Back to Eden Bakery

I'm in Portland this week for the Vida Vegan Con, but I had two days before the festivities begin to explore the city solo.  The first morning was spent wandering around the Rose Test Garden, Japanese Garden, and Arboretum at Washington Park.  Even in the incessant cold rain, it was sublime.

Afternoon hunger pangs lead me to consult my list of vegan restaurants I had compiled prior to leaving for my trip.  The one that drew me in was buckwheat crepes... with vegan nutella.  It seemed like it would be the perfect light lunch that was almost breakfast since I hadn't had my morning sweet fix, aside from an apple.

So I headed to NE Alberta for Suzette Creperie, one of many French themed restaurants in the city, but this one had a vegan section on their menu and came highly recommended on Happy Cow.  I drove through pouring rain and bumper to bumper traffic, then pulled up in front with a sense of victory, only to find that the spot was no longer a creperie, but instead a Middle Eastern cafe.  UG!!  (Note to Happy Cow: please update your site!  Note to self:  Always call ahead!).

Fortunately for me, this section of the city had 2 other vegan options:  a food cart and a gluten-free vegan bakery.  I chose the latter because I needed to sit inside somewhere warm.

And I was glad for the rain.  And the mixup in plans.  Because Back to Eden Bakery was an oasis of sweet and savory treats that were welcome to this weary traveler.

It was difficult to decide what to start with when I searched the array of wraps, tarts, salads, and mini quiches in the display, and there was also soup and biscuits & gravy (yikes!!).  I chose the mini cashew asparagus tart, which was perfectly satisfying.  The filling of creamy cashew had a cheesy, bacony undertone and it sat nicely in a light and flaky crust.  This was a lovely lunch.

Then came the desserts.... I wanted to take the whole case to go, but I restrained myself to just the Rocky Road Mini Cake and the Almond Strawberry Whoopie Pie.  Both were outstanding.

The cake had a moist, dense, yet tender crumb.  It was enrobed in a bittersweet chocolate ganache that was the ideal accompaniment to the super sweet cake. Inside there was a filling of creamy marshmallowy goodness.

For breakfast the next morning, I enjoyed the Whoopie Pie.  This was like two soft almond macaroons filled with a sweet and fruity frosting.  It was quite a sugar shock to the tastebuds first thing in the morning... but I'm not complaining.  It was fabulous.

Back to Eden was a happy accident that I stumbled upon.  And I'm definitely going to plan a return visit for some goodies to take back on the plane home.

Hello pillowy pita cloud!

This week I will be in Portland attending the Vida Vegan Con vegan food blogger conference.  Not only am I looking forward to this amazing event, but I am thrilled to finally be visiting one of the great vegan food meccas of the world.

I arrived in Portland exhausted, frustrated, achy and famished after taxi-ing on the runway for 3 hours during a hail-thunderstorm in Dallas in a stuffy airplane with no water, followed by a 4-hour flight, then driving through torrential rain and rush hour traffic. My first vegan meal in Portland was Lebanese because it was only 7 minutes away from the hotel.  On a stretch of highway punctuated by fast food restaurants and steak joints, I wasn't expecting much - falafel alone would've sufficed! - but this blew me away.

Happy Cow informed me that I had 3 options within 10 miles of my hotel:  a health food store, a health food cafe, and Nicolas Lebanese Restaurant.  Because it was already 7:45 p.m. and the first 2 places closed at 6:00, I chose the Lebanese.

(photo: www.oregonlive.com)

It was a cozy little spot on a quieter stretch of sidewalked side street with neighboring craft shops, a brewery, and ice cream parlor.  My first thought was, "at least it looks warm and dry."

I love Middle Eastern foods like falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and tahini, and that's what I was expecting here.  It would've been fine, too.  But this wasn't your standard fare.  Instead, everything tasted fresh, hand made with love, seasoned a little more generously with garlic, herbs and spices, and oh so satisfying.

It was by happy accident that I stumbled upon this hidden treasure, and I'm glad I did.  Had my plane arrived on time, I would've taken the drive downtown to visit one of the 200+ dining hotspots recommended by Happy Cow and other vegan bloggers.  Nope, this is my little secret oasis, and I would recommend it to anyone coming to the area.

This is what arrived at my table on its own little stand:  a puffy pita cloud steaming with doughy goodness.  How could I possibly resist?  I decided to forgo the gluten-free dietary requirement in order to inhale this delicate bread.  It came with an unusual (to me), yet nonetheless delicious, dipping sauce called manakish, made with olive oil, parsley, thyme, oregano, sumac, and sesame seeds.

Stuffed Grape Leaves were filled with rice, pine nuts and raisins and perched in a pool of creamy tahini lemon sauce made a luscious accompaniment.

The vegan Arabian Mezza Platter included Baba Ghanoug, Hummus with Caramelized Onion, Garlic Roasted Cauliflower, Falafel, and Hamara, a sweet and savory pate made with roasted red pepper, tomato and walnuts.  This would've been a feast for 2 people, so I enjoyed as much as I could last night and took the rest home to my hotel room, which I enjoyed this morning for breakfast.  There's still some left for an afternoon snack that I'm already looking forward to.

"Healthy Cooking in a Hurry" class

I've been teaching this class for West Hartford Adult Education for the past 8 years with a changing seasonal menu, and it always fills up fast.  Because there was a waiting list with enough people for a second session this spring, I agreed to offer Part II last week.  Here are some highlights from our evening together.

Vichyssoise with Parsley Oil and Fresh Dill Sprig

A closeup of the luscious vichyssoise

Chickpea Croquettes with Creamy Cashew Dill Sauce and Mediterranean Quinoa

A closeup of the entree

Gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

On the Menu

What do we have going on this week?  A mix of warm sunshine, cool spring showers, followed by a little bit of summer humidity.  And likewise, the menu is a similar melange of hot and cold weather treats.  I'm already getting ready for a Memorial Day picnic!

Mock "Chicken Salad" with Tomato and Cucumber

Fire Roasted Tomato "Sausage" and Mushroom Ragout with Stewed Zucchini

Pasta Primavera with Basil Walnut Pesto

Lunch at Passiflora

It's nothing short of awesome when you come across a cute little cafe in the middle of nowhere that serves up some pretty tasty vegan goodies.  That was the case on my drive to the northwest hills of Connecticut to meet some friends for lunch on this sunny spring afternoon.

I had heard good things about Passiflora, a tea room and cafe tucked in a little store front on Main Street in New Hartford.  It's easy to miss if you're zooming along on Rt. 44, but do take the time to slow down, stop in, and enjoy some slow food.  Everything here is made fresh with local and organic ingredients, and the quality comes through with every bite and sip.

I started with a Chocolate Maca Chai Tea with almond milk that promised to reduce stress and boost the immune system.  I needed both after a long week that tested my patience.  Plus, it tasted pretty rich and soothing with a peppery hint that was also energizing.

I ignored my gluten-free health needs for the main entree, a Tempeh Reuben on Bantam Bread sourdough rye with a side of Cream of Asparagus soup.  It's been over a decade since I've splurged on this bread, but I remember it well:  that yeasty aroma, a crisp crunch of crust, and hearty weave of gluten strands that hold it all together and make it heavenly chewy.  It was the perfect framework for the nicely grilled tempeh and heap of sauerkraut that were tucked inside.  My only qualm was the cafe's lack of hot sauce or spicy brown mustard, but I settled for some Dijon.  The soup was a pureed mix of asparagus, onion, carrot, celery and a pleasing mix of herbs.  The color wasn't terribly appetizing, but the taste more than made up for it.

It was difficult to decide on a dessert since there was an array of vegan treats to choose from, even a raw cookie.  At the recommendation of my dining companions, I chose one of the last two Gluten-free Black Bean Brownies, mostly because I couldn't imagine such a thing being tasty, much less edible.

I was surprised to discover that it was much much more than that. The crumb was moist and dense, almost fudgey in spots, and the flavor was that of a rich, dark chocolate.  I think there was probably some coffee mixed in there because I left with quite a buzz after this meal.

I would highly recommend a drive out to this little gem of a restaurant after a hike in nearby People's State Forest, or in the fall for a break from leaf peeping.  I will dream about those brownies and look forward to attempting to recreate them on my next baking expedition.

Lunch at Good News Cafe

I had the afternoon free to fill with crazy antics yesterday like going to the bank, dropping my bike off to get set up for some riding this week (temps in the 60s... YAY!), and shopping for groceries, so I decided to take the opportunity to visit a place new for lunch since I haven't written a restaurant review in quite awhile.  I was headed west from New Haven on Rt. 63 and decided I'd continue my scenic jaunt out to Woodbury so I could visit Carole Peck's Good News Cafe.  

This is a "farm to chef" type restaurant which features an extensive selection of locally grown produce, artisinal cheeses, and grass-fed beef on their menu.  They even had antelope as one of the entrees.  While I'm not in favor of eating animals no matter how humanely they lived, I had always heard that the menus here were vegan-friendly and could easily be adapted, so I decided to find out.

The daily soup du jour is always vegetarian, and the luscious Tomato and Wild Rice Soup that was on the menu during my visit was easily made vegan by omitting the locally produced chevre crumble that would've gone on top.  The crunchy, peppery papadum that it was served with made a nice contrast for the velvety smooth soup.  A cup cost $6.

As I scanned the menu for veganable items, I noticed a rice and bean burrito served with guacamole and pico de gallo that could easily be veganized by omitting the cheese.  But I felt like I wanted more than starch for lunch and instead looked to the list of salads for inspiration.  I found it in the Wilted Baby Spinach Salad with Warm Red Globe Grapes and Pineapples, Sauteed Shiitake Mushroom and Tofu.  As far as I could tell, this was entirely vegan on its own, but I made sure to mention that to my server just so there wouldn't be any surprises when my plate arrived.

I was happy to find a substantial amount of spinach along with a decent pile of tofu and mushrooms.  I had never had a savory-sweet combination like this before, but the flavors contrasted perfectly and left me feeling satisfied.  And now that I've eaten warm grapes, I'm going to make a point of incorporating them into some of my own recipes!

It's always nice to discover something new and exciting on a menu at an omnivore restaurant that strays from standard vegan offerings, and I'm happy I made the trip.