got plans today?! why don’t you head over to locali and support one of our favorite vegans ever, clara polito. the 13 year old baker behind the delicious clara’s cakes is holding a bake sale to raise money for a school trip to new york.

let's send this girl to nyc!

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yes, you heard me right! locali is offering the best vegan reuben in LA at 10% off to quarrygirl readers for the rest of 2010!

vegan reuben: marinated deli slices topped with daiya cheese, sauerkraut & smothered with homemade vegan russian dressing. $9.75

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i’m a fan of the hot food at locali, so i was super excited when i heard they were adding two new vegan breakfast sandwiches to their menu.

after trying them, i can tell you both of the sandwiches have a few things going for them: they taste pretty good, they are under 5 bucks, and they are served all day long.

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i have never tasted a frozen dinner that brought me back to my pre-vegan days as much as today when i tried amy’s vegan rice macaroni and cheeze. this stuff is brand new, it’s made with daiya cheese, and it tastes so much like the stouffer’s i remember eating as a kid.

right now, the only place i’ve been able to find amy’s new vegan mac and cheeze is at locali. i’ve checked several different whole foods locations including weho, 3rd/fairfax, and beverly hills…all no dice. so head on over to locali ASAP and buy some of this before it’s all gone. if you miss the taste of quick & easy childhood mac and cheese, this will really hit the spot. just be sure to read the labels on the back and look for the phrase “(VEGAN)” located right next to the printed word “INGREDIENTS.” they also namedrop “DAIYA” in the ingredients section, if that’s helpful. i’m not trying to talk to you like you are a 5 year old, but seriously, amy’s stuff can be confusing. they sneak honey and casein into products like none other.

oh, and one more little coup to add: this new amy’s mac and cheese is also gluten free and soy free….so pretty much anyone on earth can eat it! go get some and lemme know what you think. ALSO, please lemme know if you see this at any other stores other stores; let’s get the word out!

i’ve got good news, los angeles! it is with great pleasure that i announce there is yet another vegan baker on the scene, and i can vouch for the goods. sugar plum vegan is bakery from sacramento that was selling treats to the local whole foods and co-op up there. lucky for us, they recently moved to LA and are in the process of getting food available in stores around town.

assorted treats from the sugar plum vegan bakery

over the weekend, i was fortunate enough to sample several of sugar plum vegan’s creations, and they were all excellent. pictured above, starting at the back with the cookie and going clockwise, we have the peanut butter creamie, an orange goji scone, a cinnamon bun, a sticky bun, gluten-free carrot cake, the entertainer, and in the middle is a red velvet cupcake.

sugar plum vegan peanut butter creamie

the peanut butter creamie was one of my favorite things i tried from sugar plum vegan. the sweet sandwich was made of two chocolate chip, chocolate dipped cookies with peanut butter frosting in the middle. this thing was rich and decadent, and didn’t taste vegan at all. the soft cookies and smooth chocolate went great with the thick and creamy frosting. five stars.

sugar plum vegan sticky bun

my other favorite treat was the sticky bun, a delicious breakfast pastry with a caramel nut topping. the bun was filled up with gooey sugary goodness, and the nuts on top were so sweet, they tasted like candy. once i took a bite of this thing, i couldn’t stop.

all the other sugar plum baked goods i tried were great as well—the cupcakes were moist and flavorful, the cinnamon bun was soft and covered in delicious frosting, and the goji scone was perfectly fruity. oh, and the gluten-free carrot cake didn’t taste gluten-free…or vegan for that matter.

for info on how to order these goodies for yourself, contact sugar plum vegan through their website. and starting today, you can also find some of sugar plum vegan’s goods for sale at locali. melissa sugar, the baker behind all this, tells me locali will be offering the following items: the entertainer cupcake (a chocolate cupcake with cream cheese filling), gluten free carrot cake, sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, and gluten free/soy free pumpkin chocolate chip walnut muffins.

so try some sugar plum vegan stuff when you have a chance, it’s all really tasty. damn, we are getting spoiled in los angeles with all these talented vegan bakers popping up!

sugar plum vegan
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As a globe trotting vegetarian, I recall attending many cheese and wine parties all over the world. I’ve eaten Brie atop the Eiffel Tower, Feigenbergkäse in the caves of the Black Forest, Gouda on a barge in Amsterdam and Formaggio Branzi while listening to the Pope recite Easter mass in The Vatican. For me, a combination of cheese, crackers, fruit and good wine or beer is the epitome of cosmopolitan Hors d’œuvre the world over. As vegans, though, we can’t eat the cheese, and the crackers are usually full of whey, butter and cheese so they are off limits too.

Given the lack of any vegan cheese and wine party invites, we decided to host our own, with ourselves as guests. We visited Whole Foods beforehand to stock up on vegan organic wine, my favorite bottled beer (Chimay) and some organic, vegan crackers, assorted fruits and a smidgen of vegan chocolate, all to be enjoyed with the incredible Dr. Cow vegan cheese.

We’re not talking about Daiya-style melty cheese that you’d put on a pizza or in a toasted sandwich, but a direct replacement for those expensive, tasty and pungent cheeses that go so well on a cracker with a bite of fruit, washed down with fine wine or beer.

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