Petit Déjeuner and Déjeuner: Paris via New York

I was nearby New York City's Chelsea Market attending a meeting for work, and couldn't resist stopping by Amy's Bread for their "Parisian Breakfast." Can you blame me?

A (soy) cafe au lait and a half a crusty baguette (hold the butter) with red raspberry Bonne Maman jam, $5.25. I brought the jam jar home to reuse as a container to transport salad dressing for lunches.

My cafe au lait even garnered a compliment from a gentleman standing in line, who thought it looking just charming. Don't you agree? I can't imagine a paper cup with a plastic lid.

Chelsea Market offers much for vegans. I didn't visit it, but One Lucky Duck now has a location there. Check out Sarma Melngailis' blog post, "I'm Not a Vegetarian." I think her sentiments on labels are very realistic and healthy, especially for those having trouble committing to veganism. I struggle myself and fall off the wagon. Me and cheese: a forbidden love.

Closer to my office, Macaron Cafe is my slice of Paris. Most of the staff are French, and the place is brimming with real Frenchies and those Frenchies-at-heart who just adore good, simple food.

The Farm Salad, $8.25. Evian or Perrier? Tap water please.

C'est cher, non? Oui. I usually opt to brown bag it, but sometimes, I need a little mental health time away from my cramped cubicle and fluroscent lighting. Have to have a little French music on the iPod. For good measure, I like everything from the campy - Georges Ulmer - to the modern - Kaolin. Even Belinda Carlisle covers French classics.

I was watching another French-inspired cook, Barefoot Contessa, on Food Network. She shared a favorite vinagrette recipe. Ready? Olive, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Easy.

I wonder if Frenchies have veganized escargots?

A-Thrifting-I-A-Go

I go 'thrifting' once a week to the C.A.T.S. Resale Shop in Westwood on my way to Old Hook Farm. It's frugal, fun, and best yet, all the funds go to support homeless animals.

Among them, meet Sylvester. His heartless 'guardians' tossed him outside since they didn't want to take him when they moved. If I didn't have allergies, I'd give him a home in a heartbeat.

I library-it the majority of the time for books, but who can resist these prices? When I buy, I usually like to pass books on. At work, someone organized a small book swap where you can donate and take what you like. Buying new? Support your independent bookshop. Mine is Shaw's Book Shop in Westwood.

Holiday candles, a pair for $1. I don't believe buying high priced soy candles, especially if you have to ship them. I get all my candles through thrift. They make a great hostess gift as well.

Penny for your thoughts? Check out their lovely cats looking for their forever home.

I visited Beautiful Little Secret, a new thrift store on 52 E. Madison Ave. in Dumont, NJ. Hours are Tues., Wed., Fri., Sat. (10-5:30) and Thurs. (12-8). I had a thoughtful chat with the owner. We both lamented over the disappearance of main streets, and what an important part of the community they are. She offers a community board for all sorts of things, including those looking for jobs. Kudos!

I couldn't resist. I bought this sweet white top with the $36 tag still on it for just $8, which I paired with a purple cotton scarf for $5. All vegan.

Winter clothes can be a challenge for vegans. My advice: don't feel like you have to wipe the slate clean and veganize your closet. I still use many non-vegan items. I don't need a conversation starter about how great you can look as a vegan.

My favorite conversation: getting a compliment, and seeing the look on their face when I say, "Thanks, $4 from the thrift shop!" or "Free! From a clothing swap!"

Another conversation: how Americans are always being sold on an idealistic lifestyle we cannot afford. I think of Project Laundry List's Alexander Lee's observation about how, "We work more and vacation less than any of the countries we compare ourselves to now. And we sit behind a desk to earn thousands of dollars to buy appliances." Add to this all the possessions (books, clothes, kitchenware) which cost a mere fraction when buying thrift. You can even get items for free using freecycle, swaps or the library.

Also kitchen table topic worthy: there are plenty of vegan items through second hand. You can even get Stella McCartney on eBay if that's your thing. But I don't think it is evil to buy a wool sweater or $5 leather shoes (vs. $200 new 'eco-friendly' shoes, whatever that means) second-hand. It's thrifty, and is keeping things out of the landfill and requires one less new item to be produced.

Besides, you don't think any of these bloggers are getting for free some of the high-priced items they're telling us to buy? I think so. The FTC is even looking to crack down on blogger freebies, according to The Wall Street Journal. It's questionable how enforceable this is, but I say always, buyer beware. They could be simply out-of-touch to the economic climate.

I don't let anyone define my life for me, or feel like I have to adhere to someone else's label. People have any assortment of taxes, mortgages, tuition, insurance and other expenses to pay, and no one is owed an explanation. I'm not in a competition to out-vegan anyone.

In Entre Nous - A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl, American Debra Ollivier living in France recalled how her French friend would flip through glossy magazines and declare, "Fairy tales!" Precisely what I think of images of the high-priced vegan life.

Get your thriftiness on at your local charitable thrift shop or consignment shop. Donate or sell unwanted items to keep the reduce, reuse, recycle order in balance. These shops support your community, the environment, and are good for your wallet.

My Week Would Not Be the Same...

without a cherished visit to Old Hook Farm in Emerson. I pass a packed parking lot of a nearby Shop-Rite supermarket on the way here, and it saddens me to think of all the wonderment those people are missing. Surely many (if not most) of their carts are filled with over-processed food.

A tree Charlie Brown would be proud of. I love the birdbath next to it. I adore watching the birds at my feeder, which I like to call the bird buffet. Unfortunately, so does my neighbor's cat. At least they have their freedom. Others do not.

I pass her as I enter the farm. Isn't she lovely?

I love these. Grill and have with a green salad with roasted red peppers. With their meaty texture, these are nice as a burger alternative as well.

I'm not such a bagged salad fan, especially when I can buy this. Lately, I like to pair red leaf lettuce with apples and walnuts. Add a roll, and call it lunch.

It's multi-functional: food and art.

Inspiration everywhere you look. Note the New Jersey farmer as an endagered species poster in the backdrop. It's hard to believe it's called the Garden State at all.

Try roasting the carrots, making carrot ginger soup, or carrot raisin salad (I use the reduced fat mayo from Trader Joe's, which is vegan).

Old Hook Farm offers many vegan products, including these mock bacon bits, which I haven't tried. I think for a Superbowl party or other gathering, it might be fun to make potato skins with vegan cheddar cheese and these bits. The grated vegan cheese I have had, and goes nicely on cheeseless veggie pizza, or on my spaghetti nights. Pass the garlic bread, please.

Vegan gnocchi! Pricey at $6.59, but at an Italian restaurant, it would be double, and almost certainly not vegan. Saute in garlic and add your favorite tomato sauce and fresh basil. Angela at My Year Without Spending gave fantastic non-consumer gift ideas for the holiday, including an herb garden. I love this idea! Check out the one she received.

Exit through greenhouse, and view the lovely holiday fare. You don't always have to buy. You can take it in visually and enjoy.

This fairy is lost in a book, as I often am.

Speaking of books, in Neil Gaiman's deliciously charming and creepy Coraline, a novel for all ages, young Coraline returned from a harrowing ordeal with fresh, inspired perspective on all that she had been missing.

She declared, "The sky had never seemed so sky, the world never seemed so world."

Look at the world around you, and be in awe at all the beauty it has to offer - everywhere.

Find a local farm near you.

C'est fini...

my weekly French class that is, until March at least. No more tackling the past participles or learning seasonal vocabulary. Today's useful phrase: Il fait froid (it's cold!) Why didn't I start learning when I was in the third grade?

In the meantime, I'm 'traveling' to France in unconventional ways, as I like to do. Literature is a great transport (and for time travel). I picked up Chocolat author Joanne Harris' Five Quarters of the Orange at my thrift shop’s 25 cent paperback sale, and am glad I did.

I seek inspiration from so many, even those who are far from my own dietary page. I get a sense of what life is like for a foreigner living in Paris in Confessions of a Young Woman. Gillian shows readers everything from how to prepare and eat an artichoke to how to tie the perfect scarf.


She thoughtfully quoted Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food in which he describes a survey that reflected the different attitudes towards food:

"Asked what comes to mind upon hearing the phrase "chocolate cake," Americans were more apt to say "guilt," while the French said "celebration"; "heavy cream" elicited "unhealthy" from Americans, "whipped" from the French. The researchers found that Americans worry more about food and derive less pleasure from eating than people in any other nation they surveyed." I've couldn't agree more that we have a dysfunctional relationship with food.

Speaking of food, David Lebovitz schools us in how to make a French vinaigrette.

He says, "One assumption that I'm going to make about the French is that they're not afraid to make things au pif, or "by the nose". I don't know if a precise recipe for sauce vinaigrette actually exists. But if there is, I bet few people follow it very closely."

I love this. I rarely follow recipes (except when baking when measurements do matter), which is why you don't see many original Vegan Good Life recipes. Get into the kitchen, and be fearless. What's the worst that can happen?

Add the vinaigrette to a simple green salad, like the one I had at a French picnic I attend each summer.

Or add to your tomato salad with fresh basil.

Do make friends with shallots, olive oil and herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Roasting also does wonders. Vegan does not have to translate into bland, steamed, tasteless veggies just because butter isn't in the picture.

You don't need a lot of over processed mock meats. Try a marinated bean salad.

For snack time, I'm not a fan of 'nutrition' or 'health' bars with their long list of ingredients. What's more natural than fruit?

Can't go wrong with wine....

...and listening to some French chansons to get in the spirit. I adore the music of Vanessa Paradis. I hate that Americans often make fun of her teeth. I think she's stunning. Why is there only one standard of beauty? This video was directed by her long-time partner, Johnny Depp, who also wonderfully embraces his own sense of style.

Vanessa Paradis "Il y a" from Theresa V on Vimeo.

The Official Vegan Good Life Holiday Gift Guide: Buy Nothing

This January, no credit card bills will be arriving in my mail. I'm joining the ranks who are choosing to buy nothing. Urges The Discerning Brute's Joshua Katcher in this VegNews piece: "Make a plan. Tell your friends and family that this holiday you'd prefer not to exchange gifts, and instead, exchange words, a meal, a craft, an experience, or just friendship! It's the easiest thing to not do." I already have a festive tea outing in the works to celebrate the winter solstice.

The "buying" exceptions I'd add: gifts for children and charitable purchases for residents in need. Check out The Thrifty Chicks' out-of-the-box thinking on toy treasures. But I've asked everyone - please, no gifts. If they feel the urge to spend, I'd rather them purchase food for pantries so in need, or write a check to the local animal shelter.

Shopping? No, we'll be swapping, unwanted gifts this time, at our next swap at work in January. The leftovers will be bound for a charitable thrift store. So many receive unwanted gift items, so what better way to give them a new life and let people do some "shopping" for free just as those bills are arriving.

I thoroughly enjoy the holidays since I've rejected the materialistic aspect. I look forward to watching classic holiday specials on television, seeing the beautiful decorations at church, where the kids put on a show as heart-warming as anything you'll see at Radio City, writing out Christmas cards (purchased for 10 cents each at the thrift shop) while sipping hot cocoa and listening to my "A Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack, and spending time with loved ones, including our family's six-year-old dog, which we adopted through a rescue group found on Petfinder this year. Possibly the best gift ever.

Besides, if you do exchange gifts, who wants to risk ending up with "wooden broach in the shape of a turkey's head?"


Or remember the "Men of Blanche's Boudoir" calendars?

A "Cuppa", Some Soup, and Good Friendship

Yes, I'm still celebrating my birthday. Since I do a "no gift" pact with my friends (I can't recommend this enough), we treat ourselves to a dinner out instead. I treated my friend, who is one of the few people who I know as obsessed with food as I am, to Salsa y Salsa. For my turn, we agreed on one of our favorites: Tea and Sympathy.

Tea out of a paper cup with a plastic lid? Unthinkable. A pot of blackberry tea, $4.50.

I can make an entire meal out of soup and rolls. The daily dairy-free, vegetarian variety: carrot, turnip and parsnip, $6.95. A good soup nourishes the body and the soul.

A side of nutritious peas, $2.


No vegan desserts are on the menu (veganize Victoria Sponge cake and Sticky Toffee Pudding at home). No problem, just have an extra "cuppa." Enjoy the conversation, and appreciate the friends in your life. I do. Friends are about quality, not quantity. Thank you for my dinner and your dear friendship, friend!

Pop by the shop next store, Carry on Tea and Sympathy, for a browse at their charming tea cups.



Hit your local thrift store for steals on tea cups and teapots, as evidenced in the The Thrifty Chicks' dazzling photo album of the treasures to be found at thrift shops. Shock the Mrs. Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) in your life when she pays you a compliment and tell her it's from the charity shop.

Visit Tea & Sympathy, 108 Greenwich Avenue, New York City.

What's Lurking in that Chickenless Noodle Soup?

Vegans might not have to worry about cholesterol amounts and saturated animal fats, but in addition to those pesky partially hydrogenated oils in non-dairy substitutes like some Tofutti products, another worry: sodium.

Amy's No Chicken Noodle Soup has 540 milligrams per serving. Their Thai Coconut soup - 580 grams per serving. Each can has two servings. I know many people who would have the whole can for lunch, packing over 1000 grams. Ouch

Spotted at my local Stop & Shop: several varieties of Kashi dairy-free products, including this pizza and a Tuscan Veggie Bake. Convenient and veg-friendly. But beware...

The bake contains 700 milligrams of sodium (29% of the RDA), the pizza, 530 grams (22%). That's if you eat a third of the pizza.

Too much sodium can raise your blood pressure and your risk for a heart attack or stroke, according to the CDC. Heart disease and stroke are the first and third killers of men and women in the United States each year.

Adults in general should consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily, current dietary guidelines suggest. Limit that to no more than 1,500 mg per day if you are: 40 years of age or older; are African American; or have high blood pressure. Learn more.

My advice for vegans and omnivores alike: the less processed, the better. I'll stick with my weekly visits to Old Hook Farm. Where else would I find 'Esopus Spitzenburg', one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple varieties?

Monticello is on my lengthy "to visit" list, as is nearby The White Pig Bed & Breakfast.

Eat fresh, eat seasonal as much as possible, and support your family farmer. Find a local farm or CSA through LocalHarvest.

Whenever I leave (fill in the blank),

I find myself thinking...

Whole Foods Market: "I can't believe I spent $60 for two bags of groceries!"
Trader Joe's: "I can't believe I got an entire cart full of groceries for $50!"
Stop & Shop: "I can't believe how Americans shop. All that processed food. And bottled water in everyone's cart?"
Old Hook Farm (my local organic farm): "I can't believe how fresh and inspiring everything is. I can't wait to get in the kitchen and cook! I love supporting my local family farm."

Needless to say, I do almost all of my shopping at Trader Joe's and Old Hook Farm. Trader Joe's for the basics (organic almond milk, recycled toilet paper, cruelty-free toiletries such as $1.99 toothpaste, etc.) For produce and some vegan products, I hit the farm.

I rarely go to Whole Foods. This place has earned the name "Whole Paycheck" for a reason. They do have a few vegan items I can't find, such as cheese (check out Alicia Silverstone's cheese post). With a gift card in hand, I paid a visit to their Paramus, New Jersey store.

Vegan pizza! I didn't buy any ($7.99/lb.) There's a private label frozen version for $4.99. I think making your own may be the cheapest and healthiest way to go. When I asked at Trader Joe's when the roasted vegetable pizza was coming back, they said it was discontinued due to slow sales. Sob.

I did buy Rising Moon Organics butternut squash ravioli. I can't wait to saute these in olive oil, shallots and sage.

Read the fine print: the Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream at Whole Foods does not have partially hydrogenated oils. The Tofutti sour cream at Stop & Shop and the Toffuti cream cheese at Trader Joe's does. In fact, partially hyrogentated soybean oil is the second ingredient listed.

I love a cup of non-dairy hot chocolate on a blustery day, but these vegan marshmallows, at $7, will not be in it. Sweet & Sara are also outpriced at $7.

These were the cheapest soy yogurts I saw, for 89 cents (*note-contains dairy cultures). The Trader Joe's private label soy yogurt (in peach, strawberry or raspberry) are 99 cents. I used to eat yogurt daily when I consumed cow's milk as you could always find a great sale. Now, I have it occasionally. Yogurt cups=tootbrush? Learn about Preserve, available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.

This WholeSoy & Company chocolate hazelnut frozen soy yogurt is good alternative for un-vegan Nutella cravings. The crème caramel variety goes wonderfully on a warm apple crisp.

I also spotted vegan sugar. Vegan sugar? According to Grassroots Veganism with Jo Stepanick:

"Cane sugar is filtered through activated carbon (charcoal) which may be of animal, vegetable, or mineral origin. Over half of the cane refineries in the United States use bone char (charcoal made from animal bones) as their activated carbon source. The bone char used in this filtering process is so far removed from its animal source that cane sugar processed in this method is deemed kosher pareve, which, according to Jewish dietary laws...A number of vegans disagree with this perspective." Read more.

Am I going to obsess over this? No. I recall advice that has helped keep me sane as a vegan from Kathy Freston's Quantam Wellness.

"Vegans and vegan wannabees shouldn't be too concerned about ingredients that make up less than two percent of their meal. You will obviously want to avoid dishes served with meat, cheese, or eggs, but you need not get crazy if there is a dab of butter or whey or other animal product in the bun your veggie burger is served on. You won't appreciably stop animal suffering by avoiding such minuscule amounts of animal ingredients. The goal is to eat in a conscious, animal-friendly manner without driving friends, family, or the waiters at restaurants nuts."

I've seen too many people attempt veganism, then have a moment of weakness around a communal cheese platter (myself included), and abandon it altogether deeming it too restrictive. I drink wine rarely so I don't consult barnivore for a single glass of wine out. Vegan favorite Yellowtail (only the reds are vegan) are non-organic and flown in from Australia. That doesn't sound very animal friendly. The issues are complex. All we can do is make the best decisions with the information we have at the time.

Blossom: Part Deux

Since I was so close by, I dropped by vegan eatery Blossom Uptown after the Macy's balloon viewing. I'm rarely in this part of the city, except when I frequent Central Park in the summer. So I figured...pourquoi pas?

To drink, my favorite of late: New York City tap water.

Possibly the best butternut squash soup I've ever had. Served with cinnamon croutons and a slice of bread, $6.

When ordering, my eyes were bigger than my stomach. The soup would have been enough.

Fettuccine in a cashew alfredo sauce with soy cutlets, $17. Their version included spinach, garlic and mushrooms. Good thing I brought my reusable container. I brought more than half of this heavenly dish home to enjoy again.


I didn't have room for their chocolate cake, $6, which is making my mouth water just writing about it. But I will be back. The quality of the food and the friendly service makes Blossom (both Chelsea and Uptown) one of my favorite veg spots in the city. I like both Blossoms, but lean slightly toward the Uptown location.

Visit Blossom Uptown, 466 Columbus Avenue (between 82nd and 83rd), New York City

While there, I dropped off some literature for my Advocacy Campaign Team friends at Farm Sanctuary. Lit dropping is a super-easy form of advocacy for busy, on-the-go activists.

Let's Make It a "Good" Christmas and Hanukah

Kmart, Walmart, Gap, Banana Republic, among others: all open for business Thanksgiving Day, according to my local paper. Right below the story on the pre-Black Friday rush - an article on food pantries seeing record demand.

The day of dietary excess is always followed by a day of materialistic excess, but now they seem to be on the same day. I once heard the saying, "It's not a bargain if you don't need it." A simple yet powerful mantra to reflect on. No doorbusters for me today, only busting the myth that over-spending and shopping need to be part of a holiday.

"We've become a nation measuring out our lives in shopping bags and nursing our psychic ills through retail therapy," The Chicago Tribune lamented on Christmas Eve 1986. This statement can just as easily and accurately be invoked in 2009.

Even two years after Ben Stein reflected on what makes a "good" Christmas or Hanukah, his sentiments seem as relevant as ever, and creates clarity on what really matters most.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Says Stein:

"Maybe a good Christmas for this most blessed of nations would be when we as a nation and as communities made sure the homeless had a warm, safe place to sleep.

Maybe a good Christmas would not be about buying your kids the latest gizmo for listening to obscene lyrics, but about teaching them that if they are fortunate enough to have extra time or extra money, they can help out at the old age home or at the local animal shelter.

Maybe a good time would not be buying your parents sweaters they will never use, but taking a trip to see them and telling them how much you appreciate that they spent the heart of their lives taking care of you, feeding you, teaching you, putting a roof over your head, warming you with their love and concern.

Maybe the best time of all would be telling your husband or your wife or love partner that you would be lost without him or her and that you're sorry for the selfish things you did that year, and you'll be better next year.

Christmas and Hanukah presents rarely fit and rarely are to your taste. They sit in your closet and collect dust forever.

But gifts in this special, sacred time of love and caring to your family, your friends, and your neighborhood - those are never forgotten. They bring peace of mind for years."

Read the full commentary.

Find a local food bank through Feeding America. In Northern New Jersey, donate to the Center for Food Action.

Thanksgiving Eve Magic

Each year the day before Thanksgiving, revelers young in age, and some just young at heart, gather outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to watch the balloons blown up for Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I was one of the wide-eyed spectators again this year.

Getting there as soon as it begins at 3 PM means beating the crowds, and just finding some of the balloons in a semi-deflated state.

Getting ready for showtime: Macy's workers.

Too short? Get a lift! There's a lot to see...

...just take a look:









Being a child of the 80s, I was a serious Smurf fan. I'm talking figurines, sheet set, Smurfette lunch box, Smurfette Halloween costume in the second grade. I even had a Smurf game for ColecoVision (remember that?)

Even a few doggies joined in on the fun.

Remember when simple things made so many of us happy?

Believe in the magic of feeling like a kid again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksliving Dinner: Turkeys in Our Hearts, Not on The Table

This Sunday, I gathered with about 40 others in sharing a humane pre-Thanksgiving dinner held by God's Creatures Ministry.

Each place setting included a key chain that said "Contentment" and on the back a quote:

"Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity" - Enough by Adam Hamilton.

Whether you invoke this as a prayer or just a philosophy, they are thoughtful words to remember as we enter the holiday season of dietary and materialistic excess.

Now, for the meal. Can't go wrong with grapes alongside hummus and French onion pita chips from veg-friendly Trader Joe's.

My beverage choice: sparkling cider. I was the designated driver for the evening.

Tofurkey and all the trimmings: stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and rolls.

A sampling of desserts: rice pudding, chocolate cake, and my favorite of the evening, apple crisp.

I love tricky tray auctions! I was pining over this basket filled with Trader Joe's goodies. It went home with someone else.


I met so many caring activists, including representatives from the League of Humane Voters, Friends of Wayne Animals, all-creatures.org, and the Animal Protection League of New Jersey.

Every Thanksgiving, millions of Americans place a turkey in their cart, just as it was another item such as cranberry sauce or green beans. I would guess that most give little thought, as they do with most animal products, about the life of the turkey. Many with crippling foot and leg problems due to their genetically-manipulated weight; transported under horrid conditions (they can be legally transported for up to 28 hours without food, water or rest); and slaughtered in even worse conditions (turkeys and other poultry are excluded from the Humane Slaughter Act), all according to Farm Sanctuary. Learn more.

They eat it simply because they are trained to. Because this is part of a "tradition." Well this is one cruel tradition I've broken from for two decades, and am proud to do so again this year. I don't want to celebrate gratitude and life by causing death, simply because that's what the rest of society embraces.

Be proud to shun turkey this year if you are the lone vegetarian at your table. In the film Ratatouille, the once embittered food critic Anton Ego who has had a new awakening said, "The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends." People are afraid or mock veg diets because they are new - unknown, different. Stand tall, knowing that you are a pioneer and friend of the new.