Epicurean Vegan

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Conference and Vacation!

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For the last few months, I have been part of the NCW’s Conference Creative Team—helping with all those fun details of a conference that my right brain just loves; none of the hard stuff like getting agents, editors, presenters, venue, etc. During all this, I also had to carve out time to fine tune my book proposal so that I can pitch to an agent on Saturday. Wish me luck!

 

Then the fam and I are off to the mountains for some well-earned time off!

The rest and relaxation will be short lived. When I get back on Wednesday, I’m going to have my work cut out for me. I was asked to be a preliminary judge for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest. I am super excited and looking forward to the task. By the time I get back, there ought to be close to 30 entries for me to judge! Whew!

Oh, and of course, I’ll be getting back to the food. I plan on trying a new meal during out snowy stay and I’ll post the results at the end of next week. So in the meantime, have a great weekend (and Spring Break) and catch up with all you soon!

Vegan Vacation: Northern California & Sac-A-Tomato

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Wow, been a while–hope I still know how to blog. I have quite a bit to share with all of you, so bear with me as I try to throw together nearly two weeks of dining (vegan-style) in California. The first few days, we spent with my sister and her family in Windsor, CA. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my new niece:

One day, we went on a picnic and of course, Trader Joe’s makes that pretty easy. I got some tofu spring rolls that were delicious.

Especially paired with the Chardonnay we picked up at Francis Ford Coppola Winery the day before.

One beautiful, sunny afternoon (a far cry from the frigid temps in Colorado), we sat in the patio of Healdsburg Bar and Grill where I had the most amazing garden burger with avocado and mushrooms. I scarfed it before I realized I didn’t take a picture of it! They have amazing fries and sweet potato fries as well. But I’ll share a picture of the boys as we waited for our food:

We only had a few days with the fam, so one night my sister made some outstanding garbanzo bean and zucchini curry burritos, using a mix from Trader Joe’s.

We also picked up some Thai food one night. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay long and had to head to Sacramento. The Husband and Sixth Grader would be spending just one night in Sac with me before heading back home. We were determined to find Sugar Plum Vegan for lunch and after walking the several blocks to get there, they were closed. Didn’t know they were closed on Mondays. (Our local vegan joint is also closed on Mondays—what is that? Do Mondays have a special vegan significance)? We had trouble locating an alternative so we settled for The Old Spaghetti Factory. Should be easy enough to find several things we can there, right? Wrong.

The only entree on the menu a vegan can eat: pasta with mushroom sauce.

We all got the same thing. The salad came out with the wrong dressing—drenched in balsamic vinegar instead of Italian. We never even saw our waiter between getting our meals and the bill. We were famished, so it hit the spot, but it was nothing to write home about. I hate having to settle for the one vegan item on the menu. There are several vegetarian items on the menu though. Needless to say, I wouldn’t go back.

We wanted to hit up P.F. Chang’s China Bistro for dinner and it was in walking distance to the hotel. We love this place. In fact, I think I ate there two more times during my visit. My favorites: Curry Vegetables, Ma Po Tofu and the Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps:

The next day, just before the boys took off, we stopped at Pronto, “Real Italian, Real Fast.” And it was. Tasty, too. The Husband and I got the Portobello Panini sans the blue cheese and aioli sauce.

The Sixth Grader had the spaghetti, just having to forgo the garlic bread that was clearly slathered in butter.

I was then on my own. I was there, after all, to finish up research at the California State Archives for my book, Folsom’s 93. You can read about my bra-less adventure at Folsom prison. Without a car, it was fabulous to be in walking distance to everything I needed. I spent 6 1/2 hours a day (excluding the weekend) at the archives and had to make lunch a quick trip so that I would make the most of my time. Here’s the low-down on my vegan finds in Sacramento:

 

California Pizza Kitchen

I was highly impressed with CPK. They even list vegetarian/vegan information on their website so that you know exactly what you can eat and what items can be veganized. It made it so easy.

I wasn’t starving one night, so I had the Tuscan Hummus. If you order it with the thin crust pizza instead of the pita chips, you’re in the clear. The service was excellent, too.

Other items I tried:

Asparagus Soup–never had before and I LOVED it.

Asian Lettuce Wraps–just ask for them without chicken.

Bagel Time

For a quick lunch and right around the corner from the archives, I went to Bagel Time, a tiny little place advertising in their window that they have veggie burgers.

With lettuce, tomato, onion and mustard, it was delicious.

Dragon House To Go

This seems to be a local favorite, so I thought I’d give it a try. I got the chow mein with tofu and vegetables. It was to die for. Full of flavor, it didn’t take me long to devour it.

Capitol Garage

I stopped in here for breakfast and was blown away. I had looked up their menu online beforehand and they had me at “tofu scramble.”

How gorgeous is this? I was a little surprised that I had to scramble the tofu myself, but it wasn’t a problem. It was a lot of food, but I’ll tell you what, it kept me going all day. The potatoes are amazing—not sure what they’re seasoned with, but they’re delish.

Paesano’s (they also own Pronto)

I had their Penne Roma (without Parmesan)–yummy, and on another night, their Polenta Fries and Risotto (again, without Parmesan). Both were outstanding!

I never had polenta fries before. Now I’m hooked. When I got back, I picked up some polenta to try making my own.

Ambrosia

This is just my favorite coffee shop—I used to stop here each morning during my first trip to the archives in January of 2009. I stayed in a different hotel this time, so it was a little out the way for me. I did make sure I stopped once.

Sugar Plum Vegan

I couldn’t wait until the weekend when I would have time to walk to Sugar Plum Vegan. They start serving lunch at 11am, but you can still purchase bakery goods before then. The BLT and Artichoke and Spinach Dip were recommended, so that’s exactly what I ordered.

Made with Daiya cheese, this dip was pure heaven. The flavors were unlike anything else–so rich and creamy. This alone would make a meal. I’m still dreaming about it. I am definitely going to try to recreate it!

The sandwich was good, but I still had the dip on my mind. I ended up taking the rest of the dip and half the sandwich back to the hotel which thankfully had a fridge and microwave. I had the rest for dinner that night. This is a CASH ONLY eatery, so stop at the ATM beforehand.

Above the restaurant is Never Felt Better Vegan Shop where I was like a kid in a candy store. What a cute little shop!

I ended up buying 2 scarves, some vegan jerky (review coming soon), a herbivore sticker and a cute vegan pin.

Amy Chun’s Noodle Bowls

I didn’t want to eat out every night, so I picked up a couple of noodle bowls. I actually had time for a product review!

So, it’s pretty easy to make–that is, if you have a kitchen with proper utensils. I was assuming there’d be a fork included in the packaging, but there wasn’t. No problem. I just had to go to the hotel’s breakfast area for a fork. Once the fork issue was resolved, I needed to add hot water to the provided bowl along with the dry spices and noodles. Ok, hot water in a hotel room. . .hmmm. There was a hot water thing in the room—like a coffee pot. So I fulled ‘er up, and held one of the hotel plastic cups under it and filled it with about 8oz of hot water. As I did this, I realized the cup at a slit on the side—not good. Luckily, I could tilt the cup away from that side. Then you add the water to the noodles and dry spices and microwave for about 90 seconds. It really needed about a 2 minutes. Drain any water and mix up. Add the package of peanuts. It wasn’t too painful of a process, but trying to prepare it in a hotel room isn’t that easy.
Aside from that though, it was quite delicious. The flavors were great and it even had a bit of a kick. The noodles came out perfect and I was pleased with the results. In a pinch, this was a good option for meal-while-traveling–but just make sure you have access to hot water, microwave, and a fork! I like that the front of the package clearly marks (bottom right) ingredient information such as, dairy-free, vegan, etc. Takes the guess work out. For nutritional information, click HERE. (100% natural, no preservatives and no MSG). I liked this one better than the Kung Po variety.

I guess that sort of concludes my dining experiences while in California. I loved that I could walk every where I went and that being in the downtown area, there are a ton of restaurants to choose from. In fact, there were some I wanted to try, but I just didn’t get a chance to check out. I’m thrilled that The Sixth Grader was able to see the Capitol and take a tour before they left, too.

Now, it’s time to buckle down and finish my book! You can read about my research and trip to Folsom prison at Folsom’s 93.

I’m Headed to Prison! (sort of)

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I took this picture in January of 2009 when I made a trip to northern California to visit my sister and her family. I’m headed out this way again and I can’t tell you how excited I am to leave snowy, below zero Colorado! (I’ll get to the prison part). The Sixth Grader and I will be meeting The Husband (who’s already in San Francisco for work) today then up to Windsor to see the fam. I am looking forward to getting my hands on my new niece who was born in October and spoiling her five-year-old sister. After a few relaxing days there, we head to Sacramento where my guys will fly back home and I’ll stay for another 9 days to finish up my research at the State Archives:

This will hopefully be my final trip to the archives as I aim to finish my book, Folsom’s 93, a nonfiction account of the men executed at Folsom prison. I know, real uplifting. 😉 This has been a two year process so far and I hope to be finished this summer with it. As a writer and history buff, I am so excited to get there and finish up.  Since it’s my second trip to Sacramento for this, I’m pretty familiar with the lay of the land, but plan on doing some more exploring. Luckily, most of what I need is in walking distance, including a church where one of my Folsom fellow’s crime took place. I also get to walk right by the Capitol building every day, which is quite beautiful.

However, the most exciting event on my schedule is a tour of the prison itself—still in operation, by the way. Folsom is located about 20 miles outside Sacramento and my mom will actually be meeting me in Sacramento and together, we’re headed to prison. She’s a little nervous. For me, after two years of Folsom on the brain, I’m thrilled.

Folsom has been in operation for 130 years and houses so much history, well, in addition to the roughly 3500 inmates. Part of the long list of instructions for taking the tour, is to not wear certain fabrics (denim), certain colors, and especially, no blue, orange, red or gold jumpsuits. Hmmm . . . so I told my Mom that her new catsuit might be inappropriate. 🙂

So needless to say, I’m anxious to head out there, for both vacation and work. There are lots of restaurant options, plus I will have a small fridge and microwave in the hotel room, so I’ll report back with my California Vegan Finds. If you know of any veg-friendly restaurants in downtown Sacramento, let me know! Until then, have a great couple of weeks!

Cheers!

Anniversary & Reflection

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Epicurean Vegan Turns 1!

That’s me with the largest acorn squash—ever.

I began my vegan journey when I gave up dairy in June of 2007, then finally giving up meat in December of 2009. I always felt I couldn’t digest meat and dairy very well, which is probably why I also was never a huge meat-eater. I picked up The Kind Diet and suddenly, things made sense. I loved the taste of dairy, but it made me feel crummy later (and did nothing good for my waistline). It was no wonder I had a love/hate relationship with food. I finally discovered that food can taste amazing and not make me feel lousy afterward. Oprah would called that my light bulb moment. I couldn’t wait to start on my new culinary adventure.

But then . . .  an appendicitis struck and thus, my world of food blogging. A year ago this week (on a very cold and blizzardy night–of course) I ended up at the ER with a very cranky appendix. Long story short—it was successfully removed, but the ordeal definitely knocked me on my butt. So I made my home on the couch, bloated belly and all, and an open laptop staring at me. I decided to start a vegan blog. I had no idea how to even blog, or if anyone would even find me, but I was loving my new plant way of life, that I just  wanted to share it with others.

I don’t remember what my first post was—for some reason, I have about 25 posts from January 21st. Not sure what happened there. So my first month of blogging may have been a little rocky, but over the last year I’ve had so much fun sharing recipes, what I’ve learned about vegan food, and meeting so many great foodies along the way.

I’m lucky to have a supportive family who has happily joined the vegan world with me and has been obliging guinea pigs for my recipes. Not everything I’ve made has turned out edible, but it’s all  been a fun learning process. I have been introduced to ingredients I never knew existed and have now become favorites. Kale, miso, tempeh, tofu—love them all!

My very patient, loving, and supportive husband had some fear when I announced my new “diet”, especially when I said that he wanted meat—he had to cook it, but after a month or so when he realized he wasn’t starved he thought he could probably do this too. You have to understand The Husband. He was a devoted chicken man. Chick-fil-A was his absolute favorite restaurant, but now, he can’t even imagine eating it. (I’m pretty sure Food, Inc., and Fast Food Nation, helped push him to go veg). He feels great, noting that those slowly, creeping pounds are not longer creeping up. One of the things I’ve noticed is my energy level. I actually took up running this last summer, participating in two 5Ks.

I never would have had the energy before—meat and dairy weighed me down. Literally. Weight gain is hardly an issue anymore. Without going into detail, I’ll just say that things run so much smoother!

Eating out and traveling as a vegan has been an adventure, but I don’t stress about it. I have found that restaurants are becoming more and more veggie-friendly and even if we have to put a little more effort into planning our meals while on vacation, it’s always worth it. We have found some vegan-havens in Boulder and Jackson Hole (well, everywhere, actually)!

(Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder)

(Nani’s in Jackson Hole)

Even camping is easy to veganize. There are lots of vegan options for the camper and hiker—which is a big part of our summers!

Anyway, I wanted to share my thoughts on my first year of veganism and all its positive effects it has had on us. Even though some friends and family think we’re a little nuts, that’s okay. I’ve learned a lot from some great cookbooks, but mostly from other vegan bloggers who have made this endeavor interesting and fun. Thank you to all my readers and fellow bloggers—I couldn’t continue this without all of you!

Tasty Harmony

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Vegan MoFo, Day 18

Asian Lettuce Wraps, Tasty Harmony in Fort Collins, CODoesn’t that look wonderful! They are Asian Lettuce Wraps that my favorite restaurant makes (and they happen to be the only vegan restaurant in town). They are amazing! Tasty Harmony is a fabulous restaurant downtown that seems to always be packed when we go there. Thanks to them, I’ve discovered jackfruit tacos, sea vegetables, and an incredible nondairy raw key lime pie!  I love to bring meat-eaters there because it’s impossible not to love their food!

Tasty Harmony in Fort Collins, COPhoto: Feasting Fort CollinsSo if you ever find yourself in Downtown Fort Collins, CO, hit up Tasty Harmony. If not, try my own version of Asian Lettuce Wraps.

My (Vegan) Retreat: Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch

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That’s right. A vegan on a guest ranch. Should I be boycotting this place? They do in fact raise and sell beef, after all. Well, I decided not to be hostile—I just don’t see the point. I did however (I’m pretty sure) convert one fellow writer in our group to go veg–she was quite intrigued and decided to give it the ol’ college try. BUT. . .if you are going to eat meat, Sylvan Dale‘s beef is raised with no hormones, antibiotics, and free range. The ranch has also been as “green” as possible since 1946 and was awarded the 2008 Environmental Business Award and the 2008 Conservationist of the Year. They are also certified with the Green Hotel Association and the GenGreenLife.

This is the 3rd year that the Northern Colorado Writers Association has done this retreat, but this was the first time I’ve attended it. There were 13 of us this year—every spot was filled. It was about getting away from the daily grind of motherhood, wifehood, laundry, cooking, dog-walking, etc. and focus on those other aspects of my life. Writing (and relaxing). It was a much-needed trip and we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. The Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch sits along the Big Thompson River and is located just west of Loveland, Colorado, not too far from Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. The staff seemed genuinely welcoming and kind; willing to go above and beyond. The weather stayed in the upper 70s, not a cloud in the sky and was ideal for grabbing a chair in the yard:

Lounging on the deck:

Or parking it on a rock:

I partook in each one of these. It is the perfect place to get work done and enjoy the scenery at the same time. With quiet hours enforced, we had no excuse but to get to it and write. For a little inspiration, we had some very clever and fascinating “river art” to ponder:

We arrived at 3:00 on Friday and had a little while to get settled, meet up with the rest of the group and compile all the snacks we all brought to put in the kitchen. I brought almonds, pretzels, and some granola bars. We were lodged in the Bunkhouse, a 2-story building with 13 rooms, a gathering area with a fireplace and a small kitchen, but a loft area and covered deck.

I loved my quaint room where I could hear the river rushing by:

The bed, ultimately turned into my work space:

Even though there was a perfectly nice desk in the room:

I have to spread out. Lots of papers, research, snacks, music, cords, etc. Need room. When I write fiction, I don’t nearly need the space, but my current project is a nonfiction endeavor that requires me to sprawl out. Or maybe I’m just messy.

Of course, as writers, we’re told how important it is to read, read, read and even though I wanted to finished this book before I left, I ran out of time. It was a total page turner and I didn’t want to wait until I got home to finish it. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens—it’s actually an advanced reader copy I picked up for free at a book sale and I loved it—very impressive for a debut novel. In fact, I just found out it’s on the NY Times Bestseller’s List and a movie may be in the works.

Once that was out of way . . . it was on to dinner!! A few weeks prior to the retreat the director of the NCW talked to the kitchen staff about my dietary needs–I was sure I’d be bringing up all of my own food, so I was thrilled when they said everything would be taken care of. It was buffet style where I grabbed some wild rice, steamed broccoli (which was done to perfection), salad and as a main dish, the chef prepared for me a marinaded, baked,  portobello mushroom with tomatoes.

It was delicious! For dessert, they brought a little bowl of strawberries and blueberries–nice finish to a great meal:

That night, we had a rip-roaring game of Bananagrams. Have you played this game? I hadn’t until that night and I think I shocked my fellow writers with how fiercely competitive I am when it comes to games. I’ve never been athletically-inclined, so my competitiveness has to be channeled somehow . . .

And btw, Patricia Stoltey (who is also in my writers group, The Raintree Writers), attended the retreat—checkout her books Prairie Grass Murders and The Desert Hedge Murders. Be sure to visit her website.

Breakfast was again a buffet style where there they offered cereal (with soy milk), fruit, toast, and then brought out eggs, sausage (blech) and hashbrowns. I had a filling breakfast of peanut butter toast, fruit and a huge pile of hashbrowns—everything was yummy. (Sorry, no pic–but I’m sure you can picture it)!

All of Saturday was a writing day. 9:00am-5:00pm. We lucked out with weather, so finding a quite spot along the river, under a tree, or on the sunny deck, was ideal.  The ranch had just gotten wireless internet, so I wanted to avoid my room as much as possible so I wouldn’t be tempted to goof off. I parked it here for a few hours:

Since we had a kitchen in the area we were staying, lunches consisted of sandwich stuff, so I brought up some St. Ives ham, Tofutti cheese slices, and some Vegenaise. There was hot veggie soup brewing so I filled up a bowl, made a lovely vegan sandwich and added a few chips on the side. Then it was back to writing. If we saw another retreat member diligently typing away, we could only whisper—if we even talked at all. It was almost eerie how quiet it was, but then again, that’s what a writer’s retreat is all about. Once we met up for dinner and quiet hours were over, I think we were all ready to talk and not shut up. It felt good.

Dinner was amazing. The chef prepared for me, a risotto-stuffed green bell pepper with roasted red peppers. It was insanely good—so good, I’m determined to duplicate it at home. I’m pretty sure the others at the table were jealous–I saw them eying it.

Using risotto was brilliant since it gave it a creamy, cheesy consistency and taste–loved it! I told the kitchen staff that it should be on the regular menu. The next morning I went with the peanut butter toast, fruit, and cereal with soy milk. It was great. So, see?  It can be done–a vegan can survive on a dude ranch, in fact, I’m pretty sure I ate better than anyone! (Or at least I like to think so).

 

Overall, it was a fabulous retreat and only 30 minutes from home. I got lots of work done and met people from the association that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise met . . .and let’s not forget I got someone to go veg! Just having a chance to recharge and focus on a project was exactly what I needed, plus, I now have a culinary quest: stuffed bell peppers.

Vegan Concert: Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO

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Last night we saw Ray LaMontagne and David Gray at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO—just west of Denver. If you’re never been to a show at Red Rocks, you have to make a trip; it’s one of the BEST venues around to see a concert.  It just doesn’t get any better. The weather was phenomenal and with a view of the Denver lights, there’s not a bad seat in the place. Then the moon came out. It was like an orange slice in the sky:

We went with another couple, who also happen to vegan, and since you’re allowed to bring outside food in, it was easy to throw together a picnic. Before we left for the 1 to 1-1/2 drive, I made up some hummus wraps:

On a garlic and herb tortilla, I spread on some hummus, added cucumber, tomato, and sprouts. I also brought along some extra hummus and some very delicious multi-grain flax seed crackers.

Our friends brought fruit, cookies, and some amazing banana cake/brownies that were so delicious! (I will definitely get the recipe)! There is nothing like going to Red Rocks and seeing some of your favorite musicians, while enjoying some awesome vegan food! It can be done!

Vegan Vacation: Jackson Hole, WY

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I’m definitely still in vacation mode–this was probably one of the most relaxing trips we’ve been on. After an 8 to 9 hour drive, we arrived in Kelly, Wyoming in the beautiful Tetons National Park. We stayed in Budge’s Slide Lake Cabins just outside Kelly and about 20 minutes north of Jackson Hole.

This was absolutely a great location for us—secluded, close to Jackson Hole, and not far at all from both the Tetons National Park and Yellowstone. The Gros Ventre River flows out of Slide Lake as well and a short trek along the lake gave us a spectacular view of the Tetons:

(Sunset)

(Sunrise)

Since the cabins are located right on the lake, we spent lots of time lounging around on the patio taking in the sun, watching the kayakers, and reading.

Currently, I’m reading The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard:

Having access to a full kitchen was really great—it saved us some money and we didn’t have to drive into Jackson for every meal. I was able to make a few things ahead of time like granola, vegan ranch dressing, tofu spread, and the filling for lasagna. We arrived around 6:30, so we went with easy spaghetti for dinner.

(View from the kitchen)

The next morning I went for a run along the lake and then had a breakfast of granola and English muffins with peanut butter. Another morning, I also made a tofu scramble with some tempeh bacon I made ahead of time. With some Tofutti sour cream in a warmed tortilla, it was delicious, especially when you need something to stick to your ribs for a big day of hiking. We decided to go to Jenny Lake, only about a half hour drive from the cabin and a must see when visiting the Tetons. We made this trek before about 3 years ago and knew what to expect. The most popular hike is fairly easy and after 2 miles, you’ll come to the Cascade Falls:

By the time we got here, it was time for a snack. Lara bars are a yummy vegan energy bar that I love. My mom, her friend, and The 6th Grader took the ferry back to the trail head ($6.50/person one-way). The Husband and I made the hike back and met them for a picnic along the lake–which is right at the base of the Tetons.

We packed a picnic of Boca “chicken” wraps, fruit, and chips. It was so relaxing and a great place to relax after the hike.

Other dinners at the cabin: Grilled veggie burgers and I made lasagna. We also had an appetizer night serving the tofu spread, Can’t Say it’s Cheese spread, avocado bruschetta, salad and rice.

The Husband, being the manly-man he is, grilled a Smart Dog over a campfire and said it was quite delicious.

The next day we decided to drive north about an hour to the south entrance of Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake where he started with a lakeside picnic.

We packed bagels with Tofutti cream cheese, avocado, and tomato. They were fresh and delicious and perfect for a picnic.

After a warm and sunny picnic, we braved the roads with hundreds of others to visit the other amazing sights of Yellowstone: Old Faithful, Midway Geyser, Biscuit Basin, and the Fountain Mud Pots.

 

OK…On to Jackson Hole—what you’re all probably more interested than my family photos. So I was pretty apprehensive about finding vegan options in a place that is surrounded by cattle and buffalo.

(Who’d want to eat this cute guy)?!

I was looking on my iphone for vegan options in Jackson, particularly, Harvest Natural Foods Cafe, which is vegetarian, but in the meantime, we came across Lotus Cafe, just a block from the town square on a quiet street.

It was around 1pm and were able to score a patio table in some shade (actually, they let us move a table into the shade). It didn’t appear to be air conditioned inside, so it proved to be cooler on the patio. We were really impressed with the many vegetarian/vegan options on the menu–it was so hard to decide. I opted for the Thai Curry Bowl with tofu for $12.99.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get one bite of it. After finding about 5 bugs in in, I took it back. I was told that the greens were fresh from the farm that morning and probably did not get rinsed well. They are an organic cafe, so it’s to be expected, but I sure the hell didn’t want it in my meal. They were very apologetic about it and I decided to order the same thing The Husband got: The Aztec Enchiladas for $12.99. They are corn tortillas stuffed with quinoa and served with enchilada sauce and avocados, lentils, and steamed kale.

I believe it was also served with creme fraiche but I obviously didn’t use any. Anyhow, I had to wait again for a my meal and while The Husband loved the enchiladas, I wasn’t as moved as he was. They were good, but not great. I didn’t like the lentils and the kale tasted funny. I would definitely like to try making my own quinoa stuffed enchiladas because they were good. I was hoping they were comp me my meal but, they didn’t. Oh well. I certainly would eat at Lotus Cafe again–they have lots of other vegan options that I would love to try.

For our last night, we wanted to have dinner in Jackson. I looked through a Jackson Hole 2010 Dining Guide that was in the cabin. We picked Nani’s Cucina Italiana:

What drew me in was that on their advertisement in the dining guide, they accommodate to various dietary needs, including veganism. I was ecstatic.  Since we were also with two nonvegans, there were options for everyone. We sat on the patio that faced the quiet street, just off of the town square.

It was certainly on the pricey side, but we figured since it was our last night and this was only our 2nd restaurant meal of the trip, we could splurge. The Husband and 6th Grader ordered regular spaghetti, each for $13.99.

They both loved it. They said it was amazing, so I guess that means spaghetti at home will be a disappointment. My mom went vegetarian with fresh linguine with pistachio cream sauce for $18 and said it was outstanding. For my meal, I went pasta-less. For vegetarians/vegans, Nani’s offers an entree for $19 where you can choose from three of the following:  roasted tomatoes or potatoes, soft polenta, grilled zucchini, peas sautéed with onion, chard sautéed with pine nuts & raisins, sautéed oyster mushrooms, vegetable & chickpea salad, sautéed broccolletti, or braised green beans. I went with the roasted potatoes, sauteed oyster mushrooms, and the chard sauteed with pine nuts and raisins.

I was blown away. This was by far one of the BEST restaurant meals I have had in a long time. The flavors of everything was fresh and savory. The chard was amazing. It was the perfect amount for one meal, but I would have loved to have had leftovers. Oh my gosh, it was amazing. Everyone loved their meals and agreed that it was the perfect place for a farewell dinner—or any dinner for that matter.

The 6th Grader’s dessert stomach was of course empty, so he ordered the sorbet sampler:

He loved it and after a taste test of each, I wish I had ordered my own.  Overall, it was a fabulous choice for dinner and is clearly a popular place, as it was getting packed as we were leaving. I highly recommend Nani’s for the food and great service.

According to the dining guide, there are other places offering vegan/vegetarian options. A previous guest of the cabin wrote in the guest book that Jackson Lake Lodge, about a half hour north of Kelly, had lots of vegetarian/vegan options and the place overall, has been highly rated.

Other places worth looking into: Betty Rock Cafe, Bon Appe Thai, Chinatown Restaurant, or Ocean City Chinese Bistro. We also found Jackson Whole Grocer, a natural and organic grocery store that everything we could possibly need as vegans.

It was an amazing vacation, especially since my mom had never seen the Tetons or been to Yellowstone, so it was great to share this with her. Anyway, hope I haven’t bored you to pieces with my trip photos and food ramblings.

Going On Vacation!

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The Grand Tetons

We’re off to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, folks! I’ll be back on the 31st with hopefully some fabulous pictures, tales of adventure and possibly a little bit of tan. We’ll be staying in a cabin where we have access to a full kitchen so we’ll be doing a lot of cooking, but we’ll definitely be hitting plenty of restaurants as well, so I’ll report back with my vegan finds and fare.

So until then, have a great week and I’ll look forward to reconnecting next weekend!

Cheers!

Product Review: Backpacker’s Pantry Freeze-Dried Meals

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Backpacker's Pantry Freeze-Dried Meals

Camping . . . Vegan Style

We decided to head out to the great wide open and finally get a camping trip in this summer. We escaped the brutal city heat, much to the delight of millions of vicious mosquitoes. Nothing two full cans of bug spray couldn’t handle. Aside from just good old-fashioned family fun, it gave us a chance to test out some vegan freeze-dried meals for our upcoming backpacking trip in August, where there will be about 4 miles between us and the car—not 500 yards or so like this trip.

You can car camp and still get away from other campers, as well as be close to a lake or river—in this case, the Laramie River, just below the Continental Divide. The first night, we fired up some veggie burgers, topped them with avocado slices, and sandwiched them between two toasted buns. (Obviously we were too hungry to stop and snap a pic)! They were perfect camp food.

We of course made s’mores—the Sixth Grader putting away two of them and me, quite possibly having my first one ever. That’s right. . .I can’t remember ever making them before. It was a monumental occasion, not to mention delicious.

The next morning, we enjoyed some Starbucks coffee. Tucked in the remote wilderness was a Starbucks, run by none other than. . . bigfoot. Ok, so no, but we enjoyed their VIA Ready Brew Italian Roast packets:

For breakfast, we fried up some diced onion, potatoes, and green and red bell peppers for the best damn breakfast burritos ever.

Topped with vegan cheddar and salsa, they tasted phenomenal. Maybe everything tastes great while camping—either way, we weren’t complaining.

It was a relaxing morning with some sun, coffee, breakfast, and Neil Young, via the iphone. (We decided that a solar-powered iphone charger would be a wise investment).

While the boys fished, I took advantage of the quietness to write, work on my current project, Folsom’s 93, and finish reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, an enjoyable, quick read by Dai Sijie.

So on to the review. . .

We were pretty excited to see that we could find vegan freeze-dried meals since we try to do a couple backpacking trips each summer. Backpacker’s Pantry, out of Boulder, has a few varieties and we chose two of them: Pad Thai and Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce with Veggies, each for $5.95. All freeze-dried meals require boiling water and a utensil to eat with. And since they’re so light, they are ideal for backpacking. Before going vegan, we used to buy freeze-dried meals from Mountain House and have always been very happy with those, but they don’t seem to have vegan ones. Plus, they are a couple of dollars more than Backpacker’s Pantry. Each package is 2 servings and they really would easily feed two people–there’s a lot there.

The Pad Thai comes with a packet of chopped peanuts and a peanutbutter packet. Take those out, add 2-1/4 cups of boiling water, stir it up, and let it sit about 15-20 minutes (which is pretty standard for freeze-dried meals).

The Spicy Peanut Sauce and Veggies came with a spice packet and 2 packets of peanutbutter that you have to mix in a separate bowl with a 1/4 cup of boiling water. I wasn’t crazy about the inconvenience of dirtying a bowl, but I later found that it was worth it.

Then you add 1-1/2 cups to the bag, stir it up, let it sit for 13 minutes, then stir in the sauce.

The Spicy Peanut Sauce and Veggies was outstanding. It was a little soupy and I would have liked larger veggies, but overall, it was so delicious. The consensus was that the Pad Thai was not quite as good. It too, is on the soupy side with rice noodles and it certainly wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t as tasty as the other one.

They come with a high calorie count. But when you’re backpacking, you’re needing to replace your calories and it’s pretty easy to burn them off. Each serving of the Pad Thai is 460 calories, and 490 for the Spicy Peanut Sauce.

The Husband wanted to try the Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes for just a $1.90 which had 2-9 ounce servings. There was quite a bit. I didn’t try them since they contained milk (he says he’s 99% vegan since he’ll still eat a little cheese–I’m working on nixing that 😉  However, I can’t complain since he’s made it this far)! Anyway, we didn’t bring up any salt, so he said they were pretty bland.

So there’s the low down on the freeze-dried meals. We will certainly be buying those for our backpacking trip coming up.

Laramie River, a few yards from the campsite

All and all, it was a fantastic trip. The second (and last) morning, we woke up to having a deer staring at us from a safe distance and once he took off, we toasted some blueberry bagels and drizzled them with agave. They were great with our Starbucks. 🙂

I’ve been known to have a grumpy side when I have been roughing it too long, especially if coldness and/or rain are involved. Somehow, I managed to keep things civil between me and the elements, even with the carnivorous mosquitoes. The kid was happy to constantly poke at the fire, whittle, and partake in some pine cone sling-shotting. The Husband caught quite a bit of fish and the three of us had a wonderful time laying by the fire, solving all the world’s problems.

The Cache La Poudre River

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