Weekend Food Diary

Whew! Time to catch my breath! Things have been busy lately in Kate's Vegan World. A final review in my architecture studio, working, and my best friends (T, A, L) were able to come to SLO as a recent-birthday getaway. Amazing enough, 3/4 of us are vegan, so I did my best to chronicle (or make L chronicle) the food we ate! Her little point and shoot did the trick just right; Thank goodness she doesn't leave her camera at home like I do.
 *Note: Most of the food is eaten or half eaten because a) we're forgetful and b) it was seriously so good that even after we remembered, sometimes we kept eating anyway. SLO is lucky to have such vegan delights!

Friday evening: The biffs got into town despite a terrible rain/hail storm that tried to drive them away. What troopers! I had dinner waiting for them, but unfortunately didn't take any pictures.
Tempeh Tacos:
-One block tempeh, broken up and simmered in water for 15 minutes
-One large red potato, cut into cubes and boiled for 10 minutes, then added to the tempeh
-Next I added some minced white onion, taco seasoning, and some fresh cilantro
-On the side, I had wheat tortillas, vegan sour cream, jalapenos, and some mango salsa I've been itching to try.
Afterthoughts: The sour cream was tofutti brand, and I wouldn't particularly recommend it. I've bought another brand before and it was much better, although I can't remember the name. The mango salsa was delicious, but wasn't perfect for the flavor palate of the tempeh -- I'm still seeking a good recipe for it. Overall, this dish was super easy and it satisfied my weary traveler friends.


Saturday: To aid our power shopping, a lunch break was a must. We stopped at Firestone's first, a local favorite, known for their amazing tri-tip. L the non-vegan was excited to try the tri-tip salad, an old favorite of mine. Her boyfriend P came along and got the tri-tip sandwich. My mouth was slightly watering, I must admit, but I resisted and the three vegans got ourselves some vegan -- and terribly unhealthy -- french fries. This aren't just any french fries; they are literally covered in crack. There is no other reason they could be so addicting.

We took these babies over to the Natural Cafe, and ordered "the local", a sandwich easily converted to vegan with the substitute of veganaise (everyone should have this in their fridge!). The other girls also got some split pea soup, the vegan soup special of the day. Mmm!

 

Saturday evening we went to Big Sky Cafe, another local favorite known for it's vegetarian/vegan friendliness. The three non-vegans got Lobster Mac and Cheese, a grilled chicken dish, and Lamb Shank (really L? really?? A lamb's leg? haha she got lots of teasing for this..). 

The three vegans shared the Sustainable Local Veggie Plate, which exactly like it sounds included locally grown vegetables, literally piled high. It had everything from brusselsprouts to cabbage to artichoke and it was all prepared amazingly. I had a grilled tofu dish that came with sticky rice balls. Oh. My. God. I need to learn how to make those, STAT. It was this crazy fried indulgence that I basically inhaled. (*Immediately following is an example of eating almost the whole dish before taking a picture.. oops)

 

Sunday: The group went to New Frontiers (SLO's version of a Whole Foods) and bought a variety of granola mixes (vanilla, coconut, and pumpkin+flax seed oh my!)We went hiking in the beautiful Montana de Oro and ate our lunch (vegan deli salads) on top of Valencia Peak.

 

After we got all cleaned up I took them to Vegan Spices, SLO's only completely vegan restaurant. It was overwhelming for us vegans to be able to order ANYTHING off of the menu! We're used to only having a couple of options. To say the least, we went a little crazy, getting appetizers, fried rice dishes AND meals. We would have gotten dessert if there was any room left on the table (or any more money in our wallets). 

Crab Curry Fried Rice (Sweet and spicy.. perfect)

 

"Calamari" (So good! We couldn't figure out what it was made of!)

 

Mongolian "Beef" with Brown Rice

Honorable Mentions:

-"Cheese" Puffs (FAVORITE vegan cheese dish, hands down. T considered ordering more to take home with her)

-Pineapple Fried Rice with "Shrimp"

-Spicy Cashew Nut with "Chicken"

Basically, if you're ever coming through SLO, you must visit Vegan Spices. It's a local mom-and-pop Asian restaurant, and my vegan and non-vegan friends have all raved about it. Embodied amazingness.

That concludes my weekend food diary! I miss you already, T, A, and L! 

Dreaming of Sticky Rice Balls and Cheese Puffs,

Kate