Latest Event Updates
Chef Brad’s Exquisite Mac and Cheese Recipe
Hi y’all!
For everyone who enjoyed “The Westagram” taco at Sunday’s lunch buffet with that exquisite mac and cheese, Chef Brad from the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center has kindly shared his recipe for the cheese sauce with us.
*kneels down to thank the mac and cheese gods and goddesses*
Chef Brad’s Mac & Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups hemp milk
1 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sriracha (vegan-Sky Valley)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt coconut oil over medium heat, then add flour and mix to make a roux
- Allow to cook for 5 minutes, then add milk and stir well to keep mixture smooth
- Allow to cook for a few minutes, until sauce comes to a simmer
- Add nutritional yeast, dijon, sriracha, and spices
- Add additional milk if the sauce is too thick for your taste
- Adjust flavor with more salt or pepper if you desire
- Boil vegan pasta and mix with cheese sauce
Vida Vegan Con’s Opening Day Vegan Bazaar is tomorrow!
Welcome to Vida Vegan Con III weekend, everyone!!!!!
It’s time for bed (or staying up all evening printing and pouring over logistics, you know how we do), so here are two quick notes:
1) If you’ve registered for our sold out conference, you rule! Do make sure you stop by our opening day Vegan Bazaar tomorrow at The Marchesa Hall & Theatre, and definitely make sure to arrive for YOUR exclusive Miyoko’s Kitchen Mixer from noon-1pm (the earlier the better!) This new Bazaar is where all of our vendors will be, for one day only!
2) You can see the full Bazaar schedule over here on Sched, where our entire weekend program is live. It’s also where you should totally activate your profile and explore what’s in store!
Oh, yeah..of course…COME HUNGRY! There will be loads of samples from 60+ vendors, tons of cultured vegan cheese goodness and 4 food trucks ready for ya!
Enjoy! And feel free to share with the official hashtags: #vidavegancon #vidaveganatx and #veganbazaar!
P.S. You’ll get your SWAG Bags of Wonder on Saturday morning at conference registration. Woohoo!
P.P.S. Advance ticket sales are now complete, but you can buy a ticket at the door for $15 cash or card when the doors open to the public around 1pm!
Interview with VVC Moderator Colleen Holland, VegNews
Good evening, Austin!
One of the biggest supporters of our first-ever vegan conference that could (way back in 2011) was Colleen Holland of VegNews Magazine, who’s joining us this weekend as both a vendor (see her tomorrow at our opening day Vegan Bazaar!) and as moderator of our “Let’s Talk Marketing” panel on Saturday morning. Without further adieu— because we sure need some sleep before the weekend truly hits— we present the following Q & A to catch up with all things Colleen:
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Thanks, Colleen! See the very latest of what she’s up to over at Healthy Vegan & stop by the VegNews table tomorrow!
Thursday = Launch of Red Hot Scavenger Hunt @ VVC Meet & Greet!
The time has come! Y’all ready to get your vegan scavenger hunt on!?!?
Our dear pals the Red Hot Vegans are hosting a totally vegan and totally awesome sounding scavenger hunt during Vida Vegan Con weekend, and it starts 3pm during today’s Meet & Greet! And if you’re not in town yet, don’t worry, you don’t have to start today because there will be ways to make up the points and folks can join in at any time.
Prizes for the RHV VVC Weekend Scavenger Hunt include:
- Pair of custom vegan cowboy boots from Kick Butt Boots (over $400 value)
- Grand Prize: $200 gift card to Rabbit Food Grocery
- Second Place: $100 gift card to Lagusta’s Luscious
- Third Place: 3 Month subscription to Vegan Cuts Beauty or Snack Box (winner’s choice, $60 value)
& more!
Image source: dfwstyledaily.com
See more details and sign up over on Red Hot Vegans.
Remember, today’s Meet & Greet is rain or shine and you can sit either outside (where we’ll def. be if it’s dry!) or inside Buzzmill Coffee! The all-vegan (and rather reclusive, so yay for this special early opening and menu!) Golden Spike will have the following offerings, just for us:
FYI, the tacos are gluten-free, as is the chickin’ salad on its own!
RSVP on Facebook here. Family & friends are certainly welcome, but this is for full weekend conference attendees to connect. Warning: There is a wee bit of taxidermy, so focus on the all-vegan food truck aspect and remember, this is Texas.
See you all SO DANG SOON!
CRAZY LAST MINUTE VIDA VEGAN CON 2015 TICKET GIVEAWAY!
Goodness, gracious! Deanna J can’t make the conference this weekend, and has generously passed on her ticket for this last-minute giveaway!
THEREFORE….You can totally win a hot ticket to the sold out, final Vida Vegan Con!!!
This ticket is valid for registration to Vida Vegan Con III in Austin, TX.
This 3-day event is being held May 29-31, 2015. Friday’s opening day Vegan Bazaar is at The Marchesa Hall & Theatre and Saturday and Sunday’s full conference sessions are being held at AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center. In addition to this three-day, full weekend access, we feed ya! The lucky winner gets to enjoy 4 surely epic vegan meal buffets, a SWAG Bag of Wonder, and exclusive to Miyoko’s Kitchen Mixer, which noon-1pm before the Bazaar. This does not include transportation and lodging.
See the full agenda here at vidavegancon.sched.org
Here’s how to win:
Tell us a fun vegan story in the comments, or hey, tell us a vegan joke!
You have until 10pm tonight, May 27, 2015 CDT to enter. We’ll pick a winner and announce it in the morning! Do make sure to include your contact email in the comment info field.
Vegan Austin Specials for Vida Vegan Con III Weekend!
Holy moly, Vida Vegan Con III week has arrived!
We are all so ecstatic to see our attendees and speakers sharing strategic packing tips (HUGE hint: make room for the SWAG Bag of Wonder!), and photos from their roadtrips and early arrivals here into Austin. Welcome to town!! Yes, there was some funky, frightening weather on Monday but it’s been bright and super sunny since theny — and both of our event locations are INDOOR venues (click for more venue details).
Operation: SWAG! SWAG! SWAG! SWAG!
Janessa, Michele and myself adore the Austin community and its thriving vegan eats, community and culture: so much so that we’ve invited all of you here for our third Vida Vegan Con. We’ve been welcomed with open arms and breakfast tacos, and are stoked to share our adopted city with all of you. So, we know you’ll be super busy with the actual conference happenings and attending our opening day Vegan Bazaar (where the vendors will be!!), classes and epic meal buffets, but in your free time, we encourage you to explore the city! From vegan food trucks to art galleries, check out what’s unfolding all around you in Texas!
And in that free time and those conference after-hours, we recommend the following vegan-loving businesses that are offering Vida Vegan Con weekend specials! 💚 All you have to do is tell them you’re a Vida Vegan Con attendee! 💚
First up, GO TO RABBIT FOOD GROCERY! This is truly #1 on your vegan Austin pilgrimage. And do us a favor, thank them again for holding all of your precious SWAG.
Image credit: Lazy Smurf
New! The Vegan Yacht food trailer on the grounds of the fabulous Spider House (where T.O.F.U.’s Friday night afterparty event takes place) is offering a complimentary coconut juice with any order of food for VVC attendees.
Image source: tumblr
Now that you’ve stocked up on goodies for your stay and some treats to bring back home, there’s the all-vegan food trailer parked on the grounds of Buzzmill Coffee (home of our rain-or-shine Meet & Greet on Thursday afternoon, aka tomorrow!!), Golden Spike Rail Truck, who will be offering a special menu for VVC throughout the weekend with a bunch of their hit items:
In case you’re wondering, the cactus tacos are gluten-free, and you can add stand-alone eggrolls as a side to any dish!
Tattoo time! Ashley Thomas of Atomic Tattoo is continuing her recent vegan ink special on Friday, May 29 and 30th with . Email her ASAP at tattoosbyashley@gmail.com to schedule an appointment. She’s offering $60 for black & white and $100 for color of the following, but talk to her about your tattoo dreams!
Waffles! Yeah, when isn’t it the time for waffles? Unity Vegan Kitchen in South Austin is bringing back their hit Chickun & Waffles with Pepper County Gravy all through Thursday-Monday. Go get some!
Image credit: Vegan.in.Brighton
Next up, head to Counter Culture on E Cesar Chavez (perhaps, well, definitely, before Capital City Bakery’s Saturday night anniversary bash?) They’ve made sure to feature two of their most asked-about specials on their weekend menu, the Brie, Fig and Apple Pizza and The Soul Food Burrito!
Often in the mood for falafel? I get it. I crave this place and the fact that it has an Austin location perks my garbanzo interest: Maoz Falafel! Mention you’re a Vida Vegan Con attendee at their N Lamar spot and get 5% off your purchase!
Okay, you’ve had your savoury, so it’s time for sweets at another vegan Austin must: Tell ’em you’re a VVC attendee at Sweet Ritual Ice Cream and get a FREE TOPPING, BABY!
See Julia’s cone? It needs help. It needs sprinkles.
And then seriously, if you’re going to Sweet Ritual, you may as well rewind time/go earlier in the day, and get start your day right with a taco and coffee (or 2…of both) at The Vegan Nom. Trust us on this. These fine folks are offering a complimentary order of chips & queso with any two regular or signature tacos. Plus, you can catch chef/owner Chris Rios at Friday’s “How We Made Austin Awesome” panel at the Vegan Bazaar, and Sunday’s panel on “The New Vegan Economy“. Our full weekend spots are indeed sold out, but tickets for Friday are still available this way with discount code “WEHEARTAUSTIN“!
Remember, 💚 All you have to do is tell them you’re a Vida Vegan Con attendee! 💚
Vida Vegan HQ 