Category Archives: Travel

Photo Call: Critter Lovin’ @ WFAS!

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I spent an extended weekend with some dear family and friends up in Woodstock last weekend.  Of course, we paid a visit to see my critter friends at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary!  We went on full tour, with co-founder Doug Abel leading the pack.  I brought along a bag full of goodies to share with my friends, including some grapes, watermelon and celery!  If I can’t win their love by slinging their poo, I sure as hell will try winning their love through their stomachs.  ;)  All photos by Melissa Cacioppo

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Do you “Like” Jersey City Vegan on Facebook?  No?!  What are you waiting for?!  I’ve uploaded the photos there, too.  Come and gush your love about the critters!

July Jamboree at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

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Got nothing to do tomorrow?  Want to love on some critters and eat some yummy vegan food?

Come join us tomorrow at

 Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s July Jamboree! 

From 11am-4pm you can visit with the critters, listen to some great live music, participate in arts & crafts, get some humane education, storytelling, face painting, kids yoga, VEG-E-Q!, PLUS a BOUNCY CASTLE!  Now who doesn’t love a bouncy castle?!  Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids (members and toddlers are free!) and I’d love to see you there (I’ll be the one telling stories!).  On a food note – there will be the brand new, revolutionary, delicious, succulent BEYOND MEAT chicken salad, so if anything come to try that!  It isn’t even available on the East Coast yet.  If you don’t have a car, WFAS is easily accessible by bus (just click the link for detailed directions). 

Hope to see you there!

More Animal Adorableness from WFAS

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I know you all LOVE to see photos from my trips to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, right?!  Well here are some more, from last weekend.  Highlights of this trip include meeting the new lambs and their mamas and a tender moment I shared with Emmet the goat.

Mel & I spent the weekend helping out with some regular farm stuff as well as helped out with their “Veg-Curious?” event.  It was a great event (with a huge turnout!) where folks could learn about what it meant to take on a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle.  Speakers included Will Tuttle (author of the World Peace Diet), Sharon Gannon (founder of Jivamukti Yoga), Kris Carr (author of Crazy Sexy Diet) and of course Jenny Brown (co-founder of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary).  There was also a cooking demo by Pamela Brown, chef at the Garden Cafe in Woodstock.  A vegan lunch was provided by area restaurants and resources were made available to all who attended.  I think workshops like this are a great way to get a dialogue going with folks who are flirting with the idea of taking on a vegan diet, but aren’t quite sure how to begin.  I hope events like this continue to occur all across the country!

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San Francisco Vegan Food Extravaganza!

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Wow.  Wow.  Wow.  Wow.

San Francisco is a vegan mecca.  Before editing, I had over 60 photos just of vegan food that we ate while in The City By The Bay.  It was absolutely glorious.  Granted, we are pretty spoiled here in the NYC area when it comes to vegan fare, but its always fun and exciting to explore unfamiliar territory.

Our first venture was to the Ferry Building Marketplace where we were searching for Peeples Vegan Donuts.  I tried the chocolate frosted donut and Melissa had the coffee flavored donut.  They were the cake style donuts, and were deliciously moist and satisfying.

Next up was Gracias Madre (Mission), organic & vegan Mexican cuisine.  It was a difficult decision as every single menu item made my mouth water, and it had been ages since I’ve been out for Mexican food!  However, once I saw that they had enchiladas on the menu, I was sold.  I left the choosing of the appetizer up to Melissa, and she smartly chose the corn gorditas.  The gorditas were bursting with bright flavors, as I was to soon learn the rest of our food was as well.  They serve a cashew cream with their dishes that is so creamy and delicious.  While their sautéed greens were a little too spicy (and I like spicy!) I still managed to enjoy them.  All entrees came with their refried black beans, which I had never had before.  I have had black beans, and your typical refried beans, but never refried black beans.  They were fantastic!

Later that night, we had dinner with friends who are not vegan.  Luckily, Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria (Marina) offers Daiya cheese to make a vegan pizza!  Score!  We dined on a scrumptious vegan veggie pizza while my friends could still have their dairy cheese pie.  Win/win.

We had been to Herbivore (Haight) for brunch before, but find it incredibly worthy for a second visit.  I enjoyed a tofu scramble breakfast platter that included a pancake and home fries and Melissa had blueberry pancakes.  We shared an order of their sausage biscuit & gravy.  Topped it all off with a mimosa and fresh carrot & ginger juice!

Underdog (Sunset) is billed as “The Organic Sausage Joint” but they also boast an entirely vegan section in their offerings.  We went for the regular vegan dog and enjoyed it with all the trimmings – onion, sauerkraut, relish and ketchup.  Just make sure you are specific when ordering — we were accidentally served real meat dogs!  Thankfully, we noticed and quickly let them know of their error, to which they whole-heartedly apologized and promptly remedied their error.

Cha Ya (Mission) serves strictly Vegetarian Japanese food and was heaven on earth.  While they don’t have a restaurant website, they do have a Yelp page boasting over 700 reviews and a 4-star rating.  And boy do I understand why!  We were blown away so much by how delicious their food is that we went two nights in a row.  I am such a sucker for dumpling anything, so once I saw they had vegan gyoza on the menu, I was sold.  If you read the reviews on the linked Yelp page, you will see that even declared meat-eaters loved this place.  I can attest to that, because the same non-vegan friend that joined us for Amici’s pizza joined us again and for BOTH nights at this place.  He is what you might call a “proud” carnivore and absolutely loved his food here.  I think that speaks for itself.  They are cash only, but do have an ATM on the premises.

Dinosaurs in the Castro district serves up traditional banh-mi, Vietnamese sandwiches.  And they offer a vegan tofu version!  And it was YUMMY.  We love the banh-mi at Banh Mi Zon here in Manhattan, and this was just as delicious.  Typically I would get it spicy, but after a bad run in with another banh-mi joint and jalapeno seeds on it, I stayed away from the spicy this time.  Yes, the sandwich was as delicious as it looks.  Plus, it was cheap.  Can’t beat it.

Love & Haight (Lower Haight) offers vegetarian & vegan sandwiches.  Last time we were in SF we hit up this joint, and it was also deemed good enough for a second visit.  We stopped in before heading down to Santa Cruz to pick up sandwiches for the ride.  I recommend the vegan chicken sandwich.  I only wish they’d offer veganaise (offer a selection of mustards for vegans).

Once in Santa Cruz, we hit up one of my all-time favorite restaurants – Cafe Gratitude.  They mainly focus on raw food, but also offer cooked dishes as well.  I simply die for their nori wrap – called I am Transparent – and dream about it quite often.  All of their dishes are titled after affirmations – “I am _____ ” – which is how you order the item.  When the server brings you your food, they say it back to you “You are _____ “.  I find it incredibly heart-warming, though some might find it hokey.  They also ask a question of the day, and practice what they call “Sacred Commerce” which you can read more about on their website.  All of that aside, their food really is something to behold.  Raw or cooked, I’ve yet to have something I didn’t like there after my total of four visits, and neither has Melissa.  Their desserts are also a-ma-zing!  I am a fiend for their “I am Nurtured” ice cream sundae.  Melissa loves their “I am Devoted” coconut cream pie.  Our friend gifted us with their cookbook this time around, proclaiming “this is a cookbook you two need to have!” – I couldn’t agree more.  I’m excited to share our experience and journey through this cookbook with you all!

We used Happy Cow one day for lunch to see if we couldn’t find a taco joint.  Success!  Salsa’s Taco Bar (formerly Leo’s) offers an ENTIRE vegan menu!  We gobbled down some vegan crunchy tacos, flautas, and enchiladas.  Yum.

I also included some photographs of our home-cooked vegan meals while visiting our friend in Santa Cruz.  Tofu scramble, vegan sandwiches and a delicious vegan BBQ night.

I am now so inspired to make this a tradition – this being traveling for vegan food!  I think it would be super fun to travel to awesome cities around the USA that I haven’t been to in search of the best vegan food.  Kind of like how Anthony Bordain does, except without all the crazy slaughter and meat that he often will feature.

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Vegan Airport Travel Survival Guide

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Greetings from 35,000 feet!

While it isn’t impossible, it can be difficult to find food at the airport and in-flight if you are vegan. Most of the time, you are relegated to the snack section at Hudson News, a soggy hummus wrap, or having to pay for an overpriced snack box where you can only eat a few of the items. Your best bet is to just make the little bit of extra effort and pack yourself some snacks.

Here are some of my favorite travel snacks:

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Lara Bar
Billed as “The Original Fruit & Nut Food Bar” they come in a variety of flavors. Made primarily with dates, they are 100% real food, no added sugars and one bar is the equivalent of 1/4 cup of fruit. While the majority of the flavors are vegan, there are a few that aren’t due to a certain kind of chocolate chip that is used. However, all are gluten-free!

Dried fruit and nuts
Always a great idea for any traveller, a selection of dried fruits and nuts is a great way to make you feel full without eating something gross, like fast food fries. Dried cranberries, apples, bananas, mangoes, pineapples as well as raw cashews or almonds are my faves. The particular brand of mangoes I have for this trip are sliced, like an all natural fruit roll up!

Primal Strips
Can we say vegan beef jerkey?! These things are THE BOMB! I have tried other brands of vegan jerkey and was traumatized by the texture… It was like a soggy dog biscuit. Not Primal Strips! Made from seitan, shiitake or soy, they pack a whopping 10 grams of protein per package. They are gluten-free, cholesterol free and freaking awesomely delicious. They come in flavors like hickory smoked, mesquite lime, teriyaki (my personal fave), Texas BBQ, hot & spicy, and Thai peanut. I’ve tried nearly all of them! They also make for fantastic pre/post gym snacks.

Sweet And Sara
A snack arsenal isn’t complete without a little sweet indulgence! You might remember these delicious little morsels when I wrote about the 2012 Vegetarian Food Festival. Sweet & Sara produces vegan marshmallows and marshmallow treats such as peanut butter s’mores and rice crispy treats. You can find them at Whole Foods and other natural food markets. Rumor has it that they are starting to pop up in Duane Reade’s around NYC!

Tofurky Sammies
Lastly, I’ve got two lovely sandwiches made with Tofurky and Veganaise. Along with my Eco-friendly sandwich wrapper, this meal has very low environmental impact compared to a typical deli sandwich produced with meat. Oh, and it’s super yummy, too!

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What are your favorite vegan travel snacks?

An Unexpected Surprise!

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It was Melissa’s birthday last weekend, and she, being the loving and kind soul she is, wanted to spend the day volunteering up at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.  The day was filled with lots of animal loving!  The unexpected surprise came in an impromptu stay at The Guesthouse at Woodstock Sanctuary.  I couldn’t let the experience go by without blogging about it!

Facing the pastures of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, the pre-Civil War B&B has been completed restored, and in an eco-friendly manner to boot.  Beautiful wood floors and antique furniture can be found throughout, providing for a warm and welcoming experience.  Upon entering the kitchen via the porch, you might be greeted by the house cats, Errol or Leon.  Sweet as pie, they live at the house, so if you are allergic to cats, this probably isn’t the place for you.  As you walk through the house, with each step you are greeted by walls lined with joyful photos of animal residents and you can’t help but to smile.

All of the rooms are named in honor and memory of past residents of the farm.  We had the distinct pleasure of staying in the Olivia Room, named for Olivia the Goat.  She was most “famous” for acting as a surrogate mom to Dylan (a rescued veal calf) when he first arrived at the Sanctuary.  Each room is also adorned with framed photos of the room’s namesake.  The room was well-appointed and had beautiful views of the pastures.  We were told that if we left the door open just a crack, we could be joined by one of the house cats.  Of course being the cat lovers that we are, we had to take that chance!  Much to our delight, Leon decided to join us that evening.  He spent a good portion of the night snuggled with us, and it was quite comforting, reminding us of home.

I am kicking myself for not taking a photo of the room itself (you can see it via the link to the B&B above), but upon waking in the morning I was awe-struck by the view.  Morning light hitting the beautiful Catskills Mountains, green grass, and Kayli, Mike Jr., and Maybelle out for a morning graze.  My heart swelled at the sight.

I was hoping to wake up to hearing some roosters, but either we slept too soundly or the house is well insulated because no such luck!  Oh well, maybe next time.  We headed down for breakfast and was greeted by a beautiful all-vegan spread including a selection of oatmeal, breads, fruit, granola, baked goods, orange juice, coffee, tea – the works!  I also spotted a note posted to the house cats that I found to be just adorable.

Armed with coffee, toast and two bowls of granola with soy milk, we headed outside to the porch to eat.  The porch has two rocking chairs with a small table in between, aka the perfect place for us to have our breakfast.  We watched Kayli, Mike Jr., and Maybelle graze while we ate, as well as listened to the morning sounds of the farm (now I could hear some cock-a-doodle-doos!) and the sweet, fresh air.

After breakfast it was time to say good-bye and we did so with full, grateful hearts, knowing we would be back very soon.

One thing to note if you would like to book a visit to the Guesthouse — you must have a WFAS membership in order to do so.  It’s a small fee of $30 per year for a basic membership and is full of wonderful perks.  You can find out more information about membership here.

Vegan Pizza in Point Pleasant?!

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We travel down to Point Pleasant, NJ on a regular basis to visit my partner’s mother and husband. When we travel to either of our families, we usually always travel with a goody bag of our basics: a carton of soy milk, package of tofu, Earth Balance butter and then whatever else we might want to prepare ourselves to eat. It saves our families a little bit of stress when we visit, because they tend to get a little nervous about what to feed us.

We arrived today mid-afternoon… Too late for lunch, too early for dinner. But we were hungry. So, Melissa does as we always do when traveling to a city or town we aren’t familiar with – she Happy Cow’d Point Pleasant. (Happy Cow is a vegan/veg food finder that basically works globally… You start up the app, it locates you, and tells you where the closest vegan/veg friendly places to eat). Our eyes about bugged out of our heads when it returned the result of Jason’s Organic Pizza Cafe. Could this really be true?! Vegan pizza in Point Pleasant?! Indeed, vegan pizza in Point Pleasant.

My mother in law took a ride with us over to their location at 1314 Richmond Ave, a short ride over the bridge in a cute plaza full of Italian specialty stores and a random taco joint. Not only do they cater to vegans, but offer gluten-free options as well. And, of course, everything is organic. Their brochure states, “We believe that all natural foods help you feel better. At Jason’s our wish for you is to eat good and feel good.” I couldn’t agree more!

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We took a look at the menu, which is full of wonderful options for vegans and omnivores alike. Specialty pizzas, salads, appetizers, and sandwiches, I felt like they really made a conscious effort to include the vegan and gluten-free crowd, which was worlds away from your typical pizza parlor. I opted for a “Create Your Own” pizza, selecting a whole wheat crust, organic spicy tomato sauce, Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese, topped with organic crimini mushrooms and Field Roast sausage. Melissa got the same crust and cheese, topped with basil, red pepper and crimini mushrooms.

While we waited, the owner, Jason himself, treated us to a sample of his homemade vegan meatballs. I thought this was extremely kind and generous, and before I even had told him about Jerseycityvegan.com! The meatballs were delicious, made from veggie protein, had a perfectly seasoned Italian flavor exactly like what you’d expect from a meatball! My mother in law even gave them a taste, and she was thoroughly impressed. That’s kind of a big deal, in my book – An omnivore giving a seal of approval on a vegan meatball.

And I’m sure you’re wondering how the pizzas were? Well, have a look…

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The cheese was perfectly melted, toppings were full of flavor, and the crust was crispy. I was absolutely delighted. I would love it if Jason’s opened a location in Jersey City, but for now I will settle for it being my Jersey Shore go-to for pizza. Summer is coming, so trips to the shore will be plentiful very soon… As will my visits to Jason’s Organic Pizza Cafe!