Vegan snack extravaganza

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I’m currently in Los Angeles which means a lot of snacking.

Check out some of the food and drink stuffs that have been making me smile these past few days.

Two massive take out trays of #vegan Ethiopian food from Rahel in Los Angeles. Look at that injera!

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Nothing going on around here except a bag of garlic dill pickle potato chips by McClure’s!!!!!! #vegan

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Too cool. The sea salt peanut bag on the right is just like how I remember peanut M&Ms. #vegan

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Gorgeous #vegan kale Caesar salad with crispy tempeh from @veggiegrill

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These will ALWAYS be one of my favourites. #vegan

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These gorgeous things made the cut during my #vegan snack frenzy today.

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Absolutely guzzled this! #vegan

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In love with the fried #vegan chicken basket at Doomie’s in Hollywood. Sides include slaw, mac n cheese and fries.

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Fried sprouts with nacho cheese at Vegan Beer and Food Festival in Los Angeles. #vegan

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Devilled #vegan eggs at Los Angeles Vegan Beer and Food Festival

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Tasty #vegan slider with seitan from @snackrilegeveganfoods at Los Angeles Vegan Beer and Food Festival today.

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The double down burger by @theherbivorousb at Los Angeles Vegan Beer and Food Festival today. #vegan

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I could drink this all day long. Gorgeous.

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Not a bad array of snacks, hey? Anything take your fancy?

Extra note: all these photos originally appeared on my Instagram account.

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Vegan snacks at Disneyland

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Even though this is intended to be a brief blog post about vegan snacks available in Disneyland, I can’t go past telling you how problematic a trip to the theme park was for me.

Some of the old-fashioned attractions are straight up racist and I can’t believe they still exist in 2016. From animatronic cannibals and head hunters on the Jungle Cruise to the drum rhythms and sexualised dancing of ‘Africans’ on the Small World ride, the park is a colonial throwback like nothing else I’ve seen.

I half expected Michael Caine to shoot someone with a pistol at some point during the day.

The rest of the park features sexist language and imagery, romanticised depictions of frontier times and heteronormative merchandise like ‘his and hers’ matching Mickey Mouse t-shirts.

I felt extremely confronted, as though I had been transported back to a time before people knew better.

Now that is off my chest…

If you find yourself at Disneyland in California for any reason, here are a few vegan snacks you might purchase to help get you through the torrent of essentialism thrown at you.

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Chocolate and peanut butter swirl

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Got plans to be in Los Angeles anytime soon?

Well, you had better make plans!

Today I stopped by a frozen yogurt shop on Robertson Boulevard in West Los Angeles as I had heard about dedicated vegan yogurt self service machines and toppings.

Milky’s is not a fully-vegan enterprise but they certainly do not shy away from their plant-based credentials. Check out the photos below and click play on the hypnotic video of me serving up a jumbo tub of chocolate and peanut butter swirl.

Glory!

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Extra note: these photos and the video all originally appeared on my Instagram account.

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Vegan chocolate bars

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I don’t really enjoy teasing with food photos from a country you might not live in, but I just can’t help sharing these delights.

Check out these stunning candy bars I picked up in a Whole Foods Market store in Los Angeles yesterday.

Currently eating #vegan candy bars made by @amyskitchen! Who knew?!

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Who knew Amy’s Kitchen had jumped into the world of sweet treats production? Do be careful with grabbing these in a supermarket though as the range does include some non-vegan bars.

How do we get these in the UK? Try tweeting Amy’s here and here.

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Pick just one

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If you had to pick just one…

Within an hour of landing in LA, I’m shopping for @followyourheart goodies. #vegan

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Amazing choice of vegan dressings and sauces by Follow Your Heart on the shelves of Whole Foods Market in Los Angeles.

I was wondering which one you all would pick if you could only have one. Answers below!

Click here to discover more info about Follow Your Heart and go here to read about the company sponsoring Vegan Beer Fest UK events in London, Glasgow and Manchester.

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Tony Kanal, Prince and being vegan

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Did you know I adore the band No Doubt?

I might even be what is called a superfan. Travel back in time and you would discover I was a member of the No Doubt fan club and I travelled to see the band live many times including shows in Brisbane, London and Houston.

The music they have created (and hopefully will continue to create) has been a huge part of my life soundtrack.

So I have established I love No Doubt. So what, right?

A few days ago I spotted a social media post by founding member, bassist and songwriter Tony Kanal. The post detailed a meeting between Tony and another musical hero of mine, Prince.

As the post was to do with Tony’s vegan journey, I reached out to him to ask if he was happy that I shared the post on here with you all.

Tony was happy.

I hope you appreciate this insight, memory and compassionate awakening as much I as did.

On Tuesday, what would have been Prince’s 58th birthday, some friends and I joined @maytejannell and @PETA to celebrate his life, legacy and compassion for animals. • • I had the chance to share a story of one of my conversations with Prince, briefly summarized here: “On No Doubt’s second visit to Paisley Park, sometime around 1999, we were working on a song with Prince called ‘Waiting Room,’ which would later be released on our Rock Steady album. We had some downtime, and Prince and I found ourselves in the studio kitchen. I asked if we could order some food, he said yes, and I said, ‘I’d like a cheeseburger please.’ He pleasantly replied, ‘Well, you can have that, but you can’t have that here.’ At the time, I didn’t give it much thought. It wasn’t till I became a vegan 12 years later and adopted the same rule at my house of ‘no animal products can be consumed here’ that I realized how significant that conversation was. Not only can I thank Prince for his music and artistry but also for that very powerful seed that he planted on my journey.” • • I was reminded that in 1999, Prince also included the following in the liner notes for his ‘Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic’ album: “If this jacket were real wool, it would have taken 7 lambs whose lives would have begun like this … Within weeks of their birth, their ears would have been hole-punched, their tails chopped off and the males would have been castrated while fully conscious. Xtremely high rates of mortality r considered normal: 20 2 40% of lambs die b4 the age of 8 weeks: 8 million mature sheep die every year from disease, xposure or neglect. Many people believe shearing helps animals who would otherwise b 2 hot. But in order 2 avoid losing any wool, ranchers shear sheep b4 they would naturally shed their winter coats, resulting in millions of sheep deaths from exposure 2 the cold.” • • Thank you Prince.

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Please follow Tony on Twitter and Instagram.

Maybe while you are there, you can thank him for being kind to animals and for many years of fabulous music.

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Nanabar

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This is a super interesting idea for raising the profile of a new vegan food business.

Thunderclap.

nanabar

A person named Justin is currently drumming up interest in a new vegan project set to open in London. Justin is planning to launch a frozen banana dessert bar called Nanabar and wants to use social media to get word out about it.

The campaign involves asking people to register a social media account and on July 4, 2016 a message announcing the project will be sent simultaneously from all participating Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr accounts.

It’s a smart way of spreading the news of a new vegan business to hundreds of thousands of people all at once.

Click here to hear from Justin, sign up to help spread the word and be part of a unique promotional event for a new vegan venture.

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Pizza chain launches vegan option

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Roll up. Roll up.

UK restaurant chain The Stable Pizza & Cider Bar has launched vegan pizza options at all of their 14 locations around England and Wales.

The Stable has the following information about their vegan options on their website:

Diners following a vegan diet can eat with ease at all fourteen Stable locations across the country. By choosing any of the vegetarian options on the menu, the chefs can make a simple swap for a vegan-friendly cheese to make it completely animal-free. Alternatively, diners are welcome to customise any of The Stable’s signature pizzas on offer to suit their dietary needs.

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Pictured above is the permanent vegan pizza offered by The Stable, called Billy The Kid.

The Head Executive Chef, Andy Briggs, says of their vegan offerings:

We introduced vegan cheese to our menu simply because we realised the popularity of veganism as a way of life. I am really pleased at  how well it has taken off and the reaction from our customers has been superb.

I prefer Andy’s assertion that vegan is a way of life. It ain’t a diet!

You can find out more information regarding vegan pizza at The Stable here and you can follow the company on Instagram here.

The Stable has restaurants in Bath, Birmingham, Bridport, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Falmouth, Fistral Beach, Plymouth, Poole, Southampton, Weymouth, Whitechapel, Winchester and a soon to open location in Kew.

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Vegan food in Mexico knows no limits

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Are you getting tired of me raving about vegan food in Mexico City?

Apologies, but I can’t stop when I keep discovering more and more exquisite plant-based delicacies around every corner.

A few days ago, Josh and I headed to a gorgeous bistro called Coco y Chia and it has been a long while since a vegan eatery has impressed me to this level.

Firstly, the restaurant is gorgeous. Set opposite one of the prettiest public parks in the city, Coco y Chia is sweetly decorated with a shaded courtyard.

Then there is the food. Food on another level.

See the photos below showing a bowl of tortilla soup, tofu scramble with refried beans, sweet potato enchiladas with squash flowers and finally a raw cheesecake topped with luscious lychees.

First time visiting @cocoychia #vegan restaurant in Mexico City. Beautiful courtyard! #cdmx

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One of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Tortilla soup at Coco y Chia #vegan bistro in Mexico City. #cdmx

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Pretty special, right?

You can follow Coco y Chia on Instagram and Facebook. The food photos are exceptional.

Extra note: these photos originally appeared on my FGV Instagram account.

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Best vegan sandwich on the planet?

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Is this the best vegan sandwich on the planet?

Please post a link to any sandwich you think is superior.

Just had this beyond amazing #vegan lasagne burger delivered thanks to @losloosers #cdmx

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Your eyes are not deceiving you. That is vegan lasagne inside a roll. If you look carefully you will also see fresh green beans.

I recently devoured this glory thanks to Los Loosers, the pioneering vegan food business in Mexico City that delivers all orders via bicycle. I’m fairly certain this was the finest sandwich I have ever been served.

Even if you have no current plans to visit Mexico City, you should follow Los Loosers on Instagram to keep track of their beyond delicious creations.

Extra note: this photo originally appeared on my Instagram account.

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