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Tequila Sunrise – Fort Lauderdale, Fl

1 Apr

Surprisingly enough, with all of the restaurants that there are in Fort Lauderdale, there really aren’t many vegan options here. Sure there’s Sublime, the well known, all vegan, over priced, bland and uninspired restaurant, but I hate giving them my money, even if the profits do go to animals. That being said, let me tell you about a mexican place that’s really close to our new place, and at least has a little vegan section on their menu.

This review is actually long overdue. We dined at Tequila Sunrise last year when we got one of those groupon/living social vouchers. Back then they had the menu that’s currently up on their website. I ordered the vegan black bean tostadas, which I thought were great.

On this visit, the vegetarian/vegan menu was just a section of the regular menu, and a lot more limited. I was happy though, because they still had vegan enchiladas listed, even if the tostadas weren’t.

I specified that I didn’t want mushrooms at least 3 times. Mostly because it seemed like our waitress wasn’t paying attention. She let me know I could sub vegetables instead of white rice, so I said sure.

When my plate came and I spotted a mushroom in the vegetables, I remembered that I had not asked an additional time for no mushrooms, so I was still hopeful, but upon peering into my enchiladas I realized they were all over. A second waitress came out and said that there was no way to make the dish without mushrooms, because the veggies were already mixed. Then she came back and said they could do it with just onions & peppers inside. So I just ordered two tacos a la carte. Both the black beans and the refried beans are vegetarian, so I ordered one of each.

They came in very thick, delicious hot shells, and the black beans were really tasty. These were $3.50 each.

Impression:

We eat mexican food A LOT. Half the time it’s from Taco Bell. (fresco bean burritos or the occassional 7-layer, no cheese, no sour cream!) And I admit, I don’t ever ask if the beans are vegetarian when I’m at a restaurant. So it’s nice to know that they are here. If you aren’t allergic and/or grossed out by mushrooms (like I am!), they have a good amount of well thought out vegan options for you. I mean, that enchilada dish really did look delicious. I was pretty disappointed that I had to give it back! So if you’re so inclined, it’s worth checking out.

Tequila Sunrise is located at 4711 c N Dixie Hwy Oakland Park, FL 33334. (954) 938-4473. Open Mon-Wed 11:30am – 10pm, Thurs – Sat 11:30 am – 11pm, and Sunday 12pm – 10pm.

Infusion Tea – Orlando, Fl (Vegetarian)

18 Mar

Hey all! I’ve been MIA all week because we’re MOVING TO FORT LAUDERDALE tomorrow, and we only had a week to pack! We didn’t think that we were moving until next month, so it’s been a little frantic, but fun, and we’re really excited for the change of scenery. We’re still trying to relocate to Seattle this year or next, and we’ll be able to transfer our lease to Seattle from this place if and when we do find work there. In the meantime, we think we’re really going to enjoy our new place. We’re downsizing from a 2/2 to a 1/1 to save a tiny bit of $ and get used to a smaller space. So my kitchen will be downsizing too, but nothing will ever be as small as that Brooklyn kitchen that I started this blog in, so I’m not worried at all!

Here’s the last review from our trip to Orlando that I didn’t get to put up. I apologize for the brevity. Hopefully I’ll be cooking & blogging again next week when we’re all settled!

: )

This was the last place we ate on our recent trip to Orlando. We can’t wait to get back, because there were so many other places that we could have tried, but the combination of being a tea house and serving a good variety of vegan options sold me, and I’m very glad about that!

Infusion Tea has a nice big space with lots of seating, and they even do special function parties here. (bridal & baby showers, rehearsal dinners, etc.)

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Their impressive collections of teas are served with a special tea timer so you know when it’s ready!

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I ordered the tempeh tacos:

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and Thomas ordered the burrito done vegan:

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Impression:

We split our dishes, and I have to say, while the burrito was good,  the tempeh tacos were GREAT! They even have an all vegan chocolateir located in the shop with it’s own refrigerated case. We had a really nice lunch, and there were many vegan offerings. This is definitely a good place to eat, drink tea and hang out.

Infusion Tea is located in College Park at 1600 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, FL 32804. 407 999-5255 Open Mon-Sat 9a-9p, Sun 12p-6p.

Cajun Beanballs & Spaghetti – Appetite for Reduction

17 Mar

Here’s another yummy meal made from Appetite for Reduction! I’m definitely going to keep this book in heavy rotation for a while. A.) because I need to drop a couple of pounds (not that it’s a diet book, but at least it’s mostly light on oil) and B.) because the recipes tastes really good!

Tempeh cubed and ready to hit the steamer.

About to be mashed into the rest of the bean ball ingredients.

Heading into the oven to bake.

Sprinkled with nutritional yeast & vegan parm. <3

The recipe consists of three recipes. 1 for bean balls, 1 for the sauce, which is a variation of her basic sauce in this book, just with some cajun spices, and 1 for the general recipe which includes 2 c. of chopped zucchini, for which I subbed cauliflower that needed using.

YUM!

Cameraphonevegan.com Turns Two!

16 Mar

So it’s that time of year again! I went with a green drink this year instead of a cupcake, as I think that’s the direction I steered into this last year. My focus has shifted a bit from the fake meat and cheese centered-ness of a new vegan in 2010, to really trying to eat more whole foods as often as possible, including raw meals too. I also stopped using sugar, with the exception of major holidays. (I tried to use maple syrup instead in the pumpkin pies this year, but my mom protested!)

The readership has also increased tremendously since that first year, with January alone at almost 3,000 hits compared to 2010′s (march through december) year total of 4,601! So a HUGE thank you to all of you who subscribe, read and share! I enjoy your comments, and encourage you to continue to give me any feedback you have on recipes.

We’re [hopefully!] going to be in a state of transition soon. We’re trying to relocate to Seattle as soon as possible, and have been looking for work for there since fall. So as soon as one of us can land a decent job out there, we’re out of here! One of the reasons is that I’m planning to go back to school out there [to advance in my profession] starting fall of 2013. We’re starting to get this place packed up because our lease is up here next month, and at the same time holding our breath that something comes through in that time frame. So if you know of any radiation therapist or set/event/industrial design jobs out there, please let us know! ; )

Here’s looking forward to a great 2012!

Thanks again for all your support,

<3  Ty <3

Black Bean Deli – Orlando, Fl

15 Mar

Monday’s happycow.net research turned up a cuban place with vegan empanadas. WHAT?!?!? Yes. This is pretty much when I first started to seriously think we could start looking for employment in Orlando. I’m not kidding!

Black Bean Deli‘s been around for a long time, and has even been voted Orlando’s best cuban restaurant. Though it’s not so much of a restaurant as a food counter, with just 5 or 6 stools for seating. Further research determined that they even have an empanada food truck that travels around the winter park area. WHAT?!?!?!! Yes. And it sounds like some of those amazing empanadas could possibly be vegan by their descriptions. (If so, start packing!)

So we paid them a little visit…

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This was my dinner that I was only able to eat half of… a container of black bean soup (no rice, per my white rice hating preference), maduros (fried ripe plantains), and 2 vegan empanadas.

I was in absolute heaven. I even traded a couple maduros for a couple of Jeremy’s tostones (fried green plaintains) that were made to be dipped in my black bean soup. SO GOOD. The black bean soup, while being a little salty, was really good, and the platanos were cooked perfectly. The maduros have the right degree of burned cripy edges, and the tostones having the correct crisp outsides and tender middles.

The empanadas were a little different than what I’m used to, and certainly different than mine, filled with meat analogue and carrots and potatoes. This gave it a very cuban comfort food taste (like potaje). These were very good. But of course, pretty much anything in deep fried dough is going to be good. ; )

Come see why they’ve won best cuban, best latin, and best take-out in Orlando. Black Bean Deli is located at 325 S Orlando Ave (in Winter Park), Orlando Florida 32789. 407-628-0294. Open Monday through Friday 11-8, and Saturdays 11-5. Closed Sundays.

Broiled Blackened Tofu w/ Jerk Asparagus – Appetite for Reduction

13 Mar


Here’s another meal from Appetite for Reduction that we really enjoyed. I took Isa’s suggestion and served it with jerk asparagus, but skipped the butternut coconut rice, and served it with some simple mashed acorn squash instead. I toasted up the squash seeds in a skillet to use as a garnish.

Roasted Acorn Squash Mash & Toasted Seeds

1 medium acorn squash, cut down the middle, seeds removed and reserved

desired seasonings (I used a pinch of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt & pepper)

sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare a roasting pan or cookie sheet, and place squash halves face down. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a fork pierces the skin easily. Remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, mash, and add seasonings to taste.

2. Meanwhile, place rinsed squash seeds and a small sprinkle of salt in a small skillet, and heat to low-medium heat, shaking occasionally until all are toasted and dry.

going in

coming out

I usually cheat and buy the sprouted, pre-pressed tofu, but they were out!

seasonings for blackened tofu

tofu heading in to broil

Mmm, jerk asparagus

made for a pretty plate! :)

Brunch @ Ethos Vegan Kitchen- Orlando, Fl

13 Mar

We met up with Jeremy Sunday morning at Ethos for brunch. I’ve dined at Ethos before with mixed reviews, but if there’s one thing they do extremely well, it’s brunch! Seriously, I don’t think there’s a bad thing on their brunch menu, and you could tell I wasn’t the only one who thought that because it was absolutely slammed when we got there. The line to the register was wrapped around and lengthy, but it went quick.

The weather had dropped 20 degrees over night, so we opted to sit in the less crowded patio to enjoy the brisk weather. They had a DJ out there playing some chill records.

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Jeremy’s breakfast burrito came smothered in gravy and stuffed with tofu scramble and other goodies.

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I ordered vegan pancakes with agave syrup (maple available too!), some grits and a fruit cup. This made me very, very happy. The grits were even better with some of my extra agave. Mmmmm!

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Thomas got the tofu scramble, which I’d had before and knew was good, and some grits too. The scramble and potatoes were exactly the right texture and perfectly seasoned, and he thought the grits were especially good too. Win!

Impression:

If it’s Sunday, and you’re in Orlando, there is absolutely no reason why you should not get your butt over here right now! :)

Ethos Vegan Kitchen is located near the antiques district at 1235 N Orange Ave Ste 101 (at Virginia Ave), Orlando, Fl 32804. 407-228-3898. Open  Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 10am-3pm.

Veggie Potpie Soup

12 Mar

Since I was SO behind on posts, I’m going to pepper in a few cooking posts with the restaurant reviews from our recent travels. A few weeks ago I had Thomas pick out a few meals from Appetite for Reduction. Around the same time we also found a cheap bag of TSP (TVP chunks) at WF that we couldn’t resist buying. The two meetup in this adapted version of Isa‘s Veggie Potpie Stew from AFR. The TSP chunks taste even better the next day after soaking up all the flavors. Speaking of the next day, I added 3 cups of water to it on day 2 (it thickens up a lot!),  along with half a bag of frozen, chopped spinach to give it a delicious little makeover as a second dinner. I served it with my drop biscuits for a warm, comforting, healthy dinner. Enjoy!

Veggie Potpie Soup

olive oil for misting

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper

1/2 c. split peas
6 c. filtered water + 2 bouillon cubes
1 c. TSP chunks, optional

3 small potatoes, cut into small pieces
1/2 lbs carrots, cut into 1/2″ chunks
3 small zucchini, chopped

1 tbsp. dried thyme
1 c. filtered water
1/4 c. flour
1 c. frozen peas

Directions:

1. Mist a 4-5 qt pot lightly with olive oil, add onions, and raise to low-medium heat. Cook until translucent. Add garlic, sage, salt & pepper, and cook another minute.

2. Add split peas, water and bouillon, and raise to a boil. After 5 minutes, add potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and TSP chunks (if using). Cover and simmer 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Whisk the flour into the cup of water, to dissolve it fully, and add it to the pot along with the last of the thyme and frozen peas. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 more minutes. It thickens up quite a bit, and even more so overnight.


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(4. The next day I added 3 c. of filtered water & half a bag of frozen, chopped spinach.)

Cafe 118 – Winter Park, Fl

12 Mar

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Next on the list of our surprisingly fabulous long weekend of vegan eats in Orlando is our dinner at Cafe 118. Once I found out that this restaurant was started up by Matthew Kenney (of Pure Food & Wine in NYC, and author several raw books) I was beyond excited. It’s located in the picturesque downtown Winter Park area right along with all the other fine dining.

We drove past a Shipyard Brew Pub on the way here, so knowing we were going to be doing some serious beer tasting after this, we kept our meals fairly light. Thomas is pretty sure he’s allergic to cashews now too, so the waitress was great about going over the menu with him.

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I ordered the Mexican Chopped Salad, that came with sweet corn, avocado, chili chips, and “queso blanco” which was absolutely fantastic. A little on the small side for a meal, but listed under salads with the smaller price tag of $13.

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Thomas had the entrée Taco Salad, only without the cashew based sour cream. This was outstanding, and was even better than my salad. The portion size here was also much better at $17. Although some of the ingredients were similar to mine, it had more veggies, raw “refried beans” and a couple of sauces drizzled over it, including a delicious mole sauce.

Impression:

This place is fantastic! Most raw organic places tend to be slow and pricey, but their service was comparatively fast, about that of a regular restaurant. For the quality of the food and location, I thought the price point was pretty fair, though clearly not in my budget for an all the time eatery. Regardless, if they weren’t closed on Sunday, I would have made it a point to come back and try more. I will definitely be back.

Cafe 118 is located at 153 E Morse Blvd, Winter Park, Fl 32789. 407-389-2233. Open Mon 11.30am-5pm (no dinner), Tue-Thur 11.30am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11.30am-10pm, closed Sun.

Babycakes Downtown Disney – Lake Buena Vista, Fl

11 Mar

On our way over to Orlando from Winter Haven, I decided making a pit stop at Downtown Disney would be a good idea, so we could check out Babycakes, and Thomas agreed, since he wanted to check out the Disney stores for Star Wars and Nightmare before Christmas merch. ; )

Since our phones had not yet recovered from their battery death, I brought the ipad in with us, so I wouldn’t have to give you another picture-less post. (Points to Thomas for that one!)

As a new vegan, I had eaten some cupcakes and pumpkin bread at the New York location which I really enjoyed, but today I was on a mission for vegan doughnuts. Under the doughnuts, however, was a whole batch of cornbread, and we’re both really big suckers for cornbread, so I picked up 2 slices of that as well as a cinnamon sugar doughnut and a vanilla cookie crunch doughnut.

Impression:

The doughnuts were both good, with the cookie crunch one being my favorite of the two. They had seams as if they had been baked in a pan, but I’m not sure of their method.  The cornbread was a bit of a let down, cakey and a little bit too crumbly. It was also way too salty, so I would say skip it. If you’re already in the area, and looking for a vegan doughnut, definitely go check them out, but if you’re in Orlando, I don’t think it’s worth the drive simply to come here, but that’s just me.

Heads up! Babycakes is located inside of the Pollo Campero (chicken place) pavillion, tucked away in the corner, but as long as you know that, it will be easy to find. There’s a little kiosk to the left that sells juice, coffee & tea that you can buy to accompany your baked goods.

(And yes, that kid totally opened up the umbrella.)

And here is Thomas gleefully showing you how it looks from outside. :)

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