Vegan Dim Sum at Loving Hut Edgware

Yes, that's right.

More than 10 vegans travelled to the end of London to get their hands on some vegan dim sum. Cause that's how we roll.

Loving Hut currently has two locations in London (one in Camden recently closed down). Loving Hut Archway has a fun Chinese menu. Loving Hut Edgware (where we went) also serves some Chinese food, as well as a dim sum menu!

Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaves

Vegetarian Siu Mai!

Despite the trek and chaotic service, the food was quite good!
I also liked their appetizer, Crispy Japanese Mushrooms with Spicy Salt.
Both Loving Huts also have a vegan Fish and Chips. I'm interested. Has anyone tried them?

So yes, I would recommend getting your vegan dim sum fix here.
Even if it means taking a journey to Zone 5 -or, as one friend put it:"Taking the train to Scotland"!

Happy Holidays.
xo,
Ellie

Vegan Sicily

 Earlier this year, in May, I went on a father-daughter trip to Sicily for the first time. Finally, I went to the homeland of half of my heritage!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Surrounded by ocean and mountains, with wildflowers scenting the air, Sicily is magical! And full of history. Now, when one thinks of Sicily, they don't usually think: "vegan-friendly place", but I was surprised to find that there are a few traditional foods that are already "naturally" vegan! Here is what I came across....

 

Caponata

 

 

While we were there, my dad had Caponata with practically every meal. It's a dish that reminds him of his childhood. An appetizer (or side dish), it is made with eggplants and celery and sweetened vinegar. The sauce has a "sweet and sour" taste, and it sometimes also has capers and olives. If you're an eggplant lover like me, you'll appreciate this Sicilian staple.

 

 

Panelle

 

 

Panelle, pictured above, are chickpea fritters that have been a popular street food in Palermo. They can be eaten between bread or on a roll as a sandwich, or as is. It is delicious-especially with some fresh lemon juice!

 

 

Granita

 

 

Granita is a frozen dessert that can be found all over Italy, but it is originally from Sicily! It is made very simply of ice, sugar and fruit or almonds. While traveling in Western Sicily, I unfortunately did not find the good quality granita I know they have on that island, but apparently there are definitely places in Eastern Sicily that serve it up proper. Check out this link I found, and drool over the pictures!

 

http://veganbackpacker.com/blog/granita-vegan-sicily/

 

 

Marzipan

 

 

And lastly, there's Marzipan! Traditionally eaten during Easter, beautiful fruit-shaped marzipans are usually made with just almond and sugar. I bought a bunch of them at a shop in Erice, pictured here.

 

 

More to come soon.

xo,

Ellie

Ellie's Vegan New York

I'm currently not in NY anymore, but having spent a lot of time there as a vegan,  I thought I'd  compile a list of my recommended healthy/vegan lifestyle resources for anyone who may move there, or may just be visiting.

Now as a disclaimer, I do want to say that this is of course, entirely subjective. Hence, I am calling this post: "Ellie's Vegan New York". Below is a list of my personal favorite NYC things. And of course, with New York having the amazing vegan scene that it does, there are MANY more options! So enjoy exploring! And I hope this list helps!


Jivamuktea Café

Located at the Jivamukti Yoga School. I'll be honest. For the portions they offer, their prices are a bit expensive. But they do offer some good eats that are reliably healthy.

My personal favorites are two of their breakfast dishes:
Their Kitchery is a simple, ayurvedic porridge that a staff member recommended I dress with nutritional yeast, Bragg's Amino Acids, and cayenne pepper. It is so comforting and so delish!

My other fave of theirs is their TAVO-Toast with Avocado, Tomato, Flax Oil and Vegan Butter.
I love the simplicity of this toast! The freshness of the tomato, with the avocado and the flax oil? Mmmm!

These two dishes are really simple and good, and great to have in the morning, especially after a yoga class.

Other nutritious dishes that have been my go-to's are their Yogi's Choice (Choice of 3) with a double helping of their Tumeric Tahini Dressing, and their big, Protein Rich Salads.

Angelica Kitchen

A New York vegetarian staple. This place has been around for a long time!
The atmosphere is a pleasure, and the food is healthy.

In the winter, I recommend having one of my favorite dishes there, their Dashi and Noodles. The broth is so aromatically gingery and warming. So good!

Their raw dish, Thai Mee Up, is good too. Shredded ribbons of daikon, butternut squash and carrot are served on a bed of garlic-lemon marinated kale, and dressed with a Thai tahini sauce.

I also love that they have different dessert specials everyday that are relatively healthy and delicious, made with interesting, changing ingredients.

LAN Café

A cheap hole-in-the-wall with good, comfort Vietnamese food, run by Buddhists.
Oh, LAN! You're definitely one of my faves!
Their Vegetarian Pho is the best around!
Their BBQ Seitan app. is also fantastic.

I also like their Sweet Corn Soup. And their Curry String Bean. And their Tofu or Seitan Lemongrass Curry, that comes out sizzling. Ssssssssssssss!

Peacefood Café

With two locations now. One on the UWS, and the other near the Union Square area!

I practically lived in the downtown cafe. It was my go-to meeting place for tutoring, etc. It has a great atmosphere and lovely different pastries are offered daily. And awesome smoothies. My fave is their Bombay Delight. If you're a coconut lover, like me, you'll love it too. They spice it with fragrant cardamom! Their Pan-Seared Shanghai Style Dumplings with Ginger Balsamic Dipping Sauce is also very good. And they have an interesting Asian Roots juice. It's made with green daikon, sweet potato, apple and ginger.







Pure Food and Wine/One Lucky Duck

Pure Food and Wine is my favorite restaurant! I'd established a tradition of going there every year for my birthday. Their Tamales are one of their best dishes that I'd highly recommend. Their classic Raw Lasagna is also great. Especially as a summer meal. Their Mint Chip Sundae is a must! And they offer different dessert specials that are sure to make your mouth climax with pleasure. Not even kidding.

One Lucky Duck around the corner offers huge, nutritious salads and delicious (though expensive) smoothies.

Rockin' Raw
Try their Pudding. Just, do it. And if you can, share it with someone you love.

Honorable Mention:
I almost forgot to mention the UWS's Café Blossom! I'd once called it a fave, but I was hardly ever in that area and don't know for sure if it's exactly the same as I'd left it. I'm sure though, that it still offers high quality eats!

Vegan Ice Cream:

Lula's Sweet Apothecary
All hail Lula's! This is the place to go to for your 1950's Ice Cream Shoppe fix! Or hell, if you just want an ice cream fix at all! Their soft serve Cake Batter is classic! And I also like their Mint Chip. But they offer new, interesting flavors daily, and you can sample as many as you want! And have it served up in a decadent sundae!

Vegan Brunch:
Organic Grill
Delicious Tofu Omelettes and Frittatas? Yea, enough said!

Champs Family Bakery
This quirky Brooklyn vegan diner is adorable! It's a great place to go to for a Sunday brunch. Their Tofu Benedict is pretty awesome. And I'm partial to their Buenos Dias Salad  (with kale,tofu scramble, avocado, and a spicy, creamy chipotle dressing). If you order right, you can also score some delicious desserts! I bought a dozen of their Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake Brownies for my cousin's birthday one year and they were an absolute hit!

Food Truck:
Cinnamon Snail, duh! And try their DONUTS! Their Crème Brulee donut is award winning.

Catering Companies:

Chickpea and Olive
Their Phatty Beet Sliders are scrumptious! And...dare I say it? Meaty!

Electric Blue Baking Company
Their Mac and Cheese is one of the best I've ever had. Vegan or non. They had to be mentioned!

Vegan Shoes:
Moo Shoes
Love their shoes!!

Vegan Coats:
Vaute Couture
Their coats are so beautiful! And I love how colorful and bright a lot of them are! Believe me, in the winter, in a sea of black on the subway, a splash of red or electric blue is a relief for sore eyes!

Yoga Schools:
There are tons of yoga schools in New York, as you can imagine. And it's all about personal preference, really. I have a particular place in my heart for Marjorie's Friday at noon class at Virayoga. The form of yoga they teach there (Anusara) emphasizes alignment, which I appreciate. In my opinion, too many schools use a too fast-paced Vinyasa technique that can incur injuries if you're not informed/careful.

Health Food Stores:
Commodities
This East Village health food stop is one of the best around, in my opinion. If you're like me, you'll enjoy chatting up the people in the back about various nutrition topics like raw food, TCM, etc.

Lifethyme
In the West Village, this is another great spot. And you can grab something from their food bar for reasonably priced, fast, healthy food.

Events:
Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary's Thanksliving
Where the turkeys are the guests of honor, rather than the main course!
 For more about this wonderful event, check out this previous post of mine.

http://elliesveganlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/thanksliving-at-woodstock-farm-animal.html

Farm Sanctuary's Walk for Farm Animals
A wonderful fundraising, awareness-raising event held in Central Park every year, where like-minded folks, good vibes, and doggies gather.

For more about this event, you can look here:
http://elliesveganlife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/walk-for-farm-animals.html

Both events are usually held in October. So October just may be the best time to be in NYC, if you ask me! (And to top it off for fellow music lovers, there's also CMJ)!



And soooo, that concludes my list. Go forth- eat, yoga and be merry, New Yorkers!
xo,
Ellie

Mildred's Vegetarian Restaurant in London

Okay, so Mildred's just may be my favorite (or favourite?) restaurant in London. I went there last Saturday night with an old college friend who was in town, and the joint quite won us over!

Just take a gander at all this food porn that was the contents of our meal....

chargrilled roman style artichoke crostini with lemon aioli

 

 

mixed mushroom, porcini and ale pie served with sweet potato fries and mushy peas

 

 

'sausage' over potato, parsnip and carrot mash with kale and pear cider gravy

 

 

chocolate and peanut butter brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce

 

 

 

It was good to see Allen. He's good people! We both very much enjoyed the atmosphere and the food at Mildred's, and being a non-veggie, Allen was pleasantly surprised.

 

More posts to come, covering my experiences in Berlin, Paris, Italy, and beyond.

 

xo,

Ellie

 

My First Week in London

 

 

I'm in London!

 It's only been about a week since I've arrived, but wow, it feels longer. It feels like I've been here for three! I guess I've done a lot. I absolutely love this place. London is so pretty and cute! My home, New York, is wonderful as well-but I'm here to experience and appreciate a new city to discover. I'm just loving taking a different transportation system and exploring new streets.

One thing I got excited about upon arrival was the Turkish supermarkets. There are tons of 'em in London, but to me, it's novel and exciting to see.

There's a big one across the street from where I've been staying, and you know the first thing I bought there was hummus!

International Supermarkets

Turkish supermarket in Hackney

 



Olives. Olives galore!

 

'Halva' yourself a treat!

Halva and tea for dessert on my first night.

 

They also have Caribbean supermarkets which I have yet to explore- but I plan to very soon!

 

Broadway Market

Since I got here, I've been doing the things I've planned to do-I apartment hunt by day and go to open mikes by night. And I go to lots of markets and parks. One of the first markets I went to is Saturday's Broadway Market. They had some veg-friendly fare, including spicy tofu summer rolls and mushroom almond tacos.

 

One notable option was the The Veggie Table's aptly titled Vegan Superveg Burger.

 

 

 

Vegan and wheat-free (woohoo!), served on a wholemeal bun with one choice of sauce, tomato or red onion. I went with the red onion. And yes, that's quinoa you see! This burger is also made with vegetables, nuts, sultanas (raisins) and cumin.

 

For dessert I had a vegan treat from Happy Kitchen.

 

 

 

Their desserts are vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free (fruit sweetened!). They make muffins, cookies, "flapjacks" (British-speak for oat bars), and brownies. I chose their raspberry brownie.

 

I devoured this brownie (with delight) in London Fields.

 

I have to say, their brownie was great! I will definitely be trying more of their stuff soon.

 

Columbia Flower Market and Brick Lane Market 

On Sunday I went to Columbia Flower Market. England is so adorable! I love how the people appreciate flowers here. I can even see big men leaving the market, a big bouquet in tow.

 

 

I also enjoyed the stores along Columbia Road. One shop called Keeping House (144 Columbia Rd.) sells beautifully scented candles made with plant-based wax. That's right, the candles are vegan!

 

I chose their Wild Fig and Grape scented candle

 

 

I then walked to Brick Lane, where they have hundreds of markets!

 

 

 Like a museum experience, I got exhausted from visual overload. So many clothes and accessories! I definitely needed a lunch break, and stopped to eat this great Ethiopian feast.

 

Three different stews in injera (a kind of pancake), with your choice of three salads. Yum.

 

Vegan Pho

 

Love the street art in Shoreditch.

 

Near Brick Lane is the Shoreditch area. Now, thus far I've found that nothing beats LAN Cafe's pho in New York, but Pho Café (a veg-friendly Vietnamese street food spot) has a decent tofu and mushroom pho.

 

 

That pretty much concludes my first week's 'veganings" in London. I will surely post more on my whereabouts and shenanigans soon, and will also share some things about Italy!

 

xo,

Ellie

Finally a new post. It's been nearly a year!

I'd decided to put this blog on the back burner for a while so that I could focus on other things in my life- particularly music.

And now, I've decided to revive this site at this time because I am about to embark on a new adventure-an extended stay in London. I thought it would be great to share my food travel experiences, as well as my music-doings, while abroad. So, this blog will slightly morph. It will be a vegan music tour blog, if you will!

To get back on track, let me share some of the things I've been up to this year:

~It's been a year chock-full of yoga and open mikes (shout out to Pete's Candy Store!).
~ My friend Bud Burdick, a vibrant member of the NYC vegan community, died of leukemia. I had the honor of helping organize and perform at his fundraiser party. He is lovingly missed.
~Yesterday was my last day at my job of five years (goodbye lunches at Terri and Loving Hut!).
~I've just completed my first solo EP, which my talented vegan singer-songwriter friend John-Flor Sisante helped mix and produce. By the way, he did an incredible performance at the Will Travel For Vegan Food+Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary Fundraiser Party last night!
~ I recently did my last show with my indie rock band KOSHKA (it's been good times!).
~ I made a music video (eek!).
~I traveled in May to Sicily, Rome, Venice and Milan and fell in love with the country and the language (I promise to post more about that soon!).
~And this has been a year of growth and spirituality-and deep friendship (ahem, Kate Wolff!).

Whew! That about sums up 2013 up until this point-and it's not over yet!
Here are some pics from the year:

My 4th annual birthday dinner at Pure Food and Wine. Their desserts give me mouthgasms.

With Rachel Kay at the NY Vegetarian Food Festival. I stocked up on some Faux Gras from the Regal Vegan and got to see Victoria Moran of Main Street Vegan speak. She's so amazing!

Shooting the music video with friends Rachel Kay and Kate Wolff.  This was taken in my room in Jersey City!

Performing at my EP release show at Paddy Reilly's. Such a great time!



And that's all for now.
Today, I pack!
xo,
Ellie

This Vegan Journey

A Seed was Planted

I could never give up cheese! Yes. Once upon a time I too once said that oft spoken, very typical omnivore line. I'd never wanted to be a vegan. It was too..extreme. I mean, what the heck was left to eat if you cut out eggs and dairy too?! I did however, sometimes think about being a vegetarian.

That seed was planted in my mind when I was 17 and went to Honolulu on vacation with my sister. Someone on the street had passed me a book filled with Indian vegetarian recipes, and it expressed the spiritual aspect of vegetarianism, and how it is better to do less harm if possible to other beings. The idea struck a chord in me, and stayed with me, though not in a prevalent way. 

So the thought of being vegetarian stayed in the back of my mind for years. Every now and then it would surface, and I would comment out loud about it- only to have the idea shot down by people close to me.  An ex-boyfriend said that it was a natural part of life to partake of other lives. I thought that was a decent point. Another good friend said to me, "Elizabeth, you're so skinny already. If you become a vegetarian, you will disappear!". Silly as it sounds, that comment got to me. I thought,  "Oh no! I don't want to get any skinnier!". I'd been underweight for most of my life and hated it.  I spent most of my college years under 100 pounds. By my mid-twenties, I'd finally found myself in a healthy weight, and I did not want to mess with that!


Still..every now and then I would ask the question: Are humans meant to eat meat? When I met vegetarians or vegans, I always wanted to pick their brains. I'd ask them: "Why did you decide to become vegetarian?". I think deep down, I wanted to be convinced.

Can a Book Change Your Life?

In late November of 2009, just before the holidays, Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet came out and was prominently displayed in bookstores. I'd just started doing private English tutoring for foreign students at bookstores, cafes and libraries around NYC. I was early for an appointment at Borders and had plenty of time to kill. I was looking for  reasons why I should go vegetarian, so I decided to see what Ms. Alicia had to share.


I found myself devouring her book. She made some compelling points about what it did for your health, even what it did for your heart (figuratively, though literally, too!), and about factory farming. Back then I hardly knew anything about factory farming. I did not ever want to be a vegan, but she also made a case for rejecting dairy;spoke about how the industry was cruel. Well!  I found myself looking at all the new, alternative foods she'd suggested and contemplated trying this out..and then I thought, "Wait, wait, wait! Am I really thinking about giving up cheese? And bacon?!". The answer was yes, I was.


Oh, I'm mostly vegan..

I was surprised to find that I didn't miss things like meat, cheese, and eggs as much as I'd thought I would. I should also mention that around this time, I was deep in cohabitation mode with my then long-term boyfriend. I (kinda) jokingly called us the dynamic domestic duo. We lived well together, and I developed a love for food and cooking as I never had before.Yes, funnily enough, I started exploring veganism as my love for food was growing. I had decided to try veganism gradually, but I found myself so fascinated with all the new foods I was learning about, that I ended up eating vegan 95% of the time.  I did that for about a year.

During that time, I also read up a lot about the reasons to go vegan. Environmental, ethical, health, etc. I was increasing awareness, day by day. I was amazed to find out what damage factory farming does for not just animals, but everyone.

But still. I held on to my seafood. And cheese. And occasional eggs. As many non-veg people have expressed to me in conversations, I too did not want to be restricted. Let's be honest. I'd say a vegan diet is restictive- and is not. On the one hand, you're not eating specific foods. There's no getting around that argument, sure. Though I want to emphasize that that is a choice. In that sense there is no actual restriction. There is freedom in deciding, consciously, what to put on your plate. And generally vegans eat a way more varied diet than those who follow the Standard American Diet...

Reaching out-and getting Vegucated

So, this new world was opening up to me; a new perspective; way of looking at the world-and I had no one to share this with! I wished I had other vegan friends who understood. So I searched meetup.com, because I figured they had to have vegan meetups in NYFriggin'C, right? Sure enough, they did. A block away from my then apartment, actually! That first event I went to, which was Vegan Drinks, I met Marisa Miller Wolfson. She is the writer, director and editor of the amazing film Vegucated. I told her that I was not vegan, but I was mostly vegan. That's great!, she said. She was very approachable and not judgmental at all. She asked me what kept me from going all the way. I told her about my reticence to give up certain foods. She listened with open ears.

Months later, I attended an event called "Go Radical in 2011". Marisa, as well as activists Mickey Z and Jasmin Singer, were speakers at the event. Marisa showed a clip from her movie about factory farming. I learned that male chicks were thrown in the dump, or ground up alive, because they were not useful. I cried. My mind was astir. I thought to myself: "I live in the East Village, the vegan mecca of New York City. I've been holding on to certain foods, but really, vegan cuisine has come such a long way, there's a great substitute for just about everything now..or will be very soon. Being vegan is so easy and accessible, why the heck not take the next step?". So I did. I approached Marisa after all the speakers were done, and told her I'd decided to do it. I was going to go vegan! She high-fived me. I was so excited. I remember stopping in Kate's Joint to order pickup, and calling my ex, telling him about the decision I'd made, and how thrilled I was about it.

Almost Two Years Now...

Veganism, for me, has been a great journey. It's worthwhile for all of us to ask questions about our actions and to find the answers most suitable to us. In my humble opinion, veganism greatly decreases the harm that can be done in our society, given our current conditions. And I realized that instead of asking "Are humans meant to eat meat?", the more appropriate phrase to ask was "Is it better to not eat meat?". Humans can live as omnivores as well as herbivores. That is biologically apparent. So I choose to make what I consider the better choice. Ultimately, for me, going vegan was more of an intuitive decision than an intellectual one. There is plenty of information out there about the environmental, ethical and health reasons to go vegan-but for me it's something that feels like the better choice.

Now, did I take on miraculous superhero powers from going to a vegan diet? I'll be honest (and everyone is different), I didn't experience much physical change. But I did experience what Alicia Silverstone has called in her book a heart opening. I found myself having spurts of joy, and warmth for others. Now granted, I also broke up with my ex within days of going vegan. Are these shifts somehow connected? Perhaps. I like to think, though, that veganism helped with this explosion of positive energy that I was experiencing. Also, I found myself being really excited and passionate about veganism. I said (and still say) it's one of the best things I've ever done.