veg eats at the ballpark

With the baseball season coming to a close in Colorado, Pop and I finally made the time to enjoy a Rockies game together this past weekend. The seats were great, and the company was even better- too bad the Rockies couldn't pull it together for a win against the Giants. *Sad trombone*

When going out to eat somewhere as meat-centric as a baseball stadium, it's always a challenge to find something vegetarian or vegan. When you think about a sports area, don't you always think of hot dogs, burgers, and nachos? I certainly do. Surprisingly enough, Coors Field has some meat-free options- yayy! In fact, Coors Field was named one of PETA's Top 10 Most Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks in the country!

I personally think the selection of meat-free foods has decreased since last year, but hey, as long as I can find something tasty to accompany my beer, I'm happy. This weekend, Dad and I found Garden burgers and veggie dogs over at section 134. Not the best I've had, but definitely not the worst. In these situations, the key is loading it up with anything you can get your hands on- ketchup, mustard, onions, relish, sauerkraut, veggies, you name it! Drink 2 more big beers, and I promise it will taste pretty damn good :)

According to the Rockies website, you can also find veggie paninis, pizzas, burritos, and wraps around the ballpark. Whether these options will be well-crafted vegetarian fare is another thing, but hey, I'm not too picky. I just like the fact that in such a testosterone-pumping-beer-guzzling-sports-watching-area, that there are meat free options at all. Big kudos to you Coors Field. Go Rocks! :)

hot dogs, cocktails & dessert in a cup

I love summer weekends. The weather is beautiful, and there's so much to do! The last few days I found myself pouring beers at a bluegrass festival, grabbing meals with friends, seeing a few movies, enjoying jazz in the park, and continuing my search for an edible and delicious vegetarian hot dog.

Today my hangover brought me to Biker Jim's where I ordered up a basket of fries and one "Vegans gotta eat too" dog. I slathered it with ketchup, mustard, relish, and onions, and dug in. I would say that it's probably the best vegetarian hot dog that I've sampled, but so far, that's not saying much. The texture was pretty good- a little thick, but that's okay- and the flavor wasn't vomit-inducing like so many other meatless hot dogs. Definitely not as good as the real deal, but I'm just pumped that a place with veal and reindeer on the menu, would also have a vegan option. Kudos to you Biker Jim!

After hot dogs, frozen yogurt, and some Target binge-shopping, it was time for some jazz in the park. Everyone brought a little something to share- cheese, wine, bread, and fruits, so Michael and I contributed some boozy Arnold Palmers and strawberry shortcakes in a cup. Fun fact: Everything tastes better in a cup.
For the Boozy Palmers, we poured equal parts iced tea and lemonade into a carafe, added vodka, and shook well. As Michael would say, they were delightfully refreshing! For our sweets in a solo cup, we put a layer of angel food cake in the bottom, and topped it with strawberries and whipped cream. It was the perfect, light, summery dessert- and a huge hit!

It was a beautiful night with good music, tasty treats, and great friends. Here's to a wonderful summer weekend, and many more to come. Cheers! :)

food cart bites & crafty delights

Sometimes I take for granted the amazing vegetarian and vegan options out there. Friday night I went to a BBQ, and when the meat-free guests showed up, everyone looked around in amazement as to what they would eat. I quickly ran to the store for some Morningstar Farms burger patties, but it was very interesting. I just haven't found myself in that situation for so long. My parents and a number of my friends are all meat-free, so we always cook that way, or make sure to dine somewhere with options. A meatless lifestyle is becoming more widespread, but sometimes I forget that it's not the norm everywhere. This is definitely part of the reason I always get so excited when there are places that specialize in meatless cuisine.

Some friends and I attended a food truck party on Saturday, which is where we found the Steamin' Demon, the vegetarian/vegan food cart run by City 'O City and Watercourse, 2 of the best veg places in Denver. We all swore that we'd attend fewer food truck gatherings, both for our waistlines and pocket books, but when we heard the Steamin' Demon was going to be there, we couldn't stay away. If you're in the Denver area and looking for mobile meatless delights, definitely hunt down the demon!

Julie, myself, and Brian all got the Moco Loco- some kind of gooey bowl with rice, a spicy burger patty, mushroom gravy, avocado, and an egg if you so choose. It may sound strange, but it's amazing! Omg so good.
We also gobbled down a pistachio cupcake from the Cupcake Truck, while Jenna and Michael hit up the Biscuit Bus for some of the best fresh biscuits slathered in honey butter or vegetarian mushroom gravy. Also amazing. Food trucks may be fattening me up, but holy shit, they're so damn tasty.

Apart from oinking out on mobile foods all weekend, I've also been attempting to spruce up my kitchen. I'm currently renting a little studio, so it's hard to make the place look really great without being able to paint walls, or tear out ugly cabinets. I decided that red would be my theme, and this weekend I added some fun touches I wanted to share.

For simple cutesy magnets, I collected red buttons of all shapes and sizes, and hot glued them to small, round magnets that I bought at Michaels. While I was binge shopping arts and crafts, I also picked up some plain glass votive holders and a bottle of Delta rose red transparent glass paint. I gave each holder a couple coats of the paint, and realized that I was looking for a much bright shade. I added a few coats of Craft Smart in bright red, and when it was to the opacity I wanted, I finished off with a coat of the glass paint to give it a shiny surface. Magnets went on the fridge, and I lined up the newly painted glasses on my windowsill.

I'm very pleased with my newest red touches. I'd like to make a triangle banner to hang around the window next, but so far, the few things I've made are really helping make my rental a little homier. A very successful weekend, indeed, full of tasty foods and fun crafts. The summer is already starting out with a bang, and I hope it just gets better from here! :)

yard house

You know what I love? Being pleasantly surpsied by vegetarian options in a seemingly un-veg-friendly place. Last night the boyfriend and I grabbed a late dinner at Yard House. The first time we went there, I was pretty hesitant, because at a first glance, it looks like the kind of place that only has meat meat meat! The menu boasts tons of beers, ribs, and about a dozen giant loaded burgers. Oye.

However, our friendly waiter (who was actually vegetarian too) convinced me to try their meat substitute, and guess what. It's phenomenal! The first time we went, I got the orange "chicken" and last night, and I got the "chicken" strips. Look at it! You'd never guess that's veg-friendly! Even my carnivorous boyfriend had a few bites and said it was pretty good :)

The texture is dead on and it's crispy fried to perfection just like a real chicken strip. The chicken flavor isn't quite there (so says Troy) but being a vegetarian, I don't want to be eating chicken, so I think the flavor is great to boot.

Second time at Yard House, and my second time being seriously happy with my dinner selections. Not just this, but they have an entire section of their menu devoted to this awesome gardein meat substitute, so there's lots of vegetarian options hidden amongst their ribs, burgers, and real meat items. Yard House? Highly recommend.

blue sky cafe

I'm no food critic, but I do know when restaurants are vegetarian friendly or UNfriendly. This brings me to the Blue Sky Cafe off Colfax in the Denver West Village. A few of my dad's coworker's highly recommended this place, so while I was home for Christmas, we went over for a family brunch.

Dad got the breakfast burrito, mom got pancakes and eggs (both with vegetarian sausage), and I got the vegan tofu scramble. Not the best tofu scramble I've ever encountered (the tofu was cubed instead of crumbled & there was some kind of grain mixed inn there too?), but the chili verde on top was delicious. Ooh, great breakfast potatoes too.

All in all, pretty damn good food, but more importantly is the fact that the Blue Sky Cafe is totally diet friendly. Not only for vegetarian and vegan items, but there's all kinds of substitutions available for gluten free, low-fat, and low-carb choices too! I love that. Good food, good options, and above all a GREAT message. This is taken directly from their menu:

"We believe our business practices should reflect our personal values: take care of each other, take care of our environment, offer the freshest food made with love and service from the heart."

Thank you Blue Sky Cafe! TOTALLY recommend! :)