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There’s all sorts of recent good news about vegan cupcakery BabyCakes, a NYC sensation since 2005. For one, they’re opening a new west coast location smack dab in the middle of the historic Bank District of Los Angeles; then, for folks who live too far from NYC or LA, there’s a new BabyCakes cookbook out on the market, and to celebrate (you can’t help but share in the enthusiasm!), they’ve produced a fun video to feature it (the book is currently available!).

The goodies are not only vegan, but also gluten-free, and most use agave rather than refined sugar.

To keep track of their LA opening and other news, check out their blog or follow them on twitter.

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Vegan mint chocolate lovers will be thrilled to know that Trader Joe’s has resurrected their “saucer-shaped’ UFOs candies but this time in vegan form! These delicious bad boys are a dark chocolate mint version of their classic milk chocolate predecessors, and I couldn’t be happier to see them on the shelves in their new incarnation! Trader Joe’s claims that they are “rich, creamy and boldly minty.” It’s a description we can’t argue against. They’re fantastic and, best of all, they’re vegan.

Easter is now upon us which has us thinking about what to stuff into those little vegan Easter baskets. Some of the healthier ideas include putting nickels, dimes, and quarters or raisins and nuts or other dried fruit into those little plastic eggs. But what if you have a little sweet tooth on your hands? You can always try any of Sjaak’s Organic Vegan Chocolates or a vegan variety of Sweet Earth Chocolates; Sunspire’s Organic Chocolate Earth Balls; Organic Chocolate Mini-Bunnies, or even just Jelly Bellys.

Regardless of what the baskets look like this year, we hope your Easter is a hoppin’ good one…!

vegan seder plate
Originally uploaded by coffywoman.

This year, the traditional Passover seder takes place this week (my how time flies) and many a vegan will be celebrating with vegetarian haggadahs, a vegan seder plate and, of course, a sumptious vegan meal, hopefully ending with something as delectable as Hannah Kaminsky’s matzah toffee or even just the paired down, plain chocolate matzoh our own family has tried in recent years.

The absolutely wonderful news is that there is an abundance of mouth-watering vegan recipes available — from both the Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditions — all for the price of a browser visit (and the required ingredients).

In the past, our menus have reflected a blend of both traditions and have included the following:

• Turkish Eggplant Stew
• Sabbath Rice Pilav with Saffron
• Apple and Date Haroset
• Coconut-Lemon-Almond Haroset
• Orange and Olive Salad
• Sauteed Carrots with Almonds
• Vegan Matzoh-Ball Soup
• and, of course, chocolate matzoh

Additional resources for vegan seders can be found on The Vegetarian Resource Group site, PETA, and JewishVeg.com.

If you have a favorite recipe, haggadah, or blog post on your own seder that you’d like to share, please post in the comments. Our own celebrations (including pictures of some of the above-mentioned recipes) are posted here and here. This year, we’ll probably try Hannah Kaminksy’s matzah toffee and PETA’s Apple-Date Mousse. Chagsameach!

We had to write about this blog post on raising a vegan child, not only because it’s a great post, but also because our own 2+ year old won’t stop pressing play on Rasine’s audio clip — it is truly adorable! He is loving hearing another human his size uttering the very same words he says so often himself: “I’m vegan”.

Yes, our own pre-schooler is a vegan and has been since the day he was conceived and, even in a place as liberal and veg-friendly as our city is, he’s still the lone vegan fella his size/age.

In general, he’s really ok with it. He knows what’s vegan and has yet to express interest in eating the foods that other kids eat. This is largely due to the fact that we always try to carry around vegan snacks and favorite foods no matter where we go; if anyone were to whip out a snack or buy some treat along the way during an outing, we’ve got him covered.

The lunch he has at preschool is one we pack for him and one that always garners the (positive) attention of both teachers and other students. We also always prepare some birthday treats (usually cupcakes) for birthday parties and school birthday circles.

Anyone who harbors concerns on raising children vegan should take comfort in knowing it isn’t as difficult as might be imagined. This entry on veg blog is informative and inspirational and is worth a gander, or better yet, a bookmark.

Other vegan parents out there are encouraged to share stories, collective wisdom and, of course, tips and tricks!

Epicurious is in the kitchen with Moby!

In these 4 short videos, Moby offers a glimpse into his small and humble, 30 square foot kitchen where he keeps his favorite, well-worn kitchen equipment and staples such as home-made garlic-infused olive oil, miso paste, brown rice, apple butter, pickles, sea salt and sesame seeds (”sprinkle sea salt and sesame seeds on anything to make it taste fantastic!”).

He also makes his favorite recipe, blueberry pancakes, and talks briefly about his philosophy and one of the best things about being vegan: experiencing new foods and becoming a more discriminating eater.

Other Moby links:
Moby’s Online Journal
Teany Cafe and a Teany Book
The Offical Moby Website

[via Ecorazzi]

For all you busy vegans out there, the urban vegan has a list of 101 vegan meals that take 10 minutes or less to prepare.

Got a favorite quickie meal you’d like to share? Please post in the comments!

Sometimes there isn’t time (or energy!) to cook and sometimes you’re surrounded by nothing but fast food chains. Gratefully, there are useful guides on veg*n fast food options currently available online. Check out PETA’s Quick Picks on their VegCooking site, Vegetarian-Restaurants.net’s compilation of options, or the vegan-specific list posted on My Life as a Vegan. There are some surprises amidst the listings — who knew there’d be anything vegan at Arby’s, but apparently, their fruit turnovers are. Also, Round Table and Pizza Hut do not offer vegan crust and only one of Domino’s 4 crusts is vegan (but it is not available at all stores); Chuck E. Cheese, of all places, does use a vegan crust….

SFVegan.org has developed a widget which displays the number of animals killed world-wide by the meat, dairy and egg industries.

The counter is based on 2004 statistics from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the resulting data tables and methodology used in creating them have been detailed in the Worldwide Animal Slaughter Statistics document.

Even though the data comes from 2004, the Animal Kill Counter offers a compelling visual representation of just how many animals die every second (one can only imagine the figures have gone up since then, not down).

Not only can you embed it in your blog, you can also add it to your profile in Facebook or Myspace.

Update: Crediting Vegan Soapbox for bringing this to our attention by displaying it on their site.

It should come as no surprise that eating conventionally-grown produce puts you at greater risk of exposure to pesticides. But, which fruits and veggies are the worst offenders and when should you buy organic versus conventionally-grown?

Organic Essentials has produced a free, downloadable (PDF) pocket-guide listing both domestic and imported produce to help you determine which produce “pose the most significant pesticide-related risks and – therefore – are the most critical produce items for consumers to purchase as organic.”

The following fruits and vegetables currently present the highest risk:
Domestically Grown Conventional Fruits
1. Cranberries
2. Nectarines
3. Peaches
4. Strawberries
5. Pears

Domestically Grown Conventional Vegetables
1. Green beans
2. Sweet bell peppers
3. Celery
4. Cucumbers
5. Potatoes

Imported Conventional Fruits
1. Grapes
2. Nectarines
3. Peaches
4. Pears
5. Strawberries

Imported Conventional Vegetables
1. Sweet bell peppers
2. Lettuce
3. Cucumbers
4. Celery
5. Tomatoes

For more on using PLU codes to verify you’re buying organic, see our earlier post on the topic.