While it doesn’t compare to the abundance of vegetarian options in Los Angeles, New York or San Francisco, San Diego is becoming an easier place to find veggie food.

Compassion Over Killing and Animal Protection and Rescue League have teamed up and impress with their new brochure, “The Vegetarian Guide to San Diego.”

The Guide points out some new spots for finding grub that even longtime San Diegans may not be aware of. Alchemy Restaurant and Bar, for example, has a vegetarian tasting menu every Wednesday — a $25 farmer’s market three course dinner. Also try some vegan cream cheese at Big City Bagels, or chocolate cheesecake vegan cupcakes at Cups. Tao Restaurant has delicious Japanese and Vietnamese offerings, including homemade tofu.

COK and APRL are also putting together San Diego Veg Week, taking place Oct. 2-9. Last year over 500 people took a pledge to be vegetarian for one week, and this year the goal is to have 1,000 committed folks. Some local restaurants will offer deals that week, and several events are planned, from a veg shopping tour at Trader Joe’s to a cooking demo by Veg-Appeal. The week culminates in the Compassion Bash which features Dr. Neal Barnard of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

In other news, San Diego boasts several veg-friendly meetups, and new ones pop up often, like the Healthy Dinner Club which plans weekly visits to organic, vegan and vegetarian restaurants.

If you know of any other herbivorous happenings in San Diego, please leave a comment. I am always keeping an eye open!

Photo Credit – Keetsa.

Thankful for Tofurky

This year with vegetarian and vegan cuisine in the limelight, even a holiday strongly tied to a traditional turkey meal is being looked at through new lenses by Martha Stewart and NBC. With vegan recipes now widely accessible on the Internet and vegetarian cookbooks sprouting up all over, Thanksgiving has surprisingly turned into a rather enjoyable holiday for veggie people.

In San Diego we are very fortunate to have a wonderful vegan Thanksgiving event put on each year by Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL). Yesterday the Fifth Annual Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Potluck was bursting at the seams with over 200 enthusiastic people bearing delicious vegan dishes.

For dinner we feasted on not only the stuffing, salads, stir-fries, and such brought by attendees but also gobbled up vegan dishes donated by Tofurky (a great turkey alternative),  Pokez, Rebecca’s Coffee House,  zpizza, and other local businesses.

The minute the event volunteers brought out the dessert, a long line of excited people formed.  Thanksgiving favorites like apple, pecan and pumpkin pies were joined by many treats including muffins, Uncle Eddie’s Cookies, baklava, and raw, vegan ice cream donated by Tomberlies.

While eating, the crowd heard updates from Bryan Pease, who announced APRL’s plans to work more closely with Compassion Over Killing. Pease said this year people are more receptive to vegan ways, caring about cruelty to animals raised in factory farms, and that politicians are seeing issues they can no longer ignore.

The event also had entertainment, with Bob Green playing piano and Harmony Cohen-Wolff performing sacred belly fusion and firedance to songs that pay homage to animals.

My only complaint about the evening was that it went by much too fast!

Let Them Eat Veggies

New veggie-friendly places are always being discovered in San Diego! Here are some updates since my VegDining.com articles posted under 2007.

Rancho’s Store in North Park closed (though their restaurant next door is still hopping, as is the one in Ocean Beach). Earth Food hot dog stand which was run by our awesome local Animal Protection and Rescue League is no longer open, but APRL is still going strong. Kung Food is now called Nature’s Express. All the Cilantro Live locations shut their doors, also. A wonderful way to stay current on San Diego vegetarian restaurants, shopping and more is vegsandiego.com.

Try the latest Ethiopian restaurant: Muzita Abyssinian Bistro at 4651 Park Blvd., in a charming old house setting. They serve up delicious salata (salad), shiro (seasoned chickpeas) and greens, all scooped up with injera, their special bread. You can also find worthwhile veg choices at the more casual Red Sea, 4717 University Ave., or Harar Ethiopian Restaurant at 2432 El Cajon Blvd.

Loving Hut is a new Asian vegan restaurant at 1905 El Cajon Blvd., with a bright atmosphere, motivational quotes on the walls, and a large and satisfying menu.

Another fun place for vegheads to visit is the All Vegan store in University Heights, with wonderful chocolates, candles, T-shirts, shoes and more. They keep a great list of San Diego veggie dining options online. 

Stephanie’s Organic Bakery and People’s Organic Foods Market both on Voltaire St. in Ocean Beach have served vegan pizza for a long time, and now many other places are joining the ranks. Pizza Fusion on Fifth Ave. in Hillcrest delivers their chow with hybrid vehicles and has many vegan options along with a super eco-friendly business model. Vegans can also find fare at Pizzeria Luigi in Golden Hill, and Blind Lady Ale House and Zia Gourmet Pizza in Normal Heights. Nature’s Express on Fifth Ave. has added the beloved Daiya vegan cheese to their pizza.

Fairouz Cafe on Midway Dr. has a buffet full of tasty veggie options (all labeled) and awesome art and jewelry for sale. Another great buffet spot nearby with many choices for vegetarians is Café India on Sports Arena Blvd. And Meechai Thai Cuisine — on West Point Loma Blvd. in that same part of town — makes delicious specialties for those who request their meals sans fish sauce.

Peace Pies, the company that sells much-loved raw desserts and meals at the local farmer’s markets, opened up a storefront with a few seats for dining in at 4230 Voltaire St. They are open 9 am – 5 pm Tues.- Sat. I had some amazing raw canoli made with dehydrated bananas, blueberries and more! The kale salad is so healthy and colorful. They sell eco and raw-friendly cleaning and food products too. Support your local businesses!

Roots said adios to its location in Ocean Beach but is now selling their fresh wraps, salads and desserts – with a focus on local and organic – at the Little Italy farmer’s market on Saturdays. What stands out at the North Park farmer’s market on Thursdays is the friendly vibe that smaller markets tend to have, including a kind man from Kenya at the Umoja booth serving up overflowing bowls of millet, collards and black-eyed peas, all vegan. He encourages customers to share a nearby table with other market-goers; you never know who you might meet. At Hillcrest and other farmer’s markets and at a new store in Fallbrook you’ll discover Guanni Chocolates, specializing in truffles, bars and other variations of our favorite sweet stuff. Some is raw, some is vegan, and what stands out are the added Peruvian spices and dried fruits.

Speaking of farmer’s markets, the Mission Valley Certified Farmers Market will have a grand opening on September 18 at 3 pm. We are lucky to have more than 40 markets we are so lucky to have in our area!

Foodies and fans of gardening would like San Diego Food Not Lawns, which meets for potlucks and other events supporting eating local, organic and healthy foods. Also a must are the vegetarian, vegan, raw food and numerous other meetups which gather regularly for meals and fun times. An active group is: http://www.meetup.com/SD-Vegetarians-Unite/