Plum Vegan Bistro - Seattle, WA

Yes, I'm still alive.

I say this every time, I know, but I've neglected the blog once again while I attempt to make sense of the craziness that is life. I'm still without a new job, which brings both anxiety about money and the childlike excitement of having four day weekends! Last weekend Joe and I ventured up to Seattle (again, I've been there a lot this summer!) with the boat to check out Seafair. Seafair is basically a big festival complete with drunken hoards on boats, watching the blue angels fly, and hydroplane races. I'd never been so I didn't know what to expect...but wow, it was unreal. Boats literally everywhere, swells that you'd expect to find amidst a storm way out at sea (which sucks when you are hungover, ughh), and a flight show by the Blue Angels that is sure to blow your mind. I loved it!

What I also love about visiting Seattle is trying new restaurants!! Seattle's no Portland, but it has it's share of vegan, allergy friendly cuisine. Last time, I checked out Chaco Canyon, which was absolutely to die for, but this time we stayed in Capitol Hill so I was determined to find somewhere a little closer to try for the first time. Luckily, Joe's friend Chris, who we stayed with, has a roommate who's girlfriend is vegan, so a quick text and we were on our way to Plum Bistro.


Upon arriving, it was clear to me that this was the most upscale vegan spot I've ever been to. The decor made me feel like I was in some exclusive, members only ski lodge in Aspen; wood beams on the ceilings, dim light, just a very elegant feel.

The menu honestly looks like a menu you'd get at a regular gourmet restaurant: protein dishes, gourmet burgers and pizza, pasta, salads, and a custom drink menu. Yet instead of ordering a "steak", "seafood", "pork" or "chicken" entree, you ordered a "tempeh", "seitan", "quinoa" and "tofu" entree. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. This was definitely the first time I'd ever seen a menu like this in a vegan restaurant. To top it off, they label what is gluten free by adding a little G with a slash through it next to the description, AND everything on the menu is made with 100% organic ingredients! That being said, it's obviously on the spendier side, but so worth it.

We started with an appetizer, and I absolutely could not resist ordering the avocado roll. I love sushi so any chance for me to try a new type of vegan sushi roll I'm all over it. But it seriously exceeded my expectations; I can easily say it was the best vegan sushi roll I've ever had. Better than like actual sushi places. The concoction inside the roll tasted like it could almost be raw tuna, but better due to whatever seasoning was used. I honestly still am not sure what was in it, but it was amazing. Even cooler, they make it with brown rice instead of white...I hardly come across that in sushi places and I'm so glad they were conscious enough to make the switch!

For dinner, I couldn't wait to try a tempeh entree. Although the Tempeh Vermouth is their most popular item, I decided to go off the beaten path and check out the Chipotle Glazed Tempeh (which, I just noticed, isn't on their permanent menu...bummer). It came out topped with mango salsa on a bed of steamed greens and man was it good! I think I may have licked my plate clean....it really inspired me to get good at cooking tempeh.

Joe, of course, couldn't resist ordering a burger. He ended up with the Crazy Jamaican Burger. The burger was jerk tofu, topped with ripe plantains, sweet onions, potato salad and tomatoes, with a side of fries. Thanks to the bun I couldn't try an actual bite, but I tasted the burger part and the fries and WOW. Easily some of the best fries I've ever had, and the burger had such a unique but satisfying flavor. And of course, Joe and Chris both loved it, which means it had the "normal-eater" stamp of approval :)

At the end of the meal, it was honestly all I could do to not order more food, I was so intrigued by the menu and seriously dying to sample everything! There is no question I'll be back....I gotta find out the secret ingredient in that sushi so I can make it and share it with all of you! ;-)

Kitchen Dances

Hello all!

Thought I owed you guys a post since I feel like I've been so behind these last few weeks. I've now spent two weekends in Seattle, which totally throws off any semblance of routine I have. When I'm out of town its hard to keep up with my meditation, yoga, morning juicing, and sadly, blogging. But its Monday morning, I've had my juice for breakfast and my salad for lunch, and I'm ready to write!

It's been an interesting week. I went to Seattle for my best friend Kelli's birthday. As excited as I was to celebrate with her, I was super bummed that I wouldn't be able to partake in any drinking thanks to my parasite (which Kelli named Clarence, by the way). Thursday of last week, I couldn't take it anymore. My diet is so restrictive as it is and although I'm a big advocate of treating things the natural way, the meds my natropath had me on were just taking too long. So I bit the bullet and went to a regular doctor. Thankfully, the new doctor I tried out was actually pretty awesome, so I appreciated that. They had to retest me for the parasite but once my results come back I can get on a more hardcore treatment that will hopefully knock little Clarence out. So I decided to go off my parasite diet for the weekend! And as a result I had an amazing weekend with Kelli and her friends. As much as I'm a stickler about my diet and health, there is really something to be said for letting go every once in a while. I think a little indulgence is good for our wellbeing.

Moving on...

If you are from the Portland/Vancouver area, you are well aware that Portland has a big food cart scene, one that is supposed to be the best in the country. There are seriously food carts for EVERYTHING! Aside from late night drunk munchies, I haven't done much exploration of these food carts simply because many of them only have hours that suit a lunch crowd, and seeing as I get a half hour lunch and work in Vancouver, I don't have the luxury of testing them out. Lucky me though, with my new work schedule, I get Friday's off as a part of my weekend. So I figured, what better way to celebrate this new freedom than check out a vegan food cart?

I happened to be running errands in the SE Belmont area, and I'd heard of this place called Kitchen Dances. It's located on Belmont and 43rd in a parking lot that has a whole bunch of carts all clustered together. You can't miss Kitchen Dances, its in a cute little red cart with an outdoor seating area towards the back. The menu is all vegan with a lot of raw and gluten free options and specials that change daily. But probably the most exciting little tidbit about this spot is that 2011 Vegan Top Chef winner Piper Dixon runs the cart...so you know the food is gonna rock!

I had a really difficult time deciding what to get...everything sounded amazing. They make vegan quesadillas and they even have gluten free tortillas for us celiacs, the beet ravioli also looked pretty unreal, but I ended up going for the salad that was on special, which was a delish mix of greens, topped with pear, avocado, carrots, sauerkraut and a super-fresh lemon tahini dressing. It definitely hit the spot, although I did consider ordering a quesadilla afterwords as well.

(I forgot to take the pic until I was halfway through...it was THAT good)

In addition to fresh lunch options, they also sell some of their stuff to go. They've got hummus made from raw chickpeas which I'm absolutely dying to try, as well as vegan cheesecake and all sorts of other little goodies. If I hadn't been on the parasite diet at the time, you KNOW I would have tested those out. Oh well, guess I have a good excuse to go back! Please go out and support this cart, I promise it is well deserving!

Chaco Canyon Review - Seattle

Hello all!

Sorry its been awhile! I have a ton to blog about and not nearly enough time! Like seriously, I have a list in my iPhone of posts I need to write. I need to figure out how to make blogging my full time job.

This last weekend I spent a night in Seattle, dropping Joe off for his first Seattle to Portland ride! Every year, 10 thousand cyclists ride 204 miles from Seattle to Portland (if you couldn't guess), and this year I'm proud to say that my boyfriend was one of them! I honestly couldn't be more impressed. I've ridden 20 miles with him before, and that was just about all I could handle.

Here is Joe at 4:30 a.m., getting ready to embark on the STP journey:

And here he is crossing the finish line, 14 hours later. Unreal right?

As is normal for any kind of trip, I had to find somewhere I could eat! We went up Friday night so he could leave early Saturday morning, so dinner had to be pre-planed. I figured this wouldn't be too difficult in a big city like Seattle, but it was also important to us to find somewhere close to our hotel, since he wanted to be in bed early for the big race and Seattle traffic is nothing short of unpredictable. 

Thanks to my iPhone and Yelp, I was able to find a place super close to us (we went to the West Seattle location, but there is also one near University of Washington) called Chaco Canyon. Reading the menu online got me really excited...it reminded me a lot of one of my go to spots, Proper Eats.

The West Seattle location is in a quaint little neighborhood, right off one of the more main roads (I never have any idea where I am when in Seattle...its so confusing to me). It's got a very organic feel to it, lots of wood decor and a sustainable bus-your-own-tables mentality. You order at the counter, where you can also pick up their house-made granola, pumpkin seeds and a wide assortment of baked goods and desserts. Your order is then brought out to you. While you wait, you can check out a wide assortment of business cards, flyers, etc. pertaining to like-minded businesses and events. (I always love checking those out, they have one at Proper Eats too).

As usual, I had to order juice to start my meal. Places with juice bars score huge points with me these days. I ordered the Green Goddess, which according to Joe, tasted like a garden, and according to me was fresh and delicious! Joe got an apple, carrot concoction that I believe was called the Swamp Monster, and that was delicious as well, much sweeter than mine and definitely not green.

Choosing what to have for dinner was way difficult, a) because I have an unreal amount of limitations on my anti-parasite diet (no coconut...WTF?) and b) because everything looked amazing. Their menu clearly indicates what is gluten free, raw, and soy free, which I love. They have a whole list of specials that change every month, and reading through all of them still makes my mouth water...Raw Falafels anyone (contained tomato though, sad day). I ended up settling on the Raw Ginger Sesame Bowl, which was basically a ginger sesame dressing over a mix of kelp noodles and shredded zucchini, topped with carrots and their tamari pumpkin seeds on a bed of spinach. It actually reminded me a lot of the salads I eat at home, only made by professionals :). And you know I love my kelp noodles! I was so excited to actually see them on a menu! As I'm sure you could guess, it was freaking amazing...

I also got tempeh added to the top...Joe and I have decided we are tempeh connesseurs, so we try it everywhere we go. Not my favorite tempeh, but the rest of it was so good I could care less! And honestly, you can never go too wrong with tempeh in my book, I'm the girl who eats it right out of the package.

Joe ordered the Thai Peanut Bowl, which I obviously had to taste...it was pretty dang good too. Very peanut-y if you're into that. It was also super creamy for not having dairy, which is always a plus!

I think what impressed me most about this place was the service. The lady who helped me was one of the best restaurant employees I've ever encountered. I'm usually pretty high maintenance, but due to this stupid anti-parasite diet, I'm worse than ever. I've gotten to the point where I don't even get upset when someone seems annoyed with me, I'd be annoyed with me too, so I just apologize until my face falls off. But this lady was amazing. Not only was she patient, she went out of her way to help me decide what to get. They have a handy-dandy guide of all the ingredients in every item on the menu, which was awesome and made everything a whole lot easier. She even let me take it and look through it, which helped me out tremendously. After dinner, we had a hankering for something sweet, so even though I couldn't have any of their desserts (and trust me, she checked the ingredients on every single one), she made me an iced hemp milk with agave and chai spice that totally satisfied my sweet craving. Unreal service, I would go back in a heartbeat. I did actually, to get my morning juice for Saturday's breakfast :)

I would highly recommend this place to anyone travelling to/living in Seattle who wants a healthy gluten free, vegan meal. I can't wait to go back post-parasite and try more stuff!

Mmmm Lebanese... Review of Nicholas Restaurant

It's no secret I looooove my Greek food, in addition to my hummus obsession (it's gotten unhealthy....) and my addiction to gluten and corn free falafel (aka non-Americanized falafel). But as I've done more research into the Portland vegan restaurant scene, I've noticed Lebanese places popping up quite a bit. You know me, I always want to try new ethnic foods, especially ones that have awesome vegan and gluten free options. One place, Nicholas Restaurant, stuck out to me (after reading positive reviews on Yelp and the Food Fight PDX Guide), so I decided to make a point to try it!

Luckily, my opportunity to tantalize my taste buds came pretty fast. Even though we went to Cabo and had family dinner for Joe's birthday, we just can't seem to stop celebrating (shit I want to turn 28 if it means my birthday is a week long!). Our friends Marcus and Tabitha wanted to do a birthday dinner with us, and because of all my limitations, they suggested I pick a place. Yay! I pick Lebanese food! Everyone was down for it so we checked it out last night and DAMN I was impressed!!

The restaurant actually has 3 locations in the Portland Metro area, one on SE Stark, one on NE Broadway and one in Gresham. The Stark one got the best reviews on Yelp so we chose that one. Quaint little place, I've probably driven by it hundreds of times and never realized it was there. It wasn't so inconspicuous last night though, their were people dining on the sidewalk due to the 70 degree weather. The place was packed, luckily a table opened up right as we got there because there's really nowhere to wait.

First thing, they brought out this giant piece of housemade pita bread with an herby dip thing. I was disappointed that I couldn't partake in the devouring of that little guy...it smelled freaking delicious. But my mood was immediately lifted upon realizing that the falafel was not only gluten free but corn free as well. Hell yeah!! The waitress knew the answers to all my questions without even having to consult the kitchen. I'm always a sucker for good service! Plus, the menu was dotted with "V"'s to indicate which items were vegan.

Being such a lover of new ethnic food, there was no WAY I was going to be able to pick just one thing (especially when there are so many things on the menu I can have), so I ordered the Vegan Mezza platter: Falafel, tahini, tabouli, hummus, mjadra (a lentil/rice dish) and a garbanzo plate. I subbed an extra falafel for the tabouli, since tabouli is traditionally made from bulgur wheat, def not gluten free.

Um....YUM!! Everything was so tasty, seasoned to perfection, an explosion of chickpea-flavored goodness in my mouth. The falafel is among the best I've tasted, and dipping it in hummus and tahini was a killer combo. The rice lentil dish was plain-looking, but was definitely delicious, as was the garbanzo plate. Every flavor complimented the others perfectly and I was seriously in hog heaven. The only thing for me is I unfortunately don't tolerate an overabundance of chickpeas well and I honestly eat mostly raw at home so it was definitely a heavy meal. But hey, what would life be if we didn't treat ourselves every once in awhile? We definitely needed to take a walk afterwords, but when you have the gorgeous Eastbank Esplanade to stroll along, you can't really complain!

I would DEFINITELY visit this place again. Not even a question. And I hope it's soon cause I know I gotta get that falafel fix on a semi-regular basis....oooh I need to learn how to make raw falafel, anyone know of a recipe?

Check this place out, and until next time, Live Free!

Being a "Vitortarian" in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

My body has been back from vacation now for 4 days, but my mind is just now catching up, hence the delayed post! We were only gone 4 nights but man, we fit in a lot of craziness in a short time. It's hard to come back from that, and to rainy Vancouver no less...

Cabo was an absolute blast. It's not exactly my first rodeo in CSL, but it's definitely the first time I've been there since I've been on my current diet. I was a little worried, because the first thing I found when I searched "vegan" and "Cabo San Lucas" on Google was a thread of people posting about how hard it is to eat vegan in Cabo. Greeeat...

Let's be real, it is hard. From the language barrier to the fact that meat, corn and dairy are staples in the Mexican culture, it's hard to get a good Vitortarian meal in those parts. And seeing as I already have one parasite, I had to be super careful with anything fresh in order to avoid picking up another one.

So, if you are travelling to Cabo (and many of these rules apply to anywhere in Mexico), here's some advice:

1. Guacamole and Fajita Vegetables are a girl's best friends
I ate fajita vegetables and guac like it was my job. I dabbled in the rice and bean arena, but let's be real, Mexican beans arent always vegan and sometimes arent even gluten free, so I definitely wouldn't rely on them. All the rice i had was white rice, which I'll eat if there isn't any other option, but I don't like to OD on. So anytime we ate Mexican food, I ordered fajitas with no meat, no tortillas, no sour cream and no cheese (people thought I was bonkers) and a side of guac. However, I did get pretty dang sick of sauteed peppers and onions, which brings me to my next piece of advice:

2. Bring your own food
I kid you not, in preparation for this trip I packed a whole carryon just for food from home. Unfortunately you can't bring produce into the country (I still did by hiding it in my suitcase but I'd definitely advise against that), so I ate a lot of packaged food which isnt the norm for me but it sure beats being hungry! Rice tortillas and Beanitos Bean Chips were musts, I could bring them along to restaurants to dip in guacamole or pair with fajita veggies. I also packed a butt load of sea snax, those little roasted seaweed things I love so dearly. Also, a few packets of Vega Whole Food Optimizer powder in Chai Vanilla for breakfast (they pack a ton of nutrition into a little packet, and they taste great!), and some Larabars. Again, not exactly ideal food for day to day life, but a whole heck of a lot better than eating flesh and mucus (meat and dairy).

3. Visit the Monkey Business bar
I can't begin to tell you how many sugary effing drinks I had in Cabo. If its not beer or watered down tequila, you can bet there's probably more sugar than alcohol in your drink. I had more sugar in those 5 days than I have in the last 3 years. And my body hated me for it, no doubt about that. Luckily, I had one saving grace when it came to boozing. Joe and I were wandering the town one morning and stumbled across a tequila specialty shop. The man in the shop told us we could sample any tequila at the bar next door. Enter Monkey Business. It's a little outdoor bar, with a few barstools and wood pillars that have been tagged with names, etc. in sharpie all the way around (Joe and I definitely left our mark). The bartende informed us that they'd been voted the best margaritas in Cabo, so naturally we had to try one! Who says 11 am is to early to start drinking? So he gets to work on our drinks and I can already tell that the voters were right...instead of your typical pre-prepared margarita mix and Jose Cuervo, these margs were made with fresh squeezed (we literally watched him do it) oranges and limes, top shelf tequila, and a little soda water.

Everything fresh, no added sugar, definitely up my alley. And WOW they were good, not only was it was the best marg in Cabo, it was the best dang drink I've ever had! We also had mojitos...same deal. In fact, a guy showed up while we were there to deliver fresh mint, which the bartender then muddled to perfection and mixed with soda water, fresh lime juice, and sugar (a mojito staple, I can't be perfect all the time!)

Yummmmmm....We were happy campers

Superstar clientele (besides yours truly...hahaha) include Lil Wayne and Lil John (who were there last year), which basically just made the place that much cooler! YEEAHH (Lil John voice).

4. Pack Your Supplements!

Digestive enzymes and probiotics are an absolute must! I seriously think my enzymes saved my butt a few times when I got accidentally contaminated. For some of the stuff I ate I should have felt a lot worse than I actually did! I took enzymes with lunch and dinner and probiotics twice a day, just like I do at home. Seriously, don't leave home without those babies.

5. Visit our buddy Tim at Salvatore's

One of Joe's distant relatives owns a little out-of-the-way Italian joint in the city. Took us forever to find it, it's pretty hidden and not well advertised but one of the most popular word-of-mouth places in Cabo. They've seen all sorts of celebrities, and been written up as a top ten attraction on Trip Advisor, yet you wouldn't know about it if you didn't hear from a loyal customer. The guy's name is Tim (he owns it and his sons Matt and Sam work there as well), and he took great care of us. Great wine, amazing food, and while the menu wasn't exactly Sarah-friendly, they were more than willing to accomadate. The cook made me a giant plate of artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms, peppers and a bunch of other veggies, all seasoned to perfection and complimented with a delicious Chianti. I was in absolute heaven. Just watch out for the Sangria, its really dang sweet and it'll get ya...

(Joe, post-sangria/wine)

6. RELAX!!
I really can't stress this enough. So they put a little lard in your beans, or a little tomato in your guac. Unless you are severly allergic, don't freak out about it. Being relaxed will help you feel better anyways, take it from me, anxiety over food only makes all your symptoms worse. Just enjoy yourself you're in freaking MEXICO! Deal with it when you get home if you have to. It's not life or death people.

And don't be afraid to party like a rockstar!

Woo! Viva La Mexico! Enjoy your travels :)

Eating Proper at Proper Eats

YAY! I think I have a new favorite restaurant! Well, to add to my always-growing list of favorite restaurants.

Last night Joe and I went to happy hour at Radio Room and had drinks with some of his work friends. Actually, Joe had drinks, I, thanks to my anti-parasite diet, downed an entire wine bottle full of water. Mmmm... I really had no interest in getting food at Radio Room; while they do indicate their menu items that are vegan and gluten free, there are only 2 that are both and one has tomato...I wasn't about to have edamame as a meal.

So I decided it was time to try a new place. Not that I don't love frequenting Vege Thai and Blossoming Lotus (and I do...I just had Vege Thai the other night), but there are SO MANY vegan places in Portland that I need to discover! I ended up deciding on Proper Eats Cafe in North Portland....an area of town that I was previously unfamiliar with....

BEST DECISION EVER!

Oh my stars this place is so cool! They use all organic and vegan ingredients in their stuff, indicate items on the menu that are gluten free, AND they don't add cane sugar to anything!! There were actually multiple items on the menu that I could eat...and as I'm sure you know I don't usually get much of a choice at most places. Even Blossoming Lotus is tricky thanks to my tomato and corn allergies.

We started with drinks, house-made Kombucha (=LOVE) for me and cabernet for Joe...definitely best kombucha I've ever had. A lot of the store-bought stuff is a little too tangy, this had the perfect balance of bite and flavor. Just goes to show that anything homemade is always better!

The salad menu was unreal...I'm such a dang salad fiend lately there was no way I was leaving without trying at least one. Tough choice too because they ALL sounded amazing! I ended up going with the sea salad, which was raw sauerkraut, carrots, beets, avocado, cucumber, and kalamata olives on a bed of mixed greens with a cashew-nori dressing that seriously tasted exactly like sushi. It was even better than in sounded! Joe got a caesar salad (vegan of course!) that had their house-made tempeh on it and the usual caesar staples. It was a little fishy, despite the lack of real fish in the dressing, but according to Joe (who is a carnivore by the way), the tempeh made it all worth it.

The main course menu consists of sandwiches and wraps (bowls for us gluten free folk), and entrees with an international flare. Tacos, masala (indian dish), asian noodles, shepherd's pie, you name it. Raw fajitas anyone? I was immediately drawn to the Pesto and Veggie Wrap/Bowl... steamed veggies, red and yellow quinoa, and house-made tempeh (my stomach is growling just thinking about it), topped with avocado and arugula-hazelnut pesto (which they totally sell in-store, heck YES!). And once again, it was even better than it sounded. Soooo much flavor and from all veggies and grains! It's amazing how delicous simplicity can be. Joe ordered the "NoPo" Burrito, which included steamed veggies, salsa, tofu, beans and rice, topped with guac and corn-pumpkin seed relish. He made a point to tell me to share his review on the blog... he LOVED it. Which I love...I'm just one step closer to convincing him to eat that way all the time :). I tried a little bite and I was impressed as well...it honestly tasted like a more flavorful version of my once-upon-a-time order at Taco Del Mar. It is, of course, about 10 steps up from good ole TDM however, you just can't beat fresh, organic ingredients.

I never get dessert, nor do I really crave it anymore, but I HAD to get some here. I mean, they had like 7 or 8 different variations of vegan, sugar free chocolate: bars, truffles, fudge, hemp-butter cups...hello! It's like my dream! I had a hell of a time picking one out, but I ended up going with the hempseed butter cups. It's just been too long since I've had a reese's. Definitely a good choice for me, but milk-chocolate lovers beware, it is definitely dark chocolate to the core. Unfortunately, that party-in-my-mouth lasted only moments, I smashed those real fast. Thank God for vegan chocolate.

Aside from freaking delicious food, Proper Eats also offers retail items, including organic (and mostly local!) produce, cooking sauces (like my Thai and True curry pastes!), tofu, and other convenience items (natural toothpaste and local hand-made soaps!). They even sell a lot of their house-made sauces, plus that amazing raw tempeh! Do you know how hard it is to find raw tempeh? Freaking impossible now that everything and it's mom is pasteurized. My favorite part was this shelf of all sorts of flyers and business cards for health and vegan-related businesses and events. I spent forever looking at everything! I sneakily left behind a few of my business cards while Joe stood guard (not sure what their policy is on that).

I don't think its even a question that I'm going to become a regular at this place. How I haven't heard about it until now blows my mind. I'd honestly recommend this to anyone who likes food, vegan or not. There's totally something for everyone and everything tastes amazing! What's not to love?

Live free my friends,
Sarah

All Things Thai

Lately I've been absolutely obsessed with Thai food. I've been eating curry multiple times a week, both homemade and out at restaurants. I told my boyfriend the other day that I could eat Thai food every day and not get sick of it, and so far that has held true. If you are a Thai fan like I am, then get excited. I've got restaurants, products AND a recipe, all in one post!

If you are a regular reader, you know that I love Ginger Pop, a Thai restaurant that has been nothing but accommodating to my needs (not to mention that the food is out of this world). But I'm always trying new places, and I think I may have found a place that tops the ol' GP. Enter Siam Society. Located on Alberta, this restaurant has everything I want in a dining establishment. Think vegan, vegetarian, AND gluten free menus, a cocktail list that I promise will blow your mind (although more than two of those and you won't remember dinner), and an extremely friendly and knowledgeable wait staff that will make you feel right at home, even if you are the pickiest customer EVER.

I remember a while back my parents mentioned they ate at Siam Society...They said it was good, but they didn't mention it was Thai food. Basically, they've been holding out on me. Thankfully, Groupon seemed to have my best interests in mind when it offered a deal for the restaurant. After using one, Joe and I ended up buying three more, cause we know we'll be going back. So let me paint the picture for you. The restaurant was classy without being stuffy, and hey, it's Alberta street, so no one is going to be dressed to the nines anyway. Our waitress was super goofy and amicable, I liked her right away. She brought out both the vegan and gluten free menus, and when I asked if certain dishes could be made both vegan and gluten free she didn't even hesitate when telling me yes. She also knew off the top of her head that the curries don't have sugar in them, and offered to swap the potatoes in my yellow curry out for kombocha squash , which was way better. Joe had the Pad Kee Mow and loved it, he even mentioned it might be the best he's tried yet. As for my food, well, I ate all of it. And had two Hibiscus Mojitos. Moderation be damned.

It doesn't stop there...another place I'm growing to love is Vege Thai, a completely vegetarian thai restaurant that makes all its dishes without fish or oyster sauce, and has a bunch of different faux meats to add to your meal. You can view my whole review here.

Now if I ate out as often as I had thai food cravings, I'd be 300 pounds. I knew I was going to have to teach myself to make curry at home. And while you just can't replicate that perfect restaurant curry without being a chef, Thai, or both, I think I do a pretty decent job. Although I do have the help of a pretty awesome product: Thai and True curry pastes. Thai and True is a local company that makes vegan, non-GMO and gluten free curry pastes, as well as sarachee and peanut sauce. And they are so easy to use. Throw a tablespoon into a saucepan with about a cup of coconut milk, heat until blended, and voila, you have a blank canvas to create curry masterpieces of your own! My favorite concoction is below.

Easy Curry

Serves 2

1 c. brown or black rice
1 tbsp. Thai and True red curry paste
1 c. coconut milk
1/2 tsp. Thai and True hot chili oil
1/2 block of tofu, cubed
1/2 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 c. mushrooms
1 bunch kale, chopped.

Prepare rice according to directions. Heat curry paste in large saucepan with coconut milk over medium heat until blended. Add onions and peppers and cook until soft, or 3-5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and cook about 5 more minutes or until ideal tenderness has been reached. Add chili oil and mix well. Serve over rice.

Queen of Sheba

I consider myself a bit of a contradiction. Despite being extremely limited in what I can eat, especially when it comes to restaurants, I absolutely love being adventureous with food. I will honestly try anything as long as I know it is free of animal products and all my other sensitivities. Unfortunately, I don’t get to do this very often.




I’m especially into experimenting with random ethnic foods because after eating whatever I wanted in Greece and feeling great, I think there is a lot to be said for the quality of food in some other countries. I had a lady come into the store a few weeks ago who told me about Ethiopian food and how its mostly naturally gluten and dairy free. I was sold immediately, and I’ve been researching places to try it out ever since. I decided on Queen of Sheba because I’d seen mostly positive reviews and heard they make their signature bread gluten free upon request.



The place is on MLK Boulevard in Portland, and we almost missed it cause it looks like a waiting room or something instead of a restaurant. The server was extremely knowledgeable. I told her all my sensitivities and she was able to recommend 4 dishes that would be safe for me to eat. My friend Pete had no idea what to get, so she was able to recommend something for him as well.



The service was super speedy, I don’t think we waited more than 15 minutes. They bring your food out to you on these giant plates with the signature Ethiopian injera bread underneath what you ordered. You don’t use any utensils, instead, you rip off pieces of the bread and scoop the food up that way. The bread is basically in crepe form but it tastes more like sourdough. We both thought eating with our hands was pretty awesome. I got a trio of mustard greens, chickpea paste and lentil stew and it was all incredible. I finished everything which was probably a mistake, I always forget how freaking full you can get off plant based foods.



I honestly cannot WAIT to go back to this place!

Masu Sushi

I got some devastating news recently...apparently, sushi rice generally has sugar in it! I always wondered why I was still getting kinda sick whenever I ate sushi. I really don't understand the need for Americans to hide sugar in literally EVERYTHING.

Don't worry though, this post bears good news. I found an awesome sushi place, called Masu sushi in SW Portland, that will custom make your sushi without the sugar laden sushi rice. In fact, all the sushi is made to order and the fish comes in fresh daily! Plus, they serve only top shelf sake and I've heard that their cocktails are killer. AND they have gluten free tamari!

I started my meal with a sea vegetable salad that is, no joke, the best I've ever had. Not nearly enough food cause I devoured it instantly, but it was the perfect appetizer for my sushi rolls.

For my main course, I ordered off their decent-sized vegetarian menu. I got the veggie maki which has avocado, sprouts, cucumber and burdock root, and the ume shiso roll which is pickled plum and shiso which is a japanese mint. The ume shiso was veeeeeeeeeerrry salty due to the pickled plums but I've been hearing how good they are for you so I had to try it. The veggie maki was awesome, I'm such a sucker for sushi with avocado. I was so tempted to order more after I finished but I was already stuffed.

I highly recommend you try this place out. In addition to the delicious food and drinks, its has a very classy upscale vibe and the wait staff is extremely knowledgable. I just love when restaurants make my life easier instead of harder! Kudos Masu :)

Ginger Pop

I'm excited to share this new restaurant with you guys! Ginger Pop is a brand new Thai place off Columbia House Boulevard in Vancouver. I tried it out for the first time this weekend and it was fabulous!

First of all, its the most adorable place. You walk in and are immediately greeted by fun colors and mod-themed decor. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, and was easily able to answer all my allergy related questions. The lunch menu was small, which was actually nice seeing as most Thai places have an overwhelming amount of options, half of which you've never heard of. Ginger Pop's menu was simple: things like fried rice, pad thai and curries that you've heard of before. They also have an assortment of hot and iced teas and coconut juice, which may just be my favorite new beverage.

I ordered the Yellow Curry, which was a mild curry dish made up of pork, potatoes, and a few other veggies in a coconut milk curry sauce. Immediately, I knew the pork and the potatoes weren't going to work for me. The waiter informed me that you can make any substitutions you want, everything can be made to order. So I swapped red bell pepper for the potatoes and tofu for the pork. He also assured me that soy sauce is rarely used in their recipes, so most of the recipes are gluten free.

My mom ordered the Sweet Basil Fried Rice which was also pretty incredible. Also, the pad thai and the pad kee mow are made with rice noodles, making them great gluten free options as well. And of course, as is tradition in authentic thai, the curries are made with coconut milk, making them dairy free. The lunch portions also weren't outrageously huge; i did have leftovers but I didn't leave uncomfortably full. And it tasted GREAT the next day.

I highly recommend you check this place out, especially if you are a thai food virgin, since the menu is simple and easy to understand. I'd love to hear your critiques and praise as well! Happy Dining!

South Park Restaurant

Hey all!

Wow...I just realized I've been MIA for wayy too long. It's been a crazy few weeks. I hardly have time to cook, let alone blog about it. I have been cooking almost every night, but what's been happening lately is me getting stuff together in the morning and leaving instructions for my mom on how to finish the meal. Between work, kickboxing and what seems to be an overflowing social calendar, the blog hasn't been one of my priorities. But I promise I'll try to be better about it! Especially because I've got a few exciting recipes coming up, including my childhood favorite blueberry pie that I'll be adapting tonight for my dad's birthday!!

So I wanted to review South Park because I went there with my parents last night and I was beyond satisfied with my experience. South Park is a seafood/steak type restaurant downtown Portland that I honestly haven't been to for years. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only were most of the menu items gluten free, but the waitress was knowledgeable on the dishes and very accomadating. I always appreciate when servers are patient with my endless list of questions. I mean, its not like I'm trying to be difficult, I don't have a choice.

As an appetizer, we ordered a date dish that was basically warm dates, stuffed with marcona almonds and wrapped in a thin slice of cured ham. Omg they were soo delicious. I never in a million years would have dreamed up that concoction but it was truly amazing. I'm like still not over it.

For my main entree, I ordered a seafood, sausage and chicken paella. By the way, I don't know why but I have the hardest time pronouncing that word. Anyway, the only thing I had to ask them to leave out was the tomato...even the chorizo sausage was gluten free! And the dish was not only delicious, but the perfect portion size. I finished the whole thing and wasn't disgustingly full afterwards, which is always a good thing.

I'm always so happy to find restaurants that manage to make delicious food for me and still make my experience enjoyable. South Park definitely has that! I would definitely encourage you to try it out!

I'm going to try to stay true to my word and write more often, so stay tuned! I'm sure I'll have a lot to share!

Mushroom Pie and Chutney's Indian Restaurant

I've got a 2-in-1 post for you today...I've been slacking a little. I'll say this, breaking up is hard to do.

BUT, as the old saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get cooking! I may have changed that just a bit ;-). I'm glad that I can make people happy through food!

First off, I want to review Chutney's Indian Restaurant. This little spot is right off SE 164th, so really close to my house. I've driven by it countless times, but I've honestly never been to an Indian restaurant, or had real Indian food for that matter. My mom and I had been wanting to try it, so, with my dad out at a golf tournament all day, Wednesday night seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.

I'm happy to report that almost their entire regular menu is gluten free, with the exception of the naan dishes, since naan is an Indian bread. My biggest downfall there was tomatoes, but the server was so helpful and knowledgeable that it made it a lot easier on me. Then, the owner came out and told me he'd put together something special that combined what I wanted with what I could actually have.

The result was fantastic. They made me a rice crepe filled with a mixture of lamb, bell peppers, onions and spices. Oh my gosh it was so good. Plus you get lentil chips as a precursor to the meal, and those were awesome and edible for me as well. Everything seriously rocked. I was so happy with it that the owner asked if he should add the dish to the menu. I hope he does, I'll go back for that anytime! You've gotta check this place out, I had absolutely no complaints. They were fabulous.

Since I knew I'd be working all day Thursday and had Wednesday off, I decided to make dinner early to eliminate prep time on Thursday evening. I'm glad I did because this recipe takes about an hour to put together. I actually found this recipe in Living Without magazine probably a year ago. There was a profile on jenny McCarthy, who feeds her son a gluten and casein free diet to help with his autism. At the end, she shared a recipe for mushroom pie. We've been eating it ever since, but its not exactly the healthiest gluten free meal out there (rings in at about 571 calories a slice...yikes!!), so I decided to give it a Vitortarian makeover.

Mushroom Pie, my way

Namaste pie crust mix
8 cups chopped crimini mushrooms
1 cup chopped walla walla onion
1 tbsp. safflower oil
1/2 cup arugala
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/2 container Tofutti soy cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the pie crust mix according to the package, and set it aside, uncooked. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Saute the onions for about 1 minute, then add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add basil, arugala, and cream cheese and heat until cream cheese melts. Pour the filling into pie crust and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

Go Greek, Eat Well (Review of Dorio Restaurant Plus Mediterrabean Chicken Recipe!)

This is a two part post, dedicated to the best 6 weeks of my life: my study abroad trip to Greece! I know I mention this all the time, but I can't help it, I'm obsessed. Hope you don't mind, because this won't be the last you'll be hearing of it ;-)

I don't do Greek restaurants often, because it makes me sad that I have to avoid the tatziki, feta, tomatoes, pitas, yogurt and anything made with phyllo dough and it absolutely breaks my heart. On top of that, the only Greek restaurant I've eaten at in Portland, Greek Cusina, went out of business sometime in the last year (not that it was very good anyways).

So I'm skimming the Oregonian a few weeks back (this has become my new morning ritual) and I notice a place called Dorio's Taverna highlighted in the Cheap Eats column. I read on, discovering that Dorio's is a new restaurant on NW 23rd that serves inexpensive, authentic Greek food. Obviously, I had to check it out.

Yesterday, I headed to Dorios with my mom and my boyfriend to grab some dinner. And let me say, I was not at all disappointed. The decor is classy, making you feel like you are in a much more expensive restaurant. The menu isn't extensive but it has all the Greek staples: Greek salad, Souvlaki, gyro sandwiches, Spanikopita, greek meatballs, moussaka, kalamari and greek fries. They even serve Ouzo!

I ordered lamb souvlaki, Greek salad sans tomato and feta, and hummus. Everything was beyond incredible, and very reasonably priced. My mom and Ryan shared greek fries (which I tried and were amazing as well), and Ryan ordered a gyro sandwich that he was also very pleased with. The souvlaki was perfectly seasoned, the salad was fresh and light, and I can't even begin to tell you how good the hummus was. Turns out the owner's son makes it from scratch and its his own secret recipe; none of the other restaurant employees know how to make it!

All in all, I would highly recommend Dorio's to anyone with or without dietary restrictions. The staff was very accommodating to my mom and I, and Ryan, who has no allergies, was happy with his meal as well. So no matter who you are, you should try it out!!

The second part of this post is a recipe I made my family the other night. Again, in the mood for Mediterranean cuisine, I made Mediterranean chicken with falafel. Everyone loved it, including my boyfriend Ryan who isn't used to allergy free cooking. So you can imagine I was especially proud of myself. This stuff is amazing, you'll love it! The chicken recipe is below, and the falafel was a packaged mix from Orgran that I got at Lingonberries market.

Mediterranean Chicken

2 tsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. white wine
2-3 cups precooked chicken, cubed
3 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cups roasted red peppers, diced
1/2 cup white win
2 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. basil
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 c. parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp white wine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until golden brown. Set aside.

Saute garlic in same pan, sans chicken, for 30 seconds. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add roasted red peppers and cook for another minute. Add 1/2 cup white wine and reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add thyme and basil and simmer another 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, add olives and parsley, cover, and cook for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper, remove from heat, and serve.

Serves 5-6.

Yamas! (Thats Greek for "Cheers" :) )

Radio Room

I'm back, finally!

Sorry for the long hiatus. I moved back to Pullman, only to find myself immersed in the excitement of graduation and unmotivated to update my blog. In fact, I wasn't really even keeping up with my diet, so now that I'm back home I'm taking the time to get healthy again. Which means keeping up with my blog!

I also should probably inform you all that I am now back to eating meat. Its definitely a bummer since I really wanted that lifestyle for myself, but for health reasons, veganism isn't in the cards for me. My diet is already so restricted that it just wasn't feasible to cut out meat as well. However, I still loooove vegan food so I'll be reviewing restaurants and making recipes that are vegan, even though I won't be eating that way all the time anymore.

So, that being said, the reason for this post is to review the Radio Room.

The restaurant is located on Alberta Street in north Portland, where its more common to find vegan places than not. This particular place has a little something for everyone. They serve meat, but indicate which menu items are gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan. I was thrilled. That meant I didn't have to ask a million questions about ingredients to find out if I could eat certain things.

But that's not even the best news.

One of their gluten free items was Calamari, a personal favorite of mine that I had to give up when I gave up wheat, since most calamari is breaded and fried. This calamari was dusted with rice flour and flash fried, meaning not only could I eat it, but its a little healthier than its deep fried cousins.

Because the calamari was an appetizer, I also ordered a side of seasonal veggies. Currently, their seasonal vegetable is asparagus, and it was sauteed in oil and some spices that were absolutely to die for. And I must say, it was nice that my friend Timur could enjoy a meal without having to follow my strict diet. He ordered a cheesesteak sandwich and fries, which also looked delicious and very, very off limits ;-). Best of all, the entire tab for both of us came to $15. I'm a sucker for places that suit my limited post-college pre-job budget.

I highly recommend you check this place out. Not only was the food great, but it seemed like it was very lively in the evenings; music, all sorts of stuff going on there. Plus, they post flyers for other events going on around Portland, so you can plan your whole social calendar with a single visit!

One little disclaimer: because of my tomato and corn allergies, the menu was a little more limited to me than those who are just gluten free or vegan. There are quite a few gluten free and vegan dishes that include tomatoes and corn, so if you can eat those things you've got yourself quite a selection. But I am in no way dissatisfied with my experience!

Well, its great to be back! I hope you all will stay tuned, because I'll be updating a lot more now that I'm settled back home. Looking forward to sharing some great stuff with you!

Pizza Fusion

Finally, I can eat restaurant pizza again.

I've had a few guy friends in town for the Pac-10 tournament. This hasn't been easy on me, seeing as they are always hungry and always wanting to eat the foods that tempt me most. After Thursday's games, they were all craving pizza, which was once my favorite food. Luckily, I'd heard of a pizza place called Pizza Fusion, on Sunset Blvd. that serves organic pizza with gluten free and vegan options.

The gluten free crust costs extra, but it's worth it. I got a personal "Very Vegan" pizza with GF crust. It had soy cheese and mushrooms on top. It was seriously amazing. Unfortunately, they don't make a non-tomato sauce, so I had them use olive oil instead.

My only beef with Pizza Fusion is that their GF crust is not vegan, it has eggs. That is the only ingredient in the whole pizza I couldn't eat. But you have to indulge every once in a while. I plan on contacting the restaurant and requesting a crust that is GF and also vegan. For some reason, its hard to come by baked products that are both GF and vegan.

Pizza Fusion also had GF beer and brownies, so you've got a complete meal! Plus, the sauce and many of the toppings are vegan, so there are plenty of options. The only non-GF toppings are BBQ sauce and sausage, so steer clear of those and your golden!

To find locations and more info, visit www.pizzafusion.com/

RA Sushi

I road tripped with some girlfriends to Phoenix this weekend to visit family, it was really fun! Eating, however, was difficult as usual. We stopped in Blythe, California on the way there at Quiznos and I can't even tell you how rude the worker was to me when I asked what was in Honey Mustard salad dressing. I ended up having to eat plain black beans and chicken at a Mexican place, and the lady there was largely unhelpful as well. We also ate at On The Border and Applebee's, overall, they were both good about it, but there were some things they couldn't help me with, which is always frustrating.

But thankfully, my dining experience in Phoenix wasn't completely unpleasant. My aunt took me to a sushi place in Gilbert called "RA Sushi". Sushi is usually ok as long as there aren't any extra sauces or anything, but I never know how helpful the staff will be when serving me. Our waitress was incredible. I told her my allergies and she basically picked out something for me based on what I could eat, making sure everything was allergy free even down to the sauces. I had edamame (my favorite!), a salad with this incredible garlic dressing, and their "Lobster Roll", which consisted of lobster, avocado, and tuna topped with shrimp and served with a dairy free asian pesto sauce. All of it was absolutely delicious! The best part was, at the end of the meal, the waitress made a point to ask me how everything was and tell me that all the RA staff was equally as knowledgeable as she was about allergies and would be more than willing to help me next time. I was so impressed! I'm definitely making a point to visit RA again next time I'm in Phoenix!!

Check out locations and menu at http://www.rasushi.com/

Real Food Daily

I'm hooked.

My friend Stevens and I went to the West Hollywood location of Real Food Daily tonight for dinner. Its a restaurant that serves organic vegan food. They have gluten free vegan tacos, pizza, enchiladas, burgers, and so much more. Because of my other allergies, like corn and tomatoes, there were still quite a few things I couldn't eat, but the staff was so knowledgeable and helpful and I was able to find something that would cater to my needs.

I ordered their Tempeh Reuben, which is made with rye bread (whcih I didn't know was wheat free, but apparently is! It isn't gluten free though...), tempeh, sauerkraut and vegan thousand island dressing. Wow. I think its the best restaurant-made allergy free meal I've had yet. I will definitely be returning. Not to mention the ambience of the place is so peaceful and calming. I have nothing but good things to say, and I can't wait to try more meals!

Check out menu and locations at www.realfood.com

great news if you love mexican food!

I can eat at Chipotle. I'm insanely excited about this.

Mexican is my favorite type of food, however, with all the corn, tomatoes and dairy (cheese, sour cream) that is a staple in most Mexican dishes, I mainly have to stay away from it.

Chipotle is known for its burritos, where you can choose exactly what you want in your burrito and they make it right in front of you. They also give you the option of serving your burrito tortilla-less in a bowl. Their rice is simply white rice and cilantro, they don't add anything besides spices to their beans, and best of all, the staff usually is very knowledgeable about how the meats are marinated. And, you can get fajita vegetables if you order the vegetarian option. In fact, you can see the ingredients of each specific topping at http://www.chipotle.com/#/flash/food_ingredients. If you are vegetarian, go for the black beans, as the pinto beans are seasoned with bacon.

Best of all, their guacamole is made without sour cream and tomatoes. I usually get a bowl with chicken, rice, black beans, lettuce and guacamole. Sounds plain, but the meat has so much flavor from the chipotle pepper marinade you really don't miss the sour cream, cheese and salsa.

Chipotle is a chain, so you can find locations on their website. Props, Chipotle! I can eat Mexican again :)

Fish Grill

Last night my friend Tiffany and I met for dinner. We were dead set on seafood, but wanted somewhere inexpensive and easy to get to. Solution? Fish Grill. We went to the one on Beverly Boulevard, but they have 3 locations total in L.A. and one in Malibu.

I had to stay away from the deep fried stuff, sandwiches, pasta and the fish tacos, but they have a section on their menu called "Mesquite Grilled Specialities". You can get salmon, skewers, ahi, trout, red snapper...there's a good variety. I ordered Sea Bass, and it came with rice and a garden salad. Everything tasted amazing and it was so basic! The Sea Bass was very tasty, I'd never tried it before! Caution: there was corn in the rice, but I was able to eat around it.

As long as you steer clear of the complimentary tartar sauce and salad dressings, you can enjoy a delicious allergy free meal! And you can get it to go! I spent around $15, but there are cheaper options as well.

Check it out online here:
http://www.fishgrill.com/