An Earth Day reminder

It's Earth Day today!  Many people are not aware of the strong connection between their diets and the environment.  We want to take this opportunity to draw that connection for you. Reputable environmental organizations such as the Audubon Society, the Sierra Club and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are focusing on this issue.  Please read some examples cited from John Robbins' book "The Food Revolution" and check out our links.

TEMPT Hemp ice cream

Wonderful friend and fabulous food formulator Robert Davis is the person behind the creation of Living Harvest's TEMPT, a delicious, dairy free frozen dessert, made from hemp milk.  It contains no dairy, no gluten and no soy.  And it's all flavor.

TEMPT flavors include Vanilla Bean, Coconut Lime, Mint Chip, Chocolate Fudge and Coffee Biscotti.  Watch for these, starting this month, at Whole Foods and other retail outlets!

Check out the recent review by Phil Lempert, the Supermarket Guru, who gave it a very favorable rating.  (The review starts at minute 2:50 and is only 30 seconds long.)

If you do an internet search on this product, you'll find favorable review after favorable review. Very, very tempting, indeed!

Diablo Magazine article

The annual May issue of Diablo Magazine focuses on “Women to Watch” in the San Francisco East Bay. The theme for 2009 is” Entrepreneurs with Heart.” I'm proud to have been chosen as one of four women profiled for this issue. The article is now available to read on the website...and the print publication will be available throughout the East Bay soon.

”Published since 1979, Diablo has been recognized for its editorial and design with numerous awards, including the 2006 Maggie Awards for Best Overall Publication and Best Regional & State Magazine in the consumer category.”

I hasten to mention that my photograph in this article was taken at Bobby G’s Pizzeria in Berkeley. There’s a reason for that. I consulted with Bobby on his soy cheese pizzas and on other options now available on his menu. You have to check this place out. Bobby goes out of his way to cater to vegetarians and vegans and soon, he’ll be opening it for brunch, with options including a tofu scramble. Bobby G's has big screen TVs playing all kinds of sports, wonderful wine or beer on tap, and live blues, jazz and American roots music in the evenings.  Bobby G's is also a very green establishment.  Soy Happy is proud to highlight this restaurant so close to Earth Day and I invite everyone to check it out the next time they are looking for fun eats in the East Bay!  

Health & Happiness,

Johanna

Opening week

It's been a frenzied week for baseball stadiums throughout the country, as they opened their doors to fans for the 2009 season.  Concession managers and ballpark directors worked long hours preparing their venues for the packed crowds.  Nowhere has it been more frenzied than in New York, where both the Mets and the Yankees are introducing fans to their brand new stadiums.   The Yankees will host their home opener today, against the Cleveland Indians, and the media blitz will in all likelihood supersede the coverage that the Mets' CitiField already received during the past week.

The buzz on the concession fare at both stadiums is that it is plentiful, with "something for everyone."  Even gourmet items are making a debut.   We hope to see veggie dogs on those menus and are looking forward to talking to the concession managers once the opening frenzy has calmed a bit.

As a reminder to concession managers, many baseball fans like the simplicity of  a hot dog, a beer and the game.   With the increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease, many fans would prefer a meat free alternative.  Not to mention, those fans who culturally prefer vegetarian fare.  Therefore, we remind concessionaires that they can start at the simplest level when adding vegetarian options.  Veggie dogs make sense.   Plus, some are also certified kosher and non-GMO, depending on the brand.    Mark the menu with those insignias and you satisfy even more health conscious fans. 

Some stadiums only offer veggie burgers and will not consider the veggie dog option.   Often it's because of a hot dog contract already in place, which prevents "competing" hot dogs from being sold.  (Yes, it's pretty silly to put veggie dogs in that category, but some parks do.)  Hey, veggie burgers are great too.  We're thrilled with that option, too.  Our main focus is just encouraging vegetarian options that make sense for everyone involved.  Then, everyone will be soy happy. 

We'll update our reference guide as we get any updates on existing ballpark menus.  Let us know if you come upon anything different from what we have listed, too.  Sometimes, it's the fans that let us know first.   :)

Detroit & Phillies fans: great news!

Major League Baseball stadiums are opening up for the 2009 season and we’ve got some veggie concession confirmations coming your way.

First up! The Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park will start offering veggie dogs in 2009! This, in addition to their vegetarian (vegan) burgers and a variety of other vegetarian fare.

Also, the fabulous vegetarian fare offered by the Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park last season will also continue to be served. This means you can continue to nosh on veggie dogs, veggie cheesesteaks, veggie burgers and much more! Check out last year’s opening day ABC-TV news report on their vegetarian fare.) In addition, they will be offering a black bean burger, mac and cheese, and a veggie quesadilla this year!

We’ll post MLB vegetarian concession changes or updates to our blog and Venue Reference Guide, as we get them.  

(We will also note whether the new veggie dogs and burgers are vegan when we get confirmations from the ballparks.)