breakfast: corn squares cereal with rice milk

lunch from whole foods prepared meal bar: garlicky kale salad; vegan beef with broccoli; orzo salad; quinoa with butternut squash and dried fruit; israeli couscous with butternut squash; corn cake; probably some other things i can’t remember; sample of an apple

snacks at amaris and heather’s house: apple slices with chunky peanut butter; strawberries; chips and carrots with hummus

dinner: roasted squash seeds; whole wheat spaghetti with leftover roasted tomato pasta sauce and melted daiya cheese; green gazpacho; corn checks

drink: miller high life

dinner 2: french fries; hummus with carrots, cumcber and celery; a larabar coconut  cream pie (Yummy! it tastes sort of like a macaroon)

drinks 2: sam adam’s boston lager (vegan according to barnivore.com)

breakfast at 100% Natural Coffee Shop in Cahuita, Costa Rica: coffee; fruit plate with pineapple, banana, watermelon, and red/orange fruit with avocado-like texture (?) that I dipped in hot sauce; gallo pinto and bread (this time, when asking if it was totally vegetarian and explaining that I don’t eat milk or eggs, the waiter said it was vegano, so I feel quite confident about it. I didn’t ask about honey in the bread, though. 95% confidence?)

lunch at Veronica’s Place in Puerto Viejo (taking the bus there solely to go to this all-vegetarian restaurant, where everything short of breakfast eggs can be made vegan. Definitely the only place with soy cheese, soy milk, and soy meats I saw on this trip): beet, carrot, string bean, and apple juice; starfruit and ginger juice; patacones (crispy-fried plantains) served with black beans, cabbage salad, and vegan soy meat in coconut sauce; Mamma’s mashed potatoes, also served with black beans, cabbage salad, and coconut sauce, and with the protein option “carrot tart”, which was one of the best meat substitutes I’ve ever had (she makes it out of carrots and oats).

dessert, still at Veronica’s Place: coconut cake/cookie; yummy banana ice cream with crushed cacao (the server said he helped pick the bananas at either their farm or a farm of a friend, I couldn’t quite follow. Nice to eat bananas that weren’t from one of the ubiquitous Chiquita farms, where they use so many pesticides they keep the bananas in plastic blue bags while they’re still on the trees)

dinner: 1st failed attempt at making my own coconut sauce, buying an overly-sweetened can of “coconut cream”: chickpeas with garlic, onion, hot pepper, crema de coconut, cayenne, black pepper, curry powder mix, garam masala, and fresh lime, served on corn tortillas with Lizano salsa and lime

Imperial cervesa 40s (!) with lime

breakfast: kava stress relief tea with french vanilla soy creamer; apple from the farmers market; seven spices chai tea with french vanilla soy creamer;

lunch: leftover peanut pasta; couscous with walnuts topped with a squash medley (butternut squash, spaghetti squash, zucchini, chickpeas); vegan tuna salad; vegan peanut butter halloween bite (www.sjaaks.com)

snack: soy latte

dinner/drink/snacks while watching the west wing: popcorn with bragg liquid aminos and nutritional yeast; whole wheat spaghetti with leftover roasted tomato pasta sauce and melted daiya cheese; busch beer

breakfast: more store-bought “toast” (large crouton) with ridiculously sweet guava jelly

more cookies, lime plantain chips, and almonds throughout day

coffee and banana colada (ordered without the evaporated milk, which is in many piña colada and similar drink recipes) at Cafe Parquecito in Cahuita, Costa Rica

dinner at El Palenque Luisa: rice/beans (like gallo pinto) and vegetables (mushroom, cucumber, carrot, potato, etc.) with Caribe tomato sauce; pasta with coconut sauce and vegetables; caipirinhas

I specified “totally vegetarian” and “without milk” again in my horrible Spanish, but again didn’t ask about butter, and the coconut sauce tasted a bit too creamy, but it could have just been really creamy coconut milk. 60% vegan probability? Either way, coconut sauce over pasta is amazing and I am going to try to make it soon.

breakfast: cookies and coffee

lunch at Miss Miriam’s (Tortuguero, Costa Rica): Gallo pinto; coconut rice; salad with cabbage, cucumber, tomato, and vinegar; fried plantains; homemade hot sauce. Shy of the vegetarian place we later visit, my highest confidence of a vegan gallo pinto (90%). I specified all kinds of dairy (thankfully someone was there who knew the Spanish word for margarine and butter, which I had forgotten) plus all kinds of meat including meat fat, and she seemed to understand completely. Plus, this was my first gallo pinto with coconut milk (a twist on the Caribbean coast), which made it especially tasty.

more cookies (throughout day)

papaya daiquiri with rum and lime at Buddha Bar (Tortuguero)

dinner on porch: avocado half with Lizano salsa; store-bought toast (interesting… like large vegan croutons) with canned refried black beans, avocado, fresh lime, and salsa; spiced plantain chips; Imperial cervesa with lime

sadly, tonight’s late night cockroach adventures were not vegan. After an extended chase that resulted in me carrying one outside atop a 6-foot-long board (part of the bed), a hotel employee who the stunt came in to help, and his solution involved taking off his flip-flop and killing one.

breakfast: banana; Nature Valley peanut butter granola bar; piece of bread

the rest of the coconut roll

lunch while waiting for next leg of travel, by boat: bread with more canned jalapeño refried black beans; cherry tomato; almonds

plantain chips with lime and Imperial cervesa on beach in Tortuguero

espresso from Buddha Bar (Tortuguero, Costa Rica)

more Imperial beer

dinner at Miss Junie’s (Tortuguero): very pink gazpacho; half of two veggie entrees without the cheese (the two were identical except for the beans), including: avocado, heart of palm, steamed veggies including carrot and perhaps broccoli stem (this could have had butter; I again made the mistake of just using the word for milk instead of trying to specify all dairy); garlicky mushrooms (also could have butter); chickpeas; fresh salad; gallo pinto; baked beans (both bean dishes also could have had butter, but because of how I asked I don’t think they had milk, meat, or lard. I’ll put this gallo pinto at 70% confidence)

cheap store-bought vanilla cookies

late night cockroach adventures: vegan (shuttling two outside, leaving two behind the sink)

late night sea-turtle-viewing tour: felt disappointingly disruptive; while no animal products were ingested, it didn’t feel very vegan :(

breakfast: free coffee at Pension Santa Elena hostel; Nature Valley peanut butter granola bar

lunch: leftover beans and veggies on corn tortillas; more free coffee

coconut roll (may or may not be vegan) from Monteverde Bakery. It reminded me of a cinnamon roll or Challah. That reminded me that, while I did ask about it not having milk or eggs (asking which of all the baked goods were without milk or eggs), I did not ask about honey. I also didn’t ask about butter.

dinner in view of a volcano: bread (from same bakery; I know it was vegan because ingredients were listed) with canned jalapeño refried black beans (again, all the refried beans I bought in Costa Rica tended to be vegan and super tasty), Lizano salsa, avocado, cherry tomato slices, and cucumber slices; orange slices; cervesa Imperial purchased at Hotel Dorothy. I also started taking Primaquine, an anti-malarial drug, which probably isn’t vegan.

breakfast: Nature Valley peanut butter granola bar

banana, coffee husk, and coffee samples (light, dark, medium blends) on tour of Santa Elena Coffee Cooperative

almonds

lunch at Soda La Amistad: bebida con fruta mixta (specifying water, not milk); platanos fritos; gallo pinto (here I asked if it was vegetarian, if it was without meat, and if it was without milk. I don’t think these questions necessarily rule out butter or lard, so I’ll rather arbitrarily assign it a 50% confidence of being vegan.)

free coffee at hostel, La Pension Santa Elena

espresso at Hummingbird Cafe by Monteverde reserve

another peanut butter granola bar; more almonds

Imperial beer

dinner cooked at hostel: corn torillas with red refried beans (canned; much tastier canned+vegan refried beans than I’ve found in the United States), avocado, cilantro, the juice of some sort of orange-lime hybrid, and sauteed veggies (white corn cut off cob + garlic + hot pepper + onion + Lizano salsa + salt + vegetable oil + more cilantro and orange-lime)

more cervesa Imperial and Imperial Silver

breakfast: a slice of homemade bread with earth balance; bagel with blackberry jam

snack: an apple

lunch for my housemate’s brithday: two types of homemade vegan bread; homemade hummus; cucumber; tomato; fava beans; garlic/ lemon juice topping; pickles

beer: miller high life; starr hill

snacks: my homemade bread baked with vegan cheese and tomato topping from yesterday; rice cakes; prunes rolled in flour

at Houston airport: Coffee from Starbucks. Weird travel dish, made the night before, incorporating available and/or about-to-go-bad ingredients: canned red beans + leftover Chinese-take-out white rice + Daiya mozzarella “cheese” + corn + Sriracha + vegan Worcestershire + Old Bay seasoning + fresh lime + sesame oil + salt + pepper. All ingredients sauteed, then served on a bed of Romaine lettuce.

on planes (LGA to IAH and IAH to SJO; can’t remember which things I ate on which flight):
“Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary Mix” with lime (the one ingredient that may not be vegan is “natural flavors”. Worcestershire is not listed, nor anchovies, which appear in many Bloody Mary mixes. To make ordering this more or less absurd, just ask for “spicy tomato juice”. This is arguably the most nutrient-filled vegan food offered on Continental flights today).
In-flight meal, minus the ham-or-beef sandwich, minus the granola bar, and minus the salad dressing, resulting in: iceberg lettuce with hot sauce. Yummy!
I also ate food I carried with me: more beans and rice “dish”, leftover chocolate cake, and a banana.

on bus from San Jose to Monteverde, Costa Rica: plantain chips; peanut butter + peach-strawberry sauce sandwich

brunch: garlic bagel with earth balance

snacks: pretzels; taste of vegan mac and cheese that my housemate made; one piece of pasta

dinner: homemade bread spread with homemade hummus/ babba gannoush mix; roasted tomato spread (roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, salt and pepper in the food processor); roasted brussel sprouts wand roasted beets; slice of homemade bread with earth balance

drinks: miller high life (vegan according to barnivore); star hill

last night we had a house meeting and my house is going to function as a sort of coop.  We are each going to cook one meal a week for the entire house. all food (unless specifically labeled) is communal.  hopefully this will help me start to feel comfortable about cooking alone and being more creative. i’m also going to try to start cooking bread once a week…so perhaps i’ll end up being the bread maker for the house

breakfast: tazo organic chai tea with french vanilla soy creamer; coffee with french vanilla soy creamer; lot of peanuts

lunch: frozen veggies (peas, carrots, corn, green beans); roasted beets; toasted sourdough bread with hummus, vegan tuna salad, lettuce and tomato

kava stress relief tea (yogi brand)

snacks while watching the west wing: popcorn with bragg liquid aminos and nutritional yeast; yuengling

breakfast: shredded wheat with soymilk; coffee; bite of raw spinach salad

lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwich; apple

dinner at dirt candy (most dishes shared; many details missing here): jalapeño hush puppies with vegan maple butter; BBQ carrot buns with ginger-cucumber salad; pea appetizer with pea broth poured over pea flan, peas, and yukon potatoes, topped with wasabe dehydrated pea leaves; mushroom appetizer with pieces of toast with portobella mushrooms, truffled mushrooms, and peach compote; zucchini entree with falafel, macadamia cream, tarragon-mint noodles, something else on top; fennel funnel cake dessert with chocolate sorbet and some other type of sorbet; BYOB champagne; BYOB homebrewed lambic; BYOB red wine

This restaurant was awesome!

breakfast: everything bagel with Tofutti, tomato, and onion from A.R.E.A. Bagels; iced Gorilla coffee

lunch: avocado with balsamic vinaigrette dressing; apple

Skittles

dinner: leftovers of Michael’s agave udon with tofu dish; raw spinach salad with tomato, avocado, olive oil, Bragg’s, and nutritional yeast; toast with Vegenaise and nutritional yeast; cider from Dan’s party

breakfast: banana; chamomile tea

lunch: toasted sourdough bread with hummus, vegan tuna salad, lettuce and tomato; peanuts; hazelnut tea with french vanilla soy creamer

snack: multigrain tortilla chips (food should taste good)

dinner: nachos made with multigrain tortilla chips, black beans, salsa and daiya mozzarella cheese; roasted beets

desserts: apple cider; rice cakes; leftover sticky fingers cupcakes (chocolate and chocolate, almond, carrot)

breakfast: soy yogurt; coffee

lunch: avocado with balsamic vinaigrette dressing; apple; bread

snacks at worm meeting: Skittles; stuffed grape leaves; vegan salt and vinegar chips; carrots; grapes; McSorley’s Irish Pale Ale (vegan according to Barnivore); Pilsner Urquell (vegan according to Barnivore)

dinner take-out from Lin’s Garden:: General Tso’s tofu with broccoli and sauteed string beans, with white rice; cider from Dan’s; homebrewed lambic

AM Oreos

at bakery of Montpelier culinary institute: espresso

in car, snacks from Montpelier Co-op: blackberry-almond muffin; Mantu hot pocket with veggies and potatoes; “tempeh of the sea” (fake tuna)

also in car: multigrain bread from Montpelier bakery; more Oreos

AM Oreos; cider

at bakery of Montpelier culinary institute: soy latte

in car, snacks from Montpelier Co-op: blackberry-almond muffin; Mantu hot pocket with veggies and potatoes; “tempeh of the sea” (fake tuna)

also in car: multigrain bread from Montpelier bakery; more Oreos

breakfast: olive bread with leeks and garlic; tomato on toast; coffee

snacks in garden: raw kale, tomato

at Johnson Fair: maple candy

potato chips throughout day, some with leeks; leftover peanut noodles; half a beer before going to Montpelier

dinner at Dan/Adrian’s house in Montpelier: corn and flour tortilla burritos with refried black beans, tofu, cilantro, lime, tomato, peppers, Sriracha, and Trader Joe’s jalapeño salsa; Rock Art barley wine and golden ale (may or may not be vegan); PBR; soymilk with double stuf Oreos or fake Oreos

breakfast: banana; cider; orange juice; olive bread with leeks and garlic; coffee; beer

snacks in garden: raw kale, tomato

at Johnson Fair: Ritz crackers with jams: strawberry, pineapple?, banana butter, blackberry-acai?, blackberry?, etc.; Tostidos with salsa

beer on hike

potato chips throughout day; leftover peanut noodles; a peanut; half a beer before going to Montpelier

dinner at Dan/Adrian’s house in Montpelier: flour tortilla burritos with refried black beans, tofu, cilantro, lime, tomato, peppers, and Trader Joe’s jalapeño salsa; Rock Art barley wine and golden ale (may or may not be vegan); soymilk with double stuf Oreos or fake Oreos