This past weekend I attended both the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival and The Seed Experience Market.  I had such a great time, met inspiring people, tried amazing vegan food, and spent way too much money!

On Saturday, my business (TLB Music) joined The Solutionary School at the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival to lead a “Compassion Rocks” music class for the children at the festival.  It was so much fun!  We sang songs about animals, love, compassion, and world peace while the kids played on drums, shakers, and bells and we even drummed together on the Djembe:

 

Some of my favorite vendors at the NYC Veg Fest:

Green Mustache: These fruit & veggie smoothies disguise 2 cups of kale & spinach in yummy flavors like Strawberry Banana, Mixed Berry, and Carrot Ginger.
V-Spot: I’m obsessed with their Colombian empanadas & homemade salsa!  This Brooklyn restaurant makes everything vegan: Philly Cheese Heros, Tempeh Tacos, Avocado BLTs, Chicken Parm Sandwiches and much more.
Heido-Ho: Shark Tank-approved out-of-this-world vegan cheese.  They just started selling on the East Coast!
Gusto-Organics: This NYC restaurant recently went all-vegan!  At the festival, everyone was raving about their mini seitan tacos with cashew cream and cilantro-avocado sauce.  We all snuck one in before TLB’s class! Flavorful, spicy, and totally satisfying.
NotMilk: Fresh nut milk made and sold in NYC.  They deliver “to your door on the day its made”!

Learn more about the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival here.

Yesterday, I headed to The Seed Experience Market, a vegan pop-up market that just happened to be immediately next door to Veg Fest! This market is a vegan’s dream.  There are cruelty-free beauty products, food vendors, yoga classes, workshops, and lots of like-minded people.  I found myself buying so much more than necessary out of the sheer excitement of all the options.  For lunch, I had the most amazing “Rasta Roots Slider” by Monks Meats.  The sandwich:  smoked jerk seitan, organic green meat radish, roasted organic red beets, pickled organic carrots & vegan mayo on an Eli’s slider ciabata.  So good!!

Some of my favorite vendors at The Seed Market:

Lagusta’s Luscious: Hands-down the BEST vegan chocolates I’ve ever tried. Their caramels, in particular, are to die for! My favs: Rosemary Sea Salt, Thyme Preserved Lemon & Maple Pecan.
Monks Meats: This company makes mouth-watering seitan that tastes incredible when grilled.  I fell in love with this “meat” at Smorgasburg and know you’ll love it too!
Cheezehound: I’ve been searching for vegan cheese that tastes like brie for years without success…until yesterday! This artisanal nut cheese is so smooth and creamy- it’s everything I missed and remembered…without the dairy.
Tamerlaine Farm: This New Jersey Animal Sanctuary raises funds by selling handmade hot sauce! I purchased “Gabby’s Smoked Red”, a delicious sweet and smokey sauce with a spicy kick.
Sweet Maresa: I’ve driven hours to New Paltz to get these macarons: just like Ladurée but even BETTER:  lavender, rose water, almond…all their flavors are divine.  These are a vegan must-try.

Learn more about The Seed Experience here.