Day Seventeen

We had Veggie Chili for lunch today at Fresh and Organic Bakery in Ashburn. It tasted exactly like TJ's Veggie Chili, but that is a good thing.

Dinner was another Cranberry and Wild Rice Stuffed Gardein Cutlet with a Baked Potato.

Day Sixteen

I planned to go elsewhere for lunch today, but wound up at Whole Food's Global Cuisine Bar again for some Cumin Rice, Indian Garbanzos, Cauliflower & Tomatoes. Dinner was Boca Burgers with Tofutti Singles and Oven Fries.

That's all I got.

Day Fifteen

Today's lunch was Whole Food's Vegan Vegetable Wrap - Grilled Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Carrots, Red Pepper, Red Onions, Eggplant, Lettuce, White Bean Grilled Onion Spread on a Flour Tortilla $5.49. I get a side of Balsamic Viniagrette. Also some Mesquite Chips.

Dinner was Gardein 'Turkey' Cutlets filled w/Cranberry Stuffing ($2.99 a piece) and Roasted Broccoli.Great grub today.

Day Fourteen

I had leftover 'beef' Stroganoff for lunch today.

For dinner, I made Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes in Amarone Sauce from Vegan Epicurean.I didn't have fresh Tomatoes or Pine Nuts.

The Amaranth was good and the veggies were good, but the mixture will take my taste buds some getting used to. I'm looking forward to trying more recipes from this site.

Day Thirteen

Lunch was from Panera Bread today. The 'Mediterranean Veggie' Sandwich on Ciabatta -described as "zesty sweet Peppadew peppers, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions and Cilantro Hummus" $5.69 I also got a bowl of Black Bean Soup $4.49.

I ate the sandwich open face -- I've never seen Tomatoes, Onions or Cucumbers sliced so whisper thin. The meer hint of Hummus on the bread amused me as well. Panera corporate honchos must stipulate that each sandwich gets no more than two slivers of Cucumber and two slivers of Onion etc.

Dinner was Boca Chick'n Patties (non-organic!) topped with a Mustard Caper Sauce and Roasted Acorn Squash.

Day Twelve

I managed to control myself today at Whole Foods Hot Bar, just got some Steamed Vegetables and Spicy Vegan Chicken.Dinner tonight was Spaghetti with TJ's Meatless Meatballs.

Mr. SV makes his Spaghetti using Barilla Pasta and Classico Spicy Red Pepper Sauce mixed with Boca Crumbles.

Day Eleven

Where did day ten go???? Lunch today was in D.C. at Old Ebbitt Grill. I was planning to get the Autumn Vegetable Platter, but the Acorn Squash had to be made with butter.So I got the Boca Burger, which was good as always. And since I got home late tonight, Mr. SV thoughtfully picked up dinner for me from Thai Pan.It's hard to take pics in the dark. This is the Si-am Cashew. Tofu sauteed with cashew nuts, onions, bell pepper, water chestnut, scallions and carrots in a mild chili paste.

Day Nine

Today's lunch was Vegetable Yaki Udon Noodles from the 'Friends' Japanese Restaurant in Chantilly (inside the Lotte Grocery courtyard).

This dish was extremely spicy, but still decent. I prefer Soba noodles and the sides (Salad, Kimchi & Pickled Radish) were wasted, but I had a nice burning sensation in my belly for the rest of the day. Dinner was leftover Curry Supreme from Wednesday.

Day Eight

None of the soups du jour at Whole Foods were vegan, but I saw something new on the salad bar -- Vegan Chicken Salad. It was dried out on top, obviously no one wanted any. I excitedly slapped over a half pound in my container and got a loaf of bread so I could make a sandwich back at the office.

Bad move. Eating a half pound of Vegan Chicken Salad left me feeling very ill and gross. After some time spent in the restroom I came back to my desk and my co-worker says, "Are you okay???? I was thinking maybe you fell in!" Gee thanks for your concern.

Grapes were the only food item I could think of having for dinner to try and counter act the effects of lunch. Were it not for Vegan Mofo, this pathetic story would not be known.

Day Seven

The Veggie Combo for $6.99 from Grill Kabob in Herndon is an unreal deal, however, next time I go, I will stop them before they ladle the rice and salad in the container. I really didn't want it. The "free" drink wasn't used because all their drinks are soda. A dinner-plate sized portion of Tandoori Bread also comes with the meal.

I only ate the Spinach, String Beans and Lentils.
To celebrate 14 years of marriage, dinner was one of our most favorite meals -- Curry Supreme from Sunflower.

Chunks of Soy Protein stewed with Broccoli, Potatoes, Mushrooms, Carrots and Green Peas in a special Japanese Curry Sauce. (The above pic was taken before the food was reheated in the oven). Washed down with two bottles of Freixenet Cordon Negro Champagne.

Comfort Food

I wanted a smoothie today, so I attempted to make one myself with two frozen Bananas, Raw Carob, a splash of Soy Creamer, a tablespoon of Peanut Butter and some ice.

There wasn't really that much smoothie after blending it all up. Tasted like a rich Chocolate Milkshake. Probably better for me than whatever they put in smoothies at a restaurant.

For dinner I opted to experiment with another packet of Road's End Organic Gravy Mix.I mixed a packet with a sauteed Onion and re-hydrated Shitake Mushrooms.Spooned the gravy over some Noodles.Mixed in a package of TJ's Beefless Strips and chinese Beef shreds.Tossed in a half a cup of Peas at the end.
I found it very delicious, but Mr. SV wouldn't touch it because he's afraid of catching my cold. Oh well.

A Real Mofo Day 5

First I come down with a head cold during the night. Next I go to Sunflower to get some super spicy soup for lunch, and I can't even focus the camera on it when I get back to work.
Hot Hot Shabu Shabu - Yuba (Tofu Skin), Organic Tofu, Bean Sprouts, Bean Thread Noodles, Dried Mushroom Chunks, Broccoli, Baby Bok Choy in spicy hot soup. A whole quart for $7.50. It took an hour but I ate the whole quart, I think it definitely helped my cold.

Sunday Dinner

Not the best pictures, but just an FYI for those who don't know, Road's End Organic Gravy is really fantastic.

Only .79/packet and so simple to make. Just stir it up w/a cup of water over the stove and in minutes you have delicious gravy.

We had our Gravy tonight on Mashed Potatoes (made w/Soy Milk & Earth Balance), Roasted Broccoli and Vegan Steak topped w/A1 Sauce.

One Block West, Winchester

We had a gourmet lunch today at One Block West.

I enjoyed a Cataluna (Spanish) Pinot Noir $7

We went through two loaves of their bread which is served hot out of the oven. We both ordered "Ed's Pasta" - Tomatoes, Artichokes, Basil, Capers, Garlic and White Wine $8. The pasta was fresh and the dish was much more flavorful than it appeared, wish I could identify the different herbs and spices that were used.Rarely can I find a vegan dessert to order in a restaurant, so when I saw the "Pineapple One Block West" on the menu, even though I was stuffed, what could I do?

Pineapple flambeed in Rum, served over Coconut Sorbet and topped with Toasted Coconut $8. They subbed Simple Syrup for the butter usually used to make the dessert.

Lunch & Dinner - Day Two

Lunch today was carryout from The Parkway Deli in Silver Spring, Maryland.
$6.75 for an extra-large Boca Burger w/Lettuce, Tomato, Sprouts, Guacamole & Fries. Nothing better than Fries dipped in Guacamole. This place is a real gem.
Dinner was carryout as well, from The Mediterranean Cafe. I got the usual, Salata Horiatiki, Fresh Tomato, Cucumber, Mixed Olives, Red Onion with Lemon-Oregano Vinaigrette, Fresh Romaine and Pine Nuts.

Cantina D'Italia, Winchester

We've driven by this place a million times, but it always looked closed. It still looked closed when we drove up today. The employees should park their cars in front, not in back.Once you do venture inside, it is actually really nice and inviting.The prices start around $8.95 and the entrees all come with Bread and Salad.My Pasta Primavera ($9.95) and was one of the best I've ever had. The slow roasted Cherry Tomatoes tossed with Broccoli, Onions, Mushrooms, Zucchini and lots of Garlic really made the dish unique. This is one of three Cantina D'Italias. There is the original in Herndon and one at Fair Lakes. We will return.
Dinner was Celebration Field Roast and baked Sweet Potatoes. I hope I can post daily for VeganMofo. I'm gonna try my darndest.

Not The Most Exciting Food Weekend

As the title of this post indicates, not much was worthy of posting about this weekend.

We had lunch at Mimosa on Saturday. I don't know what was going on in the kitchen, but they salted my Asparagus Tempura and left Mr. SV's Edamame completely salt free.

My Kung Pao Tofu didn't 'agree' with me either if you know what I mean.
I found a few good deals at Big Lots -- Organic Soda for $2, Polish Mustard for $1 and imported Marzano Tomatoes for $1.50.Today I made Susan's Split Pea Soup.

It turned out great as usual. Hopefully, this week will prove more interesting.

Learning To Like Eggplant

Eggplant was never a favorite of mine to say the least. The texture...the seeds....the bitterness. Life is short and tons of people seem to enjoy it, so today I was adventurous and got an Eggplant Panini from Uptown Pizzeria in Herndon. Sans cheese! It was actually kinda good (Hey Mikey!) although that could be due to the generous amount of Oil & Vinegar they used to dress the sandwich. I'm going to continue to try and be more accepting of this vegetable. (Beets, however, are simply a lost cause).