Below, there are resources for travel and cooking. Plus there’s news about PETA, vegan bloggers, and a bit about e coli.

Got any good links to share or new news? Leave a comment!

Veg Travel: As a vegan who has been to Paris twice and never once felt the need to eat animals, I assure you there is plenty of vegetarian food in France despite anyone’s protestations. But now a new book will soon be out called “A Vegetarian in Paris”. The book features “more than 300 restaurants that serve pure vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly fare” and should demonstrate why the Paris Exemption is poorly named. The guidebook offers a grand set of solutions for travelers committed to eating kindly. Read more about the new book here >>

Don’t forget, too, that if you need to find vegan, vegetarian, or veg-friendly eats whilst traveling check out these websites:

• Happy Cow: http://www.happycow.net/
• Veg Guide: http://www.vegguide.org/

Vegan Food: Want a recipe for black bean and beer soup? Sounds like a great idea for the cold winter nights. Here you go >>

Wintertime is cookie time, so here’s a recipe for Pistachio Praline Linzer Cookies >>

And here’s a recipe for curry burgers that look awefully good >>

Vegan Pie in the Sky is now widely available. Pick up a copy today from Amazon and support us at Vegan Soapbox.

Bloggers who quit: Erik Marcus of vegan.com announced “After nearly three years and more than 5000 posts, I’ve decided to pull the plug on daily blogging.” The key here is the daily part. He is still updating his blog, just not as often.

And the blogger at Quarry Girl says “This blog is no longer updated” and cites life as the problem: “i used to have a vegan blog, but life got in the way.” Oh well.

Grass-fed cow flesh: “when it comes to E. coli O157:H7, the advantages of grass-fed beef aren’t so clear. In fact, exploring the connection between grass-fed beef and these dangerous bacteria offers a disturbing lesson in how culinary wisdom becomes foodie dogma and how foodie dogma can turn into a recipe for disaster. Step back from it all and veganism starts to look like the best option.” read more at Eating Plants >>

PETA stuff: “For the second consecutive year, Northwestern University has been selected by peta2, an affiliate of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, as the most vegan-friendly college in the small U.S. schools category.” read more here >>

“Just in time for the holiday season, [PETA] will be showcasing the top 20 vegetarians of all-time by putting their faces on postage stamps.” read more at Ecorazzi >>

Want to share a good vegan website? Got a news story that needs attention? Leave a comment!

She calls her project “Will Travel For Vegan Food” aka WTF Vegan Food. She’s set up a website and a facebook already, now she just needs to hit the road!

I conducted an interview with Kristin about her project. Here’s what she had to say.

EV: I read that you’re taking a journey across the nation in order to dine at every vegan restaurant in the U.S. Is that true? Can you explain your project a bit?

KL: Yes. The goal of this trip is to attempt to eat at all of the 100% vegan restaurants in the US. I’ll likely also eat at a few vegetarian restaurants that offer a variety of vegan dishes as well, but I’ll be focusing on all-vegan restaurants.

Since becoming vegan, it’ll be 5 years this August, I’ve fallen deeply in love with food. I also really love to travel. And so, nearly a year ago I started thinking about an adventure I could take that would focus not only on the trip itself, but also on vegan food. Most of my travels have been with non-vegan friends, and it’s been great, but the thought of being able to spend the entire trip indulging in vegan food and meeting vegans along the way… well, that sounded ideal.

Around the same time I was also contemplating a change in lifestyle. I had been reading a lot about location independence and minimalist living. It wasn’t until I realized that, if I found a way to make my work life mobile, I really COULD travel whenever, wherever, and for however long I wanted to.

One evening I joking wrote on my Facebook wall, something like: “I’d like to travel across the US, eating at all the vegan restaurants.”… I was half joking … but deep down the thought of such a trip was really exciting to me. To my surprise a number of my Facebook friends started commenting, saying that they would love to do something like that or that I should do it.

So THAT night I started to conceptual this “crazy” idea. I even wrote a lengthy email to my parents about the idea, the details, and how excited I was. I’m pretty sure at the time they thought it was just a fun idea but something I wouldn’t actually do. But once I get an idea that makes me so happy I can’t sleep, I’m in…and there’s no going back. Well, I mean…there is..haha.. but not in my mind.

A few months later I purchased the domain: wtfveganfood.com and started seeking sponsors.

I love this quote from Chris Guillebau because it kind of sums up how I’m feeling: “I may succeed, I may fail–but I’ve committed to documenting the entire process for you, win or lose.”

EV: What was the inspiration for your adventure? Why are you doing this?

KL: Ultimately, the goal is to not only explore the vegan restaurant scene in the US (including food trucks!), but to interview restaurant owners (maybe snag a recipe and/or a discount for my readers *wink, wink*), interview vegan businesses owners (not just restaurants owners), make new vegan friends, and volunteer at farm animal sanctuaries.

I’m doing this to highlight veganism as a whole.

I’m also going on this trip as a personal journey… self exploration and to test the waters of the digital nomad/location independent entrepreneur. I’m doing this for personal growth. I believe that it’ll be a great test of self-awareness.

EV: Do you have a route planned already or will you just wing it?

KL: I have a very general route planned… I think I know the general state-to-state route that I’m taking but I have yet to site down and draw up a hard map, including restaurants. I’m mostly using both Happy Cow or VegDining to find restaurants… and of course, appreciate all of the recommendations coming in via Facebook and email.

When it gets down to it, I think I’m going to be planning in 3 month chunks because I think trying to plan the full year all at once will be too much. Also, while the trip is planned for about a year.. honestly I’m going to take my time and maybe spend more time in cities that I’m really enjoying .. or if I want to make some tourist-y pit stops, that’ll happen too. So the trip could very well take much longer than 1 year. But I’m up for it.

EV: That makes a lot of sense to plan it in 3 month chunks. Also, you might want to check out VegGuide.

Are you camping, couch surfing, using an RV, staying in hostels or motels… what?

KL: Ideally, I’d like to have an RV and convert it over to veggie fuel. I figure, since I won’t be paying rent… I can put that money into a lease or rental type of payment system on an RV. However, I will be doing a bit of couch surfing here and there (like in cities where an RV wouldn’t be practical).

EV: That sounds like a good idea. My husband and I drove across country in an RV. We went from Vegas to New York City. We were lacto-ovo vegetarian on the way to NYC and then after living there a few years and experiencing the plethora of veg restaurants in NYC as well as having taken a weekend vacation to Farm Sanctuary, we were vegan when we drove back to Vegas. It was fun to stop at a variety of vegan restaurants along the way back and see how many different options vegans have.

How are you funding your trip? What do you think it will cost?

KL: Right now the trip is out of my pocket. I’ve actually been debating on starting a Kickstarter project to help fund meals and travel expenses…but I’ve been having a hard time justifying it. I mean, I can see how others might benefit from the trip but I also can see how a lot of people would just assume that they’d be supporting an extended vacation (even though I’ll be working on the road… which is another reason I’ll be taking my time. I’ll always need to have access to the Internet). In the meantime, I’m seeking sponsors and donors.

I attempted to calculate it a few months back.. and with 3 meals a day + gas (if I can’t switch over to veggie oil)… it’ll be a little over $10,000 for one year.

EV: Thanks for your time, Kristin. Hope you have a fantastic trip!

“I am excited to work with the esteemed Wynn and Encore chefs to introduce my vegan cuisine to Las Vegas,” Ronnen says.  “I hope diners will find that eating meat and dairy-free cuisine does not have to feel like a sacrifice, but a step up.”

Ronnen is the author of The New York Times best-selling cookbook The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat (William Morow, 2009). He has received national recognition for cooking vegan cuisine for celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey. A graduate of The National Gourmet Institute who has worked in top vegan restaurants (one of which is a favorite of mine: Candle 79 in Manhattan), Ronnen applies classical French techniques to meatless ingredients. By using an array of exotic ingredients and creative preparations, Ronnen reinterprets traditional meat-focused dishes into vegan cuisine that tempts and satisfies diners of various tastes.
 
At the property’s award-winning restaurants, Ronnen and the Wynn and Encore chefs partner to offer a well-rounded vegan menus comprised of salad, appetizer, soup, entrée and dessert options. Take a look:

1. Vegan “Clam Chowder” with cashew cream base and smoked oyster mushrooms; Old Bay Cakes with toasted pasta, blistered tomatoes and ancho-garlic aioli will be availale at Lakeside Grill
2. Vegan Gardein Beef Skewers with asparagus, sweet peppers and warm red-chili vinaigrette are coming to SW.
3. At Sinatra, Chef Theo Schoenegger and Ronnen offer decadent dishes such as Agnolotti, small pockets filled with vegan ricotta, herbs and asparagus sauce.
4. Ronnen and Chef Jet Tila demonstrate their skill and inventiveness with dishes such as Faux-Nagi Oyster Mushroom “Eel” Sushi and a Spicy “Tuna” Roll at Wazuzu. 

Through this collaboration with Ronnen, Wynn Las Vegas remains a pioneer in the hospitality industry, offering guests delicious and healthy options that satisfy every palate.

“There are literally thousands of products and services available to make your veg-life easier—cookbooks, websites, magazines (ahem)—but what rivals them all for simplicity’s sake is the smartphone app. Since the iPhone boom, scads of apps have hit the market, many oriented toward a cruelty-free lifestyle.”

VegNews just listed their 10 favorite vegan smartphone applications. Here are five that made the cut:

• Lists vegan items found at common chain restaurants: VeganXpress ($1.99) iphone
• Lists vegan and vegetarian restaurants: VeginOut Guide($1.89) palm, VegOut ($2.99) iphone, VegginOut android
• How to explain vegan or vegetarian in different languages: Veggie Passport ($0.99) iphone
• A cookbook on the go: Vegan Recipes ($1.99) android
• More recipes: Vegan Recipe Finder ($2.99) iphone

Personally, I love VegOut and VeganXpress the most!

To see the other five apps, check out the article >>

This is BIG news here in Las Vegas.

“The restaurants [at Wynn and Encore] are behaving as if the man in charge would like vegan options on his menus,” reports the Review Journal. The newspaper continues:

Special vegan dishes include Fava Bean Puree with sautéed hon shimeji mushrooms, snap pea salad and aged balsamic vinegar at Alex and the Market Chopped Salad with avocado, carrots, celery, pumpkin seeds, edamame and tarragon vinaigrette at Society Café Encore. Hearty entrée options—such as the Summer Vegetable Gratin at Botero, Risotto con Verdure di Stagione, risotto whipped with seasonal vegetables at Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, and Napoleon of Savory Tofu with ratatouille and fried eggplant at Tableau—entice vegan and non-vegans alike. The Country Club excites palettes with a vegan version of their popular Watermelon Gazpacho with avocado, jicama, tomato, cucumber, cilantro and yucca crisp, while Stratta offers Whole Wheat Pasta Primavera, a vegan take on the Italian American staple.

SW, Wynn’s signature steakhouse, serves crave-worthy vegan dishes such as Grilled Royal Trumpet Mushrooms with creamy polenta and shallot balsamic sauce.

Wazuzu’s Vegan Crunch Roll with crispy asparagus, avocado, cucumber and arare, Okada’s Vegan Cold Soba Noodle and Wing Lei’s Crispy Tofu with sugar pea, water chestnut, carrot and bean sprout feature flavorful Asian ingredients. Decadent desserts such as Blueberry Cobbler with toasted almond ice cream at Sinatra and Banana Crepes with coconut ice cream, avocado mousse at Switch provide a sweet close to any meal.

Another piece in the RJ says:

Several executives in Wynn’s inner circle have followed his lead and embraced veganism as well, sources said.

He’s not the only vegan in Vegas. Another recent celebrity vegan who lives in the valley is Mike Tyson. And plenty of local poker players are vegan, too. For example, respected poker author Ed Miller* and PETA member Annie LePage are both Vegas vegans. Here is a video of Annie:

Anyone in Vegas looking for vegan options can start by taking a look here: http://www.vegasveg.com/food.html Grassroots group Vegas Veg has a list of vegan-friendly restaurants posted on the website. And LV Vegan lists vegan options, too.

*I’m just a tiny bit biased since Ed is my husband.

• Animal Liberation Forum 2010: April 15th – 18th
• Animal Ethics Conference: March 29th – April 2nd
• Let Live Conference: June 25th – 27th
• Animal Rights National Conference 2010: July 15th – 19th

For more details, take a look at the list from Voice of the Voiceless >>

What’s the vegan breakfast you can find at just about any American restaurant or hotel room service?

Why, it’s simple! The most commonly available vegan breakfast across the US is:

• oatmeal
• fruit
• hashbrowns/ home fries
• coffee, tea, water, or juice

Shown here: a vegan breakfast for two from hotel room service.

Oatmeal in the US usually comes with some mix-ins: brown sugar, raisins, milk, maple syrup, butter, honey… To get it vegan, simply omit the animal products (milk, butter, honey). And ask for non-dairy milk because more and more restaurants offer soy milk these days.

Virtually every restaurant carries some kind of fruit. There is usually a “fruit plate” that combines various seasonal fruits onto a platter. For fruit plates, there is one worry for vegans: yogurt of cottage cheese. Often a “fruit plate” will come with some form of dairy product. When you order, just mention that you’re vegan and you want only fruit. Even when there’s not a fruit plate, there’s still often some sort of fruit available, just ask.

Potatoes are so cheap that restaurants would be insane not to carry potato dishes. Fries and hashbrowns are the most common, but you can also find baked potatoes at many places. All three of these options are great for any meal of the day, breakfast, lunch or dinner. When you order, just ask for the potatoes to be prepared in vegetable oil, not butter or lard. And ask for them “plain” because some restaurants will add butter, cheese, sour cream, or other nonvegan products on top of an otherwise healthy vegan option like potatoes.

So there you go, a vegan meal you can find virtually anywhere in the US. All you have to do is ask for it.

• General information: Vegan And Vegetarian Frequently Asked Questions
• The environment: Articles About Meat and the Environment
• Human health: Vegan Nutrition Resources
• Making the transition: Vegan Beginner’s Guides
• Traveling as a vegan: Vegan Travel
• The cafeteria: Resources For Improving School Lunches
• Vegan shopping: How To Keep Vegan Food Costs Low
• Ingredients and labels: Determining what’s vegan and what’s not

The idea of the kit is that it could provide someone with the tools necessary to make vegan meals in sub-optimal settings.

I’ve thought about this for some time since I used to do a fair bit of traveling. I’ve also thought about how fun it might be to make these kits for other vegans as gifts. They’re particularly suitable for vegans living in dorm rooms (students) or traveling a lot from motel room to motel room (activists).

Here are some things I try to pack when I travel. These are the things I’d include in a “vegan travel kit”:

• fork or chopsticks – for obvious reasons
• knife - for cutting up fresh fruit, splitting a store-bought burrito or sandwich with a friend, etc.
  
• the vegan passport – it’s a book that tells you how to say, “I’m vegan” and explain what vegan means in multiple languages
• prepacked, no fridge necessary condiments – like mustard, peanut butter, and jelly to help make plain bread tastier
• dry oatmeal – all you need is hot water
• tea bags - again, all you need is hot water
• vitamins - multi or just B12
• salt + pepper – to make a plain baked potato un-plain
• spices or spice mixes – like Mrs. Dash or adobo, these add flavor to an otherwise boring steamed vegetable plate or plain pasta dish served to vegans by unimaginative chefs
• Vegan A Go-Go – as suggested by Convenient Vegan, this little vegan cookbook is designed for travel
• PETA’s vegan college cookbook - another cookbook option for quick, on-the-go vegan meals. All that’s required is a microwave.
  
• agave sticks – like honey sticks, but vegan, these are for use with hot tea, oatmeal or for a quick sugary energy burst
• nutritional yeast - to sprinkle on top of pasta for an added cheesy flavor
  
• TVP - dry texturized vegetable protein to put in soups and sauces for added protein

What do you think you would put in your vegan travel kit?