whoa, i can’t believe this crazy day and age in which we live! the folks behind two of the best vegan restaurants in the country, candle cafe and candle 79 (both located in manhattan), have now created a frozen brand that’s available at whole foods right here in los angeles.

as of last week, two of candle’s new dinners were available at whole foods in beverly hills: seitan piccata with lemon caper sauce and ginger miso stir fry. we have professed our love for both candle cafe’s and candle 79’s seitan in the past…so i was anxious to try it in convenient, microwaved form.

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tuesday evening was pretty awesome because it marked the launch of highland park’s din din a go go, a weekly vegan-friendly truck feast in the parking lot of figueroa produce. i arrived at right at the beginning (5:30pm), and there were already tons of hungry peeps milling around, waiting to get their grub on.

when i saw the multiple trucks lined up neatly behind figueroa produce to the right, i knew it was gonna be an epic night. all the trucks had vegan items on their menus (many added specifically for this event), so i had a pretty tough time deciding what to order. i chose my meals (yes, i ate multiple meals) depending on who was ready to serve and had the shortest line. first up, lomo arigato.

tofu lomo saltado: tofu sauteed with onions, tomatoes, french fries, soy sauce, and red wine. served over peruvian rice.

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we’ve got some pretty exciting news! whole foods locations in los angeles have decided to participate in meatless mondays!

every monday the stores’ prepared foods sections will feature three vegan items at a discount (usually $2 off per pound), and surround them with appropriate sides that would round off a nice meal set…

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vegans, mark your calendars! this tuesday february 8th marks the launch of HPK din din a go go, a weekly food truck dinner feast at figueroa produce.

each week, the trucks will gather in the store’s parking lot and sling loads of their usual tasty grub as well as special menu item using a figueroa produce ingredient. (i think this week’s ingredient is kale.) the organizers are going out of their way to ensure that the event is highly vegan-friendly, so let’s go show them some support and eat a lot of good food in the process. on tuesday, it’s gonna be all trucks i haven’t tried yet, so i’m super excited. here’s a sneak peek at some of the trucks and the vegan options they’ll be offering…

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it’s been almost a week since vegan pizza day, and i don’t know about you guys, but i’m ready for round #2! to celebrate the superbowl this sunday, pizza fusion hollywood and whole foods are both having awesome vegan pizza deals that you won’t wanna miss!

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sigh. sometimes meticulously reading labels just isn’t enough when it comes to determining whether or not products are vegan. this was true for mr. wishbone (you remember him from operation pancake, right?) recently when he bought some agave-sweetened gummy bears at whole foods. here’s his story:

I bought some gummy bears that appeared to have vegan ingredients, but when I tasted them I knew they had to have gelatin as an ingredient. I wrote to Whole Foods Global Office the note below and they responded today that I was correct. If you read my email to them you will see that not only were some of the ingredients missing but the nutritional info area also failed to show the protein correctly.

mislabled gummy bears

Basically they checked their ingredient listing and it looked o.k., but after more checking with their supplier they found that the label had left out the ingredients Gelatin, Lactic Acid, and Purple Berry Concentrate!

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if you aren’t already hip to figueroa produce in highland park, you need to get over there. the neighborhood grocery store is super vegan-friendly and has more cutting edge products than anywhere else in los angeles.

insane vegan meats

when i popped by over the weekend for one of the epic deli sandwiches, they were handing out samples of vegan meat by a company called fry’s that totally blew my mind…

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yes, yes, YES! a VEGAN THANKSGIVING PIZZA! sounds too good to be true right?! but it’s not! as of yesterday, it’s available at whole foods west hollywood and on sundays they charge just $10 for an epic surf-board-sized pizza. i know what i’m doing this weekend!

vegan pizza w/ majestic garlic, roasted veg w/herbs vegan stuffing and daiya cheese

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act fast, vegans! i usually don’t post a lot of discount offers here on the blog, but this one is so epic that it deserves some ink.

aged cashew and brazil nuts cheese by dr. cow

figueroa produce, the friendly neighborhood market in highland park, is selling both dr. cow’s tree nut cheese and field roast celebration roasts at HALF PRICE, while supplies last….

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man, i really love the prepared foods section at whole foods. they are always coming up with new delicious restaurant-quality items that are inexpensive and easy to grab on the go. for somebody like me who doesn’t love to cook, the prepared food section is a godsend. last year they provided our thanksgiving dinner, and over the summer they supplied everything needed for a vegan bbq.

i’m happy to announce that as of today, whole foods locations around los angeles are unveiling their holiday display case, and it’s absolutely packed with all kinds of tasty seasonal foods.

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when i went vegan, i never thought i’d be eating deli-style sandwiches again. i’m talking about huge thick beasts served on crunchy bread with tons of vegetables and meat sliced thinly from a massive block right in front of me. well, figueroa produce has proven me wrong…as they’re the first place in california to offer really authentic vegan deli meats, available for purchase by weight or in the sandwich of your choice. if you live anywhere in los angeles, i promise you it’s worth the trip to highland park to try this stuff out.

while i’m usually a bit skeptical of new vegan meats, the product at figueroa produce is made by a local and vegan-owned company called all vegetarian inc…and the packaging material along with an ingredients list is out on public display in the store. i visited the market on a weekday afternoon, and they had vegan pepper steak, ham, and kobe beef all for the taking.

anthony, the friendly dude at the counter, was enthusiastic when i asked about the vegan meat. he told me that the bread was vegan as well, and suggested i get my sandwich with vegenaise and deli-sliced daiya. as i eyed up the meat slicer, i asked him to clean it down before making my food. he quickly explained that figueroa produce had recently obtained a new slicer for vegan products only, and pointed proudly to a shiny hunk of metal on the other side of the counter. i mean, HONESTLY?! vegan deli meat and a separate slicer at a grocer in highland park? this is the future.

i watched in awe as anthony assembled my sandwich, and was transported back to the days before i was a vegetarian. a simple sub with my choice of “meats”, “cheese”, vegetables, and condiments (including vegan mayo!)…i never thought i’d have this pleasure again.

vegan deli sandwich at figueroa produce: pepper steak, daiya cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pepperoncinis, avocado, mustard and vegenaise. $6.99

when i finally got my sandwich home and took a bite of it, i just couldn’t believe the authenticity. all of the vegan sandwiches at figueroa produce are just $6.99, a complete steal considering the size. mine came with a generous amount of soy peppersteak and cheddar daiya along with lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperoncini, avocado, mustard, and vegenaise. the peppersteak was incredibly convincing (in a non-creepy way), with a meaty texture and a great blend of spices. i’m already a big daiya fan, but it tasted even better sliced paper-thin and atop all the other fresh ingredients.

if you like sandwiches, make it a point to hit up figueroa produce ASAP! head straight to the deli counter and fill up on vegan goodness; you won’t be sorry. oh, and while you are there…stock up on teese, daiya, gardein, tofurky, and raw food items,…they’ve got it all!

Figueroa Produce Market
6312 North Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone 323-255-FOOD (3663)
Fax 323-255-3030
Mon – Sat 7am to 9pm
Sunday 8am-8pm

this is just a quick post to let you all know about figueora produce, a small little grocery store in highland park that’s bringing you high-quality foods at discounted prices. in an area that lacks a whole foods, this place has got most our favorite products including gardein, daiya, teese, and so delicious. plus, they are always willing to take suggestions from vegans about what they should carry.

we popped by the store over the weekend, and i was so excited to see the shelves stocked with so many vegan items.

silk and so delicious right there with the normal milk…

stinkey monkey pudding and blissed out chocolates (two very good, yet hard to find vegan products)…

several gardein frozen products…

along with teese, tofurky, and daiya…!

i was actually pretty excited to see teese on the shelf, because i’d just suggested to figueroa produce via twitter that carry it a couple weeks ago. they sure didn’t waste any time!

but it’s not just bloggers that figueroa produce listens to. my friend recently moved to eagle rock and was shopping at the grocery store when one of the owners, ruben perez, introduced himself and welcomed her to the neighborhood. he gave her his email address, and said if there were any vegan products she’d like to see, to let him know. she emailed him to suggest they carry field roast sausages, and with in a few days she got a response saying they had been ordered and would be in stock soon. WOW! talk about customer service!

if you are ever in the area, be sure to stop in and check figueroa produce out. it’s a real gem in the highland park neighborhood with a wonderful staff and great vegan products. oh, and be sure to follow them on twitter! they are always announcing deals and discounts. in fact, TODAY is twitter tuesday…meaning, if you go to the store and mention twitter, you get 10% off your check! so go do it!

Figueroa Produce Market
6312 North Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone 323-255-FOOD (3663)
Fax 323-255-3030
Mon – Sat 7am to 9pm
Sunday 8am-8pm

summer is here, and if you live in los angeles, whole foods is going to be your one stop shop for EPIC VEGAN FEASTING. that’s right, this week stores in the area are rolling out a completely vegan bbq case for the month of july in the prepared foods section, and it’s ABSOLUTELY INSANE.

ALL VEGAN BBQ CASE!!!

the case is already set up at whole foods weho, and will be at other stores in the region starting on thursday, july 1st. i hit up the west hollywood store yesterday to check out the goods, and i was beyond impressed.

it featured various gardien and field roast items as well as vegan potato salad, tempeh salad and a number of vegetable offerings. everything you need for a bbq, picnic, beach or pool party!

check out all the crazy stuff i tried…

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i shop at whole foods like it’s my job, and i officially have a new favorite location. first i thought it couldn’t get any better than venice, then el segundo took the crown, and now tarzana has got them both beat. it’s massive and it’s epic like no wfs i’ve ever been to before. it needs to be seen to be believed.

i first got wind of the new whole foods when a helpful tipster wrote in to the blog. (if you know of cool vegan places, please do the same!) she wrote, “FYI… I’m sure you’ve heard by now but the new whole foods opened in tarzana and there’s a crap load of vegan stuff. Soups, hot food, frozen food, and a wine and tapas bar that has daiya sandwiches…” yes! later that day, i saw a post on LAist, with a slew of photos of the new location, and i knew i had to check it out. it took me a few weeks, but i finally hauled my ass out to the valley, and boy was it worth it! (the new store is located immediately across the street from LA’s best vegan restaurant, madeleine bistro…in case you need more inspiration!)

naturally, i started my tour of the joint in my favorite section: prepared foods! it was amazing. the space was vast and there was way too much stuff to take pictures of. sensory overload to the max. i did catch the entirely vegan salad bar…

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Imagine, if you would, a relaxed bar with six craft beers on tap and 16 great wines by the glass.

Add in over 100 bottled beers…

and around 300 bottled wines…

I have your attention?

Good. Imagine if this bar had a “create your own pizza” counter with Daiya cheese and 10 vegan toppings as well as a deli with many vegan sandwiches.

But wait, there’s more…

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