Vegan Woodstock

I spent some time in the Catskill Mountains in New York last summer. The lush, wet, green forest surrounded our quaint bed and breakfast. The road to the house was twisty and green by day and pitch black at night. One of the the best parts of our trip was when it was blocked by a humungous black bear. It barely cared at all that we were there and seemed completely unthreatened by the Jeep we were in. After casually sauntering off, it disappeared into the shadows of the trees. The field adjacent to the house was frequently visited by deer, our room was shabby chic, and the pace was relaxed. This bed and breakfast didn't cater to vegans or vegetarians, but a local restaurant did.

The Garden Cafe is located on the main drag in Woodstock, pretty much right in the center of the action (which includes a bookstore, some hippy clothing stores that I walked past, and a small flea market). Downtown Woodstock is pretty tame. Some kids hung out in the little green area in front of the Garden Cafe, and some random old hippies roamed the evergreen surrounded street.

The lentil soup was satisfying, and the quesadillas were fun. The vegan cheese was stringy and drippy in a good way, and the vegan sour cream was a nice addition to the guac and salsa.

Being the avocado lover that I am, I couldn't resist it as a topping for my southwest black bean and roasted sweet potato burger. Good, healthy food that leaves you happy.

Of course, no vegan trip to the Woodstock area would be complete without a visit to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is home to many cute and happy rescued farm animals.

My favorites were the goats. They were so cute!

The pigs were huge, sleepy, and happy.

The cows were big and serious. I guess being rescued from a veal crate can do that to a cow. My heart broke when I saw an empty veal crate on display on the farm. It's full on disgusting to think that people would force a baby cow into a tiny little crate to starve and later eat it. Elvis the Cow's story started that way, but ended happily. Overall, this was a really positive place. They offer guided tours and you can feed some of the animals. Bring shoes that can get muddy if you ever decide to visit.

A long weekend in Austin...

I recently spent some time in my favorite Texas city, Austin. While I could go to the Whole Foods breakfast taco bar every day, I also sampled the delicious food at Bouldin Creek, Hoboken Pie, and Mother's Cafe. Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse is one of my favorite places to eat in Austin. It's casual and easy with zero pretension. Check out my freakin' fabulous iced coffee (two shots of espresso with chocolate over ice):

I love the little ice chips. My homemade blueberry corn oven cake drizzled with agave and served with tofu scramble and fresh fruit was ridiculous. I'm drooling with the memory!

The Predictable Breakfast is a never-fail combination of tofu scramble, toast, and hash browns. I've eaten at Bouldin a bunch of times, and it never disappoints.

There is a hot dog stand near some of the bars in downtown Austin that serves vegan dogs (I believe they're tofurkey sausages). It is open really late and is a gift from the gods when you really need to eat and it's late. Hoboken Pie is located right down the street, and worth the trek for vegan pizza. Of course, I had to check this place out since I am from Jersey! They didn't have individual slices, but I was able to share a pie. Good stuff.

Mother's Cafe also never dissapoints. This time, I had the Bueno Burger (seeds, grains, tofu, and veggies) with vegan cheese and guacamole.

The Sloppy Joe's were enhanced by some vegan cheese.

Desserts are a must at Mother's Cafe. Check out their dessert menu:

We settled for the almond mocha torte and the blueberry pie.

Vegans eat well in Austin!

A Quick Vegan Dinner in Miami

With only a few hours to kill and a massive need for some shut eye before getting back on a plane, I walked bleary eyed down the boisterous and lively Lincoln Road in Miami's South Beach for the very first time. So often when traveling, when my sleep schedule is off and my blood sugar is low, I find myself pushing to see something, ignoring hunger and the need for sleep. I very rarely regret doing so, as I often forget any mild discomfort (shin splints, the need for caffeine) and completely take in my new surroundings.

This was the case recently, when I had an overnight layover in Miami. I checked into the cheapest hotel I could find in South Beach's Art Deco area and forced my tired leg muscles to trudge onward, past the glittery and teeny-dressed souls in search for wild nightlife, and onto Lincoln Road. The famed pedestrian-only road is essentially a giant outdoor mall. In addition to taking in the balmy and lively atmosphere, I was on a mission to find a bookstore that I had heard offered vegan food well into the night.

Books and Books is set in an ideal people watching location. There's outdoor seating that lets the tired traveler relax and enjoy the show. Though I breezed right past it at first, I eventually figured out that Books and Books looks a lot more like Cafe Tables and Cafe Tables on the outside. The actual book store itself is tucked away inside, and it offers a fun selection of reading materials that a book lover like me can get lost in for a while.

The menu has a vegan section that is clearly marked. The Black Bean Hummus appetizer was fresh and satisfying, and the Avocado Salsa was a great way to start the meal. The Grilled Organic Tofu and Avocado Salad with Orange Miso Dressing was perfectly crisp, zesty, and filling. It was hard to choose an entree, since the Organic Tofu and Wild Mushroom Stir Fry and the Grilled Organic Tofu Fajita Wrap were so tempting, but our vegan waiter helped with the decision. There are no vegan desserts here, but you'll probably be too full after your meal to even consider it. The rest of Lincoln Road offers you a place to walk it off.

I would love to return to Miami and properly check out the beach in the daylight. I will surely be returning to Books and Books.

A Vegan Solution to Parched Winter Skin

Oh my, it has been a while since I last posted. I won't go into boring details, but my excuses relate to my computer's hard drive crashing, losing many files and photos, moving into a new house, and general busy-ness with work and life outside of writing this blog. I've been meaning to update it, but this intention inevitably gets back-burnered. It was an e-mail from Skin MD Natural and the resulting free sample that got me here today.

Arriving just in time as winter kicked into high gear, this lotion is definitely worthy of some praise. Skin MD Natural is a vegan skin lotion that can be used on your face, hands, feet, and body. It's white, scentless, and absorbs into the skin almost instantly leaving it feeling quenched and soft, especially nice in the dry heat that characterizes the indoors of just about everywhere in New Jersey in winter. I imagine this stuff would be equally excellent while sitting in an airplane, and I'll definitely be taking some with me the next time I fly.

I'm used to vanilla or ginger scented lotions that sort of sit on my skin for a little while before getting absorbed, so this was quite different for me. There is no feeling of greasiness after putting Skin MD Natural on, in fact I just put some on my hands right now and I'm sitting here typing on my brand new laptop. I wouldn't do that with my old standby hand lotion because there'd be greasy fingerprints all over my keyboard! Amazingly, this stuff lasts too. If I put my hands in soapy water to wash a coffee cup or wash my hands, the moisturized feeling does not get stripped away. Apparently, this is because Skin MD Natural is a "shielding lotion", letting moisture in and sealing out irritants. You can read a much more detailed explanation of what a shielding lotion does here.

Another thing worth noting is that it can truly be used on your face and body. I'm usually dubious of multi-purpose claims, thinking that if it's thick enough for my hands it's going to make my face totally break out. This is not the case at all with Skin MD Natural. With it's first two ingredients water and aloe, it's easy to see why. This lotion also includes vitamin E, arnica, comfrey, chamomile, and yarrow. I like the way this company includes not only a list of ingredients on their website, but also an explanation of their source and purpose in their products. Definitely worth checking out. Not sure where to get it? It's sold in pharmacies. Find a store near you here.

Check back soon for more vegan travel stories from Australia, Miami, and Austin. I'm back!!!

Awesome Travel Accesories

Yikes, it's been a while. I have much to write about my summer travel adventures. I'm kind of laying low right now, settling in for winter. I'm not quite ready to dive into a whole travel breakdown, so here is a small list of some of my favorite travel accesories. They make my life a little easier when I'm on the road or on a plane.

Ear Plugs

There have been too many times that these suckers have saved my sanity. Howling kids, screaming babies, annoying old drunk ladies, I could go on and on. While they don't block the sound out completely, they muffle it just enough to let me hang on to some dignity and not completely lose it. I'm loving Holly Golightly's purple tassled ones.

Eye Mask

You could go fabulous like Miss Holly, or you could go plain. Either way, it's nice to be able to block out the sun on an excruciating day flight after you've been up for way too long and all you want to do is sleep. Also good for situations when your plane neighbor insists on using his or her reading light or when you want everyone to just leave you alone.

Eagle Creek Compression Sacs
Take a whole suitcase filled with swimming stuff, warm stuff, and other travel clothing essentials and put it in a compression sac. Close it up, roll it, it miraculously gets all squished and vacuum packed. Now you can take more stuff. Just watch the weight limit if you're confined to carry-on only.

Inflatable Neck Pillow

The non-inflatables are more comfy, but who has room in their luggage for a neck pillow? I go inflatable when I travel. They roll up nice and small when not in use. Much more effective for preventing pulled neck muscles than a rolled up sweater or hoodie.

Lush Products

Baby Face Cleanser is a cocoa butter based bar that super moisturizing and effective. It's solid and it's perfect in a little Lush tin. Carry-on friendly.

Angels on Bare Skin is an exfoliating cleanser made from ground almonds and clay for when you need something scrubby to smooth you out. Carry-on friendly (meaning no liquids to worry about).

Breath of Fresh Air Toner lets you mist yourself with freshness when your skin is parched. Also good for getting rid of the remnants of Angels on Bare Skin. Get the small size as it's the limit you can take on carry-on.

Celestial Moisturizer smells heavenly and works well in a light way. Good for all seasons and climates.

Buffy Body Butter is a body soap, moisturizer, and scrub in one. Carry-on friendly, smells good. The only con is that it tends to melt away in the shower really quickly. Sometimes I just use Aqua Mirabilis as a carry-on friendly moisturizer.

And the obvious...

A fully charged ipod, a kindle, a magazine, or a really good paperback. I suppose you could also go with a laptop, but that's not how I roll. If I can get into a good book, I barely care what is happening around me.

More soon!