Attention people of New Jersey and Pennsylvania (and others willing to take a trip), if you haven’t been to the all vegan Sprig & Vine in New Hope you are missing out!

It’s one of my favorite places to visit and I always get the the lunchtime option of their famous cauliflower banh mi served on a baguette with red chile sauce, pickled carrot & jalapeno, lettuce, cilantro & mint, lemongrass aioli.

Of course I also have to order a side of their fantastic potato wedges with urfa biber chile aioli; it would be rude if I didn’t.

When my mom and I recently visited for brunch we got to try a bunch of other things that I couldn’t wait to share with you (theoretically; this is a laughable, literal reality). Shredded baby bok choy & hakurei turnip salad with pickled carrot, cucumber, mint, scallion, sesame-miso-rhubarb dressing and togarashi schichimi.

Avocado toast on grilled sourdough with radish, pickled onion, and black sea salt.

My mom ordered an old favorite, the edamame falafel wrap with lemon kosho tanini, marinated carrot & cabbage, lettuce, and pickled radish on a whole wheat tortilla.

I had the jam-packed, crispy BBQ tempeh wrap with apple-bourbon BBQ, chipotle-kohlrabi-cabbage slaw, and lettuce on a whole wheat tortilla.

We shared the tiramisu, which is served with white chocolate cream, coffee-soaked olive oil cake, bourbon-coffee ice cream, and chocolate-coffee sauce. No we didn’t! Weren’t you paying attention? I forced her to taste it so that I could say that we shared, but I really ate the whole darn thing myself.

One of the best things about Sprig & Vine (besides the best server ever, Jackie) is that, when the weather is cooperating, you may choose to dine outside. This is a very nice option for those with one of these furry friends in tow.

If you’ve ever turned on the tv to see a frightened animal escaped from a slaughterhouse and running scared, chances are Mike Stura was already in his truck on route to save him from imminent death. If there’s an animal in need, Mike does whatever he can to help. Along with Wendy, the other half of this dynamic, animal activist couple, they’ve recently opened Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Wantage, NJ and they are now officially open weekends for visitors.

In their words, Skylands is about “Rescuing, rehabilitating, advocating on behalf of, and providing lifelong homes for animals. Promoting a vegan way of living. Farm animal rescue.”

Visitors can take a tour of the vast acreage to learn about their current (and ever-growing) brood of residents: cows, goats, chickens, and turkeys. Hear stories of their personal journeys to sanctuary and bring a
non-vegan to gently open their eyes to the wonder of these animals whose fates are rarely this lucky. My mom has been vegetarian ever since a 2009 visit to a sanctuary. It can work for someone you love as well!

It’s already my new favorite place to visit and support. I cannot wait to return.

Can’t visit, but still want to contribute to this amazing work? You can do so directly from their website, just click the “donate” button on the top, right corner.

Ed. note: Abby didn’t include this pic so I stole it from her instagram. WHAT WAS SHE THINKING RIGHT?! Cutie pie silly face!

V-Spot is a vegan, organic, kosher restaurant in Park Slope that specializes in Latin cuisine. Run by Brooklyn-born brothers Danny and Alex Carabano, they’ve been serving the area for 9 years and are ready to bring V-Spot’s vision into Manhattan.

Enter Charles Fitzerald, who has owned the historic property on 12 St. Marks since 1967. He’s been looking for a ground floor tenant that supports his philosophy of “clean”, non-GMO, organic food. While he and his wife were open to an omnivore or vegetarian option, they’ve chosen all-vegan V-Spot as their ideal.

So now the V-Spot team needs your help to turn the space into a 112-seat, Latin, dining destination. Check them out and show them some love. The more tacos the merrier!

It seems like it was just a few months ago (it was!) that we were touting the virtues of the then new Spreadhouse coffee shop and their resident baker, Cake Thieves. Well Lauren, the peanut butter cup donut phenom at the center of it all, is now ready for a space of her own! And she’s asking YOU to help her make that dream a reality.

Ever since I first found Cake Thieves and their glorious pumpkin cinnamon buns at the former Lula’s Sweet Apothecary, I’ve pretty much followed them wherever they went. Multiple Vegan Shop-Ups, Elsewhere Espresso, and various other events; if Cake Thieves was there, chances are that we were too.

Now that they’re proposing a dedicated space where they will just stay put so that I can visit at my leisure I couldn’t be more excited. They’re currently looking for an opportunity in the East Village, Lower East Side, or Williamsburg. 

Check out their gofundme page to learn more about their campaign and to ensure that we can have peanut butter cup donuts and Hawaiian sea salt chocolate chip cookies on our every whim.

I’ve been listening to friends and family rave about Sophie’s Bistro for years now. While they do “feature the best of fresh & locally grown produce including many herbs from our own garden,” as a classic French bistro there’s just never been any reason for me to visit (if you catch my drift).

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I was tipped off to the fact that someone who works at Sophie’s is vegan and the next thing I knew there was a crepe festival happening (I love crepes) and the first offering listed was vegan! Of course I hightailed it right over for research purposes. [Ed. note: Abby is a dedicated scientist]

The savory crepe was both enormous and impressive: the leeks were slightly sweet and the mushrooms just earthy enough. Paired with a spectacular ratatouille, it goes without saying that I cleaned my plate.

While there were no other specifically vegan offerings on the menu, our waiter kindly and easily accommodated me with an appetizer by slightly modifying the salade de chevre chaud with endive, roasted beets, mixed greens in house vinaigrette to make it vegan-friendly without necessitating a fuss of any kind.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, he went beyond the call of duty by recommending a new, nearby vegan restaurant for dessert (review coming soon). THAT is a professional; I was really feelin’ the love, Sophie’s!

While I will most always choose a vegan restaurant over an omnivorous restaurant with vegan options, it’s important to me to support establishments that are earnestly trying to be more inclusive–particularly when their vegan options are as fantastic as this crepe. I’m so glad I finally had the opportunity to try Sophie’s; it’s a uniquely adorable and impeccably staffed gem.

I don’t know if they have any intention of including vegan menu items in the future, but I would like to point out that while vegans may choose not to partake in non-vegan offerings, everyone can enjoy a vegan dish. To Sophie’s and other omnivorous restaurants, I ask you to take this into consideration: not only will vegan options pique the interest of your regular diners, but their inclusion is sure to make the lone vegan in a group or family of omnis very happy. Not to mention that if you continue on a vegan-friendly path I will return soon, often, and with a pack of friendly Vegansaurs (including 89 if you’re into ferocious cute puppies on your outdoor patio).