Episode 3: Visiting Mom in Seattle, Washington

Sponsored by Peta2 and Veganessentials

DYLAN’S DIARY FOR THIS EPISODE:

This week we headed up north to Seattle to break the big news to my parents, throw around some opinions, and deliver some delicious homemade vegan treats. I was a little nervous about how my mom will react to the new diet.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with warm embrace and smiles for days (the goodies may have had something to do with that – who could resist “Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies” with extra cocoa powder, of course). Though right off the bat my mom voiced some serious doubts about my new diet–not off to the best start after all. But her mood lightened after a long conversation about the health and ecological benefits of an animal-free diet.

With the hard part out of the way, we treat ourselves to some delicious dinner and cocktails at Plum Bistro in Capitol Hill. On the menu: quinoa sliders and jalapeno pizza. I can’t emphasize enough how tasty this was! Honestly the best vegan food I’ve had so far; I definitely need to learn how to cook these up myself.

This trip to Seattle was greatly successful: a steadfast approval from the parents, and much thanks to Happycow.net and @veganscore for cuisine direction, I’m feeling better than ever! Just can’t forget to get my nutrients and drink lots of water (thanks Mom).

- Dylan Mandel, The Lives of Famous Men

ABOUT GOING VEGAN

No meat. No eggs. No cheese. No Jello.

Planet Verge challenged The Lives of Famous Men drummer Dylan Mandel to abstain from consuming animal products for one month and document the process for its On The Verge. The series, titled Going Vegan, will follow Mandel at his home in Portland and as he road trips across the USA, where he will cut flesh foods, eggs and dairy cold turkey (pardon the pun) from his diet. Follow him as he learns that being vegan goes beyond his diet, to his clothes, shampoo and even daily vitamins. He’ll meet vegan friends who help him along the way as he takes his 30 days one day at a time.

No meat. No eggs. No cheese. No Jello.

Planet Verge challenged The Lives of Famous Men drummer Dylan Mandel to abstain from consuming animal products for one month and document the process for its On The Verge. The series, titled Going Vegan, will follow Mandel at his home in Portland and as he road trips across the USA, where he will cut flesh foods, eggs and dairy cold turkey (pardon the pun) from his diet. Follow him as he learns that being vegan goes beyond his diet, to his clothes, shampoo and even daily vitamins. He’ll meet vegan friends who help him along the way as he takes his 30 days one day at a time.

Presenting…

EPISODE 1: Going VEGAN in Portland, Oregon

Sponsored by Peta2 and Veganessentials

DYLAN’S DIARY FOR THIS EPISODE:

And we’re off! It’s the first week of my one-month Vegan Challenge. In this episode you’ll see the highlights from my first day–from my first visit to the vegan mini mall in Portland, OR to my first cooking adventure.

To prepare myself for the challenge, I’ve been hitting up www.vegweb.com (recipes!) and www.veganessentials.com (where I’m getting my ingredients!), and reading two particularly helpful books, Vegan Freak and World Peace Diet.

Challenger and good friend Jordana Reim stopped in Portland for a few days to show me the ropes. Within the first few days, we managed to cook up mac ‘n cheese, double chocolate chunk brownies, and a mysterious concoction we’ve deemed “Almond Joy” cookies, all recipes are of course free of any animal products.

Having the support from Jordana really helped in the first few days. I’ve also received a surprising amount of support from my family and peers, especially my roommate Jason. Just the other day, I woke up to find he’d been up late baking a loaf of vegan banana bread. I’m now beginning to suspect Jason is a “closet vegan.”

So, here I am in the first week and I feel great. Ironically, I think I’m actually gaining weight, but I haven’t eaten this well in… Well, I can’t remember! It honestly doesn’t even feel like a challenge so far, being home in Portland with all of this help and unexpected support, but I know when we hit the road for tour later this month things will change. No fridge for veggies… No oven…

Wish me luck on this venture into the unknown!

- Dylan Mandel, The Lives of Famous Men

Dylan’s Vegan Mac-n-Cheese Recipe

1) Boil 2 lbs. of choice pasta
2) Put drained pasta in large casserole pan
3) Add tons veggies to casserole pan: broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, artichokes – the more veggies the better
4) Coat veggies and pasta with “cheese” sauce and bake for 15 min uncovered
Remove from oven, stir and serve

To make cheese sauce put all these ingredients in the blender:
-1 package of firm tofu
-2 cups of nutritional yeast
-tablespoon of mustard
-tablespoon of salt
-few shakes of paprika
-approx 2 cups (maybe more-usually just fill blender to top) of almond milk (unflavored)
-soy sauce to taste (usually abt 1/3 cup but do less then add more)
-olive oil – between 1/3 and 1/2 cup

Planet Verge Challenges The Lives of Famous Men’s Dylan Mandel to Go Vegan

Internet TV Documentary Coming to On The Verge This March

No meat. No eggs. No cheese. No Jello.

Planet Verge challenged The Lives of Famous Men drummer Dylan Mandel to abstain from consuming animal products for one month and document the process for its Internet TV show, On The Verge. The series, titled Going Vegan, will follow Mandel at his home in Portland and as he road trips across the USA, where he will cut flesh foods, eggs and dairy cold turkey (pardon the pun) from his diet. Follow him as he learns that being vegan goes beyond his diet, to his clothes, shampoo and even daily vitamins. He’ll meet vegan friends who help him along the way as he takes his 30 days one day at a time.

So what sparked Dylan to try veganism? He’d always admired the lifestyle and knew that factory farming was a major cause of environmental degradation, but it wasn’t until he met Planet Verge host Jordana Reim that he decided he was ready for the change. “It seemed really interesting and I think I was too comfortable in my lifestyle and ready to try something different when Jordana asked if I would try cutting out animal products. Talking with her made me realize that you don’t really know what you’re eating when you eat meat and I wanted to learn more about what I was putting into my body,” Mandel said. “I watched Earthlings, too,” he continued. “That really fueled this challenge. I’d always known that animal agriculture was bad for the planet, but I didn’t realize how cruel it was until I saw Earthlings. Going vegan for a month while I’m on tour doesn’t seem like a big deal at all now that I’ve seen that movie.”

Going Vegan will also feature appearances by familiar vegan faces including John Joseph of The Cromags as well as Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan of OurHenHouse.com.

The series is sponsored by VeganEssentials. This one-stop shopping destination for all things vegan is one of the USA’s oldest cruelty-free retailers. It is both an online store and retail shop located in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Going Vegan will debut on www.PlanetVerge.com in March.

Watch the preview here:

Check out The Lives of Famous Men perform for and chat with On the Verge at Angels and Kings NYC AKoustic Monday here.

ABOUT THE LIVES OF FAMOUS MEN:

Whether playing an unadorned club in their hometown of Anchorage, Alaska or on a sound stage for The Jimmy Kimmel Show, each night The Lives of Famous Men leaves its audience stomping and clapping along, singing to its soulful indie rock. The band has been featured on the pages of Alternative Press magazine, televisions screens tuned to mtvU and at the top of the Purevolume charts. Festivals including Warped Tour and SXSW have earned a notch on TLFM’s resume, as have tours alongside acts like Wyclef Jean, Cobra Starship, All Time Low and The Spill Canvas.

* For interview opportunities regarding Going Vegan contact planetverge @ gmail.com. *