Wednesday, March 26, 2008

more ProBar talk....

I did a post about these bars not too long ago. Kendall from the company contacted me and asked if i wanted to try some that were fresher than what i had eaten (i had gotten the Apple Cinnamon Crunch about a year before i ate it at a vegan fest) and, of course, i said Hell, yes!
He/She? sent me, upon request, the Original:


Whole Berry Blast:


and Superfood Slam:



Of the three, i would say my favorite was the Original. It was tasty and had great texture. This is not to say that the others didn't have good texture. They did. I knew beforehand that i wasn't going to love the berry one. i'm just not big on chunks of dried berries in things, especially raspberries and strawberries. My roommate that had some of it, really liked it. The Superfood Slam just had a more healthy taste, which i usually don't mind. I think it's only because i could compare it to the Original and the Apple Cinnamon Crunch that i would say i didn't like it as much.

Kendall told me that there was a new flavor coming in April, so i look forward to trying that one out. These bars are kinda pricey for a snack, but if you're hungry and don't have time for a meal these would do you good. The ingredients are natural and almost all organic.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

an update

So i got another box of Trader Joe's Meatless Soy Nuggets and i'm now officially addicted. I've found that when i eat them dipped in vegenaise/yellow mustard/ketchup they totally remind me of the fish sticks of my youth, which i LOVED!
If anyone bought any and didn't like them (and lives here in Portland), your truely will take them off your hands....

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Tubesdays....my favorite day...



My friend Jess(of GetSconed!) and her boyfriend occasionally meet up with friends at the hipster haven Tube on Tuesdays, therefore dubing it Tubesday. The place is downtown right down the block from Dixie Tavern and across Burnside from Dante's and Voodoo donut. I remember going into the bar before they renovated and made it bigger. you literally felt you were a hamster in a tube. It's still small but it's do-able. The bartenders are usually hipster hot and pretty friendly (which kinda defies the hipster's stereotype). They have the latest happy hour that i know, besides that of Portland City Grill. It's from 5-10pm and the well drinks are $2 and they're strong. They have a lot of vegan items, my favorite being the Professor McGonickle. It's a hot ham and cheese on an english muffin for $2 during happy hour. i think they misspelled McGonagall (it's from Harry Potter, y'all) because it may have originally contained a pickle....but that's me guessing. Maybe whoever named it doesn't actually read Harry Potter books...or can't spell......or maybe it has nothing to do with Harry Potter after all.....

Anyways, the piece of "cheese" on it is ridiculously small but it doesn't take away from the tastiness of the sandwich. i could eat those things all damn day long. They seem to use the ham log (that can be bought at Food Fight Grocery) and the menu says it comes with chipotle veganaise, but i would swear that wasn't true. there's something that kinda looks -not tastes- like balsamic vinegar on the muffin. It's just heaven...

They do serve a regular ham and cheese that comes on foccacia bread and with a good sized salad for $7. Here's the menu(click on it to enlarge):


and happy hour:

"FUNNY HOUR" MENU:

PROFESSOR MCGONICKLE MUFFIN - Sliced fake ham, vegan cheese, & our homemade chipotle veganaise on an english muffin, $2

VEGAN TACO - Our homemade tofu scramble in a grilled flour tortilla, topped with shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes, $2

GHOST DOG - Real or fake dog on a bun with kethcup and mustard, $2

CHIPS AND SALSA, $2

POTATO CHIPS, $2

ZESTY TUBE PASTA SALAD - Big bowl of our amazing homemade pasta salad, $4


DINNER:

GHOST DOG - Real or fake dog on a bun with kethcup and mustard, $4.50

VEGAN MEATBALL SAMMY - Meatless meatballs with our homemade marinara sauce on a grilled hoagie roll, served with homemade pasta salad, $7

VEGGIE HAM AND CHEESE - Grilled slices of fake ham, vegan cheese, & our homemade chipotle veganaise on grilled focaccia, served with side salad, $7

TUBE SALAD - Tossed salad with our homemade Goddess dressing, cucumbers, carrots, red onions, tomatoes, and slices of grilled fake ham or real turkey served with focaccia, $7

VEGAN SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS - Just like mom makes, only with meatless meatballs. Served with grilled focaccia and side salad, $7

TOFU SCRAMBLE DINNER PLATE - Our homemade tofu scramble with veggies, served with zesty pasta salad and grilled focaccia, $7

VEGAN TACO DINNER PLATE- Our homemade tofu scramble in a grilled flour tortilla, topped with shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes, served with chips, salsa, and side salad, $7


and now that i've read the menu i'm kinda suspicious of the veganness of the ham. they call it "veggie ham and cheese" but on most of the other vegan menu items they straight up call it "vegan"....jess, have you asked them about the ham?

The Tube is also popular with the vegans because the serve a vegan White Russian. I have never got this because it's $4-5 and i always end up with a $2 Cranberry Vodka with lime. I have heard mixed reviews of the White Russians, but i would still like to try them some day....

Friday, March 14, 2008

Yellow Rose Recipes Tasting Event!

From Joshivore's blog:

This Saturday — March 15 — 4pm

Come by and taste Yellow Rose Recipes for your own bad self!

Author Joanna Vaught will be signing books and talking food with us at The Herbivore Store this Saturday. Bring your copy of Yellow Rose and get it personalized, or come taste the eats and get a copy already!

On the menu? Jalapeno corn cakes, black bean soup, Texas caviar, Mexican pesto, vegan parmesan, spinach chickpea dip, and Goddess pasta salad. Tempted? Just wait until you taste this stuff.


So, yeah, all the cool kids are going to be there. meaning i'll be there....and of course i'm mainly going to be there so i can see the cute little Milo Bear. And because i'm a sample whore!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Donuts...or is it doughnuts?

Updated: April 7, 2008


My roommate is obsessed (see below) with the donuts at Sweetpea Baking Co. (SE 12th and Stark). Really there's lots to be obsessed about there: cheese danishes-if you're lucky and they haven't sold out yet, Bacon and Scallion cream cheese to go on your bagel, a few varieties of muffins, cheesecakes and cakes by the slice, big cookies, little cookies, cookies with icing in between them, cupcakes, hedgehogs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nowheykatie/2256444358/....sorry, i can't take up more space currently with pictures, my computer may crash), fried apple pies, lemon bars, so-freakin-good peanut butter chocolate bars, hopefully-coming-soon toffee, brownies, coffee drinks with hemp, almond, rice or soymilk, and now there's an all-you-can-eat brunch, that includes coffee and o.j. for $10!



But back to the main topic...Voodoo's makes a few varieties of vegan donuts, true, but i don't count them as a real donut since really they're a cake donut, which, don't get me wrong, has a place in my life as well, but mostly what you crave about a donut is the delectable, squishy inside, the lightly browned outside (sorry about the long run on sentence that may or may not be correct english grammar)....and that's what Sweetpea has done right. Right now they do 2 kinds: the purist's Glazed and the Boston Creme plus they do one special one (not sure if they only do this on Saturdays or on Wednesday's as well). A couple weeks ago it was a Maple Bar and this past Saturday it was a Strawberry Glazed. It's like they read my mind or something because the 2 mainstays are my favorite donuts. My roommate and i always end up with the original glazed. We could eat the glazed ones forever....

The wonderful and dedicated Katie and Lisa make these donuts every Wednesday and Saturday only so make sure you stop by on those days. And then, of course, pick something else up for your snack later. I just love going to a 100% vegan place where i don't have to think. I don't have to ask what's in something, or be a lazy vegan and just hope there's nothing nonvegan about something i choose.

I don't know how much they are actually since i had a large giftcard that i used up without even looking at prices. I tend to still not look since i feel like supporting a great company....except for the $10 brunch thing, which is a bit much for me to go very often since i can't fit more than one plate in my stomach.