The Nadamoo Scoop Shop had it’s Grand Opening and is now OFFICIALLY open for business. If you haven’t tried their plant-based coconut ice cream yet, the time is now! Nadamoo has been selling pints, first in Austin and then all over the place, for over ten years but this is their first eatery. You can get the retail flavors on a cone and cover it with all sorts of toppings and also be the first to try their in-house flavors. I had the chile mango and coconut the other day and they were delicious! They also have Capital City treats and will soon have a full on espresso program! Finally, an all vegan coffee place in south Austin!

Openings & Additions to the Austin Vegan-Friendly Guide:

Other exciting south Austin news, Kicked Up Grub a farm to table gastropub also opened and they have a whole plant-based section to their entrees that includes Spaghetti with Impossible Meatballs and an Eggplant Steak with vegan mozzarella.

A new Chilaquiles food truck opened up by campus. Chilaquil at Space 24 Twenty has a vegan bowl, the Chilango bowl, with salsa verde, nopalitos, and avocado.

The Loud Juice Cafe opened in the Yard at 440 East St. Elmo Rd.. They have cold press juices, smoothies, wellness shots, and acai bowls

Little Big Burger, the Portland-based burger chain, opened Friday, July 6, at 1648 East Sixth Street. This is the chain’s first Texas location and they have a house made vegan burger but the bun appears to not be vegan.

Spin Ping Pong Bar has veggie tacos, hummus, and shishitos.

Soursop 440 E St. Elmo Rd, Building G-2 at St. Elmo Brewing Company the Som Tom shredded papaya salad is delicious but SPICY. The Thai influenced menu changes around besides that but they assured me there is always something vegan. The yellow curry was also really good. And the online menu has a “Tempeh-nator” sandwich with tomato “bacon” and banana ketchup.

Upcoming Events

July 17 ATX Vegans will be hosting another event at SquareRüt Kava Bar which has the a new plant-based food truck ATX Food Co x GreenSpace Cafe. The event is called Look At Us Being All Healthy and you can meet up at 6:30p for the\ No Meat Athlete 3 mile Run/Walk event on Town Lake or just come for the food at 7.

July 18 Vegan Ice Cream Social with Gati. Austin’s next new vegan ice cream shop Gati (which is run by the people also behind Thai Fresh’s ice cream) will be having an Ice Cream Social at Bento Picnic. The sundae will showcase chocolate, blackberry & matcha ice creams from Gati and served with fresh bananas & cherries.

July 21 Insane Vegan Workout. This free workout will be at 11am at Zilker Park.

July 22 BBQ protest at Franklin’s with Austin Animal Save

July 22 Christmas in July Celebration at Capital City. If you are missing Christmas treats or just want to pretend it’s not 5,000 degrees go to the cool AC of Cap City.

July 24 Unit-D Pizzeria is going to have a total vegan takeover with ATX vegans! In addition to pizza, there will be other Italian food!

July 25 Vegan Book Club at the Buzzmill. They will be discussion We Gon’ Be Alright: Notes on Race and Resegregation by Jeff Chang.

July 28 Plant-iful Breakfasts Learn how to cook healthy gluten free vegan breakfasts with Plant-Based Lifestyle And Nutrition Therapy

July 31 Austin Vegan Entrepreneur & Business Networking at CRAFT. “This networking event is created to help unite the vegan business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs and influencers, and vegan-serving businesses in the Austin area.”

July 31 Old Thousand Vegan Night - a special plant-based menu for one night only. To make reservations call 737-222-6637

August 5 Dominion Movie Premier at Cheer Up Charlies. “Join ATX Vegans and Anonymous for the Voiceless Austin for the free premier of Aussie Farms‘ Dominion: Documentary. Exposing the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture through drones, hidden & handheld cameras, the film explores the morality and validity of our dominion over the animal kingdom. ”

August 9 Counter Culture and ATX Vegans will host a gluten-free Farm-to-Table night. Make reservations and check out the menu here.

 

It’s rained so much in Houston that the National Weather Service had to add new colors so it can map Harvey’s rains.

We are collecting donations at Counter Culture this weekend that will be driven down to Houston this Monday so stop by, have brunch, and drop off items, diapers for babies and adults, tampons, and toiletries are especially needed. So if you have a ton of travel size bottles of Dr. Bonner’s now is the time to donate them! Sue will also be collecting for the Austin Food Bank. If you aren’t in town here are some Amazon wish lists that charities have put up.

This week the Vegan Nom will also be donating a portion of their sales to hurricane relief and they are having their famous brisket and jalapeno mac and cheese taco on special so eat delicious food to help!

This Saturday you drop off donations the Wandering Vegan Market and pick up some super cool vegan items, eat at Cool Beans, and have a portion of your money go to relief efforts at certain spots. Vida Green Consulting is donating 20% of proceeds. Sender’s Receive Tarot is donating $5 per reading and there is more to come.

September 3rd ATX vegan drinks is hosting a Garage Sale Benefit for Harvey. Donate or go or both!

There are a ton of benefit concerts this weekend too including the Octopus Project playing a two stage fest at the Mohawk and it’s bright and sunny now so eat tacos and listen to live music to help out! Here is a list of restaurants and bars donating.

Austin Bakes is putting together another giant city wide bake sale to donate as well. Sign up to help and bake vegan treats to sell!

Fostering a pet here from Austin Pets Alive or even at shelters networked throughout the country will make a huge impact for an abandoned dog. (I’m not going to include a picture because I can’t look at them without getting emotional.) The Austin Animal Center is taking all kinds of donations and also needs fosters and volunteers. Austin Wildlife Rescue takes in injured wildlife. They’re asking for cash or in-kind donations from their wish list. Of course the Houston SPCA is doing a lot of work on the front lines and needs donations and volunteers.

We Are Blood said it has an ongoing and growing need for blood donors visit the We Are Blood website or call 512-206-1266 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also accepted but appointments are greatly appreciated. There are two donation locations in Austin, one in Round Rock, as well as several mobile drives taking place across the area. You can always donate blood to the American Red Cross and there are more local organizations accepting blood donations are Carter BloodCare and the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.

Here is a great list of charities and organizations working to keep immigrant, Black, Latinx and other populations safe after Hurricane Harvey. I didn’t realize until this event that Trans folks are often shut out of shelters even during disasters! Also, if you have a spare wheelchair, other medical devices or extra school supplies this is probably a great time to donate it.

The City of Austin put out a great list of local organizations and Mayor Adler is asking people who can to offer a room which you can set up for free through Airbnb. The list also includes ways to volunteer.

Finally, if you just want to donate money in general and don’t want to read any lists or make hard decisions the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund was created by the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, as a direct response to people asking how they could help the city. On Monday, Turner who is also a lawyer, announced in a press conference that he would personally represent any undocumented people who faced deportation as a result of seeking help because of the storm.

Everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Playboy magazine is talking about the Taco Cleanse and while it’s on back order on Amazon you can still purchase it everywhere else! There are a few remaining copies at Rabbit Food Grocery that are signed on South First and Live Oak. You can also still pick up a copy locally at Book People.

Online it’s still available Powells, Indiebound, Books a Million, direct from our publishers Workman, Urban Outfitters, and online and in stores and Barnes and Nobels.

Here’s a great article to get you started

10 Things You Need to Know About the Taco Cleanse Before You Try It

And some great blog posts that go into depth about the recipes

The Taco Cleanse: Proselytizing, Review, and Giveaway

It Happened to Me: Tacos Turned Me into a Party Magnet.

I Did A Three Day Taco Cleanse and Survived!

IS THE TACO CLEANSE THE RIGHT CLEANSE FOR YOU?

I remember when I first went to the Vegan Yacht five years ago when it was parked behind Cheer Up Charlie’s when they was still on east 6th street and it looked like this.

I was so happy to have another vegan food cart in town and I’ve watched them grow and relocate as the years have gone by. I’m always thrilled when I go to a festival in Austin and see the Yacht there because I know I won’t have to worry about getting ridiculously tasty vegan food and ask a million questions to other vendors. After dancing for hours at Fun Fun Fun Fest or Levitation Fest the Freeto Burrito is the perfect way to recharge. It was so sad to see their generator get ripped off a few months ago when they were doing what they do best, bringing vegan food to the masses. I thought, what is the world coming too when people steal a generator, a huge part of someone’s livelihood, at Zilker Park of all places?

But then I was reminded that sometimes the good outweighs the bad.

The community came to support the Vegan Yacht through a GoFundMe fundraiser and they decided they wanted to expand operations and applied for Flo’s Fabulous Food Truck Contest through Progressive. They won the Grand Prize by a LANDSLIDE and I’m so happy that this family business is going to get 10,000 dollars to further their dreams!!!!!

Their plan is turn the Vegan Yacht into a mobile food truck and use the existing airstream for a new second vegan food trailer totally different from the vegan yacht! Another all vegan food trailer! Huzzah!

This Thursday, September 17 from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Progressive is going to award them the big check at a party, come out and support the team!!!!

To celebrate they are going to offer free homemade sweet and spicy jalapenos with any order. They look so damn tasty. Pickled Jalapenos make everything better!!! So be there and show your support for vegan businesses taking over the world!

OK, I know. Some of you are going to be freaked the hell out that I’m writing about burritos and not tacos so I felt like I have to address that right up front. Tacos will always be my true love, those delicious bites on a freshly made tortilla are all about fun and happiness. You eat tacos will enjoying sunshine and margaritas.

There is still a place in my life for burritos though. When you just can’t with life burritos are there to deliver a large amount of food through a tortilla tube directly into your mouth. You don’t even have to turn your head or bother with a plate. They are the ideal food for when you want to marathon Buffy or any other show that takes place in California, where they say the burrito was first invented. Burritos are for comfort and Freebirds has long been my favorite of the chain restaurants to get them. I love that at Freebirds you don’t have to remember any vegan details, if it isn’t overtly non-vegan than it will be fine to eat. I read that in Mexico the burrito is usually just meat and refried beans but in the US we like to put as many different fillings as we can possibly fit in a burrito and that’s why I love Freebirds, they have so many more options than the other burrito chains. Generally I go for refried beans, Spanish rice, verde salsa, jalapenos, pico de gallo, corn salsa, cilantro, tortilla strips, roasted garlic, and, if I’m feeling extravagant, guacamole. Now, for the same price as the veggie burrito you can now order Tempeh Calabicitas! And they are using locally made Hearty Vegan Tempeh in the recipe.

I love tempeh and stuffing it into tacos is something I do on the regular but I wish they just served up a nice marinated grilled tempeh instead of the calabicitas with summer squash and bell peppers because those just aren’t my favorite vegetables. But, I know most of y’all will dig them tremendously because what kind of vegan doesn’t like vegetables (that’s me, I don’t do lettuce either). So get down there and let them know what you think so they can roll out this option beyond just Austin! You can even order online so that your burrito is ready when you get there and then you don’t have to deal with any ordering pressure.

South By Southwest and Spring Break are upon us which means thousands of people are about to flood the city for what is sure to be one endless party…until it ends March 22. Here are some posts to help you navigate. My SXSW guide for folks attending the conference lists places to eat. My Austin Vegan Guide has a list of every vegan option in town. My Tour of Austin guide is everywhere you need to go if you want to eat every awesome vegan thing in Austin. The Taco Guide is the key to having fantastic tacos. My late night guide is a little out of date but most of it holds true. Here’s two awesome posts from Mad Betty How to Get Through SXSW and Fun Without a Badge. Read these and it’s all going to make a lot more sense.

For those attending Interactive there is going to be meet up and party sponsored by Finding Vegan Friday, March 13. You can find vegans!

For the music portion Brooklyn Vegan will be back with a full roster of day parties at Red 7. The great part about the Brooklyn Vegan events is that they always have vegan food so it’s a great daytime activity. Just remember to wear sunscreen if it’s hot out! I always get sunburned at sxsw.

If you haven’t been to Austin in a while tons has changed and I am going to briefly go through the new trailers. Remember that trailers can sometimes move around, run out of stuff, close early, or stay open really late during the festival. They are all pretty good about updating Facebook so that’s the links I am going to use.

Our beloved all vegan cheeseburger and taco truck Arlo’s is now firmly planted on Red River at Cheer Up Charlie’s next to the East Side King. You have to go into Cheer Ups to get to Arlo’s but if there is a cover it will be worth it. I love East Side King too so try them if you need some actual vegetables. Arlo’s is usually open late too.

On the eastside newcomer all vegan Cool Beans is making tacos to order along with the best tamales ever.

Just south of the river Unity Vegan Kitchen opened up their amazing trailer. The lasagna, muffaletta sandwich, and whatever is on special are my favorites!

South of the river and east of IH 35 at the Buzzmill Coffeeshop you will find the Golden Spike Rail Cart which has rotating sandwiches and specials, a french fry bar, tacos, nachos, and a great brunch with breakfast burritos and waffle specials.

Further north but still east outside of the pole dancing training ground of Brass Ovaries are two more new trailers. BBQ revolution has smoked tempeh, soy curls, and seitan that you can have on a sandwich or on a plate with mac and cheese and potato salad. Next door is Bistro Vonish which has a rotating seasonal menu including pizzas and kolaches.

Back in the central part of town a little north of downtown two vegan trailers live at the Spiderhouse Coffeeshop. The Vegan Yacht has been around for a while selling their very popular Frito Burrito and newcomer Maggie’s Waffles has both sweet and savory waffles with pizza toppings.

Rabbit Food Grocery opened a brick and mortar store a few weeks ago. They have more vegan snacks than you ever thought possible and are the perfect place to stock up on snacks to keep in your bag so you always have something to eat.

Counter Culture Vegan Restaurant is now open every day of the week and they usually stay open late during the music portion of SXSW.

Bouldin Creek always pares down to a more limited menu during the festival and they stop taking phone orders so locals I recommend brunching at places a little farther out…like the Steeping Room at the Domain.

Have fun, hit me up on twitter @veganlazysmurf if you have questions or leave a comment here.