The Dirty Vegan is a blog that dishes on sinful vegan junk foods, health foods, recipes, make-up, health, fitness, being a mama, and all things fabulous and vegan at the same time. It is about living a glamorous and fun lifestyle while still being cruelty free. She is not just a vegan, she is a Dirty Vegan.
Are you looking for something different to make for dinner? Well Veggie Squid is certainly not of the ordinary, at least not for me. Dirty Vegan Foods did the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival and came across some dehydrated vegan "meats" sold by a company from New York. It was insane what they had. I opted for things that looked less like real meat, and more like dehydrated veggie protein. We got a few packages of different items, but one thing that was out of the ordinary, was the veggie "squid". What you must do to prepare it is soak it in water, and the "squid" plumps right up, just like dehydrated mushrooms do. I really enjoyed the flavor in this yummy recipe. If you can't get your hands on some of this stuff, you can substitute a similar vegan protein, but try China Town for some good veggie "seafood".
Fake It With My 'Veggie "Squid" Stir Fry' Recipe
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups broccoli florets
1 package veggie "squid" strips, soaked in 1/4 cup water for 20- 30 minutes
Heat wok or skillet on medium high heat. Add oil and saute garlic in coconut oil for a moment. Add broccoli and stir fry for 3 minutes; add "squid" strips. In a bowl, whisk broth, olive oil, shoyu, and pepper to make a sauce. Pour sauce over stir fry and cook for a few moments more. Serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy!
This Chris Crocker video inspired me to write on this particular blog topic. I've written a lot of inspiring posts and I also stand up for the rights of animals, vegans, vegetarians, gay and lesbian community, people of all races, shapes, and sizes, victims of bullying domestic violence, and anyone who needs me to be a megaphone of a voice for them until theirs can be. If you check out the labels "Lesson" and "Rights" on this blog, you can see some past posts where I address these topics and help to provide some hope when you feel that you need it the most.
Today I wanted to address the adversity vegans and vegetarians face. But first, I wanted to give you some background on Chris Crocker, a pioneer for social movements. Chris Crocker is a YouTube sensation, and probably made famous for his well known video LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!, which has been seen by millions and surfaced all over the internet. If that is the only Crocker video you have seen, you have been missing out. Crocker is entertaining and humorous, but also teaches a lesson within each video, if you are open to seeing it. Whether Chris is inspiring confidence with his Bitch Bell or giving advice on Dealing with Unsupportive Family, like in the above video, his videos reach people who need to hear his advice. I've seen Chris spreading important messages like, confidence, to be strong, to work it, and also speaking on various social topics; I think he is fascinating. There really isn't a topic that Crocker hasn't spoken on. His messages about gender equality and being different, remind me of issues I have faced being different myself.
At any age, especially young, vegans live a constant battle. We try to surround ourselves with like-minded people, but sometimes that is just not always possible. We face adversity, criticism, and debates (sometimes arguments) about our moral choices. For being good people with good hearts, we face consequences, sometimes negative ones, from people who are close minded and that don't want to accept people for who they are. Sometimes the source of stress is from the ones that we love, and should love us back unconditionally. I am telling you today that no matter what battle you are fighting for - animal rights, gay and lesbian rights, racial equality, anything - you are not alone and it will get better. It does get better with age. When I was younger, I was simply inexperienced. When someone would say, "You need meat, meat is good, vegans don't get protein...", I would freeze up, be at a loss for words, and lose all of the vegan knowledge I had swirling around in my head. Now, I am still faced with so many people like that at events I do for Dirty Vegan Foods and various life situations. However, now I can spit out knowledge, statistics, and facts like you wouldn't believe and my ability to have a smart and true answer for everything has enabled me to not care about the haters, put them in their place kindly, politely, and with poise, and also enable me to change people's minds about veganism through knowledge and leading by example.
Anyone who has a struggle, knows the struggle that animals face. Voiceless yet beautiful and fascinating, we must be their voice for them. To all my young readers, please know that I have been in your shoes. Family who thinks I'm not getting enough protein (most days I eat more protein than I should), vitamins (DEVA makes vegan multi and even vegan glucosamine - so eat that haters), and the feeling of being left out or shunned. We have either been invited or not been invited to uncomfortable outings (things like fishing, pig roasts, crap like that), been criticized, scoffed at, or people being overly mean because they are intimidated by our lifestyle and that we have such a great time doing it (its a peaceful way to be). We also have to deal with people who think we eat fish, dairy, eggs, seafood, and offer it to us on a regular basis - seeming to ignore that we are vegans and ignore what we are doing in the Animal Rights world. I continually get offered non-vegan food, goods (like leather), etc. and people seem to ignore the fact that not only is it not suitable or appropriate, it is offensive to me and all that I believe in! Ignore these people, focus on the good and the mission. The mission is equality for all. And also, try and give people the benefit of the doubt; not everyone is being mean on purpose, sometimes people just don't realize. Just because you are an aware and accepting person, doesn't mean everyone else is. So just do your best to lead a happy life and always put thought into your actions. Pass it along to whoever you can - kindness is contagious!
I like Chris Crocker's message and it is similar to mine. Its basically, live your life, don't let haters get you down, don't get discouraged because the best is yet to come, use common sense, and stand up for yourself. Like Crocker, i am out here getting the message out about peace - peace for ALL. I really feel if we brought together all the social rights activists, we can work together on turning this place around for the good! Let's team up, Everyone!
Chris will be coming out with a documentary in 2012 and I'm psyched for it. He has a good heart and big personality. His message and making light of heavy situations, is just the kind of social crusader we need and I think he is a positive voice in the gay and lesbian community. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Peace.
In my almost 9 years of being vegan (and even longer than that being a vegetarian), I have witnessed a lot of wacky happenings. One thing in particular, is when you don't share a major vegan find like Dirty Vegan Foods. As tempting as it is to keep nostalgic and retro-inspired vegan goodies to yourself, I recommend being kind and just sharing them from the start. Or something like this may happen...
The last blog post introduced Mister Winky and his super sweet giveaway. I am excited to announce the winner in today's post. We asked you guys to be creative with a photo with Mister Winky for a chance to win $30 worth of Dirty Vegan Foods goodies. This was such a hard decision to make; all of the entries were so good, funny, and imaginative! The chosen winner is the entry we felt to be the most original in use and creativity. Thank you D.J. Hops for this awesome picture and Congratulations! Please e-mail your mailing address and we will send out your prize! info@dirtyveganfoods.com
Again, thank you everyone for your entries; they were so all amazing! And don't worry, there will be more fun and exciting giveaways to come very soon! Don't forget that for the rest of May, if you order $30 or more of product (before tax and shipping) from www.dirtyveganfoods.com/ you will receive $5 off!
And for now, Mister Winky the Dirty Vegan is signing off!
Introducing Mister Winky! This adorable and creme-filled cartoon wants to make your acquaintance in style - by giving you free dessert! The Dirty Vegan and Dirty Vegan Foods are announcing Mister Winky's Giveaway! Please read on to find out how you can win a box of sweet goodies from www.dirtyveganfoods.com!
Send me a picture of you and Mister Winky (using the above picture) or show me the funniest, coolest, unique Mr. Winky somewhere (click on the picture of Mister Winky to print him out). The chosen winner will be the one with the most creative and original photo. You can send the photo to me:
Via E-mail: thedirtyvegan.blogspot@gmail.com OR info@dirtyveganfoods.com
Via Twitter for ex. by Twitpic: @theDirtyVegan and/or @DirtyVeganFoods (don't forget to follow us!)
WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AND ANNOUNCED ON Friday, May 20th!
*by entering you are agreeing that we can announce your name and share your photo if you win* the Dirty Vegan reserves the right to change the prize in the unlikely event that the prize is no longer available* - Good luck!
"Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." -Robert Schuller
What is your dream? Do you have a goal that you would like to reach but think that you can't get there, so you just haven't tried. Well today I'm writing this blog post to tell you that you can do it! Yes, you can't fail at something if you don't try, but why not try? Go for it! If you try and try and try it is much better than wondering if you could have reached something but never knowing because you didn't try. Regret is awful and can be daunting. I know that if you work hard at something you cannot fail! That is the mentality I keep every single minute with Dirty Vegan Foods. When things seemed so difficult and out of reach I pushed and pushed and kept thinking to myself, "if you work hard, work every minute, then you can't fail, you just can't". Think about it, how could you fail? If you never give up, failure just isn't and option. Failure happens when you give up, so don't! Take the word fail right out of your vocabulary. I'm not saying it will be easy. In fact, it will be damn hard! You might cry some days. People in your life might frustrate you or get you down. Some people might not realize how hard you are working and expect time from you. Try your best. Keep your goal clear in your mind and in your heart. Use that goal to be your motivation. Work for it. The greats aren't great because they were handed their success, they had to work for their accomplishments. You will too. I believe you can do it. Why not, there is nothing stopping anyone. Socially disadvantaged? Get on Twitter - you will find a community of individuals just like you with the same goals you have - if not, start that Twitter community. Don't know where to start? Go to the library, or a book store, read business books or books about your dreams. Contact offices and ask lots of questions. Write everything down. It is not going to be a piece of Snack Cake but as long as you outline the steps you need to take to succeed, and follow them dutifully, I believe you can do it. Believe in yourself too. There will be bumps in the road. That is inevitable. For every step forward, there might be 3 steps back. Bumps in the road, mistakes, they are just lessons that help you be better at whatever you are trying to do.
"The way to succeed is to double your error rate." -Thomas J. Watson
With DVF we started with several dreams. Firstly, to save the lives of animals. Our goal is to make vegan food more affordable by cutting out the demand for animal products, thus making vegan food less expensive. Basically, if more people buy it, it will be easier and cheaper to obtain. Vote with your dollar! If we cut out animal products, we can free and save the lives of animals. That is a beautiful thing. I support every vegan food company in this quest to change the way we look at food. Food is not animals. Animals are animals. Food is food. Lets work together to create this distinction. We also are working towards helping the environment and snacking in a wholesome way, thus bettering human health.
There was a vegan snack food void. I hope we have and are just beginning to fill this void. We have so much to still accomplish. It is a hustle every single day. When you are trying to change the world, you don't take breaks. Superwoman and Superman didn't really take breaks. When Batman's spotlight flickered, alerting him that he was needed, he non-hesitantly returned to duty. He didn't say, "Well, I always help them and have done so much already, let me just sit this one out". Nope, superheroes work towards goals until the goals are achieved, and even after, they maintain them. Be a superhero in someone's life. Whether it is for animals, the homeless, gay and lesbians, victims of bullying, domestic violence abuse victims, children in poverty or in need of help, the environment, anyone or anything - I know you can do it! Together, we can and will change the world for the better. If enough good hearted people work together at goals to make the world a better and happier place, how could we fail? Fail has been taken out of our vocabulary, right? No one is perfect, however. I am still figuring out my blog settings and how I can better this page for you, my readers, my friends. How can this page can be more user friendly (if you know, tell me!)? I'm always changing things around, adding search options or little helpful things on here. DVF is evolving. The packaging is getting better, the labels are getting better, the website is getting more refined and content that you are requesting is being added, setbacks are important lessons, feedback is critical so we know how we can better ourselves. You will also have to weed out the criticisms and learn what is right for you and your dream. Be flexible but never loose sight of your dreams; never let anything compromise your beliefs. Beliefs are your morals. There will be bumps in the road but don't be too hard on yourself, look at them in a positive way, a way to make yourself better and stronger at what you do.
"No one is perfect..that’s why pencils have erasers." - Author Unknown
I interact with you all. You e-mail me, we chat online, on the blog, on Facebook and Twitter. You are all smart, capable people with the BEST ideas. You have good hearts. I feel like Dirty Vegan is more than a blog and a name in snack food, this is also a community. It is great to meet you at the farmer's markets and around. I love to hear about your stories and your life. I am humbled and flattered that you take the time to read this blog. Your time is valuable. I try to make it as interesting, fun, witty, uplifting, and happy as I can make it. I know there are a gazillion other blogs you can be reading and the fact that you take time to read mine - I appreciate you. We aim to make the best tasting, cutest looking, and most fun snack food around, so your snacking experience will be exciting! And the point of this is, I know my readers by name or handle, we build relationships with our customers and clients. I interact with you guys and we have a friendship. Therefore I know what you are capable of. BIG THINGS! You all have such amazing aspirations. Go for it! Go for those dreams. Nothing is out of reach. Believe me I've been there. The times where all your chips are down. The times where life has knocked you down so many times that getting back up doesn't seem like a possibility. But you have to. The world is counting on you. It is not going to change itself, is it? Let's make it happen.
"Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around". -Vanilla Sky
Thank you for supporting The Dirty Vegan and Dirty Vegan Foods. Every e-mail we get from readers and customers fills our hearts. Happy sweet-snacking! And go get those dreams!
Unlike Homer's situation,Dirty Vegan Foodsdonuts are not forbidden, they are just so good that they taste like they are.
This is the *Butter Cake Donut with Chocolate Frosting dusted in Coconut*!
Other varieties of Vegan Donuts include:
*Chocolate Glazed Donut*
*Strawberry Glazed Cake Donut*
*Strawberry Glazed Hemp Cake Donut*
*Hemp Cake Donut with Chocolate Frosting dusted in Coconut*
*Chocolate and Coconut Dipped Cake Donut*
Honestly these are the best donuts I've had in my life...gone are the days where vegans had to be without donut shop style donuts!
Also, Dirty Vegan Foods is now offering chocolaty and creamy Whoopie Pies!
You can find all of these new products along with the Winky, Knock Knocks, DVF Cupcake, and Rocky Bites, on DirtyVeganFoods.com in the online shop. If you like Dirty Vegan Food and would like to come meet The Dirty Vegan Crew and pick up some famous sweet treats, please see thefarmer's market schedule below:
Mondays (May 2nd- October 24th): Whole Foods Market University Heights, Providence, RI 3:00-7:00 PM
Tuesdays (May 17th- October 25th): Whole Foods Market Garden City, Cranston, RI 3:00-7:00 PM
Wednesdays: TBA
Thursdays: TBA
Fridays (July 29th- October 7th): Rhode Island College (RIC) 3:30- 6:00 PM
Saturdays: Various Festivals & Events TBA
Sundays (June 12th- October 30th): Elmhurst Farmer's Market, Fargnoli Park, Providence, RI 11:00 AM- 2:00 PM
Thank you everyone for all of your support! It makes me so happy to have you all coming up to the booth telling me that you are Dirty Vegans and love the blog and products! Means the world. Thank you for all that you do for animals and the environment. Together, I know we will change the world for the better. And for now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off. Hope you have a sweet-sugary-donut kind of day!
Esty is so cool! So we've made an Etsy shop for anyone who has an existing Etsy account or who is accustomed to using Etsy. We are offering our variety pack only on our Etsy shop. If you would like to purchase single items, multiples of particular items, etc., please visit our website www.dirtyveganfoods.com. Etsy accepts Paypal, checks and money orders (along with the major credit cards) - our website accepts credit cards and we are working on adding Paypal to it soon. Both are super easy to use, but its nice that Etsy accepts those things; I know a lot of you really like it. So let's link up on Etsy too, and join the DVF circle! Cheers! :o)
Dirty Vegan Foods will be at the StuartStock Music Festival this Sunday, 4/3 (tomorrow) at Providence College (Providence, RI)! The festival is held on the Slavin Lawn (or Lower Slavin if it rains) from 12:00- 5:30 PM. Come visit us! If you do, you will be the first to get our sweet goodies before the launch of our website! ;0)
