NYC Vegan

Vegan kale and butternut squash enchiladas from Hotel Tortuga. Loves.

dat ramen

Cauliflower sandwich from Num Pang. Their vegan option. Mostly tasty, but not easy to eat. Not sure how I feel about the eggplant spread, a little messy.

My new office digs are right by their Grand Central location so except some more weird foods from the hood. Tomorrow I will start bringing lunch. Eating out is expensive!

Num Pang is located at 140 E 41st Street between 3rd and Lexington Aves.

NYC Vegetarian Food Festival!

Hi friends! Did any of you go to the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival today? You may have seen me smiling and passing out samples at Manitoba Harvest, a Canadian-based hemp foods company. I was so thrilled to met with fellow liked-minded people and hand out a product I believe in, and hopefully I’ll be hanging out with them again at the NYC Green Festival in April.

Before volunteering, I got a doughnut (will report on this tomorrow) and coffee from my fav Cinnamon Snail (BEFORE THERE WAS A MASSIVE LINE), sampled everything in sight from Upton’s Naturals to Field Roast to Earth Balance “white cheddar” puffs to Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss to RAAW juices (strawberry purple carrot and very berry wheatgrass FTW).

I have but three critques: first, very jammed and could get a bit clausterphobic - I wouldn’t bring kids. Second, I got a sandwich from Harmony Kitchen - grilled Chipotle tofu - I was significantly underwhelmed by the bread and the awkwardness of the server asking me if I wanted Caesar salad, which I assumed was a free add-in, and then trying to charge me extra to which I was like uh, no. Third, Beyond Sushi, while looking funky fresh, had a bunch of rolls made and refused to sell me one, citing they were taking a short break and selling again in ten minutes, even though I told them I was a volunteer and wouldn’t be able to come back - it wouldn’t have been hard to make an exception.

Overall, I am very full and happy, and I hope if you got a chance to stop by this year you enjoyed yourself as much as I did!

Guys these are the best pickles, and you can get them at Whole Foods. JUST DON’T GET THE SOUR ONES.

I loved the BDJ Buffalo Wrap [soy tenders, buffalo sauce, tomato, carrots, house dressing, lettuce] from Blossom Du Jour. Did you know they have three locations in NYC now?

Dilly beans from Jacob’s Pickles on the Upper West Side! GO THERE. EAT PICKLES. DRINK BEER. BE HAPPY.

Jacob’s Pickles is located at 509 Amsterdam Ave between 84th and 85th Streets.

Quick easy meal of roasted tofu, mung bean noodles [my favourite], kale, spinach and scallions.

Roasting tofu isn’t quite as complicated as I thought it was - I just tossed a block of tofu in some coconut oil with salt and pepper and roasted for 15 minutes on each side at 450 degrees. Previously I tried to bake tofu at a lower temperature, which didn’t really do anything. This method made the tofu puffy and tasty!

The veggies were sauteed and the dish coated with my typical sesame oil / sriracha / rice vinegar / soy sauce combo, with a shake of ginger powder. So delicious.

Momo Sushi Shack

Back to one of my old favourite haunts, the incredible Momo Sushi Shack in Bushwick! Usually I like to get their udon, but I had been dying to try their tofu salad - pressed tofu, avocado, heirloom tomatoes from greenage farms, tomato and basil-infused soy sauce. I expected a tiny salad and got this plate of deliciousness! I highly recommend it. The tofu is pillowy and soft, the avocado was perfect, the greens were gorgeous and the basil-infused soy sauce was a beautiful touch. We also got vegetable tempura [not pictured] - which was very good, especially the different kinds of mushrooms, and I got a kitade doko roll - crimini + shittake cooked in sweet soy sauce with avocado, which was also very good. As always, can’t wait to go back!

Momo Sushi Shack is located at 43 Bogart Street off the Morgan stop on the L train.