Thanksgiving Potluck

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Joni Sweet
What: A vegan Thanksgiving potluck
When: Saturday, November 26, 2011
Where: My cozy apartment in San Francisco, CA
Why: To celebrate the best holiday of the year!

Mmm. Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings! 

The Scoop: Thanksgiving for me is usually spent eating all of the traditional favorites alongside my brother, sister, and Dad in Upstate NY. While the bad news is that I couldn’t afford to fly across the country to indulge in our annual tradition, I did host a really fun Thanksgiving potluck at my apartment in San Francisco with my boyfriend Jeremy. Together, we spent the day whipping the apartment into shape and cooking up a storm for our party of 10—nine of whom turned out to be East Coasters, with my longtime friend Iyla and her two guests hailing from my home region. If I couldn’t be in NY for my favorite holiday, at least I could dine with other orphans from the East Coast.

Tofurky roast with cherries, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

When everyone brought their dishes, I couldn’t believe the colorful, decadent feast in front of me. I marinated and baked two Tofurkys (one with ginger-garlic, the other with Tofurky’s recipe for a Caramelized Onion & Cherry Roast). Jeremy and I also roasted pecan- and fig-stuffed Delicata squash, tossed a leafy green salad with homemade herbed vinaigrette, and mashed sweet and Yukon Gold potatoes. No one was disappointed, though, when my friend Sophia revealed that she had also made mashed red-skin potatoes—two giant bowls of smooth, buttery deliciousness at one party? Count me in. As if that wasn’t enough, Sophia wowed everyone with her vegan egg-salad sandwiches and stuffed baby mushrooms. Iyla cooked a gorgeous carrot-apple soup, spiced with nutmeg and ginger, with a side of Southern cornbread. And because nearly everyone else brought a bottle (or two) of wine, we kept toasty for the entirety of the evening. No one even seemed to mind that we had to eat our soup in shifts because I didn’t have enough spoons.

The best guests at the best Thanksgiving dinner!

Never would I have thought that Thanksgiving without my family would be so warm and welcoming. After we indulged in hot apple pie topped with vanilla bean soy ice cream and baklava for dessert, we headed out to burn some calories with a night of dancing. Next year, I do hope to make it back to NY and have Thanksgiving with my family, but this year’s event will go down as one of the most joyous and genuine celebrations of gratitude for years to come.

10 Reasons to Go to the Animal Rights Conference

Who: Associate Publisher Colleen Holland

What: FARM's Animal Rights 2011 National Conference

Where: Los Angeles, Calif.

When: July 21–24, 2011

Why: To connect with fellow activists, get re-energized, and eat some amazing vegan food

The Scoop: The world's largest and oldest animal rights conference is still going strong, and, once again, VegNews was a sponsor. It's incredible to walk the aisles of the exhibit hall and see what all the various organizations are doing to help animals. It gives me hope, and I am forever grateful to anyone who dedicates their life to the plight of animal welfare.

So why do we go to this event year after year (my first AR conference was in 2000, and VN Publisher Joseph Connelly has been going since 1994)? Here are my top 10 reasons:

1. The speakers

The jam-packed schedule features more than 100 speakers from 60 organizations, with sessions on everything from how to engage the media and communicating effectively to the abuse of companion animals and understanding the meat mindset. Although the weekend whizzes by, I try to hit up as many talks as possible.

2. The personalities

Imagine 1,000 people in a Westin hotel for four days straight. There are a lot of great networking opportunities, and it's always amazing to learn about the incredible work everyone is doing. Under one roof are Gene Baur and Bruce Friedrich (Farm Sanctuary), Nathan Runkle (Mercy for Animals), Erica Meier (Compassion Over Killing), Jack Norris (Vegan Outreach), Nick Cooney (The Humane League), Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan (Our Hen House), and Julieanna Hever (VN columnist and vegan dietitian extraordinaire).

3. The exhibits

More than 90 exhibitors displayed at this year's conference, and it was nearly impossible to talk to everyone. I allotted ample time to connect with people from Action for Animals, Animal Aid Unlimited, Kinship Circle, A Well-Fed World, HealthForce Nutritionals, In Defense of Animals, Lantern Books, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, V-dog food, and VegFund. Keep up the great work!

4. Film Premiers

Each year, there's a media room dedicated to showing a full schedule of videos–including Farm to Fridge and How I Became an Elephant. We arrived early Thursday to catch the COK-hosted film premier of Vegucated, the new documentary by Marisa Miller Wolfson. Look for a full review in the next issue of VegNews, but here's a sneak peek: it's smart, it's funny, it's heartfelt, and it's going to change lives. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire film, and I can't wait for the world to see it.

5. The Awards

Every year, FARM does a wonderful job of recognizing animal activists for the important work they're doing. This year, the Grassroot's Animal Activist Award went to long-time champions Bryan Pease and Kath Rodgers, both of Animal Protection and Rescue League (Bryan is also on the VegNews Advisory Board). And who won the coveted Animal Rights Hall of Fame Award? None other than the venerable Carol J. Adams, a preeminent speaker and author of The Sexual Politics of Meat. Congratulations to all.

6. The Food

OK, we're vegan, so what would any conference/event/vacation be without the food? Let's just say that FARM takes great care of you. Each morning, complimentary bagels, spreads, and coffee are available to conference attendees, and then a late-night buffet of snacks and sweets are offered after the evening plenary. They've also negotiated with the hotel to offer affordable, all-vegan breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets at the two on-site restaurants—which may include stuffed ravioli, an array of salads, and freshly baked cookies. Finally, two exhibitors, Samosa House and Southern Fried Vegan BBQ, offered up hot samosas and soul-food favorites like Po Boyz sandwiches, mac 'n' cheese, Fried Chikun sandwiches, and jambalaya. 

A closer look at Southern Fried Vegan BBQ's Cajun Chikun sandwich and mac 'n' cheese

7. The Excursions

Once in a while, you want to step out of the hotel and do some exploring. And when Veggie Grill, VegNews 2008 Restaurant of the Year, is just minutes away, we knew it would be part of the weekend. Of course, immediately after our plane landed, the VegNews staff headed straight for the new 'Grill in Santa Monica and gorged ourselves on burgers, sweet potato fries, and desserts. And, since once is never enough, we returned the following evening with some friends (where the whole restaurant seemed as if it had been taken over by AR attendees). 

Vegucated star Brian, Our Hen House's Mariann and Jasmine, Vegucated creator Marisa, VN columnist Julieanna Hever, and I head out to Veggie Grill for All-Hail Kale salads

8. The Reunions

When you've been a part of this community for a long time, it's so lovely to re-connect with people at these conferences. For me, it's always the best part of the experience. This year, we had a special reunion. Nine people from our first-ever VegNews Great Adventure to India were attending the conference, and we couldn't wait to see each other again and reminisce about our days abroad. One super-generous local, Frankie, invited us all over for the most amazing vegan spread—homemade lasagna (best I've ever had), Caesar salad, garlic bread, iced chai, and ice cream. It was so good to see everyone, and we can't wait to do it again!

9. The Bar

Like any good conference, the bar is where it's all happening every night. Whether you're a teetotaler or can put them back like nobody's business, about 100 people lounge late into the night talking life, activism, food, and, well, just about anything. It's always a good time, and a great opportunity to get to know people.

10. Support FARM

FARM, the conference organizer, has been working on behalf of the animals for 30 years. Led by the tireless Alex Hershaft, we want to support their great work any chance we get. In addition to organizing the annual Animal Rights Conferences, they also lead campaigns for World Farm Animals Day, the Great American Meatout, Meatout Mondays, and Vegan Earth Day. Happy Anniversary, FARM, and keep up the incredible work!

Cinnamon Buns Across the Bay

Who: VegNews Associate Publisher Colleen Holland

What: A trip to to the East Bay for vegan cinnamon buns

Where: Berkeley, Calif.

When: June 10, 2011

Why: A visit to Cinnaholic was long overdue

The Scoop: It had been far too long since we ventured across the Bay for freshly baked cinnamon rolls at the all-vegan Cinnaholic bakery. So when some friends from England were in town recently, we knew their visit had to include a breakfast of these famous (for good reason) sticky buns.

As you walk into the adorable retro-style storefront, the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls lures you in. Batches of buns are baked all day long, so you know yours will always be fresh. Since Cinnaholic specializes in cinnamon rolls, choosing what you're going to eat is the easy part. It's the next step that presents a challenge, as now it's time to customize. On any given day, there could be 27 flavors of frosting, 30 options for toppings, a dozen specialty rolls, and even petite-sized baby buns—so the combinations are endless. For frostings, think butterscotch, caramel, cream soda, Irish cream, macadamia nut, pina colada, and root beer. For toppings, how about blackberries, brownie chunks, chocolate sauce, peanut butter, pomegranate seeds, shredded coconut, or walnuts. They even offer crushed candy canes and gingersnap cookies during the holidays.

After staring at the menu for about five minutes, I decided on vanilla frosting with chocolate chip cookie dough and sliced strawberries. It was amazing, I ate the whole thing, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

My customized creation at Cinnaholic—a fresh-from-the-oven bun topped with vanilla frosting, cookie dough, and strawberries

Let's say you want to leave it to the pros at Cinnaholic to design the perfect roll for you. What would that be? How about Mocha Almond (mocha frosting and toasted almonds), Oreo Explosion (vanilla frosting and Oreo cookies), or S'mores (vanilla frosting and graham crackers, chocolate chips, and marshmallows). There's always a specially priced bun-of-the-day, and UC Berkeley students get a generous discount. Coffee, tea, and hot cocoa are available, along with savory buns and the popular frosting shots. This unique vegan bakery is making believers out of the Berkeley community—one sumptuous bun at a time.

VegNews Publisher Joseph Connelly with his cinnamon bun (vanilla frosting and Oreo cookies) and our dear friend from England, Thomas Russell, who also went with the chocolate chip cookie dough/strawberry combo.

Texas State Veggie Fair

Who: VN Contributor Jasmin Singer
What: DallasVegan’s inaugural Texas State Veggie Fair
Where: The Phoenix Project, Dallas, TX
When: October 16, 2010
Why: To rival the “other” Texas State Fair and celebrate compassion

The Scoop: At the Texas State Fair in Dallas, the “entertainment” includes penned-up, branded animals sitting in the hot sun, a rodeo, and a livestock contest. At the petting zoo, I see a giraffe, his head an inch beneath the ceiling, take bites out of the fence holding him captive. You can smell his fear.

Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, you can smell the compassion (and the fried vegan cookie dough) wafting from the Texas State Veggie Fair. The Veggie Fair, the antithesis of its ugly cousin, is the brainchild of Jamey Scott of DallasVegan. For vegans craving the state fair experience sans cruelty, it offers a fried vegan food contest, vegan fair food (funnel cakes, anyone?), carnival games, prizes, bands, and, of course, clowns. As for the Veggie Fair happening on the same day as, as Scott puts it, “the other fair,” it’s hardly a coincidence.

Fried Funnel Cake (photo courtesy of Silvia Elzafon)

Eddie Garza, Mercy For Animals’ (MFA) Texas Campaign Coordinator, elaborates: “The Texas State Fair is all about making animal agriculture seem like a fairytale… when we know that the reality is that the animals are generally from factory farms, kept in spaces so small and tightly confined that they can’t even turn around or spread their limbs.”

So who can you find at the Veggie Fair? Everyone from kids wearing Texas t-shirts playing in the bounce-house or getting their faces painted, to tattooed 30-somethings (okay, myself included) munching on corn dogs and having their tarot cards read, to the veg-curious learning from groups such as the Black Vegetarian Society of Texas, Animal Connection of Texas, Dallas Vegetarians, and MFA.

Face-painting fun (photo courtesy of Silvia Elzafon)

The Dallas vegan scene is skyrocketing, and it’s largely thanks to Scott and Garza’s outreach. Not only does DallasVegan host a monthly Vegan Drinks event, but thanks to MFA, the city is getting ready to celebrate Dallas Vegan Week, during which upscale Dallas restaurants will offer vegan options. Kudos to Dallas' blue-ribbon activists!

Outside Lands 2010

Who: VN Associate Editor Liz Miller and VN Editorial Assistant Brooke Still

What: Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival

Where: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Calif.

When: August 14-15, 2010

Why: Because nothing says summer like live music, outdoor dancing, and free vegan beer.

The Scoop: San Francisco might not have the same sun-kissed summers as Chicago or Austin, but that doesn't mean SF's answer to the summer music festival is left out in the cold. Depending how you view it, in 2010, the third-annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival got a facelift: The festival was cut from three days to two, and the lineup included a more eclectic set of musicians. While the 2009 festival featured mainstream names including Tom Jones, Jason Mraz, Pearl Jam, Incubus, Lucinda Williams, and Dave Matthews Band, the 2010 line-up was significantly dialed-down, with a shorter list of heavy-weight headliners such as The Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Gogol Bordello, and Phoenix, decidedly skewing more indie-rock than soft-rock.

Brooke and I couldn't wait to take in the sights and sounds of some of our favorite acts. We arrived on Saturday just in time to catch the end of Electric Six's high-energy set, and then went in search of lunch. With tons of veggie options to choose from, we felt slightly overwhelmed, but finally settled on moderately priced veggie burgers—with two sides of free curly fries courtesy of the generous concessions man. Score! After mowing down our festival fare, we trekked over to the main stage to see self-described "gypsy punk" group Gogol Bordello tear it up with their raw, revivalistic blend of multi-national music, incorporating influences ranging from Eastern European-inspired accordion to Ecuadorian rap riffs.

A tattooed stranger fist-pumping during Gogol Bordello

After Gogol Bordello we crossed the field to the Sutro stage, where Bassnectar had just begun to spin his signature, soul-thumping sounds. Somewhere between Lil Wayne synths and his big beat "Seek and Destroy" remix we remembered why summer music festivals are awesome: kids with no rhythm shamelessly dancing in public at 3pm. It was fantastic. As Bassnectar wrapped up, we headed back to the main stage for indie darlings—and Brooke's favorite act of the day—My Morning Jacket. Their unmistakable melodic, crowd-swaying songs were just what we needed after Bassnectar's danceable set, and MMJ didn't disappoint, playing all of our favorites, closing with their classic from It Still Moves, "One Big Holiday."

My Morning Jacket rocks out

With our minds sufficiently blown by MMJ's powerful performance, we staggered across the field yet again to watch Wolfmother bring metal to the day's overall electric mix of music. We're not sure if it was the driving metal chords or the six hours between meals, but near the end of Wolfmother's set, our stomachs were definitely rumbling. We figured this was the perfect time to head over to the Chase Freedom Lounge, where our press passes (hey, that's the name of this blog!) allowed us to enjoy free dinner and drinks. On top of complimentary wine tasting and snacks, we enjoyed free beer and a vegan-friendly buffet.

Brooke enjoying the free vegan skewers and ale

Yes, it was a buffet situation, but a classy one nonetheless, offering vegan jasmine-coconut rice, salad, and marinated veggie skewers. Then, as hippie-children relived their youth to the sounds of Further at the main stage, we relived our own bygone 15-year-old fandom by dancing to Saturday's other closing act, The Strokes. Publicity was buzzing around the band's performance at Outside Lands, as it marks their first touring summer in four years, and the second of three stateside shows before finishing their forth album later this year. From Is This It early hits "Last Nite" and "Someday" to sophomore album favorites such as "I Can't Win," the set was full of the band's effortlessly catchy classics. After the band exited the stage, we filed out of the park, heading for home and some much-earned rest and relaxation. Definitely not to stalk The Strokes tour bus, whatever the papers might have said.

Golden Lotus: A Gastronomic Love Story

Who: Editorial Assistant Abigail Wick
What: Golden Lotus
Where: Downtown Oakland, Calif.
When: Saturday, February 13, 2010
Why: The perfect mixture of Valentine's Eve, starving artist boyfriend, Supreme Master TV, and vegan avocado smoothies.

The Scoop: Let’s face it—San Franciscans look for every excuse to avoid schlepping to the East Bay. We spend our days in blissful seven-by-seven insularity, indifferent to the charms of Oakland, which could just as well be as far away as Shangri-la. But sometimes the mood to travel strikes—especially when the cupboards are bare, love is in the air, and your boyfriend starts hankering for Golden Lotus.

The completely veg restaurant is an unassuming operation—think vinyl booths and beige-tile floors. It serves primarily Vietnamese cuisine, with a healthy side of pan-Southeast Asian fare. Prominently featured Supreme Master slogans and iconography define the décor, and a flat-screen TV streams Supreme Master TV into the dining room. (Vietnamese-born Supreme Master Ching Hai is a media-savvy Buddhist activist, who promotes veganism and environmental stewardship.)

As at any Vietnamese eatery, I gravitate toward the country’s culinary hallmark, the fresh spring roll. The Golden Lotus doesn’t let me down: rice noodle, red lettuce, julienned carrot and daikon-radish, mint, shredded fried tofu, and succulent mock-chicken bits all come wrapped in a delicate rice-paper roll. A savory-sweet peanut dipping sauce rounds out the flavor.

Spring rolls so good you spring from your seat and shout, "More, please!"

The entrée selection is vast, including lemon chicken, broccoli beef, and ginger fish—all vegan, of course. Jason and I split the house special—spicy gourmet chicken—a delectable combination of fresh relish, zesty chilies, and flavorful mock-meat. Sweet-pickled zucchini, daikon radish, carrot, and hot pepper proved perfect bedfellows, and a bed of small-grain brown rice left my palate with a nutty finish.

Crispy, spicy, saucy...so naughty

At Golden Lotus it’s necessary to share the main course, lest your belly become too full to relish the array of after-dinner treats. Vegan carrot cupcakes, mocha chocolate cake, and caramel flan are just some of the options. We shared the avocado smoothie—two straws, please! With great glee we slurped-up and gulped-down the smoothie, which was delicate and not too-sweet. Sigh…

Jason's all dreamy over his creamy avocado smoothie.

The best pre-Valentine’s Day date ever? You bet!

A Goofy Day at Disneyland

Who: VN Editorial Director Aurelia d'Andrea, VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig, VN Editorial Assistant Melissa Feineman + VN Editor- at-Large Jennifer Pickens
What: Disneyland!
When: March 5, 2009
Where: Anaheim, Calif.
Why: A day of fun before Expo West weekend

The Scoop: Each year the VegNews crew heads down to Expo West, and we always wish we had allowed an extra day in the OC for Disneyland, since it's right next door to the Anaheim Convention Center. So, this year, we did it! Now, it's no secret that the VN gang is tons of fun, so spending a day together at Disneyland was guaranteed to be a blast. And it was.

We walked to the park from our hotel and arrived bright 'n' early as the gates opened. Excitement overcame us, and Aurelia and I gleefully screamed and ran straight for Space Mountain, only to discover the ride was closed. Disney "cast members" assured us that it would open soon, but we needed a fun fix fast, so we hopped on the nearest ride with no line. Since we still couldn't scale the final frontier, we headed to our second favorite mountain, the Matterhorn. Sorry, closed for refurbishing. Oh no! As this was Lindsay's first trip to Disneyland, we'd promised to take her to all of the best rides. If we didn't get on a high-speed rolly-coaster soon, we were going to leave a trail of shredded mouse ears in our wake. Luckily, we were able to salve our wounds with a giant dose of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Veg eating at Disneyland has become much easier than it used to be when I worked there in college. (Go ahead, get all of the laughter out of your system, I'll wait.) These days, The Happiest Place on Earth offers grilled-vegetable sandwiches and veggie burgers in Tomorrowland, which is where we headed for lunch. Melissa opted out of this meal because she wanted to try the vegetarian gumbo in New Orleans Square. The rest of us indulged in burgers and fries before running off to take in a few more rides. And, hurray! Space Mountain was finally open.

After a few hours of running ourselves ragged, we were happy to sit and rest our feet while Melissa enjoyed (and shared) her vegetarian gumbo. It's a hearty meal of veggies in a tomato base, served in a sourdough bread bowl which Melissa and Lyndsay thought was pretty flavorful and filling, with a nice, spicy kick.

Melissa and Lyndsay tuck into the gumbo at New Orleans Square

Finally satisfied that we were able to ride everything we wanted, we rushed back to our hotel to get ready for an amazing vegan dinner by chef Art Eggertsen, courtesy of the folks at ProBar. More about that in another post. With the exception of the Matterhorn closure, it really was The Happiest Place on Earth for a day. Thanks, Disneyland!

Weird Food

Who: VN staff+VIPs

What: Dinner after drinks
When: Thursday, February 26, 2009
Where: Weird Fish, San Francisco, Calif.
Why: To celebrate the launch of SF Vegan Drinks and The Road to Vegetopia

The Scoop: After quenching our thirsts at the fabulous, first-ever SF Vegan Drinks, the VN staff and a few VIPs moseyed on down to the Mission to quell our hunger. With hearty appetites we were eager for something warm, wonderful, and maybe even a little ... weird. And weird is exactly what awaited us in the dainty dining room of the weirdest place in town: San Francisco's own Weird Fish.

The entire gang celebrating in a weird way.

We were welcomed by an enthusiastic waitstaff presenting an array of amazing, animal-free appetizers: coconut-milk-mashed yams, lemon-garlic sautéed green beans, barbecued seitan, heaping piles of yam and potato house fries, and Buffalo Girls (aka seitan with buffalo sauce and Vegenaise). The assortment of tastes, textures, and tones accented the eclectic decor and vivacious background beat, making for an unusual atmosphere that one might even venture to describe as, well, weird.

The scrumptious food made a perfect pair for the great company and conversation we enjoyed. We were fortunate to share dinner with a few members of the extended VN family and the night's two guests of honor: Mat Thomas and Mark Middleton—the masterminds behind VegNews' March+April feature, The Road to Vegetopia. After months of hard work, it was a proud moment and true pleasure to personally present fresh-off-the-press copies of the finished product to each. As we appropriately feasted on locally grown produce and sustainable food in a restaurant committed to green business practices, it seemed as though the future of food was right in front of our faces, and soon to be in our tummies—where it belonged.

As for the main course, the most popular orders were the Wako Taco, Hell Fish Taco, and mixed basket of tofu- and seitan-based Fish 'n' Chips, which were served with house fries, slaw, and fixin's. A few of the more courageous members of our party opted for the infamous Suspicious Vegetarian Dish, the ingredients of which were kept secret until the plate arrived from the kitchen. This time, the risk-takers were rightfully rewarded with a beautiful display of black rice and roasted butternut squash topped with tofu in an orange-vanilla sauce. A rarity when dining out, every member of our party of 11 seemed more than satisfied with their selection, as was evidenced by clean plates and wide smiles all around.

Mark proudly displaying his suspicious dish.

If, by this point, you are anxious to digest the details of dessert (come on, you knew it was coming!), you can imagine how we felt waiting for it. Despite the fact that we'd already eaten far beyond our fill, our patience was adequately answered with decadent slices of graham cracker-crusted cheesecake topped with a delicately carved strawberry flowers, all drizzled in strawberry syrup—yes, completely vegan and very, very tasty.

If by "weird," the founders of this culinary gem meant "appetizing," "satisfying," "fun," "unique," and "altogether delicious," I think it's safe to say they nailed their choice of adjective head on. I, for one, will definitely be returning to Weird Fish to satisfy all of my weird cravings—and, if I had it my way, all of my normal ones as well!

Japantown Supermarket Sweep

Vegetarian inari pockets–one of the many treasures to be found in Japantown

Who: VN Editorial Assistant Melissa Feineman
What: Scoping out the (veg) selection at Japantown's supermarkets
When: Monday, February 16, 2009
Where: Nijiya and Super Mira
Why: So I can whip up some super-scrumptious katei ryori (Japanese home-style cookin') any time I please

For those of you raised on a steady diet of US-style veggie sushi, you may have been, like I was, lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that Japan is a veg-friendly travel destination, and that every corner sushi shop serves up fish-free fare. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth, and even in dishes that appear to contain only vegetables, fish stock is–more often than not–lurking in there somewhere.

However, if you're willing to expand your culinary horizons (without expanding your waistline, I must add–you gotta love the lightness of Japanese cuisine), there is all kinds of veg-friendly fare available in Japanese supermarkets. FYI, I went to Nijiya and Super Mira in San Francisco's Japantown, but you should be able to find the ingredients mentioned here in any Japanese market worth their soy sauce.

Here is my proposed plan of action to make the most out of your shopping experience.

Step 1: Acquire a snack. It's no good shopping on an empty stomach. I can highly recommend the vegetarian inari pockets at Super Mira (pictured above). Sweet tofu on the outside, scrumptious rice with lotus root, carrot, and green beans on the inside, served with some pickled ginger on the side. You can't help but say oishii!! (Delicious!!)

Step 2: Stock up on staples. As I mentioned earlier, fish stock is one of the main components of Japanese cuisine, but it doesn't have to be. Kelp, or kombu, stock is also readily available, and you can throw it in almost anything–from miso soup to soymilk stew–to add subtle flavor.

Choose kelp stocks (I recommend the green package second from the right, since it's MSG-free) as the base of any soup or simmered dish

Step 3: Spend some time in the tofu aisle, admiring the myriad manifestations of this versatile victual (and on that note, keep your eyes peeled for tantalizing tofu trivia and serving suggestions here soon).

Step 4: Head to the produce section, where you'll find all sorts of possibly unfamiliar, but definitely tasty items such as lotus root, burdock root, and daikon radish. Lotus root adds a crisp crunch to stir-fries, and the earthy flavor of burdock root is a great addition to miso soup. Daikon is one of the most adaptable ingredients around, and is just as yummy munched-on raw with dip as it is slowly simmered into a soup.

Now that your grocery-basket is full, it's time to head home and cook yourself up something special. Let us know how it goes, and if you have any questions about what to do with any unfamiliar ingredients!

An Arabic-Fusion Birthday Bonanza

Who: VN Editorial Director Aurelia d'Andrea

What: An amazing meal at an undiscovered gem

Where: Saha, in San Francisco's Tenderloin district

Why: To celebrate the passing of another year and eat some delicious food

When: October 30, 2008

The Scoop: I have to admit it: I'm not a big fan of birthdays—my own, in particular. There's nothing particularly fabulous about getting older, especially so since the "wiser" thing that's supposed to follow my advancing chronology seems conspicuously absent. Still, if the passing of another year means getting to treat myself to a fabulous multi-course meal, well, bring on the birthdays.

I can't remember how I first heard about Saha, but after perusing their menu online, I knew I wanted to eat there. Okay, so it's not exclusively veg, but it is very vegan-friendly—it says so right there on the menu! But what was most enticing was that this was to be my debut foray into the realm of Arabic-fusion cuisine.

Mohamed Aboghanem is one-half of the team behind Saha, and as the head chef, he draws culinary inspiration from Yemen, where he was born and raised, creating flavorful dishes that also draw from the cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, Ethiopia, and other corners of the Arabic-speaking world.

When Jeff and I arrived on a drizzly Thursday night, we stepped through the foyer of the Hotel Carlton—a certified "green" hotel that gets its power from solar panels fitted on the roof—and past the front desk, and toward the Saha sign. Inside the lantern-lit dining room, we were met by a friendly host who led us to a comfortable table. In one corner of the room, a large party was also celebrating a birthday with dinner, but mostly, the other diners were couples who looked as though they might have chosen this restaurant for its romantic ambience.

The Saha Red Curry nearly caused an episode of public plate-licking

After ordering a glass of bubbly from the amazing wine list and tucking into the hummus and warm pita bread delivered to our table, we feasted our eyes on the menu and tried to choose which tantalizing dish we would begin the meal with—no easy feat. We were drawn to so many of the small plates—Bastilla, Fouel, Kibbeh—but with a little help from our gregarious server, we finally settled on the vegan Knaffe. We savored every bite of this beautiful dish featuring shredded phyllo atop cream cheese and wild mushrooms, served over a lovely puddle of coconut-chermoulah-chipotle sauce. Heaven! The second dish we ordered also featured vegan cream cheese, but the real stars of the Asparagus and Papaya Salad were the perfectly cooked spears of asparagus. Served with tender papaya slices and a mound of tiny arugula leaves, this was the perfect palate cleanser before the main event.

Our helpful server offered expert advice on wine pairing, so while we sipped our Austrian Blaufrankisch, we awaited the arrival of the Saha Red Curry, also on recommendation. The robust Palestinian couscous called Maftoul played off the subtle flavor of the curry, and the butternut squash and tofu balanced the meal. Unlike any curry I'd ever tasted—and I've tasted gazillions—Saha's specialty definitely earned a spot in my personal Curry Hall of Fame. I'd have licked the plate if I were at home.

Dessert was a no-brainer. We would be having the very vegan Bisbusa Yemeni Cake with Lemon-Ginger sorbet. Oh, and a glass of dessert wine, of course. The cake was sweet, but not too, and the sorbet was a bright and refreshing finale to a perfectly satisfying birthday meal. Will we be back? You bet!

Saha's dim lighting didn't dull the beauty of this delicious dessert of

Yemeni cake and lemon-ginger sorbet