Lots of newbies this time around. That means our community is growing, and you need to come see the new stuff! Here is a list of the vendors that will be at the May 20th Neat Market Vegan Shop-Up at The Laundry on Lawrence (2701 Lawrence St., 11am-3pm):

• La V Life Essentials
• Desiderio Chocolates
• Boulder Bucha
• Taurus Vegan Bakeshop
• Source Juice Co.
• Holland Farms
• Beet Box
• Nooch Vegan Market
• P&L Press Infoshop
• Nom Pod
• Carlyle Crafts
• Zaza Raw
• Black Black Coffee
• The Vegan Van
• Watercourse Bakery
• Awesomelymadegoods
• The Veg-Curious Lending Library
• The Vegetarian Society of Colorado (featured nonprofit)

Neat Market is a community-market in which you will find a variety of goods, all 100% vegan. Some items are homemade. You have the opportunity to meet the cooks and crafters yourself, and obtain the products in exchange for a donation suggested by the vendor. Neat Market is presented by Plants & Animals Denver, a volunteer-run, grassroots vegan advocacy nonprofit. Your support of the market helps give local cottage businesses a place to sell their wares, and strengthens the growing Denver DIY vegan community.

Invite your friends to our Facebook event!

There are plenty of unflattering vegan stereotypes, but one that is heard less and less is the stereotype of the vegan weakling. Many athletes are helping to break down this idea (seriously, who wants to call Mike Tyson a wuss?) and one of the main players in this development is Brendan Brazier, who is both vegan and a former professional Ironman. For those of you who don’t know about the Ironman, it is a triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, 26.2 mile run and 112 mile bicycle race. Brazier not only competed in this, and other events, but excelled at them as a vegan. Retired, but still active, he formulated Vega and now speaks about plant-based sports nutrition. If this wasn’t enough, he has also written several books, such as Thrive and Thrive Foods. I was lucky enough to be able to hear him speak in Colorado Springs, and while anyone who has had the pleasure of reading Thrive will not be surprised by anything Brendan says (nutshell: whole foods that take minimal energy to digest are the best for you and your performance), it is amazing to see a new audience comprised predominately of athletes who are turning to veganism to improve their performance. Brendan and the Vega team are making major process in the world of portraying veganism as a way to become a powerful athlete and a compassionate person.

It feels like ages since we’ve all gotten together and had ourselves a drink! Vegan drinks is back this Thursday at Matchbox and we couldn’t be more excited. Looks like it’s going to be a nice warm night too. Admission is free, but drinks are on you. Everyone gets a free raffle ticket, and this month’s prizes include a Sweet Action gift card, and Vegg! Hope to see you there!

On April 28th, we hosted a Denver edition of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale at Leon Art Gallery on 1112 E. 17th Avenue.  Featuring live music by Shaky Molars and Bike Theft, we had tons of baked goods for sale from the likes of WaterCourse Bakery, BeetBox, and Mars Bakery, as well as from your favourite Chomp! chefs and more amazing home bakers.   And, since all of our bakers generously donated the goods, and Earth Balance generously sponsored the event, we were able to raise even more money.

The event was definitely a success. Not only did we all get together, have a good time, and enjoy some great vegan treats, we raised over $800 for our chosen organizations, Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary and Sprout City Farms.  Which means that this weekend, with your help, we cut two checks to these organizations for $420 each.  Amazing!  For more pictures of the event, follow the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

Neat Market is Denver’s own monthly pop-up featuring 100% vegan goods. Highlighting a new wave of local DIY vendors (Nom Pod Marshmallows, etc.) and established stand-bys (Beet Box, etc.), this nomadic market assembles on every third Sunday. You will find delicious, hot food, yes. But you will also have the opportunity to stock up on stuff for home, like a loaf of bread from Watercourse Bakery, or some Butler Soy Curls from Nooch vegan grocery. Or maybe you need some seedlings for your garden, a new book to read, or a homemade wallet? Check, check, check. On top of that, we bring in fresh vendors every month. So even if you’re a Neat Market regular, you will find something new every time. Stay tuned for the full vendor list.

Neat Market will be at The Laundry on Lawrence (2701 Lawrence St.) on Sunday, May 20th. Market hours are 11am-3pm. You are invited to attend for free. So are your friends. By attending, you understand that this is a DIY community-based market, which gives you the opportunity to take home some locally-crafted goods in exchange for a donation suggested by the folks who made it.

The featured nonprofit this month is the Vegetarian Society of Colorado, presenters of the upcoming Summer VegFest. Stop by their table to support the festival!

Bring your bags… You’ll need ‘em.

Our Green Reads Book Club is going to undergo a little transformation.  We understand that being part of a book club can come off as a big commitment, although we in no way want it to be like that.  So, after some dialogue, we have decided to move our monthly book club blog into a quarterly book club potluck.  We will still post about the book for those online to follow along, but it will not follow a stressful school-like schedule and hardcore deadlines.  This book club is for fun, education, and growth, and we want anyone involved to be comfortable with it and its structure. 

That being said, our first potluck will be in July.  There will be more information to come, so please stay tuned!  If you are interested in being a part of our book club, please comment below or email me at kayla[at]plantsanimals[dot]com.  The book is not yet decided, so if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments below!

LA held its 10th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational contest this weekend, and guess who one of the winners was?  The Aurora Borealis from Gwendolyn Mathers over at Compassion Over Killing took home 3rd place in the pro “Honey Pot” (dessert) category.  This is the first year that a prize has ever gone to a vegan sandwich.  How exciting!  There were also a few other vegan entries into the competition.  You can read more about Gwen’s experience on the blog here, but I really just wanted to share with you how INCREDIBLE this sandwich looks:

It’s like a grilled cheese pastry french toast delicious party that I want in my mouth.  The best part?  She’s included the recipe on her blog!

All in all, well done Miss Mathers.  It is one of the biggest satisfactions in my life to be able to win over the omni’s with my delicious vegan food, and you have done it well.  Congratulations!

Vegan Thai food! No worries about fish sauce or eggs.. that’s the kind of world I want to live in.. And now we can @ the May 2nd Chomp!

RSVP + BYOP: Let us know how many people are coming with you by RSVPing to this event (so we know how much food to make). And bring your own plate and utensils to help cut waste (we’ve got you covered if you forget). You can RSVP on our Facebook event, or by e-mailing info(at)plantsanimals.org. It won’t save your place in line, so make sure to be there at 7!

This Chomp will feature samples of High Country Kombucha , door prizes, and more. Suggested donation $7-10. Your donation helps us cover event costs, and supports the vegan advocacy projects of Plants & Animals Denver.

That’s Wednesday, May 2nd at Green Spaces (1368 26th St.). Dinner is served at 7pm.

Chomp is a monthly vegan dinner. Anybody can come.

Tonight (Tuesday): Raw & Cooked Breakfasts Class
What: Workshop on cooking healthier breakfasts. Dishes will be sampled – yum!
When: April 24th, 6:30pm
Where: Cherry Creek Whole Foods (2375 E. 1st Avenue, Denver)
Cost: Free!
I hope you are eating breakfast – people who do, eat 12.3% healthier during the day.
Take note that this particular holistic health coach uses honey in some of her recipes, but that can easily be substituted with agave, maple syrup, etc.

Thursday: Cocktails for Cats with Rock N’ Roll Bingo!
What:  An evening of entertainment including fabulous drinks & prizes to raise funds to spay/neuter our local feline friends! Help reduce unplanned kitty pregnancies. 
When: April 26th, 7pm – 2am
Where:  The Squire Lounge (1800 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver)
Cost: $25 for all-you-can-drink wells and domestic drafts, as well as a Bingo bracelet.
Every cat (or dog, or rabbit, or hamster, etc.) should be properly and lovingly cared for, and part of that is reducing unwanted kitty parenthood through spay and neuter programs. 

Friday: VegFest FUNdraiser 
What: An exciting speaker (Marc Bekoff!), delicious food, a yummy dessert bar, live music, a silent auction and door prizes!
When: April 27th, 6pm
Where: Highlands United Methodist Church (3131 Osceola St, Denver)
Cost: $24 per person
This is a fundraiser for the Vegetarian Society of Colorado and VegFest 2012. 

Saturday: May Day Secret Cafe Brunch
What: Vegan brunch to celebrate the international labor struggle and benefit the 27 Social Center, a radical space
When: April 28th, 11:30pm – 2:30pm
Where: 27 Social Center (2727 West 27th Ave.)
Cost: $5 – $12 sliding scale per adult; kids eat free

Saturday: Plants & Animals Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale
What: Part of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, benefitting Peaceful Prairie and Sprout City Farms
When: April 28th, 3pm – 6pm
Where: Gallery Leon, 1112 East 17th Avenue
Cost: free music by Shaky Molars & Bike Theft, baked goods ranging in suggested donations

Monday: Udi’s All-You-Can-Eat Vegan Supper Club
What: A four-course (appetizer, pizza, entree, dessert) vegan meal served family style, and also a fundraiser for the March of Dimes. Come hungry!
When: April 30th, 5pm – 9pm (Reserve ASAP by Emailing vegan@udisfood.com, specifying when you want to eat between 5 and 8:30  p.m. and the number of people in your party. )
Where: Udi’s Pizza Cafe Bar in Olde Town Arvada (7600 Grandview, Arvada)
Cost: $24 per adult; $5 per kid under 12

Do you like whales? Do you like the ocean? Do you like vegan food? .. I thought so! Make sure you go eat some delicious food at WaterCourse on April 23rd and a percentage of your meal goes to support Sea Shepherd! That’s seriously all you have to do.. eat.. and what vegan doesn’t like an excuse to eat? I know I do!

Also, Paul Watson, the Captain, the man who started Sea Shepherd will be in Colorado on May 11th! Here is more info: