We’re certainly not lacking in the Bay Area when it comes to good eats, and it’s exciting to see more restaurants join the pack each year. Recently we’ve gotten an influx of great new vegan restaurants, have you gotten a chance to try them out yet? Let us know! 

1. Seed + Salt 
Location: 2240 Chestnut Street.
According to SF Eater, in addition to being all vegan, Seed + Salt is also entirely gluten-free and devoid of refined sugar, trans fats, and GMOs. Their website is gorgeous and we’ve heard the storefront lives up to the hype as well. Beet burger and a seasonal smoothie anyone? 

2. Indochine Vegan Cuisine

photo cred: Yelp
Location: 508 Valencia
Opened next to the recently closed Sunflower on Valencia, Indochine offers affordable and delicious rolls, entrees, and desserts. Stop by and check out the new digs and grab some of the sizzling plates you’ve been missing. 

3. Golden Era

With a new location on 395 Golden Gate Avenue, Golden Era is baaAaAAck! The menu is huge and features Aulacese, Chinese, Indian, and Thai flavors.

4. Special Mention: Soon to be opened Citizen Fox!
Location: 2205 Mission St.
In addition to delicious food, Citizen Fox will also feature on on-site brewery and craft cocktail bar. If you can’t wait until 2015 to try out their food, follow them on Facebook to find out when their next pop-up dinner takes place!

[Ed.: bonus: Veg388 in Oakland! In their own words: “Veg 388 is a 5 night a week popup restaurant at Kitchen 388 in Oakland, CA that features inventive and inspired vegan and vegetarian cuisine. We place a strong emphasis on utilizing local and organic ingredients, and employ both traditional and modern techniques to elevate the umami and freshness of plant-based cuisine.” And everyone who I know who has eaten there says it’s RIDICULOUS. Please eat everything and report back thank you! – Laura]

Are you hungry yet?! Grab some friends this weekend and head out to support theses amazing restaurants. Blog about it, yelp it, share it on Facebook and make sure these epicenters of vegan deliciousness have a permanent place in SF. Happy eating! 

This guest post has been brought to you by Alexis Croswell! Alexis is a California transplant (via Michigan) who always has a vegan project on the plate that is her life. She has a passion for writing, activism, animals, and spontaneous cooking. 

Brand new Vegansaurus shirts have landed and they are FIERCE AF! Do people still say that! Moving on! Show the world you’re a happy vegan dino (or just want to look like one! Rowr!) with these two straight-up adorable t-shirts designs we’ve got for you. All of the profits (as in, one-hundred-percent!) will be split between Mercy for Animals and Animal Place because they are amazing animal-saving warriors and deserve all the money to keep on kicking ass for critters. So buy a shirt! Look sexy and amazing! Help awesome organizations! You’re the best around! Done and done! 

HOLIDAY GIFT OPTION! The perfect last minute present!

Also, since it’s the holidays and you are an incredibly giving and selfless person, perhaps you want to gift a shirt to a loved one? While we can’t guarantee the shirt will be there by whatever holiday-specific day it needs to be (our bad! we were too busy eating vegan queso and watching Scandal!), we have these super nifty coupons you can print out and give to them in place of the shirt. Then, when your shirt is ready, it’ll ship directly to their door (just specify your person/people of choice as the recipient/s when you order) and OMG it’s as if you got them TWO presents. It’s like you saved (insert whatever holiday you celebrate) TWICE! You are the real hero!

TO ORDER
If you want the awesome t-shirt below, click here (or on the shirt below)! They’re available in unisex and ladies sizes and a variety of awesome colors!

If you want the (also awesome) t-shirt below, click here (on the shirt below)! They’re available in unisex and ladies sizes and a variety of awesome colors!

HIGH ALERT! We now have kids shirts: https://fabrily.com/vegansauruskidsrowr

Or you can access all shirts via our little store!

*ABOUT THE SHIRTS*

Premium Unisex Shirts
Eco-friendly and responsible suppliers is one of our top priorities! The production process of our premium products creates minimal waste, reduces chemical use, and does not used forced labour during the production process. All of our suppliers are either WRAP certified (Worldwide Responsibility Accredited Production) and/or  accredited by the Fair Labour Association.

Standard Ladies and Kids Shirts
Our standard products are made of cotton. These are some ways our supplier focuses on make their products using eco-friendly production processes; alternate sustainable energy sources and production processes, minimize water usage, practice energy conservation in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, recycle and take waste prevention measures at all stages of production cycle.All of our suppliers are either WRAP certified (Worldwide Responsibility Accredited Production) and/or  accredited by the Fair Labour Association.

Shirts will be available for a limited time only! Sales end on January 6th, 2015! SO ORDER TODAY!

Thanks for shopping and for just being you. We dig it so much! 

You guys! Do you need last minute Thanksgiving recipes to inspire you to eat everything delicious (and vegan!) on Earth?? WELL, FEAST YOUR EYES! Thousands of ‘em! Just waiting for you! Do it!

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating and all those who aren’t and all those who just love being thankful for giant plates of amazing food. We love you!

There’s this joke that circulates amongst vegans, and it goes a little
something like this. A vegan brings cupcakes into work but doesn’t
tell anyone the cupcakes are vegan. Everyone eats the cupcakes and
loves them. The vegan then tells everyone the cupcakes are vegan.
Everyone spits out the vegan cupcakes and throws up and cries and
maybe dies. The vegan is sad. End of story.

Well, I think it’s time to reclaim vegan desserts and to sing them
from the heavens. They are delicious, they are decadent, and they are
worth every tasty calorie. So, yes, vegans (and vegetarians) (and lots
of omnivores!) eat tofu for dessert, and yes, it is scrumptious. And
you know which dessert is the most wonderful of them all this time of
year? The vegan pumpkin pie! Spicy and creamy and filled with the
taste of Autumn, this pie is the Queen Pie to all other pies and
should be eaten at least a million times this holiday season. I’ve
included my favorite pumpkin pie recipe below, along with a few other
favorites! Happy Desserting!

Pumpkin Pie

The official pie recipe of fall, and also the official pie recipe of my heart. I love it so much, and this recipe is one of my favorites. The tofu soaks up all the spices to create a simultaneously light and rich dessert perfection. 

Strawberry Chocolate Tofu Daifuku

Have you ever eaten mochi? Because mochi will change your life! Usually mochi calls for mochi flour, but this recipe uses tofu and potato starch to create the sticky goodness. I could eat this version with fresh strawberries and rich chocolate at the end of every meal, and in fact, might start doing just that.

Cappuccino Cloud Cheesecake

A fluffy, sweet, creamy cheesecake that packs an espresso punch. Could you ask for anything more? It’s coffee and dessert in one irresistible pie. 

Lemon Cream with Blueberries.

If you have five minutes and a five ingredients, you will have this cream that is basically the nectar of the Gods. Use it as frosting, slather it on fruit, or just eat it with a spoon. Divine. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut butter and chocolate? Yes, please! Bring a batch of these beauties into work and prepare to have everyone bow at your feet.

This post is sponsored by the lovely folks at Nasoya!

Times haven’t been that good for factory farming interests lately. Retailers are demanding better treatment of farm animals, consumers are eating less meat, ag-gag bills are failing while new whistleblowing exposés come to light, courts are upholding important farm animal welfare laws, and more. Well, the largest paper in perhaps the biggest factory farming state in the country—Iowa—editorialized this week slamming big ag’s sordid animal welfare track record, saying that “the nation’s agricultural producers need to spend less time listening to their lawyers and more time listening to consumers.”

This week also marked the death of the final ag-gag bill of 2014 (in Pennsylvania). My colleague Matt Dominguez offers some insights on why the meat and dairy industries continue to self-inflict such wounds.

In other legislative news, lots of A-list celebs are calling on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to sign the gestation crate ban on his desk right now, including Bill Maher, Danny DeVito, Martha Stewart, Edie Falco, and more. The state’s largest newspaper is doing the same, noting new polling showing that Iowa GOP caucus-goers would view the governor and potential presidential candidate more favorably if he signs it.

Finally, you may recall that the gunman arrested in July trying to get inside the U.S. Capitol with a loaded semi-automatic gun is the president-elect of the National Pork Producers Council. This week he pled guilty to two charges.

Paul Shapiro

Vice President, Farm Animal Protection

The Humane Society of the United States

Follow at http://twitter.com/pshapiro  

P.S. Video of the week: Do you like it when farm animals hang out with dogs and cats?