breakfast: toasted everything bagel with Tofutti cream cheese and fresh garden tomato; blueberries; coffee

lunch: Trader Joe’s masala veggie burger with melted vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, homemade pickle and pickled onion, ketchup, and jalapeño Tabasco on bread

dinner: lentil-rice Dosas (followed this recipe but did not let it ferment overnight) and romaine lettuce with Aloo Masala (from this recipe) and seitan red lentil curry (I first prepared homemade seitan by mixing about 1.5c wheat gluten: 1.25c water, kneading, then boiling in vegetable broth+soy sauce+bay leaves+olive oil for about an hour. While that boiled, I started cooking red lentils (just covering in water then simmering until soft, adding more water if necessary); when they were done, I stirred tomato paste into the lentils. Separately, I sauteed onion in olive oil, then after a couple minutes added lemongrass, garlic, ginger, berebere spice mix, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt. After a couple more minutes, I added fresh tomato, then after a few more minutes added the lentil/tomato paste mixture. Finally, I added coconut milk, cilantro, and chopped up seitan.)

Anchor Liberty Ale (vegan according to Barnivore) while watching Soylent Green; chocolate soymilk

cookie dough while making Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodle cookies (didn’t bake cookies yet)

whole wheat toast with peanut butter and cinnamon sugar. oj.

leftover mac and cheese, baked beans, salad with the csa stuff

dinner: swiss chard, sauteed with tamari, pepper, and raisins. this was inspired by something emily’s mom made for us one time–chard isn’t my favorite green (i got it in my veggie box) and actually raisins aren’t my favorite food either, but somehow together they’re not so bad. curry: i salted a couple small eggplants (csa), and while they sweated i diced an onion (csa) and threw it on the stove to brown. oh, and i boiled a piece of tempeh for 10 minutes or so. when the onions were cooked i added the eggplant and tempeh, and then some curry from a can that i got at the supermarket, along with a can of coconut milk. curry in a can is so much easier! then i had cantaloupe (csa) with cashew “cream”

Click for the recipe.

dear blog friends and loyal readers:

tomorrow i’m leaving for a 3-week trip to the dominican republic. after much thought, i’ve decided not to blog during this time. while traveling and eating at restaurants and at the homes of my friend’s family members, i’m going to do my best to choose vegan options, but i anticipate that it will be challenging and not always under my control. i will do the best i can and report back on how it goes- hopefully with some tips for other vegan travelers- but probably will not record all the details. i also expect to have infrequent internet access so will have to catch up with my fellow bloggers’ adventures when i get back. dear blog friends and loyal readers, i hope i’m not letting you down!!

emily.

“brunch”: espresso; Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos (yeah.)

peach and strawberry chunks while chopping fruit for beer-brewing (beer subsequently exploded out of 6-gallon jug, fruit hitting ceiling)

homemade pickles and onions, roasted peppers, vegan cheese, and tomatoes on rice crackers; blueberry mojitos

dinner at Japan Inn: agedofu with no bonito; eggplant appetizer with no bonito; miso soup; avocado roll, shiitake mushroom roll, and vegetable spring roll, all with soy sauce; Sapporo (vegan according to Barnivore). I’m starting to wonder if the spring roll has eggs in it; I thought I asked once but it tasted suspicious. They also previously said they use vegetable-based broth for the miso soup, agedofu, etc., but it’s worth asking again, especially about the eggplant dish.

breakfast: onion bagel with earth balance; banana; almonds

snacks/ drinks: miller lite; calvitto’s pizza strip; a few chips and fries from other people’s sandwiches; a taste of mike’s classic raspberry margarita

lunch at froozies: lentil nut burger (lentil mixed with cashews and sunflower seeds, zucchini and spices topped with dill vegan mayonnaise, sprouts, lettuce and tomato)

dinner/drinks at rhody joes: baked potato; sweet potato fries; steamed broccoli; narragansett beer and miller lite (both vegan according to barnivore)

the last two days blurred into one because i did a big fridge cleanout and an overnight road trip. i ate a lot of weird stuff that i can’t totally remember. i had two notable fast food stops while driving, at what i think are the best options for vegans that can be found at almost any rest stop:

taco bell: good job

for dinner last night i had two fresco bean burritos. “fresco” means that they had lettuce and tomato instead of cheese and sour cream- in other words, i could order something completely vegan without having to make any off-the-menu special requests! good job, taco bell!

subway: frustrations

subway is always a good option on the road, but i had two frustrations: subway’s pizza, which looked delicious when my friend ordered it, comes frozen with the cheese already on the crust (even though they also add more cheese later), so there is no way to make it vegan. also, when i had subway at 8:00 this morning, the subway employee who made my sandwich would not let me pass off my veggie delight as an egg-and-cheese-breakfast-sandwich-hold-the-egg-and-cheese, but made me pay for the veggie delight, which cost almost twice as much even though it contained all the same veggies. in other words, i had to pay more to NOT have egg and cheese on my sandwich!

one other note: i found stage planks at a gas station near memphis. i’ve only ever seen these at gas stations in the south. try them if you see them!

whole wheat bagel with tofutti cream cheese. oj.

last of the leftover pizza

chocolate avocado cupcake

cantaloupe and peach–i started getting a box of produce from a csa called edible alchemy. it’s cool, you pay as you go and it’s every 2 weeks.

vietnamese sandwich. salad with arugula and cucumbers from the csa, and also apples, onion, and pine nuts–i tossed it in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

illicit but organic substance.

whiskey and ginger ale

breakfast from Think Coffee: toasted everything bagel with Tofutti cream cheese and sprouts; double espresso

lunch: spinach noodles with tofu and vegetables (by Macro Vegetarian)

snacks at going-away party for co-worker: tortilla chips with salsa, mango guacamole, and tomato+corn guacamole; cherries; Double Stuf Oreos; Labatt Blue (vegan according to Barnivore); Corona (vegan according to Barnivore)

The vegan fail was that I bought tortilla chips to the party but I was not the person who put out the food, so when I saw a bowl of tortilla chips, I assumed they were the ones I brought. So I started eating those with a salsa, and then after a few chips someone said, “I love these Tostidos Hint-of-Lime chips!”, which aren’t vegan, and which had filled the bowl instead of my chips. Oops.

dinner: leftover spinach noodles; Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili chips (I believe the only vegan Doritos?)

Magic Hat #9 (vegan according to Barnivore) at Fang Banger (with Norah Jones!) show

breakfast: almonds; banana

lunch at bouchard’s for my cousin’s wedding: i don’t think that they normally have any vegan food on their menu, but my cousin asked them to make a vegan option.  the food was delicious.  i am not sure if i have ever had vegan french food.

preambles chaudes: vegan puff pastry; sauteed mushrooms and asparagus

pallet cleanser: lemon sorbet with a slice of lemon

plat principaux: an assortment of vegetables; white beans in a squash bowl; pasta with fresh tomato sauce

pour finir: raspberry sorbet with raspberries

white wine- i forget the brand, but they looked it up and said it’s vegan

snack: almond crunch bar

dinner delivered from via via gourmet pizza: pizza (dough and tomato sauce, no veggies) and falafel

dessert: grapes

homemade granola with ricemilk. oj.

leftover pizza. avocado chocolate cupcake.

plain tostada shells

comfort food dinner after a bad study day: vegan mac n chreese (look! another way to spell cheese!) from whole foods, and bush’s vegetarian baked beans.

breakfast: shredded wheat with soymilk; espresso

iced coffee from Oren’s Daily Roast

lunch from Vegetarian’s Paradise 2: half of fried “chicken” with french fries, ketchup, and sweet sauce; half of tofu pad thai

dinner: leftover pasta with marinara sauce and nutritional yeast

vodka gimlets and beer at open bar; roasted vegetables (artichoke heart, peppers, zucchini, squash, etc) and dried apricot. These were at a party for people who work with start-up companies, venture capital, business, etc. The only food at the party was a grilled vegetable platter (no cheese) and a fruit platter with only a bit of cheese on it. I have never seen such vegan-friendly catering at an event that it not oriented towards vegans. Unfortunately, I did hear several people complain about the food, but I am still impressed.

pinto and rice burrito

breakfast: 2 bananas; salty oatmeal; coffee with french vanilla soy milk creamer

snack: wheat thins (I finished the box in under 24 hours)

snacks: toasted pita with peanut butter

snacks on the drive to rhode island: skittles; toasted sourdough bread with hummus, spinach, red onion, tomatoes, last of the cheezly smoked cheddar cheese; a taste of my brother’s drink (half lemonade and half iced tea); lay’s potato chips

on the drive to rhode island (in connecticut) i saw a billboard advertising vegan and gluten free food (shoreline diner).  has anyone ever seen a billboard adverstiting vegan food? it was my first!

toasted oats cereal with soy milk, ground flax, agave

leftover chili and cornbread

coffee and banana bread; watermelon

whole wheat bread out of the oven (recipe from ’1,000 vegan recipes’) with peanut butter and raspberry preserves; 1/2 session black lager

smoothie with strawberry, raspberry, peach, oj

leftover slice of pizza with cupcake

bbq potato chips

banana chips that andrea bought

falafel in a pita with hummus, baba ganouj, cucumber etc. in tahini sauce, tomato from sultan’s market

fancy assed martini at matisse bar–i think it had pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, and some other things. also a maraschino cherry. it tasted like a cough drop, in a good way.

breakfast: Cheerios with soymilk; iced coffee from Oren’s Daily Roast

lunch: leftover pasta with marinara sauce and nutritional yeast

dinner from Atlas Cafe: vegan steak Cubano sandwich; half a mint brownie made by Vegan Treats

breakfast: multiple cups of coffee with a lot of french vanilla soy creamer

lunch: toasted sourdough bread with hummus, lettuce, red onion, tomatoes; a few lay’s potato chips

snack: a disgusting amount of wheat thins (almost the entire box)

dinner: fuji apple; banana

drink at the raven: magic hat #9 (vegan- see company responses about vegan products)

breakfast at the chicago diner: vegan s’moores milkshake (yes, we ate this first). ‘chicken fried steak’ with potatoes, scrambled tofu, gravy, slices of pineapple and cantaloupe. french toast with the same sides, except maple syrup instead of gravy.

chocolate avocado cupcake, gin and tonic at veggie bingo

leftover pizza

breakfast: Cheerios with soymilk; iced coffee from Oren’s Daily Roast

lunch: leftover beans and sauteed collards with tortillas, salsa, fresh lime, and vegan sour cream

white nectarine

dinner: sauteed spinach with green onion, garlic, sea salt, and olive oil; pasta, some with marinara sauce, and some with melted Vegan-rella cheddar, Earth Balance, and nutritional yeast (Vegan-rella was not my favorite vegan cheese, but it tasted okay when mixed with the other ingredients

chocolate soymilk with brandy

Purely Decadent peanut butter chocolate coconut ice cream