Cupcakes have been on the brain a lot lately, but we're hardly alone. We met Melisser and her brand new company Sugar Beat Sweets at the World Veg Festival. She's playing with vegan confections, like the candy corn she had on hand, but her focus is on cakes and cupcakes that defy the usual vegan dryness.

Taking advantage of the special sale she had at the event, I selected the four cupcakes pictured above: Snickerdoodle, peppermint patty, vanilla and PB&J. Melisser has certainly achieved her goal of just good cupcakes, period; all passed blind tests of unassuming taster pals who didn't know they were vegan and don't normally choose vegan anything. Flavors are deep and the mouth feel is just what is wanted in a cupcake. For now, Sugar Beat Sweets cupcakes are available at Other Avenues, Rainbow, Underdog, Real Food Co., Ike's Place and Urban Harvest Market. —Tamara Palmer

Located on the northwest corner by Dolores Park, Lilah Belle's offers healthy organic single and family-sized meals to-go. The cute spot is named after the two-year-old daughter of chef/owner Traci Higgins, whom San Francisco named one of the "Top 5 Personal Chefs" in 2006 for her organic delivery service Dining [In!]. Her extensive resume includes working in the test kitchen for Weight Watchers magazine and contributing recipes to two of their cookbooks, and she keeps her creations here on the low fat and low calorie side without sacrificing flavor in the process.

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For those whose only prejudice is against vegetarians (well, I try to be tolerant, but they can sure mess up a dinner party and restrict the enjoyment of a restaurant when you’re eating out – i.e., my favorite response from one of my favorite vegans: “Is there anything you can eat, darling?” “Not on the menu!”): there is now a scientific basis for your irrational fear. An Oxford University study correlates brain shrinkage over time with deficiency in vitamin B12, whose best sources are meat-based, particularly liver, milk, and fish.

But, vegan and veggie guys and gals, don’t dive into the bottle when you hear the news. Regular drinkers (two a day) have 1.6% more shrinkage than non-drinkers. And pigging out is also not an option: the incredible shrinking brain is also linked to higher body mass index scores, with every one-point increase leading to a loss of 13 to 16%. --Meredith Brody

Mixt takes the old salad-bar concept and levitates it, yummifies it and brings it into the health-conscious, green-conscious 21st century. At this mini-chain of slick, clean-lined, environmentally hip eateries, sneeze guards, Thousand Island dressing and cellophane-flavored croutons are less than a rumor. Instead diners in search of a little accented romaine give their order to one of the white-clad chefs behind the counter and watch as their salad of choice is tossed together from a wide selection of organically and sustainably farmed ingredients.

And such salads: the Fusion, perhaps, a multicultural compendium of edamame, pea shoots, soba noodles and seared ahi; the Bachelor, grilled steak, roasted potatoes, blue cheese and some token greens, the ideal snack for the red-blooded American male; the voluminously veggie-friendly Dagwood (zucchini, portabellas, roasted peppers, caramelized onions and goat cheese); a classic Cobb and a snazzy Caesar. There are also seasonal salads (late-summer varieties feature the likes of watermelon, mint, roasted corn and strawberries) and a design-your-own option (possible ingredients include roasted yellow beets, Fuji apple, white anchovies and white-truffle potatoes). What's more, the plastic-looking packaging is actually made out of highly compostable corn-based thermoplastic, and the enclosing architecture is constructed of recycled and renewable materials. A clear conscience never tasted so good.

(Locations at 120 Sansome, 475 Sansome and 560 Mission; visit mixtgreens.com.)

—Matthew Stafford

By Catherine McCulloch

Sandwiched between the chain eateries of the financial district is Power Source, a vegan-friendly juice bar and café. It’s a convenient option for a working vegan who doesn’t have time to pack lunch. The prices are a bit steep, as you would expect of any café in the area, but the food is fresh and fabulously nutritious!

The place is small and the seating is limited but the friendly servers and brightly colored walls make for a pleasant lunch environment. I ordered a build-your-own-bowl with quinoa, steamed broccoli and tofu flavored with a miso ginger sauce. I also sampled their mung beans and oven-baked sweat potatoes. The meal was filling and the vegetables were fresh and delicious. The protein from the quinoa and tofu definitely gave me some much needed energy that lasted throughout the day.

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By Catherine McCulloch

A country-style trattoria that serves one of the most highly recommended vegan brunches in the bay area? Only in a place like Berkeley could a place like Fellini exist. Brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. In addition to all of the vegetarian-vegan choices the restaurant uses locally raised free-range eggs and fresh organic produce. I often frequent the Fellini’s organic coffee bar for its superior espresso and creative concoctions. But the cherry on top is the brunch cocktail menu. Who doesn’t need a screwdriver at 9:30 in the morning?

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By Catherine McCulloch

I’m rooting for this "underdog" restaurant located in San Francisco's Inner Sunset. Underdog is an organic sausage joint with good vibes and an eco-friendly message - that, and the menu is predominately vegetarian/vegetarian-vegan.

The owner of the place says her inspiration for the restaurant grew out of a desire to find a cheap vegan meal in her neighborhood. And -bam!- Underdog was born. Now you can go to the Sunset and get a vegetarian/vegan hot dog with all the fixings for $3.95. Not a bad price for a nutritious-delicious and totally vegan meal!

Now let me tell you why I’m a fan of team Underdog. First off, the restaurant is adorable and seems well cared for. Its interior is clean and the walls are dressed up with cute posters, including pamphlets listing the benefits of organic eating. Second, there is a vegan working behind the counter. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a vegan restaurant where most of the servers can’t even tell me what vegan means! The people working at Underdog really support the restaurant and its organic message.

Here’s a sneak peek at the food fare...

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By Catherine McCulloch

Good vegan ice cream is hard to come by…if you don’t live in San Francisco! Since I became interested in vegan food everyone has been telling me to go to Maggie Mudd, which supposedly hoards the best vegan ice cream in town down in Bernal Heights.

I decided to make the trip on a Wednesday afternoon and found Maggie Mudd’s, on one of the neighborhood's many quaint streets, bustling with business. There was a small line and people were seated at every table in the tiny shop. The five people ahead of me somehow translated into a 15 minute wait. Maybe they should have more than one person working behind the counter? But, I really can't complain because it took me a long time to decide which ice cream I wanted from the extensive vegan options (the flavors rotate everyday).

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By Catherine McCulloch

At Golden Era Vegetarian Restaurant, an Asian joint in the Tenderloin’s little Saigon, I enjoyed a delicious vegan meal with a side of propaganda. See, the owners of the place are disciples of spiritual leader Ching Hai (a.k.a. The Supreme Master), and the restaurant displays pamphlets and posters that promote vegetarian ideas like “Go Veg! Be Green! Save the planet.”

I don’t know about the Supreme Master but the food borders divinity. Now don’t get me wrong! A meal at Golden Era can feel pretty sinful when you factor in all of the deep fried food and greasy sauces. But, a bit of indulgence can be good for the soul.

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By Catherine McCulloch

Souley Vegan is simply brilliant! Its appearance may be deceiving, but this downtown Oakland hole-in-the-wall restaurant will blow your mind. Overall, one of the most enjoyable eating experiences I’ve had in a long while.

On a steamy summer evening two friends and I decided to check out this vegan soul food restaurant we’d heard so much about. At first sight, the restaurant didn’t seem to be anything extraordinary. Inside and out, its décor is modest, to say the least. But, when I stepped into the restaurant and the sweet smell of baking yams filled my nostrils, I changed my mind.

The heat of the evening and the mellow hum of soul music playing over the sound system transported me from the Bay Area to the Deep South.

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By Catherine McCulloch

There is something inherently non-vegan about pizza - THE CHEESE! No matter which way you cut it, pizza simply isn’t pizza without one of its three major components: crust, sauce, and cheese. Having said this, there are many delightful pizzerias in the Bay Area that offer vegan pizzas. Most of the time these pizzas are simply pizza minus the cheese (a.k.a. sauce on bread). But I want cheese on my pizza, I NEED cheese on my pizza!

I was told that there are two good pizza joints in San Francisco that offer a soy cheese pizza: Panhandle Pizza (2077 Hayes St.) and Piraat Pizza (696 Sutter St.) I decided to give Piraat Pizza a whirl because of its BART accessibility; the restaurant is only a few blocks away from Union Square. However, I’m always weary of restaurants directly surrounding the Square because they tend to be overpriced and packed with tourists. Thankfully, Piraat Pizza was neither. It is a casual dining-type restaurant where you can take the kids and still eat adult food.

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By Catherine McCulloch

Vegan sushi isn't exactly the first thing on a San Franciscan's mind when making a foodie pit stop at the Mission. But maybe it should be! Forget the frijoles y riz for just a second (good as it is), and check out these two vegan sushi joints that tickled my taste buds this week:

CHA-YA
762 Valencia St.

Chef Katsumata opened his first vegan Japanese restaurant in Berkeley about 8 years ago and has since opened another location on Valencia Street. When I asked the chef why he decided to open a completely vegan place he responded: “3.5 million people are vegetarian this is (a) big market,” he then added another reason- his wife is a strict vegan.

A more causal version of its Berkeley counterpart, the new location on Valencia has a simple and traditional décor. However, the menu is anything but simple. Katsumata gives a modern rendition to traditional Japan cuisine. Most of the dishes served in Cha-ya are original Katsumata creations. I sampled the chef’s favorite dish, Soba sushi (Instead of rice this sushi roll is made with buckwheat noodles) served with soba dipping sauce. It contains: spinach, atsuage tofu, asparagus, cucumber, pickled burdock and seasoned kampyo gourd, and shitake mushrooms. The soba noodles made the roll lighter and the combination of all the ingredients, particularly the pickled burdock, with the soba dipping sauce gave the sushi a delightfully sweet taste.

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