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Sunday, June 26, 2011

Coffee, buzz buzz, coffee, buzz.

Look at this heavenly shit!



That would be my first breffest in my new dig in NE Mipples (Minneapolis/Mpls? Mipples? Get it? FUCK.) I'm honestly just down the road from where I was before.
That up there be sauteed peppers, avocado and veggie sausage with shroom gravy. Oh, and an orange-don't want to get scurvy.

Welp, I'm all aloney on my owney with Bella in the new place and even though today is the first day, I already feel superb. It's starting to look really nice and I slept fantastically last night.

Ok! Getting down to business. I went to The Bad Waitress last week on a whim when I was waiting for a bus to come pick me up after dropping a bike off for repairs at my good friend Dave's house (hi Dave!).

I should start out by saying that I am a pancake snob. I like them thick, a tiny bit dense and a lot fluffy. You could say that I like pancakes like I like my pillows. Well, their corncake is not only huge for the five or so dollars you pay for it, it's also fantastic-tasting! Check 'er out:


UGH IT'S SO GOOD, GO GET THIS NOW IF YOU WANT A PANCAKE THE SIZE OF YOUR HEAD. And that other pic is the best vegan vanilla shake in Mipples I'd say. But you go ahead and let me know if you find a better one because I will try it and probably post my thoughts about it here at some point. Yep.

Today I'm making the trek to Perham, MN for some family time and snorty puppy fun with the mooker (Bella).
I'm outty 5000, keep it sleazy.

MN Vegan

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Modern Times Cafe and Green is the New Red

So I've been to this new place that serves awesome vegan food in South Minneapolis a handful of times but have never really wrote about it until now. WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING?!

Modern Times Cafe is a pretty kickass diner that kind of swings in the same ballpark as Hard Times Cafe, but is slightly less...rustic. It's a fairly tiny place on the inside to be able to handle the traffic that it has on the regular. It's also located near the Powderhorn Park area of Minneapolis, a (from what I hear) growing neighborhood early in its hipster-dom.

They have many vegan options on the menu, and serve either breakfast or lunch, depending on what time of day you come in to eat. I've only been there for lunch, and they have a wide selection of veggie sammies to choose from. Below is the Voyeur: tempeh, avocado, mayo and veggies on toasted bread. It was delectable!


Here's an inside look at the place. Like I said, it's pretty tiny, but their coffee bar is super fun to sit at.


Go there now! This place is a must-eat in Minneapolis.

Ok. I have been reading this book, Green is the New Red, and for the first time in my life I can honestly tip my hat to extreme animal activists. Let me explain...

Personally, activism as defined by me as leafleting, tabling and peacefully getting the message out there that what society is doing to animals these days is NOT ok, is a far stretch from what the people in this book have done to bring down million-dollar businesses that have insanely cruel animal-testing and use practices. I am lucky if I even change one person's thoughts in a day when it comes to my way of trying to advocate for the animals. I am not extreme in my measures, and I actually advocate more of "baketivism"-a term coined by Isa Chandra M. as communicating by way of what we eat to spread the vegan love-than an actual activist approach to bringing down walls.
I always thought that PETA was obnoxious. I've been raised to live and let live and I will probably do this for the rest of my days. I don't feel it is my right to judge people for the food choices they make, mainly because although I hope I'm doing the right thing and it feels right, how do I know it is in and of itself, "right"? So there's that.

The people outlined in Green is the New Red are insanely courageous and I commend them (even the ones in prison). Because of the extremity of their actions (arson, vandalism, etc. but mind you NEVER physically harming a human) these people have been put on domestic terrorist lists and condemned. The other side of this is that, like I said before, the work that these people have done has brought down huge corporations that had horrible animal cruelty practices going on behind walls. Their action grabbed media attention by the horns and after explaining what these people did, why they did it was the reason for the corporations' downfall.
I'm so moved by this book, I can't explain it. For years I thought people like this were insane and now it's really clear that their work is not for nothing or to just be an inconvenience. They actually do make a difference and though I probably would never be courageous enough to do anything remotely as extreme, I commend them for doing what they felt they needed to do.
I hope that gives you an idea of what the book is about. It really is a very interesting book. I am very grateful to have met Will Potter and hear him speak about the book last night. I also cannot put it down.
Here is Will's website where you can buy the book among other awesome things. I really want the "domestic terrorist" apron.

I'm out ya'll!

MN Vegan

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Happy B Day to Bella!

Bella is 2 today! I love my little one. Happy birthday, my little love!

Monday, June 6, 2011

T.O.F.U. Magazine

This online vegan 'zine hailing from our neighbors up north (Canada) is incredible! I would recommend it to anyone. I honestly cannot stop reading. The best part about it is that you can pay whatever amount you want for it (yes, even $0) and it's a completely electronic 'zine! No paper waste. FINALLY.

Support these guys! They rule.

MN Vegan

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Uncommon finds...

The title of this blog post is about as mysterious as it gets...
*cues spooky music*

And NOW! Let me tell you a tale so mysterious, it has mystified the unmystifiable. Behold!

THE HIDDEN VEGAN ITEM.

I'm talking about the ones on menus.

Ok let's get to it. I understand supporting restaurants that support us (vegans) and offer a menu with several vegan items to choose from. I REALLY DO, believe me. But there's something (mysteriously) awesome about a chef that's willing to step up to the plate (hee) to create something vegan off of the top of the noggin because there's nothing vegan offered on the regular menu.
Meritage in St Paul did it for me once and granted it was a vegetable dish, IT WAS FUCKING AMAZING. You could tell this chef took his sweet time making sure that the dish was something I'd be more than satisfied with. He made me a salad of baby greens with a tomato reduction, seasoned to perfection and topped with tender morels that had also been sauteed in delicious oils and seasonings. That, of course, was a couple of years ago, but FEAR NOT! I shall not leave you with an empty stomach.

Jacks Cafe in south Minneapolis is a great example of this. I was going in there with some good friends to see if we could get some good vino in our systems and we discovered, once sitting down that we were also pretty damn hungry. Well, we were able to ask questions about two of the dishes and boy, am I glad we did. The top picture is Ryan's veggie quesadilla. It was filled with tender veggies and came with a side of really deliciously-seasoned fries. I got the portabella black bean burger, shown below Ryan's dish. IT was INSANE (read: chewy and beany and delicious). I would definitely go back. The only thing I will say is to order any sandwich you get there on focaccia because it is vegan. Woop!



Ryan and I ended up also going shopping a couple of days later and we wanted to vino it up again, preferably someplace that served vegan food if we so needed it. The first place was a bust (Victoria's in uptown). Bleh-they serve veal. I definitely would never give my dollar to a place that supports that kind of cruelty, but that's just me.

We ended up at Barbette (right across the street) which had two! Count em, two dishes that could be made vegan. We shared this delicious dill rice dish and some slices of warm, soft baguette. Magnifique!


The point of this post is that we should be encouraging places to offer at least a couple of vegan items that people like us could choose from. I'm very glad that the two restaurants in this post did! It's really great when it's labeled too-much more convenient. And if you're almost certain that something could be made vegan on request, be inquisitive. Ask if there's any way that they could prepare it as such and don't be shy-any good restaurant would likely rise to the occasion.

Welp, au revoir!

MN Vegan