Gluten Free Vegan Pad Thai

I have a confession to make. A few weeks ago, in a fury of hunger and a low blood-sugar inducing bad mood, I ate a vegan pad thai and it was sick, gross, nasty. It tasted like it was made with ketchup. I forgot to ask if the sauce had sugar in it, but it did. It was so sugary gross. I couldn't eat it and I was so sad. Ever since then I have been determined to try and make my own. And by golly, I did.

Another confession; this is not an authentic pad thai. One reason being that I could not find any tamarind at the last minute, but I don't care. It is pleasing to the taste buds and works for me as a pad thai. It was also exciting to put together and felt like a true accomplishment in the vegan, gluten-free world of recipes. In fact, Andrew (whom one would think doesn't express excitement due to his quiet, calm and unassuming nature - quite a stark contrast from myself) kept exclaiming that it was really good and how much he liked it and telling me "good job babe!". And that my friends is how I know I have struck gold.

Gluten-Free Vegan Pad Thai

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

8 0z. Flat Rice Noodles

8 oz Tempeh, cubed (optional)

2 tbs Canola Oil

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 cups Broccoli Florets (or 2 bunches)

1 Carrot, sliced thin

8 Green Onions, whites and greens separated

5 tbs Agave Syrup

4 tbs Gluten Free Tamari (San-J brand)

2 Limes, 1 for garnish and the other for 2 tbs juice

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (1 tsp for more heat)

2 cups Bean Sprouts (+ more for garnish)

1/4 cup Roasted Peanuts, chopped

1. Cook the rice noodles according to the package, drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. Heat oil in wok or large pan over medium heat, adding the garlic and sautéing until fragrant, about one minute.

3. Add the tempeh, broccoli, carrots and the white green onions. Saute for a few minutes.

4. Add the tamari, agave syrup, lime juice, red pepper flakes.

5. Add the noodles and bean sprouts.

6. Stir to combine and cook until the veggies are heated and tender, but still with some crunch in them.

7. Serve with a garnish of bean sprouts, lime slices and crushed peanuts.

Nom, nom, nom.

Blossoming Lotus for Brunch - Vegan, Gluten Free, Portland Restaurant Review

Behold, I am finally posting about my hands-down, all-time, very favorite restaurant in Portland!

Blossoming Lotus is a vegan restaurant located in NE Portland that also offers a variety of raw and gluten free options on their various brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour menus. I have loved them since their original location in the Pearl and even more now - with their extended offerings. Their fresh, creative and beautifully presented food is so amazingly good, that we frequent this place more than our checking account should know! It's embarrassing that I have never blogged about it, but I am finally getting with the program and starting out with a brunch review, since Andrew and I enjoyed it this past Sunday.

As we were driving over to BL, I was already busy looking over their brunch menu on Andrew's iPhone. I anticipated a long wait, but surprisingly it only took about five or ten minutes. That is the nice thing about their brunch; it can have a fairly short wait compared to other restaurants. I decided I would order a hot coconut chai and was highly anticipating it. Their chai is my absolute favorite. Ever. It is made with coconut milk and sweetened with agave and for me it has just the right balance between the sweetness and spiciness of a chai. I declare it perfect. I often daydream about driving there mid-day, mid-week, just to treat myself. Anyway... Andrew got a cup of their organic Caffe Vita coffee with soy creamer, which is also a special treat for him. I am not a coffee drinker, but he says that it's pretty good.

Coconut Milk Chai

Originally I was going to order the breakfast parfait since I hadn't tried it yet, but then I saw someone get my favorite brunch dish (loaded home fries) and my whole plan changed. I was done for - I had to have them! The loaded home fries (vegan + gf) were even better than the previous time I had ordered them. They changed the potatoes, which used to be your run-of-the-mill cubed potatoes, but are now round potato slices. I am totally one of those people that think the shape can affect the taste, and the new little potato discs or slices were a nice change. Nobody else does that and the thinner, the better. They really held the flavor of the seasonings on them and also seemed to work better in the dish as a whole.

The potatoes were laying on a bed of steamed kale, which is a nice BL touch to many dishes (and they give you a lot!). The dish was topped with smokey maple tempeh bits, scallions and cashew and avocado sour cream. The loaded home fries are one of the cheapest things on the brunch menu and a really hefty portion (two things that make me love it even more)! With the new potato slices, I thought it tasted at its best and was so happy I got it.

Loaded Home Fries:

I also enjoy their savory pancakes (gf), which are made from quinoa and sweet potato and topped with a cashew cream cheese and come with soy butter and pure maple syrup. You can choose one side: kale, grits or applesauce. I wish it automatically came with kale, but since it does not, my pick is the applesauce (it's homemade!).

Andrew ordered a vegan (not gf) benedict with seitan on a spelt biscuit, covered with hollandaise sauce and tomato. It came with a side of steamed kale and plain home fries. He enjoyed it thoroughly, but compared it to a similar dish at Vita Cafe on Alberta (another review for another day). He said BL had the fresher, healthier tasting dish and he liked how it came with sides. However, he can't get over Vita's vegan hollandaise sauce, which he declares the best. All in all, he really liked it but doesn't think it's his favorite brunch item at BL (he really loves their scrambles and breakfast burrito).

Andrew's Benedict:

So, there you have it! A lovely brunch at my favorite restaurant, Blossoming Lotus!

Enjoy!

P.S - Congrats to Chef Wes who has been voted the Hottest Chef in Portland and is now competing at the national level! Although I heard, they now call him "one vote Wes"- and that one vote could be mine!

Portobello Vegan Trattoria - Vegan, Gluten Free, Portland Restaurant Review

Get ready, it's another post about pizza...

Flash back to 1987, when Belinda Carlisle released a song with this lyric: "Oh baby, do you know what that's worth? Oh, heaven is a place on earth." Flash forward to present day. I just experienced heaven on earth. And this song runs through my head every time I think about that fateful day.

Cheesy? Yes.
Literally.
(I am sorry, it had to be said).

So, I have been hearing things about this vegan restaurant in Portland for awhile now. It's called Portobello Vegan Trattoria and they offer an ever-changing seasonal menu with gluten free options. I had looked at their online menu a handful of times, but had not gone yet.

Anyway, a couple of months passed and thanks to LivingSocial, I got a sweet deal and my hair cut at Fancy! Hair Salon, which just so happens to be located next to Portobello. My hairdresser, Lu (love her!) and I had a mouth-watering conversation about vegan, gluten free food and she mentioned Portobello. After talking and getting a great haircut - I knew it was a must try!

We got there on a Friday at 5:30pm, which is when the open for dinner. Unfortunately we waited in the freezing cold with other patrons for nearly 15 minutes, before they unlocked the doors. I felt as though it was a bit of an off-night for them (I hope), as they were still assembling menus when we entered and it took a long time for them to even seat everyone, even though the restaurant was empty. I forgave them as soon as I sat down. Why?

Because they have awesome tables and a really beautiful wall made from recycled wood. Every table has a cute glass bottle full of water and they have letter-pressed menu covers. They offer the kind of vegan food you have to go to a restaurant to get, it's fancy! The biggest reason I forgave them? They have gluten free, vegan, pizza dough.

Andrew and I looked no further than the list of pizza selections. I ordered the Daiya pizza, which came with Italian Daiya cheese, basil and the most delicious home made pizza sauce ever. The crust was... well, lets just say I honestly thought they made a mistake and didn't give me gluten free crust. It was crispy and delicious like an Italian pizza crust. I told Andrew I bet my crust was even better than his non-GF. He was too busy inhaling his pizza to hear me. He ordered the Arrabiata pissa. It came with hot peppers, sausage, garlic, spice chili, fennel marinara, Daiya and chili oil. It was fancy. Again, I questioned the "vegan-ness" of the sausage. Too good to be true.

I felt like I was in a scene from "Eat, Pray, Love". I felt like I was sitting in some cute little Italian restaurant in Italy eating the world's best pizza. I savored each and every hot bite. And for $11, I could barely eat half of it! The left overs were equally as enjoyable.

Andrew declared it his new favorite restaurant (I still remain Blossoming Lotus loyal, how have I not had that post yet?!). I declared it "fancy ocassions" and "birthday dinner" worthy. But here is the best part - it is also "every day" worthy. We both got 2 massive pizzas for less than the price we would pay for an over done, cheese-less, gf-vegan pizza at Oasis Cafe on Hawthorne. In fact, we could have split one pizza and been comfortably full. Though, when I mentioned this to Andrew, he protested that it's so good and he would want a whole one to himself.

There were other items on the menu we want to try, but I fear we'll never be able to order anything other than the pizza. Andrew's golden birthday is this month and he has already put in his request for dinner...

Please excuse the iPhone photo. It does no justice!

Vegan, Gluten Free Portland Restaurant Review: ¿Por Que No?

If Andrew had to pick his favorite cuisine, he'd probably say Mexican food. So naturally he loves any place that serves anything resembling a burrito. I love it too, but I think his love is far more persistent (Meghan: "What do you want to eat for dinner?", Andrew: "Oh, I dunno, burritos? Tacos? Mexican food?"). Needless to say, taco night is a huge smash in our household. Even more needless to say; we jumped at the chance to try ¿Por Que No?.

This bumbling little taqueria has always caught my eye. The brightly colored building and large open windows stand out on Hawthorne (but so can the occasional line out the door). I tend to wait until the last moment before deciding where and when to eat, which results in a sudden drop in blood sugar and a very unpleasant mood (which I refer to as "fading"). So when we finally planned to try this place, line and all, I was very excited!

Now, I am going to be upfront and get my critiques out of the way first. Yes, the line can be long at times and seating can be sparse (you should wait until ordering to grab a seat and you might have to share a table with others). You also order at the counter and clear your own table. However, the line doesn't take too long and the food is usually out fairly soon.

Overall, I also thought some of the food was a little pricey, given the portion sizes and [lack of] service you get. I am all for clearing my own table and self-ordering, but I think that the price of the food should reflect that (and the individual tacos do not). Andrew has tried their "Verdura Tacos" (veggie) and ordered three at $2.75 each. They were delicious, but weren't very big and did not fill him up. For $8.25, it was small dinner. However, they came on their house-made corn tortillas which are the best I have ever tasted! We also ordered chips and salsa and happily snacked away on the excessive amount of chips, only to run out of the salsa. It wasn't a large helping at all, so we thought we'd get some more, only to find out they charge $2 for a refill! That really irritated me - so savor your salsa, because the chips and salsa are still worth getting!

I ordered the "Bryan Bowl" with veggies and without the crema and queso fresco. I have checked with the restaurant and that does make it gluten free and vegan. I think this is the best option available to a vegan/gluten free girl (or boy). After multiple visits, Andrew and I have decided that we will probably never try anything else. For $6.75 you get a bowl full of veggies, beans, rice, guacamole, salsa and cilantro. They also place a little radish slice and lime wedge on the top, which makes me love it even more. You also get to decide whether you want chips or 3 corn tortillas with it. The first time I ordered the tortillas, which are amazing and a must-try. However, I think I prefer the house-made chips with the bowl. You get much more and these chips are my absolute favorite ever! They are so thick and warm! I know some people prefer thin, crispy chips, but not me! I love the thick and crunchy ones and these hit the spot!

The critiques are forgivable, especially considering our favorite item is cheap and muy deliciouso. Andrew and I love this place. The atmosphere at ¿Por Que No? is fun and we enjoy it. The taqueria is festive and bright and has a great ambiance. They also have a happy hour everyday from 3-6pm, where they offer $1 off their chips and salsa (or guac) and $.50 off their tacos. They also offer $.50 off their tacos until close on Tuesdays. While there is not a large selection of gluten free/vegan options, I think this is the perfect place if you want to enjoy happy hour with some friends, and sip their famous margaritas or agua frescas with dinner. I recommend taking a look at their menu and giving this place a try (they have 2 locations to choose from: Hawthorne or Mississippi)!

Sorry for the phone picture, but here is the Bryan bowl:

Gluten Free, Vegan Portland Restaurant Review: Dalo's Kitchen

I added a new cuisine to my palate! Ethiopian!

Dalo's Kitchen in North Portland has the most amazing vegan platter and I am here to brag all about it.

First, I should say not to let the location and exterior of this place scare you off. It looks slightly sketch from the outside and is located in what looked like a business park/storage unit. It's in a really random place, but don't let it's hole-in-the-wall exterior fool you. They make some seriously delicious & cheap food.

First, the people who own it are charming and friendly. We didn't even mind that service was a tad slow. We chose to sit in the lounge area, which had a better ambiance, though the lighting was a little too dim for me.

For only $13.50 we ordered the vegan platter to share (and thank goodness we did). It was absolutely gigantic and we could not even finish it. It came with two pieces of injera (a spongy sourdough like crepe made with teff flour). The injera came out on a large platter and were folded up. They were huge.

The injera was served with 4 vegan dishes. Atkilt Wot (cabbage, carrots and potatoes), Gomen (garlicky? spinach greens) and two lentil dishes; Misir Alitcha (creamy curried lentils) and Misir Wot (spicier red lentils).

Eating at Dalo's was fun and filling, as we broke off pieces of the injera and spooned the dishes onto it or dipped it into them. Our favorite dish was the Misir Wot. It had just the right about of spice. We loved pairing it up with others to add some kick. We also like the curried lentils, and had fun trying different combinations together.

In the end, we were so incredibly full, without even finishing everything. It was a delicious gluten free and vegan meal and we plan on going back soon and taking friends. Their website doesn't offer a menu, but it does have information on their restaurant, hours and location. It also has a small picture of injera and the dishes offered with the veg platter.

It was a great first Ethiopian dining experience!

Gluten Free Vegan Portland Restaurant Review: Dwaraka Indian Cuisine

One of my absolute favorite cuisines is Indian. I love the heat and sauciness. I love the flavors, aromas and dipping my food and I love the experience.

I was so excited when I heard about Dwaraka Indian Cuisine on Hawthorne and their offerings for those who are gluten free and vegan. So far, I have been there twice and I am already plotting my next visit, complete with a take home menu which I glance over in preparation for my next meal selections! Not only is the food amazing and inexpensive, but the staff is very kind and helpful and they refill your water often (which is very important to Andrew).

When you first arrive they bring you the most delicious papadums, which are like a very thin, crispy, cracker. They are accompanied by three delicious chutneys for dipping [a spicy tomato, coconut-chickpea and cilantro-mint(not vegan)]. The tomato was my favorite and had a bit of spice to it, which I really enjoyed.

On our last visit with my in-laws, we ordered some pakora appetizers. We choose the potato and spinach. Pakoras are vegetables that have been fried in a chickpea and rice flour. They were really delicious, especially with a little bit of the chutney. I especially like the potato, as I found the spinach one to contain more of the coating than the veggie. I have already decided that next time we are trying the eggplant pakoras!

For dinner I ordered the Dwaraka Combo Platter which was not only completely gluten free and vegan, but also enormous and cheap. It came with a masala dosa (a large lentil flour crepe) that was filled with a curried veg filling. The savory filling was definitely my favorite part of the whole platter. It also came with a bowl of sambar (mildly spicy lentil veg soup), an idli (rice dumpling) and a vada (fried lentil doughnut). The idli and vada were best dipped into the sambar soup. I also enjoyed breaking off pieces of the dosa to dip as well. Not only was the meal delicious, but I also had plenty of left overs to take home!

Andrew ordered a vegetarian entree. You can either get them a la carte (the entree with rice) or Thali (the entree, with sides of rice, dhal, sambar, raita, curry of the day, and a dessert of the day). The raita (yogurt, onion, tomato and cucumber) is not vegan, but our waiter was more than happy to substitute a potato dish instead. Since the dessert and curry of the day change daily, you should be sure to ask if they contain dairy and/or gluten. Both a la carte and Thali entrees come with naan bread, but if asked they will bring out additional papadums for the gluten free folk.

Andrew has ordered both the Chana Masala (garbanzo beans cooked with tomato, onion and spices) and Aloo Saag (NOT dairy free, potato cooked in special spinach sauce). He preferred the chana masala and has also had enough for left overs. Also, almost any of their vegetarian dishes are or can be made vegan. I love the Dwaraka combo platter, but I think next time I will be trying an entree to get more flavors and varieties, than fried, dry items.

In the end Dwaraka is amazing and I highly recommend it! Check out their website for menus, hours and their location.

Oh and let me know if you need a date... I don't think I could pass up some quality Indian food from this place!

*Update: Upon a third visit this is what we found out:

The Aloo Gobi, Chana Masala and Aloo Mutter are all vegan and gluten free.
The Aloo Saag contains dairy.
The Vegetable Biriyani contains dairy.

Naan can be substituted with papadums, upon request.
Raita can be substitute in the thali meals, upon request.
Always ask if the dessert and curry of the day is vegan and/or gluten free.

The people at Dwaraka are so generous and wonderful!