Plus the Pen Pals will be there for a letter-writing party for incarcerated activists, the Veg-Curious Library will be open for perusing, and we will have plenty of heaters to keep the Lab warm!

Neat Market is a monthly pop-up in Denver featuring local artisans and 100% vegan goods. This month’s market is at HoodLAB (3354 Larimer St), right next to NOOCH Vegan Market. Sunday, January 20th. 11am-3pm.

See teaser photos form our vendors, plus shots from previous markets on our new Neat Market tumblr!

VEGAN BLOCK PARTY – LOCAL ARTISAN FOODS – GROCERIES AT NOOCH – FOOD TRUCKS – KINDNESS RANCH SANCTUARY – DIY VENDORS – CRUELTY-FREE PREMIUM BODYCARE PRODUCTS – HEMP HOODLAMB APPAREL – SEA SHEPHERD – BRUNCH – HANG OUT

Our first Neat Market was in January 2012. We’ve been at this for a year now! Come celebrate with us by supporting the fantastic local vendors that make this monthly gathering possible. It has been exciting to see the progress our vendors have made over the year, and  we can’t wait to see who steps up with the next big thing in Denver. Neat Market is a launchpad for local cottage businesses and budding vegan entrepreneurs. It is also a chance to meet volunteers from animal-friendly nonprofits and support their work. This month come see the folks from Kindness Ranch (a Wyoming sanctuary for research animals) and Sea Shepherd Denver. 

You can also write letters to political prisoners with us, donate soap to The Gathering Place, try some samples, and enjoy the company of Denver’s community of conscious eaters. Vendor list coming soon! Neat Market is a nonprofit event presented by Plants & Animals Denver. Your support helps us grow. Thanks!

 Neat Market Vegan Shop-Up will be at HoodLAB (3354 Larimer St) on Sunday, January 20th. 11am-3pm. Free. Invite your friends.

These are December’s super-cool vendors for Neat Market. Please come out and support them! Invite your friends on Facebook with this event!

Neat Market is this Sunday, December 16th at HoodLAB (two doors south of NOOCH Vegan Market), 3354 Larimer St. Market hours 11am-3pm. See you there!

Uno by WTS Creatures

Don’t you know? Neat Market isn’t just about food. It’s about books, gifts, and stuffed monsters too! This month’s Neat Market includes a special book signing with the author of Speed Vegan, Alan Roettinger, and the Denver-made plush friends of WTS Creatures.

In Speed Vegan, each recipe is designed for preparing extraordinary food in short order. Readers are offered an array of ideas that are a cut above the standard quick-to-make vegan dish. Sample dishes include: Egyptian Eggplant, White Bean Soup with Tuscan Kale, Beet & Celery Root Salad, Fennel Slaw, Artichoke Sandwich Spread, Moroccan Vegetable Stew, and Chipotle Mushrooms.

What The Stuff? These little dudes are adorable! Handmade without any animal products, WTS Creatures are super huggable, and itching to come home in your tote bag on Sunday. I’m hoping we get to see Lockjaw, Yorg, and Uno.

WTS Creatures

Neat Market is this Sunday, December 16th at HoodLAB (3354 Larimer St., two doors south of NOOCH Vegan Market) from 11am-3pm. You’ll find great gifts like these, plus 3 all-vegan food trucks, homemade artisan food and craft, and plenty of reasons to hang out. Full vendor list TBA soon. We are expecting at least 15 vendors at Denver’s only monthly vegan shop-up!

The world is ending, so we’re all having one last mighty Mayan meal. Wednesday, December 5th at Green Spaces, 1368 26th St. Dinner is served at 7pm. $7-10 suggested donation.

Chomp is a casual monthly vegan supper club. Anybody can come. Our volunteers make the food, you just come hungry. It is helpful if you RSVP (via Facebook or by e-mailing info(at)plantsanimals.org), so we know how much food to make. Around 200 people came last month, way more than we expected, so please help us be ready for you! It’s also nice if you BYOP (bring your own plate and utensils), but we’ve got you covered if you forget.

We’ve got a great menu planned for you inspired by authentic Mayan cuisine:

-Tamales with Chayote, Zucchini, and Roasted Red Pepper
-Mashed Fried Pinto Beans
-Warm Three-Sisters Salad, with Roasted Pumpkin, Black Beans, Corn, and Chili
-Spicy Mayan Chocolate Dessert

Also there will be door prizes, free Oogave soda, samples of High Country Kombucha, and of course the chance to hang out with Denver’s vegan community one last time!

(That is… until next time)

Thanks to Brandi Stanley for the flyer design!

Cozy up with the underground vegan community on a Sunday afternoon, and pick up some gifts while you’re at it! Neat Market pops up at HoodLAB (3354 Larimer St) again on Sunday, December 16th from 11am-3pm. It’s a half-block of vegan love with NOOCH, food trucks, Neat Market, and Rebel Salon. Thanks to Arbonne for supporting this month’s market!

Neat Market is a 100% vegan market featuring food and craft by local DIY vendors. It pops up every 3rd Sunday in Denver. It’s also a place to hang out, enjoy lunch, write letters to political prisoners, meet other vegans, try something new, find opportunities to volunteer for animals, support micro-entrepreneurs, and participate in the local economy. Check back for the list of vendors to be announced soon!

Back to HoodLAB we go! Make your monthly pilgrimage out to the vegan block party on Sunday, November 18th. Nooch and Neat Market join forces to supply your Thanksgiving needs, and your community connect. The 3300 block of Larimer will be chock full of DIY vendors, all-vegan food trucks, drinks, music, groceries, and treats to bring home. Hang out with us, enjoy a coffee, stock up for the holiday, and be a part of this growing underground community. The market is open from 11am-3pm. 3354 Larimer St.

This month’s Neat Market will also have a letter-writing table for political prisoners, donation bar, and our featured nonprofit is Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Invite your friends- you can use our Facebook event if you want!

UPDATED FRIDAY 11/6: THE VENDOR LIST!

Here are the fabulous local vendors you will meet at Neat Market on Sunday:

• Pony Treats
• Yosoy Foods
• Living Edibles
• Waffleganger (food truck)
• Nom Pod
• High Country Kombucha
• The Vegan Van (food truck)
• La V Life Essentials
• Bete Noir Chocolates
• Linden Tree Foods
• Modern Gingham jams
• Classy Hippo Cuisine (hollandaise sauce!)
• Bead for Life
• Kindness Ranch (sanctuary for research animals in Hartville, WY!)
• Sea Shepherd Denver

And please join Plants & Animals volunteers in a letter-writing session for political prisoners. We will be using this opportunity to get together and show our support for these activists:

• Daniel McGowan: http://www.supportdaniel.org/whois/bio.php     
• Marie Mason: http://www.arprisoners.org/marie-jeanette-mason/
• Eric McDavid: http://www.supporteric.org/background.htm

Do something nice for somebody who fought for animals and our environment! Meet at our table at 1pm, or stop by and write a letter any time during the market. We might even have some other volunteer opportunities to sign up for, if you’re interested in getting involved with vegan outreach and P&A.

See you Sunday!

Okay, so I know that most people probably know how to make pasta, but it’s seriously one of my favourite things ever, and it’s so versatile, so I wanted to share a really simple, delicious, homemade take on it.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil (I use safflower)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, finely diced, or 1 tablespoon smashed roasted garlic spread*
• 2 Field Roast Italian Sausages (or more if you want!), sliced to your desire
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes (I love the Muir Glen Organic Fire-Roasted)
• Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme… or whichever ones you like
• crushed red pepper
• other spices to taste
• S&P to taste

• 1 box pasta (I used quinoa veggie curls, they’re cute, yummy, and gluten-free!)
• pinch of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• S&P to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, and saute until almost clear.
2. Add in the garlic, saute a bit longer until just cooked.
3. Add in the sliced Field Roast Italian Sausage, and cook until browned.
4. Add in the crushed tomato sauce (pour carefully, and don’t wear white).
5. Mix in spices.
6. Bring to a simmer, turn to low, and let cook for 5-10 minutes (or longer is better).
7. Bring a separate pot of water to boil for the noodles.  Add a pinch of salt.  Cook to package directions.
8. After draining the pasta, throw it back into the pot with the Earth Balance and S&P. Stir until coated.
9. Put your sauce on your noodles in your bowl, and put it in your mouth!  Enjoy!

*to make a roasted garlic spread, simply heat your oven to 450 degrees.  On your full head of garlic, chop off the top so that all the cloves are exposed.  Pour 1-2 tablespoons of oil into the exposed cloves, and wrap in foil.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until soft.  Pull out the garlic from the peel, and mash with a bit of olive oil.  Use immediately or store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

It’s here! The illustrious Chomp Thanksliving makes its glorious return, and, oh, what a return it is. Check out this menu:

• Savory seiten roast stuffed with lentil loaf, as well as a few lentil loaves for our gluten free friends
• Chiffonade kale slaw with cranberries, orange, salt and pepper, with optional maple-roasted almonds
• Crispy chive mashed potato cake with sweet potatoes, yukons and red potatoes topped with crispy shallot rings
• Savory veggie medley in a mushroom gravy
• Pumpkin bread pudding parfait

Know what else? We’ve got amazing door prizes! Would you like a free Celebration Roast from Field Roast, along with a Field Roast pint glass and t-shirt? Perhaps free lunch from Vegan Van? Or maybe a Tofurky lunch box filled to the brim with goodies? Good news, those are just a few of our door prizes, and, as a bonus, the first ticket is free, with each additional ticket priced at just two for $1. Special thanks to the Vegetarian Society of Colorado for  the additional door prizes that include four tickets to the VSC Thanksgiving dinner, an autographed Melanie Joy book, books from Marc Beckoff and Gene Bauer and a Peaceable Kingdom DVD.

Come on down and chow down with Chomp!

It’s that time again… Meatless Monday!!  Chef Melanie and I spent hours yesterday working out this recipe for YOU!  I’ve had this idea for a while to make a savory gluten-free crepe, with a bit of a crunch, with apples and some form of cheese.  And then I spent all Saturday morning picking fresh Colorado apples at a rich family friend’s place in the mountains, so I got super stocked up.  The fresh apples work great in this recipe.

Savory Autumn Crepes (gluten-free)
makes 8-12 crepes, depending on size Read the rest of this entry →