Here we go again.
Hardly any new recipes, if you haven’t noticed. The more I promise my readers my life is going to slow down, the busier it seems to get. This is due in part to my best friend getting married and being completely consumed by bachelorette and wedding weekends, in addition to a recent trip to Sedona/Phoenix where I had to take her place for an event for the company I used to work for. How was I even finding time to cook for my regular clients and nanny, I’m not really sure.
But I’m still alive (barely).
All this craziness has left little time for me to even cook for myself, let alone come up with new recipes. So I’ve had to rely on dining out more than I’m used to. Especially since Phoenix was the most UN vegan friendly place I’ve ever been, and I was basically starving the whole trip. Why high end resorts can’t figure out what to feed vegans outside of unseasoned boiled vegetables is beyond me. Which is how most of the bachelorette meals also went. I’m starting to feel like consulting hotel, airport and restaurant chefs about creating vegan options for guests might be a really lucrative business decision!
ANYWAYS, as terrible as most of my dining experiences have been recently, Boston has actually been a beacon of light with some really fantastic new vegan options. I am so impressed with some of the local spots I’ve tried recently! Check em out 🙂
I literally almost cried when I found out my beloved ROOT in Allston, suddenly closed. Though it’s a tough spot to top, Whole Heart Provisions opened this week in it’s place, and luckily, Arikka was home for a visit to join me to try out their options. I loved, loved, LOVED their falafel dog with my favorite, Grillo’s Pickles alongside crispy, spicy Brussels sprouts, their Viet bowl, matcha lemonade and black currant kombucha. Everything was AWESOME. They have slightly healthier options than ROOT did, with most of their meals being veggie-based bowls. Though I loved all the sandwiches and apps at ROOT (their fried cauliflower po’ boy will always be my fave), I can appreciate the more plant-centric options at Whole Heart. Welcome to the vegan neighborhood, guys!
And can you really go to Allston without getting FOMU? Absolutely not. I finally tried their awesome pop tarts and enjoyed some of their seasonally flavored ice creams. We enjoyed the apple cider donut and pumpkin caramel flavors and they were delish.
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long, but I FINALLY tried Clover at their Burlington location the other day and am really kicking myself for waiting so long to get there. Not everything is vegan but a lot of their menu is plant-based and what they do have, is off the chain. I had their BBQ seitan sandwich with rosemary fries and fresh Concord grape lemonade and I was in heaven. It was my first meal after my miserable, lack of eating in Arizona and it was just what I needed.Â
I had been to EVOO once before, but was focused more on drinking than eating. Big mistake. Their menu is incredible and filled with an extensive list of gluten-free and vegan options. We stopped here with Arikka on the way to Ashley’s wedding and all of us got vegan meals. Vegan, GF Hawaiian pizza and tomato basil, honey ale crust vegan pizza were great, but my BBQ chick’n quesadilla with Daiya and veggies was by far, the best. It was perfectly flavored and I was so excited to have something so delicious before the wedding. The wedding food turned out to be so-so, Â and I was so excited to have some of this quesadilla waiting in my hotel room at 4 am, when my drunk self finally got back to eat it. Thanks, EVOO!
And if you ever find yourself in Sedona-which plan a trip there ASAP, if you haven’t gone-make sure to stop at ChocolaTree. Literally vegan nirvana. A gorgeous outdoor space with waterfalls, hammock swings and beautiful greenery made for a truly euphoric setting. Add all their amazing, incredible, delicious vegan, organic and raw entrees, desserts, smoothies and drinks to the mix, and it was absolute bliss. I was famished from hiking in 100 degree heat and splurged on their buckwheat waffles with vegan butter and homemade coconut creme sauce. I was in LOVE with their ginger lemonade and chocolate vanilla maca smoothie. It was the perfect post-hike indulgence and gave me fuel for the hikes that followed. Easily one of the top five vegan spots I’ve ever been to in my life.Â
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