Linky-Dinks & What-Nots

Happy Friday everyone!

The weekend is here! Before I get into some fun and interesting links, I have to make two local announcements.

1. Any Tampa folks here attending the Save 90 conference tomorrow, Saturday the 14th? If you want to get involved in making Hillsborough County animal shelters no-kill, please attend this free conference tomorrow at Hillsborough Community College on South Dale Mabry Highway. 1pm. It's free to attend and all the info can be found HERE.

2. One week later, on Saturday, April 21st, I'll be at the badass vegan bake sale at Mojo Books & Music in Tampa, peddling cruelty-baked goods for a worthy cause: spay & neuter and medical care for stray and feral cats. This is part of World Wide Vegan Bake Sale, and also part of Mojo's World Record Store Day celebration. If you're in the Tampa area, come on by between record stores and Earth Day celebrations for some sweet treats!

Now onto the links and other random stuff for the rest of yas!

Have you had the chia kombucha from Synergy yet? I didn't expect it to be so AWESOME! I knew that chia seeds gel when they get moist, but with the kombucha, the result is like Jell-O. Drinkable Jell-O that's good for you and doesn't contain random animal parts. I tried the Cherry Chia and LOVED IT.

These "mini peanut butter cups in a jar" by Oh She Glows look AHH-MAZING and I can't wait to make 'em! (No stove required!)

I enjoyed this little post by Just a Titch about making things happen for yourself. From that post: "And the thing about making things happen for yourself is that once you do it a little, you want to do it more."

We all know about the Dirty Dozen when it comes to fruits and veggies, but have you seen the Dirty Dozen for cosmetics? Check it out here.

Gainesville, Florida is so surprisingly vegan-friendly. You've read my posts about G-ville before, and I'm ready for another visit after learning they've opened a new vegan and gluten-free-friendly cupcake shop! Check out Sarkara Sweets Cafe.

via Ecorazzi - 20 Bands That Care About the Environment

via Our Hen House - Got vegan or animal rights books collecting dust on the shelf? Pass 'em on to make a greater impact.

via VegNews - big thanks to my blogger buddy Amber at Almost Vegan for giving Kansas City the vegan shout-out it deserves!

For all my wanderlusters -

I Love Kansas City

If you are at all familiar with Kansas City, Missouri, you know that this city rocks.

If you've never been to KCMO, do NOT let this article deter you from visiting. In A.G. Sulzberger's NY Times article, "Meatless in the Midwest: A Tale of Survival," the writer clearly failed to embrace all of the vegan splendor to be found in Kansas City.

Hey A.G., have you never heard of Happy Cow?!

Amber over at Almost Vegan posted a fantastic response to the article, which you can read HERE. And even though I addressed this on Facebook, I feel a need to address this here on the blog, too. Although I do not live near Kansas City anymore, that city will always have a piece of my heart. It is an underrated city full of hidden (and not-so-hidden) treasures, a city that I love and miss. And let me tell you, all my days spent in KC were NOT lacking in delicious food. Here are some links to past blog entries about some of my favorite Kansas City eateries.

Malay Cafe in North Kansas City

Amazing nachos at FuD, KC's ALL-VEGAN restaurant

No other Mongolian BBQ place compares to Genghis Khan

At least Blue Koi was mentioned in that NYTimes article

Here's my recap from 2010's Bliss Fest, a green, earth-lovin' veg-friendly event

Lunch at Eden Alley (I'm a bigger fan of their desserts, though)

In my Most Memorable Meals of 2010 post, you'll find pictures from a vegan dim sum at Bo Ling's on the Plaza

And that's just a sample of the vegan offerings in Kansas City, Missouri. Since I left, the metro area has opened a Trader Joe's grocery store and an all-vegan bakery/coffeehouse, and a Cafe Gratitude is coming in 2012. Veganism is not a brand new concept in Kansas City, and it is extremely easy to live and visit KC and eat like a vegan queen. Just ask Amber or myself.

** Remember, folks -- No matter where you travel, do a little research ahead of time, and always check HappyCow.net.

Ode to Koi

Here it is, just day three of the Vegan MoFo challenge, and I'm already finding myself working under the wire. It's not quite midnight central time, though, so I'm okay! (Blogging on the daily isn't quite as easy as I thought it'd be.)

Tonight I'm blogging about another favorite Kansas City restaurant: Blue Koi Noodles & Dumplings.

Blue Koi has some pretty great vegan appetizers to start out your delicious dining experience. My recommendation is the eggplant pockets. They're a bit greasy, but oh so good. (Get ready for some kooky lighting since these pictures are from dinner, which means dim mood lighting.)


Big crispy pockets of veggie goodness, drizzled with raw garlic sauce.


For my entrée, I went with the tofu with black bean sauce. Blue Koi has magical tofu cooking powers. They get the texture just right - braised to perfection!


Succulent chunks of tofu served with red and green bell pepper slices and thick, juicy portobella mushroom chunks, served with a hefty portion of fluffy jasmine rice.


The portions are generous at Blue Koi, which means I'll be enjoying these leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Don't forget the bubble tea!


(I've heard that the only fruity flavors that are vegan are mango and passionfruit, FYI.)

Blue Koi is another great restaurant for diners of all different persuasions: omnivore, vegetarian, and vegan. Everyone can find a great meal. And if all else fails, there happens to be a Genghis Khan location practically next door!

I Love Genghis Khan

I sure love Genghis Khan! And I don't mean this Genghis Khan:


But THIS Genghis Khan:


They have a menu, but honestly, the only thing I've ordered from it is bubble tea. It's all about the Mongolian grill buffet for me.


GK is quite vegan friendly. Veggies and tofu have their own separate buffet section. Piling up your chosen ingredients in a black bowl (instead of blue) signals the grill operator that you're vegetarian, and they'll cook your food away from the meaty dishes, as well as use different cooking utensils. Plus, the vegetarian option is usually $1-2 cheaper.

I usually get the same thing every single time I'm at Genghis Khan, but I never grow tired of it. Rice noodles, tofu, zucchini, broccoli, red & green bell pepper, and mushrooms. My sauce combo is simply soy sauce, garlic water, and a bit of sesame oil.


Second verse, same as the first (but this time with some fruit on the side)


(Veg*n diners also get prettier plates!)

I know that there are a lot of other Mongolian grill places around, and I've honestly only been to one and it was a terrible, not-veg-friendly-nor-tasty experience. If you find yourself in Kansas City, just go straight to Genghis Khan. You won't be disappointed.

A Saturday Afternoon in Kansas City

Last week sucked for a lot of reasons, all on a personal level, but Saturday more than made up for it. The weather was perfect - a sunny and crisp fall day. A great day to visit the City Market.


Summer is definitely over. There were only about a third the amount of vendors as there were just a few months ago. Almost everyone had winter squash for sale (some a little funkier than others).



L was very interested in the man roasting the peppers in, what I called, the Bingo Cage. We ended up getting a pound of roasted peppers (sweet and hot) and an eggplant.

(It made the car smell AWESOME.)

Then we met up with a friend and had lunch at FüD, the 100% vegan restaurant that I haven't visited in MONTHS.

L ordered the nachos (the best deal on the menu, I think, at $9).


I ordered a chalupa (I expected it to be a little bigger for $7, but it was still absolutely delicious).


Our two dining companions ordered some tacos (2 for $7).

This is the (raw) rainbow taco:


What's funny is that we all ate the same filling, but in different ways. I can't quite describe the filling. I just know that it involves jack fruit, wild rice, a heavenly blend of spices, cashew-based sauces, and some fan-darn-tastic guacamole. I highly recommend the nachos of all the meals, as it's the best bang for your buck. I haven't tried any of their sammiches yet, but that's next on my list!

After lunch and parting ways with our friends, we romped around World Market, then headed back home, but stopping at Yogurtini on the way.
Passed this little coffee place on the walk from the parking lot. Does the name look familiar to you?


Last time, I reported back on my vegan findings at the Yogurtini by the Plaza. This time, we tried out the Zona Rosa location.


Yogurtini always carries one non-dairy option and the flavors change every few months. This time, they had mango sorbet. I wish they would use some soy- or coconut-milk based frozen desserts, but I won't complain. Besides, for me, it's all about the toppings.

Yogurtini always has oodles of fresh fruit and several kinds of nuts, as well as several kinds of sugary cereals, sprinkles and chocolates, and sauces. (Including Sri Racha hot sauce!) I was impressed to find that this location also offered agave nectar and natural maple syrup among their sauces. I didn't use any (I had enough sweet stuff in my bowl), but it was still nice that it was there.

How was your weekend?

Birthday Recap

I entered the "upper 20s" on Saturday and the only plan I made for the day was to go on a little scavenger hunt to cash in some coupons for free birthday stuff. It sounds silly, but it ended up being a good time. I gathered a few friends and we were off, with our first stop at Noodles & Company.

This was my first time at Noodles & Company, and honestly, the only reason I was there was because I had a coupon for a free bowl. I did my research in advance, though, and was impressed to find very thorough nutrition and allergen info on their website. They even had a little section for their vegan dishes, and they served rice noodles, too. Perfect!
For any Sriracha lovers out there, you'll be happy to read that there was a bottle of it on every table in the joint.

I ordered the Indonesia Peanut Sauté with tofu. It was lovely!

The ultra-crispy bean sprouts and fresh cilantro were my favorite components of this meal.

It was also a lovely meal to photograph.


The weather was also lovely and we strolled around Zona Rosa for awhile...
(Ah! There's our chauffeur!)

eventually stopping at Coldstone Creamery to cash in my free "Like It"-sized dessert. I was happy to find that they had THREE different sorbets to choose from. I went with mango-strawberry-banana with graham cracker crumbs mixed in.

The sorbet was okay, but it was really just a vehicle for the graham cracker crumbs.
A little more strolling, and then we headed to On the Border.

I had a coupon for free queso dip (obviously not vegan), but I handed that over to my (non-vegan) friends and enjoyed an overpriced blood orange margarita instead. (I think I came out on top with that trade.)


Next, we were whisked away to Crown Center to check out the free John Lennon art exhibit. (John Lennon and I do share a birthday, after all.)

No photography allowed inside the exhibit. It was a collection of sketches and ink drawings by John Lennon. If I was a super Beatles fan, I would have been more excited. Some of the works were really cute, though. They were all outrageously expensive, though, especially considering they were all reproductions.
Next, a quick stop at Caribou Coffee to cash in on a free drink. It was so hard to decide, but I knew I wanted to try something new. I went with the iced cinnamon rooibos tea. I can never remember how to pronouce "rooibos," so I just called it Roy Orbison tea. Close enough.

Verdict: not great. I ordered it because I thought it would be similar to hibiscus tea, which I love so much, but this actually just tasted like sipping weak tea with cinnamon gum in my mouth. The cinnamon was overpowering, and I just don't like cinnamon that much. Oh well.
Our last coupon for the evening brought us to Mimi's Cafe, which ended up being a bad experience due to, in a nutshell, our condescending server telling us exactly what he thinks of people who don't eat meat, and it wasn't very nice. We spoke to a very understanding supervisor, though, and that's all I will say about that.

The rest of the evening was spent with a surprise visit from a dear friend who was originally out of town for the weekend, but ended up being IN town due to car trouble (which is not so great). However, she threw an impromptu camp-out in the middle of nowhere (seriously - it was a little creepy to get there) and we had a fabulous time around the little campfire.

Naturally, the lighting was terrible/non-existent, but I do have a few pictures to share of the cast of characters (minus the birthday girl because I didn't take a picture of myself. Oops!).



And here's a little glimpse of the delicious mulled cider, heated over some flaming charcoal with love, by the hostess. (Seriously, if you want something mulled, she's your girl.)


I'm usually pretty weird about birthdays. I often feel like there's too much pressure to make it eventful or memorable or whatever. This birthday was great because it took little effort, I tried lots of new things (and for free), and I spent it with some lovely people. And it was certainly memorable.

Malay Cafe Will Make Your Day (and a Surprise-tini!)

My friends and I were eager to try a new restaurant over the weekend and we were all set to go to Blanc Burgers on the Plaza. I called in advance, though, because someone had told me that they now offered gluten-free breads and I wanted to check if it was, in fact, true, and also to find out if they were also vegan. When I inquired over the phone to the woman who answered, she informed me that "nothing on the menu is vegan." She put me on hold to double-check, which I appreciated. I figured their spiced-lentil burger could have been made with eggs, but surely the portabella burger would be safe, as long as they removed the feta and other non-vegan items. She returned to the phone and said that neither of their vegetarian burgers can be made vegan "because of the mixtures used to prepare them." Well, so much for that idea!

Boyfriend and I narrowed down our options, and then settled on Malay Cafe. We had eaten there for lunch a couple of years ago and thought it was okay, but after reading so many amazing reviews online, we decided it deserved another chance. Luckily, our friend joining us that evening is always willing to try new foods.

By the time we arrived at Malay Cafe, we were all STARVING. Crispy noodles and sweet sauce were immediately brought to our table. (Our waitress could see the hunger in our eyes.)


The table ordered 3 appetizers, two of which were veg-friendly. (I was dining with two very understanding meat-eaters.) First up, gado-gado.

This was a little dish of heaven, folks. Drizzled with a light, tangy peanut sauce, the gado gado featured rice noodles, bean sprouts, chopped tomato, chilled chunks of fried tofu and potato, pineapple, and thin matchstick slices of cucumber. (This comes with eggs, but I ordered them on the side and handed them off to the boyfriend.) Seriously, I want to order this gado gado by the bucketful. It took every ladylike fiber of my being to not lick the plate.

We all shared an order of fried sweet potato.

It was more "fried" than "sweet potato," but to most people, this is a good thing!

And on to my entrée. I ordered the one tofu dish listed on the menu, which claimed to have powers that could convert anyone into a vegetarian. Well, I've been meat-free since 1995, so no conversions are necessary for me! Behold, the Ginger Tofu.


Now, my tastes definitely run more toward the savory than the sweet, and this dish is SWEET! Still, I enjoyed its ultra-saucy goodness, but found the sweetness overwhelming at one point. The soft, yet lightly-fried tofu was the star of this dish, and of course, I can never have too many veggies on my plate.

When our check came, I asked the owner about other vegan dishes that could be offered. She said that she can substitute tofu for meat in just about any dish on the menu, and to just ask the next time I come in. Oh, I'll definitely be back! I can't wait to try every vegan variation possible at Malay Cafe.

After dinner, we headed out to Penguin Park, which should have been a joyful little visit, but within a few minutes, we found ourselves in what our friend, Brandon described as, "Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but with flies." Seriously, the air was thick with little fly-gnat hybrids, and we noticed masses of them on the playground equipment, and then on ourselves. I don't know how all of those families could put up with the bugs; we ran like the dickens outta there!

Our next stop was Glace', which has been featured on this blog before, but Brandon had yet to try it. We arrived to discover a long line curving out of the doorway. We stood there for a little while, then decided to just try the new Yogurtini, just a block or two away. A friend had tipped me off that they offered sorbet, so I was interested to try this out.

Sure enough, when we arrived, "Summer Berry Sorbet" was featured at the bottom of the flavors list.

Victorious! I grabbed a cup and headed down the line.




I only put a little sorbet in the cup because, for me, it's all about the toppings! I was pleased with the veg-friendly toppings available among all of the other options. Here's my cup:

My toppings included shredded coconut, cherries, blueberries, ground flax seeds, graham cracker crumbs, and some crushed nuts. The cherries were my favorite.

It's so nice when chain places (especially ice cream/dessert places) offer something to the vegans. This makes it so much easier for me to go places with my non-vegan friends (and most of my friends are not vegan, but are quite accommodating to my lifestyle). While we were enjoying our sorbet/yogurts, a staff member (possibly the manager) came by to ask how we were enjoying everything. I made a point to tell her how happy I was to find a non-dairy option at Yogurtini. She said that it's been very popular and she's received some great feedback. She also informed me that their sorbet flavors are rotated out, and in another month or two, there will be a new flavor of sorbet featured. (So keep an eye out!) Of course, it would make me even happier if they offered sorbets or frozen "yogurts" made out of coconut, almond, or hemp milk, but those are my vegan dreams getting carried away. I'm very pleased with their sorbet option and I certainly look forward to returning to Yogurtini again.

PS. While you're here, what do you think of the new blog lay-out?