VegInDC

It's been a while since I have updated this site. In March, Anne and I moved to Raleigh, NC. As we have been settling in, we have been enjoying some local vegan friendly restaurants. Thus far, we have been to Irregardless Cafe ,  Fiction Kitchen , and  Remedy Diner . Each of these places has a totally different vibe; but that's great. It's nice to have a few reliably good options when eating out. More updates and recipes to come!

Whole Foods recently contacted me to see if I wanted to sample some new vegan cheese they are offering. Never one to turn down free samples, I agreed. We stopped by our local store to pick up some Kite Hill Artisnal nut cheeses.  Cheese is an interesting vegan predicament. I think many would be vegans are unable to give up cheese and that it remains as the sole non-vegan food item in their diet. Recent advances in faux cheese, like Daiya have made this easier. Daiya, for the most part, is great for many applications that require melting. They also make blocks of cheese that are pretty good to enjoy with crackers.

Anne and I recently discovered some new ketchups ('Chups). They are like ketchup except they substitute the tomato with other fruits. We weren't too sure how we felt about this at first. Doesn't everything need tomato something on it?! But we tried them recently and couldn't believe how much we loved them. We have been enjoying them with our chikn' fingers and tater tots as well as our veggie burgers. While we have just been using them as we would tomato ketchup, I am excited to use them as marinades for grilled tofu with veggies. (Warmer weather cannot come soon enough...)

I have wanted to join a food co-op ever since I lived in Minnesota. For some reason, Minnesota has a high number of local co-ops. I always wanted to be a part of one, but never did so because of the fee and commitment.

Anne and I were fortunate to spend our honeymoon at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. My grandfather suggested The Greenbrier to us and about a week later, we received a Living Social getaway deal. It was destiny! In addition to being "America's Resort," The Greenbrier has a fascinating history which excited and intrigued us. The resort is home to the infamous "Bunker"--a formerly secret underground complex designed to house Congress in the event of a nuclear attack on Washington. The resort is also known for its over the top Dorothy Draper decorating style and impeccable service, shopping, and spa.

According to the Washington City Paper , both Java Green and Cafe Green have been closed by the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue for owing over $133,000 in back taxes. Apparently, the restaurants are seeking donations of $50 and $100 to help pay their tax bill. In return, Cafe Green is promising a 5% discount. This is indeed a sad day for DC vegans and vegetarians, and will be even sadder if Cafe Green and Java Green are unable to reopen. We have been regular customers of these two establishments, and while we always were annoyed with the poor service, the food (usually) trumped those concerns. As of this morning, the Java Green website was down.

This is easily one of my favorite new cookbooks. We got it last month at Common Good Books  in St. Paul, Minnesota. Since then I have been referring to it daily for ideas and inspiration. It is a must have for any vegan/vegetarian cook. In addition to the great recipes, Moskowitz and Romero are just plain funny!

Anne and I recently found out that Pangea Vegan Store is based in Rockville, Maryland! Anne has known of Pangea for many years and was even more excited to find out that they had a store front open for limited hours on weekends. We took a trip up to Rockville today with our friend Natalie and enjoyed lunch at Yuan Fu Vegetarian , followed by some perusing.

I'm not sure what has taken me so long, but for some reason it felt like time to finally review Sticky Fingers Bakery in Columbia Heights. Virtually every vegan and vegetarian in DC knows of Sticky Fingers--and has an opinion on it. We seem to go in fits and spurts. Some months it feels like we go every weekend, and then we realize that we haven't been for a while. Though Sticky Fingers is known first and foremost as a bakery with pretty good vegan treats, we usually go for the weekend brunch. Solely vegan brunch spots are not too common in our fair city, and Sticky Fingers has figured out that this is a way to generate solid repeat business. There is a reason it gets very busy weekends--the brunch is pretty awesome.

Chinese food is often a relatively easy option for vegetarians/vegans. Previously, I reviewed North Sea DC which has some really good mock-meat options. Recently, Anne and I have discovered Yuan Fu Vegetarian in Rockville. Before you say, "Rockville?! But that is soooo far!" I say--it is well worth the drive. Yuan Fu is entirely vegan. It is somewhat overwhelming to page through the long menu and realize that you can have anything on the menu. I was intrigued by the Peking duck. It is delicious. Soy based and served in traditional style with pancakes, hoison sauce and spring onions, it is easily one of the best dishes I have eaten out at a restaurant in a long while.

I have been a baseball fan for a long time. There was a point during my adolescent years where I watched literally every Yankees game I could. When live baseball wasn't on, I would enjoy games on ESPN Classic from the 70s. Even better than enjoying a ballgame on TV--going to a live baseball game has got to be one of my top favorite things to do. Period. There is something about the smell, sounds, and palpable excitement that only comes when you step out of the tunnel at a stadium and see the freshly mowed grass and the clean diamond. Traditional ballpark fair is not usually too vegetarian (let alone vegan) friendly. The staples of hot-dogs, chicken fingers etc can be disappointing for those of us who want to enjoy the game, but not the meat.

I have always maintained a love-hate relationship with Subway. Before my veg days, it was easily my favorite and most often visited fast food choice. I always liked the idea that I was eating healthier, if not entirely healthy. A few months back I spotted this campaign from Compassion Over Killing  and I signed it right away. The coolest thing about this is that it worked! Subway has begun to roll out some new vegan options, and luckily enough, they are testing these at select DC, MD, and VA locations.  I myself cannot wait to check out these new vegan options! 

Last week I mentioned that I was interested in joining a CSA. A CSA (for those of you who think it stands for Confederate States of America) is the abbreviation for "Community Supported Agriculture." Essentially, consumers purchase a share at a local farm and in return are promised a certain number of weeks of fresh produce. Some farms also encourage (or require) shareholders to come and work on the farm for a certain number of hours a season.

Last week I stumbled upon Hawthorne Homemade Organic Juice Bar & Market around the corner from our apartment. A vegetarian neighbor alerted us to this new place and so I was really excited to stop in and chat with Jo Anna .  Its not every day that you find a new and awesome businesses that cater to vegetarians and vegans. She gave me some samples and I was impressed for sure. I tried some of their awesome freshly squeezed juice. I am not usually a fan of green juices, but she sweetened it slightly and added some lime for a citrusy finish. It was amazing and I could have drunk a gallon of the stuff!

Last night we went to Dukem with some cool vegan friends (Jamie and Jon). We ordered two Deluxe Veggie Platters to share and it was so much delicious and interesting food! For those of you who haven't enjoyed Ethiopian cuisine before, it is ideal for vegans. According to EthiopianResteaurant.com , this is because "A large variety of Ethiopian vegetarian dishes evolved due to the tradition of abstinence from all animal products during the many Orthodox Christian fasting days that are observed in Ethiopia." 

Meals always feel more complete when they end with a dessert, right? I love baking great vegan treats, but tonight though we went a simpler route--some sorbet.

This weekend we traveled into Maryland to meet and pick up our newest member of the family, Binx. (He is a handsome tuxedo cat pulled from the New York pound and lovingly fostered.) Binx resting comfortably

I love Chinese food. It is safe to say I ate a lot of it growing up in New York where there is a lot of good Chinese food. Washington DC is infamous for a lack of good Chinese food. Recently, Anne and I have discovered a few Chinese take out places that have a decent selection of mock meats to accompany the usual selection of tofu and vegetables. In recognition of the beginning of the Chinese New Year today (Year of the Dragon), we ordered from North Sea DC , which also delivers to our neighborhood for free (great for cold, damp nights like tonight). Our usual order includes a tofu dish, "chicken" with cashew nuts, and General Tso's "chicken".

Going out to eat is fun. Finding great vegan restaurants is even more fun. In addition to sharing some recipes, I'll also feature some great veg eat out options. (In DC of course). This weekend we tried Great Sage in Clarksville, Maryland. It's about a 45 minute drive from Washington, but is worth the trip. We had been meaning to check out this place for months, but the impetus to finally drive out to Clarksville came in the way of some free tickets we scored to the Baltimore Symphony.