January 2012
62 posts
A Sweet & Savory Breakfast
I needed to run an errand downtown yesterday morning and I still needed to enjoy a little breakfast to start my day. It might be hard for you to imagine where I stopped by…or then again maybe not. Breakfast is sometimes a little more challenging when you are on the road…but it is never a challenge when you are at Pura Vida. The only challenge is trying to decide what kind of...
“True happiness…is not attained through self-gratification, but through...”
– Helen Keller
Veggie Goodness at The Mall
I had a little errand to run and I found myself at the Miracle Mile Shops next to Planet Hollywood. While not the first place that I would normally go to find vegan-friendly cuisine I thought I would have a little adventure while I was there. I have always liked the Miracle Mile Shops…though they might not get as much pub as the Fashion Shop Mall or Forum Shoppes on the Strip…there...
“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add...”
– Nelson Mandela
Broccoli Slaw Salad
I got to eat vegan at work…and it wasn’t even food that I brought! How cool is that? It was all because of the wonderful Lisa who brought in a small feast for everyone to enjoy. It was so good! Not only is Lisa a fun and great person to be around but she is also a tremendous cook and baker. I mean really good. She has also set aside one week a month for her family where all the...
“Take care of your body. It is the only place you have to live.”
– Jim Rohn
Breakfast with Rachel
Well…not exactly breakfast with Rachel herself…but breakfast at Rachel’s Kitchen. It is likely by now that you have made your way to one of Rachel’s local outposts here either in Summerlin or The District in Green Valley. They are popular local gathering spots at almost anytime for breakfast, lunch, or an early dinner. They have a handful of vegan-friendly items on the...
“Look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the...”
– Henry Drummond
A Little Anime and Lunch
So I wanted a little something different for lunch. I headed to Chinatown here in Las Vegas along Spring Mountain where different abounds. I could of headed towards the usual suspects but I decided to try a place that I had heard about…Anime Ramen. Anime is basically Japanese animated cartoons and this is a very colorful little place with great anime art on the walls and anime playing on a...
“At the center of your being you have the answer, you know who you are and you...”
– Lao Tzu
Getting a Little Spicy Attitude at Pura Vida
Now some might be saying…”But you just ate at Pura Vida the other day.” And I might reply something like Lesley Gore might have sang about years ago…”It’s My Party and I Will Eat Where I Want To.” Smiles. You know, I could eat at Pura Vida every day. But then I would have to change the name of my blog to Eating Vegan at Pura Vida. Hmmm…catchy....
“If you can’t fly then run. If you can run then walk. If you can’t...”
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In My Comfort Zone at Nora's
No mistake about it…I love pasta. It is in my genes…thanks to my maternal grandfather who came over from Italy in the early 1900’s. It has been the basis for hundreds of pasta creations over the years…just ask my children…and all of their friends. No one has complained about this. Do I eat pasta every day? No, but not because it is a bad idea. You just have to...
“I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but...”
– Abraham Lincoln
High Tea at Pura Vida
Well, it wasn’t officially high tea…but I made it as such. It just seemed like such a civilized thing to do. A cold and blustery afternoon and I was bewitched by a post from Chef Mayra about a Butternut Squash and Poblano Chile soup that she was serving…I actually was not planning to go to Pura Vida today (given to my own devices I would go every day) but it seems that the...
“I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or...”
– Charles Dickens
A Touch of Red Velvet
One never needs an excuse to go into a Red Velvet Cafe. But when business brings you literally right around the corner, the pull is just to great to resist. And with something this good, why would you want to resist anyway? Just give into the pleasure is what I say. Red Velvet specializes in serving up fresh and flavorful vegan pleasures many different ways.
Whether you visit the Westside...
“Vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free menu items to become more and more common and...”
– Elizabeth Blau, Las Vegas Restauranteur and Consultant, asked what to expect on the culinary scene to come…
49er Black Bean & Hominy Chili
30 years ago today is a memory I will not forget. My first son, Tyler, was one week old and stretched across my lap as I watched the San Francisco 49ers win their first Super Bowl. The first of five that they would win over the next 15 years. As a life-long resident of the Bay Area, I remember that as being a pretty magical time. Well, the 49ers are back and they are one game away from...
“Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of...”
– Albert Einstein
Garden Veggies from Rice N Noodle
Sometimes when I am out and about I think about what I really feel like eating. For me, it is really not all that complicated. If I can find a plate full of vegetables lightly cooked with a little bit of seasoning and some sort of grain to mix it up with a bit…I am usually a happy boy. That is what I was looking for when I found my way into Rice N Noodle on S. Rainbow between Robindale...
“As a rock star, I have two instincts. I want to have fun, and I want to change...”
– Bono
Almost Vegan-Friendly...
I thought it was time to visit the new Bottles and Burgers in Tivoli Village. Bottles and Burgers is the newest offering of the Double Helix Wine Bars…which I have visited on occasion. I had heard that their veggie burger was very good, and was in fact vegan, made with quinoa, mushrooms, and lentils. Sounds good to me…gourmet burger and wine.
I was impressed by the size and feel...
“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.”
– Dalai Lama
Wishing This Bowl Was Endless
If you see a little gem shining on the western horizon of our Las Vegas Valley…it is no doubt DW Bistro. A wonderful restaurant tucked into a little shopping center on S. Fort Apache near Southern Hills Hospital that is alive with light and color. I have raved before on a previous visit about their DW Veggie Burger and sweet potato fries which was just an amazing combo. Even then, I knew I...
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.”
– Oscar Wilde
Happy Hour with April
Well…before you begin to wonder…it is actually Happy Hour at Panevino…and April just happens to work there…behind that big, beautiful bar that they have there. I love going to Panevino no matter the hour…but when April is working it is always an added pleasure. She is not only lovely, but a brilliant conversationalist about so many things…including football and...
“The wise have always said the same things, and fools who are the majority have...”
– Arthur Schopenhauer
Rockin Some Veggie Tacos at Baja California
It was good to head back to Summerlin and visit the Baja California Restaurant and Cantina. I love the atmosphere there and they have even added a few more touches since my last visit. Just a beautiful restaurant but it also has a very fun and laid-back vibe to it that fits the Baja California theme. All that aside…I really came for the food.
I know that there are going to be some menu...
“Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow.”
– John Lennon
Coconut Curry Vegetables at P.F. Changs
People do go out to eat. Some obviously more than others. There are some people that I know that eat out every day. I fit into that category right now as I am a little more than half-way of 365 days and 365 vegan meals here in Las Vegas. I had some people at the beginning doubting that it can be done. Well, it is being done. Smiles. I have found that that is not only possible to do this...
“We did not hesitate to call our movement an army. But it was a special army...”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Bento Box Instead
I came home with the best intentions of cooking and sharing a recipe with you this morning. All I can say is that I got a little side-tracked. It happens to all of us at one time or another. Last night was my time. But it afforded me the opportunity to try a little something that has been lurking in my freezer that I picked up at Trader Joe’s recently. A vegan rice and vegetable bento...
“Do all things with love.”
– Og Mandino
To Be Treated Like A King
Not that I ask to be. Treated like a king. It is not what I aspire to. And yet, whenever I have a meal at Ping Pong…that is how I feel. I suppose it is a little bit of a mutual admiration society. Yet I know that they treat their other customers very well too…I see it and I hear it. I like that…and I know they do too.
I have been back visiting some of my favorite...
“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can...”
– Carl Sandburg
Changing Our World A Bite At A Time...
Some might say that I go to Pura Vida a lot. I might say that I don’t go there enough. I obviously eat out quite a bit so that I can live as well as blog about it…and I do have my favorite places to go. Pura Vida has and always will be one of them. Our very own all- vegan all-the-time restaurant. There are so many people that I talk to on a weekly basis that are out of towners...
“You probably know the definition of ‘vegan,’ but here’s how I...”
– Chef Tal Ronnen, The Conscious Cook
“After my family, veganism is my life. Human beings have evolved beyond the need...”
– Chef Dave Anderson, Madeleine Bistro, Los Angeles
Baguette Cafe Delivers Again
I don’t believe that the Baguette Cafe on the west side of the valley actually delivers. Unless you ask really, really nicely and then I am sure they would find a way. Because that is the kind of people they are. Some of the best that I have found in my travels around town. This is one of the places that will actually remind you of a lovely European cafe/bistro. All I know is that every...
Drive-By at Wendy's
There are those times when it seems that you only have time to go through a drive thru to get something to eat. The question always will be what you can actually get from a drive thru that will actually be healthy, vegan, and tie you over to your next meal. I really do try and live my life so I don’t have to try and do this. But I also wanted to see what was even possible to do. Strictly...
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
– Mother Teresa
This Time Pho Sure...
It has been a little bit of a quest not only to find vegan Pho soup…but really good vegan Pho soup. I am very glad to say that the quest is over and it has been found, much to my delight at The Lemongrass Cafe. Someone had known of my search and had told me about this Vietnamese restaurant on S. Eastern near the 215 and I had to try it for myself. I am so very glad that I did.
The...
“It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”
– Tom Brokaw
Moroccan/Japanese Fusion at Sunrise
It seems as though I have done more blog posts about Sunrise Coffee than just about anywhere else other than Pura Vida. There are a few good reasons for that. One is that I am there a lot. It is a little bit like my Cheers Bar…well, not everyone knows my name but a few do. I pass by it a number of times a day and there is a real comfort level there. I love just about everything they...
“The road to perdition has never been accompanied by lip service to an ideal.”
– Albert Einstein
New Year's Veggie Confetti & Whole Wheat Pasta
I used to watch Mario Batali a lot. I loved the concept of him in a kitchen talking and cooking with a group of people sitting around the counter drinking wine, listening, watching, and waiting for the food to be ready. I could do that. Cook or sit…either one. I never developed, though, a desire to wear orange clogs. I have to draw the line somewhere. One of the things that I liked to...
“You are what you eat.”
– American Proverb
Being Skinnylicious at the Cheesecake Factory
There was a day when I really enjoyed going to the Cheesecake Factory. After becoming a vegan over 4 years ago, I found this problematic. Even though they have had such a large menu, it kind of gave me a headache trying to figure out something to modify in order to be able eat. The menu has actually gotten bigger at the Cheesecake Factory and that is a good thing with the addition of the...
“Love conquers all.”
– Virgil 