vegansaurus!

Hey! It’s the world’s first fully vegan LGBT focused cruise! And you’re going! WHAT!!!  »

Sean of Fat Gay Vegan is setting sail on the first fully vegan LGBT focused ~*~luxury~*~ cruise on the Mekong river and YOU SHOULD ALSO BE ONBOARD FOR THE CULINARY SENSATION OF A LIFETIME!!! Sean is the best and this cruise will definitely be the best and I am so jealous that you get to go on this!!! All the details here and please bring me back some bonbons please and thank you!!!

p.s. LOOK AT YOUR ROOM HOLY S!!!!!!!

Vegan Fish and Chips with Nature’s Charm Banana Blossom!  »

Hi friends! Long time no see. Moving along, Nature’s Charm sent me some free cans of their Banana Blossom (you can buy on Amazon usually but seems to be out at the moment…), Young Green Jackfruit, Jackfruit Confit, and Sriracha Green Jackfruit. The confit and sriracha jackfruit are delish and ready to go right outta the can. But for the banana blossom, I had big plans in mind!

That’s the can. And Dolores. 

So this is the first I heard of banana blossom. But it’s typically used in South Asian and Southeast Asian Cuisine. Here’s a little more info on the background and health benefits, and if you want to see the plant pre-can, Vegan Miam did a great post of that. 

I searched around for a banana blossom fish and chips recipe but really couldn’t find that many…and then like a week later! Carrots and Flowers did this perfect recipe in conjunction with Nature’s Charm. So I’ll tell you the hodgepodge recipes I used but you should probably just use theirs because it’s basically the same, just all in one place.

First I rinsed the banana blossoms. They look and feel kind of like a mix between artichoke hearts and jackfruit. And as far as I can tell, they don’t taste that much different than jackfruit–which basically means it has a very subtle flavor. It’s really all about the sauce. So next, I marinated it in seaweed flakes, lemon, and dill, using this recipe. 

After that, I made a beer batter using my girl Martha Stewart’s recipe, which is already vegan provided you have a vegan beer. Then you dip your marinated banana blossom in the batter, and fry it up in a pot of oil (you can follow Martha’s instructions–when I fry, since it’s not meat or anything, I just wait ‘til the oil is hot and test by putting a drop of batter in and seeing if it fizzles, that means you’re good to fry). 

There’s the fried bad bs. After I fried these, I cut up some potatoes and made the “chips” (lol). Um does anyone not know how to make fries? You just cut up potatoes…and fry them. 

I also made a vegan tartar sauce–I know, this has a lot of steps, but each step is actually p easy. Like I veganized Martha’s tartar sauce (sans hot sauce bc nancy) and it’s just mixing some stuff into vegan mayo. Super simple. But again, Carrots and Flowers has basically the same tartar sauce recipe in theirs so you can just follow that. 

Now, the last step, I ATE THEM!!!! Well, I garnished with parsley and lemon and took 1000 pics…but then I ATE THEM!!!!! My verdict: totally delicious! I mean it’s not the exact same texture as fish bc not like…tough or whatever meat is, but it was delish. Do recommend. 

SF: There’s a Party in Our Plants this Earth Day!  »

Hey Bay Area! What are you doing for the most important holiday of the year? No, not my birthday, silly! I mean Earth Day! Why not head on over to Cole Valley and try this beautiful vegan burger at Earthie’s Drive Thru’s “There’s a Party in Our Plants” popup! 

Info:

On April 22nd, we’re introducing San Francisco to the best burger on Earth, made out of one simple ingredient: plants. But don’t let that word fool you – this isn’t your typical veggie burger. We’ve created something so satisfying, you’ll have a hard time believing it’s better for you and for the planet. Plus, we’re planting a tree for every burger we make.

Sunday, April 22nd, 2018, 5pm-8pm
205 Frederick Street, SF 94117

You can order fries and homemade sodas with your burger too. There won’t be tickets or anything but I’m told they’ll likely sell out so try to get there early! If you sign up on their site, you’ll get an email with a $1 off coupon. HUZZAH!

Plant-Based Power Boost: Quantum Energy Squares Giveaway!  »

Quantum Energy Squares sent me a box of their vegan, caffeinated energy bars to try. They come in two flavors: dark chocolate cherry with almonds and caffe mocca macchiato with pecans. And not only are these bbs vegan, they’re gluten-free and soy-free as well (I know some of our pals have those allergies!). The company also donates 1% of profit to charity. BONUS! 

What’s interesting about the bars is that they promise sustained energy: “Our powerful blend of natural caffeine (equal to a cup of coffee), plus the ideal blend of plant-based protein, energy-enhancing fats and fiber-rich carbs slow the absorption of the caffeine, delivering a longer and more balanced energy.” In fact, each bar has as much protein as a whole egg (without the chicken torture yay!). 

When Quantum wrote me about their new bars, I jumped on the chance to try them because my super-athletic soccer-obsessed brother is ALWAYS on the lookout for caffeinated snacks to have before practice. So I gave him a bunch of the bars and asked for his review: “Good. Shaved 30 seconds to a minute off my mile time.” Lulz, such a effing sports dweeb!

The bars are granola bar-y but more chewy than that. And like I said, they have the two flavors, but both my brother and I preferred the mocca macchiato one–it’s yummy! So, that’s what we’re giving away today.

Ok, GIVEAWAY TIME! We’re giving away a box (9 bars total!) of the caffe mocca macchiato bars to THREE winners!* To enter, follow Quantum Energy Squares on Instagram AND leave a comment on this post (on vegansaurus.com, not ig or facebook) saying what you would do with the extra boost of energy. We’ll pick three winners one week from today!

*US residents only, sorry other pals. 

Brave GentleMan and Gristle Tattoo founders join forces to make a game-changing new vegan cheese brand!  »

If you follow the Discerning Brute on instagram, you may have seen his exciting announcement: a new vegan cheese company is ~fermenting~ in Brooklyn (I’m lol re: fermenting 😂 ). It’s called RIND, and it’s a joint effort between Joshua Katcher, the Discerning Brute himself and founder of Brave GentleMan, and Dina DiCenso, founder of the one and only Gristle Tattoo. 

As a vegan cheese devotee, I immediately emailed Joshua and bombarded him with a zillion questions (I’m as curious as I am demanding ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) and he was kind enough to answer. Here’s the dirt!: 

Megan Rascal: What is the significance of the primodial process? Like, what difference does that make? Idk what it is 😊

Joshua Katcher: Without giving away our trade-secrets, the “primordial process” is that we allow the microorganisms to create the rind and flavors over time, rather than trying to “flavor” something to taste like cheese using seasoning, these processes are very similar to how traditional European-style cheeses are made.

MR: I’m getting that there will be a legit rind like dairy cheeses have, then will it be creamy inside? 

JK: Yes! You’re correct.

MR: Is the cheese nut-based, soy-based or?

JK: There are both nuts and soy in it.

MR: I see the dark coloring on the rind in the pics, what’s that from?

JK: That is the formation of the natural rind. It grows on the cheese over time, releasing all sorts of luscious flavors.

MR: Is it mostly for cheese platters and eating straight or do you imagine it’ll be used for cooking and baking as well?

JK: I’d say that this is a cheese to appreciate on its own, or with good bread and fresh fruit - it’s the kind of cheese you’ll want to eat with a glass a wine, or alone with a fork (haha, kidding, but really, you can do that). But if someone wants to cook with it, go for it! There’s plenty of vegan cheese on the market intended for toppings and cooking, and that’s just not RIND.

MR: Which dairy cheese varieties are your cheeses reminiscent of?

JK: We’ve come up with a proprietary blend in order to appeal to anyone who traditionally would love brie, camembert, bleu and other mold-rind cheeses.

MR: WHEN WILL IT BE AVAILABLE?!?!?!

JK: We are working towards a b2b operation, so you’ll get to have it at some fine NYC restaurants this year.

MR: You’re accepting investors, how could a potential backer get involved?

JK: We want investors who have experience in the innovative-food space. We’re hoping to get an operation going to scale production in Brooklyn. Email us at saycheese@rind.nyc to set up an appointment to talk to us.

* * *

There you have it. I guess I’ll have to wait for a bit to try RIND. idk if you guys know this but I’m TERRIBLY IMPATIENT when it comes to vegan cheese. I will try to hold on though. 1 like = 1 prayer I make it. 

Philly! Party for Woodstock Farm Sanctuary THIS Saturday!  »

Now I know what you’re doing Sunday, but Philly people what are you doing Saturday? How about filling your face with vegan yums from Miss Rachel’s Pantry, Crust Vegan Bakery and Fran Costigan, all in the name of helping the beautiful bbs of Woodstock Farm Sanctuary! 

Philly ♥s Woodstock is this Saturday, Feb 3rd, 7 to 10pm, in the lovely Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. It is going to be a party with a capital EXTRAVAGANZA! Veganlebrity guests include Erin Jaskiewicz of Philly Vegans, Ethan & Michael aka theVeganMos, Joshua Katcher of Brave Gentleman, Terry Hope Romero, Dustin Harder, the Vegan Roadie, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, founder of VAUTE, and Rachel Klein, chef owner of Miss Rachel’s Pantry. DANG! 

There will also be beer from SMART BEER, wine courtesy of Whitecliff Vineyard, and non-alcoholic beverages (WHO’S HE?). Get your tickets asap bc they are selling out fast! And share the FB event with all your Philly friends. 

An Interview With the Fat Gay Vegan and Enter to Win His Phenomenal New Book! Hooray!  »

Hello! I’m assuming you’re all here to win Sean O’Callaghan’s EXCELLENT, HILARIOUS, INFORMATIVE, WONDERFUL, PERFECT new book, “Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink, and Live Like You Give a Sh!t,” right!? Well, it’s easy! 

TO ENTER: Just go to THIS INSTAGRAM POST and make any sort of comment you want, I don’t care. Tell me your favorite color or just write “fart.” Your odds of winning are the same and it doesn’t matter to me. Hooray for you! ENTER TODAY! (I’ll pick the three winners in a few days and update this post so you don’t try to enter and I’m all, “TOO BAD SO SAD NO BOOK FOR YOU!”

NOW ONTO THE INTERVIEW!!!!

First, should start by saying I love Sean and his partner Josh very much. They’re two shining lights on this shit planet and we’re all lucky they’re around tearing it up and showing everyone what’s what. Sean’s book is truly very wonderful and if you don’t win, you would still be wise to buy a bunch of copies and give them out to friends, lovers, neighbors, family, pets, attractive people, unattractive people, dogs, cats, seals, and also everyone else. OK ON WITH THE SHOW FOR REAL!

Your book is hilarious! How do you find the humor in truly shitty things, like animals (including humans!) being treated like crap just so people can eat gross ol’ meat, dairy, and eggs?
This is already my favorite interview due to you opening with a compliment. Thank you. Humor is a great coping mechanism for dealing with hardship and unpleasantness, and there is no denying that industrialized farming and exploitation of non-human animals is incredibly unpleasant. Finding humor in horror is a way for us to not feel completely swamped and overwhelmed by what would otherwise hurt our hearts and minds too much. We laugh so we don’t cry, often. I find my irreverent approach to championing the vegan message makes me approachable to readers. Fat Gay Vegan would be a great Sesame Street character. Education about compassion with a goofy, sassy kindness and overeating. 

What’s your best advice for people who are freaked out about where meat/dairy/eggs come from but are scared to take the step into veganism? To take the vegan fork in the road, we need to ensure we have the correct map and coordinates. Arm yourself with all the facts, bookmark your favorite recipe blogs, and surround yourself with like-minded people so you don’t feel alone. The strength of community comes into its own when helping you break free from the habit of relying on animals for food, clothing and entertainment. Seeing how other kind people navigate vegan living is a fabulous form of inspiration and can be the kick in the trousers you need to take the leap. 

Why is intersectionality so important to you?
First of all, I am unlikely to use the term intersectionality to describe my work as a vegan campaigner as I know the term was coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw to describe the crossover oppressions specific to black women. Apologies for getting a little too learned, but something powerful I’ve taken on is how harmful it can be to appropriate terms and concepts designed for realities different from my own. You know what I mean? Intersectionality just doesn’t feel right for me to use as I see fit as a white man from Australia. [Ed.: My apologies for the sloppily worded question and the reminder to be more specific and correct in my language! Learning is fun and necessary!]

But to get back on track and to what I think you are asking, it is important to me to fight to redress multiple oppressions affecting our communities and not just sit at home Instagramming my latest box of vegan donuts. When we understand that the forces of capitalism, colonialism, toxic masculinity and white supremacy are powering lots of fucked up shit in our world (racism, misogyny, homophobia, ableism, body shaming, industrialized oppression of non-human animals, wealth disparity, farmworker exploitation, etc) we can start to understand that we need to tackle the root cause of multiple oppressions if we have any hope of enacting meaningful change. If you are still with me, I’d like to also tell you that being vegan is not enough. If we don’t fight the oppressive forces that make all this shit happen in the first place, it will just keep springing up. So eat your vegan donuts, but make sure vegan donut companies are paying fair wages, are not employing sexist and racist advertising tricks, and are concerned with the safety of farmworkers growing the donuts. Yes, I have a fantasy of vegan donuts growing on trees. And please don’t just take my fat, white man word for it. Some smart and clever people you should pay attention (and money) to include Dr Breeze Harper [Ed.: Heranthology, “Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health, and Society,” is indispensable!] and lauren Ornelas [Ed.: Food Empowerment Project is AMAZING!]. They know much more than I do and should both be cited in any discussion about fighting multiple oppressions within a vegan framework. 

You are essentially a professional vegan – what advice would you give other people who are looking to turn their passion for veganism into a FT job?
My number one piece of advice is to couple your love of veganism with another passion. I have always wanted to be a writer since I was small child writing poems to my local newspaper. I once won a calculator ruler for a poem called ‘Friends’ in which I recounted my sadness at being abandoned by my friends. I was a barrel of laughs as a kid, obviously. If you are good at something and have a drive to do it (like me with writing), it makes it so much more fun to turn it into your livelihood. You might not be a writer but perhaps you are a teacher, an artist, a community organiser, or an event planner. There are so many meaningful ways to work veganism into your other life passions. 

You list a bunch of cities that are very vegan friendly in your travel section, but I want specifics? What are your top 5 favorite vegan restaurants in the world?
Vedge in Philadelphia is the best vegan restaurant on the planet. If you can afford to eat with them, you won’t get finer food. Wulf and Lamb in London is a beautiful place to dine and it helps that they do the best vegan mac n cheese in the UK. Temple of Seitan in London is more of a fast food joint but I couldn’t leave their world-altering vegan fried chicken off my list. How many have I got left? Two? OK. Get into Napfényes Étterem in Budapest. It will change your life for the better with glorious goulash and decadent pastries. My final pick is a bit of a cheat as it is a chain. I really think that Veggie Grill has done a lot of good in the world by serving up consistently tasty comfort food to the masses across the USA. 

And more about food because I’m also fat and I love it! What are your top 5 favorite vegan dishes?
I’m all about potato and black bean taquitos served with salsa verde. My go-to snack for when I’m Netflixing (with a borrowed account because I’m too cheap to buy my own) is a bowl of fresh popcorn dusted with chipotle powder, nutritional yeast and pink salt. The fried vegan chicken two-piece from Temple of Seitan is going to be served at either my wedding or funeral, whichever comes first. I adore an old-fashioned English fry up (or hot breakfast) featuring sausages, baked beans, toast, rashers, and scramble. I’m not famous for eating raw food but I do love vegan ceviche featuring mushrooms 'cooked’ in lime juice. My beloved friend Julio taught me how to make it, so it arouses an emotional response as well as a greed response. 

How much do you love Vegansaurus and can we do a vegan cruise with you? Before I was a z-grade vegan blogger, Vegansaurus was one of my inspirations and made me feel that I could do this whole 'being a sassy vegan online’ thing. So thanks for letting me steal all your ideas and thematic approach to life. If I had my way, Fat Gay Vegan and Vegansaurus would ALWAYS be on a vegan cruise together with an unlimited supply of donuts and reality TV cameras trained on us to catch our every witticism. Come at me, bro.[Ed.: OK, WHO WANTS TO GIVE US A SHOW? Let’s go, Hollywood! You heard the Fat Gay Vegan!]

Animal News You Can Use: Clean Meat?!  »

Well friend, the world’s first book on clean meat (growing real meat without animals) came out today! You can (and should…) order now.

If you want a taste (ha) of why so many people are talking about clean meat these days, I published an op-ed in Canada’s Globe and Mail this past week on the topic, and other coverage of the book has been good so far, too. And The Good Food Institute just ran a fun interview on it that you should check out.

Will clean meat help humanity expand its moral concern to include other animals? That’s an argument made by the Sentience Institute in this great profile VICE published on them.

BTW, speaking of other animals, have you ever wondered what chickens think about us? New research reported in The Onion sheds light on the topic. :-)

Have a great new year,
Paul

P.S. Video of the week: I love all interspecies friendship videos, but this one really s(n)ails above the rest…

Vegansaurus Talks Clean Meat with Author Paul Shapiro!  »

If you haven’t heard of clean meat, now’s the time to stop living under a rock and start reading up on the topic on a lot of vegans’ minds these days. If you have heard of clean meat, now’s also the time to learn more about this breakthrough that could start CLOSING SLAUGHTERHOUSES DOORS FOR GOOD. Which is the goal, OK? Because, seriously, those places gotta go. 

We were lucky enough to sit down with author and animal advocate Paul Shapiro (yes, the famed Paul Shapiro of Animal News You Can Use!) to break it all down. Paul’s new book Clean Meat: How Growing Meat without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World, comes out January 2 on Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books, WHICH IS TOMORROW! Go get it!

Paul, congrats on writing the book on clean meat!
PS: Thanks! I guess it’s true I’ve written the book on it, since I’ve written the only book on it! Not the highest bar, admittedly, but there are others working on books on the topic too, and I can’t wait to read theirs.

Ha, fair enough. But yours is still the best-selling one out right now…
Good point!

So for the totally ignorant, I mean, for the less familiar, can you tell us just what this clean meat is?
We’re talking here about real meat, just grown outside animals. Not an alternative to meat, like Gardein or Tofurky, both of which I love. But real, actual animal meat, grown from animal cells as opposed to animal slaughter. Yes, it may sound like science fiction, but it’s now science fact. The book chronicles the pioneering startups and their investors racing to commercialize these animal-free animal products and the potential such commercialization has to address many of the most pressing sustainability concerns we face.
It’s called clean meat because, like clean energy, it’s so much cleaner for the planet. But it’s also just literally cleaner.

What do you mean the meat is literally cleaner?
Well, right now meat from animals is typically riddled with feces: E Coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella, all of which are intestinal pathogens. That’s why you have to cook the crap out of raw meat—literally—to prevent it from sickening you. But when growing clean meat, you don’t grow intestines; you just grow muscle, meaning it’s much cleaner and safer from a food safety perspective.

Cook the crap out of meat—literally. OMG. I get it: it’s cleaner. But it’s still animal meat. Should vegans eat this?
Well, clean meat’s not commercially available just yet, but that will change within a matter of years, not decades. And in many ways it doesn’t really matter if vegans eat it. The goal is for clean meat to displace factory farmed meat, not to displace plant-based foods, of course. It’s an alternative for people who feel like they’re wedded to eating real meat.

Why can’t those people just eat plant-based meats?
I hope they will and expect the plant-based protein sector to explode in the way the plant-based milk sector has exploded in recent years. But even with the popularity of plant-based milks, 90-percent of fluid milk sold in the US is still coming from cows. In the case of meat, more than 99 percent meat sold
in the US still comes from animals. (Plant-based meats are less than 1 percent of meal sales.) To the extent that many people want actual animal meat, clean meat is a way to provide it while causing much less cruelty, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and with fewer resources.

That all sounds great, but will people actually eat clean meat?
Well, look at the meat people eat now. It comes from animals who were raised in the most unnatural and inhumane conditions imaginable. Sure, there may be some people who’ll say they refuse to eat meat unless an animal was slaughtered for it, but I suspect a lot of people will be quite glad to be
able to enjoy real meat with so many fewer downsides. And consumer surveys suggest that quite a lot of Americans would be happy to eat clean meat, too.

But will clean meat have the same unhealthy aspects of meat, like increased heart disease risk?
The nutritional quality of clean meat will likely be the same as conventional meat, but again, with food safety improvements. Theoretically that could be improved upon, but it’s likely that at least at first, it will just be nutritionally equivalent. All that said, I’m friends with a lot of vegans on social media, and
my feed is generally populated by celebratory messages about the latest vegan donuts, pizzas, ice creams, and other foods that are delicious but certainly unhealthy, so I don’t know what percentage of vegans are so concerned about health that they don’t occasionally eat unhealthy foods. Still, the goal
isn’t for vegans to eat clean meat, but vegans concerned about animals and the planet certainly should be enthused about the prospect of commercially viable clean meat so that many who do eat clean meat can switch.

GOT IT. So where can people learn more about the book?
PS: Check out www.CleanMeat.com, get the book, and tell me what you think about it!

You heard Paul Shapiro! Now leave our site and go buy the book! (Don’t worry, you can come right back afterwards!)

The most dangerous threat animals face in the Congress RIGHT NOW!  »

The cultural revolution for animals keeps moving forward. From my home of Montgomery County, Maryland to Scotland, more and more governments keep banning circuses from exploiting wildlife. Also, Michael Kors became the latest big fashion brand to swear off animal fur. And that was just this week! For a fuller rundown of awesome things that happened for animals in 2017, check out Wayne Pacelle’s list.

With so much progress, there’s always pushback from those who want to keep abusing animals. Fortunately, the LA Times editorial board this week called out the most dangerous threat animals face in the Congress right now. Want to help defeat this danger? Here’s your chance!

While animals always face threats, the factory farming industry is also at threat from Silicon Valley’s interest in disrupting the meat industry, as Fortune reports this week. And I published a piece in Scientific American this week on that too.

Video of the week: Pit bulls + balloons. Need more?

Paul Shapiro, Vice President of Policy Engagement, The Humane Society of the United States