The Sims 3

I haven't been doing a whole lot of cooking for the last few weeks, and when I do, I either haven't cooked something new or I've forgotten to take a picture, something I need to rectify.

For the last week or so, I've been completely obsessed with The Sims 3. I may not be cooking, but my Sim has been cooking up a storm! Here she is making Stu Surprise!

In Sims 3, there is no option to make your Sim vegan, but there is an option to make them vegetarian, so that's what my Sim is. She does make things with eggs and cheese and milk, but this dish is all vegetables!

Your guide to finding vegan food in and around New Haven, CT!

When I first decided that I was going to go to Yale University, one of the first things I did was started googling "vegan" and "Yale" and "New Haven." I didn't really find much, other than an article from the Yale Daily News. That's unfortunate, because there are actually many vegan options in and around New Haven, especially near Downtown New Haven. I've written about many of them before, but I thought I'd do a current post on everything- you know, for the next vegan contemplating going to Yale. Just a note, I'm a graduate student living off-campus, so I can't speak for the offerings that Yale University has in it's own dining halls.

Vegan/Vegatarian Restaurants:

1. Ahimsa, on the corner of Chapel Street and Howe Street. All vegan. It's fairly upscale (if I were going here on a Saturday night, I'd probably wear a dress, and if I were a guy, I'd probably not care quite as much; jeans are fine at lunch), it has a number or raw offerings and a juice bar. It has a $10 buffet for lunch, and a $20 "Champagne Brunch" on Sundays. Dinner can be expensive. The food is primarily Indian, but it's not exactly an Indian restaurant- they do have other options, and the menu changes with some frequency. Live Jazz Music on Friday and Saturday nights.

2. Elaine's Healthy Choice, Whalley Ave, near Shaw's (close to the Yale campus). Primarily take-out, but there are a couple of tables. I can't say it enough, the family that runs this place is really, really, nice and friendly. The food is really good, and it's very inexpensive (all entrees, including a salad and a roll are $8.95). The food is fairly simple, with a Jamaican influence. The restaurant is closed on Saturdays, and just recently started offering a Sunday brunch. Elaine said they're gonna have coconut pancakes. I will be there one of these Sundays! This is also an all-vegan restaurant.

3. Claire's Corner Copia, Chapel Street, near Temple Street. Vegetarian. Most of the offerings here are vegetarian, not vegan, but there's definitely enough vegan offerings to make it worthwhile- but you have to note to the person you order from that you need all vegan- or you may get a pasta salad with feta sprinkle on top on the side. This is a VERY popular restaurant, and a great place to go with friends. I find the biggest drawback is that there's frequently a long line (you order at the counter, give them your name, and then they bring the food to your table), and they can be kind of slow. They do usually have at least one vegan baked good among their desserts. Inexpensive.

4. Thali Too, Broadway, behind the Yale Bookstore (Barnes & Noble). I always forget that this one is here (I buy my books either online or at the Medical Bookstore, down at the other end of campus)! It's vegetarian, and I can't vouch for how much of the menu is vegan, as I've never been. They are reasonably cheap. Indian cuisine. ETA: Mostly vegan, except paneer and Mango Lassi.

5. Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe, West Haven. I've not actually been to this one, though I've bought raw cookies from them at the Farmer's Market. This is all-raw, but caution, they do use honey in some (but not all) of their goods (they use agave in many of them, so there's still plenty of vegan foods!). It's about 3.5 miles from where I live in Downtown, so it's a little far to walk, but it's a fine bike ride.

6. It's Only Natural, Middletown. Vegetarian, mostly vegan. The only non-vegan offering here is cheese that can be added to most of the sandwiches, and otherwise everything, including desserts are vegan. I think this is too far for most people to bike to, so you'd probably need a car, but it's worth checking out. This is actually near the Wesleyan Campus, and they also have a health food store up the street. Bring quarters for on-street parking. I can't quite explain the cuisine- check out their menu.

There are a few other all-vegan or vegetarian restaurants in Connecticut, but I haven't been to them all. They include Bloodroot and Shandal's Vegetarian Cafe in Bridgeport, and The Alchemy Juicebar Cafe in Hartford. There may also be a few others- you can always check out Happy Cow and Yelp for the most up-to date listings.

Vegan Friendly Restaurants

This being a college town, you can find at least one vegetarian meal at almost every restaurant, but vegan meals are harder to find. The one that makes me the saddest is Rudy's, but I'm going to mention it anyway, because it has the best fries around. They do have salads- but unfortunately, their veggie burger is not vegan. They also have an awesome Cherry Lambic beer that's totally vegan. I HATE beer, but I love that stuff, so Rudy's gets a mention. It's a place to watch the ball game, play pool or just hang out drinking beer with friends.

There's also a TON of ethnic restaurants in the area, and that's often a good way to find a vegan meal, and to check out everything that New Haven has to offer. This is not an exhaustive list, just places I like or are really popular.

1. Lalibela (Temple Street). Ethiopian. Lots of vegan options, and they're clearly marked. I've only been to their cart by the hospital, but I've never been disappointed. It looks like the actual restaurant is pretty expensive, though their lunch cart is really cheap. I've actually taken my Laptop Lunchbox to the cart, and the guy gave me an extra choice (it's usually 3 items for $5 at the cart) because he didn't want to see a compartment go unused (I try to avoid unnecessary containers).

2. Mamoun's Falafel (Howe Street). Cheap and open till 3AM daily. I have a weakness for their baba ganoush, but there's a number of other vegan offerings. They don't use dairy or eggs in anything, but I'd probably ask about honey before trying any of the desserts. This is one of those places that people really remember from their Yale years- when I called my insurance agent to change the address on my car insurance when I first moved here- the first thing the agent said was "Oh, have you been to Mamoun's? My daughter went to Yale law school, and she loved that place..." Definitely try this one out!

3. The Kasbah Garden Cafe (Howe Street). This is just a few doors down from Mamoun's, and they do use dairy, but there are still vegan options. The best reason to come here isn't the food- it's the beautiful garden. They have outdoor seating in this lovely garden that's right in the middle of the city. They also have lots of tea, if you're into that.

4. Fuel Coffee Shop- this might actually be all vegetarian/vegan, but I'm not sure so I'm putting it under vegan-friendly. This is in Wooster Square. I haven't been here, but I have passed by, and it looks promising. It apparently gets very busy on Saturday mornings during the near-by Farmer's Market! ETA: All vegetarian, some vegan dishes available.

5. Book Trader Cafe (Chapel Street)- I've only been here for a hot beverage or a smoothie, but I think that they have a couple of vegan sandwich options, too. They also usually have some type of vegan baked good. They have outdoor seating that's really good for people watching, too.

6. Miya's Sushi (Howe Street)- I haven't been here, but I really need to go. I generally avoid sushi because I hate nori, but Miya's has their sushi wrapped in some alternative wrappings, like injera, so they look pretty intriguing. They are also quite expensive, but I'd imagine it's a great place to go if you really like sushi.

7. c.o. jones (State Street, heading towards North Haven)- Mexican. Pretend that's all one word, and then laugh! There's a number of Mexican restaurants in the area, and generally, you can get something with beans and just ask them to leave off the cheese/sour cream, and that's what you'll have to do here. They get a mention because they have a sweet potato taco that 's pretty good, and they have really good, really strong and really cheap margaritas. Enough said.

8. The Shoreline Diner and Vegetarian Enclave, Guilford. This one you need a car (or a friend with one) to get to, although you could certainly bike if you're into long bike rides (17 miles from downtown, according to Google Maps walking directions). There's a number of vegan options, and according to their website, it looks like they're adding more. I've been here a few times with an omni friend- it's a great place to meet for lunch, especially if you have friends who live down towards that way.

There's lots of other restaurants in Connecticut that are also vegan friendly, and I'd recommend checking HappyCow or Yelp if you're looking in areas outside of New Haven. I know that China Pan in Farmington (Chinese food with a vegan menu) is definitely on my list of places to try!

Groceries

1. Edge of the Woods, Whalley Ave. All the food and other products sold here are vegetarian or vegan. They have lots of options, and include a bakery (with vegan pastries!), a juice bar, and a hot foods/salad bar. It's actually a pretty good place to eat. They sell local produce (not all of their produce is local), lots of frozen convenience foods, vegan meat/dairy alternatives, and bulk foods, among the other standard health food store fare.

2. Thyme and Season, Whitney Ave, Hamden. This may be a little easier to get to for people who live in the East Rock section of New Haven. This doesn't have all the offerings that Edge of the Woods has, and does sell meat, but has a better selection of frozen convenience food and meat/dairy alternatives. It's also a little pricier, but worth the occasional trip.

3. Shaw's, Whalley Ave. This is a fairly run-down store, but their natural food sections is really good. They even sell those Eco-Planet vegan cheddar crackers that I can't find anywhere else in the area. This is the closest regular grocery store to the Yale campus.

4. Trader Joe's, Orange (Route 1). This is about a 10 minute drive from downtown, but a great place to stock up. Hopefully you'll know someone with a car if you don't have one! This is on the smaller side for a Trader Joe's, but I've generally found what I need here. Like most Connecticut grocery stores, they sell beer (but not wine or liquor, which is fine, cause there's a big package store next door).

5. Coming soon... Whole Foods, Milford (Route 1). This is supposed to open sometime in the fall. It's actually just a few doors down from Trader Joe's, though they're in different towns. I don't know what this Whole Foods will offer. There's a Whole Foods in West Hartford that has a big chocolate kiosk that sells vegan chocolate from Divine Treasures... speaking of which, is another place I should visit at some point.

There are several Trader Joe's and Whole Foods locations throughout Connecticut. There's also a surprising number of little health food stores all over the place!

Farmer's Markets

To round things out, I thought I'd mention the farmer's market. I'm just going to link you over to City Seed, as these sometimes change, but I'll mention the big one, the Wooster Square Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. I started going to this as soon as I moved here, and it's been amazing to watch the offerings grow. Unfortunately, these days I work Saturday mornings so I only get to go if I have cancellations at work, but this is an awesome place to go. In addition to seasonal, local produce they also sell fresh bread, and there's a booth that sells vegan soaps and lotions. There are booths that sell fresh meat and dairy, so be aware of that.

So, if you're a vegan or vegetarian considering coming to Yale (or one of the other colleges and Universities in New Haven), don't fret about being able to find vegan food. It's absolutely here!

Who doesn't like bagels?

No one, I hope!



Here's yet another creation from Vegan Brunch! I added about a cup of thawed/well-drained frozen chopped spinach to the dough, as well as some garlic powder (I didn't use nearly enough of that! I probably only used a teaspoon- I couldn't taste it in the finished product). They were awesome!

I doctored up some Tofutti cream cheese with scallions and chives to go along, as well! I'd imagine them also to be great with hummus or roasted garlic smeared on top.

Tofu Omelette

Another one from Vegan Brunch. This is the Tofu Omelette, stuffed with spinach, red peppers, onions and teese. Served with some bread and strawberry jam.



I'll be eating these for a few days, and I don't know what to make next!

Another Breakfast

Yes, more food from Vegan Brunch! This is a slice of the Caramelized Onion Quiche and a Cherry Sage Sausage. I will definitely make both again, and I plan to try a few different things with the sausages... like dried cranberries.

I didn't use the pie crust recipe from the book, and went for a lower-fat oil crust. I'm sure that the pie crust recipe in the book would make for a lighter, flakier crust. Maybe another time!

Random Phyllo Shells

I ended up with a few random phyllo shells a while back. I had no idea what to do with them, so they've been sitting in my freezer since then. I ended up filling them with chocolate chips and some chopped, toasted macadamia nuts and baking them until the shells were toasted and the chocolate was melty. Tasty!

Scrambled Tempeh

I am loving the Vegan Brunch cookbook. It rocks my world.

I steamed the tempeh in a little salted water in the microwave first and used a little less oil, but otherwise made it just like it said. I am eating a lot of breakfast for lunch and dinner these days!

Swiss Chard Frittata

You know how I plan to spend next Memorial Day?  Graduating from Yale University/Yale School of Nursing.  You know who one of the honorary degree recipients was this year?  Hillary Clinton.  I am so jealous.  I know that  Memorial Day is meant to be a time to honor those who have served our country, not a day to indulge ourselves.  I can't think of a better way to honor my dad, who I know would be very proud. (Edit:  Technically, that would work better on Veteran's Day,  but I'm not going to split hairs). 

However, I still have to get through the next year...

So this is what I spent my Memorial Day this year:  making the Swiss Chard Frittata from

Vegan Brunch.  It's not a bad way to spend the day!  Just gotta remember to honor those who have served our country, too. 

I made the mistake of not getting enough of the water out of the tofu and the cooked chard, so my frittata didn't hold up so well out of the dish, but it tasted awfully good.

Vegan Brunch

I got my copy of Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For-From Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes the other day, and I tried out the English Muffin recipe to start with.

 First, I ate them this way:

Then I decided to make a breakfast sandwich, à la Egg McMuffin. I used the Tufu Benny recipe for the "egg," and then a slice of vegan ham and a slice of Tofutti Cheese. Of course, the cheese was so melty the edge fell off, but I was too hungry to fix it up and make it look all pretty again.

After cutting out the tofu into circles, I used the leftover tofu in the tofu marinade for tofu scramble.  I really liked it.  And I learned why my tofu scramble never tastes egg-y enough, even though I use black salt:  I don't use nearly enough.  See, the cookbook was an awesome investment!

A Lazy Day...

Classes are over for the summer, so I expect to have more time to cook and to post in the coming weeks, which makes me happy!

Today was the first day since the end of finals that I've really been able to just hang out, with no work or meetings or appointments, and I've been throughly enjoying it.  I did several things around the apartment today, but I thought a few pictures of my windowsill garden might be nice to show off.  I am primarily growing herbs, but I'm trying for a couple of small vegetables this year.  I found a type of dwarf tomato plant (it grows cherry or grape tomatoes- I'm not actually sure which), so I planted a few.  Here's one of them!

Here's a few of the herbs I'm growing:

In this shot are thai basil, oregano, chives and thyme.  The oregano and thyme were planted later than the  basil and chives, so they're a little harder to spot.  In the same window box I also have sage, italian basil and flat parsley growing.

I grow almost everything from seed.  Right now I have one herb that is not from seed, and that's rosemary (see, I have parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme!).  When it gets bigger, I may teach myself how to propagate it from cuttings.

 

Last Spring, I posted about the compost method I use, Bokashi
(you can see posts about it here and here).  I found that having a bucket of soil with my pickled compost attracted flies, so I wasn't able to keep using it like that.  However, I'm still using the Bokashi composting method (I've not had any problems with bugs around the regular compost bucket, just the one with soil).  I use the "tea" for my fertilizer, and I'm giving the solid compost to a friend.  I think that this method is still better for my needs than  some of the other indoor composting methods.