A Foodie 4th!

Besides the fireworks, the grilled veggie burgers and hanging out with friends by the pool, celebrating the 4th without red , white and blue themed snacks is a no no! When else do you get to eat and drink that most glorious combo of patriotic colors? I've complied a few tips to add a little "green" to your 4th as well as some recipes that will complement the boatloads of bbq and beer you may be consuming throughout this festive weekend:

• Plan ahead on where you will be spending the 4th and see if you can carpool with friends. Check online for the nearest fireworks site and either take a romantic stroll or bike there to save gas, parking frustration and to burn off the days grub!
• Make smarter drinking choices like juices with organic liquor, organic wines and beers and most of all, drink responsibly.
• Opt to make a healthy dish to bring to the festivities. Pre-packaged sides and snacks are full of preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients. If you can't cook, bring organic bagged lettuce, organic dressing, a big bowl and you've brought a healthy side everyone will appreciate ; )
• And try one of these vegan friendly treats:

Herbed Couscous with Tomatoes
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium veggie broth or water
1 cup whole-wheat couscous
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or infused oil
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon, parsley or thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring broth (or water) to a boil in a medium saucepan; add couscous, olive oil (or infused oil), tomatoes and tarragon (or parsley or thyme). Stir, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and season to taste with salt and pepper.

From eatingwell.com

Red, White, and Blueberry Freezee

1 c Vegan Whipping cream
1/2 c Frozen blueberries
1 ds Lemon juice
1 x Sugar to taste
Small Strawberries for garnish

Mix together the whipping cream, blueberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender.
Top with a few strawberries. If you would like to spike it, a little rum should do the trick!

Flag Cake

• Soy butter, soy margarine or vegan baker's spray
• Flour
• One package (2 layer size) of vegan white cake mix (plus ingredients to make the cake --- listed on the box)
• One package (4 serving size) red vegan jello
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 3 1/2 cups (8 ounce container) vegan Hip Whip or other vegan whipped topping, thawed
• 1 pint strawberries, washed and sliced
• 1 cup blueberries, washed
• 1 cup vegan miniature marshmallows

Grease 13 x 9 pan with margarine and dust lightly with flour. Prepare and cook cake mix according to package directions. Cool cake for fifteen minutes. Use large fork to make holes in the cake about every 1/2 inch. Pour jello into mixing bowl. Add the cup of boiling water and use scraper to thoroughly mix it until the jello is completely dissolved. Use the measuring cup to scoop out the jello and pour it over the cake. (It will run down into the holes, making the cake have pretty red stripes.) Put the cake into the refrigerator and let it chill for 3 to 4 hours. Use this time to cover your tray with aluminum foil if you wish. Once the cake is on the tray, you can decorate the sides of tray with star stickers. Put about one inch of warm water in the kitchen sink. Take pan out of refrigerator and dip just the bottom (don't let the water come up over the sides) into the water for about ten seconds. Put the large tray on top of the cake and hold on tightly! Turn the cake over so that the tray is on bottom and the pan is on top. Take the pan off. The cake should be resting on the tray. Frost the sides and top with whipped topping. Arrange the strawberries, blueberries, and marshmallows on the cake so that it looks like a flag. (You should have rows of red and white stripes and the blue "background" of blueberries in the upper left hand corner. Put your flag cake into the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it!

Have a very happy and safe 4th!!

Yummy UK

On this particular trip I made some incredible friends and they were kind enough to show me around their hometown. In and outside of the city, my new group of peeps made my stay extra fun and extra yum by taking me to some great local gems.

Karin, a veggie colleague and founder of the UK web phenom,Veggievision.com, met up with me one evening so we could chat and stuff our veggie faces! We strolled over to Eat and Two Veg, a chic veggie joint with some uber tasty vegan treats. I had a delicious soy mocha shake and we shared a killer chicken satay with peanut sauce. She had a juicy veggie burger while I tried to behave myself with a bowl of steaming tomato bisque. I could have ordered heaps more and will next time. If you're in London, Eat and Two Veg is a must!!

On another evening, I made my way up to Kettering to see a good friend. On our Kenyan trip, he kept raving about his friend's place, The Raj, and that when we got back to London I had to try it. And so I did!! After a short train ride and a beer at a cute pub in Market Harborough, we drove over to his friend's Indian feastery. It was really slick looking and the service was great. So much so that I didn't even order off of their scrumptious menu! I was made a special vegan dish that was chock full o' veggies and mushrooms in a special red sauce. I devoured the garlic nan that was on the table along with my mushroom rice ; ) The Raj is a definite thumbs up and I look forward to visiting them again to try the rest of their veggie delicacies!

Later that week, we were treated to a boat ride down the Thames and a fun evening at O2 in Greenwich. O2 is a huge venue with a concert hall, restaurants and clubs all under what looks like a super modern circus tent. My fellow veggie pal took us to Nando's, a Portugese restaurant with a great vibe. I went with his favorite dishes,the veggie pita with lemon and herb sauce. I'm a wimp so I didn't got with their famous peri-peri sauce but apparently it rocks. For a chicken joint, they had a hefty selection of veggie burgers and pitas as well as some killer sangrias. Nando's has locations all over the UK and you can get more info online.

On one of my last days there, a group of us took a ride on the London Eye. We were in the mood for drinks and snacks so we popped into the nearby All Bar One. It was a cool bar and grill with a nice selection of appetizers and meals. I noshed on some guac and plantain chips as well as some pretty kickin' hummus from their world tapas menu. Since we were planning on dinner a little later on, I didn't order a meal but their sandwiches looked very good and everything is homemade and as organic as possible. All Bar One is also a chain and a pretty good choice for a fun time out with friends ; )

Look out for some more on London town soon!!

London Calling

I recently read in a veggie magazine that London was in the top 10 least veggie friendly cities in the world. I couldn't disagree more!!!! Everywhere I went there was an AWESOME veggie option and I was there for a good while with a bunch of non-veggies so I should know. London, in it of itself is the bomb diggity, but the variety of veggie deliciousness made it one of the coolest veggie cities ever in my book!! So much so that it will take 3 posts and even more after future visits ; )

On my first night, we were so exhausted that we ordered in from Red Planet Pizza. I was staying in Kensington and they came highly recommended by our concierge. They weren't kidding ; ) They already offered a cheeseless veggie pizza and I added a bunch of extras. They had a ton of yummy options from Mexican pizzas to traditional and they were super accommodating, quick and yummy! With locations all over the UK, Red Planet delivers!

Dinner the following night was a combo of some veggies and some not so we sauntered into our neighborhood dim sum joint called Ping Pong. It was super cool and trendy inside and apparently a chain in the greater London area. Serving up all dim summy, shareable dishes, Ping Pong was a great place where carnies and veggies alike could dine in harmony. I got a ton of stuff like the plaintain chips, veggie wontons, spinach and mushroom dumplings and the spring rolls. There were at least 10 more things I could have ordered but I felt like a stuffed dumpling myself so I saved those items for my next visit. Check out all the veggie goodness on the Ping Pong website.

Ok, so traveling with other Americans, you can imagine they would eventually have a hankering for a juicy burger. The Gourmet Burger Kitchen was just the place! Again, another eatery with locations all over town, GBK was burger heaven, even for me! They had 5 different veggie burger options and with a name like Gourmet Burger Kitchen, you'd better hope these options would be out of the ordinary. And they were! All of the options could be veganized and I had the stacked portabella burger with thick chips (that's fries to us yankees!) and the best homemade bbq sauce i have ever tasted! They also offered a lentil burger, a falafel burger and many more heavenly and healthy choices. Look them up online at GBK!

As I mentioned, no matter where I went there was a vegan option. Every coffee shop had soy, every market had pre-packaged veggie meals and I never got a cross eyed look anywhere I dined when I mentioned I was vegan as there was always something for me. Walking by Charlotte cafe I decided to look at their menu for kicks and to prove my theory that Londoners know how to take care of their leaf eating friends. Within seconds I was in there ordering their soy beef sandwich to eat later that afternoon. The place was the cutest and the staff was incredibly sweet but the sandwich blew me away!! It was super tasty and mega filling as it was served on a hearty sunflower bun and filled with yummy coriander and herbs as well. I'm craving one right now!! Get one fedexed to you after you look Charlotte cafe up!

I have lots more on old blighty so stay tuned for more!!!

Nairobi Nights (and Days!)

Continuing my adventures in Kenya, I spent a short time in Nairobi. I stayed at another Sarova hotel, The Stanley, and I went to a few places that really knocked my socks off. Again, impeccable service and great choices for little miss vegan! Just another reason, if you don't already have plenty, to make your next vacation destination Kenya!

So, as seen above, I attended an event at the African Heritage House. Owned by an American no less, this house and the grounds on which it stands, is pretty incredible. It had beautiful artifacts from all over Africa and it overlooked a vast Kenyan landscape. The event was catered by the Stanley hotel and again, I was quite happy with my belly stuffing lunch. Plenty of veggies, salads, rice and beans and all served with a smile ; )

Now this next place is probably the least likely place you would find me but it was part of my trip and was on the itinerary. The whole lot of us were taken to a celebratory party for Virgin at a new, hip place in town called Carnivore. Yeah, Carnivore!!! I and my 2 other veggie buddies on the trip were quite worried about starving that evening, however, we didn't!!! Their passed appetizers were ridonckulously good!!! Hand made pomme frits with a delicious avocado dip, yummy veggie samosas and veggie potsticker dumplings. Between handfuls of those, a nice helping of Dawa (kenyan mojitos!!) and dancing for hours, it was the healthiest, and most fun, night out I have had in a long time. My stomach did turn at the sight of the menu but I had to make do that evening and I did, quite nicely too! I guess don't judge a restaurant by it's name!! Check out Carnivore online ; )

On my next visit I intend on stopping by Chowpaty in downtown as it is veggie Indian food as well as Slush Limited (Parklands Road, Corner Plaza, Westlands, Nairobi (at Rank Xerox House)P:254-20-03751039). So many places to go, places to eat and so little time!!!

Until next time, Jambo!!!!

My Maasai Mara Experience

Maasai Mara, Kenya, was one of the most incredible places I have ever had the good fortune to visit. Beautiful landscape and breathtaking animals roaming everywhere but the part that will always stay with me was the wonderful people I met. The Kenyans and the Maasais were hands down the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at the Sarova Mara Game Lodge and I can't express what a lovely time it was. And yeah, they took care of this finicky vegan!!

I was in Kenya documenting a charity project organized by Virgin Unite. Virgin and the Sarova Hotel chain joined forces to help build new dorms and other facilities for the Sekenani Primary School. It was a week of fun and hard work for those who were chosen to aid in the construction of the school and I was so excited to be a part of it all.

The Sarova Mara Lodge was paradise. Complete with a tropical pool, putting green, rustic bar and luxury tents, the Sarova knows how to make their guests feel special. On top of the serene accommodations, the the animals that roam the grounds are out of this world.

Prior to my trip, I was worried that my dining would consist of my stash of Luna bars, lots of bread and bottled water. I couldn't have been more wrong! The meals were all buffet style with numerous stations with every dish clearly labeled and this was the case whether we ate at the lodge or we had a special meal out in the bush or anywhere off site. There were always happy staff members around to answer any questions and they kept all of the veggie dishes on one side of the dining hall so I, as well as 2 fellow veggies on the trip, had no problems loading up our plates with local delicacies. There was always a delicious selection on rices, bean dishes (both Indian and African) and tons of veggies! Some days there was a stir fry or pasta station and I would load up on helping of freshly made goodness ; ) In addition, I was always able to get fresh juice or huge bottles of water to take with me for the day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was always something to look forward to at the lodge because I knew I could always find something tasty and satisfying and it always came with a smile!

So the lodge was amazing, the food was delectable and the staff was extraordinary, need I say more? One more thing,if you do find yourself in this part of Kenya, make sure you spend time with the Maasais. I learned so much from them and made lifelong friendships. These people are so steeped in their traditions and yet live amongst a world filled with cell phones and internet without being swayed. Again, they are some of the kindest and happiest people I have ever come across and I look forward to visiting my new friends very soon. In the photo above, the Maasai chief, Ole Tira, walked me to the plane that took me away from one of my happiest adventures yet; )
(My friend Andrew Luck snapped this shot - Thanks!!)

For more information on the charity and others like it, visit Virgin Unite. And to check out the Sarova Mara Lodge, pop over to Sarova Hotels.

Going Overseas

So I'm heading out today to go across the pond and checking out a couple countries and continents! I will be back in 2 weeks with new and exciting places to see and feast!! In the mean time, check out the new titles to the shows that we will be re-launching this summer! Ciao for now!!



Artwork by Dan Hamilton
Animation by Graphissimo
Music by Arye Rosenschein