! It very well may have been the best vegan ice cream I’ve had. It was super-legit. Like birthday party ice cream, know what I mean? Coffee is my favorite ice cream and they had TWO coffee flavors: coffee and coffee royal, with a fudge swirl. They were off the hook! Definitely better than Lula’s cappuccino flavor, because the coffee flavor was stronger. Here’s the two coffees:
Looking good, right? The chocolate soft serve was REALLY good too. And I normally wouldn’t recommend sorbet because we can always get that but they had this lime/raspberry swirl soft-serve sorbet that was delicious, so it might be worth it. OR get the sorbet AND ice cream! You are an adult, you can do whatever you want!

Besides the ice cream, they have a ton of toppings, including all this fresh fruit:
Very pretty, but don’t fill up on fruit, fill up on ice cream!

If you are having a party or just roll like that, they have gallon tubs of most of the vegan flavors in this nice case:

Gallon tubs! Also in this amazing case, there are tons of ice cream novelties and ice cream cakes! Here are some of the dairy-and-egg-free ice cream cakes:

Car cakes! Imagine that for your birthday, eh? Those are like minivans, though, aren’t they? The green one totally is. You could get it for a baby shower. Babies love minivans.

Then they have all these fun ice cream novelties like I mentioned. Little ice cream cups!

You should get those for your kickball team! You’d be so popular. FINALLY. And check out these “razzle ‘n dazzle” peanut butter and ice cream bon bon things they gave me to take home:

They are the chocolate-dipped dopeness. You know I love the peanut butter. And guess what: they gave me this ice cream cake, too!
I know, it’s so hard being me. I haven’t tried the cake yet; I’m going to take it to my brother’s for dinner this weekend because I am so nice to him. I’ll let you know how it goes.

The people there were hella nice! Sometimes I’m scared of religious people but they weren’t scary at all. And it was pretty popping. But mostly: VEGAN ICE CREAM OMG WTF! It’s on Bedford Avenue, a few blocks from the Bedford-Nostrand G stop, so it’s not hard to get to and a definite must-try. If you are having a party, dude, everyone will think you are the man if you roll in with an ice cream cake. So old school. I wonder if they would make an ice cream cake of my face. OMG I just realized how much I need and ice cream cake of my face! I don’t know how I’ve survived this long without one. It’s basically masochism.

They have a shop in Flatbush and one in Boro Hill too, and I haven’t been to those but I will try them out and let you know. The Williamsburg shop is brand new and I think it has the most vegan flavors. Oh and they said you can also follow them on twitter—@kleinsicecream—for coupons and specials. I follow them!

Thanks, Ice Cream House! I love you like I love puppies and butterflies!

Product Review: Rico M. Panada spinach and tofu empanadas!  »

Welcome to my new favorite thing: Rico M. Panada’s spinach and tofu vegan empanadas! I’m a fan. I’m even toasting them, as the box recommends, instead of microwaving them, as my impatient stomach demands. Many of the brand’s empanadas aren’t vegan but the spinach ones are and then they have a beet and black bean vegan one I’ve yet to try (haven’t found it yet).

As you might imagine, the flavor of this empanada is very reminiscent of spanakopita. It doesn’t have that creamy and salty flavor you get with the traditional spanakopita cheese mixture, but it’ll definitely remind you of the Greek dish. I’m pretty into them. I feel like they are something my mom could get down with but I’m not sure if they are up to my tofu-phobic dad’s level. They are kind of high in fat but have no saturated fat, they are high in protein and fiber, AND they are Mediterraneanish—total mom food. Am I right? Come on, I’m always right! At least when it comes to mom-trends. Is that something to be proud of?

They have them at Union Market here in Brooklyn. I can’t tell where else they have them! Their site doesn’t seem to say. But you should totally write them and be like, “How can I be down?” That’s what we have to start doing now; writing the hell out of everyone like, “Ship to this coast! We’re hungry!”

Megan Rascal curates all the vegan news you need to know in this week’s link-o-rama!  »

You may have heard that our dear Meave has gone to be a Republican in Georgia so in her absence, I’m taking over link-o-rama this week! Let’s turn this party inside out! Just kidding, it’ll probably be similar, just slightly more vapid, as me and Meave are similar, I’m just slightly more vapid. Let the games begin!

If you are wondering what the top picture is all about, it’s a new campaign from La Leche, a group dedicated to educating people on the benefits of breastfeeding (I’m a supporter). I thought I’d note that the fantastically popular and extra lame “Got Milk?” franchise made a deal with La Leche so they can use their stupid tag for good—you know, instead of its regular, milk-mongering evil. Hmm, this gives me ideas for, “the other white meat,” eh?

This week in beauty contests, Eater.com is doing a Hottest Chef in America competition and one handsome young vegan chef has made it to the final round! Portland’s Wes Hannah could very well be the next Hottest Chef in America! I don’t know about you but I would tap that seven ways from Sunday! Yes, friends, my vote is in: Hannah 2011! 

In rescued-circus-animal news, remember those dear lions rescued from Bolivian circuses that Meave told you all about? Well, they touched down in Denver on Wednesday! Safe and sound! With Bob Barker on hand to yell, “Lion No. 1, come on down!” You know, “mimicking the way contestants were introduced on his game show The Price Is Right. Ever heard of it?

This Dish is Vegetarian has the lowdown on a crazy restaurant in Brooklyn where you can eat a steak and then buy a briefcase made out of the same cow? Is this what progress looks like?

The Verdant Life has an awesome looking recipe for broccoli vegan-cheezy pot pies (pictured above)—can I get a what-what?! That looks crazy good. I’m so ready for this. You could make that for your Great American Meatout party! And invite me!

Everyone’s favorite vegan, Sarah Kramer, has made some super-cute journals to sell with 100 percent of the proceeds going to help the sweet dog she is fostering. Get yours! And foster dogs!

In famous non-vegans, Mike Vick was going to be on Oprah and now he’s not? I kind of wanted to see that. Word is he canceled for “personal reasons.” Would that personal reason be cowardice? Probably not but zing!

Mickaboo Companion Bird Rescue is having a free bird care class in SF on Sunday! Go forth! Care for birds! Maybe they will finally teach us the secret of flight!

Over at SuperVegan.com you can read a review of the movie Chow Down that I’m actually going to see tomorrow night. Does it sound a bit boring? Maybe I’m just immediately bored when I hear about middle-aged males. The world kind of revolves around middle-aged males, that’s why the world is so boring. Mystery solved! But I’m excited anyway—there’s a panel! And panels are nothing if not nonstop excitement!

Lastly, I want you to read all about Pinnacle over at HuffPo! Very soon, I am going to write all about it so you might as well read up and get ready! OMG also! I was at Lula’s last night and guess who was there: Pinnacle founder Joshua Katcher! I said hi because I’m totally a confident and outgoing individual. He was super-handsome! And nice, which is less important but a definite plus.

On a final note: don’t forget to remind your pals on Sunday about Meatless Monday! And don’t forget to read Laura’s SFist post and the Week in Vegan! Be well and TGIF, motherfuckers!

[Picture of model with lady-dog from Pinnacle; adorable picture of pigeon in cast from the New York City Pigeon Rescue Central FB page]

Groupon’s $15 for $30 worth of food (and drinks!) at the V SPOT in NYC!  »

Get your groupon for V Spot, NYC-ers! V Spot is totally in Park Slope—strollerland!—just like me! So I’m saying, you should take me with you! We can go on a Vegansaurus date! And I’ll write all about you! No, wait, come back! It’ll be fun!

Guest post: Krispy Kreme ain’t Dun-Well! Vegan Doughnuts NYC: the launch party  »

I heard it said… “vegan royalty”! This is what two cute guys and hundreds of vegan doughnuts attract.

Last night was the tremendous Well-Dun Doughnuts launch in NYC, hosted by Moo Shoes. And dang! It was packed, but expectedly civil considering the beautiful and awesome veg-loving crowd. As a line snaked around the shop, I got an opportunity to quiz some of the early arrivers on their samplings. It seems the lemon poppy seed was a winner—I never got one—and the root beer was a crowd-pleaser. It was like a glorious beignet made of root beer and LOVE that exploded in your mouth! People were moved to tears, at least I hoped, over the chocolate-covered and peanut butter varieties. Meanwhile, smooth and superb cocktails from Bushwick’s vegan bar, Pine Box Rock Shop, helped calm the impatient. And Lula’s Sweet Apothecary supplied some ice cream to à la mode your do-nut.

Way to go Christopher and Dan:
Check out their site for locations.

Oh, and hell, for extra credit, a few more fantastic photos:
Vegansaurus fave, Leanne Ma-ily Hilgart of Vaute Couture, looking ADORABLE. Give me [Laura] that sweater please please PLEASE!!

Sarah Gross of Rescue Chocolate [we love!] and NYC Vegetarian Food Festival!

This review and the photos herein were brought to us by the talented and terrific Jeff Nesmith, an Alabama native thriving in Brooklyn. Designer, draw-er, writer, magazine producer, vegan fry-cook/biscuit-baker, and by day, the editorial production director for Real Simple magazine. He describes his site, welloiledmachinenyc.com, as always a work in progress; we think it’s ridiculously awesome. Oh, also, you might remember him from when I awkwardly proposed that he adopt Vegansaurus? When stalkers and victims become friends: The Vegansaurus Story!