One Week to Go!

Thanksgiving is next week, and I only have one week left of trying out veganism. I am excited to think that in a week, I’ll be digging into some extra cheesy food stuffs! J 

Being vegan, I didn’t think I’d really go out to eat much – and I didn’t at all the first week. However, the second week, I went out to eat not once, but twice! J

Last Thursday, I went to a local restaurant called Thai Essence. I had Fried Tofu for an appetizer and Pra Ram with tofu for my entrée. The appetizer was a bit bland, but it came with a flavorful sauce that made up for it.  I didn’t like the Pra Ram at first, but it grew on me more as I ate more of it.  I had Fresh Mango Mousse for dessert, and this was amazingly tasty and completely non-dairy. I also had a single glass of red wine, and I spent a lot of time scouring the Internet to find more information about the Angeline Pinot Noir, but I couldn’t find anything to confirm if it was vegan.  Red wines seem more likely to be vegan than white, so hopefully, luck was on my side.  ;-)  (Restaurant reviewed here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/thai-essence-west-lafayette#hrid:f8CeXYVKULQf9CABZ4GQyQ.)

 This weekend, I got a head start on Christmas shopping. I was hoping to start the morning off with a soy, no-whip Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks…then learned that their syrups contain dairy. So, another cup of coffee with soy creamer for the road it was. I stopped at the Body Shop at the Fashion Mall in Indianapolis first, then decided to drive another hour and half out to Bloomington to go to a fantastic-sounding mostly vegan restaurant called The Owlery.  Everything on their menu is VEGAN with optional dairy alternatives.

Poutine

I was most excited to try their Poutine. If you haven’t heard of it, Poutine is a popular Quebec (French-Canadian) dish made of French fries layered with gravy and fresh cheese curds. The version at The Owlery used vegan mozzarella cheese instead of cheese curds, and it was pretty darn good! 



Chicken Strips



I also had Chicken Strips, which were hand-breaded and deep-fried tofu, with a side of vegan Ranch dressing. 



Philly Cheesesteak



The main entrée was a Philly Cheesesteak, seasoned, homemade seitan on a toasted sub roll, topped with sautéed onions and green peppers and vegan cheddar cheese. Everything was super yummy, and I’m glad I made the trip out there – even though it did amount to about 6 hours of driving in one day.  (Restaurant reviewed here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-owlery-restaurant-bloomington#hrid:P9bBjPVFVb6N8Q7aCu4Rcw.)

  

Almond Milk Yogurt



Then it was back to Indy to spend some more time shopping, ending the shopping excursion with a final stock-up trip to Whole Foods. We grabbed some Tofu Egg-less Salad for the road as several hours had passed since lunch time. I tried Almond Milk Yogurt for breakfast today – interesting texture, but a bit too watery. Always nice to try new things though.