Hash Browns

A(nother) "Ode to Potatoes"!

If you've been following me for a while you know by now... I LOVE POTATOES... In fact, one of my first ever posts to my blog mentioned a story about the extent of my potato love.  Did you miss that one? Let's see if I can re-enact it for you...

"Anyway, like I was sayin', I love the potato. You can mash it, boil it, roast it, bake it, fry it. Dey's uh, baked potato, mashed potatoes, potato au gratin. Hash browns, home fries, tater tots. There's french fries, potato chips, scalloped potatoes, potato soup, potato chowder, potato pierogi, potato salad, potato pancakes, hasselback potatoes, twice baked potatoes, potato skins. That- that's about it."  (did you get the movie reference?)

Yeah... That ACTUALLY happened... maybe not exactly word for word in that order, but I did ramble on about all the ways you can cook potatoes! Why do I love potatoes so much? Seriously? DUH it's because potatoes are super versatile and you can eat them for every meal! (except maybe dessert... but then, there's sweet potatoes for that!)  Potatoes are like the French Manicure of food... they go with everything! 

ANYWAYS.... One of my favorite things to have for breakfast is a super crispy hash brown dipped in sriracha-ketchup. I used to have an issue with eating breakfast because I'd feel so sick afterwards... turns out it had to do with too much fruit/veggie acid in my stomach, but potatoes were a way to combat that! So I've been on a quest to create the best homemade hashbrowns and I've finally mastered them! 

(so much that this -----------------------------> was actually my breakfast one morning.. 2 gardein breakfast patties, a small batch of homefries and a huge hashbrown w/ sriracha ketchup) It was glorious.

So today's post is to give you my recipe for that large and crispy hashbrown at the top of my plate. I've now made these hashbrowns for my dad and sister and both love how crispy they are and how they aren't bland and boring.

To make these hashbrowns (small, about 2-inch diameter):

4 small-medium russet potatoes, peeled
1/4 small onion (optional)*
canola oil
s&p / any other seasoning you may like (you should try cajun! yum)

On a box grater, shred the potatoes on the small grating side. *if using onion, shred it as well

Soak the shredded potatoes in a bowl of cool water for 5 minutes.  Drain off water, pressing the potatoes to drain off all of the liquid. 

Add more water to the bowl and let the potatoes sit.

Heat about a turn of the pan of oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

Take a small handful of the potato shreds (and a pinch of the shredded onion if using) and mix it in your hand and roll into a ball.  Over the sink, squeeze the ball into a flat pancake, squeezing out as much water as possible.  Carefully place into the hot oil, and repeat until pan is full.

While the hashbrowns are in the pan, use your spatula to press down on them. (I've found not doing this results in a higher chance of the inner potatoes being raw.)  Season with salt and pepper (and/or other seasoning) and flip when the edges start to deepen in color. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel sprinkle with salt and serve while hot!

How easy is that?! It's is important not to skip the soaking part of this recipe.  Soaking the potato shreds helps to remove all of the potato starch which will help your hashbrowns to achieve the super crispy exterior!

Tasty Travels: Pulse Vegan

I'm so excited to be in Austin, Texas again. It is a wonderful city full of great music and delicious food! Upon arriving in Austin, we headed out to grab some lunch. (Gotta love the food truck spots... Multiple foods for any taste bud all in one place.)

I chose to grab a BBQ Seitan salad and rosemary fries from the Conscious Cravings food truck. The BBQ sauce was AWESOME! Sweetened with agave there was also a great tang and the kind of heat that doesn't necessarily burn... But it makes ya sweat! (My favorite!). The rosemary fries were so tasty! Imagine roasted potatoes with rosemary but as fried finger food. YUM!

Today, my mom, sister and I walked in and out of a bunch of shops, restaurants, and bakeries before we decided on the South First Food Court for lunch.  

We found Pulse Vegan, an all vegan food truck owned and operated by Colin Sheffield.  Relatively new to the Austin food truck scene, Pulse Vegan opened the truck's window just 5 months ago on May 29th, 2014.

 

I ordered "The Philly" and the "Sides Trio" (a sampler of the 3 sides the truck offers). According to Colin, The Philly is one of the most popular menu items, and I could definitely taste why!  The peppers and onions were cooked to the point that they were soft but still had an impactful crunch.  The tempeh (local, from The Hearty Vegan) was cooked on a flat top, making it crispy on the outside, and topped with Daiya Chedder-style "cheese".  What really made the sandwich for me was the homemade Cajun mayo.  I even got extra on the side because I wanted it on everything! The sandwich was served on a ciabatta roll which added a really great chew to the sandwich.

The "Sides Trio" was just as delicious and the perfect option to try multiple things on the menu without TOTALLY pigging out! 

The savory greens were AWESOME! They were perfectly cooked so that they were tender but yet still crisp, and... as you can see in the picture they are still actually green! They aren't that swampy mud color that comes from overcooking the greens. The did not have a greasy/slimey feel to them and the taste...?  Well, "fresh", "clean", and "savory" were the words out of my mom's and sister's mouths! It was true! Colin cooks the greens in a savory broth that contains allspice and thyme, which created a warmth but still maintained a lightness to the side dish.  (I can't believe I'm going to say this but... I may have sipped on the broth after I finished my lunch... DON'T JUDGE!!! IT WAS THAT GOOD!)  

Next up was "The Mac". Colin told me that he was very proud of his mac, and he very well should be.  It was a delightful combination of a nutritional yeast sauce and Daiya "cheddar cheese". This was also Gluten Free (all of the sides were naturally GF and everything on the menu could be made GF) What I really loved about this was that it was similar to my Mac-No-Cheese--the kid version as I call it... because it's reminiscent of the blue box Mac N Cheese kids like to eat... It had the delectable CRUNCH of the crust you get when you bake mac n cheese. It added an extra dimension that made it even more irresistible! (My non-vegan sister had ordered that for her meal but then we got the trio instead... I was only allowed 2 bites and she chowed down on the rest!) 

Last but certainly not least, the "Dill Home Fries". OH. MY. LANTA! First of all if you've read my blog you are probably aware that I LOVE POTATOES! (How appropriate that this post was written on National Potato Day! Check Twitter and Facebook for some TUBER-ler recipes! haha See what I did there?) These potatoes definitely claimed a spot in my Top Ten Homefries! Dill, garlic, salt and pepper were all that went on these pan-fried spuds... I couldn't believe they were pan-fried, by the way.  The crunch seemed too good for a pan.  I thought they had been double deep fried (French-fry style but in cube form). I even attempted to save them for last and the crunch survived the lapsed time. (HA yeah right, who am I kidding!? You know these were totally scarfed down...) Colin gave us ketchup for dipping which was delicious but I loved dipping them in the Cajun mayo too!

More about the menu:  Colin told me that he is most proud of "The Mac".  His favorite sandwiches on his menu are "The Buff Boy" and "The Frenchy".  He told me that he loves the flavor combination that exists in "The Buff Boy" and he recognizes that both are pretty unique flavors for the vegan community.  I mean YEAH! Buffalo "wings" and a "French Dip" w/ au jus?! Those are not typically foods that people would think could ever be vegan.  

Colin has a mission very similar to my own: Being vegan doesn't have to mean you're missing out! Just TASTE IT before you dismiss vegan food because of the opinion formed in your head that. Vegan food is just as delicious, filling, and nutritious as "regular" food if not more so! **More from Colin to come when TastyKaiti's reaches 20,000 pageviews.  So stick around to watch a clip of the interview when that happens! 

"Thank you Colin for an excellent lunch! And thank you for letting me interview you about yourself and the food truck! It is absolutely my pleasure to endorse your truck on my blog." ~Kaiti

Let Colin know you read about him here as we love to hear from our readers/eaters!

A Note to my Non-vegan friends: 

The great thing about food truck lots in Austin is there is something for everyone! (Vegan or Not)  And while they are certainly not afraid of vegan food anymore, my mom and sister were in the mood for a Breakfast Burrito and found a great one at Gravy, a truck that blends Mexican flavors with an old southern favorite of biscuits and gravy. We talked with the owner/operator Scott who told us that they are BRAND NEW!  Just opened THREE WEEKS ago! While he informed me that he didn't have vegan options, I did want to share with my non-vegan readers that he does have Vegetarian options on his menu.  His biscuits do not contain lard and the burrito my mom and sister split contained all vegetarian ingredients (with the exception of the bacon gravy).  So check him out at South First Food Court! Tell him I sent ya!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

It's National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day! (gotta love the super specific food holidays hahaha) It is also the day that my blog reached 19,000 Views!!!! Thanks so much to everyone who reads and shares my blog.  Depending on how quickly my view count continues to go up... I have a big surprise that I've been secretly working on that I will announce for either 20K or 25K views!  So Keep Sharing!

Well what kind of food blogger would I be if I didn't give you a recipe for today's "holiday"?!  If you've been following me for a while you may remember that last year's Thanksgiving a debuted a new dessert.  It just so happens that I never posted the recipe (ughhh I'm such a blonde sometimes) annnnd it was a Pumpkin Cheesecake... Are you connecting the dots...???

Today's recipe, in honor of NPCD ...yeah I'm sick of writing it out.... issss:

Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Gingersnap Crust! 

Oh it's so good.  When I made it for the non-vegan family members to try, they all said the same thing... "But this doesn't taste Vegan...!?"  What does that even mean? Why does everyone have this preconceived idea that vegan food is not as good as regular food?  UGH those people bug me... Just TASTE IT! (slight variation of my normal tagline... but it's the same point!!)

Crust:
1 1/2 boxes of Back to Nature Triple Ginger Cookies (Or try making crust with my Gingersnaps!)
5 TBSP Earth Balance Soy-Free Margarine, melted

In a food processor pulse cookies into fine crumbs. 

Add in melted margarine and pulse until it looks like wet sand.

Grease a 9-inch springform pan and pour the crumbs into the pan.  

Press down* and around firmly to create crust on the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
*I use a measuring cup to spread and press the crumbs into a crust.

Filling:
2 (8-oz) containers of Daiya Cream Cheese (or your favorite brand non-dairy cream cheese)
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 TBS cornstarch
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or stand mixer, until completely combined.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F for 45 minutes.  Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 10 min.

Remove from the oven and let it sit out at room temperature for an hour.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and serve!

Drunken Noodles

AHHHH THIS IS MY 100th BLOG POST!!! 

SO GLAD IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS!

That said... 
I wish I could go to a Thai restaurant and order Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles).  Unfortunately the sauce has a combination of oyster and fish sauces.  A far cry from vegan friendly…

Quick side story: If you live in, near, around or visit Seattle, WA look up a Thai restaurant called Araya’s Place.  It’s a completely vegan Thai restaurant!!! They have “Drunken Mushrooms”, which is like drunken noodles but with a vegan mushroom “oyster” sauce.  If you go get it… LET ME KNOW! I’m willing to travel cross-country to eat it! (my bank account might not be yet… but I’ll get there)

Okay well here’s a great drunken noodles recipe that I encourage you to try.  It’s supposed to be quite spicy… but adjust it to your taste.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons vegan oyster sauce

2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce

2 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon Maggi or Golden Mountain sauce (optional, can sub in soy sauce)

1 teaspoon sambal (Thai chili-garlic paste) or hot red pepper flakes

Juice of half a lime

Mix all of the ingredients and set aside.

Pad Kee Mao

7 ounces (about half a package) wide rice noodles

3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Thai chilies, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 head broccoli, trimmed into florets (don’t use the stem)

2 cups chopped Napa cabbage

1/2 to 1 ounce fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

1/2 to 1 ounce fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Half a lime, cut into wedges, for serving.

 For the noodles: Soak noodles in cold water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes. Drain most of water from pot, adding just enough cool water so that noodles stay warm but do not continue to cook.

  Place a large wok or skillet over high heat. When pan is hot, add oil. Add garlic, chilies and onion, and sauté to let flavors infuse oil, about 1 minute. Add broccoli and cabbage, and stir-fry until cabbage starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

 Add basil, cilantro and scallion tops. Drain noodles and add to pan. Add sauce, and toss until mixed and well-heated, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot, with lime wedges for squeezing over noodles.

**A few side notes**

1. The pad kee mao at my local Thai restaurant has cherry/grape tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, and mushrooms. You can definitely play with whatever veggies you like.  (I like zucchini, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, bell pepper… but I try to limit myself to 3-4 veggies at a time or there is too many veggies!)

2. If you can’t find Thai chilies (aka bird’s eye chilies)… you can sub in (depending on your spice level) serranos, for less heat, or a habanero/scotch bonnet for lots more heat.  The Scoville scale rates Thai Chilies at 50,000-100,000 Scoville heat units,  Serranos at 10,000-23,000, and habanero/scotch bonnets at 100,000-350,000.  BE VERY CAREFUL!!!! or see below

3.  You could play with the spice on your own by using cayenne pepper, sriracha sauce, sambal (Thai chili-garlic paste), or red pepper flakes.

That’s all I’ve got for you for now!

World Food Day 2014

In honor of World Food Day, I wanted to just take everyone on a journey of my recipes with origins from all over the world. In case you missed it on Facebook and Twitter here are all of the recipes, by country, that I posted throughout the day! (plus a few extras!)


China/Chinatown:

Szechuan Green Beans

Fried Rice

Lo Mein

Kung Pao Chick'n

General Tso's Chick'n

No-Crab Rangoon

Baked Spring Rolls

Mongolian "Beef"

Vietnam:

Black Pepper Chick'n/"Beef"

Greece:

Gyros

Italy:

Soy-Free Lasagna

Eastern Europe:
Noodles and Cabbage

Pierogi

Gingersnaps


France:

"Goat Cheese"

French Baguette

Tapenade


Mexico:

Enchiladas

Stuffed Peppers

Fajitas

Not-Really Fish Tacos

Butternut Squash Tacos

USA:

Kentucky Fried Chick'n Salad Sandwiches

Cincinnati Chili

Philly Cheesesteak

Cornbread

Biscuits

Southern Style Panzanella

Beefless Stew

California Pizza Kitchen: Thai Crunch Salad

Veggie Gumbo

Vegetable Chowder

Hope you're eager to make these recipes and share with you're friends/family!! Remember two little words will almost guarantee they'll try it... "TASTE THIS!!"

Pomme Frites

So funny story...  You may have gone to a fancy restaurant and ordered "Pomme Frites" and gotten what we know as French Fries in the US... But literally translated, Pomme Frites means "apple fried".

Last I checked, potatoes and apples don't run in the same crowd... 

This recipe for pomme frites is actually what the name suggests with a little touch of the Americanized version... that's right guys... these are: APPLE FRIES (ahahaha I'm so good at rhyming without even trying!!<---- I did it again)

Apple fries... HOLY SUGAR! These are so yummy.  I'm still perfecting the recipe a little so that the apples stay crispier for longer, a problem only because of the residual cooking that happens while they are cooling. 

...maybe if I freeze them first.... hmmmm Next batch I will try that.  I will definitely make these again, and often.  They are SUPER quick and a great little snack that would definitely be a hit with the kiddos!

Side Note:  I've always got a bucket of cinnamon sugar on hand... A happy mistake created by my sister :-) 

YOU NEED:

• High Temp Frying oil
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into "steak fry" sized wedges 
• cornstarch
• cinnamon sugar

Heat oil in a sturdy pot to 375-400 degrees F.

Coat apple wedges in cornstarch, shake of extra. 

Fry apples in oil for 1-2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Dip in cinnamon sugar to coat. And serve.

They are best when they are fresh out of the oil but like a real fry they do stay crispy on the and are get soft and squishy on the inside.... Like I mentioned earlier, I'll work on a way to make 'em still crunchy on the inside for a longer period of time! 

"BLT" Salad

(Shout out to @Organicville and @lightlife whose's products make an appearance in the #Recipe)

I love to cook for people.  Especially people who are always willing to try something new! Saturday was the perfect opportunity.  Naturally I made my Mac n(o) Cheese (it's always a huge hit for newbies!) but I needed a side dish to go with it.  Something light... But tasty--hehehe get it? TASTY Kaiti's... haha I crack myself up :-)

Anyyyyways.... Salad is always a go to for me. (I eat salad almost everyday... even did so before going vegan.) So why should this night be any different?  Since I was cooking for someone who eats meat I wanted to make sure they felt like they were eating something "normal".  So I turned one of my favorite sandwiches into our salad.  It was super yummy and definitely a salad I will make again and again... and again!  


You've gotta TASTE THIS "BLT Chopped Salad!" 
(serves 4 as a side and 2 for dinner)

For the Salad:
1 head Boston Bibb Lettuce 
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1 package (yes package) Lightlife "Fakin' Bacon", cooked according to the package and chopped
2 green onions, chopped 
Organicville Non-Dairy Ranch Dressing 
Salt and Pepper
Sourdough Croutons (Recipes Follows)
**I also added sunflower sprouts to the salad when I made it. I love the addition of them in a salad or on a sandwich!**

For the salad:
Tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces. Top with tomatoes, green onions, and tempeh bacon pieces.

Drizzle with Organicville Non-Dairy Ranch.  Add croutons and season with salt and pepper.

For the Croutons: You've gotta have great croutons for a salad based off of a sandwich!
Sourdough Bread, sliced (you'll need 1-2 slices for this salad. I always make extra to eat as a snack)
Olive Oil
Granulated garlic

To make the croutons: Add olive oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium heat. (You need enough oil to coat the bottom of your pan.) Add the slices of sourdough, turning once immediately so both sides get coated in oil.  

Reduce heat to med-low and cook until lightly browned. Flip and cook other side until lightly browned. Remove from heat and sprinkle with granulated garlic.  And cut into crouton sized pieces.

Mexican Kale Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing

It's #NationalKaleDay (and World Vegetarian Day) so what better way to celebrate than with a homemade Mexican Style Kale Salad with a Spicy Avocado Dressing? 

I love Kale.  In fact I prefer it in my salads over regular lettuce.  It just has a better chew to it than a super watery iceberg!  Not to mention how good it is for you! Kale is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese. 

Talk about a super food! 

This salad came together really quickly... Like 30 min max... Take that Rachel Ray! Heads up, I'm not putting measurements for what went into the salad.  Make it your own.  If you love tomatoes, put lots of tomatoes! If you don't like cilantro, leave it out... My mom hates cilantro... I love telling her that she has a chemical imbalance! No, SERIOUSLY! People that hate the taste of cilantro... it's due to a chemical imbalance in the body!! Look it up!

I'm considering taking this with me tomorrow when I meet a guy for coffee... just so I can say, 

"TASTE THIS!"

For Salad:

Kale, washed, trimmed, torn into bite sized pieces, and massaged

Cherry Tomatoes

Black Beans

Orange Bell Pepper

Frozen Sweet Corn, thawed

Red Onion

Cilantro (Yay or Nay depending on your chemical make-up)

Lime

Avocado

S&P

Tortilla Chips, crushed (makes for a good crouton sub)

For Dressing:

1 1/2 avocados

1 1/2 limes, juiced

1/2 jalapeño, seeded

2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

Cilantro to taste (Just in case you're one of those people...)

S&P to taste

Make the dressing by putting everything in the blender and blending till smooth.  (COME ON!! How easy is that?!)  

Build the salad: I chose to toss the kale with some of the dressing before topping with all of the yummy salad toppers! (If you've never had fresh herbs in your salad, you are missing out! Try cilantro here or basil in an Italian style salad.  YUMMMMM!)

 Toss again and serve. Garnish with a lime wedge and some crushed tortilla chips for some added crunch.  

DC Veg Fest 2014

DC Veg Fest.

@busboysandpoets @amsterdamdc @barefootbucha @therandyradish @stickyfingersdc and more!

One of the greatest days I've had in a while! I had so much fun talking with the different companies, organizations, and restaurants! I tried a bunch of products and sooo many yummy goodies! This post is a little more on the side of reviews because I want everyone to know about the Veggie goodness that the DC-metro area has to offer! 

Please check out the photos from my day.  I will post a few here but I took WAY more than a few pictures :-) 

A couple of my favorite places were at DC Veg Fest: Sticky Fingers Sweets and Eats and Busboys and Poets for example.  Sticky Fingers (which I've previously reviewed) was there with plenty of sweet treats and owner, Doron Petersan was even there giving a presentation in the Kids Tent.  She talked to the group about how to get kids to eat new things and she had the most adorable assistant helping her with her demonstration!  She suggests having kids try something 3 times before they can say that they do not like it.  And as many suggest, GET YOUR KIDS IN THE KITCHEN! Helping you make the food they are going to eat will encourage them to eat what they make!

Loved seeing all kids who love their Veggies!

  Busboys and Poets (which I haven't reviewed yet) is absolutely one of my favorite restaurants in the area.  Why, you ask? It is a restaurant that caters to EVERYONE!!!  I made a bunch of my friends come out to Busboys and Poets for my birthday back in April and everyone LOVED IT!  There is something on the menu for everything! BUT... What's even better... THEY HAVE VEGAN BRUNCH FOODS!!!! Breakfast and Brunch are seriously hard meals to dine out for, but not at Busboys!  With 4 locations in the DMV, you're food needs will definitely be met.  Check out their menu, and their NEW fall Vegan menu items (below)! I can't wait to try more of their menue and do a full review! French Toast PLEASE!!! 



So, next to the Sticky Fingers booth was Barefoot Bucha.  Hands down, THE BEST GINGER KOMBUCHA I'VE EVER HAD! No. Seriously.  You know how many kombuchas have that funny taste because the flavor aspect doesn't last?  Well this one DOES! If you love ginger, you would love this ginger Kombucha.  They have other flavors too: Cherry Root, CranGinger, Elderflower, Hint of Mint, Plumblossom, Kombuchai, and Classic.  (Ginger was the best choice for me today because A- I love ginger and B-...I was about to eat a ton of food and I needed something to help soothe my digestive system :-) 


With distributors in the DMV, here are a few places where you can find Barefoot Bucha!  I even got this sweet reusable cup! 

After walking around, continuing to sip on my tasty Barefoot Bucha, and taking lots of pictures, I set my eyes on my first food adventure! Amsterdam Falafelshop!  I love falafel, I haven't posted any recipes for falafel because I have yet to master it like the chefs at Amsterdam Falafelshop.  Their falafel was fried to perfection.  Crispy on the outside but soft AND MOIST on the inside.  Think about it, how often have you had falafel that is dry and leaves you reaching for any and every liquid beverage in sight?!  Not here! And their condiments (in store they have 21 toppings!!) I topped mine with Baba Ganoush, Pickled Beets, Cucumbers and Onions,  and Tahini sauce. Simple and DELICIOUS!

 After walking around and talking to a couple of people at some booths, I decided I needed to pose for a little photo op, before heading to the next spot to eat again! (Don't judge me, I specifically didn't eat before attending Veg Fest so that I could eat lots of yummy veg foods!) Anyway, here I am at the nasoya booth. What do you think? D.C.'s Top Chef? ;-) 

For my next food snack, came from the booth set up by Vegetable Garden from Silver Spring, MD.  If you've followed my blog for a while, you'll know, I cannot resist Chinese food! And that is exactly what they have to offer! They had veggie sushi rolls, General Tso's mock-chicken, and Sesame mock-Beef with Yams on the menu for Veg Fest.  I went with the sesame mock-beef with yams (mostly because I eat veggie sushi all the time and they were out of General Tso's).  It was very tasty! It came with steamed broccoli and brown rice.  I loved the addition of the yam! But, I will say that it reminded me more of like, an orange chicken.  It was sweeter than I typically like because I love spicy Chinese food best. Definitely will eat at their restaurant again... (Especially upon finding out that they are located in "Leisure World", not to far from the ballet studio that I grew up in.  I won't tell you what my mom and I used to call that area... It's hilarious but because my mom used to a comedian, some of the jokes aren't quite PC. And I don't want to offend any of my readers!) Even after chowing down of this though, my Chinese food craving wasn't satisfied.  What's a Asian style meal without a spring roll of some sort!?  Off to my next booth! 

The Loving Hut booth was my next stop! One of the closest vegan restaurants to where I live, and I'd never been!? They had a bunch of great choices but all I wanted (and could stomach... have you been keeping track of how much I've eaten so far??) was one of their "golden rolls".  Crispy and deep fried-- can it get any better than deep fried?? Filled with carrots, cabbage, taro, mushrooms, onions and bean thread noodles, it was just what I needed to cap off my Asian meal!

The sauce was yummy too. Pineapple-y and sweet.  But I was missing the tang/heat of spicy mustard or sriracha.  I'll definitely get another when I get out to the restaurant to try some more of the yummy looking things on their full menu! I really want to try their vegan Bahn Mi and their Fried Wontons... and their Sesame Eggplant Tofu! 

One of my favorite parts about Veg Fest was seeing all of the animal welfare leagues that were out in full force, and even brought some sweet canines that were available for adoption! I have to take a minute away from my food adventure to give a little plug for THE BEST WELFARE LEAGUE IN NOVA!  The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is where my family got our beloved Raleigh.  While he was with there, they called him Scott.  While that was the name of my most recent ex, we decided it needed to be changed once they approved us to take him. It was a long process, they wanted to see everyone in the family interact with the dog so that they knew he was going to a great home.  Sadly, after 12 long years of a great life, we had to put Raleigh down at the end of August.  As you can see by his picture, he was an old man.  He was the sweetest dog in the world and everyone knew him as Raleigh, the wonder dog.  We miss ya bud, but at least you're up where you're free of pain and where Benji and Rudy can't annoy you anymore! :-)


Okay, sorry... back to the food! Next up... I needed something. Something that I haven't had in a long time... Sweet... creamy... HELLOOOOOO Charm School Chocolate!! (sorry I couldn't get pics of the actual chocolate, their booth was pretty full!) 

  
Their vegan milk chocolate was soooo dreamy! They use coconut milk which adds to the texture but didn't change the flavor of the chocolate. While they don't currently sell in Virginia... They do sell their chocolates and sweets online and at the Roots Market near my grandparents! It may be time to pay them a visit, and pick up some Charm School Chocolate on my way! <3 <3 Those Toffee Almond Bites look right up my alley! 

My last stop for food was at The Randy Radish food truck.  I've seen this food truck driving around the area but was always heading in the opposite direction.  FINALLY I got to see what they are all about! The wait was a little long but it was the end of the day and I was fine with a little break to sit down and rest my hot and tired feet! The menu was full of yummy looking treats. But with summer coming to an end, and being out side at what reminded me of a summer block party, I had to go with the Jackfruit BBQ.  MAN AM I GLAD I DID!!! The spicy BBQ sauce was just the kick I'd been looking for all day! And their slaw was crisp and cool, I only wish I had more of it! 









While I love food trucks, I am excited to announce that The Randy Radish will be opening a STOREFRONT NEXT WEEK!!! In Sterling, VA!  I hope this means more of their menu choices will be available daily.  I can't wait to review more of their menu! I really want to try their Crabby Cake, Mediterranean Picnic Sandwich, Tofu Reuban, Rainbow Pad Thai and their Autumn Quinoa Salad! I will definitely keep y'all posted when the storefront is up and running. Be sure to like and follow me on Facebook and twitter to stay informed :-)

Like I said, I loved seeing all the dogs out and about at Veg Fest, but the best one I saw was Guinness, the face of Craft Kombucha! 

Guinness was the reason that I stopped to get a drink from Craft Kombucha. He was the perfect combination of my boxer, Rudy, and my sister's brindle pit-lab, Benji.  (Shout out to the two guys I met in line! Hope y'all had a great time!) I had their spicy pineapple kombucha. It was deliciously refreshing though not as spicy as I was hoping for. Wish I had had enough money to buy more flavors! I really wanted to try the grapefruit and the (I think it was..) cherry-apple cider? mmm sounded so yummyyy! Can't wait to try them again!

I was also given some Dr. Bronner's Coconut Oil to test out and write a review! I can't wait to do it! (I already made stovetop croutons and stovetop popcorn with it last night and I LOVE IT so far! I will do a separate post for that as it will include some recipes as well as the review!) Yummm

One last booth I have to talk about holds a special place in my heart.  The Natural Epicurean Academy for the Culinary Arts came to Veg Fest!! I have been absolutely obsessed with Natural Epicurean since I first found out about the school a few years ago.  I even applied and got accepted (but couldn't afford to go... still want to though!) 

I loved seeing the booth at Veg Fest and totally helped the representative tell people about the school! So naturally I have to share a few things about the school before I end this blog post!  The Natural Epicurean is a one-of-a-kind culinary school based in Austin, Texas.  This school is one-of-a-kind because it is THE ONLY ALL PLANT BASED CULINARY SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY! That's right!! All vegan/vegetarian culinary school that also teaches raw, macrobiotic, and ayurvedic techniques.  How awesome is that!?  They have a NEW distance learning program so you can take classes online if Austin is too far away.  Check them out! <3 <3 


That's all for now!!!