Vegetarians Taste Better

Restaurant Review: Paragon Wine and Martini Bar

2012-01-19T06:00:00.002-05:00

I have a soft spot in my heart for martini bars. I've been a prissy you know what about drinks since I started drinking (after my 21st birthday, thankyouverymuch), and I love me a good martini. Heck, I even love a bad martini sometimes. In the early days of my martini drinking, when I worked full time at a music store and went to college full time, I used to go to a bar called ZaZa. It was located in the now demolished Cedar Center shopping plaza in South Euclid and had $5 martini nights on Thursdays. I would drink as many appletinis as I could stomach and always waited to close my tab out after midnight, once my Friday paycheck had been direct deposited into my account. Oh, those were the days.

So my hunt for a nice, laid back martini bar continues. Last year I held my 30th birthday party at Wonder Bar, which is one of the best places to get a martini and check out some live music on a Saturday night, in my opinion. And snce my birthday is now less than a month away, I need to find a different place to hold a party, stat.

I'd heard from a friend that Paragon in Euclid could be a possible location for the festivities, so my boyfriend and I stopped for a pre dinner drink the other night.

The Beach Club (did you know Euclid is home to multiple beach clubs? and a restaurant named Beach Club Bistro?)

I know some people look down their noses at Euclid. It's no culinary hotspot, but I've had many a fun night there. And I could see myself having a fun night at Paragon, although it's not quite the right venue for my birthday party. To me, Paragon is a nice neighborhood bar that happens to have an extensive wine and martini list. There's a really nice bar and multiple tvs that are larger than my car. There's neat Cleveland artwork on the walls and an exposed brick encased dining room offers a sunny contrast to the dark (and a little smelly) bar area. People seemed to be flocking in for their burger night, and I've heard that the chef - Jeremy Esterly - formerly of Dim and Den Sum - has been creating some really inventive food. My drink was stong but smooth, and had it not been for the funky smell coming from behind the bar, we might have stayed for another drink. (I'm guessing some fruit went bad?) And I do hope we get to go back to try out some of their grub. We'll just be sure to sit somwhere besides at the bar.

So I ask you, dear readers, where should I have my birthday party? I spent more than my mortgage for my 30th, and I'm not looking for a repeat of that this year. (although having a fully catered vegetarian buffet and all you can eat dessert was pretty awesome) Where can I go for a good stong drink, a nice atmosphere, and some decent vegetarian food with about 20 of my closest friends? East or west.

Win Tickets to the Vegetarian Friendly Great Big Home and Garden Expo

2012-01-18T06:00:00.002-05:00

I received an email from a very nice PR rep named Jessica last week, asking me if I would help promote The Great Big Home and Garden Expo, being held at the IX Center from February 4-12. Normally, I'm not much of a convention goer myself. I generally man a booth at about a dozen conventions a year at work, so the last thing I want to do when I have a weekend away from a convention center is go to another convention center. But to be honest, this show sounds pretty interesting. In addition to booths related to home and garden trends, there's going to be a cooking stage at this convention - The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking Stage - and it will be featuring quite a few sessions related to vegan and vegetarian cooking (and a couple on chocolate!). The schedule lists the following vegan and/or vegetarian friendly sessions:

"Moroccan Vegetarian” with Eric Wells of Skye LaRae's Culinary Services
“Veganize-It” with Tim McCoy of the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute
“Super Salads” with Jenn Thomas-Pallotta of Jenn Can Cook
“Death by Chocolate” with Stefanie Paganini of the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute
“Best of Umami” with Matthew Anderson of Umami

Sound like an event you'd be interested in attending? I have a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky winner! (note that your tickets will be good for one day only, so check out the show schedule if you win to decide when you'd like to go) Comment on this post and let me know what's the best convention you've ever attended (can be anything - from work related to stamp collecting) and I'll select one lucky winner next Tuesday, 1/24/12 at noon EST. And don't worry - if you don't win, you can still purchase a discounted ticket online through this link and using the discount code "VEGETARIANS." (no quotes)

Ironically, I'll be working at a convention in LA, so I won't be able to attend this show, but if you do get a chance to go, I'd love to hear all about it. Or maybe you can save me some chocolate?

Thirty Days of Chocolate - Feast on Chocolate at Pier W

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Although people think I'm weird when I say this, Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. Hands down. There is no other day of the year that I enjoy more. (except my birthday, but that's only 4 days after Valentine's Day, so...) Almost every year I throw a Valentine's Day party fit for a first grader (hello doilies, glitter, and stickers) and celebrate all things pink and heart shaped. If you know me IRL, I'm not exactly girlie, so loving this holiday is a little out of character for me.

I was just reminded of the awesomeness of the Valentine's Day season by a tweet I saw from Pier W. Every year, from January 16 to February 14, they have an all you can eat chocolate bar for $12 a person. They call it Thirty Days of Chocolate. Sounds pricey, but not when you consider the items offered on their chocolate buffet of sorts - they have truffles, and mouse, and brownies, and tarts, and just about anything else you can think of, made out of chocolate. I went to Pier W last Valentine's Day and got to sample just about one of everything from the chocolate buffet and left feeling fat and happy. (This is why I run...to indulge in gluttony every once in awhile.)

If you're a chocoholic like I am, this is a neat culinary event to check out. I don't think you can find this kind of chocolate variety anywhere else in the city.

Restaurant Review: One Red Door in Hudson

2012-01-10T06:00:00.002-05:00

Have I mentioned lately how difficult it is for my boyfriend and I to pick a place to eat? And have I also mentioned that when you add in other people to this decision making process, things turn into an even bigger mess?

This past Saturday my boyfriend and I decided to have dinner with one of his friends halfway in between where we live, and where said friend's girlfriend lives, so we ended up in Hudson. Apparently, "downtown" Hudson is a happening place on Saturday nights. I had a difficult time getting dinner reservations, so we went to Luchita's for drinks before heading to One Red Door later in the evening. I broke my rule of never going to a restaurant if their menu isn't available online and hoped for the best. (the menu is online, but it's not mobile friendly! technology FAIL) Luckily there was one vegetarian option.

I expected One Red Door to be packed when we got there, but it didn't seem all that busy. There was a decent crowd at the bar, but we were one of the few tables eating dinner. (as our friend's girlfriend said, Hudson shuts down early) Although I shouldn't have had a drink since I was recovering from bronchitis, I had to try the Ohio Mule, One Red Door's version of a Moscow Mule. (or my current favorite drink) It was good. Very gingery but light on the vodka. (maybe a little too light on the vodka)

Butternut squash ravioli

I started off with a goat cheese salad. As I've said many times before, it's hard to mess up a salad, so it was good but not spectacular. It had grapefruit in it, which was a little different. For my entree I got the only vegetarian entree (besides pizza) the butternut squash ravioli. It had sauteed mushrooms and Brussels sprouts leaves, which sounds odd, but it was really good. The portion was a bit small for the price ($17) but it was tasty. My meat eating companions really loved their meals. My boyfriend had grouper, and I was pretty sure he was going to lick his plate.

Although I liked me meal - a lot - I'm not sure that I'd make an effort to go back to One Red Door. It was a bit pricey, and if I'm going to go out for a nice meal, I might stay a little closer to home. But if you happen to be in the area and are looking for a fancy pants meal, give One Red Door a try.

Keepin it Raw at The Chubby Cook

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! Despite still recovering from the bubonic plague, or a sinus infection and bronchitis, I was able to get out of the house on Saturday to attend a cooking class at The Chubby Cook in Beachwood. I'm a reformed microwave gourmet, and I love learning new cooking tips and techniques.

Making raw food is fun

Although I'm a vegetarian, I'd say that 75% of what I eat is vegan. (I hope to make the switch someday) I love raw foods, and when I saw that The Chubby Cook is offering multiple vegan and raw classes in the coming months, I immediately signed up for a raw foods class. (and Mad About Mushrooms, but that's a vegetarian class and it's not until February) My friend Lucia went along with me. We're co-workers and travel together pretty often and always try to find vegan or raw restaurants. (our favorite raw restaurant to date is Cafe Manna in a Milwaukee suburb - you can find raw food in the darndest places these days)

I've taken plenty of cooking classes over the years, but I can't say that I've enjoyed them nearly as much as the class I took at The Chubby Cook. Why? Well, it was completely hands on. When it comes to cooking, I feel like I need to actually practice something in order to "get" it. Chef Lauren (formerly of Whole Foods and currently working at Trader Joe's), the main instructor, was extremely knowledgeable. The Chubby Cook himself (Scott) was assisting her in the class, and they made a great team. He was able to share all sorts of neat chef tips and tricks and was really knowledgeable about everything from how to chop garlic to dinosaur kale. Another added bonus was that the class was held in The Chubby Cook's commercial kitchen. Picture what you'd see on Top Chef but on a smaller scale. I got to use an amazing ceramic knife (that I ended up buying - more on that in a future post) and "real" kitchen equipment. (considering how much I cook, it's embarrassing to see what I have in my kitchen - or rather, what I don't have)

Raw sushi that I rolled myself - look what I can do!

My favorite part of the class was making raw sushi. No rice required here! We made our own "rice" out of parsnips, garlic, and aminos. And because this was a hands on process, I think that I could actually make raw sushi again at home. (I may give it a try this weekend. I'll report back.)

In addition to the sushi, we made a whole bunch of other raw dishes - everything from zucchini pasta with a raw mushroom sauce, to mushroom "steaks", to kale salad, and mali kofta.

A hodge podge of rawness

If one of your goals is to learn how to cook better, or eat better, or even if you're just looking for something fun to do with a friend, you should look into taking a class at The Chubby Cook. They have classes that appeal to just about everyone - everything from wine tastings to cooking with beer to a class all about bacon. (clearly not my cup of tea, but...)

Create Your Own Vegan or Vegetarian Pasta at Whole Foods in University Heights

2012-01-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

Last weekend my boyfriend and I spent even longer than normal arguing about where to go for dinner. He wanted to hit up a chain and I wanted something more off the beaten path. So after a great debate, we ended up at Whole Foods in University Heights.

Despite the fact that I go to Whole Foods at least once a week, I never think to eat there. I mean, I always pick up vegetarian sushi when I'm there, but I rarely think about eating in the The Osteria, Whole Foods' in-house, no tipping allowed restaurant featuring multiple vegan and vegetarian options.

Vegan stock, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach

Until I sat down to order, I had no idea The Osteria features a create your own pasta entree. Just like the Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill. But in this case, the pasta is actually good and there's a vegan sauce option available. I opted for an orchiette noodle with the vegan stock, tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. And it was really good. I've never had food at The Osteria that I didn't like, actually, and that always makes me feel bad about the "no tipping" policy. (in my head, I tell myself that Whole Foods must pay The Osteria employees more to make up for this...hopefully?)

So...if you're looking for food that's restaurant quality at less than restaurant prices, stop by The Osteria. Just make sure no one runs into you with their cart!

Strange Snacks - Hearts of Palm

2012-01-05T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to eat better in the new year. I'm back on the calorie tracking bandwagon, and I've been working out. (less than normal because I'm recovering from a run streak, but...) My snack of choice lately hasn't been anything that you'd expect - I've been eating cans of hearts of palm from Whole Foods.

Get in my belly

The first time I had hearts of palm was on a salad at Deagan's. I absolutely loved them. (the second time was in a vegan plate at Dante, and to this day, that might be one of the worst meals I've ever eaten) I just happened to notice that Whole Foods sells cans of hearts of palm one day, and I think I've been eating a couple cans (1 can = 50 calories) each week. I suppose I could be snacking on much worse things, right?

Do you have any favorite healthy snacks?

Review: Tiny Eats at The Tavern Company

2012-01-04T06:00:00.005-05:00

I tend to eat out more than I should during the week and often go to the same old places. On Wednesday nights, my running club tends to end up at Brennan's Colony in Cleveland Heights because they can accomodate large groups and have above average bar food. However, when we attempted to go last week, the place was packed. So packed that my large group had to scramble to figure out where to go and we ended up at The Tavern Company.
I'd never been to TavCo, as the locals call it, and I really didn't know what to expect. I'd seen the menu online and it featured food slightly better than bar food...but the curtains didn't match the drapes, if you get my drift. The restaurant/bar itself is a little divey in comparison to the menu options, but...I guess I'd rather have better food than ambiance.

I ordered one if the few vegetarian items on the menu - a portabella caprese wrap. It boasted pesto with spinach and tomatoes with some mozzarella cheese. Trying to be a little healthier, I ordered a house salad instead of fries. A house salad that came with a citrus vinaigrette. Fancy for a bar, but...it was pretty good. The other odd thing about the salad was the bowl it was served it. It sounds like I'm hung up on this, but the dishware was nicer than I would have expected.

What I didn't expect was the tiny size of my wrap. If it hadn't been put on such a large plate it might not have seemed as comically small, but..it seemed comically small. Maybe they were looking out for my health by giving me a small wrap to make up for the pesto, but...I've never really seen such a small wrap before. Sadly, it was also small on taste.

My boyfriend loved his steak and the garlic fries that were served around me smelled great. A friend ordered the vegetarian squash soup and I immediately regretted not ordering it. So maybe I just ordered one of the misses on the menu. I'm sure I'll be back again at some point and I'll be sure to try something different. Like those fries!

Cedar Green Wine and Cheese

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last week my friend Alex invited me to his birthday party at Cedar Green Wine and Cheese. Located in an older strip mall, I didn't know what to expect. But what I found was part wine store, part bar, part deli, and part lounge.

My empty bottle in the lounge area

When you walk in, there's a bar on the left with five beers on tap. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people hanging out around the bar watching tv. To the right there were a few tables and a couple couches all in between display after display of wine. It's like a bar and a lounge happened to be plunked down right in the middle of a wine store. And although that sounds odd, it was actually awesome. I was able to pick a bottle off the shelf, hand it to the clerk, and then relax with my friends for about 15 minutes until my wine glasses and chilled wine arrived. If I'd been hungry, I could have also ordered food from any of the restaurants within the same shopping plaza and had it delivered.

Swanky, it's not. But it is a great place to relax with some friends and enjoy a bottle of wine or a couple of beers.

Do you have a favorite wine or beer shop in Cleveland where you can hang out and have a drink or two? I'd love to discover more places like Cedar Green Wine and Cheese.

Recipe: Vegan Hoppin John

2012-01-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

Hello, 2012. I've been waiting for you.

I was sick on New Year's Day - due to a cold and not overdrinking - so I had to skip my semi-annual tradition of having dinner with my mother. We'd planned on making pierogis from scratch, so I was pretty bummed that I didn't get to see her. I did manage to drag myself out of the house long enough to run 1 mile (and complete my 45 day running streak - yay!) and to go to Whole Foods to stock up on a few essentials. And the ingredients for Vegan Hoppin John.

Not familiar with Hoppin John? I wasn't either until I Googled it a couple years ago. It's a southern dish that's supposed to bring luck in the coming year. It's made with black eyed peas which are supposed to represent pennies, which we all know, are supposed to bring good luck. I'd never actually cooked black eyed peas before or eaten Hoppin John, so all I could do was hope that this simple but time consuming recipe would turn out good.

Ingredients:
Note: I cut the amount of black eyed peas and rice in half but still used the same amount of liquid - if not more! I found that a lot of the stock/water combo boiled off during the multiple hours that this was cooking

2 cups dried black-eyed peas, rinsed
1 container Imagine No-Chicken stock (or other vegetarian stock - 4 cups worth)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 strips tempeh bacon, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
a few dashes of liquid smoke
Ground black pepper to taste
Tabasco

Method:

Put black-eyed peas into a large bowl, cover with water and set aside for 6 hours or overnight. (or buy them at Whole Foods already soaked and drained like I did!)
Add black-eyed peas to a large pot. Add stock and 2 cups clean water, onions and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until black-eyed peas are tender but still whole, about 45 minutes.
Add rice, tempeh bacon, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until rice is tender. (this part rook me over an hour) Stir occasionally.
When rice begins to soften, add peppers.
Season with liquid smoke and Tabasco.
Enjoy! (but let it cool - it will be ridiculously hot after cooking for so long)

This recipe took me much longer to make than I anticipated. I was sniffly and wanted something soup or stew-like and it just seemed to need to cook longer and longer each time I checked on it. I also felt like it was really bland until I added a lot of Tabasco and liquid smoke. Maybe I could have used more fake bacon? Dunno. This was also a really beany dish which normally doesn't bother me, but in this case, I wasn't all that big of a fan. I'll stick to sauerkraut next year!

I'm hoping this dish brings me luck in the New Year, though! My boyfriend has already won $70 on the lotto!

Do you have any food related traditions for New Year's?

Year in Review - 10 of My Favorite Things from 2011

2011-12-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

I got to do a lot of exploring around town this year, and I thought I'd share some of my favorite things from this year. (but I'm not Oprah, so I'm not giving anything away - you'll have to check these things out on your own!) Here are my 10 favorite things/places/etc. for 2011. (in no particular order)

Favorite west side restaurant - Deagan's in Lakewood - Deagan's has multiple vegetarian options on the menu, a weekly vegetarian night (Wednesdays) the best Moscow Mule I've ever tasted (beats Velvet Tango Room, easily), and Deagan himself has a wicked beard. (ok, the beard is creepy, but everything else is great) Tuesday Taco night always has a vegan or vegetarian menu option and there are generally a couple vegetarian or vegan nightly specials throughout the week.

Favorite new vegetarian restaurant - The Root Cafe in Lakewood - My dream is to open a coffee shop or cafe some day, and when the Roxanne cafe comes to fruition, I want it to be just like this place. Great coffee, limited alcohol selection, a mish mosh of furniture, and great vegan and vegetarian food. (and raw food on Thursday nights!)

Favorite east side restaurant - Lopez in Cleveland Heights - I never really liked Mexican food until I discovered Lopez. Featuring an eclectic menu and discounted margaritas during happy hour, this place makes me wanna shout "ole!" Or at least "more chips and salsa, please!"

Favorite ethnic eats - Bowl of Pho in Woodmere - Although I just recently discovered this new eat side pho eatery, I'm a fan. Great food in a neighborhood where I won't get killed? Score! (many of the other pho restaurants are in neighborhoods I wouldn't go to by myself)

Favorite no frills restaurant/bar - Brennan's Colony in Cleveland Heights - This is a great vegetarian friendly bar in Cleveland Heights that my running club likes to frequent. The drinks are good and the food is even better.

Favorite place to play bar trivia - Mulligan's in Highland Heights - My running club likes to get together on Tuesday nights to try and crush the other trivia players. We've only been the champions once so far, but we've gotten a lot of other loot for winning individual rounds. This is a fun neighborhood bar with good drink and food specials.

Favorite vegan bakery - Vegan Sweet Tooth in Woodmere - Located almost too close to my house (let me just loosen up my pants a bit), this vegan bakery features "I can't believe it's vegan" baked goods that would fool even the most skeptical non-vegan. Try it, you'll like it.

Best thing I ate this year - Melt in Cleveland Heights (and elsewhere) featured a buffalo "chicken" sandwich in September made out of tofu. They also has buffalo tofu wings on special. I've never eaten wings, but my meat eating friends tell me these suckers were close to the real thing. I can only hope (and harass Melt through facebook) that these make a comeback next year!

Favorite drink of the year (besides a Moscow Mule) - The blood orange margarita at Johnny Mango. I could drink a pitcher of them all by myself. But then I wouldn't have enough room for the amazing black bean nachos or quesadillas and that would be sad.

Favorite new ice cream flavor - Caramel Sea Salt at Mitchell's. Salty and sweet together? Yes, please. As an added bonus, Mitchell's is certified Kosher, which means that there aren't any hidden meaty ingredients (like gelatin) in the ice cream. (plus they offer fruit smoothies and non dairy options annnd...try to use as many local ingredients as they can)

Do you have any favorites for 2011?

Year End Exercise Challenge/Running Streak Update

2011-12-29T06:00:00.003-05:00

Day 42. I never thought I'd make it to day 42.

I'm a mere 3 days away from ending my running streak and I've learned a lot about myself and my body along the way. See, I started this streak back in November after reading about the Runner's World run streak challenge which encouraged runners to run at least a mile a day from Thanksgiving Day though New Years Day. Being an overachiever, I started up the streak a little early, while in Boston for work. (what better place to start a run streak, eh?) When I first blogged about this challenge, I encouraged people (readers of my blog, people in my life) to try to exercise daily until new years. Sadly, besides my friend Kali of finishingfirsts, I don't know anyone who has been able to streak for this long. (she's actually going for a year long streak - you go girl!) But I can understand why it's easy to fail at a challenge like this. Free time is pretty limited around the holidays, and unless you're as obsessed with running or exercising as I am, I can see how it would be easier to sit on the couch than hit the streets or the gym.

But I'm so glad I did this.

Me and my inspiration for streaking, Kali from finishingfirsts

I had a stress fracture earlier in the year that sidelined me from running for 3 months. And in terms of rest days, 3 months seems like an eternity. I promised myself when I was immobile that I would take every opportunity I could find to run once I got better, and that's what I've been trying to do. And although I haven't really made any fantastic improvements in per run distance or speed, I do feel like my daily running has helped me get back to a place where I can train for another race. (hello, 50s for Your Momma 50K that I'll start training for in January) My weekly miles have crept up over the past 41 days and I think my endurance is steadily improving. Although I haven't lost as much weight as I would have liked during the streak (about 5 lbs.), I do feel like I'm on the right track to getting my body back into long distance running shape.

Has this been easy? Hell no. Some days were rough. I've been out in rain, sleet, snow...and perfectly sunny 60 degree days. I've been slow, slower, and a couple times I had to walk. But like the famous running poster says, I was still faster than anyone sitting on the couch. During my journey I've also pulled just about every muscle you could pull, thought I'd re-broken my ankle, and irritated my IT band. I think I was less sore during marathon training, to be honest. Which brings me to the number one thing I've learned:

For me, and my body, I need rest. I can trudge along and run day in and day out, but my body hates me for it. And not in a good way. For me to be able to improve my distance (which is vital in training for anything) or speed (I had my slowest 5K ever in November) my old bones need a break. And a break is what I'm going to take next week. Although it might be tough, I'm going to take a week off and then hit the ground running to train for my next big race. If I can not injure myself in the next few days. (for the record, if all goes as planned, at the end of the streak, I will have run a little over 3 miles per day on average, and roughly around 140 miles)

I'm looking forward to starting my next challenge - 50K training. Are you challenging yourself to do anything int he new year?

Restaurant Review: Appetite Deli and Bakery

2011-12-28T06:00:00.002-05:00

I'm sure that this has happened to you. You've driven past a place in your neighborhood that you tell yourself you want to go to but somehow never end up at. In my hood, that place is Appetite Deli and Bakery. When it first opened I went there all the time. (I can easily walk there and drive past it at least a dozen times a week) I even dragged coworkers there with me at lunchtime for cupcakes. But then for some reason I stopped going there. I don't think there was a particular reason. I think I just got a little tired of going there so much.

Last week when I was starting my holiday shopping - probably well after everyone else was finished - I needed to swing by my house to drop off some presents and realized that I needed to eat lunch. As of late, my cupboards are resembling Mother Hubbard's, so I knew I'd need to go eat somewhere and wanted something quick. My standby is Roly Poly in Golden Gate, but I didn't want to have to deal with shopper traffic so I headed to Appetite instead.

Tucked away in a strip plaza with not nearly enough parking, it's kind of surprising that Appetite does so well. I mean, the food and baked goods are excellent, but unless you're looking for the place, you're not really going to notice it from the street. And depending on when you go, you might not get a parking spot. But despite all that, I highly recommend going there. The interior reminds me of a no frills deli but the food is definitely better than what you'd expect by the looks of the place. All of the ingredients taste fresh, the bread is so good that people buy multiple loaves, and there are plenty of vegetarian options. And for under $6, you can get a nice vegetarian sandwich and coup combo.

Soup and sandwich combo

My favorite sandwich at Appetite is the Caprese Grill, a mozzarella, tomato, and pesto sandwich. I'm weird about eating things that are grilled (you never really know what else was grilled on that grill, you know? was it bread or bacon?) so I actually get the sandwich cold. Along with my sandwich I got a vegan sweet potato soup. It was molten hot but I liked it so much I couldn't stop eating it.

I didn't have time for dessert but I can tell you that I was eyeballing the chocolate croissants in the dessert case while I was eating my lunch. When I was more of a regular, I used to split a croissant at lunch with a friend. They were really incredible. (so incredible that someone came in to buy all of the remaining croissants and put money down to get more that were coming out of the oven in the next few hours.

Are there any restaurants in your neck of the woods that you like but just never think to go to? I'm sure there are plenty of places like Appetite around town that deserve my business...I just need to make a better effort to go to them.

Restaurant Review: Bonbon Pastry & Cafe

2011-12-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

How many shopping days are left until Christmas...because I haven't really bought anything. But that's actually ok because I generally don't buy many (or any) gifts this time of year. Call me a Scrooge if you will, but I'd rather buy a thoughtful gift for someone on a Thursday in July and surprise them with it than give them a meaningless gift on December 25.

The one exception to my Scrooge-like rule is for a group of my lady friends. We're a bunch of ladies who lunch every so often and when time allows, we're able to make it to brunch, too. We make a point of having a nice little holiday get together every year, and to be honest, it's probably my favorite part of the holidays. This year I went the homemade route and gave out cookies and candy (and a couple ornaments I'd picked up at The Urban Orchid) and my treats were a big hit. It felt nice to be able to give away something I'd actually made myself.

Our venue for our brunch/gift exchange was Bonbon Pastry & Cafe in Ohio City. As an avid Yelper, I'd seen that Bonbon had gotten some great reviews and some truly awful ones, but I like to be my own judge. I'd say my experience was something in between.

I had the darndest time finding the place. I'm in Ohio City fairly often, but my iPhone's directions led me astray. (note that if you use Google maps to find Bonbon, most likely it will give you the wrong address) Once I found out where I needed to be, I was able to easily find street parking right outside the restaurant. Two of my friends were already seated enjoying coffee and some sunshine. (Bonbon has amazing large windows that let in lots of sunlight...almost too much sunlight! people throughout the restaurant were wearing sunglasses) I followed suit and ordered some coffee and settled in while we waited for our fourth person to arrive. I got a chance to notice the interesting decor while I was waiting. I'd describe the cafe as having very clean lines with a slight upscale feel. (which is also reflected in their pricing)

Being in a pastry shop, I expected my coffee to be pretty amazing but it was actually pretty run of the mill. There was a communal creamer in a small juice glass which made it hard to pour. We also got a small container of sugar to share. But our server was super nice and attentive so I could overlook the average coffee.

I scanned the menu and noticed few vegetarian items. I'm not sure if anything is vegan or can be made veganized, but it never hurts to ask! I settled on the veggie salad wrap. When it arrived, it looked more like two open faced tacos and I had to eat some of the lettuce before even attempting to pick the wraps up. What they lacked in ease of use they made up for in flavor though. I'd never had apples and roasted red peppers mixed together, but it was a good combo. It wasn't the most filling lunch/brunch entree I'd ever had, but at least it tasted good!

Veggie Salad Wrap

My meat eating friends seemed to enjoy their meals a bit more than I did. (except my friend who got a chocolate croissant - not sure if her croissant was old or what but the chocolate on the inside was really hard - when I've had them in the past, the chocolate has been more melty) One got the bubble and squeak and commented on how the Brussels sprouts tasted like candy. (maybe some more of maple glaze?) Another friend got a meat/potatoes/hash thing with a fried egg on top. And unlike what you probably picture in your head when you think of a fried egg, this was a deep fried egg. I'd imagine it takes some skill to prepare that correctly.

Overall, I'd say that I enjoyed my company more than my meal, but I'm not much of a breakfast person to begin with. And spending holiday time with my friends is one of my favorite things to do, so it would be hard for any restaurant to top that. But I definitely think Bonbon Pastry & Cafe is worth checking out if you're in the area.

Do you have a favorite place to have brunch in the CLE?

Recipe: Hot and Spicy Sriracha Brussels Sprouts

2011-12-14T06:00:00.003-05:00

Have I mentioned lately that I'm Irish and no one in my family makes any food that's spicy? Despite that, I've been trying to eat spicier foods lately. Some things I've liked and others I haven't, but what's the fun of cooking if you aren't willing to try new things.

I've been a fan of Sriracha, a Thai hot sauce, for awhile. It adds a nice kick to stiry frys and sauces. And since I use so little of it at a time, I'm going to have the huge bottle that it comes in forever.

While surfing around one of my favorite blogs the other day - Meet the Shannons (a site devoted to veganism and veganizing recipes in Betty Crocker cookbooks) - I discovered a recipe for Brussels sprouts in a Sriracha lime sauce. I could eat Brussels sprouts every day and I'm always looking for a new way to prepare them, so I figured I'd give this recipe a shot.

I find that simplicity is often good when preparing veggies, so when I read about the ingredients required to make these Brussels sprouts, I was a little skeptical.

This definitely isn't 5 ingredient cooking

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Brussels Sprouts (cut in half)
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Tamari
2 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons Agave Nectar
1 teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Lime Zest
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/4 teaspoon Ginger (minced)
Dash of Liquid Smoke

Method:
1. Steam the Brussels sprouts and garlic in a large saucepan. Stir frequently.
2. When Brussels sprouts are starting to soften, add all of the other ingredients and stir until they are completely coated and fully cooked. (I had to add a little extra water to keep the sprouts from burning/sticking to the pan)
3. Serve with a large glass of water.

My thoughts on this recipe? Holy hotness! And I think this happened because I didn't follow the directions that Meet the Shannons provided. They said to cook the Brussels sprouts and then toss them in the sauce. Since I cooked everything together, the Brussels sprouts really absorbed the Sriracha. My boyfriend liked the amount of heat that these sprouts put off, but I wasn't exactly a fan. I liked the flavor - lime first then the heat of the Sriracha - but if I were to make them again, I'd definitely cut down on the Sriracha. And possibly add a little more liquid smoke. I was afraid that I'd make them too smokey so I literally added a drop or two to the pan. I also skipped the lime zest, which may have helped to neutralize the Sriracha.

Do you have any favorite recipes that include Brussels sprouts? Or Sriracha?

Urban Orchid Gift Certificate Winner

2011-12-13T08:33:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Nikki Pontius who won a $25 gift certificate to Urban Orchid in Ohio City. I know Brandon will help you find some great gifts or can make up an amazing floral arrangement.

Nikki - please email me at CLE.vegetarians.taste.better at gmail dot com to claim your prize.

Happy local shopping everyone!

Review: Bowl of Pho in Woodmere

2011-12-13T06:01:00.010-05:00

I'm all for adventurous eating so when I discovered that a pho restaurant had opened minutes away from my house, I decided I had to try it. There are plenty of other pho restaurants around town but very few of them feature online menus (it's a drag to show up somewhere and not be able to eat) and and most are in neighborhoods where I wouldn't want to be alone after dark. Not familiar with pho? Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, typically with a meat based stock that features some type of meat (or tofu in my case) bean sprouts, peppers, and spices. The closest thing I can compare it to is miso soup with a kick. And bigger pieces of tofu.

Bowl of Pho, located near Whole Foods in Woodmere is the first Vietnamese restaurant I've found in Cleveland that serves vegetarian pho. Vietnamese food is known for using a lot of meaty ingredients, which is why it's taken me 30 years to actually get to try any. In fact, there is an entire section on Bowl of Pho's menu devoted to vegetarian items - everything from spring rolls to pho to other Vietnamese noodle dishes. Any restaurant that has a vegetarian section makes me happy, so I was excited to try out Bowl of Pho. Even more excited was my boyfriend, though. His uncle is married to a woman from Vietnam, and we both felt a little dumb when we saw him this summer and told him we'd never had Vietnamese food. I think he eats pho almost daily, and he was a little flabberghasted when we said we'd never had any.

Vegetarian pho - hard to pronounce, easy to like

I try to not judge a book by its cover, so the strip mall location of Bowl of Pho didn't bother me. It's actually really nice on the inside with a granite topped bar (it doesn't seem like they serve liquor yet) and modern looking furniture. Service was a little iffy. The restaurant has been open for just under a month and it seems like most of the staff doesn't have restaurant experience. There was some confusion over who had which table and it took awhile for our server to acknowledge us. When she did, she was nice but had limited knowledge of the menu. My boyfriend likes to ask a lot of questions about...well...everything, and he was a little disappointed that she couldn't provide any recommendations because she hadn't tried much of the menu. (if I ever own a restaurant, I will make everyone on my staff try everything unless they have dietary restrictions) We settled on vegetarian spring rolls to share, vegetarian pho for me, and some sort of beef and shrimp noodle dish for him.

The spring rolls were amazing - fresh but not too greasy. I didn't know what to expect with my pho, but it was great. I was given a plate of things to add to the broth (which was chock full of tofu and noodles) - like bean sprouts, Sriracha, and jalapeno peppers - to add to the flavor. I tend to be a bit heavy handed on the spices, so I made my pho too hot for my liking. (darn you Siracha!) And it was a little difficult to eat. My options were to starve by earing with chopsticks or use my fork and look goofy. The fork won. I might still be sitting there attempting to slurp up some noodles if I hadn't ditched the chopsticks. My boyfriend really enjoyed his meal. To me it looked like pho minus broth. I'd definitely try those kind of noodles next time.

If you like Vietnamese food or are up for adventurous eating you should definitely give this restaurant a try. Just be patient with the servers. I'm sure they'll improve over time.

Holiday Gift Idea - Birchbox

2011-12-09T06:00:00.003-05:00

Not my actual Birchbox, but this is what you could expect to receive

I am a sucker for freebies. As a kid, I begged my mom to buy me a book that listed companies you could write to and/or send a self addressed stamped envelope to in order to get some sort of silly freebie - from pencils to bumper stickers to activity books. (clearly, this was before the age of the Internet) I spent hours one summer mailing all kinds of letters nicely asking for free things from various companies. (do kids even write letters anymore?) It seemed like a fruitless task until mail started rolling in, months later. But I appreciated every single things I got.

And maybe that's why I'm such a fan of Birchbox, which is essentially a free sample fulfillment service. For $10 a month, you get a goodie box filled with samples mailed to your house from Birchbox. I've only gotten one box so far, but in it, there was nail polish, candy, perfume, a night cream, and an exfoliating scrub that I liked to much I immediately bought a vat of it when my sample ran out. (Hello, La ROCCCA Champage and Shimmer Acai Sugar Polish) As someone who works in marketing, I think it's a genius idea. The La Rocca scrub I bought last month retails for $37.50 a tub. Or more than I'd ever pay for a product I'd never tried. (even though it's completely natural and cruelty free) But after getting that little sample, I was hooked! I was able to get a discount on the product for being a Birchbox customer, got an additional discount for making my first Birchbox product purchase, and got free shipping. Overall it was a big win. And well worth the $10 I paid to get a couple samples.

The other nice thing about the Birchbox boxes is that you earn points for doing various things on the website - from buying your monthly box to writing reviews to referring friends. You can convert those points into cash to buy the products you try. And...most importantly, maybe, you can buy someone a subscription to Birchbox as a gift. (sorry friends and family, I'm already taken care of on this, but you just might be getting a Birchbox from me!) For the time being Birchboxes are only available for the ladies, but...it's a newer company and I bet they'll expand into the realm of mens product eventually.

Review: Fancy Eats at Rockefeller's Restaurant

2011-12-08T06:00:00.003-05:00

I'm a sucker for architecture when it comes to restaurants. I think the location of a restaurant says a lot about the character of it (besides how much start up capital the restaurateur had when opening said restaurant). There's nothing wrong with strip mall dining, but...I think it's a smidge nicer to eat in an old house, or a converted warehouse, or what used to be a bank. And that's what led me to Rockefeller's Restaurant over the weekend.

Housed in a building built by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1930, Rockefeller's Restaurant has been the home of many different businesses, most notably a private bank. A beautifully designed bank featuring stained glass windows, elaborate woodwork, intricate stone beams, and a large stone fireplace. To get to the restaurant, you have to walk up a flight of stairs, but when you reach the top, you feel like you've entered a castle. I can't put into words how beautiful the inside of Rockefeller's is. (it's often used for wedding receptions if that gives you any idea of how it looks) I've really never seen anything like it. It's a huge space divided into three main areas - a dining area, a nice lounge near the roaring fireplace with plush couches and chairs, and a bar. The bar is actually tucked away in a corner, so the TV doesn't really take away from the ambiance.

But enough about how beautiful the restaurant is...on to the food! I attempted to take photos of my food and drinks but the restaurant was dimly lit and I think my iPhone camera doesn't work so well. But I assure you, the presentation of my meal along with the meals of my dining companions was just as spectacular as the interior of the restaurant.

I started off with a cocktail while my friends had glasses of wine. Rockefeller's has a pretty extensive list of classic/retro cocktails, but I decided to get a fruity concoction that had a disclaimer on the menu stating that a person could only have 2 of said drink because it's so strong. When it arrived - with an umbrella - it reminded me of a boozy fruit smoothie which wasn't a bad thing. (and yes, I ended up having two of them...and conked out early - reminded me of mind erasers in college...oy!)

There were a couple vegetarian dishes on the menu. Nothing vegan from what I could see, but I got the impression that the chef could be pretty accommodating. I got a zucchini pasta dish. It was basically fresh noodles with big chunks of zucchini and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Not the most inventive vegetarian meal I've ever had, but it was good. What was even better was the fresh bread served with our meals. I'm a carb monster anyway, but the fresh bread with olives baked in was great.

My meat eating companions really enjoyed their meals. As with many upscale restaurants, I think chefs tend to do a better job with non-vegetarian dishes, but I was happy to see that there were a couple options on the menu for non meat eating folks. I'd definitely go back if I had the chance...but I might just stick to having one cocktail.

Shopping Locally This Holiday Season - The Urban Orchid

2011-12-06T06:00:00.003-05:00

I'm not really "into" Christmas. I know some people who put up their tree immediately after Thanksgiving (if not the week before) and start listening to holiday music around Halloween. It's not my thing, but if it's yours, rock on with your bad self. My holiday of choice is Valentine's Day, and my house looks like a 2nd grade classroom for the month of February, so I really can't judge.

Despite my general apathy about Christmas, I decided to head to Urban Orchid's holiday open house this past weekend. Owned by my friend Brandon, The Urban Orchid is a relatively new gift and floral shop in Ohio City. As I'd read on The Urban Orchid's Facebook page, the event promised wine and cupcakes, so how could I possibly pass that up?

When I got to Urban Orchid, I was so happy that I'd made the trek from the east side. Although the store has been open for a few months, I haven't had a chance to stop by. (athough I have ordered a couple of really nice floral arrangements) I'm not sure that I can put into words how adorable the store is. Urban Orchid carries everything from vintage Christmas ornaments, to handmade jewelry, to candles, to baby clothes, and everything in between. It's sounds like a crazy mish mosh of things, but Brandon has done an excellent job of selecting really unique pieces to carry in his store in addition to traditional floral arrangements. As an added bonus, many of the products in the store are made by local artists.

I'm all about shopping local these days, and seeing all of the holiday decor in Urban Orchid really put me in the holiday spirit. I was able to pick up a couple really unique ornaments and handmade gift cards for an upcoming holiday brunch that I go to with a couple of my friends from work every year. Now all I want to do is decorate my house and do more shopping! But that might have to wait until next payday.

While I was at the open house, I happened to win a $25 gift certificate. Since I'm already aware of the awesomeness of Urban Orchid, I'd like someone else to get to use this certificate to check out this cute little shop. If you'd like a chance at winning this gift certificate, post a comment about your favorite place to shop locally in the greater Cleveland area. (I could use some more shopping ideas!) You can post as many times as you like, but each person can only enter once. I'll select the winner on Friday night, after 5:00 pm. (obviously, anonymous posts don't count!)

P.S. This is not a paid post. I really believe in my friend's business and shopping locally and hope that other people will chose to shop locally this holiday season.

New Vegan Night in Cleveland - Vegan Tuesdays at Orale! Contemporary Mexican Cuisine

2011-12-05T07:00:00.003-05:00

I came across perhaps the most frightening advertisement for a vegan night yesterday.

Starting December 6, Orale! Contemporary Mexican Cuisine in Ohio City will be featuring an all vegan menu in addition to their regular menu every Tuesday night. Orale! is vegan friendly to begin with offering multiple vegan menu items every day of the week, and it's nice to see that they're going to have even more vegan grub available once a week. I wrote a review for Orale! awhile back, and although my experience was just ok, I'd definitely go back to support them on vegan night.

Does it make you as happy as it makes me to see more and more vegan options in Cleveland?

Year End Exercise Challenge/Running Streak Update

2011-12-01T07:00:00.012-05:00

Hello, friends. Today is day 14 of my run streak or year end exercise challenge. (31 days to go!) Since I started my streak I've run in two races and have logged 41.5 miles or about 3 miles a day. To my friends who run ultras (ahem) this is a pretty wimpy distance. Heck, 6 months ago I would have thought this is a wimpy distance. But for me right now, still getting back into the swing of things after my stress fracture this summer, that's a good number. I've slowly been upping my distance since I was cleared to run again, and I'm happy to finally be over the 20 miles per week mark.

Before this streak started, I hadn't run more than 4 days in a row, so I was pretty nervous about how my body would react. So far so good! Despite being more tired than normal, which I think is to be expected because on days where I do shorter runs I cross train and lift, I'm feeling good. I'm eating better. I'm feeling better about myself. And I think I'm getting myself back into good running shape. (which is good because my weekly base mileage is only going to go up from here)

I look forward to keeping the streak alive, seeing a smaller number on the scale eventually, and being able to more comfortably wear my dress pants.

Are you streaking? If so, how is your journey going? And if not, do you have any fitness goals that you're working on?

Review: Vegetarian Sushi at Ginko

2011-11-30T07:00:00.002-05:00

Whenever I tell people that I'm a vegetarian and I eat sushi, they immediately think I'm a "cheater" vegetarian - or a person who says they don't eat meat but "happen" to eat fish, chicken, and pretty much any other meat that's put in front of them. But if you know me in real life, I'm not "that" kind of vegetarian. I've made it 30 years without eating meat and I plan on keeping it that way.

This past weekend my best friend and I went out for a girls night of sorts to celebrate her birthday. We've been friends since we awkwardly met in 6th grade. Somehow we got paired up to sell raffle tickets for a carved pumpkin at an open house at our middle school. She was loud and athletic, and I was quiet and nerdy. To be honest, her outgoing nature drove me crazy until I got to know her, but somehow we managed to become fast friends and realized we had more in common than we ever could have thought. And here we are 19 years later...

I should be a Jehovah's Witness because I like birthdays so much. I love my birthday. I love other peoples' birthdays. Pretty much every other holiday isn't important to me. (except Valentine's Day, but that's really just an extension of my birthday celebration) So I love getting to take my friends out on a date for their birthday. (even when they'd rather sit at home and try to turn back the clock) My friend decided she was in the mood for sushi and wanted to hit up Tremont, so off to Ginko we went.

Let me preface this by saying I've had less than stellar experiences at the Dante family of restaurants in the past. I love drinking at the bar, but the food I've had there has been just ok. I'm in the minority with this opinion since everyone else i know loves it there, but...it is what it is.

Ginko is in the basement of Dante. It's a little odd...you walk down a flight of stairs, poke your head through a door, and there you are! In a brightly lit, brightly tiled, Japanese wonderland. There's a huge horseshoe shaped bar and some booths and two tops scattered around the vey small space. Being squeamish, I don't like to see sushi being prepared, so I snagged a two top table for us. We were immediately brought some warm towels and our overly aggressive server wanted us to order. Decision making isn't a strong suit for me or my best friend, so we needed a few more minutes. I got the impression that our server didn't like this, but...

We started off with shishito peppers. My best friend had never had them but was a good sport until she got a hot one and thought she'd burned her espohagues. As I told her, it's rare to get a hot shishito pepper, and it's actually a sign of good luck. But after having her insides nearly melt off, I think she felt lucky enough. While she was trying to flag down our server to get more water, I was enjoying an orange and ginger martini. It was good. There's not much to dislike about those two flavors together.

Because my best friend is well, my best friend, she ordered only vegetable sushi so we could share. We got almost one of everything from the "vegetable" section of the sushi menu. That included everything from avocado and cucumber to asparagus to tempura vegetables. (don't challenege me in a sushi eating contest - I will crush you)

The presentation of the sushi seemed a little odd to me. We were brought out our food in something that looked like it could be used as a cake pan. I'm used to fancier presentation, I guess. (says the girl who eats grocery store sushi) I'm also used to fresher tasting sushi, I guess. I think vegetable sushi is like the salad of the sushi world - not that hard to make and pretty hard to mess up. The sushi we ordered was just ok. It was very warm, which seemed strange to me. A couple pieces had random fish eggs on them, which also wasn't ok with me. Maybe that clouded my experience but I really think for the price ($5-10 per roll - or more expensive than most other places around town), we really got some underwhelming food.

Maybe if I ate meat I would have liked Ginko better? It's gotten excellent reviews on Yelp and elsewhere. Dunno. I think I'll stick to Pacific East or Tree Country Bistro if I want to go out for sushi in the future. Do you have a favorite sushi restaurant around town?

Recipe: Vegan Chocolate Pudding Pie

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not a vegan, but I do happen to eat a lot of vegan food. Whether it's by chance or choice, I think I've gotten fairly good at creating all kinds of vegan dishes. I'm especially fond of vegan baked goods, so I'm always up for trying out a new recipe.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding Pie

But maybe trying out a new recipe for Thanksgiving was a bad idea.

My original plan for Thanksgiving was to make a vegan pumpkin pie. But my boyfriend's mother informed me that she'd be bringing a pumpkin roll to dinner, and we just couldn't have two pumpkin desserts. So then I decided to make a vegan sour cream coffee cake that I've made multiple times and everyone loves and an experimental vegan pudding pie.

But I forgot the vegan sour cream at the store and decided to just go with the recipe I'd found at The Post Punk Kitchen for Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie. (I love you Isa!) In my delusional mind I thought pudding pie = easy. And in some cases it does. But normally when you aren't making your pudding from scratch.

Have you ever made pudding from scratch? It's really, really hard to do. It took me two attempts to make the pudding for this pie. I burned the first batch (and nearly burned down my kitchen! looks like I'll be needing a new saucepan from Santa, too) and used a cooking technique that my boyfriend's home ec teaching mother would definitely frown upon. I needed to whisk my pudding mixture, and since my hand whisking didn't work the first time, I used my mixer in the pan on the stove. Dangerous, I know. But it seemed to work.

My second batch of filling didn't burn and seemed like it would set up ok, so I poured it into my store bought graham cracker crust, sprinkled some vegan chocolate chips on the crust, and hoped for the best. I had some extra pudding left over so I put it in a ramekin to eat later. The leftover pudding ended up tasting vegan, so I was pretty worried about how my pie would do the next day.

And what happened you ask? The pie ended up being pretty tasty. The filling didn't firm up the way I wanted it to, but that was probably because I put a lid on it too soon after the pudding came off of the stove, and I didn't give it enough time to just set up on my counter top. But it definitely had a rich, chocolately flavor, even if it was a little tough to eat. (the crust also got a little soggy, but it wasn't anything that eating it with a spoon couldn't fix)

This recipe is one of many delicious sounding recipes from the new cookbook Vegan Pie in the Sky by my favorite vegan cookbook authors - Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I hope to try out a couple more recipes over the holidays. But I'll probably try them out at least once before I serve them up to a crowd.

30 Days of Thankful

2011-11-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

I noticed recently that one of my friends started posting updates on Facebook listing things she's thankful for. I'd call it her November Facebook theme, if you will. We all have different lives and different backgrounds, so it's interesting to see what other people are thankful for. Too often we just hear what people aren't thankful for on the interwebs. But since today is Thanksgiving Eve, I figured I should post some serious and some not so serious things that I appreciate in my life.

So here goes...a list of 30 things that I'm thankful for, in no particular order:

Cats - I've often said that if my house were burning down, I'd rescue them and nothing else, but I realized I should rescue Jeff and my cats. (we've had multiple arguments about this - no joke)
iPhones - Ayo technology! As an uber geek, I'm still amazed by everything my iPhone (named Veronica) can do.
Health insurance - As someone who's accident prone, I'm very thankful to have great benefits. I know quite a few people who don't have benefits and it's hard to see people have to decided whethere or not going to a doctor is worth the cost.
Having a great boss - I've worked for plenty of people I didn't like, and it's great to have a boss that values your opinion and gives you the freedom to make decisions on your own. Makes your work life more tolerable.
Being able to afford to live - Not so long ago, I was working two jobs and attempting to pay for school with my credit cards, so I'm very appreciative that I can afford to live the way I want to without struggling.
Increasing acceptance of vegetarianism - As a kid, I felt like an outcast for being a vegetarian. But now it's more mainstream and not so odd anymore.
Knowing what it's like to be poor - I don't think you've lived unless you know what it's like to struggle financially.
Food trucks - As a person who hopes to own her own business someday, I think it's great that someone who can't afford to open a restaurant can get up and running with a food truck with a lot less cash.
Pinkberry yogurt - I've never tried crack, but I'd imagine that I'm just as addicted to Pinkberry as a a crack addict is to crack.
Old friends - There's something comforting about knowing that certain people will be there for you no matter what.
New friends - As an adult, it can be difficult to make new friends, but I've made some great friends this year through my running club. They trump old friends in some ways because you're more likely to have things in common with new friends than you do with old friends, I think.
Vegan dessert - Vegan desserts have evolved from the awful carob chip cookies I ate as a kid. It's great to see dairy free options more readily available these days.
Vegan and vegetarian nights/dinners - See number 6. It's nice to be able to go out to eat and have more than one choice on a menu.
Half priced margaritas - I know they're not good for me, but I love them.
Second (and third, fourth, fifth) chances - If you know me in real life, you know my personal life has been...um...difficult in the past few years, but I'm happy to be at a point where I'm generally pretty happy.
Having enough free time to volunteer - I volunteer at Berea Animal Rescue every other weekend and I really like putting my free time to good use. If I won the lotto, I'd still volunteer there.
Having a great mother - My mother and I are polar opposites, have nearly nothing in common, and if we didn't look alike, I might think we weren't related. I appreciate that although we're completely different, my mother can still provide love and support.
Being able to rebuild relationships - In contrast to my mother, my father and I are basically the same person. And that's not necessarily a good thing. He's struggled with addiction for longer than I've been alive, and now that he's clean and sober, it's nice to try and build a relationship with him.
Running clubs - Great for meeting people who share the same obsession...I mean interests as you.
Being 30 - Sounds crazy, but I feel like I'm finally starting to know myself. You couldn't pay me to be any younger.
Having the opportunity to travel for work - This year I've been to Sacramento, Buffalo, Dallas, Winston Salem, Charlotte, Walcott, IA, Wilmington, OH, Dallas, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, and probably a couple other cities I've forgotten and wouldn't have gone to otherwise.
Blogs - I love writing in my blog and I love reading other peoples' blogs. Blogs have really changed the face of communications, I think.
Living in Cleveland - I have an "It's a Wonderful Life" moment every time I come back to CLE. I'm thankful for everything Cleveland has, and even some of the bad things about it.
Aleve - Have I mentioned that I'm accident prone?
Hair dye - You'd be surprised at how grey my hair is before I color it.
Facebook - Makes Internet stalking SO much easier. And makes it easier to keep up with people across the globe.
Having a boyfriend who thinks I'm crazy but likes me anyway - Nuff said.
Night lights - I'm afraid of the dark. There are night lights everywhere in my house.
Keurig coffee makers - If my house were on fire and I could rescue my cats, Jeff, and something else, I'd take my coffee maker with me. It's the best present I've ever gotten.
People who read my blog - I appreciate YOU for taking the time to read my blog. And I hope you have a great holiday!

The Year End Exercise Challenge

2011-11-22T07:00:00.006-05:00

Have I mentioned lately that I'm a fat girl at heart? And the way I've been eating, I'm going to be a fat girl for real if I don't curb my enthusiasm for food, vegan cupcakes, and booze. I just got back from an uber indulgent business trip and after wearing tight dress pants for a couple days, I realized I need to do something about the weight I've gained. (hello, 15 pounds in 18 months)

I'm going to streak.

No, not that kind of streaking. A running streak!

Thumbs down to weight gain

This idea isn't mine. It's stolen from Runner's World and my friend Kali at finishingfirsts. What's a running streak you ask? It's just what it sounds like - running at least one mile a day for a certain amount of time. In this case, the Runner's World streak is going from Thanksgiving until January 1. This streak is meant to encourage people to keep up an exercise regimen throughout the holidays. (In my friend Kali's case, she's running for a great cause - to raise money for charity.)

I decided to start my streak early, so I'm on day 5 today. It's been great so far. Running makes me feel better about myself in general, and I've been trying to eat better, too, tracking every bite with an app on my phone. Am I going to be completely successful in avoiding fatty foods? No. But I think making a committment to exercising and taking better care of my body for at least the next month can only help. A little indulgence once in a while isn't bad...it's just bad when you indulge every day!

The one thing I don't like about Running Worlds' proposed streak is that it's only for runners. Not everyone can (or should) run a mile a day. So I'd like to propose the year end exercise challenge - a promise you make to yourself to exercise every day from Thanksgiving until January 1. Whether you decide to run, tae bo, do yoga, or take a walk on the treadmill, I'd like to encourage you to take the challenge and see what it can do for you.

Are you up for the challenge? Please leave a comment if you're interested in participating. I plan on posting my results about once a week and I'd love to hear how other people are doing with this challenge.

Blog Swap Recipe Courtesy of Cleveland Food and Brews: Tomato, Basil and Cheese Baked Pasta

2011-11-21T07:00:00.031-05:00

Hello, My name is Brad and I write Cleveland Food and Brews. My site is actually made up of two different sites. One is dedicated to all things Food, and the other is all about Craft Beer. I'm writing here because today is the Ohio Blogging Association’s November Cleveland Blog Swap! I wanted to share my passion for food with you, so I decided to share a Sunday Supper with you. This week our Sunday Supper goes vegetarian and features a Food Network recipe from Rachel Ray. We picked this dish because it was simple to make and packed a lot of flavors into one simple dish. I hope you enjoy this recipe and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you choose to make it one day. Cheers!

Editor's Note: To learn more about Cleveland Food and Brews, follow Brad on Twitter or check out his Facebook page for Cleveland Food and Brews.

Tomato, Basil and Cheese Baked Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound small shell pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
3 large cloves garlic
1/2 small to medium yellow onion
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes, any brand
1/2 cup, 10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Salt and pepper
1 cup store bought basil pesto sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The shells will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.

Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic. Remember to keep your fingers curled under and the edge of your sharp, chef's knife tilted slightly away from your body.

Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. This will be about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Do not let the oil pour out too fast. You are looking for a slow, steady stream. Add the garlic to the oil. To chop the onion, cut the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Wrap half and save it. Cut the other half into thin slices then twist the slices a quarter turn and chop them again. Hold the tip of knife on the cutting board and lift the back of the knife up and down over the onion to make the pieces really small. Add the chopped up onion to the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are mushy and look cooked.

Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.

Drain pasta shells. Add them to a casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Shred up some mozzarella cheese with a grater and scatter it over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Brad for the recipe! Back to regularly scheduled programming...err...blogging tomorrow!

Restaurant Review: Vegan Night at Washington Place Bistro

2011-11-16T07:00:00.003-05:00

I ended up at Washington Place Bistro's inaugural vegan night accidentally last week. I'd been at a Yelp event that had really light bites and rather than spending an hour in the car arguing about where to go afterwards (which is generally how any food related decisions are made in my life), I made the managerial decision to go to Washington Place Bistro. Through the wonders of technology, I was able to make a last minute reservation for 9:00 pm using my Open Table app on my iPhone.

Despite the fact that we were late (have you driven down Euclid Avenue lately? how many lights are there exactly?!) we were seated without a fuss and had an incredibly attentive (but not in an overbearing way) server.

I ordered what I think is the best drink at Washington Place Bistro - a Moscow mule, and my boyfriend ordered...something? Beer, maybe. But I was much more intent on drinking my delicious drink than anything else.

Our waiter explained that we were there on the first vegan night, and although he wasn't completely familiar with everything, he would be more than willing to ask the chef for more info about anything on the menu. I had a hard time deciding between the sweet potato falafel (who knew you could make falafel out of sweet potatoes?) and the tomato cous cous with tofu. But in the hierarchy of vegetarian foods, I have to say I like cous cous a little bit more than falafel, so I ordered that entree.

I also ordered a vegan onion soup because, let's be honest, how often can you order a creamy vegan soup at a mainstream restaurant? Pretty much never. It was really delicious.

While I was waiting for my entree, our waiter brought our bread and olive oil and made sure to tell me which one was vegan and which one wasn't. I'm obviously just a vegetarian, so it didn't matter all that much to me, but I appreciated that he thought to do that.

And then my entree arrived. It smelled so good, I dug into it before I could even take a picture. It was a great mix of tomatoes, perfectly cooked and seasoned bits of tofu, and other veggies intertwined. And I ate every last morsel. Which was bad, because I'd wanted to save room for some of the Vegan Sweet Tooth cake that was on the menu, too, but I just couldn't do it. (Ironically, I ended up sitting right in front of the ladies from VST - next time let's say hi, shall we ladies?)

As far as vegan nights go, I would say this was one of my favorites. From the amazing drink to start off, to the great service, to the even better food...nothing could have been better honestly. I really hope that this vegan night does well at Washington Place Bistro and they're able to keep this going. So to all of my vegan and vegan curious friends, if you're ever looking for a nice Thursday night out with some incredible vegan food, please give Washington Place Bistro a try. (and stop by Vegan Sweet Tooth at Eton while you're at it!)

Vegan Thanksgiving at Bistro 185

2011-11-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've met quite a few people recently who aren't the biggest fans of Thanksgiving. Maybe you feel bad for turkeys. Maybe you feel bad for yourself for having to spend the day with distant relatives. Or maybe you spend the day dreading working on Black Friday.

I, myself, don't really have an opinion about Thanksgiving. Growing up as vegetarian Roxanne, I vaguely remember having Thanksgiving with my parents before and after they separated. (one year after they separated we had an American Pie type incident where my dad threw a dish of vegetables across the room...I think that ended our dysfunctional family dinners) For most of my childhood, we didn't even have a functional kitchen table, so it's not like we ever sat down as a family to eat together, and the concept of a family Thanksgiving is still a little foreign to me. I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year (more on that next week) and making a smorgasbord of vegan side dishes to accompany whatever meat item my boyfriend chooses to serve. And as much as I love spending time with my boyfriend and his parents, what I'm most looking forward to is Bistro 185's Vegan Thanksgiving dinner.

My mother and I try to go to Bistro 185's monthly vegan dinners because, as I mentioned last week, I like to put my money where my mouth is and support restaurants that support the vegan and vegetarian community in Cleveland. Plus, my mom and I like to get together, have a cocktail or 5, and catch up on life. To my knowledge, Bistro 185 was the first restaurant to have a vegan night (Degan's, Washington Place Bistro, and others have followed) here in the CLE, and I really respect them for that. Whether you call it compassionate or a business savvy move, I'm a fan.

This year's Thanksgiving dinner features an incredible sounding 4 course meal (see the Bistro 185 web site for more info - including a glass of spiced wine) for $45. Sure, it's a little pricey, but in some cases, I think you definitely get your money's worth. (Please don't get me started on the cheap fast food vegan restaurant I went to in Charlotte last month that had inedible food) Chef Jakub always puts together a great menu, and I can't wait to try the hearty items he'll be serving up next Tuesday.

If you're interested in attending this dinner, be sure to call ahead to make a reservation. No reservation - no dinner!

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Support Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants

2011-11-10T07:00:00.007-05:00

I'm feeling a little like Andy Rooney this week. (RIP) Ranting about things that might be insignificant to other people but tend to bother me.

But anyway...

I've been a big supporter of Cleveland food trucks since the day Dim and Den Sum rolled into a field near where I work. Chef Hodgeson has been more than accommodating to vegans and vegetarians (despite expressing his love for butchering pigs on The Great Food Truck Race) and frequently offers vegan and vegetarian options on both of his trucks. Many other trucks have followed suit, and I'm always happy to get to try out inventive vegan and vegetarian grub on my lunch hour. Some trucks are more hesitant about providing vegetarian options. And I get it. Trucks are small. Some truck operators are afraid vegetarian food won't sell. But I think the business savvy food truck owners "get" it. If you build it, they will come. Offer up vegan and vegetarian food, and the vegans and vegetarians will come to you.

There's one truck in particular - The Nosh Box - that makes frequent trips to my workplace. A workplace full of vegans and vegetarians. They occasionally bring vegetarian food, but I like to nicely ask them before they head to where I work - via Facebook - if they can bring something for my brethren. Sometimes they say no. Sometimes they say they can make accommodations. An I thought that was fine until I saw a snarky post that they made the other night on Facebook.

"And today's Vegan option is...a 16 oz Porterhouse Steak! yum!"

Maybe I'm being a little overly sensitive, but 1. I feel like that's a little insulting to vegans and 2. possibly a dig at me.

What was more upsetting about this to me is that I thought The Nosh Box was one of the "good guys." They encourage customers to bring their own containers to be green. They're cooking up meals for the homeless on Thanksgiving. But I don't know if I can support them if they're going to make fun of a food movement that's near and dear to my heart. I like to put my money where my mouth is - I go out of my way to eat a vegetarian friendly restaurants. I blog about vegetarian friendly businesses in an attempt to make more people aware of them. To me, this comment on Facebook was the equivalent of putting chicken stock in something because, "You'd never even be able to tell it's in there." When in reality, it's sickening.

Am I over reacting on this? Or is it important to support the businesses that support your beliefs?

P.S. Tonight is Washington Place Bistro's inaugural vegan and vegetarian night. They'll be having vegan and vegetarian specials every Thursday. Please check this out if you have a chance!

I Don't Eat Anything Green - or How Some People Can't Accept Vegetarianism

2011-11-09T07:00:00.006-05:00

I think I mentioned that I went to Chicago a couple weeks ago and was completely impressed by the number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants all around the city. I know Cleveland is a lot different than Chicago in so many ways, but...I still don't understand why we still have just a smattering of vegan and vegetarian restaurants around town. But in a way, I do...

I'm helping to plan a year end event for my department at work. With a limited budget, our venue options are somewhat limited, so we're working with a party center, of sorts, within a short distance of where I work. I'm on a small project team helping to plan for this event, and it's dumbfounding to me how intolerant some people can be when it comes to dietary restrictions. Someone who wasn't aware that I'm Ms. Vegetarians-Taste-Better had the nerve to say, "I see no need for us to have anything without meat at this party. How many vegans (pronounced vay-gans by this person, even after I corrected them) do we really have anyone? Doesn't everyone eat meat?"

That statement made my heart sad. In my workplace, we're a culturally diverse group. I know of a few vegans, vegetarians, celiacs, and people who are lactose intolerant. Are we the majority? No. But why shouldn't our needs be accommodated?

Apparently my coworker isn't the only one riding the meat train. When speaking with the catering manager at the selected venue about providing a vegan and a vegetarian option, he flat out told me, "We're too politically correct these days. These people really ruin it for the rest of us. I don't eat anything green!"

These people? Really? Hello man who's drinking the kool-aid from the old boys club fountain - have you not noticed that the vegetarian and vegan food industry is growing? Sure, here in NEO our options may be somewhat limited, but there are plenty of mainstream restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options. And if the vegan/vegetarian food industry was so unprofitable, how would businesses like Vegan Sweet Tooth, Flaming Ice Cube, and Root Cafe get the capital to start a business? I'm sure I'm a little jaded, having grown up as a vegetarian, but I tend to forget that some people actually hate vegans and vegetarians.

To be honest, it took everything in me to not put this guy in his place. That day will come after my company has an event at his venue. Although I wonder if I should even bother? You can't change the way some people think, but I really feel like education and awareness is really the key to tolerance...with most things in life, including veganism and vegetarianism.

Have you encountered any sort of discrimination based on your dietary beliefs/restrictions?

Review: In Pursuit of Vegan Tacos at Orale! Kitchen

2011-11-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

I've said it once, and I'll say it again. I love vegetarian tacos. Heck, I'm even a bigger fan of vegan tacos. They're generally so fresh and so flavorful. I've tried vegan and vegetarian tacos all around town, so when I heard that Orale! Kitchen serves up a mean vegan avocado taco, I had to stop in and give the place a try.

From reading Yelp reviews, I learned that Orale! Kitchen is the brainchild of the folks who run an award winning stand inside of the West Side Market. Best known for their salsas, I was pretty excited to sample some of their salsa along with one of their vegan offerings.

I headed to the OC on a breezy fall night to meet a friend for dinner. It took me a minute to notice that Orale! Kitchen is located right next to Ohio City Burrito in a small storefront. There was tons of free parking within a short walking distance, which was nice, and my friend actually got a spot right outside of the restaurant.

I'd heard that Orale! Kitchen is generally kind of empty, but I walked in and there were a few full tables. And since there are so few tables to begin with, the few patrons made the place seem almost bustling. Almost.

There was one waitress tending to the small crew of people in the small space. She immediately informed us that Orale! Kitchen is byob, and gave us directions for purchasing booze within walking distance. Water was fine for us, though, but I appreciated the gesture.

Within a few minutes of sitting down, our waitress brought us some fresh chips and salsa. A red tomato salsa and a green tomatillo salsa. They were delicious! Especially the tomatillo salsa! And definitely the highlight of my meal. I did notice that other people around us got different salsa. I guess you get whatever they have a lot of on hand at the time?

I debated over what to order off the dinner menu. There were two vegan options. Yes, two vegan options. I'm normally tickled pink to see a vegetarian option, let alone two vegan ones, but...I had to go with the tacos. I also started off with a salad with plantain chips. It was kind of bland to me, and I thought it was odd that it used what appeared to be an iceberg mix of lettuce. So back to the tacos...

I don't know what I expected when I ordered the vegan avocado tacos, but what I got wasn't quite it. I'd read that the avocado was beer battered, so on some level, I understood that they'd be deep fried, but I guess I didn't realize how deep fried they would be. To me, there was more "fried" than avocado, if that makes sense. All I could really taste was deep fried something. Not that there's anything wrong with deep fried anything, but...I was expecting something a little bit lighter. They were still pretty good though. (And they probably would have been even better if they came with more salsa to slather on top!)

Overall, my dinner at Orale! Kitchen was pretty good. I'd definitely go back and skip the salad, bring a bottle of skinny margaritas with me, and try the other vegan option. Oh, and probably eat a gallon of the tomatillos salsa.

This is definitely a neat little spot to check out. Support the Cleveland food scene and the restaurants that support vegans and vegetarians!

New Vegan and Vegetarian Night at Washington Place Bistro

2011-11-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Not dead, dear readers, just busy. I could bore you with stories of attempting to find edible vegan food in Charlotte and eating some of the best vegan meals of my life in Chicago, but if you're from Cleveland like I am, that might just make you sad that vegan and vegetarian options are still sometimes a little limited in the CLE. (but at least we have Charlotte beat!)

But...I just got word that Washington Place Bistro is going to start holding a vegan and vegetarian night every Thursday starting November 10. In addition to their regular menu, they'll offer a vegan and/or vegetarian appetizer, entree, and dessert. Fantastic news, right? Especially since most of the other popular vegan and vegetarian nights are on the west side.

I won't be in town to try out any of the vegan or vegetarian grub at Washington Place Bistro until after Thanksgiving, but I encourage everyone in the vegan and vegetarian community in Cleveland to stop by if you can. Let's show mainstream restaurants that vegan and vegetarian options are in demand.

Review: Burgers 2 Beer in Highland Heights

2011-10-06T07:00:00.002-04:00

So...a vegetarian walks into a burger joint on opening night...

Burgers 2 Beer is housed in what was once Naya Bistro and has been retooled to be an upscale burgers and beer joint. Gone are the mojitos and hummus from the days of old. The menu is now jam packed with gluttonous things like tater tots slathered in cheese, onion rings, and burgers sandwiched in between donuts or grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm not a beer drinker, but there's a wall full of craft beer to wash it all down with, too.

I don't eat veggie burgers, but there is a black bean burger option available for the vegetarians. There are also a couple meat free salads. And I'm guessing that on a slightly less chaotic night, it would be possible to get one of the sandwiches or burgers containing meat to be modified to suit a person with special dietary needs.

Considering that I went during the grand opening, there were only a few minor hiccups. No silverware. Waitress who was confused about the specials. (I'd double check if you order what you think is a $1 beer - people at my table wouldn't have had so many drinks if they'd known they were actually $5!) And although there's a full bar, no one knows how to make a mojito....but...I'll cut them some slack. (perhaps have a drink menu for patrons so we don't confuse the bartender?)

The salad I had was good. My mom had the black bean veggie burger and was happy to see that it was homemade and not fresh from the freezer. The other two people at my table had burgers and beers and were pretty pleased with their meals. The only really awkward part of our meal was having to pay at the door - Denny's style. It was pretty packed, and I could see how someone could easily duck out without paying. I always feel weird tipping when I have to pay a cashier and not my server, too, but maybe that's just me.

What do you think about the "burgers and beer" trend that seems to be sweeping NEO? Are you down with the burger joints? Or are you like me and wish that we could get just one moderately priced vegan/vegetarian joint on the east side of town?

Recipe: Christine's Beets & Sweets Pizza

2011-10-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

I've taken a little bit of a hiatus from blogging because my boyfriend suffered a pretty bad mouth injury last week. Taking a line drive to the face in softball is bad news, as we've learned. All I'm cooking up right now are things that can be stuck in a blender or are soft enough to be sucked through a straw, so I'll leave the recipes up to other folks right now.

My friend Christine sent me her recipe for a beets and sweets pizza - a pizza made with beets and sweet potatoes. (Q: What do you want me to call your pizza recipe, Christine? A: Stan or Beets & Sweets) I personally preferred the "Stan" pizza, but I doubt anyone is searching for how to make a Stan pizza. It's loosely based on a calzone she had at The Root Cafe awhile back and although I haven't tried it, it seems pretty amazing.

Take it away, Christine!

Note: These directions are for use with a ready made pizza crust that only requires 8 to 10 minutes in the oven. If using a different kind of crust that requires longer baking time, it might be a good idea to cook the veg a little less since they will continue to cook on the pizza…but I haven’t tested that theory.

Ingredients:

1 beet – peeled and sliced into uniformly thin rounds. Mine were about ¼ inch.
1 sweet potato – done up the same as the beet.
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1 Pizza Crust – I used Boboli Whole Wheat cuz I’m a lazy cook.
Pizza sauce – I used red sauce from a jar. The ingredients list looked all natural. You could also use marinara or make your own.
Blue Cheese – 2 – 3 tablespoons, depending on how much you like it.
Shredded Mozzarella/Provolone mix – or whatever cheese you like on your pizza.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the rounds of beets and sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and coat with olive oil salt and pepper. Toss them around on the sheet to make sure both sides are coated with oil.
Place cookie sheet in oven and roast for approximately 30 minutes. (Longer if you used thicker slices.) Flip them half way through but keep a close eye on them. You want them to be soft and slightly caramelized but not burnt and crispy.
When the beets and sweet potatoes are done, remove from oven and change oven temp to whatever the direction on your pizza crust tells you to use.
Spread a layer of pizza sauce on the pizza crust. Use as much or as little as you want.
Place the rounds of beets and sweet potatoes in whatever pretty pattern you want on top of the sauce. You will have some veg left over that didn’t fit on the pizza (I only used 6 beet rounds and 6 sweet potato rounds) but luckily they are tasty on their own.
Sprinkle with blue cheese and shredded cheese. Again, use as much as you want.
Bake according to the pizza crust directions. It’s done when the cheese on top gets a little bit brown and bubbly.

Note from Roxanne: Thanks to Christine for sharing her recipe and for saving me some time blogging!

RIP Vegiterranean

2011-10-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

Even if you're not a vegan or vegetarian, odds are, you've heard of Vegiterranean, Chrissie Hynde's gourmet vegan eatery in Akron. It had gotten acolades in the media, vegan press, and from the NEO foodie community.

Which was what made this past Sunday's announcement so startling. Chrissie herself posted a message on Vegiterranean's Facebook page, announcing that Vegiterranean had served up its last meal and was closed for good. Just like that.

I'd been to Vegiterranean two weeks prior and saw no signs that the restaurant was struggling. The hostess was a bit overwhelmed and was turning busniness away, but I figured that was just a service issue. The place was packed when I was there on a Sunday evening. I'd been there many times over the years and had never seen the restaurant completely full, but I'd never seen it empty, either.

It makes me a little sad that this restaurant closed with such suddenness. I feel like the vegetarian and vegan community in NEO could have rallied behind Chrissie and tried to "save" Vegiterranean. If ever there was a time for veganism being popular here, I think it's now. Look at the vegan businesses that have cropped up in recent years - there are vegan bakeries, vegan nights at restaurants, and so on and so on.

I wonder what wnet wrong?

I hope that other aspiring vegan business owners don't take this as a bad sign, though. I do think there were a couple things working against Vegiterranean. Location. Price point. Difficult name to spell. Maybe even service at times.

I'd love to see Chef J. Scot Jones migrate north and open a restaurant in Cleveland, or better yet, I'd love for one of our Cleveland vegan chefs to get the capital to start a real sit down vegan eatery. Do you think the time is right? Or is Cleveland just not ready for it?

Raw Night at The Root Cafe in Lakewood

2011-09-28T07:00:00.002-04:00

There's something about raw food that I just can't get enough of. Maybe it;s the flavor. Maybe it's the freshness. But whatever it is, I try to eat raw as often as I can. (which is difficult because I work a lot, rarely grocery shop, and don't live near any raw restaurants) That's why when I heard about raw night (every Thursday) at The Root Cafe in Lakewood, I had to give it a try.

If you're not familiar with The Root Cafe, it's a pretty amazing little place. Part coffee shop, part vegetarian eatery, part art gallery, they eclectic place has something to offer just about everyone. I love going there just to drink a coffee, read a book, and people watch.

On the night I visited The Root Cafe for raw food night, they had a smorgasboard of delicious sounding foods. It seems like they try to offer at least two appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

I love nachos more than any person should, so I had to try their raw nachos with sour cream (I've never had raw, vegan sour cream - it was amazingly good), cheez, salsa, and guacamole. (pictured) Maybe not the most amazing presentation, but the nachos were SO good. Wish I'd had more of the salsa...had a balsamic kick to it. I also tried out some raw celery soup which was pretty tasty. I'm normally not a fan of celery or cold soup, but I can't complain about it.

For my main meal I got raw lasagna - cheeze sandwiched between thinly sliced zucchini noodles and basil. It was good, but I found the basil to be a little bit much.

They were offering up a chocolate Carmel cake concoction for dessert. I don't think you can ever go wrong with a fudgey, chocolatey, almost mousse-y cake. Yum-o.

If you haven't checked out The Root Cafe in general, it's a great place to get vegetarian food any day of the week. And if you're a raw food enthusiast like I am, you should definitely check out raw food Thursday nights!

Lean Cuisine's New Veggie Cuisine - Featuring Gardein

2011-09-21T07:00:00.003-04:00

Oh, happy day! Gardein - my absolute favorite meat substitute - is now available in select Lean Cuisine entrees. Dubbed "Lean Cuisine Veggie Cuisine," these vegetarian microwaveable entrees (not vegan, sorry folks - maybe they'll add a vegan one down the line if these sell well) feature nice little slices of Gardein along with what you'd typically find in a Lean cuisine - pasta, rice, etc.

As soon as I saw a random tweet about this new product line, I ran to my local grocery store. One that doesn't sell Gardein, but does sell every kind of Lean Cuisine known to man. I wasn't really expecting to find these new entrees there, but I found all 4 of them - Roasted Red Pepper Fettuccini (pictured, post microwaving), Indian Style Masala, Enchilada Rojo, and Tuscan Style Vegetable Lasagna.

Feeling lazy and needing something to blog about (ahem), I decided to have the Red Pepper Fettuccini entree for dinner. I'm picky about my frozen entrees (I'm pretty sure I've tried all of the vegetarian and vegan ones on the market - everything from Amy's to Candle Cafe and everything in between), and to be honest, I had lowered expectations for this one. I find that Lean Cuisine zucchini tends to get mush-tastic in the microwave. And sadly, that was the case with this meal. Great flavor - the Gardein was a nice touch - more like an afterthought than the center of the meal - but the veggies were a little mushy. But in a pinch, this would be a great quick meal with a decent amount of protein and veggies.

I plan on trying the remaining Veggie Cuisine entrees this week...more to come on that. Have you tried them yet? Or more importantly, do you love Gardein as much as I do?

The Best Thing I Ever Ate - Vegetarian Tofu Wings at Melt Bar and Grilled

2011-09-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

As a lifelong vegetarian, there are quite a few foods I've never gotten to eat. Steak. Prim rib. Lobster. Obviously, I'm a vegetarian and have no desire to eat any of those kinds of things, but my meat eating friends often feel bad for me. (I'd like to say, check back with me in 30 years when you have horrible diseases from eating dead things, but I refrain unless they're being a jerk about it.)

As a rule, I'm not all that big of a fan of fake meat because of its resemblance to real meat. I'm not judging you if you like fake meat, but it's just not my thing. I eat an occasional Gardein cutlet, but rarely anything else. However, I was at Melt Bar and Grilled this past weekend celebrating my mother's 60th birthday (yes, my mom is THAT cool - and she claims they have the best veggie burger in town) and saw vegetarian tofu wings on the menu - for September only - so I had to order them.

I'm always game for trying new vegetarian food. I buy up all of the new frozen entrees at Whole Foods. I try to go to vegan and vegetarian nights around town. So I've had tofu wings in the past. But they were nothing like the tofu wings I had at Melt. Holy hotness and deliciousness!

I've never had a real chicken wing, so I can't tell you if these tofu wings taste anything like a real wing. Tthe meat eaters at my table said they did - and liked them enough to keep eating them. It's rare that anyone will fight me over a hunk of tofu, so I took that to mean that these wings were damn good. Maybe it was the spicy sauce...maybe it was the breading...but whatever it was, I'd like another order now, please!

If you're a fan of Melt (and you should be since they offer multiple vegan and vegetarian options! and even if you're not a vegetarian, they offer an amazing beer selection!) please try the tofu wings this month. I'd like to see them sell well enough to become a regular menu item!

Review: Vegetarian Buffet at Saffron Patch

2011-09-14T07:00:00.002-04:00

I have a soft spot in my heart for Indian food. One of my absolute best friends for over half of my life is Indian, and ever since I met her in the halls of Eastlake Middle School, I've been a fan of Indian food. (I had so many Indian friends in high school, I was called an honorary Indian. I take that as a compliment.)

If you're not familiar with Indian food, I'm sorry for your loss. Indian food offers up everything from flavorful rice to deep fried vegetables. I honestly think that since many Americans are all about spicy wings, they'd be just as jazzed up about spicy Indian food. But I digress...

Just about as soon as I was able to drive, my friends and I used to go to Saffron Patch. While many of my other friends may have been out drinking and doing bad things on Friday and Saturday nights, I was enjoying fine ethnic cuisine. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. Over the years, my love affair with Saffron Patch faded as I discovered other Indian restaurants around town. (why hello, Taj India palace in Richmond Heights) But I still have a soft spot for it in my heart.

I met up with a friend at Saffron Patch this past Monday for dinner and was pleased to learn that they feature a vegetarian dinner buffet. (I was also please to see that the restaurant looked just about the same as it did the last time I was there, about 6 years ago.) Although my favorite Indian dish is muttar paneer, a nice gluttonous mix of cheese cubes, curry sauce, and peas, I can never pass up an all vegetarian buffet. So I loaded up my plate.

Every Indian buffet features naan, perhaps the most glorious bread in the world, which is used to sop up sauce from most Indian entrees. This buffet also featured pakodas, or deep fried vegetable deliciousness, saffron rice, and a few other things with names I'll never remember. An interesting feature of the buffet was an American salad bar. Dunno about you, but I'm not sure lettuce slathered in ranch dressing goes with curry. But to each his own.

This definitely wasn't the best Indian food I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst. I enjoyed the various entrees I tried, but nothing wowed me. But that happens sometimes with buffets. I frequent an Indian restaurant near my house for lunch, and some days I like the buffet offerings and some days I don't. But for a mere $14.95 for dinner, you can't beat the amount of food you can get from this nice vegetarian buffet. And it's a great way to try new types of Indian food that you might not try otherwise.

Do you like Indian food? Or more specifically, Indian buffets?

This post has nothing to do with vegetarianism

2011-09-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

But it has everything to do with wishing my mother a happy 60th birthday!

As I get older, I really appreciate everything that my mother did for me as a kid. Some days I feel like I can barely dress myself and make it to work on time, but my mom worked ridiculously long hours and still managed to make time to attend all of my school events, go on field trips, and pack my lunch every day. (along with a nice little love note - I thought it was a little corny at the time, but I'd kill for someone to put a note in my lunch these days)

My mother is an incredibly strong woman who has gone through an awful lot in her lifetime. As the daughter of overprotective immigrants, her childhood wasn't as fun as it could have been, and I think my mom made an extra effort to make sure I could do every sport or activity I wanted to since she hadn't been able to do anything herself. She instilled a very strong work ethic in me from a very young age. (I dare say an Irish Tiger Mom?) She held me to high academic standards and was extremely strict. At the time, I thought she was being overpotective, but as an adult, I'm thankful that she tried to shelter me from the bad things that happen in the world.

My mom started her career almost immediately after high school and tought me the importance of hard work and earning your own way. I scoffed at her thrifty ways when I was younger ( "but Mooooommmm! everyone else has expensive tennis shoes), but now I understand why she did the things she did, including what I considered to be excessive couponing at the time. (I still refuse to use coupons, Mom, sorry) I got a job as soon as I could in high school and learned that the world was a much bigger place than my high school. (thank goodness, because if the world were like Eastlake, it would be a pretty awful place)

As with any other mother daughter relationship, my mom and I went through our hard times. We're complete opposites in just about every possible way, and we often butted heads when I was in high school and college. My mom was gracious enough to allow me to live at home during college as long as I kept a full time job and paid all of my bills. However, to teach me responsibility, my mother forced me to move out a few months after I graduated college. I had recently started a very low paying job at the company I still work at and had to pick up a part time job to be able to afford to live on my own. At the time, I thought my mom was being completely unreasonable, but now I see that she wanted to teach me how to be independent. It was a tough time in my life, but completely worth it. Learning the value of my own money allowed me to buy a house the year after graduation and save up enough to be able to pay for grad school without loans.

I could go on and on about how my mother has helped me get through every catastropic event in my life, whether real or overexaggerated. She has the patience of a saint to listen to me but can still provide harsh advice when necessary. She's my biggest cheerleader (has your mother bicycled alongside you in a marathon to make sure you don't die?) and my biggest critic (don't you think you should grow out your hair a little?) and I wouldn't have it any other way. I wish everyone were as lucky as I am to have a mother like mine.

So in closing, happy birthday Mom! I love you!

Recipe: Cilantro Lime Roasted Potatoes

2011-09-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

My cooking skills are ok at best, but over time, I've gotten the confidence to experiment in the kitchen. (and I've also "trained" my boyfriend to be a little less harsh with his criticism) Most recently, I decided that I wanted to try and make something with cilantro, so I threw together what I called cilantro lime roasted potatoes. (think Chipotle rice...but potatoes)

Ingredients:

One bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
Cubed potatoes - skin on
Minced garlic - as little or as much as you like
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Lime juice

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees and grease a cookie tray, metal cake pan, or casserole dish.
Mix potatoes, garlic, and oil together and place on tray/pan/etc.
Add half of cilantro to potato mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Add a tablespoon or more of lime juice to potato mixture.
As the potatoes are cooking, continue to add lime juice to your liking. I like limey foods, but for a more subtle flavor, less lime juice is needed.
Cook potatoes for 35-45 minutes until they become soft. Stir every 5-8 minutes. 10 minutes before potatoes are done cooking, add remainder of cilantro and mix thoroughly. Feel free to add more lime juice, too.
Serve and eat!

Overall, I think this experiment came out pretty well - the potatoes were flavorful with a touch of cilantro and lime. I would have liked a stronger cilantro flavor, but as I learned through the power of Google, I should have waited to add the cilantro until closer to the end of the cook time. (I added it all at the beginning - d'oh!) Oh well! Next time!

What's your favorite way to cook with cilantro?

Review: Vegetarian Friendly Bar Food at Winking Lizard

2011-09-08T07:00:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week, I talked about how difficult it can be to find truly vegetarian grub when you go out to eat. But more and more restaurants are offering decent options these days. Like Winking Lizard.

For as long as I can remember, Winking Lizard has offered vegetarian favorites, like salads, quesadillas, cheese pizza, and the occasional veggie wrap, but fairly recently, they rolled out a fairly extensive list of vegetarian specials. (they're not billed as vegetarian specials, because that might scare people) They have roasted veggie quesadillas, harvest vegetable pizza, eggplant parm, and my personal favorite, the hummus vegetable sandwich. Hummus, multi-grain bread, and fresh tasting vegetables - am I in a bar or a vegetarian restaurant? Ok, I'm exaggerating a little, but the sandwich is pretty darn delicious. I mean, anytime I can order something besides a salad in a restaurant, I get kind of excited, and I was so happy to see Winking Lizard roll out all of these vegetarian friendly items. What made me a little sad was the comments I saw on Facebook when the new menu items came out. Ignorant things like "where's the bacon" and "there should be more meat on the menu," but...hopefully those opinions are the minority and Winking Lizard continues to offer more vegetarian options. (along with their amazing free popcorn!)

Restaurant Review: Delicious Vegetarian Options and Easy to Decipher Menu at Lopez on Lee

2011-09-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

I have friends who say that everything tastes better with bacon. And unfortunately, some chefs seem to feel the same way. Whether it's bacon, or chicken stock, or any other unexpected animal derived ingredient, the hip trend in gourmet cooking seems to include putting meat in places you wouldn't expect. (that's what she said)

Having grown up as a vegetarian, I know to ask the important questions.

1. Is there chicken/beef /veal stock in (insert entree name here)? You'd be amazed at home many vegetable pasta dishes or even vegetable sides have a meat based stock used in their preparation.

2. What do you fry your fries/pickles/onion rings in? Some restaurants use things that you wouldn't expect when frying up things. (hello, duck fat fries - I'm talking to you)

2a. Do you have a dedicated fryer for meat and non-meat items? Ever had a fishy tasting fry? Bet it was from a place that fries everything together!

3. Where do you grill your veggie burgers? Some vegetarians don't care, but I prefer to eat veggie burgers that haven't been cooked in hamburger grease, thank-you-very-much.

I could go on and on about this forever, but it makes me tickled pink to see restaurants clearly label items that are vegetarian on their menu. I think the restaurant around town that does this the best is Lopez in Cleveland Heights. Every vegetarian item is noted with a big old (v) and gluten free items also have a special notation. This makes ordering simple - no questions, no second guessing...this must be how people with non-restrictive diets do it!

And while I'm talking about Lopez, if you haven't been there since Chef Michael Herschman took the helm, you really need to stop in. There are plenty of new menu items (like the vegetarian and gluten free eggplant enchiladas pictured right) as well as old favorites. (I sure hope the butternut squash enchiladas make a reappearance in the fall) Dining at Lopez can be pricey, especially if you like margaritas as much as I do, but if you drop in from 5-7 pm Sunday through Friday, all tequila is half off. Such a deal! And if the weather is nice enough, have a seat on the patio. I really think Lopez has one of the nicest patios in the greater Cleveland area.

What other restaurants do you like to eat at that offer easy to read menus for people with dietary restrictions?

Restaurant Review: In Your Face Service at Market Garden Brewery

2011-08-31T07:00:00.002-04:00

I'm having bad luck with places called "Market." Sheesh.

I went to Market in Rocky River earlier this month and had a pretty "meh" experience and had a much worse experience at Market Garden Brewery this past weekend.

Oh, where to begin?

I'd been SO excited to check out Market Garden Brewery, so when I realized I'd be in the neighborhood for another event with a group of friends, I decided to make a reservation for Friday night at 9:00. That part was good. Market Garden uses Open Table, so making a reservation - even for a large-ish party (6, in my case) was ok. We arrived right around 9:00 and were seated right away. But...then it went downhill.

The place was packed. And good for them. I love seeing a new business do well. But it was packed to the point where it was impossible to hear anything and I felt like the people at the next table were sitting on top of me. But, hey! It was Friday night and I expected the place to be happening. And since there were so many people, in my party and standing all around us, I expected service to be a little slow. But just a little.

Our server eventually arrived at our table to take our drink orders. At this point, the waiting didn't bother us because we were still excited to be in a new restaurant, etc., etc. Two of the ladies in my party wanted to try the raspberry beer, and the server ran off to get them a generous sample. Not sure what anyone else ordered because I know very little about beer and because I couldn't hear what they said, but I ordered a Moscow Mule. They had other "old school" cocktails on the menu, so I figured making a drink out of ginger beer, lime juice, vodka, and mint wouldn't be too difficult.

The first drink that was handed to me was definitely not a Moscow Mule. Not sure exactly what it was, but it tasted like it was made with raspberry vodka. But no big deal. The waiter realized his error and came back in a few minutes and asked me if my drink tasted like raspberry and said I got a drink meant for another table. In a matter of minutes he came back with a delicious replacement.

Not sure where he want after that, though, because after waiting and waiting and waiting to order, we had to flag him down. But again, we gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought that our slower than normal service wasn't all that much of an issue. I ordered another drink, since I figured it would take a long time to get another one, and I ordered the black bean tacos. I was happy to hear that the server was schooled on the difference between vegetarian tacos and vegan tacos and warned me that there is dairy in the black bean taco.

So we waited some more. Our next round of drinks came out and a drink that didn't resemble a Moscow Mule was placed in front of me. It was in a different kind of glass than my previous drink and had a yellowish-orange tint. I took a sip and realized it definitely wasn't the right drink. I managed to flag down my waiter once again and sent the drink back. No big deal, right? I was a little annoyed, but I knew they'd just replace my drink like they'd done the last time.

Instead, the bar tender came over to the table and plunked the "wrong" drink down in front of me.

Bartender: (angrily) "How do you make a Moscow Mule?"

Me: "Uh...what? You make it with vodka, mint, lime juice, and ginger beer."

Bartender: "Traditionally, it's made with bitters. This drink is made with bitters."

Me: "Well, I drink these pretty often, and I've never had one with bitters. Can you just remake it for me? "

Bartender: "It's supposed to have bitters. (pushing drink towards me) You should just drink it."

Me: "Well...um...can't you just make it like the last one I got?"

Bartender: "Not sure who made that one. Are you sure you want another drink."

Me: "Yes, please. And thanks."

Then the bartender literally stomped off. I'm not a confrontational person, and for the bartender to get in my face over the drink made me really uncomfortable. I'm no alcoholic, but I go out often enough to know that if your drink is wrong at a bar, a bartender will re-do it for you. Without even putting up a fuss. My friends were flabbergasted. No one had ever seen a bartender get so upset about a drink being sent back. (and really, why should you? I doubt the bartender was going to have to pay for that drink himself)

The bartender returned a few minutes later with my replacement drink and wouldn't leave until I took a sip. It still wasn't 100% right, but I wasn't about to complain again.

The bartender's outburst really put a damper on our experience and we all ate as quickly as we could to get out of there. I did really enjoy my black bean tacos, but after being essentially yelled at, I don't think I have any desire to go back to Market Garden Brewery again. I wish them well, but I really hope they work on their service. I hope to never feel that uncomfortable in a restaurant ever again.

Recipe: Yellow Summer Squash and Tomato Pasta

2011-08-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

They call me mellow yellow...

After weeks of eating zucchini, I decided I needed to move on to squash for my experimental cooking. While wandering through Whole Foods one afternoon, I stumbled across yellow cherry tomatoes, and voila! My yellow pasta recipe was born! (with the help of a vegetarian cookbook - my recipe is loosely modeled after another recipe I've made before from said cookbook)

Ingredients:

- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved - yellow or red will do

- 1 cup dry pasta

- 2 small yellow squashes (or the equivalent) chopped into small, bite sized pieces

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- garlic salt to taste

- finely minced garlic - I like a lot of garlic, but use what you like

- Parmesan cheese (optional)

Serves 2 - 4

Method:

Place oil, squash, and garlic in a large skillet and heat on high. Add a touch of water to the skillet to help steam the squash. Stir frequently. Add salt as needed.
While squash is steaming/cooking, prepare noodles following directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
When squash is tender/crisp, add cooked noodles and cherry tomatoes to the squash mix. Stir frequently. Cook until cherry tomatoes just begin to soften.
(optional) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

I really liked this recipe. Squash has a really mellow flavor on its own, so it absorbed a lot of the garlic flavor. The mix of garlicy squash with the acidic tomatoes (although less acidic than normal because I used yellow tomatoes) created a great flavor.

Have you tried cooking with yellow tomatoes? I like them more for their exotic look than their flavor.

Hot enough for ya? Palookaville Chili Review

2011-08-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

Last week I had the ~~discomfort~~ pleasure of being in hot, hot, hot Dallas, Texas for work. Not sure if you've heard, but Texas is experiencing record breaking heat waves and an extreme drought. I feel bad for the folks there because I have no idea how you survive in 100+ degree heat day after day. As most people told me, they just stay inside all summer. But what fun is that?

Ironically, although it's blazing hot all day and night in Texas (it was 99 degrees when I got to my hotel one night - at 10 pm!), spicy food is where it's at. Tacos, salsas, chilis...I saw all of these items - and more - while out about in steer country. (I also saw cowboy hats, boots, and the biggest pickup trucks known to mane, but...)

Which makes me sad to learn that Palookaville Chili in Ohio City has had to shorten its hours due to lack of business at night. Epic sadness.

If you're not familiar with Palookaville Chili, you must live on the east side with me. No really, though, Palookaville is a new chili shop on the Cleveland food scene and due to a delayed opening, didn't get their start here until after things warmed up. Our friends down south seem to eat hot foods year round, but we just haven't gotten that memo here in Cleveland yet, have we, folks?

Palookaville serves multiple meat and vegetarian chilis - when I dropped in they had chicken, pork, and beef chili along with traditional vegetarian chili and a spinach paneer chili. (more on that in a second) They also offer a couple sandwiches and some tasty sounding sides - cornbread, baked beans, apple slaw. All things that would seem to go well with chili. In addition to these delicious items, every Monday, the fine ladies at Foodgazi serve up a vegan entree and a few sides in honor of Meatless Monday. (the gluten free quesadilla I had was SO good!)

I hear the word "paneer" and immediately think of Indian food, which makes sense, because I believe "paneer" translates to something like "cheese." I love Indian paneer, so I figured I should try chili with paneer. Why the heck not, right?

And so I took a cup (a huge cup!) of spinach paneer chili over rice home. (you can choose what to put your chili over - rice, noodles, etc.) It turned into a late afternoon snack because I just couldn't wait until dinner to eat it. Interestingly enough, my expectations for the chili were way off. I expected Indian spice but this was more of a smoky chipotle. Which was good, just not what I was expecting. I really enjoyed having the chili paired with rice, too.

Now that the weather is starting to cool down, I hope more people will be in the mood for some chili action. I know I already am! I can't wait to go back and check out some more Foodgazi specials and try the other vegetarian chili. And I hope you give Palookaville a try, too. Soon! They seem like they could really use our business!

Recipe: Fresh From the Garden Salsa

2011-08-18T07:00:00.002-04:00

I think I mentioned last week that I have tomatoes from my garden coming out of my ears. And the tomato bonanza continues this week! In an attempt to use up the mountain of tomatoes I picked from the garden, my boyfriend and I made up a batch of fresh from the garden salsa. Well, sort of fresh from the garden. We got the red and yellow tomatoes from the garden, but our cilantro recently died and our jalapeno peppers weren't quite ready to be picked. But still...this is a fresh, mainly from the garden, salsa.

Ingredients:

Red and yellow tomatoes, seeded - as many as you can handle
Finely chopped garlic - we could scare away an army of vampires with the amount of garlic we like to use, but I know not everyone feels the same way
Half cup(ish) of chopped cilantro
3+ jalapeno peppers seeded and finely chopped (we probably should have used more - this salsa ended up being 9 parts garlic and tomatoes and 1 part spice)
Finely chopped green pepper - again, use your own judgement on how much pepper you prefer
1-2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt to taste

Method:
Chop everything up, throw it in a bowl, and let it sit for at least an hour to let all of the flavors mix together. And voila! Fresh from the garden salsa!

We were a little nervous about our first attempt at making salsa. (ok, so we argued over how much salsa to make because we were afraid it might be awful) But overall, this salsa recipe was a win. I think we'd cut down on the garlic the next time around and definitely use more (or spicier?) peppers. And something else that might have made this salsa better? Margaritas, of course!!

Review: The Sweet Spot in Lakewood

2011-08-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't.

I think that was my experience with The Sweet Spot in Lakewood. I was in the mood for ice cream when I stopped by, and gelato isn't even in the same ballpark as ice cream in my world, so my experience was good but not great.

Things that are awesome about The Sweet Spot:

- Their gelato is made with hormone free milk from happy Ohio cows

- The gelato is made with unrefined and organic sugar

- There are a couple vegan flavors available (didn't event know that was possible!)
- From what I've read, the owner is a former cubicle dweller who decides to break free from the corporate world and start a business - something that takes balls to do

After trying a few flavors (with metal spoons -I understand the concept of being green, but I felt weird handing my freshly licked spoon to the girl who ended up scooping my gelato) I settled on the cheesecake gelato. I enjoyed it. It really did taste like cheesecake.

So...I think The Sweet Spot is a great little gelato shop and I think I definitely need to go back and give it another try - when I'm actually in the mood for gelato!

Restaurant Review Review: The Chubby Cook

2011-08-16T07:00:00.005-04:00

The internet is an amazing thing. Especially Facebook. I've discovered so many places through the power of the "share" button on Facebook. Like The Chubby Cook.

Located in Beachwood in a strip mall, The Chubby Cook is part take out restaurant, part catering company, and part cooking school. Sounds like a lot to try and tackle for a new venture, but things seem to be going pretty well for the folks at The Chubby Cook so far.

I dropped by last week after stalking their web site and Facebook page to learn more about their daily specials. Every day there is a different sandwich, salad, and entree special available. (and according to their site/menu, if you call in advance, you can order anything off of their regular menu - which has plenty of vegetarian friendly options) I went for the daily entree special which was vegan ratatouille over polenta bars with slivered toasted almonds. Admittedly, I'm not the biggest polenta fan, but even still - I really enjoyed my lunch. (I could have eaten a whole container of the ratatouille - SO good!) I called ahead, which seems like a good idea since they were nearly sold out of everything by 12:30. Since I'm a sucker for brownies, I also grabbed one of their pre-made desserts, placed right by the check out stand. If you can call it that. I was able to cash out on an iPad. Technology is awesome.

If you live or work in the Beachwood area, The Chubby Cook is definitely worth a try. Be sure to check out their specials and even more importantly - call ahead if you plan on placing an order. Although you can eat in, I think getting take out might be better, too. Seating is very limited.

Have you been to The Chubby Cook?

Recipe: Quick and Easy Garden Tomato Pasta

2011-08-11T07:00:00.006-04:00

Am I alone in this, or do you have tomatoes coming out of your ears?

This is the first year I've successfully grown a garden (thanks mainly to my boyfriend remembering to water the plants - I've often said that if my cats didn't meow, I might forget to feed them) and I'm so excited to be able to walk outside to pick fresh vegetables and herbs. We grew different varieties of tomatoes, including a fleshy yellow type. It's nearly seedless and, to be honest, a little weird looking. It also has a milder taste than most other tomatoes, but I'm still a fan. I eat tomatoes the way other people eat apples, and I could eat a bushel of them in one sitting if given the chance. And I might need to since all of our tomatoes seem to be ripening at once.

Which is why I decided to get creative the other night and make a pasta dish with as many random items as I could find. I call it "quick and easy garden tomato pasta." And like many of my other homespun recipes, nothing is exact. Use your best judgement.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - as many as you can handle - seeded and chopped into small pieces - no need to get fancy chopping, though, because they boil down
Finely chopped garlic - again, use your judgement - we love garlic and could eat whole cloves, but not everyone loves garlic as much as we do
Fresh basil - I used a handful of leaves sliced into ribbons
2+ tablespoons of red cooking wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon parsley (I used dried)
garlic salt - to taste
1 packet Stevia in the raw (optional)
Shredded Parmesan cheese - could be optional - I liked the sauce without it
1 cup pasta - any shape
Red pepper flakes -just a dash - adds a bit of a kick

Method:

1. Prepare pasta following directions on package. Set aside.

2. Combine olive oil, garlic, basil, and tomatoes in a medium to large sauce pan. Heat on high.

3. Add salt, wine, Stevia, parsley, and red pepper flakes to tomato mixture and stir frequently. There will be a lot of liquid that needs to boil down. Depending on your sauce preference, you can cook the tomato mixture for a short amount of time or until pretty much all of the liquid is gone. I like my sauce to be a little chunkier and saucier, so I boil almost all of the liquid off.

4. Add cooked noodles and stir into sauce until all noodles are coated.

5. Add a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and stir into the mix until melted.

6. Serve and enjoy! You can also top with another sprinkling of cheese if that's your fancy.

Serves 2-4.

My boyfriend generally hates tomatoes but really liked this pasta, so I consider this recipe to be a "win." It's really easy to throw together and cook on a weeknight. It's pretty low calorie but filling, too.

How are you using up the tomatoes from your garden? Do you have any favorite tomato based recipes?

My Favorite Summertime Hangout - Sanctuary on Green

2011-08-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

Ah, the dog days of summer. Where it's finally cool enough to go outside and not have your skin feel like it's going to burn off. When the air doesn't feel as thick as pea soup. This is the kind of summer I can get down with.

No matter what the weather, my absolute favorite summertime hang out spot is Sanctuary on Green, a Bavarian tea house/gift shop/sculptor's workshop owned by the Koehn family. Sounds like a strange combo, I know, but this place is an incredible hidden gem. Set back off a busy street in South Euclid, a place I don't really consider to be scenic, this shop set inside a house butts up against a huge undeveloped piece of land which features beautiful old trees and a creek/wetlands. They have indoor seating which is nice - you're essentially eating in the store looking out windows at the scenery and treetops. But outside! Wow! Amazing! There's a fantastic patio overlooking the mini-ravine (not sure how else to describe it) that makes you feel like you're eating in the middle of the woods. And not in a, "I need bug spray," kind of way.

And something even better than the view is the food at Sanctuary on Green. I might sound a bit hippie dippie saying this, but the food is made with love, and you can taste it. Every item on the menu is made from time honored recipes, mainly honoring the owner's Bavarian heritage. Order the gazpacho? It will be made with tomatoes from the garden in the back yard. The chocolate mousse? (the best mousse I've ever eaten, and I've eaten a lot of mousse) Made with the best chocolate and freshest ingredients you've ever tasted. And then there's the coffee and tea. Billed as a Bavarian tea house, the tea selection is incredible. Sadly, I'm not a tea drinker, so I can't comment on any specific teas, but my tea drinking friends are astounded by the varieties that are available. I personally love the freshly brewed coffees and iced coffee.

The gift shop is also pretty incredible. If you're looking for a unique gift for just about any occasion, you'll find something within the Koehn's house. From jewelry, to rugs, to Christmas ornaments, and beyond, there is something for everyone in the shop. I'm generally not "into" trinkets or gifts, like what's sold in this shop, but I plan on bringing my entire family in for the holidays when the shop transforms into a Christmas wonderland.

The only bad thing about Sanctuary on Green? The tea studio is only open for part of the year, so once the bad weather hits, you have to wait until spring to enjoy the great food, beverages and ambiance again But it's well worth the wait. And one other thing to note is that reservations are "strongly encouraged," which in my experience, means required. I've been turned away in the past on busy days.

Do you have any favorite "hidden gems" in Cleveland? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Upcoming Vegan and Vegetarian Happenings in the CLE

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

As veganism and vegetarianism becomes more and more popular in the CLE, there are more and more happenings around town offering vegan and vegetarian friendly food. And next week, there are a couple extra special events just for us herbivores.

Monday, August 15 -

Meatless Monday at Palookaville Chili in Ohio City- This is actually a weekly happening at Palookaville Chili, one of Ohio City's newer specialty restaurants. (yes, they have vegan and vegetarian chili!) Foodgazi, a catering/cooking instruction company offers a few vegan items each and every Monday right in Palookaville.

Vegetarian Mondays at Lago in Tremont - Every Monday evening, Lago offers an entire menu of vegan or vegetarian items in addition to their regular menu.

Tuesday, August 16 -

5 Course Vegan Wine Dinner at Melange in Beachwood - $60
This is Melange's first attempt at hosting a vegan dinner. Two of the 5 courses will be prepared by Chef Scot Jones of Vegiterranean and deserts will be provided by White Flower Cake Shop. The last time I went to a vegan wine pairing was at Bistro 185 last fall and it was excellent, and I'd imagine this one will be just as good!)

The meal will include:

Amuse: Beet Ravioli, tofu ricotta, pickled onion, and balsamic roasted figs
1st course: Roasted poblano tamale, smoke corn puree, guacamole
2nd course: watermelon steak, cucumber salad, gazpacho broth
3rd course: Gardein "chicken" roulade, baby arugula, roasted tomato, smokey greens, beluga lentils, charred tomato brodo
4th course: Curried cauliflower ravioli, chunky walnut and herb pesto, spicy carrot oil, and golden raisin
5th course: Platters of assorted vegan pastries for the table (designed by white flower cake shop)

See the Facebook event page for additional details.

Wednesday, August 17 -

Vegan 3 Course Dinner at Bistro 185 in Euclid - $30

My favorite time of the month! Bistro 185 offers a vegan meal monthly prepared by Chef Jakub, who is, in my humble opinion, is an amazing vegan chef. This month's theme is "farm to table" and will feature the following:

Ohio Corn Chowder with Jalapeno Corn Muffin
Local and Organic Ratatouille, Roof Top Garden Herb-Crusted Gardein, Roasted Local Fingerling Potatoes
Olive Oil - Lemon Cake, Grilled Stone Fruit Compote, Almond Milk Whipped Cream

Note that reservations are required to attend this vegan dinner. See the Facebook event page for information on how to RSVP.

Berea ARF Hump Day Celebrity Bartending Happy Hour - So, technically not a vegan or vegetarian event, but let's be honest, if you're a vegetarian, most likely, you care about animals. I've volunteered at Berea Animal Rescue Fund for longer than I can remember, and the proceed from this event help to provide supplies and care for homeless animals who are desperately in need.

More information is available on the Facebook event page.

Vegan and Vegetarian Night at Deagan's Kitchen & Bar in Lakewood - Let's not forget this weekly happening. Deagan's is one of my favorite new restaurants/bars in Cleveland and I love that they offer vegan and vegetarian menu items every day of the week and an extra special menu on Wednesday nights. Check out the Deagan's Facebook page on Wednesdays to see what specials are being offered.

Do you know about any other upcoming vegan or vegetarian happenings? Post them in the comments if you do!

Review: Market in Rocky River - Great Atmosphere, Not So Great Service

2011-08-04T07:00:00.002-04:00

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and really wanted to like it but you just couldn't? That was my experience at Market in Rocky River. The atmosphere is amazing! Big tvs everywhere. Huge patio. Exposed brick. Clean lines. But all of that was negated by our snippy server and less than stellar grub.

I stopped by on a sunny Sunday afternoon to enjoy lunch with my boyfriend and his parents. We were seated on the patio and then were forgotten about. It was hot out, so getting drinks in a timely manner would have been appreciated. My boyfriend's parents are nice but do ask servers a lot of questions, and I think that turned our server off. He was pretty much absent throughout our entire meal and got an attitude if we dared ask for anything extra. (Was getting me more water really all that difficult, dude?)

We started out with the fried pickle appetizer. It was ok. Not sure I was a fan of the pretzel crust or the onion dip that came along with them, but...they were alright. My boyfriend's Moscow mule was almost undrinkable because it was so sweet and gingery. I ordered pretty much the only vegetarian item on the brunch menu - a fried goat cheese salad. I like goat cheese, but wow! I got a hockey puck sized piece of it. I think that would be a bit much for anyone to stomach.

My boyfriend and his parents all enjoyed the French Dip sandwich they ordered. His mother enjoyed hers a bit less because she's lactose intolerant and had asked for no cheese on her sandwich. If our waiter had asked us if our meals had come our alright, we might have been able to tell him.

Overall, a very disappointing experience. I'd been to Market for a special event last fall and had enjoyed my brunch (what's up Hermes awards?) but the poor service and snippy attitude of our server coupled with my less than awesome food gives me no reason to want to go back.

Review: Bistro on Lincoln Park

2011-08-03T07:00:00.003-04:00

I appreciate any restaurant that provides vegetarian and vegan food in the CLE, and I really do give an establishment points for effort when it comes to deviating from standard meat and potatoes fare, but...my number one rule when it comes to vegan food is that it shouldn't taste vegan. And by tasting vegan, I mean what most non-vegan perceive vegan food to taste like - bland, uninspired, and not something you could eat on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, I had a vegan meal that tasted vegan at Bistro on Lincoln Park in Tremont this past weekend. But I'll get to the meal in a minute.

Set in a couple of old houses on the edge of Lincoln Park in Tremont, Bistro on Lincoln Park has so much potential to be awesome. Great location with tons of parking nearby. (or as much parking as you can generally find in Tremont) A nice patio. Seemingly inventive menu items. But...they immediately lost me at the service and things went rapidly downhill from there.

We were awkwardly seated on the patio by the hostess who sort of plunked down our menus and walked away. Considering that it was a hot day, I thought we might have been given some water. But we weren't, and that was fine. Our waiter timidly approached us quite a few minutes later to give us some water and ask if we wanted drinks. I say "timidly" because he seemed either really new as a server or just not comfortable talking to strangers. Either of which are bad things in a restaurant with moderately priced entrees where a patron might need to ask about said items. We asked said waiter if the bartender could make a Moscow Mule. He said they could and then scurried off, not asking if we wanted an appetizer. When he returned, he informed us that he was wrong about the mules and suggested we order from the drink list instead. My boyfriend asked what our server would recommend, and he told us he doesn't really drink. That's fine, but at least pretend, ok buddy?

I ordered a pear martini (ok, but not awesome) and again the waiter scurried off for what seemed like an eternity. When he arrived back with my drink, we had to let him know we'd like to order dinner. I would have thought he would have wanted to expedite the process of taking care of our table, but he just didn't seem all that interested in serving us. I ordered the vegan pot pot - because I've never seen a vegan pot pie on a menu before. I used to love the vegetarian pot pies my mom cooked (frozen, not from scratch, but they were still good) for me when I was a kid. My boyfriend ordered scallops because he loves them and I hate it when he cooks them in our house.

While waiting for my meal, the waiter brought us a break basket - or 10 cracker like bread sticks and two rolls. I was starving and dug into a cracker and was disappointed to find that it was really buttery and also a little stale.

When my meal arrived, I was completely disappointed. I had expected a flakey, gooey pot pie, not a deconstructed version, dripping with oil and chock full of peas. It was completely flavorless except for the grease. The "crust" was too tough to eat and the potato puree that was at the bottom of the dish didn't really do anything to enhance the dish. It was just a big white smear on the plate. It also had white asparagus which I find to be pretty "meh."

My boyfriend's scallops weren't much better. In contrast, his dish had too many flavors, and they weer all fighting with each other.

Since our meal was so very disappointing, I was very glad that I had a Groupon. Our server had some difficulty figuring out how to process the Group and took my phone with him to show the manager, which was a little odd, but I was just happy to finally be acknowledged so I could get the heck out of there.

Overall, I think the concept of Bistro on Lincoln Park is great but for the price, they need to have better service and significantly better food. I can't say I'll be going back anytime soon.

Have you dined at Bistron on Lincoln Park? And if so, have you had a similar experience?

Yogurt Explosion in CLE - My Visit to Menchie's

2011-08-02T07:00:00.004-04:00

Have you noticed that frozen yogurt shops seem to be popping up everywhere in Cleveland? I feel like any time I deviate from my 3.2 mile drive through the 'burbs to work, I see a new yogurt place opening up. Not that there's anything wrong with fro-yo, but...I just wonder how long the trend will last? Remember what happened to TCBY's in the 90's? They were absolutely everywhere (along with similar yogurt shop clones) and then all but disappeared until they made a resurgence in airports and rest stops. But then again, Little Caesars died off, too, and has invaded my neighborhood once again. (but it's just not the same! I want some square pizza!)

When I met someone for lunch last week, I noticed a newly opened Menchie's on SOM Center Road in Mayfield. I think it's in what used to be a UPS store, among other things. It's in possibly one of the "worst" strip malls in Mayfield, as far as survival rate goes, so...I wish them luck.

I stopped by on a gloomy evening after hitting up the gym and Menchie's wasn't all that packed. There were a few people sitting outside eating yogurt and a few people at tables inside, but I was able to get in and out in a hurry. Like many other yogurt shops, there are multiple flavors to choose from. When I was in there, they had everything from Dulce de Leche to Cheesecake to Original Tart. Being a super fan of tart yogurt, I went with that flavor (big mistake - should have gotten Dulce de Leche) topped with my standard favorites - strawberries, blueberries, and white chocolate chips. (the white chocolate chips were the wild card...it's hard to find them anywhere, but I can get chocolate chips everywhere) Like other yogurt places in the area (ahem, Yogurt Vi), you pay by weight. I can't remember how much I paid, exactly, but it didn't seem cheap.

I sat in my car to eat my yogurt since driving and eating isn't something I'm necessarily good at, and the first thing I noticed when I went to take my first bite was the color of the yogurt. In the super happy "everything has a smiley face" atmosphere of Menchie's, I hadn't noticed that the yogurt was yellowish. And not a French vanilla yellow. More like an "ew. why isn't this white?" yellow. But I took a bite anyway.

Dislike! I don't know what exactly it tasted like, but it was not good!

I've eaten tart yogurt here there and everywhere, and the tart yogurt at Menchie's just doesn't compare to my favorites - Pinkberry, Red Mango, and (surprisingly) Roly Poly. (they serve up some great fro-yo - I get some every time I go there for a veggie wrap) I'm not in any hurry to rush back, but if I do, I'll try a non-tart flavor.

What's your favorite fro-yo shop? Or are you skipping the trend and sticking with good old ice cream?

Surprisingly Vegan - Cupcakes from Vegan Sweet Tooth

2011-08-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, so the title of this post might be a little misleading. Clearly, I know that cupcakes from Vegan Sweet Tooth are vegan, but...they are so good, even your most skeptical meat eating or vegan hating friends won't be able to tell the difference. Really!

I stopped by VST after volunteering this past Saturday, in search of some baked goodies to take with me to a party. I know that they frequently sell out of just about everything on weekends, so when I showed up at their mall kiosk in Eton on Chagrin, I didn't have high hopes. Thank goodness there were some mini cupcakes left, though! But there really wasn't much else left, except a a few regular sized cupcakes, quite a few gluten free cupcakes, come cake pops (made with my nemesis - red food dye - can't wait until that trend passes or bakeries find a way to make delicious treats without tons of dye that I'm allergic to), and a raspberry cheesecake.

I could have eaten the whole box of cupcakes on my way home (the picture makes them looks bigger than they are - they're about a two bite treat), but I restrained myself and only ate a carrot cake cupcake. (after picking off the carrot - down with dye!) And it was good! Admittedly, not the best carrot cake cupcake I've ever eaten, but...still pretty darn good. My favorite flavor from Vegan Sweet Tooth continues to be chocolate with peanut butter frosting. I can't even describe how good it is. And honestly, the chocolate cupcakes I've had from VST are some of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten. You'd never know they're dairy and animal product free. Flavors vary, but if you stop by, I'm sure you're bound to find something that sounds delicious.

These little babies were a hit at the party! No one could tell they were vegan! The next time you're looking for some tasty little treats for yourself or for an event, be sure to check out Vegan Sweet Tooth!

Vegetarian Tacos in Cleveland

2011-07-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

I love, love, love, LOVE tacos. I've never actually made one myself since back in the day when my mom would buy the crunchy Old El Paso corn shells that she'd stuff with chili (if I remember correctly) and a bunch of veggies I didn't care for at the time. But now grown-up Roxanne has a sincere appreciation for tacos.

On the east side of the CLE, it is surprisingly difficult to get a vegetarian taco let alone find a taco night. While it seems like the entire west side celebrates taco Tuesday, I can only think of a smattering of places on the east side offering any sort of taco specials, let alone places with vegetarian tacos. (Chipotle doesn't count)

Umami Moto, perhaps my favorite Cleveland food truck, had some amazing vegetarian tacos that I scarfed down on Cinco de Mayo. But that was just a one time treat. Since then, they've only been offering fish tacos whenever they happen to be in my neck of the woods. (but they do make the best vegan curry I've ever eaten, so I'll forgive them for their lack of vegetarian taco options) Deagan's offers some of the best vegetarian tacos I've ever eaten (second only to Surly Girl Saloon in Columbus, OH, maybe) but they're only available on taco Tuesday, and aren't available for take out. Living no less than 40 minutes away from Deagan's makes it hard for me to partake in this taco night with any frequency. I've been to Johnny Mango for taco Tuesday, but again, it's super far away from my house and offers those blasted crunchy shells. (and I'd rather eat one of their amazing quesadillas anyway) I've also tried the Dim and Den Sum vegan black bean tacos, but I just can't get down with kim chi, no matter how hard I try. (but I still love you for being the first food truck in Cleveland!)

I know I have to be missing out on other places around town - east or west - that offer vegetarian tacos. Have you seen any?

In Search of Cleveland's Best Moscow Mule

2011-07-27T07:00:00.002-04:00

In the world of alcoholic beverages, my top three current favorites are martinis, margaritas, mojitos...but the Moscow Mule is definitely in the running for taking over 3rd place. Comprised of vodka, ginger beer (which is more like ginger ale than anything else) lime juice, and fresh mint, this throwback cocktail is a refreshing summery treat. When well made, that is.

I've been drinking my way around town trying to find the best Moscow mules, and here are some of my favorite places in the CLE to have this old school cocktail: (in no particular order)

1. Deagan's Kitchen & Bar - Lakewood
2. Dante - Tremont

3. Lago - Tremont

4. Washington Place Bistro - Little Italy

5. L'Albatross - University Circle

I could post a much longer list of places that don't make great Moscow Mules. Places that use extra sugary syrup, wilted mint, or some sort of soda instead of ginger beer. (for shame!)

Have you had a great Moscow Mule in Cleveland? Or do you have any other favorite throwback cocktails?

Recipe: Spicy Sesame Zucchini Pasta

2011-07-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hello. I'm back from a long blogging hiatus with a recipe I just can't seem to get enough of - spicy sesame zucchini pasta. It's so good that I eat it before I have a chance to take a picture of it. (or I got a new iPhone and lost all my old photos...d'oh!)

It's about that time of year where we're about to have zucchini coming out of our ears, so this is a great way to use up tons and tons of zucchini and make a low cal pasta dish for you and yours.

Ingredients:

2-3 fresh zucchinis, chopped into small circles or half moon shapes
chopped fresh garlic (as much or as little as you'd like to use - I normally use 2-4 tablespoons)
garlic salt (to taste)
red pepper (cayenne) powder (use as much or as little as you'd like - but at least 1/2 - 1 teaspoon)
shredded Parmesan cheese (at least 1/4 cup - use more if you like)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup pasta (dry)
sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

Prepare pasta following directions on box. Set aside.
Place chopped zucchini, sesame oil, garlic, red pepper, and garlic salt into pan. Add a little bit of water to the bottom of the pan to help steam the zucchini.
Stir ingredients together and turn heat to "high." Cook zucchini until they begin to soften, stirring frequently. (most of the liquid/oil mixture should be evaporated)
Reduce heat to low. Add cooked pasta to pan and stir to combine with zucchini. Add Parmesan cheese to pasta/zucchini mixture (use vegan cheese if you like!) and stir until cheese has melted. Sprinkle sesame seeds over pasta.
Place in a large bowl and serve! Optional - Before serving, sprinkle additional cheese on top of pasta.

This is a quick, easy, and low calorie recipe. Nothing needs to be too exact, although I think one cup of dry pasta is more than enough for 2-4 people. You want to have way more zucchini than noodles - that's what keeps it low cal. If you're a wimp about spicy food like I am, try to not be too heavy handed with the pepper. I made a batch recently which made my eyes and nose burn...but it was so good I kept eating it anyway.

What's your favorite way to keep zucchini from coming out of your ears?

Will drinking skinny cocktails really make me skinny?

2011-05-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

I've been known to indulge in an adult beverage or two in my day (I still think drinking a margarita is the best way to rehydrate after running in a race) and I've noticed that "skinny" drinks seem to be popping up everywhere I go. Not familiar with skinny drinks? Basically they're calorie reduced versions of your favorite cocktails - like mojitos, margaritas, cosmos...and just about anything else you can think of. Normally the calories are reduced by using artificial sweeteners (hello, Splenda) or other chemically things that you might not want to ingest on a regular basis.

That's why my favorite skinny drink is the original skinny drink of champions - the Skinny Girl Margarita. Made famous by Bethenny Frankel, of BRAVO tv's Real Housewives, etc. franchise, it's all natural and sweetened with Agave. AND...it's only 100 calories for a 4 ounce serving. (your typical margarita packs 5 times the amount of calories!) Now...I'll admit that it doesn't taste exactly like your "fatty" margarita. It's not as sweet and it's not brightly colored (food dye isn't so great for you anyway), but I think it's a great substitute! It comes in a screw-top wine bottle and can be easily taken to a party or stashed in your 'fridge for when you just need to have some margarita-y goodness. (or am I alone in this? doesn't everyone crave margaritas?)

Moral of this story - if you invite me to a party anytime soon, I'm bringing some SkinnyGirl Margaritas with me.

Do you have a favorite skinny drink or dish? Let's keep it natural, folks...no artificial sweeteners here.

No Meat Athlete - A Site for Vegetarian Runners

2011-05-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

As a vegetarian athlete, sometimes it's hard to follow along with some of the more mainstream running sites. I don't really care about what salmon will do for me and I'm not really into fish oil supplements and I definitely can't get down with using some of the chemically supplements of gels. Which is why I like No Meat Athlete.

I first discovered this site a year or so ago before I ran my first marathon. I found them by searching for "how to survive your first marathon" and once I read that post, I found quite a few others that were humorous and helpful. ("The Indoorsman's Guide to Trail Running" is my personal fave!)

I recently purchased a "no meat athlete" shirt to represent my people at races because I think the running carrot is adorable and although I'm not the preachy vegetarian type, it's nice to let people know that you can compete (or in my case, just participate) in sporting events if you lead a meat free life. Heck, I keep reading more and more articles about some of the "big time" athletes going vegan, so I think it should seem strange for us "weekend warrior" types to live that kind of lifestyle.

Do you have a favorite sports related site/blog?

Yogurt Vi - Legacy Village's Hip New Yogurt Shop

2011-05-18T07:00:00.004-04:00

Have I mentioned lately that I like dessert? Yesterday, you say? Well, at least today I want to tell you about a slightly healthier dessert. (especially since this is marathon recovery week, and since I'm not running, I can't indulge in any of my favorite things!)

A few weeks ago, a new yogurt shop opened in Legacy Village. Appropriately named Yogurt Vi, this yogurt shop offers up tart yogurt (a la Pinkberry) along with other delicious sounding "traditional" yogurt flavors - cake batter, peanut butter, red velvet - and also lots of nonfat varieties - like cheesecake, white chocolate, and carrot cake. Like most other popular yogurt shops, you can pick from a dizzying amount of yogurt toppings - everything from hot fudge to candy to exotic fruit. It's important to note that you pay for this yogurt by weight - including toppings - so if you go too heavy handed with the extras, you could end up paying more than you'd expect.

Being a tart yogurt fan, when I went to the grand opening I tried their tart yogurt with some fresh strawberries, brownie pieces, and mini chocolate chips. Unlike other yogurt shops where someone behind a counter tops your yogurt for you, at Yogurt Vi, you go through what looks like a salad bar of toppings. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing considering that I saw several small children try to stick their hands in the candy. (thankfully, their mothers intervened and swooped their children away before they managed to contaminate the goodies)

My verdict? It was some pretty darn good yogurt! It definitely stacks up to the other tart yogurts I've tried on my travels around the country. And I definitely think I'd like to try some of their "regular" yogurt, too.

I'm happy to see this new addition to Legacy Village and I hope that this yogurt shop does well!

Recipe: Vegan "Sour Cream" Coffee Cake

2011-05-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

As a general rule, I'm not much of a "cake" person. Give me ice cream, brownies, pie...heck, even a cupcake, but I will never go out of my way to eat cake. But one day, while surfing through my favorite vegan recipe site - VegWeb - I discovered what looked like a simple and delicious vegan sour cream coffee cake I could make for a bake sale at work. (I love having to bake things for work functions. You get instant feedback and if you don't particularly like what you've made, there are bound to be scavengers around who will eat it.)

I was a little nervous to make this coffee cake because 1. it's vegan and some vegan desserts are not so great, as I've learned from my adventures in cooking/baking and 2. I'd never made a cake from scratch before. Honestly, as a kid, I may not have even realized that cakes could be made from scratch. But I gave it a whirl and was very happy with the results.

Ingredients:

Coffee Cake:

1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup sugar
2 egg substitutes (1/4 cup soy yogurt = 1 egg)
1 cup vegan sour cream (no sour cream? use more yogurt!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping/Filling:

1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, and grease 9x13" pan. In a mixing bowl, cream vegan butter and sugar. Add egg substitutes, sour cream and vanilla; mix well.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and beat until combined.

3. Pour half the batter into prepared pan. Combine topping ingredients, and sprinkle half of topping over batter.

4. Add remaining batter and topping. Bake for 40 minutes or until done.

Voila! Easy peasy, cake baking!

Some things to note:

The batter is more like bread dough than a traditional cake mix. Don't panic! I thought I'd ruined the coffee cake, but it ended up being a-ok in the end. (It wasn't the prettiest cake I've ever seen, but...)
Walnuts are hella expensive at most grocery stores right now. (They were $10 a bag at one store I went to) Places like Whole Foods have them at a "normal" price.
This cake was extremely well received by everyone I work with. I've never gotten so many requests for a recipe before. It makes a ton of cake and will be enjoyed by vegans and non vegans alike.

For more helpful tips, view the original recipe over at VegWeb.

Guess who's back?

2011-05-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

Oh, how I've missed blogging. Between school work, and marathon training, and traveling for work, I feel like I've been living in a funnel cloud.

But now that school is over, I have plenty of time again.

Look for semi-frequent updates from me in the coming weeks. I'm sure that while I had my head buried in my school books, I missed some interesting stuff around town, but I hope to get caught up soon.

Roly Poly - My Favorite Fast Casual Vegetarian Friendly Restaurant

2011-04-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

As a general rule, I HATE chain restaurants. Unless my life depends on it or my grandmother requests to go to one, I'd rather go just about anywhere else.

Except Roly Poly. I'm embarrassed to say how many times I've eaten at Roly Poly in the last week, but let's just say I could be their version of Jerod from Subway.

I have been singing the praises of Roly Poly since it first opened near my place of employment a few years ago. It's kind of a vegetarian fantasy-land, with multiple salad and wrap options and "Pinkberry-like" tart yogurt. Roly Poly also offers a "roll your own" option where you can play chef and select more vegetables than I've ever seen offered in a sandwich shop and create a tasty - yet relatively low calorie - wrap on a wheat or white tortilla.

I think Roly Poly is categorized as a "fast casual" restaurant, a term I learned from the new show on NBC - America's Next Great Restaurant - chronicling the story line of a few wacky people pitching various ideas to open their own mini chain of quick serve restaurants across the US. Some examples of fast casual are Chipotle, Panera...and just about any other place where you can order, sit at a table, and there isn't a drive through falls into this category. I have to say that I'm a fan of this concept because sometimes a sit down restaurant is too slow...and there's pretty much nothing I can eat at a fast food restaurant.

Do you have a favorite vegetarian friendly fast casual restaurant?

Disappointing Vegan Dinner at Dante

2011-04-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

Have you ever been to a restaurant that was so hyped up that you couldn't help but be disappointed after actually eating there?

Yeah. That was my experience at Dante in Tremont.

I have friends who drool when the hear the name Dante, let alone when they eat at the restaurant but I just wasn't feeling it.

I did enjoy the ambiance of the restored former bank. I sat within view of the vault, which now houses a large table. I could also catch a glimpse into the kitchen and saw Dante himself come out fairly often to talk to patrons. But not us. Weep womp.

The meal started off well with some great bead with a hummus spread. On the house. (don't get me started about restaurants that charge for bread these days) And then we ordered a few drinks. I started off with some sort of odd tasting blood orange concoction but quickly switched over to Moscow mules. Let me rephrase that - fantastic Moscow mules. Sadly, that was probably the best part of my dining experience.

I was excited to see that Dante offers vegan options, so I decided to order an entire vegan meal. I started off my meal with the 7 vegetable vegan salad. It had everything from Brussels sprouts to radishes. I feel like it's pretty difficult to make a bad salad, but this salad wasn't so great either. Maybe it had too many vegetables?

Shortly after I finished my salad and the numerous attentive servers had repositioned my napkin and silverware (but what if I wanted a crooked knife on my table? huh, huh?), my vegan entree arrived. It was a mix of hearts of palm and beets and a hodge podge of sauces artfully smeared on the plate. And that's the nicest thing I can say about it. I've mentioned this before, but if you're new to reading my blog, I think there's a difference between good vegan food and food that tastes vegan. Good vegan food wouldn't make a meat eater bat an eye because it's flavorful. inventive, and pleasing to the eye and palate. Bad vegan food tastes vegan, as in "this food tastes a little funky - it must be vegan." Sadly, my meal tasted vegan. So much so that I almost wanted to walk down the street to Edison's to get some grub to get the "vegan" taste out of my mouth. It was pretty disappointing. As I was glumly poking at my meal, my meat-a-tarian boyfriend was gleefully eating his steak which was, as he said, in one of the best mushroom sauces he's ever eaten. Meat eaters:1 Vegans:0 for this meal, I guess!

Although I didn't have the most enjoyable experience at Dante, I'd definitely give it another try. I do like supporting chefs who offer vegan and vegetarian options, and maybe the items I ordered off of the recently unveiled spring menu need some tweaking? And at the very least, I'd go back for some Moscow mules!

It's 4:00 somewhere OR Yelp Drinks

2011-04-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

7:00 am on a Monday. Is it too early to be thinking about happy hour? Since it's Yelp Drinks week, I think not.

What's a "yelp" you ask? Yelp is my favorite user submitted review site for everything from doctors to night clubs. As someone who tries to avoid chain restaurants like the plague, Yelp has allowed me to explore some neat places while traveling on business or even in my hometown. I could go on forever about the awesomeness of Yelp, but there's a more important task at hand. Letting you know about Yelp Drinks, a week long celebration of extra long happy hours and drink specials!

April 4-8 has been deemed Yelp Drink week, with bars around town offering half off drink specials from 4:00-9:00 pm. Such a deal! And we're not talking your weak well drinks here, folks! There are fancy beers, shots, martinis and drinks on special all week at some vegetarian friendly places like Lago, Reddstone, Touch Supper Club, and more! It would take me far too long to list out the smorgasbord of specials being offered, but you can check out all of the specials on the Yelp Drinks event page. There's even a friendly competition to earn a Yelp t-shirt. If you're able to make it to three of the restaurants/bars participating in Yelp Drinks week, you could get yourself some great Yelp swag - being given away this Friday at the Yelp Drinks Finale at Touch Supper Club.

Enjoy this great spring weather and support local businesses while getting your happy hour on. Just remember to drink responsibly!

The Last Supper or What I'd Like as My Last Meal

2011-03-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

No, no no. Not that last supper.

I happen to be a reality tv junkie and love Top Chef (Season finale airs tonight! Go Richard!), and thought they featured a really interesting challenge last week. The three remaining chef-testants had to cook the "last meal" of a famous chef. It was interesting to see what was requested - primarily dishes from their childhoods, whether homemade or store bought. (apple strudel versus fried chicken)

Watching the episode got me thinking about what I'd want for my last meal. If you read my blog, you know I love food. All kinds of food, and I can think of a half dozen dishes that I feel like I can't live without, from restaurants near and far. But do you know what I'd want for my last meal? A grilled cheese sandwich on Millbrook wheat bread with a side order of hash browns made with Jane's Krazy Salt. Sort of random, I know. But this was a meal my mother made for me umpteen times as a kid. And through college. And even a couple weeks ago when I was suffering from bronchitis. It's a basic meal. I could probably make it for myself if I ever bought bread, but something about having a meal cooked by my mother makes it special. (Also, she uses waaay more butter and oil than I ever would, so it's greasy and delicious - I just can't cook like that, but if she makes it that way, I'll eat it.) I think what you'd like for your last meal says a lot about you as a person.

What would you want for your last meal? A home cooked classic? A gourmet feast from your favorite restaurant? An ice cream sundae? (My last meal dessert would be a brownie monster from Tommy's, btw.)

Celebrate the Food Truck Revolution at the C-Town Chow Down

2011-03-25T07:00:00.003-04:00

I love food. All kinds of food. And I've recently become a fan of food that comes of of a truck. Food trucks, widely popular out west for years and years and years, have finally made their way to Cleveland, and I couldn't be happier. Sure, I'm a little biased because food trucks frequently stop at or near my place of employment, making it really easy for me to sample some of Cleveland's mobile cuisine. But...I would make the drive to sample some great food truck grub. And this weekend, I will!

The first ever Cleveland food truck rally, of sorts, is being held this Sunday, March 27 in Lincoln Park in Tremont from 11am to 3 pm. Called the C-Town Chow Down, this event promises to offer live entertainment in addition to grub from more than a half dozen of Cleveland's roving food purveyors.

The important thing to remember about food trucks is that their space is limited and they generally run out of food pretty quickly, so if you have your heart set on food from a particular vendor, you might want to get to Tremont no later than 11:01 am!

Sweet Moses Soda Fountain & Treat Shop

2011-03-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

Two of my favorite things in this world are popcorn (my food staple during college) and ice cream. Yes, I understand that dairy is bad for me, especially since I'm reading The China Study, but I just can't "quit" ice cream. Not now. Days before the opening of Sweet Moses Soda Fountain & Treat Shop.

Maybe I'm 30 going on 13, but the idea of a soda fountain/ice cream shop/candy & popcorn store/peanut butter sandwich making restaurant makes me giddy. Could they have squeezed in any other fun concepts? And vegans, they haven't forgotten about you! Their ice cream menu boasts a dairy free vanilla flavor. Hooray!

Named after Moses Cleaveland, this new business in the Gordon Square Arts District is celebrating its grand opening on March 26. They're having their soft opening this week, so be sure to check out the Sweet Moses Facebook page for helpful information, like whether or not they're open!

Now excuse me while I drive like the wind to go get an ice cream sundae.

Raw Food Cooking Classes in Beachwood

2011-03-23T07:00:00.002-04:00

Everywhere I turn these days, I keep learning about new restaurants offering vegan food, or vegan bakesales, or vegan cooking classes. It's kind of amazing to me to see how Cleveland has suddenly sprung into vegan action!

While perusing through a community book for SELREC (South Euclid Lyndhurst Recreation), I noticed a few listings for vegan cooking classes. RAW vegan cooking classes! In Beachwood, no less! Hosted by Foodgazi, one of Cleveland's up and coming vegan cooking instruction/catering companies, this series of classes covers everything from raw food basics to raw food desserts. (and boy, do I love me some raw vegan desserts! I stopped by Good 'N Raw in Lakewood the other day just to get a raw brownie. And some amazing kale chips!) Each class in the series costs $27 with a $12 food fee payable the day of class, which is a bargain considering Foodgazi's other cooking classes normally cost $65! Such a deal! And for me, close to home! All classes are being held in Beachwood Middle School's home ec lab. (When was the last time you were in a school, let alone a home ec lab?) It's a neat experience to take a class in a school setting. I haven't taken a Foodgazi class at a school, but I have taken other vegetarian cooking classes through SELREC and I've learned quite a bit. (And I've taken a Foodgazi class - words can't express how much fun it was!)

Here's the raw foods course schedule:

4/21 - Intro to Raw Foods
5/5 - Raw Main Dishes
5/19 - Raw Soups and Salads
6/2 - Raw Desserts

For full course information, including registration information, visit the SELREC site. Like most vegetarian and/or vegan cooking courses, the more people that register, the more likely it is that courses will be held in the future...

Vegan Lunch at Deagan's Kitchen

2011-03-22T07:00:00.001-04:00

Living on the east side of Cleveland, I often feel like I'm on the "wrong" side of town. Although I've done plenty of exploring in and around my neighborhood, I normally can't find restaurants or bars that I like as much as places across the river. Although it's almost blasphemous for an east sider to make the trek to the west side, I'm glad that I'm able to venture out that-a-way once in awhile.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to "lunch" with some of my lady friends at Deagan's Kitchen and Bar in Lakewood. Any "mainstream" restaurant that offers a vegan entree on their lunch menu (in addition to a weekly vegan and vegetarian night - Wednesday, if you're into that sort of thing) seems pretty exciting to me, so I was happy to have a reason to head west and check this place out.

I'd walked past Deagan's plenty of times, but I'd never bothered to look inside. It's a neat space with exposed brick, beautiful wood floors, and a nice sized - but not intrusive - bar. When we arrived at noon, the restaurant was sort of empty-ish, but when we left near 2:00 pm, it was hopping with people watching sports and families having brunch. You might not expect those two things to go together, but in Deagan's, it works.

Any chance I get to order vegan food, I do, so I ordered the vegan orecchiette pasta.

It tasted even better than it looks.

It was a nice mix of sun dried tomatoes, chick peas, pasta, and EVOO that was surprisingly flavorful. A tad heavy on the oil, but...overall a good meal. For a girl with a hearty appetite, this meal left me feeling satisfied but not disgusting for eating the entire portion. I'd call that a win.

One of my friends had one of the vegetarian entrees - the crisp eggplant - Deagans' take on eggplant rollatini. I had a little entree envy, since I absolutely love eggplant, and I definitely think I'd try that dish the next time. She nearly cleaned her plate, so I take that as a sign that it was good! My other friends had the tomato soup and really enjoyed it. I didn't get a chance to ask if it's vegetarian friendly, but if it is, it's probably worth a try. One of my lady friends liked it so much, she took a to-go order home to her very hung-over husband. (NCAA tourney! woo!)

I love supporting local businesses - especially if they like supporting my vegetarian lifestyle! If you're in the area, you owe it to yourself to check out this great new-ish restaurant. Be sure to check out the Deagan's Kitchen and Bar Facebook page before you make the trip to read all about their great daily specials. (I think Deagan's is doing an amazing job using social media to promote the restaurant, BTW)

Finding vegetarian food in unusual places - The Colony in Cleveland Heights

2011-03-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

Have you ever looked at a bar or restaurant from the outside and said to yourself, "Eh...I'm not sure I want to eat here." For years, that's how I felt about The Colony (also known as Brennan's Colony) in the Cedar Lee area of Cleveland Heights. I mean, look at it:

It's your typical, non-descript neighborhood bar. (This time of year it doesn't look nearly as nice as in that picture) But, as I've recently learned, it doesn't have your typical neighborhood bar food. Sure, you'll find wings and nachos on the menu, in addition to burgers and meatloaf, but quite often, you'll find some amazing delicious vegetarian specials. (especially this time of year - being a vegetarian during Lent rocks!) And I'm talking fancy specials. Entrees like polenta topped with fresh tomatoes and feta cheese, vegetarian pasta with zucchini, squash, and other assorted vegetables, spinach and artichoke soup...I could really go on forever. Whenever possible, I try to order the vegetarian special, 'cuz as we all know, a business is more likely to offer vegetarian food if they can sell vegetarian food. But I also like some of the staples on the menu. Salads are as big as your head and are fresh and flavorful. Any sandwich that "should" come with meat, according to the menu, can be modified to be meatless.

This might be the first Irish bar I've ever really liked to at at.

The one downside? They don't have a web site, so you have to hope that you'll like one of the daily specials or something off of the unpublished menu if you go there on a whim. And one other thing...they can get to be kind of crowded, and service can be a little slow if you're in a big group. But what else should you expect if you're in a small-ish place in a large group?

Give The Colony a chance if you're ever in the area. It's a great little bar with some really great food.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

Whether you're legitimately Irish (like I am) or only Irish on St. Patty's Day, I wish you a very happy St. Patty's Day. It's a great day to support the Cleveland economy by patronizing a local watering hole - whether you head downtown to watch the parade or stay in your neighborhood. I'm recovering from a bad bout of bronchitis, so I won't be representing the O'Brien drinking team, but I do hope to enjoy some of the festivities. My strange St.Patrick's Day tradition? Getting pizza at Vincenza's. What's more Irish than "mall pizza."

How do you plan on celebrating St. Patty's Day?

An Irish Vegan Feast at Bistro 185

2011-03-16T07:00:00.005-04:00

As a general rule, I don't like Irish food. Or more likely, I can't eat it. Growing up, my very Irish grandmother was always trying to feed me ham, mashed potatoes drenched in butter, and some sort of awful vegetable. Grandma meant well, but she never caught on to the fact that my parents and I didn't eat meat. I feel like most Irish bars/restaurants cook the way my grandma does...meat with a side of buttery something.

Yuck.

Thankfully, this St. Patty's Day season, there's at least one vegan Irish offering around town (two if you count Melt's vegan reuben sandwich...but I'm not really a fan of it) and I think I just might like it! Bistro 185 is hosting a St. Patrick's Day themed vegan dinner on March 30. For the low, low price of $30 per person you can get a gourmet 3 course vegan feast:

First Course
Caramelized Onion, Cabbage, and Vegan Bacon Tart

Second Course
Irish Stew with Vegetables and Gardein
On a Bed of Red Bliss Potato Mash with Spring Onions

Third Course
Chocolate Mousse Infused with Irish Whiskey

My only complaint about this vegan dinner is that it doesn't come with some Irish whiskey...but I think I can remedy that myself! As always, you need to pre-register to attend this monthly vegan event. Contact Bistro 185 for more information.

Is Vegan in Cleveland the New Black?

2011-03-15T07:00:00.002-04:00

First of all, I'm not dead. Posting on my blog has taken a backseat to school work. Exciting, right? Who turns 30 and decides to go back to school "for fun?" But enough about me.

In my posting absence, I have noticed all sorts of "vegan things" popping up around town. Is vegan the new black? Almost every day of the week you can find a vegan night or a restaurant offering tasty vegan fare. Here are some of my recent vegan discoveries:

Now That's Class - Holy vegan-ness! Specials most days of the week - including a vegan chesesteak night!
Vegan Sweet Tooth - Cleveland's first retail vegan bakery. YES! Opening at Eton on Chagrin later this spring.
Johnny Mango - Taco Tuesday! (sure, I knew they have taco Tuesday, but I didn't realize they offer bean tacos - not just meat tacos!)
Umami Moto - One of Cleveland's newest food trucks - offering multiple vegan options.
Root Cafe - An amazingly cool vegetarian/vegan cafe in Lakewood offering a wide selection of vegan food.

As I move towards a vegan lifestyle and away from a vegetarian lifestyle, I think it's really exciting to see Cleveland embrace the vegan food movement. What other vegan food offerings am I missing?

Vegan and Vegetarian Wednesdays at Deagan's Kitchen

2010-12-22T07:00:00.004-05:00

I often think I live on the wrong side of the river. Especially when I hear about Cleveland's west side eateries holding vegan and vegetarian nights.

I just learned that Deagan's Kitchen and Bar in Lakewood offers vegan and vegetarian night every Wednesday! Holy tofu, batman! Not only does this restaurant offer an amazing beer and drink list - but they offer vegan and vegetarian grub, too! I might as well die and go to heaven! Recent menu features include amazing sounding dishes like vegetable sushi, deviled potatoes with tofu, ponzu marinated tofu with soba noodle salad, vegan chocolate brownie cake and much, much more.

I've yet to check this place out, but now I really can't wait to. Are there other vegan and vegetarian happenings around town that I'm missing out on?

Recipe: Spicy Vegan Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce

2010-12-03T07:00:00.003-05:00

It has now been a week since I had a functional kitchen sink, but I've decided I can't let that keep me from cooking. Or eating...skipping dinner is kind of a drag and you can only eat frozen meals so many days in a row. So...I decided to whip out my Magic Bullet Blender (it's more awesome than you might think! and easier to drag out than my real blender!) and whip up a homemade pasta sauce.

I've been dying to make a vegan cream sauce that doesn't taste vegan (not saying all vegan food is bad, but some things definitely don't resemble their dairy filled counterparts). I attempted to make a cream sauce with tofu and nutritional yeast a few weeks back, and I'm not sure I've ever put something so foul tasting in my mouth. After some extensive google-ing and consulting with Chef Jakub Mejstrik, I decided that using a vegan cashew cream was the way to go. (plus, everything at Akron's amazing vegan restaurant - Vegiterranean - is made with it, and they clearly know more about vegan cooking than I do.

Not familiar with cashew cream? It's probably the easiest thing I've ever made. All you do is buy raw cashews at the store (not the Mr. Peanut processed kind!), soak them in water for a couple hours, and then pop them in a blender with a little bit of water. Then, through the magic of science, or something like that, you have an amazing vegan cream! Important note - you might need more water than you think to whip up a batch of vegan cream - most recipes say one cup cashews to one cup water, but you might need more or less - use your best judgement here. You want the cream sauce to be, well, creamy...not a thick cashew-y paste. And note that one cup of water + one cup of water will yield close to 2 cups cashew cream. Unless you need that much for a recipe, feel free to scale down the amounts to something that will meet your needs.

So this was step one in my spicy vegan vodka tomato cream sauce creation process. The rest is as follows:

Ingredients: (serves 2)

- 2 servings noodles

- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

- fresh garlic - finely diced (use as much or as little as you like! but don't be stingy with it)

- 14 ounce can whole tomatoes

- 1/4 cup cashew cream

- 1 tablespoon vodka

- 1 teaspoon parsley

Method:

Boil water and prepare noodles following directions on package.
While noodles are boiling, put oil, garlic, and red pepper into a small to medium saucepan with the temperature at medium/medium-high. Allow to simmer until garlic begins to soften.
While the noodles are boiling and the garlic/oil/pepper mixture is boiling, use a small blender (Magic Bullet, ahem) or a food processor to grind tomatoes into a paste.
Add tomato mixture, cashew cream, parsley, and vodka to the oil/pepper/garlic mixture and bring to a boil. Stir frequently to prevent the sauce from burning. Once sauce begins to thicken, it is "done."
Add cooked noodles to sauce mixture and stir for a minute or so until all noodles are covered in creamy, saucy goodness.

The result:

A sauce that rivaled any tomato cream sauce I've had in a non-vegan restaurant. Really! It was pretty amazing how similar the taste and texture was! I even fed this to a non veg and he really liked it. (maybe more than I did? I think I skimped on the garlic) The red pepper gave it a subtle kick, but I think I could turn that flavor up a notch next time.

Now that I've discovered cashew cream, I can't wait to experiment with it some more! (lookout, my lactose intolerant friends! I'll have lots of food for you to try!) I've never really liked using heavy cream in recipes (for lots of different reasons) and I never seem to have it on hand when I need it. Now that I know I can just whip up a batch of cashew cream quickly and easily, I might never use dairy cream again!

Anyone else out there in internet land know of any other great recipes using cashew cream?

You Down With C.L.E.? C.L.E. Clothing Co. Holiday Launch Party

2010-12-02T07:00:00.005-05:00

Some people are ashamed to admit that they're from Cleveland. And I understand that. What are we best known for?

1. The burning river (I hear that one most often when I travel)
2. The town where no sports team is ever consistently good
3. Quitness

Note: I occasionally hear people tell me that they know about Cleveland for the Rock Hall, so chalk one up in the positive category.

But I like to focus on the positive side of Cleveland. We've got a vibrant music scene, a wide array of dining options, and to the best of my knowledge, no one has been shot in Tremont lately. WIN!

Seriously, though, no matter where I travel, I'm always happy to return home to the CLE.

A company that shares that same sentiment is C.L.E. Clothing. Known for creating kind of wacky Cleveland themed tees, their mission is to spread Cleveland pride one t-shirt at a time.

"Fra-gee-lay!"

(See me above, pictured in a C.L.E. Clothing Co. "leg lamp" t-shirt from last year's collection.)

The great folks at C.L.E. are holding their Holiday Launch Party this Saturday - December 4, 2010 at Native Cleveland, a store in the Waterloo arts district featuring products proudly created by Clevelanders. (if you're an artist/crafter/etc., check out the Native Cleveland site to learn more about how you can possibly get your wares displayed in the new store) I know I can't wait to see what designs will be available this season. Sadly, the leg lamp shirt was retired last year, so I can only wear it sparingly. But since I own nearly every other C.L.E Clothing Co. shirt in existence, I know I'll find something to add to my list of gifts to buy for myself this holiday season!

Vegan Holiday Desserts From Terra Bakery

2010-12-01T07:00:00.006-05:00

In keeping with my "non cooking" theme this week, thanks to my busted kitchen sink (new Moen faucet should arrive today!), I thought I'd send a shout out to Terra Bakery.

As one of the first vegan bakers to hit the scene in Cleveland (or at least come across my radar), Lea (the baker behind Terra Bakery), offers up her delicious vegan goodies at the Geauga Farmer's Market during the summer and takes orders during the colder months. For Thanksgiving, Lea offered up vegan coconut cream pies, pumpkin cheezecake, carrot cake, and so many other amazing sounding treats.

Visit the Terra Bakery Facebook page to read about Lea's current offers or to find out how to place an order for the upcoming holidays.

Vegan Happenings - 3 Course Prix Fixe Vegan Dinner at Bistro 185

2010-11-30T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been doing too much cooking lately. Sure, I made a half dozen different side dishes for Thanksgiving, but besides that, I've slipped back into my microvave gourmet way of life. For now, I can blame my lack of cooking on my busted kitchen sink. (thanks for breaking right before Thanksgiving, kitchen sink!) But once that situation gets taken care of (Hopefully this weekend? I don't know how people in other countries live without running water in multiple rooms of their house. We're so lucky here.), I hope to get back on the cooking and baking wagon. Until then, I can read about the cooking of others. Or count down the days until Bistro 185's 3 course prix fixe vegan dinner, being held on December 15, 2010.

Last month I had the opportunity to attend a 5 course vegan wine dinner at Bistro 185 with my mother.
I typically just get take out for Bistro 185's monthly vegan dinners, but the nice ambiance of the restaurant really added to the experience. I honestly couldn't have been more impressed with Chef Jakub Mejstrik's cooking. Every course was better than the next and the wine pairings were amazing. (maybe too amazing! I'm not used to having that much wine in one sitting!) The upcoming event is a 3 course event, featuring an app (butternut squash soup), an entree (eggplant parm with vegan cheese), and a dessert (apple pie with vegan ice cream).

Just thinking about those courses makes my stomach grumble!

At $30, this dinner isn't cheap - but for 3 courses? You can't beat it! (Think of how much a 3 course meal might cost at that famous vegan restaurant in Akron, shall we folks?) And since alcohol isn't included this time around, I can enjoy one of Bistro 185's excellent martinis! (ok, maybe 2)

To reserve your spot for this upcoming event, contact the restaurant directly. You'll need to provided them with a credit card number and your email address. To learn more or to RSVP, visit the event's page on Facebook or become a fan of Bistro 185 on Facebook to get updates on their monthly vegan dinners.

Recipe: Sesame Soy Broccolini

2010-11-23T07:00:00.001-05:00

Do you ever have days where you get home from work, exhausted, and can barely muster up the strength to pop a meal in the microwave? Unfortunately, that happens to me quite often. And as much as I'd love to live on frozen meals, I know that I shouldn't, so I'm constantly on the hunt for quick and easy recipes. Sesame soy broccolini is one of those recipes.

Never had broccolini? In my mind, broccolini is like a cross between asparagus and broccoli. It doesn't taste like asparagus, though - it's just very "stemy."

Ingredients:

Broccolini (I buy it in shrink wrapped packages at Whole Foods)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Garlic - as much as you can handle
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

Method:

Trim broccolini - similar to how you'd trip asparagus. Cut of the ends and cut each step into manageable/eatable pieces
Finely mince garlic.
Put broccolini, garlic, oil, and soy sauce into a skillet. Cook on high or medium high heat until slightly wilted. (not too wilted! they cook pretty quickly!)
Enjoy!

Start to finish, you can whip up a batch of broccolini in less than 15 minutes. It's a quick and tasty addition to almost any meal.

What are your favorite quick and easy recipes?