Rating system:

1 –> 3 or less vegan options
2 –> 4-5 vegan options (at least one entree)
3 –> 6-7 vegan options (at least one entree)
4 –> 8-9 vegan options (at least two entrees)
5 –> 10+ vegan options (at least two entrees)

Green Elephant: 608 Congress St, Portland ME
Rating: 5 (vegetarian, mostly vegan)

Check out their menu here.

Boda: 671 Congress Street, Portland ME
Rating: 3

Vegan Options:

The staff will let you know for sure which options are vegan there are a few I am not sure about- the skewers are though and they are good! So just double check; below are the vegetarian options which are most likely vegan or can be made that way.

• House fried peanuts seasoned with Thai herbs
• Fried taro sticks seasoned with sea salt. Served with spicy chili sauce
• Steamed assorted vegetables with “Nahm-Prik” (eggplant relish)
• Tofu skewer rubbed with teriyaki sauce
• Shiitake skewer with teriyaki seasoning sauce
• Portabella mushroom skewer rubbed with sesame oil & mushroom sauce
• Thai sticky rice with soy sauce, pepper, scallion, and garlic
• Stir-fried wide rice noodles with onion, tomato, pepper, bamboo shoot,Chinese broccoli, Thai basil, and tofu
• Organic tofu, bamboo shoots, red and green pepper, squash, baby carrot, green beans, Thai eggplant and Thai basil in homemade green curry

Personal Experience: LOVED this place. (same owners as Green Elephant)
Sebago Brewing Company: 211 Fore Street Portland ME
Rating: 2

Vegan Options:

• Beer
• Pub Pretzels: they are ok-but without the dipping sauce.
• Hummus & Tzatiki (without tzatiki)
• Greek Falafel (no feta): This salad is fine but with a different
  dressing-the dressing it is listed with contains feta. The falafel is pan
  seared with oil.
• Dressings that are ok:
  Balsamic ving.
  Italian
  Cianti Ving.
  Hefeweizen Ving? (contains honey)
  Pesto Ving.
• Panzanella Salad (no chicken):  without the cheese. suggest adding the falafel to this
• Vegetable Stir Fry: this dish is fine w/o rice could sub pasta
• Linguine-prepped with margarine
• Falafel burger  w/o bun or tzatiki – sub wheat wrap
• Veggie quesadilla without any cheese
• FYI: the onion rings (not vegan anyways), chips french fries & sweet potato fries are deep fried in the same oil as fish

Soakology: 30 City Center Portland, ME 04101

Rating: 3* note this is a tea shop and foot spa so no meals just snacks.

Vegan Options:

• assorted mediterranean olives
• warmed, crusty french roll served with dipping oil & herbs
• hummus & warm pita served with mediterranean olives & veggies
• olive tapenade served with toasted crostinis
• eggplant bruschetta & olive tapenade served with seasonal fruits & toasted crostinis
• an assortment of fine cheese, seasonal fruit & mediterranean olives served with a petite boule, dipping oil & dark chocolate

El Rayo Taqueria: 101 York Street, Portland, ME
Rating: 4

Vegan Options:

• rice and beans
• veggie taco
•  the veggie burrito can be done vegan
• the grilled pineapple
• chili fritas
• chips & salsa
• the el mercado salad
• the fiesta salad can be done vegan

Sonny’s: 83 Exchange Street, Portland.
Rating: 2

Vegan Options:

Vegan Options:

Rating system:

1 –> 3 or less vegan options
2 –> 4-5 vegan options (at least one entree)
3 –> 6-7 vegan options (at least one entree)
4 –> 8-9 vegan options (at least two entrees)
5 –> 10+ vegan options (at least two entrees)

Apparently everyone else had the same idea, to head downtown and eat al fresco.  So we finally settled on Italian and waited a bit for a table.  When we finally got a table we ordered a small chicken of Chardonnay to share and decided on salads and flatbread.

Neil's Arugula and Apple salad with candied walnuts and maple-sherry dressing

My Arugula, Apple and Strawberry Salad with candied walnuts and raspberry dressing.

Our flatbread with leeks, lemon, shiitake mushrooms and micro greens.

How we felt about the flatbread and the service.

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Q. What is Vermont Restaurant Week?
A. From April 29-May 5, participating restaurants will offer special, prix-fixe menus showcasing their chefs’ greatest dishes. Those menus will feature discounted, three-course “tasting-style” dinners (e.g. appetizer, entreé and dessert) priced at $15, $25 or $35 per person. The week also includes a special calendar of special, food-themed events.

Q. How does Vermont Foodbank benefit?
A. 10% of the proceeds from event admissions, sponsorships and restaurant participation fees will be donated to Vermont Foodbank. Restaurant-goers can donate $10 via text messageor make a web donation in our Virtual Food Drive will be launched on this website to allow diners to donate to the Foodbank.

Originally we were going to try a few different restaurants but then decided due to the cleanse and the fact that the other restaurants that interested us are ones we visit often that it would be best to choose just one.  After perusing the veggie friendly menus on the Vermont Restaurant Week site we settled on The Bearded Frog, the only menu that actually said they had a vegan option.  We had heard great things about the restaurant but had never visited it due to the fact that it isn’t close to our home and that there is one vegan option that goes for $19 a plate.

We arrived at the restaurant and were promptly seated out our reserved table in the corner, which I really loved because it up’d the romance factor along with the dim lighting and warm colors.  We placed a drink order, prosecco for me and beer for him, and then we got down to business and ordered from the tasting menu (the only vegan options in each category). 

Appetizer Course: The salad was very simple yet fresh and the lemon-herb vinaigrette was truly delicious. We paired it with some fresh bread with oil and vinegar instead of the butter and the blue cheese crostini that was to go with the salad.

Appetizer: Baby Mixed Greens With lemon-herb vinaigrette

Bread with olive oil and balsamic

Entree Course: For our entree we enjoyed the vegan version of Spicy Corn and Black Bean Pudding With blue-corn tortilla, dirty rice, avocado compound butter, tofu tomato purée. Instead of the avocado compound butter we received a guacamole. The dish was really delicious however if that is what you get for $19 on the regular menu I’d rather stay home and re-create it for $5.

Entree: Spicy Corn and Black Bean Pudding With blue-corn tortilla, dirty rice, guacamole, tofu tomato purée.

Dessert Course: I would have to say the dessert was probably my favorite thing on the menu and something that I would definitely spend the money to come back and have again. The vegan dessert option was a trio of sorbets which included avocado lime, strawberry & 30 year old aged balsamic and mango violet. All three were really amazing but the show stopper was the avocado lime. It was super creamy and tasted just like ice cream, the Hubz and I both just couldn’t stop raving about it all night….honestly I still can’t stop raving about it.

Dessert Course: trio of sorbets which included avocado lime, strawberry & 30 year old aged balsamic and mango violet

Overall: We had a really wonderful time at The Bearded Frog and the food was really delicious.  I am not sure that I would go back for dinner due to the high price of the vegan option but I would go back every day just for the sorbet.  On another note I saw a number of really beautiful plates of food coming out of the kitchen and if you are vegetarian try the (unfortunately note vegan) crispy tofu cakes because they probably taste as good as they looked.

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The Hubz & I in DC- November 2010

Planes, Trains & Buses

• Plan where you/what are going to en route
  • Avoid fast foods
  • Bring a picnic with you; pack sandwiches, fruit and a vegetables.
• Pack healthy snacks
  • Who food energy bars, whole grain crackers with nut butter, homemade trail mix, hummus and veggies
• Avoid becoming dehydrated on flights by avoiding soda, alcohol, juice and coffee; instead sip club soda or water.

Healthy Eats at Jet Blue Terminal at JFK Airport

Road Trip

• Pack a cooler with healthy foods
  • Fruit
  • Vegetables & Hummus
  • Bean Salads
  • Nuts & Seeds
  • Whole Grain Bread & Crackers
  • Fruit Spreads & Nut Butters
• Stop at markets along the way and restock your cooler with healthy foods
• If your only option is fast food look for the healthiest options
  • Order off the kids menu
  • Look for places with salad bars, vegetable sides, wraps or sandwiches.
    • Healthier Fast Food Options:
      • Panera- try the great selection of salads, soups and sandwiches
      • Au Bon Pain- try their great selection of vegan soups and salads
      • Chipotle- stick to the veggie burrito bowls or salads, however avoid the dairy, chips and tortillas.
      • Boloco- they offer brown rice, whole wheat wraps, organic tofu and a great selection of veggies, however avoid sugar and high calorie sauces, instead top yours with a fresh salsa and tons of veggies.
  • Scope out grocery store and health food stores prepared foods and salad bars.

Road Trips Snacks - Girls Weekend 2010

Room Service & Restaurants

• Enjoy a soup or salad with and appetizer or share an entree- this will help in controlling portions; you can still enjoy delicious food but you will be saving your wallet and waistline.
• Avoid the mini bar; Stock your hotel room with healthy snacks so you won’t be tempted to eat the high calorie (and high priced) snacks that the hotel stocks in your room.
• Do research; if you take nothing else away from this post it should be this.  Take the time to research restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, natural food stores and markets before you travel.  You will be able to make more conscious choices if you already know your options.  You will also be able to scope out the best places to eat so you can enjoy your experience to it’s fullest.

Hotel Room Breakfast- Oats w/nut butter & figs

Cruising

• Stick to your regular eating schedule; I know I already said this above and it applies to any vacations but while cruising (and visiting all inclusive resorts) this is when it is most important to stick to your schedule.  You will have food available to you 24 hours a day and for many this means over indulging.  Additionally remember to only eat when you’re hungry!
• Load up on fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Limit your desserts
• Avoid too may sugary drinks, stick to light beers, wine and clear drinks.  If you want something fruity try seltzer with your choice of clear alcohol and a splash of fruit juice.  Also don’t forget to make sure you stay hydrated! Drink your water!

Hubz and I crusing- i kept dried fruit snacks in my bag (you can see them popping out if you look hard)

Top Healthy Eating Travel Tips:

• Stick to your regular eating schedule
• Stock up on healthy snacks
• Make conscious decisions when choosing to enjoy a poolside drink or that special indulgence dessert
• Do you research! Find restaurants and health food markets at your destination that have healthy options.

What are you top healthy travel tips?

The menu isn’t super vegan friendly but the options that they do have (and we tried) were delicious! We started out with a shiitake skewer with teriyaki seasoning sauce and a portobello skewer rubbed with sesame oil and mushroom sauce.

After we polished these yummy skewers off we moved on to the Larp het salad with was Grilled assorted mushroom mixed with chili, shallots, soy sauce, lime juice, mint, long-leaf coriander, and roasted rice powder. Served with romaine.

Our last yummy dish was Tofu Shrimp with glass noodles: Traditionally cooked in a rustic earthenware pot with pork belly tempeh bacon, ginger, celery, scallion, cilantro, and soy sauce. Served with jasmine steamed rice. This is a silken dish, simple yet very pleasing. It is one of the few occasions when noodles may be eaten with rice. Available vegetarian with organic tofu, shiitake and tempeh bacon.

After our wonderful meal which included a shot of 11 Tigers (Thai spiced bourbon) that we sipped on and a Rogue Buckwheat ale we headed out to Novare Res Bier Cafe where we had a few beers-I had an Unibroue and an Allagash.  Following these two drinks we decided to get a cab back to the hotel…however our minds changed when we spotted Sebago Brewing Company and it’s $3 beers after 10pm; so we stopped in for a hefeweizen.

Keep on the lookout for parts 2 and 3 of our anniversary weekend.

Q: What did you do for you last anniversary trip?

Now onto the giveaway: Earthlust sent me one of their stainless steel water bottles and guess what the sent me an extra one just for one of you lucky readers. EarthLust bottles are hand made from high quality #304 (18/8) food grade stainless steel, which is naturally safe unlined. They use non-toxic paints and BPA-free safe polypropylene #5 caps. I received one of the 13oz bottles and it is the perfect size to take every where with me.  I am thinking about investing in a 1L bottle for trips and such but the smaller bottle is great for everyday use.  I also love that they are unlined, unlike Sigg bottles which have a weird lining and make your water taste funny. Additionally, their bottles have some really great designs. So now it’s your chance to win this bottle (see below) isn’t it so cute?

How to Enter: Please leave individual comments for each entry. Entries will be accepted until April 17th at 8am.

1. Visit the Earthlust website and tell which bottle is your favorite. (Leave me a comment)
2. Follow me on Twitter (Leave me a comment)
3. Tweet about this giveaway (Leave me a comment)
4. Become a fan on Facebook (Leave me a comment)
5. Follow my blog in a reader (Leave me a comment)
6. Blog about this giveaway (Leave me a comment)

After work hubby and I decided to stop and get a beer to celebrate my successful first day of work.  Since it was dinner time we decided to go out (again) for dinner.  I don’t know what is up with us we never go out to eat this much, usually only once every 10 or so days but this week we have been bad about it- I blame the awkward days, poor planning and no real grocery shopping.  However this week will be filled with lots of home cooked meals as I went to the market yesterday and picked up lots of yummy produce.  Anyways we stopped at The Alchemist but it was packed and there was a 45 minute wait for a table so we left and walked next door to The Reservoir where we had some yummy beers, a huge plate of hummus, salad and grilled bread and a housemade tofu/bean burger YUM!

I was pretty tired out after my first day back in the working world so we spent the rest of the night home hanging out on the couch watching a little L&O.  Since we ate dinner so early we were hungry later on in the evening and decided to munch on some Veggie Medley Straws that I was sent to sample from The Mediterranean Snack Food Co. and they were super yummy! I also had another Inko’s White Tea this time Original.

Now I need to get myself in the kitchen and make breakfast and do some dishes before G-Ma and the ‘rents get here so we can go and see all the open sugar houses. Each year on this weekend the Vermont sugar houses are open for the public to come and visit and try their maple syrup and have sugar on snow with a pickle (to cut the sweetness) and a cider donut. It’s a been a tradition with my family to go and visit the sugar houses however since I haven’t been home for many Springs we haven’t all been out together. Neil and I went last year to the sugar house near our house but it was pouring and cold booo!

Last year wet and cold at Morse Farms

Hubby With his New Friend at Morse Farms 2009

Is there a family tradition that you do each Spring?

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View from Half Way to the Top

At the top of the hill we always share a coconut water and then make our way through the wooded paths at Hubbard Park and down the otherside. When we arrived home we were hungry and ready to make our Breakfast Challenge #3 which was oatmeal. Now as most of you know this is my go to food so I was really excited about it. In our oatmeal went:

Serves 2: 1 cup multigrain oatmeal, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 3/4 cup water, 1T flax meal, 1T chia seeds and on top of each: 1 packet of stevia, 1/2 sliced banana and 1/2T sunbutter

Oh! and a big dash of cinnamon while it is cooking!

We then headed out to spend the day with the ‘rents and G-Ma as well as have lunch. We headed out on a ride on the back roads of Vermont (a favorite past time of my parents) in hopes of having lunch at Bailey and Burke’s in East Burke.  When we finally arrived to East Burke we came to find that restaurant was closed.  Across the street was River Garden Cafe which according to the menu had a veggie burger and black bean chili so we decided since at this point it was almost 1pm we would try it out.  To our disappointment the veggie burger was made in house and included eggs BOO! So hubby and I decided to go with the fruit cup to share and each ordered a bowl of the chili without the cheese and sour cream.  The fruit cup was okay nothing special for $5.  The chili came and I was so hungry I couldn’t wait to dive in but after a few bites I decided it was just not good enough to eat and hubby felt the same way.  I’m not often one to just not eat what I ordered at a restaurant especially when I’m going to have to pay for it and in this case we both were really hungry but it was just awful.  As my hubby would describe it “it taste like crushed tomatoes with 5 or 6 black beans”  this “hearty” black bean chili was awful so we went without.

Being in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont it’s hard to find much in the way of vegan eats so we decided to hold off and we ended up stopping at the Buffalo Mountain Co-op in Hardwick and found some really interesting kombu and wakame seaweeds from Maine as well as a package of vegan teriyaki jerky that we snacked on.  After returning to our car at 4:15pm we decided it was time to get on the road home and find something to eat.  We had decided to stop into our old favorite The Bee’s Knees in Morrisville but when we arrived and took a look at their menu for the day we noticed that their prices had gone up- $13 for a veggie burger! We decided that it wasn’t worth spending that much so we headed on our way and decided to stop in Waterbury at Ocha the thai restaurant.  Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of our food as we basically inhaled it as it came out since all we had eaten since our oatmeal at 8:30am was a small fruit bowl and package of vegan jerky.  However it was delicious we got fresh rolls, vegan pad kee mao and vegan tofu and broccoli with black pepper garlic sauce.

At least on our adventures through backwoods VT we got to stop into this ridiculously entertaining trading post which also serves as the:

JUST KIDDING!

Question: Have you ever not liked your meal so much that you just didn’t eat it while out at a restaurant? Did the restaurant still make you pay for it? That’s the one thing that bothered me – I know that we ordered it and you take the chance of not liking something but we had like 4-5 bites of our food and then told the waitress we didn’t like it and to take it away.  She still had us pay for it and the only thing she said was “oh well I guess it’s not your cup of tea.”

The atmosphere of Myers & Chang reminds me of something I’ve seen on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations in Toyko or Beijing; it is very loud & high paced with low lighting and hip-hop playing over the speakers.  The food is served family style which is my favorite way to eat because dishes come out as they are ready so if you’re lucky you get to enjoy each dish as a separate “course”.

Since the husband had been making comments all weekend about trying a Scorpion Bowl we decided that since there was one on the drink menu that we must start with it. For those of you who don’t know a Scorpion Bowl is generally filled with some sort of variation of 3 different kinds of rum, gin, vodka, orange juice, pineapple juice and grenadine- basically it taste like a tropical vacation.

Hubz trying out the Scorpion Bowl

For our dinner we decided to go with four dishes- 2 snacks, a noodle and a green.  One of the great features to the vegetarian menu (oh don’t forget to ask them for one when you arrive) is that all vegan dishes are marked with (v) so that they are easily identifiable. For our dishes we went with:

edamame and celery slaw with sesame oil & candied lemon

grilled 5-spice tofu buns-bao, brandied hoisin, house pickles

spicy brussels sprouts

vegetarian wok-charred udon noodles, tofu, baby bok choy

Since the place was packed and we made a super last minute reservation we were stuck at probably the worst table in the house, you know the one right next to the kitchen where servers hustle in and out.  We were however sitting close enough to the open kitchen that we could see the chefs cook up the meals and the huge flames which gave all the food this great barbeque/charred flavor.  All of the food was amazing and I would order everything again.

Since we were craving something sweet we decided to see if there were any vegan dessert options. Our waiter came back to let us know that there was an orange granita or a chocolate mousse that both were vegan.  We decided to go with the chocolate mousse which was whipped tofu, vanilla and dark chocolate.

If you are vegetarian this usually comes with 5-spiced homemade marshmallows

After spending awhile looking over the menu hubz and I finally decided on what we would order. I ordered the Sproutada:

Sproutada: toasted corn tortilla with brown rice, black turtle beans, chili sauce, soy mozzarella, topped with tahini dressed greens, snowpea sprouts, shredded carrots, fresh avocado and homemade salsa

and the Hubz ordered the Flavors of Mint Special:

Flavors of Mint Daily Special: roasted tempeh and asparagus over citrus braised greens and a peanut dipping sauce (their description was a little better but I forget what is actually said)

The food was delicious! Although the prices were slightly high you are paying for what you get which is not only delicious organic & local whole foods but a great experience. I also must say that although the plates looked small the food was filling and we left satisfied with our meal. We can’t wait to go back!

Also don’t forget to enter the Bodum French Press giveaway that ends March 5, 2010 at 8am.

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. 

A great alternative to mashed potatoes is mashed white beans they are creamy and delicious and you can put your own spin on them.  Last night I had leftover Tofutti so I added it to my recipe.

• 2 cans Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
• 8-10 oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped small
• 5 scallions, chopped small 
• 3T vegan cream cheese 
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1t garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a pan over medium heat and mash with a potato masher.  Mix everything together and then heat until warmed. Enjoy!

If you want to check out  our yummy dining at A Single Pebble and Coffee Corner as well as what else we ate the past few days visit Eat. Live. Be Healthy. 

Don’t forget you have until 1/31/10 at 8am to enter to win Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil.

I have to say though I have created some great meals this week.  My husband commented on the fact that they were fun and different than we usually have and actually have tasted great. I’ll leave you with some of the items I made this week:

Southwest Grits - Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup 5 minute grits
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 t each of  garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and paprika
• 1 t cumin
• 1/4 t chipotle chili powder
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 3 green onions thinly sliced

Directions:

• In a bowl mix together grits, nutritional yeast and spices.
• Bring water to a boil, while stirring slowly stream in the grits mixture.  
• Turn the heat down to low and let cook this should take about 5-7 minutes, make sure to stir frequently.
• Once the grits are almost done add in the corn and green onions.
• To serve place grits in a bowl and garnish with green onion, corn and your favorite hot sauce.

Creamy Butternut Squash Penne - Serves 1

For dinner last night I took the bus into Burlington to meet my hubby after work for a date night.  We went to American Flatbread which is delicious.  I love their menu because it is simple – all they have are 10 signature flatbreads, create your own flatbread and a salad; however their beer menu is extensive – I’d say close to 100 different varieties as well as house made ones. 

Hubby had the Wolaver's Coffee Porter and I had Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde

We shared 2 small flatbreads- This one is Revolution Flatbread- housemade tomato sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms and herbs

Our 2nd flatbread was the Roasted Tomato Salsa- house made salsa (wood fired tomatoes, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro), corn and black beans

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 My dad and Neil ordered The Rachel which is the vegan seitan version of the Ruben and it was delicious. My omni father who loves his meat even loved this sandwich he couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. My mom ordered the Veggie Burger which was homemade and so good. My favorite dish was my own the Spinach and Soysage Burrito it was amazing. The burrito was creamy and delicious.

Spinach and Soysage Burrito

For dessert the 4 of us split a chocolate chip cookie bar which was delicious. They were all out of there Carrot Cake which has been named by VegNews for being the best vegan carrot cake. Oh well we loved our cookie.

One of the other great features about this place is that they have to-go items such as cookies, cupcakes, and salads. They also have tofu turkeys to go and homemade pies- this would be great for anyone looking for a quick holiday meal!

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Tusker House

Wednesday morning we jumped on an early flight to Orlando and after dropping our bags off at our resort we headed straight to Animal Kingdom for my Dad’s birthday.  It was lunch time when we arrived and all of us were starving so we decided to go to Tusker House for dinner.  Tusker House is a buffet that features Indian and Asian influenced dishes and has a ton of vegan dishes.  We let the waitress know that we had dietary restrictions and the chef came out and walked us around the buffet showing us the numerous vegan dishes.  Some of our favorite dishes were: greenbean and onion salad, mango chutney, tabouli, pita, hummus, couscous with veggies and roasted potatoes.  Also featured were a few other salads, rice dishes and tandoori tofu; the tandoori tofu was kind of bland.  We had fruit for dessert and took a few oranges and bananas in our bag to snack on the rest of the day.

Yummy Tabouli and Hummus at Tusker House

The tabouli was my favorite ever! Many times I find that a traditional tabouli is just too much parsley and doesn’t have enough acid in it but this was the most perfect balance of oil and acid. 

Eating Yummy Food at Tusker House

Dad "blowing" out his Birthday Candles

Also available at Animal Kingdom are various counter service locations that have salads, vegetable wraps and veggie burgers.  We stayed at the park late because it was an Extra Magic Hours night so we ate at the park.  We went to Restorantosaurus for dinner-  when we walked in we let the employee taking our order that we had dietary restrictions and he let the cook know.  The cook came out and let us know that she could substitute a tapioca roll for the bun (there is dairy in the bun) and she reassured us that the fries were cooked in separate oil that is vegan.  There was a condiment bar which had onions, tomato, lettuce, relish, ect.  I filled mine up with tons of lettuce and tomato and made myself a salad burger.  Our first day at Disney went great and was yummy!

I enjoyed The Swami which had a- (as described on the menu)- ”Miso Curried Sauce sweetening a masterfully-tasty mix of tamari roasted almonds, flame raisins, pearl onions, dark greens, broccoli flowerrs, and shredded carrots, served over brown rice with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.”

Neil enjoyed The Emperor- (as described on the menu)- ”Sweet and nutty short grain brown rice, melted cheddar cheese, sundried tomatoes, steamed greens, sweet yellow corn, shredded carrots, tofu and sunflower sprouts crowned by our Satisfying Sesame Miso sauce.”  He got it without the cheese obviously and subsituted with raisins and nutritional yeast.

Neil loved his dinner so much that he just had to hug about it.

For breakfast Saturday morning we went to our old standby Bagel Rising- inside the Espresso Royale on Newbury Street.  We both got the ’Joy of Soy’ on a whole wheat everything bagel; mine with jalapeno tofu spread and Neil’s with veggie tofu spread.  I enjoyed a double espresso and Neil a soy chai. 

We love Life Alive so much that we went back again for dinner Saturday night.  We started out with a shot of wheatgrass.

I’m boring and got The Swami again- this time with squash.

Neil got The Rebel – (as described on the menu)- ”Sesame ginger nama dressing with flax oil and Braggs, tofu, carrots, beets, dark greens, broccoli and hijiki steamed over quino and short grain brown rice”- They were all out of quinoa so he just had brown rice and I gave him half my squash.

For breakfast Sunday we went to Newton Center to Prana Cafe- a mostly raw cafe that serves it’s full menu from 7am-4pm.

I ordered the Burrito – (as described on the menu)-”Wrapped in chard leaves with refried beans, avocado, marinated vegetables, and sour cream.”  I have to say this was the best thing that I had all weekend and was a ridiculous amount of food.

My husband decided that he would be nice and take a picture of me eating the biggest bite ever.

Neil had the Prana Burger – (as described on the menu) -”Taylor grew up in Chicago eating deep fried hamburgers at a favorite family restaurant. This tastes so much better and actually fills your body with the best vitamins, minerals, and enzymes ever so you feel satisfied but not slowed-down. Served on our homemade-n-hearty onion bread.”  This came with yummy crispy kale chips and Neil ordered cashew cheese on top.  It was delicious!

We finally made our way to the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival where we enjoyed trying the different samples and meeting various vendors.  We are excited though because we met the owners of a new vegan B&B on Cape Cod and we are excited to check them out.  The owner told us that the vegetarian one we had visited last year is now closing so they are opening to fill the need. 

We stopped up to the noon demo but were really disappointed with it and decided to leave about 10 minutes in.  It drove me nuts that they guy kept calling omnivores carnivores …..seriously??

Anyways the fest was fun but after two years of visiting I don’t think we would go again unless we happened to be in Boston the same weekend it was going to be happening.

We did leave the fest with a wonderfully sinfull treat from Vegan Treats- the Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Bomb- which was incredible.

I ordered the Grilled Tofu Kebabs which were marinated and broiled tofu and vegetables on a skewer on a bed of brown rice with a garden salad. My husband ordered the Vegetarian Plate which was one of the specials for the night and it came with a big bed of bok choy, kale, onions and tofu with rice croquettes on the side.  We also started with a small bowl the Sweet Potato Coconut Soup which was creamy and delicious.  At first glance you might look at the menu and say wow prices are a little higher (around $12-15 a dish) however the meals a huge – enough for 2 – and the food is amazing.  I unfortunately forgot the camera in our car so I didn’t get any photos but I am sure that on my next visit I will make sure to get pictures of their delish food. 

On Saturday we headed into the city to wander around meet up with old friends and had planned on staying the night however life happens and we weren’t able to- which meant missing VegFest ….I guess there’s always next year. After walking for about an hour we finally made it to our first destination- Peacefood Cafe on 82nd and Amsterdam.  It is this great little spot that is open from 9am -10pm and has breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with baked goods, coffees and juices.   

There were so many things that we wanted to order and had the hardest time deciding however we finally came to a decision and got the Raw Key Lime Pie, Macaroon, Apple Ginger Soy (it had juice of an apple and some ginger topped with steamed milk- amazing), a Panini of Pan-seared French Horn Mushrooms with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, artichoke aioli, mint & basil pesto and we ordered a Tempeh Avocado sandwich with baked marinated tempeh, creamy avocado, pickled radishes, shredded carrots and cilantro.   We loved the Raw Key Lime Pie it was delicious and had a great key lime sauce on it, however the macaroon it was okay (but I think I make a better one).  As for the 2 sandwiches the Panini was the winner it was warm and creamy and delicious.  The temeph sandwich was okay but my husband and I both felt it was a little salty and that there were too many pickled radishes on it which just over powered the sandwich.  I do however love this place and after seeing other peoples orders there is so much more I want to try. 

We spent the remainder of our day wandering around the city and meeting up with friends.  We met up with my bestie at this great little coffee shop in Soho called Ground Support on West Broadway across from Seven for All Mankind and next door to Anthropolige.  We didn’t get any coffee because I had already had some that morning but it smelled amazing and Cate loves it there. After that we stopped in at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum Shop (which for all you vegans out there is just around the corner from Babycakes and down the street from Moo Shoes) this shop and museum is one of our favorites in the city and has a great selection of books and gifts.  My husband picked up a great T-shirt from here as well as a book and I got a new vegan bag which I love. It was great too I asked the girl if it was leather and she was like I don’t know lets google the designer and see what their site says and to my luck the bags are all vegan faux leather (and I know you all are wandering well who makes it then? and i forget…there is no tag in the bag).  We also stopped at our favorite candy shop in Chinatown Aji Ichiban which has a variety of Asian treats and are all labeled with their ingredients.  

Before we left the city we met up with my friend from high school and went to Chennai Garden one of our favorite Southern Indian Restaurants.  We had amazing food and the best part is everything that has dairy in it is labeled so you know which items you can order- oh and the place is all vegetarian.  We always go with a dosa- this time the gunpowder one which was amazing and we went with a curry as well the Malki Kofta (not usually vegan but here it was! love it).  We were so hungry I didn’t get any shots in but you can find pictures here from my last visit. 

Our last stop before we headed home was in New Haven CT at Claire’s Corner Copia for breakfast Sunday morning.  We had a great breakfast too- I ordered a coffee and Tofu Scramble with whole wheat baguette and Neil got an orange juice and the Pancakes with bananas.  Our meals came and we dug in they were great.  Mine wasn’t the best scramble i’ve had but it was good and the baguette was amazing with it.  My hubz pancakes where really incredible – they were whole wheat and had cinnamon in them and topped with bananas and real maple syrup.  Claire’s has become a favorite stop of ours and it’s all vegetarian with vegan items clearly marked and many dishes they can make vegan- and trust me their menu is huge! 

Overall great trip but of course never long enough. 

We then headed to Northampton one of my favorite small towns and we wandered the shops and the downtown area. We stopped in Herrel’s Flagship Store and got ourselves a scoop of No-Moo Coffee “ice cream”. It was delicious. I see that they have a bunch of other flavors (we have had the peanut butter at the Cambridge location) and I am dying to try burnt caramel – what a fun flavor!

On Saturday we took a drive south towards New Haven where we wandered around the Yale campus (which is beautiful) and then we stopped for some lunch at Claire’s Corner Copia. This place was packed! There was a line out the door ,which seems to usually be a good sign, plus the place has been around for 34 years so it must be doing something right. My hubby got the Cornercopia Grande Burrito with refried organic pinto beans, brown rice, roasted organic vegetables, chipotle soy chicken and salsa. It was huge and delicious! I got the Quesadilla Tia Juana that was filled with a salsa of organic black beans, corn, organic bell peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, onions and Anaheim chilies and served with guacamole it was delicious!

On Sunday (I saved the best for last) we headed home and stopped at Esselon Café in Hadley MA for some amazing brunch. My hubby got the Vegan Brekkie which included tofu scramble with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, avocado, and grilled tomato with toast and a side salad and he also got a soy chai latte. I got the Vegan Benny which was grilled and seasoned tofu, sautéed spinach, roasted red peppers, topped by vegan hollandaise and came with a side salad, I also got a soy latte. The food here was by far the best all weekend. The Vegan Benny was delicious and as my husband said (bashfully) it was better than mine (crushed ….haha just kidding I totally agreed). His food was great too and huge so much food I was impressed. Also the salad is a great touch much better than homefries or something similar to that.

After one great weekend away we are planning another in about 5 weeks for a wonderful weekend to go to all the places we didn’t get to visit.

Neil and I wandered a bit more in the morning stopping at Earthmatters to check out the shop, here you can get breakfast as well although they have very limited vegan options. We then popped into Cake Shop intending to check out some records however it seems that the café/record shop/bar has eliminated the record shop part of it, however I did notice on our way out that they have vegan cupcakes there. Our big find however was the Economy Candy Bar which Neil just fell in love with. When you walk in it is pretty much floor to ceiling with candy from all over the world, some are packaged and others you can purchase in bulk. Neil and I went on a search for some fun vegan finds and we actually found Chick-O-Stick which is a candy that is vegan that I had read about on a few different message boards but never have been able to find. It is similar in flavor to a Butterfinger minus the chocolate. We picked up a few vegan sweets and headed out to Café 88 for a coffee while we waited for our tour at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum.

We also made a quick stop over to Babycakes before our tour (it’s just around the corner) and picked up a number of goodies: 2 cupcake tops (1 lemon and 1 vanilla), a brownie bite, a cinnamon skinny bun and some day old biscuits. Everything was good, I had read mixed reviews about Babycakes and I have to agree with what most of them said- the cupcakes are pretty dry- however the frosting is good and the brownie and skinny bun so yummy and the biscuits were nice and flakey. Overall I am glad we stopped in and picked up some yummy treats! (I know at this point it seems we were going on a sweets overload, I would like to note though we did not enjoy them all at once).

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is a great place for anyone to visit. They have a number of tours that are available to go on; we decided to on the Getting By Tour which detailed the lives of two different immigrant families that lived in two the apartments in the tenement housing where the museum is located. We were able to see where these families lived and learn about the changes that occurred in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s before the housing unit was closed down. The tour also gave an overview of the neighborhood and the focus of this tour was on how immigrants, specifically the two families they featured, got by during their time in the housing and in the neighborhood. It was really interesting and I would love to take another tour to learn more about the housing and immigration during this time. If you aren’t able to take a tour but are in the area you should definitely stop into their museum store it is filled with books and different things that are really interesting, I wanted to buy every book in there.

After our adventure to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum we decided to stop at Moo Shoes which is just next door to it. We went in looked around some but overall felt very unimpressed about what we saw. There were some Natalie Portman, Te Casan, shoes there that I wanted but for $250 they were not in my budget.

For lunch we decided to have dim sum at Buddha Bodia over on Mott Street in Chinatown. We stepped in and were quickly seated in a cafeteria like dining room that had tons of table squished in next to each other. They have an extensive menu of non-dim sum items however we went for the dim sum which you marked on a sheet of paper which ones you wanted, either small, medium, large or one of the specialties. We ordered the spring rolls, the bbq veggie meat, the veggie meat sticky rice roll and the sui mai. These were all so yummy! The BBQ Veggie Meat was so yummy and had a great texture. The Sticky Rice Roll was not exactly what we expected and our first impression was that it was going to be slimly because it was shiny and slippery looking. It was surprisingly good and not slimy. The Spring Rolls were your standard veggie spring rolls filled with bean sprouts, veggie meat and mushrooms, however although good nothing amazing. I would say the same thing with the sui mai they were very good but nothing incredible. The couple next too us got the fried stuffed eggplant and it look amazing I wish we had tried that. We ended our meal with the most luscious amazing desert ever…”it makes you go I can’t believe this is vegan!”…the vegan cheesecake. This was incredible, and it has the same taste and texture as a traditional cheesecake. This one really makes you wonder if they are telling the truth that it is vegan or not because it is so like the traditional kind.

After this Neil and I wondered around Chinatown some and then headed to the West Village to hit up some record shops. After spending a few more ours wandering around we headed back to our hotel to relax and have a drink at the hotel bar before dinner with a friend of mine and her boyfriend.

Later that evening we headed back to the West Village and went to Generation Records where Neil picked up 6 new records for his birthday. We then made our way to Red Bamboo for Neil’s birthday dinner. The Manhattan location is very small with limited seating. It was also very drafty which made for a chilly dining experience, also chilly was the waitstaff. We started our meal with the BBQ Buffalo Wings and the Rice Paper Rolls; the wings were fine the sauce was missing the spice you would expect from an item called a buffalo wing but overall they were good. The Rice Paper rolls were slimy and pretty much awful there was hardly anything in them and what was in them was too much ginger, it just overwhelmed the roll completely. For dinner I got the Voodoo Sticks which I heard were really good, Neil got the Tofu Club, and our friends both ordered vegetable stirfrys. Going into mine I had expected the rice and veggies to be bland and boring….but the Voodoo Sticks (veggie meat on a stick) I had heard were super tasty….but they weren’t. They were super dried out and boring. They rice although bland was kind of nice. The veggie were fine except for the two giant carrots that were not cooked enough to cut up and eat with my fork and I wasn’t about to pick it up and start chomping down on it. Neil’s sandwich was okay nothing great. The bread however was awful- they used conventional sliced bread which just got soggy and fell apart. The veggie bacon boring, the tofu overcooked and rubbery. The only really good thing on Neil’s plate where the crispy fries. My friend’s black bean ginger stir fry was probably the best tasting thing on the table …..but how can you really mess up stir fry that involves adding some ginger and black bean sauce? I have to say I was really disappointed and would never return to the Manhattan location of Red Bamboo…maybe next time we head to Brooklyn.

We ended our night at this really interesting bar called Madame X “A boudoir-themed bar with miniscule cocktails and a gigantic attitude problem” although poorly reviewed/described by New York Magazine this place was nice on a Sunday night. It was quiet and there were lots of couches to sit on in this dimly lit bar. We had some strong drinks that were decently priced and it was great to people watch and socialize. I am not sure how it is M-Sat but it was nice and quiet on a Sunday night.

This weekend Neil and I went on an adventure to NYC for Neil’s 28th Birthday. We took the train from Vermont to NYC (Neil’s desire and the most affordable; however I have to admit it was nice to sit back and relax). We had to start our night off with a big slice of pizza from Two Boots at Grand Central Station . Having done a little (okay a lot) of research for our trip I had read that they always had at least one vegan pizza that you could get a slice of (there are a few others that you can order an entire pie). We got the Earth Mother Vegan slice that was topped with mushrooms, onions, peppers, spinach and sauce. It was on a Sicilian crust and was very yummy!

Our first night, following our slice of pizza, we went to Chennai Garden a vegetarian Indian restaurant that specializes in Southern Indian cuisine. The menu was great it clearly identified which items had dairy in them so vegans or those who do not eat dairy could avoid them without having to ask which dishes include dairy (which is great). We started with some pakoras, they were nice and crispy and served with two different chutneys one tomato and the other cilantro. I dived into the cilantro chutney, my favorite, but we never have it unless the dish comes with it because Neil doesn’t care for cilantro. For our main dishes we chose the Chennai Rava Masala Dosai rava dosai with a hot and spicy potato filling and the Mushroom Onion and Garlic Utthappam Neither of us had ever experienced Southern Indian food so this was a treat to try something new. The dosa was spicy and filled with a potato mixture; it was served with sambar and a coconut chutney. It was so yummy and nice to just sit there and eat with your hands dipping into the different sauce and chutney. The utthappam Also came with the sambar and the coconut chutney but it also came with another chutney that was delicious! Overall this was a great experience and the food was amazing! The place is small and loud and crowded but it doesn’t take away from the dining experience rather it adds to the lively atmosphere and yummy food. Also I would like to note that all food is made to order so it is fresh! Neil would have eaten here all weekend had we not had a million other things to do and places to try. We almost didn’t even go here because we were hesitant on whether Indian would be too heavy on our bellies since we were doing Top of the Rock later that evening but we both are glad we did!

Top of the Rock was an amazing experience that gives you the opportunity to view all of the city. For those of you have experience the Empire State Building and are like done it seen it, over it. I would ignore all of those feelings and try Top of the Rock, it is a whole new experience (trust me I was one of those Empire State Building-done it over it people) but this was great. You have three different levels that you can visit and so long as it is a clear night (luckily for us it was) you will have an amazing view of the entire city. They also have four 4min videos that talk about Rockefeller Plaza and the history of the area. This place is great for families, friends, or couples (trust me at night it is so romantic).