All Vegan Day!

All Vegan Day yesterday!

Breakfast: (I know, Breakfast is getting redundant) banana, coffee w/ soy milk

Lunch: Salad w/ carrots, kidney beans, red onions, avocado and oranges tossed with balsamic

Dinner: Josie’s – I’ve eaten at this restaurant for years, more of an organic food restaurant then an all vegan haven. However, they have some amazing vegan options.

Pan-Seared Organic Black Bean Dumplings in a miso-mango sauce

All Veggie Meatloaf – Organic lentil, seitan, shitake mushroom & sweet potato loaf with miso grave & wok-sautéed greens…DELICIOUS!!!

…and of course, a glass of Malbec…duh!

Josie’s
300 Amsterdam Ave @ 74th St.
NYC 10023
212.769.1212

http://www.josiesnyc.com/josie_west/josie_west.html

Oreos = Vegan

Oreos are vegan…who knew?? Not that it makes them healthy, but they’re vegan none the less.

Here are a slew of other fun foods that are vegan:

http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/accidentally-vegan.aspx



Tricked…did I make the right decision?

What do you do when you have the best intentions but fate tricks you? You think you are making the right choice only to find out that that’s not the case. Here’s how my lunch went down yesterday…

I went to Hale & Hearty because they have vegetarian/dairy free (Vegan) soup options. Spiced Lentil w/ spinach was my soup de jour. I was only planning on having soup. However, when I was waiting in line I saw a sandwich option that I hadn’t noticed before; tomato, avocado and pesto on a flat bread. Sounded safe enough, right? I realized that I was hungrier than just a soup, and figured that this sandwich was a pretty safe choice, so I went for it. When I got back to my office and took the sandwich out of the bag I realized that it was a tomato, avocado AND turkey (FAIL) sandwich. I was faced with a dilemma. I could throw the sandwich away. However, I had already contributed to the turkey’s death by paying for the sandwich…or I could eat the sandwich and find some solace in the fact that it was a mistake and at least I was conscious of the fact that a turkey had died in order for this sandwich to be made. I ate the sandwich. Was there some level of respect and understanding in my consciousness or are these thoughts simply ridiculous?? Does the fact that I realized my mistake but made a compassionate and well informed decision to eat the meat knowing and recognizing that an animal had died make it any better? It was the first time I have been faced with such an existential vegan dilemma.  What does it mean? No idea. I do know that by pondering and weighing my options I did feel some level of respect was paid to the animal and to its death. Am I crazy??



Uneven Week

Last week was a very uneven one, I’m not gonna lie. I tried my best, and I did eat at least one vegan meal a day. However, I was dealing with the difficultly of finding vegan options in the situations I found myself in. I also experienced a HARDCORE meat & cheese craving on Friday and gave into a grilled chicken club with bacon and cheese…ouch. But I seem to be back on track this week. Let’s just count last week as a wash. This is harder then I thought.

All Vegan Day!

Another all vegan day yesterday!

Breakfast: Coffee w/ vanilla soy milk

Lunch: Energy Kitchen - California Wrap: Hummus, guacamole, roasted peppers and cucumbers, side of Brown rice

Dinner: Moaz - Falafel sandwich w/ all the fixings!

After Dinner: A few gin and tonics (VERY animal friendly!)

Go Leo!

"I have from an early age opposed the use of meat; and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men." -Leonardo da Vinci

Hangover Sunday = FAIL

Well, I experienced my first hangover meat craving this weekend. After a night out of drinking and carousing (after my responsible dinner at Candle 79, mind you) I found myself on that all too familiar hangover spot on Sunday morning…my couch. The only thing missing from this equation was a hangover diner breakfast…and yes, I gave into temptation. Eggs, sausage…you know rest. Did it help my hangover…not sure. Did I feel guilty afterwards…yes. Am I still thinking about it two days later…yes...not sure what that means, but it means something.

Candle 79

Candle 79

“Elegant, Organic, Local, Seasonal, Compassionate, Green, Step Inside, and discover a world of sustainable beauty in food and drink.”

I tried a new Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurant in the city this weekend, Candle 79. Wow, really amazing food! This restaurant goes to show that vegan food can be daring, surprising and uber-gourmet. The setting was beautiful, the service was impeccable and most importantly, the food was some of the best vegan I have ever tasted!

Starter:

Stuffed Avocado

baby greens, butternut squash, cucumber, chickpeas, grape tomato, radishes, toasted pumpkin seeds in a chipotle-avocado dressing.

Bottom line: I LOVE AVOCADO! I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Stuff one of my favorites with all this yumminess and I am in pig (pardon the pun) heaven!

Main Course:

Wild Mushroom Stuffed Tempeh  

Sweet potato puree, sautéed haricot verts & shallots, chocolate mole sauce and an orange salad.

A totally new mix of flavors for me; very rarely do I encounter a new combination of tastes and this was it. This was also one of my first forays into the world of tempe. And I have to say, I think it might be one of my favorite protein substitutes. The food was plated beautifully and every flavor so carfully considered. A truly delcious entrée!

Top that all off with a bottle of Pinot Gris and I was in vegan paradise!

I will definitely be back to this gem on the east side…and you should too!    

www.Candle79.com

Becoming Awake

Food for thought...thought for food...

FAIL

Last night was a major FAIL! I was doing pretty good during the day…but then dinner hit. Here’s the breakdown:

Breakfast: Banana & Yogurt (I mentioned this slip yesterday, but not the biggest fail.)

Lunch: Veggie Udon (it was delicious and I was so happy I found a new vegan alternative for lunch. Warm, comforting and delicious…and no animals were hurt in the process.)

Dinner: FAIL…We went to our friend’s restaurant, Market Café, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the city actually. Not only for the mere fact that our friends own it and we dine there all the time, but the food is actually really good. However, I realized last night just how few vegan or even vegetarian options that they have…and by few…I pretty much mean none. This coupled with the fact that one of the specials last night hit me in my weak spot: Rigatoni w/ shrimp (FAIL) in a (get this) tomato cream (FAIL) sauce. I gave into weakness. But I will say I did try to find something on the menu that was more “lean”ient but I surrendered to my weakness. In truth I could have had a salad (even though most of the dressings are cream based), or the hummus appetizer with a side of veggies. Oh, well, it happened, its over, and I'm moving on! I feel fat and bloated this morning, if that makes any difference.

Forging on…   

Dairy is Difficult

I’m having a problem remembering that dairy products are not vegan. Its easy with cheese, but remembering that a splash of milk in my coffee is not vegan proves a little more difficult. This morning I got a banana and a yogurt and by the second bite I realized that I was eating dairy. I’m going to seek out vegan yogurt; I know there must be some options out there. Damn you dairy…tricked me again!

All Vegan Day!

I ate all vegan yesterday!

Breakfast: banana, coffee w/ soy milk

Lunch: falafel & hummus wrap, sweet potato fries

Dinner: Blossom Restaurant – I’ve just begun to explore the vegan dining options in NYC, and from what I am learning there are a lot of options. However, I have dined at Blossom a few times now (their Chelsea location is the flagship but there is also a Blossom Café on the UWS, which serves an amazing brunch.) They serve really delicious and thoughtful food. Here's what I had...

Caesar Salad, Romaine lettuce & herbed croutons tossed in a creamy Caesar dressing, topped with herbed gomashio and toasted capers. (I defy anyone to tell me this isn't one of the BEST Caesar salads they have ever tasted!)

Seitan Scaloppini, Seitan cutlets in a white wine, lemon and caper sauce, served with mashed potatoes and sautéed kale. (Tastes like chicken ;-))

Chocolate Ganache (TO DIE FOR)

Blossom Restaurant

187 9th Ave
NYC 10011

212-627-1144

www.blossomnyc.com



Here we go...

Ok, so, this is my attempt to LEAN into vegan. Veganism is something I never thought I would even consider, not in my wildest dreams. I have always been a proud meat eater, even prouder red meat eater. I was the guy who would crack jokes and give vegans a pretty hard time just because I thought I knew the truth, "we are carnivores"...blah, blah, blah. However, lately, for some strange reason, maybe a combination of health, a friend's first hand experience (the ultimate NYC vegan, Nick Mitchell)...and yes, I'll admit it, a little sprinkling of Oprah, I have not only come to consider a change in the way I think about what I put into my body, but to actually try to lean into vegan. I say lean because I can't just completely change my life long eating habits overnight. I know everyone is different and I assume for some that stopping cold turkey (forgive my choice of words) and making the change in one full swoop is the easiest way to go. However, I have to be honest with myself and with my body, so the best way for me to try this experiment is to lean...lean into vegan.

Wish me luck,
Nick