Where to Eat Vegan: Lan Cafe - East Village, NYC

Lan Cafe is a vegan Vietnamese place tucked into "Little India" in East Village. Bordered on all sides by the wafting smells of curry and naan, this tiny restaurant wouldn't have caught my eye at all if I hadn't been looking for it.



After the heavy burritos of the morning it was nice to relax with an avocado smoothie and some summer rolls and to watch people walk by the window.



For my main meal I opted for a bahn-mi-esque baguette with seitan, carrots, cucumbers and cilantro. Despite eating a giant baguette this meal still felt light and satisfying.



Rachel made an awesome choice of rice noodles, carrots and bean curd.



Overall our meal was filling and well priced and I could see this being a casual hangout that I would go to to get away from the crowds and just have a simple, well prepared meal.

Location:

342 E 6th St
(Btwn 1st & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10003

Where to Eat (and Practice!) Vegan: Jivamuktea Cafe - NYC

Jivamuktea has such a cute name how could I not love it? With a lovely selection of teas, smoothies, rice bowls, wraps and soups I felt right at home in this cozy little cafe. The cafe is a part of the Jivamukti Yoga School. Their mission is to support the practice of ahimsa - which means non harming.

Jivamukti - the yoga form is actually a practice that supports and advocates veganism and activism. If you happen to be in town stop in for a class or a meditation. If you aren't in the area you can subscribe to the free podcast Sunset Gita by searching for Gita Wisdom Teachings in Itunes.



This is the seitan and veggie wrap paired with a simple salad. Perfect after an intense practice.

Location:

841 Broadway , 2nd floor
New York, NY 10003

Where to Eat Vegan: Champs Bakery - Williamsburg, NY

Champs Family Bakery is a hip little vegan spot in Williamsburg

My first trip to Champs was a hurried morning stop-in for a vegan donut. Dun-Well Donuts, which are sold at Champs are: 1. Amazing 2. Vegan! and 3. Made in Brooklyn. Unfortunately I threw my donut in a bag to transport it on the metro so I didn't take a picture of it but I can attest to its tastiness. Champs is just one of several locations where Dun-Well sells their donut, and next time I hope to visit their main digs.



While I was there for my donut I noticed that they had lots of brunch items on their menu and so on the last day of my trip I went to try some of their food.

Does anyone else feel completely overwhelmed with the choices at vegan restaurants? It's anxiety inducing! While I had plenty of time to make a calm, rational choice for my breakfast at Champs, I let myself get bogged down by all the choices and instead of going for the Croque Monsieur or the Monte Cristo I opted for the Cowgirl Scramble.



Which is not to say I did not enjoy my scramble! Tofu, kidney beans, bell peppers, corn, potatoes, cheese and avocado piled on a thick piece of texas toast - how can you go wrong? In retrospect I wish I had gone for one of the more decadent vegan options like the Croque or one of the more healthful veggie bowls. I played it safe though.



I loved the laid back vibe here and the big yellow booths and I would love to go back and attend one of their Drive-In Dine-In events. Every last Sunday of the month Champs plays a movie and creates a matching menu. For example one month they played "Good Morning, Vietnam" and served it with vegan shrimp spring rolls, pho, and espresso flan. Last month they played "A Bronx Tale" and served a 3 course Italian menu. Fun!



Location:

176 Ainslie St
Brooklyn, NY

Hours:

Mon - Friday: 8am - 10pm
Saturday: 10am - 10pm
Sunday: 10am - 6pm

Where to Eat Vegan: Caravan of Dreams - East Village, NYC

While in New York with Rachel Lee a few weeks ago I finally had the pleasure of trying Caravan Of Dreams. Organic, all vegan and certified kosher - this place came with several recommendations from friends. We stopped in for brunch on a Saturday at 12pm and were pleasantly surprised that there was a vacant balcony seat. As our food started to arrive we marveled at how quiet the restaurant seemed for a weekend brunch but no sooner had we commented on it then the restaurant filled up.




Among the offerings we had to consider were: French Toast, Berry Spelt Pancakes, Beet Raviolis, Seitan Nachos, Spanish Paella, Risotto Croquettes, a few amazing looking sandwiches and the Lover's Salad (avocado, olives, mango, pine nuts, veggies, dried berries, and balsamic shiitake dressing).

Being the predictable and heartily appetited ladies that we are we both went for a burrito.





Rachel got the Caravan Burrito stuffed with Seitan, black beans, Spanish rice, sautéed vegetables, guacamole and salsa. I never thought I would see Rachel eat a burrito with a knife and fork. But, like I said...we're ladies.

I went for the Breakfast Burrito potatoes, sautéed kale, guacamole, smoked tofu, chile de árbol. I'm a sucker for the kale. My only qualm was that I would have liked some of the sour cream sauce that Rachel had served with hers but thats really only because the chile sauce was too spicy for me and so I didn't use much - leaving my burrito to be a little on the dry side.




For dessert (yes dessert for breakfast, so what) I got the banana filled crepes topped with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry coconut ice cream. Rachel got the Carrot Cake with Buttercream Icing. The crepes and bananas were perfect but the cake was a little too nutty for me and seemed very heavy on cinnamon. In any case it was devoured!

Location:

405 E 6th Street
East Village

Hours:

11-11 Sunday through Monday
11-12am Saturday
Brunch until 5pm every day woo!