Chi-Town Treats!

I just got back yesterday from Chicago, where I went this weekend for a good friend's bachelorette party!! It was lots of fun, of course, but it was also great because of all the awesome vegan food Chicago has!!!

First and foremost, I got to try Go Max Go! candy bars!!!! The Whole Foods downtown had all sorts of treats that I can't get back in Kansas City, so I stocked up. I tried all the varieties of candy bars, and I just can't decide which is my favorite! Pictured is the Buccaneer bar, which is the Three Musketeers alternative. So. freakin. good. I hadn't eaten a candy bar in soooooo long, so this was quite a treat!Also from the downtown Whole Foods: Jerk Tofu Wrap, made by Soul Vegetarian East, a local veg restaurant that makes some prepared foods for sale at WF. Yum!! I got to try Wildwood's Soyogurt, which was seriously awesome. My second favorite soygurt, only after Whole Soy and Co. This was suuuuper thick, too, which was very nice!Since I really love yogurt as snacks, I also tried the Ricera Rice Yogurt! I've never had rice-based yogurt before, so I had to branch out. It was pretty good! I am definitely more of a soygurt fan, but if you have a soy allergy, this would be a great alternative!

Now for some restaurant food!! I got to go to Karyn's Cooked for the first time ever!! Yay for me :) I am in love with this place! So much that I went there twice over the weekend! haha

Our appetizer: the Mixed Basket...a basket of fried mushrooms, fried BROCCOLI, and fried tofu. Served with Creamy Garlic Sauce and homemade BBQ Sauce for dipping. OMG fried fooooooood! A rare indulgence, sure, but it is just so tasty! Fried broccoli might be my new favorite food!Our entrees: I got the Grilled Steak Wrap....thinly-sliced seitan "steak," grilled onions and peppers, shredded lettuce, and chipotle sauce in a grilled whole wheat tortilla!! Like a Philly cheese steak on steroids. Vegan steroids. (huh?!) It came with Coleslaw--yum!--and Potato Wedges! With more BBQ Sauce! I was so full and happy!A couple of the girls I was with got the Jerk Tofu Wrap...jerk-spiced tofu, jerk sauce, creamy garlic sauce, and shredded lettuce in a spinach tortilla. Also with the slaw and wedges. This was seriously spicy and delicious!!Also ordered: the Taco Salad Bowl!! This salad is not kidding around, guys. It's a deep-fried taco shell bowl filled with lettuce, seitan taco meat, pico de gallo, guacamole, jalapenos, creamy garlic sauce, and chipotle sauce. Holy freakin cow. Just salty, spicy decadence. So good!

We split some desserts, of course! Banana Cake!! Moist as heck! With a carob drizzle.And Coconut Bread Pudding! Warm, gooey, rich, amazing! Another night, I got take-out from Karyn's--I just couldn't get enough!! This time I got the Green Enchiladas: corn tortillas stuffed with garlic mashed potatoes and topped with green tomatillo sauce and soy sour cream, with a side of spanish brown rice and refried black beans, with some tortilla chips. Mex-amazing!!One great thing about Chicago is that they have Trader Joe's stores!! We don't have them in Kansas City, so I loaded up on snacks and such. I wish I could go there every day with those prices!!

Vegan Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats!
Joe-Joe's!!!!!!

Chile Spiced Mango!!

And I just couldn't leave Chicago without going to Chicago Diner!! It's my favorite place ever!!

It was a rainy, snowy, cruddy weather night, so I got to go food and the girls and I all stayed in and watched New Moon. What a great night!!

I got the Radical Reuben with Sweet Potato Fries! This is the best sandwich ever made. Ever!

The reuben going....

Going....Gone.Room for dessert?? Heck yes!! Cookies and Cream Cake. For when you really want a food baby and sugar coma all at once. My favorite cake I've EVER eaten I think I can safely say! Thank you, Chicago Diner!!!

Man, I can't wait to get back to Chicago soon for some more great vegan food!!!!

Last Day In Chi-Town

Well I am finally home from Chicago! I will miss all of the great places to eat (and my family, of course), but I am glad to be home and back in real life! Today wasn't all that exciting for MoFo food...can't believe it's day 29!...but I did have some baked goods that were quick treats for traveling!
From Sweet Cakes Bakery, my mom and I got some scones for breakfast: Cherry Lemon Scone and Savory Mushroom Herb Scone. I think scones may be my favorite baked good at the moment...sweet or savory, I just love them so much!!

This mushroom-herb scone is one of the best scones I've ever had!! It was so flavorful and dense and it had a great texture! This is just screaming for Earth Balance! My mom went for the sweet scone: Cherry Lemon Scone. Dried cherries? Yes, please!! Also a fantastic scone, this was sweet but not too sweet, and the fruitiness was really lovely for a morning flavor! I think this scone was screaming for some Cherry or Blueberry Jam....aren't we all, though??

As a post-travel treat, I had a cupcake that I had brought with me from the Bleeding Heart Bakery: Almond Spice Cupcake with Brown Sugar Frosting and Cinnamon Apple Topping! This was so sweet and spice-y, and was perfect for a chilly autumn day. The cupcake itself was perfectly moist and amazing, but the addition of the awesome frosting and apple topping made it even better...like a caked version of a caramel apple! mmmmm! I wish I could eat treats from here every day!

And since I forgot to post this picture last night after dinner, here is a pic of some of the folks who met up at Chicago Diner for dinner...friendly Chicago vegans and some people traveling through town with the Vega company (the guy in the middle is Robert Cheeke of VeganBodyBuilding.com...check it out!) And people say we don't get enough protein! ha!

I am really excited because I was in Barack Obama's hometown for the past week, and now he is coming to my town tomorrow night! We will be going to see him speak in Columbia, MO tomorrow to support him and the campaign...you should support them by voting for them on November 4th! And volunteer if you can! kewl.

Chicago Trip: Day 5

Today was my last whole day here in Chicago...what a way to spend Day 28 of Vegan MoFo! I have to admit that I am getting a little homesick, especially for Steven...sappy, I know. :)
Since I had my conference again today, we had to make it another "fast food" lunch at Whole Foods (which has saved me as far as lunch goes!!):
I had some samplings from the salad bar: Sesame Tofu Sticks, Barley and Tomato Salad, Garlic Green Beans, and Sesame Cabbage Crunch Slaw...all very tasty and fresh!
For my mom, it was also a salad bar day: Sesame Tofu Sticks (these were seriously delish), Tabbouleh, and Autumn Couscous Salad...she was pleased!After some sight-seeing, we worked up an appetite for treats, so we headed to Sweet Cakes, located in the Ukrainian district here in Chicago. I had heard a lot about this bakery, so I was determined to go there sometime during my visit!! I was excited to learn that the baker there was vegan, and she ran the shop with her father...isn't that precious?! I thought it was pretty adorable...as was the homey-retro decor of the cute bakery.
My mom, who apparently loves Halloween-themed things, got the Frosted Sugar Cookie, which was decorated to look like a bat! I guess this is still considered vegan :)I had the Pumpkin Empanada! I had never had a vegan empanada before, and this set the bar really high! It was so flaky and autumn-y, and really good! It went very well with a hot cup of chai tea!!Here is the beautiful and tasty pumpkin filling...this gives some pies a run for their money!

Dinner was, yet again, at Chicago Diner, where I met up with some local Chicago vegans, as well as some people from the Vega company who were in town for the Dietetics trade show...they were all very nice! I probably could have guessed that!
I am so in love with Chicago Diner, I cannot even tell you how much I could eat there all the time! Tonight, my mom went for the Dagwood Sandwich: seitan roast "beef," seitan bacon strips, melted cheeze, tomatoes, hot peppers, lettuce, onion, and creole mustard on baguette, all with a side of Sweet Potato Fries....this was an amazing sandwich! Especially for spicy lovers like us!
Because of the frigid weather, I opted for something warm and comforting: the Vegan Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes and Sage Gravy and Roasted Vegetables. This hit the spot!! Definitely the best faux meatloaf I've ever had, and the gravy was sooooo good!! mmmmm.....

We had dessert back at the house, where we had leftover treats from the Handlebar: Fried Apple Pies! These smelled and tasted like funnel cakes, with an apple pie filling, and they were so delicious! I warmed them up in the oven, which crisped up the crust and melted the powdered sugar glaze a bit, so they were perfect! Very carnival food meets fall comfort food... And I will leave you with this bit of Halloween/pre-election fun:

My uncle (with whom we are staying) is an artist/art teacher, so he is really creative and talented...which apparently translated into his Halloween decorating! He carved really cool pumpkin designs, which he printed off the web, including Mario characters and the wonderful Barack Obama! Remember this beautiful, glowing face when you are voting on election day, November 4th! yeah!

This post is dedicated to my BB! goodnighty:)

Chicago Trip: Day 4

Vegan MoFo Day 27 was my second-to-last day here in Chicago...lucky me! I am still at my ADA conference, and it was a really interesting day: I went to a seminar on sustainable food systems, fair trade foods, and a meeting of the vegetarian dietitians' group, so I learned a lot! I also ate good stuff!

For lunch, we made another quick trip to Whole Foods...I love that I can choose from a lot of different things there for a fast meal, and it is so well labeled that I have little "is this vegan??" worry! I hate to say this about such a big corporation, but thanks to Whole Foods!
I had a Jerk Tofu Wrap that a Chicago veg restaurant, Soul Vegetarian, pre-makes and sells at Whole Foods. They also make a bunch of other items to sell there, but this looked really yummy! It had Jerk tofu, grilled onions and peppers, tomatoes, and greens in a spinach tortilla....it was really good, especially for something pre-made! I got a side of Rosemary-Roasted Sweet Potatoes off the hot bar for a side. Yum! My mom went for the hot bar again, where she got their spicy Tofu Creole and Vegetable Paella...she seemed to really like them both, even though the tofu was pretty spicy-hot.

When trying to decide where to eat dinner, we went for our old, reliable favorite: Chicago Diner!!!!! I think it is safe to say that this is my absolute favorite restaurant in the world....at least from what I have tried so far!
I ordered the Radical Reuben: seitan corned "beef," onions, peppers, sauerkraut, vegan cheese, thousand island dressing on marble rye. Sweet jeeebus this was the best sammich ever!! I could have eaten, like three of these. My side was the vegan mac'n'cheeze, which was perfectly noochy and creamy and delicious!

My mom got their special sandwich of the day, the Chick'n Club Panini: thinly-sliced seitan chik-n, seitan bacun, melted vegan cheeze, and avocado on grilled sourdough bread...this was also really good! She was convinced that it was real chicken because it tasted so realistically like it...but the good folks at Chicago Diner are supremely trustworthy :) She had a side of their Homestyle Potatoes, which are perfectly spiced and fabulous.

We were pretty full after those big sandwiches, so we just split a dessert: Vegan Carrot Cake with Walnuts and Cream Cheeze Frosting. This was nicely spiced with cinnamon and such, which made it a perfect fall treat! Yum.

I am getting so spoiled with all this great food, I am never going to want to go home!! I guess I will have to, though, so I can VOTE next Tuesday, November 4th!! Just like you all should do!

Chicago Trip Day 1

For Day 24 of Vegan MoFo, I will be broadcasting from Chicago! I flew in today to attend the annual American Dietetics Association national conference, and I will be here through next Tuesday...so I will hopefully be able to go to lots of new and interesting restaurants! My mom came with me to visit some family up here, and of course go to lots of good eateries with me!! After all, we are all well aware that the only good reason to travel is to go new places to eat! :)

After flying in and getting all settled, we made our very first stop to one of my favorite restaurants on the planet: Chicago Diner!! I cannot say enough good things about this freaking place!! The atmosphere is amazing, the staff is super friendly, and the food will end your life with its deliciousness. Seriously.

Since it was noon and they were still serving brunch, my mom and I opted for some breakfast-ier items, as we had only been there for dinner. I had the Vegan Monte Cristo sandwich: two giant pieces of french toast, sandwiched with veggie ham and vegan cheese, with creole mustard and jam. This came with a side of delicious Homestyle Potatoes. Oh, and everything got a generous drizzle of maple syrup!!! Good God Almighty!! I thought I would never have this awesome sweet-salty combo sandwich again after going vegan, but I was oh so wrong! And now I am oh so happy :)

My mom had the Big Bang Breakfast: scrambled tofu, tempeh-potato hash, seitan sausage, tempeh bacon strips, and toast with delicious jam. This was big and beautiful, and had to be enjoyed by the best mother in the world!

Dessert, since we were so full, was a Snickerdoodle-Nut Cookie (even though I wish I had not been too full for cake!)...mild flavors, but absolutely amazing texture: nice and chewy, just how I like it!!Dinner was at the Earwax Cafe. I can't believe I was still hungry after that lunch, but I guess it had been a while. anyway...I had never been here before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I loved it! The decor was kind of vintage carnival-themed (think bearded lady posters and old sideshow signs) and the food was really good! Also wonderful people working here...I even had a vegan waitress! hooray!

My mom had the Tuscan Seitan Sandwich: marinated seitan with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, escarole, shaved onion, and pesto on a baguette, with a side of their Sesame Slaw. She loved it, and the bite I stole was really good! Seitan rules. I had the Chorizo Burrito (!): Seitan Chorizo, Roasted Potatoes, Refried Beans, Tomato, Onion, and Teese Cheese, with Salsa and Avocado all in a grilled tortilla. This was really hearty, but not too much so, and flavorful! I only wish it had been a little spicier, but I loved it!This time, we saved a little more room for dessert: Vegan Milkshakes! Earwax uses Chicago Soydairy products, so they had the incredible Temptation Ice Cream for their shakes! woohoo! I had Chocolate-Peanut Butter, and my mom had straight-up Chocolate. This was so rich and creamy and thick and good. I had to lie down afterward. I almost couldn't finish it, but I was a trooper! I am a good little vegan, after all!!Sorry the lighting was so dark in there...it's all about the mood I guess. They should have a special table for food bloggers... :)

Oh, and I want to leave you with this:

This was on the back of the dessert menu at Chicago Diner! I love it! Listen to this menu!

oh, and OBAMA (I am in his town, you know!!)

Spring Break Goodies!

Get ready for some spring break porn....food porn, that is!! (forgive the looooong post...i'm new!)

Now that my spring break is officially over (tear) and it's back to the old routine, I feel that I must post about the wonderful trip I took to Chicago, so I can reminisce about all the fun and food I had!

Right before I left for my spring break trip with my mom, I prepared a delcious vegan Easter dinner for my family...

For dinner, I made the tempeh sheperdess pie from Veganomicon...so savory and chunky and delicious!! I served it with garlic-roasted asparagus (yay spring!) and hemp rolls...mmm. This pleased my veg mom and my meat-eating grandparents...and of course me, too!

And for dessert, the Coconut-Ginger-Macadamia Nut Carrot Cake (the name and cake were both a mouthful!) from Vegan with a Vengance, garnished with a whole mac nut and a slice of candied ginger. Possibly the best cake I've ever made or eaten!

The next day, my mom and I were off to Chicago! While we went to see some family up there, I must admit that my primary goal for this trip was to eat some tasty vegan food! And, oh yes, I achieved my goal!!

First up was the raw vegan palace called Cousins and hoooooly crap was it awesome! This was my first raw restaurant, and it was an incredible experience. Wonderful food and atmosphere, wonderful staff, it was perfect...except that we got lost trying to find it!

I had the raw moussaka with a side of greek shepard's salad and a big slice o' avocado. so many veggies, so good!

For dessert, I had the raw brownie. who knew raw food could be so fudgy!

My mom had a sampler platter with raw mini-pizzas, raw dolmas, and the fantastic guacamole... With a raw pear pie for dessert. wowie.(it's the one on the far right)

The next day, we went to the buffet at whole foods for a quick lunch, and it, too, did not disappoint!! I had the vegan curry "chik'n" salad with the raw kale salad, some raisin-pecan bread, and a kombucha (my new addiction). quick and delicious?? yes, please!

And for dessert, a cranberry-orange made by Chicago Diner...they sell baked goods at Whole Foods...yay!

For dinner, the much-anticipated CHICAGO DINER!!!! This was one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever had! I had so much fun being and eating there...and I am quite sure I have never been so full in my life! I could not complain about a thing!!

I had the polenta fiesta for my meal: sun-dried tomato polenta square topped with melted vegan cheese, caramelized onions, garlic-sauteed spinach and roasted sweet potatoes (yikes!) with sides of seasoned black beans, spanish rice, and salsa. GOSH

My dessert (have you noticed that I am a sweets person??) was the triple-layer cookies and cream cake. It was a religious experience.

My mom had the vegan super gyros. and if you were wondering, yes that IS vegan tzaziki sauce and, yes, it IS to die for!

And her dessert was a mint-chocolate chip vegan "milk"shake. 'nuf said.

The next day's lunch was another raw restaurant, this time it was Karyn's Gourmet. I had heard about Karyn's from several people and knew that I had to try it for myself...this food was so decadent and simple and fresh and satisfying. What more could you need? And the staff was great, which seems to be a trend for the places we visited on our trip!!

I had the pasta primavera with zucchini noodles and a cream sauce made from macadamias. And for dessert (yes, again) was the "tiramisu," which was layers of crushed nuts, rich carob sauce, strawberries, and almond creme. Yikes.

My mom went nuts for her basil-scented ravioli filled with macadamia "ricotta" and topped with an insanely good tomato sauce with olives and peppers...

and a raw lemon pie with a pistachio creme sauce. unreal. seriously.

When deciding on a dinner destination, both my mother and I were convinced that Chicago Diner needed another visit before this trip was over, so it was the logical choice!

I had the "chick'n" ranch sandwich...vegan.ranch.dressing.shiiiiiit ya'll. with sweet potato fries, I am sure I couldn't ask for much more!

Except maaaaaaaybe this warm, gooey chocolate bread pudding topped with sliced bananas, vanilla soy ice cream, and hot fudge sauce. I would trade a limb for this dessert. any of them. My mom and I split this because it was the size of a small child (although I could have knocked it out on my own...)

Before dessert, my mom got the vegan "crab" cakes with a creamy remoulade sauce..whooooooaaa...served with brown rice pilaf and roasted root vegetables. How could anyone not be vegan with food this gooooood??

The last day of our trip was great, but bittersweet, because I was not so psyched on going back to mid-mo...you may not believe this, but there are fewer places to eat there than in Chicago...

Our ceremonial last lunch was at a vegetarian brunch-y joint called Victory's Banner that literally gave me peace just by walking in the door. that's rare, folks. you must visit this place!

Because we had been eating simple breakfasts at Whole Foods of fruit and soygurt, my mom opted for the tofu scramble with spinach and caramelized onions, served with a side of homefries and warm, homemade bread...

And I, being mildly obsessed with any food categorized as a sandwich or wrap, chose the Thai-inspired coconut peanut veggie wrap, filled with tofu, brown rice, tons of veggies, and a creamy coconut-peanut sauce. yowsa. It was snowy and cold, so I also got a cup of the Lebanese chickpea and artichoke soup...it did the trick!

And yes, dessert...chocolate-chocolate chip muffin. rich, fudgy, vegan...like i like my men. :)

All-in-all, a great experience...i got to chill with my moms, see some cool museums, and fill myself to the BRIM with vegan goodness. screw cancun for spring break--i'll take vegan cake over a sunburn anyday!!!