Traveling in Chania, Crete, Greece with Amy

While in Chania, Crete, Greece in June I had the great pleasure of discovering two vegetarian restaurants—one new and one new to me that has been around for 8 or 9 years—both delicious. Vegetarian restaurants that offer vegan options feel surprisingly like an oasis in a country known for its healthy cuisine. Although plant food is readily accessible here, it is very often mixed or topped with cheese, yogurt or butter. Even bread and dry pasta which is often simple plant ingredients fairly often have some milk or yogurt added in the making.

Fava dip or Santorini fava (1)

We rented a lovely two story home on the east end of the harbor. When we arrived at late lunch time, we put our stuff down and headed down the block to the sea, took in the view and the sea air and turned west to head toward the central harbor. The coastline in Chania is organized in a series of bowl shaped harbors with either natural or man made edges to each bowl. As we came to the edge of the first of these we spotted To Stachi. The hand painted sign read, “organic” and “vegetarian.” I was immediately drawn to the place and a bit incredulous that we would happen on vegetarian restaurant on our first e

xplore of the trip.

Aubergine and dolmades (2)

As we settled into a table on the sidewalk, the chef came out to tell us about all of the dishes served that day. I asked about which ones were vegan and was surprised to learn how many of their mostly traditional Greek dishes were. We ordered fava dip, a roasted aubergine dish and spinach pie. The waitperson suggested with get the hummus instead of the fava as “you can get that anywhere,” but I love it and was happy with the choice. Although it is called fava dip and sometimes Santorini fava, it is essentially pureed split peas, not fava beans. To Stachi’s version came with raw onions and small dried olives (see photo 1). The spinach pie was a real treat because spinach pie in most places has cheese in it and it is often made with butter as well as olive oil. Sometimes the filo or other dough is made with milk in it. The aubergine dish was beautiful, unusual and delicious topped with balsamic “crème”, pine nuts and raisins and served with two dolmades (see photo 2).

Vegan Apple Cake (3)

They brought us a taste of their yummy (still warm) hummus made with avocado and tahini. As is the tradition in much of Greece, they brought a complementary dessert. Delightfully, it was a vegan apple cake and very tasty (see photo 3). A few days later we returned for their vegan moussaka and a lentil and rice soup. Both also delicious.

After finding To Stachi, I decided to check Happy Cow (happycow.net) to see if there were others nearby. Remarkably there was one more completely vegetarian just about 10 miles out of the center of town. Using other restaurant search engines, there are lots of restaurants listed as vegetarian friendly, but as mentioned above these can be tricky for people choosing to eat only foods from plant sources.

Old House Tavern (4)

The Old House Tavern is a breakfast and lunch place that is associated with the Sea Shell Apartments in Pyrgos Psilonerou (see photo 4). The dining room is right on the main road through this little beach town tucked between two seaside towns, Maleme and Gerani. The older stone building with very thick walls has been refurbished and it is light and cool inside even when the weather is it is warm outside. I was so excited about the menu that the two of us ordered 4 dishes—the tahini salad, the chickpeas with coconut sauce, the hummus and falafel plate (see photo 5) and a special dish for the day called vegetable with Chinese noodles.

Hummus and Falafel Plate (5)

All 4 were tasty. I loved the salad which featured pomegranate seeds, nuts, cucumber, greens, sweet cherry tomatoes and a slightly sweet tahini dressing. (see photo 6) The chickpea dish was a coconut curry with bright flavors served over rice (see photo 7). The Chinese noodles dish was sautéed slivered vegetables (peppers, corn, eggplant, and onion) tossed with ramen-style noodles (see photo 8). Deliciously salty and filling. We ended up taking home about half of the curry and the noodle dish and incorporated them into later meals. The complimentary dessert was lovely watermelon and cherries served with a shot glass of coffee liqueur. In all a real treat.

Tahini Salad (6) 

Chinese Noodles (8)

 

Chickpeas and Coconut Sauce (7) 

All this to say, if you find yourself in Chania, I highly recommend visiting these two excellent establishments. 

Two Superb Vegan Restaurant Reports

Sweet potato fries at Forever Vegan

The vagabond travelers have returned to the USA after many months in Mexico. We spent several days in Mexico City in La Roma (neighborhood) where we returned to one of our favorite vegan restaurants - "Forever Vegan". (https://www.forevervegano.com/) In fact we went 3 days in a row because there were several items to try. Though I love cooking, I am thrilled when I find a restaurant where I do not have to ask so many questions and where people are glad to be providing plants to the public. This was my favorite dish....sweet potato fries with cashew cream dressing.

Living Burrito - wrapped in collard green
beans, cauliflower rice, guacamole, cashew sour cream

Manicotti with zucchini noodle and
cashew ricotta cheese

One of the great things that makes traveling fun, even frequenting the same places more than once is the new restaurants that appear from time to time. In our travels I see that there is an increasing interest in healthier plant based food. 

Tomatico Tart - almond tart with veggies
and cashew mascarpone cream

Now we are back in our hometown area - Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NC. I say hometown because it is where we have a home and community even though we haven't lived here for close to 8 years. Catching up with friends is our greatest pastime and this week we had two chances to try "Living Kitchen" in Chapel Hill. What a treat, and we need to return to try a few more items on the menu. http://livingkitchen.com/    

Each night we shared the tiramisu - yummmmmm.

I have taken several photos to help myself remember these combinations and to share them with you. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone, plant based or not.

Rawco Taco with walnut - almond meat,
avocado, etc.

Pad Thai with zucchini and sweet
potato noodles

Tiramisu - layers of almond-hazelnut crumble,
 cacao and vanilla cashew cream

 

Colorful plant based foods in San Cris, Chiapas, MX

Colorful beans at the market

I just realized that it has been nearly one year since writing a post on this blog....yikes....it is not because there have not been travels, nor delicious meals. I guess life just got the best of me. Both Amy and I will try to do better this year in keeping up with our travel adventures.

Menu on the wall

Heart of palm ceviche

We are back in San Cristobal de las Casas, in Chiapas, MX. This is a place that is dear to our hearts and imagine the surprise when we found ourselves invited to a special "Vegan Italian Feast". It is amazing how we all find ourselves wherever we are. The fact is that San Cris is a very plant food friendly place with many restaurant options and markets galore with fresh fruits and veggies. See last year's post about many new fruits that I found.

Because this was such a special meal and because I am so unused to going to parties where I do not need to ask any questions, I thought I would share the menu and these pictures of the foods.

My heaping plate of deliciousness

First course was the ceviche with hearts of palm. This was followed by meatballs (both with and without gluten) and pasta (same about the gluten). On the side were loads of grilled vegetables. 

Vegan "meat" balls

Grilled veggies

The dessert was banana bread (cake) with a cream of cashews. 

Yummy dessert

Not only the food was great but it was a chance to meet new folks that live mostly year round here in and are connected with these monthly events. The community in San Cris is very international and inter generational and often Spanish is the most common language.This month's event was held at El Tzitz, the cooking school located on the same property that we live. The garden is filled with beautiful flowers which we get to experience everyday.

Our garden

 Thank you again for traveling with us on our vegan food adventures.

Colorful foods of Chiapas, Mexico

As we are heading out tomorrow from this Mayan world of Chiapas for San Miguel de Allende, I wanted to make sure to tell you about the various colorful and delicious treats we discovered during the last few months here in San Cristobal de las Casas. These tostadas are so colorful and tasty - different flavors such as beet, cilantro, black bean, other herbs, etc. Why eat them plan when there is such a choice?

Rambutan

And now, for some amazing fruits. First is a Rambutan - messy haired fruit with juicy white flesh. It is thought to be native to Malaysia and Indonesia but is also populat throughout Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese name is chôm chôm meaning "messy hair", a fitting description of the fuzzy outer layer. Inside the fruit is like a larger juicier version of a lychee, with soft white flesh and an inedible seed. It is only available in Mexico for a short period of time, but we were lucky enough to enjoy it.

Caimito Fruit

The following week at the farmers market we encountered a caimito which has numerous common names, including cainito, caimito, star apple, golden leaf tree, abiaba, pomme de lait, estrella, milk fruit and aguay. It is beautiful inside with a purple star and sweet taste.

Annona (Custard apple)

Annona inside

Another fruit is the Annona is also called the Custard apple and the fruit is sweet and pleasant. One can eat the whole inside but it is necessary to remove all the small pits. It is similar to the cherimoya which I have written about in the past.

Granada china

And lastly, the granada china. Sometimes incorrectly translated as "passion fruit" because it is related, the granada china does not taste much like a true passion fruit, although its unique flavor and consistency are much prized by aficionados, who call it the "caviar of fruits." An egg-shaped fruit with a hard yellow-orange shell is cut open to reveal a soft grayish pulp, which is eaten right out of the shell with a spoon. Granada china can be tested for ripeness by shaking it for the sound of the ripe flesh moving inside. (Information taken from this website: http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2133-exotic-summer-refreshment-a-guide-to-mexico-s-tropical-fruit)

Back in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Saturday's farmers market

We returned to one of our favorite spots in the world in March after our long European adventure. It is nice to be staying in the same place for an extended period (until June). While I wrote about favorite restaurants and food adventures last year, I find that there are always new and different ideas that come my way, especially with regards to our plant based lifestyle. Here I will share with you some new foods, recipes and random pictures and thoughts.

Our weekly organic "Tiangus" or market is a full of delicious veggies and fruits and the prices are amazing. Each week I go with about 100-150 pesos ($7-$10 US) of change and usually do not spend it all. This bounty, including bread was under ten dollars. 

Granada China

One of the first new fruits that I encountered was a "Granada China" or "Chinese Pomegranate". The inside is a gelatinous sack of seeds and once the fruit is cut in half, you just eat all the insides with a spoon. Though it did not look appetizing to me at first, the taste was delicious.  From the internet I found this picture and information of the various nutrients that it contains. (For more information ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_ligularis).

Caimito or Cayumito

Today at the farmers market I encountered another new fruit - the Caimito which is a beautiful purple and white fruit with a delicious taste. If it is cut correctly a star of purple shows....you can see half of this star in several of these pieces. Here also is information from wikipedia..."The fruit is purple and green and usually with is a star pattern. The seeds are brown and hard. The fruits are delicious as a dessert - sweet. "We enjoyed trying this fruit together with our friends Erin and Philip at our weekly breakfast after the market. 

We have had a number of visitors and it gives us a great chance to visit different areas around San Cris. One visit was to the city of Comitan (about 2 hours from here). You may remember that we were there for 3 weeks volunteering several years ago. We happened into a beautiful restaurant in  "La Casa del Marquis de Camillas".  At first glance we did not find anything vegan on the menu but asked a few questions and the chef came and was thrilled to make me some special items. First a delicious vegetable soup and then an amazing salad of fruits and vegetables, presented so beautifully. We will surely return to this restaurant with a beautiful courtyard of flowers and artwork. I will remind you all that you can always ask for items not found on menus and usually, especially in areas with world travelers, the staff will accommodate a request for a totally plant based menu.

Several trips to the little textile village of Zinacantan brought us to this local family who prepared us home made tortillas and served them with a tasty powder of toasted pumpkin seeds. It was explained that animal protein was rare in this indigenous village and so rarely eaten. This is a very good option for getting protein. I was intrigued to try and make it myself which I did (see my recipe below). It is great served on warm tortillas, but also in salad, on stew or wherever.


Pumpkin seed topping (Polvo de pepita de calabaza)

Toast raw pumpkin seeds for 5-10 minutes
Process in food processor for a few minutes till powder
Add salt to taste (optional)

Amy and Sophie ... "Celebrating in San Francisco”

Celebrating in San Francisco

In early January 2016, Sophie and I took advantage of our recently won right to legally marry in North Carolina. We were headed to San Francisco for the Society for Classical Studies Conference where she was to be honored with a national teaching award. We decided to consider this trip a honeymoon of sorts for our sweet and low fanfare legal union. While in SF we ate and drank well. Here are some reflections on these culinary explorations.

San Francisco is home to a number of remarkable all vegan eateries. This visit I was able to visit just one of these, but I ate well and plant-based (though not always low-fat) throughout the 4-day trip. We stayed at a huge conference hotel just off Union Square.

Dinner day 1—Sophie and I were quite hungry by the time we arrived at our hotel in the early evening, so we explored our choices in a two-block area and decided to try an Indian restaurant called New Delhi (newdelhirestaurant.com). The interior was grand with high ceilings and elaborate decorations and as it was quite early California time (6ish) it was not too crowded yet. We started with a vegetarian platter of appetizers that included mint and tamarind chutney, a papadum, a samosa, two onion bhaji, and 4 pakora. The menu had a wide array of main dish vegetarian choices so we branched out a bit and tried two dishes which were unfamiliar. In my experience it is rare to find vegetables in the Tandoori section of an Indian restaurant menu. The dish was called Vegetable Shaslik. It was essentially grilled mushrooms, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, onions tossed in a hot aromatic mix of spices. Sophie chose an eggplant curry with tamarind. I learned for the first time that she is a fan of tamarind. It was sweet and tangy, with a lovely soft eggplant texture and delicious over pullao rice. We added yellow dahl to the order and together the 3 dishes complemented each other spectacularly well.

Breakfast day 2—We met my Dad and Barbar who came in from Washington State to celebrate with us around 9 AM and went in search of tea and a quick breakfast. We ended up at the hotel grab and go location and I had a very nice bowl of steel cut oats with raisins and walnuts that came in separate little dishes and the requisite cup of English Breakfast tea. Definitely SF hotel prices, but all 4 of us with different dietary priorities were able to find something suitable.

Lunch day 2—A requisite San Francisco experience! Sophie had never been on a cable car so the 4 of us walked to the end of the Hyde and Powell line to take the cable car to Ghirardelli Square and to visit the Buena Vista café—home of renowned Irish Coffees (thebuenavista.com). When we arrived at the start of the line we learned (courtesy of a person selling papers to raise money for people living without homes in the city) that line was not running due to some works problem. However, and here is the good part, if we just stood on a particular corner we would see a free shuttle bus that would take us to our destination at the other end of the cable car line. And, lo an’ behold about 20 minutes later after an interesting city tour we were dropped off in front of the Buena Vista.

I now know that a whipped cream-free Irish is called a “royale”. And when I asked the waitperson for help with finding a vegan lunch (after having difficulty finding something both meat and dairy free on the menu), she smartly suggested an avocado, lettuce and tomato sandwich on whole-wheat toast (even their veggie burger had cheese in it), which came with a vegetable side. A perfectly nice lunch in great company at a table with a view of the San Francisco bay.

Dinner day 2—After watching the sun go down and the city light up at the bar on the 46^th floor of our hotel, we went in search of more delicious food. It had been thunder storming on and off all day so we were in again in search of something nearby. We landed at an Italian Restaurant called Puccini and Pinetti (pucciniandpinetti.com). With a few questions and a bit of negotiation, I found myself with an awesome warm spinach salad topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms and red peppers, decorated with candied walnuts (subbed for the gorgonzola cheese). The whole thing was well tossed with an appropriate amount of balsamic dressing. In addition, ordered a side of their special vegetable of the day: roasted Brussels sprouts and a side of truffle fries. The sprouts were cooked perfectly, but the fries were a bit disappointing—not particularly hot and topped with parmesan cheese. Maybe the universe was trying to remind me not to overconsume fat!

Fresh rolls at Old Siam

Breakfast day 3 (and 4)—We tried the Taylor Street Coffee Shop (taylorstreetcoffeeshop.com/) which we had passed up the day before because it was crowded and tiny (about 8 feet wide!) Barbar had read reviews of it on the Web and said it was highly rated. Walking across the street to it’s entrance we had to circumnavigate an huge wall of garbage cans and recycling piles, but once on the list we were seated in about 5 minutes and were treated to a fresh made delicious breakfast. Again, I had to work with the waitperson to find a vegan offering (other than cereal or toast), but they kindly worked with me to put together a delicious pile of hashbrowns topped with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, with sourdough toast and a side of avocado. The plate was garnished with sliced strawberry and orange. We liked our food so much we went back the next day. I had the same thing except I added side of greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Spicy eggplant with tofu and basil at Old Siam

Mango Fantasy

Lunch day 3—Sophie and I both love Thai food and enjoy trying it in new locations. In between her conference sessions we dined at The Old Siam Restaurant (201 Ellis Street, Union Squatre). I had tasty versions of my favorite dishes…fresh rolls (filled with salad and a bit of tofu) with a hoisin like dipping sauce and spicy eggplant with tofu and basil. Sophie tried a new to her dish on the lunch special which was tofu and vegetables over rice topped with peanut sauce and a beautiful drink called a “mango fantasy.” I had unsweetened Thai ice tea without the milk and it was quite good.

Dinner day 3—On this evening we had the great pleasure of dining with a dear friend, Claudia who is a very long time resident of the area. She met us at the hotel at about 7PM and took us on a walking tour of the city that landed us at one of her favorite vegan restaurants called Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant (www.enjoyveggie.com). We started with steamed hand made dumplings that were delicate and tasty and dipped them in a dark soy and vinegar sauce. The next course was an outstanding (egg free!) hot and sour soup with handmade wontons and big colorful slivers of vegetables. We then chose 3 entrees—a spinach-like greens dish not on the menu with a ginger and fermented sauce, braised spareribs with daikon and eggplant with spicy garlic sauce. The vegan spareribs dish was amazing-aromatic, tangy and a lovely blend of flavors. The textures of the dish were even more remarkable. I had never cooked daikon before and it was soft but still maintained a bit of the radish crunch, the napa cabbage in the dish was soft and luxurious, the shitake mushrooms slippery and the veggie sparerib was chewy and complexly flavored. It was all served up with delicious tea. The meal here was decidedly the culinary highlight of the trip.

Lunch day 4—Lunch the next day was at a Mediterranean takeout place called Oasis Grill. We had a falafel wrap in lavosh and sides of baba ganoush and tabouli. At this point, I dubbed this my eggplant tour of San Francisco. Good, fast, and reasonably priced.

Spicy eggplant at Lers Ros

Mango curry at Lers Ros

Dinner day 4—After celebrating Sophie’s award in the evening at the conference. We trekked a half mile into the tenderloin area of SF to find a highly rated Thai Restaurant called Lers Ros. Unfortunately, we got there quite late and there was a line out the door and a 30-plus-minute wait so we headed back towards the hotel and stopped at a different Thai restaurant that advertised a vegan and halal menu. Not surprisingly, I had spicy eggplant with basil again. This time with brown rice and Sophie had Mango Red Curry. It was filling and tasty…though not memorable enough to remember the restaurant name.

Even on our long trek home the next day we found healthy vegan food at SF airport and Houston airport. Kind of amazing. One has to look carefully sometimes, ask questions nicely sometimes, and do a bit of negotiating sometimes, but there is whole food plant-based meals in all sorts of unlikely places!

A Masterful Use of Spices and Flavors

I can count on one hand the vegetarian restaurants I know that I would plan a trip around—one of these, Am Spices of India, is in the city center of Albuquerque, New Mexico. I recently had the opportunity to visit this restaurant for the second, third and fourth times!

Sophie and I have gone to the Southwestern Popular Culture Association Conference held in Albuquerque in February for 2 years running. Last year, we discovered one of these favorite spots, Am Spices of India on our last night in town and were eager to get back.

Am Spices is a small colorful, friendly, but unassuming sort of place. The table tops sport bright flowery artsy images and a small buffet bar splits the seating area of the restaurant into 2 small rooms with about 3 tables each. The proprietor is very welcoming and was helpful in selecting the vegan items off the all vegetarian menu. Very few dishes contained dairy products—usually milk or yogurt, they use oil rather than ghee in the curries.  He seemed pleased that we returned daily for the three days we were in town.

Here’s why: the food was outstanding. The flavors of each dish and beverage were remarkable—well conceived and exceptionally well crafted. The food is fresh tasting, remarkably flavorful, attractive, and not overly oily. On the night we arrived in town, we started with a house made Masala iced tea served without milk. The flavor combination was unusual—ginger, cardamom, mint, lemon, and other spices—and memorable. Not too sweet, too spicy or too tangy.

Gobi Manchurian

We also shared a dish called, Gobi Manchurian, which is described on the menu as a “fusion cauliflower curry with Chinese influence cooked with a combination of vegetables and spicy sauces” served with white rice topped with fresh herbs. (see photo) Its rather intriguing but vague description belies its beautiful complexity.  Perfectly cooked chunks of breaded cauliflower were submerged in an undeciferable mix of spices and other flavors. At first taste, both of us stopped to carefully notice and savor it. We were not intentionally being mindful, but were pulled into a meditative food reverie by the delicious flavor and texture combination in our mouths.

Chaat Combo Platter

We also ordered the Chaat Combo which featured Idli Chaat, Samosa Chaat and Aloo Tikki Chaat. I had anticipated a plate with these different foods arranged on a platter with chutneys to dip into, instead it came served rather more like a filling appetizer salad with the Chaats cut into bite-sized pieces and topped with chickpea wafers and various vegetables and chutneys. (see photo) Each bite was a new flavor sensation. I could tell which were the samosa bites, but the other two were unfamiliar. It was a remarkable combination of flavors—sweet, fruity, spicy, green, allium, savory—and a delightful contrast of textures, warm creamy, cool crunchy, firm juicy, among others. 

Lunch buffet - with Dahl,
mixed vegetable curry,
pilau rice and an
eggplant and potato curry.

We returned the next day for lunch--we couldn’t wait to get back there--and tried the lunch buffet. We enjoyed dahl, mixed vegetable curry, another curry (ask Sophie), pilao rice, and fresh made Puri, a puffy bread to dip into the saucy curries.

On the 3^rd visit with returned to the Gobi Manchurian (just as amazing the second time around) and tried the Bombay Bhel, described as a “tasty mixture of puffed rice, crispy chickpea noodles, and wafers topped with diced vegetables and chutneys. And, tasty, it was. (see photo)

Bombay Bhel

All this to say, two things: one, sometimes one can find amazing and memorable food experiences in unlikely places and, two, I urge you to visit Am Spices of India (amspicesofindia.com) should you find ever find yourself in Albuquerque!

In case you are wondering, my other favorite restaurants (in my life so far) are the vegetarian oasis, Avocado in Athens, Greece, the startlingly beautiful Sublime in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and happily, the astonishingly creative Plant in Asheville, NC, which is my home town.