Vegan Thai Food in Sarasota

Our first event at Siam Orchid was such a fantastic success we were encouraged to make it the first restaurant repeat for VegSarasota diners. It had been about 10 months, and we were astounded to gather approximately 60 people for this wonderful dinner.

On Sunday, June 10, 2007 Siam Orchid hosted all of us in style with family style service. It was universally agreed that this was a step up from the last event, which was great. They served a huge bowl of hearty brown rice to every table, vegan spring rolls, cucumber salad, large bowls of coconut curry, and more!



I was glad to be filling out the name tags, as it gave me a chance to greet all the friendly faces. I enjoyed meeting David and Senkeya (sorry if I misspelled that!) and hearing about their travels through Egypt and Turkey. Also, sitting with Zelena and hearing about her recent trip to India was extremely fascinating. She even had photos!

Also, I'd like to share a couple of comments we got on the event:

It was a fantastic event -- thank you so much for introducing me to this wonderful restaurant. --Andrea


Wonderful food, great ambiance and entertaining hostess. Would definitely attend another dinner here. We also had lovely dining companions! --Dusty


I think almost everyone would agree with Dusty - we all had lovely dining companions. And like I said last time - "As usual with these kinds of events, the most important things that happen are the inter-personal connections that get made. " So I hope that any readers of this blog who attended got the chance to make a new connection or two!



Thanks again to the owner Nissy for helping us put this together and also demonstrating the traditional Thai Candle Dance, which was truly a beautiful experience. Here's a photo of Nissy and Malai participating in one of these great performances.

Foie Gras - Deadly?

Ok, maybe the title is sensationalist, but you're reading this right? Don't deny it, you probably saw the title and thought "I knew it!" and now you want to read this to see just how your suspicions have proven true. Well allow me...

Not that I agree with the methods of testing on mice, but researchers have discovered that a little-known disease called amyloidosis can be triggered by eating Foie Gras. And as the linked MSNBC article says - "That would suggest that amyloidosis can be transmitted via food in a way akin to brain diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD, which can cause a rare version of mad cow disease in some people who eat affected meat products or brains."

To read more on what Foie Gras is, and how it is produced (see picture below), click here.



I for one don't want to risk the health of my heart, kidneys, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract, and blood system just for a glorified condiment!

Green Door Organics Vegetable Co-Op

I ran into Deborah Meyers today from Green Door Organics and I remembered I wanted to let you know about opportunity to get involved with a weekly organic fruit & vegtable co-op.





from the green door website:

Green Door Organics distributes once a week on Mondays in downtown Sarasota and also in South Sarasota near Swift and Stickney Point Rd*. Pick-up times are between 11:00am and 6:00pm for the Downtown location. 1pm - 5:30pm for the South Sarasota location.

There are two bag sizes to choose from - large bags and small bags. A large bag is $21 a week and you get approximately 1 bushel of certified organic fruit and vegetables (that is a small laundry basket worth.) The small bags are about 2/3 of a regular bag and cost $14 a week.

The order is split up approximately 1/3 leafy, 1/3 non-leafy, and 1/3 fruit with an herb thrown in from time to time, like garlic, ginger, parsley, etc. Be sure to check out our Weekly Order page each week to see what is on order for the following Monday. It is usually updated by Saturday.

Every week you will get what is in season at the best prices, so there is a lot of variety. Many people have said it is like Christmas once a week because it is always a pleasant surprise.

Our members also receive e-mails every week detailing that week's order, along with delicious and easy recipes.

We accept payment by cash, check, or credit card and members are encouraged to pay by the month to keep down administrative costs.

For more information please contact us
Email: info@organicveggies.net
(941) 378-9036

Vegan Dessert Party

When you hear the phrase Vegan dessert some people may make a face resembling one they would make if they just sucked on a lemon. However, if you break it down it's really not that strange or exotic at all. Nearly every common dessert is vegetarian (except for grandmas rhubarb and pork pie). So all we're talkin about here is taking the 1 tablespoon of egg and finding any other suitable binding agent like applesauce or a commercial egg replacer like this egg replacer by Ener-G. Soy milk or Rice milk are no brainer substitutes for the liquid and help cut way down on the fat and cholesterol content without sacrificing any of the taste.

So now you know, a vegan dessert is just flesh free - per internationally accepted 'dessert' guidelines - and egg/dairy free. Tons of awesome and decadent products are on the market like this tasty treat from Turtle Mountain



Pomegranate Chip

So with this brief background you can imagine the extent to which cruelty free eaters dig on some dessert! That's part of the motivation behind last Saturday's Vegan Dessert Party hosted by VegSarasota and our friend Michelle. It was no surprise that almost 60 people turned out to enjoy some delectable dishes such as key lime, chocolate, apple and peach pies, tiramisu, dark chocolate coconut macaroons, ginger crinkle cookies, peanut butter chocolate cakes, and even a stellar raw chocolate ice cream. Not to mention and all the dairy free ice cream and frozen treats you could imagine like ice cream sandwiches and creamy fruit bars. Here are some of the happy customers.


Rachelle, and Vincent line up!



Incoming! Vincent and Patrice



One of the party favorites for sure!


Of course what makes any event like this the most fun is not the body buzz from eating your weight in sugar and chardonnay, but the people!

So thanks again to everyone who attended and participated in some vegan baking, lovely conversation, and dancing.

Special thanks to Michelle for hosting and to Turtle Mountain for voluntarily donating several pints and boxes of their fabulous treats! What a nice surprise that was.

Now go run a couple blocks to work off the calories you just absorbed by looking at these awesome treats!