July 2011
67 posts
Red Beans & Rice With Vegan Sausage & Cilantro
It is recipe time again…so I decided to go to the Sunflower Market and grab everything that I need for the Red Beans and Rice with Vegan Sausage and Cilantro. If you have not been to Sunflower Market…well, it is store where you can find health and wellness products, supplements, fresh baked goods, bulk items, pantry goods, beautiful organic and regular produce and just about...
“‘Thou Shalt not kill’ does not apply to murder on one’s own...”
– Leo Tolstoy
2nd Serve from Ping Pong
Thai food two days in a row? I know it seems excessive. Unless you are the one eating it…and then you would know that this is extremely logical behavior. When I mentioned in yesterday’s blog about my other favorite Thai restaurant not on E. Sahara…I received a few questions about just exactly what I was referring to. Ping Pong. No, not Forrest Gump’s favorite game....
“I’ve found that without question that the best way to lead others to a...”
– Bernie Wilke
Eating Kind at Komol
What is the likelihood that two of the best Thai restaurants in Las Vegas not on E. Sunset would both be located about a football field’s length from one another in the same shopping center on E. Sahara? Not likely…but this in fact is just how it is. As I am getting out of my car I look to the left and see the well-known Lotus of Siam, winners of numerous awards. Today, though, was...
“I eat everything that nature voluntarily gives: fruit, vegetables and the...”
– Author Unknown
Kabuki Onstage for Great Eats
Kabuki is classical Japanese dance/drama and can sometimes be somewhat out of the ordinary. Kabuki Restaurant in Town Square is the first foray into Nevada of this predominantly Southern California restaurant group. While holding onto some tradition it also offers its own style a little out of the ordinary in a beautiful but casual atmosphere. The main reason for going to Kabuki of course is the...
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on...”
– Albert Einstein
“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as...”
– Thomas Jefferson
Brunch is Beautiful...
In the short time that Pura Vida Bakery and Bystro has been open, I have had breakfast, lunch. and a special grand opening dinner. Each meal has provided creative, beautiful, and delicious vegan food. I left each meal a little better than when I had come in. It is a place like no other and you have to just love Chef Mayra and the rest of the staff and all the wonderful they bring our way. The...
Panevino Perfecto
My dear sister Letty and her husband Juan were in town visiting. Because of schedules I had not had the opportunity to see them but for a very short while. It was their last night in town and though it was a work night for me, I had about a two-hour window to make it happen. I needed someplace close to where I was, but I wanted to get them off the Strip. Somewhere with wonderful atmosphere and...
“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have...”
– Edward Stanley
A Warm Ethiopian Night at Merkato
I remember the first time, years ago, that I sampled Ethiopian cuisine. I was not really sure what I was eating at first, though very tasty, and I was curious as to why there were no utensils and why I was eating my food with a sponge? Well, it wasn’t really a sponge, but it kind of looked like one. I was not sure to make of it a first. But I was soon won over by the flavors and just...
“My refusing to eat flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently...”
– Benjamin Franklin
Il Bacio Dolce
There is nothing like a sweet kiss at the end of a long day. And that is exactly what I received last night in visiting Bacio at the newly-remodeled Tropicana. Bacio is the passionate creation of Chef Carla Pellegrino, formerly of Rao’s renown. Bacio is Italian for “kiss” and I believe this speaks of the Chef’s heart and passion that she has put into this restaurant. A...
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.”
– Jim Rohn
Finding A Protein Bomb Burrito
Truth of the matter is that most people eat much more protein than they actually need and what the body knows what to do with. We consume more protein now than we ever have before and yet we face a health crisis. I believe there is a correlation when getting your protein from meat and dairy, and I am not alone in that thinking. It is one of the questions that vegans, especially, get asked all...
“When diet is wrong medicine is of no use. When diet is correct medicine is of no...”
– Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb
Vegan Pizza at Radio City Pizzeria
I was sitting at a tall table in the Radio City Pizzeria in beautiful TIvoli Village when I heard the pizza-maker close the pizza oven door and shout out something I know I have never hear before, “A few more minutes for that Vegan pie!” And I was especially glad to hear that since that pie was for me…I had heard that the new Radio City made a vegan pizza and that of course got...
“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients...”
– Thomas A. Edison
Lemon, Champagne & Rosemary Risotto with Asparagus...
Today…we are in the kitchen, cooking at home again. It is a great adventure visiting various restaurants around Las Vegas in search of vegan-friendly food. We are doing it and will continue to do it. But there is no place like home. Unless we are eating at a truly vegan restaurant like Pura Vida and a very small group near that same level, we are trusting that the other restaurants are...
“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”
– Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, 460-377 B.C.
A Sanctuary For You
I think Town Square was such a wonderful addition to the landscape here in Las Vegas. It is in such a location that it can be accessed by tourists, but I think has been adopted by locals as a place of their own. A large open shopping and dining complex with a little bit of something for everyone. Beautifully done and reminds me of a place in the South Bay Area called Santana Row where I used...
“The single most important thing any of us an do to shrink the environmental...”
– Michael Pollan, author and food activist
“The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same...”
– Albert Einstein
Breakfast at Pura Vida
After a successful grand-opening dinner this past week at Pura Vida Bakery and Bystro…all vegan…all the time…I had already determined that I was going to come back this week to have a regular meal there. Everything looked so good on the menu and just begging to be enjoyed. I wanted to sit in a corner and just watch all of the wonderful happen. To see Chef Mayra visiting each...
I Am Now A Society Man...
Dear Mr. Wynn…in continuation of my correspondence with you from last week I would like you to know that I did my best this past week to stay away from the Wynn properties. I really did. But I found myself thinking about the possibilities of fine chefs using the freshest ingredients to create vegan culinary masterpieces, and well, it really was just too much for me to deal with. I had to...
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the...”
– Margaret Mead
Rumor Has It...
I was driving home and decided to stop on Harmon across from the Hard Rock at the newly renovated Rumors Boutique Hotel. I have been wanting to stop at the property since its renovation and opening under the hand of The Siegel Group, who have a number of properties around town now, including the Artisan. I must say, I was impressed. From the friendly valet greeting you out front to the...
“Some things have to be believed to be seen.”
– Ralph Hodgson
“Count no day lost in which you waited your turn, took only your share, and...”
– Robert Brault
Pura Vida Tiene Buena Comida Loco
Pura Vida has crazy good food. Eating vegan in Las Vegas just got a whole lot more interesting with the opening of Pura Vida Bakery and Bystro on the edge of the Arts District downtown. Chef Mayra has been a fixture on the local food scene now for years doing private functions, demos at local markets and faires…all the while sharing her joy and passion for flavorful vegan...
“He who has health has hope. And he who has hope has everything.”
– Proverb
Sunrise on Sunset...Your Best Bet
We have some great independent coffee houses here in town. There are not enough of them spread around the valley…but the ones we do have…fill a void that the chain coffee places just can’t fill. Not that we still don’t give those places some love at times…but really…the whole vibe and energy is just not the same. They give us a quick lift and something to...
Vegan Chicken Thai Peanut Pasta
Simple Thai…oh my. It is time to bring it on home again. This is where you live. This is where you eat most of your meals…and this is where most people usually make it or break it in terms of healthy and conscious eating habits. Being able to create wonderful food at home with whole and the freshest of ingredients whenever possible allows you to control exactly what you are taking...
“No kind action ever stops with itself. One kind action leads to another. Good...”
– Lawrence G. Lovasik
Atomic Bombalicious
“I love dessert. It’s the whole point of the meal.” This is Sarah Michelle Gellar’s quote from the movie Simply Irresistible. If you never saw this movie you missed some great scenes dealing with food and dessert. Not a great movie but had a good cast and it is about a young woman who owns a little restaurant that is struggling but comes up with dessert that simply...
“We have it in our power to change the world over.”
– Thomas Paine
Time To Go Yard...
Tonight is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game…the game brings me back to my childhood when baseball was king. There were other sports…but this was the national pastime. Many a young lad dreamed of playing professional baseball…and I was one of them. Long summer days spent playing pick-up baseball like The Sandlot…playing all day until there was no more light. I had...
“When you carry out acts of kindness, you get a wonderful feeling inside. It is...”
– Harold Kushner
Out of This Strattasphere...
An open letter to Mr. Steve Wynn: Mr. Wynn, I just wanted to express to you my appreciation for the amazing dining options that you are providing at both your Wynn and Encore properties. This is certainly going to make my adventure of 365 vegan meals in 365 days here in Las Vegas all the more enjoyable. Quite enjoyable as a matter of fact. It seems that all of your restaurants in your...
“We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity. ...”
– Charlie Chaplin
You Can Ride This Subway
Yes, that is right…Subway. The Golden Arches are no longer number one (thank goodness). There is a new number one amongst fast-food chains…and it is Subway. The chain that J-Man made famous…or maybe they made him famous…at least for 45 minutes of fame or so. Chances are there is a Subway pretty close to where you are…no matter where you are. I am a vegan, though, so...
“Whether industrialized societies can cure themselves of their meat addictions...”
– The China-Oxford-Cornell Project on Nutrition
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a...”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
Samosa Factory Produces Happiness
Eating vegan can be very flavorful. It can be colorful. There are more choices than you would expect. Eating thoughtfully and kindly can leave you not only satisfied but also thinking about the world of possibilities that await you upon your next dining adventure. All this and more was to be my experience at Samosa Factory. I knew I was going to be indulging in wonderful Indian cuisine there...
Panevino Vegan Burger Magnifico
This is town with a seemingly endless array of wonderful places to spend your time. Truly, one of my favorites places to just be…is at Panevino. If you have never been there you are missing something special. Panevino is located just a couple of blocks east of the south Strip at E. Sunset and Via Antonio. Windows wrap around a good deal of the restaurant offering you a wonderful view of the...
“That best portion of a good man’s life; his little nameless, unremembered...”
– William Wordsworth
This Beat Goes On...
The first time I walked into The Beat Coffeehouse in downtown Las Vegas on East Fremont and 6th, I was taken aback. I had heard a lot of buzz about The Beat. As I came in I heard “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull playing…on the record player…vinyl…sweet! The Beat just isn’t a great coffeehouse and restaurant…it is also part vintage record store. So you can...
