Vida Vegan Con 2011

What do you do after attending Vida Vegan Con? 

1. Celebrate
2. Sleep
3. Blog

So here I am.

Vida Vegan Con 2011 was held in Portland, Oregon this past weekend and is the first-ever conference of its kind to unite vegan bloggers from around the globe.  How cool is that?!  The next conference is said to be in 2013 although no location has been announced yet. 

After three days of engaging with fellow bloggers, soaking up information in workshops & panels, and honing my own skills as a writer and photographer, here is what I've learned...

Photography Workshop

iPhone cameras can take decent photographs.  Don't believe me?  I'm pretty sure Isa can convince you. 

Cupcakes from Sweetpea Baking Company

Vegan cupcakes are the best.  Seriously, awesome.  I pretty much spent all weekend on a mega sugar rush. Especially after...

The extensive sundae bar with Coconut Bliss ice cream.  It pretty much was the death of me.  (But only because it was so amazing...)

And that is exactly how I learned that I cannot go a single day without consuming fresh juice or something really, really green.  Lucky for me, Portland has a juice bar called Prasad that saved my life.

Marketing Panel

I also learned that social media is really just about being social... and authentic.

The PSU dorm rooms don't come with AC, but they sure do come with a gorgeous view at sunrise.

Galarama & Silent Auction for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

There are hundreds of other people in the world that can't live without taking pictures at every meal and think tempeh is seriously rad.

When given the choice between champagne and sparkling cider I should always choose the cider.

My cat is mega cute... but very mischievous when I am away.

Portland is one of the most beautiful cities and morning runs on the waterfront are mandatory.

Podcasting Workshop

Podcasts are a lot of work and as much as I would like to start one... I think I would rather just listen to 'em.

Most importantly, I learned about what matters in my life.  And that is you, my friend.  Cooking and food blogging is something that I couldn't do without each and every one of my readers.  You are the ones that make it fun and rewarding to slave behind a stove and photograph every recipe so that someone besides myself can drool over it for awhile.  I appreciate your every comment, email, and visit to this blog.  Thank you for supporting me in what I love to do and sharing in my passion for food!

Salud!

Eating Vegan in Portland

If you are ever in Portland, I would highly recommend eating at Vita Cafe on NE Alberta. This is now my new favorite eating spot! Everything I tried here was amazingly tasty - and not greasy! They are mainly vegetarian and vegan and have a wide selection of tofu and tempeh dishes. Their sandwiches are absolutely delicious (the vegan club sandwich is pictured above) and they also have a wide selection of vegan salad dressings. This is a great place to take fellow omnivores because even they will be able to find something wonderful here. Ashley had the vegan chili burger and couldn't get enough.


I had read about Vita Cafe a few years ago in an article in Vegetarian Times. Vita Cafe was voted to have the best vegan mac & cheese in the Pacific Northwest. After many vegan mac & cheese disasters of my own, I was skeptical, but they blew my skepticism out of the water. Bottom line: this place is amazing. If you live in Portland, drop everything you are doing and go there now.

If you like Indian food, I would also recommend Indian Oven on SE Belmont. I have been here several times before and am never disappointed. Great portions, great prices, and lots of vegetarian & vegan options. Their curries are amazing and I also liked their Bhindi Masala (seasoned okra cooked with onions and spices, pictured here).


Looking for tasty vegan brunch? No sweat, head to Cup & Saucer! They have three locations, but I've only tried the one on SE Hawthorne. They have a wide variety of vegetarian and vegan scrambles, pancakes, and other tasty breakfast delights. They also serve meat and dairy if you're traveling with an omnivore crowd.

Finally, after all of your hard work finding these great restaurants and eating this amazing food, you're going to want dessert, right? That's when you need to check out Voodoo Doughnuts. I've heard about this place for years, but didn't feel compelled to go until I heard two things: 1) they have a TON of vegan doughnuts 2) their donuts are less sweet than Mighty-O. Yep, I was there in a flash.

The hype was true. They have an entire rack of vegan doughnuts - almost an overwhelming variety! As good as these doughnuts were, they were still pretty sweet (which is too sweet for me). If you're looking to please a bacon-loving friend, Voodoo Doughnuts has a bacon maple bar that left Ashley speechless. If you're looking to please a pig, keep this last one secret because the bacon maple bar seems pretty addictive. :)

Here's the insider info: The original location on SW Third Ave is always crowded with a line out the door. However, if you check out their second location on NE Davis, there's still a line, but at least here you get to wait inside.