Expo West 2019 As some of you may know, I’ve spent the past 15-ish years working in the natural products industry. Every March, the industry’s largest US trade show, Natural Products Expo West (Expo West for short) takes place over the course of 3-4 days in Anaheim, CA. For retail buyers and other attendees, this is a one-stop-shop for seeing everything new in the natural products industry – from supplements to bath and body products to natural foods and way more. Thousands of brands exhibit, and most folks who attend need at least two days, if not three, to see everything they want to see. Fo ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: This post contains a few affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I will earn a laughably small amount of money. I originally titled this post “Gym Bag Essentials” but quickly changed it because there are hundreds of blog posts and articles online that will tell you useful things to have in your gym bag, things like makeup wipes, deodorant, etc. But there’s only one blog post that will tell you five things that are in my, Natalie Slater’s gym bag. And that’s the kind of information that keeps you all coming back here time after time for nearly 18 ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: Content warning: Anti-Asian racism, racist imagery Sometime in 2022 I started following a Slovenian-based vegan meat company called Juicy Marbles. Their hyper-realistic soy steaks caught my eye on Instagram, and I even went so far as to turn on post notifications because they were always selling out online before I could even click through to their website to order. I believe they have some retail placement in the United States now, but it seems like it’s still easier to get your hands on their products in the UK and EU. In early June 2022 my phone dinged with a n ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: Over the summer my dear friends Dustin Harder and David Rossetti spent a whole week in Chicago working and exploring the city. While they were in town, we got up bright and early to record an episode of Dustin’s vegan cookbook exploration podcast Keep On Cookin‘. I’ve been a guest twice already, once to discuss my book Bake and Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans, and then a second time to discuss Isa Chandra Moskowitz’ Vegan Brunch. So for my third appearance, we flipped the script and I interviewed Dustin about one of his books, Epic Vegan: Wild and Over the Top Vegan ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: I never get PR packages. Except for the last few weeks when I got so many. So I figured I’d put together a semi-random round up of all the things I’ve tried from those packages (all vegan, of course) and pretend that I have done my job as a content creator, creating some content while the world burns around me. LOL what? Nothing. I’m fine. Everything is fine. I received all of the following items for free from the brands noted, and some of these reviews may include affiliate links. The reviews, however, are 100% my honest opinions. 1. Naked Nutrition Pumpkin Spice Prot ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: As of post time, we are less than 48 hours away from the first day of October, aka Halloween Month. That means we’re celebrating all things pumpkin spice and ignoring all the haters who have made it their life’s mission to suck the fun out of everything. While most of the country lines up for their first Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season, we vegans must look elsewhere to get our fix. Lucky for us, there is no shortage of that magical squash n’ spice mix in all forms imaginable. So here are five-ish forms of pumpkin spice that I am currently unapologetically c ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: A few years back I made a 7-layer taco dip-inspired version of Lasagna Dip meant to be served cold, but given the record low temperatures in Chicago the last few days I figured a hot version would be a welcome addition. This one’s made with Upton’s Naturals seitan (if you get the Italian Seitan you can skip the added garlic and Italian seasoning), Kite Hill Almond Milk Ricotta Alternative, Violife Mozzarella Shreds and Follow Your Heart Parmesan – it’s a real who’s who of vegan products! I also made air fryer pasta chips (sub vegan parm in this recipe) but this would a ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: The Inspiration In November 2009, our friend Mat Arluck passed away after a long battle with cancer. At a memorial concert held by his friends and family a few months later, I learned that an organization called Grind for Life had helped fund his move from Chicago back to his parents’ home in Seattle where he spent his last days. Grind for Life provides financial assistance to cancer patients and their families when traveling long distances to doctors and hospitals. From that year on, I’ve dedicated my birthday to Mat’s memory, and the memory of all of the loved ones ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: Communal chip n’ dip bowls? In this economy? No thank you! Eliminate any and all risk of the double dip with this recipe for Vegan Spinach Dip Cups. I use store-bought puff pastry (often accidentally vegan – just check the label), Kite Hill Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Alternative, Violife Vegan Parmesan, and frozen spinach so the whole thing comes together really quickly. Feel free to add in your family’s favorite spinach dip faves – my husband has requested water chestnuts in the next batch! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Natalie | Vegan Blogger (@ba ..read more

From BakeandDestroy.net: By now if you haven’t seen the ever-viral BOSH! plant-based cooking videos I don’t even know what to tell you. Congratulations on living under a rock? The U.K. duo known for their simple approach to fun vegan cookery is back with BOSH! on a Budget, their new cookbook containing 100 recipes focused on batch cooking and other money-saving methods using affordable ingredients. The book launches on June 7th, but I got my hands on a review copy and there are so many great ideas for quick and easy weeknight meals, I can’t wait to start using it. But of course I skipped to de ..read more