Veg Out: Veggie Taco Tour

Whenever there's a chill in the air I like to combat it with a little bit of taco.

And if it stays that way, non-stop taco.

So this weekend was my tribute to the feisty, enigmatic nourishment that is taco.

It began with a special appetizer at Thoreau: peanut avocado tacos. Super sexy with a rich peanut sauce and silky avocado. The crunch-heavy blue corn tortillas were a smash. If they add these to the menu permanently, I will be that much closer to understanding bliss.

Then Coup de Taco truck showed up for the party at the Farmer's Market in the Piazza.

We have been stalking this truck and were like giddy schoolgirls when it finally pulled up and began taco assembly. There was some BBQ seitan (with apples instead of slaw for vegans). Sweet with a bit of sass.

Then there was Tikka Masala Tofu. I want abusive heat in my Indian fusion taco, but this was pretty excellent. The tofu was nice and firm, the spices were flirtatious.

I like to use tacos as a way to work in leftovers or veg that needs to be taken care of. Sweet potatoes or leftover tofu are regular taco players here. We're currently waiting on a tortilla press from Amazon, which should result in further healthy taco nirvana.

FLUFF.

I broke down and purchased a container of Sweet and Sara vegan marshmallows. It must have taken 40 tries. Each time I had an excuse:

What the hell will I do with a bunch of marshmallows?

Marshmallows are for children.

Look at all of these ingredients.

Nothing good can come of this.

This is what vegan girls buy to cry in when their vegan boyfriends crash and burn on bacon at PYT.

The girl at the counter smiled understandingly and gushed about how "so GOOOOD" they were.



Then I noticed that they were actually quite good. Especially the strawberry guy. Even "so GOOOOD" if I was feeling particularly stirred.

Mr. Vedge says they are better than regular marshmallows. He's right, from what I remember, but regular marshmallows aren't exactly the most exciting confections on the planet.

The question remains: What the hell will I do with a bunch of marshmallows? Make my own Sweet and Sara S'mores?

If I Could Have Your Gluten-Free and Vegan Attentions

There are a couple of things we need to talk about.

Sprig & Vine vegan oasis in New Hope has opened. Cauliflower. Three ways. And the entire menu at the Insider. I'd like to eat here once, so let's figure out who wants to come and how we're going to get there.

APO Lounge is hosting Cocktails & Cupcakes next Wednesday from 7-11pm for celiac awareness, with gluten-free drink specials and complimentary cookie and cupcakes from Sweet Freedom Bakery, Virago Baking Company and A Cupcake Wonderland. Suggested donation at the door is $5 and there will be a $5 cocktail special.

Green Oil

Green tea + soy + your sweetener of choice (I'm packing Truvia). Soy Cafe. An energy fix that's iced in wellness.

As part of the upcoming wedding prep, I had a makeup consultation at Moko Salon in Old City. Skin goddess Kelley Hughes created my look using all natural makeup. My face felt clean the rest of the day and my skin could breathe. I returned for a facial a week later and again walked out feeling amazing and revived. I purchased a cleanser and moisturizer from Pratima, an ayurvedic skincare line that you can find at Moko. Both are packed with essential oils and I've noticed a dramatic difference in the smoothness of my skin. Since I started using almond oil two years ago, it's been my best friend. All I can tell you, dryness sufferers, is that applying oil twice a day will solve at least 90% of your problems.

Dinner at Horizons will solve the last 10%, every time. I finally tried the Vietnamese tacos (the only appetizer I hadn't tasted) and thus amended my ways. I had absolute love for it, especially the crispy tempeh. I was most curious, however, about the toasted basil marshmallow that accompanied the vegan cheesecake with pineapple salsa. That is some holistic business right there.

Thali Tuesdays? Meet Thali Fridays

Being veg does pay. Thali Tuesdays at Bindi sounded like a Tuesday plan and then I realized that the vegetarian thali is regularly $22, and we just decided to go check it out sooner rather than Tuesdayer. Who knows what will happen on Tuesday, it might be split pea crusted tofu night.

The smorgasboard of kaleidoscopic tins made for a visually stunning feast. The spicy cauliflower was hard evidence of delicious. So enjoy your thali on a Tuesday if you like, but just remember that it's worth the $22 on any day.

A Full Vegan Brunch

It's like A Full Plate raided my mind, confiscated what I'd like for brunch if I could have anything I wanted, and made the rain taper off for the two minutes that it would take to walk to their Liberties Walk location.

Here I was, completely dry, staring at some chalkboard specials that advertised black and blue pancakes and vegetarian bacon. Those pancakes turned out to be vegan and whipped up with sweet potato, spiced little silver dollars that were moist and tart with pockets of berries.

After we ordered, out came Baker E from Foodaphilia, bearing a selection of pastries to start off with. When you see E coming at you with some baked goods, you feel like nothing bad will ever happen again. She informed us that the coconut pastry was vegan, a soft, cakey biscuit painted with a light dab of frosting and toasted coconut shreds.

The tempeh bacon had the right amount of grease suggestion with that savory, smoky, tempeh-done-right flavor. I tend to stay away from imitation meat products, but the facts are that tempeh is a real food. A tempeh strip that tastes like tempeh rather than bacon is an example of a flavorful protein source. Calling it vegetarian bacon is just a way of describing how it is served. We loved it quite so.

Also on our table was the veggie sausage and biscuits, as affectionately blogged about in the past. Three years later and it's still that good.

For a full vegan brunch that doesn't involve a ton of substitutions, a Spanish Inquisition, or a flour-covered kitchen, this is at the top of our list.

Natalie Portman's Pajama Party

Mr. Vedge and I joined up with Lauren and Eric from Goodbye Texas, Hello Pa for Vegan Cocktails on Wednesday night at Cantina Dos Segundos. Check out their recap to find out what a Natalie Portman's Pajama Party is.

Thoreau, Indian-Style

It's clear that there have been changes at Thoreau. The service is smooth. The ambiance seems more relaxed. Flatware is replenished. Water is refilled with a Vetri-like consistency. The dining room even feels more spacious.

The rosemary garnishes remain. The portions still triumph over any appetite.

We accepted it this time and skipped an app. Both entrees were packed up to go in the end, but what we did taste proved memorable and creative enough to go with us as well.

My Khorma was mild, but the flavors were so unique and developed that my initial crack about needing hot sauce? I take it back. He aimed for the Green Curry Shepherd's Pie, a large bowl of deep, serious green-sauced couscous with islands of golden beets and a volcano of piped yams. It was my lunch the next day, and I fished out all of the broccolini trees and pretended that I was wearing strappy wedges with a Reiss two-piece in St. Lucia already.

Our more sensible meal let us move on to the Hazelnut Toffee Basket. The vegan buttercream mousse lacked a richness (think Whole Foods evil vegan mousse that stands in its own state of goodness), bruleed bananas are always a sweet thing, and a giant cookie on top of anything served in a martini glass is a bit of a tired concept. It wasn't earth-shattering like the Butterscotch Pudding Parfait.

We had a leisurely walk home in the near-balmy weather. There are few final courses that top a nice post-dinner stroll.

Served with a Proper Lemon Twist

I have a March obsession with lemon.  It began with a display at Lululemon.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Tofu Lemon Raspberry Cream from Essene

You should ingest any citron-tinged dessert with black clothing only.

I plan on making some lemon curd so that I can bake up a batch of these lemon thumbprints.

I've been loving on the Lemon Larabar.

Then it started happening with cocktails.

The Agave 75 has plenty of pucker - gin, agave, and fresh squeezed lemon stirred and topped with Cava served in a flute with a proper lemon twist.

And most recently, the Blogger's Breeze. Ask me for the recipe and you will get it in a whisper.

Vegan Networking Over Spinach and Huitlacoche Enchiladas

Vegan Cocktails Philly and Vegan Drinks Philly are joining forces on Wednesday at Cantina Dos Segundos for Cruelty-Free Cocktails with a Cause, the ultimate evening for vegan mixing. A portion of the proceeds goes to an animal sanctuary called Chenoa Manor.  See how empty Dos looks above? Well, it won't be anywhere near this deserted on Wednesday.

Update: The menu was just posted at Vegan Drinks Philly.

Veg Out: Paesanos

Paesano's is like a Girard Avenue man cave.

Needless to say, the staff was very attentive when I invaded the construction-worker-deep lunch counter.

I was here for the chickpea panelle, a $4 wrap that would command $8 elsewhere.

The Jaeatyet t-shirts and trays of drying eggplant entertained me during my wait, as well as male chatter about women who are small in front, which is always a treat.

I made the two-minute trek back to the apartment. My wrap was intensively moisturized with godzuki sauce and ribbons of roasted tomato. I took in the spicy-creamy material on its thin, charred flatbread with pleasure. For $4, this tops most options in my lunch zip by far.

Paesano's
152 W. Girard Avenue

Burgers and Dogs

Mi Lah has meant a lot of ups and downs for me. After my review early last year, things have slipped quite steadily after a rotation of chefs.

I had to try the seitan burger at Mi Lah because it's a rare sight to find a veggie burger made this way. The marinated seitan has a barbecue flavor and the texture of the ground seitan is interesting. It's like the time we put seitan in the meat grinder attachment on the Kitchen-Aid (his old one, not mine!) and made seitan sliders. I picked out the seitan and left the white bun behind. I would have liked a more rustic bun with some bite to it. Soft buns remind me of fast food. The sweet potato fries should have been sliced thinner to make them crispier. My coffee was water. Mi Lah, I am sticking with your salads.

My mom left a Standard Tap burger in my fridge last night and it is the first meat that has ever been in there. I wish there was a support group for this.

I'm gonna mellow out a little and show you the first photo of a dog that has ever been posted on Living on the Vedge. Audrey is a firecracker and this is but one of her many get-ups. She never stands for a bad meal, and that is why we share a wink every now and then.