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!!!!

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 3

Yet another delicious day was spent in beautiful Chicago, while I am here attending the American Dietetics Association annual conference! Day 26 of Vegan MoFo was filled with awesome food and people...I am so lucky!
Lunch was another quick one at Whole Foods during my break from the conference...I had a sampling of Vegan Curried "Chicken" Salad, Apple-Almond Quinoa, and Shiitake Sauteed Kale, all from the cold deli case. So yummy!!My mom went for the hot food bar, where she got the Dragon Tofu and Vegetable Paella. Very comforting and warm for sure!Dinner was absolutely incredible...one of the best meals I have had in a long time, for sure!!! My mom, my friends Fatima and Sarah, and I all went to eat at The Handlebar! It is an awesome, vegan-friendly, and bike-themed restaurant on North Avenue...I loved it!!!
I had the Buffalo "Chicken" Wrap: A tortilla stuffed with buffalo seitan, lettuce, onion, tomato, and vegan ranch dressing (!), served with Fried Plantains!!! I can't even tell you how good this was! I must admit, all the fried-ness did not agree with my tummy as much as it did with my mouth! My mom had the Seitan-Stuffed Tortellini with Sauteed Spinach and Toasted Hazelnuts in a Rich Cream Sauce. Really rich and creamy, totally comfort vegan food! I mean there were hazelnuts on the tortellini for crying out loud! yum! Oh, and the pasta was locally-made. This place is so cool.

Fatima had the Ground Nut Stew, which was loaded with sweet potatoes, veggies, peanut sauce, and brown rice...the flavors were amazing! I think it is pretty difficult to go wrong when peanuts are involved!!(side note: Sarah had the fish tacos, since this was a pescitarian restaurant, so I couldn't show them...but I must admit they looked good, and she said they were tasty...in case you have any non-veg friends who want to go there.)

This afternoon, my mom and I hit up Bleeding Heart Bakery for a little snackie poo. I had heard so much about this place, especially from Bake and Destroy and The Urban Housewife, most recently...I was so excited to see so many good vegan treats!!

First of all, you know it's gotta be a good place, cuz they had all sorts of Obama signs there...and cupcake-shaped tables! yeah!

They even had OBAMA CUPCAKES! Come on!

For my treat, I had their Hit The Trail Scone...filled with pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, raisins, dates, and a bunch of other yummy trail mixy stuff! This was perfectly-spiced and moist and dense, like scone must be! Perfect with a big mug of black coffee :)

My mom had the Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting...and it was Halloween-themed! That is not an edible broom, btdubs. bummer.

The girl working there was really nice and helpful, and when she found out I was vegan, she gave me a sample of their vegan Strawberry Cheesecake Bars....amazingly tasty and good! Really rich and creamy, with the perfect amount of sweetness and strawberryness. mmmmm

I am looking forward to tomorrow for more yums!

And listen to your friendly vegan bakery: remember Obama on Novemeber 4th for real! Make Obama cupcakes or cakes or cookies...just show some love :)

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.