Taking the long way around

Amsterdam

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Post by:

joe panel

Just a couple of years ago, Amsterdam was pretty poor for vegan stuff. I was very surprised to discover this as Amsterdam has a reputation as being counter-cultural, alternative and free-thinking, yet there was a lack of vegan restaurants (and the vegetarian ones were pretty poor, too).

Conversely, according to my Dutch friends, the Hague has a reputation as being a boring, buttoned-up city of government workers and lawyers – yet the vegan options there were far better than in Amsterdam.

But happily, times have changed and Amsterdam now has a decent selection of vegan places, many of which have opened in the last couple of years. So let’s have a quick run around a few of them during my next few blog posts, shall we?

First, let’s visit what might be my favourite new Amsterdam eatery of our recent trip – DopHert. We’d heard good things about DopHert, so were eager to try out their menu, which had lots of tasty items on it.

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Gran Canaria

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One of the best parts of running this blog is finding out about awesome vegan things that I would never otherwise know.

Take the following as an example.

I received an email this week from a friendly person in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Jose wanted to share news with me about a vegan group he is a part of and I was super impressed, so I asked him to write the following for you all.

Carabrecol was born out of the necessity of having more vegan places around the city of Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria. The only vegan options in bars and restaurants in the city tend to be potatoes with mojo (Canarian sauce), Padron peppers and salad. So a group of friends decided to start doing vegan nights in various venues. So far we have managed to do many vegan nights, and we have sold vegan tapas at gigs and cultural events.

Carabrecol is a totally voluntary DIY project, and the organizers receive no payment. Any profits are put into a fund to do more vegan nights and to bring bands to play in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

People seem to like the project and are supporting it very well.

To date, we have been able to bring Active Minds, Brian Curran, Kronstadt, and Zounds. Doom are coming in January, and we have more bands lined up. We are hoping that we can do more vegan nights and bring loads more bands in the future.

You can checkout our Facebook page or our website here.

Wow. How fab does this group sound?

Not for profit, vegan tapas and bands! I adore activism like this.

Make sure you check out their pages if you are heading over for a visit. Get involved if they have an event on during your stay.

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Vegan Sicily

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HUGE thanks to my friend Jo who has kindly offered us this tempting review of vegan Sicily.

Jo is someone who gets a kick out of discovering vegan food in unexpected locations and she certainly has stumbled across some gems in Sicily.

Read and be jealous!

Vegan Sicily

If anyone is looking for a vegan-friendly corner of the Mediterranean for a get-away, I can thoroughly recommend the south-east of Sicily.

The provincial capital city, Catania, is not only close to the airport (about 15 minutes by taxi, car or bus), has Mount Etna as its backdrop and is full of history but it also boasts three exclusively vegan restaurants as well as three vegetarian restaurants with extensive vegan options.

Food in this part of the world is reasonably priced and of super flavoursome. I was told that Catania was particularly vegan-friendly because it’s a university city but vegan food was pretty easy to find outside the city. Ordering a roasted vegetable sandwich or pasta ‘senza fromaggio’ seemed to raise not even a flicker of surprise.

My food highlights were:

  • ‘Seitan Alla Piestra’ (which I think translates as ‘medalions of seitan’) at Zenzero & Salvia

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  • The ‘Anthony Kiedis’ pizza (spicy seitan, tomatoes and vegan cheese) at Haiku (http://www.haiku-ct.it/). It took a while to chomp through the pizza, partly because the mushroom carpaccio starter turned out to be the equivalent of the size of a UK main course but also because the pizza was generously deep filled and automatically comes with a salad. The setting at Haiku is lovely as they have a beautiful courtyard garden. Despite being happy to slowly plough through my Anthony Kiedis whilst enjoying the lovely surroundings I couldn’t manage to finish. They very kindly offered to give me a box to take the rest home. I soon realised that these large portions are the norm in Sicily.

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Haiku also runs a small vegan shop next door to the restaurant where you can buy tofu products (including Taifun), nut milks and a vegan version of ‘nutella’

  • My meze meal of roasted aubergine, chick pea fritters and seitan schnitzel at La Cucina Dei Colori, (http://www.happycow.net/reviews/la-cucina-dei-colori-catania-23581, washed down with an unfiltered local craft beer called ‘Tari’, and followed by a very rich chocolate and pistachio mousse. This is a vegetarian restaurant but almost all of the dishes were labelled as vegan. It’s a popular restaurant and wasn’t easy to get a table.

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Other highlights include:

  • Nicosia Winery’s ‘Nero D’Avola’ wine – made from grapes grown in the Etna valley. They sell a red and white wine both labelled as organic and vegan and can be bought in supermarkets.

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  • Stecco Natura: they sell a large range of vegan ice lollies and have branches in Catania, Taormina and Syracuse. My favourite was the ‘mandorla’ (almond) flavour. Other Gelateria sold vegan gelato and the Sicilian ‘granita’ (a bit like more natural tasting slush puppy).

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  • ‘Latte di mandorla’: this is a traditional home-made almond milk drink made as a spring and summer cooler drink from almonds grown locally and served in cafes and bars. Some are sweetened with honey though so you need to check
  • Maccu – a traditional ‘peasant’ dish made of fava beans and wild fennel. It’s like a thick soup served with pasta;
  • Vegan ‘artisan’ chocolate in Modica

My food highlight though has to be Moon restaurant in Syracuse (http://www.moonortigia.com). Not only is it a beautifully-styled restaurant (it felt a bit like sitting in a contemporary art gallery) with a fantastically chilled ambiance and right in the centre but all the dishes are vegan. I had the most delicious seitan ‘kebab’ and almond parfait for desert. They also serve the Nero D’Avola wine and the restaurant doubles as a music venue in the evenings.

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Thank you, Jo!

I’m sure I’m not alone in being amazed by these glorious vegan food options in Sicily.

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Winning with waffles

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Post by:

Caitlin panel

The latest addition to Barcelona’s growing vegan scene comes in the form of Väcka, a completely vegan and partly raw restaurant with a Swedish name and Argentine owners.  Väcka, which means ‘waking up’ in Swedish, centres its philosophy around awakening compassion and awareness of healthy eating.

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Special guest

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Here is some news that has me grinning from ear to ear.

Some people are effective activists. Some people are powerful public speakers. Occasionally, you will find people who possess both of these attributes. Even rarer? Someone with these skills who is also an absolute dream to be around due to the fact they are incredibly friendly, personable and charming.

Yes, I’m talking about Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

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To say I am often blown away by Colleen’s capacity for compassion and her ability to powerfully disseminate information is an understatement. I could listen to her talk for hours.

And this news I speak of?

Imagine my absolute joy to be able to announce Colleen Patrick-Goudreau as a very special guest on the 100% vegan cruise I am a part of this Winter on the Danube.

This 6-night cruise between Germany and Austria was already a fabulous situation. All inclusive with only vegan food and drink served on board. Shore stops in some of the most gorgeous and scenic cities in Europe. My annual New Year’s Eve party hosted on the ship as it is docked in Vienna.

And now Colleen!

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More than half the cabins have already been booked for this historic cruise and with Colleen on board, I would imagine the remaining suites will move quickly.

You can go here to read more about the cruise.

Visit Colleen Patrick-Goudreau online, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. You will fall in love with her insightful, engaging videos and informative podcasts. Guaranteed!

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Electric bicycles

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You all know about the vegan cruise I am a part of over New Year’s Eve. You cannot possibly have escaped my excitement. (If you have, click here for more info)

I just found out some extra information for those of you who have already booked a cabin on the cruise down the Danube.

The ship we are travelling on includes electricity assisted bicycles that can be used during shore stops. You can cycle around some of the gorgeous towns and cities we visit!

Also, there are these super nifty GPS and information devices for passengers that are pre-loaded with guided tours, directions and cruise commentary. Check out the video below.

The video shows both the bikes and the handheld devices.

I thought I couldn’t be more excited for this cruise, but I am now!

Go here to read about the cruise and here to book one of the remaining cabins.

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Monkey Business

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Do you want to see something that will melt your heart?

Make sure you switch your TV over to the Community Channel (in the UK) this Sunday night (September 27, 2015) at 6pm for a very special documentary that will make you want to rush to Mexico to cuddle a rescued monkey.

My friend Wendy Turner Webster recently teamed up with Julie Peasgood for a trip to Mexico in order to visit a sanctuary for spider monkeys rescued from the pet trade.

This is what the resulting documentary, Monkey Business, has in store for viewers:

In Wendy & Julie’s Monkey Business, the intrepid duo fly from London to Cancun in Mexico to visit The Jungle Place – a sanctuary dedicated to the rescue of the endangered Spider Monkeys who are victims of the illegal pet trade, poaching, and habitat destruction.

The Jungle Place is a sustainable charity and has the endorsement of the Born Free Foundation. It is run by Heidi and Joel – a couple who have dedicated their lives to the setting up and running of the sanctuary.

In the programme, Wendy & Julie meet the residents and learn of their stories, and find out how Heidi and Joel went from casual holiday makers to spider monkey rescuers and renowned experts.

The documentary debuts this Sunday night. Make sure you tune in for a simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking tale of compassion. Community Channel can be found at Freeview 63, Freeview HD 109, Sky 539, Virgin 233 and freesat 651. Look for other platform screenings soon.

Like Monkey Business on Facebook and read more about The Jungle Place here.

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Monkey Business featured in Hello magazine

Extra note: Covent Garden bar and restaurant Joe Allen has generously created a vegan-friendly ‘Spider Monkey’ Cocktail and is donating £1 to The Jungle Place for each drink sold. Stop in for a drink if you feel like helping the spider monkeys in a unique way!

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Berlin food update

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Post by:

joe panel

When we first moved here last spring, the north-west part of the city was curiously lacking in vegan places, compared to the rest of Berlin.

While it is still a noticeably empty zone on the Happy Cow map, the situation has improved due to the opening of two all-vegan cafés, Geh Veg and Valladares. They’re both very nice places too.

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Cake in a jar

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Post by:

Caitlin panel

A new vegan bakery opened just a couple of weeks ago in Barcelona, which seems to bursting at the seams these days with new vegetarian and vegan restaurants. But bakeries? This one’s the only 100% vegan bakery! I knew I had to check it out.

La Pastisseria Besneta is so new Google couldn’t even seem to find it, so I headed there in hopes that it was open on weekends. Luckily, it was open – and I got to taste test their lemon meringue cake!

La Besneta sells whole cakes, or individual servings of cake in a jar. The cakes in a jar are super cute (and super hipster), and wouldn’t look out of place in Shoreditch. It makes the whole cake buying and eating experience just a little bit more exciting. The day I visited, they had two muffins and four different kinds of cake (carrot cake, lemon meringue and two different chocolate cakes, one with raspberry filling and one without). I selected the lemon meringue.

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The meringue was light and fluffy and the lemon was just the right amount of tart. The only downside is that while cake in a jar is very photogenic, it’s a little bit difficult to eat. Make sure you have a spoon – and not fork – handy!

If you visit Barcelona, definitely check out this new vegan bakery in the Gracia neighbourhood. Like the bakery on Facebook.

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