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Foodie Finds in Rhode Island

/ Kelly / Leave a comment

Oh, dear. I spent so long rhapsodizing about my little Teddybear that I never told you about all the delicious things I ate on my trip to Rhode Island. And I call this a vegan food blog! For shame. Let’s get right to it, then!

My first full day in RI was a Saturday, and in the morning I accompanied my mom to the Wintertime Farmers Market in Pawtucket. Color me impressed! This was not some piddly little affair with a couple folding tables stocked with the anemic, sparse produce of winter. No, this was a bustling, busy affair with dozens of vendors, lots of happy shoppers, and a kick-ass locale.

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The market is snugly housed at Hope Artiste Village, a fantastic space that’s actually a renovated mill. Check out the gorgeous brick walls and exposed ceiling work – isn’t it cool? Beyond the main drag where most of the produce vendors sell their goods is whole other room with mostly prepared goods. My mom and I sampled a delicious Middle Eastern chickpea spread before moving on to a vendor that looked promising – EvaRuth’s Specialty Bakery, makers of wheat- and gluten-free goods.

Now, I don’t do the gluten-free thing, but I do know that many GF bakeries also offer vegan goods. My hunch proved correct – they had vegan brownies, cookies, and… doughnuts! I’ve been craving a vegan doughnut for three years, y’all. This was a baked cinnamon sugar doughnut, and it was good.

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Just cake-y enough and not too sweet, this doughnut pleased my tastebuds. I slowly nibbled it as we perused the rest of the vendors, listened to some live music, smiled at some adorable children dancing to the live music, and then poked around in one of the art shops that also lives in the building. On our way out, we purchased some fresh almond milk from a local vendor that’s hoping to buy a food truck to deliver fresh produce to food deserts. Impressive, right? I really enjoyed the almond milk – pure, unadulterated almond milk is nothing like its creamier, shelf-stable cousin, but it’s hard to beat with a glass of cake.

And I definitely enjoyed it with cake – my dad made his famous German chocolate-inspired vegan cake one night, and it was super delicious. And then, a few days before I left, we celebrated my birthday a little early with some yummy blondies.

Benediction.

But I’m getting ahead of myself! One of the other culinary highlights took place at Julians, which I’ve blogged about a couple of times in the past. This time, I was meeting my friend Nicole (and some of her other friends) to celebrate her birthday with a late-morning brunch. And by late-morning, I really mean early afternoon, because the Julians staff clearly doesn’t know how to deal with brunch crowds, and we were waiting for well over an hour. It was not pleasant. At least my meal didn’t disappoint! I got the Tofu Benedict, an amazing concoction of thick sourdough bread; big, soft cubes of tofu; vegan Hollandaise sauce; sauteed spinach; and a side of delicious home fries.

Most of my fellow diners also loved their meals, although the birthday girl herself wasn’t too impressed with her French toast. I was just happy that I had leftovers – nothing like making a tasty meal last for two days, right?

And that, friends, about wraps up the highlights! Apart from these special treats, I (of course) had lots of healthy, hearty vegan meals cooked up by my parents (and myself). I always eat well when I’m home. :)

Mini Coconut Cream Pies + Brunch Plans

/ Kelly / Leave a comment

I’m pleased as punch that it was 45 degrees here today! After a Wisconsin winter that totally made up for last year’s freakishly warm, snow-free season, I’m more than ready for sun and warmth. I’m crossing my fingers that’ll be pleasant this weekend; S and I were invited to an Easter brunch on Sunday, and the invitation promised bocce balls if the weather agreed. We’ll see!

In the meantime, I’ve got to come up with something to bring for brunch. It’s an afternoon affair, so there won’t be any typical heavy brunch foods. I considered making mini tarts or pies, but I made some mini coconut cream pie tarts a few weekends ago when we had a friend over for afternoon tea – the same friend who’s hosting this weekend’s brunch! So I figure I can’t really use that idea again, pretty and tasty as the little pies were.

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Yum yum! These were surprisingly easy to make, and they were super delicious. Definitely a recipe I’ll add to my roster! I served them with a sliced orange and a bowl of kumquats that our friend brought – the perfect accompaniments to cup after cup of freshly brewed tea.

What would you bring to a low-key, light brunch? Is it warm where you are?

Stuff and Things, or, My Struggle Towards Minimalism

/ Kelly / 7 Comments

I spent many nights of my childhood failing to fall asleep as my mind tumbled over concepts like infinity and forever and the nature of the universe, concepts I couldn’t quite grasp but refused to stop wondering about. I tended towards obsession salted with a hefty dash of anxiety, and for a while I couldn’t stop worrying about photographs.

Yes, photographs.

My worry about photographs was a manifestation of a larger concern: my discomfort with the existence of so much stuff in the world. Thinking about trash and dumps and garbage made me nervous, and for a while I fixated on photographs. I became convinced that, at some point, the sheer number of photographs in existence would grow SO LARGE that photographs would take over the world. Because, come on, who throws away pictures? They just sit there, in boxes and albums and envelopes, and you add more and more to your stash as you take more and more photos, but you never throw them away! The thought terrified me more than a little bit.

By the time I graduated high school, digital photography was fast becoming the norm, and my childhood fears of a world stuffed to the gills with yellowing paper photos had long been put to rest. But that larger discomfort with stuff and things persisted. It still persists, and I still get a little nervous when I think about dumps, and I feel a little hollow when I’m in a big department store with oodles of things that will never stop existing.

All of this is to say that minimalism, and the idea of being satisfied and fulfilled with less stuff and fewer things, appeals to me. I’ve been pushing around the notion of reducing and letting go for a while, and one of my goals for this year is to truly start walking down that path. I made that decision on my birthday, a day on which I received more stuff and things. Things like this gorgeous, clothbound edition of Pride and Prejudice thoughtfully given by S:

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Because who needs books bound with a dead cow when cloth can be this pretty?

I also received some sweaters, and a heating pad for my oft-sore neck, and a doohicky for making popcorn in the microwave without a paper bag. Stuff and things. And it’s not that I don’t want the things. Generally, the things that people give me are personal and useful. But I don’t want all the things. So I decided that whenever something new comes into my possession, I will get rid of one – ideally, two! – other things. With that resolution in mind, I prepared a small stack of items to donate to make way for my birthday gifts.

giveaway_8584124450_oS and I donate unloved clothing and household items fairly frequently, but I know we can do better. And I’m hoping that my new resolution will make me think even more critically when I feel the tug of consumerism. I will look at a potential purchase not only in terms of the money I’ll spend but also in terms of what I will have to give away to make a place for the new item in my closet or on my bookshelf or in my kitchen. I’m excited about the prospect. I’m not one for buying much, but do make the occasional less-than-necessary purchase, and I’d like to make sure those purchases are ones I really want. I’ll make some exceptions, of course. I received some pretty notecards from a coworker for my birthday, but they won’t take up permanent space in my home; I’ll write letters to friends and send them on their way. So I don’t feel compelled to give something away to make room for them.

The other part of my resolution for the next year is to buy most of my clothing at secondhand, thrift, and consignment stores. I have no problems whatsoever with wearing used clothes, and a large portion of my wardrobe is secondhand already. It’s less expensive, I have more luck finding a variety of clothes in my size, and I’m extending the life of existing clothes rather than purchasing new ones. I’ll make exceptions for undergarments, socks, and – potentially – shoes, because shoes are pretty hit or miss at thrift stores.

I’m excited for my resolutions. I have a tendency to want to keep things for sentimental reasons, but I’m trying to dissociate the objects from their related emotions and memories. When I was home last month, I purged lots of childhood knick-knacks, and it felt good. I hope to capture that feeling more often as I learn to let go of things (the things that, paradoxically, stress me out by their very existence!) and live happily with less.

Happily, not all of my birthday gifts this year required me to get rid of something else. S, being the crafty and wonderfully thoughtful guy he is, thumbed through my copy of Vegan Food Gifts and found the perfect things to make for me: simple syrups! He made me a strawberry and an orange simple syrup, and I’ve been enjoying them in cocktails. He did need to buy some jars to store them in, but I know I’ll be able to re-use them repeatedly in the future.

 

Aren’t they pretty? That’s the kind of gift I love: homemade, simple, and thoughtful. I aspire to give gifts like that, and I think that notion fits well with my minimalistic goals. In other words, be prepared for more handmade gifts than ever, friends and family! :)

Do you have tips for living simply? How do you handle feeling sentimental about objects, or do you not feel that way?

 

Turning Twenty-Six… with Tacos

/ Kelly / Leave a comment

In case you were suspicious that my blog was going to turn into an all-out sentimentality-fest with lots of uncomfortable monologues about unconditional love and babies and crap, never fear! I’m back on solid ground with a post about food. Birthday food! By which I mean, tacos. Naturally. I’ll get to them in a second, I promise.

Last Friday, I turned 26. I feel surprisingly neutral about this birthday, even though I’m officially closer to 30 than 20 now. Or maybe I just haven’t had time to stop and think about it – my excitement over Teddy’s birth kinda eclipsed my own mopey musings on aging. But I think I’m okay with 26. It’s a solid number, respectable, even. I feel good about where I am in my life and the people I share it with. And that’s what really matters, right?

Happily, I shared an early birthday celebration with most of my immediate family when I was back in RI. Mom made a batch of these yummy blondies (and gleefully crowed about the secret ingredient when certain family members couldn’t guess what it was), the adults all sang “Happy Birthday,” and Teddy snoozed away. I received gifts from my parents that night and gifts from some other relatives at various points during my visit. It was low-key and lovely – just the way I like it.

On my actual birthday, the 15th, S and I kept it equally low-key. We decided to have dinner at Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace, a taco-centric establishment that we’ve been meaning to visit for a while. We were seated after a short wait, and we promptly ordered drinks – a Shiner for S and a blue agave margarita for me – while perusing the vegan menu. We wanted to order their vegan nachos as a starter, but the waitress abashedly informed us that they were out of vegan queso. Boo! Instead, we got chips and a cute tub of guac.

Squat cast-iron bowl of guacamole topped with diced tomatoes.

Bowl o’ guac.

Yum! This guac was perfect – creamy, simple, and fresh. The diced tomatoes and onions on top (not mixed in!) were a nice touch, and the portion size was perfect for the both of us. Actually, it might’ve been a little large for me – I couldn’t quite finish the two tacos I ended up ordering! I went with the two-taco plate and chose the Avocado Frito (fried avocado, mushrooms, black beans, tomatoes, and red onions on corn tortillas) and the Black Bean Something or Other (no list because it’s not on the online menu, but it was pretty similar to the other one). The platter came with a side of beans (I chose refried) and rice.

Green plate with two fully loaded tacos, a pile of rice, and a scoop of refried beans.

Two-taco plate.

The tacos come sans salsa and mostly sans spice (except for one burning bite in my bean taco – weird!), which lets the eater customize the level of spiciness. This is made easy by Tex Tubb’s salsa bar, which features four different salsas. The spiciest one wasn’t too exciting, the next-spiciest chipotle-ish one was flavorful and yummy, the tomatillo salsa was good, and the mild red salsa was just fine. The tacos themselves were decent, although I’m pretty sure my avocado was not frito and was instead raw. Not that I’m complaining! I prefer the fresher flavors. The beans and rice were simple but tasty. S also got the avocado taco, along with some sort of Roasted Veggie Tostada (yeah, no list here either, but there was lots of corn!)

Magenta plate with an avocado-filled taco and a tostada piled high with veggies.

Pink platter!

S and I both saved one of our tacos for later, and I saved some of my rice and beans, too. They made great leftovers!

Tex Tubb’s is oh-so-conveniently located down the street from The Green Owl, so we swung by there after dinner to pick up desserts for later – a berry-lemon cheesecake for me and a passionfruit cheesecake for S (his was superior). We enjoyed them at home while watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes. All in all, a really great birthday. S gave me some sweet gifts, and I’ll probably blog about a couple of them soon. :)

Now, you might remember that last year, when I turned 25, I gave myself a list of 25 things to accomplish before I turned 26. Full disclosure: I totally failed on a lot of them. But I’m okay with that. Many of the things I didn’t do were the more self-indulgent goals, like making things for myself or getting a tattoo. That stuff will happen eventually, but it’s not as important as the more meaningful goals I did accomplish, like volunteering more often and keeping in better touch with friends. So with that ringing endorsement of my success, here’s my final list:

  1. Pay off a loan. Completed! (I actually paid off two or three smaller ones!)
  2. Sew myself a dress. FAIL.
  3. Blog at least five times a month. Completed! (Or, I’ll complete it at the end of this month.)
  4. Drive in a big city. FAIL.
  5. Send people birthday cards and gifts on time. Completed!
  6. Work out weekly. Completed! (Very proud of myself for this one. I know it’s not much, but it’s consistent, and I’ve never been good at keeping up a consistent workout schedule. I intend to amp it up in the next year!
  7. Learn how to use InDesign. Um… I used InDesign to make the invitations to my sister’s baby shower, but I’m no expert. Not quite completed!
  8. Knit myself a sweater. FAIL.
  9. Do more creative writing. Completed! Nobody will ever read it, but whatever!
  10. Start making Christmas gifts during the summer. Completed!
  11. Make a pie with a lattice crust. Completed!
  12. Re-learn how to crochet. FAIL.
  13. Get another tattoo. FAIL. (Cry!)
  14. Read more poetry. Completed(ish)! I read more than I usually do, so… it counts. ;)
  15. Take the GRE. FAIL. (And I probably won’t.)
  16. Try hot yoga. FAIL. (Stupidly. Would’ve been so easy.)
  17. Start and maintain an Etsy shop. FAIL. (But I’m working on it)
  18. Consistently make some of Moria’s food. Completed! (I had to stop for a while when she had a bladder stone and needed a special diet, but for the most part I’ve augmented her dry food with veggies and/or rice.)
  19. Knit a pair of socks. FAIL.
  20. Call (or write to) far-away family and friends more frequently. Completed!
  21. Visit a new country. Completed!
  22. Do more hands-on volunteering. Completed!
  23. Super-secret private goal! Completed!
  24. Super-secret private goal! This is an ongoing goal. But I made progress!
  25. Super-secret private goal! Errr… nope.

Not great, but not bad. I’m happy with what I accomplished this year. I’ve got some thoughts in mind for how to approach this next year of my life, but I’m keeping quiet on that front for a while. ;)

A Visit Home, or, A Love Letter to Teddy

/ Kelly / 6 Comments

A few nights ago, I wrote a really long post about going home. It was a self-indulgent meditation about the way returning to my childhood home is a little like entering a time warp. I spent far too many paragraphs describing the landscape of my home city and my house itself and the way they’ve both changed and stayed the same, and the way I’ve both changed and stayed the same.

But that story is an old story, and it is not a unique story or a story much worth telling. It’s probably your story, too, if you ever left home and then returned, years later, as an adult with your own life only to find that your own life gets a little dim and shadowy when you walk into your childhood house and see the same old photographs on the walls and the same old stained grout in the bathtub and the same old books on the shelves.

Eventually, after all those long-winded paragraphs, I meandered my way to the real point of my story, which is probably not a terribly unique story either, but it’s a new one for me. It’s a love story, and the object of my affection is tiny and soft and irrefutably the sweetest little sprout I’ve ever seen. I met him for the first time on my visit home.

A sleeping baby wearing a striped onesie with built-in hand covers.

Sleepy Theo.

That’s Theodore, or Theo, or – as I call him – Teddy. He’s my nephew.

During this visit home, I realized that I don’t like the word nephew. It is not an elegant word, either in speech or in writing. But it is what he is.

During this visit, my nephew took a little piece of my heart and grabbed it real tight and didn’t let go.

During this visit, I spent far too much (or was it far too little?) time staring down at his tiny face, at his rounded nose and his soft, pliant ears and his pale, pale eyelashes, almost invisible unless you look really closely. I called his every gesture the cutest thing ever! because it so totally was.

He crumples up his face while he sleeps sometimes, his brow furrowing and his lips pursing and his nose twitching, and it is adorable and absurd because what on earth could trouble his dreams? We joked that he was having a nightmare about curdled breastmilk, but that couldn’t be it because he literally has no concept of such a thing. Sometimes he squeaks in his sleep, or moans a bit, and it really is the cutest thing ever! and there’s no way you’d disagree if you saw it.

During this visit, I greedily stole time holding and touching and generally soaking up the deliciousness that is my nephew. Even when he peed on me (twice!), I didn’t mind at all, and I secretly felt a little happy about it, like he was marking me as his own. If it were up to me, I’d have held him every hour of the day, and soothed him every time he cried in the night, and even changed every one of his poopie diapers. But it was not up to me, and I know that this love I feel for him is probably not even a teeny-tiny infinitesimal fraction of the love that his parents feel for him. So during this visit, my “greedy” stealing of time was really just not-so-greedily accepting him when his mama or daddy offered him to me, adding an “Are you sure?” so they knew it was okay if they really wanted to keep holding him and were only offering out of courtesy.

Close-up of a yawning baby's face.

Sleepy baby.

And during this visit, while lying in the daybed that is not my bed in the room that is no longer my bedroom, failing to fall asleep because of the change to Daylight Savings and the fact that I was still kinda-sorta operating in Central Time (a flimsy half-truth, but a good excuse for sleeplessness), I had a kinda-sorta epiphany.

I thought about babies, and I thought about the totally pure, unfiltered, unqualified, unconditional love they receive from nearly everyone who sees them. It is the most joyful, unadulterated love I can imagine. They receive it simply because they are tiny and adorable and so wholly innocent and helpless. I know that, pragmatically, they receive it as a matter of necessity; if babies weren’t so cute we wouldn’t be so inclined to help them and they might not – would not – survive. So, sure, maybe babies are toying with us and tricking us into giving them our love, but even if that’s true I don’t care. I’m happy to give it.

I also started thinking about how babies don’t – can’t – appreciate all the love that gets heaped on them. I’m sure they feel it and know that they are cared for and safe, but they can’t consciously acknowledge or appreciate it. And then I started thinking that the people who could use a helping of unconditional love and who could consciously acknowledge and appreciate it are the adults, the jaded, world-weary people with worries and problems and mortgages. And it’s totally not fair that we don’t get any of that, right?!

And then I realized, Oh. We do get it, if we’re willing to accept it. Parents give their children that unconditional love even when those children are forty-three with paunches and tempers and mortgages, because parents still see the tiny, helpless, innocent infants their not-so-children once were. And they always will.

And during this visit, I decided that maybe I understand a little more about parenthood. Because, even though I am not a parent, I think that when Teddy is fourteen and decides that all the adults in his family are so stupid! and don’t understand anything! and he is being an undeniable brat, I will look at him and I will still see the teeny-tiny newborn who stared up at me, helpless, with chapped lips and flailing fists and made my heart melt when his lips curled into a little smirking smile. And I will love him just like I did then, and just like I do now. No matter what.

Crafting for Teddy

/ Kelly / 7 Comments

Remember my little post-script at the end of my previous post, where I said I’d be in Rhode Island this weekend? Well, I’m here right now, at this very moment! (Thanks, pre-scheduled posts!) I’m not here to celebrate my birthday a week early, to escape from the never-ending snow in Madison, or even just to eat a yummy vegan brunch at Julian’s. No, I’m in the Ocean State to meet the most special little man in my life – my brand-new nephew, Theodore. (I posted about my sister’s baby shower a while back, if you’ll recall!)

I’ve been itching to wrap my arms around the little sprout ever since he made his debut a few minutes after midnight on February 28th. But with plane tickets already purchased for March 8th (my sister’s original due date), I had to wait a whole entire week. It was tortuous. I spent some of my time working on homemade gifts for the little man, including this nature-themed embroidered bib:

Hand-embroidered baby bib. It has images of little birds, a bumblebee, a hedgehog, and trees, along with the name

Ready for spit-up and breast milk and all sorts of yummy messes!

Embroidering is my newest hobby; I picked it up a little over a year ago and I really love it. The patterns at Sublime Stitching bring embroidery to the 21st century – after all, their motto is “This ain’t your gramma’s embroidery!” But even grandmas would approve of the sweet little hedgehog and those pudgy birds, don’t you think?

Speaking of pudgy, I also whipped up this plump piggy:

Round knitted pink pig with big triangle ears.

Lil pink pig.

I’ve been a knitter for years and years, but this was my first stuffed animal! It’s hard to get a sense of scale from that picture, but he’s nearly a foot long from snout to curly tail. I used a pattern that I purchased on Ravelry, and it was fun to learn short-row shaping for this project. Isn’t he just the cutest? I used a cotton-acrylic blend, and it’s perfectly soft and cuddly.

As I write this, I’m a little over 24 hours away from snuggling my tiny nephew for the first time. By the time you read this, I’ll have met him and fallen totally in love. Well… who am I kidding; I’m already in love! You can bet that I’ll have some photos to share when I return. I intend to snap lots and lots of pictures in the rare moments when I’m not cuddling Teddy. :)

Any new babies in your life recently? What craft projects are you working on?

Green Owl Anniversary Dinner

/ Kelly / 2 Comments

Today’s post is the last in a rather long series of restaurant review posts. I swear, S and I aren’t restaurant-hopping spendthrifts, throwing fistfuls of money at every dining establishment with a vegan option! We happened to be traveling for work at the same time in February, and then it was our two-year anniversary and I had a Groupon for The Green Owl, so we just had to get dinner there! But I promise – I’ll get back to basics soon and cool it with the restaurant posts*.

I’ve mentioned The Green Owl more than a few times, but I think I’ve only blogged about it once. The Green Owl is Madison’s only vegetarian restaurant, and a high percentage of their menu items are either already vegan or can be made vegan with ease. I love supporting the place, but I do think that some of their dishes are overpriced considering the portion size and the quality. There are standouts, however, that are totally worth their cost: the Crabby Cake Po’Boy and BBQ Jackfruit sandwiches are top-notch in my book, while S prefers the Italian Beef sandwich. And you’d be a real idiot if you passed on their kale crisps, which are always crunchy, flavorful, and highly addictive. Where The Green Owl really stands out is its dessert menu… but I’ll get to that soon!

Our anniversary fell on a Tuesday, which is (apparently) taco night. I couldn’t resist ordering the tacos, which featured a soy-based chorizo, lettuce, and avocado in corn tortillas. They came with a side of beans and rice and small bowls of vegan sour cream and their house pineapple pico de gallo.

Plate filled with three tacos, rice and beans, and two small metal bowls of vegan sour cream and pico de gallo.

Taco Tuesday!

To be honest, the pineapple pico was probably the best part of this dish. The tacos weren’t anything too special; I could easily make them at home with little fuss. And the “beans and rice” was disappointing – it was literally a pile of barely seasoned black beans alongside a scoop of brown rice. Again, totally fine for something I’d make at home when I wanted a simple dinner, but not what I particularly want to receive as a paying customer at a restaurant! At least I had a pomegranate cocktail to keep me in good spirits. ;)

S ordered the TLT with avocado, served on locally made bread.

Sandwich cut diagonally, alongside a helping of roasted baby red potatoes.

TLT!

I’ve had this before, and it’s perfectly serviceable but nothing mind-blowing. S chose roasted red potatoes as a side – a wise choice, second in quality only to the kale chips! S also ordered a Manhattan. You can see it in the corner, inexplicably served in a small tumbler. When he ordered the drink, our waitress said, “Hmm, I think she knows how to make that!” Not exactly confidence-inspiring, and a Manhattan is not exactly an exotic drink!

Although our meals didn’t boast the most inspiring flavors or quality, our desserts made the entire dinner worthwhile. I ordered a margarita cheesecake that was truly phenomenal.

Small sliver of vegan cheesecake with a thin, translucent topping served alongside a small dollop of vegan whipped cream.

I’m drooling right now.

Bursting with fresh lime flavor, this luscious, creamy cheesecake hit all the right notes. I absolutely loved that it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet. The head pastry chef at The Green Owl constantly produces some of the most creative and consistently drool-worthy vegan cheesecake creations I’ve ever had, and this one was one of my all-time favorites. She doesn’t just do cheesecakes, though – all her desserts are equally delicious. S took the cake route and ordered some sort of mocha cake.

Dark-colored three-layer cake with chocolaty frosting. Served with a dollop of vegan whipped cream and two chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Served with chocolate-covered espresso beans!

Although I preferred my cheesecake, this was definitely a standout dessert too. Cakes at The Green Owl are always perfectly moist, with just the right frosting-to-cake ratio.

While not every dish at The Green Owl is a winner, those that are winners win big. No omnivore could try a dessert at The Green Owl and think that vegan baked goods are inferior to their traditional counterparts, and the favorites I listed earlier are consistently high-quality dishes. Even though I have some qualms with The Green Owl’s prices, I’ll still be back for more! Here’s hoping the margarita cheesecake is on the menu next time…!

Do you have easy access to any delicious vegan desserts?

*Sorta. I’ll be in Rhode Island next weekend, and on Sunday my friend is holding a birthday brunch at a restaurant with multiple vegan breakfast options, soooo………

Guest Post: LA Eatin’ Part Two

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

Here’s the grand finale of S’s enviable trip to California, where he shares more of his attempt to eat his way through LA and nerds out over SPACE!

***

My friend and I returned to her home after our warm-hearted Cafe Gratitude dinner and rich, sugary BabyCakes dessert. We’d bought tickets to a 10:30 showing of The Gatekeepers, a critically acclaimed documentary about the Israeli secret security service. Alas, I was not to remain awake that long, and I bailed for an early jet-lag induced rest.

The next morning we awoke and headed off to Real Food Daily for brunch. My friend’s late Christmas present for me was a copy of the Real Food Daily cookbook, so I was excited to try their selection. I started off with one of my favorite morning beverages, a hot cup of espresso.

Small cup with a frothy espresso and a silver spoon.

Gimme caffeine!

I sipped my beverage while we mulled over the menu. The waitress recommended The Weekender, a make-your-own brunch meal that looked like way too much food–perfect to fill in for my breakfast and lunch. I got the scrambled tofu, which came with onions, tomatoes, and cashew cheese, a side of tempeh bacon, plus hash browns. If that sounds like a lot, it was!

Plate of tofu scramble, ketchup, potatoes, and tempeh bacon.

Scrambled!

The tofu scramble was pretty standard. The cashew cheese on top was unnecessary but delicious, although the promised jalapeno did not deliver much spice. The hash browns were a bit greasy and uncannily square. This was, however, my first experience with tempeh bacon, and it was awesome. How do they get the bacon taste so right? I wanted several more pieces, but I probably couldn’t have eaten them anyway. That’s because I forgot to mention that this meal also included french toast.

Plate with two thick slices of French toast and a bit scoop of vegan butter.

Toast, a la francais.

It was light, fluffly, and delicious, if a bit too chewy. But honestly, I could barely choke it down. This weekend turned into a glut-fest!

My friend left me to my own devices for my remaining two days, and I ate both lunch and dinner at separate Native Foods. Did I mention that I love Native Foods? [Ed. note: I can confirm this.] I didn’t snap any pictures or take notes, as I figured there wasn’t much novelty. But later that day I did take a picture of something that was ONCE IN SPACE!

The space shuttle Endeavour!

THIS HAS BEEN IN SPACE SEVERAL TIMES.

I am a huge science nerd, and seeing the Endeavour was honestly a pretty awe-inspiring experience. I teared up a bit when I first entered the hangar; it’s amazing to think of the incredible ingenuity, courage, and genius of the men and women who built and flew that craft. Space travel is the most astonishing accomplishment in human history, and seeing the massive shuttle in person was a humbling experience.

But I couldn’t stay long; I had to get to Loma Linda for a work trip. I cruised west for an hour or so and checked into my hotel in Riverside, California, right down the street from the beautiful and historic Riverside Inn. I’d stopped for some snacks along the way, but I was going to need nourishment for the whole week, so I decided to get a pizza and store it in my hotel fridge, eating a few pieces a night. I drove about a half hour to Cheezy Pizza in Colton, a bizarre establishment that was the only vegan offering in the area.

Shady-looking row of small storefronts.

Yep, that’s a head shop next door.

This place was really weird. First of all, it was in the middle of nowhere; the only other buildings around seemed to be warehouses. Secondly, it offered a strange combination of pizza and Mexican food (I wish I’d grabbed some “vegan-style” empanadas). And thirdly, I swear the pizza had fennel on it. It was otherwise not bad, but pretty standard Daiya pizza. I got half “pepperoni” and half mushrooms, and it did the job.

My final vegan stop on the trip was at Loving Hut in Upland, which was about a half hour drive. I’ve never been to a Loving Hut before, and I wasn’t disappointed. There was a muted TV playing the Supreme Master with helpful subtitles that covered nearly the entire screen. I ordered the Spicy General Tso’s and was fairly unimpressed.

White plate with a scoop of white rice, a small salad, and a fake meat with sauce. In the background are copies of the New Yorker and The Silmarillion.

New Yorker and Tolkien, no biggie.

I did very much enjoy my dessert, however: an Oreo cheesecake. I also got to watch a very cute baby across the room.

Big slice of cheesecake with a cookie-crumb crust.

Sorry, no baby pictures.

I had a great time in California and I was so glad to be able to sample such diverse vegan offerings. One unexpected benefit of my going vegan has been that I can plan my trips around the places I want to eat, and that strategy worked swimmingly in LA and the Inland Empire. Thanks for reading!

Seattle: The Rest!

/ Kelly / 1 Comment

Although not having a car in Seattle put a crimp in my plans of hitting up all the vegan hot spots, I managed to find food within walking (or ordering!) distance from my hotel in Bellevue. I’d been planning to meet up with my brother after work each day, but he was sick for two of my remaining three nights in Seattle, so we didn’t meet up till Wednesday.

On Monday, I walked just over a mile to Teapot Vegetarian House, an all-vegan (!) Chinese restaurant tucked snugly into a strip mall in Redmond. When I arrived, there was only one other patron, a wizened old man rapidly eating from multiple plates of food. After I placed my order, I noticed him finish eating… and promptly head into the kitchen, leaving me as the single diner. Nobody else appeared during my stay, although I did see a waiter preparing an order for take-out. I’m not sure whether Teapot is always quiet or Monday nights just aren’t busy, but I certainly don’t know how they can stay in business when they serve a single paying customer over the course of an hour!

All that aside, the food I had at Teapot was mostly mediocre. I was craving veggies, so I ordered the Rama Garden, described as steamed broccoli, cabbage, carrots, lotus roots, napa and lots of seasonal vegetables smothered over with a buttery and smooth sweet vegan peanut sauce. Nothing too exciting, but I wanted simple. Rice wasn’t included in the meal, so I ordered a side of brown rice for $1.50. My food was pretty much the epitome of simple.

White plate with lots of green veggies and peanut sauce.

Simple.

The veggies were just fine, but that sauce was far too sweet for my taste. I like a bit of an umami kick to counterbalance the sweetness, but this sauce lacked any saltiness. It wasn’t bad by any means, but it certainly wasn’t a stand-out meal. The dessert, however, far exceeded my expectations. I ordered the Gula Malacca, their signature dessert. I don’t have a photo, but here’s the description: Traditional Malay dessert is given a fresh vegan treatment. Tapioca pearls marinated in a brown sugared coconut syrup, topped with a dollop of coconut sorbet and soy whipped cream, sprinkled with crushed peanuts.

YUM YUM YUM. If you’re not a fan of tapioca, this isn’t the dessert for you, but I love those gelatinous blobs. They were suspended in a rich, sweet-but-not-too-sweet confection that had a bit of a coffee flavor to it (to my taste buds, at least). I got the dessert to go, so it was a little melty by the time I dug in, but it was a cool, refreshing end to my meal.

The next night, I quailed in the face of Seattle’s infamous rain and decided to order in. After some furious Googling, I stumbled on Flying Saucer Pizza, which delivers out of Redmond. The Dr. Zaius veggie pizza called my name: Our veggie Thai pizza with sweet, but spicy peanut sauce, pineapple, carrots, sprouts, red cabbage, basil, chopped nuts, and sesame seeds. Despite a horrible phone connection when I called in my order, the server got my order right and omitted the cheese. The delivery guy also graciously agreed to deliver to my hotel, which was just outside their official delivery zone (don’t worry, I tipped him well!). My order didn’t quite meet the minimum cost for delivery, so I also got a Fresh Greens salad – hold the gorgonzola. That salad was half of my lunch while I was working the next day. ;)

Round pizza in a delivery box.

Not as big as it looks!

This pizza was fine, but it was nowhere near as good as the Vegan Thai Pie I get at home! Still, it was a lucky find and it filled me right up.

Sadly, I never got to try out the one Seattle establishment I’d been jonesin’ to visit: Highline. Sigh. I’d assumed my brother and I would hit it up on my last night in town (he lives within easy walking distance!), but he neglected to inform me that he had friends coming over to his place for a belated birthday gathering, so we wouldn’t have time to go out anywhere. Not that I’m bitter at all…! At least he made me dinner – Dr. Praeger falafel patties with all the fixins. :)

Speaking of which, I also dined on falafel my first night in Seattle. My brother (again!) had pre-existing birthday plans with friends at Brouwer’s Cafe, a spacious “pub” with a dizzying selection of craft beers so vast it drove my indecisive self absolutely bonkers. The food menu is laughably smaller than the drink menu, and the vegan selections are smaller still. However, they are clearly labeled, something I definitely appreciate! The house-made falafel patty was soft, flavorful, and, frankly, not all that falafel-like, but it was tasty nonetheless. And the focaccia that cushioned it was puffy, soft, and wholly lovely. It was the perfect meal to prepare my tummy for a night of bar-hopping. :)

And that, friends, is all she wrote when it comes to Seattle. While I didn’t get to visit as many of the amazing vegan eateries as I would’ve liked, I think I did pretty well for being carless. Stay tuned for the second half of S’s LA dining!

Guest Post: LA Eatin’

/ Kelly / 4 Comments

While I was in Seattle, S was on his own trip in LA. He stayed with a semi-vegan friend for a few days before journeying to Loma Linda for work, and they hit up all the notable vegan joints in LA. I won’t say I’m not envious, but at least S took copious notes so he could share his delicious eats with me (and you)! This is his first installment.

***

I’ve just returned from a magical place. It’s warm all the time there–rarely gets below 60–and it almost never rains. Improbable palm trees stud the roadways. And there is more vegan food than you could eat in a lifetime. It’s not the Garden of Eden–it’s Los Angeles!

I’m the first to claim I love a good snowstorm or a grey, overcast day. But there’s something about the perennial sunshine that just gets your spirits up. I can see how Southern California draws so many dreamers.

I stayed with a friend from high school who, after flirting with veganism for a few months, went full vegan for the month of January and has continued ever since. She made the impressive leap from omnivorism to veganism without the classic stopover in Vegetarianville, and she hasn’t looked back. What follows are write-ups of a few of Los Angeles’ most popular vegan hot-spots, and my own terrible photos. [Ed. note: Not as bad as my low-lighting restaurant snaps!]

Palms!

Our first stop was at the famous Veggie Grille, and it was literally on the way home from the airport. I grabbed the All-American Stack with a side of coleslaw and a strawberry lemonade. The “stack” included three onion rings, grilled “veggie-steak,” and standard burger condiments. I found it disappointing, to be honest; the protein was pretty unremarkable, the onion rings were a bit floppy, and the coleslaw was quite bland. The strawberry lemonade, on the other hand, was delicious; tart and bright with flecks of strawberry seeds. Just the thing for a warm, sunny day!

Stacked.

On the way back to my friend’s apartment we stopped at Sprinkles, a lovely ice cream shop in the heart of Beverly Hills. You don’t understand Beverly Hills until you spot a Bentley double-parking in front of a Ferrari in front of a cupcake ATM, as we saw while standing in line for the single vegan ice cream flavor. The strawberry sorbet was so fresh and creamy that I didn’t mind doubling up on it.

And we stopped by the ATM on the way out to grab vegan red velvet cupcakes, which we watched being dispensed via live video feed. I’m told Honey Boo Boo patronized the very same cupcake ATM. I felt touched by fame. The cupcake was terrific, by the way–moist and rich, with a coconutty icing that worked well with the flavors.

That night we went to Cafe Gratitude in downtown LA. It’s not really a cafe, but a lovely full-service restaurant with warm wooden decor and an array of organic vegan dishes. Ordering at Cafe Gratitude requires you to say something positive about yourself, because all the dishes are inspiring sentences. We started off with the I AM ECSTATIC, and what is more ecstatic than brussels sprouts roasted with Maple Miso sauce? The sprouts were a tad soggy, but the roasted flavor worked well with the touch of maple and the portion was huge. I must say, though, that I still prefer Kelly’s brussels sprouts–and I’m not just saying that!

Ecstatic.

For the main course I declared I AM WARM HEARTED, and when the server returned he confirmed: “You are warm hearted.” As a reward for my compassion I received grilled polenta with mushroom ragout and spinach, drizzled with ricotta cashew cheese and sprinked with brazil nut parmesan and basil. It was absolutely delicious. Rich and savory, with as much decadent ragout as polenta. The cheeses were very, very good, but overkill even for me, and I’ll almost never turn down another savory flavor. The basil and spinach was absolutely essential for leavening this heavy meal.

Warm-hearted.

And though my stomach protested, I couldn’t pass up a stop at the famous BabyCakes, where I bought a double chocolate cookie cake with mint icing. Now, I love Bloom, our local vegan bakery, and I think it can stand up to any of its big-city counterparts. But this cookie sandwich absolutely blew my mind! The chocolate cookies were decadently fudgy, almost brownie-like, and the icing was drawn from the Platonic conception of a mint oreo. I meant to take a photo, honest, but it was so good that I thought of nothing else until all that remained were crumbs in a paper ball.

This ends Part I of LA Eatin’! Stay tuned for the second and final installment, where I visit Real Food Daily, see a thing that was in space (!), and order a meal from the bizarre Cheezy Pizza.

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