warning! the following content is NSFV!

please send this video around to your omnivorous friends and family members. they probably need a reminder of what they are really eating today for thanksgiving dinner.

video via the extreme vegan. follow @extremevegan on twitter.

there is nothing happy or kind about this holiday.

hey los angeles vegans! just a quick post to let you know that whole foods has some special holiday offerings including seasonal products from gardein and field roast.

in the prepared foods section, you can find a whole holiday spread which features stuffed turk’y roasts by gardein and stuffed hazelnut cranberry en croute by field roast. both products look absolutely delicious, although i haven’t had the chance to try them yet.

gardein stuffed turkey at whole foods

they also are offering gardein rosemary grilled breast. seriously, there is no excuse not to have a vegan thanksgiving. everything you need is at whole foods!

also, at whole foods west hollywood (fairfax and sanmo) they will be offering 50% OFF all whole and 12 inch prepack pizzas! This includes the basu’s homestyle pizzas, the black garlic pizzas, or you can create your own! they also have a hummus pizza and a field roast pizza, which i haven’t tried yet. whole foods uses daiya cheese on their vegan pizza and they do a fucking amazing job, so i suggest you take this opportunity to check it out if you haven’t already.

i know i will be hitting up whole foods for some vegan thanksgiving eats, as well as a post-holiday pizza.

this week the meet market, a hybrid vegan sandwich and specialty grocery shop, has opened in silverlake in the spot that used to be flore cafe. they have a small but appetizing and reasonably priced hot menu, as well as some grocery shelving and a refrigeration unit full of goodies. i stopped by yesterday to have a look and a taste of what was going down, and i must say i was impressed!

roast beef and cheddar: "beef" strips with grilled onion, bbq sauce and "cheese" sauce. $5.95

i ordered the roast beef and cheddar sandwich, which is quite sizable and a total steal at under $6. the thing comes piled with strips of faux meat, grilled onions, and an amazing runny “cheese” sauce. the dude who took my order was super nice, and gave me a cup of water to sip as i looked around the shop and waited for my sandwich.

although the meet market doesn’t have a ton of groceries right now, they definitely have some good stuff. they have a shelf full of snacky things like tings, have’a corn chips, vegan gummy bears, and soy jerky. they also have a refrigeration case up front filled with staples like kombucha, silk nog, and the non-hydrogenated tofutti cream cheese.

i got my food to-go, and when i unwrapped it at home i just couldn’t believe the big beefy and cheesy hot mess staring back at me. it was great. since the vegan spot shut down, there just really hasn’t been a place where you can get fast, hearty comfort food…so this was a real treat.

over the next few weeks, the meet market will continue to grow and offer more and more products. for now though, just drop in and pick up a few of those vegan novelty items that are hard to find, and enjoy their sandwich and salad menu. for now, the meet market has pretty short opening hours (11am – 4pm on weekdays and 11am-8pm on weekends), but let’s hope those expand as well.

here is a peek at the menu, so you can decide what to order when you visit:

oh and BTW, the meet market will continue to do the all you can eat buffets on weekends that flore cafe was famous for. yay!

the meet market
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

hey all you peeps who have been hanging tight, we finally have the winners of the first ever quarrygirl caption contest!

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a new vegan grocery store and deli called the meet market is opening in los angeles, in the same location as flore cafe! this just came in from the owners (i will keep you posted as more details become available):

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would you believe that some of the best dessert i’ve ever eaten is available at whole foods? i probably wouldn’t have believed it either, before i tried the amazing pies and cheese cakes made by earth cafe. the entirely vegan company specializes in raw living desserts that are so decadent, you just wouldn’t believe they are animal-free, gluten-free, raw, with no refined sugars or hydrogenated oils…and they are widely available throughout los angeles!

Strawberry Fields Forever Cheesecake by Earth Cafe

when earth cafe first offered to send me some samples of their pies and desserts, i was a tad bit skeptical because i usually associate the word “raw” with “healthy/boring tasting.” wow, i couldn’t have been more wrong. each different flavor was incredibly luscious and rich, the kind of thing i would share with my non-vegan friends in order to “convert” them.

the first flavor i tried was the “strawberry fields forever” cheesecake (pictured above). any product named after a beatles song is gonna get extra credit in my book—just check out my site banner—but this cheesecake was AMAZING. extra thick with a moist center and the most delectable nutty topping.

Who's Your Daddy Pie by Earth Cafe

next up was the “who’s your daddy” pie, a raw vegan carob mousse. this was hands down the best dessert i’ve had in a long time. it was fluffy, rich, and packed with amazing chocolate-y flavor. i could have eaten like ten pieces of this daddy.

i also tried the “rockin raspberry”…

Rockin' Raspberry Cheesecake by Earth Cafe

and the “cherry dream” cheesecake…

Cherry Dream Cheesecake by Earth Cafe

both of these were incredible, with juicy bits of fruit throughout the center and thick nutty crusts.

Peach Passion Peace Pie by Earth Cafe

earth cafe also makes a peach flavored cheeesecake, called “peach passion peace pie”, which is super sweet, smooth, and silky.

Pumpkin Spice Life Pie by Earth Cafe

and lastly i tried the “pumpkin spice life pie”, which completely blew me away. this is some of the best pumpkin pie i’ve ever eaten, and i would definitely recommend it for a vegan thanksgiving gathering.

i have no idea how earth cafe can make something so delicious that’s completely raw, vegan, and not full of crap. and i can’t believe this incredible food has been right under my nose for so long and i never even tried it. have you guys had this stuff? i mean, it’s pretty amazing right?

you can find earth cafe products at places all around los angeles including whole foods, erewhon, locali, and even some restaurants and ralphs locations. also, WHOLE CHEESECAKES AND PIES ARE AVAILABLE through earth cafe’s website! did you hear that?! whole vegan cheesecakes! and i don’t know who in their right mind could pass up getting one of these pumpkin pies for thanksgiving. i know that’s what i’ll be doing. oh, and they freeze well for months, so it’s time to stockpile.

try this stuff from earth cafe and let me know what you think. i’m predicting you will be just as impressed as i was.

super real-tasting vegan crab cakes: creepy or awesome?

after making these cakes using match meat, i am gonna have to go with AWESOME. the match meats crab is made from plant protein, but it has a taste and texture just like the real thing…which is at first a bit unsettling, but ultimately delicious.

i followed the recipe for crab cakes listed on match’s website (it’s super-easy to make, BTW), which involved mixing the faux meat with vegenaise, vegetables and herbs before cooking it. i tasted a bit of the mixture as i was going along….and DUDE, i have never had such an authentic fish taste without eating fish. it was so trippy, but kind of cool at the same time. it tasted a bit like tuna, the kind drenched in mayo on a sandwich that i used to eat when i was a kid.

i formed the miracle vegan fish mixture into little balls, breaded it with panko, sauteed it and baked it just like the recipe said…and wow, these things came out perfect. i drizzled them with some homemade tofu sauce and served them up with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted brussels sprouts, delicious!

if you haven’t had match crab yet, i don’t know what you are waiting for. this is the kind of product that is really going to change the way people eat, and might actually get omnivores to consider a vegan diet.

and for those of you are creeped out by this product or all judgmental, like, “we shouldn’t eat vegan stuff that emulates animals…” you are missing the point! match meat is totally vegan, so embrace it! it’s like when some really sexy person in their 20s plays a high schooler in a movie and you feel all weird and pervy for thinking they are hot—don’t! they aren’t really in high school, and this isn’t really meat!

right now you can find match in stores on the east coast, or online from cosmo’s and vegan essentials…but i am really hoping it makes its way to los angeles whole foods markets at some point in the near future.

ahhhh…what better way to finish off a weekend than with some trusty vegan booze. today’s poison was vodka, mixed with a healthy amount of zico pure coconut water.

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vegan bacon cheeseburger. redwood foods rashers, vbites burger patties, and daiya cheese. no joke kids, this is seriously the best vegan burger i’ve EVER HAD. i cannot wait until all these products become available in the states. for now, you can get the daiya in LA….but you will have to go to the UK to get the burger patty and bacon. let’s hope this becomes available to the masses super soon.

POST UPDATED 11/25 at 12pm

i can’t believe it’s that time of year already…thanksgiving is right around the corner! i know this is a big holiday for all the omnivores, but there’s no reason vegans can’t join in the feasting fun as well. there are several ways to have a meat-free celebration here in los angeles, so here is a list of your options. i will keep updating this post with more information as it becomes available, so be sure to check back as we get closer to tofurky day.

thanksgiving celebrations:

flore vegan in silverlake is having a thanksgiving dinner the day BEFORE the holiday (11/25) for just $10.95 per person. their special meal includes vegan turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce and a dinner roll.

akasha restaurant in culver city is having a vegan-friendly thanksgiving dinner fro $55 per person, and is a great place to go if you are dining with omnivores who insist on having turkey. the vegan options include wild peppercorn and sage roasted tofu, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie and apple tart.

shojin japanese restaurant is offering a thanksgiving feast from 11/25-11/28. it will include homemade vegan turkey with all the fixins and dessert for $34.95 per person. shojin was rated one of the top 5 vegan restaurants in LA, so i have no doubt this will be a great feast. for more info, check out their blog.

zephyr cafe in long beach won’t actually be open on november 26th, but they are having their third annual potluck on the day before thanksgiving. It’s on november 25th at 6pm. 340 East 4th Street, Long Beach 562.435.7113

vegi wokery in cerritos is having a special thanksgiving dinner on november 26th from 11am to 7pm. it’s only $15.95 per person and includes meatless turkey, stuffing, soup, vegetables and more. advance reservations are required.

madeleine bistro (one of LA’s top 5 vegan restaurants) in tarzana will be serving a brunch on thanksgiving day, and some birds from animal acres will be there as guests! the restaurant will offer its regular brunch menu, as well as a special thanksgiving sandwich…plus a full on traditional prix-fixe for $55 per person. here is what will be on the menu.

potluck time! the free vegan thanksgiving rancho park potluck picnic has been going since 1941! it’s LA’s longest running single day vegan tradition. read more about it here.

stuff i eat in inglewood (one of LA’s top 5 vegan restaurants) is holding and all you can eat buffet on thanksgiving day. i called them and they said it would be around $40 per person, and that they would be serving a variety of creative dishes. this is an amazing offer, because stuff i eat is seriously some of the best food i’ve ever had. (sorry, this blows real food daily out of the water and is the same price)

mary’s secret garden in ventura is offering a 3 course meal for $40 per person, with 3 menus to choose from…including a raw menu! a reservation is a must, and they also offer pre-reserved carry-out.

native foods in costa mesa is open for thanksgiving dinner from 2-8pm and are offering a holiday menu that includes their famous wellington (pictured above) with all the fixins. be sure to make a reservation asap.

one world vegetarian in west covina is also open on thanksgiving day and are offering a veggie turkey!

follow your heart in canoga park is closed on thanksgiving day, but has a famous feast for the two days before that, which you can get to go.

thanksgiving take-out:

for those of you who don’t feel like dining at madeleine bistro on thanksgiving day, they also have a holiday to-go menu which includes a 4 course meal for $50 per person. just be sure to order it by 5pm on november 22nd. it can then be picked up by appointment on the 25th or 26th. here is what’s on the menu:

vinh loi tofu (also one of LA’s top 5 vegan restuarants) is offering a whopping 4 pound vegan thanksgiving turkey starting sometime next week for $45! they will also have smaller “turkeys” available as well. i am definitely gonna get one of these, the offer of a 4 lb vegan creation by kevin tran is just too good for me to pass up.

m cafe de chaya has a holiday feast available that includes soup, salad, and a seitan roast dinner. just be sure to place your orders before noon on november 24th.

click to enlarge

real food daily has a full thanksgiving menu available for 40 bucks per person, as well as whole pies for individual purchase.

cinnamon vegetarian in highland park has a traditional thanksgiving menu, as well as a latin one including tamales and pozole.

cinnamon thanksgiving feast from cinnamonvegetarian.com

native foods (all locations) is offering their famous wellington, which feeds 6 people, for only $40 this year! this is what i am getting for thanksgiving. be sure to order yours asap.

the native wellington: puff pastry filled with savory seitan, organic kale, portobello mushrooms, orange-glazed yams, stuffings and caramelized onions. served with shallot-mushroom gravy.

cook it yourself:

gardein has a whole thanksgiving menu planned out, complete with step by step recipes on their website so you can make it at home. on their menu are things like sage and pumpkin encrusted seed gardein, wild mushroom stuffed cakes, sweet potato biscuits and much more. check out their thanksgiving dinner menu here.

check out the invaluable article vegan thanksgiving 101 from lunchboxbunch.com. it’s basically a crash course about cooking your own meal, throwing a party, and having a blast on the holiday.

viva la greens is holding a special thanksgiving cooking class along with a guided meditation session on sunday, november 15th. check out the website for details.

if you feel like cooking at home this thanksgiving, check out this meal by robin robertson, one of america’s best selling vegetarian cookbook authors. robin has recipes for every part of your holiday meal, from seitan en croute to garlic smashers and ginger-dusted pumpkin cheezecake. all the recipes are available for free, online at vegan.com.

also, spork foods is offering a thanksgiving feast cooking class on november 21st and 22nd, where they will teach you everything you need to know in order to cook a turkey-free meal on the big day. on their menu is rosemary & lemon roasted seitan, sauteed broccolini, tempeh bacon stuffing, and pumpking cheesecake.

that’s all i have for now. if you know of any more los angeles vegan thanksgiving stuff going on, leave it in the comments and i will update the post. keep checking in!

HAPPY THANKSLIVING, EVERYONE!

recently we wrote a very sad blog post about morningstar farms which included the fact that they not only un-veganized some of their products, but discontinued our favorite vegan steak strips. yep, at the meal starters that we’ve used for years just suddenly disappeared from store shelves and from the morningstar website without explanation. total bummer.

morningstar farms steak strips discontinued!

but wait! it turns out that almost the EXACT SAME PRODUCT, gardein’s beefless tips,  is available in the los angeles area…and probably at your local ralphs, in the freezer section right next to the spot that morningstar farms steak strips used to occupy.

as of a few weeks ago, gardein (the leading maker of faux meats in america) launched a frozen line which included a product called “beefless tips.” it turns out that gardein is the same company that used to make the discontinued morningstar steak strips…and this new product tastes EXACTLY the same! did you hear me? the product we were mourning is still available, it is just in different packaging and has a slightly rounder shape! YES! HELL YES!

when i tried the “new” gardein beefless tips, i was just beside myself. the round little faux beef balls were flavorful, chewy, and spiced ever so slightly…exactly how i remembered my old vegan steak favorite. i ate these beauties in a bowl of vegetables along with homemade tofu sauce, but they are open for interpretation.

los angeles vegans: next time you are at ralphs and want to grab the old familiar morningstar farms meal starters steak strips, grab for a new white gardein bag instead. the taste is the same, and this time it’s coming from an all vegan company—we can count on gardein not to get all shady and start adding egg whites to stuff.

and hey, if you have never had morningstar farms steak strips before, that’s even more of a reason to check this stuff out! gardein is so good, it will probably get you hooked. i am placed firmly under the vegan beef spell.

i can’t wait to put these beefless tips to use in my favorite cornish pastie recipe. 🙂

when in london, be sure to pay a visit to the secret society of vegans shop in camden town. yep, one of our favorite vegan online retailers has their very own storefront just steps away from the tube station, in unit 29 of camden market hall.

initially started as a project in 2004 to raise funds for the awesome restaurant/co-op pogo cafe, SSOV has expanded and become an independent organization, now offering rad vegan gear internationally. shirts, mugs, stickers and hoodies are all available to US consumers via their online store, but their camden shop has all those products and more!

vegan clothing, books, belts, condoms, macbeth footwear…camden has it all. they have loads of cool shirts all priced at only ₤10-12, which is much cheaper than if you ordered them online and had them shipped to the states.

so when traveling in london, make sure to put SSOV on your list of places to visit. supposedly they are looking for a bigger location, where they can expand and even have a tea room! that would be awesome. for now, you can find them here:

camden market hall (unit 29)
201 camden high street
london nw1 7BT
TEL: 075 2678 9432
closed monday and tuesday
Wednesday to Friday (2pm-6pm) • Saturday / Sunday (12pm-6pm)

oh, and if you can’t make it to london…that shouldn’t stop you from stocking up on fab SSOV gear anyways. check them out online.

match vegan chicken quesadillas with daiya cheese.

have you tried match premium meat alternatives yet? this stuff is insane.

recently match sent me some samples to try, and i used their very versatile “chicken” to whip up some vegan quesadillas.

with the help of daiya cheese, this was hands down the best and most “real” tasting vegan quesadilla i’ve ever had. you could serve this to an omnivore, and they would never know they were eating vegan meat & cheese. seriously, this tasted just like the standard rich appetizer so many restaurants serve.

match is a vegan meat alternative that’s so convincing, it’s just unbelievable! you cook with it exactly like you would meat, it acts like meat, except no harm goes into making it. i seriously think that it’s this kind of product that could sway omnivores to consider a vegan diet—it’s game-changing.

if you live on the east coast, you can probably buy match at a store near you. unfortunately for us here in los angeles, right now our only option is to order it online…both cosmo’s vegan shoppe and vegan essentials carry it. the possibilities are endless with this stuff.

gardein vegan chicken scallopini

Throughout my entire professional life, I’ve spent most of my waking hours with omnivorous coworkers. I’m used to being a wallflower at pot lucks, pizza parties, brown bag lunches, birthday celebrations and fancy executive dinners, fortunate to nibble on some fresh fruit or dry burger buns while my omni-workers fill up on stuff I won’t eat.

I’ve lost count of the number of times somebody has walked up to my desk and offered some “amazing left-over” food. Everything from caviar crackers to chicken wings to home made cookies, I’m always the one saying “Oh, that looks amazing, but I have to pass as I’m a vegetarian/vegan”.

Sometimes, I’ve been pleasantly surprised when somebody has prepared something specially for me, like the time the IT guy in Seattle made vegan cornish pasties on a whim: “I thought it would be a challenge, you know”. After I ate all three of them before I got home I can confirm that he met said challenge with aplomb.

What I’d never participated in, though, is the random: “I made too much of [insert non-vegan food] last night. Want some?”. Until, that is, last week when my only ever vegan coworker (the amazingly talented Benny Strange) popped in to my office and casually said “Hey, I made WAY too much vegan pesto last night. Want some?”. Did I EVER.

vegan bennystrange pesto

The timing could not have been better, frankly, as back home I had some amazing Gardein Chick’n Scallopini burning a hole in the freezer, and was already considering some Italian-style accompaniments: The thought of a meal based on vegan pesto (something rather difficult to find in the wild) immediately resonated with me, so I rushed home with pesto in hand and started to cook up a storm.

First, I need to take a moment to talk about the Gardein Chick’n, which is a seriously tasty and flexible alternative to fake meats and, of course, real meat. They arrive pre-cooked so all you have to do is heat them to your taste, season further if you like and cook ’em. For this dish, I brushed them with a little olive oil, fresh garlic and dried Italian herbs then seared them over the grill for 5 minutes.

For the rest of the dish, I boiled some angel hair pasta in salted water for a few minutes, and then drained and added the vegan pesto, mixing throughly.

Adding some steamed broccoli was the icing on the cake, as this wonderful dish came together rather well. Spearheaded by the sublime smoothness of the absolutely amazing vegan pesto (better than the stuff you can buy in Whole Foods), some al dente pasta and the sumptuously juicy Gardein Scallopinis this really was an excellent meal.

I’m really grateful to Benny Strange for bringing in his leftover pesto as it ignited a meal idea I’d never have considered, and which turned out to be truly amazing. Let’s hope many more vegans show up in workplaces everywhere so we can bring our leftovers and trade them with each other. Who knows, our omni coworkers might even learn a thing or two about how wonderful cruelty-free food can be.

What do Fish Fingers, Mushy Peas, Bisto gravy and Smash all have in common? They are all staple foods of English family cooking. Growing up in the UK I would have had one, or all, of these foodstuffs weekly. Clearly, now, as a vegan living in Los Angeles, not only is it difficult to buy these things, but Fish Fingers are clearly off limits, not least because they are made of fish’s fingers. Or so our schoolboy jokes implied all those years ago.

When we paid a visit to the excellent VBites restaurant just outside Brighton on our last UK trip I happened to notice “Breaded Style Fish Fingers“ as we were leaving. A new product from Redwood Foods/VBites (the company that makes Cheezly), these are entirely vegan and looked very tasty indeed. Sadly, we had a long walk ahead and were staying in a hotel for a few more days so we couldn’t buy them on the spot.

HOWEVER, on our last day we visited the mecca (not Macca) of Whole Foods restaurants in Kensington to stock up on some hard-to-find vegan stuff. Lo and behold, as we were browsing around, we happened upon the exact same “Breaded Style Fish Fingers”, and I couldn’t resist picking up a couple of packets, which were very reasonably priced. So, with one ingredient down and three to go I set about combing the store for the other essential ingredients. Canned Mushy Peas were an easy find, as was a packet of Smash instant mashed potatoes:

We had to search a bit to find the Bisto vegetarian gravy granules, but once we had them, our evil plan to smuggle the ingredients back to Los Angeles to cook a traditional English meal — but vegan — was complete!

Back Stateside, preparing the food took about 5 minutes – pour hot water on the potatoes and gravy, heat the peas in a saucepan and pop the fish fingers under the broiler. The food was so easy to cook that I realized for the first time why my culinary-challenged mother made it for me so much while I was growing up.

While the gravy, mashed potatoes and mushy peas were excellent and reminded me of home, the best thing about the meal was the “Fish Fingers”, often called “Fish Sticks” in America. They were crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside and with a distinct texture that wasn’t pretending to be real fish. I could have eaten the entire package, but had to restrain myself so I’d have room for a traditional English veganized after-dinner treat. But that’s an entirely different story.

I hope that Redwood Foods/VBites bring their entire line of vegan food to the USA, and that this will give omnivores and vegetarians more reason to make the switch to being vegan.