Tenderly’s Midwest recs + so much more…
Hi friends!
It’s Summer Anne, Editor-in-Chief of Tenderly. I’ve missed you. Things have been busy at Tenderly HQ, and we’ve published a bunch of incredible stories in the last couple weeks that I can’t wait to share with you.
Before I jump into some of my favorite recent stories, some recommendations for Midwesterners and travelers! Earlier this month, my husband and I drove from our home in Austin to Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin with our 12-year-old bear/dog, Jessie. We had so many great meals along the way, and I wanted to recommend a few of them to you.
- The Loaded Bowl in Oklahoma City was exactly what we were hoping for after a long initial drive from Austin. Their cashew-based Mac was simply divine (my mouth is watering just thinking about it TBH)
- The best breakfast of our trip was the weekend brunch biscuits and gravy with tofu scramble and veggie sausage at Elemental Coffee, also in Oklahoma City. It was peppery, buttery, rich, and delectable. It was also incredibly filling, but I still wished I had a second one within 30 minutes.
- Did you know Kansas City has a Cafe Gratitude?!? I didn’t either. This outpost of the famously, delightfully bougie-hippie LA restaurant (the last time I ate there in LA, Joaquin Phoenix was also there) was just as good as the California version. I felt ~AWAKENED!~
- Minneapolis has numerous great vegan options, but we didn’t have as enough time there to sample nearly any of them. What we did have time for was a swing by The Herbivorous Butcher in both directions, to pick up ribs, queso, and veggie bacon that kept us full in our lakeside cabin (and made for a great potluck contribution for a dinner party the night we returned). I cooked up their korean ribs along with some Rancho Gordo beans and Duluth, Wisconsin Farmer’s Market green beans and boy were they good.
- While in Wisconsin, we found a cool local plant-based meats company called Superior Small Batch at the local co-op grocery, and enjoyed their veggie sausage, especially with breakfast, all week long. If you’re near that area, I highly recommend seeking them out. It is delicious stuff made in the basement of a local church. :)
If you ever find yourself heading up or down I-35, I hope you find yourself some delicious plant food. Tell me about the places I missed! In conclusion, here’s a picture of Jessie enjoying the Wisconsin leafage.
Tenderly publishes new stories every single day — here are some of the highlights since the last time we checked in.
I’m a Vegan Dominatrix is a fascinating, smart, personal look at the life of a sex worker who is committed to animal rights and a vegan lifestyle. She shares her reasons for feeling that the kink community and veganism have some things in common, and also shares anecdotes of clients going vegan in tribute to her. We can’t help but worship, Mistress!
We profiled the Palestinian non-profit organization helping stray dogs and cats in the besieged Gaza Strip. Bring tissues.
We also profiled a microgreens farmer and vegan chef Elisha Madzivadondo, whose restaurant Sunshine Food Co. in Cape Town is spreading the word about the depth, healthfulness, and beauty of hand-crafted vegan cuisine. Madzivadondo is fascinating and has a ton of interesting things to say, but if nothing else, do check out the photos for the most beautiful veggie burger I’ve ever seen.
We have a new comic from Jef Harmatz with his surefire techniques for making super-crispy tofu in your home kitchen.
Tenderly’s recipe queen Laura Vincent has three delicious homemade alternatives to honey that are sweet, sticky, and each scratch different parts of the honey itch. Laura also created a delicious chocolate-dipped pumpkin spice lemon pistachio cookie in loving tribute to the great vegan singer-songwriter and actress Kate Nash.
Our latest Sanctuary Stories column has the tale of Kareem, a chimpanzee who spent his entire life, nearly 30 years, being experimented on before finally making it to a sanctuary.
Alicia Kennedy shared her recent discovery that chayote squash makes an amazing vegan fish substitute in a crisp ceviche and more!
The new Vegans of Color interview is with Dora Stone, a recipe developer who creates vegan versions of classic Mexican favorites, and who is highlighting the diversity of Mexican cuisine with a new cookbook. She also shares her recipe for vegan jackfruit pozole!!
“When you write your grocery list you write ‘vegan cheese’ and ‘vegan butter’ instead of just ‘cheese’ or ‘butter’ because you wouldn’t want anyone to see it and misunderstand your intentions.” …if this sounds relatable, you might be a vegan mom.
Jodie Layne wrote a story on the adorable packaging design of one of our favorite vegan + cruelty-free personal care brands, Meow Meow Tweet. Click if you want to see snakes playing basketball.
We have Marla’s hacks for vegan grocery shopping on a budget — and relatedly we also round up the very best vegan products at Trader Joe’s, from Everything But The Bagel seasoning to cauliflower gnocchi. Take me shopping!!
Beth Carpenter shared her story of growing up vegan as a Seventh-Day Adventist, her mom’s rebellion against the dominant food culture of her time, and her own rebellion of sorts with copious cheese in her young adult years.
I wrote a story about Ad Astra, a movie I really loved about dads in space but also, for me, about human hubris and animal testing. Read it — if you’re not afraid of spoilers, or if you’ve already seen the movie.
Planning a trip? Or do you just like to “travel” via staring at mouthwatering photos on your phone screen (me too)? Try our new PERFECT WEEK/END Vegan Guides to Denmark, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Wellington, New Zealand!
In conclusion, here’s 17 senior dogs posing for a family photo…
Found out the secret ^: How to Get 17 Senior Dogs to Pose for a Family Photo
Love y’all TENDERLY,
-Summer Anne
