July 18, 2023 • 34 mins
In this episode, we are joined by the first vegan Miss Universe, Andrea Meza! Plus we dish on the hottest headlines, cool down with the best vegan ice creams, answer listener Q&As, and hear all of the exciting things happening at the VegNews HQ.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Straw Hut Media, food news, celebrities, and more from the
world's number one plant based food and lifestyle magazine.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It's the veg News Podcast and here's your host, Jasmine Singer.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hello to everyone out there in podcast land. I'm so
happy to have you back for another edition of the
veg News Podcast, brought to you by my favorite morning
coffee free beverage Mudwater.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Have you tried it yet?
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
And I'm your host, Jasmine Singer, and this week we
will be joined by the first ever vegan to snatch
the Miss Universe crown, Andrea Mesa. We'll also catch up
with celebrity chef Eddie Garza, answer the veg News hotline,
and hear an update from veg News publisher Colleen Holland.
But before we get to all that, it's time for
(00:57):
the veg News Headlines of the week. Each week we'll
be sharing our favorite stories.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
These are the.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Ones we can't stop talking about here at veg News
Headline number one. Last year, vegan actress and influencer Tabitha
Brown you might remember her from the first episode of
the vege News Podcast, announced four limited time collections with Target,
everyone's favorite one stop shop from swimwear, to home decor
(01:26):
to vegan food. Each collection swiftly sold out, partly because
I was buying it. Luckily, Tab's vegan food line is
set to make a comeback for twenty twenty four, alongside
other favorites from her collection, So mark your calendars and
in the meantime, don't miss that exclusive interview with a
very luminous Tabitha on episode one of the veg News
(01:47):
podcast Headline number two. LA's beloved Crossroads Kitchen has long
been regarded as the city's premiere destination for vegan fine dining.
Last year, the cult favorite restaurant opened a second location
inside Resorts World Las Vegas, officially becoming the strip's first
plant based fine dining institution. And this month, Crossroads is
(02:10):
celebrated another first in all you can eat vegan Sunday
brunch buffet with options varying.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
From sweet to savory.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Time to book that Vegas trip and bet on Crossroads
our third story today. Beans have long been a dietary
staple in various cultures, but now these unassuming lagomes are
being hailed as the magical food that could contribute to
a longer and healthier life. Experts have found that diets
rich in beans and other legumes are a common thread
(02:41):
among communities of the Blue Zones, regions around the world
where people live remarkably long lives. Beans provide better blood
sugar control, help lower cholesterol levels, and improve the balance
of gut bacteria, and a lot of it has to
do with their fiber content.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Bring on the bean.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
That's not a sentence I say often. Our fourth headline today.
If you're averse to cooking, you'll want to turn up
the volume for this. You can now have nutritious, chef
crafted vegan meals for six dollars or less per serving.
Celebrity chef Matthew Kenny recently launched Earth Company with the
mission of empowering individuals to make conscious and sustainable food
(03:24):
choices without having.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
To break the bank.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Currently on offer are chili bolligneries and curry sauces, each
of which can be prepared in three minutes.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
Talk about dinner in a.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Flash, and that is my kind of cooking Our fifth
headline today. Students at the University of Kent recently voted
to transition toward vegan dining halls in twenty twenty seven
to reduce their impact on the environment. More than four
hundred and fifty students voted on the initiative, marking the
highest voter turnout in Kent Union history. Now the emotion
(03:58):
will be discussed by the U University's Board of Trustees.
Kent students join their peers at Cambridge University College London,
Birmingham and more in voting for plant based menus gen
Z keep it Trucking. And those are our top stories
for this week. All of our headlines of the week
will be linked in the show notes at VegNews dot
(04:20):
com slash podcast. Now for today's interview. Andrea Mesa is
a model, a software engineer, clothing designer, beauty pageant title holder,
and an activist for both women and animal rights. She
(04:42):
was the first vegan contestant to win the title of
Miss Universe in twenty twenty Wow right, and she uses
her platform to advocate plant based eating and challenge gender
based violence.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
We will hear more from Andrea in just a moment.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
We are all very big fans of yours at veg News,
and I've been totally thrilled about this interview coming, so
thank you again so much for making time for it.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
And big congrats.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
I guess it's a little late, but hopefully people will
be congratulating you for the rest of your life. On
the title, it couldn't possibly go to a better, kinder,
lovelier person. And I'm thrilled too that you are vegan amazing.
So veganism is such a big part of what you
stand for. Let's go back in time a little bit.
When did your vegan journey begin?
Speaker 5 (05:37):
I don't know. I gues my life and took me
to this point where I couldn't just stand eating more animals,
and I didn't know anything about veganism. I had one
of my closest friends she's vegan, so I was learning
a little bit from her. But you know, I feel
like when you're not ready to make the change in
your life, you just refuse to accept the reality. And
(06:01):
it was just natural. I couldn't eat more animals. I
was preparing chicken and I couldn't eat it anymore. And
I met a coach at the gym that he was vegetarian,
so I said, please teach me recipes, tell me how
you eat, because I can't do it anymore. And that's
how it started. I was vegetarian for like two months
(06:24):
and then after watching documentaries and reading a little bit
about it, I was like, Okay, I'm ready to make
the change. And the day after I saw the thing,
it was game changer. After I saw that documentary, next
day I was vegan.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Wow, that's amazing, And I know that feeling well, of
like suddenly you're looking at your plate and you're like,
wait a second, I can't eat this, and everything.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Shifts for you.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And now that you've been Miss Universe and the first
vegan Miss Universe.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
How cool is that?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
By the way, we all basically fainted, like all the
vegans who have been doing this for so long. We
were like, wait, a second, Miss Universe is a vegan? Okay,
I love it. How do you plan on using your
platform that you will continue to have as a result
of this title to advocate for animals or to spread
the word about veganism.
Speaker 6 (07:20):
Well, I come.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
From a country that has been violent against women, especially
in my state. I'm from the state of Hihuahua, and
I don't know if you have heard of the city
to that flat is, but it's very known. Sadly, it's
very known for the violence that women suffer here. And
(07:42):
I grew up with that. I grew up listening to
these stories, knowing that women were disappearing. I grew up
living with the fear of going outside by myself, something
that I could never do, but it became normal. And
when I grew up, I started analyzing. And my cis
became a feminist before I did, and she motivated me,
(08:04):
and she was like, hey, you have to realize and
analyze all that you're doing. This culture that we're liveing
in not because it's our normal, it means that it's right.
And that's how it started. And I decided that I
had this platform. I was already into pageants, and I thought,
there's people listening to me, and I can use this
(08:24):
platform to talk about important topics issues that are happening
here in my country, not only in Mexico, but all
around the world. And that's what I've been doing. And
I love to, as I told you, to make people
uncomfortable and start these conversations where I know it's hard
to realize that we've been doing something wrong, but it's
(08:46):
never too late to make it change.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
You are definitely out there speaking about things that a
lot of people don't speak about publicly.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
How do you deal with the backlash.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
I'm not gonna lie to you. Sometimes it's hard because
the world is not going to be on your side
all the time. There's always people that are going to
be against you, people that are not going to like you.
But how I deal with it is I have these
strong beliefs and I know this is the right thing
to do, So I remind myself that I'm doing the
(09:18):
right thing and that at least I'm changing someone's mind
in a room. If I'm having this conversation, maybe the
have are not going to be with me. But then
if someone just started analyzing themselves and their actions and
they say, you're right, maybe I can do things different,
then that's what makes me feel better.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Well, related to that, I have heard you talk about
how we as a society need to move away from
rigid beauty standards, and that's not something we often hear
from beauty pageant winners, let alone Miss Universe herself. So
why do you believe it's important for society to move
away from these rigid beauty standards.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Because they're harmful. They are telling society and little girls
that they have to be a certain way to be
beautiful or to be worthy. And when I was younger.
I would look at these top models and obviously I
admire them and all this past former mids Universe, and yes,
(10:22):
they inspire me. But at the same time, when I
started this, I had a lot of struggle accepting who
I was, accepting myself just the way I was. I
wanted to fit in a certain size. I wanted to
have the hair just like the people on TV or
in the magazines have, and I didn't accept that I
was different and I was myself and I was right.
(10:44):
And it was sad because no matter what I did,
it was never enough. And it's very sad to live
a life feeling that you are not enough. And now
that I'm here, I realized that I'm not a size
too or zero. I'm not blonde, I'm not whatever kind
of image that we saw on TV, and I still
(11:05):
want that's because I trust it in myself, and that's
because I finally came to realize that I am worth
it no matter how I look. And for some people,
I'm beautiful, for some I'm not. Believe me, I receive
a lot of bad comments on social media saying that
I'm the most ugly Miss Universe of the history, that
I'm blah blah blah, but I don't care because I
(11:27):
love who I am right now and it took me
a while to realize it. At the beginning, I was
struggling and I was comparing myself to everyone. So now
that I'm here, I want to let the specifically the
girls know that they don't They shouldn't listen to the
comments outside. They shouldn't pay attention of how girls look
on social media. Just feel comfortable with who you are,
(11:50):
how you look with yourself, and that's going to take
you further than when you're comparing yourself to others.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
What would you say is a true measure beauty?
Speaker 5 (12:01):
First, I have to say that beauty is different for everyone. There.
I can't come with a single concept of beauty because
what's beauty for me is not beauty for you. A
way of measuring it, maybe it is of how happy
you are, how happy you are with who you are.
And if in the morning you wake up and you
(12:24):
look into the mirror and you start criticizing yourself and
you start rejecting yourself, just make a stop and be
friends of imperfections that you have. Be friends with that,
because some of it are going to be there forever.
(12:45):
I would say that when you look into the mirror
and you finally accept what you're looking at and you
feel happy, that's when you realize that you have accepted
your beauty because it's different from the rest of anyone
else's beauty.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
How did you get to this place where you were
so accepting of yourself given the fact that you were
struggling so much when you were younger. What advice might
you have for someone else who might be struggling with
that same thing.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Well, I don't know if the way I realized it
is a perfect way or the right way to do it.
But for me, I would say that I was tired
of it. I was tired of feeling that I was
not enough, and I just started I just started telling
(13:33):
people that I don't care. I don't care if you
want me to look like here. I don't care if
you want me to be like someone else, because I
can't and that's not making me happy. And I had
to fight with the people that were some of them
part of my team back in I don't know, twenty
sixteen seventeen when they were trying to change me. So
(13:58):
my advice for the girls that are struggling with that
would be the same again, don't listen to the people
that want to change it just because of how you look.
If you want to change something about yourself, feel free
to do it. It's like when people ask me about surgeries.
I'm not against them, but I'm not against them. When
(14:21):
you want to have it because you know it's going
to make an impact on yourself, don't do it because
someone else wants you to look different. Don't have a
surgery because you saw it on TV that girls look
better with.
Speaker 7 (14:34):
Big boots, right, Because it's something that maybe you can
change at the gym and it's going to impact on
the way you feel about yourself.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
But don't do things for others. That would be my advice.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
That is a very good advice. I wish I knew
that when I was younger.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
But let's go back in time again and talk about
Andrea as a little girl.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
So what was your childhood like? Did you always want
to be a beauty queen?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
No.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
I was a dreamer and I dreamt about being a doctor.
I wanted to be a pediatrician. I wanted to be
an architect. I wanted to be a singer. I was
a huge fan of Belinda. She's a singer from my country.
But then when I started growing up, I realized that
I was very good at math, so that's why I
(15:28):
started dreaming about being an engineer. And I come from
a family of engineers, so that made a lot of sense.
But I never dreamt about being a beauty queen. I
loved beauty queens like at school, you know, like when
it's like the Festival of Spring, they have the princess
and the and the King, and I would see them
(15:49):
on stage and I would I would be like, Wow,
they're so gorgeous, and I wanted to be there. But
at the same time, I was afraid I would hate
stages and cameras and microro bones, so I always stayed
away from that. But I would say that in twenty ten,
when Kim Manavarete won Miss Universe, that was the first
(16:09):
time that you being a beauty pet beauty queen crossed
my mind. But again I didn't feel like it was
enough for that, So I think I started dreaming about
it when I was a little older, around twenty one
twenty two, when I realized that I was capable of
achieving whatever I wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
The self confidence just clicked at that point. That is wonderful.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
So sticking with your childhood for a bit, what kinds
of foods did you eat growing up?
Speaker 5 (16:38):
It's funny because at the beginning, now that I think
about it, I was very picky with my food. And
actually my family had a farm. And the funny thing
is that when I was younger, if I knew that
the chicken, the eggs, or the meat that I was
eating came from that farm. If I knew that that's
how I met the met it before or the chickens,
(17:02):
I would not eat that food. I refused to eat
it because it made me sad because I knew where
it was coming from. And the funny part is that
when I grew up, I started ignoring that part. I
stopped thinking about the animals. So that's why I was
telling you, like, I feel like my life took me
(17:22):
to eventually be vegan because at the beginning I was
like that. But I would eat any like all kinds
of food. Tacos, you know Mexicans, so I used to
love tacos. I make vegan tacos now, sevice, which is
very popular in my country. Now I do it a
(17:43):
vegan recipe too. I what else I used to love, well,
all the Mexican dishes, you know, pasole, talmalis, those were
all my favorites. But also my mom would always prepare
like beagy, like a lot of beggies. I grew up
eating beggies. So for me, it was not a difficult
(18:06):
thing to make the transition.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
I feel like I saw you posters of each a
recipes your fans. It's just like ringing a bell for me.
How are your fans reacting when you talk about your
veganism or when you share a recipe.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
They love it, but a lot of people are like
they have questions about the nutrition, is part of the
food and the flavor. Those are like the most popular
concerns that I receive on comments. I received some comments like, oh,
(18:42):
I tried it and it's delicious, And I think they
they started accepting it and like trying it, and I'm
glad about it because that's the purpose of using my
platform to inspire people to try different things. So every
time I'm with friends, I try to take them to
bigger restaurants. I try to prefer something big and they're like,
oh my god, this is actually delicious and I'm like, yes,
(19:05):
that's what I've been trying to tell you.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Well, you're in New York City, a place where I
lived for almost twenty years. My heart and soul is
still there. Are there any go to vegan restaurants that
you've been enjoying?
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Yes, I have to recommend Plant that Queen. I was
there just yesterday. It's a delicious restaurant. PS Kitchen I
also one of my favorites.
Speaker 7 (19:33):
There's this place.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
It's called Ja Ja Ja, which is like a last
but it's Spanish and it's a vegan Mexican restaurant and
it's very very tasty.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Oh. I love that place. I love the ambiance too.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
You can't worry too much about life when you're in
a place like that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
So, speaking of worrying about life, we looked back in time,
let's look forward in time maybe years. What kinds of
chefs do you hope to see in terms of creating
a kinder world.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Well, I hope that governments and health institutions start to
acknowledgeing more the fact that we don't need animal products
that much, because they have it as essential products and
they're forgetting a little bit about the plant based products.
So I've been I've been seeing more like more presence of,
(20:32):
for example, the plant based milks on stores, which makes
me really happy. And I hope that in the future.
I know that it's hard, but it's achievable because we're
experiencing it right now. So maybe when you go to
the supermarket and see half of the refrigerators with bigger
products and half of non bigger products, and I know
(20:55):
it's is asking for too much, but I wish that
in the future we can have a lot of these
famous supermarkets. But all began, I want that world.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
I don't think that's asking too much.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
You know, I would be completely thrilled to live in
that world.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Okay, well, I'm just about done.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
I will just ask for a couple of recommendations before
we end, if that's okay. You mentioned some restaurants in
New York, which I have to echo what you said.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
I love all of those too.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
But what about beauty or skin care products or brands
that you love.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
Oh yeah, one of the brands that I love and
I discovered is jeffree Star. I love their products. I
know they're currently free and they're vegan, so that would
be my recommendation. The colors that they have on their
palettes are amazing, the pigmentation, the quality, everything is amazing.
(21:54):
On other product that I love and that it's cruelty
free too, is Anastasia. Those are my favorite products for eyebrows.
So those would be my two recommendations.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Of the days you have excellent eyebrows, I have to say,
so I will take your recommendation, Andrea. My final question
for you is what is your favorite part about being vegan?
Speaker 5 (22:17):
My favorite part of it being began. Then I know
that I'm contributing to save our world. I know it's
a difficult task and we should all be doing something
about it. And I believe that being began is the
best way to contribute to stop the climate change. That's
(22:38):
the best part of being a began.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Oh that was so so much fun. Andrea, thank you
so much, and thank you to your team. I think
our listeners are going to be all about it because
you really are so inspiring.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
So thank you. Thank you again, Andrea.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It's getting hot out there and today veg News is
Food editor Eddie Garza is joining me to talk about
one of my very favorite subjects, Vegan ice Cream. Welcome
back to the veg News podcast, Eddie.
Speaker 8 (23:13):
Thank you so much. Jazmine, It's always so great to
be here with you.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
So we actually go way back.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
We both overlapped living in New York City at the
same time, and I remember when we both lived in
New York City, we were regulars at Lula's Suite Apothecary.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
So I know that, like me, you.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Are also a huge ice cream aficionado.
Speaker 8 (23:34):
Oh my god, I am. I absolutely love ice cream
and I loved Lula's.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
You know.
Speaker 8 (23:40):
I used to walk down there from my office in
the Upper East Side all the way down to the
East Village where Lulas was. It was about a five
mile walk and I would do it to quote earn
my daily cake batter soft serve, which I miss so much.
It's so sad that Lula's is no longer there. I
love that place and I have so many great memories.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, it was kind of iconic, but I think at
the time it was sort of revolutionary. And now there
are more and more vegan ice cream places popping up.
There are more and more vegan ice cream selections at
the grocery store, and even your average non vegan ice
cream shop has more and more plant based options, So
I love that.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
So what is your go to ice cream now that
now that we're not in New York City anymore? In
Lula's is no more? I know you're in LA.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Is there a particular spot in La or any particular
styles that you gravitate to in the grocery store?
Speaker 4 (24:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (24:32):
Well, I am lucky enough to live in a spot
that has vegan ice cream everywhere. So there's Wonderleuss Creamery
on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, and just a few blocks
down the Venice Beach boardwalk, I've got a Ben and
Jerry's both have plant based options. But I'm also lucky
that I live by a small bodega that actually has
a ton of vegan ice cream options. So I love
(24:55):
ice cream and I'm so glad I still have it
in my life.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Oh me too.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Are you a coconut oat or soy kind of guy?
And I'm sorry if this is prying, and if this
is a very personal question. I do feel like for
like doing an online dating thing or something, But.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
What do you gravitate to it?
Speaker 8 (25:14):
Oh gosh, this is a toss up. I love coconut
based ice creams because they have that creamy mouthfeel. But
if you're not into coconut, you're definitely going to taste
coconut in the coconut ice cream, so that might be
a turnoff. But if you do like it, you're going
to be rewarded with that creamy, silky mouthfeel that lingers
on and on and on. Oh my god, I'm salivating actually,
(25:36):
But there are also so many wonderful creamy, oat and
soy based ice creams on the market. It's really all
about the flavor and mouthfeel for me.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
What about you, Jasmine, Well, I have to agree that
if you're not super into coconut, it can be a
little jarring because I think coconut is fine. I don't
like I'm not starting an anti coconut you know, Facebook
group or anything like that, but I do taste it.
Everything that's tastes like coconut to me. Everything that has
coconut in it tastes like coconut to me. I have
(26:04):
to say, I know this is old school, but I
am still into soy. I love soy. I drink soy
milk in my coffee, I like soy ice cream.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
I am a soy fan.
Speaker 8 (26:15):
Yeah me, too. I do like the soy. I do
like the oat, but like I said, for me, I'm
a coconut guy, but I'm down with the soy.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
To each their own. So what's your favorite flavor?
Speaker 8 (26:27):
Gosh, Well, I always go for flavors to take me
back to my childhood. I was born and raised in
a town called Brownsville, Texas. It's on the border between
Mexico and the US, and it's really cool because there
we had all the American flavors and all the Mexican flavors.
So every weekend when we would go to Mexico, I
would go to the Nebdias, which is like the Mexican
(26:47):
ice cream parlors, and they had really specific flavors that
were different from the American flavors. One of the ones
that I really loved was the cookies and cream, and
also the strawberries and cream.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
I grew up also, I think we're the same age.
Grew up in the eighties and New Jersey, very different
than Texas. But I grew up with like the carvel,
you know. I think a lot of people had this
sort of all American experience growing up Suburbia, USA, and
so whatever was it like the dairy Queen or the
Carvel I liked, So anything that's like in a cone
(27:18):
or you know, just super classic, super iconic. I'm there anyway,
this is very good. The problem with talking to you
is I always get so hungry. So I do have
to go because I'm craving a Sunday. But before before
you go, I'm just gonna throw a random question at you.
If I came to your house right now, which I mean,
am I invited, let's just because I don't want to
be trespassing.
Speaker 8 (27:38):
Always invited, you always invited.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
So if I open your refrigerator, what are some things
I would see in it?
Speaker 8 (27:44):
Or right now, you're going to find mangoes because right
now they are in season, and I'm a mango fanatic.
For about fifteen years now, I've eaten mango every single day,
So you're always going to find mangos here in my house.
And the cool thing about mangos is there's always a
mango that is in season. I don't know if you
knew that, but there's always one. Whether it's the Kent,
(28:05):
the Kite, any of those mangos, you're going to find
one that's in season. Right now. We've just got a
variety of those, So you're going to find that You're
going to find probably Tofu scramble that I pre cook
every single week. So come over for dinner.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
I am so there.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Toba scramble is one of my favorite foods and I
like to have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.
Speaker 8 (28:25):
So do you too, Yeah, my goodness, I live for breakfast.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
I totally I love it.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
Eddie. Thank you so much for this incredibly delicious segment,
and I look forward to chatting with you.
Speaker 8 (28:38):
Next time you too, Jasmine, talk to you soon.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
The veg News podcast hotline is open for business. Give
us a call at eight eight eight nine to one
Vegan with any questions you might have. This question is
from Luri in Portland.
Speaker 6 (29:02):
Hello, Jazz Moon, I just got a new grill and
I'm anxious to create some awesome vegan kobobs. I'm in
all this and eager to get going. Help.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Well, Laurie, First, let me just say yay for you.
Summer is the perfect time to get a new grill
up and running. And I hope you've had a chance
already to listen to the previous episodes, but if not,
don't miss episode one. Where Eddie and I chat about
some summer grilling and vegan barbecue options. Give that a
listen right after this, as we have so many amazing tips.
(29:36):
As far as kabobs go, they are shockingly easy, so
they are personally one of my favorite items to create
because I get along well with shockingly easy. As long
as you have some high quality skewers and fresh veggies,
you can be ready to go. Mix and match pretty
much any of your favorite veggies, and be sure to
include some purple onion slices and some bell pepper pieces
(29:59):
so that you get some stronger flavors added in. It's
also prettier that way. I like pretty food. Something interesting
you can also try is adding in some ingredients that
you might not automatically think of, such as fruit.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
Yep, fruit.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
If you've never tried grilled peaches or pineapple or watermelon,
you're really missing out. You can even grill up a
fruit for dessert, like just a fruit. Love that invite
me over, I will be right there. You can also
add in some vegan proteins like marinated tofu or tempe
or satan. Those work really well on a kebab. Slice
up a vegan sausage and include a few pieces on
(30:35):
each skewer. Don't forget that you can adjust the flavors
easily by using a variety of herbs and spices in
your marinades, or create like infused oils for brushing while grilling. Really,
the sky is the limit when it comes to mixing
and matching at kebab, So make sure to go to
VegNews dot com slash recipes and check out all of
our amazing grilling and kebab recipes. We'll make sure to
(30:57):
link to them in the show notes for you as well.
And the last tip, please soak your wooden skewers in
water for at least thirty minutes so that you don't
have to watch your lovely plant based creations go up
in flames. Happy grilling, and don't forget to call in
and ask your vegan questions at eight eight eight nine
one Vegan.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
That's eight eight eight nine one veg an. We cannot
wait to hear from you.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
Let's check in with veg News publisher Colleen Holland to
hear the latest on all of the exciting things happening
at veg News.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
HQ.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Hi, Colleen, tell us what's going on this week at
veg News.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Hey Jaswine, thank you for hosting such a great podcast,
another awesome episode. I just wanted to drop by and
say hi, and to let everybody know that we have
announced the winners of the first ever veg News Best.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Beking Trader jose Awards.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
So in June we launched the very first annual edition
of these awards. We had more than fifty thousand votes
in a range of categories from things like best snack,
best ice cream, best cheese, best milk, best dip, best
frozen meal, and even best Vegan product of all time.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
And the votes are now in and.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
We've published the winners, and it's so great to just
have a guide of the best of the best next
time you hit Trader Joe's, So be sure to check
out veshis dot com slash Trader Joe's for all of
the winners in the first annual Best Vegan Trader Joe's Awards,
and then just check out vestis dot com for Trader
(32:36):
Joe's in general. We have so many great guides from
best party appetizers at TJ's to the best dessert finds,
the best condiments.
Speaker 5 (32:46):
We have all of it and it's all linked.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
In the winner feature at vegines dot com slash trader
Joe's and also for everyone who voted, we randomly chose
ten voters to each win at delivery of Baby Bell
plant based cheese. We love that this French cheese company
now does vegan options and we wanted our readers to
try it, so we have ten voters who will be
(33:10):
receiving a fabulous delivery of Baby Belt plant based so.
Speaker 8 (33:16):
That's really cool.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
So anyways, check out vegies dot com slash trader Joe's
for all of our twenty twenty three winners and have
a wonderful week.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
You Thank you so much for joining us for this
week's episode of the veg News Podcast. Head over to
VegNews dot com slash Podcasts for all the show notes,
and be sure to check out VegNews dot com each
day for the latest in plant based news, recipes, taste tests, guides.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
And so much more.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
And don't forget to subscribe to our award winning magazines
have the best of the vegan lifestyle delivered straight to
your doorstep.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
I want to send a special thank you to straw.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Hut Media, Colleen holland Eddie Garza, Sarah McLaughlin, Jocelyn Martinez,
Vicky Beechler, and Lorie Johnston for their work in the
production of this podcast, and a huge thank you to
our wonderful podcast sponsor, Mudwater. I'm your host, Jasmine Singer,
and I'll see you next week.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Bye for now.
Straw Hut Media, food news, celebrities, and more from the
world's number one plant based food and lifestyle magazine.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It's the veg News Podcast and here's your host, Jasmine Singer.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
Hello to everyone out there in podcast land. I'm so
happy to have you back for another edition of the
veg News Podcast, brought to you by my favorite morning
coffee free beverage Mudwater.
Speaker 4 (00:36):
Have you tried it yet?
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
And I'm your host, Jasmine Singer, and this week we
will be joined by the first ever vegan to snatch
the Miss Universe crown, Andrea Mesa. We'll also catch up
with celebrity chef Eddie Garza, answer the veg News hotline,
and hear an update from veg News publisher Colleen Holland.
But before we get to all that, it's time for
(00:57):
the veg News Headlines of the week. Each week we'll
be sharing our favorite stories.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
These are the.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Ones we can't stop talking about here at veg News
Headline number one. Last year, vegan actress and influencer Tabitha
Brown you might remember her from the first episode of
the vege News Podcast, announced four limited time collections with Target,
everyone's favorite one stop shop from swimwear, to home decor
(01:26):
to vegan food. Each collection swiftly sold out, partly because
I was buying it. Luckily, Tab's vegan food line is
set to make a comeback for twenty twenty four, alongside
other favorites from her collection, So mark your calendars and
in the meantime, don't miss that exclusive interview with a
very luminous Tabitha on episode one of the veg News
(01:47):
podcast Headline number two. LA's beloved Crossroads Kitchen has long
been regarded as the city's premiere destination for vegan fine dining.
Last year, the cult favorite restaurant opened a second location
inside Resorts World Las Vegas, officially becoming the strip's first
plant based fine dining institution. And this month, Crossroads is
(02:10):
celebrated another first in all you can eat vegan Sunday
brunch buffet with options varying.
Speaker 4 (02:16):
From sweet to savory.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
Time to book that Vegas trip and bet on Crossroads
our third story today. Beans have long been a dietary
staple in various cultures, but now these unassuming lagomes are
being hailed as the magical food that could contribute to
a longer and healthier life. Experts have found that diets
rich in beans and other legumes are a common thread
(02:41):
among communities of the Blue Zones, regions around the world
where people live remarkably long lives. Beans provide better blood
sugar control, help lower cholesterol levels, and improve the balance
of gut bacteria, and a lot of it has to
do with their fiber content.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Bring on the bean.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
That's not a sentence I say often. Our fourth headline today.
If you're averse to cooking, you'll want to turn up
the volume for this. You can now have nutritious, chef
crafted vegan meals for six dollars or less per serving.
Celebrity chef Matthew Kenny recently launched Earth Company with the
mission of empowering individuals to make conscious and sustainable food
(03:24):
choices without having.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
To break the bank.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Currently on offer are chili bolligneries and curry sauces, each
of which can be prepared in three minutes.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
Talk about dinner in a.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Flash, and that is my kind of cooking Our fifth
headline today. Students at the University of Kent recently voted
to transition toward vegan dining halls in twenty twenty seven
to reduce their impact on the environment. More than four
hundred and fifty students voted on the initiative, marking the
highest voter turnout in Kent Union history. Now the emotion
(03:58):
will be discussed by the U University's Board of Trustees.
Kent students join their peers at Cambridge University College London,
Birmingham and more in voting for plant based menus gen
Z keep it Trucking. And those are our top stories
for this week. All of our headlines of the week
will be linked in the show notes at VegNews dot
(04:20):
com slash podcast. Now for today's interview. Andrea Mesa is
a model, a software engineer, clothing designer, beauty pageant title holder,
and an activist for both women and animal rights. She
(04:42):
was the first vegan contestant to win the title of
Miss Universe in twenty twenty Wow right, and she uses
her platform to advocate plant based eating and challenge gender
based violence.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
We will hear more from Andrea in just a moment.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
We are all very big fans of yours at veg News,
and I've been totally thrilled about this interview coming, so
thank you again so much for making time for it.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
And big congrats.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
I guess it's a little late, but hopefully people will
be congratulating you for the rest of your life. On
the title, it couldn't possibly go to a better, kinder,
lovelier person. And I'm thrilled too that you are vegan amazing.
So veganism is such a big part of what you
stand for. Let's go back in time a little bit.
When did your vegan journey begin?
Speaker 5 (05:37):
I don't know. I gues my life and took me
to this point where I couldn't just stand eating more animals,
and I didn't know anything about veganism. I had one
of my closest friends she's vegan, so I was learning
a little bit from her. But you know, I feel
like when you're not ready to make the change in
your life, you just refuse to accept the reality. And
(06:01):
it was just natural. I couldn't eat more animals. I
was preparing chicken and I couldn't eat it anymore. And
I met a coach at the gym that he was vegetarian,
so I said, please teach me recipes, tell me how
you eat, because I can't do it anymore. And that's
how it started. I was vegetarian for like two months
(06:24):
and then after watching documentaries and reading a little bit
about it, I was like, Okay, I'm ready to make
the change. And the day after I saw the thing,
it was game changer. After I saw that documentary, next
day I was vegan.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Wow, that's amazing, And I know that feeling well, of
like suddenly you're looking at your plate and you're like,
wait a second, I can't eat this, and everything.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
Shifts for you.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
And now that you've been Miss Universe and the first
vegan Miss Universe.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
How cool is that?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
By the way, we all basically fainted, like all the
vegans who have been doing this for so long. We
were like, wait, a second, Miss Universe is a vegan? Okay,
I love it. How do you plan on using your
platform that you will continue to have as a result
of this title to advocate for animals or to spread
the word about veganism.
Speaker 6 (07:20):
Well, I come.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
From a country that has been violent against women, especially
in my state. I'm from the state of Hihuahua, and
I don't know if you have heard of the city
to that flat is, but it's very known. Sadly, it's
very known for the violence that women suffer here. And
(07:42):
I grew up with that. I grew up listening to
these stories, knowing that women were disappearing. I grew up
living with the fear of going outside by myself, something
that I could never do, but it became normal. And
when I grew up, I started analyzing. And my cis
became a feminist before I did, and she motivated me,
(08:04):
and she was like, hey, you have to realize and
analyze all that you're doing. This culture that we're liveing
in not because it's our normal, it means that it's right.
And that's how it started. And I decided that I
had this platform. I was already into pageants, and I thought,
there's people listening to me, and I can use this
(08:24):
platform to talk about important topics issues that are happening
here in my country, not only in Mexico, but all
around the world. And that's what I've been doing. And
I love to, as I told you, to make people
uncomfortable and start these conversations where I know it's hard
to realize that we've been doing something wrong, but it's
(08:46):
never too late to make it change.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
You are definitely out there speaking about things that a
lot of people don't speak about publicly.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
How do you deal with the backlash.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
I'm not gonna lie to you. Sometimes it's hard because
the world is not going to be on your side
all the time. There's always people that are going to
be against you, people that are not going to like you.
But how I deal with it is I have these
strong beliefs and I know this is the right thing
to do, So I remind myself that I'm doing the
(09:18):
right thing and that at least I'm changing someone's mind
in a room. If I'm having this conversation, maybe the
have are not going to be with me. But then
if someone just started analyzing themselves and their actions and
they say, you're right, maybe I can do things different,
then that's what makes me feel better.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Well, related to that, I have heard you talk about
how we as a society need to move away from
rigid beauty standards, and that's not something we often hear
from beauty pageant winners, let alone Miss Universe herself. So
why do you believe it's important for society to move
away from these rigid beauty standards.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Because they're harmful. They are telling society and little girls
that they have to be a certain way to be
beautiful or to be worthy. And when I was younger.
I would look at these top models and obviously I
admire them and all this past former mids Universe, and yes,
(10:22):
they inspire me. But at the same time, when I
started this, I had a lot of struggle accepting who
I was, accepting myself just the way I was. I
wanted to fit in a certain size. I wanted to
have the hair just like the people on TV or
in the magazines have, and I didn't accept that I
was different and I was myself and I was right.
(10:44):
And it was sad because no matter what I did,
it was never enough. And it's very sad to live
a life feeling that you are not enough. And now
that I'm here, I realized that I'm not a size
too or zero. I'm not blonde, I'm not whatever kind
of image that we saw on TV, and I still
(11:05):
want that's because I trust it in myself, and that's
because I finally came to realize that I am worth
it no matter how I look. And for some people,
I'm beautiful, for some I'm not. Believe me, I receive
a lot of bad comments on social media saying that
I'm the most ugly Miss Universe of the history, that
I'm blah blah blah, but I don't care because I
(11:27):
love who I am right now and it took me
a while to realize it. At the beginning, I was
struggling and I was comparing myself to everyone. So now
that I'm here, I want to let the specifically the
girls know that they don't They shouldn't listen to the
comments outside. They shouldn't pay attention of how girls look
on social media. Just feel comfortable with who you are,
(11:50):
how you look with yourself, and that's going to take
you further than when you're comparing yourself to others.
Speaker 4 (11:58):
What would you say is a true measure beauty?
Speaker 5 (12:01):
First, I have to say that beauty is different for everyone. There.
I can't come with a single concept of beauty because
what's beauty for me is not beauty for you. A
way of measuring it, maybe it is of how happy
you are, how happy you are with who you are.
And if in the morning you wake up and you
(12:24):
look into the mirror and you start criticizing yourself and
you start rejecting yourself, just make a stop and be
friends of imperfections that you have. Be friends with that,
because some of it are going to be there forever.
(12:45):
I would say that when you look into the mirror
and you finally accept what you're looking at and you
feel happy, that's when you realize that you have accepted
your beauty because it's different from the rest of anyone
else's beauty.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
How did you get to this place where you were
so accepting of yourself given the fact that you were
struggling so much when you were younger. What advice might
you have for someone else who might be struggling with
that same thing.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Well, I don't know if the way I realized it
is a perfect way or the right way to do it.
But for me, I would say that I was tired
of it. I was tired of feeling that I was
not enough, and I just started I just started telling
(13:33):
people that I don't care. I don't care if you
want me to look like here. I don't care if
you want me to be like someone else, because I
can't and that's not making me happy. And I had
to fight with the people that were some of them
part of my team back in I don't know, twenty
sixteen seventeen when they were trying to change me. So
(13:58):
my advice for the girls that are struggling with that
would be the same again, don't listen to the people
that want to change it just because of how you look.
If you want to change something about yourself, feel free
to do it. It's like when people ask me about surgeries.
I'm not against them, but I'm not against them. When
(14:21):
you want to have it because you know it's going
to make an impact on yourself, don't do it because
someone else wants you to look different. Don't have a
surgery because you saw it on TV that girls look
better with.
Speaker 7 (14:34):
Big boots, right, Because it's something that maybe you can
change at the gym and it's going to impact on
the way you feel about yourself.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
But don't do things for others. That would be my advice.
Speaker 4 (14:50):
That is a very good advice. I wish I knew
that when I was younger.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
But let's go back in time again and talk about
Andrea as a little girl.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
So what was your childhood like? Did you always want
to be a beauty queen?
Speaker 3 (15:04):
No.
Speaker 5 (15:04):
I was a dreamer and I dreamt about being a doctor.
I wanted to be a pediatrician. I wanted to be
an architect. I wanted to be a singer. I was
a huge fan of Belinda. She's a singer from my country.
But then when I started growing up, I realized that
I was very good at math, so that's why I
(15:28):
started dreaming about being an engineer. And I come from
a family of engineers, so that made a lot of sense.
But I never dreamt about being a beauty queen. I
loved beauty queens like at school, you know, like when
it's like the Festival of Spring, they have the princess
and the and the King, and I would see them
(15:49):
on stage and I would I would be like, Wow,
they're so gorgeous, and I wanted to be there. But
at the same time, I was afraid I would hate
stages and cameras and microro bones, so I always stayed
away from that. But I would say that in twenty ten,
when Kim Manavarete won Miss Universe, that was the first
(16:09):
time that you being a beauty pet beauty queen crossed
my mind. But again I didn't feel like it was
enough for that, So I think I started dreaming about
it when I was a little older, around twenty one
twenty two, when I realized that I was capable of
achieving whatever I wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
The self confidence just clicked at that point. That is wonderful.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
So sticking with your childhood for a bit, what kinds
of foods did you eat growing up?
Speaker 5 (16:38):
It's funny because at the beginning, now that I think
about it, I was very picky with my food. And
actually my family had a farm. And the funny thing
is that when I was younger, if I knew that
the chicken, the eggs, or the meat that I was
eating came from that farm. If I knew that that's
how I met the met it before or the chickens,
(17:02):
I would not eat that food. I refused to eat
it because it made me sad because I knew where
it was coming from. And the funny part is that
when I grew up, I started ignoring that part. I
stopped thinking about the animals. So that's why I was
telling you, like, I feel like my life took me
(17:22):
to eventually be vegan because at the beginning I was
like that. But I would eat any like all kinds
of food. Tacos, you know Mexicans, so I used to
love tacos. I make vegan tacos now, sevice, which is
very popular in my country. Now I do it a
(17:43):
vegan recipe too. I what else I used to love, well,
all the Mexican dishes, you know, pasole, talmalis, those were
all my favorites. But also my mom would always prepare
like beagy, like a lot of beggies. I grew up
eating beggies. So for me, it was not a difficult
(18:06):
thing to make the transition.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
I feel like I saw you posters of each a
recipes your fans. It's just like ringing a bell for me.
How are your fans reacting when you talk about your
veganism or when you share a recipe.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
They love it, but a lot of people are like
they have questions about the nutrition, is part of the
food and the flavor. Those are like the most popular
concerns that I receive on comments. I received some comments like, oh,
(18:42):
I tried it and it's delicious, And I think they
they started accepting it and like trying it, and I'm
glad about it because that's the purpose of using my
platform to inspire people to try different things. So every
time I'm with friends, I try to take them to
bigger restaurants. I try to prefer something big and they're like,
oh my god, this is actually delicious and I'm like, yes,
(19:05):
that's what I've been trying to tell you.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
Well, you're in New York City, a place where I
lived for almost twenty years. My heart and soul is
still there. Are there any go to vegan restaurants that
you've been enjoying?
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Yes, I have to recommend Plant that Queen. I was
there just yesterday. It's a delicious restaurant. PS Kitchen I
also one of my favorites.
Speaker 7 (19:33):
There's this place.
Speaker 5 (19:35):
It's called Ja Ja Ja, which is like a last
but it's Spanish and it's a vegan Mexican restaurant and
it's very very tasty.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Oh. I love that place. I love the ambiance too.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
You can't worry too much about life when you're in
a place like that, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
So, speaking of worrying about life, we looked back in time,
let's look forward in time maybe years. What kinds of
chefs do you hope to see in terms of creating
a kinder world.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Well, I hope that governments and health institutions start to
acknowledgeing more the fact that we don't need animal products
that much, because they have it as essential products and
they're forgetting a little bit about the plant based products.
So I've been I've been seeing more like more presence of,
(20:32):
for example, the plant based milks on stores, which makes
me really happy. And I hope that in the future.
I know that it's hard, but it's achievable because we're
experiencing it right now. So maybe when you go to
the supermarket and see half of the refrigerators with bigger
products and half of non bigger products, and I know
(20:55):
it's is asking for too much, but I wish that
in the future we can have a lot of these
famous supermarkets. But all began, I want that world.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
I don't think that's asking too much.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
You know, I would be completely thrilled to live in
that world.
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Okay, well, I'm just about done.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
I will just ask for a couple of recommendations before
we end, if that's okay. You mentioned some restaurants in
New York, which I have to echo what you said.
Speaker 4 (21:25):
I love all of those too.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
But what about beauty or skin care products or brands
that you love.
Speaker 5 (21:32):
Oh yeah, one of the brands that I love and
I discovered is jeffree Star. I love their products. I
know they're currently free and they're vegan, so that would
be my recommendation. The colors that they have on their
palettes are amazing, the pigmentation, the quality, everything is amazing.
(21:54):
On other product that I love and that it's cruelty
free too, is Anastasia. Those are my favorite products for eyebrows.
So those would be my two recommendations.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
Of the days you have excellent eyebrows, I have to say,
so I will take your recommendation, Andrea. My final question
for you is what is your favorite part about being vegan?
Speaker 5 (22:17):
My favorite part of it being began. Then I know
that I'm contributing to save our world. I know it's
a difficult task and we should all be doing something
about it. And I believe that being began is the
best way to contribute to stop the climate change. That's
(22:38):
the best part of being a began.
Speaker 4 (22:40):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Oh that was so so much fun. Andrea, thank you
so much, and thank you to your team. I think
our listeners are going to be all about it because
you really are so inspiring.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
So thank you. Thank you again, Andrea.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It's getting hot out there and today veg News is
Food editor Eddie Garza is joining me to talk about
one of my very favorite subjects, Vegan ice Cream. Welcome
back to the veg News podcast, Eddie.
Speaker 8 (23:13):
Thank you so much. Jazmine, It's always so great to
be here with you.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
So we actually go way back.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
We both overlapped living in New York City at the
same time, and I remember when we both lived in
New York City, we were regulars at Lula's Suite Apothecary.
Speaker 4 (23:29):
So I know that, like me, you.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Are also a huge ice cream aficionado.
Speaker 8 (23:34):
Oh my god, I am. I absolutely love ice cream
and I loved Lula's.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
You know.
Speaker 8 (23:40):
I used to walk down there from my office in
the Upper East Side all the way down to the
East Village where Lulas was. It was about a five
mile walk and I would do it to quote earn
my daily cake batter soft serve, which I miss so much.
It's so sad that Lula's is no longer there. I
love that place and I have so many great memories.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, it was kind of iconic, but I think at
the time it was sort of revolutionary. And now there
are more and more vegan ice cream places popping up.
There are more and more vegan ice cream selections at
the grocery store, and even your average non vegan ice
cream shop has more and more plant based options, So
I love that.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
So what is your go to ice cream now that
now that we're not in New York City anymore? In
Lula's is no more? I know you're in LA.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Is there a particular spot in La or any particular
styles that you gravitate to in the grocery store?
Speaker 4 (24:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (24:32):
Well, I am lucky enough to live in a spot
that has vegan ice cream everywhere. So there's Wonderleuss Creamery
on Lincoln Boulevard in Venice, and just a few blocks
down the Venice Beach boardwalk, I've got a Ben and
Jerry's both have plant based options. But I'm also lucky
that I live by a small bodega that actually has
a ton of vegan ice cream options. So I love
(24:55):
ice cream and I'm so glad I still have it
in my life.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Oh me too.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Are you a coconut oat or soy kind of guy?
And I'm sorry if this is prying, and if this
is a very personal question. I do feel like for
like doing an online dating thing or something, But.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
What do you gravitate to it?
Speaker 8 (25:14):
Oh gosh, this is a toss up. I love coconut
based ice creams because they have that creamy mouthfeel. But
if you're not into coconut, you're definitely going to taste
coconut in the coconut ice cream, so that might be
a turnoff. But if you do like it, you're going
to be rewarded with that creamy, silky mouthfeel that lingers
on and on and on. Oh my god, I'm salivating actually,
(25:36):
But there are also so many wonderful creamy, oat and
soy based ice creams on the market. It's really all
about the flavor and mouthfeel for me.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
What about you, Jasmine, Well, I have to agree that
if you're not super into coconut, it can be a
little jarring because I think coconut is fine. I don't
like I'm not starting an anti coconut you know, Facebook
group or anything like that, but I do taste it.
Everything that's tastes like coconut to me. Everything that has
coconut in it tastes like coconut to me. I have
(26:04):
to say, I know this is old school, but I
am still into soy. I love soy. I drink soy
milk in my coffee, I like soy ice cream.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
I am a soy fan.
Speaker 8 (26:15):
Yeah me, too. I do like the soy. I do
like the oat, but like I said, for me, I'm
a coconut guy, but I'm down with the soy.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
To each their own. So what's your favorite flavor?
Speaker 8 (26:27):
Gosh, Well, I always go for flavors to take me
back to my childhood. I was born and raised in
a town called Brownsville, Texas. It's on the border between
Mexico and the US, and it's really cool because there
we had all the American flavors and all the Mexican flavors.
So every weekend when we would go to Mexico, I
would go to the Nebdias, which is like the Mexican
(26:47):
ice cream parlors, and they had really specific flavors that
were different from the American flavors. One of the ones
that I really loved was the cookies and cream, and
also the strawberries and cream.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
I grew up also, I think we're the same age.
Grew up in the eighties and New Jersey, very different
than Texas. But I grew up with like the carvel,
you know. I think a lot of people had this
sort of all American experience growing up Suburbia, USA, and
so whatever was it like the dairy Queen or the
Carvel I liked, So anything that's like in a cone
(27:18):
or you know, just super classic, super iconic. I'm there anyway,
this is very good. The problem with talking to you
is I always get so hungry. So I do have
to go because I'm craving a Sunday. But before before
you go, I'm just gonna throw a random question at you.
If I came to your house right now, which I mean,
am I invited, let's just because I don't want to
be trespassing.
Speaker 8 (27:38):
Always invited, you always invited.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
So if I open your refrigerator, what are some things
I would see in it?
Speaker 8 (27:44):
Or right now, you're going to find mangoes because right
now they are in season, and I'm a mango fanatic.
For about fifteen years now, I've eaten mango every single day,
So you're always going to find mangos here in my house.
And the cool thing about mangos is there's always a
mango that is in season. I don't know if you
knew that, but there's always one. Whether it's the Kent,
(28:05):
the Kite, any of those mangos, you're going to find
one that's in season. Right now. We've just got a
variety of those, So you're going to find that You're
going to find probably Tofu scramble that I pre cook
every single week. So come over for dinner.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
I am so there.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Toba scramble is one of my favorite foods and I
like to have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.
Speaker 8 (28:25):
So do you too, Yeah, my goodness, I live for breakfast.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
I totally I love it.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
Eddie. Thank you so much for this incredibly delicious segment,
and I look forward to chatting with you.
Speaker 8 (28:38):
Next time you too, Jasmine, talk to you soon.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
The veg News podcast hotline is open for business. Give
us a call at eight eight eight nine to one
Vegan with any questions you might have. This question is
from Luri in Portland.
Speaker 6 (29:02):
Hello, Jazz Moon, I just got a new grill and
I'm anxious to create some awesome vegan kobobs. I'm in
all this and eager to get going. Help.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
Well, Laurie, First, let me just say yay for you.
Summer is the perfect time to get a new grill
up and running. And I hope you've had a chance
already to listen to the previous episodes, but if not,
don't miss episode one. Where Eddie and I chat about
some summer grilling and vegan barbecue options. Give that a
listen right after this, as we have so many amazing tips.
(29:36):
As far as kabobs go, they are shockingly easy, so
they are personally one of my favorite items to create
because I get along well with shockingly easy. As long
as you have some high quality skewers and fresh veggies,
you can be ready to go. Mix and match pretty
much any of your favorite veggies, and be sure to
include some purple onion slices and some bell pepper pieces
(29:59):
so that you get some stronger flavors added in. It's
also prettier that way. I like pretty food. Something interesting
you can also try is adding in some ingredients that
you might not automatically think of, such as fruit.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
Yep, fruit.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
If you've never tried grilled peaches or pineapple or watermelon,
you're really missing out. You can even grill up a
fruit for dessert, like just a fruit. Love that invite
me over, I will be right there. You can also
add in some vegan proteins like marinated tofu or tempe
or satan. Those work really well on a kebab. Slice
up a vegan sausage and include a few pieces on
(30:35):
each skewer. Don't forget that you can adjust the flavors
easily by using a variety of herbs and spices in
your marinades, or create like infused oils for brushing while grilling. Really,
the sky is the limit when it comes to mixing
and matching at kebab, So make sure to go to
VegNews dot com slash recipes and check out all of
our amazing grilling and kebab recipes. We'll make sure to
(30:57):
link to them in the show notes for you as well.
And the last tip, please soak your wooden skewers in
water for at least thirty minutes so that you don't
have to watch your lovely plant based creations go up
in flames. Happy grilling, and don't forget to call in
and ask your vegan questions at eight eight eight nine
one Vegan.
Speaker 4 (31:15):
That's eight eight eight nine one veg an. We cannot
wait to hear from you.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
Let's check in with veg News publisher Colleen Holland to
hear the latest on all of the exciting things happening
at veg News.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
HQ.
Speaker 3 (31:33):
Hi, Colleen, tell us what's going on this week at
veg News.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Hey Jaswine, thank you for hosting such a great podcast,
another awesome episode. I just wanted to drop by and
say hi, and to let everybody know that we have
announced the winners of the first ever veg News Best.
Speaker 5 (31:51):
Beking Trader jose Awards.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
So in June we launched the very first annual edition
of these awards. We had more than fifty thousand votes
in a range of categories from things like best snack,
best ice cream, best cheese, best milk, best dip, best
frozen meal, and even best Vegan product of all time.
Speaker 5 (32:12):
And the votes are now in and.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
We've published the winners, and it's so great to just
have a guide of the best of the best next
time you hit Trader Joe's, So be sure to check
out veshis dot com slash Trader Joe's for all of
the winners in the first annual Best Vegan Trader Joe's Awards,
and then just check out vestis dot com for Trader
(32:36):
Joe's in general. We have so many great guides from
best party appetizers at TJ's to the best dessert finds,
the best condiments.
Speaker 5 (32:46):
We have all of it and it's all linked.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
In the winner feature at vegines dot com slash trader
Joe's and also for everyone who voted, we randomly chose
ten voters to each win at delivery of Baby Bell
plant based cheese. We love that this French cheese company
now does vegan options and we wanted our readers to
try it, so we have ten voters who will be
(33:10):
receiving a fabulous delivery of Baby Belt plant based so.
Speaker 8 (33:16):
That's really cool.
Speaker 2 (33:17):
So anyways, check out vegies dot com slash trader Joe's
for all of our twenty twenty three winners and have
a wonderful week.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
You Thank you so much for joining us for this
week's episode of the veg News Podcast. Head over to
VegNews dot com slash Podcasts for all the show notes,
and be sure to check out VegNews dot com each
day for the latest in plant based news, recipes, taste tests, guides.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
And so much more.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
And don't forget to subscribe to our award winning magazines
have the best of the vegan lifestyle delivered straight to
your doorstep.
Speaker 4 (34:01):
I want to send a special thank you to straw.
Speaker 3 (34:04):
Hut Media, Colleen holland Eddie Garza, Sarah McLaughlin, Jocelyn Martinez,
Vicky Beechler, and Lorie Johnston for their work in the
production of this podcast, and a huge thank you to
our wonderful podcast sponsor, Mudwater. I'm your host, Jasmine Singer,
and I'll see you next week.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Bye for now.
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