8 years.

8 Years is a long time, and these past 8 of mine have been some of the most magnificent, and most harrowing, years of my life. In these 8 years I have loved, and lost, and loved again, I have made a child and built him inside my body, out of my body, out of plants (mostly burritos), and I have been sick and I have been better, I have moved from a home I loved in Portland to a broken home in Santa Barbara, built a new foundation and formed incredible friendships family, watched my little baby boy grow into a bright beautiful firecracker of a creature, his body still built completely of plants (mostly Magic Beans), and I have loved fiercely and I have fought demons, I have hit rock bottom and also, miraculously, I have recovered. And fought onward.

8 years is a really, really long time.

During summer I eat watermelon for breakfast pretty much every day. Big bowls, I mean BIG serving-bowl sized bowls, overflowing with crisp cold perfectly juicy red flesh. It’s one of my greatest pleasures.

On this particular day I had a late-morning appointment, so I set out on foot for a slow stroll to my destination. It was such a lovely August day, all warm and ocean-breezy, everything blooming and vibrant and alive. Quintessential summer.

My walking sunbath nourished me as much as the watermelon did. 8 years in, and I’ve learned that health and wellness go so far beyondsomething as simple as the food we put into our bodies. We need sun and serenity, nature and quiet and connection. Good, plant-based food goes a long way, but optimal health is ultimately a product of the mind.

That’s the greatest thing I’ve learned, 8 years in.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch!

Jeremy was bustling about in the kitchen, getting his food geek on and flexing his creativity which he so rarely gets to do. Preparing for me a feast of a lunch, featuring produce from our garden and flavor pairings unlike any I’ve had before (I love his culinary mind, so different from mine, and so untethered by convention).

When I arrived home, hungry after my meetings and my miles of walking, I was greeted with this:




Mostly raw, but with a protein punch — just the way I like it! This was so amazing and I can’t even begin to describe it. And a beet rosette! A homegrown beet rosette!

Speaking of homegrown beets . . .

After lunch I was able to spend some serious time down in the dirt in my garden, which is my absolute favorite place to be. There was so much to harvest — so much abundance! — and I’ll do a garden update sometime soon. Sunflowers and strawberries and herbs and greens and of course, the beets. My garden is overflowing!

In the evening we both showered and got a bit gussied up, just a bit, and made our way out for a dinner date. We intended to hit our favorite noodle bar but alas, they close early on Mondays! Oh well, we wandered on through downtown Santa Barbara, not really knowing where we were going, but trusting that we would find something good. And with a little of that Veganniversary luck, we struck gold!

We found a recently re-opened Mexican restaurant, with a gorgeous patio and an enticing ambiance. Their new ownership is super open-minded, and their new menu boasts nearly 20 vegetarian entrees! All of which can be made vegan by simple omitting the dairy.

Mmmmm yes.

Our appetizer was house-made chips with guacamole and pico. Also margaritas! And our first course was a roasted beet salad with arugula, apples, and balsamic, and a plate of nachos where each chip had been dipped in house-made adobo.

Epic.

We split this final entree and were so stuffed we couldn’t even finish it. Such a unique and satisfying meal! Gotta love that good Veganniversary juju.

After dinner we made our way back home, a nice long walk on a warm summer night. We talked about our future — about our plans and our dreams. We’re so good at that, Jeremy and I. Always plotting to take over the world!

And we will, I think, in our own little way.

8 years I’ve lived in alignment with my heart, uncompromised in my moral core. It is an incredible gift, and one that I am grateful for every day. Because every day I live my values of empathy and integrity.

8 years down, and the rest of my years to go!

♥ ♥ ♥

I recently got an email from a reader that went something like this:

I’m an on-again off-again vegetarian looking to go vegan. My doctor recently told me that I have to decrease my carbohydrates and increase my protein (she said it had to be animal protein) in order to lose the weight I gained when I went on a new medication. I already eat a lot of beans and some fake meats as well, but she told me that these aren’t a good substitute. I need to know what kinds of non-animal, low-carbohydrate protein options are out there. I really want to stay veg but I don’t know how to do this. I would really appreciate your help!

And as I was writing bak to her, I realized that I was sharing this info for like, the bazillionth time. In other words, I have gotten this question or similar questions a whole lot, so it occurred to me that I might as well just go ahead and share my answer here on the blog! And thus a new series was born: Ask A Vegan Lifestyle Coach.

So here’s my answer, to her and now to all of you . . .

I’m so sorry that you’re dealing with unwanted weight gain, and I actually agree with your doctor when she advises that increasing your protein intake while decreasing your carbs may be able to help you manage that. However, I disagree (shocking, I know!) that the protein needs to come from animals. Humans are able to extract quite a bit of concentrated protein without resorting to meat-eating, and you don’t even necessarily need to eat the processed vegan meat analogues if you’d rather avoid them. The following are a few of my favorite high-protein plant foods:

It sounds obvious of course, but tofu! tofu! tofu! I would load up on it if I were you. It’s high in protein, has a little fat (the good kind), and is relatively low in carbs. When buying tofu, opt for organic whenever possible.

Other legumes, like beans, also offer good protein, but they tend to come with more carbs. So here’s a good tip: if you’re doing a greens/beans/grains bowl, you can skip the grains to reduce the carbs, and let the beans and greens take center stage. Lentils with steamed kale or steamed broccoli is a favorite of mine, covered with a delicious sauce like The Tahini Sauce That Done Stoled My Heart or a Spicy Cilantro Peanut Sauce. I like to add extra flavor with green onions, pickled vegetables or sauerkraut or kimchi, and/or avocado. If you just serve beans and steamed greens alone, it will be super boring (of course). But if you add a mouth-watering sauce (nut- or seed-based will add extra protein) with those extra “flavor-makers” on top — well there you have a delicious, satisfying, and high-protein meal!

Just make sure you skip the grain (especially high-carb grains like rice, barley, or corn), unless you are opting for a protein-rich grain (like quinoa, amaranth, or wild rice).

Buckwheat is one of my favorite higher-protein grains. You can eat it whole as “kasha”, or you can find 100% buckwheat noodles (make sure they’re 100% because usually they’re cut with refined wheat which makes them more of a carb) for awesome noodle bowls. Stir fried veggies with chickpeas or tofu or seitan (“wheat meat” made from vital wheat gluten, aka wheat protein), served over buckwheat noodles, is simple and delicious and much higher in protein than a normal stir fry or a normal noodle dish. I order my 100% buckwheat soba noodles in bulk packs online, here. They can be hard to find but if you’re in a bigger city I’d check your local co-ops and health food stores.

Breakfast can be hard as a vegan, and tends to be pretty carb-centric. Tofu scramble is good, but can feel repetitive if you’re eating a lot of tofu dinners. Recently a few new vegan yogurts hit the market, and they’re FINALLY higher in protein like their dairy counterparts. My favorites are Kite Hill and Daiya, both of which have 6+ grams of protein per container. These should be available at Whole Foods or other health food stores.

My other go-to high-protein vegan breakfast is my old favorite, the chickpea flour pancakes. They remind me of omelets and since they’re made from legume flour, they’re super high in protein. I have the recipe for mine here.

The thing about most vegan protein sources is that they *DO* come attached to some carbs. So the strategy becomes this: you have to eat lots of these awesome vegan protein sources, and you have to include more of them in your diet wherever possible. And then, you ALSO have to eliminate errant and unnecessary carbs elsewhere in your diet. So like I said above, instead of the greens/beans/grain bowl, just do a greens + beans bowl. Instead of wheat pasta, use a high-protein legume-based pasta. Instead of a wheat bun or bread on a sandwich, put the patty on a bed of kale, or wrap it in cabbage leaves. Instead of making a burrito, pile all the burrito fillings in a bowl on top of lettuce, minus the tortilla. Replace snack foods like chips, crackers, and popcorn, with less carb-centric options like kale chips, nuts or seeds, or carrots sticks with guacamole. All of these little alterations will add up throughout your day.

So bottom line, if you can increase the plant-based proteins while simultaneously lowering the non-veggie carbs, then there’s no reason why you won’t be able to have an optimal protein-to-carbohydrate ratio — all the while remaining veg.

I hope that helps, and good luck with your journey!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Hey-o! So hey there, I am a certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach and I have a BA in biology, but I’m not an MD, an RD, or any other kind of “D” for that matter. I am super duper not a doctor, or a nurse, or a health care practitioner of any kind. This post represents my personal thoughts and opinions and is in no way meant to be taken as medical advice. Okay? Whew!

This March, for Waits’s sixth birthday (AHEM WHAT!!!?) and for the third year in a row, our little vegan family went adventuring to worship at the altar of the Mouse. And this time, it wasn’t just Waits and Damian and I. No, we are a thoroughly modern family these days, and our little family has grown, and lucky wee Waits Rebhal is just completely surrounded by grown-ups who love him. And each other.




And would you believe that this was Jeremy’s very first Disneyland adventure, ever?? I know!

So for me, it was a double whammy of Disney glee: watching Waits bask in the absolute joy that is Disneyland-through-the-eyes-of-a-six-year-old, and also, finally sharing this incredibly nostalgic piece of my history with the man I love. I grew up going to Disneyland and I have a memory for every inch of that theme park. And getting to share all that with Jeremy — Pirates Of The Caribbean and The Haunted mansion and Star Tours and all the sights and sounds and fun — well that was just extra magical.

And it was also such a treasure for us to get to share this day with Damian and Danielle. We see them pretty often, but always in the passing chaos and daily life. We hadn’t spent any real quality time with them since Christmas day, so it was really lovely, and of course always so special for Waits, that we were all able to be together.

That kiddo had one heck of an adventure-filled, excitement-filled, and love-filled day!

And I fully recognize that it’s something worth acknowledging. Worth stopping, and taking a breath, and feeling grateful. I am so thankful that we have achieved this happy, healthy, non-traditional-but-totally-functional, thoroughly modern family. So thankful.





And, as always, we should talk about the food. Being vegan at Disney is actually pretty easy (although being gluten-free vegan is considerably harder), and every year I learn a little bit more. I think next year my goal will be to bring zero food along with us, and solely rely on the park’s offerings to provide us with our meals.

But for this year, I took the easy way out and packed a back-up plan. We still ate plenty of park food mind you, because when in Rome. But I did bring the old stand-bys: hummus and crackers and carrot sticks and apples and Larabars.

Oh, and I brought baked tofu. LOTS of baked tofu.




But despite my healthy and wholesome snack-packing, we also managed to procure a selection of delectable vegan treats. As it should be.

Damian and Waits and Jeremy each got a Mickey pretzel, for example (all of the Mickey pretzels sold throughout the park are vegan):





And as far as I’m concerned, no trip to Disney is complete without a giant Kosher dill pickle (why are they sooooo good??):




That got us through the afternoon with plenty of energy for adventuring!





Later that day I finally got my Dole Whip, after 3 years of waiting and wanting (the lines were always so long). Totally vegan, guys! A super-sized spiral of frozen pineapple glory:




And Damian and Danielle finally tried some of the real “hot meal” vegan options: Vegetarian Gumbo in a sourdough bread bowl. “Accidentally vegan” and according to them, it was really good!




The truth is, Disneyland offers lots of hot food vegan – and even gluten-free vegan – options, like chili, and veggie/tofu skewers, and pancakes (gluten-free!) and more. I just mostly hate waiting in lines and paying out the nose for potentially-mediocre food. But next year? Next year I’m going to take the gamble. Mark my words!

But really, that’s not what this trip is about. I couldn’t care less about what we’re eating, when it really comes down to it. Because this annual adventure is so much more than a vegan food tour.

This is about our family. It’s about a commitment to our child, and to giving him the cohesive, supportive, and integrated family that he deserves. A chance to re-connect, and remind ourselves of that promise we made 4 year ago, when we told him, “We’re still a family. It just looks different now.”

And we are. And I am proud of us, for that.




So cheers – to many more Disney years!

♥

While we were eating we could hear the incredible energy of Miyoko Schinner as she delivered her rousing presentation on “Exploits of a Veganpreneur: Experiences & Lessons Learned Through Growing Multiple Vegan Businesses.” It sounded like a blast!

The first time slot also featured Randi Milgram’s legal talk called “Stop Breaking the Law, A$&h#*!,” and my old friend Gena Hamshaw speaking about “Avenues to a Vegan Health Care Career.”

Sharing the time slot was “Entrepreneurialism 201: Consistency, Tips & Tricks on How to Keep Your Brand Alive After the Big Idea” from Ayinde Howell (I heard he had the whole room dancing!), and “Breathe New Life into your Writing” from The Oregonian’s Grant Butler.




Lunch! The buffet was a taco + salad bar, and it was awwwwwesome. I know that picture is not so pretty, but I swear it was delicious. I had a salad with 2 lettuce-wrap tacos, filled with tofu and tomatoes and onions and coconut bacon and guacamole and all smothered with nacho cheese YES PLEASE.

After lunch it was back to classes, and I was so happy to get back to learning. I gotta say, I’ve attended and spoken at every VVC, and the level of professionalism and expertise at this con was just off the charts! In the past, I’ve spent as much time skipping classes and socializing as I did actually attending presentations. But this year? I think I hit all but 2 or 3 sessions over the entire 2 days, and it was just so exciting and enriching. And inspirational!




Perhaps one of the best panels I saw all weekend was the “New Vegan Economy Panel” featuring Miyoko Schinner, Chris Rios, Ayindé Howell, and Jessica Morris, and moderated by Jess Sconato. The people on this panel were so full of passion, so inspired – and fired up! There were disagreements and great discussions, and overall the whole thing left my little brain BUZZING with ideas. My favorite quote was from Miyoko, when she was speaking about the huge economic expansion that is happening in the vegan/plant-based market (and boy, is it growing!). She said something to the effect of:

“If you have a talent or a skill or a passion for something, then it’s not only your opportunity – it’s your obligation! – to use it to advance veganism. Do whatever it is you do, and build a vegan business around it.”

Huzzah! BAM!

Love it love it love it. And okay, I WILL!




Following the Vegan Economy panel was a solo talk that I was really looking forward to, by one of my current favorite bloggers, Lacy Davis of Super Strength Health. Her talk was called “Veganism, Body Image, Self Esteem, Eating Disorder Recovery, and How Blogging & Reading Blogs can Influence All of the Above,” and as you can probably imagine by the title, it was fan-freaking-tastic. A lot of what she spoke about ties into things that have come up again and again with my coaching clients, and things that I’ve written about here, and also things I’ve spent a lot for time thinking about behind the scene. I once heard bloggers referred to as “envy peddlers” and I don’t EVER want to be a part of that. I wrote about it a bit in my big goodbye post when I took a year off from blogging, and I’ve been so much more mindful of not *being a part of the problem* (ie, authenticity NOT positivity) since I’ve been back.

Anyway, Lacy was inspiring and she’s written a few blog posts since she’s been back that relate to this topic: Veganism, Body Image, Eating Disorder Recovery, and the Blog-o-sphere and Clean is for underwear, not food. That’s good readin’, folks.

Also during that time slot were Eco Vegan Gal’s “How to Create Kick-Ass Vegan Videos on YouTube Workshop,” and Nicole J. Georges presenting “From Zines to Mainstream Publishing, an Artist Talk.”

I don’t have a picture of it, but the final talk that I attended wasn’t really a talk at all. Instead, my friend Bianca hosted an informal conversation called “Ethics of Vegan Dining & Boozing,” where we were all given prompts and hypotheticals, and encouraged to discuss where we each draw our boundaries when eating and drinking at restaurants (ie, Eat nothing that was fried in the same frier as non-vegan foods? Or conversely, like if it’s not on Barnivore and can’t be confirmed as NOT vegan, then don’t sweat it? Etc.) It was a fun exercise, and definitely interesting to hear where, and why, various people draw their lines.

Also in the final time slot were Terry Hope Romero giving a Kickstarter crash course called “Kickstart your Vegan Food Dream,” and Jojo Huxter giving a presentation called “Adventures in Vegan Travel Blogging.”

And then just like that, it was time to say the final goodbye. We all filed into the ballroom to hear the closing talk from the indomitable VVC founders, Jess, Janessa, and Michelle. What incredible women, and what a freaking accomplishment! It was a very heartfelt goodbye, with an open mic where attendees were invited to share their thoughts and experiences from this VVC, and VVCs past.

So many connections, true friendships, business relationships, and beautiful beginnings have been borne from these 3 conferences. There were a lot of tears in the audience, I’ll admit, and also a sense of community stronger than I’ve felt in a long, long time.

It was beautiful.




And after that, it was time to par-tay! The final meet-up was at an adorable bar called Cheer Up Charlie’s, which also happens to be the permanent home of Arlo’s Vegan Food Truck! There was music and food and drinks and much excitement. Sad goodbyes and so many hugs. And I was pretty emotional, if I’m being honest. I’ve made some very real friends through the years at VVC – people who I only get to see every few years at the Con. And knowing that there won’t be another con to bring us together again? Very sad.

I am so grateful for these friendships I have made, and for this amazing VVC community. But — it was also sad.

And that, my friends, brings us to the end. We’ll be back to regularly scheduled blogging now. Thank you for allowing me to share this experience with all of you. Viva VVC!

And I’d say that’s a fair assessment. I think that most of us who were there are feeling a sense of inadequacy in our ability to convey to our friends and readers just exactly how it felt, and what we learned, and how the whole thing has carried us forward into our work and lives.

And maybe that’s partly what’s kept me hesitant about blogging since I’ve been back. It was such a special experience; profound and fleeting.

And I really do want to share as much of it as I can with you, because there was so much wisdom and knowledge and inspiration and fire. So here goes! My best attempt to thoroughly recap VVCIII, Day 1:

Matt is an awesome speaker, just a pleasure to watch. I was going to write a big summary of his talk, but the incredibly on-top-of-it MeShell and Sews Before Bros already beat me to it! Both of their write-ups are super detailed and worth the read, but the gist of the presentation was that science is awesome in the literal sense of the word: vast and complex and ultimately, un-knowable. So it behooves as as vegan writers and activists, not to lean *too* heavily on science in our outreach. Because science can be manipulated, and science can be contradictory, and science can even work against us (see: successful weight loss and improved health markers after the “Twinkie Diet”) in making our case. Science is awesome, but compassion is the real core of veganism.

Also in the first time slot were Gene Bauer of Farm Sanctuary, speaking on “The Paths To A Mindful Life”, and my friend Jackie from Vegan Yack Attack, giving a fantastically informative talk on “Blogging Etiquette and Social Media Essentials”.

The other two talks during the second session were “Demo’ing the Demo” by Fran Costigan, and a panel on “Feminism and Veganism” featuring Julia DeNoto, Nicole J. Georges, Jojo Huxster, and Anika Lehde.

This is all tied into other work that I do – to the Ex-Vegan Phenomenon and also to my philosophy towards food, health, and holistic wellness. It’s all so connected.

At the end, I opened the floor up for discussion, because that’s what I really wanted – to have a conversation. And there were vegans who stood up and tearfully, gratefully, shared their own experiences with illness. Thank you. And there were questions and concerns and ideas and understanding. It was a valuable dialogue and I feel so, so thankful to have been able to make the space for it.

I wish I had a picture from my actual talk, but I didn’t get one. But suffice to say, I had a blast (like I always do, my stupid nerves are so silly!) and I can’t wait to do it again. ♥

Also, I shared my time slot with some pretty amazing women: my friend Joni of Just The Food presented on “So, You Want To Write A Cookbook” (she has a wee bit of experience, with TEN under her belt), my friend Whitney spoke about how to “Make Your Blog Your Full-Time Career”, and my friend Amey hosted a zine-making workshop. So much goodness!

Meal times at Vida Vegan Con are always exciting, and I continued the tradition of sitting at a different table, with different people, for every meal of the conference.




Right after lunch we jumped into more talks, and I was so excited to attend the fantastic “Preventing Ex-Vegans – Strategies To Maximize Longterm Success” by one of my friends and idols, Ginny Messina, RD. Ginny has this certain way in which she talks about food and health which I just find so freaking compelling. I adore her no-nonsense approach, and this talk was truly a pleasure to see (and obviously, one of my greatest areas of interest!). She covered so much, but the overall gist was that “The only guaranteed promise of a vegan diet is that it removes yourself from the exploitation of animals. It won’t make you look young forever, it wont necessarily make you lose weight or live forever, but you will remove yourself from the exploitation of animals.” So true.

If you’re interested in learning more, MeShell did an AMAZING recap of the talk, here.

Afterwards, Matt and Ginny and I (Science Track!) had a chance to chat, and hopefully there will be some collaboration in the future . . .

There were two other presentations that shared that time slot: a panel called “Let’s Talk Marketing,” featuring Colleen Holland, Jill Pyle, Whitney Lauritson, and Joshua May, and a Food Styling Workshop from Hannah Kaminsky.

Also, there was one more time slot that evening, and although I didn’t attend any of the sessions, I wanted to include them because I have no doubt that they were awesome. Michelle Lee spoke on “Branding for Bloggers & Beyond,” Nicole J. Georges spoke about “Touring Your Book or Project,” and Christy Morgan led a group discussion called “Can We All Just Get Along? Finding Common Ground in Different Forms of Activism.”

There was, obviously, so much great stuff going on! If you want to learn/hear more, there’s a really wonderful discussion of many of these talks (including mine!), and how they all relate to one another, and what we can take away from them, on the absolutely awesome Vegan Warrior Princess podcast.




By the end of the day we were all inspired and exhausted . . . and hungry! So my trailer-mates and I, along with Mr Sexy Vegan, headed over to Bouldin Creek Café (my favorite Austin restaurant!) for some dinner grub.




I shared this insane “Tarzan” salad with Jackie, along with some tacos (duh).

Do I even need to say that this meal was amazing?

And afterwards we all decided that we needed some ice cream for reals, so we hit up Sweet Ritual for some amazing vegan treats!








There were so many choices, but I finally settled on peanut butter cup ice cream with a real strawberry sauce on top. The perfect end to a truly perfect day.

Coming soon, the second (and final!) day of VVCIII . . .

♥ ♥ ♥

So I went to this incredible Vegan Media conference, and met all sorts of amazing, motivating movers and shakers, and connected with so many exciting brands and bloggers, and saw so many inspiring talks and panels, and came away with all this enthusiasm!

And then, I got home, and whattaya know, I’ve barely blogged at all since I’ve been back. What’s up with that?

I couldn’t tell you. I do know that I have a lot going on in my personal life right now — coming back right in time for finals and all that grading to do, still trying to figure out if I should exit with a Masters or stay on to get a PhD, still trying to figure out what I’m going to do for work and how I’m ever going to make it in this crazy expensive town, and caught up in so much serious Adulting-type business, with my Portland house switching tenants and also needing major repairs, and trying to do all that from afar. And also eviction. Here in our little side-by-side dream cottages, Jeremy and I still wait every day for the 60-day notice that we know is coming, sometime soon.

So yeah, I have a lot of anxiety and angst and inner turmoil going on right now, all of these big decisions and trying to figure out how to like, do Life.

Anyway, I wanted to acknowledge that, and let you know that I have about a bazillion and one blog posts boiling in the back of my mind – as always. I just haven’t had as much time or energy to devote lately. And hopefully that will change soon! Things are sorting and settling already . . . mostly.

Okay, so with that said, let’s talk about Austin and VVC! We got in on Tuesday night, so I got to spend my first few days just bumming around enjoying the city. I still had lots of work to do on my presentation, which meant mornings and nights eating out and exploring Austin, with daytime for working. Plus, I had so much fun just hanging with the ladyblogger crew back at the Tiny Trailer we were all sharing!

And that, was that. Coming soon, the conference!

And until then — have a great weekend!

♥

VVCIII was beautiful, so beautiful, and I want to give it all the coverage and attention that it deserves. In the past when I’ve recapped my VVC experiences, I’ve mostly focused on the food, and on the amazing people I met. And I’ll do that this time too, because lord knows I ate great foods and I met great folks. But also, more than ever before, this conference was packed full of incredible speakers and leaders, presenting important, profound, and inspiring ideas. And I really, really want to share all that with you.

So thats what I’ll be doing later this week, over the course of a few blog posts.

But for now? Well for now, I just wanted to touch base (hello!) and share my Austin diet plan: the Taco Cleanse. It was basically the best diet ever, and looked something like this . . .


Tuesday:

We rolled into town late Tuesday night, after a 2-day, 3-state, high-speed vegan ladyblogger road trip. And like true level 5 vegans, we hit the town HUNGRY.

First stop for late night grub: Arlo’s Vegan Food Truck, featuring tacos and burgers (more on those burgers in a later post), parked in the lot of the most adorable little cocktail lounge, Cheer Up Charlie’s. The best thing about this night was that Jimmy Buffet – no really, for realsies the real Jimmy Buffet – was playing live and loud across the street. And okay, so I’m not particularly fond of Jimmy Buffet per se . . . but I am a *huge* fan of kitsch/pop cultural iconography. And so this moment – listening to Jimmy croon Margaritaville, while munching on tacos in the warm Texas night – well this was pretty triumphant.



So sorry for the awful lighting and iPhone pics. I enjoyed a pair of “Street Tacos”: house-made burger crumbles, grilled pico de gallo, lettuce, with chipotle aioli.

And a pint.

And it was good.


Wednesday:

I’d have to say Bouldin Creek Café was my favorite restaurant that we ate at in all of Austin (so nice we ate it twice!), and it was the perfect spot for brunching on our very first morning in town.

I ordered the “El Tipico”: scrambled tofu with a homemade potato hash cake, chopped local tomatoes, shredded lettuce, salsa and warm tortillas. And I added avo, of course.


Thursday:

Thursday brought the unofficial-totally-official VVCIII “Meet ‘n Greet” at Buzz Mill bar and coffee shop, which also happens to host the Golden Spike Rail Cart walk-up window in the back.

Tacos!

“Tex-Mex Nopalito Tacos”: 2 tacos filled with tofu scramble, roasted corn, cactus, and tomatoes on a corn tortilla and topped with housemade chipotle aioli.

Have I ever told you that chipotle aioli is my weakness? WELL NOW YOU KNOW.


Friday:

Friday kicked off the official start to the third and final Vida Vegan Con, with the Vida Vegan Bazaar – an afternoon of food and drinks, speakers and panels, samples and socializing, and a whole big ballroom full of awesome vegan businesses hawking their wares. It was awesome!

The Vegan Nom taco truck was parked out front, along with Cool Beans which I sadly did not get to try. But Vegan Nom is like, the OG Austin vegan taco truck, and everyone says it’s the best. How could I resist?!

Terrible indoor lighting again, so sorry. I ordered their most popular dish, and it did not disappoint. “The Vegan del Rey”: breaded gluten-free lemon pepper mock fish topped off with fresh cabbage, avocado, and our signature cilantro-lime crema sauce on warm corn tortillas. Just one ’cause it’s a biggun.

And how!


Saturday:

Saturday was the first day of the actual con, and was also the day I was slated to give my big presentation. I was so nervous that morning I could barely gag down a plate of fruit, which meant that by nightfall – with my talk happily (and successfully!) behind me – I was starving. Back to Bouldin Creek Café, for dinner this time!

Triplets! I split this amazing platter with Jackie (Vegan Yack Attack), along with a nice big salad. And a celebratory beer. Or two.

These were the daily special, the “BBQ Street Tacos”: smokey tempeh strips basted with homemade espresso BBQ sauce, served in corn tortillas and topped with creamy slaw and crushed Fritos.

Yes, crushed Fritos. That’s how they do.


Sunday:

Before I knew it, it was Sunday – the final day of the conference and my very last day in Austin. So I had to start it off right, with a perfect plate of breakfast tacos . . . from the BREAKFAST TACO BAR at the con. Oh VVC, you are so good.

*sigh* So good you guys! So good. Just warm corn tortillas wrapped around tofu scramble, salsa, avocado, and coconut bacon. Simple and freaking perfect. *sigh*

And thus concludes our Texas Taco Tour, and my official 6-day Taco Cleanse. It was amazing and fun and funny and delicious, and really, just the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to all-things-Vida Vegan Con-related. So more of that later this week.

For now? I need a taco detox . . . in preparation for tomorrow’s TACO TUESDAY!

♥

After 2 epic days of adventure, mishap, late night desert driving, daytime road games, much silliness, tomfoolery, shenanigans, and a hearty helping of vegan eats, me and my lady blogger compatriots have arrived safely in Austin, TX, armed and ready to take the city – and the third annual Vida Vegan Con – by storm. Huzzah!

The three of us – Jackie from Vegan Yack Attack, Joni from Just The Food, and myself – drove from Long Beach to Austin in under 2 days. Not bad! And here’s what it looked like:

Oh my goodness you guys, the shower that I just took (after midnight) (my first in 2 days) felt soooo amazing. And now I’m snuggled down in this bed, and I can barely keep my eyes open.

So as I bid you adieu, I must ask:

Austin folks! What must I absolutely see and do while I’m here??

And non-Austin folks! What do you want to see from this trip? Food? Conference? Austin-y or Texas-y type stuff?

I’d love to hear it! Lemme know in the comments below.

Okay, I’m gonna go to sleep now . . .

Cheers!

♥

Seriously, Vegan Beer Fest is the best. Just the absolute best. Last year I wrote: “It’s like, one day of pure unabashed and unadulterated awesome. Vegans – the happiest vegans! – everywhere, all around. So many friendly and familiar (and even famous) faces. Good music – live and turned up loud. PERFECT WEATHER. Incredible food, soooo much food, from raw kale salad, to gourmet Mexican, to mac ‘n cheeze + ribz turned into a grilled cheese sandwich. And of course, beer. All the beer.”

Beer Fest is magical, and it’s made even better by the fact that it’s the event where Jeremy and I first met, 2 years ago. So like, basically every year we get a giant anniversary party with all our friends!

And this year, things were made even MORE MAGICAL by the fact that the festival was bigger and better in an all new location – the Pasadena Rose Bowl! So much fun, and so. many. people. The more the merrier!

I’m going to share my food and fun-filled highlights of the day, but if you’re interested in reading some more general coverage, Laura Hooper Beck wrote this super awesome and hi-larious piece for Vice.

Alright, now onto my pics! –>

Sooo, last week I wrote a little blog post about gin and green juice and balance as a key component of holistic health. (Oh and yes, events like Beer Fest are definitely on the “gin” side of the equation, but as far as I’m concerned, are a beautiful and essential part of a healthy, happy, fully-felt life!) So yeah, anyway, since I’d written about gin, my friend Brian booted up the Periscope app, and asked me about my favorite gin. You can watch that little video right here, and also, HEY! Periscope is AWESOME! Download the app for free, then follow Brian @The Sexy Vegan, and follow me @Sayward Rebhal, and let’s connect! Such a fun way to get another little look into each others’ everyday lives. ♥

So until next year, Beer Fest. I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!

♥ ♥ ♥

It feels like every year vegan cheese just gets better and better, with more innovation, more creativity, and more variety. But despite the epic advancements made in meltiness, stretchiness, and salty savory deliciousness, there’s still one thing that’s been sorely missing from the vegan cheese scene.

Because aside from high-priced or homemade cultured nut cheeses, we’ve pretty much had to live without a cheese that could be eaten cold, straight from the package. Like, a fruit or crackers cheese. Like . . . something sharp and creamy to eat with baguette. Or a tangy provolone to pair with crisp, sweet apples. Simple. Easy.

You know what I’m talking about. That delightful experience of slicing cheese straight from the block, bit by bit . . . best when done with friends. And wine. I mean, amiright??

And that’s what’s been missing from our vegan cheese scene! Well, until now.




(There is some wind noise going on here, and I apologize for that. I’m still getting the hang of this whole video thing, and there’s a learning curve. I hope you enjoy it despite the background wind!)

Quick video recap –> THIS STUFF IS FANTASTIC!


There are four flavors in the new line: American, Provolone, Mozzarella, and Garden Herb. And honestly? *Creamy* was the word of the day when we tasted these cheeses. Like, we all just couldn’t believe how amazingly fantastic the texture was! I’ve never tasted a vegan cheese that was so delicious and delightful to eat without heating.

But also, in case you’re wondering how it melts . . .




KAPOW!

Vegan 4-cheese lasagna. Waits ate 2 giant platefuls of this. Big hit, haha. Big hit.

So the new line of Follow Your Heart vegan cheeses should be hitting the shelves of Whole Foods and health food stores nation-wide, like now. Keep an eye out for this stuff!

OH AND ALSO! The awesome folks at Follow Your Heart are giving away THE ENTIRE LINE OF CHEESES to one lucky Bonzai reader! All you have to do to enter is answer this question in the comments below:

What are you dying to make with this new vegan cheese???

And as always, your friendly reminder – I think “like-gating” / “fan-gating” is weird and insincere, and I’ll never make you guys do it.

That being said, the truth is that social media stats are pretty important these days, in blogging as well as in business. So no, I’m not going to require you to “like” me all over the Internet just to enter this giveaway. BUT, if you do like my blog and enjoy the work I do here, then liking my Facebook page, or following me on Instagram or on Twitter, or subscribing to my Youtube channel, is a great, easy way to help me out. Those numbers really do count for something.

But no coercion. ALL you have to do to enter to win this WHOLE line of vegan cheese, is just leave a comment here, on this post, answering that question above. That’s it!

This giveaway will end on Saturday 25 April at midnight PST. I’ll contact the winner the next day.

Good luck guys!

♥ ♥ ♥




Congratulations to Linda Fritz-Murphy, who said:

“First, cubed with crackers and vegan red wine, on the patio, with a friend. Then, creative quesadilla time – mushrooms, greens, cranberries and provolone on a whole wheat tortilla shell…thanks for this opportunity!”

Yay, look for an email from me!