Vegan Queso

SPABETTIE

Buffalo Dip Three Ways

PEAS and THANK YOU

Black Bean & Roasted Corn Nacho Bites with Avocado Crema

HEALTHY. HAPPY. LIFE.

Roasted Vegetable Chili

Goldfrapp Shoulder Bag by Matt & Nat

Co-founded by me (Tracey) and my sister/BFF, Jill, Compassion Couture is truly our dream store for vegan shoes, bags and accessories.  As two successful young women who follow the latest fashion trends, we were frustrated by the fact that it was so difficult to find accessories (particularly handbags & shoes) that were as stylish as they were ethical.  While we did find some fashion-forward vegan stores, many of their brands used cheap materials and often ignored their carbon footprint when manufacturing their items.  

In an attempt to avoid the same fate,  we selectively handpick all of the items on the site.  We carry chic vegan (pun intended) brands such as Beyond Skin, olsen Haus, Hearts of Darkness, Cri de Coeur, Novacas, Matt & Nat, Dialog, Reveal, and Lara Miller just to name a few. 

WHERE OUR STORY BEGINS

Koel Flat by Love Is Mighty

We all know that well-made cruelty-free fashion is not easy to find – at least that was my personal experience when I went vegan four years ago, in January of 2008.  With a new awareness for the awful treatment of animals in the leather/fur/silk/wool industry, I would search on the Internet for hours, only to find a few a few sites and brands here and there that I could turn to when I needed a new pair of shoes or a new handbag.

THE SPARK IGNITES

Angel Pump by olsen Haus

I’m not sure exactly when the thought actually occurred to me that I wanted to be the one to start-up the boutique I was hoping to find during my shopping endeavors, but once the idea hit, I couldn’t shake it.  Little by little I started finding labels that were worth purchasing, but I couldn’t find them all in one place.  For years my sister Jill and I had been talking about starting a business together and she agreed that this would be the perfect fit since she  followed in my vegetarian footsteps.  We were both feeling a little constrained by our careers and wanted to do something more fulfilling and inline with our personal values.

THE E-BOUTIQUE COMES TO LIFE

Taking matters into our own hands, after a ton of planning and a leap of faith, we turned our fantasy into reality and launched our e-boutique, www.compassioncoutureshop.com.  Our goal was to make the online store a one stop shop for cruelty-free shoes, handbags, and accessories that were also stylish, feminine, and high quality.

North Star Envelope Clutch by sheilaOdessey

Another must for us when choosing designers for the site was to only offer items by labels that are conscious of their impact on the world in general and incorporate sustainable practices into their manufacturing.  We believe it’s not enough to only focus on animal cruelty…We feel that it is just as important to respect and care for our Earth.

Jill and I each have a unique sense of style and we work together to make sure both our tastes are represented on the site.  You will not find anything in the boutique that one or both of us wouldn’t want to wear ourselves.  In fact, it’s really difficult not to keep one of everything for ourselves (Both of our closets are exploding with shoes and bags)!

WHAT’S IN STORE

Rhino Wedge by Mink

2012 is going to be an awesome year for both Compassion Couture and ethical fashion.  Not only are we constantly adding new brands like Love Is Mighty and sheilaOdessey, with Mink and Cornelia Guest also on the way for spring, but we have a number of events planned.  We are extremely honored to be exhibiting at the 2^nd annual NYC Vegetarian Food Festival (on March 3^rd ), which proved to be a historic event last year with people waiting in line for 3 hours just to enter (me included)!

Also look for us at some local pop up shops, trunk shows and eco festivals.  Since we are strictly online at the moment, these are great opportunities to see, feel, try on, and purchase our merchandise in person.

SALE  SALE  SALE  SALE  SALE  SALE  

Compassion Couture is happy to announce that we are currently having our first Winter Clearance Sale!!!  Our fall/winter inventory is marked down by up to 35%!  Check out our site to see what’s on sale right now.

Additionally, since we love the Chic Vegan fashionistas so much, we are giving away a $75 gift certificate that can be used to help one lucky winner stock up on sale items to help survive the rest of the winter or to replenish her wardrobe with some beauties for the warm weather once the spring/summer inventory starts to arrive.

How to Enter to Win a Compassion Couture Gift Certificate:

To enter for a chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Compassion Couture, complete any of the following tasks.  You will earn one entry for each task completed:

1. “Like” Compassion Couture on Facebook and post a comment on Compassion Couture’s Facebook wall stating that you are entering the Chic Vegan giveaway contest
2. Sign up for Compassion Couture’s newsletter
3.  Sign up for the Chic Vegan newsletter (Right top corner of the homepage)
4. “Like” Chic Vegan on Facebook
5. Tweet the following message – “Check out the awesome @CompassionCtre giveaway on @Chic_Vegan http://chicvegan.com/compassion-couture-winter-clearance-sale-plus-giveaway“

*** REQUIRED *** Leave a comment at the end of this post listing which of the tasks you completed and be sure to leave your email address so we can contact you via email if you win.

The deadline for entering the contest is February 14, 2012.  The winner will be notified by email once chosen.  Good luck to everyone!

PETA, three marine-mammal experts, and two former orca trainers filed a lawsuit in October against SeaWorld, on behalf of five orcas. They are asking that a federal court declare that the five orcas – Tilikum, Katina, Kasatka, Corky, and Ulises – are being held as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. According to PETA, the suit is based on the plain text of the 13th Amendment, which prohibits the condition of slavery without reference to “person” or any particular class of victim. PETA would like the orcas relocated to a coastal sanctuary and eventually back into the wild. SeaWorld had hoped for a dismissal, but on January 13, PETA’s legal team filed a brief opposing SeaWorld’s motion. The case will be argued on February 6, 2012.

Orcas are intelligent, social animals and spend much of their time travelling – swimming up to 100 miles a day. This, of course, is in the wild. In captivity, orcas are confined to small tanks, swimming in circles, and performing stressful tricks for SeaWorld patrons. It’s easy to see the difference between an ocean and a small tank in a theme park. There’s no comparison. I’m astounded by anyone who defends SeaWorld and other similar establishments. Imagine being confined to a closet for the rest of your life.

This is truly a significant, groundbreaking case. Not only do I hope this will result in freedom for these orcas, but I hope it will change how society views animals. I wish for the day when people stop patronizing zoos, theme parks, circuses, and other similar establishments. Animals are not here for our amusement. We should always be compassionate and respectful of all creatures.

For additional information on this case, please visit PETA.org.

Feature photo courtesy of Abi Skipp, Second photo courtesy of congvo

RAINBOW ROAST VEGGIE SALAD

Healthy.Happy.Life.

CRAN-APPLE SPICED RAW-NOLA

The Mommy Bowl

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP HUMMUS

Veggie Grettie

MINI VEGGIE TARTLETTS

Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes

~ Liz

Liz, it is not exactly accurate to say you can eat as much as you want. A vegan diet is defined as one that avoids all animal products. Yet potato chips, soda, French fries, and many candies, cookies, and cakes fall into that category. These types of items are stimulating, high in calories and fat, low or devoid of fiber, addictive, do not contain nutritional benefits, and do not contribute to satiety. Therefore, you can easily overeat these types of foods and pile on the calories. The result of this is, of course, weight gain and poor health.

However, if you consume a whole food vegan diet, you will have a different result. Because whole plant foods contain fiber, micronutrients, and water, you can fill up on a lot fewer calories and feel satisfied quickly. Foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes offer a lot more nutritional bang for their caloric buck and you will not become addicted to them. Thus, it is a win-win–win situation…you get to eat to satisfaction, eat less calories overall, and get all of your nutrients to stay lean and healthy.

Ultimately, the ideal diet is one based on these whole plant foods (see the Plant-Based Food Plate). If you are at your ideal body weight and are free from illness, you can enjoy treats in small amounts as long as the majority of your foods come directly from nature.

~ Julieanna

We at Chic Vegan are truly inspired by vegans making a difference and plan to showcase those vegans through our new interview series.

Prepare to be inspired…

CV – WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME VEGAN AND WAS IT AN OVERNIGHT SWITCH OR MORE GRADUAL SHIFT?

AR - It was a bit of both actually, if that is possible!  I had been vegetarian for about 6 months and felt guilty about eating dairy products but hadn’t quite cut them out.  Then I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  I started researching heavily in to what I could do to help my body heal and read so much about how animal protein is linked with a number of diseases, in particular with the promotion and growth of cancer in the body.  So it was very easy to go vegan then and I did it overnight.

CV- I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE BEEN A MODEL FOR 10 YEARS.  HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START?

AR - I started off by doing a department and modeling course once I finished high school.  I then joined the agency in my city, Viviens Model Management, and went from there.  I had quite bad skin at the time (I was a bit of a late bloomer!) so I remember I went back in to the agency a couple of times before they actually signed me up.

CV – ON YOUR WEBSITE YOU DISCUSS THE FACT THAT YOU ARE A CANCER SURVIVOR.  DID YOU ENCOUNTER ANY RESISTANCE FROM DOCTORS WITH REGARDS TO BEING VEGAN? 

AR - I did encounter some resistance, about many things actually!  I initially made the decision to treat the cancer 100% naturally.  So for about a year I had some success with this, but unfortunately it just wasn’t enough to get rid of it completely.  So I did end up going down the conventional path and that is when I started having to deal with dietitians and nutritionists in hospitals that didn’t really know what to do with me!  The nutritionist and the kitchen staff would work together to come up with something they could feed me and all they could come up with was white rice and a bit of lettuce.  I actually tried to eat 100% raw vegan when I started chemotherapy but I got quite sick.  The oncologist came in and thought it was quite amusing because after doing some tests, they worked out that I got a tummy bug from a strawberry that mustn’t have been washed properly.  He sat me down and explained that it was important that I cooked my foods thoroughly with my immune system being so low.  The conventional and the natural/complementary treatments are just at such opposite ends of each other!  But I am extremely grateful for both.

CV – TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT VEGAN ERA AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE IT. 

AR - Vegan Era is an online portal for vegan information that my boyfriend, David Rafter, and myself started about 4 years ago.  We wanted to create a space that was fun and represents what we believe being vegan is all about – Love, Peace and Compassion.  It’s really evolved since we started it and it’s almost like it has a life of it’s own, growing and changing and moving forward all the time.  At the moment we are offering a 21 Day Online Program (click HERE for information) which is going really well.  We’re about half way through it at the moment and we’ve had such amazing feedback.  We feel so blessed to be there and to offer any assistance or support that we can when people are starting along this beautiful journey.  So we’re looking forward to running more of them!

CV – WALK ME THROUGH A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

AR - Ok I usually wake up at about 5am and meditate for a couple of hours.  Then I take our puppy, Trudi, for a walk and come back and do some yoga.  We live a pretty simple life, ‘off the grid’ as much as possible so we have some work to do around the place each day (Click HERE to read more about Amanda’s home).  Dave or I will usually fill up the water tanks we use as ‘taps’ in the kitchen and outdoor bathroom and we put out our solar appliances to be charged up, such as the solar lights and solar phone charger.   We usually have a cup of tea and some breakfast on our balcony and then I sit down and start working by 9am.  I work on my laptop for a few hours until the battery runs out and then I plug it in to be recharged from the solar system or start the generator to charge it, depending on how much sun we’ve had as we only have 1 solar panel for our power.  I then spend a couple of hours working around the property, hand washing our clothes, doing some gardening, etc.  Then I’ll have a shower outside, make some lunch and sit back down to do some more work.  Before the sun sets, I finish up work and start preparing dinner as we don’t have enough light to be in the kitchen at night time.  We then usually sit down and watch a movie or something to wind down and do some more meditation before tossing and turning all night as Trudi takes over the bed!

CV – WHAT DO YOU TYPICALLY EAT IN THE SPAN OF A DAY AND ARE YOU A SNACKER?

AR - I drink lots of tea – green tea, herbal tea, chai tea, roibos – you name it, I drink it!  Lately I’ve been eating some sprouted bread for breakfast, the really dense kind, with avocado, tomatoes and mushrooms on top.  I don’t tend to snack too much during the day – I love cooking up big meals so I’m always too full to snack!  I love miso soup and I like making up a big one with loads of veggies, seaweed, dashi, miso paste and sometimes noodles for either lunch or dinner.  And lately for dinner I’ve been having couscous, quinoa, brown rice or fried polenta with heaps of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and lots of greens and herbs from the garden.  I have a sweet tooth and love finishing the day with some dark chocolate!

CV – WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT?

AR - Wow that’s a tough one!  I really love making up a batch of zucchini and date muffins.  You can eat them all day long and they aren’t too rich or sweet.  Besides, if they have zucchini in them they have to be healthy right?  :)

CV – WHEN PEOPLE LEARN THAT YOU ARE VEGAN, WHAT IS THE #1 QUESTION THEY ASK AND WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

AR - I think the last person to ask me a question about it said something like, “Don’t you feel weak and tired?”  I usually respond to that question with, “No I feel like I have more energy than ever!”  And sometimes I add, “Check out www.veganera.com for more info!”

CV – WHAT VEGAN PRODUCT COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?

AR - I asked my boyfriend what he thought I couldn’t live without and he said Miso Soup.  He’s probably right.

CV – IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS WHAT WILL YOUR LIFE LOOK LIKE IN 5 YEARS?

AR - I have no idea and I love that!  I’m so happy right where I am now but I believe it’s important to always go with the flow and be moving forward.  I’ve certainly learned over the last few years that, no matter how much planning we do, or how much we might want something or work towards something, life can change in an instant!  It’s much more fun just going with it and seeing where life takes you rather than resisting and trying to have control all the time.  But I’ll take a stab at it….in my wildest dreams, the whole world will be living in peace and no more humans or animals will be suffering.   To be here to witness this Heaven on Earth would be a pretty wild and beautiful dream.

Click HERE to visit Amanda’s Blog

Click HERE to visit Vegan Era

Images courtesy of Amanda Rootsey

All Unearthed paints, plasters, and wood finishes are vegan, which means they do not contain animal products and have never been tested on animals.

Avoiding chemical exposure  is an even bigger concern while pregnant.  One of the most exciting projects that a couple go through while waiting for baby is putting the nursery together and Unearthed Paints allow mama to be involved in the painting process too since all of their paints are 100% zero-VOC and safe to use while pregnant.

Plus, the colors are gorgeous!  The color line spans the full spectrum of color from cool and muted to amazingly vibrant and are made with raw ingredients such as clay, chalk, marble, and earth and mineral pigments and that are not produced with petrochemical (oil-derived) or synthetic ingredients.

While I am impressed with Unearthed Paints products, I am even more impressed by how environmentally and socially responsible the company is.

For every square foot of Unearthed Paints, Plasters or Wood finishes you purchase, Unearthed will purchase one square foot of rain forest, and donate it back to indigenous peoples that have responsibly lived on the land for thousands of years.

Unearthed Paints line includes Clay Paint, Vega Paint and Clay Roll-on Plaster, so there are plenty of applications to choose from.  They also carry wood finishes, primers, and thinners.

Now through Sunday night (1/22/12) LovingEco is hosting a 50% off Clare Bare lingerie sale!  I highly recommend taking advantage of this sale since the timing is absolutely perfect for Valentine’s Day.  Buy something beautiful for yourself or someone you love.

The icing on the cake is knowing that 3% of net proceeds support Wholesome Wave which is an organization that makes locally grown fruits and vegetables accessible to under-served communities.

Click HERE to go to the LovingEco Clare Bare sale.

All garments are made to order, so please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.

I am thrilled to be stepping-up from columnist to Chic Vegan Editor.  While I will still answer your questions from time to time in my Ask Grettie column, I will mostly be working behind the scenes to bring you the latest and greatest  on the vegan front.

We are welcoming some exciting talent into the Chic Vegan family.  I am indescribably excited to announce that monthly Julieanna Hever will be answering your nutrition related questions.  In addition to being the Nutrition Columnist for VegNews Magazine, Julieanna just launched the wildly successful book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition”, was featured on an episode of the Dr. Oz show, co-produced the documentary “To Your Health”, and counsels a variety of clients throughout the world (including elite athletes) from her Los Angeles, California-based private practice.  We are so happy to have Julieanna on board.

We are also welcoming our very own Animal Rights columnist, Helena Antonowitsch.  Helena is a PeTA insider and will be our direct line to what is happening on the animal rights front.  If you have any questions for Helena or story ideas please let me know.

I am personally very inspired by notable vegans in the world today and will be interviewing prominent vegans and sharing those interviews with you.  I have several lined-up at the moment and  would like to hear from you with regards to who you would like to see interviewed.  Who are your vegan heroes?

Lastly, I want to know what you would like to see featured on Chic Vegan.  I have an open-door policy and would love to hear from you.  Please drop me a line and send me your questions and suggestions  gretchen (at) chicvegan.com

It feels great to be back!

Gretchen

Clarifying Shampoo: I would say my favorite deep cleansing shampoo would have to be Beauty Without Cruelty’s Rosemary Mint and Tea Shampoo. If you don’t like the smell of either of those, don’t get this. I personally love how fresh rosemary smell, and adding the mint on top of that takes this to another level. It doesn’t contain and sodium lauryl sulfate, which dries out and strips the hair of its natural oils. It really deep cleans the hair. I like to use this about twice a week, as it can be a little drying if you use it everyday because its a deep cleansing shampoo. I think its the tea tree oil that really gives it that deep clean feeling.

Everyday Shampoo: I like my everyday shampoos to be gentle and moisturizing. That’s why I really love Yes to Cucumbers Color Care Shampoo. The Yes to Carrots line does contain honey, so I don’t recommend that line, but Yes to Cucumbers is really great and 100% vegan! It is also readily available at a number of stores: Target, Walgreens, CVS, etc…It has a nice, fresh cucumber scent and it really does moisturize and lather quite well. It is also a sodium lauryl sulfate free shampoo. I can’t attest to whether or not it retains color in the hair, as I haven’t dyed my hair in a couple of years.

Conditioner: My hair is very unruly, so a good conditioner is key to keeping it manageable. My absolute favorite vegan conditioner would have to be the Dessert Essence Coconut Conditioner. It smells divine, like tropical coco-nutty goodness, and it has several certified organic ingredients. No parabens, sulfates, and its loaded with moisturizing ingredients (almond, sunflower seed, jojoba, coconut, and shea butter).

Body Wash: I have two favorites for this category. My top favorite will always be Dr. Bronner’s soap (I love orange and peppermint in particular!) it really lathers up nicely with a loofah, its fair-trade and certified organic, and most of their products are vegan friendly. They can be a little pricy, especially if you are using them for a body wash since they have a thin consistency and you’ll need to use more to get enough lather for the whole shower. A nice, less pricey alternative is Dr. Woods Castile Soaps. I adore Dr. Woods Almond Castile Soap with Organic Shea Butter. I can get 32 fl. oz. for $7.36 on vitacost.com…such an incredibly deal! Its pretty moisturizing because of the shea butter and I love the almond scent.

Facial Soap: I personally only use high quality bar soaps for my face because I have acne prone, sensitive skin. My current favorite would have to the Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Bar soap. It isn’t greasy, but it moisturizes and cleanses my combination skin brilliantly. You don’t want to over-dry your skin, because your skin will produce more oil to overcompensate for what was lost, leading to more breakouts. This soap is very affordably priced and is 8 oz., which will last you quite a long time. I like to cut mine into 1/4′s to make it last longer, because this soap is very creamy and soft. It only has three ingredients as well! (Saponified olive oil, water and sodium chloride.)

Facial Exfoliator: I used to use those apricot scrubs back in high school before I learned all about what the large, jagged particle sizes can do to your pores. They basically shred and damage them, which is not something that should be involved in any beauty routine. Also, St. Ive’s is owned by Alberto Culver who is involved in 3rd party animal testing. No thanks! I personally use and love the Avalon Organics Exfoliating Enzyme Scrub. It can be a bit pricey retail, but I get mine off of vitacost.com for a great price. It has very small, natural botanical granules that do a great job at getting rid of dead skin cells. It also contains antioxidants and fruit acids which help brighten the skin. It is loaded with beautiful extracts and oils like lavender, grapeseed, rosehip, etc…

Shaving Lotion: It can be difficult to find vegan, natural shaving creams that work well. Kiss My Face Cooling Mint Moisture Shave is a shaving lotion, which can take some getting used to. You have to lather it in your hands first, then apply where you want to shave. It really does get a nice, close shave and its very moisturizing. It does contain parabens however, which is a downside, but it is currently my favorite vegan alternative in this category.

I hope this gives you all an idea of how to get clean as a vegan…we are not all dirty hippies that smell like patchouli, I can assure you (no offense to hippies, just poking fun:)