The Windy City

My fiancee and I took a short trip to Chicago and had a wonderful time.  It was my first visit and I cannot wait to go back.  Not only is it a beautiful city with a fantastic skyline and lots of things to do, but it also has some awesome food.  Keeping in line with my blog ideals, I’ll stop talking abou the trip and start relaying my memories of the food J

Our first night, our hosts took us to Tuscany, an Italian restaurant on Taylor Street.  We had to eat in the back room because we did not have reservations, and it was kind of loud, but the food was very good.  The front of the restaurant had a nice atmosphere with the typical Italian style painting and decorations on the walls.  Our meal started out with a nice presentation of crushed garlic with olive oil.  Our waiter crushed the garlic at our table and added any spices to our liking.  This kind of attention indicated to me that this was going to be a good meal! 

I started off with the Barbe Rosse salad - roasted red beets, hazelnuts, citrus segments, goat cheese, frisee, butter lettuce, sherry vinaigrette.  The serving was enough for two people, so they brought it in a bowl and gave us extra plates.  It was tasty, not overly dressed with the vinaigrette.  I love goat cheese on a salad because it adds a great creamy texture.  I also enjoyed having the hazelnuts in the mix to add some crunch.  After my salad, I enjoyed the Ravioli Alla Pera – I had a really tough time deciding what to order because there are a few tasty-looking vegetarian options (or items that can easily be made vegetarian).  However, since I was running a half marathon the next morning, I chose something that wasn’t spicy or different than my normal eating.  The ravioli was filled with roasted pears and was covered in a sauce consisting of more pears, parmigiano, toasted nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and mascarpone cream.  So yummy!  It reheated well the next day for lunch, too (since they gave such large portions).  We finished with a nice chocolate cake for dessert – not too big and not too rich – perfect way to end!

http://www.tuscanychicago.com/

After recovering from the half marathon, my fiancée and I headed to The Art Institute of Chicago.  It was a rainy and windy day, so we wanted to limit our time outside.  While there, my appetite kicked in and we stopped at Caffè Moderno.  I was surprised to find multiple veggie items there and had some of the vegan Tomato Basil soup with a wheat roll on the side.  The soup was very good and topped with some sesame seeds – it also had nice little kick to it.  The bread held up really well when dipped into the soup.  It was a very nice snack (unfortunately, not able to carry it around while looking at the art, but that’s okay.)  http://www.artic.edu/aic/visitor_info/restaurants.html

Connie's Pizza

One of my requests to our hosts was to indulge in some Chicago-style pizza.  My fiancée told me that true Chicago-style would mean I’d only be able to eat half a slice, so we opted for deep dish.  We ordered in from Connie’s.  I got the House Salad with a Garlic Ranch dressing, the Veggie Pizza, and the Cookie Monster to share.  The salad was your typical takeout salad – lettuce, tomatoes, onions – and the dressing was very garlicy (not a bad thing!).  The Veggie Pizza was topped with broccoli, onions, mushrooms & sliced tomatoes.  I am a huge fan of bread, cheese, and veggies, so this was a great combo!  I really liked the taste of it and it was quite filling.  We finished our dinner with the Cookie Monster – a much more massive dessert than we expected.  It consisted of four large chocolate chip cookies topped with four scoops of vanilla ice cream, a few dollops of whipped cream, and smothered in chocolate sauce.  Fantastic way to end this delicious meal!  http://www.conniespizza.com/

P.S. – the pizza tasted great cold two mornings later when we flew out – I saved two slices for lunch J

Our final culinary hurrah in Chicago was a trip to Harry Caray’s Tavern at Navy Pier.  When faced with the decision of whether or not to get a veggie burger at a restaurant, I usually opt not to because they are normally cooked on the same grill.  I made an exception this time because it had goat cheese!  The original burger comes with a Kalamata Olive Spread, but I asked for it without because I am no fan of olives.  It did come topped with goat cheese, arugula, tomato, and onion – all laid out on a whole wheat bun.  I had a side salad instead of fries, to try to keep it a little healthy.  The patty wasn’t that great, but the goat cheese made the meal.  I actually ate the whole thing.  One word of caution though, I got an upset stomach afterwards – possibly because of it being cooked on the same grill as meat.  I don’t have any proof, just sharing my concerns.  (FYI – there are other veggie options such as pasta and pizza)

http://www.harrycaraystavern.com/navy-pier/index.html

I love Chicago and the food is delicious – I cannot wait to go back to savor more of their delectable treats!

Intro

When I was a teenager, I was probably the last person you would expect to be interested in vegetarianism.  My favorite lunch was bologna and cheese sandwiches (not just regular bologna, mind you, but the kind with little cheese pieces in it).  I ate whatever my mom cooked for dinner (meatloaf, chicken with Honey Mustard sauce, Shepherd’s Pie).  My favorite vegetables – and pretty much the only ones that I ate – were corn and potatoes, or anything smothered in cheese.  I loved that after basketball practice we would stop by Hardees to pick up two ham and cheese sandwiches on croissants.  Obviously, not the most healthy diet.  I had thought about trying vegetarianism, but knew that it would be too difficult.  Then, I went to Italy on a school trip.  The first night, they served veal – and that’s when it clicked.  No way, no how was I eating a baby cow.  I was only 14 years old, but I still had that sense of morality that it was wrong (not for everyone, but definitely for me).  I told the trip advisors that I didn’t eat red meat, and it stuck!  I still ate chicken and turkey (and some fish, though I never really liked that anyways) for two years after that, but at the end of the school year – junior year – I decided enough was enough.  I was going to take the plunge and give up meat indefinitely.  I had no interest in becoming a vegan – still don’t – cheese, milk, and ice cream are my favs!  However, I am still a vegetarian 13 year after my initial decision and have no desire to turn back.

I am writing this blog to help new vegetarians get interested in cooking.  For my first years, I cooked vegetarian refried beans and lived off of peanut butter sandwiches.  I didn’t have my first salad until college!  Even after moving to New Hampshire after college I didn’t cook that much – and if I did, it was normally packaged pasta with store-bought sauce.  I was not getting enough protein or other nutrients.  I finally got interested in cooking about four years ago and absolutely love it! I always enjoyed baking, but cooking just seemed like too much work.  Now, I dabble in all types of recipes – and taper them all to meet my vegetarian needs.  I want to show new vegetarians, people interested in vegetarianism, or those who just want a healthier lifestyle (I am not someone who thinks that everyone should be a vegetarian – to each their own) that meatless cooking is fun and easy!  I will also be throwing blurbs in about restaurant foods – you need to be careful when choosing your meals and always ask about whether or not it is vegetarian.  I learned that the hard way and have gotten violently ill on a few occasions. :-/

I look forward to this new step in my life and hope that you will come along on the journey!