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Not Just Cowboys and Cow for Dinner in Dallas

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Dallas has a reputation:  Southern drawls, women with bleached blond highly hair sprayed coiffures, JR Ewing, Urban Cowboy and the Dallas Cowgirls in high boots and almost-not-there skirts.

My first trip to Dallas was more than 25 years ago. It was a business trip, and I felt some culture shock when at a business dinner, one of the men ordered the food for all of us at the table. I felt like I was a woman living in the ‘40s. The worst part about it was he ordered an array of meats I wouldn’t touch.  Back then, the word vegetarian was not heard much, and certainly the guys at my dinner table would have been clueless about a meat free diet.  I can’t recall, but I’m guessing I ate a small side salad, as I was so used to doing at establishments that didn’t offer vegetarian options. Back in those days, I was even used to going without any food, as the choices often were dismal.

Now in 2011, I had another business trip to Dallas. I was determined to try to work in as many of the vegan spots.  A vegan friend gave me some pointers, and I also consulted dallasvegan.com

The first place I stopped into made me want to return for more.  Spiral Diner looks like a funky chrome-laden diner with plenty of your traditional comfort foods like hot dogs and frito pies and milk shakes and ice cream – all vegan of course.  Since I gave up comfort foods more than 35 years ago, those menu items didn’t appeal to me.  However, Spiral Diner has a vast selection of wraps, sandwiches, and hot plates to choose from.  They also have agave-sweetened caffeine-free sodas.

While I would have enjoyed ordering an appetizer, main plate and dessert or soda, I kept it simple with a wrap.  My selection was a whole wheat tortilla filled with sweet potato, avocado, hummus, greens, candied walnuts and tahini dressing.  I’ve mixed black beans with sweet potatoes before, and beans and avocado are a natural combo, but this was very different, tasty, crunchy, healthy and filling.

Next stop on the vegan express, Bliss Raw Cafe.  I know all the benefits of raw foods, but let’s face it, raw foods aren’t always as comforting as cooked dishes.  Wrong.  I ordered Vietnamese noodles. This raw version was made out of kelp with an almond paste dressing.  I splurged on a dessert. Since I don’t consume any sweeteners except agave, I was in heaven with this agave-sweetened cacao brownie. The next day I returned and the owner suggested their coconut kale enchiladas, which are apparently a best seller.  The tortilla was a reddish paper thin sheet made out of coconut. The enchiladas were stuffed with kale and other greens, and topped with white and orange creamy dairy-free sauces.  Now I know why they call this restaurant Bliss.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) opened Dallas’ first vegetarian restaurant 28 years ago. Over the years, it has won many awards for the best vegetarian place in town.  What impressed me most, beyond the good food that I was expecting, was the atmosphere.

ISKON’s spiritual leader decided Dallas was the place to build a special temple.  Set in a fairly poor working class neighborhood, the Krishna temple, ashram and Kalachandjis restaurant are housed in a palace.

The restaurant has a lovely patio and gift shop.  Kalachandji’s offers lunch and dinner buffets for under ten dollars.  I tried to avoid overdoing it and ate only barbecued tofu, spinach, and a cauliflower zucchini curry.  No soup, no salad, no dessert, no drink, even though they were all included, and I left feeling stuffed.  For the picky eater, you can see the daily buffet items online before you visit, at kalachandjis.com

 

I actually spent more on books than I spent on my meal.  One of the books I bought as a gift, The Higher Taste, is chock full of rationale why people should adopt a karma-free diet.  The first half of the book talks through scientific and spiritual reasons to be vegetarian and includes many quotes from notables such as Paul McCartney, “if anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat.”  The latter half of the book provides vegetarian (not all vegan) recipes in accordance with ayurvedic practices.

To round out the circle of plenty, I tried Cosmic Café, a funky place located not far from downtown. On the second floor, the café has a community space for yoga and meditation classes.  The first floor looks a bit like a 60’s style yoga pad. Most the menu items have a taste of India. Even the hummus platter is served with Indian sides like flatbread and mango. This is an all vegetarian restaurant, and most the items can be ordered without cheese or other dairy ingredients.

There are also plenty of other vegan or vegan-friendly options outside Dallas in Fort Worth, Plano and Richardson, several of which specialize in Asian fare.

So while ranch-hands still may work in Texas there’s plenty of eats beyond Cowboy breakfasts here.

A Veglatino supporter & collaborator needs your Votes for SXSWi

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A Veglatino supporter & collaborator needs your Votes for SXSWi

Our friend and collaborator Pamela Hernandez needs your vote on her proposed panel for SXSW (South By Southwest) interactive.

Pamela has always shared our tweets and has also done guests posts here on veglatino.com.

She always has great information to share and who better than her to give tips on how we call can take care of ourselves.

Vegetarian Personal Trainer

Pamela is vegetarian and a Personal trainer and also a small business owner. She is always willing to help and share. So I ask of you to go by SXSW panel picker and give Pamela Hernandez your vote.

“Your most precious capital is you”

I want to see more topics related to managing a business without forgetting to take care of us, which sometimes as a small business owner becomes so difficult.

Please support Pamela with your vote!

Description

What would happen to your business if something happened to you? Most entrepreneurs take great care to plan and care for all aspects of their business except for the one that may be the most important of all: their own health and wellness. The most important investment you may make is in your fitness. Learn how get more energy and be more productive by adding fitness to your business plan. We will discuss fitting exercises into a busy schedule, how to workout anywhere and how the technology we love can help us be healthy.

Questions Answered

  1. How much exercise do I need for good health?
  2. I’ve got 30 minutes to exercise, what do I do?
  3. I don’t have money for a gym membership, what do I do?
  4. I’m on the road most of the time, what kind of workout can I do on the road?
  5. What are the best fitness apps and technology tools?

Vote for Pamela

Mofongo with Quorn Cutlets or Vegetables

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Living in Puerto Rico on a day-to-day basis can be a culinary challenge if you are a vegetarian. Some of my family members like my father, think that cooking vegetarian means cooking without any flavor. A few years ago as I started to cook vegetarian meals, I decided I wanted to make more Puerto Rican inspired dishes with a vegetarian twist.

Mofongo is usually made by deep frying pieces of plantain, putting them in a large mortar and pistel with a pork rinds, garlic, salt, pepper, and bacon oil or olive oil. You mash the mixture until all pieces are combined.

Puerto Rican Pilon given to me by my Grandmother

 Recipe

Since this is VegLatino, I of course decided to make an alternative to frying. I boiled the plantain which some would consider closer to making Domincan Mangu.

Here is my recipe for Mofongo with Quorn Cutlet Veggie Mojo. This recipe is for two people.

Ingredients:

One large White Onion in slices

1 small garlic clove. (Too much garlic in the mofongo might be a bit much so add to your taste)

2 Large plantains

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 tablespoon of Sofrito (homemade is the best because store bought might contain animal by-product.)

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

2 Quorn Cutlets or a bag of mixed of Vegetables. Basically any veggies you have in the refrigerator fresh or frozen.

Olive Oil

1/2 cup of Vegetable stock

Oregano

1 packet of Sazon (any brand w/w/out annatto coloring and free of animal by product)

Mofongo:

Peel the plantains, cut into pieces, and put them to boil in a quart-pot filled water. Add a pinch of sea salt. You will boil these until fork tender.

Once fork tender put them in a mortar, tupperware, or glassbowl. Add salt, pepper, olive oil and the ½ clove of garlic that you will mince. Start mashing the mixture incorporating olive oil and the vegetable stock as the plantain will soak up the liquids quickly. Don’t make this too mushy or it will look more like mashed potatoes. I usually take a measuring cup, fill it with mofongo, as it molds to the cup, flip it on to a plate, and tap it out. You can also buy individual small mortars, mash the mofongo individually, and fill with mojo.

Taste for more sea salt and pepper if needed. Serve with your veggie mojo!

Mojo or Red Sauce

Add olive oil to the pan on medium heat. Add sofrito and cook for about a minute. Add the onion slices and cook those until they become translucent. Add sea salt, pepper, oregano, and sazon packet. Add in the mixed veggies or the Quorn cutlets and sautee. Incorporate the tomato sauce and let it simmer. Check veggies or Quorn cutlets until they are fork tender.

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You can serve the mojo on the side of your mofongo or mold out the mofongo and insert into the mofong0.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetarian Creativity in the Pearl of the South

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Last February I met a small restaurant owner and chef that operates and works in my hometown of Ponce.

One of the biggest issues you can have in Puerto Rico like I have expressed on past occasions is the lack of opportunities for vegetarians to eat out. Much less have a meal prepared by a chef that completely understands the definition of vegetarianism.

I visited Chef Creations in Ponce a place which has been in operation for over 10 years. I had never cared for visiting the place since it did not say welcome vegetarians. When chatting with my friend and also client Romy Baez , we made the decision to have lunch at Chef Creations. I had taken the invitation from the Chef many months ago and he had told me he was going to create a plate especially for me.

When I arrived I engaged in conversation with Chef Jorge (Owner of Chef Creations) on the opportunities that a restaurant on the Island has of having various vegetarian options on the menu. Before he prepared my meal, he ran me through all the important questions that re-assured me that he understood what a Vegetarian and Vegan could consume and not consume.

I felt very much at home. Most of Chef Creations clients are locals that know of the place by word of mouth.

I was very impressed on how cozy and inviting the inside looked. It was very different from the outside which does not say come in and enjoy a great meal.

We arrived when they where about to close and although they had stored everything they decided to take care of us. Chef Jorge decided to create a Vegetarian Pasta mixed with sauces and a creamy sauce.

For me it was something unique because I am not a big fan of Pasta but this Pasta was really delicious. Once I finished my plate he decided that I had not been fed enough and decided to create a salad and a mix of fruits which was something enjoyable that complemented the pasta very well. I was so enchanted by the meal I ended not leaving room for dessert.

After the meal Chef Jorge explained how he is planning to put a few vegetarian items on the menu and the only thing that was holding him back was that he wanted to offer the Vegetarian and Vegan community only the best options on the menu.

He did indicate that if you are Vegan or Vegetarian and have any special food needs you can feel free to let him and he will use his creativity, art, and culinary knowledge to create a unique plate that will go well with the experience of meeting such a talented guy. (But I would recommend calling ahead (787) 848-8384 to make sure they can meet all your diet needs).

Chef Jorge creates themes such as Hawaiian night that compliment the ambiance and food making the name of the restaurant a great fit.

When I was getting ready to leave,  Chef Jorge indicated that the meal was on the house. I have planned my next visit to Chef Creations where we are planning to have a Vegetarian paella.

So if you are visiting and driving around Ponce or the southen part of Puerto Rico I can clearly say that this one of your only options of having a restaurant serving you a vegetarian meal with flavor and passion.

5 stars for Chef Creations and I will update you as soon as we experience the Vegetarian Paella stay tuned! Feel free so sign up for our Subscribe to VegLatino’s Newsletter via Email.

Baby’s First Vegetable Sweet Potato

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Today our family embarks on a new vegetable journey with our daughter. She is six months old and has been given the green light by her doctor to start eating vegetables. I nursed her for the first six months and plan to continue well after. But I know that at this point, she needs more nutrients in her diet.

I boiled some sweet potato, pureed, added some breast milk to the food, and put them in re-usable molds from babycubes.com . While researching what vegetables to give baby first, I came across this site called babycentre.co.uk. They provided some information on what foods to give baby first. One of the foods was puree of sweet potato.

Another site provided some home-made baby food recipes. That got me excited because the site, wholesomebabyfoods.momtastic.com, provided nutriotional information about the sweet potato and what other vegetables I can mix in after we ensure she is not allergic to the vegetable.

I know one of my parent mentors, Gabriel, stated that he would wait  four days before he introduced another food to his son. I know for some people it is known, but as a new parent I want to make sure the baby is getting all of her nutrients and something that is homemade.

What was your child’s first vegetable?

What did he or she not like?

 

Chayote Relleno

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Today I decided that I was going to make Chayote Relleno. The first time I had chayote, I put sugar and tons of butter on it because it didn’t tast like anything to me. My mom put salt, pepper, and olive oil. Here is a bit more information about what Chayote is and the various ways you can prepare it.

When you look for it at the supermarket, look in the Spanish vegetable section. It should be white or green in color and look like a pear with ridges.

Chayote, Quinoa, Pink Beans

I had bought chayote recently and wanted to have it filled with vegetables and not processed soy protein. So that is exactly what I had for dinner today.

Cooking Chayote is simple; cut it in half, season some water with salt, and boil. I don’t peal the skin because the chayote will become soft enough to eat the entire thing. After it is fork tender, I cut out a hole in the middle extracting the pit. You can do a mojo isleño with onions and fill it as well.

After it was cooked I seasoned with some olive oil and sprinkle of pepper. I added cheese, cooked veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots), sauce, and topped with cheese. I know I should have omitted the cheese to make it a vegan dish. I put it in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for ten minutes or until the cheese melted. You can also make a mojo isleño with onions as a filler.

You can not get any easier than that for dinner. I also made quinoa and pink beans. I have to say that the meal was healthy and excellent. For those who are vegan, omit the cheese.