Happy (Vegan) Valentine’s Day!

• By Jerilyn
• 10 February, 2013
• 4 Comments

As my one year anniversary of being vegan gets closer, I’m slowly running out of “firsts”. You know… first vegan Thanksgiving… first vegan Christmas… etc, etc. This week I will be celebrating my first vegan Valentine’s Day. I know some of you may be single or groan at the thought of celebrating this holiday, but for those that do want to spend it with that special someone or even just need a good excuse to make fun desserts, this post is for you! Here’s everything you need to celebrate your vegan Valentine’s :)

WHAT TO EAT

It’s always nice and romantic to go out for dinner. Check out Happy Cow for a list of veg friendly restaurants near you. If you’re really lucky, your closest vegan restaurant will have a special Valentine’s menu. In the Toronto area, I know Kindfood, Naked Sprout, and Live Food Bar are all making a 3 course Valentine’s meal (look at each restaurant’s Facebook page for the menu).

If there is not a vegan restaurant near you, there are definitely some sexy food options you can make for a romantic at-home dinner. Anything that adds a lovely pop of red or pink to your meal will suit the mood. A good starter is a baby spinach salad with strawberries or raspberries and balsamic vinaigrette. A sun-dried tomato and pesto linguine or hearty ravioli with a side of roasted red potatoes would be a yummy main course. For more food ideas, check out Finding Vegan (my go-to source for vegan recipes).

You may want to accompany dinner with some champagne or wine. Look up your favourite on Barnivore to make sure it is vegan-friendly. For non-alcoholic Valentine’s drinks, Healthy Happy Life has five holiday inspired smoothies.

Last but not least, you have to have dessert, right? These desserts look delicious and are all Valentine’s appropriate. Click on each picture for a link to the original source. Nom, nom, nom…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT TO GIFT

If you’re getting a gift for your special plus one, you want to make sure it is vegan friendly. Fortunately, there are a lot of great gift ideas for you to choose from. PETA  has a few Valentine’s e-cards here. Etsy is also full of cute vegan Valentine’s cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegan bath and body product gift sets are always a good idea for Valentine’s. For her:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For him:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For either gender, a gift certificate to White Rabbit Beauty would be valued. Vegan-inspired jewelry can be found at Compassion Couture, Alternative Outfitters, Karmavore, or Etsy.

Of course, the ultimate vegan gift that you can give, whether you’re in a relationship or not, would be to donate to a animal shelter or sanctuary near you. My two favourites (in Ontario) are Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary and Snooters Farm Animal Sanctuary. An internet search will find the closest sanctuary to you. Most shelters and sanctuaries have an online donation system.

However you choose to spend Valentine’s Day this year, keep it kind and vegan. What better way to show heart, than to keep cruelty away from those that have one? :)

How are you celebrating V-Day this year?

I will be at Kindfood, taking advantage of their delicious sounding menu :) Nom, nom…