It’s time again for another round up of things I’m loving lately. There’s so much vegan love to go around, so little time!
Hip, hip, hooray for…
1. Bare English & Co. Coco-Mint Lip Balm
Oh my, this lip balm is incredible. Not only does it keep my lips super moisturized (think body butter for your lips), but it’s tea-infused, organic, and vegan, made right here in Toronto! I spotted it at Organic Garage and you can find their list of store locations on their website.
Lip Balm runner up: HURRAW! Lip Balm (also fantastic)
2. Wide Mouth Funnel
This wide mouth funnel is from Lee Valley and it’s perfect for filling up my mason jars. It also comes with an attachment to make a smaller funnel width. Finally, an easier way to fill up those jars! Thanks to Eric for the thoughtful Lee Valley gifts. :)
3. Narrow Measuring Spoons
I’ve needed measuring spoons that are narrow enough to fit in spice jars for a while now. These beauties from Lee Valley do the job perfectly.
4. Beanfield’s Bean & Rice Chips
This was in the VVC swag bag and it was love at first crunch. I promptly inhaled the bag like a chip monster. They are vegan, corn-free (which is almost impossible to find when it comes to chips!), gluten-free, and have a decent amount of fibre and protein. Now I just have to try and locate them around here…
5. JJ’s Sweets Cocomels
JJ’s Sweets, hailing from Boulder, makes these tasty vegan “cocomels” with a base of coconut milk and other goodies. Not something I would eat frequently, but they are fun for a treat. I purchased these from Food Fight in Portland (see below).
6. Kure Juice Bar (Portland)
I squeezed in 3 visits here during my very short stay in Portland. I’m kind of obsessed with the place and the super friendly staff. Kure Juice Bar features fresh juice, smoothies, power shots, and acai bowls! What more could a guy or gal need?
7. Portobello restaurant (Portland)
My trip buddies Hannah, Lisa, Nicole, and I dined at vegan restaurant Portobello on Friday night. I had the cauliflower “steak” entrée served with a chickpea croquette, fennel, and tangy Chimichurri sauce. Absolute perfection!
8. Prasad (Portland)
I dined at Prasad once during my stay, but I would’ve loved to go back to sample more of the menu. Everything sounded right up my alley. Prasad features breakfast, soups, greens, bowls, smoothies, and wraps. You can just feel the love oozing out of this place as soon as you walk in. I had one of their delicious grains, greens, & beans bowls and it was the perfect comfort food on a rainy day.
9. White Owl Social Club (Portland)
A group of us went to the White Owl on Friday night to kick back and relax. White Owl has many vegan options on the menu (see Build Your Own S’mores below!) and they try to source as many products from local distilleries, wineries, and breweries as possible. A bit too chilly for the large outdoor patio, we cozied up in a roomy indoor booth for most of the night. Lovely atmosphere!
10. Food Fight Grocery Store (Portland)
This is an all-vegan grocery store in Portland. We laughed, we cried, and we drooled. I also stopped into Herbivore Clothing and bought myself a cute tee!
11. Allison’s Gourmet Vegan Toffee
This was my favourite treat in the VVC swag bag – and perhaps, one of the best vegan candies I’ve ever tasted. I know, I know I say that all the time, but this stuff is the real deal. It was my first time trying any of Allison’s Gourmet products and I have to say I was blown away by the quality and flavour. I can’t wait to try more. Thanks Allison!
Man, I really wish I had some of that toffee left. Unreal!
I am addicted to lip balm. HAVE to have it on :) And the Bare one looks incredible and I bet smells sooo good!
Narrow measuring spoons to fit into tight spice jars are so helpful!
And Cocomels. Coconut milk + caramel = heaven!
Oh my god, why aren’t all measuring spoons narrow enough to fit into spice jars? Seriously, I need those. I don’t know why I haven’t gotten any yet. No more trying to “lightly” pour spices into a measuring spoon over the sink and wasting a ton (and sometimes temporarily staining the white ceramic sink).
This is a wonderful list. The narrow measuring spoons are on my “must buy soon list” now. Funny story: I work at Herbivore and saw you come in on Friday, but I was too shy to say hello! Ack! So happy to know you enjoyed your time in Portland and at the conference.
Looks like you had a great time! I’m interested to know why it’s a bonus not to have corn in a tortilla chip??? Have I missed something?
Some of us can’t have corn. It makes my MS flare something awful. So tortilla chips without corn are heaven-sent for people like me! I’ll have to try them.
Thanks Aimee for explaining. Hope you manage to find some to try!
I have been looking for narrow measuring spoons, but all I’ve found have been wide ones. Now I just have to see if I can find this brand here in Europe, or I’ll just have to order them overseas.
Did you see the funky beer store/bar next to Portobello? It’s interesting. They have stuff on tap, and ton of bottle, in cases, to buy. It was a little sketchy, but I had a nice pint waiting for Portobello to open. I think that I went there 3 times in 2 weeks.
I want my kitchen to look like Prasad!! And then I need to fill it with those narrow measuring spoons – I’m going to go hunt them down and buy them for everyone I know!
Hold the phone – there is an all vegan grocery store in Portland? Those exist?? How cool! I might pick up some of that lip balm at OG – thanks for the recommendation!
Perfect timing! I’m going to Portland next month for a few days and am definitely going to try out a few of these places.
Great post, for the rest of the day I think I’ll be singing in my head “the dream of the 90’s is alive in Portland” :)
I make funnels out of paper whenever I need to get something into a jar or refill the spices. Its absolutely ridiculous and I always make a huge mess. I really need to get myself a funnel!
those narrow measuring spoons..those for sure I need. and love seeing the restaurants in Portland…planning a family vaca out there next summer so love the ideas :-)
I must get that funnel!! The ones I have are too small and I end up saying some not so nice things whilst funneling! :-D
We’re contemplating a Portland trip so I appreciate the shout outs to those places. Food Fight just got bookmarked on Yelp!
Random travel question, Did you rent a car in Portland? Was it easy to get around without a car or would you recommend having one? Thanks!
No I didn’t – we walked everywhere! :) It was fairly easy to get around although I can’t comment much on the bus system as I only used it once.
Portland looks like such a cool place. Hoping to get there this summer. Thanks for the recommendations. I am sure there are lots of cool food spots there!
Those chips sound amazing! I’m not a big chip fan as I avoid wheat and corn but I’d love to get my hand on those! Would love if we had just one vegan restaurant in Ireland!
Your post makes me long for a trip to Portland just to try out your finds!!!!
I am heading to Portland in a few weeks. Thanks for the restaurant suggestions. I can’t wait to get there. Compared to most places, Portland is vegan food heaven! ;)
sounds like you had a great time – Portland seems like a place to check out for great vegan goodies! I just moved from Toronto to NYC and am loving the vegan options! I cannot believe you can go into a bagel shop and they have hummus and earth’s balance as topping choices and they always have vegan treats at the counter!! There’s even a place near me called ‘Bad Burger’ that you should check out next time your’e here…they have vegan mac and cheese balls! Sounds kinda … weird … but I’m gonna try them soon just because I have to!
Portland is so veg-friendly, I would love to spend more time there!