Chic Vegan

Apologies for the lack of internet presence this past week. My motherboard went on my (brand new) computer and it just got resuscitated yesterday. It was such a terrible ordeal, but everything seems to be running smoothly now. Hooray for a functioning computer!

Anyways, I owe everyone a belated Happy World Vegan Day (November 1st)! And happy World Vegan Month as well. Here’s to a month of awareness, good food and good people!

I recently realized that I’ve made this blog a bit impersonal. This was somewhat intentional, as I wanted to just concentrate on providing information and not on myself, because honestly I’m a bit boring. But I think this might be putting up a wall between my readers and I. Correct me if I’m wrong but vegans are typically creatures of community and compassion. I think most people value opinions more if they actually know the person. So I plan on making chic vegan a bit more personal, but with all the same great info. (more…)

Happy belated World Vegetarian Day to all you crazy veggie chicks out there! Yesterday was also the start of Vegan MoFo (Vegan Month of Food), a whole month of vegan food related posts on blogs across the world.  So exciting! I plan on recapping the best of MoFo recipes every week. There are way too many blogs to fairly cover, so if you have a recipe that you would really like featured, please send it on over to me at mandi(at)chicvegan(dot)com. Here are some interesting posts that I have seen in the past two days:

• Seitan is my Motor tries out the PPK’s new Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles recipe with yummy results.
• Delicious looking Thai Yellow Curry at Cook’s Hideout.
• Sweet potato date muffins -need I say more?

Be sure to follow VeganMofo on Twitter, and check out the Flickr Pool that will probably cause you attempt to eat your monitor.

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Just a quick PSA here….

Swiss company SIGG, who sells “eco-friendly” aluminum water bottles has recently come forward with an interesting tidbit of information. Before August 2008 all of their bottles contained BPA in the plastic lining inside of the bottle. Although they never marketed their bottles as “BPA free” they did claim to be a healthy alternative to water bottles. And as we all know, one of the main reasons we steer clear of water bottles in because they contain BPA! SIGG is now attempting to right their wrongdoing by offering a brand spanking new bottle to anyone who has a bottle purchased before August of 2008. If you choose to continue supporting this company you may return your bottle directly to them or exchange it at your local Whole Foods. If you do not wish to continue supporting SIGG check out some great reusable bottles from Earthlust and even enter to win one at Eco Mama’s Guide to Living Green.

Further interest:

What the heck is BPA anyway?

About the exchange program.

A great article about this.

Enter to win a BPA-Free bottle from Earthlust.

What is the East Coast Greenway? Well, my friends, gather around and I’ll tell you a tale…

Picture the Appalachian Trail… but instead of dirty hippies and deep dark woods (which are both very nice, don’t get me wrong), there was a nicely graveled trail that connected all the major cities, from Boston to Miami and beyond. You can bike the whole way or just a little.That’s what the developers thought. But how?

Thanks to the recent economic developments and ecological movements, bike riding as a means of commuting has become more of the norm than ever before. Sure, bicycling is fun and also healthy, but it appears that more and more Americans are matching their European counterparts in bicycling to work, to the store and to social events. (more…)

Link Party!

Happy Friday everyone! Here are some things that have struck my fancy this week.  If you want these links and others in a more timely fashion, then follow Chic Vegan on Twitter.

• Coat shopping this year just got a bit easier: faux wool coats at Alternative Outfitters.
• Vegan Hope’s beautiful response to PETA’s newest outrageous campaign.
• 10 Vintage Vegan Bags
• Sale on reusable bags at Blue Avocado! Enter gooodkarma40 at checkout for your 40% off; sale ends August 31
• Do the eco-tee design challenge!
• This Children’s vegan book stirs controversy. (good points in the comments)
• 6 ways to become an ethical fashionista!
• Love these sexy wedges from Neuaura.
• Vegan 101: Can you get enough vitamin D without milk?
• Kathy Freston is on Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed list

Movie Night

About 4 months ago I moved out of a tiny cramped apartment to a house in a nice little suburban neighborhood with my handsome, charming and wildly intelligent boyfriend (he reads this).  (more…)

As you may have noticed, we are back from a brief hiatus with a new look. There are a few more adventures in store, but for now lets just recap where else you can find Chic Vegan on the social internet.

Follow us on Twitter!

Be our fan on Facebook!

Be our friend on Myspace! (Yes I know Myspace is passé and a vapid wasteland.. but our page has been there for a bit and we might as well use it.)

Subscribe to our RSS feed!

Email mandi(at)chicvegan.com with any questions, suggestions, or just to say hi!

Now back to your regularly scheduled link party. Here is the best of the vegan interwebs for this week. (more…)

I am back from a spectacular Vaca and I hope that everyone had an amazing holiday and is enjoying their preparation for the next! Lets catch up, shall we?

Neoncollective.com – An awesome online vegan shoe boutique that carries high end shoes and bags with the “highest possible eco-credentials”. Be sure to sign up for the mailing list to get up to date info on any sales or additions to the boutique!

The bad news is the Etsy For Animals shop is closing down The good news is everything is 25% off with free shipping.

Check out Ecorazzi’s interview with The Discerning Brute, Joshua Katcher and Chloe Jo Berman from the amazing site, GirlieGirlArmy. They talk about their favorite trends and products, current and new projects, and what “New Vegan” is.

Peppermint Bark has forever been my winter holiday staple. However, Its incredibly hard to find a vegan version of the minty-chocolatey treat. But never fear people, here is a recipe.

PETA continues to freak me out with their over-the-top marketing by revealing a line of coffins. ummm.. neat?

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My sincerest apologies for the brief hiatus. I have been very busy with life as well as making things better for chicvegan! Just in case you haven’t noticed, there are now myspace and facebook pages! Please join us and recieve up to date rss feeds and exclusive info for sales, new products, and breaking news.

While the vegan lifestyle tends to be less expensive than a traditional one, for some it’s just not cheap enough. Everybody needs a good bargain once in a while. Lucky for you, I am the Queen of Cheap and I am here to spread my wealth of knowledge.

Living on a strict budget can be frustrating, but it is important to not forget your day to day essentials and not concentrate so much on the “stuff” that you think we need. Is it necessary for you to have 27 pairs of “eco-friendly” denim? (Is it even “eco-friendly” to have 27 of anything?) Do you really need a shade of eye shadow to match each pair of shoes you own? How about the hamburger phone? Sure, Juno was cool, but you don’t even have a land line! The box of clementines that are rotting away in your fridge because you couldn’t pass up such a stupendous deal? That was probably a bad idea.
At a certain point, you must be one with the fact that you don’t really need all that much. But a pair of killer faux leather pumps once in a while won’t hurt. I promise. (more…)

This is a bit delayed, but here is a friendly reminder to vote for your favorite veg stuff! The VegAwards is the largest survey in the world pertaining to the vegan lifestyle! Winners are announced in the holiday issue of VegNews magazine. Hurry, the deadline is August 31st!

Vote Now!