Humane Halloween: 22 Quirky, Fun and Bewitching Recipes for the Spirit of the Season

Hello fiends! I know it's been a minute, but I wanted to pop in and share a frightfully fun Halloween recipe ebook that I received to preview. It is called Humane Halloween, and it features 22 spooktacular recipes that are perfect for the season. Within its pages you will find eerie appetizers, sinister snacks, dreadful dinners, and macabre meals you and your family can enjoy to celebrate the scary season! 

Vegan Halloween Pins + Stickers from Vegan Power

Spooky Vegans unite! I am so stoked that Vegan Power Co. has added a "Spooky Vegan" pin and sticker to their Halloween collection this year! They have brought back their "Creepy Vegan" design, as well as adding an "Evil Vegan" one this year, too! Which one are you - spooky, creepy, or evil?

Plant Fest at Tanaka Farms - Spring 2019 Edition this Sunday

One of my favorite events is Plant Fest, held a few times a year at Tanaka Farms. It is a wonderful gathering of vegan food and product vendors, plus cooking demos, yoga, farm tours, games and crafts for the kiddos, and such a fun vibe! I love going and shopping all the vendors, grabbing some great food, watching some cooking demos and just hanging out with good friends.

I'm thrilled that Plant Fest is returning on Sunday, March 31st from 10 AM to 4 PM. There is plenty of free parking and it is a real treat to spend the day on a working farm right in Orange County! Admission to the farm is $4 and allows you access to wander the farm and attend Plant Fest. Plus, a portion of all sales will be donated to an animal sanctuary that will be chosen by the vendors. Check out the incredible vendors below!

Vegan Street Fair 2019 This Weekend!

Get your stretchy pants out, because Vegan Street Fair is returning this weekend to North Hollywood with over 150 vendors serving up delicious vegan food and fun vegan products! Join thousands of other vegan and veg-curious foodies this Saturday, March 23rd AND Sunday, March 24th, 2019 to grub down on delicious vegan food and take home some cool vegan products. You'll find both local favorites and exciting new vendors from out of town to try, all located on the streets of NoHo. More info below...

Fund the Future of Fashion With Legends and Vibes

I am not the most fashionable person by any means. I prefer my look to be like the vampires from What We Do in the Shadows, "dead but delicious." Or rather, distressed, tattered black clothing like I just rolled out of a grave (so maybe not as delicious as I'd envisioned!).

Nevertheless, I am always looking for new, eco-friendly clothing brands that are vegan and ethically conscious. I'm glad to say that a new brand, Legends and Vibes, has caught my eye, and they are currently fundraising to make all our fashion dreams come true!

New Vegan Finds From Expo West I'm Dying To Try

Natural Products Expo West 2019 occurred last week here in Orange County, and while I didn't attend, I have been drooling over the photos fellow vegans have shared of hot new vegan products that dominated the Expo! It is incredible how more and more exciting vegan items are popping up all over the place, and many of them debut at Expo West, where companies exhibit their products in hopes that buyers from grocery stores will decide to stock them on their shelves, investors will help support their expansion, and to generate buzz.

In past years (check out my past coverage of the event HERE), there has been a significant demand for new vegan products and more and more companies with vegan options are showcasing their products at Expo West. This year, veganism has really exploded at Expo West, and I've seen so many incredible new food items that I can't wait to get my claws on! I've collected some of the highlights from others' Instagram posts (big shout-out to all attendees who shared their photos with the world, and an extra special thank you to the VegNews team for their incredibly comprehensive coverage!), check out the exciting new vegan products from Expo West I'm dying to get my claws on:

25 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Went Vegan

Every year I am overjoyed to find more and more people choosing the compassionate lifestyle by going vegan! And 2019 has already been declared the "Year of the Vegan" according to The Economist and veganism has been pegged as one of the fastest growing food "trends" (though we all know veganism isn't a trend or a fad, but a lifestyle change). In January, the UK-based charity Veganuary, which encourages and helps people go vegan in January and beyond, reported that they had over 250,000 participants sign up! This number of pledges exceeds those of the four previous years combined, which shows how many more people are interested in living more compassionately by going vegan.

This year alone I've already experienced many people reaching out and expressing their desire to go vegan and live more compassionately, which is so exciting to see! Since so many people were reaching out and I want to do everything possible to help and encourage them to go vegan, I thought I would offer some tips and tricks for going (and staying) vegan. These are things I wish someone had told me when I went vegan over 11 years ago. When I went vegan, I didn't know any other vegans and just kinda relied on the internet, books, documentaries and so on to inform myself and keep me dedicated to being vegan. Nowadays, there are so many resources out there, but I wanted to share some personal advice with you in hopes that it encourages those that want to explore veganism but maybe don't know where to start.

I have a lot of tips below, so at first it may seem overwhelming if you are just starting out, but I promise it gets easier! And it will be exciting as you start on your journey, even though you will go through many emotions and challenges. Just know there are so many others out there going through or who have been through the same feelings, discoveries, and challenges and you aren't alone! I am always here if you need any support, and there are so many great resources out there now for those going vegan. I'll cover more of this below, but I sincerely hope that these tips I'm sharing with you will assist in your own journey.

Vegan Horror Film "Revenge of the Hamburgers" Seeks Funding

The vegan horror film Revenge of the Hamburgers has launched a crowdsourcing initiative to help raise funds for this film to be created. The film sounds like a madcap, bloody, and all-together satisfying horror film for animal-lovers as farm animals finally get their revenge...

10 Things I'm Loving This January

A new year brings endless possibilities for reinvention, improvement, and becoming your best self. I'm all for that, but I'll be honest and say that this new year started off rather languidly for me. No harm in that, I've just been enjoying easing into the new year! I also celebrated my birthday at the beginning of the month, so that, along with the holiday break has encouraged what I like to call a "gentle laziness."

So far, this easing into the new year has gone very well, and I've enjoyed it along with some wonderful treats this month. Like I'm trying to do every month, I'm reflecting on ten things I loved. This both encourages me to be grateful for the little (and big) things, while also sharing some of my favorite things with you (which I always love to do)!

For January, here are 10 things I loved:

10 Ways to Celebrate World Vegan Day

Happy World Vegan Day! November 1st marks the global celebration to recognize just how far veganism has come since the The Vegan Society was first founded in November 1944. World Vegan Day was founded by Louise Wallis in 1994 when she was Chair of The Vegan Society to commemorate 50 years of the vegan movement. Since then, veganism has grown immensely and November 1st is a day to acknowledge all the great work has been done as well as sharing veganism with others.

It has always been tough for me to celebrate World Vegan Day since it falls right after Halloween, but this year I wanted to bring attention to this day and do something to celebrate! And founder Wallis gave a great explanation in a recent interview as to why she chose this date for World Vegan Day: "Well, we knew that The Vegan Society was founded in November 1944, but we didn't know the exact date. So I suggested November 1, as this was easy to remember, and made sense culturally - with Halloween and Day of the Dead falling either side. It's a traditional time of year for feasting, celebrating, and for remembering forebearers, and those no longer with us - which, of course, includes animals." 

There are lots of ways to celebrate World Vegan Day, whether you are vegan or just vegan-curious. Check out 10 ways to celebrate today (and every day) below:

Spooky Vegan Featured on Vegan Street's Interview Series

I was incredibly honored that Marla Rose of Vegan Street asked me to be part of their vegan rock star interview series! I have admired Marla and her fiercely informative website for years, which covers hot vegan topics, product reviews, interviews, and more. I love how the website is inclusive of all vegans (and vegan-curious) and shares a wide variety of voices in the vegan community.

Vegan Power Co. Halloween Pins Giveaway

Photo courtesy of Vegan Power Co.

UPDATE: CONTEST CLOSED! Thanks for all your entries, winner will be announced on the original Instagram giveaway post!

For all my fellow dark, spooky, and creepy vegans, these pins by Vegan Power Co. were made specifically for YOU! If you love saving animals as well as all things spooky, you now have a chance to win the sold-out "Creepy Vegan" enamel pin as well as the glow-in-the-dark "Ghost Taco" pin! I have partnered with Vegan Power Co. to give away these two limited edition Halloween pins to one lucky, U.S.-based winner!

Strawberry Jam Tours at Tanaka Farms

Tanaka Farms is one of my favorite places in Orange County - not only is their pumpkin patch the best (they actually grow their own pumpkins), but they also host the fantastic Plant Fest every season featuring a fun assortment of vegan food and vendors (see past visits to their pumpkin patch and Plant Fests HERE!). Not only that, but they have pick-your-own veggies and fruits and farm tours as well. For the next two Thursdays and Fridays, they will be hosting Farm to Table Strawberry Jam Tours!

Tanaka Farms has some ripe, juicy, and delicious late-season strawberries waiting to be picked! This tour will include a wagon ride out to the strawberry fields, where you can enjoy the sunshine and pick berries. After choosing the sweetest strawberries, you'll head back to the farm where you will learn how to the berries into a delicious strawberry freezer jam! At the end of your strawberry jam-making adventures, you'll get to take home a jar of jam along with a basket of luscious, sun-kissed strawberries.

The tours will be held this Thursday, July 19th and Friday, July 20th, as well as next Thursday, July 26th and Friday, July 27th. All tours start at 10:30 AM and are $18 per person.

To RSVP for the event and buy tickets, visit the Facebook event page!

13 Vegan Cookbooks for the Strange and Unusual

Spooky friends who are interested in vegan food often ask me about my favorite vegan cookbooks. I'm happy to say that there are several vegan cookbooks made for darklings and weirdos! This post is about vegan cookbooks with a darker aesthetic, ones that draw inspiration from rebel culture like punk rock, goth, and metal, along with horror movies and, of course, good food! While some of the selections below might not scream "spooky", I've chosen them based on their aesthetic as well as the background of the authors, several of which grew up in the punk, metal, goth, and/or alternative scenes. Others are novelty books, while still others I just really like and think others will enjoy as well.

Here are my picks for Vegan Cookbooks for the Strange and Unusual:

Vegan Vampire Merch for Spooky Vegans

There are a ton of vegan companies that sell stickers and t-shirts, but how many spooky vegan companies can you think of? Probably not many, which is why I was delighted to discover Vegan Vampire Inc., a company that makes vegan merch for the strange and unusual! Their entire line of vegan apparel and accessories is for those that enjoy the dark side and it draws inspiration from goth, punk, and metal music, horror films, monsters, and all things creepy and kooky!

Kick Off Summer With Plant Fest at Tanaka Farms

Plant Fest returns to Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California this weekend for two days of vegan food and fun! Parking and admission are both free, and the event will be held Saturday, June 2nd and Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 from 10AM to 3PM. It is the perfect way to kick off summer, with vegan vendors, food trucks, cooking demonstrations, special speakers, all on a working farm!

Over 20 vendors will be there selling both vegan food and cruelty-free merchandise. Check out the list of food trucks, vendors, and schedule of events below:

Attend A Worldwide Memorial Service For Animals On National Animal Rights Day

Image from NARD's Facebook page

This Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 marks the 8th National Animal Rights Day, an annual day observed across the world on the first Sunday in June to memorialize the billions of animals killed each year. The worldwide event is held in multiple cities, including Los Angeles, and its purpose is to give a voice to all the animals and raise awareness for their rights. This event is powerful, emotional, heartfelt, and inspiring and I highly recommend attending if you can! More info on the event, including the one in LA, is below.

11 Things I Can't Wait to Eat at Vegan Street Fair: San Diego Nights

Who else can't wait for Vegan Street Fair: San Diego Nights this Saturday?! Vegan Street Fair is an event near and dear to my heart - their annual Los Angeles event has always been a blast (check out my coverage from this year and past years: 2018. 2017, 2016, 2015). I've never attended one of their nighttime events, but I am so stoked to be checking out my very first one this Saturday, May 12th from 5PM to midnight at Anthem Vegan in San Diego!

Vegan Street Fair: San Diego Nights is a more intimate affair than the daytime festival and it's like having a block party with the best people and food! VeganFatKid has curated the 10 vendors that will be there and they look awesome! The vendor menus were recently unleashed and I've been daydreaming about all the vegan things I'm going to eat this Saturday night and making a plan of what I want to eat (since I won't be able to eat everything, even though I want to!!). I'm so excited that I want to share my list of things I can't wait to eat at Vegan Street Fair with you!

Check out the 11 dishes and drinks I'm most excited to eat at Vegan Street Fair: San Diego Nights:

How to Make Earth Day Every Day

Happy Earth Day! Though this is the one day a year where we acknowledge our commitment to making the earth a better place and preserving its beauty, wouldn't it be great if you could make Earth Day every day? Well, there is one simple lifestyle shift you can make that will help the Earth more than anything else you can do, and that is going vegan or adopting a more plant-based lifestyle. Now, before you click away from this article, I want you to seriously consider the positive impact you could make by going vegan - for example, did you know that going vegan has been shown to cut your carbon footprint in half?! And did you know that even if you combined all the greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trains, planes, etc. in the entire world that animal agriculture still produces more pollution (per this study)?! Or that on average a vegan person saves roughly 1,100 gallons of water every day? The water needed to produce a just a quarter pound of beef is 660 gallons of water and 600 gallons of water to produce a single gallon of cow’s milk.

Recap: Vegan Street Fair 2018

This past Sunday I attended Vegan Street Fair 2018, which was bigger than ever! Vegan Street Fair started in 2015 (read my past coverage HERE, HERE, and HERE!), and it has grown every year since then. It truly has become one of my favorite vegan events! This year sooooo many people turned up to this festival, which is free (though you can buy fast pass tickets so you get front-of-line). It is estimated that 10,000 more people showed up this year from last year's huge number of attendees! It is so amazing that more and more people are turning out for vegan events and eating all the vegan food.