2015 Mini Gift Guide

A mini last-minute gift guide...it's been quite some time since I've posted. But I love the holidays so much and sharing gifts that I think would be great for anyone that I've come out of hibernation to post this. I don't post often anymore, but you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for all of my vegan finds + eats. 

A subscription to the Pencil of the Month Club from CW Pencil Enterprise. You can choose 6 months or a full year. Hurry...their cut off is Dec 21st to sign up. Not just for the holidays...ever. They're discontinuing new memberships after the 21st. 

A really cute pink salt rock with grater. 

Charcoal liquid hand soap. It smells so good and kills germs naturally.

For those with pets, a brightly colored leash.

Basically anything from Herbivore. I really enjoy their Coconut Water Facial Mist and Coconut Milk Bath Soak. This set would be a great gift.

Pursoma Bath Soak. The packaging is so beautiful and nothing is better in winter than a hot bath.

A mouth.com Vegan Goodies gift set. Pickled string beans, crispy onion rings + ginger almond butter are just a few of the options.

Anything from Miyoko's Kitchen. Their cheeses are so flavorful and perfect with a baguette. The Holiday Cranberry Alpine looks divine. 

Tantamount Apparel's Compassion Over Tank - classic and chic.

An iPhone dock that looks like a radio. 

If your recipient lives in NYC or will be traveling here...tickets to the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime start at $27. That's awesome for a Broadway show. Yes, you'll be in the nose bleed section, but at that price, who cares?

Strawberry Month

The strawberry sweets at Lagusta's Luscious this month are insane! I missed out last year and decided that this year I would take full advantage. 

I luckily live close enough to visit in person, however, if you do not, most items can be ordered online. 

White Chocolate Strawberry Milkshake

White Chocolate + Dark Chocolate Strawberry Almond Creams

Strawberry Ice Cream

Strawberry Balsamic Caramels coated in Chocolate

Afternoon tea at The Plaza

Afternoon tea at The Plaza. Call me old fashioned...I've always wanted to experience it.

Luckily, with advanced notice, they are happy to accommodate a vegan diet. 

This lovely 3 tiered tray was filled with all kinds of goodness. 

On the top, caramelized bananas, pâte de fruit, walnut chocolate fudge, dried fruit and nuts, puff pastry with fruit, and a chocolate cake. 

On the 2nd tier, tartines topped with hummus, spinach, caramelized onions, baba ghanoush, and harissa.

And on the bottom tier, scones that had a banana flair. 

A fun birthday indulgence. 

Birthday breakfast

My birthday was two weeks ago, and I celebrated mostly with food, as vegans do. 

Breakfast started with a potato sausage hash + blueberry waffles. 

For the hash, potatoes, Gimme Lean sausage, onions, peppers sautéed in oil and Earth Balance, topped with green onions. 

For the waffles, I use this recipe, and it's a gem. Add blueberries, Earth Balance, and maple syrup. It certainly helps to have a good waffle iron. My mom gave me ours and it's an All Clad and an absolute champ. 

Modern Love Takeout

Takeout from Modern Love in Omaha tonight...so insanely delicious that you'll keep eating even after you're past the point of being stuffed. 

Mac & Shews - mac and cashew cheese, pecan crusted tofu, BBQ cauliflower, and braised kale. 

Followed by Blueberry Ginger Pie. Oh my. 

Spreadhouse Coffee

My mom and I also stopped by Spreadhouse Coffee on the lower east side to sample some Cake Thieves vegan donuts. They have such a great spot, which used to be one of the original Organic Avenue locations. 

The day we stopped in they had at least 6 different baked goods...donuts, biscuits, muffins, etc. My mom had the Chocolate Bourbon donut...

...and I had the Apple Fritter. It was phenomenal. I've had many a vegan donut and this was definitely in the top five. So delicious and a great spot for coffee. 

Haymaker's Corner Store

The picture you see below is a bodega in Brooklyn...and it's 100% vegan. 

Say wha? Yes, Haymaker's is a totally vegan corner store. 

As you can see from the first photo, they have all kinds of dry goods...chips, crackers, sauces, pasta, juice, dairy free milk, etc. Plus, they sell baked goods from Champs (owned by the same people). 

And also some great pre-made foods and cakes, tarts, and puddings. Such good stuff here and so fun to shop. 

Little Choc Apothecary

My mom was in town this past weekend so we decided to head to Brooklyn for lunch at Little Choc Apothecary in Brooklyn, an all vegan creperie. 

They offer both savory and sweet crepes. My crepe was filled with seitan, roasted red peppers, kale, caramelized onions + bbq sauce. The batter is perfectly crisp and brown and also gluten free. 

Unfortunately I was too full for a sweet crepe, but their options looked amazing...newtella (homemade vegan Nutella), caramel, peanut butter, fruit, nuts, etc. 

Some of my UWS favorites

This weekend I had dinner and dessert from two of my favorite neighborhood spots. 

For dinner, Heath and I love to stop by Mermaid Inn and sit at the bar for an early, quick bite. You have to get there early or the bar will be full. Their Grain Salad has quinoa, kale, red onions, cherry tomatoes, chick peas, butternut squash and a really light and bright vinaigrette. It is so simple and so good. Order without the cheese to be vegan. They also have some amazing old bay fries with ketchup that complement this salad rather nicely.  

For dessert, I stopped by Peacefood Cafe and got their Strawberry Shortcake to go. Obviously it looks delicious, but there is also a hidden element that makes it even better than it looks. Strawberry jam. It's enormous, it will feed multiple people or one person for several days. 

Hip City Veg

While in Philadelphia, I stopped by Hip City Veg for takeout on the train ride home. 

Their Udon Noodle Salad was stellar - chinese black bean dressing, sprouts, arugula, carrots, cabbage, daikon, peanuts & spicy glazed chick’n. 

And they offer Philly Cupcake treats! (See my previous post on their Oreo cupcake). 

Philly Cupcake

Last weekend I visited Philadelphia for the first time. Unfortunately it was a short trip and Vedge was completely booked. Next trip for sure. 

I did have the pleasure of eating a vegan Philly Cupcake. 

They are not a fully vegan bakery, but they always have vegan options, really good vegan options that vary daily. I had the Oreo cupcake and it was beyond delicious. The chocolate was so rich and moist and the icing fluffy. 

La Suite West

Vegan afternoon tea. Yes, it exists at La Suite West in London. 

An assortment of vegan tea sandwiches. Lots of great options here, even my omni husband enjoyed them. 

Followed by scones with coconut cream and strawberries. (This was not my favorite course, but I did love the concept and the presentation, and I was just so thrilled to have a full vegan three course menu).

Topped off with three beautiful little cakes. The cranberry orange was my favorite cake. 

And, of course, we had tea. 

Jacket potatoes at the Leeds train station

Now onto England...we were in Leeds for 24 hours. On the way back to London, we had time to kill and stopped by a traditional pub inside the station.

Jacket potatoes are really popular in the UK, and luckily baked beans are a very normal topping there. Their baked beans are completely tomato based, no bacon or other animal products are used. So they're totally safe, and great for breakfast there too! So, dinner was a jacket potato with baked beans with a side salad. So simple. 

La Pâtisserie des Rêves

Near Cojean, there was an adorable sweets shop called La Pâtisserie des Rêves. Of course, I assumed there was nothing for me. 

But then...I saw Pâtes de fruits. I love them so. And these had a hint of vanilla running through each of their fruit flavors, which was really unique. I kept them with me during the rest of our trip so that I had something sweet when surrounded by pain au chocolat, creme brûlée, and strawberry tarts that sadly I could not eat. 

Cojean

My cousin took us to a cute little casual restaurant, Cojean, with lots of veggie options. 

I chose their Veggie Thai salad with tofu, which was really fresh and flavorful. The tofu was sweet and chewy and the veggies were crisp and tangy. They also have really healthy granola bars, nuts and fruits for dessert. 

It's a great spot for a quick, but still healthy bite. 

Musee d'Orsay

My family and I visited Musee d'Orsay in Paris a couple of weeks ago...it was my first visit there. There were some really phenomenal paintings and photos, this one was one of my favorites. 

And after, we had lunch at their cafe. With nothing vegan on their menu, they were happy to come up with an altered version of one of their salads for me. 

A Rocket salad with sautéed mushrooms and onions with a balsamic dressing. It was really good, and with a baguette on the side, very filing. 

And the best part of lunch in France, a cafe and some dark chocolate.