Yesterday was the perfect weather for the Texas Veggie Fair at Reverchon Park in Dallas. The only thing not perfect was the parking. The only parking was on nearby side streets and my family and I had to park six blocks away and walk over broken sidewalks to the fair. I'm glad that Charlie decided to not come with us. With his broken foot, he could not have walked the distance. Still, even though I had to attend without Charlie, my visit to the Texas Veggie Fair was well worth the trip. It was very heartening to realize more fully just how deep and fast the river for rebuilding our food system is running. If the Texas Veggie Fair is any indication, we can safely say that the food revolution here in our area is now on the fast track.
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Random Impressions from Iflizwerequeen
Those who don't believe the food revolution has arrived must not have attended the Texas Veggie Fair yesterday. It was crowded and fun to see so many DFWites turning out for healthy lifestyles. Many of them even brought their dogs with them. I estimate there were over 100 dogs at the event.
Frankie petting one of the many dogs at the Texas Veggie Fair.
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FOOD VENDORS AT THE TEXAS VEGGIE FAIR
Food Vendors Were Prominent and Popular--bringing revolutionary ways to rethink our food system
Of all the vendors, the vegetarian and vegan vendors were the most numerous. It was heartening to see long lines of people waiting to purchase their food. All types of food vendors were represented: from culinary schools specializing in teaching preparation of vegetarian and vegan menus to food trucks that travel through DFW neighborhoods offering vegetarian and vegan food to organic urban farms.
The Good Karma Kitchen and Nammi Truck --revolutionizing the way we think of Food Trucks and Fast Food
The Good Karma Kitchen offers a gluten-free vegetarian and vegan menu. Visit their website at The Good Karma Kitchen for more detail. Also Nammi Truck and Gepetto's Pizza were featured at the Texas Veggie Fair.
Menu from the Good Karma Kitchen
The Nammi Truck -- a Vietnamese Fusion Truck serving up banh mi, vietnamese tacos, spring rolls and much more to the DFW metroplex.
Urban Acres - a busines model we will be seeing more of in the DFW area
Urban Acres is a farmstead opening in Oak Cliff in November. They have recently signed a lease on a new location that will allow them to sell prepared food and beverages and experiment with aquaponic farming. Their funding efforts have included Kickstarter. The folks at Urban Acres have created a "co-op style" produce system that combines the best of a co-op, CSA, and farmer's market. Visit their site to learn more about them. http://urbanacresmarket.com/
Rabbit Food Grocery - a new business model for grocery stores
Speaking of new business models, Rabbit Food Grocery, one of the featured vendors, is a great example. Although this grocery is local to Austin, those in the DFW can still order items online. They haven't opened a brick-and-mortar storefront, yet. But while they are working on that, those in Austin can still get great vegan items from their online store or at one of their "Pop-Up Shops" around town. If you're local to Austin,TX, simply fill your online shopping cart and choose "Local Pickup" during checkout. There will be a box for you to write in your preferred day and time from our "Pop-Up Shop & Pickup Calendar" as well.
Note from iflizwerequeen: This is a model that can work well for DFW entrepreneurs as well as for our many local community gardens who have extra produce to sell.
The Natural Epicurean - located in Austin, Texas [Let's start a local version in the DFW area!]
The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts offers a premier plant-based culinary education, one of very few in the country. They provide a comprehensive professional chef training program that focuses on the theory and practice of meal planning for plant-based diets, training chefs in the following disciplines:
- Macrobiotic
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Ayurvedic
- Raw & Living Foods
Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants were well-represented
The Veggie Garden is a vegan restaurant located at 16 West Arapaho Road • Suite #112
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 479-0888
They were at the Texas Veggie Fair. Veggie Garden helps to ensure a cruelty-free diet featuring authentic Cantonese cuisine. Their mottos is "Food is the Best Medicine" and iflizwerequeen could not agree more.
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RETHINKING OUR LIFESTYLES
Learning what it really means to "live well."
Living well is not just about eating more healthy. It encompasses much more and many of the "much more" aspects of living well were also represented at the Texas Veggie Fair. Attendees were invited by the Extraordinary Health and Wellness Center of Plano to discover the five essentials of maximized living: Maximized mind, maximized nerve supply, maximized quality nutrition, maximized oxygen and lean muscles, and minimized toxins.
Kindness to Animals Was Another Major Theme at the Texas Veggie Fair
Seventeen different animal rights and rescue groups provided exhibitions at the Texas Veggie Fair--from the Humane League to the Recycled Pomperanian Rescue.
Ariel chooses a T shirt to help spread the word about preventing animal cruelty.
Recycling organizations also provided Texas Veggie Fair goers with presentations on the importance of recycling and Brookhaven College was there to educate us about their clean economy series. Upcoming on October 25 is a lecture: Introduction to the New Water Economy. For more information, call 972-860-4848.
Below Maria Lott of Recycle Revolution gives a thumbs up for recycling. Here five-year-old company, Recycle Revolution is one of DFE's leading Zero Waste service providers who offer affordable, effective and responsible recycling and compost collection programs to businesses, apartments and condos.
Home, Health, Beauty and Clothing Products
Kobis kitchen for health, beauty and wellness.
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Final Comments on the Texas Veggie Fair from Iflizwerequeen
There were over 85 vendors and exhibitors I counted at the Texas Veggie Fair. I'm sorry there is not room here for detail about all of them. If you didn't go this year, I hope you'll make it next year when I'm sure it will be even bigger and better. In closing, I will leave you with a vegan recipe for Chewy Vegan Brownies.
This is from the Action for Animals group. If you make the brownies and like them, then send a donation to afa-online.org
CHEWY VEGAN BROWNIES
1 cup sugar 1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup water 1 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 T ground flax seed
1/2 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt
Mix sugar, water, and oil until blended. Add in the dry incredients and mix wel. Pour into an oiled 6 x 9 inch pan and bake ad 350F fr 25 to 30 minutes.
[ Note from iflizwere queen: Where is the sugar? 
]
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PS: MAYBE THE KIDS WILL SAVE THE WORLD
Being raised in a small town out in the sticks of West Texas, whenever I go to large events, I always expect to see somone I know. I'm sorry to report that I didn't see a single person I knew other than those from my family who came with me.
However, upon leaving, Ariel ran into two of her friends.
Ariel and Erin (on the right) posing with two of Ariel's friends.