This entry may be a bit of a departure from Worcester-oriented eateries, but being able to scout out good veg food when you're traveling is vital! I've been hanging out in NYC lately and I'm lovingggg the veg options! Everywhere I go I see vegetarian and vegan plastered on the front of restaurants. I've noticed many coffee and sandwich shops offer soy-milk also which is great. I stopped in a cute smoothie "bar" and with mentioning that the menu seemed to be all yogurt - based smoothies, they were happy to oblige my interest in a non-dairy smoothie with either a juice or soy milk base. I ended up with a freshly made pineapple-orange-strawberry-banana smoothie similar to one I'd make at home. Some other great finds:
Vegan Chocolate doughnut from a shop in the Lower East Side. My friend got up early and waited in a long ass line to get us some vegan doughnuts. I woke up to this chocolate-y awesomeness. Worcester needs more vegan breakfast options. Am I right?Healthy veg selections at a small Turkish restaurant called Döner (Brooklyn / Williamsburg.) One of the girls I'm traveling with is actually from Turkey and this was her first time in NYC. This little Turkish place kind of jumped out at me when I drove by in the cab. She explained to me after that Döner means something similar to hamburger?, and though they do have veg options, they also do have specific meat & grille food as a highlight. I ordered a small falafal appetizer and the shepard salad (diced tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley & mint flavored with extra virgin olive oil & lemon juice) and my friend had the hummus/pita.
Full course vegan goodness! Angelica Kitchen NYC (East Villlage) Angelica Kitchen has atmosphere, service and amazing food. This place has a good variety and does a unique twist on the usual faves. We got a complimentary appetizer of Angelica cornbread with tahini spread to share, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. For a drink I had the fresh lemonade, and it was actually the best lemonade I've ever consumed! Very natural, perfectly sweet and without any of that eye-squinting tang that I'm not a fan of. For an appetizer I also tried the Agrarian Salgado (baked rounds of mashed yukon gold potatoes and herbed seitan, with a basil-walnut pesto center; topped with dill-tofu sour cream & garnished with piquant marinated kale.) The marinated kale was delicious and I liked that portion even better than the actual potato/seitan rounds.
For my meal I ordered tofu & soba noodles with black sesame sauce (wasabi, garlic, toasted sesame oil & sesame seeds) Twas soooooooo good. Two basic vegan foods but with the twist I spoke of earlier- The black sesame sauce was.. well.. unexpectedly fucking awesome.
Although we were all full, we ordered the vegan cheesecake, which we all agreed tasted nothing like cheesecake. I honestly feel like this was another dessert that they mixed up with the cheesecake because other than looking similar to a slice of cheesecake, it tasted nothing like cheese at all. It was really delicious though- light and fruity. I ended up taking two bites (hence that missing portion in the photo...) and saving the rest for breakfast!
Loving Hut is one of my favorite places in Worcester, so I thought it was only fitting to visit the NYC location. The interior is tiny but colorful and chic! The menu has items such as: Crispy Vegan Burger, Avocado Salad, Spinach Quesadilla, Thai Curry, Happy Dumplings, and The Loving Hut Sandwich. There are tons of gluten free options. All items on the menu are vegan and less than $10! Yay. I'll miss all the NYC veg food, but I'll be just as anxious to visit Worcester veg-friendly spots when I return!
I was quite bummed about missing the Boston Vegetarian Festival this past Halloween, but the warm weather in California was calling my name. Off South Coast Highway 101 is Surfdog's Java Hut Coffee House & Smoothie Shop ( Encinitas, CA) For some reason the name made me miss Worcester's Java Hut. ;( Anyway, I got a delicious "Surf Dog" smoothie made with banana, strawberry, mango & mango juice, complete with a little plastic monkey gripping the straw. Although Surfdogs isn't specifically a veg establishment, they have a variety of fresh juices, smoothies and coffee with soy milk as an option. I make a lot of fresh fruit smoothies at home, but the outdoor seating area complete with ocean breeze made it more awesome.
At the 100% vegan Cruzers Pizza (Los Angeles, CA) I ordered a vegan lasagna, but the amount of Daiya vegan cheese was a bit heavy for me. Although I like Daiya, it needs to be used in moderation. Pasta & Daiya does not a vegan lasagna make, and it was missing something... more veggies, zuchinni, or tofu perhaps? On the flip side, Cruzers has a noteworthy vegan Philly cheese steak. It comes with a side of chips and spicy marinated cauliflower & veggies that I could have eaten an entire bowl of! The ratio of bread to faux meat and cheese was just right on the cheese steak. One draw-back was that Cruzers only had a small counter for 2-3 people to eat at, and there weren't any tables set up outside. I gather that Cruzers is more of a vegan take-out and delivery service which makes me wish I had tried their vegan pizza! 
If you love delicious but cheap Mexican food and you're freekin hungry, check out Pokez Mexican Resteraunt & Vegetarian Cuisine (San Diego, CA) They have vegan Mexican food and the portion sizes are massive. I went there for breakfast, thinking I'd order a little tofu scramble... I ordered the Vegan Chorizo (tofu scramble with vegan chorizo.) It came with 3 tortilla wraps, a side of rice, a side of cabbage salad, a bucket of tortilla chips, and salsa! (For only $5.25) The plate was plenty large enough to share with a friend, and it was difficult to finish even a quarter of it. The tofo scramble chorizo was delicious and I'd recommend it for sure, but the size was a bit overwhelming. To be honest, I was mostly impressed with the side dish of cabbage salad. It was perfectly seasoned with dressing and had a light, pleasant crunch that became the go-to texture in between bites of the softer, spicy rice & tofu. Pokez is full service and has plenty of spacious seating, unlike a few of the other vegan eateries I visited. It has an authentic Mexican feel but with a more underground grungy/rock atmosphere, perfect for a vegan burrito before heading out to a local show, or early morning eats with friends. I was a tad disappointed that I didn't have anyone to share my tofu scramble with, because it could have fed multiple people. Ha.
Vegan Blueberry-Banana Muffins