http://www.sweetavenuebakeshop.com/index.html
*Vegan, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Some gluten & soy free
*Bonus
1. Cater
2. offer a fun pack (includes 4 cupcakes, frosting & sprinkles!)
3. They sell these pins made by our friend Theresa @ For the Animals Sanctuary
4. They have a CUPCAKEFEST every year to benefit a charity of their choice!
5. Super cute, fun & colorful! 😉
Posted in Uncategorized
Owners Danielle and Jake wanted vegan cupcakes and sadly to their surprise their were none. In 2006 they opened as a mail order and careering bakery. They had a really good year despite the economy and saw they weren’t the only ones interested in vegan cupcakes. Due to the popular demand they opened the little bake shop in 2007. They still cater a lot of functions and hold fundraisers as well.
You may wonder why one would travel when you could just open a box of Betty Crocker or something. As I mentioned earlier the cupcakes are vegan. What does this mean? That means that all of their cupcakes, cookies, and everything else are all dairy- and egg-free. They’re also 100% cholesterol-free, completely cruelty-free and better for the environment.
Not only do these cupcakes look and taste awesome but they are completely good for the environment and for your body? How could that be? Don’t believe us then why don’t you pay them a visit! For super moist, fun and a totally AWESOME treat check them out!! Most people including those that aren’t vegan say that their cupcakes are better then even non vegan cupcakes. I swear you will think so too! 😉
Posted in Uncategorized
http://www.rutherfordpancakehouse.com/menu.html
*Vegetarian, Vegan & Gluten Free Options
*Bonus
1. Here’s to Rutherford Pancake house going GREEN!!!
All take-out containers, bags, coffee cup lids and utensils that are used are biodegradable and compostable. In addition only non-toxic cleaning products are utilized, and recycling guidelines are strictly implemented.
2. All their fruit is fresh.
3. Homemade soups
4. 10% discount to active military. (What about Veterans too? Pretty please! 🙂 )
5. They support and have fundraisers for our friends at FOR THE ANIMALS SANCTUARY!
Posted in Uncategorized
“An American Eatery located in downtown Rutherford.”
We were introduced to this cute little pancake house through a friend of ours who grew up in the area. It was love at first bite! The owners Spiro Alexander and Rick Roder founded this pancake house to help fill some of the void they felt in the town. This casual American eaterys goal was to serve up a healthier breakfast menu with a contemporary flair on tradition. Both Spiro and Rick created a menu that is both health conscious, as well as compassionate, for their food options cater to an array of people. Whether you are a healthy eater, vegetarian, vegan or just have food allergies, this place is the perfect delight!
Keith decided to branch out and ordered the vegan sliders. As usual, he let me have a bite. Don’t let the size of these burgers fool you. They may be little but they are packed full of flavor. The buns are fresh and the burgers are colorful and tasty. Yum! The veggie burgers come with a side of fresh cut Idaho fries as well. The fries have this seasoning on it that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it makes them extra special.
Breakfast is probably my favorite meal so going to a pancake house I can’t help but order pancakes. My usual at Rutherford is the vegan chocolate chip pancakes with vegan sausages and a side of home fries. I bet you are wondering why in the world I would travel this far for breakfast?? Why… because the pancakes are so perfectly fluffy and soft. They have the right amount of chocolate chips in them too. I must admit, the breakfast sausages are the best that I’ve had. The syrup and butter is a savory melted comfort of perfection. This breakfast is what children’s dreams are made of. 😉
The Rutherford Pancake House is super cute. To me it has a country American feel to it. On the walls you will find old photographs of the town, in the middle of the restaurant you will see our country’s flag hanging proud, and the booths and tables are always kept very clean. The hospitality is excellent. We’ve never had to wait longer then 10 minutes for a table. The food is fresh, delivered fast, and always with a smile. If you happen to get a parking space that has a meter but you don’t have coins, go inside and they will gladly change your dollars for quarters . Not only are the waiters really nice, but the owners are super sweet.
Last time we were there I had stickers from The Humane League for restaurant windows that let people know that the place has vegan options. I asked one of the owners if he wouldn’t mind putting it on his window. He said sure. Right then the owner put it on his door. I could tell that he loved what he does and he was proud of what he had to offer. Shortly, after he came to our table with two complimentary scones. He assured us they too were vegan. I normally am not a fan of scones. Unlike, the ones I’ve had in the past these were very moist. Keith and I were really impressed at how kind and personable he was. I had noticed that he made it to all the tables making sure that his customers were satisfied.
Overall, we love this place!!! It’s a great place to bring family, friends & kids for any meal of the day. They have something for everyone! The menu speaks volumes about the owners. Like the menu, the owners are intuitive to the needs of the customers and eager to please. It’s the little things that we appreciate, such as making us feel like we are at home because they have everything you need. For us it’s earth balance, soy milk, daiya cheese and great vegan options! 😉
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged breakfast sausages, chocolate chip pancakes, food, restaurants, vegan chocolate, veggie burgers
*Bonus
for winning the award for best FAUX -CHICKEN SANDWICH!! We couldn’t agree more! If you are encouraging people to go Vegetarian or Vegan this is the place to bring them! 🙂
Posted in Uncategorized
Personally, we are getting sick of people asking us if all we eat is SALAD!!! We can eat all the same things that anyone else does.. minus the whole meat and dairy thing. Keith and I must admit we have crazy cravings at times. The fast food industry makes it hard for us when there is a Burger Kings, KFC, McDonalds, & Wendy’s on every corner. But it’s not that simple.
I wanted to take Keith somewhere special for his birthday this year. While we were in Syracuse the girl at Strong Hearts Cafe recommended this place, Foodswings. This wasn’t the first time someone had told us about it. I had gone onto their website ahead of time and could not believe my eyes. There were things on the menu that I have not eaten in over a year such as “fried chicken”, “chicken parm”, “chili fries” and so on. So we decided to make the trip to see what everyone is fussing about.
Keith ordered chicken parm with a side of creamy mac & cheese, which is his favorite! The chicken parm melts in your mouth. It was so good that he would only let me have one bite. I ordered the combo platter which included two drumsticks and a side of mashed potatoes. The drum sticks were good but after a bite of Keith’s chicken parm, that is all I could think about. Our friend Jim ordered pizza fries and was nice enough to share with us. They were so good that if I was him I probably wouldn’t of shared with anyone. Jim also got the Italian Hero which he preferred over the other sandwich he ordered, which was the Chick’n Cordon Bleu. Our other friend Claudia got the combo platter as well plus a whole bunch of stuff to take home. She’d been to Foodswings before and was so excited when we told her we were going. We each finished off the night with a milkshake. Claudia and I got the Tank which has creamy peanut butter, chocolate ice cream and cookies. The Tank was so good that I went home and bought ingredients to make my own. It was good but not the same.
We love Foodswings so much that a week later Keith & I went back. This time I ordered the Chicken Parm. We shared an order of Pizza fries and each got a milk shake. I was so excited to see they had a Butterfinger milk shake. The day before I was craving a Butterfinger. Keith got the Pistachio milkshake. I’m not a fan of Pistachio flavor but I am a fan of their milkshake.
Overall, this cruelty-free menu is versatile, fun and flavorful. There is enough on the menu to satisfy every junk food junkies cravings. The best part is that Keith & I didn’t feel gross or sick after eating. The only thing better then Foodswings…. are having leftovers. Their portions are big enough that most people do have some.
The price is reasonable. They only except cash. If you forget like we did the first time… don’t worry there is an ATM on the inside. It’s only $1.50 surcharge which isn’t bad.
My favorite part is the atmosphere. It’s cozy and comfortable. Foodswings had table and chairs or if you prefer like me, booths. The food is hot and the girls who work there are hotter. You’ll see the owners in the back rocking out, as they cook your food. They really seem to love what they do. Oh and if you were wondering, they do deliver as long as you are in a certain radius.
Even though it’s the city , parking isn’t too bad. I just hope you can parallel park. 😉
Oh and if you love quotes or forward thinking people then you’ll love it here. The walls are filled with posters and quotes from people such as Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King.
Posted in Uncategorized
www.empirebrew.com/
BREWERY RATINGS:
VEG RATINGS:
When Kerri and I had planned our trip to visit friends up in Syracuse, one of the first words out of my mouth were “Empire!”. This place has an awesome atmosphere, tucked away in the basement area of an old Syracuse building, and is quite large inside. They carry their own handcrafted beers, as well as other beers from the region. I’m not sure what “fizzy yellow” Bud Light was doing on the tap list, but I’ll forgive them. This time.
Food wise, they have an arrangement of Vegetarian options, including veggie burgers, hummus, and even chili. You do have to specify Vegan though, but not a big deal (Most Vegetarian dishes have cheese in them.) I had the veggie burger, which was fantastic and home made, while Kerri had the Mediterranean platter (minus the cheese). Good food, but that’s not what you want to hear about… you want to know about the BEER!
As it had already been a rough weekend, I only tasted two of the beers this time around. If I remember correctly, the IPA I had last time was phenomenal, heavily dry hopped and just the right amount of bitter. I enjoyed it after our little hike in the morning. But this time around, I able to try their Rye IPA as well as their Downtown Brown. The Rye IPA style is popular nowadays, and seems to be popping up everywhere. At 6.8% ABV, it was tasty, and you could actually taste the hint of Rye, unlike others I have had at home. It was stilly hoppy, and still what you’d expect from micro brewed IPA. The real gem of the night was the Downtown Brown. This Brown Ale was more of an India Brown Ale as it was hopped heavily, but the malt under tones were perfectly balanced. It had a great crisp taste, and I the only problem I had was that I did not bring home a growler of it!
Empire’s beer and food are a treat for anyone traveling through Syracuse. They are also a green and local company, using renewable energy and sustainable LOCAL food. They also give away their spent grains for livestock feed (a common practice amongst breweries) and convert their cooking oil to biodiesel. All in all, it’s a company that I don’t mind voting for with my hard earned dollars.
Posted in Uncategorized
We loved it!!! It’s a place we would definitely visit again! But don’t take our word, you should check it out for yourself. 😉
PURE AWESOMENESS!!!
Posted in Uncategorized
“We’ve been serving affordable and delicious animal, earth and health friendly food since 2008. Our ever-evolving menu contains breakfast, lunch, soups, baked goods, teas, coffees, and amazing milkshakes. We strive to support local food producers and our community while setting an example as a business with sustainable products and practices.”
Hidden in the heart of Syracuse is this sweet spot called “Strong Hearts Cafe”. Being a volunteer for Sea Shepherd I immediately noticed the Sea Shepherd flag hanging above the door. Then I noticed a worker, who I later learned is the owner wearing a Sea Shepherd shirt. I couldn’t help but wonder what his involvement was with the conservation group. At this point I was starving and couldn’t wait to order.
I loved everything about this place! From their great menu to the awesome service We were in love. Did I mention their shakes!!!! They have this wall that lists all the shakes they make. You want to know what the best part is besides that they are AMAZING… well they are named after humanitarians such as “Nelson Mandela, John Lennon, & Harriet Tubman just to name a few. They were so good that we went back the next day.
As I began writing this blog I decided to take a look at their website. I was still really curious about the background of the owners. As I read their bios I was really impressed by these two amazing gentleman. One of the owners, Nick Ryan pursued a professional career working with troubled children. He worked successfully for over a year and a half as a therapist for high risk emotionally disturbed and mentally disabled youth. Though, he found his work with children both challenging and rewarding, he decided to open Strong Hearts with the other owner Joe Capolongo.
Joe has been vegan for half his life, spending most of his time volunteering and organizing several different animal rights groups and volunteering with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on their ship. “The campaign was the subject of several media articles and news programs including 2 feature articles in Syracuse’s Post-Standard newspaper. The group’s journey to stop whaling also became the subject of a full length documentary adventure book called “The Whale Warriors written by a National Geographic writer who accompanied the group on their campaign.” He has traveled all around the world and has been fortunate enough to visit 45 out of 50 states advocating for animal rights and environmental issues.
I loved the cafe so much that I wanted to blog about it but first I asked permission. The cashier had asked Joe and I promised I would write only good things. He was very happy to accommodate me. Joe and the rest of the staff were extremely nice and helpful. The cashier had given me a list of several other places to visit for my blog as well which I thought was really nice.
This place is a good reminder of why I love being Vegan. You meet all sorts of amazing and yet humble people in this community. I love being around people who share the same love for the animals and the planet as I do. As someone who mentors kids with special needs and also volunteers with Sea Shepherd these two men will hold a special place in my heart.
DID I MENTION HOW AMAZING THOSE SHAKES WERE??? 😉
to see the menu or to read more about these two incredible guys check out their site!!!
Posted in Uncategorized
the hoppy vegans 