You may be asking yourself, wtf is Crostini-a-Go-Go? Well it’s a recipe I invented when I was a wee pre-vegan lass. It’s crostini that you eat like nachos! I used to make it with brie so when I went vegan, I never made it again...until now! I haven’t found the perfect vegan “brie” yet but you know I love Punk Rawk Labs cheese so I decided to use that. It obvi doesn’t melt like brie...which is part of the point of Crostini-a-Go-Go...but the flavor was perf so I was pleased with the results. The recipe sounds kind of involved but it’s really not that difficult; there are a few diff parts but each is super easy to do. Here’s what it consists of (though there’s plenty of room to make your own variations!):

Crostini Apple Compote Berry Compote Soft Vegan Nut Cheese Pecans

So, let’s get to cooking!

Ok so it all starts with crostini:

Crostini:

1 baguette olive oil salt+pepper

Heat an oven to 350. Slice your baguette into thin rounds. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet, brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 mins, turning the cookie sheet halfway through. 

Next! You make the apple compote (there’s a berry compote too but the apple takes longer to cook so do that first)!

Apple Compote:

3 or 4 apples (I like granny smith for this--not too sweet) 1/4 cup sugar (roughly) 1 Tbs lemon juice (roughly) pinch of cinnamon

Peel and chop your apples into 1 inch cubes. Or whatever it doesn’t much matter. Then put all your ingredients in a pot. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender (looks like mush tbqh), about 30 mins. 

Next, you make a berry compote! I really prefer cranberries but I could not find any in this season! Not even frozen! So I did raspberries. They were yum. You can do whatever berry you like or heck, go crazy and make a mixed berry compote! It’s your world, squirrel!  Raspberry Compote:

Bag of frozen raspberries (you can use fresh, just google any recipe) 1/2 cup sugar 3 Tbsp lemon juice

Put all of the ingredients in a pot and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. It’ll be like a sauce or syrup p much, not as thick as the apple compote. 

While all this is cooking, you can chop your pecans (almond slivers would be nice too tbqh).

And like I said, I used Punk Rawk Labs cheese but any soft nut cheese should be good. If you know of a yummy melty vegan brie, do tell! Because that would really seal the deal here. 

Once you have all the crostini accessories ready, it’s time to put it all together! Break out a baking dish (I just use a square cake dish--you want something with sides) and layer your crostini. Then spoon your apple compote over it. Then drizzle the berry compote layer. Next you dollop the cheese on top. And finally, your pecans! 

The final step: turn on your broiler and broil your Crostini-a-Go-Go for about 5 minutes. Maybe more, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn! You want it a bit toasty but since the cheese won’t melt anyway, you don’t have to wait for that. 

Pre-tip tip: visiting sanctuaries like Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is great motivation on your vegan journey!

It’s that time of year again! The beginning of the year, when we welcome curious new vegans into the fold. Are you trying to make The Big Change but unsure of how to get started? I’m here to help! Here are 12 of my personal tips for new vegans. 

This is an update to a post I did in 2011; I’m revising it now based on criticism I’ve heard (thank you!) about how diff people have a diff understanding of what’s “easy.” I feel like some of my tips previously took for granted what’s “easy,” when in truth families and food cultures vary greatly!  Essentially, people have diff pressures! So I’ve tried to be more mindful of that. Plus my previous post was like SPEND ALL THAT MONEY! So tryna be more mindful of different people’s economics as well. 

Before we get this party started, I’ll just say I’m vegan because I want to do as little harm to animals as possible. The environment and health are great reasons to go vegan but I am vegan because of the animals and that’s what my opinions and ideas will reflect. If you want to learn more about which vegan foods are best for the environment or what’s the healthiest way to be vegan, there are lots of great resources. This probably isn’t one of them.

1. Take it one vegan day at a time! When you first become vegan, it can be overwhelming to think of all the foods you’ll “never have again.” When the truth is, you can give up veganism tomorrow and have that hotdog or whatever. Like we won’t talk to you anymore but really you can. Plus, you don’t know what the future holds. Since I wrote this original post, you can now buy vegan eggs, vegan havarti, even vegan pork rinds ffs. You really never know what’s coming down the line. So forget about the rest of your life, just focus on today. How are you going to stay vegan today?

2. Find what works for you! I mean, of course I want to you avoid any non-vegan food or activities but really, if the thing standing between you and veganness is Thanksgiving turkey, EFF IT! Be vegan all the time EXCEPT Thanksgiving turkey! Like of course I care about turkeys but eating vegan 364 days a year is better than never, yahimean? My family is pretty chill about what people want to eat but in other families and cultures, I know food is really important. If you feel like you can’t be vegan because you’ll break your grandmother’s heart at every family occasion, then you figure out what works for you. Maybe you’re only vegan when you cook for yourself. I mean we may pretend otherwise but there are actually no rules. 

3. Take a meal inventory! We often joke about non-vegans saying they could NEVER eat vegan food. We’re like...brah, you never had an apple? In truth, many foods you already eat are vegan or could be easily made vegan. And I read once that people basically have 11 staple meals they rotate between. For me, it’s about three. I like avocado maki, PB and J english muffins, and burritos. So, to start yourself off, think of your staple meals and write down which ones are vegan or could easily be made vegan. You like spaghetti? Add some veggies or meatless meatballs and that’s 1/11 meals right there! Make a list of these things and keep writing them down as you think of them. Once you see all the stuff you CAN eat, instead of just what you can’t, you will feel capable of success!

4. Play the game! You have to have a good attitude if you want to be a happy vegan like me. If you look at like a game, it’s fun to be vegan! It’s all about big problem-solving! When you’re an omnivore, you can eat anything–what kind of game is that? That’s like playing with blocks when we all know Tetris is more fun! When you’re vegan, you’ve got to figure stuff out and find the best way to win. Are you at a super un-vegan restaurant? Hack their menu to find vegan food! On a road trip? Hunt down the best vegan restaurant in the city! Love mac and cheese? Hold your own vegan mac and cheese recipe contest! When you’re vegan, a simple trip to get ice cream is a fun adventure.

5. Stock up! Your best defense from “slip-ups” is to be prepared! That means taking your list from tip 2 and getting those ingredients. You need food for meals and food for snacks. People act bonkers when they are hungry. If you have vegan food around that you like, you won’t be so tempted to fall off the wagon when you are hangry. I know many people can’t go to the store and just throw down for a month’s worth of groceries, but planning ahead at all is actually a great way to save money. And if you need tips on shopping vegan on a budget, there are many great resources online (this article looks thorough and helpful). Generally, meat and cheese substitutes are usually pricey. If you’re on a budget, save them for a treat or skip them entirely. You don’t have to eat those to be vegan or healthy. 

6. Read ingredients! While you’re shopping, make sure you read labels for non-vegan ingredients. Easy cheat: most products now have a bolded part at the bottom of the ingredients that lists any allergens–that includes dairy! If I see dairy in this bolded line, I throw the food back on the shelf; if I don’t see dairy in the allergens, I’ll scan the rest of the ingredients to double-check it’s vegan. You will get the hang of this! It’s not so hard! It’s also pretty exciting when you find something that is accidentally vegan. 

7. Don’t forget about fruit! Fruit RULES. When we think of vegan food, sometimes we think about a bunch of veggies and grains–but don’t forget about fruit! I always have bananas, apples, grapes, and clementines around. Fruit brings back the simple joys of childhood! Fruit makes people happy! Plus, most fruit is good to go. No cooking, no fuss. Easy.

8. Get in the kitchen! If you have the time to cook, any vegan dream can come true! The best way to learn to cook is just to try recipes. I happen to be a fantastical cook and it’s just because I used to hustle threw cookbook after cookbook as a kid. If you already know your way around the kitchen, you have a head start–now you can use new recipes to learn your way around the vegan kitchen! Vegweb has a ton of recipes and really, there are free recipes all over the internet! Even Vegansaurus has recipes! Besides that, there are SO MANY amazing cookbooks. And as soon as you become vegan, all your relatives will probably start giving you vegan cookbooks for every holiday. You’ll be set! 

9. Don’t be so center-centered! Modern food in America often seems so focused on some giant, meaty center of the meal you’re supposed to have. Screw that! Sure, vegan lasagna is great when you can get it, but you don’t need some big main dish to have a meal. Eat some steamed broccoli with some couscous and bean pilaf. Hell, throw in some french fries for good measure! This is 2017, not 1950: you can do whatever you want! You don’t have to be square.

10. Remember why you’re vegan! This is just in case of emergency! Anytime I feel down about being vegan, nothing snaps me out of it more than watching those super-awful undercover factory farm videos. Seriously. Really miss dairy cheese? Watch a baby calf at a dairy farm being held down and punched in the face and see if dairy cheese still seems important. 

11. Find some pals! The internet is great for connecting with other vegans! I was reading Vegansaurus long before I was writing for it and it helped me out a lot when I first got to SF. Most cities have vegan groups to join or blogs where you can meet friends. If there are no vegans near you, you can still find an online community. Try just joining a Facebook group or commenting on vegan pages. There’s power in numbers, and they always have your back. Unless you’re in a fight about what’s the best vegan cheese and then shit can get really real, real fast. Don’t cut the omnis out of your life (besides who are the next vegans if not those same omnis?) but it’s always nice to be able to turn to other vegans when you need a hug. Except me, I’m not into touching strangers!

12. Spread the good word to the non-vegans... ...in the form of baked goods! It can be tempting when you first become vegan to tell all the non-vegans about the cruelties you’ve learned about. I’m not going to stop you but tbh that can leave you a bit isolated. My personal favorite form of vegan persuasion is yummy treats! If you can buy some donuts at the vegan bakery near you for your non-vegan friend’s party, not only will you have a treat but you’ll expose your friends to the yumminess of veganhood. If you can’t afford to splurge, baking at home is cheaper and just as yummy!

Even with all the amazing new vegan cheese options, Punk Rawk Labs is still one of my very faves. It’s creamy, flavorful, and so yum! And they have a new flavor that we love! Cashew of the Woods, paired with Shishito Gold mustard. Cashew of the Woods is “Flavored with button, crimini, and shiitake mushrooms, black and white truffles, celeriac, and white pepper.” And the mustard “has a bold, sweet taste that evokes a hint of horseradish.” It’s spicy! And they are SO GOOD together. 

Hi pals! Now you KNOW I’m the best gift giver, so I like to do a roundup of gift ideas for you guys because I’m the nicest most helpful. Here’s my roundup for 2016!

For ~fashion~ People:

These cute post earrings from Ethos Collection are not only ~fashion~ but for every pair bought, 7 meals are provided to children in need. PLUS Ethos Collection donates a portion of proceeds to micro-lending org Kiva! And priced at a reasonable $32. 

For Warm-Hearted Coffee-Lovers:

We’ve written about Grounds for Hounds before, and now they sent us their newest flavor to try, Sit & Stay, and we’re loving it! It’s 100% Fair Trade and Organic Certified PLUS “20% of all proceeds received by Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. will be donated to our rescue partner located closest to you.” So not only is the coffee super delish, every time your giftee has a cup, they can be happy they’re helping save dogs!

For the Hip Acquaintance You Want to Impress:

This isn’t just a vegan candle, it has a gold horsy on it!!!! You can get it on Made Fair for $23.99 and it promises to smell like “beach bonfire; smoky firewood enveloped with scents of the beach, including warm sand, sea spray, salt, jasmine and mandarin.” HUBBA HUBBA! And the candle is made with 100% sustainable soy wax, recycled US pine wood wicks, US made jars, and vegan fragrances. NOICE!

For bbs:

“Eat Your Veggies” soft cotton rattles from Little Market! The full set is $78 but you could spring for individual ones on there instead for $12 a pop. These are super cute and it would be funny like “lol the vegan gave my bb vegetable rattles lololol vegans.” PLUS “each rattle empowers female artisans at Pebble in Bangladesh.”

For the Comfort-lover:

This sweatshirt is sleek and looks super duper comfy. On top of that, “this good provides fair-wage jobs and empowerment for women in Uganda and Peru.” YAY! You can get it for $68 at Society B, a super-cool shop that’s all fair-trade and donates 10% of all sales (not just profits) to their partner organization of your choosing. 

For Chic Homey Pals:

I’m loving this basket from Fair Trade Winds--it’s made from recycled telephone wires! There are many sizes, shapes and colors but I’m partial to this small basket with the beige on grey. It’s $39 and I do love a dish to keep by the door; otherwise I’d lose my keys every day and my change would fall out of my pockets at night and embed in the rug. FML.

For the Jewish Cat in Your Life:

My cats love EVERY toy I get them from Fido the Cat! And the store is so nice and sends surprise prezzies sometimes. They also have cat toys for every holiday--like, ahem, this cutie dreidel! And unlike a lot of cat toys I see on Etsy, Fido the Cat toys are made with 100% polyester eco-felt and not wool. Plus the catnip is organic; Yay for environmentally-friendly kitties!

For Your Fave Coworkers:

I can’t explain how much I love Hurraw! lip balm. Like, idk what I can say. They are THE BEST! They’re all vegan, organic, and with so many fun scents, they’re all awesome! These lil guys would make the best stocking stuffers!

For the Vegans:

What do vegans love more than eating at vegan restaurants? NOT A DAMN THING. Many of us are also anti-waste, making experiential gifts a great idea. So a really great pres for the vegans in your life would be a gift card to a fancy vegan restaurant! Or a not fancy vegan restaurant! I’m just saying we love food! Sage Bistro has gift cards, Vedge has gift cards, Modern Love has gift cards, even Cinnaholic says you can get gift cards at their locations!

I came across this graphic today from LovetheGarden.com where they pulled together this handy guide to air-filtering plants based on NASA research. But, as the graphic says, not all air-filtering plants are pet-safe. So I went ahead and cross-referenced this graphic with the ASPCA info on plants that are non-toxic to pets because I’m the best and so sweet. Apparently these 7 are non-toxic to dogs and cats:

Dwarf Date Palm Boston Fern Spider Plant Bamboo Palm Lilyturf Broadleaf Lady Palm (not on ASPCA’s list but this site says non-toxic)  Barberton Daisy

Hi guys! I just wanted to tell you about Cookie’s FAVORITE kitty toy. While my cats don’t eat completely vegan (it’s hard...I try...) I still don’t buy them wool or feather toys. So when I saw this vegan “feather” by Miso handmade on etsy, I totes had to buy them for my girls! Partly because they said “vegan” and partly because they are adorbs. So I wasn’t exactly thinking about what the cats like...but then omg Cookie is obsessed with them! Her two Miso handmade feathers are her very favorite toys. As you can see, she’s in love:

“As hosts, we strive to provide a beautiful, pastoral setting where the peace of the sanctuary can help make for unique and unforgettable vegan weddings and other vegan events.”

You guys! The amazing Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is now open for vegan weddings! Wouldn’t that just be the greatest thing ever? Your vegan wedding at an awesome farm animal sanctuary? It’s almost enough to melt my cold cold heart and make me want to find a spouse!

Here’s happily married vegans Nicole & Alex (with Fawn the cow!), photo by photographers James Matthew Daniels / Caleb Adams.

And here’s the dining hall, so sweet. You also get to tour the sanctuary and meet the animals!!!! Remember when I went and met all the cute anipals?!

Speaking of dream vegan weddings, here’s our dream vegan husband Joshua Katcher on his wedding day at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary! That’s him with now-husband, the lovely and talented James! And a giant cow. Idk which cow that is, maybe Dylan? I was too scared to get up close with the cows, they are GIGANTIC ANIMALS. But that’s so fun you and all your guests get to hang with all the pretty rescued animals! They are THE BEST.

Hi guys! Purple Carrot is a vegan service like Blue Apron, where they deliver recipes and pre-measured ingredients to make the recipes! BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! All the recipes are by our favorite vegan-friendly omnivore, Mark Bittman!!! When I heard that, I knew I had to try it. So I tried two weeks of Purple Carrot, free for review (I skipped a week in the middle so this might not look like your menu if you’ve already signed up). 

Let’s just get right into it with pros and cons. 

Pros: -Easy sign up and delivery -Meals are healthy--it’s an easy way to eat healthier -Pre-measured so you can cook without the prep -All the veggies were nice and fresh, quality I’d pick myself -Great for trying new recipes you never even thought about -Exposes you to new foods you might not try on your own -You can cancel online -Easily skip a week -90% of meals are super yummy -2 person plan is more than enough for 2 people (usually closer to 3.5 meals) -You can also get the 2 meals a week for 4 people plan -Don’t need any out of the ordinary kitchen tools -All recipes are designed to take less than 45 mins -Packaging is made from post-consumer waste and recyclable -Comes packed with non-toxic ice packs and biodegradable liners -I felt so proud of my finished creations!!!

Cons: -It’s all environmentally friendly but there’s still a lot of packaging -Depending on where you live, you can’t pick the delivery day -I think some recipes took longer than 45 mins -I wouldn’t recommend for brand new cooks, you need basic cooking skills -I think it’s more expensive than cooking on your own

Now, let’s take a closer look. The stuff comes in a big box like this:

The ingredients to each recipe are separated out and pre-measured like this:

Now, the sexy part: the recipes!

Ribollita This first recipe I tried was actually by Mario Batali instead of Bittman, so that was an exciting surprise. It was DELICIOUS. It’s hard to see but if you look by the spoon, there’s actually a big hunk of bread under the soup! Bread soup! And yes, like my last pro says, I felt very proud when I was done cooking :)

Katsudon with Pickled Pea Salad and Tamari Cream Those patty looking things are roasted and breaded celery root. I don’t like celery so I’ve never actually tried celery root...and I had never planned to. WELL GOOD THING I DID. This dish was AMAZING. Like, by far the best thing I’ve cooked in like 10 years. This was my favorite dish from the 2 weeks, hands down. I’m def going to make this again. I can’t stop thinking about it!

Red Lentil Stew with Cranberries (and Parsnip Spears!) Tbh this was the only meal I didn’t really like. Well, except the parsnip spears! Those were delicious and super easy to make. But there was a slight issue in the recipe, it didn’t say to cover the quinoa and I’ve never made quinoa (don’t judge me) so I didn’t know. It ended up all crunchy. And I just didn’t really like the lentils with cranberries either. Can’t win ‘em all I guess.

Shakshuka with Tofu Dumplings over Kasha All the recipes have a little intro with some background, which I liked. This is apparently a North African dish that’s now associated with Israel. Instead of an egg, Bittman subs in some poached tofu! This was pretty good. I don’t *actually* know how to use my broiler so I didn’t poach the tofu that well but it was still good. Kasha is a bit weird though, no? Oh and this recipe had some hot peppers in it but the recipe said to use as much or as little as you like--so if you are like me and don’t like spicy food, you will be ok, they help you customize the spice level. 

Catalan Vegetable Stew with Crisp Fideos This was a funny looking recipe that was actually really good! The Fideos are toasted pieces of pasta--can you believe? Like I mentioned, all these meals are meant for two people but really there was enough for three. So I actually brought the ingredients to my brother’s and made this for him and his wife and me, and there was still some left over. They liked it a lot! If you let the fideos sit in the broth, they soften; but they were kinda nice crunchy too. Again, like many of these recipes, I would never have tried this recipe! I’m so glad I did. Oh and my sis-in-law has had Blue Apron before and she was like, “this is WAY better--in a whole different class.” And she’s not even veeg!

Mu shu Seitan with Homemade Hot Mustard This was very yummy, and again, a meal I never would have made on my own. The seitan was Upton’s Naturals too! The mustard was SUPER hot though so I only used a little on my second one haha. 

So that has been my Purple Carrot experience so far. And guess what, I signed up for the service last night! Like, with my own money. I’m so excited! The food was great, and really so many recipes I never would have tried on my own but then I really liked them. And like I said, I was so proud each time! And that was a sentiment I saw on Instagram a lot, people were so proud of their Purple Carrot creations. Also, THAT KATSUDON THO.