Kale Cashew Cheese

The raw cashew alchemists behind Dr. Cow have struck again, expanding their selection of delectable, hand-crafted, gastronomic-goodness. Kale and Tomato varieties are now available, and I happily sank my teeth into some of the aged, raw, vegan Kale-Cashew Cheese this morning, brimming with active, healthy pro-biotic cultures. It’s greener, with a sweet herbaceous aftertaste, dark nutty notes and a a tangy-sharp finish. This soft cheese is definitely not for the weak-of-palate! Ten more wheels please…

Swedish Chic & Lucky Duck

I visited the Eco Chic showcase at the Scandanavia House in Manhattan to get a sense of what’s happening with sustainable fashion in Europe and beyond. There wasn’t a ton of menswear, but there were some gems, and below I’ll share the highlights. My favorite piece in the show was an organic, Japanese denim suit that had a hand-feel very similar to wool. It’s nice to find non-wool suits, now that we know that wool production is one of largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions (for example, New Zealand’s 40 million sheep constitute 90% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions). Julian Red, a sustainable Swedish clothing line, harnesses ecological textiles and fair labor, turning them into universally attractive garments. Over 60% of their entire collection is organic.

Bergman’s has the claim of being the first commercially available organic cotton in the world, beginning in 1986. With partners as big as Levi’s, their have their fingers in many pies. Bergman’s also developed the criteria for organic certification of cotton and textiles, which have been adopted globally. On a neighboring dress form was Zion, a street fashion label using organic cotton, fair labor, and water-based dyes free of heavy-metals. They also support a tree-planting initiative in Tanzania to reduce carbon.

• I was One Lucky Duck when I tried all these scrumptious snacks from the company of the same name. It’s hard for me not to nosh all day long while working or running errands. It’s helpful to have snacks that aren’t going to kill you (either by taste or lack or nutrition). My two favorites are the rich, dark chocolate macaroons and the cheese-y ‘quackers’. They are sophisticated, indulgent, and healthfully vegan, raw and locally made in NYC, like all their treats. One Luck Duck is has two locations in New York: the Chelsea Market, and Gramercy, but their treats can be purchased from anywhere on their website: www.oneluckyduck.com

Kale Chips

One of my new obsessions are Kale Chips! There’s a few people I have to thank for introducing these into my life. Primarily my sister, Joelle, who makes some serious kale chips from scratch. Recently, my roommate Alyssa brought  me boxes of “New York Naturals: Raw Vegan Kale Chips” from the Park Slope Coop. Holy crap. I was skeptical at first, but I swear they’re better than potato chips. Plus, there is nothing bad about them. They’re raw, so all the nutrients are intact and they are packed with iron, protein and other micronutrients and phytochemicals. Not in New York? No sweat. You can buy them on Etsy! They come in Spicy Miso, and my favorite, Vegan Cheese.

New York Naturals Vegan Cheese Kale Chips 3.5 ozNew York Naturals Vegan Cheese Kale Chips 3.5 oz

Feeling adventurous and wanna’ make some yourself?

Check these recipes! Raw Food Kale Chips, Easy Raw Kale Chips

Végétalien à Paris

One stop on my European travels was a little city called Paris. Ever heard of it? We found a little health food store that had some amazing vegan cheeses and spreads. Le Sojami is a french company that makes some ridiculously good herb cream cheese and veg pate. PURAL makes one of the best vegan cheddars I’ve tasted. Carlie and I had a picnic under the Eiffel Tower and made warm baguettes with fresh fig and three cheeses! “Get out of town,” you might be saying to yourself… well I did! I went to France and it was great!
ParisCheese

Rory Freedman and I ate at a handsome little veg place called Le Potager Du Marais (mostly vegan) and enjoyed a delicious, traditional French meal with a super-rich chocolate mousse dessert. See the menu below for a descripion of what we ate. We were so thrilled to be eating French food, as oposed to just typical vegan food. One of the many things I loved about Europe is that the sidewalk cafes and bars are all set up to face the street, which makes people-watching so much easier.

JoshuaNRory

LePortager3SuggestionLePortager2

Another spot we hit up was La Victoire Supreme Du Coeur. This was fine dining at its best, and if you go to Paris, this is a must. It is totally vegetarian with many vegan options.

LaVictorieSupremeDeCroer

In addition to eating out, we also cooked a few meals! I dumpster-dove those gorgeous sunflowers, and we bought produce at little markets in the neighbohood to enjoy with a breakfast of multi-grain banana pancakes that I made from scratch. For dinner, Joelle and Carlie made pan-fried brussels sprout-cakes, roasted chickpeas, and herb-polenta with gravy.

ParisBreakfast

HomeCookedDinner

Finally, we went out in search of dancing partners, bars, and booze.

JoshJoelleCarlie

Brown Rice Fusilloni with Cheesy Shiitakes

brnricepastshitake

I was skeptical of brown-rice pasta at first. I thought it would be pasty and have that ‘health-food’ taste. To my suprise, this vegan recipe cameVegan Cheese Sauce Mix by Leahey Gardens out so delish that I had to go back and make seconds! The pasta was firm and plump and could fool any Italian! For the sauce, I incorporated a new product that a friend gave to me as a gift. Leahey Gardens Cheese Flavored Sauce Mix. Wow! This stuff is the cheesiest sauce mix I’ve ever tried. The mix does contain wheat, so if you are going the way of the gluten-free, just use nutritional yeast instead.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED (serves 2)

  • 2 cups brown rice pasta
  • 8 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 large or 2 small shallots, sliced
  • 1 tbs tahini
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 3 tbs Leahey mix, or nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened plain rice milk
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • 1 tbs Parma

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Bring the pot of water to a boil, then add the pasta
  2. Let pasta boil for about 8 – 10 minutes
  3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, sautee the shiitakes and shallots in the tahini, and olive oil.
  4. Once the mushroom and shallots begin to brown, pour in the rice milk, and Leahey mix (or Nutritional yeast).
  5. Strain the pasta, and mix everything together!
  6. Top with some Parma ! Yum.