Greetings, Queer Vegan Food readers! It’s been a little while since I’ve published a blog, and I couldn’t be more excited to share today’s update with you. In this post, I’ll share a bit about the places, foods and adventures I’ve enjoyed recently, including some cool vegan products I’ve fallen in love with, activities I’m up to, and some pics from a recent trip to Iceland.

Traveling To Iceland

Perhaps the coolest thing I’ve been up to since my last post was taking a trip in late October to Iceland. I loved the trip; the scenery was gorgeous and I got in plenty of nature and hiking, and, as a vegan, was definitely able to make it work during the week I was there. I flew in to Reykjavik (there’s miraculously direct flights to the capital city of Iceland from Denver, CO–we live in Boulder, CO, so this was a breeze) and if you at least stop there before visiting other, more remote parts of the country, I’d recommend stocking up on harder to find vegan items. Here are a few pics from the trip:

Hot springs area in Hveragerði, Iceland

A hot river in Hveragerði, Iceland. We went swimming in it!

Gullfoss, Iceland

Jökulsárlón, Iceland, about 4 1/2 hours drive from Reykjavík

Blue Lagoon in Iceland

A view of downtown Reykjavík, Iceland

The vegan special from Gló Restaurant in Reykjavík. A nut pate wrap, broccoli, cole slaw, hummus and cauliflower. The best meal we had in Iceland, hands down.

A health food store in downtown Reykjavík stocked hella Tofurky.

Courtney Pool in front of the gay bar, Kiki’s, which is located blocks from several veg-friendly restaurants in Reykjavík.

A beautiful, simple meal: (lentil soup, salad, and homemade bread and hummus). From Cafe Garðurinn in Reykjavík.

A typical spread of food we’d pack with us for day trips to places outside of Reykjavík. Most of these items were purchased at the health food store chain, Heilsuhúsið, and the greens and carrots were from a local big chain grocery.

The plant milk spread at an organic grocery chain in Iceland.

Trying Great New (Or New To Me!) Vegan Products

I’ve been cooking with the Massel vegan bouillon a lot.

Massel’s Vegan Boullion collection is my new favorite go-to option for steaming vegetables and making warming soups to get through the cold Boulder winter. I made a vegan chicken noodle with quinoa pasta, and love to steam broccoli with the vegetable cubes.

I’ve been loving the Rubbermaid Shaker Bottle for bringing smoothies with me to the office. It’s BPA Free, and contains this adorable little mixer device that ensures your smoothie doesn’t get stuck to the bottom of your bottle. Brilliant.

I wrote about the launch of Chao Vegan Slices from Field Roast on Vegansaurus, and now that my local Whole Foods in Boulder has Chao in stock, finally got to try them for the first time. The original is amazing on salads and stand-alone with crackers and baby carrots. Really cheese-like in texture and taste; I’m a fan!

Buying A Rice Cooker

I’ve never owned a rice cooker before, and kept hearing about how awesome they were, so, after a lot of research, decided to invest in a high-end rice cooker. I went with the Zojirushi NS-VGC05 Micom 3-Cup (Uncooked) Electric Rice Cooker and Warmer, and have only used it a couple times, but I already really like it! It’s very convenient not to have to attend to a pot while the rice cooks, and the rice tastes great. I also appreciate the minimal cleanup needed after you’ve made a batch. I’ve made short grain brown rice and wild rice in it so far, and look forward to trying out other kinds.

Organizing Intersectional Events

My day job is doing marketing for software companies, and earlier this year, I created a group in Boulder to help promote LGBTQ diversity in tech (and diversity in tech in general).  We’ve been putting on a lot of amazing events and I’ve been so inspired by the support of so many great LGBTQ people and allies in the community. If you’re interested, you can check out what we’re doing on meetup.

Registering To Attend Vida Vegan Con

I’m super stoked to be participating in Vida Vegan Con for the first time! I felt a rush of excitement while registering for the 2015 conference in Austin, TX. I’ll be staying at the official conference center, and hope to learn a lot from the talented presenters as well as shmooze with new and longtime vegan friends. Are you going?

Thanks for reading! xo