Goodbye VeganMoFo! We'll miss you... until next year!

Farewell, VeganMoFo 2010. It's been a wonderful month of amazing blog posts from a crazy large number of amazing vegan bloggers. We're proud to say that a fair number of those bloggers are our teamies! We're also proud to say that we've posted every day - though, admittedly, not usually about food. Ah, well, such is the life of a vegan - it's not just about the food!

And so we bid VeganMoFo adieu. Thanks for everything, VeganMoFo! Get back home safe! And don't forget to write!! :D

Vegan Etsy Holiday Market at the V Spot Vegan Cafe!

As promised, here are some more details on the VET holiday market in Brooklyn, which will feature a number of VET artisans! We're very excited to be hosted by V Spot, an excellent vegan restaurant in the shopping district of Park Slope. If you're in the NYC area, we hope you can stop by and join us this Friday evening for the launch party! And if not, we're sure you'll enjoy perusing the wares any time during the holiday season - and sitting down for a bite and a nice sip of something as well! One tip: the breakfast empanadas during brunch are TO DIE FOR!! :D

Vegan Baadusha Recipe

Baadusha is a deep fried South India dessert which is made on special occasions like festivals. We've been making these babies for Diwali in the recent years. One of the quickest desserts to make! The only 'work' involved is the deep frying and even that can be easy with a partner.



2 C maida/all purpose flour (I do intend to try these out with whole wheat flour at some point though)
1/2 C cold coconut oil + more for deep frying
2 C sugar
2 C water + more for the dough
A generous pinch of baking soda
Tiny pinch of salt
Chopped nuts - pista, almond, cashew

Fry the chopped nuts in a bit of coconut oil until lightly brown, strain and keep aside.

Pour this strained oil plus the remainder of the 1/2 C oil into the flour along with the salt and rub everything together until crumbs form.

Sprinkle the soda on top, add a little bit of water and knead into a soft dough.

Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare a slightly thick sugar syrup with the sugar and water by boiling them together.

While the syrup is still warm, heat the oil for deep frying.

Shape the dough into little balls, flatten them and press your thumb (or index or whichever finger you like) down in the middle to form a crater in each one.

In batches, deep fry them in the hot oil on a medium flame until golden brown and transfer them directly into the warm sugar syrup.

Let them soak for about 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer them onto a plate and place the nuts in the craters.

After they cool slightly, the sugar syrup will harden a bit and form a layer on top.

At this point the Baadushas are ready to munch on. :)

Hanukkah, here we come!

Hanukkah falls quite early this year, beginning at sundown on December 1st. Hanukkah is the celebration of light, or more specifically the triumph of light over darkness. As (a terribly simplified version of) the history goes: after reclaiming Jerusalem and the holy temple from the Greeks, a single day's portion of oil miraculously burned for the Maccabees for eight days during the temple's rededication. This is why a menorah is kept burning for eight days during the modern celebration.

Although the holiday generally falls close to Christmas, and traditions have now come to include gift-giving, it is clearly a very different celebration. Unique from most Christian celebrations, many important days in the Jewish calendar acknowledge the triumphs and tribulations endured by the Jewish people throughout their history.

Well, I'm all for lighting candles, but what I enjoy even more are potato latkes and dark chocolate gelt! Like the celebrations in cultures found throughout the world, part of the Hanukkah celebration involves eating special (and delicious) foods. Especially those that are fried! This is another way to commemorate the oil that lasted eight days. Does anyone have favorite vegan Hanukkah recipes or treats they'd like to share with us? (Also, who can tell us how to play spin the dreidel??) The comments section awaits you!

Just a few days left...

to enter our current Great Vegan Etsy Giveaway! Get those last-minute entries in folks!

Exciting Announcement: Vegan Etsy Holiday Marketat V Spot, Brooklyn!

Hello world! This morning we are excited to tell you that the Vegan Etsy Team sellers have been invited to participate in a Holiday Market at the V Spot vegan restaurant in Brooklyn, NYC! The official launch party of the Market will be held on the evening of December 3rd. More details will be released as they become available; for now, just get ready to head to Brooklyn and get your shop on!

Turn Black Friday into Green Friday with the Vegan Etsy Team!

Here in the states, this Friday after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday. Why? Maybe because businesses expect to get enough sales to put them "in the black". Or maybe because for those who work in retail, it's the most nightmarish day of the year! Any way about it, it's expected to be a day of shopping frenzy! Christmas is coming! Buy those presents!!! (And since you're out, why not slip in a few goodies for yourself?) But, where is all that money going?

Here at the VET, we think it's important to think not just about what you "support" when you're talking amongst your friends and associates, but what you literally support when you pull out those bills or lay down that card. If you'll be shopping you today, we encourage you to give as much of that support as possible to small businesses run by real people - and especially vegan ones! And to also think of all the animals who need our help - not only at this time of year, but all year round.

As you probably already know, one of the best ways to find small vegan businesses is to shop with the Vegan Etsy Team! Our team is made up of individual sellers - real live people! - all of whom are vegan, running all-vegan shops. The majority of us give a portion of our profits to animal causes, and sometimes that portion is 100%! So you can feel good about shopping with us on many levels. Not to mention that our shops represent an incredible variety of wares!

To find us, just go to Etsy.com and search our team tag, "veganetsy team". If you'd like to narrow it down, just add another parameter:

• veganetsy team cookies
• veganetsy team chocolate
• veganetsy team jewelry
• veganetsy team red
• veganetsy team scarf
• veganetsy team bath

And so on, and on, and on...Whatever it is you're searching for, we've probably got it!

And so, happy Green Friday, and happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving! (Happy Save A Turkey Day!!)

You simply must check out these two beautiful treasuries from Neva, both in the spirit of the holiday! I hope you are all having a wonderful and compassionate Thanksgiving - please fee free to share pics with us here or on Twitter! :D