Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Vegan in Sacramento, Farm Sanctuary's Walk for Farm Animals, & Austin bound!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

A few weeks ago I found myself in Sacramento, once again informing people about circus cruelty, & took the chance to check out some local vegan dining options!

An inexpensive & tasty option is Mati's Indian Express in Natomas. Mati's has a great selection of vegan options that are clearly marked, including the elusive vegan Naan! I opted to share two combo platters with friends, which contain your any choice of two items with rice & naan, for only $5. We had the Channa Masala, Mix Veggie Curry, Aloo Gobhi, & Eggplant Curry, which all hit the spot. While it's not the most epic Indian food I've had, I would totally grab a bite here again if I was in the area.

After hearing about Sunflower Natural Restaurant, the vegetarian drive in that's been around since 1978, I had to check it out. People warned me it was far off the beaten path in Fair Oaks, but I ignored them & pressed on. With the very awesome Honor by my side, we rolled up to this little stand & ordered the classic Nutburger. Dang, not bad! A flavorful patty in a whole wheat bun smothered in creamy sauce with lots of veggies is likely not what you would expect from a natural foods joint, but it is certainly what I got! In addition to the tasty food, there's chickens hanging out while you eat! Apparently, they live in the neighborhood & come over to eat people's scraps. After my meal, I headed over to the park where they hang out & even made a friend when I saw kids harrassing a little chicken & brought her back to hang with her chicken homies. Too cute!

It was a sweltering 105 when I was in Sacramento, so I was thrilled to find Here's The Scoop! has a fair amount of vegan options. They serve up 4 flavors of Soy Cream by Double Rainbow, one of my favorite vegan ice creams out there, as well as soy bon bons & Gunther's Fruit Freezes. With Soy Cream being readily available in my area, I opted for a Fruit Freeze with Strawberry Banana & Orange flavors. Oh MAN, I could eat these everyday! Made from fruit juice, they totally quench your thirst & quell your ice cream cravings at the same time. I hope I get a chance to have them again soon!

While there are a fair amount of vegan options in Sacramento, I was happy with what I opted for & would recommend these places to others!

The Farm Sanctuary Walk for Farm Animals is coming to a town near you! This event is a great way to raise money for the animals, but it's also an opportunity to inform the public about animal cruelty. San Francisco's Walk is on October 24th, which I'll sadly be out of town for, but Megan & Kelly from The Sisters Vegan will be there walking & Sugar Beat Sweets has donated a prize, so I I suppose I'll be there in spirit. Participants get a rad shirt, designed by Herbivore Clothing! If you can't walk, consider making a donation to someone walking! (maybe Megan & Kelly?!)

I'll be in Austin in ONE WEEK! I'm excited to check out the local vegan scene, nervous it's going to be hotter than Hades, & ready to stuff myself silly! Crystal & Chris from Vegan Explosion are kind enough to be putting me up & we'll be having a potluck, so PLEASE get in touch if you want to meet up!

22 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Such a pretty ice cream "tower"!! :-D

Awesome recap, girl!!

Josiane said...

I was tempted to go to Sacramento to attend a worskhop, but I decided it was a bit far for me to go for just a one-day event. Now, thanks to that glimpse on Sacramento's vegan scene, I can feel the balance getting heavier on the "let's go!" side! Ah, if only I wasn't that far, the decision would be easy: that vegan Naan alone would make it worth it...

The Voracious Vegan said...

You are going to LOVE Austin! It is my favorite city in the US! Great photos, I'm all hungry now...

Bianca said...

You are too cute holding that little chicken, Melisser! And that icey looks fantastic. And vegan naan, holy crap! I would love to find vegan naan in a restaurant.

Jenn Shagrin said...

Thanks for all of your comments :)

The orange Viking is incredibly sexy...and I'm so excited about the book.

You headed south any time in the near future?

Meghan said...

yes, let's meet up! If you are out and about wed-fri i will be at The Side Bar, which is where I bartend.
Come on wednesday and I'll give you my number and we can make plans! yay!

Lisa said...

I love Austin! Hope you have a blast. Don't miss the tofu tacos at Bouldin creek cafe!

Erin said...

Chicken friends! You are brave, picking up a chicken. I'm sure it was nice, but I'm always afraid birds will peck or claw my eyes out.

That fruit freeze looks awesome, glad your surviving outside SF :)

Have fun in Austin!

aTxVegn said...

Good news, it's not so hot here in Austin anymore! I wish I could stop by the potluck but I probably won't make it. If you're downtown around Whole Foods or Beets Cafe during the week, tweet and maybe I'll get to at least say hey. Please plan for a meal at Beets - it's my new favorite spot.

x said...

Good on you for helping out the chicken!

And for the gluten free coffee cake I used 3/4 c rice, 1/4 c tapioca and 1/4 c potato flours and all rice flour for the topping

miss v said...

yay! they are having a walk in kansas city!

Jessica said...

You always make me hungry!! That burger & that Freeze look amazing. Mmmm.

FS's Walk for Animals looks fantastic! Oh, and you're adorable holding that li;' chicken!

Meg said...

That is such an adorable picture of you!

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

ooh that burger looks sooo good. so does the ice cream!

urban vegan said...

Your life is so multi-faceted...busy lady.

The water ice is adorable and so is your hair!

Anonymous said...

LOVE the photo of you and the chicken! Grrr to the brats that clearly need an ass-kicking. That ice cream looks gooooooooood.

JE$$ICA said...

Aw good ol' Sacramento. I just moved from there back to Seattle. I miss delicious nut burgers.

Lovlie said...

I've got my eye on that ice-cream! I don't remember when was the last time I had one like that and never had a vegan one like that!

Tara said...

Delicious! And cute pup!

Anonymous said...

ice cream, hot chicks, and burgers are what blog posts should always be about.

Amy said...

Mmmm I love Indian food! And I have a terrible addiction to burgers, that one looks so scrumptious!!!

Awww little chickens! I want to visit them!!! Too cute!

Nicole said...

I hope I can find a farm animal walk in my area!