I’m eating something delicious!

A few years ago, after a series of mysterious and serious illnesses, a new doctor tested me for food allergies and discovered that I have many, including but not limited to: dairy, gluten, corn and sugar. Once I had eliminated the culprits from my diet, I felt much better, but was also exhausted by all the cooking I had to for myself. I had heard the legend of the Natural Products Expo West told to me for the last few years. A multi-day convention that is the Mecca for all things natural, including home-goods, beauty products, clothing and most importantly for this little alternative eater…food! After spending two full, exhausting days tasting, sampling, and feasting and two more days recovering and day dreaming about what I had devoured, I can say the Expo lived up to the hype. This expo proved that there are thoughtful, inspired food companies out there in America (and also Canada) who are attempting to make my limited diet easier and more delicious. Before I go for a run to burn off some convention calories I will share with you, in no particular order, my favorite gluten-free/ vegan eats.

1. The Gluten Free Bar:   Not just a product name that gets right to the heart of the matter, GFB is a snack bar that is all natural and low glycemic with 12 grams of protein, and it tastes great too. With a variety of flavors like Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Cranberry Toasted Almond and Oatmeal Raisin to name a few, the bars fit with your cravings and are not chalky and dry, but chewy and gooey instead. And it doesn’t hurt that the company’s founders are two very handsome gluten-free brothers. GFB also offers a money back guarantee if you don’t agree that theirs is the best gluten-free bar out there, so what do you have to lose?

Not my hand.

2. Hodo Soy: So many vegan meat products are made of wheat leaving a gluten-free vegan with very few delicious choices. Hodo Soy has risen to the challenge and is producing some of the best soy “meats” I tasted at the expo. I especially liked their curry nuggets (although I wish my sample had been hot) but even cold, this was some tasty tofu. Hodo Soy was recently tapped to team up with Chipotle so keep an eye out for that.

I don’t know why bee costumes were involved.

3. Carla Lee’s Nut Burgers: I tried these tasty falafel like patties on my first day at the expo and dreamed about them all night. The next day, I went back for more. With a crispy outside and a soft savory inside, these burgers are 100% vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO. The company’s founder, Carla Lee is “dedicating her life to educating and feeding hungry hearts and bellies across the planet.” She’s has had successful career in other industries and claims that 100% of the proceeds feed humanity through her non-profit, OneTeam Humanity.  If enjoying her delicious nutburgers will help her do that, then count me in.

Asherah’s Chipotle Burgers

4. Ashera Gourmet Vegan Burger: Sticking with the burger theme, Ashera Gourmet Vegan Burger was another delicious hit. I loved her hearty “garden style” patties in both the regular flavor and the spicy chipotle. An added bonus is that her burgers are also soy free.  Grab a gluten-free bun and go to town.

5. Lucy’s: Lucy’s has been one of my favorite gluten-free, vegan sweet makers for a while. In fact there is an open (almost empty) box of their Oatmeal cookies on my kitchen counter right now. I can’t say enough nice things about their cookies and brownie bites, which are all so delicious and addictive.  At the Expo this year they introduced two new flavors, Pumpkin Patch and Maple Crunch, that will be perfect with a nice cup of tea and a cold evening. Their cookies are small and crunchy with none of that gluten-free aftertaste. Dr. Lucy Gibney started making these allergy-free cookies for her grandson, and the rest of us get to reap the benefits.

6. Maggie’s Conscious Vegan Cuisine: Chef Maggie Radzwiller is a no-nonsense, eco-responsible food artist who has created a line of heat-to-eat meals that are ready after four minutes in the microwave. Full of veggies and beans and lots of spice and flavor, these jars can feed a small family quickly (did I mention they’re ready in four minutes?) or one very hungry vegan.  Her curried veggies would also make a great side dish. Maggie hails from North Carolina where she creates her product line and teaches. She even promises to answer my cooking questions over email, which I am definitely going to take advantage of.

7. The Elegant Vegan: My friends and “Partners in Dine” at the Expo, The Insufferable Vegan and Andrea Wachner and I found this company at the 11^th hour, and I only wish we’d found their booth earlier when I’d had more room in my stomach. Not only do they make delicious baked goods like brownies, cookies and cakes (I tried a gooey cake that they described as a cross between a cheesecake and a flan) but they also have a line of pickled veggies that were to die for. I tried two kinds of pickled beets and pickled kale that were more than a little tasty. This is a family-owned business that makes you wish that you were a part of their family.

8. Carmela’s Food Company: Speaking of family, Carmela’s is named after the founder, Daisy Romero‘s very own Nana who taught her to make delicious fresh pasta sauces. After learning that several members of her family were restricting their diets, she created a vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free marinara sauce that tastes just as good as Nana’s. When asked why it’s called Carmela’s Food Company instead of just Sauce Company she told us she has plans to expand beyond just pasta sauce. We have more delicious treats to look forward to.

The Displaiya

9. Daiya Foods: I claimed that my favorite Expo foods were in no particular order here, but I lied. I left the best for last. Daiya Foods has come out with some gluten-free pizzas that were so tasty I went back two days in a row. The crust is thin and crunchy (without being chewy) and the daiya cheese toppings are melty and stretchy. I loved the cheese lovers as well as the mushroom and roasted garlic. Daiya also has a line of “cream cheese” spreads that they were nice enough to serve on gluten-free bagels. So creamy and delicious in both the sweet strawberry and savory chive and onion flavors. Andrea informed me that Daiya essentially started a vegan cheese war that has prompted all the other vegan cheeses to step up their game. Well, they’ve done it again, and it will be exciting to see how their competitors retaliate.

I haven’t mentioned all of the ice cream, and soft serve I tried and enjoyed because Andrea Wachner talks all about them in her review so check it out. Now please leave me alone while I run off all of the calories I ate this weekend…or maybe I’ll just take a nap instead.

Where we last left off, in July 2009, I had completed many weeks of elimination diets (no potential allergens for weeks!) that ended with the realization that avoiding wheat made my gastrointestinal issues lessen noticeably and my acne unexpectedly lighten. *Whew*

Once you figured out you were probably gluten-intolerant, what did you do?
Looking back at those way-frustrating weeks, it was so obvious that the consumption of wheat made me sick, and the avoidance of wheat made me (at least a little) better. So, what did I do? I went back to eating gluten. Obviously.

At the end of those first two gluten-free weeks, I had every intention of strictly keeping up my diet. But then my birthday rolled around (September 5 — write it down, I like whole-leaf teas!), and my parents dropped by with cake among brownie atop cookie from Peacefood Cafe, and I figured a little brownie bite couldn’t hurt, and hey, it would be just plain rude if I didn’t eat a cookie, etcetera.

Over the following week I ate at least a cupcake a day, and, wouldn’t you know it, my stomach went back to the way it was, and my acne returned full-force. I couldn’t believe how quickly things snapped back, like I’d done nothing at all.

After eating through my store of birthday sweets, I got serious again and stuck with the diet through the rest of September, October, November, and December.

How did you replace the gluten in your diet?
I replaced my morning bagel with nothing, by which I mean I didn’t eat breakfast. I ate rice-this and gluten-free-that bready, pasta-y, and pretzel-y substitutes at other mealtimes. I thought that I was already eating lots of fruits and veggies — hey, I’m vegan! — and wanted to replace carbs with carbs, entirely because I liked eating them and not because of health considerations. Though I doubt I’d have admitted that at the time. (Now I eat very differently.)

How’d you feel after three gluten-free months?
In January I felt somewhat better and the acne had lessened, but I wasn’t 100% in any way, and I still had frequent yeast infections. I thought, “Maybe gluten isn’t it after all and I am not eating my happy doughy sesame bagel for no reason.” So I did the logical thing and ate said bagel, kicking off several weeks of eating less bread than I had in the olden days, but more than any (possibly) gluten-intolerant person should ever consume. A few days into that downward spiral, I did what I probably should have done before doing anything else: I went to the doctor and she tested me for celiac disease.

What is celiac disease, and how do you test for it?
Celiac disease, as defined by the Mayo Clinic:

Celiac (SEE-lee-ak) disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is primarily found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.

Celiac disease can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Eventually, the decreased absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) that occurs with celiac disease can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, peripheral nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment.

The test my doctor administered is a simple blood analysis that checks for certain antibodies to see if the body is recognizing gluten as a foreign, offensive substance and attacking it. Three days after taking my blood, my doctor called to tell me my results were negative: no celiac disease. But, she said, I might not have been eating enough wheat for a long enough time to get a positive result, if I did indeed have celiac disease. So, she said, eat wheat for three weeks and let’s test again. She also suggested eating more fiber–psyllium husk mixed in water, flax seeds — to help food move through my system faster.

Her instruction gave me the excuse I needed to eat lots of bread. And oh, did I! I also downed lots of fibrous psyllium-water. I felt no less stuffed up, and a lot more bloated over the three weeks after my doctor’s appointment. Then, I went back for the re-test. Negative again.

What could all these stomach issues mean, if they’re not celiac disease?
Since I felt worse, if anything, my doctor sent me to a gastroenterologist, who evidently mistook me for a 50-year-old man at risk for colon cancer or polyps and recommended a colonoscopy. (So, to answer the question: something worse, possibly.) As it turns out, that test is not just for old dudes. It is also for 110-pound, 23-year-old women who have unexplained stomach issues. Who knew. Ready to do anything that might help, I scheduled the appointment for March and kept to my bagel-breakfast diet until the day before the procedure.

What’s it like to prep for a colonscopy?
Let me tell you what this procedure is like, because one day you will need it and you will be so glad not to have been surprised, you’ll be baking me gluten-free cupcakes the rest of your life. And because not everyone has, as I do, parents who are willing to share in gruesome detail their experience of having a bitty camera on a tube stuck up their ass.

As preparation for a colonoscopy, you can’t eat the day preceding, and the night before, you have to drink a lot (maybe a gallon?) of a fluid that tastes like polluted sea water and that sucks all the liquid from your GI track. It tasted so bad that I gagged on it and couldn’t swallow at first. After finally getting some down, it came right back up ten minutes later. I called my mom for a pep talk and then got back down to drinking. The point of this stuff is to clear you out, so be sure to have a bathroom to yourself the night you prep.

A gallon of stuff later and probably five pounds lighter, it was time for the next step, which is taking four doses of a laxative. I took only one, having been advised by my dad, who is literally two and a half times my size, that the suggested dosage made him cramp painfully and pointlessly. I’m not recommending going against the doctor’s orders, though, because the other side of this is that if you’re not fully cleaned out, they send you home and reschedule the procedure, and you do this all over again. Just sayin’, ask your doctor if four pills is really necessary.

What happens during the colonoscopy?
The day of, I walked over to Long Island College Hospital in Cobble Hill, near where I lived at the time, and checked in before hitting the waiting room. They called me and brought me into the procedure room where I suited up in the all-embarrassing gown and laid back on a table on my side. An anesthesiologist popped in and introduced himself, as did the familiar gastroenterologist. They set me up with an IV of a sedative, propofol (you remember — one of the drugs MJ took before he died), and I was out before I could count back from 100 to ninety-something.

I woke up once during the procedure to some discomfort and they upped the drugs quickly till I was out again. (They told me later, while their pants were on fire, that I had not woken up. Waking up during the procedure isn’t supposed to happen, but I wasn’t in any pain when it did.) When I woke for permanent, I was in another room with other sleeping and dazed patients coming out of anesthesia. My doctor soon came by and let me know that everything went fine and he was going to let my designated person come in to see me. (It’s an out-patient procedure, but they require that someone sign you out and leave with you so they can feel like they didn’t send you out into the world all alone, without someone to get you home safely.) Just half an hour later I was allowed to leave. I felt…empty. But otherwise, really, really, hungry. I ate lunch with my friend at Dao Palate and went home to sleep for several hours.

A few days later, the GI doc called with the lab’s results. “Normal! Isn’t that great!” Well, I guess, but that gave me no more information than I had had before. I went back to my regular doctor to get her interpretation. She suggested I might have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which, like any syndrome, seems to be a blanket term for a bunch of ailments that are mostly inexplicable. It’s not curable and doesn’t do any actual physiological damage. So I really didn’t want to accept that all my problems could be lumped under this murky disorder.

And then she said the thing that capped off my pursuit of answers from the medical community: “But, you know your body best, and if you don’t feel good when you eat gluten, don’t eat it.” Well, fuck! Thank you and may I please have my $2,000 back? Also my colon tissue?

So I went back to my diet for answers. More on that next time.

I’ve been reading about Cafe Gratitude for awhile now. I was a victim of second-hand excitement when the second outpost of this San Francisco eatery opened on Los Angeles’ Larchmont Boulevard and people’s enthusiasm reached a fever pitch. I listened to people rave about the food. I read about the famous people that can often be seen dining there. But I’d go to their website, look at the menu and lose all interest. Every single item on the menu is named I AM _______. Like, I AM GORGEOUS. I AM MYSTICAL. I AM TRANSCENDING. I AM ABOUT TO SHOVE THIS FORK IN MY RIGHT EYE. I couldn’t do it. I can’t stand that dirty fucking hippy shit, no matter how delicious their shit may be.

Yesterday, I had to pick a spot to have lunch with a friend coming from the other side of the LAiverse, who is gluten, dairy and sugar free, and it seemed like this just might be the time to give Gratitude a try. Everything is organic, everything is vegan, and almost everything is gluten-free, or can be made so.

If you can overlook the inspirational messages placed on everything (successories for restaurants), down to the water carafes, the place is nice. It’s modern, airy design is welcoming and pleasant. If you can overlook the scene going on in there, then you might need to get your eyes checked. I had lunch with Aaron Paul from TeeVee’s Breaking Bad, Carey Mulligan from half the movies out right now, the first vegan chef to win a Food Network challenge Chloe Coscarelli, and a woman who looked too much like Snooki to not be Snooki. As my friend so astutely pointed out, it’s not that often that you feel like you live in “L.A.” — this was definitely one of those times.

After a lot of “Seriously?!”s, head shaking, and sighs of disapproval over the menu, here’s what we ate:

I had the I AM EXTRAORDINARY, or, as I ordered it, the BLT, mainly because I was super curious about their coconut bacon. My friend got LIBERATED aka raw pesto pasta with kelp noodles.

The food is way better than the gimmicky names make it sound. My sandwich was delicious; the toasted panini was big and crunchy and the spicy cashew aioli, crispy chipotle-maple coconut, romaine lettuce, tomato and avocado were a perfect blend of flavors. The spicy and the chipotle really came through more than anything, and the coconut bacon was crunchy, a trait most vegan BLTs are missing, with the coconut flavor only coming through as an afterthought. The side salad was reminiscent of the one at Urth Caffe, though missing the tomatoes and nuts, which really makes it.

The pesto was also really great. The kelp noodles, which sounded gross, were not kelpy at all. There were fresh roma tomatoes, Kalmata olives, spinach and Brazil nut parmesan sprinkled on top. It was creamy and flavorful, and didn’t taste uncooked, just cold, like sesame noodles at an asian restaurant.

We were both tempted by the dessert menu, and again, my friend was braver than me,

ordering the Key Lime Torte (I Am Awakening), a “creamy avocado-lime custard topped with whipped cream on a pecan butter crust,” and I had a scoop of vanilla coconut and cashew milk ice cream with caramel sauce, called I AM PRAISING VANILLA ICE CREAM, but isn’t. The Key lime torte was way better than I expected, though bitter, as I find most avocado based desserts to be. The ice cream was OK, though not a convincing Ice Cream replica. It was gritty and tasted like it was made from coconut milk, cashew milk and ice, with a drop of vanilla. The caramel sauce was a nice treat for a vegan person to be able to order, and I’m glad I did, it was the highlight of the bowl.

Not to sound ungrateful, but it’s a shame the food was so good, cause now I want to eat there regularly, despite the atrocious name game, affirmation based art work, and celeb-studded clientele. If you are in the middle of L.A. and want all the hippy-dom of Venice Beach multiplied by Berkeley plus the star power of Hollywood while you eat vegan food, put this place on your list.

This is one of Supervegan’s posts for Vegan MoFo 2011.

Attention vegan nerds or those who love one! If you find yourself making a run to Fry’s Electronics in El Segundo for an adapter, hard drive, or $10.99 Blu Ray of Total Recall around meal time, there’s vegan pizza right across the street! There’s also a vegan burger at The Counter, vegan everything at Veggie Grill and a Whole Foods the size of one of the bigger Hawaiian Islands. Hurrah for Plaza El Segundo!

This was my first visit to Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza but it was my second time in a matter of weeks learning the same exact lesson that will change my life forever. Two words: Truffle. Oil.

Sammy’s looks like any other chain restaurant, but has a whole separate menu for vegans and gluten-freeites, which makes them good people (cause businesses are people now, right?). Vegans can choose between Tapas, Salads, Wraps, Tacos, Pasta, even Oak Roasted Gardein Chick’n! I went with the Vegan Margherita Pizza, which comes on a special whole wheat crust (the regular crust has honey and the artisan has butter) and is topped with Daiya cheese. After becoming full-on addicted to the Truffle Fries at Wurstküche, I thought I’d truffle up my pizza, too and added the toppings of the Brie Cheese & Truffle Oil Artisan Thin Crust Pizza– fresh sauteed wild mushrooms and truffle oil. This might be the best decision I have ever made. Now, I have been spoiled by having a Pitfire Pizza (and Fresh Brothers) within walking distance, so the bar has been set real high.

Sammy’s pizza was good, the crust was a little chewy and the daiya a bit sparse, but the addition of the truffle oil and ‘shrooms with the basil and tomatoes was brilliant. I ate the whole thing minus half the crust and immediately upon exiting the restaurant, walked directly over to Home Goods and purchased a bottle of White Truffle Oil on sale for $12.99 that I now plan on drizzling atop everything in my life.

This is one of Supervegan’s posts for Vegan MoFo 2011.

Ah, diners. Who doesn’t love the ability to order pancakes with a caesar salad, anytime, day or night? But what if you want some Larb and Palak Paneer? Some Yakitori and Bulgogi? What do you do if you really want Indian but your date has a hankering for Thai? Compromise?! Not in West Hollywood, you don’t. Fresheast, a pan-asian fast-casual restaurant accommodates a variety of palettes, vegans, carnivores & celiacs (salad or quinoa can be subbed-in), and your car (parking in the Pavillions lot!). It may not be open twenty-four hours in a row (though 3 am is basically all night in LA) and it may not have a counter to sit at, but it does have a juice bar, locally sourced produce, and environmentally friendly materials.

The menu on-line doesn’t show it, but most items on it can be made vegan by substituting lightly fried tofu– in-store there’s a helpful little vegan symbol next to those dishes. Here’s a run down of my mega-lunch there, rated on a Moods Of Buddha scale.

fresheast Juice: $3.95
Orange, lemon, apple, cucumber, spinach, kale, red beets
I do not believe vegetables should be in desert or in a drinking glass, so this is not something I would ever order ordinarily, but I wasn’t feeling brave enough to try the cantaloupe based Melonade, as I don’t enjoy Listeria. It was pretty good though, once I let it settle, with the spinach and kale being undetectable and the beety citrusness shining through.

Red Lentil Soup: $3.95
This was, by far, the most delicious part of the meal. It was bursting with flavor, thick, hearty, hot and yum! I’d go there just for a bowl.

Spicy Garlic Noodles: $8.95
Wheat noodles, seasonal vegtables, garlic, cilantro, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce
2nd place winner. The noodles were flavorful and not too spicy to scare away a mouth wimp. Definitely tasted like a healthier, fresher version of your average noodle dish.

Palak Paneer: $8.95
Spinach, fenugreek leaves, paneer cheese or tofu, yogurt (or not), red lentil dal, brown rice
I eat Indian food enough to know that Paneer means both ‘cheese’ and ‘move-on, little lady’, so this was fun. A little bland for my taste though, or maybe I just don’t care for fenugreek.

Green Coconut Water Curry: $9.95
Jidori Chicken (read: tofu), thai green curry, onion, brown rice
I love all the ingredients that comprise this dish, but the dish itself was not so loveable. Water curry? Why would you use flavorless, evaporating water when you could use coconut milk? I don’t get it. Also, way off on the rice to protein ratio.

Indian Vegetable Curry: $8.95
fresh seasonal vegetables, onion, tomato, red lentil dal, brown rice
This was my least favorite of the feast. It tasted the way mold smells, even though it was fresh. ‘Nuff said. That said, everything went through me just fine, and I’ve heard rumors that those negative reviews on yelp are spiteful acts of fired employees. Party foul.

fresheast was good, and the lengths that the owner and chef go to in order to be so vegan friendly and thoughtful are laudable, but in this new & improved highly competitive world of vegan eating, they need to go a step or two further. First, they need to double up on the spices and seasonings in their sauces the same way the do in their soup. Then, they need to marinate the tofu in said sauces overnight. If the tofu has more flavor, so will the entree as a whole, and they need it. Right now, each one’s soy just tasted like plain fried tofu. I don’t walk around naked, and neither should my tofu. Dress them up the same way the interior of the restaurant is (all feng shui’d and modern and pretty) and this place will be on all the Best Of lists.

This is one of Supervegan’s posts for Vegan MoFo 2011.

When I lived in South Florida last year, I took a lot of shit for calling it a culinary wasteland. (Read: three vegan restaurants within a 75-mile radius.) That said, what the Sunshine State lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality, and it’s definitely not short on cool vegan peeps out to make the world a better place. I met one of those peeps, Katherine Botelho, at the Great American Meatout, and she’s since created a line of organic, vegan, gluten-free and (in SoFlo) local nut butters that range from simple to specialty. We caught up recently, and Katherine told me why she’s nutty for nut butter.

Hi, Katherine. Long time no see! Thanks for taking the time to chat. What led you to start Ethical Bounty?

I was inspired to create a business that would offer a product that’s familiar to most people, but kick it up a notch and put a unique spin on it. As someone who’s interested in natural and organic foods, I focused on nut butters. They’re so nutritious, and a great source of protein and good fats. I looked at what was available and thought, Something’s missing. Most nut butters contain added salt and oil and are produced using nuts that aren’t organic. Many also contain preservatives to lengthen their shelf life, yet in the end, they taint the purity of the product. I wanted to create a raw, organic option, and in more interesting varieties. I was also excited to offer the butters to a large scope of people via the web.

You offer straight-up nut butters like Pecan and Brazil as well as specialty flavors like Cherry Pistachio and Vanilla Almond. How did you come up with the combinations?

I had to put my imagination to work for the specialty butters, though some of the flavors seemed obvious. I wanted to do something tropical, so I thought, What fruits and nuts come to mind when I think about Hawaii? Pineapples and macadamia nuts. So Pineapple Macadamia Butter was born. Then I thought of pecan pie and came up with Maple Pecan Butter. A craving for banana bread (which I went through an obsessive baking phase with) was re-created as Banana Walnut Butter. And I actually had a dream in which I thought I could smell cinnamon and raisins cooking together—enter Cinnamon Raisin Cashew Butter!

Your Cinnamon Raisin Cashew Butter is amazing! The smell alone made me salivate, and the taste was a perfect combination of the flavors—not too spicy, not too sweet. I can’t wait to try the others! The one nut you don’t serve up, though, is the peanut. How come?

I decided to leave out peanut butter because I wanted to offer an alternative to the usual generic nut butter that’s available on store shelves; peanut butter can be found anywhere. I also took into consideration the prevalence of peanut-related allergies and thought it would be best to avoid processing peanuts on my equipment. Sorry, peanut people!

Since you add no preservatives, how long do your butters last once they’ve been opened?

All of the nut butters are made with absolutely nothing added—no oil, salt or sugar. I’m dedicated to providing an entire line of vegan nut butters that contain no added ingredients or preservatives of any kind. People often email and ask for an ingredients list; it’s a very short list. If you order Almond Butter, there are almonds in it. Cashew Butter, cashews. I recommend refrigerating the butters because of the lack of preservatives, and they’ll last for six months and beyond that way. Though hopefully people will find them too irresistible to keep around that long!

5% of your sales benefit charities that help animals. How did you choose the charities, and why is this important to you?

Here I am getting up on my soap box! As a longtime vegetarian, since age 14, and a vegan for 8 years, I’m very in tune with animal issues. And I choose charities where I’m sure my donations will directly benefit the animals. I strongly believe that we, as the “superior species,” have an obligation to look out for those who are unable to speak for themselves, whether it’s the dog or cat running out of time in the shelter, the rabbit in the laboratory being subjected to skin tests for cosmetics, or the male calf who’s cast off as a useless by-product of the dairy industry. These are all living, feeling beings who deserve to live out their lives in peace, dignity and safety.

You also use eco-friendly boxes to ship your butters and encourage your customers to recycle. Why?

We need to stop the wastefulness in our society and recycle whenever possible. This planet isn’t going to put up with us for much longer if we don’t change our ways. I think most people are trying to green their lives as much as possible. This is just my small contribution to the bigger picture. If we love the planet, it will love us back.

Do you also accept empty jars and reuse them?

I absolutely accept empty jars! I’ll discount the next purchase to anyone who returns an empty glass jar, and I’ve already begun to do that for my local customers. My only concern with offering this to internet customers is that the cost of shipping the jars back would outweigh the discount that would be applied to their next purchase. So I encourage everyone to recycle locally.

Any new, exciting combinations on the horizon? And any plans to introduce chocolate or other desserty ingredients? We SuperVegans love our sweets!

I absolutely loooove chocolate! Who doesn’t? I’m looking into introducing a nut butter that incorporates organic raw cocoa nibs, and I’m always open to suggestions. Many customer suggestions have already been incorporated into the site, such as providing nutritional information for each product. I’ve also received lots of great feedback about my butters, which I truly appreciate!

I’m also planning a line of seed butters, such as sesame tahini, hemp seed, and sunflower. And with the holidays on the horizon, look for upcoming gift combo items, and more surprises to come!

Sounds delish, Katherine! I look forward to tasting more of your nutty creations. Bring on the Maple Pecan!

Ethical Bounty is located in Pompano Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale, in South Florida. Local delivery is available, with nationwide shipments made via U.S. Postal Service. Ethical Bounty Nut Butters are available in smooth and crunchy, with prices starting at $4.99 for 6-ounce jars of simple butters, and 16-ounce jars of specialty butters in the $17.99 range.

This is one of Supervegan’s posts for Vegan MoFo 2011.

Ricki Heller wants you to have your cake and eat it too—just without a lot of the ingredients you generally think of when you think about dessert. I took some of the recipes from her cookbook, Sweet Freedom, out for a spin, then asked Ricki to fill me in on how it all began.

Roseann Marulli: Thanks so much for speaking with SuperVegan, Ricki. How did Sweet Freedom: Desserts You’ll Love Without Wheat, Eggs, Dairy or Refined Sugar come to be?

Ricki Heller: Sweet Freedom is an outgrowth of my baking company, Bake It Healthy, which grew out of my cooking classes. I’d been selling muffins, cookies, bars and cake slices in health food stores across Toronto for a few years when I realized I just didn’t have the physical stamina to keep the bakery going anymore. I was responsible for all aspects of the business, so between baking, wrapping and labeling, and delivering the goods, I was working 16-plus hours a day. When I decided to close the company, in 2007, many of my customers asked if I’d consider private catering because they didn’t want to give up their weekly muffins and cookies or custom birthday cakes. I did cater for about a year but then decided that the best way for people to continue enjoying the treats was to have the recipes themselves, so I began to convert them for the home cook—and Sweet Freedom was born!

Roseann: You’re a registered holistic nutritionist. Why is it important that your desserts be healthy? Do you ever cheat with something “bad”?

Ricki: I got involved in holistic nutrition because of my own health issues, and I found that the only factor that really made a difference long-term was changing my diet. Back in 2008, when I began to slip up and revert to some of my previous eating habits—desserts with white flour and white sugar—I came down with systemic candida and had to return to a more stringent way of eating that I’d followed 10 years earlier. Now that I’ve been on a strict anti-candida diet for almost two years (it’s vegan, no gluten, no sweeteners except stevia, no mushrooms or other sources of mold, no sweet fruits, no alcohol or anything fermented—I could go on), I can honestly say that no, I don’t cheat. I think I’ve learned my lesson! I feel 100% better this way and am almost back to my old, healthy self. I’ve worked too hard to regain my health to mess it up by eating something sugary.

Roseann: Your dishes are free of additives, colorings, artificial ingredients, refined sugar, wheat and animal products. Why?

Ricki: As a holistic nutritionist, I learned that what we ingest can affect our health. It makes sense, that our cells are literally built from the substances we eat, drink and breathe—there really is nothing else that affects our physical being more. Given the many toxins in the world over which we have no control—the air outside, the many technologies that give off electromagnetic pollution, food packaging, and so on—I prefer to eliminate as many food-related toxins as I can. As someone who’s working to build a healthy immune system and a healthy body in general, I don’t want to fill my cells with artificial colorings, chemicals or refined ingredients, which contain almost no nutritional value—and sugar depresses the immune system! I originally cut out animal products as a way to decrease the toxic load on my system, but to be honest, I never really ate many animal products anyway. I consider myself someone who is naturally inclined toward a vegan diet, as vegan food is what appeals to me most, and by eating it, I feel most comfortable and energetic. I continue this way both for my own health and for the health of the animals.

My Mother’s Cheesecake is infused with lemon juice, lemon extract and lemon rind, and the crust is good enough to eat on its own. Even the skeptical omnis at our Thanksgiving meal gobbled it up!

Roseann: What was the biggest challenge you faced in baking without all that extra “stuff”? Did anything just not work and not make it into the book?

Ricki: The soy-free whipped cream was a huge challenge and probably the most-tested recipe in the book—over 50 tries! For the cookbook version, I simplified the original recipe that had appeared on my blog. The final cream is a wee bit heavier and less airy than the blog version, but it also has about 28 fewer steps! I also tried a meringue and failed miserably. That’s one texture that’s just very difficult to reproduce without white sugar.

Roseann: Was anything that succeeded a surprise?

Ricki: The gluten-free pastry cream was a bit of a surprise because it didn’t start out that way—I was attempting a baked pudding. But popping the mixture in a blender produced the most velvety, smooth, rich-tasting cream. It’s one of my favorite recipes now!

Roseann: You’ve had a pretty busy year! You received an Honorable Mention in the 2010 Cuisine Canada Culinary Book Awards, and your cookbook is one of the few listed on Ellen DeGeneres’ Books Ellen Reads page. Congrats! How did Ellen find out about your cookbook?

Ricki: Thanks so much! My blog readers and twitter followers are the most amazing people, and I’d say they’re mostly responsible. Back in April, I posted a blog entry about how much I wanted to be on Ellen’s show to bake for her and Portia, since they’re both vegan and refined-sugar-free, exactly the kinds of recipes in my book. I also tweeted during the day, and many of my twitter followers began to retweet the messages and email The Ellen DeGeneres Show, endorsing my book and recipes. Somehow Ellen found out about it and checked out my book. Next thing I knew, my book was on her page! It was an incredible surprise to see my cookbook listed next to Alicia Silverstone’s and Tal Ronnen’s. I’m still floating!

The Girl Scouts have nothing on Ricki! Her Classic Peanut Butter Cookies smell as good as they taste.

Roseann: That’s amazing! How is the book being received in general? Do you have any favorite stories?

Ricki: I’ve been really gratified by all the fantastic reviews the book has received so far, and I’m thrilled that so many people like it. It always delights me to receive an email from someone who made one of the recipes and enjoyed it. My favorite story remains one I’ve told before, about a mom who made a birthday cake for her eight-year-old daughter’s birthday. The young girl couldn’t eat wheat, eggs, dairy or refined sugar, so my stuff was perfect; there’s a great agave-based frosting recipe in the book that works beautifully for decorating, piping, etc. This family had eaten my frosted cupcakes before, so I knew they already liked my stuff. After the party, the mom called to tell me that the cake had been a hit with all the kids and their moms. Then she went on to say that it had also been the first time in her daughter’s life, in eight years of parties, that her daughter had been able to share in her own birthday cake with everyone else at the party. I still get a bit teary thinking about that, because I was so touched to be able to give that kind of gift to that little girl. It makes me incredibly happy to know that people who’ve felt deprived of their favorite sweets for a long time can once again enjoy them through my recipes.

Roseann: What are the most popular ones? Which is your favorite?

Ricki: Anything chocolate seems to be pretty popular! The Ultra Fudgy Brownies and Butterscotch Blondies With Dried Cranberries and Chocolate Chips are a big hit, as are the gluten-free, grain-free Coconut Macaroons. The most popular muffin was always the Sweet Harvest, which has hidden carrot, zucchini and spinach and offers up a full serving of vegetables in every muffin. My own favorite chocolate-based recipe is the Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies; and my favorite non-chocolate one is the Spiced Pumpkin-Millet Pudding.

Roseann: I made your Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, My Mother’s Cheesecake and Chocolate Caramels, and when I started taking pictures, I realized I’d chosen three beige dishes! Regardless, they all looked and tasted great. I brought the cheesecake to an omnivore’s house for Thanksgiving, and everyone LOVED it!

Ricki: My Mother’s Cheesecake is probably one of my favorites, though I like the Chai Cheesecake, too.

Roseann: And the Peanut Butter Cookies are amazing—my husband won’t let me share them with anyone else! As far as the caramels go, though, I fell into the overcooking trap you mentioned, so it became hard like brittle instead of chewy. It was still spot-on taste-wise, though! And I drizzled some chocolate on top just because. How long did it take for you to get it right? Is the secret using a candy thermometer, or is there another trick of which I’m obviously not aware?

Ricki: Sorry about the brittle! It took quite a few tries to get the texture just right without a candy thermometer—honestly, the trick is just to make it enough times that you recognize the right texture. As I recall—this was two years ago now—it also depends on the burner, since “low” or “medium” on one stovetop isn’t the same as on another, as well as on the pot; the mixture in a smaller, deeper pot will cook more slowly than one in a larger, wider one, and timing is everything with that recipe. All this to say that if you don’t have a candy thermometer, your best bet might be to undercook them a bit and, if necessary, make caramel cups instead of firm caramels. That’s what a friend of mine did. She had the opposite outcome—her filling was too soft, so she made the cups. When I wrote the book, I really wanted anyone to be able to make the recipes, even without special equipment. But if I do a second edition, I think I’ll just say to use a thermometer.

I overcooked the Chocolate Caramels and ended up with something resembling brittle instead. But break off a piece and let it melt on your tongue, and it’s caramel yumminess all the way!

Roseann: Why did you include some raw desserts? Do you eat raw often?

Ricki: I do try to include raw foods at least 50% of the time in my daily diet, and I love raw cuisine. Since some of my favorite desserts happen to be raw, I thought I’d include them. They’re also great for people on a cleanse or a gentle detox who still want to indulge in something sweet.

Roseann: What’s next for you?

Ricki: My recipes always reflect where I am in my own life, so my current creations are all based on the anti-candida diet. I’m working on a cookbook with recipes that are all low-glycemic, gluten-free and sweetened with stevia, yacon syrup, coconut sugar or agave nectar. I’ve really enjoyed learning about gluten-free flours and gluten-free baking and can’t wait to share some of the desserts I’ve created with them. This time I’ll also be including some savory recipes—even I have to eat something other than dessert once in a while!

Roseann: Best of luck with the new book, Ricki! And thanks again for chatting with us.

This is one of Supervegan’s posts for Vegan MoFo 2010.

Source: Wikipedia.org, “Lactose Intolerance.” Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance Accessed 10/17/2010.

There is a long history of institutionalized racism in the dairy industry in the United States. Dr. Milton Mills of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) notes that while the United States government tells U.S. citizens that we should eat two to three servings of dairy products each day, it is an entirely inappropriate recommendation for most members of diverse communities in the country. As the above chart clearly presents, about 75 percent of the world’s population is lactose intolerant. PCRM notes that 60 to 80 percent of African Americans, 50 to 80 percent of Latinos, and at least 90 percent of Asian Americans and Americans Indians are lactose intolerant.

Thanks, I Love Charts, for sharing this chart with us. Special thanks to my former classmate Jared Goodman for his keen research skills, too.

After eating this I might have wept a little.

That’s Oh My Gosh Cupcakes, and yes, they will make you shout their namesake phrase. This afternoon I sat down with a couple of friends to enjoy the goodies Andie and her crew baked and delivered (on time and beautifully packaged in corn-based plastic cupcake holders). Let’s meet the edibles!

Carrot Cake
The first cupcake we tried, the carrot cake concoction, is my favorite, and I’ll tell you why: it is perfect. I know you can barely stand superlatives so I have to explain myself the only way I know how — with a list.
1. The carrot flavor is king to the raisin and vanilla peasantry.
2. It has a tight crumb without being too dense.
3. The sweet, decadent icing complements a cake that could knock a man down on its own.
4. Extra points for mini carrot decoration on top.
My only complaint is that it contains raisins, but I can’t criticize it for that since most people like raisins and wouldn’t call this carrot cake without them. If you like raisins, or even if you aren’t hot on them, take it from a woman who usually can’t stand ‘em: you will love this cake.

Maple Cinnamon
Oh, these are really very good. A little dry, yes, but they offer a powerful blend of maple and cinnamon that’s just right for fall. Again, a lovely, sweet frosting with a not-so-sweet cake. Hand me the almond milk, Sally.

Vanilla Agave
Oh, Vanilla Agave cupcake, you are so close to perfect. Your cake is aromatic, your crumb is just right, you have a round, sweet flavor. But alas, you are topped with a too-sugary frosting (especially for an agave cupcake). Without your topping, you’re a 10.

Red Velvet
This is not a cupcake; it is a work of art. Look at that adorable AND classy heart atop the frosting and the deep red coloring of the cake beneath. Just look at it! Eating it is a slightly different story, though. I thought it was a little bland, and the frosting didn’t taste like cream cheese to me, just vanilla.

Double Chocolate
I thought this one would be my favorite, but it was a bit dry and not chocolate-y enough. More wet ingredients, please.

Caliente Hot Chocolate
An adventurous take on an old staple, the Caliente Hot Chocolate cupcakes have a lovely spicy/sweet aftertaste. They’re a little crumbly because they’re so darn moist, but hey, hip, hip for moist cupcakes!

In conclusion, I think OMG Cupcakes saved my life. On my recently limited diet I didn’t think I’d make it another week without something bread-like. (Really, I was totally going to sneak a bagel at some point. No one would have known except my victimized body.) I would never have guessed that these flavorful, delicately decorated morsels are gluten-free. Thank you, Andie and company for these wonderful treats!

OMG offers vegan, gluten-free, and traditional cupcakes. They deliver throughout New York City, free of charge between 96th Street and Canal Street with a $24 order. These sweet sweets are available at Elm Health (1st Avenue and 88th Street) and Cafe One (Amsterdam and 139th Street). You can also order them online at omgcupcakesnyc.com.

This is one of Supervegan’s posts for Vegan MoFo 2009.

Dinosaur Shapes!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, there’s a profile of Eugene-based vegan chocolatier Chocolate Decadence in Southern Oregon’s Mail Tribune. Chocolate Decadence, which is now celebrating its tenth anniversary, was founded by Sam Melner, a chocoholic with a dairy allergy, and Cheryl Byer, a vegan. Melner has since bought out Byer’s stake, and it’s become something of a family affair, with wife Marjorie working in the kitchen (she’s described “painstakingly” coating nuts with chocolate) and son Pete, who’s the general manager. Though Byer is gone, their website still boasts links to vegetarian, vegan, animal rights, and animal rescue resources. And, as my omnivore father can attest to, the chocolate is fantastic.

Not even Google image search wants you to see that little green leaf!

After a few years as the UK’s “Disneyland for vegans,” Sainsbury’s has stopped labeling their house-brand products “vegan” even though the foods still are. In an e-mail to a pissed-off customer, Sainsbury’s PR wrote: “We do not feel it is vital information. We believe this, as it is a personal choice to follow a vegan diet and is not as important as allergy advice.” Apparently you can’t fit both on the package?

There’s a good deal of confusion as to what things will be labeled now. Some shoppers say stuff they know is vegan is labeled as just “vegetarian,” while others say no store products have any veg labels at all; some customers have been told they’re the only ones complaining, while others have been told the labels will remain the same.

Sainsbury’s doesn’t list an e-mail on their website, but you can contact them by phone at 0800 636262 and by mail at: Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd., 33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT. Even if you don’t live in the UK, any kind of support on this issue could make a difference for grocers in the US and elsewhere.

Update: Sainsbury’s is claiming this is all a miscommunication and that they still have vegan labels. Yay.

About 1 in 133 people has celiac disease, an inherited illness in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged upon consumption of wheat, barley, or rye (whether oats are also off limits is up for debate). But because the symptoms are so common (stomachaches, constipation, diarrhea, and fatigue, among others), celiac can be difficult to diagnose. In an effort to raise awareness, October has been designated Celiac Awareness Month.

Of course, having celiac or even just being gluten-intolerant can be that much more complicated if you’re also vegan—goodbye, seitan and wheat protein! Even if you’d be willing to suffer the intestinal upset for some mock meat every once in a while, consider this: Researchers are now tying celiac to dementia and other forms of cognitive decline. (McDonald’s was sued for not disclosing all the ingredients in its french fries, which were found to contain gluten as well as casein, which exacerbated the condition of an autistic boy.) The good news is, tests at the Mayo Clinic have shown that following a gluten-free diet may help counteract these consequences. The bad news is, following a gluten-free vegan diet can be a real pain in the ass. But it can be done.

For the lazy or time-pressed among us, there are actually burgers we can keep in the freezer: three varieties of Sunshine Burgers, to be exact. (They’re soy-free, too, for those of us who also can’t tolerate soy.) Enjoy Life products are free of the common allergens, and all of the Road’s End Organics products are vegan, and many are wheat- or gluten-free—their Mac & Chreese, for example, is made from brown rice, and you can use rice milk to make the sauce. The new Dippy Chick Company, started by a woman who is gluten-intolerant, as are her children, sells only gluten-free dip mixes, many of which are vegan. And if you’re feeling Betty Crockery, you can make yourself some yummy Brownie Bites, though I prefer to let someone else do the baking and stock up whenever I’m in the vicinity of Babycakes or grab some gluten-free Nana’s No’s from the health food store.

If you need more ideas, you can find gluten-free vegan recipes online, or try out the cookbooks A Taste of Vitality and Desserts of Vitality, both of which are completely vegan and contain almost entirely gluten-free recipes. Oh, and if you discover any amazing new gluten-free vegan resources or know of any I’ve neglected to mention, please let me know!

Those of us who can’t eat gluten might want to make a trip to the inaugural Gluten-Free Culinary Summit this weekend at Copper Mountain Resort in the Colorado Rockies. The conference will feature workshops, cooking and baking demonstrations, and lectures by renowned chefs.

Hosted by Marc David, the author of The Slow Down Diet, the event boasts presenters such as Lee Tobin of Whole Foods, Lori Sobelson of Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, vegetarian chef Ron Pickarski, and vegan cookbook author Lorna Sass. So while the entire conference won’t be vegan-centric, it sounds like a fair amount of offerings will be available for those of us trying to avoid animal products as well as gluten.

Registration ends Wednesday, so call 303-368-9990 or sign up online today.

UPDATE: According to a rep for the Summit, there will be many vegan versions of dishes throughout the weekend (and others can be veganized), and at the special event dinner on Saturday night, about five different dinners will cater specifically to vegans. Way to go, GF Summit!

Erin McKenna

The latest issue of Food & Wine (September 2006) features an article on Babycakes. Titled “Vegan Sweets That Pass the Taste Test”, the short piece profiles the cute-as-a-button baker Erin McKenna and gives (what I assume are clueless and non-veg) readers the lowdown on what’s in her pantry and a few of her secrets to healthy living. A highlight of the article is the unveiling of McKenna’s recipes for three treats, including the insanely delicious Brownie Bites.

Last night I had a treat: a preview taste of Amy’s Rice Crust Spinach Pizza (scroll to the bottom of the linked page for ingredients and nutritional information).

When I was vegetarian (not so long ago), I used to eat Amy’s Rice Crust Cheese Pizza, so the crust was already familiar to me. But those of you who haven’t had a reason to avoid gluten might find it a little crunchy. Never fear, though—it still tastes good.

And so does the pizza. The cheeze (soy-based mozzarella and ricotta) didn’t really melt—no surprise there. But that’s about the worst I can say about the pie—and honestly, if it doesn’t affect the taste (which it doesn’t), I couldn’t care less. The sauce was seasoned just right, and the spinach, a kind of pesto-ish paste, added a little something extra. If only I hadn’t overcooked it just a tad (damned toaster oven!), it would have been perfect. My shaky cooking skills notwithstanding, the pie was delish.

Amy’s Rice Crust Spinach Pizza will be in stores later this month. Also vegan and due out soon are Amy’s Baked Ziti Bowl (also wheat-free!), Indian Spinach Tofu Wrap, and Vegetarian Breakfast Patties.

Venture out to Brooklyn Aug. 13 and 20 and let Rochelle Campbell of Moo-Free teach you how to bake without dairy, eggs or honey.

Following the Aug. 13 lecture, on Aug. 20 you’ll dive in with your own two hands and make vanilla crunch cake, pineapple upside-down cake, marble cake, Brazilian doughnuts, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies, all using unbleached flour, brown sugar, nonaluminum baking powder, soy milk, canola or soybean oil, and natural flavorings.

The best part is, you get to bring home a little bit of everything!

Classes are $55 each and run from 2-6 p.m. For more information or to sign up, e-mail Rochelle at moofree5@gmail.com or call 718-789-0416.

Maybe you’re tired of drinking the same old beers and wines that you know aren’t made from animal products, which are also the source of pretty severe allergies for many of us. And maybe printouts of vegan liquor listings just don’t fold up small enough to fit in your pocket or your purse when you go to cocktail parties.

Whatever the case, there’s good news: As they’ve done with food, by the end of September, the government will start requiring manufacturers to list any of the main allergens contained in or used in the making of their wines and beers. That means no more sneaky fish bladder, no more undisclosed egg whites. A whole new world of booze just might open up, especially if manufacturers follow the law to the letter. Look for some conscientious liquor makers to start labeling their products immediately.

Eat at your own risk.

“Is there any way we can enhance your dining experience by hurting an animal?”—Waiter to vegetarian Lisa on The Simpsons

This quote might seem ridiculous to omnivores (like the friend who invariably ends up repeating it to me when we’re out to eat and I’ve just asked the waiter the usual questions: What do you use to prepare your rice? Are the beans cooked in lard? What kind of broth was used in the soup?). But with all the hidden ingredients ending up in seemingly safe foods these days, it seems pretty spot-on to me (except that nobody’s explicitly asking).

Just a few days ago, I reported that some batches of Vegan Parm contained hidden milk ingredients (by the way, I tossed mine—not worth the risk. I’ll stick with Parma! Vegan Parmesan—which is also gluten-free—thank you). And now comes news that Harry & David Wild ’N Spicy Hot Chili Pepper Tortilla Chips also contain undisclosed milk ingredients.

What the hell is going on???

Could this be in your sweater?

Speaking of hidden milk ingredients, here’s one place you probably never thought to look: your clothes.

Yes, milk is used to make clothing. The practice started during World War II, when wool was in short supply, as the resulting fabric is said to feel like cashmere. Today, milk fibers have found new cachet because they’re “green,” free from petroleum-derived components. Some manufacturers even make it a point to use organic milk.

While one of the purported “benefits” of wearing milk-derived clothing is that the proteins leave your skin soft, some garment makers go so far as to claim that wearing their wares can help alleviate the symptoms of menopause and perimenopause!

Aside from the obvious—that anyone who wouldn’t wear fur, leather, wool, down, or silk probably wouldn’t choose to wear milk, either—as with any milk product, there’s the risk of serious reactions for people with milk allergies, particularly if the fibers get wet or are inhaled (?). And, as with food, clothing manufacturers are expected to list the derivation of their fibers. So next time you go clothes shopping and think you’re being a good vegan by avoiding wool and the other usual suspects, be sure to check your labels, just in case.

Not so vegan after all?

Galaxy Nutritional Foods is recalling 4 oz. cans of Vegan Parmesan Alternative because they may contain milk ingredients. Several people have reported allergic reactions, and I don’t want to think about how many of us in the vegan community may have consumed the stuff. They’re saying that the offending product is in jars with a UPC code of 77172-64000 and with expiration dates of 4/01/07, 4/15/07, 4/29/07, and 5/27/07. But what about the bottle in my fridge, which has the same UPC code but an expiration date of 12/02/06…? Call Galaxy Nutritional Foods at 800-441-9419, ext. 224, if you’re not sure whether to toss yours.

Unfortunately, milk seems to be the hidden ingredient of choice for food producers. In January, Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers recalled frozen dinners because of undisclosed milk ingredients, not to mention plastic! Boston Bay Foods products were also found to contain undeclared milk proteins not too long ago. And who can forget when it was revealed that McDonald’s french fries were being cooked in oil that contains dairy as well as wheat, an added concern for those of us with a gluten intolerance (though personally, I couldn’t even think about stepping foot in a Mickey D’s anymore, but that’s just me).

But it’s not just milk. Those who haven’t made the switch yet and are still vegetarian may have unknowingly consumed fish through some dairy and egg products, a result of cows’ and hens’ being fed fish.

Thankfully, in January, a law went into effect requiring manufacturers to clearly label food products that are derived from or contain any of the top eight allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy. This was due in part to the large number of people suffering from food allergies, but hey, it helps those of us trying to avoid eggs and dairy too. Well, when it’s actually put into practice.

Sunday, July 16 is National Ice Cream Day. Back in 1984, President Reagan proclaimed July National Ice Cream Month and made the third Sunday of the month National Ice Cream Day, recognizing ice cream as a “fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by 90 percent of the nation’s population.”

Surely Prez Reagan was refering to non-dairy ice cream, cuz we all know milk is bad news. There’s nothing fun or nutritous about a fatty, pus-filled frozen product of animal exploitation. It’s an outrage that the dairy industry is using this holiday to push their crappy goods on the sugar jonesing children, cotton mouthed potheads, and all us heat stroked folks who fall somewhere in between.

We vegans must strike back! Contact Viva!USA to find out how you can organize a free vegan ice cream give away in your neighborhood. They’ll provide all the educational materials. Soy Delicious will provide organizers with coupons they can use to purchase tubs of the non-dairy ice cream locally.

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably interested in preparing for the holiday by eating as much ice cream as you can now, just to set the mood. I recommend giving Temptation a whirl. The company is owned by longtime ChicagoLand vegans Ryan and Dan. As if that’s not cool enough, they only use certified fair trade coffee, green tea, and chocolate in their ice creams and all the products are made on dairy, tree nut-, and peanut- free equipment. NYC folks can now pick up a tempting tub at several locations, including Perelandria, the Park Slope Food Coop, and the Chelsea Whole Foods. Don’t forget the Soyatoo!

Keirra and her pie

Philadelphia City Paper recently profiled Copper Desserts, a baker of pies and cakes that are friendly to both vegans and folks with wheat allergies. All products are homemade by Keirra Strayhorn Winter, a 27-year-old former New Yorker, using healthy products like unrefined organic sugar, flaxseed, and unsweetened soymilk.

Copper Desserts are now available at Jamaican Jerk Hut in Philly. Individuals can place orders via email to copperdesserts@yahoo.com. The website is scheduled to launch in August.

By the end of the month, US Airways will no longer serve peanuts on its flights because of the large number of people who suffer from peanut allergies. There’s even a section on their website addressing the issue.

Airlines aren’t the only entities responding to concerns about the legumes. Some parents are asking to have peanuts and peanut-containing products removed from their kids’ schools’ cafeterias because so many children suffer from life-threatening peanut allergies.

Of the allergenic foods, nuts, including tree nuts like almonds and walnuts, cause the greatest number of reactions. Millions of Americans are allergic to nuts, resulting in thousands of hospital visits and a couple of hundred deaths each year.

But because inhalation of and skin contact with peanuts don’t produce as dangerous a reaction as ingestion does, US Airways won’t restrict passengers from bringing their own nuts onboard. If you forget yours, don’t worry: They’ll still be serving pretzels.

Mangia!

If you’re gluten-free and vegan like I am, you probably went through a period when you only ate food that you prepared yourself. After all, so many yummy veg*n foods are made from seitan, or they’re battered in a gluten-containing grain (like—yum!—the Buffalo Unchicken Wings at Kate’s Joint). And how many times have omnivorous friends suggested eating Italian because there are so many veg*n options? Brown bagging it for lunch is one thing, but dinner, too? It’s not fair!

Well, Italian chefs have come to the rescue—in Italy, at least. More than a third of the top restaurants in Italy now offer gluten-free options—even bread! Several have entire menus dedicated to gluten-free dining. Grazie mille, ragazzi!

Closer to home, Jeff MacLean is opening Splitt, which is likely the first entirely gluten-free restaurant in North America, in Calgary, Canada. While not specifically Italian, it surely bears mentioning.

I’d love to say the same for Risotteria, a restaurant in the West Village offering gluten-free pizza, bread sticks and beer (as well as “normal” fare), but there’s nothing on the menu for the vegans among us.

But it’s a start. If you’re in Canada or Italy, buon appetito!