The gift giving season is upon us once again, so we thought we would share our recommendations for holiday gifts. We were going to do the Fab Five, but realized that was the name for the guys on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. We also considered doing the Fab Four, but that would be a certain group of lads from Liverpool. So, we chose to call our list The Fab For…, as in fabulous for the kitchen, fabulous for grooming, fabulous for reading, etc. Let us help you make the yuletide gay and vegan. Many of these items are already on sale for early Black Friday discounts, so shop early and avoid the rush.
Fab For the Kitchen:
What kind of author’s would we be if we didn’t start with our own book. NYC Vegan makes a great gift for vegans or for non-vegans you want to cook you delicious vegan food. With over 100 recipes, you can have the tastes of New York City in your own home with ease.
The most used appliance in our kitchen is our Go Wise Air Fryer. Fried foods with only a fraction of the oil needed. If you are only going to buy one kitchen appliance this year, this is the one to get.
Now that you have an air fryer, let JL Fields show you all the amazing things you can make in it. The Vegan Air Fryer and an air fryer are a great combination gift.
In NYC Vegan, we talk about how small kitchens are in most apartments in New York City, and how for many people, kitchens are used for extra storage. Yes, there are people who keep sweaters in the oven. With such small kitchens, kitchen real estate is very precious. An appliance like an Intstant Pot, is worth the space it takes up (which is not much). An Instant Pot is really 7 appliances in one: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker, and warmer.
Fab For NYC Vegan:
These appliances while not necessary to make the recipes in NYC Vegan, will certainly help quite a bit.
A good mixer makes baking so much easier. We love our KitchenAid Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer. It is perfect for whipping up cheesecakes, cookies, cakes, and more in almost no time. We have the colbalt blue one!
No vegan home should be without a tofu press. We use ours all the time for dishes like the Tofu Benedict in NYC Vegan, Tofu Cacciatore, and Ethan’s Tofu Scramble. Say goodbye to wasting paper towels and trying to balance cans on top of a cutting board when when you need to press tofu.
We love ice cream! We are fortunate enough to live equidistant from 2 ice cream shops with amazing vegan options. However, when we don’t want to walk that far, we can run to our corner store and pick up a pint of vegan ice cream. Never the less, there is no ice cream better than when we make it fresh at home. An ice cream maker is a must have for any ice cream lover. Be sure to try our Strawberry Balsamic, Hot Chocolate and Maple Bacon ice cream recipes. If you want to make the Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from NYC Vegan, you will definitely need one.
Whether making Tofu Benedict, Diner Style Pancakes or the Breakfast Sandwich, from NYC Vegan, a good nonstick griddle is invaluable.
For For the Techie:
We love our UE Boom 2 speaker. It gives great 360 degree sound and it portable so we can bring music where ever we go.
We have used a few different Selfie Sticks, but as soon as we saw our friend Jane Velez-Mitchell using the MOCREO Bluetooth Selfie Stick, we knew this was the one to get. It has a built in light for low light shots and a rear facing mirror for making sure you look your best. We have the white one, but it also comes in Rose Gold and Gold.
When we film our Facebook Live show, Big Gay Brunch (Sundays at 11AM Eastern) we use the AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod to hold the iPhone. This tripod comes with a carry bag and is so light, it can go into a suitcase without adding weight.
In order to mount an phone on a tripod, you need to use an adapter. We use the Vastar Universal Smartphone Tripod Adapter. It provides 360 degree rotation and can be used without a tripod as a stand for your phone. It works with any model phone.
Fab For Grooming:
As gay men, we understand the need to look your best at all time.
Philips Norelco Multigroom 5000 Believe it or not, it was gay men who pretty much invented the entire “manscaping” thing. However, a lot of guys don’t have the proper tools for trimming and shaping. This is one of our favorite tools.
Not everyone likes the scuffy look. To help your bearded man keep his whiskers manageable and frizz free, Beard Oil is an absolute must.
Razors: Chances are, the gay man or couple you are buying for goes through a healthy clip of razors. If you are looking for a practical gift that you know will be used, a subscription to Dollar Shave Club will be a most welcome gift.
A good skincare regimen is crucial for everyone. We are big fans of the South Beach Skincare All In One Anti-Aging Treatment. One cream applied twice a day is all you need to keep your skin looking great. And one tube takes up much less space in your medicine cabinet.
Most of the gay men we know would love to get underwear as a gift. You can choose from men’s sexy mesh underwear or go with something more traditional, like boxers and briefs. You can even go for a year long underwear club membership and keep the gift going all year long.
By taking a brief survey, Hawthorne will determine which of its scents are right for you. A few days after you place your order, you will receive 2 bottles of cologne that they feel are right for you, one for work and for play. However, if you don’t like the either or both of the colognes, Hawthorne will happily exchange them until you are satisfied. At Hawthorne, they do not test on animals, and do not use animal-derived products. The let the animals be in peace. Being compassionate never smelled so good.
Fab For Reading:
For gay men, the Tales of the City series is a must read. Originally published as a serial in the San Francisco Chronicle, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City (1978), More Tales of the City (1980), and Further Tales of the City (1982) afforded a mainstream audience of millions its first exposure to straight and gay characters experiencing on equal terms the follies of urban life. Among the cast of this groundbreaking saga are the lovelorn residents of 28 Barbary Lane: the bewildered but aspiring Mary Ann Singleton, the libidinous Brian Hawkins; Mona Ramsey, still in a sixties trance, Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, forever in bright-eyed pursuit of Mr. Right; and their marijuana-growing landlady, the indefatigable Mrs. Madrigal. Hurdling barriers both social and sexual, Maupin leads them through heartbreak and triumph, through nail-biting terrors and gleeful coincidences. The result is a glittering and addictive comedy of manners that continues to beguile new generations of readers.
Sistah Vegan is a series of narratives, critical essays, poems, and reflections from a diverse community of North American black-identified vegans. Collectively, these activists are de-colonizing their bodies and minds via whole-foods veganism. By kicking junk-food habits, the more than thirty contributors all show the way toward longer, stronger, and healthier lives. Suffering from type-2 diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure, and overweight need not be the way women of color are doomed to be victimized and live out their mature lives. There are healthy alternatives. Sistah Vegan is not about preaching veganism or vegan fundamentalism. Rather, the book is about how a group of black-identified female vegans perceive nutrition, food, ecological sustainability, health and healing, animal rights, parenting, social justice, spirituality, hair care, race, gender-identification, womanism, and liberation that all go against the (refined and bleached) grain of our dysfunctional society.
Beyond Beliefs: Even though this book is subtitled, “A guide to improving relationships and communication for vegan, vegetarians, and meat eaters,” this principles and tools shared by Dr. Melanie Joy, PhD can help improve communication in all relationships.
Aphro-Ism: In this collection of essays, Aph and Syl Ko provide new theoretical frameworks on race, advocacy for nonhuman animals, and feminism. Using popular culture as a point of reference for their critiques, the Ko sisters engage in groundbreaking analysis of the compartmentalized nature of contemporary social movements, present new ways of understanding interconnected oppressions, and offer conceptual ways of moving forward expressive of Afrofuturism and black veganism.
Whether you are new vegan or a long time vegan, you have certainly been asked questions like “What about plants?”, “Don’t animals eat other animals?”, or “There are no perfect vegans, so why bother?” In Mind if I Order the Cheeseburger, Sherry F. Colb uses humor and reason to handle these questions at face value and also delves deeply into the motivations behind them, coming up with answers that are not only intelligent but insightful about human nature. Through examples, case studies, and clear-eyed logic, she provides arguments for everything from why veganism is compatible with the world’s major religions to why vegetarianism is not enough. In the end, she shows how it is possible for vegans and non-vegans to engage in a mutually beneficial conversation without descending into counterproductive name-calling, and to work together to create a more hospitable world for human animals and non-human animals alike.
Even Vegans Die, co-written by empowers vegans and their loved ones to make the best decisions regarding their own health, their advocacy for animals, and their legacy. By addressing issues of disease shaming and body shaming, the authors present a manifesto for building a more compassionate, diverse, and effective vegan community. Even Vegans Die celebrates the benefits of a plant-based diet while acknowledging that even vegans can get sick. You will learn how to make the health care decisions that are right for you, how to ensure your efforts to help animals will not end after you die, and how to provide compassionate care for yourself and for others in the face of serious illness. The book offers practical, thoughtful, and sensitive advice on creating a will, mourning, and caregiving. Without shying away from the reality of death, Even Vegans Die offers a message that remains uplifting and hopeful for all animal advocates, and all those who care about them.
The Skeptical Vegan: If Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck had a son, and he wrote a book about going from wing-devouring omnivore to vegan overnight, this would be the book. With equals parts sarcasm, honesty, and humor, Eric chronicles how he improved his life by changing his diet. What began as a bet, became a full-fledged commitment new, ethical, and compassionate way of life. . . . If you are already vegan, you will find yourself nodding your head as you read, and occasionally shouting ‘YES!’ and laughing at the jokes only vegans will understand. . . . Eric proves that even the most die-hard meat eater can become vegan and love every minute of it.
Fab For Travel
A luggage scale is a great gift for the frequent traveler. Any time we travel, once our bags are backed, we weigh them to make sure we will not get hit with “excess- bag weight” charges.
Charging our phones and other electronic devices when traveling to another country is never a issue when with the Universal All-in-One Travel charger. We simply press the button for the prongs we need and we are ready to charge up to 4 devices at once.
A must-have phone accessory for any photographer, the Ollo Clip 3-in-1 Lens, turns your iPhone’s built-in front and rear cameras into fisheye, wide-angle, or macro (15x zoom) lenses. Weighing in at less than 1 oz., there’s no reason to ever leave home without it. Plus, the storage case can function as a “tripod” for your phone.
For people who find packing to travel more stressful than standing on the security line at LaGuarida Airport, How to Pack: Travel Smart for Any Trip by Hitha Palepu of Hitha on the Go offers advice on not just what to bring, but the best way to bring it, too.
Fab For Playing
Cards Against Humanity: billed as “the party game for horrible people” this game is a blast. This card game can get dark, really fast. You don’t know how truly twisted your friends are until you play this game. This game is NOT suitable for children.
What Do You Meme?: Party card game for friends for the social media generation. See if you have what it takes to out-meme your friends. Compete to create the funniest meme by pairing Caption Cards with the Photo Card in play. A rotating judge picks the best combination each round. The rules are simple. Each round, a rotating judge plays a Photo Card and everyone else plays a Caption Card to complete the meme. The judge decides the funniest pairing, and whoever played the winning Caption Card wins the round.
Fab For Eating
The truffles from Sweet Vegan are a must have for any chocolate lover. With 8 flavors to chose from, there is certain to be something to please every palate. We are particularly fond of the Energizing Espresso.
Soy Curls are a must have for vegan meal prep. Once rehydrated, you can use them in almost anything. We use them for our Mongolian Soy Curls, Soy Curl ShwarMO, Korean BBQ Soy Curls, Barbecue Soy Curl Pizza, and much more. Many of the recipes in NYC Vegan use them too.
Frank’s Red Hot Seasoning is simply Frank’s Red Hot sauce dried into a powder so now you can sprinkle it onto more foods than ever before. Sprinkle it on french fries, stir it into polenta, add it to a flour when you are making a coating for frying. Every thing tastes better with a sprinkle of Frank’s.
