Vegas Vegan Travels East

And there they go! The Vegas Vegan and child take to the skies on July 15th for a week long visit with family & friends on the east coast.

First stop: Albany, NY, to visit her one and only brother.

My brother was kind enough to purchase foods that I could eat: soy milk, Cheerios, fresh fruit, rice, broccoli, and even a trip to the store to indulge in some soy ice cream!

The problem came on Thursday morning when my brother suggested we go to the Saratoga County Fair. I didn't panic: before we left his house, I helped myself to a banana & a small bowl of cereal expecting that I would not find anything suitable to eat at the fair.

So where is a vegan going to find actual vegan food at a county fair? Just follow the big sign that says "Vegetarian Gyros" to a trailer with a guy making....gyros... After a quick ingredient check with the cook behind the grill, he proceeded to show me that the flat top grill was only used for bread & vegetables, the open flame was for the meats. (I'm not sure I 100% believed him, but I did not get sick after this meal, so I'm guessing he was telling the truth) He built me a beautiful gyro with green & yellow zucchini, broccoli & cauliflower, tomatoes, peppers & onions, cooked with olive oil & wine, served in a soft-grilled pita. He held the masterpiece in his hand before asking me: "The sauce has yogurt in it, do you want that or extra oil?" Be still my heart... I'll take the oil please.

Mediterranean carnival food:

After NY, we rented a car & drove to Williamstown, MA, to spend 3 days with my in-laws. The main even would be my husband's cousin's wedding. This had me the worried: would I find anything to eat??? Turns out, I had nothing to worry about!

Hors d'oeuvres were served, and I stood away from the food. Chicken satay, spring rolls, and various other animal related finger foods were circulating among the guests. One waitress walked up carrying a tray of corn cakes. "Do you know what's in these? I'm vegan and I'm just worried about eating something that isn't appro...-"

"Don't worry! I'll ask the chef what we have for you!" And off she trotted to the kitchen tent to confer with the chef. From this point on, I kid you not, I had my own personal server. She would make a line straight from the kitchen to me with the corn cakes (which turned out to be completely vegan - no eggs, either!) and samosas. Yumm-O! As we were finding our seats, she approached me with a plate. It had a pile of tomato/watermelon salad. "The chef wanted me to send this to you because the one that everyone else will be served will have feta cheese."

The buffet was vegan friendly! Sauteed vegetables and couscous were yummy and satisfying! The wedding was catered by Mezze, so if you're ever in the Berkshires looking for great food, check them out!

Mezze catering:
Read the entire account here!

Starbucks Coffee

 

Yes, I am going to review Starbucks. Can you believe it? I can't help it... This review is long overdue.

Coffee. Totally vegan. Little beans dried & roasted to yummy perfection. Ground up, pulverized, seeping into the water to make a drink fit for the gods. I admit that I love coffee and can't seem to live without a cup a day. Now, I only drink decaf, so it's not the caffeine hit that draws me to my French press every morning: it's the FLAVOR.
Starbucks is not my favorite coffee house to visit, I prefer to brew my own coffee at home & carry it in my spiffy pink thermal coffee mug, but it's always comforting when in a new town or traveling to see the green emblem. It only means one thing: coffee!! For my money, though, Starbucks coffee served in the cafe almost has a burnt taste to it, very different from the stuff you buy in the bags at your local grocery store. But, it's awfully nice to have someone make you a special cup of coffee - you know, something other than "coffeemaker-supreme-with-cream&sugar". Plus, I think holding a Starbucks cup makes you look hip.

Ok, maybe not so much.

Going Vegan at Starbucks is one of the easiest things to do. My usual drink is a decaf mocha latte, soy, no whip. During the holidays I go all out & add a shot of peppermint. During the summer months, I get the peppermint mocha variation iced. Mmm...

Today, I met some friends for coffee at 9am to sit in the cushy chairs & chat about life for a while. Not quite an image out of Friends considering there were 2 toddlers running amok throwing trail mix everywhere, but it was a relaxing way to start the morning. I wasn't in the mood for a fancy chocolate flavored coffee and I wasn't in the mood to spend a lot of money. I ordered a tall decaf w/soy. Yup, that's it. Thinking I have the $1.75 to pay for this, I reach into my wallet to discover that I still have money on my Starbucks gift card given to me by one of my music students. Woo hoo! Free coffee! I should have splurged...

Want to fancy up your plain old coffee? Head over to their little cream & sugar station & mix yourself a spiced coffee at a fraction of the price they charge you at the counter for the same drink mixed by a barista! In a ratio of 2:1 sprinkle some cinnamon & nutmeg into your coffee. Add a dash or two of chocolate, couple shakes of the vanilla, dump in 1-3 Sugar in the Raw packets, stir, taste, adjust and Voila!: Mocha Spiced Coffee!!

My favorite part about ordering at Starbucks is that no one gives you a funny look when you ask for Soy Milk. In fact, I appreciate that at the Starbucks closest to me they take special care to verbally announce to the barista to use Soy instead of just relying on the little "S" on the paper cup.

Unfortunately, Starbucks uses Silk soy milk, which if you don't know is part of White Wave Foods a subsidiary of Dean Foods. This is a topic for another day, or perhaps a trip & comment over at Compassionate Cooks will reward you with better information than I can provide!!

STARBUCKS earns itself: