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On our most recent trip to Colorado we ate at the (horrible) VG Burgers and (outstanding) Watercourse Foods.  Both of these places had something in common, they served Oogave sodas.  Sweetened with agave nectar, the drinks are some of the best I have found since quitting the acid infested drinks such as Coke and Pepsi a few years ago.  They come in six flavors: Cola, Root Beer, Ginger Ale, Grapefruit, Watermelon Cream and Mandarin-Key Lime.    I tried all except for Grapefruit and found the best, in my opinion were all of them!  At first the Ginger Ale had no flavor I thought but after taking a drink I tasted fresh ginger, not the artificial ginger-like flavor of typical Ginger Ale.   After realizing these could not be found in local stores I called Stephen,  the owner, and asked if I could get some to take home and he agreed to meet me at the offices where I could pick up a case.  With a case of Esteban’s Cola loaded into my trunk I left happy.  He told me plans were being made to have them in Whole Foods stores soon in western US but no plans for the east, yet.  Hopefully, soon we’ll see them around here.

No more missed opportunities.

Our third day in the place we are supposed to be living.   The public transportation system in Denver is great, hybrid buses, cable cars and bike lanes on nearly every major road.  Traffic during the morning and afternoon rush isn’t very bad and I am sure it is because of that transportation system.   This day, after spending the first part of the day an event that energized and motivated me in ways I never thought possible, we went back to Watercourse Foods.   After that delicious goods we had the day before it was an easy pick.   This time I opted for the Reuben with sweet potato homefries and onion rings, Elizabeth had the Eggplant Parmesan mashed potatoes and onion rings and our daughter had the Vegan Buckwheat Pancake (she loves breakfast foods).   The Reuben was prepared with chopped portobello mushrooms, red cabbage slaw and vegan Russian dressing.  Being a connoisseur of Reubens, this one was excellent and the portobello is a very good alternative to the many Reubens I have had made with tofu.  Elizabeth didn’t like her Eggplant Parmesan as much as The  Grinder which she had the day before, she said the breading was not crisp enough.   The huge buckwheat pancake our daughter had didn’t last long, nor did the berries and banana it was served with.   Watercourse Foods is the best vegan restaurant we have visited to this point.

 Vegan Reuben

Following munchies we drove  to Colorado Springs and walked around Garden Of The Gods, a place we go to every time we visit the area.  Our daughter loved climbing on the rocks and it is a very nice quiet place to walk.   After we made a stop at Pikes Perk coffee.  The coffee beans they use have always been the best I have ever had.   It’s has been about 6 months since I have had any substantial caffeine so I had a decaf double mocha.  Before leaving I picked up a bag of the espresso roast, I will probably get back on the coffee binge as the cooler weather starts and I might as well start back with the best I can find.

Oh, I guess you want to to know what that big event was earlier in the day.

Our second day involved doing many things around Denver.  One of those was lunch at Watercourse Foods.  After my bad experience at VG Burgers I knew it could only get better, and it did.  After we found our destination we grabbed a to-go menu just to check out our choices before committing ourselves as we usually do when trying a restaurant for the first time.   Too many choices, but how many are vegan?  Then I saw the line at the bottom, “All Items Can Be Made Vegan.”  Perfect!

After being seated we started looking over the menu, our daughter had her own kid’s menu and since breakfast was available until 5pm she wanted the kid’s BBFT (Banana Bread French Toast).   After looking for a bit I settled on the Po Boy with sides of onion rings and mashed potatoes and gravy, with a bit of help from our server Eryn, and Elizabeth had The Grinder, shaved seitan, grilled onions and peppers on french bread served with au jus and sides of broccoli and fries.   We were soon served plates piled with food.  My daughter’s french toast was two thick slices of banana bread french toast served with maple syrup, berries and banana slices.  Her love of berries is deep, those went quick.   My po poy was a deep fried hunk of diced portobello topped with slaw on a bun, peel-on mashed potatoes and brown gravy and four huge onion rings.   Elizabeth’s sandwich was piled with shaved seitan, she had second thoughts on the brocolli after seeing my onion rings.

Banana Bread French Toast

The Grinder

Portobello Po Boy

After lunch Eryn asked if we cared for dessert, we usually have to give a no to this but she told us all were vegan!   Splurge!  She brought out a tray with six or so selections but the Tiramisu was an easy choice as we have not had it since going vegan.  It was topped with shaved chocolate and after asking I found they used a tofutti mixture to replace the marscapone.  I didn’t taste much in the way of rum but I believe it was there.  Overall, delicious.

Our sandwiches were $10 each including sides and the kid’s menu selections ar $3.50 each.  Desserts are $6 bringing our total to about $30 plus tax.   A much better eat than VG Burgers and at less cost.  Definitely a must-visit-again.

Interesting sign at the Butterfly Pavilion.

Short Post:

We began our first trip in 5 years to Colorado on Friday morning and arrived yesterday.   We had planned on spending our first day in Boulder and our lunch was at VG Burgers.  I had been looking forward to VG Burgers since finding out about the place and the idea of burgers, chili-cheese fries and milkshakes (all vegan!) was exciting to a foodie.   After finding our hotel  and getting the day of multi-state driving washed off we headed out.  Being hungry VG Burgers would be the first stop.  A small diner-ish place it looked perfect for finding good vegan eats.  I had a 1/4 pound veggie burger, chili-cheese fries and an agave-sweetened root beer.  My wife had the tempeh BBQ burger, large fries and the agave-sweetened cola and my daughter the nuggets and small fries.  I think my expectations were too high or this place just doesn’t cut it.  The microwaved patties were placed onto cold buns.  I make a better veggie burger at home and to top it off the veggie burger selections are Amy’s patties.  The nuggets are Boca, same you buy at the store in the frozen section and the fries, while  baked, just seemed not fully cooked.  I will give the agave-sweetened drinks good points but not enough to warrant a return trip.  VG Burgers in Boulder would rank as some of the worst vegan food I have encountered and at the price, $36 for the three of us, it can’t get much worse.  Burgers are $6 each and small fries are $3, far too pricey considering they are serving the same thing I can buy at a grocery store.

Afterwards, we visited Pearl Street Mall and walked around for a few hours.  Our last visit didn’t give up the time to see most of Boulder.   We went to Savory Spice Shop where we bought some Black Onyx Dutch Cocoa for making cupcakes and fake-hostess cakes.  They were having a grand opening and giving out free beer and wine, so a beer I had.

Next up: Denver and Watercourse Bakery

PETA has released a video documenting animal abouse in a factory farm supplying pigs for Hormel Foods.  The video documents piglets being slammed to the ground and sows being abused at the hands of workers.  Some of the abouse documented includes:

(from peta.org)

• A supervisor shoved a cane into a sow’s vagina, struck her on the back about 17 times, and then struck another sow.
• Multiple pigs were beaten with metal gate rods, and lacerations were found on more than 30 sows - which is probably evidence of more abuse.
• A worker hit a young pig in the face four times with the edge of a herding board, and investigators witnessed dozens of similar incidents involving this worker and 11 other workers.
• Two men - including a supervisor - were witnessed jabbing clothespins into pigs’ eyes and faces. A supervisor also poked two animals in the eyes with his fingers.
• A supervisor kicked a young pig in the face, abdomen, and genitals to make her move and told PETA’s investigator, “You gotta beat on the bitch. Make her cry.”
• A worker who weighed an estimated 315 lbs. punched a sow on the back three times and said that he sat on a sow’s head.

We all know that factory farms create horror for animals everyday and even when they are caught people never get the picture and realize it is wrong.  I know people I could show this video to and they would respond with “They’re going to be eaten anyway!”.  People disgust me.

Graphic video:

If you read my post a few months back about St. Augustine you will remember me mentioning Rita’s Italian Ice.   Rita’s now has a location in Hermitage at 4219 Lebanon Pike.  All of the Italian Ices are vegan and delicious.  Mango is the best with Alex’s Lemonade not far behind.  Black Cherry is also a good choice as is Tangerine and Pineapple.  The vanilla is tasty as well.  Ok, ALL of the flavors are great!

I am partial to the beachside location in St. Augustine but it is good to have a location nearby.

Free regular size Italian Ices through next week!  MANGO! MANGO!

You may have looked at the giant green banana in the produce section and wondered what to do with it.   Plantains are one of my favorite munchies.   Usually served with tropical dishes, plantains are starchy and sweet only when they have black spots or are completely black, a state you would not should not eat a typical banana in, at least I wouldn’t because eating a black spotted banana is improper and should only be done in secrecy as it will bring shame to your family.

You can prepare fried or baked plantains, crisp and salty or soft and sweet which I prefer and will discuss here.  Start with a semi-ripe plantain with black spots, not completely black.  The plantain should give lightly to a soft squeeze.  Peeling a plantain is not as easy as peeling a banana.  To start cut the ends off of the plantain and cut 4-5 vertical incisions down the length of the plantain only cutting through the peel.  Next, pull each strip of peel off until you have a peeled plantain.   Cut the plantain in half and then slice each half lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Arrange the slices in a shallow pan with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-low heat.   Don’t cook them over very high heat as the sugar content can cause the plantain to burn quickly.  About 8 minutes per side until dark brown flipping each slice as needed should do.   Occasionally, I’ll add a dash of allspice or cinnamon to the slices but most often I add nothing to them as they are perfect unseasoned.   When finished cooking move each slice to a plate with a paper towel to remove and excess oil then munch!

Start with a semi-ripe plantain with black spots.   Yes, a Shun knife works best.

Cut each end off of the plantain before peeling.

Cut the peel lengthwise 4-5 times down the entire length.

Pull each strip of peel off individually to peel the plantain.

Cut the plantain in half

Slice each half into 1/4″ thick slices.

Arrange slices in a pan over medium-low heat with 2 TBS of vegetable oil.

Flip the slices when they become dark brown, about 8 minutes each side.

Yummy!

Great served with my favorite junk-food, veggie burgers!

I read an article today on Slate about whether vegans consider honey vegan.    I never knew a vegan who didn’t or knew of any information contradicting its non-vegan status.   With honey being produced by the bees as their food that should earn the tag of not-vegan pretty easily.  Add to that the fact that some beekeepers kill off their bees at the end of the season and now beekeepers are spraying their hives with cow urine to promote the health of the colony.  Cow urine….mmm tasty!

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