Pleeeease, Lou Malnati's, make this vegan!

You may have heard some buzzin’ on the Facebook page, and it’s true, Vida Vegan is considering Chicago for the Spring 2013 Conference.

We’ll be in town January 21-24 to check out event spaces and let Janessa and Jess get a feel for the city. Michele was lucky to grow up there, so yes, we know how unbelievably horrible the weather can be. We just need to make a decision soon, so the time is now.

So…whatcha think? We’d love to go to a new city each year, and Chicago is the easiest one for us, after Portland. We’ve heard the calls for the Southeast Asia conference, but I think we’re a few years from there just yet.

If any of y’all VVC’ers are in town, we’re putting together a little meetup Sunday, the 22nd, for what else but pizza! Meet us at for lunch at 1:00 pm at The Boiler Room. Totally casual, we’ll just give them a little heads-up that they best get their vegan cheese at the ready. Here’s the Facebook event we set up, with a map & stuff!

We’ll let you know when we’re presentable again…and most likely have a couple more announcements. Why? Because the ladies of the VVC do not sleep.

See you soon!

Since we’re both devotees of the lychee martini, I’ve been holding out for her secret ratios. And since her boyfriend is a photographer, I figured we were all in luck.

This final product, which she sent me by semi-surprise last weekend, is stunning, but clearly, my sister remains a flashy, on-the-fly bartender…

Photo by Aslan.

Today, “The Rum Diary” hits theaters, and I have a deep and complicated love of Hunter S. Thompson (we had our differences, but I think we would have gotten along in spite of them), so I wanted to mark the occasion with a rum cocktail. Perhaps a room-temperature bottle of cheap, dark rum would be more appropriate, but again, Mr. Thompson and I had our differences.

I picked up a bottle of Myers’s Platinum and searched for white rum drinks. This one stopped me by name alone: Abracadabra. It’s equal parts white rum, mandarin juice, and grapefruit juice (Thompson would approve!), plus some superfine sugar (I only had turbinado so I threw it in my spare coffee grinder). It’s tangy and tart, and the flavor takes about three seconds to fully arrive on your tongue.

Shakey shake shake and dika-dika-do! It’s Abracadabras for me and you!

And now it’s time to stumble to the theater.

Mocktails are awesome because they’re more affordable than cocktails, they have less calories and are usually less sugary, and they don’t give you that headachy feeling the morning after a raucous night (unless that Nojito was really a MOjito! Wuh-oh!).

Here are four diverse ideas for you to indulge in, VVC-er.

Want to drink Bailey’s but because you do that whole ‘vegan’ thing and don’t drink,alcohol think you’re out of luck? Think again, mon frere.

Follow this recipe for vegan Baileys (I just made this recipe again this year and believe me, this recipe is still rad), and just omit the whiskey. Easy-peasy. Drink it on the rocks in front of your fabulous fireplace while listening to Frank Sinatra (or Seth McFarlane. Really.), or in a mug with hot cocoa. Creamy, hot and delicious. Just like you like your, ur, mocktails.

Looking for something a little spritzier,a little lighter to the step? Try a Peach Fizz. Looza is a beautiful brand of Belgian juice (If you’re a Portlander, you can find it on the cheap at Grocery Outlet or on the sophisticated at PastaWorks, and if you’re anywhere else, you can buy online here). Pour 1/4 cup of peach or apricot juice in a pint glass over ice. Top with soda water and serve with a squeeze of lime and a straw.

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If you’re feeling downright ca-raaaaaazy, check out Imbibe’s recipe for Agua de Limón con Chia. Yes, that’s right, it’s a mocktail with CHIA SEEDS. What?!

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For summertime shenanigans, try the best summer mocktail I’ve ever had: The Blueberry Nojito. (Recipe inspired by BridgePort BrewPub) Muddle a few leaves of mint and 2 lime wedges together in a pint glass with ice. Add 1 tablespoon simple syrup, 2 tablespoons blueberry puree, and top with soda water (or Sprite, if you like it sweeter).

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And with that, beautiful non-drinkers, go forth and be merry. Get your fancy on, get your mocktail booty movin’, and enjoy the wonderful world of non-alcoholic drinks (WHAAAAAT?! Yeah, I said it.)

The following is a guest post by Carrie Forrest, the author of the healthy, plant-based cooking blog, Carrie on Vegan. Carrie is a graduate student in public health nutrition and a future registered dietitian. She lives on California’s Central Coast where she blogs, studies and eats vegetables by the basketful.

Lessons From Veganism– the First Year

September, 16, 2011 marked my first year of being vegan. To honor the occasion, I thought about some of the lessons I learned during this time. They range from the significant (transforming my health!) to the silly (my obsession with chia pudding). Overall, the changes that veganism has brought to my life have been powerful and I can’t wait to see what the following years bring.

1. Veganism is not about perfection! Turns out there is no vegan police and you don’t have to be a perfect vegan or a perfect anything for that matter. While I am really careful about not consuming animal products, I have only just started weeding out the animal-derived products in my closet. The point is that it’s up to each individual to decide his or her boundaries.
2.  If being vegan is not about perfection, then it is about compassion. I’ve become really emotional about animal rights once I thought carefully about what it means to eat or use animal-based products. I believe knowledge is power and as humans we are responsible for showing compassion to not only other people, but to the millions of other species sharing our planet.
3. Eating plant-based foods is also about doing what’s best for our health. Science shows that a plant-based diet is ideal for human health. If you want to say goodbye to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and a myriad of other problems, a plant-based diet is your answer. Note: Don’t forget your B12 supplement and be sure to read Ginny Messina’s new book “Vegan for Life.”
4.  There is a lot of misinformation out there about nutrition. Most of what we read in the media or learned in school about nutrition has been dictated by industry lobbyists and isn’t based on science! As a future registered dietitian whose professional community has sponsors from all of the big food manufacturers, it’s going to be an uphill battle to educate consumers. But, I have confidence that science will prevail.
5.  Whoa, I’m an advocate. Once I discovered my passion for veganism and health, I felt confident to speak my mind. I also learned that advocacy can take many different forms and it’s up to each of us to choose which one works for us. From leaf-letting to sharing a vegan recipe, it all helps the cause.
6. I have influence. It has been incredibly rewarding to have people ask me about what I’m doing and how they can get healthier. Some people still don’t get it, but I decided early on that I’m all about helping people who want to be helped. I consider myself as an example of how energetic, balanced and productive one can be eating a healthy, vegan diet.
7.  Vegan food is delicious! Eating fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, seeds and beans is a culinary adventure and not the least bit boring. From a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to a gourmet meal at Millennium, the fun never stops with vegan food. I am finding all of the Vida Vegan Con blogs to be really inspiring.
8. A plant-based diet is healing. After I started eating a healthy, plant-based diet, I realized the connection between food and health. I successfully resolved migraines, seasonal allergies, hormonal imbalances and anxiety quickly after becoming a healthy vegan. Animal products, excess fat, sugar and salt make you sick; whole, plant-based foods restore, heal and balance.
9.  Vegans are open and supportive. I feel like I can be myself in the vegan community. After attending the 1^st Vida Vegan Con in August, 2011, I felt part of a family. I left the conference with new friends who continue to inspire and help me grow.
10.  Veganism gave me hope. In this world where sometimes it feels like we’re headed for destruction, I feel positive about the future. The steps we take with our food choices, advocacy and influence are resulting in strides for animal welfare, improving our health and preserving the environment.

The culminating experience for me from this past year was going to Vida Vegan Con and meeting so many incredible, talented people. Thank you for everything you do and I can’t wait until spring 2013 until we meet again. If there are lessons that you’ve learned from veganism, please share them in the comments section of this post, I’d love to read them.