Fall for Vegan.

Bread Soup at Koo Zee Doo.  It's back! We pester Carla Gonçalves about the possible return of the Açorda every chance we get and she just gives us her mysterious smile and says "Soon." Well, we finally had it for the first time since April last night. We order it without the egg and cheese and it is simply phenomenal with its base of Carla's hearty bread, fantastical mushrooms, and garlicky greens. It's the best stuffing you'll ever have.

Organic Lentil Salad with Chickpeas and Vegan Cherry Scone at Le Pain Quotidien. Two of LPQ's fall seasonal specials happen to be vegan and I've happily agreed with both of them. I often opt for LPQ for lunch because they have clearly labeled vegan options and are one of the few organic restaurants in the area. Are there more exciting, exotic places to have lunch? Sure, but LPQ has some of my favorite meal salads and that's often exactly what I want. Oh, and vegan pastry!

Date Caramel Granola Bar, Pure Fare. It's not every day that you think of the granola bar as a decadent, juicy venture. But this "date caramel" bar is gooey, generous, and studded with plump apricots and precious seeds. There's nothing dry or boring or granola about it...it makes me miss my school days when I lived on granola bars that were a tenth as grand as these.

Carrot Everything. You already know I've gone back to pumpkin but I must say that carrot is my favored fall-colored ingredient right now. This Carrot Cashew Miso Spread from the Clean Start Cookbook, which is full of healthy recipes by season, is easily my go-to appetizer. It's shown here with a Curry Dip (also in the book) and both are highly addictive. If you have any cocktail hangouts coming up, give these a go in your Vitamix or food processor.

 Carrot-Ginger-Jalapeno Soup, a new favorite

The entire menu at Vedge. Look forward to it. And if you want to know when they're opening, if you follow me on Twitter you'll know the moment I do.