Saturday, August 8, 2009

Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Tempeh

I really wanted to make this meal, but I don't own 'Eat, Drink & Be Vegan'. So I surfed the net and found a recipe from Whole Foods that sounded similar and about my speed.First you marinate the Tempeh in Sesame Oil, Tamari, Mirin, Garlic & Onion. Then you toss the Sweet Potatoes with Olive Oil, Cinnamon, Ginger and a little of the Tempeh marinade.
After sauteeing the Tempeh, the Sweet Potatoes are tossed into the skillet, then all of it went into the oven for a half hour.
Served with a sautee of Kale, Garlic & White Beans. It was very scrumptious! I will make it again. Thanks for the inspiration, Nora!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Back to Whole Foods

1.16 lb @ $8.99/lb = $10.43 for some 'Global Cuisine'. Lunch today was $4 more than my usual Burrito Bol at Chipotle. Tasty but not worth the price difference.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Hillbrook Inn, Charles Town, WV

Lunch today was at this gorgeous Inn built in the 1920's. For $35 per person they offer a three-course lunch and they advertise it as very vegetarian friendly. The chef said that vegan is no problem.The first course was a deeply flavored Tomato Soup with Dill and I figured this was going to be one of those frou-frou meals where I'll still be hungry afterwards. I was wrong.The second course featured Mushrooms on Pasta sauteed with Sherry and Shallots, Roasted Red Peppers, Haricot Verts, Fluffy Indian Rice, Roasted Baby Eggplant, Flatbread, Mixed Greens tossed with fresh Melon in an Orange Viniagrette and an exotic Fig naturally coated with crystallized sugar. The third course was grilled Pineapple topped with fresh Blueberries and Strawberries.
The friendly service and bucolic view from the dining room made the $35 per person seem like a steal. It was so fantastic, before we left, we made reservations to go back.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Counter, Reston

This new chain restaurant just opened in Reston.
Above is the view from my parking spot on the 6th floor of the garage....
This is the 'Veggie Burger Bowl' I ordered to-go. 1/3 pound of vegan burger on a salad for $9.25. I'm pretty positive I checked 'tomatoes' as an extra, but nonetheless, the meal was generous and high-quality. I will return soon to try the Veggie Burger on a bun with Fries. Great restaurant!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Vegan Dad's Veggie Lunch Meat

I have been wanting to try this recipe since it was first posted.



The primordial ooze of White Beans, Water, Oil, Herbs, Spices and Soy Sauce...

After blending....
...and kneading with the Vital Wheat Gluten...
...and steaming for an hour...
After an hour of baking, the seitan had hulked out. This must be why Vegan Dad says to use 'heavy duty' foil. It is delicious! I'm so excited to have this in the house ready whenever I want a sandwich.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Stoneleigh Tavern, Round Hill

Lunch today was overlooking a serene golf course: Stoneleigh is a very well manicured upscale Golf Community. Anytime there is a Veggie Burger on a menu, I order it so the restaurant will know there's a demand 'out there'.
This is a Boca Burger on a Kaiser Roll. The Sweet Pickles were thick and crispy. A great meal for $5.95 + .50 to sub Fries for Chips. We will return.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Wolfie's Banana Blueberry Muffins

I've been craving Blueberry Muffins for a while and Whole Foods didn't have any vegan muffins stocked yesterday, so I found this recipe in La Dolce Vegan.
First you blend the Banana, 'Milk', Oil & Molasses...


Stir the wet mixture into the Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder, Cinnamon & Ginger...


Spoon into tins..
Bake for a half hour & serve... Mr. SV loved these!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant, Chantilly

Todays lunch was the Special for $7.95 -- Veggie Turkey Club on Whole Wheat Bread -- Veggie Turkey, Veggie Ham, Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber and lots of vegan mayo. Comes with a tasty little salad topped with crushed nuts (!) and an intriguingly sweet dressing.
A great deal and very delicious!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

The Best Chili You Will Ever Taste

When I'm bored at work, I surf the net looking for easy recipes (as opposed to asking for more work). This recipe was voted the best Chili on Recipezaar.
I subbed the meat & stock with soy, seitan & veggie broth......and for the 'dark beer' I used Newcastle Brown Ale It sure looked tasty and was definitely simple to make. I served the finished product over Smartdogs last night. We liked it a lot,but is it the best? It might just be!

La Mezzaluna Cafe, Charles Town WV

This non-descript sign in a little strip mall belies a delicious restaurant inside. Whoda thunk it?!
Upon arriving, I told the waitress I didn't eat cheese or meat and she was on it! The best service I've had since becoming vegan. I don't even know her name.
The restaurant serves salad and bread before the meal Olive Garden style. The waitress made sure our salad was served without their house dressing.
She also had the bread baked especially for me because that too is usually made with parmesan cheese.

The knots were soft and hot. Perfect for wiping up sauce.My Penne De Contadina was made with tons of fresh garlic and broccoli. A massive portion for $5.95, I had to take half of it home! This place is a find! There may not be much for vegans to eat here, but what there is is very worthwhile.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Hunters Head Tavern, Upperville

Their website has been saying for many months that their menu is being updated. I decided to stop by today to see if they'd expanded their vegan offerings beyond the Boca Burger.

Not yet. The menu appeared exactly the same as it has been in years past. It was a lovely day to dine 'al fresco' and the meal was good, so no complaints except now I have to think of something different to have for dinner.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Tuna Salad Craving

I'm still happily living on Chipotle & Boca Burgers, but the other day I had an intense craving for a tuna salad sub.
Fortunately, Whole Foods stocks this locally made vegan tuna salad. I've bought it infrequently over the past ten to 15 years because I've found the quality to be inconsistent.

Today, however, I must say it totally hit the spot. Either I just got a good batch or Asmar's adjusted their recipe. Either way, my craving has been satisfied!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Forced Adventure

I've been mainly having Chipotle for lunch (no more Perfect Pita for me since the alert that the Hummus contains feta. Why????!) and Boca Burgers for dinner the past few weeks, but I thought I had to post something different on the blog.

I took the risk of ordering a new menu item from Sunflower: "Adventure of Tempeh Land" (Organic Five-Grain Tempeh sauteed with Red Bell Pepper, Snow Peas, Asparagus, Baby Corn and White Mushrooms in a Thai Style Curry Sauce). I really wanted Chipotle today, and this dish looked terrible, I was bumming big time before I tasted it. ....It was fantastic! Can't wait to get it again! (Still having Boca Burgers for dinner though)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Broccoli and Garlic Breadcrumb Spaghetti

Tonight's dinner seemed like a good way to use up all the ends of bread in the freezer that Mr. SV is always threatening to throw out. I used them to make my own bread crumbs to toast and toss with pasta and broccoli.
Unfortunately, the sum of its parts turned out pretty dry. It would've helped to drizzle some Olive Oil over everything before serving. But there's now a little more room in the freezer.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Quiche

Dinner tonight was Veggie Quiche...
...made with Broccoli, Green Pepper and Onion...
...sauteed for around 15 minutes......then mixed in with the Tofu that has been blended with 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric, a tablespoon of dried Basil, a smidge of Nutmeg, two tablespoons Nutritional Yeast and Salt & Pepper.
Smooth the mixture into a partially pre-baked pie shell...
.....and bake at 425 degrees for half an hour.
Pretty darn good!