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 Baked Mac & Cheeze

I love, love, love macaroni and cheese. It is one of those childhood meals that I still love and crave, but now with a much more sophisticated palate. I have searched the land of gluten free and vegan recipes for "Meghan-friendly" versions of the creamy goodness, but for one reason or another, I just haven't found the perfect recipe. Most recipes I have found contain rice flour and nutritional yeast, which are great for making a cheesy-like sauce, but sometimes I just can't get past the flavor of nutritional yeast.

So, after some tinkering, I have come up with a solution. My secret? Using veggies and cashews to create that creamy goodness. In my opinion, it has the best taste and is a healthy alternative to actual cheese sauce. You'll see that cayenne pepper is an optional ingredient. When included, it adds a little bit of a kick to the dish and a slight spicy heat, which is quite yummy.

I really dig this stuff. It is sooo creamy and delicious. It doesn't try to be some sort of imitation cheesy mac, instead it has its own flavor and appeal, but for me it's the closest thing I have found to the classic. I think anyone would love it, whether your gluten free and vegan or you digest dairy. I could eat it every week, but I look at it as a treat, saving it for special occasions or as a surprise dinner for Andrew, because it's just that good.

Baked Macaroni & Cheeze

16 oz gluten free pasta (I use Trader Joe's organic brown rice penne pasta)

2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

2/3 cup white onion, diced

2 1/2 cups water

2/3 cup raw cashews

2/3 cup olive or canola oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp marjarom

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Paprika for sprinkling

Gluten free breadcrumbs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare pasta al dente (still a little firm to the bite), drain and rinse with cold water (prevents it from sticking together) and set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the potato, carrots and onion and reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes or until veggies are tender. *The smaller the diced veggies, the faster the cooking time.

Combine cashews, oil, garlic, lemon juice, marjoram, salt, black pepper, mustard, cayenne pepper, cooked veggies and water in a blender. Process for a few minutes until the mixture is a creamy, smooth sauce.

Place pasta in a 3 quart casserole dish and pour the sauce over it, gently mixing until evenly coated, wiping down the side of the casserole dish if necessary. Sprinkle with paprika.

If desired, top the dish with bread crumbs. (I use this easy and delicious recipe from my absolute, hands-down, favorite food blog: Gluten-Free Goddess)

Bake for 30 minutes.

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...