Cleveland for the Win!

Remember how I was worried I wouldn't find anything to eat in Cleveland? Well, how wrong was I! Right around the corner from my hotel was the delightful little Flaming Ice Cube Cafe. With an abundant menu of veganized cafe fare, there was a fish to suit even the most carnivorous palate. My parents, who are not vegetarian, ordered the Mediterranean panini, which they were both incredibly impressed with. They also enjoyed the special, a Russian cabbage soup, which we all shared. Our waitresses were helpful and ever so sweet and brought us out samples of their delightfully-named Bodacious Black Bean chili, which I would definitely order next time. As for me, I went with the Italian panini, with faux pepperoni, salami, turkey, and mozzarella as well as Italian dressing all pressed on ciabatta. 

My sammich!

It was, in a word, amazing-without a doubt one of the best sandwiches with 'meat' I've had since going veg about two years ago. I also enjoyed the side of the day, a potato salad with white and sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes added a really interesting flavor to the picnic standby. And, last but not least, you absolutely must not leave the Flaming Ice Cube without ordering one of their massive cupcakes. I had the Peanut Butter Cup variety while my mom indulged in Cookies and Cream, and I think she would attest that those cupcakes were akin to a religious experience. Definitely the best I've ever had, vegan or otherwise. The other element that cannot be overemphasized was the hospitality of the staff, who took the time to talk to us and make us feel welcome. From now on, a trip to Cleveland will not be complete without a visit to the Flaming Ice Cube!

Bunches of Lunches

I have emerged from my cave of illness! Finally. Jeez, being sick is the worst. I'm one of those people who hates sitting around all day with nothing to do, so it's an all around bad situation. Anyway, since being back in action, I made some pretty nifty lunches! Here they are in all their glory:

Clockwise, left to right: Wheat Thins Flatbreads, applesauce w/ cinnamon, peas, kickbutt orzo salad (but seriously guys, this was a good salad. I'll post the recipe soon!)

Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips; organic strawberries; rice noodles with red peppers, hoisin sauce, and veggie broth; baby carrots

Burrito with black beans, peppers, and Daiya (I put it in foil so it wouldn't fall apart); salsa for the 'rito; organic strawberries; sweet corn; tortilla chips

Whole wheat crackers; gala apples; yellow bell pepper; English muffin pizza with Newman's Own marinara, Parma, and Yves fake pepperoni

Hiding in the shadows (I have no idea why this picture came out so dark!): Trader Joe's (vegan!) answer to Funyuns, baby carrots, strawberries, and chick'n nuggets with ketchup

Just so you guys know, I'll be kickin' it in Cleveland over the weekend with the fam, so I won't post until Tuesday. Does Cleveland have vegan restaurants? I guess we'll find out. Until then, have a great MLK weekend. :)

Sick :(

Hey friends!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I am miserable with some cold/flu thing and haven't really been making lunches or doing much of anything. I should be back in fighting form by next week though, so sit tight!

Pirates and Some Caribbean

Today I had a themed lunch without meaning to, what with the Caribbean tofu and Pirate's Booty! Jack Sparrow would have been proud.

Left to right (ish): Veggie Booty; sandwich with SoyBoy Caribbean Tofu, homemade veganaise, and lettuce on an English muffin (I had no bread); cucumber salad (Balsamic vinaigrette not pictured); apple slices

Laptop Lunch Has Arrived!

That's right, finally, after two years of cajoling, 'Santa' gave in and paid the $40 for a Laptop Lunch. I am super psyched. The first couple are a bit boring, but I'm looking forward to getting more creative as the year goes on. My goal is to never pack exactly the same thing twice. Basically they're just lunches at this point, though, so I have few witty comments. Just pretty pictures. So, without further ado, I give you Lunches, Days 1 and 2!

This little feller was a tried and true school lunch classic and the perfect way to break in the new bento: romaine lettuce with homemade vegan ranch dressing (dressing in the baby container), Newman's Organics Protein Pretzels (is that fancy or what?!), PB& J on whole wheat, baby carrots

Day 2 and going strong: Wheat Thins Tuscan Herb flatbreads; baby carrots; whole wheat rollups with roasted garlic hummus, sauteed red and yellow peppers, and romaine lettuce, and unsweetened apple sauce with cinnamon

A Magical New Year!

Remember how I said I was going to post pictures of my Christmas dinner? Well, I lied. Actually, not lied as much as my noble intentions were lost once my redonkulously delicious plate was presented to me. Although it won't make up for my lack of pictures, I can tell you that my Xmas dinner consisted of veganized cauliflower cheese, roasted rosemary potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and German-style red cabbage. Jealous?

However, I come bearing pictures of cupcakes I made for my New Year's party. I was going to cook dinner, but my mom found out that our favorite restaurant had a special New Year's menu going on, so we took advantage of that opportunity. But nom-licious cupcakes awaited once we got home. These pretty babies are chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, which is a tome of vegan epicness unlike any other. I received it for Christmas and have kept busy in the kitchen ever since. Between making my own nut butters and veganaise and baking copious cupcakes, I've had my work cut out for me!

This (very) Happy Herbivore also tried her hand at some more savory recipes. I made an entire dinner from the cookbook for my parents. It was freakin' amazing, not gonna lie. The parentals concurred. I made the cornbread (which I made into corn muffins, because they're cuter), sweet potato home fries, dijon and herb green beans, and bean cakes with Creole roasted red pepper sauce. * happy belly *

Soon to come are school lunches packed in my new * drumroll please * Laptop Lunches system!!! If you've been following my blog for any amount of time, you know I've been coveting Laptop Lunches for ages, and Santa finally caved this year and got me one. I'll share some soon. In the meantime, what are your New Year's resolutions? I'm aiming to exercise an hour a day. That may or may not be realistic, but we'll see.