Junior's Cafe - Vegan, Gluten Free, Portland Restaurant Review

I love the weekends because they give us an excuse to sleep in and then decide to go out for brunch. Lately we have been trying new places from the Portland Chinook Book, which offers great coupons for local restaurants, entertainment, grocery stores and much more.

One of their dining coupons is for Junior's Cafe in SE Portland. It was a "buy one entree, get one of equal or lesser value free". Those are the best discounts and since we live nearby, we couldn't resist giving it a try. We headed over to Juniors around 1pm on a Saturday and didn't have any expectations, as we had never heard of it. We looked online and found out they have a decent amount of vegan choices, but only one or two vegan and gluten free entrees. Junior's is located in an unexpected place. It just kind of popped up in the middle of some neighborhoods. It's small and quaint with some really sweet wallpaper and decor. We sat down immediately in a cushy booth when we got there, complete with own carafe of water. They had customers but it wasn't busy and I am curious if it ever gets super crowded. Anyway, we were promptly greeted and served by some of the best customer service at any Portland spot. Serious. Those Junior's folks were friendly, energetic, warm and kind. In fact we had two different people serve us and both were awesome.

On to the food... it is diner food, so if you're looking for healthy or raw options, then keep looking. But if you're in the mood for comfort food then Junior's is your place! I ordered the vegan potato plate. It comes with spicy seasoned potatoes, corn, mushrooms and zucchini and is topped with a spicy tofu sauce. The guy who took our order suggested I add the "SortaSausage". I had no idea what it was but he knew it was gluten free and vegan. After some iPhone searching, I found out that it was also sesame free, GMO free and locally made. I am so so so so happy I added it to my meal. That sort of sausage is sort of awesome. No, it is awesome. I usually do not like vegan sausage products for the same reason I never liked actual sausage (texture and flavor), but the kind of SortaSausage they had was more like crumbled Sunshine Burgers, which I love.

The dish overall was unbelievable. I was expecting a ho-hum plate of potatoes and instead got a [huge] heaping plate of goodness. The sweet corn and zucchini were perfect with the spicy potatoes and tofu sauce. The tofu sauce alone was amazing. It added some heat to the dish, was delicious and kept it from being too dry. The sausage added some "meat" to the meal and was filling, but it was everything plated together that was perfectly delicious.

Vegan Potatoes with SortaSausage

Andrew ordered a cup of coffee, which never went empty (that helped make up for its price). It came with a generous amount of soy milk (enough for a small glass). He also ordered the french toast breakfast and got it veganized. It came with garden sausage patties and tofu. However, our awesome waiter asked if Andrew would rather have potatoes than tofu, to which he replied yes.

The french toast was great with maple syrup and Earth balance (though Andrew prefers thicker french toast). He enjoyed his potatoes (even if they seemed so plain next to mine), but the best part of his meal was his sausage. We couldn't figure out what brand it was until the waitress told us it was Gimme Lean sausage that they froze in the tube and then cut, so it would hold together like a patty. Andrew thought it had the best texture out of any kind of breakfast patty and was happy they didn't serving Morning Star veggie sausage like everyone else. Even though he enjoyed his meal, I knew as soon as our food came out that he wished he'd ordered the vegan potatoes too. Andrew confirmed this and luckily for him I had a portion large enough to share (and take home leftovers)!

Vegan French Toast Breakfast with Potatoes and Garden Sausage

Our food was filling and delicious and Junior's Cafe is a must visit for their hospitality and friendliness alone. We'll be going back and I have my bets that next time we'll be ordering two vegan potato dishes!

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!

The Ribbon-Cutting: Gluten Free, Vegan Strawberry Muffins

First blog post… and away we go! I am so excited to share a recipe I crafted for my debut post!

Recently at a family dinner my aunt-in-law had made strawberry cupcakes. They were slightly pink and had little bits of strawberry in them and looked so yummy! However, they contained some of my allergens so I could only gaze at them admiringly. So I am thrilled that I have created my own version that is completely "Meghan-friendly"!

These babies are vegan and free of gluten, wheat, refined sugar, nuts, corn and soy (just beggin’ allergy prone girls and guys to give them a try!). These fruity treats are not too sweet, yet light and dainty and are a perfect companion to your morning tea. I prefer to eat them fresh out of the oven while they're still warm!

Strawberry Muffins

1 ¾ Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Xantham Gum
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1/3 cup Agave Nectar
1 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 ½ tsp Ener-G Egg Substitute
2 tbs Warm water
15 Whole Strawberries

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine flour, baking soda and xantham gum in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine oil, agave nectar, vinegar and vanilla in a separate bowl.
3. Mix the egg substitute with the warm water and add to wet ingredients.
4. Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor and add to wet ingredients.
5. Add all the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine or use a mixer on medium speed.
6. Fill a standard 12 cup muffin tin with batter.
7. Bake on center rack for 15 minutes, rotating 180 degrees halfway through.
8. Muffins will be slightly golden and a cake tester will come out clean when they are done.

Enjoy!!