Walk For Farm Animals

This past weekend I joined the Walk for Farm Animals in Central Park. I raised about 80 dollars (not much, but better than nothing, eh?), and walked to raise awareness about Farm Sanctuary, factory farming, and the animals that suffer. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and the event was full of good energy and good people.
 

There was an incredible raffle that included such great prizes as a Pink Vaute Couture Coat, and gift certificates to some awesome restaurants, like Pure Food and Wine, Franchia and Angelica Kitchen...

There was also some amazing face painting that was offered. Look at this cutie!

 

 

We kicked off the event with some yoga, led by Derek Goodwin-and assisted by Miss Piggy!

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned before, the event was full of good energy and good people! A lot of people brought their children and dogs...

Like this guy!

 

The owner of the dog above wore this sticker, which I loved!

 

I also loved this one...

 

 

I walked with the Veg Strong Team.

We held up these posters and handed out pamphlets to passersby who were curious about what we were doing.

 

 

After the walk, we munched on some eats from Terri and Blossom Du Jour.

I opted for a Smokey Avocado Wrap from Blossom Du Jour.

 It's probably my favorite thing to eat there!

 

Mmmm... smoky tempeh bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato and a nice chipotle aioli.

 

Jane Velez-Mitchell spoke, with her dogs in tow. She is so lively and sweet!

 

Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary.

 

 

Dan and Matt Mims of the band HERE played an excellent set of their songs.

 

 

 

And that concluded the event! Before I end this post, here are some pictures from last year's walk, which was also amazing...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Till next time! 

xo,

Ellie

Vegan Drinks~La Esquina Tacos~WFAS Fundraiser

I started this blog about 5 months ago, and I can't believe I've gone this long without mentioning Vegan Drinks! So, what is Vegan Drinks?  It is a social networking event where like-minded folks can get together, have a drink (or two), and promote their business, project, organization, just hang out, or whathaveyou! It is a monthly event that started in NYC in 2008, and there are now Vegan Drinks events in multiple cities. In New York, it occurs on the last Thursday of every month.

Vegan Drinks was the very first veg-event of any sort I'd ever attended, so it sort of has a special place in my heart. About two years ago when I first started exploring veganism, I felt that a whole world was opening up to me-but that I had no one to share that all with! I'd wished I had some vegan friends, so I found out about Vegan Drinks and decided to go there and meet some! I liked the vibe of Vegan Drinks, and I found the people very friendly. I heard someone once mentioned that it seemed clique-y. It's true that there are circles of friends there that can be pretty into one another, but they are usually pretty open if approached-so personally I would advise others to go ahead and talk to 'em! I've found that most people I've approached at Vegan Drinks have been quite welcoming.

 

 

 

Last month's Vegan Drinks benefited Vegan Outreach, an organization that aims to promote veganism as a means to end animal exploitation. These two ladies, Lisa from Mercy for Animals, and her friend, were there as representatives, tabling for the organization.

 

That evening, it was pouring rain-so there was not as much turnout as usual. Still, I saw a fair amount of friends. My best friend Sophia, who is at the moment going through her own journey with exploring veganism, attended her first Vegan Drinks that night!

Here's me with Dylan...

And here's my friend David enjoying some cornbread.

Yes they serve food at the event!

 

 

 

 

Usually at about 8pm, people are welcome to come up and say whatever 30-second-spiel they have to share to promote their groups, causes, etc. Here are some people that stepped up to speak:

Sarah Hill from vegetarian restaurant Terri.

 

Andreas Turanski, repping the group Veg Strong.

 

Ethan Wolf from Sea Shepherd NY.

 

 

 

 

There was very little food left later in the evening. So after the event, Sophia and I wandered, hungry, into La Esquina in Soho for some tacos...

 For about 3 bucks, you can get your fix at this veg-friendly spot. I got their Acelgas, made with spinach, giant beans, pico de gallo, salsa verde, and their Aguacate con Queso-minus the Queso (aka cheese). The avocado taco was the real winner. What I love about 'em is that they are served up with generous chunks of avocado! Other ingredients include black bean, pico de gallo and salsa verde....

 

 

 

So that was my night last month! This month-this Thursday actually, is the next Vegan Drinks, and they will be benefiting Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! If you don't know about this amazing organization yet, you can refer to one of my older posts here . My friend Rachel is doing a lot of organizing for this event, and she is a great host, so you can count on a good time! There will be food, music, good peeps, and cool raffle prizes-including a night's stay at WFAS's Bed and Breakfast, an astrology reading, a Vaute Couture shirt, a gift certificate from V-Spot..the list goes on! I will be there helping them sell raffle tickets, so don't be shy-come find me and win some prizes! For more complete details on the event, check out this link:

 

http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/453817474650126/

 

xo,

Ellie 



Goosewatch NYC, Chickpea and Olive, Caravan of Dreams..All in a Vegan Saturday!

If you're my friend on Facebook (and if you're reading this, you probably are), you've probably noticed that I've posted some (seemingly) random pictures of geese. Is it because I love geese? Well, if I didn't before, now I do! You see, I've been taking trips to nearby East River State Park to help my friend David and other volunteers from Goosewatch NYC keep an eye on the geese there to see if they are likely targets for killings by the USDA.
"Say what?!", you ask? Um. Yeah.

To explain briefly, ever since the "Miracle on the Hudson" incident, there's been an "all-out war" on the Canadian geese of NYC. The government has arranged with the USDA roundups of geese in NYC parks every year.
The killing of geese is not only an ineffective use of our tax money, it's also cruel. That's my two cents on the matter, anyway.
For more comprehensive info, check out this link! :
http://www.goosewatchnyc.com/our-story

So yes, I've been visiting the park..looking at geese. And I have to say, the experience has given me an appreciation for them! They are beautiful, and I love watching them communicate with eachother.
 It's June, and baby goslings are springing up in NYC parks. East River State Park has two families!

I was there last Saturday with some others from Goosewatch, talking to some of the locals. We are trying to find some residents in the area who would volunteer to document the roundups if and when they occur. And, we want to inform people about what's going on. A lot of people don't know about this (did you?), and some of the people we spoke to were really shocked and upset.

The dad (or mom?) hissed at me for getting too close. Oops!

After canvassing for a while, I stopped into nearby Smorgasburg for a bite. I met the peeps from Chickpea and Olive, friends of Goosewatch, and not only were they lovely, sweet folks, but their food was amazing!!!

I had their Slider (composed of beets, barley, lentils and mushrooms) with all the fixin's (pickled jalapenos, bibb lettuce, cheddar daiya cheese and sliced roma tomatoes) on a homemade brioche bun with a side of their Dotty's Potato Salad and a chamomile-lemon verbena-mint tea from Brooklyn Grange (local rooftop farm biz). Cool side note: Chickpea and Olive used greens from Brooklyn Grange for their sliders!

So I'm just going to repeat myself and say again that their slider was amazing! I'll even go as far as to say that one would not miss a conventional beef burger eating this. Yeah, that's right. It's a strong statement, and I stand behind it!

Afterwards, I headed into the East Village and met with my friend Shaliga to check out Howl Festival.

We stopped into Caravan of Dreams for a bit and had a great meal. Shaliga had their raw Zucchini And Yellow Squash Spaghetti (with "meatballs"), and I had their Rosemary Shiitake Mushroom Burger on ciabatta bread. We split their Caravan Cocktail smoothie (coconut shake, raw almond butter, cinnamon). The smoothie was so good and the sandwich was excellent! I don't know why I don't go to Caravan more often! Admittedly, knowing what to order is important when going to Caravan, but what I like about this place is that they have a plethora of juices, smoothies, soft drinks and other cool beverages to choose from. And their Chocolate Acai Berry Pie is to die for!

 caravan cocktail smoothie

 raw "spaghetti" and my awesome mushroom sandwich on delicious olive ciabatta bread

So that about sums up my vegan Saturday! If you're interested in hearing more about Goosewatch, go ahead and check out their Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/goosewatchnyc

Have a great weekend everyone!
xo,
Ellie

Memorial Day Weekend: Champs Family Bakery~Veggie Pride Parade~And More!

Hey everyone! Hope ya'll had a great Memorial Day weekend! I stayed in NYC and it was a busy, sweaty and incredibly fun time, chock-full of vegan-y shenanigans!

Me, Sophia and my cousin Sam

On Saturday night I sang with my band Koshka at Parkside Lounge in the Lower East Side, and my cousin Sam celebrated his 27th birthday with us that night.

Earlier in the day I went to Champs Family Bakery (located in Williamsburg) and got a dozen Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake Brownies for his party. They were a big hit and so delicious!

Along with my cousin's friends, a lot of my friends showed up as well. It was a great crowd! The show and party was so much fun and it was so good to see everyone!

Some of my vegan friends went out together after the show, but I stayed to celebrate with my cousin and caught up with them later on for dancing at Lit in the East Village. We tore the dance floor up and had a blast!

On Sunday, I went to the Veggie Pride Parade. What a great time it was!

The parade was led by Prom King David Karopkin and Prom Queen Rachel Kay. So proud!!

Honey La Bronx, last year's Prom Queen, was there leading chants and walked the whole parade in her heels. She's my hero-err.. I mean, heroine!

The energy of the event overall was great. There were drummers and people in creative, fun costumes.

Afterwards, we settled into the Union Square area where there were groups tabling, giving out pamphlets with info and giving out food. There was a stage area where some amazing speakers took the platform, such as super-activist Mickey Z, Jasmin Singer from Our Hen House, and vegan podcast dude Derek Goodwin.

I didn't stay out very long, though to hear everyone speak, because I was under the sun for a while and was in need of replenishment-fast! So my friends Kristy, Michelle, Bud and I went to Jivamuktea Cafe.

I ordered (along with a supergreen salad) a Love smoothie-made with almond milk, medjool dates, banana and spirulina powder, and it hit the spot!

Kristy got the Taco Toast-with tomato, avocado, vegan sour cream, black beans, salt, pepper and topped with chimichurri.

Michelle got a Yogi's Choice with spicy tempeh, steamed kale, quinoa and a double order of their tumeric tahini dressing-with nutritional yeast on top!

On Sunday, I went to Champs Family Bakery again- and this time I stayed for brunch with friends!

Rachel and I got their Awesome Bowl, with quinoa, tofu scramble, sautéed greens, mixed bells, garlic rosemary potatoes-and sriracha on top!

Michelle ordered their Biscuits and Gravy. Only available on weekends, it's a dish of house-made biscuits, soysage, gravy with salad.

Among other awesome things we had was their Tofu Benedict- grilled tofu and ham, fresh spinach, multigrain english muffin, hollandaise served with garlic rosemary potatoes and salad. Didn't get a pic, but it's one of the best things they serve at Champs and I highly recommend it!

Me and my friends, post-brunch.

After brunch, some of the girls and I went to Roebling Tea Room for some champagne cocktails. 'Cause as Rachel said, "It's not Memorial Day til I have a drink!" 

I had a great afternoon just eating, drinking, hanging out and chatting with my friends!

Whew! I think that about covers my (vegan) Memorial Day Weekend!

Till next time, folks! Have a great weekend.

xo,

Ellie