The Denver Post

Bravo actress pens letter to Colorado bagel company pleading for vegan shmear The Denver Post That's why I'm writing to you today urging you to consider adding vegan cream cheese options to your menus so that people who can't or won't consume dairy foods might still be able to enjoy a good bagel with shmear at your many establishments.. Hey, Einstein Bros., Vegans Like Cream Cheese With Their Bagels, Too!PETA (blog) (press release) all 2 news articles »

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Bravo actress pens letter to Colorado bagel company pleading for vegan shmear - The Denver Post

This semester, there is one fewer option for vegan and vegetarian Ohio Universitystudents eating at The District on West Green.

At the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year, The District, also commonly referred to as Boyd Dining Hall, provided different tofu options and vegan chicken created to accommodate the vegan and vegetarian student population at the make-your-own-sandwich station called "Between the Bread." However, OUCulinary Services has removed the vegan-friendly hot sandwich options this semester.

The change has students like freshman Azure Moon wondering why Culinary Servicesmade that particular choice.

I was disappointed to see them go, Moon, who is studying entrepreneurship, said. Boyd has the best vegan options, even without the sandwiches.

Due to the less-than-1-percent consumption rate among students, the vegan items were removed at Between the Bread because of a weak demand, Dan Pittman, an OU spokesman, said.

However, we have increased vegan options throughout the other concepts at The District. For example, we offer six different varieties of hummus daily at our Destinations concept, Pittman said in an email.

Pittman explained how Culinary Servicesuses other stations at The Districtto accommodate those who are vegan. Those options include vegan chicken strips and plain tofu at the Noodled station, white bean meatballs and whole sweet potatoes at the Carvers Cut station and spiced lentils and vegetarian ratatouille at Destinations.

As a vegetarian for three years, Jensen Tata, an undecided freshman, said she goes to The District every day and used to always get the vegan chicken as it was one of her favorite options.

I think (the removal of those options is) ridiculous, Tata said. They didn't just remove the options but they removed them and replaced them with only meat replacements. It is very disappointing.

As for the other dining halls, vegan and vegetarian options are also available.

Vegan and vegetarian eating is a hit or miss at dining halls. Nelson has a lot of options, so that is nice, but it's not usually the best, Tata said. Probably Shively now has the best options, but they aren't always healthy. Boyd's pasta can easily be made vegan and vegetarian, but there isn't a lot of protein in that.

There is hope for those who are looking to bring a hot sandwich option back into their diet.

Every semester we are looking at new menu options to meet the need of our customer base, Pittman said in an email. We do not plan on changing the hot sandwiches for fall semester 2017 but will be looking for spring semester 2018.

Although some students seem to be disappointed about the change, Pittman said Culinary Services has not heard any formal complaints about the removal of the options.

My suggestion to Between the Bread would be to offer one or two vegan sandwich bases at all times, rather than having them as specials, Moon said. That way, vegans know they will always have an option.

@lesliemilkie37

lm755415@ohio.edu

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Vegan options removed from The District on West Green's Between ... - The Post

Miami Herald

How to do SOBEWFF like a vegan or vegetarian Miami Herald For those living a cruelty-free, plant-based existence, there's no better event than the Vegan Dinner happening at Wynwood's Plant Food and Wine. You may have heard of chef Chloe, as she was the first vegan chef to win a culinary competition on ...

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How to do SOBEWFF like a vegan or vegetarian - Miami Herald

Using nuts, soy and seasonings ranging from sriracha to Old Bay, home cooks and caterers alike brought their creamiest, cheesiest entries to the Vegan Mac and Cheese Smackdown.

Organizers estimated as many as 3,000 attendees came out for the second annual event, held Saturday afternoon at Baltimore City Community College, to sample from 28 cooks. The cookoff was part of the inaugural Baltimore Vegan Weekend, a series of events throughout the city celebrating vegan cuisine.

The event drew both repeat and new contestants, as well as a number of first-time attendees.

The people's choice winners from last year's smackdown, who call themselves Flying Pig Labs, returned with a slightly modified recipe. Wife and husband P. Jeanie and Doug Ciskowski of Southern Maryland have been vegans for 30 and 17 years, respectively. Jeanie entered the contest last year after spending about a month developing her recipe.

"You need a smooth-melting cheese and a sharp flavorful cheese," she said. She uses Daiya, a brand free of dairy, gluten and soy, to achieve the creamy texture, and her own cultured cashew cheese for the sharp, cheddar-like punch.

This time she used a bit more cashew cheese in her bid to defend the couple's title.

Other contestants, like Rebecca Daniels-Smith of Prince George's County, were entering for the first time. Daniels-Smith went vegan about 18 months ago and has worked on a perfecting a simple white cheddar-style mac and cheese over that time. Her entry, VGGF (Vegan Geek's Gluten Freeks) centered on gluten-free macaroni and Miyoko's Kitchen cashew cheese, a vegan mozzarella.

"I found this vegan mozzarella cheese, and it became like the holy grail of all recipes because you can do anything with it," Daniels-Smith said.

A panel of judges picked their favorites in eight categories, including best-from-scratch, most-like-grandma's and gluten-free.

Saturday's event marked the second time Pep Foods Inc., a local vegan collective, and Baltimore Vegan Drinks hosted the mac-and-cheese cookoff, which attracted more than 1,000 people in 2016.

Brenda Sanders, one of the event's organizers, attributed the event's growth to the allure of the vegan lifestyle.

"Folks are just ready to try something different. People are ready to get healthier, people are ready to change what they've been doing and do something a little different," Sanders said. "This whole health movement is really picking up steam in Baltimore right now."

The vegan lifestyle was new to Kevin Braughton, 43, who attended the event with his children Holly, 8, and Alec, 6. They adopted veganism as a family at the start of the year.

Braughton, a Severna Park resident, said the transition to vegan eating has been easy.

"Once you get over the first two times, 'Gosh, I wish I had a cheeseburger,' you begin to realize how much other food is out there and how enjoyable it is," he said. "And the more you eat it, the more you end up craving that rather than some of the old stuff."

Longtime vegetarians, like Howard University student Rachel Kenlaw, turned out for the smackdown, too. Kenlaw, 21, was raised on a vegetarian diet and said she eats mostly plant-based foods now.

"This excited me because everyone likes mac and cheese, and I'm starting a health and wellness-type blog because of the position I'm in at my school, and I was like, this is the perfect place to try some new things out," she said.

She tried eating meat for a few years, she said, but switched back to a mostly plant-based diet in college.

"I saw how my body reacted to [a plant-based diet] and I was healthier and I was actually getting sicker when I was eating meat," she said.

Baltimore's Vegan Weekend kicked off Friday with an informal restaurant crawl, and included events to celebrate vegan cuisine. After the mac-and-cheese competition, Pep Foods and Baltimore Vegan Drinks were scheduled to host an after-party at Thrive Baltimore, Pep Foods' new event space and community resource center.

Events continue Sunday . Five restaurants, Harmony Bakery and Cafe, Land of Kush, NuBohemia Cafe, One World Cafe and Red Emma's Coffeehouse and Bookstore, are hosting vegan brunches. And Paulie Gee's Pizzeria and Bar will also host a vegan pizza fest from noon to 4 p.m. The Hampden restaurant will serve at least 12 specialty vegan pizzas, plus appetizers and desserts.

smeehan@baltsun.com

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Second annual Vegan Mac and Cheese Smackdown grows in Baltimore - Baltimore Sun

Popular UK fashion brand Illamasqua is forcing its customers to take an anti-fascism pledge to purchase its products. In the pledge, prospective buyers must vow to accept responsibility on challenging social and climate issues and actively promote social justice, which it refers to as Human Fundamentalism.

The vegan brand, which produces makeup and perfumes, says that it believe[s] in the freedom of expression, quality and diversity and expresses horror at President Donald Trump. The company says it refuses to remain silent while extreme right-wing populism gains momentum wherever it is happening.

In a post on the companys official blog, Illamasquas founder Julian Kynaston says that the company will never knowingly sell our products to people who support President Trumps values, which includes anyone who supports Trump and anyone who sympathizes with his views on immigration and climate change.

To be part of our community, and to buy our products, you must first pledge to Human Fundamentalism values:

Illamasqua admitsthat it cant really stop anyone from buying what it sells, but that no matter how hard some people work to make themselves beautiful, make-up can never hide the ugliness inside and states inno uncertain termsthat anyone who disagrees with the pledge should take their business elsewhere.

So please, if you dont agree with the aboveDONT BUY US, reads the statement by the Illamasqua founder.

The companys forceful statement was met with celebration from social justice warriors, who cheered the company with positive responses in the comments beneath the post.

Well done. Thank you for being in the right side of history, wrote one commenter.

This is wonderful, as a long time brand cheerleader, this makes my heart sing, wrote another. Love and compassion is true beauty.

Illamasqua is not brave, and the risk-free statement is unlikely to come at any cost to its bottom line. Given that it only sells vegan products, the statement will do little to ruffle the feathers of any of its buyers, who mainly identify as progressive leftists.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken mediacritic. You can reach him through social media at@stillgray on Twitterand onFacebook.

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Vegan Fashion Brand Illamasqua Forces Customers to Take Anti-Trump Pledge - Heat Street

Purple Sprout, a caf and juice bar serving organic and vegan fare, opened in Wheeling in November 2015, but co-owner Irina Raimbekov said some people are still nervous about dining there.

"We get a lot people who come in and they say 'This is our first time eating vegan' and I say 'Really? I'm sure that you ate an apple without bacon on it before,'" Raimbekov said. "There's nothing scary about vegan food. It's things that people eat all the time."

The restaurant is hoping to introduce more people to plant-based eating and build a community of people who enjoy it by running a vegan supper club series.

"We want to create this fun environment, private community-style dining, and introduce people to conscious food, plant-based, organic, non-GMO all the good things that are good for people and the planet and the environment," Raimbekov said.

The series launched on Jan. 29 with American Favorites with a Healthy Twist, which featured hempburger sliders, sweet potato fries and pizza. For the next event, which runs at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26, the restaurant is marking the Slavic holiday Maslenitsa, or Butter Week.

"Winter is about more dense foods," said Raimbekov. "To stay warm the blood needs to be thicker. Butter Week signifies the end of winter, before people start spring cleanses."

Irena and her husband, Karim Raimbekov, are from Kazakhstan and speak Russian as their first language. They thought bringing a taste of home their native cuisine to the restaurant would be exotic, particularly in a vegan context. The menu will focus on crepes including a version made from sprouted and fermented lentils, brown rice and red rice, and dehydrated crepes incorporating mango and coconut. While the couple won't be cooking the dishes in front of attendees, they'll discuss each one, sharing what went into preparing it, why they made it, and its health benefits.

"Healthy food is delicious," Raimbekov said. "Hopefully they'll be inspired to start cooking at home and incorporating healthy recipes and they'll be inspired to come back here whether it's for the supper club or otherwise. We're really hoping to create buzz with this."

The owners hope to bring in about 30 people for each event. They'll all be seated at a long table to foster community and served six to seven small portions along with a drink, which will be beet kombucha for February.

"Nobody's walking away hungry, but the idea is not to overfeed people since it's supposed to be healthy," Raimbekov said. "A lot of people are excited. We're seeing a lot of community support."

Only 50 percent of Purple Sprout's customers are vegan or vegetarian, but some of those who aren't still come in several times a week.

"Some people are in transition, some people just enjoy how they feel after eating our food," Raimbekov said.

The menu offers a few meat substitutes like seitan and tofu, but the owners prefer to emphasize the diverse natural flavors of the plant world. Along with serving a highly customizable menu, Purple Sprout also has a juice bar, a bakery stocked with sugar-free desserts including several varieties of vegan cheesecake, and a coffee bar with hot drinks including chicory coffee and tea loaded with fresh ginger and lemon. Most of the menu is gluten free, some of it is raw and everything is served in biodegradable packaging.

"We try to be conscious in everything we do," Raimbekov said.

Purple Sprout also sell frozen dumplings and pies plus sauces, kombucha and vegan cheese products so that the growing number people who want to change their diets have an easier time eating vegan at home.

"People are talking more and more about why it's good, the different health benefits for people," Raimbekov said. "They're not even talking about animal advocacy but the environment."

Vegan Supper Club Series

When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 26

Where: Purple Sprout, 341 E. Dundee Road, Wheeling

Admission: $40

Information: 224-223-7133; http://www.purplesprout.com

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Purple Sprout Cafe digs into Vegan Supper Club series - Chicago Tribune

How do you know if someone is a vegan?

Don't worry, they will tell you.

I was reminded of this joke while reading Facebook comments on my blog post last week.

There was quite a lively discussion with many of the typical arguments in defense of consuming meat, eggs, dairy and other animal products.

The arguments go on and on, but the one that stood out accused me of being a liberal who likes to boast about my lifestyle.

"How many animal eaters do you see out there writing articles about how they cook their steak and why everyone should eat cow ..."

First off, I know people of many different political persuasions who are vegan. The ones I have in mind are probably reading this and nodding in agreement.

As far as how many people are out talking about or promoting their choice to consume animal products? It's happening everywhere, all the time.

Consuming animal products is such a dominant feature of our society that it is considered a given. Promotion in many different forms goes largely unnoticed in plain sight. That is why vegans stand out whether they are speaking out or not.

I get how it can be seen as boasting or even a threat under these conditions. It challenges some core beliefs about nutrition and the assumed ranking of humans and animals, all of which have become strong protectors of the norm.

But the facts are that we now know we don't have to consume any animal products to be perfectly healthy and will likely improve our health greatly as a result of becoming vegan. There are also tremendous benefits to the planet and the animals, of course.

Despite the accusation, I don't write this blog to boast about myself or pick fights. My goal is to share what I have learned and what I continue to learn in hopes that it benefits others, including the animals, who are suffering greatly and dying very violent deaths at abnormally young ages under even the best conditions on farms.

Having to endure a few bacon references on social media is a small price to pay by comparison.

The opinions are the author's.

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Vegan in the Region: Hearing the critics - nwitimes.com (blog)

Amy Luebbert helped organize VeganFest in hopes that an all-vegan restaurant will open in Des Moines.(Photo: Molly Longman/The Register)Buy Photo

While thousands of Iowans swarmed downtown to eat bacon-covered sugar cookiesat the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festivalon Saturday, over 600 Iowans gathered at the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines for a different kind of fest.

VeganFest 2017 was underway, taking a less carnivorous approach to foodie festivities.

Food Still Matters, a Des Moines-basedvegan potluckand discussion series, hosted the festivalto counter the "other fest" across town and to raise awareness about the hungry and under-noticed vegan community in Des Moines, organizer Amy Luebbert said.

"It's important that people know vegans are here in Des Moines," Luebbert said. "We wanted to shownot only the folks wholive in Des Moinesthat vegans are here, but also restaurants that we are a group of people that wants to eat their food."

Luebbert saidone of her goals for the festival was to prove there's a market for a vegan restaurant in Des Moines. When the East Village restaurantNew World Cafe shut down in 2015, the vegan community in Des Moines was left without a strictly vegan place to dine. Luebbert said she'd like to see that change and she thinks VeganFest's turnout is a step in the right direction.

Hundreds gathered for VeganFest 2017.(Photo: Gene McCracken/Special to The Register)

Luebbert saidmost Food Still Matters sessions have attracted about 30 to 50 people, so she was pleasantly surprised when VeganFest ran out of the 660 tickets and programs that were printed.

Those who attended the event had free access to massages from Peterson Health Services, information sessions about going vegan and sample treatsfrom shops such asTacopocalypse East, Trader Joe's,Gusto Pizza Co., and up-and-comingrestaurant, Dirt Burger. There were even Girl Scouts selling vegan Thin Mints.

More than 600 people gathered at VeganFest 2017 in Des Moines.(Photo: Molly Longman/The Register.)

Luebbert encouraged people at the event to try out a vegan lifestyle.

"I'm vegan for ethical reasons, andI've been vegan 16 years," Luebbert said. "Once I learned there was more I could do to help the animals, I was hooked. So, I did a bunch of research in a day and became vegan the next day. ... I feel more connected to myself and more honest."

Even the recycling system at VeganFest was environmentally conscious.(Photo: Molly Longman/The Register)

David Bottino, who has been vegan for two years, came to VeganFestnotonlyfor the foodbutfor the information sessions, which included topics such as vegan parenting and the environmental benefits of going vegan. He also said he came to feela sense of community, instead of fretting about the Bacon Festival raging across town.

"I always feel that when something terrible in the world and in life happens, something good will come along to balance it out,' Bottino said,referring to the juxtaposing bacon and veganfestivals. "Since I've gone vegan, I've dropped 45 pounds super fast and my asthma improved. It was just a lot easier to get out of bed. ... This is my lifestyle, so I'm glad it's getting some attention."

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VeganFest 2017 draws hundreds, counters bacon fest - DesMoinesRegister.com

Of all the ways we pair chocolate with other flavors, mint and chocolate is beloved by many that must be why this flavor combo has its very own holiday. Yes, February 19th is National Chocolate Mint Day, which is recognized by the U.S. National Confectioners Association. How this happened is a mystery, but hey life is full of mysteries.

Did you know that mint chocolate chip has been named one of the top 10 most popular ice cream flavors in the United States? And Thin Mints, the crispy, chocolatey Girl Scout cookies that were introduced in the 1950s, remain their best-selling cookies to this day. Although chocolate has been around for centuries, mint and chocolate came much later at the dawn of the 19th century, thanks to new advances in technology that allowed confectioners to mass-produce chocolates.

So, in honor of chocolate mint lovers everywhere, we have 15 dairy-free desserts that are sweet, chocolatey, and delightfully minty.

A freezer-made dessert that tastes like an indulgence but is actually good for you? Sign us up! This Chocolate Mint Slice recipe is a tri-colored beauty with each layer bringing its own unique flavor and set of health benefits. The base is primarily made up of oats, spirulina, cacao powder, dates, and coconut oil, the filling a creamy mixture of cashews, coconuts, and more spirulina, and the topping is a decadent drizzle of cacao butter, coconut nectar, and fresh mint. Indulge away and see that dessert can be energizing when made with the right ingredients!

A decadent mint cream flecked with bits of chocolate throughout. Plus more chocolate on top (because, yum!) and of course, coconut whipped cream! Almonds, dates, and cacao make the chewy chocolate no-bake crust. In fact, the entire Mint Chip Cheesecakeis no-bake and raw vegan, so you dont have to worry about setting or sinking, cooling or cracking, and all that goes into baking traditional cheesecakes. This is one rich dessert, so slice it small! Or dont.

These Raw Mint Chocolate Power Bars are full of healthy fats and proteins from seeds, nuts, coconut, and oats, plus theyre packed with energy-giving carbs from dried fruits. They have a fantastic mint chocolate taste and are the perfect food to refuel fast after the gym. They are quite rich and dense so cutting them in half might be a good idea before you chow down. At the same time, were not the food police.

These Crme de Menthe Brownies are a labor of love but if you have the time, they are well worth it. You have a chocolate brownie base with a creamy layer of mint that is topped off with homemade chocolate. Needless to say, this decadent treat is delicious.

If youre looking for a healthy and refreshing, yet decadent dessert, make these Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecakes your next mission in the kitchen! These mini cheesecakes are made with oats, almonds, cashews, mint extract, spirulina, and coconut oil, among other good-for-you ingredients. Talk about a superfood dessert!

The perfect combination of mint and chocolate, this No-Bake Grasshopper Cheesecakeis cashew and coconut milk-based, making it rich and decadently creamy. The silky mint cheesecake filling sits on top of a mint chocolate cookie crust and is topped with silky chocolate ganache plus even more crushed cookies. Its no-bake, so you dont have to fuss over an oven it comes out just right anytime.

This gorgeous Raw Mint Chocolate Cakeis perfect for any occasion. Two decadent and creamy cashew-based layers sit atop a chocolatey crust of almonds, dates, and raisins. The first layer is lucuma, giving it a maple-like taste and the top layer is cool mint chocolate. In spite of its beautiful presentation, this cake is surprisingly easy to make even for raw dessert beginners.

These Minty Green Chocolate Cream Bars are an absolute must-make. The base is an oat and date crust, the middle is a raw chocolate-maca mixture, and the top is an avocado/mint/green powder concoction. All together, they make one amazing result. And they are super nutritious. We know, life seems too good to be true sometimes.

The best thing about these Thin Mint Sandwich Cookies? Double thin mint cookies. Who can eat just one?! Two crispy, minty cookies sandwich a layer of minty chocolate. Yum! They have the same crispy, flaky texture of traditional thin mints, but without the additives.

Lets paint the town peppermint with these amazing Homemade Peppermint Patties! Theyre made with only seven ingredients and couldnt be easier to put together. Youll be living in cool minty and chocolatey bliss in no time!

Whoa, mama! Chocolate and mint pair up to create an amazing flavor sensation in these gluten-free, oil-free, low sugar Chocolate Cupcakes With Avocado-Mint Icing. Avocado is the perfect candidate for the smooth and creamy mint icing that goes on top and the bright green color will be enough for your kids/dinner guests to be intrigued.

You can have your ice cream for breakfast and eat it too with this cold,Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Shake! This raw shake has a creamy banana base, fresh mint, cocoa extract, and mint extract to make it even more tingly. To top it off, add a handful of crunchy cacao nibs!

You will be hard-pressed to find anybody who isnt a fan of these Raw Choc-Mint Slices. The chewy, chocolatey base is made from a blend of raw nuts and seeds, dates, and coconut, its filled with a sweet, creamy, minty cashew cream, the topped with a simple chocolate ganache. Yum!

So what is so special about these Mint Carob Walnut Brownies? Not only are they vegan, but are also low fat, sugar-free, wheat-free (gluten-free with gluten-free oats), nut-free, and bean-free! These brownies get their natural sweetness from sweet potatoes, carob powder, and dates. Thanks to the sweet potatoes, it is hard to believe there is no added oil or nut butter. Carob powder is caffeine free and contains three times as much calcium as cocoa powder. Incredibly dense and fudgy, no one will ever guess how healthy they are!

If you are looking for a really rich and decadent vegan ice cream dessert, this Cacao Nib and Mint Chocolate Ice Cream recipe just might be it! It has a base of full-fat coconut milk with cashews added for extra creaminess, is sweetened with coconut sugar, and is perfect for any lover of mint chocolate. Mix in cacao nibs for extra crunch and top with a dollop of coconut whipped cream!

Lead image source:Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecakes

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15 Minty, Chocolatey Vegan Sweets That Will Make Your Taste Buds Tingle - One Green Planet

New York Times

Eco-friendly, Nontoxic and Vegan: It's a Condom New York Times But on this morning, the clerks had gathered to learn about an unusual new item on the shelves: nontoxic, eco-friendly vegan condoms. Meika Hollender, the co-founder and co-chief executive of Sustain Natural, addressed the crowd and showed off her ...

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Eco-friendly, Nontoxic and Vegan: It's a Condom - New York Times