Vegan Options at NYC's Alice's Tea Cup!

I have just discovered that one of my favorite "teatime/lunch" spots in NYC, Alice's Tea Cup, has a growing list of VEGAN options! Alice's Teacup is an adorable Alice in Wonderland-themed restaurant with 3 Manhattan locations that has a HUGE tea menu as well as the most delicious sweets, scones, sandwiches, salads, and a full afternoon tea menu.
I recently visited the Upper West Side location on 102 W. 73rd St., and had the most delicious VEGAN chocolate chip/strawberry scone. (See picture at left). I think it might have been one of the most delicious vegan baked goods I have had in a long time! I also had a delicious VEGAN broccoli soup, and an arugula salad, along with a pot of tea with soymilk. Although I did not have dessert this time, I know that they do often have vegan cupcakes/cakes available at Alice's, too.

Vegan Hurricane Cookies!

Tonight, as we New Yorkers await the historic arrival of Hurricane Irene, I came across a few recipes for "Hurricane Cookies" online.

Basically, Hurricane Cookies are a sweet snack to have on hand in case the power goes out. And, because I am all about easy recipes (baking should be FUN - not complicated), I decided to veganize The Test Kitchenette's easy "One Pot Hurricane Cookies" recipe that I found online . Veganizing the recipe was easy - I just substituted a small mashed banana in place of the egg, and used Earth Balance for the butter.

Anyway, they turned out GREAT! A delicious cinnamon/chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie - hard to eat just one!

It's good to be a vegan in NYC

A couple of years ago, I moved to a new neighborhood in NYC - the Upper West Side! Just northwest of Midtown and Times Square, it's not only a great place to live,
but also to visit if you are a tourist. It's more peaceful than midtown, it's right next to Central Park, and has some wonderful old historic buildings, like the Museum of Natural History, The Dakota (John Lennon's former home).

One of my favorite things about my new neighborhood - LOTS of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants!
Here are some of my favorite vegan/vegan-friendly restaurants on the Upper West Side:

1.) Peacefood , 460 Amsterdam Avenue (at 82nd street)
This lively, casual vegan cafe has a pretty, light and airy atmosphere.
Lots of delicious sandwiches, soups, salads and sides on the menu, and the most
AMAZING bakery. I have not found better vegan baked goods in NYC.
My favorite dishes: Asian Greens, Caesar Salad, Baked Soy Nuggets, their amazing soups (any)
Favorite baked goods: ANY!! Currently I love their Lemon-Vanilla cake, and their cookie sandwiches (with icing in the middle!)

2.) Cafe Blossom, 466 Columbus Avenue
Ahh...what can I say? This place is DELICIOUS. Seriously, this is the place to take your non-vegan friends because everything is just so yummy. It's a bit more "fancy" than other places, but I still feel very comfortable there for a casual night out.
I have so many favorite dishes at this place, but my current favorites are:
*Soy Bacon Cheeseburger (amazing), Southern Seitan Sandwich, Caesar Salad (the best vegan one I've had), Black-Eyed Pea Cakes (amazing), Lemon Peppercorn Seitan, Seitan Marsala.
For dessert, you must have their chocolate cake, and also the amazing ice cream (from Lula's Sweet Apothecary)
Drinks: They have a great wine menu

3.) Mana (vegan-friendly/macrobiotic) 646 Amsterdam Ave. (btw 91st/92nd)
Mana is a small, casual, organic, macrobiotic restaurant, which is basically grain-based "vegan" with some fish options. It is a very health-oriented, "clean" type of eating.
What I love abut Mana is how everything tastes pure, homemade and really fresh. A lot less rich than the other places, their food makes you feel really good!
My favorite dishes: Sweet Potato Croquettes, Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms, Vegetable Gomae, Seitan Parmigiana, Simple Palate (very basic, but delicious and pure)
For dessert: any of their cakes (great), and their "parfait" of the day.

4.) Cafe Viva Pizza (vegetarian & vegan) 2578 Broadway (At 97th St) (212) 663-8482
Cafe Viva not a cafe - is a hole-in-the-wall pizza place. More of a take-out place with a few tables, they have dozens of types of vegan pizza!!! It really is vegan heaven. They also have a few types of wheat-free crusts.
My favorite pizza: the Zen pizza (spelt crust with pesto sauce, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, garlic, and a tofu ricotta cheese).
They also have (delicious) vegan desserts!
Please note: they DO also serve regular (dairy) cheese pizza, so make sure you're getting a vegan pizza.
They do NOT serve any meat on their pizzas, though.

5.) Hummus Place (vegan-friendly) 2 locations on the UWS
Hummus Place is not vegetarian or vegan, but it is very vegan/veg friendly.
Basically a casual, middle-eastern cuisine place, specializing in many types of hummus,
there are lots of vegan possibilities here. (I do recommend checking with your waiter first to make sure everything you order is vegan)
My favorites: Hummus Masabacha (topped with whole chickpeas), Health Salad, Chunky Vegetable Soup, Taboule Quinoa.
Drinks: They have the most amazing frozen Mint Mojitos (only $5.50)!
Dessert: Vegan brownies!

Blossom Restaurant in NYC

Oh my goodness, my bf and I went to the BEST vegan restaurant last night. It's called Blossom and it's in the Chelsea area of NYC. Fom the outside looking in we thought it was going to be too chi-chi for us, but once we got inside, we found it to be very cozy and comfortable. The waitstaff were SO nice, and they even have a fireplace! And the FOOD! YUM!!!! Our very sweet waitress recommended the Black-eyed pea cake (super tasty) and the most AMAZING vegan dish I have ever had- Savory Seitan & Herb Potatoes. I don't even know how to go about describing it, it was so delicious. One thing- this restaurant is a little on the pricey side, but well worth it if you want to treat yourself or for a special occasion. Their website is www.blossomnyc.com.

Excellent Store-Bought Vegan Cookie

I really don't like too many of the cookies from the health food store, but yesterday bf bought this amazing peanut butter chocolate chip cookie made by smart treat. Tastes so much like a real cookie (deliiiiicious!) I couldn't believe how tasty it was! They have a website: www.smarttreat.com. I noticed that they make gluten-free snacks, too.

Awesome Collard Greens

I love this greens recipe. It was posted by HollyQ at Recipezaar.com (good site!). You don't have to use collards- I often use kale instead. It is so tasty, really easy to prepare, and lowfat, too!


Awesome Collard Greens Recipe
1 lb collard greens (or 1/2 collards, 1/2 kale)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup prepared salsa or 1 chopped tomato
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt, to taste
hot sauce, to taste

Wash greens in a colander.
Chop into bite-sized pieces.
Throw all ingredients into a large pot and cover.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, the reduce heat and simmer.
Greens are done when they have shrunk down and are cooked through,
usually about a half hour, but you can let it simmer much longer.
Serve with its liquid.

Time-saving discovery

Oh my gosh, I made this great discovery today! I discovered that I can cook lentils and rice all at the same time in the rice cooker!
I put in about 1/4 cup lentils with 3/4 cup rice or grain and the usual amount of water (2 cups),
and both the lentils and the rice came out perfectly.
I tried this twice, first with red lentils, and then with green lentils.
I think this is such a time saver! I wonder if there are any other fast-cooking items that I can cook with my rice?