Best with a BBQ

I'm off to suburbia for a BBQ today. It won't be vegan, but I've been promised veggie kabobs and plenty of sides, chips, and beer to keep me satisfied. It only seems fit, therefore, that I declare one of the latter a favorite for today: Anchor Steam beer.
Most folks don't know that a lot of beer, and wine for that matter, isn't vegan because it's filtered with isinglass, a gelatin-like substance made from fish bladders. Yeah, NOT delicious. That being said, it's pretty easy to obtain vegan beers. (Check here for a good list.) Anchor Steam is one such easily obtainable, and quite yummy, beer. Pairs well with a hot sunny day.

Friday Favorite

I did my Friday food shopping (I hate going on the weekends) so I have just been perusing the aisles of my favorite food-things and have quite a few nibbles I could name as faves for the day. That being said, I think I'm going to kick it old school and go with something I used to love in middle and high school:


Sweet Nothings Fudge Bars. These guys are only 100 calories a pop, are mostly just fruit juice and carob, and manage to taste like pure chocolate. It can only be food magic - enjoy!

The Apple Don't Fall Far

It's been a long day with an even longer one looming tomorrow, so I'll keep this brief. My favorite vegan thing of the day is also one of my favorite things period: My Mom. Here we are enjoying a pint in SF. :)


I'm so thrilled that she's gone vegan (it's been over a year now and she ain't lookin' back) and am delighted with the effect it's had on her health and well-being. She was pretty great before, but now she just plain rocks. Go mom!

Another "Joy"

My vegan fave for today has to go to something I've been craving lately: The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Okay, so I haven't been craving the book itself, but rather the chocolate chip banana muffins that are featured therein. They are the most moist, wonderful creations your sweet tooth has ever come across. Those, and the amazing cakes, pastries, cookies, breads, and other baked goods that this beautiful book dishes up make it the greatest book on vegan baking ever. Hands down. Get yourself a copy and get baking today. Oh, and if you make any of those muffins, send 'em my way. :)

Bagels are a girl's best friend...

... and I like mine whole grain, yeast-free, and full of protein. Not to mention with a slightly sweet and nutty taste that can't be beat. That's why my favorite vegan item of the day is French Meadow Bakery's Healthy Hemp Bagels. And, nothing's better to put on top of these delights than some Garlic and Herb Creamy Sheese from Bute Island Foods. It's a match made in Sunday morning heaven. (Yes, I know I gave you two items today, but I just couldn't mention one without the other in this case. Enjoy!)

New Feature

To keep my avid readers (Hi, Mom) content between meals, I've decided to add a new little feature to the blog. As often as I can - and I'm aiming for everyday here folks - I will be simply naming my favorite vegan item of the day. The only rule is that it's vegan, so while it could be food related, it need not be in order to get mentioned here. Got it? Good. It is not lost on me that this is way more vegan than other-friendly, but others need to know how to keep their vegans happy, right?

So, for today, my item is...drum roll please... Soy Feta by Sunergia. I'm trying to eat less soy these days, but this is a tough item to give up. A relatively new addition to my fridge, it has given me back my long-lost love of Greek Salads. Crumble it up on some greens with kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some oil and vinegar, and you're good to go. Plus it's all non-GMO, organic, low-fat, and the whole darn package only has 240 calories. Sunergia, I love you.

Birthday Bliss

It's been a while since I've blogged - apologies. Such is the life of an elementary school teacher come May I suppose. Between the recitals, performances, science fairs, field trips, and other end-of-year activities, I've been otherwise occupied. The school where I teach is wonderful, but it sure keeps me busy! I also did a raw food cleanse over Memorial Day weekend, which kept me out of the restaurants for a bit. But, that all went by the wayside this weekend because it was MY BIRTHDAY. :) If ever there was a time to indulge in all your favorite eats, it's your birthday. So here's what I did...

My birthday was Sunday, but I started celebrating on Saturday, mainly because I had a school picnic to attend on my actual day. The plan was to go hang gliding to kick off the weekend, but the weather was not cooperative and it got canceled. Boo. I wasn't too sad though because it just meant a little more lounge time for me. I had to rest up, for mine was to be an evening of dining delights at none other than Fleur de Lys . This culinary extravaganza was something I'd been looking forward to for some time. They always have a vegetarian tasting menu and - with advance notice - are more than happy to alter it to be vegan. You may recall that I've called this romantic high-end spot the best place to get an uber-fancy meal in the city, and they did not disappoint. We also went with the wine pairing, so by the end we were practically glowing. I only felt brave enough to take two pictures, and neither with flash, so forgive the bad quality. What you have here is our appetizer (first of 4 courses) and our dessert (aka the 5th course). The app was 2 purple potato dots, a mushroom "cigar", and a shot of the yummiest butternut squash soup ever. I would have been content eating nothing but a pile of the cigars for the rest of the meal, but that's mainly because they involved crispy phyllo dough. So good.





In between these pictures, there was an beet salad with celery and green onions, a polenta cake, and a ragout of veggies with the most sublime truffle sauce and crispy "truffle chips" on top. Every bite was a little more amazing than the last, and that counts dessert too. The sorbets atop that popcorn cake were unreal. The coconut in particular tasted so much like eating fresh coconut that it had to have been magic. As for the wine, the only one I wasn't a huge fan of was the Pinot Noir. Our waiter described it as "young yet elegant" and I think it was just a little too young, and not enough elegant.

It should also be mentioned, as I've written before, that the bread service is unbelievable. As soon as you finish your piece, the bread guy is there with more. The olive loaf is my favorite, while my husband digs the baguette. The fig/pistachio bread is also fantastic. Their bread makes me swoon. Needless to say, I slept well Saturday night.

Sunday morning I awoke to a beautiful day so I got up and went for a long walk down to Crissy Field and back, stopping at Real Food Company and got some peaches and strawberries for a light breakfast. When I arrived home, my loving hubby gave me my present - a gift certificate for a pair of Form and Fauna shoes. I am so psyched and can't wait to get those beauties on my tootsies. After I composed myself, we were off to the picnic. Though there was food, we saved our appetites for another oft-mentioned eatery on this blog: Papalote. Ever since the "not quite" experience of Green Chile Kitchen, I've been craving my favorite burrito, complete with vegan black beans, rice, guacamole, and the world's best salsa. Paired with a Corona, it's the best a Sunday afternoon can offer.

Back at home, it was birthday cake time, which in my case meant a decadent vegan cupcake from Whole Foods, with some insanely good Purely Decadent "Chunky Mint Madness." Oh yeah, Happy Birthday to me. As I write this, I'm in food coma and have been lying on the couch for about 4 hours - something I NEVER do. Tomorrow, it's back to the gym and work, so I'm off to enjoy the rest while I can. After all, it's the last year of my twenties, and I plan on living it the the fullest!

Coming Attractions in June: A trip to Greens to celebrate the end of the school year, and a long weekend in the vegan haven of Portland. I am truly blessed.