Did you know we have a NYC Vegan events calendar here on SuperVegan? Well, we do. Here’s a list of some exciting happenings coming up this week.

• See US Premier of “Cages of Shame”, a film documenting Animals Asia’s rescue of 10 bears from a bile farm in China. Q & A to follow. (Sat 4/14, 6-8pm. Rubin Museum of Art, 150 W. 17th Street, West Village.)
• Stretch your compassion at Yoga for Bears, a yoga class, lunch, and fundraiser for Animals Asia. (Sun 4/14, 12-3:30. Jivamukti Yoga School NYC, 841 Broadway, 2nd Floor, Union Square.)
• Visit Vegan Shop Up to buy ethical edibles and other goodies from local artisans. (Sun 4/15, 12-5pm. Pine Box Rock Shop, 12 Grattan St., Bushwick, Brooklyn.)
• Drop in on Vegan Book Swap 3.0 to snatch up some vegan cookbooks or AR reads and support Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. (Mon 4/16, 6:30-8:30pm. Sustainable NYC, 139 Ave A, East Village)
• Be heard at 2012 NYS Humane Lobby Day. Chartered buses and carpools make it easy for you to get your rear to Albany and encourage your elected representatives to put animals on the agenda. (Wed 4/18, 11am-4pm. Empire State Plaza Convention Center, Albany, NY)

Now’s your chance to read all those vegan/AR books you’ve been hearing about!

• Still need to come up with another Thanksgiving side dish? How about our latest reader submission: Sweet Potatoes Caribbean.
• And Turtle Mountain has launched two brand-new holiday drinks: Coconut Nog and Mint Chocolate.
• Holiday fare often leads to excess weight gain (if you’re doing it right). Need to lose those extra pounds? Check in with Dr. Frank Sabatino for some plant-based weight loss ideas.
• Speaking of eating, if sandcastle cookies, fried pickles and kale chips spell holiday spirit to you, you won’t want to miss the Vegan Holiday Shop-Up, on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 12-5pm, at the Pine Box Rock Shop.
• Then on Dec. 10, join our very own Livi Lane in the County of Kings for Vegan/Animal Rights Book Swap for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary 2.0. Stock up on all the tomes you’ve been dying to read, and grab some issue-oriented stocking stuffers!
• Speaking of Woodstock FAS, the Guesthouse is open for business! Well, almost. Make your reservations now: Rooms are available starting Jan. 6. I got a sneak peek during Thanksliving, and let me tell you, it’s a sweet place to stay!
• Thanksgiving is followed by Black Friday, which means holiday shopping is upon us. Want to be sure all your gifts come from cruelty-free sources? The Veg Blog just launched a series of vegan-business profiles, the first of which features Herbivore Clothing Company, and the second, jewelry maker McFarland Designs.
• Still haven’t made much of a dent in that list? On Dec. 11, head over to the Green Holiday Festival, an eco-friendly, cruelty-free shopping event. It’s $20 to get in, but part of that benefits For the Animals Sanctuary.
• For more information about these and other happenings in the NYC area, check out our Events Calendar.

I love Jorja Fox, now more than ever.

• One of my favorite people, Jenny Brown, is speaking at Jivamukti Café on Saturday, 11/12, from 7-9pm. In Peace Begins on Your Plate: Why Farm Animals Matter in Our Quest for Peace, the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary cofounder will talk about the way animals are raised for food and how we can be better advocates for our fellow critters.
• O Canada! Why do you get your very own vegan patty from Subway but we don’t? All in good time, I guess.
• Next Monday, 11/14, from 7-9pm, NY CLASS is hosting Happy Hour for the Horses at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street. Join super SuperVegan Patrick Kwan to learn more about the campaign to put the horse-drawn carriages out of business. Drinks specials include the “Horseless Carriage Cocktail” for $3.50, and 2-for-1 beer, wine and well drinks, plus snacks courtesy of Sweet Cheeks Vegan Bakery. Check out these and other events on our NYC Events Calendar.
• I don’t have any ink, but I have a lot of friends who’ll be happy to see there’s a new vegan tattoo balm out there.
• Meatless Every Days is better, but Meatless Mondays is a good start. Share this video with the omnis in your life and get them moving in the right direction.
• Jorja Fox stars in a new ad campaign for PETA, asking people to investigate how their food came to be. How cool is it that the actress’s veg epiphany happened in the greatest borough of all?

I’m home sick with a sinus infection, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay in and miss all the fun (like Saturday’s Smorgasburg, which for the first time featured items from the Vegan Bodega). But thankfully Smorgasburg happens every Saturday, so you’ll have another chance to go next week, and the week after that.

Two other very cool events are happening Sunday, 10/23:

• Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals, which starts at 11am in Central Park. If you can’t walk, be sure to donate!
• The Vegan Fall Shop-Up, taking place at the Pine Box Rock Shop, from 12-5pm. Check out the artisanal tempeh, kale chips, hummus made in Brooklyn, farm-fresh veggies, stationery, soy candles, and more. The Vegan Bodega is making an appearance at the Shop-Up, too, so be sure to check them out!

Someone bring me a doggie bag!

I spent the past weekend in Woodstock, gearing up for ThanksLiving. But the farm isn’t the only game in town when it comes to good vegan eats; my husband and I stuffed ourselves plenty before even setting foot on WFAS property.

That said, there aren’t that many places for a vegan to eat in Woodstock, which is why we spent so much time at the Garden Cafe. (Note: GC donated 68 pounds of cornbread to be used in WFAS’s ThanksLiving stuffing, and boy, was it good!) It was too cold to sit outside, so we sat inside at one of the mismatched tables with ceramic salt and pepper shaker figurines. Local art covers the walls (as it does most everywhere in town), and the staff, too (though I can’t say for sure that the staff’s ink is local), giving the place a small-town but very progressive vibe.

On to the food: As a rule, I never order tofu scramble when I’m out. Somewhere along the line I got a really disappointing dish of it, and since then it’s been all pancakes, French toast and biscuits and gravy. But I was in the mood for protein, so I threw caution to the wind and ordered the Basic Tofu Scramble with spinach and avocado. And I cannot express how happy I am that I listened to that instinct! The scramble was, simply put, divine. The menu doesn’t say much more than “with onions,” and aside from spinach and avocado you can add mushrooms or bell peppers. But the flavor was so oniony (in a green way), the scramble so delicately and satisfyingy seasoned, that I couldn’t wait to order it for breakfast the next day. It comes with a slice of toast, cut into wedges, and some Earth Balance. Between that, some coffee and a small glass of OJ, I didn’t need anything else.

I can’t say enough about Garden Cafe’s Basic Tofu Scramble. I’m a changed woman.

Well, almost anything else. Sated as I was, I decided to go for a little palate cleanser, and the winner was the Apple Crisp, listed on the menu as Wheat-Free Cinnamon-Baked Seasonal Fruit with Crunchy Oat Topping. It was scrumptious, not too heavy, and with just the right amount of sweetness, the crunch of the topping balancing the softness of the apples. It was the perfect after-breakfast dessert.

The Apple Crisp is the perfect after-breakfast dessert.

For lunch we decided to go somewhere else, mostly because e were coming back to the Garden Cafe for dinner. So we headed over to Joshua’s, where there wasn’t a whole lot on the menu for us, but what was there was clearly marked. Of course, there were the usual sides and salads, plus a Mediterranean sampler (hummus, baba ghanoush and tabbouleh), and thankfully a few vegan soups, too, because it was getting nippy out. We got a Lentil Barley Soup and an Apple Butternut Squash Soup, then we split an order of hummus with pita and got some homemade sweet potato chips to go. The Lentil Barley was good and hearty, though flavor-wise I didn’t love it. There wasn’t anything wrong with it; it just didn’t suit my palate after my Butternut Squash. And boy, was mine delicious! Thick and sweet, with a generous helping of cinnamon, it really hit the spot. We would have ordered more (and found out whether the Veggie Burger and Falafel could be made vegan), but we were saving room for dinner. And I already knew what I was having…

Well, I didn’t know which appetizer we’d end up having. I had my heart set on the Garden Cafe’s Spicy Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce special, but instead we got the Quesadillas with caramelized onions, roasted peppers and “cheddar,” plus black beans with corn and spinach (the other option is black olives). I don’t use sour cream or salsa, so I can’t say how good they were, but the guac was great, so the small scoop was definitely not enough, especially for two of us. But the overall flavor was smoky, and the tortilla was nice and crispy, so I would definitely order this again.

For dinner my husband got the Homemade Southwest Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Burger with guac, salsa and vegan cheddar, while I finally got my special: Baked Seitan with Red Wine Fig Sauce, which came with roasted cauliflower with olives, mushroom flan and sautéed greens. I’m a mushroom-phobe, and the flan was really mushroomy, so I took one bite and never looked back. But I devoured my greens (as always), the cauliflower-broccoli-olive mix, and every single morsel of the seitan. The seitan’s texture was perfect, and its flavor was complex and stew-like, exactly what I was hoping for. Between dinner and the lovely dry red wine I’d ordered, I didn’t have room for much else, though I did manage to scarf down a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of chocolate ice cream—but only to clear my palate, of course.

The Baked Seitan with Red Wine Fig Sauce was the perfect meal for a cold night out.

Garden Cafe’s seitan dish was amazing, and it made me wonder: Is it because they use the locally made seitan we get at Sunflower Market on the way home every year? I was too busy eating to remember to ask, but I’ll make a point to inquire next time.

No trip to Woodstock is complete without a stop at Sunflower Market for some locally made seitan.

Speaking of next time, our innkeeper told us they make a great vegan hash at Oriole 9, just a few doors down from Joshua’s. I can’t imagine it could even come close to the Scramble at Garden Cafe, but I’m interested to try it. But maybe for lunch: Now that I’ve found such a good thing in GC’s scramble, I’m in no hurry to replace it with anything else.

This is Part 2 of my Woodstock Weekend posts. Click here for Part 1 and find out what the good folks over at Woodsroack Farm Animal Sanctuary served up for ThanksLiving 6.0.

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

Yesterday was my favorite day of the year: ThanksLiving, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s yearly celebration in honor of the turkeys, and of all the animals who are raised for food. It’s a day to hang with the critters, meet vegans from all over, listen to great music, and, of course, eat amazing food. And what a beautiful day it was! Saturday’s rain gave way to comfortable temperatures and sunny skies (until after dinner, anyway). Yesterday was also the first chance anyone had to check out the farm’s new B&B—a lovely, quaint, yet spacious-feeling little house across from the main field. I can’t wait to stay there! But that’s a topic for another post; right now we have food to discuss.

While the guests perused the silent auction items and strategically placed their raffle tickets (I walked away with a set of Woodstock Chimes and a gift certificate to V-Note), booze from Frey Wines and Stone Brewing Company Beers flowed (until the red wine ran out). And then came the appetizers: I really enjoyed Regal Vegan’s Faux Gras Crostini and the Buffalo Bites from Blossom; my favorite restaurant apparently also donated Cape Cod Cakes, but they went so quickly, I never even saw them. Also making the rounds were Faux Beef Medallions with Béarnaise Sauce, which might have been better if they’d made it out hot; on the cool side they were a little chewy. That said, their flavor almost resembled the meatiness of Primal Strips, so they might be good dehydrated.

Then it was time to sit and eat, and listen, but just a little: This year there was no lineup of speakers, just founder Jenny Brown greeting the guests and thanking the staff and volunteers, who included the chef from Jivamuktea Cafe; David Silver, the former owner of Second Helpings (and one of my housemates); and vegan dynamo Terry Hope Romero, who was at the kitchen’s helm. And dinner was an impressive array: Chipotle Sweet Potato Bisque with Cashew Crema, Cornbread Sofrito Stuffing with Veggie Chorizo, Massaged Kale Salad wih Raisins and Toasted Almonds, and the much-anticipated Savage River Faux Chicken Rajas in Orange Garlic Mojo.

The ThanksLiving spread: Chipotle Sweet Potato Bisque with Cashew Crema, Cornbread Sofrito Stuffing with Veggie Chorizo, Massaged Kale Salad wih Raisins and Toasted Almonds, and Faux Chicken Rajas in Orange Garlic Mojo.

The soup was deliciously rich and hearty, and I love, love, love my greens, so I didn’t leave a speck (or drop) of either behind. I didn’t finish my stuffing, though, because I got the gluten-free version, which meant all the tasty stuff—the cornbread and the chorizo—were left out. As for the chicken, well, this was made with Savage River’s new gluten-free soy and pea protein mock meat, which isn’t on the market yet. While I’m happy there’s going to be a new alternative out there, I have mixed feelings about it: The “chicken” was gently and tastefully seasoned, but the texture of the stuff was a little dry, almost grainy; even Terry’s Mojo couldn’t save it. What did make it more palatable, though, was the cranberry sauce; once I began to pair the two, I enjoyed the mock meat a whole lot more. Maybe it’s because the food didn’t make it out piping hot, or maybe Savage River still has a few kinks to work out with their recipe. But I wasn’t overwhelmed by the new “meat,” and I really hope they improve upon it before they release it in stores.

As always, the desserts were from Vegan Treats. And as always, they were incredible. I forwent my usual Peanut Butter Bomb fetish and instead sampled the Baklava Cheesecake (ridiculusly flaky and delicious) and Cannoli—a perfectly crispy shell encasing a not-too-sweet yet delectable cream topped with chocolate chips. But the selection didn’t stop there: There was also pumpkin cake, pecan pie, apple pie, brownies, and cookies. This was a veritable feast of sweets. All hail Danielle Konya!

What is there to say about Vegan Treats? Delish.

So overall, the day was a blast and the meal was really good. While Savage River’s faux chicken can stand a little fine-tuning, it’s nice to know new altenatives are on the horizon. Who knows what surprises will await us at ThanksLiving 7.0?

This is Part 1 of my Woodstock Weekend posts. Check out Part 2 and find out what other gastronomic delights await you in Ulster County.

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

• Paul McCartney just got married, again, and had a vegan wedding. Yay! But what exactly does it mean when they say that one cake was chocolate and the other one was vegan?!
• Champs Bakery had its own location, then it shared space with Kingsland Sandwich Shop. Now it’s a vegetarian diner. I was excited to try their grub and see how it compares with Chicago Diner’s—best diner food ever!—but now I’m left wondering why they bill themselves as vegan when they serve dairy cheese in addition to Daiya? Thanks to an intrepid SuperVegan reader for the tip, which I confirmed with a call to Champs.
• I’m not a sandwich person, so Subway isn’t really on my radar. But it’s pretty major when a national chain tweets about Vegetarian Awareness Month and asks for food feedback, isn’t it?
• There’s a new mock meat in town, about to make its debut at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s ThanksLiving feast this weekend. It’s apparently gluten-free and pretty damned delicious. Look for my full report on Monday!
• Okay, this isn’t explicitly about food, but how much do I love Tobey Maguire for sending back a free car because it had leather seats? That’s what I call a true superhero!

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

It’s a bunch of New Yorkers sharing vegan food! (Courtesy of Long Island Food Not Bombs)

Let’s do this one old school style: the Who, What, When, Where and Why of Long Island Food Not Bomb‘s Vegan Thanksgiving Bonanza!

Who: Long Island Food Not Bombs volunteers will share a vegan feast with hundreds of delicious meals, desserts, treats and literally tens-of-thousands of pounds of vegan-friendly Thanksgiving groceries, clothing, books and other necessities with the community.

What: This year’s Vegan Thanksgiving Bonanza will be the biggest to-date and the largest Food Not Bombs ever. Upwards of 2,000 people are expected! Some of the area supporters sharing food for this event include Raw IceCream Company, 3 Brothers Pizza, Whole Foods and Golden Earthworm CSA.

The Vegan Thanksgiving Bonanza is also one of nearly a dozen events Long Island Food Not Bombs is organizing for Thanksgiving in Long Island and NYC. There are others food shares in Bed-Stuy (Brooklyn), Hempstead, Coram, Huntington and Farmingville.

When: Sunday, November 21st at 2:00pm! More event details can be found at www.lifnb.com.

Where: The parking lot adjacent to the Hempstead Long Island Rail Road Station at the intersection of W. Columbia St. & Station Plaza, Hempstead, NY 11550. Take the Long Island Rail Road or use your MetroCard on the bus to Hempstead Bus Station across the street.

Why: The international Food Not Bombs movement believes food is a human right and if all the money spent on war and occupation were redirected to food, no one would go hungry. Thanksgiving need not include the cooking of a turkey. Vegan meals bring together folks of all dietary preferences, promote compassion and use far less resources than the meat or dairy industry.

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

Hot on the heels of performances by Chrissie Hynde and Sean Lennon, the folks up at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary recently announced that vegan musician Moby will be playing an acoustic show at the sanctuary on Saturday, September 25th as a part of their Summer Concert Series.

Sanctuary co-founders Jenny Brown and Doug Abel, as well as their crew of employees and volunteers, have been hella busy this summer. In addition to managing the needs of over 100 rescued and rehabilitated farm animals, they have put together this successful series of live concerts on the farm to benefit those rescue efforts. They’re making me feel sort of bad for using my summer vacation to catch up on re-runs of “Glee.”

Opening for Moby is Kelli Scarr, a singer/songwriter who frequently contributes vocals to Moby’s tracks. Following Moby’s acoustic set, he will be joined on-stage by members of the band Mercury Rev to perform a “live soundscape” to the 1956 classic French film The Red Balloon. This multimedia, full-sensory concert will be held outdoors, and there will be vegan food and drink available to purchase. How very Woodstock of them.

This is a great way to simultaneously bid farewell to the summer concert season and support Woodstock’s rescue and outreach efforts. You can get advance tickets online now for $30. Or, if you really want to make it a vegan field trip to remember, you can attend Woodstock’s MOGO Workshop with Zoe Weil that same day and get into the Moby show for half-price.

Tickets and more information about both the MOGO Workshop and the Moby concert are available at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary website. They also have information on transportation to and from the city, including bus routes, so you have no excuses.

On the rare occasion that I watch a fashion show (on TV, not in real time, lest some “extreme” animal activist throw red paint on my faux fur!*), I often think, “That girl’s skinny ass has GOT to be vegan!” But it isn’t. And she’s wearing anally electrocuted minks. Go figure!

But, lo! On October 2, that’s going to change. SuperVegan is proud to be sponsoring a vegan fashion show that’s coming to the Vegetarian Expo in Albany. Nine fine models — six ladies and three dudes — will strut their skinny and/or deliciously toned booties down the runway in designer vegan duds.

The models were selected from a contestant pool by five discerning judges appointed by organizer Kristin Lajeunesse. GirlieGirl Army‘s Chloe Jo Davis, Vaute Couture‘s Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, Cri de Coeur‘s Gina Ferraraccio and Julie Dicterow, and Dan Mims, the creator of the new vegan men’s fashion website The Ethical Man, announced their picks Saturday, August 28. View photos of the models-to-be and their answers to a few questions on vegetarianism and environmentalism, and note that one of them is named Seanathan.

And check this out! They’ll be wearing Vaute Couture clothes and coats, NOHARM shoes for the dudes, Cri de Coeur shoes for the dudettes, and Cherry Berry handbags.

Mandi Hoffman of Chic Vegan (a fun and smart vegan fashion blog! read it!) will emcee the show.

This year’s expo–speakers and exhibitors posted on the site, check it!–runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Empire State Plaza in Albany on October 2. Admission is free; a $5 donation is suggested. A screening of Forks Over Knives will follow the Expo at 5:30 p.m. Seating is limited and a $10 donation is required in advance.

*Me, wear fake fur? As if!

Date Julie!

“Date This Vegan” is a regular SuperVegan column in which we feature a reader in the New York metro area who is not only hot and smart, but also VEGAN and looking for love.

Hey, menfolk, meet the witty, clever and very cute Julie! She’s a 29-year-old, Yonkers-based, multi-tasking, informally employed multimedia journalist. That sounds pretty rad, right?

Here’s Julie-the-Journalist in her own words: “I am highly visual and I like to express my creativity through various media. I think and speak parenthetically as there is always a side note. :) I value correct grammar and spelling, and I am easily wooed by a beautifully composed sentence. (That doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed dating linguistically impaired fellows, but you anal-retentive types understand what I’m talking about.) Some things I do: Photography, bicycling, reading the news, being a Frugal Gourmet in my own right.”

Are you a match for Julie? She thinks you should “have a highly developed aesthetic sensibility, but you don’t have to be a professional artist. You are trim, not bulky. You’re realistic, but not bogged down by the realities of life. You feel the weight of the world on your shoulders as you’re socially conscious, but you don’t slouch over because of the burden. You are adventurous, not reckless. You have strong values that you try to abide by on a daily basis. You take animal rights very seriously, but you don’t take yourself too seriously. You feel you are accomplished in your chosen field, and you exude the confidence (not arrogance) that comes with it. In that sense, you would invite the company of an intelligent, accomplished person, without feeling the least bit jealous or inferior.”

Julie likes her adult beverages, but if you don’t drink alcohol, that’s a-okay with her. However, if you smoke cigarettes, that’s not okay. (You know, if you smoke, you really should quit already. Why? Because SuperVegan.com loves you and we want you to live for a very, very long time, kiddos!)

#1 Reason to Date Julie: She’s a Sagittarian Monkey.

Contact Julie at DateJulie@supervegan.com. We encourage you to send her a picture and tell her more about yourself than just your age and what you do for a living. Don’t get majorly depressed if Julie doesn’t respond — we imagine her inbox will be overflowing, and not just because you can cut glass with her cheekbones. Seriously, did you see those things! Hott!

Want to learn more about SuperVegan’s “Date This Vegan” column? Want to be featured in the column? Go here to read the fine print and fill out an application, hotstuff.

Make waffles with Joshua Katcher tomorrow! Image via The Discerning Brute.

• New York State Humane Lobby Day is upon us, March 24, people. This is our chance to talk about legislation that will directly and significantly affect the nonhumans with whom we share the state. Want to go but don’t have a ride? Chartered buses will leave from Water Street and Midtown West the morning of. $25 pp.
• In the Awesome Vegan Shit on Etsy department, there’s this (maybe NSFW?) Vegan Vulva Lip Balm, for the, uh, lips on your face. VulvaLoveLovely‘s store totally cracks me up with its vagina pendants, uterus plush dolls, breast pillows, and other assorted vag trinkets.
• And how’s about these super cute handmade vegan flats?! Vegansaurus pointed these out earlier this week, but I can’t not direct you them again cause I loves me some sustainably-made shoes!
• Speaking of shoes, we went to the opening of Melissa Shoes‘s pop-up shop at Kaight this week. Ooooh, shiiiiny.
• Discerning Brute founder Joshua Katcher will give a vegan cooking demo TOMORROW, hear me?, at JivamukTea Cafe 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event costs $75, and you can sign up here by going to the special events tab on the upper right and clicking “signup now!” next to Joshua’s photo. (Pssst, you can check our NYC events calendar for more vegan happenings in the area, too!)
• SuperVegan is looking for writers! If you’re interested, check this post and get in touch pleeease and thank you.
• TeaNY is reopening, say some news-rumors. Alas, the LES restaurant, which has been closed since it lost to an electrical fire in June ’09, isn’t answering the phones or opening the doors, so I have no real live dates for you at present. TeaNY, answer my calls, open up, and bring back your sweet, sweet, frothy almond milk tea lattes. I still love you.
• ‘sNice is opening a new location at Sullivan Street between Prince and Houston, sooort of near TeaNY. Some time this month they will fill the sandwich and tea chasm below Houston. So, TeaNY, whatever with you. Oh, consumers are so fickle. (Just kidding. More is more. Give me my lattes.)
• New kid Terri is getting lots of fab reviews.
• Since you probably read the news this week, I won’t belabor it except to say ENDANGERED WHALE SUSHI WHAT?!
• Let us close on a positive note: New York Magazine named BabyCakes‘s doughnuts “Best Vegan Treat.” Meanwhile, Erin McKenna is working on a candy cookbook. Sweet.

Paul Watson FOREVER

It’s been a buzzy holiday weekend in the vegan news department. Tonight we catch up on all the goings-on since Wednesday.

• Obama poster artist Shepard Fairey immortalized Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson with a print of his very own. Posters measure 18 x 24″, are signed by Watson, and cost $55 each. Buy ‘em at Obey Giant. PAUL WATSON CAN NEVER DIE.
• The California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund released its 2009 State Animal Protection Laws Rankings. (Old news? Yeah, sort of. Still worth reading? Totally.) ALDF ranked New York in the middle tier — not laying down the law with the best or permitting certain atrocities with the worst. Illinois ranked highest and Kentucky lowest. Read the full report here (PDF).
• In other ranking news, the Humane Society gave the Obama administration a B- for animal protection. Full report right here (PDF).
• Ingrid Newkirk reminds us via Huffington Post why it’s awesome to be vegan, and then she rhymes with food.
• Vegan Twinkies are BACK. No Whey! Kitchen is going to fill the hole left in your heart by the closing of Vegan Honey Bake Shop. No Whey! sells to restaurants and is taking private orders for a limited time.
• Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns, will deliver her lecture “The Social and Secret Life of Chickens” at the New York Public Library’s Mid-Manhattan branch on December 30. That’s 40th Street and Fifth Avenue, 6th floor, 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday. BE THERE.
• Your average dog eats a LOT of meat, VegNews reminds us: “research teams found that a medium-sized dog consumes approximately 360 pounds of meat and more than 200 pounds of grain each year. The agriculture needed to sustain this kind of companion-animal diet emits twice the greenhouse gas emissions that come from driving an SUV 6,200 miles per year.”
• MEANWHILE, Annalisa Lazzaro of NYC asks The Ethicist whether it’s cool to feed her cat a vegetarian diet. Duh! And you’ve got to be resilient! If one vegetarian — or better, vegan — kitty food doesn’t work out, try another one. Then try cooking for Mr. Pus. Why support animal cruelty or slaughter in any way if you can avoid it, right?
• Don’t know what to do with your sad, leftover shepherd sticks candy canes? Vegan Cookies brings us this recipe for peppermint candy cane chocolate chip cookies AND shows us how to crush candy canes. Holiday anger issues: resolved.
• Cafe Blossom’s UES location opened, so go there and eat everything.

• Companion animals are a more significant cause of global warming than SUVs, claim two New Zealand scientists (slash critical thinkers!) in their book, Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living. According to the ABC article on the book, authors Robert and Brenda Vale say that cats’ and dogs’ carnivorous diets are the problem. Well, hey, plenty of dogs live healthily vegan. Problem solved. Bejesus. Now what about humans’ diets?
• Russia plans to send monkeys to Mars. Why not just send humans, hmm? Space radiation, NASA says, and the solution? Radiate squirrel monkeys here on Earth, and proffer funds to the med schools that participate in testing.
• Vegansaurus takes Natalie Angier down with fire and facts! Joshua Katcher, too, with pictures. Do it to it, guys!

I will eat these, then write about it

The sharpie tattoo on my arm reads: Eat Chocolate. Review for SuperVegan.

Before me, a mini tower of BlueStocking BonBons by Lagusta’s Luscious and a glass of water (to y’know cleanse my palate and be all methodological yo). My mission, simple: eat, type, eat, type, etc.

Selma’s Peppermint Patties

Wow. Wasn’t expecting this texture at first glance; they are not soft at all. They’re damn good though. Simultaneously luscious and robust; they strike a perfect balance of mint and chocolate where neither overpowers the other. You go Selma!

Vandana Shiva’s (Ancho Chilies, Maui Vanilla Beans and Mexican Cinnamon)

Ooooh. Texture! Spicy, smooth and Savory. I must say the texture of this piece really brings the whole experience to another level. It’s as though every flavor shines independently and dance together in your mouth. You can really taste every bit!

Pauline Benjamin’s Peanut Butter Cups

Whoa. Not sweet. The Peanut Butter Flavor definitely dominates. A bit dry but the dark chocolate acts as a nice undertone to the heavy peanut butter flavor. This is for you if you like your peanut butter with a little chocolate and not the other way around.

Furious Vulvas (bittersweet chocolate, pink peppercorns and salt)

Mmmmmm. Spicy and Salty! The pink peppercorns and salt add a special dimension to the chocolate piece. This is definitely the smoothest of the four. Melty, luscious and smooth. The salt makes this bonbon sing. Oh. Yeah. These things totally looks like vulvas too. Ha.

The Verdict: Lagusta can throw down some damn tasty chocolate; interestingly flavored, with great packaging and would make a great gift!

Andy amidst Catskill Mountain foliage. Photo: Roseann Marulli

Big tent. Friendly critters. Funny emcee. Yummy food. Cool music. No, it wasn’t the circus, it was the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary‘s annual ThanksLiving.

Over 250 people came for this sold out event Sunday to visit with rescued farm animals and enjoy a fabulous sit-down all-vegan meal. ThanksLiving rather than Thanksgiving is a celebration of turkeys and other farmed animals during a season traditionally centered on meals of dead animals. This is the third year I have volunteered for this event, and here’s my “take” on it:

The weather report promised a 100 percent chance of precipitation, but we were lucky. The cold schvitz of the morning gave way to light banks of clouds by the afternoon. The sanctuary is nestled between two Catskill mountains, which were resplendent in fall foliage. A giant heated tent was set up in the goat pasture, with elegant light fixtures, dozens of white-clothed tables, and a stage.

The Critters
First, of course, let’s visit with the animals. The welcoming committee of turkey boys greeted visitors, looking regal with their fans of white tail feathers. Folks marveled at their fuchsia (now pink, now blue!) snoods and wattles, while the curious boys ogled back, moving up close to check us out.

Turkey welcoming committee. Photo: Roseann Marulli

I touched base with familiar friends—Sophie the black and white pig, who grunted in greeting and sleepily pulled herself up from a nap when she heard my voice; Dylan, a former veal calf now van-size steer, offered me his snout for rubs; and Anne the cute-as-a-button Boer goat and young escape artist. Albie, the three-legged goat bopped around on his new fake leg as Louise the beautiful ewe hung out with her sheep posse, eyeing visitors from a distance.

Sophie takes a mud bath (2008). Photo: Cat Clyne

There was the spanking-new duck pond to admire and its new residents to meet: Teddi and Quincy. Teddi provided a lively commentary as he proudly showed me his new digs (occasionally nipping my jeans to accentuate a point), while Quincy gracefully bathed in the man-made pond, complete with a waterfall cascading down rocks.

There was a coop full of new black and white chickens to meet. They were recently rescued from a live-kill market in New York City. 110 chickens in all were brought to the farm, many sickly and injured. This is a reality most New Yorkers are unaware of: there are roughly 100 markets around the city where people can buy meat from animals freshly killed on the premises. Some animals escape and many are confiscated by authorities due to neglect and cruelty; these city critters end up at our local sanctuaries (one more reason why New Yorkers should support their work!).

A high point for me was meeting Ciyalana the 11 year-old African Spurred tortoise (they can live up to 80 years!). He’s got little buck teeth and a sweet ‘smile’. A few years ago, some kids tried to bash in his shell with a brick, so he has an alarming gash in his armor. But that doesn’t stop him from liking humans. We spent a little time checking each other out. Here’s a crazy-cute video of him eating dinosaur kale!!!

Ciyalana – tank with legs. Photo: Cat Clyne

The Food
I wouldn’t be a vegan if I didn’t talk about the food, right? I worked in the kitchen throughout the event, so I had an up-close perspective.

While guests milled about the merchandise, raffle and silent auction tables, platters of hors d’oeuvres were offered: spicy meatballs with carrot-ginger sauce, veggie dumplings, bbq seitan skewers, and stuffed mushrooms.

The dinner plates were filled to the rims with a festival of seasonal fare: Blue corn crusted seitan with chimichurri sauce (a hearty specialty of local restaurant New World Home Cooking), savory stuffing (whole cranberries made a nice touch), warm Tuscan farro salad with butternut squash, and roasted seasonal veggies. Sweet potato and walnut biscuits from all-vegan Karma Road Deli topped off the feast.

Dinner plate. Photo: Roseann Marulli

What’s a Thanksgiving meal without a rockin’ dessert?! Provided by the famous Bethlehem, PA-based bakery Vegan Treats, there was a selection of delectable cakes: spicy pumpkin cheesecake, death by chocolate, and peanut butter bomb. Bakery founder Danielle Konya was on hand to help cut and serve the cakes.

Cakes in the kitchen. Photo: Roseann Marulli

The Entertainment
Bizarro cartoonist, WFAS Board member, and all around funny guy Dan Piraro suavely emceed the evening, keeping things moving smoothly with jokes and witty commentary.

Nathan Runkle, founder of Ohio-based grassroots group Mercy For Animals, gave an empowering talk with enough facts about factory-farmed animals to bring the reality home, but staying positive by reminding people that they can help animals by choosing vegan food. John Phillips talked about his impressive work with the New York League of Humane Voters and local shelter director Brian Shapiro gave a shout-out to the Ulster County SPCA.

Then Jenny Brown took the stage – the illustrious co-founder and director of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. She told stories about the animals at the sanctuary and featured some wonderful stills by photographer (and longtime volunteer) Bob Esposito. She gave an impassioned plea on behalf of farmed animals by outlining what many of them go through, particularly the suffering of dairy cows and egg laying hens. She brought the mood back up again with an outrageously cute video of Fern, a little blond goat and recent arrival at the farm. Too cute.

The evening was nicely topped off with live music by the NYC-based band Ida. They started with some mellow mood music as people gathered by the stage, then picked up the pace with folk-rock songs. They are a strong supporter of animal issues and a regular guest at WFAS events.

By the end of the event, the sun was peeking through the clouds as people picked up their bulging gift bags.

Big top in the goat pasture. Photo: Roseann Marulli

Some people commented that the food wasn’t as fabulous as years past (ok: it’s no easy feat topping the meals of the past two years featuring dishes handmade on site by celebrity vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz—I am remembering her mouthwatering chickpea cutlets with mushroom gravy…). But in my view, this year’s ThanksLiving was a fine mixture of good food, uplifting (and brief) talks, fabulous raffle and silent auction prizes, and weather that was warm enough to allow for quality outdoor time with the animal residents of the sanctuary.

Hats off to the staff, board, and army of volunteers who made this a super-smooth event. To support the work of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and find out how to visit, see their website: woodstockfas.org.

Thanks to fellow SuperVegan Roseann Marulli for sharing her lovely photos. See more of them on her FaceBook page.

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

…essential

Living in New York City, I often take the ease of being a vegan for granted; the sheer multitude of options is definitely the impetus for my obliviousness. Every so often, a tour, a road trip or vacation will act like a bucket of water and splash me back to reality.

It’s in those rare moments when I do come across some grub, that I truly appreciate vegan food in all its glory. Even a short trip can lead you spiraling towards a vegan dead zone if you’re not careful.

So, while on a quick jaunt to Nyack, NY recently, I was pleasantly surprised to find not only an option, but a deliciously viable vegan option to boot!

Main Essentials is a relatively new edition to the Nyack Area. It’s Rastafarian fare with a Dominican flare. Owner Enrique Almonte incorporates his Dominican Roots into every Ital dish that he creates and the results are great; slow cooked creations bursting with flavor and texture. The food is buffet styled (much like many of NYC’s Rasta haunts) and fresh juices and Smoothies round out the menu.

Mr. Almonte and Mr. Relic

Sweet BBQ Soy Chicken, Curried Fava Bean Stew, Brown Rice and Collard Greens

The star of the show, Soy Chicken Empanadas

crispy crunchy outside; creamy curry soy chicken inside

Main Essentials is at 145 Main Street, Nyack NY 10960. About 45 Minutes from Manhattan.

Photos by Dodai Stewart

Avimorphism? (Photo via National Pigeon Day)

**Edit: Two late additions for Tuesday, June 16**

Be alerted of these and other events we think you’ll care about by subscribing to our calendar.

Events are free unless otherwise noted.

Now until June 14

Watch new documentary HOME free on YouTube. More info in our recent blog post.

Saturday, June 13

National Pigeon Day: Praise the pigeon at Central Park and all over the country. Our very own Patrick Kwan will be speaking.
12-4pm
Central Park, Pilgrim Hill

Get friendly with a neeeeighbor at A Horse of Course!, a walk and discussion with Kathy Stevens at Catskill Animal Sanctuary.
1-4pm
$15, or $5 for members. Register in advance by calling Julie at (845) 336-8447.

Woodstock FAS hosts its family-friendly Jamboree. Games, face-painting, animals, and food by Isa Moskowitz. That’s right–another chance to dose on Isa before she heads back to Oregon.
11am-5pm
$10. Register in advance at the website.

Tuesday, June 15

Protest against the netting and gassing to death of at least 2,000 NYC geese
12-2pm
Port Authority Headquarters, 225 Park Ave. South

Ingrid Newkirk’s book-signing for The PETA Practical Guide to Animals Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble
7pm
Borders, Columbus Circle

Thursday, June 18

Mercy for Animals celebrates the opening of its New York office with vegan appetizers and drinks at MooShoes. And wait, it gets better than vegan food and booze: MooShoes will be donating 10% of that day’s in-store and online sales to MFA, so you finally have a scale-tipping reason to get that pair of Simples.
6:30-9:30pm
MooShoes, 78 Orchard St.

Friday, June 19

Join Mary and Peter Max for the kick-off party for the production of Standardized Testing. The film “follows PATH founder Kelly Overton…as he attempts to return his diplomas and get his tuition refunded in an effort to bring attention to the dangerous and wasteful biomedical research being done at the universities.” Food will be provided by 4 Course Vegan, BabyCakes NYC, Blackwell’s Organic Gelato, Candle Cafe, Frey Vineyards, The Power of Food, Tuthilltown Spirits, Vegan Treats Bakery, and others.
6:30-8:30pm
The Max Studio
37 W. 65th St., 7th floor
$100 and up. Purchase tickets here.

If you’ve never met a farm animal and you care about critters … WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Vegans listen up: it’s time to make friends with the ‘friends’ you don’t eat by visiting a sanctuary. It’ll change your life, I guarantee it. Here’s how: we’ve got TWO farm animal sanctuaries within two-plus hours of our fair city. So log off of Facebook and head for the Catskills to ‘friend’ rescued pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys, sheep, cows and others. Get checked out by curious turkeys and goats or give a pig a belly rub. Bring a meat-eating pal for extra credit (especially if s/he has a car). And for you car-less New Yorkers, fugeddaboutit: the Woodstock sanctuary is accessible by bus from Port Authority, so there’s really no excuse.

Both the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and the Catskill Animal Sanctuary are open on weekends for visits. Tour the farm, meet the critters and hear their rescue stories. You’ll be surprised how many of the animals came from NYC live-kill markets (especially goats and birds). It makes a wonderful day trip to meet the animals, hang out, maybe even volunteer a few hours (there’s always barns and coops to clean or pig meals to prepare). But if you need an event to draw you there, the next two weekends are guaranteed good-times – just for you:

Saturday, June 6th
Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s Annual Shindig
12 to 6 pm
$10/$5 for CAS members and kids under 6 (Recession-buster bonus: the first 100 cars get in free)
Hayrides, farm tours, music, and guest speakers:
Sue McDonough of the NY State Police on spotting, reporting, and investigating animal cruelty, Brian Shapiro, Director of the Ulster County SPCA, and Amie Hamlin of the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food.

Saturday, June 13th
Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s Annual June Jamboree
11am to 5pm
$10 adults – Members and kids 12 and under are FREE!
Fun for all: farm tours, live music, castle-bounce, and special guests:
Isa Chandra Moskowitz (of Post Punk Kitchen and author of Vegan Brunch) will be creating the food, and Amy Hatkoff will be reading from her book The Inner World of Farm Animals.
(Rain date: Sun, 6/14)

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to plan in advance, visit the mother of all sanctuaries, Farm Sanctuary, in Watkins Glen (about five hours away) for their annual Country Hoe Down, August 1 & 2 for hayrides, farm tours and speakers ga-lore!

Isa’s in town!

Find these and more events in our calendar.

Monday, 6/1

Vegan Brunch release party: Celebrate the release of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s latest and brunchiest cookbook with vegan sausage and pink grapefruit mimosas made by the lovely lady herself. Free.
MooShoes, 7 p.m.
78 Orchard St., between Grand and Broome streets

Two vegan cookbooks released today: The Vegan Table, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author of The Joy of Vegan Baking, and The Vegan Scoop, by Wheeler Del Toro of Wheeler’s Black Label Vegan Ice Cream

Tuesday, 6/2

Brooklyn Botanic Garden free admission Tuesdays (recurring event)

Wednesday, 6/3

The New York City Bar offers a free program on puppy mills and puppy mill legislation in New York. Register before hopping over. Free.
6-9 p.m., New York City Bar
42 W. 44th St., between 5th and 6th avenues

The second episode of The Goode Family airs at 9 p.m. on ABC. I didn’t find the first episode to be overwhelmingly hilarious, but as a friend of mine said, “Considering this is a Mike Judge cartoon, it will get better if it manages to survive, because it will stop laying on the obvious. King of the Hill, for example, was never meant to be a laughing-out-loud affair, and it eventually managed to amusingly reconcile certain aspects of that particular culture war.”

Thursday, 6/4

Edible landscaping workshop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Learn to grow things in your tiny Brooklyn apartment that you can eat! Free. Register in advance.
6-8 p.m., Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Ave.

Food, Inc. premiers in NYC at the Museum of the Moving Image
35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria

Saturday, 6/6

Rally for Worldwide Day of Protest Against Horse-Drawn Carriages at Columbus Circle with Friends of Animals, the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, HEART and mayoral candidate and current council member Tony Avella.
12 p.m., Columbus Circle

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary‘s Spring benefit dinner for the NY Vegetarian Expo. $65.
5:30 p.m., The Women’s Club of Albany
725 Madison Ave., Albany, NY

Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s Shindig 2009 features six speakers, including Brian Shapiro of the Ulster County SPCA and Amie Hamlin of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food. $10.
12-6 p.m., Catskill Animal Sanctuary
316 Old Stage Rd., Saugerties, NY

HSUS investigators and Assemblymember Rosenthal visited stores in New York City with undercover cameras last month to determine whether retailers are in compliance with the 2007 law Rosenthal authored.

The law requires that all apparel with real or fake fur be labeled as real or fake, so that shoppers can have access to important product information. The investigation showed that Bloomingdale’s was selling unlabeled “Parajumpers” and “Steve by Searle” brand jackets trimmed with animal fur, and that Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue were both selling “Moncler” brand jackets trimmed with unlabeled animal fur.

“I passed this law to ensure that consumers in New York could make informed decisions about the type of clothing they are buying,” said Rosenthal. “Many people prefer not to wear animal fur, and they should be able to tell at a glance whether an article of clothing is made with fur or not. Retailers have had more than a year to comply with this law, and it is appalling that so many have disregarded it,” she said.

“We’ve found over and over again this widespread deception in the fashion industry, and consumers simply don’t know whether they’re buying synthetic fur, or fur from animals skinned alive in China,” said Michael Markarian, The HSUS executive vice president. “Even in the face of a state law that was enacted to curb these abuses, some retailers continue to pull the fur over shoppers’ eyes.”

A Bergdorf Goodman salesperson admitted that jackets trimmed with animal fur should be labeled, but often are not. A Bloomingdale’s salesperson appeared to be duped by an unlabeled garment, telling investigators the fur was “fake” after seeing no mention of it on the label. An HSUS fur expert confirmed that the fur was in fact real.

via Gothamist and 1010 WINS

Yes, that really is Sarah Palin, and if you think she’s scary, meet Michigan’s Rep. Joe Knollenberg.

Join SuperVegan in Fort Greene, Brooklyn for our Election Night Party as we keep a watchful eye on the results while downing discounted drink specials like Vegan White Russians, Chocolate Hawaiians, and Joe The Plumber Cocktails and munching on yummy vegan grub at Red Bamboo Brooklyn on Tue, November 4th from 8pm on.

If you are on Facebook, RSVP here.

To accommodate more peeps and after lessons learned from our awesome debate watch party, Red Bamboo Brooklyn’s first floor will serve dinner from 8pm through midnight and the second floor and patio will be cleared of tables for folks to drink and hang out until the wee hours. We’ll also have DJs on the second floor throughout the night!!!

While most eyes around the world are on the Obama vs. Palin race, animal advocates also have the following candidate races and ballot measures to look out for:

• New York State animal protection leaders like Frank Padavan, Liz Krueger, Deborah Glick, and Linda Rosenthal.
• California – YES on Prop 2 to stop cruelty to farm animals
• Massachusetts – YES on Question 3 to phase out dog racing
• Arizona – NO on Prop 105 which would prevent future animal protection initiatives
• Oklahoma – NO on State Question 742 which would affect wildlife protection measures
• Oregon – NO on Measure 64 which would harm nonprofits like the Oregon Humane Society

And finally, if you think Sarah Palin is scary, wait until you learn about Michigan’s Rep. Joe Knollenberg. To learn more visit the Humane Society Legislative Fund folks.

New York City’s League of Humane Voters is animal rights advocates’ version of the DC Comics superhero alliance, the Justice Leauge. Not only are they both a group of well intentioned individuals but they both use their powers to fight injustice and protect those that may not have a voice. It’s honest altruism without the bright costumes and capes.

But, far-reaching comic-book-nerd parallels aside, LOHV do great work and their campaigns are effective. Since their inception, they have vigorously campaigned to elect compassionate candidates to local public office and have successfully lobbied for humane legislation for the City of New York.

Today, LOHV-NY released their first ever New York State Legislature Humane Scorecard, “track[ing] lawmakers’ votes for and against legislation to protect animals during the 2007-2008 legislative session.” (Here’s a direct link to the PDF)

Think of it as your vegan superhero voter decoder ring.

Princess Superstar

Have you registered for Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals yet? The family-friendly event is just a couple of weeks away (Sunday, September 28th)– barely enough time to guilt your meaty friends and coworkers into pledging their last penny in support. Hurry and get thee to the online registry and pay the $15 advanced registration fee (verses the $20 same day fee) which guarantees you a bitchin’ commemorative t-shirt and first grabs at the impressive smorgasbord of donated food.

Entertainment and speakers include Princess Superstar, vegan iron man Brendan Brazier, Senator Liz Kreuger, Farm Sanctuary Executive Director Jeff Lydon, Afrobeat band Shokazoba, and indie songstress Bess Rogers.

Check out the details for this and other events on our NYC Vegan Events Calendar.