• I know you’re not going to eat turkey this week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t adopt one from Farm Sanctuary.
• Speaking of eating, our very own Andrea Wachner polled readers like you and came up with recipes for Honee Nut Brussels Sprouts, Blueberry Muffin Bread Pudding, Onion and Apple Relish Tofu, Maple Syrup Pecan Pie, Veggie Gravy and Deconstructed Green Bean Casserole.
• Need more? Treehugger says even omnis will love these 9 dishes; Christina Pirello shares recipes for things like Fig and Walnut Tapenade on Daikon Rounds; MSNBC thinks Sarah Kramer has some tasty ideas; and use Earth Balance instead of butter in this recipe for Tofu Skin Roulade With Sage Mushroom Stuffing—it looks veganlicious!
• Mind set on a different type of mock meat? Target now sells Gardein.
• Or maybe you’re not interested in cooking on your day off—there are plenty of places to go for Thanksgiving dinner in NYC.
• If you’re in the Philly area, gourmet vegan destination Horizons is no longer an option, but maybe Vedge will fit the bill. If burgers and fries are more your speed, a new fast food joint is headed for the City of Brotherly Love.
• Who says you have to eat your fruits and veggies, anyway? Japanese artist Takaya takes a cue from Carmen Miranda and creates herbivorous headgear.
• If you want to bring booze to dinner but don’t have a really cool wine shop near you, that’s okay: Barnivore’s ever-expanding list now encompasses 4,728 libations.
• Can your cookie crush the competition? Submit your favorite recipe to VegNews’ 1st Annual Holiday Cookie Contest by Dec. 10, and you could win a KitchenAid mixer and worldwide (web) notoriety.
• Finally, find out what makes a SuperVegan say, ”Tings, mon.”

I spent the vast majority of this past weekend holed up in a hotel at 18th and Market in downtown Philadelphia for the annual National Lawyers Guild Convention. You know who we are. We’ve been around since the late 1930s—the radical alternative to the American Bar Association—but now you see us on CNN wearing fluorescent green hats while legal observing at the Occupy protests throughout the country. (We also run the Green Scare Hotline—1-888-NLG-ECOL—among a larger menagerie of projects.) So, yep, a bunch of vegan lawyers, legal workers and law students spent our days in panels and workshops and nights relaxing with (many) adult beverages. Little sleep was stolen. But, somewhere amid this panoply of activity, I found time to ride my bike every day to Blackbird Pizza on South 6th near South Street to consume their pitch perfect Philly Seitan Cheesesteak.

What makes this vegan version of the city’s namesake sandwich so appealing? First up: UPTON’S SEITAN! The seitan is just damn good. Now imagine it sliced incredibly thin and generously piled in ribbons on a chewy baquette. Add strings of grilled onions and green peppers, the cheese (it’s Daiya) and mushrooms, and you’ve got an incredible sandwich.

Here’s a pictorial that documents the evolution of my love for this sandwich (and Blackbird) over the course of three days:


Friday (I was so enthralled I almost forgot to take a picture.)

Saturday (Oh, the pizza is amazing, too!)

Sunday (I was so sad to leave Philly and my close proximity to Blackbird.)

Blackbird Pizza is located at 507 South 6th Street, Philadelphia.

Make it a point to learn more about the National Lawyers Guild and its support of the Occupy movement! In NYC, Guild members have been providing mass defense and other legal support (all FREE of charge) to activists since the late 1960s. Know folks who have been arrested at Occupy Wall Street? Tell them to visit www.nlgnyc.org or call 212-679-6018.

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

Now, that’s what I call a logo!

I love me some Philadelphia!. (Shout out to Kingdom!) From Vegan Philly Cheesesteaks at Gianna’s to the gourmet gastro-indulgence of Horizons: vegans do alright in the city of Brotherly Love.

Well, the vegan prospects just got better. This Saturday, August 21st will see the grand opening of Grindcore House, a vegan coffee shop in South Philly. The café is located at 1515 S. Fourth St. in Pennsport and will feature a few of my favorite things! Metal! Coffee! Vegan Treats! Upton’s Naturals!

More Goodness: Grindcore House’s opening will coincide with PHL: Printers/Haters/Lovers a philly-inspired print and poster show.

For more information: Follow Grindcore House on Facebook and Twitter.

Recently, I reached out to Davin (lead vocalist) of Kingdom with a few questions. She responded in kind; this is what she had to say.

Who is Kingdom?
We’re a hardcore band from Philadelphia (and various other locations on the east coast) named after Philly’s infamous vegan Chinese restaurant- Kingdom Of Vegetarians (11th and Race St.- I highly recommend the walnut shrimp.)

When, where and how did Kingdom get its start?
We formed when Ben (our original drummer), Weezy (our original guitarist), and I screamed Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” at the top of our lungs in Richmond, Virginia from December 31, 2005 into January 1st 2006. A few months later we were all writing songs together in the spare room of my apartment in Philly (which sounded nothing like “Don’t Stop Believin’”, unfortunately.) We recorded a demo, booked a tour, found a bassist who learned our songs the week before we left, and in summer 2006 we hit the road.

Vegan. Straight-edge. These are two ideals that Kingdom carry on their sleeve; can you tell us more about this?
Sure. I know that veganism and straight edge may not outwardly seem connected, but they are for us through punk/hardcore. We were introduced to each by bands like Minor Threat, Earth Crisis, Gorilla Biscuits, and One King Down (to name a few.) For me personally the two are connected by the mutual respect I feel for my own life and the lives of others- right before I became straight edge I got jumped on my way to smoke crack (which is really no way to live) just like, to paraphrase One King Down, ‘to consume to satisfy rather than to stay alive’ is no way to live. I didn’t want to be selfish (eating other beings when I just as easily could not) or lose sight of myself (like I did during days spent high and drunk), and in being vegan and straight edge I found a balance. Each member has their own story, but they all meet at the same place and find a means of expression through our music.

What other topics do you try to bring to light through your music?
We have songs about consumerism (specifically about the Walmart employee that was trampled to death on Black Friday a couple years ago), Philly’s poverty rate (which is extremely high) and the “stop and frisk” law that went into effect in recent years (which allows racial profiling), feminism/sexual double standards (the good ol’ virgin/slut dichotomy), sweat shop labor, pollution, and of course we wouldn’t be a punk band without at least one anti-racist song.　

Switching gears a bit, Can you tell me about Philly vegan food?
What I usually tell people about eating in Philly (and with no small amount of pride) is that vegan food in Philly is like all food in Philly- dripping with grease, battered, and fried. You couldn’t find heathy food if your life depended on it. You can however grab a veganaise-laden fresh off the (all vegetarian) grill vegan chicken cheese steak at Govindas, or hit up Kingdom founder’s other (and far superior) restaurant, New Harmony (which has an all-you-can-eat deep fried extravaganza every Sunday night), or for the best tofu hoagie in town (which is of course the size of my forearm) swing into QT, for falafel and fries (the latter of which is topped with deep fried jalepenos and oily unbattered onion rings) Alyan’s is the place to go, if you want to splurge, there’s Horizon’s (caramel creme brulee? Yes please!), Abyssnia and Cafe Almaz are both great for (oily) Ethopian fare, for the true Philly experience you have to hit up the Pretzel Factory at midnight (when they open) to get 3 soft, piping hot, freshly baked soft pretzels for $1 (don’t forget to bring veganaise), and last but not least, I’ll share with you my favorite meal in the city: it’s from a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese place called “Shiao Lan Kung”- salt baked tofu (which is not baked at all, but fried… very misleading name) and eggplant with garlic sauce in a hot pot. It sounds standard, but let’s just say when my Dad visited last we ate that 3 times in 2 days.

Food-wise, what are you really loving right now?
There’s something that Dave and I make called “Pork Wings” that I can’t get enough of. Homemade seitan, BBQ sauce from the Asian market, and a lot of Earth Balance. I can eat 4 before I get sick. Nonetheless, AWESOME.

What’s overrated?
I’m going to contradict myself a bit here, but mock-meats/dairy. Daiya is amazing and all, but if you want to eat something truly phenomenal grab some broccoli from the farmer’s market. Shit will make your head spin.

I’m in love with the new LP, The Rage That Guides. Can you tell me a little more about it?
Aw thanks! Sure. It came out on Eulogy Records last year. We spent the majority of the year promoting it- Jan/Feb in Europe, March-May in America, and June-Aug in Europe again. The day it came out was in the middle of our US tour, where after driving for 11 straight hours through 3 snow storms, we had a grand release in a little town in Idaho to about 30 kids, one of whom claimed to have been in the Guinness Book of World Records for world’s largest dog (which was definitely untrue, along with everything else he told us that night.) Due to Dave’s influence and our collective love of the death metal band Nile, that record is a lot heavier than our previous releases. As far as veganism being represented within it there is the song “Bathory” which likens consuming animals to stay alive to bathing in the blood of virgins to stay young (pointless, bizarre, cruel), a la Elizabeth Bathory, and “Fire Born”, which was written in support of direct action groups. I also have to tell you the funniest thing that came from the record. In the song “Pythoness” the word “clitoris” is used, and much to our surprise that particular part of the song became a very popular part to sing along to. One night on tour (right after the record came out) a bunch of sweaty, angry dudes charged the stage and screamed “CLITORIS” in my face (of course, while I was also screaming “clitoris” back at them.) All I could think was…”What is my life?” Moments like that’ll make your Momma proud. We all laughed so hard we could hardly play the rest of the song. It happened every night thereafter, and it never got old.

What’s up with Kingdom now; What are you guys working on?
We’re working on a 7″ that will be out later this year, and a 3-song something (tape? digital download? not sure yet…) which will be a fundraiser for a transitional living center for survivors of sex trafficking in Cambodia.

You Should Buy This Album.

Photos Courtesy of Kingdom

Three more cities have joined the Vegan Drinks cavalcade!

The first Philadelphia Vegan Drinks will be on Thursday, February 19 (hey, that’s today!) from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, in the downstairs lounge at Horizons, 611 South 7th Street in Center City.

The first San Francisco Vegan Drinks will be on Thursday, February 26th, from 6-8 pm, at Martuni’s, 4 Valencia Street, at Market. They will be held the last Thursday of each month.

The first Twin Cities Vegan Drinks will be on Saturday, March 7 at 7pm, at Fast & Furless and ARC’s shared space, 2615 East Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, 55406. Each month will feature a theme drink – March is cosmopolitans!

The next New York Vegan Drinks will be on Thursday, February 26, 2009 (same day as SF!) at Angels & Kings as usual.

I was all excited about this test lab bunny doll, but it’s made of wool and alpaca. Boo!

• The Philadelphia City Paper published a nice rundown of Vegan Takes on Classic Sandwiches in their city. A nice companion to Your Daughter’s Tied Up In a Brooklyn Basement, a comprehensive guide to (what else?) vegetarian cheesesteaks in Philly.
• Remember when alpha-asshole superchef Anthony Bourdain described vegans as a “Hezbollah-like splinter faction” of vegetarianism? Well, Hezbollah Tofu has taken him at his word and is on a mission to veganize Bourdain recipes. The public is encouraged to contribute recipes and ideas.
• There’s a neat piece in the New York Times today about the Humane Society and PETA’s use of hidden cameras to document horrific –and, on a more practically relevant level, illegal– goings-ons at slaughterhouses, and how the videos are able to reach a wide audience in the age of YouTube.
• In interspecies cooperation news, Moko the dolphin rescued a couple of stranded whales in New Zealand after humans proved powerless to help.

The Grilled Seitan at Horizons in Philadelphia

When my friends Kevin and Beth told me that I had to try Horizons, a gourmet vegan restaurant in Philadelphia, I yawned. The thing with non-New Yorker vegans is that they always think their veggie restaurants are absolutely incredible when they really are quite crappy when you compare them to what we have here in NYC.

Time and time again I’ve been disappointed by the veggie restaurants in other cities, so my expectations for Horizons were quite low. But wow, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been wowed by any restaurant in or out of NYC, and Horizons completely wowed me with their original and inventive dishes.

Once I got over their new age hippie meets IKEA decor and burnt coffee, I realized that my meal there was really the best meal I’ve had in a really long time. It indeed was worth dropping $20 (and risking my life) on a Chinatown bus to get down to Philly to try it. The yummy deviled oyster mushroom fritters served over a purée of creamed spinach and English pea bursted with savory, buttery, and earthy flavors. Their grilled seitan was unforgettable – juicy, smoky, and perfectly charred and easily rivals (if not better than) the seitan at Candle 79. And I embarrassingly licked clean the dish that their heavenly saffron crème brûlée was served in.

I can’t wait for NYC to open a restaurant with food like that of Horizons. But better yet, I wonder if they have considered moving to NYC or at least open a branch here. In the mean time, I’m sure I’ll be visiting Kevin and Beth a lot more now and I would just have to make do with their cookbook. Horizons, I heart you. xoxo!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombs: Can you tell the original and the knock-off apart?

Jordana Rothman at Time Out New York has a fun story tracing the “clone rangers” and spin-offs of various popular NYC institutions. For example, alums of the tourist deathspot Magnolia Bakery spawned Buttercup Bake Shop, Billy’s Bakery, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, and Little Cupcake Bakeshop. (None are vegan-friendly, so check out Babycakes for your sugar fix instead.) Surely we have something just like this in the veggie world.

Vegetarian’s Paradise 2 went through the trouble (and expense) of trademarking their “World Famous Crispy Soul Chicken” after a former chef left to open Vegetarian Palate in Park Slope, Brooklyn and ripped-off the West Village mainstay’s signature dishes such as Peking Spareribs and Mango Chicken.

A former chef at Gobo ripped-off not only the fancy restaurant’s recipes and menu, but also a part of its decor – the collages of dried ingredients – when he opened Wild Ginger on the border of Chinatown and Wild Ginger Brooklyn in Williamsburg.

In Philly, Gianna’s Grille rips off Danielle Konya’s VeganTreats and tries to peddle their knock-offs with an air of authenticity with words such as “original,” “signature,” and get this: “Gianna’s vegan treats are available exclusively at Gianna’s! Accept no substitute!” (The lovely Danielle used to supply her cakes to Gianna’s.) Even more scandalous though: after telling their customers for years that they used a secret formula for their unbelievably meltable and stretchable soy cheese, Gianna’s Grille was exposed to have maliciously lied about their soy cheese being vegan. Though they now claim that everything labeled vegan on their menu is really indeed vegan, many vegans in the know still avoid and boycott the restaurant like the plague.

• The New York Times reports from the trenches on cock fighting in Louisiana, and how the legislature is (supposedly) taking steps to curb it.
• The Chicago Tribune and their supports councilman Jack Kelley’s bill to ban foie gras in the city.
• And speaking of media (whores), Heather Mills is spreading the good word at London’s Incredible Veggie Show later this month.

Lawrence Carter-Long is one of the scheduled speakers

New to animal rights? A veteran with years of experience? The 6th annual Farm Animal Forum will be held by Farm Sanctuary on Sunday, April 29, 2007, at the National Constitution Center at 525 Arch Street in Philadelphia, PA. Activists from all walks of life are sure to take away heaps of information and inspiration from this one–day conference. Activities will include speakers, merchandise and literature exhibits and hands-on activism. Up–to–date information on farm animal issues, campaigns, and developments will be provided.

Reservations are required by April 20, and the cost is $45 and $50 after April 6. Students pay $35, and the fee includes lunch. To register call (607) 583-2225 ext. 221 or visit FarmSanctuary.org. Volunteers to help with the conference are still needed.

This isn’t news: People who are informed and compassionate tend to be concerned about more than one issue. Just witness the tagline for Satya magazine: Vegetarianism, Environmentalism, Animal Advocacy, Social Justice. There was widespread evidence of this dovetailing of advocacy as a month of Gay Pride events wrapped up last weekend.

In San Francisco, Bay Area Vegetarians did vegetarian and factory farming outreach at San Francisco Pride. CARE, Compassion for Animals and Respect for the Environment, sold vegan food and educated onlookers about animal rights at the Philadelphia Gay Pride Festival. And in New York, Farm Sanctuary did outreach, petitioned to ban the use of veal crates, and “adopted out” cows at PrideFest. (And let’s not forget the festivities of the day before, when Liza Minelli hosted the Rubyfruit Pet Pride Pageant!)

So let’s continue to stand up for what we believe in and educate those around us until cruelty and discrimination of any kind no longer exists. And maybe next year, we’ll have a little celebration of our own: Veggie Pride, anyone? The French have been at it for several years now, and I think it’s about time we caught up.

Vive le végéta*isme!

Married to technology? Lotus Cake Studio’s got a cake for that.

Tucson Citizen just ran a positive, though somewhat short, article titled “No Meat!: Sweet-toothed vegans bake their cakes and eat them, too.” The article features Vedika Webb, the baker behind Philly’s Lotus Cake Studio, which is a hotspot for betrothed East Coast vegans looking for a custom wedding cake.

Also featured is Allison Rivers Samson, the West Coast chocolatier and baker behind the SuperYummy goodies at Allison’s Gourmet. Allison’s Gourmet has a brownie and cookie of the month club. Since we’re on the topic of weddings, wouldn’t a membership be the perfect wedding present?

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.

There’s something perverse about this PR pic of Hudson Valley Foies Gras Farm VP

DawnWatch directed us to a recent article in USA Today, “Foes see foie gras as fat target.” It seems Philly may join Chicago and California in banning foie gras as soon as this Fall. On May 25, Philadelphia city councilman Jack Kelly introduced legislation to ban the cruel cuisine.

Cotton Monsters Galore!

Don’t miss the Art Star Craft Bazaar going down this Saturday and Sunday (June 3 & 4) in Philly. The bazaar will feature over 60 artists and crafters, so be sure to bring some cash so that you might partake in purchasing pleasures. You’ll definately wanna check out these highlights:

• Vinyl bags, wallets, belts, and accessories by Brooklyn’s own crafty vegan Miss Alison.
• Ex-Boyfriend studio’s eco- & worker- friendly vegan schwag like wallets made from old candy wrappers, wrist cuffs made from beer cans, barware, and other unique items.
• Jennifer Strungle’s simply *amazing* handmade dolls at Cotton Monster.

Be there or be square: Saturday, June 3, 11-7pm & Sunday, June 4th, 11-5 pm. Liberties Walk (1030-1040 N. 2nd Street) & down Bodine Street.

On Saturday, the bazaar meets up with the Northern Liberties Spring Music Festival. If you’re in NYC, I recommend hopping on the Chinatown bus—the daytrip will set you back just $20.

The Philly Phanatic: Clearly Herbivorous

Last year they offered vegan burgers; this year, the Philadelphia Philles are selling vegan hot dogs at Citizens Bank Park. I kinda hate baseball, but I like Philly and I like food. Two outta three ain’t bad!

Philly fans may also be interested in this business-minded profile of Vesuvio Restaurant, who offer veg versions of traditional PhilItalian cuisine, including vegan cheesecake.

If owner Jerry D’Addesi is to be believed, Philadelphia dietary demographics have changed a lot since I lived there a decade ago:

“Our neighborhood is full of young people and most of those young people are vegetarian and vegan,” D’Addesi said. “This is the biggest piece of the puzzle.”