Candle Cafe: outstanding food in a friendly New York setting

This past winter I had one of the best vegan meals of my life, and I have been raving about it ever since. I dine at a lot of restaurants, but I can honestly say Candle 79 is my favorite place on the East Coast (at least so far). However, before that establishment opened, Candle Cafe was created, and this smaller, more casual spot is wonderful as well.

The Vegan Wedding Guest

My oldest friend got married yesterday - I've literally known her since the womb (our parents went to lamaze class together!) Her wedding was very sophisticated in style, yet lighthearted in energy. Though it followed the usual marriage traditions, their vows were playful and the wedding party speeches were humorous. It was held at a beautiful historic home in Ipswitch, MA called Castle Hill. The ceremony took place in front of rolling green hills and the ocean in the distance. Afterwards we dined and danced in an elegant mansion.

Change starts with watching TV

One of my favorite parts of being in the eco and vegan communities is that I meet amazing people who are passionate about making the world a better place. Because many are based in Los Angeles, a lot of these individuals have incredible talent on camera. Therefore, several of my friends and acquantainces have entered a contest to win their own TV show. They depend on votes to get the attention of producers, who could give them the opportunity to compete on a reality show called "Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star". Please check out their audition videos below - your vote will help bring healthy and green living into the mainstream:

Meat Is For @#!$?#

As I write this post, there's a cool party happening in L.A. to celebrate the launch of the new book Meat Is For Pussies by Cro-mags vocalist John Joseph. Unfortunately I'm missing it because I'm out of town, but I've heard rave reviews.

Last night while dining at Candle Cafe in NYC, I saw a copy of the book with the word "pussy" covered up by a bunch of grawlixes. I thought that was

Summer cool down with gluten-free vegan beer

I've never been a big drinker, but in recent years I've developed a taste for beer and I like to have it on occasion. It all started when I discovered Fat Tire - not only is it delicious, but New Belgium is very sustainable and it's often on-tap in CA. That was my beer of choice until I went gluten-free and realized beer was full of it. I wasn't too upset about giving up that occasional treat, but was pretty happy to learn that there are a few gluten-free and vegan beers.

Late night vegan meal in Boston: Spike's Junkyard Dogs

Though I always look forward to visiting, one of the reasons I don't miss living in Boston is that everything closes so early. After 8pm it's hard to find anything to eat, unless you're at a bar, and vegan bar food is scarce. So when my sister and I found ourselves hungry in Bean Town after midnight, we headed over to Allston in search of a vegetarian meal (Allston is home to a lot of college students and therefore a lot of restaurants are open after midnight). Mary and I were thrilled to see that Spike's Junkyard Dogs was open at 12:30am, because I had read about their yummy vegan offerings.

Back to Nature - a vacation from L.A.

When anyone in L.A. asks me where I'm from I say, "about 30 miles West of Boston". Then, when they ask, "what town?", I say, "a small town near Acton and Concord," because no one has heard of Harvard, MA.

Get Bathing Suit Ready & Eco-Veganize Your Summer!

like my beauty pageant pose? ; )

Summer is just 6 days away (June 21st), so it's time sit back and unwind - eco-vegan style! Here's a video with tips on how to keep it green and healthy, and get yourself ready for bathing suit season (yikes!):

Cooking with Eric Lechasseur

As a result of being one of Seed Kitchen's best customers I've come to know the chef and owners very well: Eric Lechassuer and Sanae Suzuki. Recently they asked me to help them with cooking videos, and they came out very well.

Fried indulgence: vegan chili fries with Daiya from FrySmith

Opps, I did it again. I cheated. I couldn't help it - I had an opportunity to try FrySmith for the first time and I wanted to review them. Though my stomach wasn't very happy about ingesting the oil and soy, my taste buds were thankful for the treat.

The bare necessities: keep it simple stupid

Sorry - didn't mean to call you stupid. Just needed to get your attention.

In my opinion, simplicity is the key to healing our bodies, minds, and planet. Yet, for some reason, simplicity is often associated with lack of excitement, especially when in reference to lifestyle (Americans especially often feel the need to have more-more-more, not less-less-less). Surprisingly, among the many definitions of the word simple is, "not limited or restricted" (merriam-webster). In fact, since I've simplified my life (quit my full-time job, changed my diet, started making my own meals/beauty products, reduced the amount of products I buy, etc.), I feel bigger and unrestricted. I discovered that taking unnecessary things out allowed space for more important things to come in.

Reminder: Women of the Green Generation event tomorrow

Ladies (and gentlemen) - if you're in Los Angeles tomorrow you must go to the Women of the Green Generation event. It's the First All Day Women’s Interactive Eco Lifestyle Event and spa treatments are FREE for all registered guests!

Cups of Joy: sweet treats worth cheating for

My recent change in diet may seem pretty boring and bland, and you may wonder what happened to the Eco-Vegan Gal who ate greasy meals and sweet treats. Truth be told, I love the way I've been eating, but I do take an occasional detour and indulge. Earlier this week I was tempted by a box of gourmet eco-vegan peanut butter cups - how could I say no? Well, I didn't!

Feel great, look radiant, & save money: the effects of eating healthy

My change in diet has been so rewarding - I feel great, I've lost weight and have been told I look radiant, and I save money by cooking for myself. Plus, I've been inspired to find more ways to be healthy. Check out what I've accomplished recently in the following video:



Several people have asked if I have cravings or ever cheat, and the answers are sort of and yes. I occasionally get cravings, but find that when I eat a whole foods meal they go away. However, occasionally I'll cheat and eat something with gluten, soy, oil, or sugar. Sometimes when I do this I feel the effects right away - headaches, change in mood, tingly - it depends how much is in it or what kind of ingredient. Overall, I'm sticking to this diet indefinitely because I feel awesome. Trust me, you can do it too if you want to and if you put your mind to it. : )


What have you been doing to keep yourself healthy recently?

Giveaway: pair of tickets to premiere of Skin Trade (Los Angeles)

Tomorrow night I will be attending the Los Angeles premiere of the acclaimed documentary Skin Trade. Want to join me? Enter to win a pair of tickets!

Gluten Free Beauty

Avoiding gluten in food has been much easier than I thought it was going to be, but I didn't expect to find it in beauty products. Turns out, much like animal products, gluten sneaks into some of the oddest places. If you are seriously sensitive or allergic to gluten this will be a big problem:

Gluten sensitivity is a systemic immune reaction to gluten anywhere in the body, not just that entering the body via the gut. Therefore, topically applied lotions, creams, shampoos, etc. containing gluten would indeed provide a source of gluten to the body (Celiac.com)

Vega: new products and photo contest!

As you may have guessed, I love Vega. I drink their products almost everyday - they are great for breakfast, pre and post workout, and as a quick meal on the run. Therefore, I was excited when they released a new product line: Shake & Go Smoothie. I got a preview a few months ago, and had it in the official packaging yesterday while at Animal Acres. They're quite delicious and a nice sweet treat.

Due to my love of Vega I decided to enter their photo contest in hopes of winning one of their cool prizes. The grand prize is a trip for two to The Galapagos Islands - every environmentalist's dream! Secondary prize is a Blendtec blender, which is very similar to the VitaMix missing from my kitchen. And other prizes include free Shake & Go Smoothies!

Mocking the real thing: can fake chicken save the world?

There was an excellent article on Time Magazine online yesterday: "Creating Chicken Without the Egg". Some scientists have created a chicken alternative made from soy, which is very similar to the real thing in taste and texture.

the first soy product that not only can be flavored to taste like chicken but also breaks apart in your mouth the way chicken does: not too soft, not too hard, but with that ineffable chew of real flesh.

Say (Rock-a) Bye to Chemicals

Attention Mommies in Los Angeles: scoop up your babies, grab your stroller, and head to Sherman Oaks - there's a new sustainable store in town just for you! Whether you've just discovered that you're pregnant (congrats!) or you're raising a toddler, I highly recommend you check out GreenCradle.

"Offering families products that not only say ORGANIC or ALL NATURAL on their labels, but actually contain no chemicals, no synthetic preservatives, and no toxic fire retardants-- nothing unhealthy for you or your environment"

Upcoming events in L.A. not to be missed

Saturday June 5th: M Cafe is celebrating their 5 year anniversary by offering everything on their menu for only $5 from 5pm to close!

Sophie Uliano, Gorgeously Green - Talk, Demo and Book Signing. 3pm at Borders in Glendale.

Sunday, June 6th: Vegan Bake Sale/Bake-Off for

Spork Foods West Hollywood Grand Opening Party

Last night the talented Spork sisters, Jenny & Heather Goldberg, had a wonderful party to celebrate the opening of their new West Hollywood venue. The event was hosted by Rory Freedman, co-author of the best-selling book Skinny Bitch.

Donate to Canswerlink when you buy Do It Gorgeously

I love, love, LOVE the new book Do It Gorgeously and have been recommending it to all of my friends and family. This book can help you save money, save the Earth, and save your health. Need another reason to pick up a copy? Sophie, the beautiful author, is donating 10% of the profits of this book to Canswerlink, an organization that provides a free non-toxic house cleaning service to cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Do It Gorgeously is less than $15 on Amazon, so please go get your copy ASAP. Your body, planet, wallet, and cancer patients will thank you.

Almond milk, papaya, and peach smoothie

I recently made a big batch of almond milk, purchased a papaya because of claims that it aids digestion, and was given some peaches: so I decided to blend them all together and it resulted in a delicious, lightly sweet smoothie. Give it a try!

OMG - I'm on CNN!

Well, it's not actually me, but this brown-haired girl is certainly living a life very similar to mine: a life without plastic. OK, fine, neither of us have gone completely plastic free, but we're working towards it. This totally should have been me in this video, but Jeanne Haegele of Life Less Plastic did a great job. ; )

Gluten & soy free muffins by Purely Elizabeth

Back in April I made some gluten-free pancakes from Purely Elizabeth, but had some trouble with them - they fell apart in the pan. So, I wasn't sure how the Ultimate Cacao Muffin Mix was going to turn out, but I am happy to report it went well! Like the pancakes, the muffins were flavorful and had a nice hearty taste, but unlike the flapjacks, they kept their form after baking. I made them with my non-vegan friends and, between the three of us, 10 of the 12 muffins were gone within an hour. My friend Robin had the brilliant idea of spreading organic strawberry jam on top of them, which made them even tastier.