Sarah Kramer to close her vegan shop in Victoria

Posted on May 24, 2013 10:01 pm by
Sarah's Place

Sarah’s Place will close on June 1. (Sarah Kramer on Instagram)

As many of you know, Sarah Kramer has been dealing with breast cancer since her diagnosis earlier this year. Since then, the vegan cookbook author and entrepreneur has faced many challenges, including keeping her curio shop open in downtown Victoria.

In April, Sarah’s Place (106-560 Johnson Street) temporarily closed while Kramer underwent and recovered from surgery. Now, Kramer says she’s made the tough decision to shut down her brick-and-mortar store for good on June 1. Continue reading →

Coconut bacon takes vegan kitchens by storm

Posted on May 18, 2013 10:00 am by
Coconut bacon

Everything really is better with coconut bacon. (Stephen Hui)

A year ago, it seemed like everyone had a soccattata in the oven. These days, we’re all about coconut bacon.

For the past several months, I’ve heard so much about this plant-based alternative to cured pig meat. Indeed, it was the talk of this year’s Vancouver Vegan Prom. Kitsilano’s Edible Flours (2280 West Broadway) is even using it in cupcakes and donuts.

In early April, I finally tried coconut bacon for the first time. It turns out the fuss is warranted. This stuff is so, uh, bacony. Since then, I’ve enjoyed it in sandwiches, on salads, and by the handful. Continue reading →

City of Vancouver to declare June 10 as Meatless Monday

Posted on May 14, 2013 12:44 am by
Go vegan now

This Occupy Vancouver sign says it all. (Stephen Hui)

The City of Vancouver is set to throw its support behind an international campaign that encourages people to reduce their consumption of meat. A civic advisory body, the Vancouver Food Policy Council, has let it be known that city hall plans to proclaim June 10 of this year as Meatless Monday.

Vancouver will become the first Canadian city to take this symbolic step, according to the VFPC. But don’t expect city hall to start promoting veganism anytime soon. Continue reading →

Graze vegan restaurant opens this week in Vancouver

Posted on May 12, 2013 11:00 am by
Graze

Graze is coming to Fraser Street. (Stephen Hui)

If you follow Graze (3980 Fraser Street) on social media, then you—like us—are probably counting down the days until Vancouver’s newest fully vegan restaurant opens.

We’ve already seen tantalizing photos of gluten-free perogies with sautéed mushrooms, sour coconut cream, tomato jam, and pickled beets; almond nut cheese with kale pesto; a pulled seitan waffle sandwich with bourbon pepper barbecue sauce, smoky eggplant strips, and avocado; and an asparagus and tarragon quiche with veggie hash and grilled pineapple. Need I go on? Continue reading →

Best vegan food blogs in Vancouver

Posted on May 9, 2013 10:50 am by
Jerk chickpeas

Jerk chickpeas from cookbook author and blogger Dreena Burton. (Hannah Kaminsky)

We vegans love our food, and we’re not shy about sharing this with the world. Indeed, there are countless plant-based blogs out there to prove it.

Vancouver is home to a bunch of them. I thought it would be a good idea to put together a (totally subjective) list of the most interesting ones from the city and suburbs.

I started out by asking for your recommendations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thanks to everyone who responded. Between your suggestions and my bookmarks, I had around 20 local blogs to check out. I ended up with a list of nine blogs that are definitely worth reading.

All of these blogs publish original content, focus primarily on food, feature vegan recipes only (no honey!), and are run by bloggers who live in Metro Vancouver. As well, they all were created in 2012 or earlier and are currently active, putting out at least four posts since the start of 2013.

Here’s the Veg Coast list of the best vegan food blogs in Vancouver, presented in alphabetical order. Continue reading →

Vegetarian SkyTrain ads compare eating chickens to eating cats

Posted on May 8, 2013 4:30 pm by
Chicken ad

The chicken ad.

Starting next week, Vancouver transit riders will be confronted with the following question: why do people love cats and dogs, but eat chickens, cows, and pigs? Mercy for Animals Canada will be placing three different poster-sized advertisements on the SkyTrain system as part of a cross-country campaign. Continue reading →

Vegan Caramels by In the Oven are salty, sour, and totally sweet

Posted on May 6, 2013 7:30 pm by
Smoked salt caramels

Smoked salt caramels. (Stephen Hui)

Caramels weren’t really my thing. But that was before I tried vegan and gluten-free Caramels by In the Oven.

Erica Van Driel and Sami Rix, the bakers-turned-confectioners at Vancouver’s In the Oven, sent us samples of their lime and smoked salt caramels. In March, they launched their line of caramels in five flavours. Continue reading →

Why I disagree with censorship on Bleat, the vegan social network

Posted on May 5, 2013 11:10 am by

The founders of Bleat are threatening to delete any posts encouraging vegetarianism or the use of animal products on the brand-new vegan social network. While I certainly don’t promote vegetarianism or animal exploitation, I strongly disagree with this proposed censorship.

A couple of U.K. vegans launched Bleat on May 1. On May 4, the website posted this bulletin:

We have had a couple of posts brought to our attention today that are clearly promoting vegetarianism. Bleat is NOT the place to be promoting vegetarianism and you can read more about our reasoning for this here.

We are going to be monitoring this situation very closely and reserve the right to remove any posts that we believe are promoting the consumption of animals or animal derived products.

Now, it’s great that Bleat is clear about being a place by and for vegans. But what’s the point of inviting vegetarians and omnivores to join this social network, if its admins are going to erase their posts? Why not just encourage users, if they feel so inclined, to down-vote vegetarian (and beegan) posts and—even better—comment on them? Continue reading →

Culver City Salads to open vegan food truck in Vancouver

Posted on May 2, 2013 10:25 pm by
Culver City Salads

A soba noodle salad from Culver City Salads. (Stephen Hui)

Vancouver is about to get a new vegan food truck. The city has just awarded this year’s batch of 15 new street food vending permits, and one of them has gone to Culver City Salads.

Back in February, I interviewed Culver City Salads founder and co-owner Christina Culver. At the time, she said her planned food truck will be vegan and gluten-free, and offer salads, soups, curries, stews, and kale chips.

The Culver City Salads food truck will be located in the 400 block of Cambie Street at Victory Square, right by the downtown campus of Vancouver Community College, according to a map on the city’s website. Culver aims to open the truck by June. Continue reading →

Eat this, vegans: Veggie tacos from La Taqueria in Vancouver

Posted on May 2, 2013 3:35 pm by
De picadillo and tinga de hongos

De picadillo and tinga de hongos to go. (Stephen Hui)

La Taqueria has something for everyone. This Mexican pinche taco shop in Vancouver offers fillings containing meat, fish, and cheese. But, most importantly, it also serves two kinds of vegan soft tacos.

My favourite is the tinga de hongos. It features sautéed mushrooms in a (slightly) spicy chipotle sauce.

The de picadillo is equally delicious. This taco is made with sautéed ground tofu. According to the menu, it contains nuts. Continue reading →