Where to Eat Vegan: Cafe Berlin Part 2 - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish - and it also traditionally not vegan as it is often piled high with meat and served with butter. Luckily Cafe Berlin has the curious vegan traveler covered. With the choice between yucca or plantain (our server suggested yucca) the chefs at Cafe Berlin will gladly make you a mofongo topped with greens and sprouts, sans butter.

As we tentatively tried our first bites we all wrinkled our foreheads as we chewed. Not, mind you, out of distaste. Each of us felt distinctly certain that we had tasted this flavor before but it wasn't until several bites into the dish that my sister yelled "Hashbrown" and we all said "Oh yeah!" in unison.

Whether mofongo is meant to taste like hashbrowns or not it did to us and we loved it. The dish was filling, comforting and beautifully plated.

For my main meal I had several choices including a Faux Steak with garlic Potatoes, Veggie Kabobs, a Veggie Burrito, Marinated Tofu and Meatloaf in Guava Sauce. Of the choices meatloaf was at the bottom of my list but when I asked for a recommendation from my server he highly recommended it and steered me away from the steak saying that many guests found it too dry.

I was intrigued by the Guava sauce so I went for the dish and was very surprised. The meatloaf was crisp all the way around but soft inside and it was generously drizzled with the sweet guava sauce and roasted red peppers and onions. Paired with creamy mashed potatoes and lightly steamed broccoli, I felt like a down home American eating my meat and taters. I may be a faux meatloaf convert - I never thought I would say that.

As with our other two visits the service was attentive and helpful and the food blew me away with it's beautiful presentation and expert execution.

Location:

407 Cll San Francisco
San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
(787) 722-5205

Hours:

Mon - Fri: 11am - 10pm
Saturday - Sunday: 10am - 10pm
Brunch on Sunday: 10am -3pm

Where to Eat Vegan: Cafe Berlin, San Juan - Puerto Rico

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Luckily my sister and mom are also huge fans of breakfast and especially the waffle and pancake variety. Cafe Berlin looks out onto Plaza de Colon, just where the streets start to narrow and the famous colors of Old San Juan begin to grace the buildings. On our first morning in Puerto Rico we headed to Cafe Berlin for their Sunday brunch.

The interior of Cafe Berlin is flirty but polished with lots of gorgeous window light. We were seated at a table with a view onto the plaza by one of many soft spoken, crisply dressed waiters. Don't let their calming tones fool you into thinking their serving robots though, all of the waiters and waitresses we had the pleasure of being helped by spoke perfect English and were confident enough with their menu to give detailed descriptions AND point out their vegan options without pause.

Several things on the menu which look vegetarian are actually vegan - like the Vegetarian Breakfast pictured above which is a scrambled tofu with bell peppers, carrots and onions served with breakfast potatoes, greens and a star fruit. A reviewers on Happy Cow found this dish to be too oily but I personally found it to be perfect, with the right amount of taste and savor from the oil. The breakfast potatoes were tender and also oil infused. Should I be ashamed to admit this was my first taste of starfruit? The island held many firsts for me that I greedily embraced!

Before I had even ordered my brunch I was already scoping out the vegan carrot cake on the menu. Soft orange flecked cake with a cinnamon sugar glaze and fat walnut halves - delicious.

I enjoyed my breakfast with a big glass of fresh green apple juice and was tempted by the other choices of orange, carrot and lime (do people drink straight lime juice in Puerto Rico?).

Be warned vegans - if you order a plain pancake (which is vegan) it will be the size of a dinner plate and twice as thick. I made the (happy) mistake of ordering the tofu scramble and a side pancake and left Cafe Berlin with a pancake baby. This pancake is the Banana - Raisin Walnut Pancake - which without the whipped cream and caramel sauce is vegan.

Location:

407 Cll San Francisco
San Juan, 00901, Puerto Rico
(787) 722-5205

Hours:

Mon - Fri: 11am - 10pm
Saturday - Sunday: 10am - 10pm
Brunch on Sunday: 10am -3pm


Thanks Cafe Berlin! Expect another Cafe Berlin post - dinner addition!

Where to Treat Vegan: Ipanema - Richmond, VA

It seems that all roads lead to Richmond these days and I will most certainly be making a trip there soon. Last month when I was visiting Tangier Island I stopped by Richmond for dinner and a treat. You may remember last year's Somewhere New in Richmond when I went to Ipanema and split a piece of pie with my friend Compton.

This time around I wanted all the treat to myself! Ipanema has a daily list of their vegan dessert offerings and this time I went for the Mocha Chocolate Cake and a glass of wine - I was feeling particularly decadent.

After a day of touring and riding the ferry it was nice to curl into the booth at Ipanema under the soft yellow lights and eat a treat while doing a crossword. The icing was sweet but not overly dense and the cake was moist. I'll be real - I ate this cake and then bought another for the road. I STILL need to go back for dinner - expect an update of that in the next few weeks.

Ipenama

Location:

917 West Grace Street

Hours:

Mon - Fri 11am - 5:30pm
7 days a week 5:30pm - 11pm

Where To Eat Vegan: The Cafe - Key West, FL

Tucked down on Southard street sits The Cafe. It would be easy to walk by The Cafe without even stopping to read them menu. An unassuming hand-painted sign and a casual blue-tiled exterior mask the vibrant colors, comfy couches and delicious vegan offerings you will find inside. Only the wooden sign in the window reading "vegan" might tip you off.

The Cafe came with high internet recommendation and a mention of vegan Key Lime Pie so of course Marty and I were eager to check it out.

After all the delicious raw food we had at Help Yourself we were ready for a little cooked decadence so we started off with the baked BBQ tofu wings. While not the most creative interpretation of wings I have seen these were straightforward and tasty and whet our appetite for the main course.

Marty went for the Couscous-Stuffed Acorn Squash. This little jewel was packed full of grains and veggies and served on a plate of wilted spinach. Now I must admit that it seemed a little strange to me to be eating such a Fall dish in April but I suppose in a place like Key West where Fall is a foreign concept you can eat stuffed squash any ole time you please! Perfectly cooked with just a little chewy bite still left in the couscous and a smooth, creamy texture to the bright orange flesh of the squash - I did my fair share of helping eat this dish.

Predictably, I went for the Veggie Burger with Sweet Potato Fries. The burger was dense and dotted with half mashed beans and I loved the fresh sprouts on the burger and the toasted ciabatta bread bun. Too often burgers crumble into tiny balls of veggie burger and unless you have a tough bun to hold them together it quickly turns into a knife and fork affair. This burger saved me the heartbreak of a burger and bun salad on my plate.

Unfortunately they did not have Key Lime Pie during my visit. Their desserts change frequently and Key Lime wasn't on that list for that day - though I might suggest it be a permanent menu item for the silly tourists (such as myself) who want to experience the joy of eating Key Lime Pie in Key West. That's not too much to ask is it?

Service was friendly, the atmosphere was cosy and the food was filling and well prepared. Thanks Key West for the great vegan food!

The Cafe

Location
509 Southard Street, Key West, Florida
305-296-5515

Hours
Mon - Sat: 11am - 10pm

Where to Eat Vegan: Life Alive

Where do I start with Life Alive. I stayed in the Boston area for 3 days and I went to Life Alive 3 times. This hip joint touts itself as an urban oasis and during this first cold weekend of the winter season it was definitely feeling like a warm, safe haven from the streets.

The Carrot Cake Smoothie is pictured above and was sooooo good. Hemp protein, carrot, banana, coconut ice cream, almond milk and cinnamon. I added ginger as suggested by one of the friendly employees and I was not disappointed.

From soups to salads to rice bowls to smoothies, this place offered a variety of options full of fresh produce and whole grains. I quickly learned that getting a smoothie, cup of soup and rice bowl was way more food than I needed but I happily polished it all off. The next trip I opted for two "demi" sized portions. I really liked how they gave the option of a '"filling bowl", a "demi" portion or they were happy to make the whole thing into a "handy wrap".

With dish names like The Emperor, The Lover, The Adventurer, The Magician and The Feisty Child they certainly aren't the type of place to take themselves too seriously but their food was seriously amazing. My fellow customers were friendly (I made a friend!) and the staff was even friendlier. They sell dried fruit, nuts and chocolate treats by the pound and they have a healthy collection of loose teas that they encourage you to open and sniff.


Every day they serve two vegan soups. I tried a cup of their chipotle sweet potato soup.


Two demi sized plates: the Goddess rice bowl on the right (their signature dish) and the Warrior Salad on the left. The Goddess is comprised of carrots, beets, broccoli, dark greens, tofu and short grain brown rice topped with the Ginger Nama Shoyu Sauce. They reccommend adding avocado, which of course I did! The Warrior Salad is red lentil humms with tofu, peppitas, carrots, spring greens and a sweet miso sauce.

Located on 765 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge MA their hours are 8am to 10pm Monday through Saturday and 11am to 7pm on Sunday. Open every day of the week so you have no excuses not to go if you are in this area!

Vegan Mofo: Boston Beans

In preperation for my weekend in Boston I decided to indulge in a little beans for breakfast (I know it's a British thing but whatever) on toast. Words aren't very necessary here - just construct and broil until hot and melty. Simple.

Vegan Mofo: Liebster

Rachel at Passing Daisies was kind enough to award me a Liebster!

Basically, this liebster means "dearest," "beloved," or "favorite" in German, and this award is to spread love and bring attention to blogs with under 200 followers during VeganMoFo! It is a shout out to your favorite blogs. A "hey look at these blogs you may not know yet" to your followers, and just a general pat on the back to pass along. How sweet!

Here's how it works:
1. You show your thanks to the blogger who gave it to you by linking back to them.
2. You reveal YOUR top 5 pics for bloggers with less than 200 followers, and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the internet and fellow vegan mofos!

My awards go to:



1. Sonnet of For the Love of Food. This Seattle girl makes my list because she combines great food, travel, photography and homemade beauty products in such an enjoyable way.




2. Richa of Hobby and More who also happens to be a Seattle girl has this great blog where she not only posts her original recipes, many of them Indian and veganized, but she has also been posting a weekly charity or aid group that she loves. Her most recent one featured Help For Animals India which features Menaka - this lovely elephant pictured above.



3. Jen of The Raw Cooked Vegan because she makes raw food look delicious - like these raw tacos! I would love to try to incorporate more raw food into my diet -sans cashew because I'm allergic :(



4. Monica of Dorm Room Kitchen for her colorful, lovely photography and hand drawn sketches. So pretty!



5. And of course Miss Vanessa K Rees of V. K. Rees Photography. She may be new to the world of food photography but she is in no way new to the world of vegan food or photography in their own rights. I asked her recently about her process and she said she likes to think of it as a painting. She includes the 6 elements of style (shape, form, color, texture, space and value) and voila - beautiful art. Currently she is calling for recipes! Give her things to make and photograph and she will even send you the photograph for use on your own blog.

So there you have it - go visit their blogs and give them some love!

Vegan Mofo: The Best Fried Rice and Chocolate Avocado Pudding

One of my favorite things to make is fried rice. It's easy, it's tasty and it's filling. The oils that I use in my fried rice were originally gathered by Alicia Silverstone in the Kind Diet but we differ on ingredients to go in the rice. This dish is great because it's customizable. You don't need to measure things, you don't have to follow a set of ingredients, just keep tasting till it tastes right! As with a lot of Asian dishes, I have found, a lot of knowing when the dish is done is based on smell. If you want your fried rice to have a saltier flavor, add more tamari till it smells salty. If you want it to be more vinegary add more vinegar until it smells like you have enough. Personally I prefer more salt to vinegar but to each his own.

Fried Rice for 2

1 cup basmati brown rice, cooked
3 organic carrots, sliced into rounds but not peeled
1/2 red onion, diced
1 portobella cap, cleaned and sliced
toasted sesame oil
brown rice vinegar
braggs liquid amino or tamari
(also consider things like peas, kale - which should be added at the same time as the rice, cabbage, daikon, adzuki beans or water chestnuts)

1. Heat about two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil in your cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and mushrooms. Sautee until the onions are getting translucent and the carrots and mushrooms have taken on a darker, saturated color - about 3 or 4 minutes.

2. Add the already cooked brown basmati rice. Stir the veggies and rice together to mix. Start adding your vinegar and tamari a little at a time. I tend to do about 1-2 tablespoons worth of tamari first, then about a teaspoon of vinegar. Taste.

3. Let the rice and veggies keep cooking until the carrots are soft but certainly not mushy. Keep seasoning as needed. I would guess that I use roughly 3 tbsp of tamari and perhaps 2 tsp of vinegar in all. Serve hot topped with sesame seeds, shriracha or just as is!

For dessert I have been somewhat obsessed with avocado pudding lately. I don't remember where I first saw it but I jotted down the ingredients from somewhere and then just finally got around to making it. SO GOOD!



Oh were you expecting a picture of it? I ate it all....

Avocado Pudding

2 ripe avocados
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp carob or chocolate powder

1. Put it all in a blender. Blend. Eat.

This dessert is so simple and so tasty. Everyone I have made it for, and I have made both carob and chocolate, agree that it has so much more complexity and character than your standard pudding, while still satisfying that fat-kid desire to finish (or start) the meal with a Snack Pack.

Vegan Mofo Pumpkin Recipe Roundup

Hey Mofos! I don't have any food pictures to share with you today. My dear friend Katie brought me some apple galettes she made from Veganomicon and I wanted to take a picture of them to post but...then I ate them all. So in the meantime - here are some recipes that I would love to make!

Oh Lady Cakes' pumpkin spice granola and her raw pumpkin pie

Oh She Glow's pumpkin gingerbread smoothie - which I will be making for breakfast tomorrow and her maple baked bean cornbread casserole AND her pumpkin gingerbread with spiced buttercream

Vegan Dad's pumpkin pull apart rolls

Anchor and Feathers' pumpkin syrup

Vanessa K Rees' pumpkin pancakes

Healthy Happy Life's 5 ingredient pumpkin pie which I made for Thanksgiving last year and my Grandma said she liked it better than normal pumpkin pie!

Daily Green's pumpkin sage pate

Manifest Vegan's pumpkin alfredo

Until I get to make all of these goodies I will be longingly thinking of pumpkin patch adventures and keeping a snuff box of pumpkin spices close by for frequent sniffs.

Vegan Mofo: Where to eat vegan: Chocola Tree Cafe - Sedona, Arizona

Over the summer I got to visit Arizona and during our daytrip to Sedona we stopped at Chocola Tree Cafe for lunch. This cafe actually boasts itself as a sanctuary BEFORE a restaurant, but rest assured, the food is delicious. Part garden, part community space, part gallery, part bakery and raw, live, organic food mecca. Open 7 days a week 9am to 9pm, you have no excuse to not visit if you're in the area!

Check out their menu for such exciting and cute dishes as their Enlightenment Waffles - homemade buckwheat waffles served with a chocolate nut filled Buddha & Coconut creme Om.


The almond chili sauce on the raw kale salad was amazing and even won Rachel over to the dark side of kale! This was one of my first experiences with raw foods and while I was skeptical about raw falafel, I think we were all pleasantly surprised.

Served out in the garden, we ate out meal off of a giant tree stump under the shade of a neighboring tree. Before our food came out we wandered around the garden snapping pictures of flowers and finding all the hidden statues.






Soft Tacos


Raw Falafel Platter - served with creamy garlic dill dip and veggie hummus


Raw Viva Burrito - sundried tomato wrap filled with red bell peppers, red onion, cabbage, vegan cheese, pica de gallo and guacamole

Relaxing in the garden and relishing our spread of food, I believe we would all recommend this place for a satisfying and filling but at the same time light and clean-feelings meal.

Vegan Mofo: Early Fall Avocado Kale Salad

You know those first few days when it first starts to get blustery and the first few leaves begin to shift in color? That time of year is certainly upon us! Soup! Boots! Hot Tea! Everything to get excited for. But I must admit, the end of summer has it's sadness too. The saddest part of summer ending for me is the disappearance or scarcity of some of my favorite summer eats like sweet corn, tomatoes and avocados.

While I'll admit I eat avocados all year round, like its my job, like its going out of style, like your mama gave you...wait that doesn't work....they have a tendency to get, shall we say, poopy after the summer months. So as my last hurrahs of summer come to an end I have been adding in the last of the summer avocados to my salads, sammies and puddings.

This salad is a massaged kale salad. That is, you wont SEE the avocado because it's been used as a massage oil to slap the kale into a more digestible and palatable form.

Massaged Avocado and Kale Salad

1 cup chopped and washed kale, tough end of stems removed
1 cup chopped and washed chard
2 ripe avocados
2 ripe red plums, sliced
juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 tbsp chia seeds

1. Place the greens in a large bowl. Scoop both avocados out of their shells and into the bowl. Add the lemon juice. Use your hands to massage the avocado into the kale until the greens are soft and dark green. This takes several minutes.

2. Top the salad with plums, raisins and chia seeds. Sprinkle a touch or salt and pepper if desired.

Roasted Sherry Portobellos

Portobellos are a wonderful thing. They can also be an annoying thing because they seem to have made it on the list of "what vegetarians/vegans eat" along with hummus and oreos. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of those. It's just that..one gets tired of eating the same few staples at every party, bbq and restaurant.

Nevertheless, I still love a good roasted shroom. This week I bought the caps with the intention of experimenting a bit. Thanksgiving is right around the corner it seems and this year I was thinking of adding a portobello to my list of things I will slave over and probably be the only one to eat (Little do they know I'm ok with that! All the treats for me!) during the feast.

Pre vegetarian/vegan Lacey was a nut for meat. Especially turkey. I've been contemplating what to cook that will satisfy all my taste cravings. My family has a tradition of making Drunk Turkey. Every year we buy bottles of sherry and baste and baste and baste the poor turkey until the house is full of the sweet smell of syrupy alcohol.

So here it is - Test One of Sherry Shrooms

1/2 cup sherry
2 tbsp each of Tamari, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
the juice of half a lemon

Whisk all the ingredients together.

Place the 3 to 4 cleaned caps in a casserole facing up, gills exposed, and spoon half of the sherry mixture into the caps and pour the rest into the bottom of the dish so both sides of the mushrooms get coated. Marinate for half an hour.

Heat the oven to 400. Roast, covered with a lid or aluminum foil for half an hour. Flip the caps over and roast for another 15 minutes or so, uncovered. Serve hot or let them cool and slice them.

These portobellos turned out well but more work must be done. The sherry was actually a bit overpowering. I will be trying them again soon but they worked wonderfully in the sandwich I had for lunch.


Sherry Portobello Sammy with Lemony Spinach and Basil Pesto