Monday, January 23, 2012

Futile Fern

I was in Charlotte visiting friends this past weekend, and we tried to go to a new vegetarian restaurant on Central Avenue, Fern. Alas, it was packed and would have been a wait of an hour and 45 minutes, so we headed down the street to Intermezzo (which is fabulous) instead. Fern was participating in Charlotte’s restaurant week, and it’s a small place, so it’s not surprising they were full. Nice to see a vegetarian place doing well! I hope to get to try the food next time, and we’ll definitely make reservations then.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Great deal on tofu

Harris Teeter has Nasoya tofu on sale this week 2 for $2.19 for VIC-card customers. That’s a fabulous deal! Great time to stock up and freeze some. (Freezing changes the texture of tofu, making it more chewy.)

Also, if you’ve tried to comment on this blog recently, for some reason it’s no longer allowing comments, and the online folks can’t help figure it out. I hope it gets straightened out at some point, but I was given no timetable on that. I’m very sorry!

Monday, January 09, 2012

Venus and Serena Williams go vegan

Tennis star Venus Williams, who was found to have Sjogren’s Syndrome earlier this is, is switching to a vegan diet to improve her health and help her battle the disease. You can read about it here. I wish her all the best and hope the vegan diet helps her body fight the inflammation. (Red meat has been shown in some studies to cause inflammation.) It’s great of Serena to join in to support her sister.

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

The mainstreaming of vegan diets

U.S. News and World Report has a new story about how many nutritionists say that a well-thought-out vegan diet can be very healthy way to eat. Check out the article here.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Vegan celebrities

Here’s an interesting article on vegan celebrities:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jAUUge1l7J0EU5hHh1jQprUBI56w?docId=b7e049125d0e4f2e96077d817d5e78c9

Do you think vegan celebrities have an effect on other people?

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Bill Clinton, vegan

Here’s an interesting story (and video) about former President Clinton’s transition from big-time meat eater to vegan:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/18/bill.clinton.diet.vegan/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Monday, May 23, 2011

Veggin’ Out in the mountains

I spent a few days in the mountains last week, and I had some great vegetarian meals. I had lunch at Melanie’s Food Fantasy in Boone, which I have written about before, and it was as great as the last time I went there. I also picked up some fabulous baked goods at Stick Boy Bakery (see previous link).

A new restaurant visit this trip was Boone’s Our Daily Bread, which features a happily long list of vegetarian and vegan sandwiches. Options include Tempeh Reuben, Grilled Pesto Tempeh and Portobella Press. I went with the Tempeh Press, which included apples, cheddar cheese and spinach. It was good, but I think it could’ve used a little something to give it some more oomph—perhaps more basil aioli (I couldn’t taste it) or a bit of balsamic vinegar. My mom loved her gouda corn chowder.

I had lunch one day at a cute cafe and coffee shop in Linville, the River Dog Cafe, located in a small, fancy-looking strip mall. I had half a yummy toasted pimento cheese sandwich with a side salad, plus some really excellent coffee. The weather was lovely, so I was able to eat outside on the sidewalk. Very nice!

I was shocked (pleasantly so) to see a veggie burger on the menu when I stopped in to the Old Hampton Store and BBQ just down the road to pick up some freshly milled grits. Not something you see too often at a BBQ restaurant, so kudos to them!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Earth Day Fair

Don’t forget that the Piedmont Environmental Alliance’s annual Earth Day Fair is this Saturday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds this year, after a couple of years at Wake Forest. So parking should be easier this year (and free!). Carpool if you can. You can get everything you need to know about the event here, including directions and a map of booths.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Martha Stewart goes vegan

Well, for a day, at least. Tomorrow, March 30, Martha Stewart will devote her hourlong show to the vegan lifestyle. The show airs on the Hallmark Channel at 10 a.m. Eastern, then again at 2 p.m. and the next day at 1 p.m. The Hallmark Channel is Channel 62 on Time Warner Cable in Forsyth County.

The episode will feature an interview with Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur. Twitter Co-Founder Biz Stone, who went vegan more than 10 years ago, will help Stewart make fruit and nut bars, and former model turned healthy-living guru Kathy Freston will share her tips for adding vegan meals to your diet.

Read more about the episode here.

Sorry about the late notice—they just sent out the press release!

Animal Planet cooking show

At first glance, Animal Planet seems like an odd channel for a cooking show. But their just-announced summer show, “Sweet Avenger,” actually does fit: It’s about a vegan baker who is a crusader for animal rights.

Danielle Konya, the founder and owner of Vegan Treats, says that she wants “to show people that by eating a vegan confection, you’re directly saving the lives of cows, chickens and thereby the environment and habitats of thousands of other exotic species. There’s nothing appetizing about the suffering of 10 billion animals a year, and my treats can satisfy both the palate and the conscience.”

Read more about the show here.