Vegan Outing

I'm drinking the housemade ginger ale &
Eva's sipping on a rhubarb-mint cooler

A great day involves connecting with a friend, eating yummy food, and spending time outdoors. Sounds a lot like my day yesterday... :) 

My friend Eva and I treated ourselves to lunch at Candle 79, an organic vegan restaurant located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. I'm not vegan, but I love going to vegan restaurants. They always give my outlook on vegetables, grains, and nuts a much needed jolt, reminding me that the possibilities are endless when working with these ingredients. I experienced a variety of different flavors and textures, and even fooled my taste buds into thinking I was feasting on a dish full of meat!

Details:


I had the housemade ginger ale which was made with fresh ginger, lemon, agave, mint, sparkling water, and ice. I could really taste the ginger, giving this drink a bit of a kick. Eva had the rhubarb-mint cooler which consisted of rhubarb puree, lemon, mint, lavender agave, and sparkling water. Eva described it as being smoothie-like and after giving it a taste I think she's spot-on!

We shared a seaweed salad made with carrots, cabbage, grilled shiitake mushrooms, edamame, radishes, wasabi leaves, and miso-lemongrass dressing. I've never had seaweed salad outside of a Japanese restaurant and this was very different. The seaweed wasn't tough to chew and didn't have a fishy aftertaste. Score and score!

Seaweed Salad

Then came our main dishes, and this is where I got excited and didn't snap a picture of Eva's dish and have a picture of mine but it's half eaten so I don't think I'll be sharing. I loved my dish. I had a BBQ seitan sandwich with caramelized onions, chipotle aioli, avocado, polenta fries, and mixed lettuces. It tasted just like BBQ brisket.

Seitan is a popular meat substitute used in vegetarian and vegan dishes because it is high in protein, looks just like meat, and even has a similar texture. So even though it's similar to meat it's really made from wheat. 

Eva had the black bean-pumkin seed burger with mixed lettuces, avocado, polenta fries, and chipotle ketchup. 

We passed on dessert and headed out to central park for a much needed walk. Even with puddles on our path and getting gravel in my shoes, we easily walked 3 miles.

 It's important to cut back on our consumption of animal products, and yesterdays lunch date reminded me that this doesn't mean eating only leaves for every meal. A dish without meat or dairy can be just as substantial. After all, we passed on dessert only because we were so full!