Bliss Bakery

During my last trip to Omaha, I also got to try Bliss Bakery for the first time. They sell their awesome baked goods at the Tea Smith in the Old Market and I was thrilled to find a vegan brownie when I stopped in for my morning tea. 

The brownie is a Chai Chocolate Brownie, and it was really interesting and unique. I love chai. I love chocolate. Also a really great texture for a vegan brownie. 

Blue Sushi's expanded vegan menu

In Omaha, Blue Sushi is one of my favorite spots. They have really inventive veggie rolls, which I really appreciate. And now, all of their veggie rolls with the exception of one, are vegan. Vegan mayo, vegan tempura. It's amazing...and it's all because people requested it. (In particular, Vegan Omaha). Ask and you shall receive. Never hesitate to ask. 

The Cowgirl is my favorite roll - pickle tempura, crispy onion rings, mayo and bbq paper. It's so unique for sushi and I love the pickles. 

This picture was taken in my hotel room, while I was working late on a Tuesday night. It was the perfect snack to eat in bed. 

Vedge Restaurant Cooking Demonstration at DeGustibus

Tonight I had the great pleasure of attending a cooking demonstration from Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby from Vedge Restaurant in Philadelphia. DeGustibus is an amazing cooking demo/class inside of Macy's on 34th Street in Manhattan. Our good friend Will introduced us to it, and I immediately signed up for this class. 

You watch the chefs actually make a 3-5 course menu from start to finish, taste the dishes, and get copies of the recipes. You can also have your cookbook signed if you'd like :)

If you're not familiar with Vedge, it's pretty well known in the vegan realm and one of the best in the country. 

To start, we had a puree of rutabaga, black salt and green onions on toast. So lovely, I didn't realize rutabagas could taste so good. 

Saffron Cauliflower Soup with Persillade - great texture and really nice on a rainy spring day. 

Pan Seared Tofu with Capers, Basil + Tomatoes. We learned some amazing tips on cooking tofu tonight. They don't press their tofu....at all. They get freshly made extra firm tofu, and just let it sit for 15 minutes. This keeps it from drying out on the inside. Lots of other great tips as well, like cooking with stainless steel and different oils. Anyhow, this tofu was so good. Perfectly spiced and seared. 

Seared Maitake Mushrooms with Celery Root Fritter and Celery Root Remoulade. My husband could not get over this dish. The fritter was so crispy and flavorful, and the remoulade was killer. I normally don't dig on wild mushrooms much, but these mushrooms are really decent. 

And for dessert, Strawberry Sorrel Bread Pudding with Saffron Ice Cream. Oh my, this was delicious. The sauce is made with rhubarb, and the bread is actually cake! Really lovely depth in this dish.

 And I got my cookbook signed! They were both so lovely. 

Four Seasons Vail

A couple of weeks ago, Heath and I visited Vail, CO with some good friends. It was my first time there, and I loved it. The air was so refreshing and crisp. 

We had a bite at the Four Seasons and their White Bean Hummus with crudités and lavosh was so lovely. The crudités were so simple, but when stacked, they looked amazing. It was also super tasty - seasoned perfectly. It's made me want to start making my own hummus.

TCBY

During a layover a couple of weeks ago at the Denver Airport, I finally got to try Silk's vegan frozen yogurt at TCBY. It's vanilla almond flavored, and there are lots of great topping options, including fresh strawberries, which I chose. 

Now, if only Pinkberry would also offer a vegan option.

Van Leeuwen Vegan Flavors

Van Leeuwen has started making vegan ice cream, in incredible flavors. 

The Mint Chocolate Chip is pretty awesome, and I cannot wait to try all of the other flavors. Sicilian Pistachio, Coffee Crunch, Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Salted Caramel + Banana Nut. 

Candle Cafe West Follow Up

This weekend at Candle Cafe West, I tried a couple of new-to-me dishes.

The Tempeh and Vegetable Empanadas are a new Spring menu addition and they're seriously delicious. They're served with a tomatillo sauce, pico de gallo and fresh radish.

The Cajun Tempeh Sandwich with avocado, red onion, kale and chipotle aioli has been on the menu for some time, but it was my first time partaking. It is definitely one of my favorites. The tempeh is so crispy and melts into the avocado. 

Final thoughts on Vegan Shop Up

A few more highlights from Vegan Shop Up...

If you get a chance to visit Pine Box Rock Shop, where it's held every month, the empanadas are amazing. I believe they're from V Spot. 

How beautiful is this veggie sushi from Beyond Sushi?

I didn't get to try the hot dogs from Yeah Dawg, but they looked incredible. 

And of course Cinnamon Snail was there. Mmmm...Creme Brûlée Doughnuts. 

Chickpea Vegan Quarterly

I came across Chickpea at my recent trip to Vegan Shop Up. It's filled with recipes, gorgeous photography, and loads of inspiration. 

Recipes for Lavender Shortbread, Pickled Ramps, Vegan Meringue, Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, and Gluten-free Cakes, to name a few. 

They've also got some amazing recipes for homemade body scrubs. 

I am so thrilled that a vegan magazine of this caliber exists. 

Cake Thieves

I also had a really great Mac + Cheese from Cake Thieves at Vegan Shop Up.

Creamy and cheesy, it was delicious. 

Their baked goods looked insanely good, but having already purchased macarons and chocolates, I was trying to refrain from more sweets.