Tasty Tidbits - Northwest Edition!

We spent the last week walking & eating our way around the northwest! It was a wonderful trip, full of flavor, family, & fun. We flew into Seattle on Tuesday, then on Thursday we headed down to Portland to stay with my aunt. The weather was pretty good - rainy, but also some days with lots of sun. The visability was poor, so we didn't see the big mountains on the horizon, but we were able to spend some time at the coast and in the Columbia Gorge.

I'm so impressed with the environmental awareness in both Seattle & Portland. There were signs on trees & ordinances that prevent them from being cut down. Stores were promoting the use of re-usable bags, to the point that the Seattle city has laws against handing out plastic bags. It really seems like people are aware of what we're doing to our earth. Plus, healthy eating options are everywhere! We took advantage of many vegan restaurants, as well as the veg options at other places. It was so exciting to have an entire menu to choose from, instead of 1 or 2 items on a menu.

Tuesday:

Dinner at the top of the Space Needle!

• Mixed Baby Greens salad with rogue creamery blue, huckleberry vinaigrette, gala apple, salted caramel pecans
• Mushroom Bisque
• Seasonal Vegetable Gateau (saint andre, herbed bechemel, root vegetable dust) with roasted sunchokes

Wednesday:

Breakfast at Portage Bay Cafe

• Vegan Maple Cornmeal pancakes topped with fresh berries
• Classic Portage Bay pancakes topped with fresh berries & peaches

Dinner at Brouwers

• Pommes frites with curry ketchup
• Beet and Endive Salad - Boiled red beets, Belgian endive, toasted pecans, California chèvre over a bed of mixed baby greens with balsamic vinaigrette
• Brouwer’s Salad - Baby spinach & red onions tossed with our dijon-sherry vinaigrette. Topped with toasted hazelnuts and gorgonzola.
• Falafel fries

Dessert at Old School Frozen Custard

Thursday:

Breakfast at Mighty-O Donuts (vegan donuts!!)

• Chocolate peanut butter
• Cuckoo for Coconut
• Long john
• Apple fritter

Beer sampler at Deschutes Brewery & fresh juice from Portland Juice Press

Rolls from Flying Apron (vegan & gluten free!!)

Lunch at Prasad Cuisine (vegan!)

• Dragon bowl - quinoa, beans, sea vegetables, avocado, steamed greens,
  sesame seeds, scallions & red cabbage with peanut sauce

Dinner at Aunt Beth's

• Polenta with roasted asparagus
• Green salad

Friday:

Lunch at Tillamook

• Ice cream: Fireside S'mores, Tillamook Mudslide, & Strawberry Cheesecake

Dinner at Aunt Beth's

• Mushroom spelt risotto
• Green salad

Saturday:

Hiking followed by beer & snacks at Hopworks

• Roasted red pepper hummus with pita & fresh veggies

Dinner at Bye and Bye Vegan Bar (a vegan bar!!! eek!)

• Veggie Bowl - brown rice, black beans, cubed tempeh with nutritional yeast, broccoli, peanut sauce
• BBQ Platter - beans, sauteed collard greens, bbq tofu cubes, grilled baguette
• Tortilla chips with salsa

Dessert at Salt & Straw (handmade, farm-to-cone)

• Rhubarb Crumble with Toasted Anise
• Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache
• Chocolate with Gooey Brownies

Sunday:

Lunch at Canteen (vegan!)

• Verde juice (kale, parsley, celery, cucumber, lime)
• Portland Bowl - quinoa, black beans, baked maple tempeh, NW sauce, kale, carrots, chopped Oregon hazelnuts
• Super Veggie juice (kale, celery, cucumber, carrot, beet, garlic)
• Bangkok Bowl - avocado curry & red curry peanut sauce, long brown rice, aduki beans, broccoli, red cabbage, kimchi, black sesame seeds 

Dinner at Aunt Beth's

• Whole wheat penne with roasted butternut squash, chard, & mushrooms
• Green salad

Monday:

Late lunch at Fish Tale Brew Pub

• Vegan Wrap - Hummus, grilled onions & mushrooms, tomato, avocado, shredded carrots & spinach in a spinach-herb tortilla
• Portabella Burger - Marinated Portabella cap, zucchini & yellow squash w/chopped organic basil, goat cheese & mixed organic greens on a fresh herb bun