Our favorite dishes: Vegan Buddha’s Beef (request vegan), Mock Eel, Double Garlic Broccoli, Vegan Dry Fried Green Beans (request vegan) and Vegan Dan Dan Noodles (request vegan).

Chrysanthemum Tea

Vegetable Potstickers

Vegan Chow Fun Noodles

Mushrooms with Sesame Sauce

Double Garlic Broccoli

Our date night started at the driving range where we shared an extra large bucket of balls.

After we emptied our bucket of balls we headed to the batting gages.  I watched while Neil hit a few balls and then it was time to head downtown for the second half of our date.

We debated over a few places to go for a drink and dinner but I wasn’t really that hungry so we decided to go to the German brew pub for a beer and decide on what we wanted for dinner later.  Once we sat down and perused the menu we saw that there were a few potential small plate options for us to have and since we were enjoying the quiet night on the patio we decided to stay and order food as well.

Grilled Asparagus with olive oil and lemon

Giant pretzel with horseradish mustard (no butter on the pretzel)

Spicy Fries (more liked seasoned)

The Verdict: delicious beer (we stayed for a second) and tasty food. We sat and enjoyed each others company while sipping beers and snacking on the food. Overall one of the best nights lately and I can’t wait to return for more of the asparagus-SO GOOD!

To Start- Seeded Baguette

Cocktail for me: Moulin Rouge and a Beer for Him

Artichoke stuffed with Temeph

Espresso

Vegan Carrot Cake: A-MAZ-ING

Overall we had an amazing and delicious meal. The entree was light, fresh and so tasty. The dessert was amazing especially with the espresso. It was the best espresso I have ever had too. Overall amazing meal, amazing ambiance (it was like you were in France) and I had the best date ever- my husband.

We played a few (okay like 5) rounds of pool before calling it a night and heading back to our comfy giant bed. It is always nice to sleep in a king bed and it makes me miss having one (serious who down sizes from a king to a double-not recommended).

After a night of dinner, drinks, pool and of course elevator dancing we were in need of a gym sesh.  So we headed to the hotel gym and I got in a run and the Hubz used the elliptical.  After that we showered and hit the road to the most amazing bakery I have ever been to.

WE CAME TO DANCE DANCE DANCE

C25K Week 5 Day 2

We spent a hungry hour in the car making our way to Wildflour Vegan Bakery what I am now claiming to be the most amazing bakery I have ever been to in my life.  I could honestly eat here everyday (and would if it wasn’t 4 hours away). We walked in and were overwhelmed by the vast selection of baked goods as well as other tasty items such as kale chips, fresh juices and smoothies.  To help us decide we took advantage of the free samples of basil lemonade, peanut butter brownie and raw chocolate brownie.

As you can see there were so many options to choose from but in the end the Hubz and I decided that the scones looked most appealing for breakfast.  After a heated debated over which ones we would get we decided on the granola scone and the spinach and mushroom scone.  Along with the scones I got a green juice and the hubz an avocolada smoothie.

Everything was amazing and we obviously ordered too much so we ended up taking the granola scone with us and snacked on it throughout the day. The scones were absolutely amazing and flakey; I have never experienced anything so good.

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I received a number of great recommendations as to what to get at The Elephant Walk by a number of tweeps and in the end the Hubz and I decided to both do the 3 Course Prix-Fixe since it was our anniversary and all.

We both ordered the Vegan Rouleaux, Chilled Avocado Citrus Soup and theVegan Crevettes (tofu) Amrita for our three courses.  We also both picked out fancy cocktails.  I chose the Cucumber Martini; it was really refreshing and so good.

Crop organic cucumber vodka accented with a splash of Dolin White Vermouth (an amazing, small production family product) and garnished with a slice of cucumber

First Course: Vegan Rouleaux- this was a really amazing and fun dish to eat.  We were instructed that you take the lettuce leaf and place the fried roll in the middle, then top with mint, basil and bean sprouts roll it up and dip in the sauce.  It was crazy delicious and there was so much food- I definitely got a little filled up just on the first course! I am now going to have to recreate these some day after a long run.

Second Course: Chilled Avocado Citrus Soup- this was the Hubz favorite of the three. It had such an amazing flavor and zip to it.  Again something I need to attempt to recreate.

Third Course: Tofu Amrita- this final course was absolutely delicious.  It was huge as well and neither the Hubz nor I could finish more than half of it after devouring the first two courses.  The dish was filled with wonderful chunks of crispy tofu with lots of veggies and a sweet peanuty sauce. Overall delicious.

Overall the Hubz and I loved The Elephant Walk; the food and drink were both amazing.  The atmosphere of the Waltham location wasn’t my favorite because it wasn’t very romantic and they seemed to try and fit as many tables in as possible so you were basically sitting on top of the people next to you.  However despite that the food was amazing and we will be going back (again and again).

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Last night the Hubz and I decided to take a tour of our local YMCA and got ourselves a 3 day pass to try it out.  We have really been debating joining a gym for years but when we were living in Montpelier I had a mini gym at work and the Hubz work (still) has a really nice gym at his work as well as workout classes and a tennis court (lucky, I know), so we never really needed to.  Before we moved last year we purchased an elliptical  and it is great but honestly I want to run, swim and have access to group classes.  Finally we looked into the Y and the prices for a couple are good especially with yoga, BodyPump, zumba and other classes and a really nice lap pool.  The gym overall is pretty basic with cardio equipment squeezed in next to each other; it also has free weights and weight machines but it fits both of our needs.  This morning we used our trial pass and the Hubz swam and I did C25k on the treadmill.  Overall I loved it.  It felt great to be working out at a gym and not at home, alone.  I think that for me a gym is a place you go to workout and there is a certain energy about it that motivates me, along with being able to workout with the Hubz.

After our workout we both really wanted Friday Bagels but since we are on a soy/gluten/wheat/alcohol/caffeine free cleanse it was a no go. Instead we decided to go to Magnolia Bistro where they have tons of options that are still inline with our cleanse.  I was really feeling something hearty and starchy so I went with three sides: steamed kale, chipotle black beans and homefries, the Hubz was also feeling the starch so he went with kale, polenta and homefries.  We also got a cup of decaf fair trade organic coffee and big glasses of water.

Now I’m off to work and then heading out to find a Mother’s Day Gift and then it’s shoe shopping with the Hubz.  What are you doing for Mother’s Day?

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After a hot and sweaty run the Hubz and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful night and head downtown for a beer and half of veggie burgers at The Scuffer. We were hoping to sit on the patio but of course we weren’t the only ones out to enjoy the beautiful weather so we had to sit inside. The beer and half off veggie burgers was (almost) worth sacrificing sitting out in the beautiful weather.

It’s funny The Scuffer has been around for years, it used to be The Rusty Scuffer – I think it changed owners and the name changed (correct me if I’m wrong) and we had never thought to go there until a few months ago.  A few months ago we were looking for somewhere new to go and I just happened to check out their menu online and saw that on Wednesday’s they have half off burgers with a drink purchase, so I called and asked if their veggie burger was vegan and it is (oh and it’s homemade too double win).   The other thing that I love about The Scuffer is their extensive beer menu that is filled with local beers and a number of great microbrews and their prices are really good too.

Last night the Hubz and I both got veggie burgers with fries and no bun and we each ordered a beer.  I wanted the Dogfish Aprihop but they were all out (because it’s just that good) so I decided to go with McNeil’s Extra Special Bitter and the Hubz got the Rock Art Midnight Madness; we really liked both of them. Overall we had a great date night out at The Scuffer and will continue going on for the Wednesday special because you just can’t beat the beer, the burger and the prices.

This past Saturday we finally made it to Angelica Kitchen, a restaurant that has been on my “To Try” list for years. We met up with my girlfriend Cate for lunch at noon which was perfect timing because the place filled up quickly and within 20 minutes there was a long waiting list. It took a while or us to make a decision as to what we wanted to get because there are so many really yummy sounding dishes on the menu.

To start the Hubz and I ordered the Angelica Cornbread, a wheat free cornbread that I have heard raving reviews about on a number of blogs. Now this is not your traditionally fluffy cornbread, it is dense and filled with whole grains. It is really delicious and worth the raving about. We also ordered a side of the miso tahini spread to go with it; it was good but the cornbread would have been fine on it’s own.

For my main dish I decided to go with the special of the day which was tofu with a chickpea miso sauce, veggies, quinoa pilaf and an Asian guacamole. I thought that the dish was really good and I loved the Asian guacamole; then again I love anything with avocado. Although the dish was really tasty and made with high quality ingredients I have to say at $16 the dish was a little pricey for what I got but oh well it was still delicious and (almost) worth it.

The Hubz went with the Thai Me Up entree which is An All Raw Entree – delicate strands of daikon radish, butternut squash & carrot, on a bed of garlic-lemon marinated kale, dressed with Thai tahini sauce. This dish was absolutely incredible and I am so jealous that I didn’t get it. We both really loved the noodles and the sauce but the star was the garlic-lemon marinated kale; it was incredible. This is a dish that I would recommend you order whether as the entree or the smaller appetizer version.

Cate ordered the Warm Roasted Vegetable Salad A seasonal selection of roasted vegetables tossed with arugula
in a balsamic vinaigrette and garnished with garlic crostini spread with creamy hummus. I only tried a small bite of one of the veggies which was really tasty so I can’t really tell you overall how the dish was but lets just say there wasn’t anything left when Cate was done. Cate also got a soy chai tea which she raved about and went back for seconds.

Overall this has easily become one of my favorite restaurants in NYC; I think that the price can be a little high for everyday eating but it is a great spot to visit when you are in the city. I am ready to head back and try everything else on the menu.

The first time I ever went to Babycakes NYC I was disappointed by the cupcakes, finding them dry and just not as exciting as I had hoped they would be.  Since then I haven’t had much of an interest in visiting Babycakes until I heard about their donuts.  Since  you don’t come across vegan donuts everyday the Hubz and I decided since we were already in the neighbourhood that we would stop in and try a few.

After much debate and a little help from the girl behind the counter we decided on the french toast and the salted caramel along with one their heart shaped chocolate covered coconut mound.  Immediately after we walked out the door we decided to dive right in and started with the french toast donut.  The donut was out of this world! It tasted just like french toast! It was warm and mapley and caramely and oh so good.  Next we tried the salted caramel which was also super sticky and delicious.  We both agreed though that the french toast was the better of the two.

We held out on the chocolate coconut mound until the next day after a three hour trip to Ikea.  It was the perfect treat after a crazy shopping trip.  It honestly tasted just like a Mounds Bar but better. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo, oh well.

All in all Babycakes redeemed themselves and we will be back!

On Saturday morning after a rocky start at the hotel we finally got to the train in Stamford and headed into the city for the day. We debated over just getting bagels for breakfast but then decided that we wanted to find a nice place to sit down and enjoy the morning together. We headed to the Lower East Side and decided to give Teany a try since they have a weekend brunch. We arrived and headed into the restaurant which was surprisingly “teany” but luckily there was only one other group there so it wasn’t so crowded. We took a look over the brunch menu and I was disappointed that the vegan options were really limited; I guess I assumed that since Moby is vegan and one of the owners that there would be a number of vegan options- but there weren’t compared to the vegetarian. I also was surprised that there was no real kitchen but rather just a small counter and a microwave and toaster.
Although apprehensive we decided to just enjoy ourselves and the nice window seat that we had acquired. We started with morning cocktails, hey it’s brunch! as well as a small pot of tea each (both included in the brunch). For our meals I ordered the Vegan BLT and Neil got the Tofu Scramble and “steak” both with greens.
Overall I thought that the meal was meh, just okay. I mean it was Fakin’ Bacon on really good bread with tomato and vegan mayo and Neil’s was warm tofu with heated up packaged seitan steak. I thought that although a nice spot I couldn’t imagine trying to go there when it was busy, you would basically be sitting on top of other people. As for the cost you are basically paying for nice tea and a drink with the brunch, the meal was pretty lame but at least it tasted fine. Needless to say we won’t return except for maybe a quick tea to go.

So after  a million a few last minute photos were taken we made our way to Candle Cafe for an early dinner.

I have always wanted to go to Candle Cafe, ever since years ago when my mom bought me the cookbook for kitchen. I have made many of the recipes myself but was ready to get the full experience. We all would have liked to visit Candle 79 but considering we had been at a ball game all day and weren’t staying the the city where we could head back to our hotel and shower and change, we decided casual would be better. However, after this visit to Candle Cafe we will for sure be heading to Candle 79 next visit.

After reviewing the menu about 30 times we all finally made decisions, since we couldn’t justify ordering one of everything we all got different things so we could get a little taste of a variety of items.

Mine: INDIAN PLATE tofu spinach saag, black-eyed pea masala, yellow basmati rice, date-raisin chutney, cabbage salad and parata bread.

Hubz: CAJUN SEITAN SANDWICH Pan-seared seitan, steamed greens, caramelized onions and avocado. Served on toasted focaccia with an ancho chili aioli and coleslaw.

Ma: GRILLED SEITAN BURGER Seitan burger on a seeded bun with fried potatoes, lettuce, tomato, onion, coleslaw and pickles.

PA: TUSCAN SEITAN PARMESAN SANDWICH Breaded seitan cutlet with melted tapioca cheese and roasted garlic tomato sauce on a potato onion roll. Served with a mesclun salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and fried potatoes.

Everything was delicious however here is a run down of everyones favorites:

• Ma: Seitan Burger
• Pa: Seitan Burger
• Hubz: Cajun Seitan and Tuscan Parm
• Me: Cajun Seitan, Tuscan Seitan Parm or the date-chutney

I loved everything and now I am ready to go home and make some more recipes from my cookbook and hope that they taste as good.

We sat and looked over the menu for quiet awhile, not because it was big but because everything sounded amazing and we were having such a hard time deciding on what we wanted to try. We decided to start of with some drinks which can come with or without sake (we went without):

Grezzo Mojito - with kombucha

Chai Mudslide - creamy, spiced concoction, coconut milk

Both were decorated with pretty edible flowers

These drinks were incredible! Neil had the Chai, it tasted like a chai milk shake and was delicious.  I had the Mojito – it was delicious and so refreshing.  For lunch I decided to go with the Gnocchi Carbonara-the gnocchi were so good and the cream sauce was amazing. The hubz went with the BLTA (“Bacon”, Lettuce, Tomato & Avocado)- this was honestly the best sandwich either of us had ever had.  It came with sweet potato chips and pickled vegetables which were also delicious.

Gnocchi Carbonara - house-made dumplings, creamy rawmesan and fresh English peas with pea shoots and crispy eggplant

BLTA Italian Bread Wrap- eggplant bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado and house cheese

Lastly, we decided that we just couldn’t leaved without trying one of the desserts since everyone raves about them. We decided to go with the Cheesecake of the Day which happened to be a New York style and was served with raspberry gelato. Overall we loved our meal and can’t wait to go back again.  I think we will try dinner next time as the dinner options sound amazing as well.

Delicious Dessert

Everything at ‘SNice is vegetarian and all vegan options are marked accordingly. The menu is mostly that of salads and sandwiches with bagels and breakfast sandwiches in the morning.  The place was pretty quiet for the sit in crowd until around 11am however there was always a line at the counter for take out bagels and coffee. I really would like to return during lunch ours to try one of their yummy salads or sandwiches.  There is also a location in Brooklyn which I understand has a similar menu. 

Delicious Soy Latte

Tofu Scramble Wrap

sweet mother’s milk: a whole steamed artichoke served with our sauce made from spicy homemade middle eastern pureed jalapeno makdoos.

Vegan version of Tokyo Fro: hip hop is the most popular music of japanese youth & has made the afro tokyo's most popular hairstyle; to have japanese hair processed into an afro costs over a thousand dollars at a trendy hair stylist. this recipe was inspired by the afro; it looks & tastes exactly like a japanese processed fro, drizzled with a delicious chef secret sauce.

Deep Fried Spinach

A tasting of 8 vegan sushi rolls

Overall the food was amazing, the atmosphere was fun and the staff were great.  Although Bun was not he created a magical experience for the two of us and I can’t wait to return for some more sushi. 

Last night my husband, Neil, decided he would take us out for a date night at The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury Vermont- “The Alchemist is a 7 barrel brew pub specializing in hand-crafted beer and casual pub fare. All of our ales flow directly from our basement brewery, which was designed and installed by our brewer and co-proprietor John Kimmich.  We use only the finest imported malts and domestic hops available to bring you the tastiest and finest selection of beers in Vermont!” (from their website).

We settled on getting the oatmeal stout and the red….however we were brought a porter and a harvest.  They quickly apologized about that mistake and gave us our correct beers on the house.

For dinner I ordered the Marinated Tempeh Sandwich without the walnut pesto and subsituted the maple balsamic dressing.  Neil ordered the Blackened Tofu Burrito without the cheese and sour cream.  We also ordered a side of fries with their house made mustard and ketchup.

Although our meals were really good we didn’t make it through the first bite of the burrito because they had forgotten to not put the cheese on.  So we sent it back and it was quickly replaced with the correct vegan version.  The tempeh sandwich was so good and the fries were amazing- nice and crispy fresh cut. The burrito was good we really liked the blackened tofu but it was missing something in it, maybe the salsa would have been better in than on the side.

Overall we just fell in love with the places great atmosphere, food and beer.  We extremely impressed with the service as well and appreciated the 2 free beers and the free burrito (they covered that as well since they had made the mistake- we really didn’t expect that but it was a great treat).

We showered and got dressed up (it’s pretty nice and a bit pricey) and headed on our way.  We were sat at a nice table for two and had great service and great wine and beer.  Our meals came and everything was delicious! The meals came (we got one of each to share) and they were great.  The Eggplant Bucatini was very good however the shining plate was the Cumin Spiced Tofu which was just amazing- my husband said it was one of the best meals he’s had in a long time, even better than anything I’d made! (I had to agree). 

Our only issue with our meal is that they were particularly small and we were very hungry after having had a small lunch and working out we were ready for something filling.  We came to the conclusion that this was the type of place you do appetizer, entrée and dessert- not just an entrée as we had done (oh well it was our first time).  Just when we thought we’d have to go home and have a snack our waitress comes back to let us know that there is one vegan dessert tonight, our ears perked up, it was apple cinnamon sorbet.  We ordered a bowl to share and let me tell you this was one of the best vegan desserts I’ve had.  It was like apple pie in sorbet form without the crust.  Overall our dining experience was great- great food, good service, great atmosphere.  We’d definitely go back and the best part is they have a seasonal menu so we will hopefully get to experience a new and amazing meal once again.

So my hubz and I went Boston to see Blondie, Pat Benatar and to our surprise The Donna’s who opened for them. We sent the afternoon lounging at our hotel pool and then decided that it was getting late and we should get ready to head out. At this point we were pretty hungry even though we had a big lunch at Le’s in Cambridge earlier. We decided that becaues of time we would go try Grasshopper again see if it would be better than the last time (last time we went back in October it was awful-well the dishes we ordered were anyways). So we tried it again and got the appetizer platter which was really good- we didn’t love the dumplings but everything else was really good. We also had the “No Name” which was really good but of course awful for you but still good and lots of it. We ended up taking half of it with us and ate it in the hotel room after the show. So Grasshopper you’ve redeemed yourself and we will be back.

Lately Neil and I have been so busy and out of town so needless to say little cooking has been going on. Last night we made grilled veggie wraps with hummus and this morning I made Vegan Crunk’s Peacan Waffles for her cookbook tester but when I went to take a photo of it my camera’s battery was dead.

Any ways here are some restaurant reviews from my Hubby wanted me post on here:
(transfered from old blog)
Since moving to Vermont from Fredericton, NB, Canada, I must say that I feel rather spoiled by the great options for veg*n dining throughout Vermont. In Fredericton, there were very few options available to vegans (for the most part french fries/salad and the occasional boca type veggie burger) and what was available was often bland and uninspiring. I’m not a food critic, so I won’t go into too many details, but here’s a quick run down of some of the Vermont restaurants that my my partner, Lindsay, and I enjoy eating at as vegans are:

Stone Soup
College St
Burlington, Vermont
This vegan friendly counter service restaurant has a great, always fresh salad bar, a number of veg*n friendly hot and cold sandwiches and fresh vegan baked goods! I love the vegan macaroons and the Vegan club sandwich!

Bee’s Knees
Morrisville, Vermont

http://www.thebeesknees-vt.com/

The Bee’s Knees is a small, locally run cafe in Morrisville, Vermont with a really welcoming, community oriented feel to it. They often have many different veg*n dishes including great salads and sandwiches. My favourites are the mock pulled pork (mushrooms and eggplant i believe) and the tofu breakfast sandwiches (I love being able to get vegan breakfast that consists of more than just homefries). The menu indicates which options are vegan friendly and which can be made vegan friendly on request. They have local music acts playing there fairly regularly as well.

A Single Pebble

http://www.asinglepebble.com/intro.htm

Classical Chinese cuisine in downtown Burlington. Offers many traditional Chinese dishes including many veg*n options including my favourites mock eel (made from mushrooms) and the Buddha’s Beef (made from seitan).

Pho Dang Vietnamese Cafe
Winooski, Vt

http://www.7nvt.com/7n/listing.htm?establishment_id=793

This Vietnamese cafe makes up for what it’s lacking in atmosphere by it’s great, fresh food. It has a very lunch room sort of feel to it but that really doesn’t matter once you taste their great tofu dishes (veggie pho isn’t vegan). The portions are huge and the prices are cheap.

Ocha/Royal Orchid
Waterbury/Montpelier, Vermont
These two Thai restaurants are owned by the same family. Both restaurants seem to have very similar menus with slight variations between the two. They have many veg*n dishes and are willing to make changes to other dishes to accommodate veg*n customers as well. The menu is split into curries, noodle dishes, rice dishes and vegetable/stir fry dishes with your choice of tofu or meat. We usually start off our meal with the fresh rolls which is a soft rice paper roll with tofu, rice noodles and just a taste of mint with a nice light sweet and sour sauce for dipping. It’s a nice light and fresh start to the meal. The entrees we have had are the pad ki mao (my personal favourite, a wide rice noodle dish with thai basil and chilli), brocolli and tofu in a nice creamy peanut sauce, penang and massuman curries (personal favourites at home when my parnter cooks them and both very well done by the restaurants) and the pad thai (with no fish sauce or eggs). The pad thai is closer to a traditional pad thai than what people in New Brunswick knew as pad thai (spicy peanut sauce with rice noodles). While the Waterbury location seems to be a bit pricier, it also has a nicer atmosphere than the Montpelier location and I typically find the food to be a little better. Entrees are typically in the $10 range while the appetizers are in the $3 to $5 range.

Pacific Rim
Burlington, Vt
Pacific Rim is one of my favourite spots to eat when we’re in Burlington. It is a mainly Korean Asian restaurant in downtown Burlington. There is a good selection of salads/appetizers and main courses that are veg*n friendly. The food is fresh, flavourful and very affordable. They also have a good drink menu with asian takes on popular drinks and lots of ginger! It’s a very informal seat yourself sort of atmosphere with fairly decent service considering how busy things can get there.
(*note Pacific Rim’s menu has changed since this review was created and the last time two times we have dined here the food has been dissapointing and not up to the same standards they once were)

Magnolia Bistro
Burlington, Vermont
Hidden away in downtown Burlington is Vermont’s only truly green restaurant, Magnolia Bistro. Magnolia focuses on eco-friendly, fair trade, local and organic foods and offers a twist on regular breakfast and lunch fare. They have many veg*n friendly options and the menu indicates what is vegan or can be adapted to be vegan. Some of the veg*n options you can order vegan french toast, substitute eggs for tofu in breakfast dishes or if you’re not in a breakfast mood go for a garbanzo burger. The food is fresh tasting, well seasoned and fairly affordable considering the quality of ingredients used.
(*note this review from fellow VT Vegan http://howtofeedavegan.blogspot.com/2009/01/recommendation-withdrawn.html)
Neil