Chicago Trip Day 2

Day #25 of Vegan MoFo was again spent in the Windy City of Chicago!! I am really loving it here, especially all the great food! The only thing I don't like is getting lost all the time trying to get to the restaurants....but I am getting there eventually! :)

Lunch had to be pretty quick because I was on a break from my American Dietetics Association conference, so I headed to Whole Foods on the South Loop...probably the best Whole Foods I have ever seen! I got one of their pre-made meals, the Tofu Noodle Bowl: udon noodles, cabbage, carrots, red peppers, cilantro, sesame seeds, baked tofu, and a Thai peanut sauce. It was really good for such a quick meal! Really flavorful and filling and healthy and tasty! I didn't take a picture of dessert, but I will just tell you: I had a Sweet and Sara's Peanut Butter S'more!!! If you haven't had one of these, you should get one, now! They are the best packaged dessert I have ever eaten (and the PB variety is waaaay better than the original! duh.) After a long day at the conference, learning about food, it was time to put it into practice and eat some food! We had dinner at the highly-acclaimed Lake Side Cafe, which has won the award for Chicago's "best vegetarian restaurant" three times! Needless to say, I had high expectations...and I am happy to say that they were met!

Our appetizer: Black-Eyed Pea Croquettes with Red Pepper Sauce. Surprisingly light and tender and really tasty!

My mom's dinner: The Vegan Chicago Dog, with all the fixings! And a Side Salad with Papaya Poppyseed Dressing...although I'm not sure that was a fitting side for a Chicago Dog!! My dinner: Jalapeno-Corn Scone with Smoky Black Beans, Tomato Relish and Toasted Pepitas. This has a wonderful flavor, and the scone was so "buttery" and dense and moist...I have never had a meal centered around a savory scone, but I think I will try to re-create this at home!! Anything with pepitas is a.o.k. in my book!!

And there was dessert, of course! The waiter recommended the Chocolate Cake VERY highly, so I had no choice :) It had a light and fluffy chocolate creme frosting and chocolate "oreo" crumbles on top. YUUUUM! I am glad I listened to the waiter!

I will be back tomorrow with more goodies from Chi-Town....but remember Barack Obama and Joe Biden until I return!! seriously.