Vegan Options at Science Club

Awhile back, I went to a friend's birthday celebration at Science Club on 19th Street.  While we were there, his wife pointed out to me that it wasn't just a bar, but it was a vegetarian restaurant.  I knew the Washington Post is a big fan of their veggie burger, but I didn't realize the entire menu was vegetarian.

Today, my co-worker and I had a chance to try Science Club for lunch.  I checked out the menu on-line before we went.  The website design is a little funky, but it's easy enough to see the menu as long as your computer has flash.  It's located on the bottom corner of the website.

Vegan items are clearly marked with a "V."  When we arrived at the restaurant, it was pretty empty, but I'll chalk that up to a rainy day and the fact that most people, like I did, think of it as more than a bar. 

I was pleased to see that the full restaurant menu included a number of vegan options not listed on the website.  In addition to the full menu, we were offered lunch menu pictured to the right.  There were so many vegan options that I had a hard time choosing what I wanted - a kale salad, a vegan burger that could be topped with daiya and vegan aioli, tofu skewers, a gardein "chick'n" sandwich, vegan quesdillas made with daiya, and more!




My co-worker and I opted to start out with the maison frites.

The fries came with a side of ketchup and vegan aioli.  The vegan aioli was a little bland, but since the fries were well seasoned, it worked well, especially since it had such a nice texture.

For my lunch, I opted for a vegan quesadilla - spinach, mushrooms and pepper jack daiya cheese.

The quesadilla was very good.  Normally, I'm not a fan of the pepper jack daiya, but it worked well here and was excellently melted.  I also liked the salsa they served on the side. 

I will definitely go back to Science Club - it's awesome to have a restaurant with so many vegan options so close to my office.  I can't wait to make my way through the menu!

For our vegetarian friends, what's a hidden vegan or vegetarian restaurant gem that's under the restaurant radar?  For our omnivore friends, does knowing a restaurant is "vegetarian" make you less likely to want to try it?

Vegan Options at Fuel Pizza and Red Velvet Cupcakes

Last week, I bought a Living Social Deal for Fuel Pizza.  Fuel started out with one store in Charlotte, NC, has since expanded to eight stores in that area.  Recently, they opened two locations in DC, one on K and one on F Street.

The DC locations offer daiya cheese (the NC locations' menus do not appear to have daiya as an option - let me know if you spot it there!) so the DC Fuel locations are an option for vegans.  You won't be able to get pizza by the slice, but you can easily order a custom pie and have leftovers.

On Friday, before seeing a movie, my friend and I visited the K Street location.  I opted for a 12" multigrain crust topped with daiya, spinach, mushrooms and red onions.  While Fuel isn't as generous with the daiya as Pete's, District of Pi, or Fresh Pizzeria are, the sauce was good, the toppings were fresh and I liked the multigrain crust.  Also, the staff were extremely friendly and made us feel very welcome.

My friend was able to order pizza by the slice and enjoyed two vegetarian slices - a spinach-ricotta and a mushroom.  She said that the spinach-ricotta was perfect and that she would get it again, and that the mushroom was good, but could have used more mushrooms.

For those of you who are gluten free, Fuel offers gluten free pizza, and even gluten free beer!  Note that the gluten free pizza is only available in the 12" pie, so no slices and no larger pizzas.  It would be great if more pizza places offered vegan and gluten-free pizza options by the slice.  I know you can get vegan pizza by the slice at Whole Foods and Washington Deli (where they use soy cheese rather than daiya).  Any other leads out there?  In the meantime, let's thank local pizzerias who have vegan options and let them know there is a demand out there for vegan slices.

We had some time to kill before the movie and were craving something sweet, so my friend and I hit Red Velvet, a small cupcake store in Chinatown which I knew would have at least one vegan option on the menu.  Turns out they have two vegan options on the DC menu - the black velvet, which is a chocolate cake with a vegan chocolate "buttercream," and the white velvet, which is vanilla cake with vegan vanilla "buttercream."  The vegan cupcakes are also gluten-free.

I opted for the black velvet and liked it.  The cake on its own doesn't have a strong flavor, but paired with the icing, it was very good.  I prefer my cupcakes not to be overly sweet, and these definitely fit that bill.  If you want to bring vegan cupcakes to your next staff meeting or social gathering, you can special order a dozen for $36.  You can also get vegan cupcakes at Red Velvet's Clarendon location and Reston location.

To make up for the subpar picture I took of the cupcake, I'm sharing a picture of the cute box it came in. 

Off The Menu Vegan Plate at Johnny's Half Shell

Last week, after our conference and board meetings wrapped, my colleagues and I went out to lunch.  Normally, when I know I'm going out to eat somewhere where I'm not extremely familiar with the menu, I call ahead to ask about vegan options so that the chef has a heads up and time to prepare.  But, since we chose a restaurant on the fly this time, I didn't have that option.

The restaurant we went to was Johnny's Half Shell on Capitol Hill.  The restaurant is known for its seafood, so I wasn't sure what my vegan options might be.  We arrived as the restaurant was setting up for lunch, so I was able to ask the hostess if there would be a vegan option available.  She said that it wouldn't be a problem, but she would confirm with the chef to make sure.

I started with a house salad, which was modified with a dressing that was vegan friendly.  For my entree, I was presented the following beautiful vegetable plate:

It had two different varieties of green beans, grilled zucchini and spinach.  Also, while I'm not normally a fan of white rice, whatever this rice was seasoned with was delectable.

I thought it was terrific that Johnny's Half Shell was so accommodating to my last minute vegan request, and I'd definitely recommend it as a destination if you're out with mixed eating company of vegans and omnivores.

What restaurants in your area are accommodating to vegans and vegetarians?

Restaurant Roundup: Fresh Pizzeria, Au Bon Pain, Black Market Bistro and Chipotle

A busy week prepping for one of my office's major events meant a lot of eating out this week.  I feel like the times when people are pressed for time and on the go are the times when it's easy to fall off the vegan wagon.  Fortunately, there are a ton of options available to make eating out as a vegan easy.

After a late work night Thursday, my husband and I decided to try Fresh Pizzeria on Rockville Pike.  I was disappointed when Z Pizza closed, since it was a reliable source of vegan pizza.  When Fresh Pizzeria took over the space, fortunately, they decided to keep the vegan pizza options open, offering daiya cheese and vegan burger crumbles, and a variety of vegan pies to choose from.

I tried the Vegan Garden Pizza. without olives.  The crust was good and the veggie toppings were fresh.  Additional vegan menu options include the Vegan Fiesta, which has black beans and guacamole, and the Vegan Burger.  You can also make your own vegan pizza.  Also, if you're gluten free, any pizza can be made with a gluten free crust.

Friday, I had to grab a quick lunch before running back to my desk, so I hit up Au Bon Pain.  There are at least five Au Bon Pain locations in walking distance to my office, so it's incredibly convenient.  They seem to have moved away from the "make your own sandwich" slips to more of a set menu, but they will still happily make an off menu sandwich for you.  I chose multigrain bread, avocado, arugula, tomato, onion and cucumbers.  The woman making my sandwich couldn't believe that I didn't want mayo, but I assured her the avocado made an excellent condiment.

I also had a chance to peruse the soups, which are clearly labeled with their ingredients, including milk, so it's easy to choose a vegan soup.  I went with the Barley & Creamy Lentil ,which I found to be hearty and flavorful.

I wish Au Bon Pain had a vegan sandwich on its set menu, but since they offer a variety of veggies, it's easy to make your own sandwich.  Most of the breads are vegan, but note that some include dairy, including the Ciabatta and the Cornbread.  The soup menu includes a plethora of vegan options, including the 12 Veggie, Black Bean, Tomato Lentil, Gazpacho, Tuscan White Bean and Vegetarian Chili.  Not all soups are available every day, but there should be at least one vegan option.


Friday night, we took my parents to Black Market Bistro in Garrett Park.  Black Market Bistro is located in a historic post office, and tucked away in a residential neighborhood, over by the Garrett Park MARC  station.  One of my favorite things about Black Market Bistro are the quality of their salads.  Last night, I had the Black Market Salad, which was a variety of lettuces, orange wedges and almonds with a citrus vinaigrette.  The salad normally comes with goat cheese, but the kitchen was happy to leave it off.

For dinner, I opted for the Black Market Vegetable Plate.  When I asked the server if it was appropriate for a vegan, she shared that the chef normally finishes the dish with butter, but that they could easily omit it.

The veggie plate changes regularly, based on what fresh vegetables are available.  My plate included eggplant, yellow squash, broad beans, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots and wax beans.  It was beautifully seasoned with a variety of fresh herbs and sea salt. As you can see, the portion is enormous, but I easily got three meals out of the plate above, which helps soften the $22 price tag.

Today, my husband and I were running a bunch of errands, and we ended up grabbing a quick lunch at Chipotle.  Chipotle is a fantastic choice for vegans.  Choosing a black bean burrito or bowl with a peppers and onions, any of a variety of salsas and guacamole will make a hearty, satisfying meal.  As it's clearly stated on the Chipotle website and on signage, the pinto beans are cooked with pork, so stick with the black beans if you want to stay vegan. 

My preferred meal is a burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, peppers and onions, fresh tomato salsa, chili corn salsa, guacamole and lettuce.

I know living in the DC area means I have a ton of food options, but, no matter where you live, vegan options can be plentiful.  What are some of your favorite vegan menu options?

DC VegFest 2012

My walk from work to yoga is about 20 minutes or so, and I usually chat with my parents en route.  On Thursday, when I was talking to my mother, she asked me "Are you going to DC VegFest this weekend?"  My initial response was "How do you know about DC VegFest?"  Count me impressed.

But, to answer her question, yes, Mom, I went to DC VegFest, and it was like Hannukah for the Vegans.

This year's VegFest was held at Yards Park, a beautiful area overlooking the Anacostia River.  After a short walk from the metro, I encountered hundreds, if not a thousand or more vegans, vegetarians, or people curious about being a vegan waiting in line to get this goody bag (more on that later!)

I met up with my friend Valerie (who has a wonderful blog, City Life Eats) and her friend Rachel, and we set off to explore the festival.

Here are some of my highlights:

Puree Juice Bar - Our first stop of the day was to grab some green juice from Puree, which is located in downtown Bethesda.  Since it was a warm day, we wanted to hydrate with some fresh juice.  My juice had kale, apple, cucumber and lemon.  While I've had fresh juice before, this was my first green juice and I was really happy with it (hence the big smiles below!).

Vaute Couture - Our next stop was Vaute Couture, which makes high-fashion, high quality vegan-friendly coats and and other clothing items.  I couldn't resist this gorgeous, snuggly green coat, especially given that it was 50% off!  Funny story - the Vaute Couture folks held it for me after I bought it, but, in a mix-up over how many they brought to DC, accidentally sold it to someone else before I could pick it up.  So, they are sending me one from inventory, free shipping.

Pete's APizza - I've written before on how much I love Pete's vegan pizza, so I was excited to see they had a stand.  They weren't serving pizza, but instead had a yummy vegan pasta with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and daiya cheese.   The eggplant was cooked to that perfect creamy texture that I love, and I could have eaten this pasta all day long!  For my gluten-free friends, Pete's also has gluten-free pasta.

Daiya Cheese - Speaking of Daiya, they were right around the corner from Pete's.  Valerie and I finally got to try the elusive Jalapeno Garlic Havarti Wedge, which we haven't seen anywhere in the DC area.  Apparently it's at Mom's Organic Market, so I'll be looking for it at the Rockville Mom's very soon.  I definitely preferred it to the other Daiya wedges.  I can see me eating it on crackers.

Roots Market - We've driven by the Roots Market in Olney a number of times, and I definitely hope to stop in there for a visit soon!  At the Roots booth, I was able to try Beyond Meat, a vegan chicken substitute that has gotten a ton of press lately.  Roots has in their prepared foods section, and hopes to carry it at retail soon.  I was so thrilled with the texture and flavor - it's super hearty.  I know you can get Beyond Meat in Whole Foods on the West Coast, so hopefully it will make it out here soon so I can play with it in some dishes. 

The Vegg - The Vegg makes a vegan egg yolk.  We tried it with some vegan french toast and I was bowled over on how authentic it tastes.  It's made with nutritional yeast and black salt.  It's thinner than an egg yolk might be, but the people working the booth said it can be bulked up with silken tofu.  Do you know what that means, friends?  Vegan fruit tart!  Stay tuned for that experiment.

Way Better Snacks - Way Better Snacks makes a variety of sprouted tortilla chips.  Sprouted foods are hot right now, there was a massive crowd at this booth.  All of the flavors were good, but I really enjoyed the Sweet Chili flavor (and got a larger sample to take home).  They tasted like Cool Ranch Doritos, except they're healthy.  We're talking protein, fiber, omega 3s and very little sodium given the flavor, and all natural whole grains and flavors.  Do you know what this means, people?  Step away from the Doritos.  Now, you can get all the flavor and none of the chemistry experiment.

Primal Strips - My friend Caren recently reviewed Primal Strips on her blog, Voodie Girl.  Caren was very happy with Primal Strips, so when I saw Pangea had them for sale at their booth, I decided to pick one up for a test run.  Primal Strips are meatless vegan jerky, and high in protein for a snack.  I haven't tried mine yet, but I'll post a review soon.  If I like them, I'll stock up.  I can see them as an awesome thing to have on hand when I travel.

Bold Organics Pizza - I'm always on the lookout for a good frozen vegan pizza, because I like to have at least one in the freezer in case I'm too lazy to cook.  Bold's pizzas are not only vegan, they're also gluten-free.  The crust was surprisingly chewy and the flavor was good.  They're available at Mom's, and, if you've got a Food Lion near you, you can get them there too.

Lotus Foods - Lotus Foods makes a variety of interesting bagged rice (rices?  reese?  What is the plural of rice?).  I got to sample the black forbidden rice, and I really liked the nutty flavor.  We're almost out of our rice blend, so I think I'll try Lotus next.

I also got to visit some of my favorite companies and tell them how much I enjoy their products and try some of their newest foods.  Earth Balance had a yummy chocolate soy milk I'd like to try more of, and I also got to check out Upton's Naturals new Hickory Seitan. 

Also, while I didn't buy anything from Amsterdam Falafel, I did snap this pic of their fixin's bar.  Note to self - make field trip to Adams Morgan soon so I can get some falafel!

Anyhow, I promised some details on the goody bag,  In addition to bazillions of coupons and tons of interesting vegan and animal rights literature, it included a bonanza of product samples:

• Cascadian Farm Organic Ancient Grains Granola
• Tasty Bite Channa Masala
• Snikiddy Barbeque Baked Fries
• Bumble Bar Gluten-Free Organic Chocolate Crisp Bar
• Michele's Granola
• Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts
• Mary's Gone Crackers Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Cookies
• Sample pack of Wholesome Sweeteners

Clearly, I will have no shortage of things to write about in the near future, so stay tuned for lots of product reviews.

More Time with Victoria Moran and Easy Vegan Takeout

I wrote yesterday about hearing from Victoria Moran and her inspiring words about what it means to live a vegan lifestyle.  Tonight, I got to hear more from Victoria when she led a workshop at Tranquil Space where she again talked about the vegan lifestyle and her formula for healthy living - M.E.N.D.  This stands for Meditation, Exercise, Nourishment and Detoxification.  I don't think I can describe it as eloquently as Victoria did, and I fortunately found a video on YouTube where she talks about M.E.N.D.



My fellow workshop participants were a mixed bag when it came to their vegan journeys. There were folks who have been vegan for years, folks who have been vegan for days and folks who were vegetarians or flexetarians and curious about being a vegan.

During the workshop and in our conversations afterwards, we talked about the common perception that being vegan equals feeling deprived and how, when you're starting out down the vegan road, you might not be sure what to eat, especially if you're "too busy to cook."

I've had a pretty hectic few weeks, but I have managed to do really well with finding quick vegan meals.  Here's a few things I've picked up recently for lunch and dinner.  Now, I don't advocate eating out for every meal, but I want to show how easy it can be to find vegan options, even when you're busy.

Today, I went to a "lunch and learn" professional development event.  When I registered, I requested a vegan lunch.  Today, when I picked up my badge, I was also handed this "Pan-Asian Vegan Salad," courtesy of Lawson's Catering.  The ingredients included Red Peppers, Carrot, Eggplant, Jicama, Cucumbers, and Crispy Fried Wonton Noodles on a bed of Field Greens.

Tonight, on my way to the workshop, I hit up Marvelous Market for this yummy bean and wheat berry salad, as well as the most delicious fresh pineapple.  I need to eat more fresh pineapple - I felt so energized.

This was my lunch yesterday, a Falafel and Hummus whole wheat sandwich from Perfect Pita.  The sandwich typically comes with provolone and feta, but since they are made to order, it was easy to get mine without any cheese.  Check out their vegan menu for more ideas.

This was my lunch from last Friday, the Farmer's Market salad from Pret-A-Manger.  Look at that avocado!  It also had garbanzo beans, lentil salad, pine nuts, shredded beets, shredded carrot, spinach, cherry tomatoes and roasted red peppers.  

I could go on and on - soups, salads, wraps, stir-frys . . . YUM!  What's some of your favorite easy vegan takeout?

Vegan Pizza at District of Pi

Tonight, my friend and I went to Chinatown to catch a movie.  We had plenty of time for dinner beforehand, so we decided to go to District of Pi.  I had eaten some of the veggie thin crust and deep dish pizzas there before, and knew they had vegan options available.

District of Pi is very vegan friendly.  The thin crust pizza dough is vegan, and you can substitute daiya cheese and Match meats for the toppings.  I have heard of Match, but I wasn't sure if it was GMO-free soy,so I didn't try it.  The Match website doesn't list ingredients, and the internet was no help, so I may have to look for it in a store so I can look closely at the packaging.

You can also get vegan deep dish pizza at District of Pi, but since the regular deep dish dough has butter, you need to give them advance notice if you'll be ordering it so they can ensure to have the vegan dough available for you.

My pizza tonight had red sauce, daiya, arugula, artichokes and red onions.  The crust was super crispy and the vegetables were all very fresh.  The thin crust pizzas come out quickly, but if you are ordering the deep dish, make sure you budget 25-30 minutes to wait for it to bake.  If you're hungry, you can snack on some vegan friendly appetizers while you wait.  The server told me that they can do a vegan garlic bread, and you can also choose from cucumbers with thai chili, roasted mushrooms with garlic and rosemary, olives and orange or the pi hummus plate with pita, red peppers and olives.  There are also salads that you can easily order without dairy or meat ingredients.  And, if you're into beer, they've got a great rotating selection, including Arrogant Bastard from Stone Brewing Co. (I went there on a work event earlier this year) and various beers from local brewery DC Brau. 

Stay tuned for when I try their vegan deep dish!

A Day of Eating in Reverse - Pete's A Pizza, More Whole Foods and Java Green

 Yes, I ate out for three meals today.  Not my normal routine, but with a early morning doctor's appointment and a date night before I fly out of town for a week, that's what I did to make the day work. 

Let's work backwards from dinner.  Since I'll be gone for eight days for back to back work trips and we had a hectic weekend last week, my husband and I had a date night tonight.  Husband knew I was dying to try the vegan options at Pete's-A-Pizza, so we went to the Friendship Heights location.  As an AU grad, I'd say it's more in Tenley than Friendship Heights, but it's equidistant from both metros, so I won't quibble too much over the description.

I had known about Pete's since their Columbia Heights location opened a few years ago, but never got around to trying it when I was still eating dairy products.  They're known for "New Haven Style" pizza.  I figured I had missed the boat on trying their pies, but then the Washington Post ran an article about the DC's essential vegetarian eats that mentioned Pete's Edge of the Woods Pizza.

After reading that article, I did some more research.  Pete's website is very vegan friendly.  There's a whole section of their website devoted to vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.  The website also notes that the owners' son has been a vegetarian since he was five, and that their chef and co-owner has a history of working with special diets.  To be safe, before we went to the restaurant, I called to make sure they were indeed able to make the vegan version of the Edge of the Woods pizza, and the manager confirmed they had everything on hand to make it that evening.

I did have one funny moment when we actually ordered the pizza.  When I asked for the vegan version, the woman said to me "Do you still want the eggplant?"  I asked her if the eggplant wasn't vegan for some reason.  "Well, it's fried."  My immediate response?  "Was it fried in an animal?"  After a good laugh, I let her know that when I called earlier, the manager said all the ingredients were vegan friendly. 

The pizza was very good.  The pie was topped with daiya, as well as caramelized onions, spinach and the aforementioned fried eggplant.  The eggplant was so thinly sliced that it reminded me of a potato chip.  I forsee some fun with the mandoline and "eggplant chips" in my culinary future.

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I had a craving for Whole Food's Kamut Citrus Salad for lunch today, but, alas they didn't have it on the prepared foods bar.  So, I made do with the pictured mishmash of various items off the salad bar.

Starting with the upper left, we have a vegetarian samosa, creamy kale, mango, raddicchio, cucumbers, kamut, black beans and raw shredded beets.  It is a curious mix of foods to be sure, but I enjoyed all of it, particularly the creamy kale!

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I mentioned earlier in this post that I had a doctor's appointment.  It was my annual physical, which meant bloodwork, which in turn meant fasting, which in turn meant no breakfast.  I knew from my regular lunch stops that Java Green serves breakfast, so I decided to pick up something there after my appointment.  I went with the vegan grilled breakfast sandwich, which is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich made with daiya.  Although the menu didn't specify it, it the woman making my sandwich added some tomato.  I was pleased, but those who dislike fresh tomatoes beware. 

Two Days of Vegan Deliciousness

I've had two days of really delicious meals to share.

As I've mentioned before, our local market has a number of neat food options.   One of my favorite things about it are the variety of snack options that are friendly to my allergies.  When I popped in to pick up a few things last night, I noticed a new product, Beanitos Black Bean Chips. 

These chips are vegan, and they're also gluten-free, which makes them a great option for folks with celiac and other forms of gluten intolerance.  They also have 4g of protein and 5g of fiber per 10 chip serving.  If GMOs concern you, also note that this product is verified as Non-GMO.

The chips are light and sweeter tasting than your average tortilla chip.  My guess is that the sweetness comes from the brown rice.  They paired well with the avocado, tomato and sea salt you see on the right.

I know for sure that I've mentioned my love of Whole Foods many a time in this blog.  Today, for lunch, I visited the Foggy Bottom store and enjoyed a number of items off of their prepared foods bar.  I particularly like getting prepared foods at Whole Foods since they clearly label their allergens, as well as which items are vegan friendly.

In the picture to the right (left hand corner clockwise around), you'll find Quinoa Ranchero, raw dandelion, beets, kamut citrus salad and carrots with ginger.

 

This is my second time eating the kamut citrus salad, and it continues to be a favorite. The kamut has a chewy, nutty texture, and it's a good source of protein and fiber.  The carrots were even more delicious than I was expecting.  It was also my first time eating dandelion greens.  Like most greens, they are an excellent source of vitamin A & C.  They weren't as bitter as I expected, and I actually thought they were good mixed in with the kamut.

Changing gears.  Sometimes, in the middle of my yoga practice, I get strong food cravings.  Since part of yoga is listening to signals from my body, as long as the cravings are healthy, I listen to them. In my pre-vegetarian days, my cravings were for the fancy McDonald's burger with the red onions and a large fries (the fact that there is a McDonald's across the street from my yoga studio may have contributed to these cravings).  However, as I embraced a pescetarian diet, and then a lacto-ovo one and now my plant-based/animal product free/veganesque one, I noticed that my cravings gradually became for healthier and healthier foods.  For example, I might crave a large salad from Sweetgreen or falafel (or, better yet, the Sweetgreen salad with Falafel).

 

Today, my craving was for vegan pizza.  Yes, specifically, vegan pizza.  This was big for me.  It's been about 19 days since I had my last serving of cheese.  Yes, I fell back on the cheese wagon pretty hard last February.  Recently, I decided it was time to eliminate it again.  That is the subject of another post.

 

If that sounds like the terminology of an addict, it's a fair point.  Dr. Oz and Dr. Neal Barnard back me up on this subject, and these guys know their stuff. I know that dairy and I don't get along - it upsets my stomach, makes me break out, gives headaches, makes me congested, you name it.  Also, I tend to eat much larger portions of food when the dish has a dairy component.  Plus, there's the whole ethics of vegetarianism that makes me pause when I think about dairy products.  

 

That said, if you put cheese it in front of me, I can't stop eating it.  So, it's best that I just kick it out of my diet altogether, and get my protein, calcium and Vitamin D from other sources.

 

So yes, the fact that I wanted vegan pizza, in my mind, was a good thing.  I'm lucky that there are three good options for vegan pizza near our place:  Pete's-A-Pizza, Z Pizza and, you guessed it, Whole Foods.   Since Whole Foods is the closest to our apartment, we opted to go there.  Their vegan pizza is always excellent.  Rather than using daiya or another cheese substitute, their vegan pizza is cheese free and loaded with veggies like peppers, spinach and mushrooms.  It's a little heavy on black olives for my taste, but those are easily removed.  

The good news is that I didn't crave my husband's cheese pizza, so I am guessing that's another sign that I have kicked my desire for dairy.  I'm looking forward to checking out more vegan pizza options in the near future! 

Vegan Kickstart Check-In

Source: etsy.com via Miriam on Pinterest

Well, I've finished the first two weeks of my version of PCRM's Vegan Kickstart.  While I've been eating almost entirely vegan since December, it was nice to take 21 days to really focus on what I've been eating. This was, I can see what's working well for me and areas that I might want to focus on changing.  Additionally, I wanted to challenge the concept that eating vegan on a regular basis is "too hard," and that it can be done with a busy lifestyle like mine.

You can see the recap of everything I've eaten so far on my personal kickstart page.  Here's what I've learned:

I eat a lot of toast.  Yep, I have little or no variety in the morning when it comes to breakfast.  To be fair though, with my seasonal issues, it's a miracle that I make it out the door in the morning, much less get up in time to make breakfast.  I used to dash out the door in the morning and grab a bagel and cream cheese, so this is a definite improvement.  But, as I start waking up better in the morning (aka, after the clocks go forward in the Spring), I'll explore more variety for breakfast

I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Looking back at the past two weeks, I've noticed that I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal.  Between the food I prepared myself and the food I ate at other people's homes or at restaurants, I had over 30 different kinds of fresh fruits or vegetables since January 2.  Let me list them for you!  I ate artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocado, blueberries, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cantaloupe, carrots, cucumber, eggplant, green onion, honeydew, kale, kiwi, lettuce, mesculun mix, mango, mushrooms, pear, pineapple, radishes, red cabbage, red onion, raspberries, spinach, sprouts, strawberries, tomatoes, yellow pepper and watermelon.  And that doesn't include the fresh herbs I enjoyed as well.  That's a cornucopia if I ever saw one!  If you focus on eating "real food," versus meat substitutes, you will have no issues with variety on a vegan diet.

Eating out is not a problem.  I went out to eat in DC, suburban Maryland and Southern New Jersey.  Nowhere I went had any issues putting together a vegan meal for me.  At sit down restaurants like Seasons 52 and Founding Farmers, our servers were wonderful about helping me find vegan options on their menus, and the kitchens were happy to customize dishes to make them vegan friendly.  It never hurts to ask a restaurant if there are vegan options - chances are, the restaurant will be happy to oblige.  On the "fast food" side, it helps to choose places that you know have vegan selections on the existing menu - I knew Cava Mezze Grill, Elevation Burger, Roti, Chop't and Sweetgreen would have options that worked for me.  So between a little advanced research and asking questions, you should be fine.

But, I need to be prepared and patient.  Sometimes, you may be in a situation where a vegan option isn't obvious.  When my husband and I were on the way back from visiting my parents, we stopped at a rest stop on I-95.  I was frustrated at the lack of apparent vegan options and ended up getting a plain bagel with fixins from the Roy Rogers station.  Had I taken the time to look harder (aka, been patient), I could have gotten a pita, veggies and hummus from Starbucks.  Even better, I should have packed a sandwich from the various vegan-friendly delights my mother had for us at home.  Granted, one less than satisfying meal in 15 days is really nothing to complain about.

I need to adjust my portions.  My husband gets credit for noticing this before I did - I am eating less food now that I'm not eating cheese or any dairy products.  Not sure if it's because I'm eating higher fiber dishes or if my body is less "confused" without dairy (I found it very easy to overeat when cheese was involved), but I've had tons more leftovers than I usually do.  So, I'll adjust my meal planning accordingly in the coming weeks.  I tend to get bored with eating the same thing three days in a row, so, now that I know I need less food to keep me satisfied, I'll make less to begin with to ensure I get more variety throughout the week.

I'm grateful for a supportive family.  I've heard a lot of people say that their families wouldn't support a vegan lifestyle, but mine have been fantastic about it.  They've also been supportive of my various food allergy issues.  From my husband taking me out for my favorite vegan burger and trying my various concoctions (even the green frankenburger), to my Mom making a vegan version of a favorite childhood soup and stocking her fridge with daiya, hummus and other veg friendly treats, to my husband's grandmother buying a veritable buffet of vegan prepared foods at Whole Foods, I'm downright spoiled. Talk to your friends and family about why you are making the choices you are and how your eating might change from what they're used to.  You may get questions - answer them politely, offer to bring a dish to the next family gathering, etc. 

What questions do you have about eating a vegan diet?  What excites you?  What are you hesitant about?

Vegetarian on the Road - East Coast City Edition

Well, so much for my editorial structure I promised to stick to last week.  One of the things about traveling often for work (I've been on two trips so far this month) is that it's hard to stick to any kind of schedule, much less an editorial one.

But, one benefit of a crazy travel schedule is the opportunity to sample vegetarian fare beyond my home base of DC.  To that end, here's a round-up of some of my recent dining adventures:

New York City
Let's start with an amazing fine dining vegetarian experience I had tonight at Blossom, a cozy restaurant in Chelsea.  All of the menu items are organic and vegan.  I spoke to the server about my soy allergy, and she noted that a number of the dishes were finished with a soy butter, but she made some recommendations that she thought I would enjoy.  I ended up having a black-eyed pea cake, a "crispy cake of yukon gold potatoes, black eyed peas and chipotle aioli."  The seasoning on the pea cake was impeccable, and I loved the smooth texture of the veganaise aioli.  I followed the starter with the evening's special, pan-seared seitan cutlets with a rosemary tomato sauce, yukon gold potatoes and hairicot verts that was so good I kept taking smaller and smaller bites so it would last longer.  I've never had handmade seitan before and I am not sure I can go back to the boxed stuff from Whole Foods now, which means you can look forward to a blog about my attempts to make seitan from scratch in the future.   But anyway, Washington, DC NEEDS a fine dining vegan restaurant like this.  Or maybe it doesn't, because I could eat at Blossom every day if I lived near enough!

Philadelphia
I was in my hometown for a quick conference last week, which meant I got to take a side trip to one of my favorite places, Reading Terminal Market, a historic building with a variety of food stalls - produce, candy, pastries, you name it.  There are a number of places vegetarians can happily dine at Reading Terminal.  For nostalgia's sake, I hit Spataros, which makes a mean vegetarian hoagie.  Some other good vegetarian options include Kamal's, Mezze and Basic Four Vegetarian Snack Bar.

I also had the chance to experiment with the salad bar at Fogo de Chao, a Brazilian style steakhouse with locations around the US.  Some fellow conference attendees who I enjoy catching up with every year really wanted to go there, so I decided to give it a shot as a vegetarian.  In my meat eating days, I had happily eaten the unlimited meat and I remembered that Fogo has a wonderful salad bar.  So, while my colleagues enjoyed their meat meals, I feasted on marinated mushrooms, hearts of palm, tomatoes and bufala mozzarella, yellow peppers and more.  It is a little off-putting to be around so much meat, but it's good to know that if I have to attend a work function at Fogo, I'll have plenty of options.

Baltimore
My life hasn't been all work and no play this month - my husband and I spent Saturday evening in Baltimore, where we took in a Buddy Guy concert in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  We originally planned to go to Little Italy, which has some amazing restaurants, but since we were running late, we instead opted to try a restaurant in Power Plant Live, which is the complex that housed our concert venue.  We decided to try Joe Squared, which had a sign outside that said they were "Named the Best Pizza in Maryland."  I tried the veggie pizza, which had "pink sauce, arugula, zucchini, eggplant, fennel, mozzarella and Boursin cheeses."  I was actually a little disappointed with it - the crust was meh and the veggies would have benefited from either being roasted at a higher temp or being sauteed first.  Overall, the whole thing was very bland.  However, my husband enjoyed his sandwich, they had a mushroom "cheesesteak" that looked good, and the servers were super nice, so I would be willing to give them another shot.

Washington, DC
It was my birthday recently, and my husband took me out to dinner at Poste, which is located in the Hotel Monaco in Gallery Place.  There isn't a wealth of veggie options, but the ones that are available are exceptionally good.  I started with an arugula salad with basil, mint, figs and sherry vinaigrette.  For my entree, I had the Autumn Vegetable Crepes, which included four individual crepes - one with beets & goat cheese, one with cauliflower, one with farro and chanterelle mushrooms and one with polenta and roasted red pepper sauce.  The presentation was gorgeous and the results were super tasty.   Via, twitter, I confirmed that there are different seasonal versions of the crepes available throughout the year, which means I have an excuse to pop in every few months or so to sample them anew.

Wednesday Restaurant Round-Up: Foggy Bottom

Recently, a new development opened in Foggy Bottom, right by the George Washington University campus, that includes a number of restaurants and eating options.  Since it’s close to my office, I’ve had the opportunity to try a few places:

Circa at Foggy Bottom:  This is one of three Circa locations, with the other two at Connecticut & Q in Dupont and in Clarendon.  There are a number of vegetarian items on the menu, including fried green tomatoes, a variety of salads and pizzas and a mushroom ravioli.  I had the wild mushroom pizza, which came with cremini, shiitake and portobello mushrooms, pesto, Gruyère and shaved parmesan cheeses and arugula.  I loved the pizza – it was super cheesy and the mushrooms were extremely tasty.

Burger, Tap & Shake: Those of you who have been reading for awhile know that I love a good veggie burger.  I am so happy to have found one at Burger, Tap & Shake.  The Haight-Ashbury is a falafel patty with pickled vegetables and feta.  I loved both the seasoning and the texture.  Of all the veggie burgers available in downtown DC, this is my new favorite.

Whole Foods Foggy Bottom: District Commons is also home to a new Whole Foods.  The grocery store is on the bottom and on top is the bakery and to go section.  One cool thing they have at this location is a kiosk where you can put in your order for salads, “good earth bowls,” sandwiches, pizza, etc.  Think Sheetz or WaWa, but with farro and quinoa.  I tried out a good earth bowl, with mixed success.  First, I assumed by the ingredient options that this would be a hot meal – it was not.  I picked kale as my base thinking that it would be cooked, but when I got to the counter, I realized it was going to be raw.  Also, the system forced me to pick a sauce, which, for someone with a soy allergy, is a no-no.  I ended up placing my order with a sauce and then hustling over to the counter to ask them to omit it.  Then, I also discovered that a number of ingredients I selected on the kiosk weren’t available.  In my case, this meant farro and parsley.  But, I was able to get barley as a sub.  The rest of my bowl included the aforementioned kale, eggplant, tomatoes, chickpeas and onions.  I ended up microwaving it back at the office and it was good hot.  I’ll keep trying to see if they work out the kinks.

Some other options include new outposts of Roti and Sweetgreen, both of which I’ve written about before and have tons of great options for vegetarians, as well as District Commons, a new fine dining restaurant I have yet to try, but hope to soon.

Lunch Heaven at Maoz Vegetarian

Like most of the Northeast, we here in DC have been enduring torrential rain for the past several days.  No one wants to venture outside in this kind of weather unless they have to.  Today, unfortunately, I had to, as my Blackberry, after wheezing through the last several months, finally bit the dust.  With a business trip next week, I can't be without a mobile phone, so off I went in the rain to procure a new one.

The silver lining to the many, many rainclouds was the fact that Maoz Vegetarian was around the corner from the Sprint store.  After slogging through the rain and waiting around for an hour, I decided I deserved a lunch treat.

And, oh, what a treat it was!  For those of you not familiar with Maoz, it's a quick service restaurant that originated in Amsterdam in the mid-nineties that now has seven restaurants in the US.  The menu is quite simple.  You have the choice of a falafel sandwich, a salad bowl with falafel, pita with salad or egg and eggplant pita.  You can pay extra for toppings like hummus, feta and avocado.  There are also sweet potato fries and other sides.

But, the real fun begins once you get your meal . . . you get to top your sandwich or salad with a variety of amazing toppings.  I chose the salad bowl with falafel, and I topped it with beets, carrots, a tomato & cucumber salad and a cauliflower-broccoli blend.  The toppings were incredibly, incredibly fresh - better than some of the veg I've had in sit down restaurant.  The falafel were also cooked perfectly.  And, I think it took about one minute from the time I ordered to the time a salad bowl was in my hand, ready to be topped!

Everything at Maoz is very clearly labeled, which benefits both vegans and those with gluten intolerance.  Items that are vegan are marked with a bright green "V," and gluten free items with a bright blue "GF."  The falafel is gluten-free, which I imagine is a welcome treat for those folks with gluten intolerance.  It was very easy for me to put together a completely vegan lunch without having to ask any questions or pore over labels.

If you visit the Maoz website, you can also view an allergens table that notes which ingredients have soy, eggs, milk, wheat and nuts.  And, there is a nice nutrition section on their where you can learn more about the health benefits of the fruits, vegetables and grains on the menu, as well as a detailed breakdown of calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein and sodium in their selections.

It's definitely worth walking six blocks from my office to go back to Maoz!