FoMu

We arrived in Boston this afternoon for a weekend of exhibiting at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival and as soon as we got off the plane, we were ready to eat. We headed to Allston, parked the car, and were walking into Peace o' Pie when we noticed FoMu, a non-dairy ice cream shop! We peeked at their menu in the front window and I was initially a little discouraged that their hard-packed ice cream was all coconut-based (I'm allergic). However, my partner was quick to point out that they had soy soft serve!

We went over to Peace o' Pie, had a salad and a calzone, and popped back into FoMu. This was apparently a popular routine, as we saw a number of other people starting with pizza and ending up with vegan ice cream. Love it!

All of the allergens at FoMu are really clearly labeled, so that makes ordering easy. The soy flavors of the day at FoMu were chocolate and peanut butter, so OF COURSE I got swirl. I topped mine off with crumbled chocolate cookie and it was DELICIOUS! My partner got some pistachio hard-packed on a cone which he also seemed to enjoy. Super highly recommended the next time you're in Allston, MA!

Viva Herbals

I really love Viva Herbals Pizzeria in New York City. When I stay in NY, I'm alway somewhere in the vicinity of it and they always have vegan slices affordably priced and ready to go! My favorite is the pictured slice covered in all things green. There is no tomato sauce on this slice, only a nut-free pesto. So green and delicious!

In addition to an awaiting plethora of vegan slices that they reheat in the oven for you before serving, there are also vegan garlic knots, soups, drinks, and a cooler full of sweets from Vegan Treats.

I will admit that many times in the past, I have been leaving dinner with friends and walking back to our hotel with my partner and we've stopped and picked up a slice from Viva Herbals to eat in the hotel room. It's kind of a tradition. When I was recently in NY, I wasn't eating quite that indulgently, but I did stop by and get this green slice and a kombucha for dinner one night.

At any rate, I really recommend Viva Herbals! Their ingredients are fresh-tasting and they have a variety of vegan pies ready to go. Since it's by the slice you can try a few different varieties if you're hungry (or dining with a friend).

Blackbird Pizzeria

Okay, so I have to really really apologize that the only photos that I have from Blackbird Pizzeria are of half-eaten food, but holy cow, this place is good. Back in June, we were traveling the East Coast for work and my birthday coincided with our visit to Philadelphia. I also lived in Philadelphia years ago and still have some friends out there, so I decided to have a birthday party! At Blackbird! With pizza and delicious cake!

Since we are friends with Mark, Blackbird's owner and chef extraordinaire, he kindly welcomed us with open arms. Our little party had a few pizzas (the Yukon with salty, thin-sliced potato is pictured along with what I believe is a custom pizza), sandwiches (they make a great Seitan Cheesesteak!), some experimental "wings" (also pictured), and an amazing "Oreo" (they were 365 brand) cake that Mark made just for the occasion! Seriously, how lucky am I??

A few of my friends who came out were not vegan, but had no complaints nor any idea that vegan food could be so tasty, so Blackbird was a big hit with everyone. Blackbird is located in the former Gianna's location off South Street and is doing vegan food way better (and for real this time)! If you are in Philadelphia, you MUST go! Also, I've gotta recommend going with a group so that you can try a little bit of everything. You will not be disappointed.

Tutti Frutti Soy Frozen Yogurt

I recently found myself in Baltimore for Natural Products Expo East with some of the crew from work, as we were there exhibiting. One night after the convention was over, we decided to treat ourselves to Tutti Frutti, a vegan frozen yogurt store! Tutti Frutti has a few different vegan (soy) frozen yogurt flavors to choose from and TONS of toppings. The people working were also really nice in looking up the ingredients to things like their chocolate sauce and chocolate chips (mostly high fructose corn syrup on that first one, so you're technically in the clear, but I don't recommend laying it on too thick!). They do have a wide variety of toppings including fruit, candies, cookies (Oreos were an option), nuts, and sauces. I tried to lean towards the fruit side with my sundae. You pay by the pound, which is something I'd never experienced with a dessert food, everyone got to make their own personalized concoction (you can even swirl flavors of yogurt), and you even get to pick from multiple spoon colors. I wouldn't say that the yogurt itself was mind-blowing in any way, though it was good, but the experience of going to a place like this is something that is not often available for vegans, so I thought it was definitely worth a visit!

Pineapple

I really like pineapple, but I don't always particularly care for cutting up a whole pineapple. Fortunately, I have a really great partner who doesn't seem to mind doing the pineapple dirty work. This one is from a few weeks ago and it was de-licious! I also associate pineapples with one specific event in my life. Years and years ago, I was headed to New York for my yoga teacher's birthday celebration and didn't have the foggiest idea what to bring to such an event. What do you get an advanced yogi for his 60-something-ith birthday? And there in the produce market at Essene in Philadelphia (my former city of residence), I was struck by a lovely sight: the perfect pineapple (no, not these!!!)! I tied a bow around it's spiky top and carried in my backpack via New Jersey Transit up to Manhattan. After an amazing yoga practice, I fluffed it's flattened bow and (VERY) shyly presented my carefully selected pineapple. He brought it to his face, smelled it, smiled, and kissed me! I was thrilled. The sight of a whole pineapple always brings me back to that moment and I always smile. The perfect gift.

(Writing this entry I also got curious about when pineapple was in season and I found this very informative website! I now know so much more about pineapples than ever before.)

Carrie Morse likes Rescue Chocolate

The Vegan Person I Like today is Carrie Morse! Carrie is a lady who I met while living in Philadelphia and who I have known for a lot of years now! We bonded over a love of vegan food and pit bulls (which we both share our lives with). She is also a great cook and baker and I highly recommend wrangling an invite to any potluck that she's going to be a part of! Carrie is also known as Supercarrot and you can click that link there to find out how much cool stuff she's involved in.

Also, Carrie's husband, Scott, (oh, they had such a lovely and delicious vegan wedding!) is involved in the 8-Big Brigade Child's Play Fundraiser, so click there to learn more!

The Vegan Thing Carrie Likes is Rescue Chocolate's Peanut Butter Pit Bull!

i was always a huge fan of whatchamacallits in my younger years, and since going vegan, i've relied on luna bar's nutz over chocolate for my PB/crispy fix. it wasn't exactly what i needed, but it was suitable. then along comes rescue chocolate's peanut butter pit-bull. it was exactly what i needed. it has the perfect salt to sweet ratio, and the chocolate doesn't overwhelm the PB. at room temperature, it's sufficiently solid to hold it's shape. (nobody likes a floppy chocolate bar) the peanut butter has some grit to it, which adds to the fun in your mouth. unlike the whatchamacallit, the peanut butter pit bull doesn't have caramel, but that's okay. it was more the crispy peanut butter that i was yearning for, and this candy bar answers it like a champ.

another great thing about rescue chocolate is that they donate 100% of all net profits to animal rescue organizations (the peanut butter pit bull focuses on healing the negative image of pibbles) and living with a pittie myself, i feel it's my duty to eat as many of these candy bars as i can.

I'm so glad to be able to post a great review of these! I've really wanted to try these and support vegan chocolate makers AND pit bull rescue, but I'm allergic to nuts! So, Carrie is doing me a big favor. You can do me a big favor by going out and buying a bar in my honor (or in my dogs' honor... three pit bulls means three chocolate bars for you!).

Kenny Torrella likes Dun-Well Doughnuts

The Vegan Person I Like today is Kenny Torrella! Kenny is the Chicago Campaign Coordinator for Mercy for Animals (blog here!) and I got to know him better as my co-conspiritor in planning the Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown MFA benefit a few months ago and I think he's great! Kenny is a driving force in making sure that we all have awesome vegan options when dining out in Chicago, as he is responsible for a number of local restaurants adding tasty vegan dishes to their existing menus. You can often find him out at the "kick off" events launching these additions making darn sure that no one in Chicago has any excuse not make delicious and compassionate dining choices!

The Vegan Thing Kenny Likes is Dun-Well Doughnuts in New York.

Photo from dunwelldoughnuts.com.

Dun-Well Doughnuts was started by my friend Dan, and his friend Chris. Not only do they make beautiful, delicious vegan doughnuts, they do it in style! These two whippersnappers' doughnuts have now been sold in NYC hotspots such as Lula's Sweet Apothecary, Blossom, Cocoa V, and more!


They're currently raising funds to open up a store-front in NYC and I don't know about you, but I would certainly appreciate an all-vegan doughnut shop in the Big Apple! If you donate to them you'll receive various prizes, everything from free doughnut vouchers, to having your own doughnut named after you, to having a private, doughnut-catered event!


They have less than a month and a half to raise another $11,500, so chip in today and reap your reward! Empower two awesome vegans today.