HEYA SUPERVEGANS! WE ARE STILL YELL-EY EXCITED ABOUT OUR NASOYA SPONSORED CONTEST!

HAVE YOU ENTERED YET?

HURRY UP! YOU ONLY HAVE TILL JUNE 8TH! THAT’S APPX. THREE DAYS FROM NOW, OR, YOU MAY KNOW IT AS “FRIDAY.”

All it takes to enter is a few clicks on the screen you’re already reading this on. Just follow us on Twitter, Facebook and or Instagram (@wearesupervegan) and then (re)tweet at us, “like” something, comment, or heart a pic! If you’re already doing so, you’re already entered to win!

YAY!

Matt Mims, sexy vegetarian.

Guys! My boyfriend Matt is a finalist in PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door contest! I entered him (with his tacit approval) a few weeks ago as a sort-of joke, because he would never, never enter himself in a beauty contest (modest!). Now he’s made it through the first round of voting! Whoa! If he wins, he gets a trip for two to Maui, and I’m not going to pretend that wouldn’t be the BEST.

Besides being intelligent, funny, and strikingly handsome, Matt is sexy by virtue of his washboard ribs. If you’re not convinced yet (don’tchya want me to go to Hawaii?), here’s why you should vote for him:

1. He is VEGAN. And HOT. (See photo.) Hey, stop looking at him like that, gosh!
2. He plays guitar and composes music for vegan art rock band HERE, with his twin brother, Dan, on drums. As you know, vegan boys/musicians rock, and we need to get the word out about more vegan bands.
3. He runs a vegan DIY music venue in Brooklyn with his brothers.
4. He’s the only finalist from NYC. Represent!
5. This vegan would be so happy if he won!

Now that you are armed with these sexy facts, take your ballot-casting fingers and follow the instructions below to vote. And please accept my future posts from Maui/shirtless shots of Matt on the beach as gratitude.

At Farm Sanctuary’s Rockin’ Out for Farm Animals

To vote:
-This link will take you directly to Matt’s page
-Click “Submit Your Vote”
-Enter your name and e-mail
-If you’d prefer not to receive e-mails from PETA, uncheck the box
-Click “return to where you left off voting.” This part is deceiving ’cause it seems like you’ve already voted, but you haven’t just yet.
-Click “Submit Your Vote.” The “Submit Your Vote” text should change to “Thanks For Voting!” once your vote has been registered. You did it! Now e-mail everyone you know asking them to vote for Matt. Let’s show these other dudes what sexy is all about!

Image via VegNews

• Did somebody say VEGAN CHALLAH? Oh yes, VegNews just did! It’s going to be a good Hanukkah this year, Jews! (Is eggless challah possible?) Psst…I think I also heard them say “vegan gingerbread cookies.” Who’s up for a vegan gingerbread house bake-off? Hmmm?
• Farm Sanctuary reminded us to sign their Petition for the Pigs, a letter that asks President Obama to demand that the USDA extend legal protection to downed pigs. Yeah, um, did we all just assume that pigs were covered like certain other large mammals?
• Terry Hope Romero’s vegan Latin cookbook Viva Vegan is available for pre-order on Amazon. See how dangerous—and hot—that knife makes her look?
• Metromix declared Dirt Candy‘s Amanda Cohen Chef of the Year. Amanda Cohen sounds like Samantha Cohen, which means THAT COULD TOTALLY BE ME ONE DAY.
• USA Today reported on school lunch standards: somehow less stringent than fast-food standards! Even KFC won’t buy the chickens kiddies are eating as chicken plywood nuggets.

Susan Asasto’s blue-ribbon-winning Apple Pie with Crunchy Pecan Topping

I’d like to nominate Susan Asato for Super Vegan status. This lady submitted several hand-cooked vegan creations to the Orange County County Fair and took home some distinctions:

• Vegan Sun Dried Tomato Cornbread Muffins – 1st place Muffins, plus Division Winner for Quickbreads (muffins, scones, loaf pan breads, coffee cakes, etc.)
• Vegan Chili with Beans – Honorable Mention, Chili Cookoff
• Vegan Apple Pie with Crunchy Pecan Topping (recipe below!) – 1st place, Pie Contest
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans (recipe below!) – 2nd place, Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nuts

Keep in mind, these competed against “regular” foodstuffs, not in some “special needs eaters” category, so kudos to you, Susan, for raising the esteem of vegan cuisine!

Here are two of her award winning recipes for you to bake for me (double up and follow a “one for you, one for me” policy of vegan baking):

VEGAN APPLE PIE WITH CRUNCHY PECAN TOPPING
Submitted by: Susan Asato

Crust:
8 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Stick (4 oz. by weight)
3 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Shortening (1-1/2 oz. by weight)
1-2/3 cup Flour (8 oz. by weight)
1 tbsp Sugar (non-bone char processed)
1/4 tsp Salt
2 to 3 tbsp Ice water
1 tbsp Rice milk or soy milk

Filling:
6 each Granny Smith apples, medium (about 2 to 2-1/2 lbs)
6 each Fuji apples, medium (about 2 to 2-1/2 lbs by weight)
1/3 cup Lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 3 limes)
1/3 cup Sugar (non-bone char processed)
2 tbsp Agave nectar
4 tbsp Tapioca flour
2 tbsp Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Salt

Crumb Topping:
1/3 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread or Sticks, softened
½ cup Pecans, chopped and toasted
2/3 cup Light brown sugar (non-bone char processed)
½ cup Flour (2-1/2 oz. by weight)
½ cup Multi-grain dry hot cereal mix (Country Choice brand)
¾ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg

Glaze:
½ cup Powdered sugar, sifted (4 oz., non-bone char processed)
1 to 2 tbsp Lime juice, freshly squeezed (about 1 lime)
1/8 tsp Vanilla extract
pinch Salt

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the vegan buttery stick and shortening into small pieces. Pulse in food processor along with flour, sugar, and salt until ingredients are incorporated. Add 2 to 3 tbsp ice water (amount will vary depending on kitchen temperature and humidity) and pulse until mixture holds its shape when a small amount is squeezed in fist. Let dough rest in refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll out and press into a 9” diameter by 2” deep ceramic pie dish; crimp edges. Brush with rice milk or soy milk and dock bottom. Bake for 12 to14 minutes or until crust is very lightly browned, then allow to cool for at least 30 minutes.
When crust has cooled, preheat oven to 375°F. Peel and thinly slice apples (about 1/8” thick) and place in a large bowl. Gradually add 1/3 cup of lime juice to moisten apples while prepping to prevent browning. Add the sugar, agave nectar, tapioca flour, flour, cinnamon and salt and gently mix together well.
In a separate bowl, mix together all crumb topping ingredients well using a fork.
Fill cooled pie crust with apple mixture using a slotted spoon and your hands. Spoon the crumb topping evenly over the apples.
Place pie on a sheet pan and bake at 375°F. After 25 to 30 minutes, or when the topping and crust edges are lightly browned, loosely cover the entire pie with aluminum foil, reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 2 hours.
For glaze, sift powdered sugar into bowl. Add 1 tbsp of the lime juice and whisk well. Gradually add additional lime juice, several drops at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add vanilla extract and salt. Pipe the glaze in a lattice pattern onto the cooled pie.

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH PECANS
Submitted by Susan Asato
Yield: 4 dozen

2 cups All purpose flour (10 oz. by weight)
1 cup Multigrain hot cereal mix (rolled whole grain rye, barley, oats, and wheat; use Country Choice, 3-1/2 oz. by weight)
¾ tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Salt
12 tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, cut into small pieces (1-1/2 sticks or 6 oz. by weight)
½ cup Tahini sesame seed paste (4-1/2 oz. by weight)
¾ cup Sugar, non bone-char processed
¼ cup Light brown sugar, non bone-char processed
½ cup Maple syrup (5-3/4 oz. by weight)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Vanilla extract
½ tsp Almond extract
1 10 oz. bag Semisweet chocolate chips (use Sunspire Tropical Source brand)
1 3 oz. bar Sunspire Tropical Source Raspberry Dark Chocolate bar
1-1/2 cups Pecans, chopped and toasted (6 oz. by weight)
1 tsp Raw sugar or turbinado sugar

1. Whisk together the flour, multigrain hot cereal mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat the vegan butter and tahini in a stand mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and brown sugar, and beat about 2 more minutes.
4. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract and almond extract, and beat for another 1 minute.
5. Stir in the flour mixture by hand just until incorporated. Do over mix. Chop the raspberry dark chocolate bar into ¼” to ½” pieces, and gently fold into the batter along with the chocolate chips and pecans. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Portion out rounded tablespoons of dough, roll into balls, and place on lightly greased baking sheets about 1-1/2” apart. Press down to flatten slightly. Sprinkle each cookie with a tiny pinch of raw sugar or turbinado sugar.
7. Bake at 350 °F for about 11-13 minutes, or until lightly browned.
8. Allow to cool for three minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Ah, Fourth of July. The weekend when Americans celebrate their purported freedoms with…barbecues.

If you feel like getting democratic this weekend, vote for your favorite vegan this-and-that in VegNew’s 2009 VeggieAwards now until July 31. And if you happen to notice SuperVegan anywhere, like, say, the website category, we won’t say no to your vote! Feel free, also, to scribble our name into the blog category.

Vote (for us) and we’ll get our much needed attention, while you, voters, will be automatically entered in VegNew’s sweepstakes, for which the grand prize is a five-day vacation for two in Key West at vegan breakfast-serving Deer Run Bed & Breakfast. The other prizes are kickin’ too: His and hers Matt & Nat bags, a vegan ice cream starter kit, a chocolate smorgasboard, and weekly giveaways of vegan pizza kits. Can’t go wrong, so hop to it! Happy voting!

During his acceptance speech for the award for best comedic performance, Jim Carrey told 5.3 million viewers what caused factory farm flu:

Is Carrey vegetarian? Is this his partner, Jenny McCarthy, rubbing off on him? Is there any experience quite like watching Pet Detective for the eleventh time?

I don’t really have any answers here.

We were recently nominated by VegNews for a 2008 Veggie Award for Best Blog! (A sweet antidote for the sour grapes I have for our not being nominated for Best Website, though you could write us in.) Why not mosey on over to the online poll and vote for us and all your other favorite vegan people, products, and places?

Not only may good things happen for us if you do it, but you’ll have a chance to win fabulous prize packages. The grand prize is a New York City Urban Getaway. (Live in NYC? So what? You still get to pig out at veggie restaurants and go on a shopping spree at MooShoes for free if you live here.) Other prizes include a Glam Girl Goodie Bag, a Marshmallow Madness Gift Pack, and a Vegan Cookie Smorgasbord.

Perhaps I can bribe you with five new restaurant listings.

Thanks to SV users Jessica, Nancy, and Rich for the tips!

We’re proud to have been chosen as a winner in the first annual VegNews VegBloggy Awards! We’re also pleased to have the exclusive scoop on the list of other winners (full list below).

To celebrate, we’re giving away two pairs of tickets to VegNews‘s Music Issue Launch Party (which is also the issue that will list the VegBloggy winners in print) on Thursday June 26 at the Electric Works Gallery in San Francisco. There will be lots of great food and drink on offer and music from Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.

Twenty-one blogs were chosen as winners. Some of these are regular reads, but a
a few I’d never heard of. Many of them have been mentioned or linked on SuperVegan in the past, via our blog or the blogs section of our web directory.

To win those free tickets ($25 each otherwise!) leave a comment telling us about one of your favorite vegan blogs (whether it was chosen by VegNews or not) and mention that you’re interested in the tix. And of course even if you aren’t able to make the event, we’d love to hear about your favorite vegan blogs!

Here’s what they had to say about us:

The Vegan Daily Show
SuperVegan brings you all the news that’s fit to make fun of, as well as actual veg events, product reviews, and thought-provoking posts. With topics that run the gamut from April Fool’s Day jokes about Editor-At-Large Olivia Lane crossing over to the meat-eating dark side, to the extremely serious subject of cat slaughter in China, SV also offers a NYC restaurant guide and links to a slew of veg-friendly blogs and websites. Says Lane, “It’s a nice reminder that not all vegans feel the same about everything.”
Read this blog if: You need to be in the know.

Wow, thanks! We’re thrilled to have won, and extend warm congratulations to all of our fellow winners!

Complete List of Winners of 2008 VegBloggy Awards

• Abolitionist Approach
• An Animal Friendly Life
• BitterSweet
• The Conscious Kitchen
• FatFree Vegan Kitchen
• Hezbollah Tofu
• Let’s Get Sconed!
• Post Punk Kitchen
• Ramblings of a Vegan Man
• SuperVegan
• The Urban Housewife
• Veg Blog
• Vegan Dad
• VeganEtsy
• Vegan Talk
• Vegan Yum Yum
• Vegans of Color
• Vive le Vegan
• Walking the Vegan Line
• We Like it Raw
• What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway?

Elle’s Third Annual Green Issue

Now that “green” is mainstream, every May many publications roll out their Green Issues. It almost seems as if green is the new black, which has its pros and cons. Overall, Elle‘s third annual Green Issue was a hit with me. Additionally, thanks to Aveeno Active Naturals, the entire issue was printed on 10% post-consumer recycled paper. Corporate America, can we see that more often, please?

What I loved:
Guest editor Laurie David‘s poignant message about making “global warming the reason you pull the lever at the polls in November.” Their “Green Stars” article (pg. 210), featuring the best natural beauty products out now. Many are organic and vegan. Too many to list here, but if you’re a product junkie, watch out! “Big Gulp” (pg. 232) covers the growing interest in cleansing with juice fasting (aka juice feasting). Their 2008 Green Awards (pg. 252), noting the philanthropic and eco-conscious projects of Brad, Stella (and Sir Paul McCartney for making her), Cate Blanchett, Fiji water, those Google guys and NYC’s local meteorologist Sam Champion. The Madonna cover story (pg. 279), and her work with the HIV-afflicted in Malawi.

What I loathed:
“Beauty And The Beast” (pg. 245) was a major let-down for any “green” issue. The article covers “Beast,” a popular restaurant in Portland, Oregon, where allegedly the chef “has found an elegant, dare we say feminine, solution to the ethical eater’s dilemma: how to eat pig without being one.” Umm… excuse me darlings, but ethical eaters and anyone claiming to be an environmentalist doesn’t do animals. Period.

The June issue of Elle is already on newsstands. The subject of being green is not in the press as much now that Earth Day has passed and we’re halfway through May. I still continue hoping this green thing continues gaining steam so that we don’t have to wait until May for the media to note more ways to save the day.

Mike brings new meaning to “I’d like to speak to your manager.”

Keep democracy alive: Take a few moments to vote for PETA’s Sexist Vegetarian Next Door.

Candle 79 patrons might recognize Michael, a snowboarding NYU student who works as a manager at the upscale restaurant. My friend Marisa, who seems to be his campaign manager, writes, “He deserves our vote if for no other reason than having served thousands of giggling girls (and guys) delectable dishes and drinks with a dashing smile. Oh yeah, and he’s been vegan since he was twelve. Now that’s HOT.”

You can see more of my pics here.

So I schlepped out to Williamsburg for the Vegan Buffalo Wing Eating Contest at Foodswings. I missed the first few minutes, but was still able to squeeze into the packed room. I don’t think I missed much–15 minutes is a long time to just watch people stuff face. The stereo was pumping, mostly jock-rock anthems, but also in the mix was Bob Marley’s Buffalo Soldier. This would have to be about the only forgivable context for playing that song in public.

Congratulations to winner Dan (17 wings!) and runners up Marc (15 wings!) and Corey (13.5 wings!). And congrats also to Freedom and the Foodswings team for pulling this off. Vegan New York needs more fun ridiculousness like this!

This Brooklyn guy loves his Tofurky!

Even though it’s nearly a week after Thanksgiving, I’m sure lots of us have Tofurky on the verge of molding in our fridge or cast away to a frost bitten future in the freezer. I don’t blame you. Who can eat the same campy Holiday loaf day after day? The irony gets lame when you wake up around 2PM on Sunday to eat your third Tofurky sandwich to recover from a long holiday weekend of binge drinking.

Well, I hope that the Tofurky sponsored Leftovers Contest will inspire you to create something great with the scant remnants of your holiday loaf. The grand prize is a bitchin’ new Apple 8GB iPhone!!! Plus, 5 Honorable Mention winners will receive Tofurky care packages that include: Custom embroidered Tofurky bowling shirt, Tofurky lunchbox, Tofurky Jurky, Tofurky baseball cap, coupons and more! Entry deadline is March 15, 2008.

Couch potatoes who prefer watching food production to getting busy in the kitchen should keep an eye out for the Discovery Channel program Modern Marvels, which will soon feature an in-depth look at how Tofurky Deli Slices are made. The episode is tentatively scheduled to air on December 18th, but check network listings as the date approaches to confirm.

I just can’t find this stuff appetizing, even when it’s vegan.

It’s yet another peta2 contest! This time they want to know the most veg-friendly college. The winning school will get a big peta2-sponsored party, and those who vote will have a chance to win a prize pack full of peta2 swag.

NYU was nominated, which I can’t say impresses me too much, unless things have really changed in the three years since I graduated. I mean, sure, NYU has those monthly vegan dinners, but I couldn’t even bring myself to eat that mass-produced cafeteria stuff on a monthly basis, let alone daily.

On the plus side, the neighborhood is overflowing with vegan options… but that’s hardly to NYU’s credit.

Anyway, place your votes here.

Update 11/20/06: And they’ve announced the winners!

I forget what category SuperVegan was nominated in, either best website or best blog. But it doesn’t matter, we didn’t win. The people have spoken, and their favorite blog (of those nominated) was Fatfree Vegan Kitchen and their favorite website was Happy Cow. Congrats to both winners. Those are both great sites, and totally deserving. And thanks to everyone who did cast a vote for SuperVegan–we owe you a Newman-O.

I’m super-proud that our dear home of New York City was voted “Favorite Veg-Friendly City” and Candle 79 won for “Favorite Veg Restaurant.” And the mayor of Vegan New York, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, was both the readers’ “Favorite Cookbook Author” and the editors’ “Personality of the Year” (not to be confused with the readers’ “Favorite Vegan Personality,” Natalie Portman, who’s also sort of from New York). The local media swept both ends of the spectrum, with Jane magazine dubbed “Veg-Friendly Mainstream Mag of the Year” and the New York Times getting a booby prize for that whole Nina Planck vegan-babies-will-surely-die bit. Way to go, NYC!

Some of the winners are a little suspect though. Let’s just say that if your favorite vegan cheese is Tofutti, you’ve got to get out more!

Check out the full list of readers’ choice winners and also the editors’ picks.

Congratulations to Thiru Kumar for winning the 2007 Vendy Cup for best street food! Thiru, arguably the friendliest man in New York City, runs the the NY Dosas street cart on the south side of Washington Square. All of his food is vegan and cheap. And now officially the best.

The official Vendy Awards website hasn’t been updated post-event yet, but check out coverage from Gothamist, the Daily News and NPR. Big thanks to reader Greta for letting us know about this.

Are there any other vegan street-food vendors in New York? I know you can always buy a stale pretzel, and maybe a falafel, but does anyone know of other stuff? (Greenmarkets don’t count.)

Hang a chad for SuperVegan.

The 2007 Veggie Awards Ballot is up and ready. Every year, Veg News magazine puts a big survey on the internet and gives away lots of cool prizes.

Get on over there and vote for your favorite vegan doughnut, ice cream, cookie, bakery, chocolate, and also a bunch of things that aren’t dessert. The most important thing is that you vote for SuperVegan in category 20, “Favorite Veg Blog.” Seriously, it’s mandatory that you vote for us, or you’re not allowed to read the site anymore.

The grand prize California vacation package includes a 4-day stay at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino, dinner at Millenium, and all-you-can-eat ice cream sundaes at MaggieMudd. Don’t miss this chance to show them just how much ice cream you can eat!!

The poll is open until September 1. The winners (which will include SuperVegan if you know what’s good for you!) will be announced in the November/December issue of VegNews.

Marzipan-knitted cupcakes at VYY. I think I’m in love.

The Blogger’s Choice Awards for Best Food Blog are being dominated by vegan foodie sites! Five out of the top nine! Sure, Blogger’s Choice Awards is basically a pay-per-post pseudo-scam that gets more traffic to the awards site than the blogs themselves… but… but… food!

At the top of the heap (at least for now) is VeganYumYum, my personal favorite go-to source for explicit work-safe vegan food porn. To round out the top tier (non-vegan sites obvs not included), there’s Fat Free Vegan, Vegan Lunchbox, Urban Vegan and Vegan Improv. I’d suggest you go vote for your favorite, but why not just check these out, drool a bit and give them some commenty love instead–it’ll be time better spent.

Win this swanky Tofu Master t-shirt from Vegan Porn.

The Toronto Vegetarian Association is hosting a tofu haiku contest. Billed as a meatless alternative to the cultishly popular SPAM haiku, the contest seeks to bring together fans of the classic short poetic form and lovers of the wiggly white stuff. Contest judges include vegan superstar Sarah Kramer and vegetarian Haiku master Michael Dylan Welch, the longtime vice president of the Haiku Society of America.

Submit your poem by May 21st and you just might win some schweet schwag. Visit tofuhaiku.com for more info.

This year’s Oscar for Most Unreliable Performance by an AR Organization should go to the American Humane Association, the group that doles out the “No animals were harmed in the making of this film” disclaimer. This year’s Oscar contenders given that seal of approval include The Departed, Half Nelson, and Superman Returns. However, the AHA has been accused of incompetence and disregard for animal safety in films, which leaves me wondering if anybody is watching the animal actors. Nobody wants another tragedy like Flicka.

On the upside, 2006 was a happening one for animal-friendly films. Though not given the Oscar nod, Behind the Mask, Fast Food Nation, and Charlotte’s Web were honored with nominations for next month’s 21st Genesis Awards, a series that recognizes “news and entertainment media that showcase animal protection issues.”

VLB with savory autumn leaf pies.

Congrats to Jennifer McCann of Vegan Lunchbox, the preeminent vegan lunchbox website on the internet (and home of the vegan twinkie), for winning Best Food Blog for Family & Kids 2006 from omni Well Fed Network. Vegan Lunchbox hasn’t been updated as much this school year as little Shmoo is being home schooled part-time and therefore has less use for his little lunchbox; I’m jonesing for my daily dose of delicious and adorable bento serving sizes! But you know the McCann clan is eating better than you are no matter how often Jennifer posts the evidence.

You can buy her book here and listen to her twinkie-related interview on KCRW here.

PETA’s Proggy Awards, 2007 ed. have been announced and they make little to no sense. These things are all over the map, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to mall-food-of-my-youth Red Robin to Coldstone Creamery. Yeah, Coldstone Creamery won best nondairy ice cream for their sorbet. My thoughts on this are: 1. Sorbet is not ice cream, 2. What??

Personal favorite, though, is the best new cookbook category, which went to the Post Punk Kitchen‘s Isa Chandra Moskowitz — not for last fall’s transcendently beautiful Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (co-authored with PPKer Terry Hope Romero) but for the awesome Vegan with a Vengeance. Which came out in 2005. That is not progress, PETA, that is… regress. It’s 2007 and we love our timely cupcakes, dammit.

The League of Humane Voters of NYC just released its 2007 Humane Scorecard. Sadly, even in an almost exclusively Democratic City Council, compassion seems to be the minority viewpoint. While big congrats and thank-you’s go to Rosie Mendez, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Sara Gonzalez, and Michael Nelson, each of whom got straight A’s, 14 members flunked out spectacularly, with absolute 0’s. You can’t get much worse than that.

Scratch that. In what can be seen only as proof of multiple personality disorder, Speaker Christine Quinn, who according to LOHV-NYC recently dubbed herself “a staunch advocate for animal rights,” not only got a zero, she sealed her score with a bloody kiss when she officially came out against banning foie gras in NYC. Quinn probably should have described herself as “a staunch advocate for animal rights, as long as those rights don’t interfere with the bankrolls of the food and restaurant industries.”

At LOHV-NYC’s Winter 2007 Membership Meeting, on Tues., Jan. 16, executive director John Phillips will discuss the Scorecard as well as a proposed ban on the use of wild and exotic animals in NYC. Click here to download a PDF of the 2007 Humane Scorecard.

Also speaking at the meeting will be Larry Kopp, about LOHV-NYC, Farm Sanctuary, and HSUS’s efforts to ban the sale of foie gras in NYC; councilman Tony Avella, who’ll give an update on the Pets in Housing Bill; Valerie Sicignano, to present the 2007 In Defense of Animals Guardian Awards; George Bliss of the Pedicab Owners Association, to talk about the Horse & Carriage Association of NY’s attempts to ban pedicabs from Central Park; and Peter Silvestri of Whole Earth Bakery & Kitchen, about what can be done to prevent the vegan eatery from losing its lease once and for all.

The LOHV-NYC Winter Membership Meeting will take place at 6:30pm at the LGBT Community Center, at 208 W. 13th St. in Rm. 101, with food provided by Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen. To RSVP, e-mail info@humanenyc.org or call 212-889-0303.

Brian had my vote.

Are you a Tofutti cutie? Do people often compliment you on your sexy extra firm tofu bod? Are you longing to show off your Tofurky Jurky? Well, I’ve got the contest for you.

PETA is now accepting entrants to the 2007 Sexiest Vegetarian Contest. This year, the booty going to the vegetarian with the hottest booty includes a trip for two to Maui, Hawaii!

Complete details can be found at GoVeg.com. All entries must be received no later than January 30th. Check out last year’s winners to get an idea of what they’re looking for. If you’re a woman, it seems that showing more skin and being barely legal will give you a competitive edge. As for guys, clothes are okay but being young doesn’t hurt.

VegNews has announced the winners of the 2006 Veggie Awards. There are too many to list here, but we extend a special SuperVegan shout-out to the local NYC winners:

• Sweet & Sara won “Product of the Year” for their marshmallows.
• MooShoes has won the readers’ award for “Favorite Vegan Storefront”.
• Matthew Kenney, of Blue/Green fame, as well as the Jivamukti Cafe (and formerly of Pure Food and Wine) was named “Chef of the Year”.
• Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero of the Post Punk Kitchen have won “Cookbook of the Year” for their Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
• The “VegNews Visionary Award” went to Bart Potenza and Joy Pierson of
  Candle Caf? and Candle 79.
• And finally, Farm Sanctuary’s 20th Anniversary Gala for Farm Animals was named the “Event of the Year”.

Congratulations! We’re proud of you!