Omaha Vegan Drinks!

Posted on December 3, 2012 by John McDevitt

Earlier this year I attended the March edition of ATX Vegan Drinks. It was a blast! They served Vegan White Russians (with a cherry no less) and a few food trucks were stationed outside so you could stuff your face with whatever you were craving. It was a great time and everyone was having fun and being social. In the back of my mind, I’ve always wanted to have an Omaha Vegan Drinks, ever since the original Vegan Drinks in NYC has been so influential.

Well, this Halloween I was invited to go to Goth dancing at House of Loom and after having a couple drinks there, I knew it was the right spot for Omaha Vegan Drinks. Great drinks, wonderful decor, mellow lighting and a commitment to local organizations. Everything fell into place!

Awesome artwork by Amanda Chronister! http://www.amandachronister.com/

We set the first Vegan Drinks for November 29th, 2012. I expected a decent turnout but it exceeded my expectations. About 40 people showed up! Sure, we had our regular Meetupers, but we also attracted the veg curious and fans of House of Loom. Block 16 took 24 pre-orders on their amazing BBQ Seitan and Smoked Tofu Sandwiches and were kind enough to drop them off for us.

Great mood and atmosphere

House of Loom already had some Vegan mixed drinks, but they created a couple more just for us. My beloved Vegan White Russian is now a “Coconut Almond Caucasian” and our Straight Edge friends have the amazing “Ginger Beet” to swig down.

Pick Your Elixer

Coconut Almond Caucasian and Ginger Beet Virgin

Another thing that excited me was the amazing staff who did some research on Vegan alcoholic drinks and seem excited about learning new things. The owners, Brent Crampton and Ethan Bondelid, were very enthusiastic about the prospect of hosting Omaha Vegan Drinks.  So much so that they’ve reserved the last Thursday of every month for Omaha Vegan Drinks!

The first of many Coconut Almond Caucasians!

And if the faboulous staff, owners, location, food and patrons weren’t enough, regular Vegan Omahans Julianna Klepfer, Kelly Klepfer and Lindsey Cayer made the most amazing Vegan “cheeze.” Their recipes were from the cookbook Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner. The cheeses were all so unique and delicious!

Thank you ladies!

So thank you to everyone who organized and attended, I can’t wait for the next Omaha Vegan Drinks. Hope to see you there!  Follow us at Omaha Vegan Drinks Facebook and Twitter.

 

         
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Crystal Jade Halloween Vegan Buffet!

Posted on October 28, 2012 by John McDevitt

It’s been waaay too long since the last Crystal Jade Buffet. This time, we had all of the classic dishes plus new ones: Stir Fried Water Spinach, Stir Fried Bean Sprouts & Chinese Chives, Chinese Eggplant Curry, Pumpkin Cake, Lucky 7, Peanut Butter Tofu, Mongolian Mock Duck, Isa Noodle, Egg Roll, Spring Rolls and Chap Chae. If you missed out this time, we hope to have another Vegan buffet in December. Hope to see you then!

I see Spring Rolls in there!

I love me some PB Tofu.

Pumpkin Hearts <3

An Isa with her noodle.

Halloween revelers. Spooky!

 

         
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Caffeine Dreams Vegan Social III

Posted on October 2, 2012 by John McDevitt

Back for the third time, Vegan Omaha once again invaded Caffeine Dreams! Many of our favorites were there, like La Charlotte Cupcakes, Culprit Bakery Kolaches and Caffeine Dreams Coffee. We had a great crowd, so thank you to everyone that made it out! And special thanks to Becky and crew, Luke from Culprit and everyone from La Charlotte for making lots of Vegans very happy. And now for the new stuff!!!


Without a doubt, the most anticipated item of the night was Culprit Bakery’s Seitan Wings. It was a one night deal, so I hope you got to try them. Luke from Culprit is into cooking up new stuff, and said he wants your ideas. Think about what you’re craving, let us know, and maybe it will show up at the next Caffeine Dreams Meetup!


La Charlotte’s newest Vegan entry was this delicious, cinnamony Apple Strudel. I love to see something like strudel, which you never see Vegan, like ever. Thanks for always pushing the envelope, La Charlotte!


And last but not least is the super popular Cinnamon Rolls from Culprit Bakery. They’ve been flying off the shelves for the past month, but this was the first Meetup where they have been available  Luke said they stock them fresh every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you didn’t get one at the Meetup ( I know they sold out quick!) make sure you try one soon.

Thanks again to everyone involved with the Meetup and the participants. Can’t wait to do it again soon!

         
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Extreme Pizza Party: Part II

Posted on August 20, 2012 by John McDevitt

It’s the return of the best Vegan Pizza Party in Omaha (and possibly the world?) Last February, Extreme Pizza scored a home run with an all-out pizza explosion. So many varieties of pizza along with great salad and dessert. I thought to myself, how will they be able to top it? Well they did it! Besides amazing new pizza, Extreme has introduced Vegan sandwiches. It was a great time and I was excited to see so many happy pizza goers.

On the pizza tip, we have some newbies. The upper left pizza is the Cheeseburger pizza. Probably my favorite, it even has pickles! Lower right was also a popular one, The Wingin’ It. Tons of variety, you couldn’t ask for anything more.

One of the most exciting things about the Meetup was the addition of Vegan sandwiches. Above we have The Brown Bag Special and below, The Stir-Fry Pita. MMMM!


Get ’em while they’re hot!

Choices galore.

Dessert is served.

Pizza feast.

Thank you to the amazing Extreme Pizza Omaha team! From the left, Nick, Lisa, Me, Nick (another one) and Ashley (The Cheeseburger Pizza was her idea!) I also want to add that the day of the Meetup was my birthday and Extreme Pizza went out of their way to make me feel like a millions bucks, thank you so much. This Meetup was a success and I can’t wait for Part III. Until next time, check out Extreme Pizza for all of their amazing Vegan options (and don’t forget they deliver!)

         
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Block 16 Sandwich Party!

Posted on July 2, 2012 by John McDevitt

If you haven’t been to Block 16 yet, you are missing some of the best sandwiches in Omaha. On any given day you’ll find three or more Vegan sandwiches as well as fries and onion rings. And for the Meetup, they hooked us up with even more! Sides of veggies in little cast iron pots, and salad, all from local farms.

Here Meetuppers are chowing down on some sandwiches in crusty baguettes straight from France! Well, almost. The baker is French. That counts? We’ve got a spicy Bahn Mi with seitan, pickles and fresh herbs. And below is the Meatball Sub made with their savory lentil meatballs. Not shown (because it got snatched up so quickly) was a big meaty sandwich of house smoked tofu and BBQ seitan.

Above we’ve got roasted root vegetables, perfectly cooked, tender inside with a crisp, salty exterior. Below is the salad that a few diners proclaimed “the best salad in Omaha!” And we won’t argue. Pickled veggies and radishes and the showstopper…cashew feta on top. Creamy cashews with lemon juice and herbs. It was actually one of the first bites and really set the mood for the amazingness that lay ahead. And there’s Jess and Paul, tired but happy, after a busy busy day serving the vegans of Omaha. Thanks you, guys!

And finally, as if we weren’t stuffed enough, a Blueberry Cheesecake straight from Vegan Omaha Headquarters.

Thanks for showing up, everyone! Hope you had as much fun as we did.

 

         
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