One week in a vegan restaurant

I recently spent a week at my parents' restaurant...It was so much fun & so much work!!!  All the preparation, the grocery shopping, the menu creation, etc etc etc.  My parents have owned 4 restaurants over the past 30 some years - all in Northeast Ohio.

And I'm so happy that their one and only restaurant at the moment, Ely's to go, is 100% vegan (that wasn't always the case)!  Here are some of the lovely things I helped them prepare...

Pineapple, strawberry + coconut scones - these were incredible. The pineapple doesn't allow the scones to rise like normal so my dad decided to put them into these adorable cups.

Tempeh bacon, lettuce, tomato + avocado on thick freshly baked bread.

Pho - a traditional Vietnamese soup made with ginger, cinnamon, star anise and cloves.  You top it off with a squeeze of fresh lime and Hoisin sauce.

The House Salad - lettuce, carrots, edamame, cucumber, corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries, dried cranberries + pistachios with a garlic vinaigrette.  So fresh and light.

Three kinds of mesquite roasted potatoes with peas and spinach.

Red quinoa with pineapple, blueberries, cranberries, bell peppers, grapes + dried cranberries.

Baked mac and cheese with broccoli, asparagus + peas.  Before they're baked, they're topped with soy chicken and focaccia croutons.

Banh mi - Vietnamese sandwiches with soy chicken, marinated vegetables, cilantro and Vegenaise on a fresh baguette.

Beautiful purple asparagus.

And after a long day of peeling, dicing, chopping and assembling...here are some of the things we had for dinner.  My mother never stops cooking.
Lemongrass soy chicken with romaine, cucumbers, carrots + cilantro with a soy lime dressing. 

 













And my favorite Vietnamese dish - Banh Xeo or sizzling pancakes.  The batter is made with rice flour and coconut milk, the filling consists of mung beans, marinated carrots and jicama, mushrooms and sprouts.  It's served with lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro and a lime soy dipping sauce.  I like mine extra crispy.