McFosters

When I first came to Omaha, I thought I would be the one and only vegetarian. Not only have I met at least a dozen vegans, but they even have a vegetarian restaurant, McFosters. I recently met some of my veggie friends there for dinner and I had the Falafel with hummus and a side of crispy fries. The falafel was very good...but the hummus could have used some je ne sais quoi...maybe some garlic or roasted red pepper, something to jazz it up. I think next time, a side of one of their homemade dressings would do quite well. And the fries are extra crispy and completely irresistible. They also have all kinds of fresh pressed juices and smoothies and an awesome Sunday brunch with Tofu Rancheros.

RFD's Tortilla Soup

I recently borrowed Real Food Daily's cookbook from the library and made their Tortilla Soup. It turned out amazing - perfect thick consistency with the crunch of the homemade baked corn tortilla strips on top. They have locations in Santa Monica and West Hollywood. I have only tried their appetizers (the nachos are great!)...but next time I'm in LA I will definitely try some of their main courses + desserts.

Kansas City

Last weekend, we took a short trip to Kansas City. It was our first time there so we weren't quite sure what to do or see...we will definitely need to make a few trips back to discover everything. We did make it to a cute little tapas restaurant called Extra Virgin. There were several vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. I tried the Lebanese hummus, the Manchego cheese (I do eat cheese occasionally), the Potatas Bravas + the Chickpea fries, shown below. The fries are made from chickpea flour and they were excellent. The dipping sauce was tomato based with lots of spices.

For Easter brunch, we ate a local place called Room 39. It's really cute and cozy and they customized their prix fixe menu to be completely vegan for me.

First, it was a field green salad with strawberries and a very light olive oil dressing

Then a tofu scramble with potatoes and swiss chard on the side

And to top it off, fresh berries, simple and perfect for brunch

Northstar

During my week in Columbus, I ate at Northstar 4 times. I dream of their peanut sauce and tofu, seriously. Here is their Thai Burrito with seasoned tofu, cabbage, rice + their killer peanut sauce, served with salty tortilla chips. Their food is simple, local and organic. They can make anything vegetarian or vegan on their menu and the only burger they serve is vegetarian - love that!

Jeni's Ice Cream

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is a great place for ice cream if you're in Columbus. They also ship anywhere in the US! They always have one or two sorbets that are completely vegan, and I have yet to find a flavor that contains eggs. They've got really crazy flavors like Wildberry Lavender, Riesling Poached Pear + Thai Chili. Yum!!!

Street Food

After having such an amazing dinner at Dragonfly, I decided to go back to for lunch the next day. Right next door they have a cute little space called Street Food, where they serve exactly that, empanadas, potato wedges, chili and corn tacos.

My nephews were a little skeptical, so they stuck with the Jolly Fries, breaded and fried potatoes served with vegan cheese and sour cream. All three of us devoured them!

I tried the savory black bean + chickpea empanadas. The crust was perfect, not too thick or thin with just the right amount of crunch. The filling was very rustic, with chunks of chickpeas and black beans throughout.

I also got the lentil chili with cornbread. Wow...this was incredible. It was seasoned perfectly and the cornbread was the perfect accompaniment.

For dessert, peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes. I have to be honest here, when it comes to dessert, I want lots of sugar. These cupcakes are beautiful and taste just like unsweetened peanut butter and unsweetened chocolate, so if you're into that kind of thing you're in luck.

Dragonfly neo v

I grew up in Ohio and went to school in Columbus. They don't have many vegetarian/vegan restaurants there so Dragonfly neo v really stands out. Their menu is not only vegan, but extremely inventive. I had a three course dinner there with my friend Jen last week and it did not disappoint.


We shared the Ravioli Nachos...I can't even tell you what the ravioli was made of. It was crispy golden brown goodness, with pico de gallo, guacamole and vegan sour cream.

I then had the pecan crusted portobello served with kale and vegan mac and cheese. It was heavenly!

Our third course was devoured so quickly that I couldn't snap the picture in time! It was a pear shortbread ensemble with carrot cake gelato...it was light, creamy and refreshing.

Ely's to go

If you ever find yourself in Boardman, Ohio, you should stop by Ely's to go. It's a small vegan restaurant inside of The Bread Chef on Western Reserve Road, and just happens to be my parents' restaurant. I was there visiting recently and took a few pics...

Mike, the baker and owner of The Bread Chef, bakes all kinds of amazing bread. The pretzel bread + the ciabatta are my favorites!

This is my mom's prep area...she prepares the soups and the entrees and comes up with all of the amazing recipes herself.

The spring rolls are a staple on the menu - rice noodles, soy chicken, lettuce, cucumbers + cilantro with a hoisin dipping sauce. They are so light and fresh, completely irresistible.

This entree was featured on the menu per my request - sweet and sour soy chicken with onions, peppers and sugar snap peas with a side of rice. I could eat sweet and sour sauce everyday of the week.

This is a great new addition to their menu, grilled cheese with a twist. Arugula, pears, red pepper sauce and Daiya soy cheese on Focaccia...it's really really good.

My dad is in charge of the salads, spring rolls + everything sweet. He has a different cookie and scone everyday. This cookie features dried cranberries, coconut and macadamia nuts....mmmmm.

Rickshaw

Rickshaw, my beloved Rickshaw...


Rickshaw is a dumpling bar on 23rd Street (between 5th and 6th Aves). There is only one vegetarian dumpling there, but it's killer and can be served with a variety of soups and salads. The filling is seasoned pureed edamame and it comes with a lemon soy dipping sauce. A very satisfying, yet completely healthy lunch or light dinner.