Out with the girls

Sometimes, you just need some time out with the girls. Over the past few weeks, I've been enjoying some much needed catch-up time with cherished friends and co-workers.

After all day in our cubicles glaring at a computer or in meetings, this was looking pretty good! Sangria, $28, (split five ways) at Empanada Mama.

Guacamole with plantain chips, $6.95, a refreshing change to tortilla chips. The cost of this was also shared.

My corn flour empanada with steamed potatoes, carrots and lima beans, $2.40, and a spinach arepas, $5.40, a traditional South American corn patty.


Frugal: bringing your lunch to work, which I do most days. But I also like to partake in the many dining options in New York City. Said it before, will say it again: if you're going to spend money eating out - eat it there, not in front of your cubicle checking e-mail. Note to self: follow your own advice, stop eating lunch (even brown-bagged) checking e-mail!

Better idea: at Hummus Kitchen, enjoying a pomegranate lemonade with fresh mint leaves, $2.50.

The mezze trio: $9:50. I chose for my three choices hummus, curried cauliflower and couscous tabule (good, little less parsley, please!) Served with warm pita bread.

Cheers! A raspberry margarita, $4, at Blockheads.

My single friend and I had a laugh over Jane in Britcom Coupling wincing over that they make you check off a box for single on the census form, but leave no room for an explanation. True!

No laughing matter: the great vegan options at Blockheads. The no-dairy burrito (with black beans and organic brown rice) in a a whole wheat tortilla with side salad, $8. Check out the tofu sour cream!

Not laughing, but simply smiling and grateful, for the many strong, independent and intelligent women I know. Women need positive spirits in their life - and I have them. Sharing good food and drink along with conversation - all the better.

The Word on the Street: Vegan

With more consumers interested in vegan options for a host of reasons (health, animal ethics, and environmental, to name a few), vegan food, as it should, is taking its rightful place in society - closer to the mainstream. Here are some places it's showing up:

At non-vegetarian restaurants, like New York City's Blockheads (various locations). Co-existing alongside meat and dairy dishes on the menu, you'll find tofu, tofu sour cream, and vegan soy cheese.

Two grilled tofu tacos (hold the Monterey Jack cheese) with fresh grilled corn salsa, served with rice and beans, and of course, I requested tofu sour cream. A feast for $8.95, at lunchtime it came with chips and salsa and a drink (my pick: fresh brewed iced tea).


Great vegan good is not just in New York City or Los Angeles (find veg eats near you with help from Happy Cow). In New Jersey, the owners the Rutherford Pancake House have crafted a loyal following, knowing veg enthusiasts will 'follow the tofu' so to speak. The vegan menu has expanded to offer comfort foods like sliders and pizza. But at a diner or pancake house, breakfast food just calls my name.

The vegan Roman tofu scramble: garlic, scallions, tomatoes, peppers, Italian sausage, and mozzarella, $9.95, served with home fries and...

toast with strawberry jam and soy butter. Coffee $1.79, with soy milk (rice milk is also available), and orange juice, $1.99 for a small.


In every media outlet from non-vegan blogs (check out food writer David Lebovitz raving about New York City vegan bakery Babycakes) to The New York Times, which had a headline that said it all: "Tasty Vegan Food? Cupcakes Show It Can Be Done."

My favorite vegan bakery: Sweet Avenue Bake Shop in Rutherford. Behold the sight of their seasonal pumpkin spice cupcakes, $3.50 each.



At street festivals and fairs. Remember the vegan coconut macaroons at the Bastille Day celebration in New York City? Well, my heart went aflutter when, surrounded by people eating turkey legs at the New York Renaissance Fair in Tuxedo Park (more about my visit and eats there later), I saw this sign at a Mediterranean food booth. Super Vegan is not only a fitting name for a wrap, but also a vegan cartoon character! Now if only I could sketch...

In the movies.

Okay, this technically counts as a vegetarian reference, but still!

In the film Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert's (via Julia Roberts) first boyfriend after the end of her marriage is a vegetarian. There's a scene at a dinner party where someone asks him why he became a vegetarian and he mentions seeing cows being slaughtered. At night's end, the same man asks for the slaughterhouse video and that he's interested in learning more about factory farming. In a film largely about personal and spiritual growth and enlightenment, being enlightened about what one puts in their body, and the reality behind, seems only logical. I was thrilled for the reference, and cheered silently in the theater.

And I'm cheering here, out loud for the animals, that slowly but surely, great vegan food is becoming more available and accepted.