vermont adventure

I recently spent a long weekend visiting my brother in Burlington, Vermont. Sadly, Burlington's only all-vegan restaurant, New Ethic, recently closed. Thankfully, this little town still had plenty for a vegan to eat.

My favorite was Magnolia Cafe and Bistro. The menu at this cute little restaurant only has a couple vegan things (clearly marked with a V), but our helpful waitress informed me that most things can be veganized. I had two breakfasts there, complete with soy milk for my coffee. YEAH!

On our first morning, I had a sesame tofu scramble. It came with home fries and a piece of toast smothered in earth balance. This meal was just what I needed to fuel my body for the day. The tofu was sauteed with finely chopped vegetables (I recall asparagus), black sesame seeds, and drizzled with sesame oil. Good thing I like sesame.

The second time we went, I couldn't resist. I had to get the vegan french toast. It was made with thick slices of killer walnut-studded bread, spread with a little earth balance and sprinkled with powdered sugar. I drowned it in real maple syrup and felt a little sugar-sick afterward. It was awesome. I just wish there had been some sort of vegan protein side dish I could have ordered, to balance out the meal a little. They offer veggie sausage, but it is not vegan.

Tilly's Cafe, an island-themed restaurant/bar, impressed the whole family. They offered three vegetarian items, two of which could be vegan-friendly with a change or two. I got an amazing salad with grilled pineapple, edamame, hazelnuts, mango, and a fruity vinaigrette. For my entree, sesame-encrusted tofu over bok choy and a mushroom-flavored rice. The tofu was pretty tender and could have used some more color, but it was still good.

The local health food store, City Market, had plenty for a vegan to eat. Lots of to-go refrigerated items, a salad and hot foods bar, and they make custom sandwiches. Sadly, the hot food section is usually full of meat and egg-laden dishes. I don't get that. You can get that crap anywhere. But, you can order an awesome custom sandwich with marinated tempeh, tofu, or hummus, complete with Nayo. Unfortunately, I found the tempeh in my TLT to be burnt to a crisp, but I'm hoping it was just a bad day.

We also spent a day at the slopes in Stowe, VT. Jeff and I took a beginner's snowboarding lesson. It was really fun and quite the challenge! The worst part was getting off the lift. Ack. After snowboarding, we got steaming bowls of winter vegetable soup. I first asked if it was vegetarian, and the lady replied with "100% vegan!" I love Vermont!