food

Detour: Italy… The Good, The Bad, The Croissants

Italy, the land of pizza, pasta and cheese… Many people would think a trip to the big ol’ European boot would pose a problem for a vegan. At first, many people would have been correct. It was not till day 3 of my trip that a trip, plagued with bad luck, turned itself around. Get ready for a whirlwind food (and a bit of fitness) tour of my experience in Italy with my friend Erica.

First stop… Positano on the stunningly beautiful Amalfi Coast..

Positano. WOW. I felt like I was living in a postcard for 2 days. For this location, my friend Erica and I stayed at an AirBnb in the Montepretuso area of the town. This was up the mountain and a pretty intense stair climb from the city center.

On night one, we went out with a blind eye. I settled on going anywhere. We stopped at the first place we saw after missing the stair path to town and walking on the sidewalk-less roads. Both of us were starving and our legs were tired. We ended up at Ristorante Caffe Positano. It felt like a bit of a tourist trap, pictures of food on the menu, etc. We went anyway. After walking miles, we were just happy to see civilization. No pictures were taken here but I ordered bruschetta and pasta with tomato sauce. At first, it came out covered in cheese even though I ordered with “senza formaggio“. The meal itself was nothing to write home about.

Day two started with a planned 4 mile run. Due to the elevation of Positano, this was disastrous. It was me either running extremely uphill or extremely downhill. At one point, I found the steps down to the city and, thinking it was a short way down, ran down them. Big mistake. The run (WALK) up was killer. Feel free to check out my Strava account for routes. For those into hiking, I am told the Hike of the Gods is along my run route and should be checked out. We did not really have the time during our trip.

For breakfast that morning, our AirBnB host provided us with a bunch of stuff I could not eat. Thankfully my friend was not vegan and took on for the team to make us not look rude. I ate pre-toasted bread with jam, juice and espresso. It was a sufficient. Looking back, I should have told her I was vegan. She probably could have accommodated. We then headed out for the city. After exploring all morning, we stumbled upon the CUTEST cafe and overall popular eating establishment in the area, Casa E Bottega.

Casa e Bottego was an extremely fresh cafe in Positano offering vegan options. So happy to find it. I had the vegan panini and it was so simple yet so delicious. The ambiance of the cafe is worth going to alone. There is nothing else like it in all of Positano. The seating area is small but worth waiting for. We sat at the “bar” area and it was very enjoyable. We were able to watch the chef prepare food as we waited for ours. Everything was prepared fresh. Nothing frozen or pre-made. I highly recommend making this a priority stop if visiting Positano.

Next stop, Naples…

Naples is quite the city. It is very busy and not in the tourist sense. Despite the beautiful back drop of Mt Vesuvius, of all the destinations in Italy, this is the one I would not return to. If I did return, it would only be for the pizza, and maybe the gelato.

Out first stop in Naples was Perfectoo, a semi Americanized cafe very close to our hotel, Hotel Palazzo Salgar. Here I had the Vegan Burger. The burger itself was great, the bun, looking back on it, was a bit suspect since I did not feel quite good after eating it. My thoughts are that the bun was not vegan as it had been labeled on the menu. I suggest going bun-less if you try this place. ALSO, chips listed on then menu are NOT french fries! They are actual chips.

Next, there is gelato. Almost all gelato places have a vegan option, they are either fruity or extra dark chocolate. Typically they are labeled in the case. I tried as many as I could. Just note, the cones are typically not vegan. Your best bet is to go with the cup OR the gluten free cone many places offer. Always ask first.

It would not have been a trip to Italy without pizza. We went to one of the top places in Naples and their marinara pie was amazing. Pizzeria Trianon was established in 1923 and you can tell they have perfected their pizza making in those years. I ate my entire pizza, like always and I suggest you do the same. Oh and it costa whole 3.50 euros.

Last but not least, Naples opened the doorway to croissants, VEGAN croissants. To be honest, I was not completely thrilled with my food in Italy, as a whole, at this point. All my meals not listed, consisted of fruit, chips and chocolate purchased at the grocery store, Gran Gusto. Not the healthiest and not the most fulfilling. Then… at a gelato shop my last night in Naples, I see a sign for “vegano cornetto” aka vegan croissant! My plan was to wake up early the next day and go get one! Sadly, I woke up too late and missed my chance. LUCKILY, this was not the only place in Naples with a vegan croissant. They are everywhere and not just in Naples, in all of Italy. I found this out hawking every place we passed by on my sad walk to the Napoli Centrale train station. On the right, river side, I spotted a sign on the outside pastry case, vegano! They has apricot filled vegan croissants, I scooped one up. It was delicious. It was my first. I will never forget it.

Before we move on to Rome, I want to note something that did not disappoint, my run in Naples. While exploring the day before, my friend and I saw several runners on the water front path, this was good news for my 4 miler the next day. I left from my hotel and enjoyed a really nice morning run. Naples runners are friendly and I waived to nearly everyone.

Please be advised………… DRIVERS IN NAPLES ARE WILD. Stop signs more or less do not exist. Crossing the street, even at cross walks, is risky. You have to be aggressive. That being said PLEASE BE CAREFUL if you run here. Its bad enough walking around during the day, running in it is even worse.

Now off to Rome…

Rome… where I truly fell in love with Italian food.

Steps away from our hostel, The Yellow, in Rome, we found the most lovely authentic Italian restaurant, Rifugio Romano, so wonderful we went twice! Unlike other places in Italy, this restaurant had an entire vegan menu. Big plus! We sat outside and it was perfect.

On my first trip, I had pizza with vegan mozzarella and it was so creamy. I was very impressed. We also enjoyed the vegan antipasto which contained really interesting garlic bread balls, house made vegan mayo, fried rice ball, hummus, and marinated tofu. Me and my non-vegan friend both enjoyed it. For dessert, they had a special cake on the menu, I would provide details but I spaced when they mentioned chocolate.

On visit number two, my friend and I shared a lovely bottle of vegan red wine. For dinner, we ordered the bruschetta, mixed salad and gnocchi. The gnocchi was in walnut sauce and to DIE for. Truly a MUST STOP if in Rome.

After spending the day getting turned down from countless religious establishments for having our knees exposed, we found something that did not let us down, lunch at Crispy. Crispy is a market/cafe with sandwiches, juices and salads, among other things! I had a vegan”ham” sandwich and it really hit the spot.

I know you’re not surprised.. but.. I found croissants in Rome..

Right around the corner and on route to all the Rome tourist locations, was a small cafe named Synbiofood. To my enjoyment, they has vegan croissants and other vegan baked goods.

Roma Termini, I love you, but only for your croissant sandwich. The terminal has multiple locations with vegan sandwiches and croissants but not a vegan croissant sandwich like this one from the Juice Bar. It made travel day delicious.

My Rome run was the highlight of my trip (run-wise). I woke up early and even after a night of lots of Italian beer, I went for my “long run”. It was delightful. Since I was able to get out so early, barely any tourists were around! I did loops around the Colosseum and ventured around the area taking in all the touristy sites before they were crowded by annoying selfie sticks.

Portofino

Portofino was nothing special for the vegan books, but boy was it super cute.. and super ritzy. The little waterfront town was filled with designer stores and overpriced drinks. One good thing about having drinks in Italy that I have no mentioned thus far, snacks. They give you snacks. Whether it is chips or peanuts, it is pretty cool.

We set out in Portofino hungry, but still too early for dinner. So we ventured around and found a cute wine bar with outside seating facing the beautiful Portofino harbor. This was a prime people watching location. We had a few drinks and an awesome snack plate.

For dinner, I wanted pizza and my friend wanted pasta so we found a place close by, and also on the harbor, that had both at Da Nicola. At Da Nicola, me and Erica split the marinara pizza, pasta and a salad. Our meal was alright. Nothing special really.

Florence

Starved from travel day, we set out in Florence to find somewhere to eat. Since a lot of places close after lunch but before dinner, our timing was pretty bad. It was 2:45 pm, horrible timing to get a good meal. Anyway, we stumbled upon Konnubio down the street from our hotel. What caught our eye was how beautiful the inside was, then we saw the menu.. with.. VEGAN OPTIONS. Luckily, the staff was amazing and sat us despite the time! We ordered the Cous Cous appetizer and the Chickpea salad for lunch. Both were amazing and we were so thankful to have stumbled upon such a great place with vegan options.

And then there was our late night dinner at Universo Vegano. Two separate friends had told me to go here while I was in town, I do not know how I almost forget, let alone totally missed a visit at the restaurants other location in Rome. Anyway, I got there just in time before closing. The staff was super friendly and though I wanted to order everything on the menu, I ended up with the burger and a delicious looking dessert. If I was staying in Florence I would have went back.

And then there was more gelato. I was OVERLY excited when we stumbled upon this place. A friend had suggested it but I had forgot to look up the address while in Wifi zone. Luckily we passed it by accident! The place… Festival del Gelato. They had soooooo many vegan fun flavors! I was impressed by the clear labeling as well.

Note: Only the gluten free cone is vegan.

My final (sigh) European croissant was enjoyed at the Shake Cafe. This little cafe in the Duomo area was super cute and in addition to their various vegan croissants, they had an assortments of juices and smoothie bowls suitable for vegans. I actually took their vegan bagel sandwich to go for my plane ride to Vienna and it was a treat.

THE LAYOVERS

During this trip, my friend and I used our American Airline reward miles and it left us with some pretty lofty layovers in London and Vienna.

I had huge dreams for London… a vegan pub with authentic English fare, an all vegan ice cream shop. Dreams crushed. We arrived at The Coach and Horses around 9 pm. Late for dinner I know! Sadly, they were done serving food. 😦 We then ventured on and found a Thai restaurant. Nothing special. After our meal, we ATTEMPTED to get ice cream at Yorica. We showed up just as they were cleaning up. Bad luck in London.

On the way home, however, our layover was lovely. We had about 8 hours in Vienna and we decided to have our meal at Swing Kitchen. I had the vegan cheeseburger meal and a cute chocolate cupcake. I wish I had waited on dessert though, later I found out they had soft serve. Erica had the falafel wrap. I did not try it but it sure looked good.

Well there is that.. my tour of Italy (and London… and Vienna)! I would like to give a HUGE SHOUT OUT to Yelp. Without Yelp, I would have never found any of these places in the first place.

I trained for my first marathon… AKA I ate a lot of pizza.

This year, I decided to take my running to the next level and run my first ever marathon. As a Philadelphian, I chose the fall 2015 Philadelphia Marathon and enlisted Rita at Breakaway Bikes to provide me with the best training in the city. During my 21 weeks of extensive training, I became one hungry girl. Training for a race of this sort leaves you feeling hungry… all the time. For me, I could eat what I wanted, when I wanted and however much I wanted without feeling a shred of eaters remorse. I was a machine, specifically.. a pizza eating machine. Each week, once (or twice) a week I would find the best (and some mediocre) pizza in the city (and a few in New Jersey) and put it up to the long run fuel test.

Get ready to drool over my favorite and not so favorite vegan pizza pies…

NOTE: I stuck with primarily marinara style pizzas as this worked perfect as fuel! Also, do not be fooled, I ate the whole pizza, each time. No sharing during marathon training.

THE BEST:

Zavino – Gayborhood – 112 South 13th Street; Philadelphia, PA 19107

I had this gloriously wood fire pizza (and glass of red wine) the night before the Rock & Roll half marathon. The sauce here was perfect and the pizza itself was cooked to perfection. Zavino is quite the hot spot but definitely worth the wait. My friend and I were lucky enough to grab bar seats immediately.

2. Taconelli’s – Port Richmond – 2604 East Somerset Street; Philadelphia, PA 19134

This. Sauce. I am 100% not a fan of a ton of sauce but this is the exception. I could actually drink it.

Side Note: Dough must be ordered in advance but it is worth it. This pizza is pretty much everything and the fact that it is in, Port Richmond, the neighborhood where I grew up gives it a special place in my heart.

3. Nomad Philadelphia – 611 South 7th Street; Philadelphia, PA 19147

Nomad was my first pizza love early on. I think I told EVERYONE about how good it was. As you can see from my other pizza comments, it is all in the sauce. Nomad’s marinara was equally perfect.

4. Blackbird Pizzeria – 507 South 6th Street; Philadelphia, PA 19147

Ahhh Blackbird. The food here warms my soul therefore I had this pizza (among other things) 3 times throughout training. It was my go-to on nights when I wanted to stay in or I was too sweaty from a Friday night run to go to anywhere fancy. My recommendation, always, is to go here and try everything. The food coma is well worth it.

5. Pizzeria Vetri – Callowhill – 1939 Callowhill Street; Philadelphia, PA

Another pizza done right. Killer sauce, crisp crust, perfection. There were some very interesting pizzas on the menu here. I may go back a play around with some of the other toppings.

THE WORST:

Bufad – 1240 Spring Garden Street; Philadelphia, PA 19123

In one word, floppy. This pizza was so… floppy. It looked delicious but looks can be deceiving. Maybe if they cooked it just a tad bit more it would have been better.

2. Harvest Seasonal Grill and Wine Bar – University City – 200 South 40th Street; Philadelphia, PA 19104

Literally had the worst time here confirming the ingredients were vegan. Traditional pizza dough does not contain egg. Our waitress seemed certain it had egg. I pretty much had to walk her over to ask the kitchen if it did. As I suspected, no egg in the dough. For a restaurant that boasts a menu full of veggie and low-cal farm fresh meals, I was not happy with this experience.

The Good:

Nomad Roman – 1305 Locust Street; Philadelphia, PA 19104

If you like it thin, you’ll LOVE this pizza. For me, however, it did not fit (I am a fan of thin but more of a Neapolitan style pizza) but was still very very delicious. A bit on the spicy side but that never bothers me.

2. Taconelli’s Pizza Maple Shade – Maple Shade – 27 West Main Street; Maple Shade, NJ 08052

This Taconelli’s is owned by another member of the same family who owns the OG in Port Richmond. I might just be crazy but I do not think the sauce is AS good. Its good but not on the level of the original. On a brighter note, this NJ location contains more than just pizza and no dough pre-order required. I do not know about you, but I am a fan of the salad/pizza combo. Their menu also contains pasta dishes.

3. Jules Thin Crust – Cherry Hill – 1650 Kings Highway North; Cherry Hill, NJ

Stumbled upon this was while venturing to New Jersey and it was delightful. The crust was thin, as stated in the name, and it was perfect. The whole business has a pretty good story behind it as well.

4. Dock Street Brewery – West Philly – 701 South 50th Street; Philadelphia, PA 19143

This gem in the heart of West Philly makes a fantastic vegan pizza. If you like beer and pizza, it is worth the trek west.

5. Bricco Coal Fired Pizza – 128 Haddon Ave; Westmont, NJ 08108

During POPE weekend, I ventured to New Jersey a lot to avoid the crowds and found Briccos on Haddonfeild Road. They know what they are doing here. Their pizzas are delicious and filling.

6. Spuntino – Northern Liberties – 701 North 2nd Street; Philadelphia, PA 19123

This new wood-fire pizza joint was a treat. The pizza was cooked perfect and it came out really fast. ALSO, when you order a salad, you receive a piece of freshly baked dough. It was awesome.

The Ehhh:

1000 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza – Cherry Hill – 2000 Marlton Pike; West Cherry Hill, NJ

Mehhh, this pizza was fast. I had a lot of trouble with the employees not knowing the ingredients in the dough resulting in my biggest vegan conversation pet peeve…

Me: “Is the gluten free dough vegan?”
Employee: “Well yes, its gluten free.”

.. The gluten free dough ended up having egg. BUT the regular dough was vegan and they had pineapple as a topping so I was happy. They restaurant prides itself on being fast but my pizza was floppy. I am not a fan of floppy pizza.

2. Debbie’s Place – Port Richmond – 2617 East Westmoreland; Philadelphia, PA 19134

I call this the “Cardboard Pizza” or “Bar Pizza”. It is so simple, so processed, so perfect.. especially when there is nothing else around. I am sure it would be even better with toppings but I would typically eat these hours before a long run so I did not want to test the limits of my stomach with new things.

I hope this post got your hungry for some pizza and maybe motivated to marathon train. The perks are amazing. For 21 weeks I could eat everything, lose 11 lbs and better my endurance (both pizza eating and running related.) In the end, I certify pizza the #1 long run food.

These are a few of my favorite things: Cheese Edition

Let’s face it, nothing will replace the taste, texture, creamy, gooeyness of cheese. There are many equally delicious substitutes for other cruelty free items such as meat, milk and butter but cheese? Could there ever be? Will there ever be? I think at this point I have tried almost everything out there in terms of vegan mainstream supermarket cheese scene and have found some pretty wonderful replacement for my pre-vegan cheese obsession.

Best Cream Cheese:
Kite Hill Cream Cheese Style Spread

Flavors: Original and Chive
“Philadelphia cream cheese who?” This newer cream cheese alternative is a game changer when it comes to vegan cream cheese. It is almond based and has a creaminess factor that surpasses anything I enjoyed as an vegetarian or omnivore. In the past, I would tell people “Yeah vegan cream cheese is good but do not eat it alone”, Kite Hill has changed that. I would gladly eat this cream cheese with a spoon.

Best Grilled Cheese “Cheese”:
Daiya Cheese Slices

Flavors: Cheddar, Swiss and Provolone
Some cheeses just do not melt. Then there are others that overmelt. This is something every vegan has gone through. Daiya cheese slices do the perfect combination of melting and stretching which is perfect for a grilled cheese.

Pro tip: Do not overuse or there might be too much melting and stretching. Moderation with this cheese goes a long way.

Best Cheese Sandwich Cheese:
Field Roast Chao Slices

Flavors: Creamy Original, Coconut Herb and Tomato Cayenne
I sure love a good cheese sandwich, side of chips and pickles. Who doesn’t? The Chao cheese slices make vegan sandwiches perfect. Think traditional American cheese slices veganized. Throw them together with some Tofurky slices, tomato, lettuce, onion and Just Mayo, you may actually think you are mistakenly eating a non-vegan hoagie.

Best Pizza Cheese:
Daiya Shreds – Mozzarella

Not to sound redundant but these cheese just melts correctly. It is perfect for your at home, run of the mill pizza craving.

In conclusion, vegan cheese should be left to the vegans, dairy sensitive or lactose intolerant. My words to all non-vegan and not even trying to be a little bit vegan friends: do not eat vegan cheese. You will not like. It does not compare. You will probably have a rude remark about it. But hey, for us vegans this is as good as it gets and it tastes pretty great of for us. We love it and its cruelty-free nature.

Disney World as a Vegan — PART II

Detour:
Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida

PART II

Soooo I sort of cannot stay away from Disney World. Who can really? This December I returned for my second trip as a vegan. I learned a lot from my first trip as a vegan last year and felt pretty confident about this one. However, I did do my research again. A lot could change in a year! Thankfully my friends over at the Vegan Disney World blog opened my eyes to some new food endeavors.

In this recap, I have added two sections that I previously left out: Rants & Raves and pricing. As a vegan, I do not feel the dining plan is worth it. In previous years, the dining plan left me with a daily bloated feeling, as I felt the need to over indulge with desserts and too many snacks simply because it was included. My most recent experience proved it was cheaper to do without the plan. 7 out of the 10 days, I ate breakfast in the room. There is a Whole Foods located 15 minutes from the park. I picked up bagels and fruit.

I present to you my experience as a vegan in Disney World for the second time. See my post Disney World as a Vegan for my first encounter.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Lunch – Counter Service
Pizza Planet Arcade

Vegetable Pizza ($9.69)- Mushrooms, Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes served with Caesar Salad

VEGANIZED: Surprisingly, they have soy cheese here. Order your pizza with soy cheese (it may take a little longer to make). In place of the Caesar Salad, they will give you a cup of lettuce with Italian dressing.

Rants & Raves: In my opinion, this would have been awesome except my pizza came out cold. I would recommend asking for your pizza well done to avoid this issue.

Dinner – Table Service
The Hollywood Brown Derby

ALREADY VEGAN — Noodle Bowl ($29): Wok-fried Coconut Tofu, Soy Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Bok Choy, and Shiitake Mushrooms in a Red Curry Broth

(The rolls served are also vegan here and the waiter was happy to bring olive oil to the table for dipping. )

Rants & Raves: The taste of this dish was perfect. The tofu, was a bit small but full of flavor and cooked just right.

Epcot

Dinner – Table Service
Via Napoli

ALREADY VEGAN — Appetizer ($7 per person): “Family Style” House Salad – Served exclusively with pizza! Leaf lettuces, roasted red peppers, marinated mushrooms, olives, peperoncini, red wine vinaigrette – (minimum 2 people)

Build Your Own Pizza ($17)

Margherita – tomato, mozzarella, basil

Add a topping – ($3.50 each) – Eggplant, Pepperoni, Italian Spicy Sausage, Fontina Cheese, Proscuitto, Red Peppers, Artichoke, Olives, Anchovies, Mushrooms, Onions, Zucchini, Parmacotto Ham, Arugula, Chicken Sausage, Pancetta, Fresh Diced tomatoes

VEGANIZED: Hold the cheese. Add veggies.

Rants & Raves: I am not cheap. This pizza, however, was overpriced. For the individual pizza with mushrooms, onions and fresh diced tomatoes the total was $27.50. They did not take into consideration that declined cheese. Overall though, the pizza was amazing. The wood fire grill cooked the pizza perfectly and the flavor was not lacking.

Dinner – Table Service
Teppan Edo – Hibachi Style Dining

Appetizer: Garden Salad ($5.95) – Mixed greens and seasonal vegetables with your choice of our original ginger dressing or creamy sesame dressing

VEGANIZED: Choose the ginger dressing for the salad.

Yasai ($17.95) – fresh seasonal vegetables
– includes seasonal vegetables with udon noodles and steamed sukiyaki beef rice

VEGANIZED: Mention to the manager, waitress and chef that you are vegan. In my case, they cooked all vegetables prior to cooking meat products. Opt out of the udon noodles and steamed sukiyaki beef rice and ask for white rice. If you do not want them to use the same grill top, they will even cook your vegetable in the back kitchen.

Rants & Raves: Any hibachi in the world could provide the same quality vegetable stir fry. The ginger dressing made the salad delicious and the vegetables were seasoned wonderfully. My sister happens to love Hibachi’s and this was the only reason we ate here. It is a solid meal but not a top pick amongDisney Dining.

Snack
World Showcase, ETC.
“Drinking Around the World”

Every time I go to Disney, I attempt the nearly impossible, unofficial, feat of “Drinking Around the World”. For those who are not familiar, a person attempts to have one drink in every country along the World Showcase, a la “Drinking Around the World”. I have never made the full loop though I know snacking in each country is key. This is tough for a vegan.

Mexico – La Cava de Tequila

ALREADY VEGAN: Chips and Guacamole

Note: They also have a PHENOMENAL Avocado Margarita here. ($13.50)

The American Adventure

ALREADY VEGAN: Pretzels ($4.29)

Morroco – the Tangierine Cafe

ALREADY VEGAN: Hummus ($2.99)

Breakfast – Buffet
Tusker House – Donald’s Safari Breakfast

VEGANIZED: ($29.99) The chef prepared the following items special per the vegan diet.

Mickey waffles – Also gluten free

ALREADY VEGAN: Fresh Fruit, potatoes, plantains and white rice

Rants & Raves: Unless you have children or are dying to see characters, this place is just meh for breakfast. Veganized Mickey Waffles can be found at almost all quick service breakfast locations and are under $10. These two waffles were pretty much $30.

Animal Kingdom

Dinner
Yak & Yeti

Vegetable Lo Mein with Tofu ($18.99) — Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts

VEGANIZED: Substitute rice. Lo Mein noodles contain egg.

Rants & Raves: Sorry for the poor photo quality. The meal was glorified vegetable fried rice. Just.. meh.

Snack
Mr. Kamal’s Kiosk – Asia (Near Flights of Wonder)

ALREADY VEGAN — Pea and Potato Samosas with Mango Chutney ($5.99)

Rants & Raves: I would make an effort to try these while in Animal Kingdom. They are hands down my favorite snack in the park.

Magic Kingdom

Lunch – Counter Service
Columbia Harbor House – Liberty Square

ALREADY VEGAN: Vegetarian Chili ($4.99) & French Fries ($2.99) (if you do not mind the joint fryer.)

Rants & Raves: I honestly loved this lunch. At the time it was exactly what I wanted. I would totally recommend this place. It is pretty much the hottest quick service in the Magic Kingdom due to its omnivore options.

Lunch – Counter Service
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe – Tomorrow Land

Vegetable Burger ($9.99)– with choice of Apple Slices, Green Beans, or French Fries

VEGANIZED: Substitute regular bun for dairy-free bun.

Rants and Raves: I LOVE this place. Their condiment bar is PERFECT. As you can see I love pickles too and they are unlimited.

Snack
Aloha Isle – Adventureland (Near Swiss Family Treehouse)

ALREADY VEGAN: Pineapple Dole Whip ($3.99)

Rants & Raves: Heaven in a cup! Worth the wait in line (Yes, there will be a line).

(Please note: The vanilla flavor offered is NOT vegan.)

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor – Main Street USA

ALREADY VEGAN: Vanilla and Chocolate Tofutti Cup! ($4.49)

Dinner – Table Service
Be Our Guest

ALREADY VEGAN – Appetizer – Seasonal Salad Trio ($7.99): Three individual bowls of: Roasted Beet, Gold Raisin, Orange Salad and Green Bean, Tomato, Roasted Shallot Salad and Watermelon, Radish, and Mint Salad

ALREADY VEGAN – Layered Ratatouille ($17.49): Oven-baked Zucchini, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Caramelized Onions sliced and layered on Quinoa served with a Bell Pepper Sauce

Rants & Raves: Sorry for the poor quality photos, it is a bit dark in the Enchanted Castle. The environment is lovely but I would not return. The ratatouille was bland and the though the salad trio could hold its own, without an entree it is not worth it. Also, unlike all the other restaurants, the chef would not even come to the table to talk about the vegan options.

Resorts

Dinner – Buffet
Wilderness Lodge – Fort Wilderness –Trail’s End (Featuring Chef TJ)

Chef TJ at Trail’s End in the Fort Wilderness section of the Wilderness Lodge will specially cook vegans a DELICIOUS four course meal. I could not tell you what exactly my four courses were, exactly. Just take my word for it that as a vegan, in Disney World, this meal was the best of the best.

Spicy Sweet Buns with Coconut Carrot Soup

Spring Rolls with Balsamic Glaze and Arugula Salad

Grilled Vegetables & Barbecue Tofu with Noodle Salad

Strawberry-Banana-Brownie-Ice Cream Sandwich- Ice Cream-Dessert Tower

Rants & Raves: Everything was perfect! My recommendation is to arrive at Trail’s End SUPER hungry and ready to eat. Everything is made to order. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, eat anything at the buffet before your order comes out. You will not have room for the amount of food Chef TJ prepares. You will regret it. That being said, a Trails End TJ Experience is a MUST for vegans vacationing in Disney World. Make sure you call in advance though, TJ only works certain nights and you DO NOT want to miss this culinary experience. Another plus for you pocket, Trail’s End is the cheapest dinner buffet on Walt Disney World property.

Breakfast
Polynesian – Kona Cafe

Tonga Toast ($12.99) – Banana-stuffed Sourdough French Toast rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and served with a Strawberry Compote and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage

VEGANIZED – If you find a willing chef, they will soak in soy milk opposed to egg. If you find a SUPER willing chef they will pan fry the toast for you. If you are a vegan with no problem with shared fryers, they can also deep fry the toast that way. Also, request no strawberry compote, it has dairy. Substitute potatoes for meat option.

Rants & Raves: I still dream about how perfect this toast was. Try your best to convince the chef to make it. They will give in, hopefully. Another “I’m not cheap but…” annoyance. They charged me for the side of potatoes instead of subbing them for the meat I clearly did not receive nor want to received.

And there you have it… vegan options in Disney from my point of view. There are a few more, but these are the ones that worked best for me during my visit. Side note, be prepared to talk to managers and chefs at all restaurants. Also, prepare wait longer than your omnivore friends/family for food. Everything vegan in Disney is more or less made to order.

For further vegan options, I would view AllEars.net or, the constantly updated blog, Vegan Disney World.

High Hopes Vegan Bakery

We loved sugar. As vegans, we are never deprived of delicious baked goods. We honestly feel vegan desserts are even better than their dairy counterparts, but that’s just us. Recently we were able to try a few items from an Etsy, online based, bakery.

High Hopes Vegan Bakery is physically located in South Carolina but ships its sweet treats anywhere, to anyone looking to satisfy their sweet tooth. This is great. Though we are lucky in Philadelphia and have easy access to vegan dessert/treats/donuts, not everyone is. Online bakeries are perfect for those not so savvy in the kitchen or those who do not have access to great vegan bakeries or simply those who like other people baking for them. High Hopes Vegan Bakery, is not only delicious and fresh upon delivery, it is adequately priced. From cinnamon buns to chocolate chip cookies, the bakery has something for everyone! So go, get your sweet tooth on and pop over to the High Hopes Vegan Bakery. You will not be disappointed!

Our favorite: Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cups. Let’s just say they give Reese’s cups a run for their money.

Miss Rachel’s Pantry

For as far as I can remember, in my vegan life, I have always wanted to try Miss Rachel’s Pantry. I had attended the Be Well Philly Boot Camp in 2013 and sat in on a cooking demo with Rachel. I became thrilled that there were vegan chefs of her “vegan cutie” caliber, in Philadelphia, catering and holding weekly dinner parties. I wanted in. Busy life took over and conflicting schedules got in the way, but finally the stars aligned and I met my Miss Rachel’s Pantry fate…

One day, last month, I received a message from Kiera Smalls of City Fit Girls asking to attend her dinner party… at… Miss Rachel’s Pantry! I jumped at the invite. The dinner would consist of 10 like-minded, vegan, health and fitness conscious, awesome, passionate girls from Philadelphia and its surrounding area. The night was perfect but I am sure everyone is more interested in the menu and food for the night.

Mini Biscuits – homemade margarine, berries, walnuts

BBQ Tempeh-Walnut Slider Trio, caramelized onions, celery slaw, mezza arugula

Savory Tofu Scramble Enchilada, bean puree, cilantro chimichurri, chipotle cream

Salt-Roasted Golden Beetroot Salad, indigo rose and other exciting heirloom tomatoes, cashew cheese, basil vinaigrette

Chill Cucumber Bisque, crushed pistachios, grilled jalapeno, avocado, coconut bacon

Creamy Elbow Mac, Smoked Seitan Roast, caramelized kale

Seared Maitakes, whipped coconut milk and horseradish butterball potatoes, garbanzo shoots, truffle jus

Key Lime Pie, whipped cream, candied lime, graham crust

Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

In conclusion, I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend planning a you next dinner party at Miss Rachel’s Pantry, or considering having an event catered. The deliciousness of the food cannot be put into words. All that can be said is all 10 girls with full bellies and extremely happy mouths on Saturday.

End note: It was very lovely meeting all the girls at the dinner party! Everyone should go check out these fierce vegan woman on their social media platforms. They are all inspiring!

(Left to Right)

Bottom:

Meagan, pastry chef at the awesome Vegan Commissary, City Fit Girls ambassador and cross fit super women. Me :), office worker by day, vegan food finder and consumer by night. LJ, vegan Twitter Queen. Kiera, half of the City Fit Girls empire and boot camp babe! Joy, New Jersey loving vegan runner.

Top:

I AM TERRIBLE WITH REMEMBERING NAME (SORRY:( ), Rachel’s sous chef and creator of our sweet desserts! Lia, cyclist, runner, and iron women for the animals. Rachel, kickass Philadelphia director of the Humane League! Pam, webivore LARGELY responsible for that lovely Philly Veg Dining Guide oh and light bulb behind our dinner. Melissa, awesome holistic health counselor and donkey mom! Alli, vegan Philadelphia implant and super smart engineer chick! Takia, second half of the City Fit Girls empire and farmers market enthusiast! Rachel, thee Rachel of Miss Rachel’s Pantry and ultimate vegan cutie.

Detour: Vegan Tucson, Arizona

I love travel. There are never any vacation days left over for me and trips are planned a year before. That being said, work offered an opportunity to travel and help out a property in Tucson for their busy season. I jumped at the chance. Though there are not many, there are vegan choices in this Mexico-esque city. Here are my thoughts on my favorite places to eat in Tucson, Arizona…

Lovin’ Spoonfuls Vegetarian Restaurant
Lovin’ Spoonfuls was the most recommended stop from my Instagram crowd so it was only right that it be my first eatery to try. I arrived on a stomach full of only coffee and coconut cashews and resisted the urge to order the comfiest of comfort foods. Instead, I ordered the Hail Caesar, to fit with my health kick I was on, and Battered Beer Brats to satisfy my always lingering need for comfort food. Both were amazing and worth getting again. The brats were perfectly fried and paired with honey mustard and the salad was garnished with carrots, pine nuts and croutons. It was a pleasure as I have not had Caesar salad in sometime.

Over the span of 7 days, I went back 2 more times, mostly due to lack of other vegan options or shear love of the place. On my next visit, I indulged a bit and ordered the Route 66 Bacon Cheeseburger with a side of potato salad and chips. The burger was great, the bacon on it, however, was a bit hard to chew through making the burger very messy. But messy smessy, the meal was delicious and it was worth every single unflattering chew.

My 3rd and final visit before leaving Tucson, I went overboard. I ordered the Golden Nuggets, Shoestring Fries and Spinach Salad. Everything was perfect but I clearly ordered too much food. Food coma followed, as expected.

Urban Fresh
Sticking with the health kick, I headed to Urban Fresh for a breakfast juice. A bit of a bad experience but in no way should it effect going here. I arrive at 8:15 to find it didn’t open till 9. Yelp had incorrect hours, ugh, like come on Yelp! The juicer was to arrive in 15 minutes though!! Hooray!! 20 minutes pass… no juicer. The chef, in a means to conduct good customer service, attempts to make my Get Rooted! juice of beet, dalkon, carrot and ginger. I watched his attempt… I saw the ginger go in, a very large chunk of ginger, and cringed. Ginger totally overpowered the taste… But I cannot complain, they were trying to get me on my way and they really tried! Plus, the chef mixed up the 16 ounce and 24 ounce cups so I had a very large, ginger juice for the price of a small one.

Mama’s Hawaiian Barbecue
It was free lunch Friday at work so the lunch decision had to be unanimous. As an outsider I just choose to accommodate to whatever lunch the full time staff wanted and find something on the menu. Everyone choose a Arizona favorite, Mama’s Hawaiian Barbeque. To my surprise Mama’s had Teriyaki Tofu on the menu! IT WAS AMAZING! Probably the best cooked tofu I ever had in my life.

Revolutionary Grounds
For an early riser, Tucson seems to be a ghost town on a Saturday. I stopped for breakfast before work at Revolutionary Grounds, coffee shop/bookstore, owned by a family of at home vegans. Ordered the Revolutionary Bagel which was an everything bagel, topped with avocado, basil pesto and tomato. It was AMAZING and boy it is nice to indulge in the perfect specimen that is the bagel, sometimes.

Food for Ascension Cafe
I absolutely loved this place! The atmosphere was so serene and welcoming. It was also nice to have a friendly chat with a Philadelphia native who worked there and recognized my accent… but that’s besides the point. The food, all organic and local.n Everything about this place was too good not to love. I chose a rooftop seat and the view was just perfect. The menu had tons of appealing items so it was hard to choose! I decided on Biscuits and Gravy with a side of Turmeric Potatoes. YUM. This is a MUST STOP for anyone visiting the area! I even tried to go back a second time.

Mexico in Season

I was super excited to try this place! As Tuscon was so close to Mexico, I knew the Mexican influence would be apparent in the cities food culture. Mexico in Season was a top place on Yelp, that boasted vegan Mexican options. After checking out the menu… vegan cheese CHECK, vegan sour cream CHECK. I AM THERE. I arrived for lunch to an empty quick service restaurant. Normally I see this as a bad sign but who knows, it could have been a non-peak lunch time in Tuscon even though it was 12:45. SO I ordered the burrito bowl… as I walked down the Chipotle inspired ordering counter, I ask about the vegan cheese and sour cream, they had neither. I was extremely disappointed, as I would not have went out of my way to try this place as there were other places closer to my work I could have went to and received the same meal. The food was just okay. I would call ahead for anyone planning to go here for the special vegan options in the future.

Whole Food Speedway

Whole Foods… the savior of for all vegan travelers! This was my go-to place for snacks and even two meals! The vegan options were amazing. In my time there, I tried the Vegan Potato Salad, Sesame Kale Salad, Vegan Chicken Salad Wrap, and more Sesame Kale Salad 🙂 Oh and on my final day at the office I picked up treats for the offices! Whether it be for a regular at home shopping trip or as a go to for something quick on vacation/out of town, Whole Foods is always a go to for use Philly Vegans.

Quinoa Protein Balls

In prepping for camping this weekend, the job I volunteered for was meal planning and prep! I was obviously excited to do this. Food for camping must be compact, with little refrigeration needed. Stay tuned for the full menu early. In the meantime, take a look and try the recipe for these compact, semi-raw, quinoa protein balls. The perfect camping snack! I just hope bears don’t like quinoa!

Quinoa Protein Balls
Makes 20 Golf-sized Balls

16 pitted Dates
3/4 cup Nut Butter (I used peanut butter for these)
1 Scoop MCT Lean Vegan Protein Blend Vanilla or Chocolate
1 cup cooked Quinoa
1 tablespoon Flaxseeds
1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
1 teaspoon Maca Powder
1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 tablespoon Hemp Seed Hearts

Directions

Add dated to food processor. Pulse until chopped.
Add nut butter. Pulse until combined.
Add cooked quinoa. Pulse.
Add remainder of ingredients. Pulse until combined.
Roll into balls.
Refrigerate for 2 hours minimum. The longer the better.
Enjoy!

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip

As a vegan, everyone thinks you cannot eat super delicious foods. It is a common stereotype that I shoot down constantly. When invited to a party, everyone thinks you’ll bring hummus, or just vegetables, or maybe a fruit salad. Little does the typical omnivore know, vegans are capable of SO much more. They are even capable of the cream of the crop party dip. The one that is finished first. The one that is anticipated most. The great Buffalo Chicken Dip. Below you will find my adaptation of the dip… a recipe so good, even your non-vegan friends will enjoy.

Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip
Serves party of 8

Ingredients
1 package Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips – Lightly Seasoned
1 package (8 ounces) Vegan Cream Cheese (any variety works)
½ cup Hot Sauce (I use Texas Pete because of its lower, but still high, sodium content)
½ cup Ranch Dressing (see recipe below)
½ cup Daiya Shreds (either cheddar or pepper jack)

Vegan Ranch Dressing
Yields 1/2 cup

Ingredients
1/4 cup Vegan Mayo (I prefer Hampton Creek Just Mayo)
1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (I use Whole Foods 365 brand – carrageenan-free)
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients until smooth in medium baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until everything is melty and hot.
Serve with your favorite vegetables, crackers or my personal favorite, a sliced multi-grain french baguette. Hell! You can serve this dip with anything, it could make cardboard taste good.
Enjoy… while it lasts!

Vegan Mini Taco Bowls

Like many others, I often troll Pinterest for new recipes. In that search, I often stumble upon a delicious looking picture with no link to a recipe. ANNOYING RIGHT?! I saw a similar taco bowl, clicked it, no real recipe link. WHY?! I decided, these cannot be too hard to improvise, something I would have to do anyway since the originals appeared to have beef, and went for it. ( Below is the serving size for us PhillyVegans. As a side note, Vinny eats way more than me, I ate 5 while he ate 11, so the serving size may vary.)

Mini Taco Bowls
Serves 2; 16 mini bowls

Ingredients
4 Whole Wheat Tortilla Shells cut
16 ounce Refried Beans (I used Trader Joe’s Refried Beans – Fat-free Traditional Style)
1/2 package Beyond Meat Lightly Seasoned Strips shredded
2 slices Daiya Cheddar Slice cut into 1 inch strips

Topping Ingredients
1/2 Avocado
Salsa
Toffuti Better than Sour Cream
Spinach or Lettuce chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut tortilla shells into small 3-inch circles. I used the top of a mason jar and knife for reference. A cup can also be used.
In small sauce pan cook Beyond Meat chicken strips.
Place tortilla circles in cupcake pans.
Add about a tablespoon of refried beans (no need to heat up) and a bit of shredded chicken. (Use personal preference)
Bake for 10 minutes.
Add Daiya cheese.
Bake for 5 additional minutes or until cheese melts.
Add toppings
Enjoy!