Post Vida Vegan Con Cleansing Time!

After eating my way through Portland during Vida Vegan Con, it's time for a little healthiness. While I'm not really embarking on an official cleanse, I'm trying to eat lighter, more nutritious foods for a bit. I gained two whole pounds after Vida Vegan Con. While that's not really a big deal, I think it's a pretty good excuse to get back on track.

After a few days of readjusting to life in Memphis, I finally got back into cooking last week starting with this Supergreen Bowl from Appetite for Reduction:

Now, this isn't an official recipe in the book, rather a suggestion in the bowls chapter at the back of the book. I'm sure I could figure out how to combine ingredients for a bowl sans recipe, but it's so much easier to let Isa tell me what to do. :-)

In this bowl, you've got quinoa topped with kale, broccoli, edamame, green onions, and parsley topped with Isa's Green Goddess dressing (also in Appetite for Reduction). The dressing is made from green onions, parsley, tahini, nooch, and some other seasonings. And of course, I topped with whole thing off with sriracha. Oh, and I also added a tablespoon of coconut aminos, a raw version of soy sauce that tastes a little like soy sauce and mirin had a baby.

What's your favorite bowl combo?

Vida Vegan Con: Days Three & Four

I'm combining the two official working days of Vida Vegan Con since the weekend is approaching, and I never blog on weekends. Sorry for the ultra-long post. I promise not to talk too much. I know you really just wanna see pictures!

On the first morning of Vida Vegan Con workshops, we were treated to an AMAZING breakfast buffet! There was tofu scramble, roasted taters, pancakes, gluten-free biscuits with white bean gravy (I went back for gravy seconds and filled a whole mug ... us Southern ladies like gravy, you know), chia pudding, and fruit. I was kinda sad I got fruit because I could have used that space for more taters or gravy:

 

After breakfast, I caught all my favorite cookbook authors sitting at one table! There was Vegan with a Vengeance/Veganomicon (plus more books than I have room to list) co-author Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her boyfriend Vegan Omaha founder/Laziest Vegans in the World blogger John McDevitt. Don't worry. Isa would karate kick John if he was really choking her:

 

And vegan cookbook pioneer Bryanna Clark Grogan and the lady who gave us the steamed sausage and Everyday Dish TV, Julie Hasson:

Plus, our very own Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, Kelly Paloza:

 

A few tables over, the Vegan Goddess of Compassion (otherwise known as Colleen Patrick Goudreau) was selling her cookbooks, including the new 30-Day Vegan Challenge, which I'll be reviewing very soon:

My first panel, Build-a-Blog, with Amey of Vegan Eats & Treats and Sherri of Vegan Nosh, went great! We discussed the ins and outs of building a blog through free programs, like Blogger, versus hosting your own page, as well as how to build a blog following.

After the panel, I went to the Vegan Battle Royale game show, where teams were pitted against one another to test their vegan knowledge with questions, like "Which classic vegan cookbook pioneered the now-popular nooch-based mac & cheese?" (Answer: The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook. Duh!). All attendees were treated with Kittee's Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cream Pies:

Kittee of Cake Maker to the Stars and Amey of Vegan Eats & Treats led the game show. And to the left, you can see Panda Cookie, who was randomly chosen for one of the two teams:

Lunch was another fabulous buffet: BBQ tempeh, kale salad, grilled corn on the cob, pesto tater salad, orzo salad, purple cauliflower hummus, and raw golden beet salad!

After lunch, I spoke on the Small Town, Represent! panel with John of the Laziest Vegans in the World, Lauren from Whoa Wren, Ryan from T.O.F.U. Magazine, and Elizabeth Castoria from VegNews. We shared tips for finding vegan meals and building vegan community in small towns.

After the day's workshops, we all got gussied up and headed to the Ambridge Event Center for the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary Galarama. On the menu: Sizzle Pie with Daiya Cheese, Gardein sliders, Gardein chicken strips, and spring rolls!

Even my omnivorous boyfriend Paul ate vegan food ... and liked it. Ok, well, he didn't like the Daiya, but that was cool because he pulled the cheese off his pizza and gave it to me. Score!

After dinner, there was a VEGAN ICE CREAM BAR!! We filled waffle cone bowls with Coconut Bliss ice cream and topped them with peanut sauce, Ricemellow Creme, walnuts, crushed Joe-Joe's, chocolate chips, and sprinkles!

Once everyone got their bellies full, it was time to dance off some calories. Jen from That Pain in the Ass Vegan broke it down:

And while others were dancing, I was meeting Vegansaurus blogger/funny lady Laura Beck!

The gala was also a silent auction, and vegans vied for loads of awesome goodies to benefit Woodstock. I didn't win what I'd bid on, but these guys were all lucky winners of a vegan purse, a VegNews dessert basket, a cool dried orange necklace, and so much more!

Now, after the gala, I was stuffed from all the Sizzle Pie and ice cream, but that didn't stop me from hitting up the Upton's Naturals late-night, pop-up seitan sandwich shop at Food Fight Grocery! They were offering three sandwiches made with thinly sliced Upton's seitan. I opted for the BLT, but I was so full that I ended up just pulling the slices out and eating them sans bread:

Sunday began with the same massive breakfast spread, so this time, I left the fruit off my plate in favor of more biscuits. Yes, my priorities are clearly in order.

After breakfast, I served on my final panel — Product Reviews & Ethics. John of the Laziest Vegans, Kyle of Vegan Vagrant, MeShell of Prairie Vegan, and I talked about the do's and don'ts of reviewing restaurants and products.

Lunch on Sunday was a fantastic Taco Buffet! We chose from corn or flour tortillas to fill with Soy Curls, taco "meat," sauteed peppers, vegan sour cream, guacamole, salsa, olives, and Daiya cheese. And there was raw nut meat to stuff inside lettuce leaves, plus rice for the side. Best lunch buffet ever.

After lunch, I watched the Publishing Panel, during which cookbook legends like Isa, Terry, Julie Hasson, Bryanna, Joni Newman, as well as T.O.F.U. Magazine publisher Ryan Patey, discussed the ins and outs of publishing a cookbook.

We were all soooooo very sad when the conference was over. Everyone stuck around after Isa and Terry's closing address for hugs and last-minute photos. Luckily, we didn't have to fly out until Monday morning, so we met up with a group of stragglers at the Bye & Bye, another totally-vegan bar! Here's Katie of Vegan Noms, me, Paul, and Brit on Twit:

It was so hard to choose what to order. After all, it was my last meal in Portland. Plus, everything on the Bye & Bye's menu is vegan, soooo ... I ended up going with the Grilled Cheese made with Daiya, tomato, avocado, onions, and jalepenos:

I think Portland was beginning to wear off on Paul because he loved his meal — the Eastern Bowl (brown rice, nooch-covered tofu, broccoli, and peanut sauce):

After we finished our food, I had a startling revelation! Since Bye & Bye is a vegan bar (with only vegan beer, liquor, wine, and mixers), they must serve a Vegan Bloody Mary. I haven't been able to order a Bloody Mary from a bar in nearly 7 years because most Bloody Mary mixes contain Worcestershire sauce, which contains anchovies. Ick! But the Bye & Bye served a bomb-ass, fish-free Bloody Mary. Best cocktail ever.

As the night wore on, we realized we had to go to bed. Our flight was leaving at 10 a.m. But first, we had to see off the last remaining friends in our vegan posse with a round of tequila shots!! That's Kyle of Vegan Vagrant, Jared (who doesn't have a blog yet), me, Katie of Vegan Noms, and Paul. Brit on Twit was the DD, so she took the photo:

Lucky for me, Kittee was still hanging out late too. She was sitting at the next table over, and I just had to give her a big ole goodbye hug!

Goodbye, vegan blogger buddies! Vida Vegan Con was one of the best experiences of my life, so I'll see you all again at the next one in 2013!

Vida Vegan Con: Day Two

The conference didn't officially begin until 6 p.m. on Friday, so we had all day to explore the nooch-covered streets of Portland. Can you guess where that day began? Voodoo Donuts, of course!

I knew Voodoo was a magical place since they sell vegan yeasted donuts, but I was completely convinced the shop was run by unicorns when I saw the GLITTER BRICK! God, I wish I could coat my whole house in glitter.

 

Voodoo carries non-vegan donuts too, so you have to make sure to order from this shelf:

 

I ordered the Oreo Donut, the first yeasted donut I've had in years! My life was complete after the first bite. Seriously, I could have died with this donut in my mouth, and that would have been just fine:

 

I also grabbed a Chick-O-Stick Cake Donut because, um duh, it's a freakin' Chick-O-Stick Donut! I ate both of these for breakfast:

 

Paul wasn't full after his donut, and he had a craving for Thai food, so he suggested hitting up the row of food carts near our hotel. Now mind you, I had just eaten two massive donuts. But I wasn't about to turn down lunch. When you're in Portland, it's okay to eat breakfast and lunch in the same hour. The legendary Homegrown Smoker, a vegan BBQ cart, was in the row of carts, and you know this Memphis girl was in (rescued-and-living-at-a-sanctuary) hog heaven!

With one glance at the menu, there was no question about what I would order: the Macnocheeto, a flour tortilla wrap stuffed with vegan mac & cheese, BBQ soy curls, baked beans, peppers, and BBQ sauce. Holy yum!!

As conference attendees, we got a 15% discount at vegan tattoo shop, Skeleton Key. I'd been dreaming about my next tattoo for ages, and that sounded like the perfect Portland souvenir. After lunch, we met Maki at Skeleton Key, and he got straight to work on my new ink:

Check it out! It's the "animal liberation/human liberation" symbol. I was already pretty badass, but now I'm, like, super way badass!

 

We had some time to kill before registration, so we hit up the Vegan Mini-Mall, home to Food Fight Grocery, Herbivore Clothing Company, Sweetpea Bakery, and Scapegoat Tattoo. All vegan, all the time. I bought a shirt and hoodie at Herbivore and some hard-to-find vegan treats at Food Fight! 

At 6 p.m., there was a Vida Vegan Con welcome reception in the hotel ballroom. Sweetpea Bakery provided these yummy cupcakes. I had the Lemon Chiffon ones:

 

We also sampled a selection of the all-new Heidi Ho Organics Vegan Cheese! It's a Portland-based company that makes hazelnut cheeses in Chipotle Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, and Monterey Jack. It's not available anywhere outside of Portland yet, but I hope they'll eventually be able to ship around the country. So delicious!

 

After the reception, some of the posse headed to Tube, a cool vegan-friendly dive bar in a tube-shaped building. Erin from Vegan Homemade and I enjoyed $2 Hamm's (like a PBR, but tastier) and Jen from That Pain in the Ass Vegan sipped on a club soda with lime:

 

I was still pretty full from all the donuts, BBQ, and cupcakes, so I ordered a tiny snack — the Vegan Ham and Cheese Muffin:

After Tube, we headed to Suki's where the party-animal Vida Vegan Con bloggers were doing some late-night karaoke. Even the event organizers — Jess, Janessa, and Michele — were there! My boyfriend Paul sang some old Verve Pipe from the 90s. He ALWAYS sings that song, "Freshman," every time he karaokes:

 

Dawn from Vegan Moxie and Brit on Twit sang a duet, but I can't remember what they sang!!

 

Amber's (of Almost Vegan) man Matt did a hilarious rendition of Billy Idol's "Flesh for Fantasy" complete with crazy dance moves!

 

And Erin of Vegan Homemade rounded out the night her signature song, "Toxic" by Britney Spears:

Well, that's it for Day Two! Check back tomorrow for pictures from the first official day of the conference.

And in the meantime, check out the latest issue of VegNews Magazine. I was asked to create a recipe using pumpkin for the blogger recipe challenge, so I came up with Pumpkin Cheddar Biscuits. The recipe and pictures are in the issue!

Vida Vegan Con: Day One

Um, so I totally lied to y'all when I said I'd blog from Vida Vegan Con. My bad. I was having so much hanging with all my vegan blogger buddies, I totally neglected the blog. So now, I'll be re-capping for the next few days. I have almost 300 pictures! But I promise to narrow pics down to a few a day. The rest of the pictures will be up on Facebook by the weekend. Promise.

Paul and I boarded our Delta flight from Memphis at 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 25th. We had a layover in Minneapolis, and with only an hour to grab food and board our next flight, I managed to find tofu! I got the Kung Pao Tofu from Wok 'n' Roll in the airport. Pretty tasty for airport eats:

When we arrived in Portland, we checked into the hotel and immediately headed to the pre-Vida Vegan Con meet-and-greet. On the way to the bus stop, only a block from the hotel, we found vegan food carts!!!! Portland is a magical place! This row of carts near Portland State University is home to the famous Homegrown Smoker! I ate there on Friday, but more on that later...

The meet-and-greet was at a vegan-friendly bar called Vendetta. Look! It's Vida Vegan Con co-organizer/Get Sconed blogger Jess Scone and vegan burger queen/cookbook author/Just the Food blogger Joni Newman!

Vendetta only had a few vegan options, but I went with this Tofu Sandwich (tofu rubbed with a cilantro-lime seasoning and topped with garlic-habenero sauce). I never say no to habenero! Pretty tasty. Not for the folks who hate plain tofu, but I love plain tofu so...

After dinner, it was picture time! I ran into the kale-loving JL from JL Goes Vegan and the super-rad Krista from Sugar Skull!

And I finally got to meet my long-time cookbook author idol, Dynise from Urban Vegan ... in case you didn't know, she's written a cookbook of the same name.

I spent much of the weekend hanging with these awesome ladies: Cat of The Verdant Life and Amber from Almost Vegan (she made some delicious white chocolate peanut butter to sell in the Vida Vegan Con exhibitor room ... and I bought two jars!).

After dinner and drinks, we all headed to the Curious Comedy Theater for a sneak peek preview of Vegucated, a documentary following three omnis who went vegan for six weeks. It was a fabulous, honest, and touching (did I say "touching"?) film. Read more about it here.

When the screening was over, we spent a few minutes chatting it up with hunky vegan bodybuilder, Robert Cheeke! He's the author of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness. This man has some serious guns ... way more serious than mine:

The after-party was at Sweet Hereafter, a totally vegan bar!! What? Yes, a vegan bar where all the beer, liquor, wine, and food is totally animal-free!

I was still a little full from my tofu sandwich, but I can't resist a totally-vegan menu. Eating too much became my theme for the weekend, a theme I kicked off with this Pretzel Plate (two soft pretzels with cashew cheese and beer mustard). Yes, there is only one pretzel on this plate because I ate one before I snapped this picture. Suck it.

After the bar, we made our way back to the hotel to prepare for another day in the vegan motherland. More on those adventures tomorrow.