Baked! - Gluten Free, Vegan, Portland Restaurant Review

The sun has finally made its long awaited presence in Portland. Look, I know people talk about the weather just to make conversation, but for about 6 months weather has made its way into every conversation. It's pathetic. It had been so gloomy, gray, cold and wet this past winter (and spring), that it just had to be discussed. People needed to vent. People needed sunny vacations and vitamin d. What does this have to do with a food post? Not much, I suppose. Except that I for one, don't exactly enjoy eating outside during the soggier months.

However, in the last few weeks the skies have cleared and the sun has been absolutely glorious. We've been taking advantage of this by spending more time outside. We spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon on NE Alberta and had fun looking through the shops, getting groceries at the Alberta Co-op and locating all the places that offer the Supportland card. We were strolling along when all of the sudden the words gluten free and vegan jumped out at me, with macaroni and cheese following. We stopped to read the sign and discovered Baked! They're serving up made-to-order macaroni and cheese from a window in a building on Alberta. It's like a food cart... only it's a food window.

Baked offers gluten free noodles, as well as a vegan cheese sauce (also gluten free). I ordered the standard mac and Andrew ordered the margherita (basil, tomatoes and garlic). There were a bunch of other selections and add-ins as well. The mac & cheese was inexpensive and the guy at the window was friendly. We also found out you can go into the bar next door (they share an indoor service window) and order from inside and they will bring you your food. We decided to go inside, Andrew ordered a beer and we sat on the back patio on picnic tables. There were people playing ping pong in the sun and other people playing games, but I didn't enjoy it because I have a sensitive nose and it was really smokey.

Our food came out fairly soon. We knew it would take a bit longer for our special orders. It was piping hot and as soon as we took the lid off we knew we were in for a treat. It was a huge portion, smelled so good and looked oh, so, very cheesy. I immediately wished I had ordered the same as Andrew's because the basil smelled delicious. The top of the baked mac was a little crispy and crunchy - which is why I love baked mac and cheese. My gluten free noodles were perfectly cooked and that sauce - that "cheese" sauce - was ridiculously good. It was nutritional yeast based but had some gluten free tamari in it that gave an awesome salty, smokey flavor. It was one of the best vegan/gf macaroni and cheese dishes I have ever had.

You really should not debate whether to give this place a try. Go to Alberta, spend something around $7 for a huge helping (enough for left overs) of some of the best mac and cheese ever and your tummy will thank you.

Vegan Baked Margherita Mac

GF/Vegan Standard Mac

Comfort Food: GF/Vegan Loaded Baked Potatoes

Portland has had some wicked rainstorms within the last few days. Yes, we all know that Portland is rainy and often dreary, but I am talking rain pounding so hard on our roof that I could not sleep. It's weather like this that makes me want to wrap up in a blanket and enjoy the comforts of home, which include something warm and cozy in my belly. Comfort food, if you will.

Loaded baked potatoes, if you will.

Now this isn't exactly a "recipe". It's more like a creative idea. Use my ingredients list or take what you like and remove what you don't or add some more ingredients. Maybe you've got your own idea of what a loaded baked potato ought to be.

But ours went a little something like this...

Loaded Baked Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes
2 cans of vegan/gf chili (We like Amy's or Trader Joes)
1 can of black olives, sliced
2 medium heads of broccoli, steamed
1 avocado, cubed
8 oz. of mushrooms, sliced
1 cup of roasted corn (Trader Joes carries this in the freezer section)
4 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 F.

After rinsing and scrubbing the potatoes, poke them over with a fork. Wrap them in foil and bake for around an hour. Then check them with a fork. When they are done they will be soft and tender.

Then simply load the potatoes with your favorite toppings. I like to make them a little different every time I make them, which is part of the fun. Above is the ingredients we had on hand, but play around with your favorites. Non-dairy "cheese" and sour cream, cherry tomatoes, black beans, salsa, spinach, olive oil, etc. Whatever suits your taste-buds.

We love having this for dinner. It's easy, fills up your plate and stomach and is a great choice for dinner parties with non-veg friends and family because of the variety of hearty toppings.

Also, they seem to be very man friendly. Andrew gets really happy when I make them...