Vegan Eating Bender

Last weekend my two friends from high school, Dana and Regina, visited me in New York City. One is a vegan and the other liked veggies way before I even knew what a brussels sprout was. During their two-day stay, we managed to eat at four different vegan and veg-friendly spots.

Friday night it was Candle 79 where we spotted Woody Harrleson. He rolled right up to our table with a baby in hand. Not sure who the baby belonged to. Any one missing one? I had recently read an article in which Woody talked about being vegan. So how apropos to see him there.

To begin, I orderd the Guacamole Timbale.. I've ordered this dish before and once again enjoyed the multi-flavor layered app with caramelized onions and black beans. Since I can't have soy, the crackers that accompanied the dip were off limits. Instead, I dunked chip-shaped pieces of jicama and cucumber into the timbale.

For my main I had the incredibly filling Brussels Sprout Salad. It was a cold salad featuring roasted brussels sprouts, turnips, jerusalem artichokes, and baby carrots with a garlic-rosemary dressing. Dana jumped in on the sprouts too.

Saturday we kicked things off with lunch at Peacefood Cafe. My four-year-old son joined us too. He gobbled up half a plate of soy nuggets. I admit, I told him they were chicken. I had to have the chick pea fries and my goto order of roasted Japanese pumpkin and brussels sprouts. I think I may have over sprouted. I had so much food leftover that I packed it up and took it home. I also indulged in a fresh green lemonade juice. On the way out, my son picked out a gluten free chocolate chip cookie to go. I somehow managed not to order one for me. A true test of restraint.

We spent the afternoon at the MAD. Two of the floors were closed so we were only charged half admission, $7.50. What a score I thought. But after perusing the 2 floors that were open I felt gypped. The main attraction of the museum is the roof top bar when jaw dropping view of Central Park. Late afternoon we rode the elevator up. I was feeling so sleepy. I expected my friends to order cocktails or wine. When they began checking out the tea list I followed their lead. The green tea with jasmine blossoms really woke me up. I felt rejuvenated and super charged. The tea also smelled fragrant. My $5 cup of tea plus tip and view, now this was a deal.

When I got home, I popped open the jar of UliMana raw, vegan truffles Regina had given me. These were yummymana. Another lesson in restraint ensued as I kept from devouring the whole jar. Will have to purchase more of these, that is if I can trust myself.

That evening we dined at Gobo. My friends had a tough time deciding which dishes to order. There were so many good ones. In the end they each ordered the same main dish some kind of lettuce wrap and shared the pan seared vegetable dumplings and the scallion pancakes. I went for the yam fries and the roasted veggies. No dish disappointed. I was excited to have plenty of yam fries to take home. The leftovers went really well with gaucamole and my office computer.

The next day we kept things simple and affordable by dining at Whole Foods. Afterwards we hit Juice Generation where I discovered the Hail to Kale blend of kale, watermelon, apple and lemon. This juice was like a shot of espresso. I felt hyper and giddy afterwards. At least this is one bender that ended with me feeling radiant.

Return To Peacefood Cafe

After Monday's failed attempt to snag a table at Peacefood Cafe, I returned yesterday. This time my husband and I grabbed one of the few two-seater tables still available at 12:20pm. The place was already pretty full.

To kick things off we shared a green lemonade. Notice the double straws. Usually you see this kind of thing in malts not green juice.

For my lunch I had the chickpea fries, which my husband also sampled, along with roasted japanese pumpkin and brussels sprouts. The fries came with a tangy dipping sauce and sprouts. I think the sauce has some sort of soy product. I did dip a little, hoping that a small amount of a sensitive food wouldn't be too problematic. I experienced my usual back of throat mucus, but nothing too extreme.

My husband had the seasonal veggie panini on their homemade focaccia. I neglected to snap a shot with my Blackberry. He really liked it. The bread looked great. Being cut off from yeast, I really miss bread.

Seated very near us, was a woman constantly pushing her incredibly over sized stroller, while she ate. My husband said all the back and forth pushing he spied from his peripheral vision was making him sea sick. I'm not sure if the woman was attempting to burn off the calories she consumed by simultaneously exercising her right arm. Being a mom, I would roll my baby's stroller until he feel asleep. Then I would stop. This woman had no concept of stop. In addition, she kept pushing her gigantic stroller into people.

As a mom, I understand the challenges of raising a baby in the city. But geez, can't people be mindful of the close quarters in the city and choose a not so huge stroller? I purposely didn't go for a Bugaboo for three reasons. For one, it costs almost $1000. Secondly, it's of mammoth proportions. Not the best for rolling into cafes shops or even apartments. Thirdly, once a kid hits age two he/she looks ridiculous in a Bugaboo. An umbrella stroller like a Maclaren is a much better choice. It's more compact. You can use it up to age five. And it costs between $200 and $300.

Back to our meal. I was hopping to have room for one of their g-free desserts. But I was too stuffed. I also had wanted to try one of their soups. A return visit sometime soon is definitely in order.

The Lunch That Didn't Happen

One of the things I've been looking forward to during my week-long break from work is lunch at Peacefood Cafe. The restaurant is 100 percent vegan. They press their own made to order fresh juices, make interesting smoothie combinations, offer raw and cooked entrees and have many gluten free options. Also, it's delicious. My husband and I walked in today. Well, we attempted to walk in. There was such a big crowd waiting for a table that we could barely fit. It was like trying to get on the 2 train on a Monday morning. Somehow we managed to squeeze in where we realized that the wait for a table could easily be an hour long. We just weren't up for or expecting a que.

While I was bummed out that I didn't get to have lunch at one of my favorites spots, I was happy to see that a vegan restaurant was booming. All I can say is we need more spots like Peacefood Cafe. On my way out, I caught sight of the gluten free pumpkin loaf. Life is so unfair.

The Upper Juicy West Side

Lately, I've been more into green juice than green smoothies. I think it may have something to do with my over consumption of the vegan chocolate chip cookies I made last Wednesday night. I was too full for a smoothie, but I had room for green juice.

Over the weekend, I visited my neighborhood Juice Generation where I purchased three pints of Essential Green by Cooler Cleanse. Cooler Cleanse was co-founded by Salma Hayek. She's been doing juice cleanses for 15 years. I'm not sure if she's a full-time or part-time vegan. Essential Green is the perfect balance of slightly sweet with loads of green goodness including cucumber, celery, parsley, spinach, kale, dandelion greens, watercress, pear, lemon, and ginger. My husband drank some and said it was intense. If I had tried this juice several months ago, it would have been too intense for me too and not sweet enough. I feel like my sugar avoidance (other than the recent chocolate chip cookie meltdown) has recalibrated my taste buds. 


I also discovered that my hood is getting another great addition. Organic Avenue is opening directly across from Peacefood Cafe. I'm so excited to have three awesome juice/smoothie/vegan food options. Actually more than three if you include the sit-down restaurants Blossom and Josie's. Although Josie's offers animal-based dishes too, making it a good spot for my family. 


My husband wondered if Peacefood would be put off by Organic Avenue strategically moving in across the street. I guess we'll have to see if they become war food Cafe. 

Cheating

Cheating is one of those things you hope to get away with. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you're not so lucky. This past weekend I cheated a bit on my anti-candida diet. My son was visiting his grandparents, so my husband and I went out.

Saturday night is when the first incident went down. I had two glasses of Sekt, German sparkling wine. The next day I felt a little more congested. During the day, I had green juice, a green smoothie, cultured veggies. I rinsed my sinuses a few times with all my meds and headed out again Sunday afternoon when the second incident began.

I had enjoyed the bubbly so much the night before that I just had to have another glass. This time it was Prosecco at a beer bar. Afterwards, my husband picked up a slice of vegan vanilla, lemon cake from Peacefood Cafe. I had planned to have a bite or two, which turned into me eating half the slice.

Monday I definitely noticed a decline in my health. I felt much more congested and had to rinse my sinuses two times at work. Last week at work I experienced two days without having to go through this routine. Candida thrive on sugar, found obviously in vegan vanilla, lemon cake and sparkling wine. They were happy to be feed the sugary feast.  I think if I had just cheated one night and then gone right back to my regimen, I wouldn't have felt so poopy come Monday. Two nights of nefarious behavior were too much for my body.

So, remember, cheating gets you nowhere. Or somewhere you'd rather not be.