Healthy Eating for Discriminating Palates
Another Halloween come and gone . . . with lots of delicious food and drink and wonderful friends. This is just one of many hysterical pictures!
Guacamole, Black Rice Salad, Almond cheeze (herb and plain), pumpkin hummus, Party Cheese Ball, Spinach Dip, Pesto Potato Soup, Cashew-Truffle Hummus and cupcakes!
I hope you had a safe and fabulous Halloween!
Like many, I’ve evolved over time to becoming a “strict” vegan. I got rid of dairy in 2007, gave up meat in 2009, have since stop buying and wearing leather and fur (although I never wore fur to begin with) and I’ve been getting rid of all cosmetics and other products that test on animals. Thankfully, Leaping Bunny makes it easy to find cruelty-free products. By signing up (for free!) and taking the leap to be cruelty-free, Leaping Bunny will send you this Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide that lists A-Z, companies that “do not test finished products, ingredients, or formulations on animals.”
It is estimated that up to 100 million animals are tested on annually. Some would argue that many medical breakthroughs of the 20th Century have been established because of animal testing, but I see no reason why lipsticks, eye shadows, and other cosmetic and toiletries need to be tested on animals, which include, but are not limited to primates, dogs, rabbits, cats, and mice. To learn more, I strongly urge you read these 11 Facts about Animal Testing at DoSomething.org. And you can also rely on PETA to show you the horrors of animal testing too. I may not be able to stop animal testing, but I can certainly do something about it at home. I’ll be the first to admit, it can be hard to give up products that you’ve come to love. We all get addicted to certain lotions, makeups, soaps, etc., but it’s not the end of the world. In fact, you may just find a new and cruelty-free favorite. I don’t expect my readers (vegan and non-vegan) to eliminate these animal products from their homes, but I hope to at least make you think about these products you use and what the animals had to suffer through to get it in your hands. (I know, I’m laying on the guilt here…)
If you want to know what companies still test on animals, check out this list. Print it off and start throwing stuff away (or donate it). PETA also is a great resource for more information. Click HERE.
It’s that time a year again…where Starbucks taunts us vegas with their Pumpkin Spice Latte. Word has gotten around by now to most vegans, that the PSL is not vegan. If you didn’t know that, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you. Even ordering it with soy milk, it contains condensed nonfat milk. Boo! Hiss!
In a quest to make my own at home, I came across this recipe. I haven’t made it yet, but I’m going to try to this week.
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Rio Grand Gorge outside Taos
Wow, where to start?! It’s good to be back, but it sure felt great to get away for nearly two weeks. I will try to keep this brief, but I have LOTS of wonderful food to bring you. Santa Fe and Taos are full of spectacular restaurants, so it wasn’t hard to find places to eat, even for vegans and vegetarians. I will say, when eating out in Santa Fe and Taos, be prepared to spend some dough. The average cost for the three of us (including wine or margaritas) for any meal, was $40-$45. The portion sizes, however seemed large, so splitting meals, or taking half your meal home with you (if possible) is a great idea. So first up . . .
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133 Water Street
Located just off the plaza in Santa Fe, this is a pretty decent option for vegans and vegetarians. We started with some chips and salsa (which are not complimentary). The salsa is delicious. We opted for the most vegan item: the Marinated Portobello Fajitas ($14.95) that came with onions and bell peppers, not to mention all the fixins’. (I worked around the sour cream and cheese).
This is a good-sized portion that two people could have easily split—I wish we had; it was a lot of food, but really tasty.
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317 Aztec Street
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place! If fact, we ate here three different times. This is such a cool little cafe that offers a wide range of organic and natural whole foods. They have a great covered patio…
Our first visit was for breakfast. The Husband and I went with the Vegan Burrito and the Eight Grader went with the vegetarian one. The vegan one was filled with potatoes, black beans, and other great stuff (sorry, I forgot to write the ingredients down…)
We came back for breakfast again, and the guys went with their vegetarian quiche, and I had their homemade, raw muesli with fresh fruit. OUTSTANDING! And it came with almond milk. Even better. This kept me full all day long—a great choice before a long day of hiking.
Almond milk latte!
We then hit up the cafe for lunch and the kid went with a bagel with jam while The Husband got the portobello sandwich:
I decided the kale salad with cashew dressing was up my alley. So delicious!
This is a must-stop-at-destination if you’re visiting Santa Fe. Great service, reasonable prices, and excellent food.
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103 East Water Street
This was a great option for a quick lunch. It was a pretty popular place and had a great outdoor patio. Not to mention a really extensive beer and wine list. We started with some chips, salsa, and guacamole. (Awesome, freshly-made guac)!
The guys ordered cheese pizza (yeah, I know…the guys will cheat and eat cheese when sometimes eating out. At least they’re vegetarian!) I wasn’t starving, so I went with the spinach and strawberry salad (minus the feta cheese).
Fresh and fabulous. It was perfect after having chips and guac, too.
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121 Don Gaspar
This is actually located next door to The Atomic Grill. If you’re willing to splurge a bit, this is a must! Excellent! They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and it’s important to have reservations for dinner; it fills up. We tried to hit it up the first night, but it was full until 8:30, so we made a reservation for the following night (a Friday). The only space available was at the community table that seats about 10 people. I have to say, that was the way to go. We had a great time chatting with the rest of the diners at the table—it was a really fun experience. The restaurant has tons of gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options; it was pretty hard to decide. I went with the organic Tofu Mole Enchiladas:
It came with a jicama salad, cilantro rice, and corn bread (not vegan–so they subbed in their signature grilled banana). I’m not a real big banana fan to begin with, so I wasn’t lovin’ the grilled version. But that’s ok, the rest of the meal was outstanding. The sauce definitely has a bite to it, but not overly spicy.
The Eighth Grader went a la carte by having a vegan chile relleno and vegan tamale with green chile:
The Husband opted for the Plato Supremo: a vegan chile relleno, vegan tamale, and a tofu mole enchilada.
The food was probably the best we’d had in Santa Fe . . . and the priciest. For the three of us (plus a bottle of wine) was about $140. But the service and atmosphere is also incredible—it was well worth it.
821 Canyon Road
The Teahouse is located at the top of Canyon Road. It has its own parking lot, so keep that in mind—it’ll save you from trying to find parking on Canyon.
They have an outdoor patio, but the seating is somewhat limited. The area is large, but there aren’t a ton of tables. We were fortunate to snag one…
The kid went with a green tea…which he loved…
…and a scone and a bowl of fruit.
The Husband and I had their veggie sandwich (GF bread is an option, btw), with hummus, cucumber, sprouts, and bell pepper.
It was good, but it didn’t blow us away. It was a bit dry, actually. Some Vegenaise would have been great.
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120-M Bent Street
This is located just off the plaza in Taos. It offers breakfast and lunch only. The place we were staying recommended it for vegan and vegetarian options. I’d say it definitely has plenty of vegetarian options, but not as many vegan ones. But of course, it’s not difficult to make them vegan. The kid ordered the SW Spud, a potato smothered with beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and veggie green chile. He wasn’t impressed; said it didn’t have much flavor. Luckily, my Taos Hum was plenty big enough to share with him.
I forgot to ask for no feta, so I spent a little time picking it out…oh well. It was delicious! (Hummus, tomato, red onion, sprouts, cucumber, and salsa). The Husband had the Pita the Greek with black olives, feta, sprouts, onion, tomato, and cucumbers. He really liked it.
We stopped here again for breakfast. While the kid had the vegetarian tamale (a special), the husband went with a croissant sandwich with egg. There aren’t many vegan breakfast options, so I went with an English muffin and potatoes…
I also got a soy latte!
304 C N Pueblo Road
This place is a local favorite, especially if you like diner-like food. There isn’t much for vegans, but there are some vegetarian options. The Hubby went with a vegetarian burrito:
And the kid had the French toast:
I had the granola pancakes. They were really good, but way too much! Four pancakes was a lot, so I recommend either splitting an order, or seeing if you can have half an order.
122 Dona Luz
This was certainly one of our favorite places to eat. Great food. It was raining, so we couldn’t enjoy the beautiful patio . . .
but that’s ok…it was the food we really cared about. This restaurant certainly seemed to be a hotspot. Maybe it just seemed that way since the patio was closed, but the place was packed—and it was a Tuesday night! We started with drinks (of course). The Husband ordered a margarita ($7.50) and was really disappointed. He said it was “severely weak” and decided not pay for another one that was sure to be watered down. I went with wine. I was hoping for a decent-sized glass because the wines-by-the-glass start at $8-9, but it was pretty skimpy. Oh, well, it’s probably a good thing anyway. So for booze, you may not get your money’s worth.
Antonio’s is known for their guacamole that they make right there at table. For $9 a bowl, you too could have some. We decided not to. But what a cool idea.
The guys started out with the Tacos de Papa a la Creama. They’re mashed potato stuffed taquitos with a cotija cheese on top. I tried a bite sans cheese and holy cow! It was delicious. They loved these.
For dinner, The Husband and I both ordered the veggie tacos. I ordered mine with no cheese, but asked for a side of guac. I was surprised that even though I didn’t get cheese, they still charged me $2.50 for the tiny cup of guacamole. It was yummy though. The Husband’s were pretty spicy, but mine weren’t—the heat is going to vary depending on the pico de gallo. We both thought these were great.
The kid went with the nachos, which was 6 really large tortilla chips, each topped with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and pico de gallo. He wasn’t thrilled. It’s an appetizer, but the server said it was big enough for a meal. He was expecting your typical pile of chips with all the fixings, and it was disappointing to him. Overall, this was a great place for really delicious Mexican food—I recommend it.
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402 Paseo del Pueblo Norte
This is a great option for vegans and vegetarians! When I looked at their menu online, they had me at Kale and Quinoa Salad! They serve a brunch on Sundays from 9-3, and are open 11-9 Monday-Saturday. We stopped in on Monday for lunch. I had a soy latte in addition to the salad.
The salad was amazing! (Kale, quinoa, onion, cucumber, mint, carrots, almonds, dried apricots, and a lemon vinaigrette).
The guys both ordered the Dragonfly Enchiladas with organic spinach, mushrooms, and white beans, topped with tomatillo salsa, goat cheese and tomatoes.
112 Camino de la Placita
Yes, Italian food in New Mexico. After several days of Mexican food, we were ready for a little change and man, did we luck out. Stella’s is a gem of a restaurant located just off the plaza. The prices are incredibly reasonable and included in the meal are trips to the olive bar with a variety of olives and garlic.
The liquor is also reasonably priced as well. We each got a glass of prosecco for $5 per glass. The service is also exceptional. We started with the Italian Truffle Fries for $4. SO GOOD!!
I then ordered the eggplant Parmesan, served with pesto garlic toast. (The Parm was easy to brush off) I love that it wasn’t drenched in sauce like what most restaurants do. It was delicious!
The Husband ordered the Mushroom Ravioli. These had ricotta inside (which is not listed on the menu description, so be sure to ask first). I couldn’t resist a bite…yum.
Oh, and all the entrees are served with a side of vegetables. Love that! The Eighth Grader ordered the vegetarian lasagna. We highly recommend Stella’s, especially if you’re wanting a change from Mexican food.
On our last day in Taos, we had a little picnic along the Red River. We had stopped at Trader Joe’s while in Santa Fe, so we picked up some goodies.
We picked up a Daiya Cheese Wedge (absolute best vegan cheese—ever! plus, my newest food obsession) and some apples at Cid’s Health Food Market (Taos’ answer to Whole Foods) and had a great snack while reading the latest issue of VegNews.
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I didn’t get pictures of the food, but I will recommend El Jimador in Montrose, CO for Mexican food. I had the veggie burrito. The margaritas were also quite good!
In Ouray (probably the most beautiful town in Colorado!) we went to the Ouray Brewery. Check out these great bar chairs!
This is definitely a local (and tourist) favorite. Even at 3:00, it was packed. They have great rooftop dining, as well as two more floors of dining room. They offer six of their own brews and quite a variety of pub food. I had the portobello wrap–outstanding! And The Husband had their vegan burger. He said it was THE BEST vegan burger he has ever had. Sorry for the lack of pics, but trust me, this is a must-stop if you’re in Ouray.
So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed my culinary cruise through Santa Fe, Taos, Montrose, and Ouray. We certainly had fun eating our way through these great towns!
For the second year in a row, I catered Wine & Words, a fundraising event for the Northern Colorado Writers. I love this event and I definitely love showing people that vegan food is delicious! You’ve seen the gluten-free & vegan cupcakes and I’m excited to show you what else I made (and about 95% organic, too!)
I cooked 2 cups of quinoa in 2-1/2 cups of vegetable broth. I let it cool in the fridge for a day, then added 1 chopped up cucumber, two chopped tomatoes, a chopped red onion, 1 cup of chopped parsley, and a cup of toasted pinenuts. In a small bowl, I combined 3 Tbs of ume plum vinegar with 2 Tbs of olive oil, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, then mixed it into the salad. Easy!
These were gone in minutes! I cooked up a diced green pepper with a small chopped onion and added four ground up Field Roast sausages, Italian flavor. I could make the stuffing a day ahead, so that helped out. I then used about 60 mushrooms and lightly sauteed them in Earth Balance and garlic. Don’t cook too much, just enough to soften them up. Just before the event, I heated up the stuffing in a pan on the stove and stuffed the mushrooms.
I LOVE this bread for these finger sandwiches. The recipe makes two loaves, so I made two different kinds of sandwiches. I did, however, use a seasoned cream cheese (Tofutti mixed with Good Seasoning dressing mix) on both. On one, I had cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh basil. On the other, I used roasted red peppers and avocados.
I figured this was a great way to eat fruit! I dipped the tops of ice cream cones in melted chocolate, then poured sprinkles around the top. Initially, I was going to fill them with fruit to serve, but it made more sense to let guests do it. That way, they can be picky about what fruit they want, and then the fruit wouldn’t make the cones soggy. I also recommend spooning a bit of chocolate into the bottom of the cone for added chocolate goodness!
I also made a huge batch (not enough!) of Avocado Bruschetta and served them with tortilla scoops and gluten-free crackers. The Spinach Dip was also a hit and I served it with cut up peppers, cucumbers, and celery. Olives and a green salad rounded it out and made for a fabulous event!
This is no surprise.
I hope that my wonderful non-vegan readers (you know who you are) 😉 will take a look at this. There is a superbug strain found in chicken from the antibiotics that they’re pumped full of. It’s a short ABC News segment. WATCH HERE.
I am so honored. Reia of The Cruelty-Free Review and fellow Coloradoan, nominated me for the Lovely Blog Award! It was such a lovely surprise. Since I started Epicurean Vegan 2-1/2 years ago, I have come to know so many wonderful people and their blogs. This is a great opportunity for me to pass on the award and nominate some of my favorite bloggers. Thank you, Reia for the nomination!
So, here’s how this thing works . . .
Well . . . here goes:
1.) I love anything to do with the creative arts: writing, drawing, painting, DIY projects, sewing, you name it. I even owned my own handmade greeting card business for 10 years and sold cards to stores throughout the state. I hope to break into the children’s book market someday soon. My historical nonfiction will be out next spring and I’m toying with the idea of making a novel I wrote, an e-book.
2.) I’ll admit it. I’m a bleeding heart liberal, (which I wear on my sleeve—the heart, not the liberal).
3.) I have lots of fears: flying, water/boating, sometimes biking…and I’m a total worrier (but getting better, including about to board a four-seater plane this Thursday for Jackson Hole—what was I thinking?!)
4.) I love all kinds of music, but my favorite is Pete Yorn. You must check him out if you haven’t already. But my first music crush was Corey Hart, as in “Sunglasses at Night.” Memorized every word to every one of his songs when I young.
5.) I’m an avid reader. One of my favorite books is The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kay.
6.) I would love to open a vegan delicatessen someday (after I win the lottery).
7.) I have a tattoo of a guitar on my right arm, in honor of my father who passed away 5-1/2 years ago.
My nominees are . . . (in no particular order)
1.) Crash Test Vegetarian Such a fun blog! Izzy combines humor and honesty in her posts and cooks up some pretty awesome recipes. Her potato soup is outstanding!
2.) That Was Vegan? Barb is another fellow Coloradoan, but that’s not the only reason I like her! Her recipes are always fun, colorful, and tasty. I love that she’s not afraid to throw in a few vegan “junk foods” every once in while. I’m really anxious to try her Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa!
3.) Anecdotes and Applecores I absolutely adore Monet! And who wouldn’t?! She is so kind and always leaves the sweetest comments on my blog. She’s such a delightful blogger and fellow writer. She’s also a baker extraordinaire. You must see her beautiful creations—she a whiz with flour and frosting! Not all of her recipes are vegan, but are mostly vegetarian, many of which I have bookmarked.
4.) Hooked and Happy Another Coloradoan and dear friend. Carolyn and I met in a novel-writing class back in 2003. If you’re ever looking for a clever tip or trick, Carolyn is the one to ask! As a mother of two young daughters (and totally type A—love ya, Carolyn)! she is full of fantastic ideas to keep kids busy, keep yourself organized, and maintaining your sanity. She crochets some pretty awesome baby/toddler hats, too and plans on opening an etsy shop soon. Can’t wait!
5.) New Age Vegan This blog is packed full of awesome vegan-ness! Aiming to spread vegan awareness, the thoughtful and insightful contributors on NAV hold discussions, interviews, and support the efforts of vegans everywhere. This blog is a great resource for even the veteran vegan!
6.) Please Pass the Tofu Teresa offers unique vegan recipes one pink plate at a time! Teresa always has a kind word to say when commenting about others’ posts, too. Her tater tot casserole is brilliant!
7.) The Gay Vegans I had the pleasure of meeting Mike and Dan at the Sustainability Fair last year (yes, more fellow Coloradans!) They are the nicest, kindest, folks who care so much about their community and making it a better place. They’re never afraid to step up to the plate and rally on behalf of animals and fellow human beings, and fight against injustices. They are such a delightful pair! (And Mike’s Famous Cinnamon Rolls are to die for)!
8.) Suburban Snow White Such a fun blog! SSW is always insightful and creative in her posts, from vegan food to vegan news to vegan awareness. She poses great questions and gets you to think about issues and new perspectives—all with humor and wit.
9.) The Veracious Vegan I had the great opportunity to meet Angela when she visited Boulder last year from Washington D.C. A total adrenalin junkie (car racing, cliff jumping, skydiving), Angela kicked my butt on a hike around the Flatirons before we grabbed lunch and some quick shopping on Pearl Street. She offers restaurant reviews from all over the country (I could see her flying her own plane), vegan product reviews, and recipes.
10.) Vegan Thyme Kelly of VT will entertain you with her fun anecdotes and musings while offering an amazing vegan recipe! And her pictures are always gorgeous—they make me want to visit her for tea and scones. I’ll just listen while she chats and knits something beautiful.
11.) Mile High Healthy Yep, you guessed it. . . another Coloradoan! If you need some inspiration to get healthy, you’ve got to meet Shelley. She’s the epitome of a healthy vegan—and lucky for us, she shares her secrets! From her workouts to what she eats to her amazing hiking adventures, she’ll get you off the couch and signed up for exercise boot camp!
12.) Luminous Vegans LV offers great vegan resources as well as delicious recipes and everything veg. Always with wit and humor, LV’s posts are fun to read—not to mention look at because the pictures are great!
13.) The Vegan Road Patrick and Kristine offer great recipes with beautiful pictures, as well as useful vegan news and advice. It’s also just a nice-looking, easy to navigate website that makes you want to stay a while.
14.) Carrie on Vegan If you like kale, nuts, and smoothies, you’ll love COV! Her recipes always look so good and are most definitely healthy. Carrie also takes readers with her when she travels, giving practical advice and amazing recipes for car food!
15.) Olives for Dinner OFD is such a well-put together blog with beautiful photography and amazing dishes. (The ricotta-stuffed french toast with butterscotch sauce is simply brilliant). Her unique (but very doable) dishes look like something out of a gourmet magazine!
So there you have it! I hope you have a chance to visit these fantastic bloggers and say hello. Thank you again to The Cruelty-Free Review for the lovely nomination!
My poor city is on fire. Well, the foothills surrounding my city are. With all of the smoke settling on us, you’d think the fire was in our backyards. For many, it is. The fire, presumably started by lightening on Saturday has spread to 46,000 acres with 10% containment thanks to dry and windy conditions, as well as the many dead trees from the pine beetle. It has damaged or destroyed around 100 structures and has left people homeless. I took this pic on Sunday from my house. I wish it was just an ordinary sunset, but it’s not.
Myself and my family aren’t in eminent danger, but so many people have lost their homes and even their pets. It’s incredibly sad. I grew up here and this is the first time I’ve experienced a fire so close to home. The fire has destroyed the very places we spend all summer hiking, including Old Flowers Road, Grey Rock, and Lory State Park.
This photo was taken from Horsetooth Reservoir, just a few miles from our house a couple of days ago:
I want to send a thank you to all of those who are working night and day trying to save as many homes and animals from this devastating fire as possible. With no rain in our forecast, we’re looking at a very slow-going containment, so send us your positive vibes, good thoughts, and a little rain dance couldn’t hurt.
(Check out the Coloradoan for updates.)
I haven’t forgot about all of you! This month has been uber crazy, namely, with the Northern Colorado Writers Conference that I help with. It was a huge success—probably one of the best NCW conference I’ve been to. Right now, I’m in the throes of polishing my novel to send to an agent and finishing up revisions for my nonfiction due at the publisher in less than two months! YIKES! Anyhoo…I’ll be back very soon with more recipes because my family is certainly growing tired of take out, leftovers, and vegan pizzas. For now…here’s a pic of myself with two of my favorite fellow writers…
Katie Ireland, in the middle, is a psychic medium and dear friend of mine. So in the meantime, check out her site!
It’s been a whirlwind week and a half, hence, my absence from posting. The Seventh Grader had to have his appendix out, then proceeded to follow it up with three ER visits, then two nights in hospital due to complications from surgery. Luckily, he’s doing great, but it did change our spring break plans of snowboarding. Not a big deal. We ended up going anyway since we were all in desperate need of a getaway. We stayed in this great little studio apartment in Nederland, CO, just 15 miles from the ski resort (not that that mattered). This was our favorite spot to hang out:
The apartment is just around to the left of the house.
I brought up way too much food (as usual) but we didn’t have time to check out the restaurants in town. I made a batch of VegNews’ Mac n’ Cheese and salad.
We ventured into town the second day and came across First Street Pub and Grill.
We checked out the menu posted outside and saw lots of vegan options including the Vegan Supreme Pizza. We were hooked. I decided to fudge on my no-wheat rule and order the pizza.
It was delicious! It had tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and pine nuts. The only thing I thought it lacked was some type of sauce. They had hummus listed on their menu for an appetizer and I think hummus would have been a great addition to this pizza, or at least a tomato sauce. Otherwise, it was quite good. The Seventh Grader went with a vegetarian calzone:
And The Husband went with the portobello sandwich:
We also spent one day in Boulder which was only thirty minutes away. We were experiencing a little heatwave and enjoyed the 75 degree day! Of course, we stopped at the Dushanbe Teahouse for a late breakfast. I had the Teahouse Garden Wrap, minus the goat cheese.
Excellent!
It wasn’t the spring break we expected, but it turned out amazing!
