Central Florida Veg Fest

 Have I mentioned how much I love living in an area that has not one, but two Veg Fests?  Because I really really love it.  The boyfriend and I hopped on I-4 yesterday to get to the Central Florida Veg Fest in Orlando, only about an hour drive from us.  We got there just in time to hear Dr. Melanie Joy speak.  Her presentation was awesome.  As a graduate student in sociology I find Dr. Joy to be really inspiring as she teaches both sociology and psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston.  I was able to talk to her afterwards and she was really nice and approachable.

But let's get on to the most important thing: the food.  We started out sharing a plate of vegan nachos with chili and queso.  Easily my favorite last year it definitely claimed that place in my heart again.  The added pieces of tempeh to the chili.  They were messy and delicious, exactly what nachos should be. 

We also had a meatball sub that I failed to take a picture of.  We scarfed it down pretty quickly; it was delicious.  As if we hadn't eaten enough food already we shared the combo plate of Indian food: a samosa, rice, stewed chickpeas, and jalebi (fried dough soaked in syrup).  We love Indian food and for $5, the plate was a bargain.

So after the nachos, sub, and Indian food we still had room for dessert.  The boyfriend had a chocolate cupcake with fall spice and cayenne frosting.  It was really good, he loved it.  I had the pumpkin espresso cupcake, a perfect taste of fall.  Overall, we had an awesome time.  I can't wait for 2013 so we can do it all over again!

Eats in Italy: Part 4

 This will be my last post about what I ate in Italy.  It's been great reliving the memories.  And even better, I've recreated one of the dishes in this post, so that recipe will be up soon.

This first picture is a Tuscan soup called ribollita.  My mom and I each had a bowl for lunch in Radda.  We knew we were going to have another ridiculously long dinner but since it was going to be for 6+ hours, we also knew we needed to eat lunch.  This soup was perfect.  It was light, fairly veggie heavy, and a delicious lunch.

And yes, as it turns out, we did have our final, hours long dinner that night.  It started with some anti-pasti, and then two types of pasta for the second course, both served family style.  The first was tagliatelle with a mushroom sauce. 

The second was pici pasta with cheese and black pepper.  Even though I knew there would be more food coming, I filled up on both pastas.  The problem was that I couldn't decide which type I liked better, so I kept going back in forth between the two, eating two big portions of pasta.  I never did make up my mind.

After our tour is Tuscany, my mom and I took a side trip to Venice for two days.  The weather was terrible, the city somewhat touristy and overcrowded, but we still had a good time.  As soon as we arrived in the city I got ourselves a map and we walked to the iconic Harry's Bar.  Yes, it was crazy expensive.  But I just didn't think we should miss out on the birth place of the bellini (peach puree and prosecco).   And it was a delicious cocktail, shared with one of my absolute favorite people in the world.

 

I can't say enough wonderful things about this trip.  Beyond the food (which was obviously fantastic) our tour group was great, all the guides were wonderful, and every person we met was a pleasure.  If you're ever looking for a small group tour in Europe that lets you sleep in and provides you with amazing food and drink, check out Tuscany Tours.   Tell them I sent you.  Ciao!

Eats in Italy: Part 3

While I do have more recipes planned they had to take a back seat this past week because my sister just had a baby, my first nephew!  He's a handsome and healthy boy and completely captured my attention for the past week.  So I'll get to work on new recipes now, but first I though I'd share yet another post of what I ate in Italy.

I'm a coffee drinker.  Occasionally I'll switch to tea in the morning when I feel a cold coming on, but I really enjoy coffee.  Well breakfast every morning in Italy was a cappuccino, some fruit, and some type of pastry.  My favorite was a croissant filled with chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar.  I'll give you the secret of how I actually lost 4 pounds while I was in Italy when I do my last Eats in Italy Post.

Two days after our spectacular meal at the vineyard we were whisked away to a medieval castle for lunch.  Castello della Serre is a medieval castle that has been beautiful restored and is now a luxury hotel.  We didn't stay there, but we ate there.  Oh yes, we ate there.  This meal was actually much more reasonably sized than any other meal we had, only three courses.  And it also stands out because the meal was entirely vegetarian.  Usually I had the same first course as every one and dessert was always the same, but I always had my own main course.  But not at the castle.  And you know what?  I didn't hear anyone complain that there was no meat on their plates.  The first course was marinated, roasted bell peppers and eggplant, and an eggplant parmesan.  Delicious!

The second course was really delicious and somewhat unexpected.  It looked kind of like a manicotti, pasta rolled up and stuffed with cheese and topped with tomato sauce.  But it wasn't pasta.  It was a crepe.  And inside was a filling of cheese and spinach.  It was wonderful, and as I stated before, I didn't hear anyone at the table whining about having a meatless meal.  

And finally, dessert.  Now, I'll tell you something about myself.  I think you all know by now that I'm a dessert person.  My sweet tooth rules my body.  But did you know my all time favorite dessert is tiramisu?  Well, it is.  And I knew that I had to have it at least once while I was in Italy.  And oh my goodness.  This tiramisu...words almost fail me.  It was the perfect tiramisu, every element was simply perfection.  I ate almost the whole thing with my eyes closed thinking "I'm at a stunning castle.  In Tuscany.  Eating tiramisu.  What did I do to deserve this?"  And I will think about that piece of tiramisu for a very long time.  

While I do have some ideas for new recipes planned I would really like to take some requests!  So if you have any requests or suggestions leave a comment or e-mail me at blakebakesfl (at) gmail (dot) com!

The Best Meal I Ever Ate (Eats in Italy: Part 2)

 The majority of day three in Tuscany was spent in a family vineyard eating the most ridiculously delicious meal I've ever had in my life.  The meal started with champagne and parmesan cheese.  The owner of the vineyard, where they make their own champagne, opened the first bottle with a sword.  So the meal literally started with a bang.  The name of their champagne is Bella Bolle, which means Beautiful Bubble in Italian.  And the champagne was beautifully delicious.  Then an enormous wedge of parmesan cheese was brought out and cut into chunks.  So we sipped champagne, nibbled on the cheese, and enjoyed the amazing view of the beautiful Tuscan vineyard.  And that was just the beginning.

The meal was served family style and our group of sixteen sat at two large tables.  The wine flowed and the food never stopped coming.  First several types of antipasti were passed around the table.  I of course, sampled all the vegetarian options which was almost all of the antipasti.  Pictured are a slice of typical Tuscan bread, two crostini (one with mushroom spread, the other with a spicy tomato spread), grilled marinated eggplant, and an artichoke tart.  The mushroom crostini and artichoke tart tied for my favorite antipasti.  It was all delicious.

Wild boar are a huge problem in Tuscany, as they love feasting on grape plants.  So they are widely hunted in the region.  Because of this, wild boar was a large part of the meal and everyone was served wild boar lasagna.  Everyone except me.  And boy was everyone else missing out, because the spring vegetable lasagna, filled with asparagus and zucchini, was incredible.  It was a little salty for my palate, but it was so good that I really didn't care.  At this point in the trip I began pacing myself at meals, because I realized I would be served crazy amounts of food, but I ate every last bite of that lasagna.  Every.  Last.  Bite.

After the lasagna, but before dessert, everyone else was served stewed and sliced wild boar, while I was served eggplant marinara.  It was good, but I only managed a few bites as I was stuffed from the lasagna, and I also knew dessert would be on it's away.  And this dessert...oh my god...The highlight of the meal, and until two days later when I finally had tiramisu, it was the best dessert I had ever eaten.  Ever.  It was a pear cake served with pastry cream and macerated strawberries.  Everything about it was perfect.  I requested the recipe and am excited to recreate it at home.  

Eats in Italy: Part 1

I'm baacckk!!!  After almost a 3 month hiatus, I'm back.  Writing a senior thesis is no joke.  But as a reward my mom and I took a trip to Italy and it was amazing.  We were there for 10 days so obviously we ate a lot of good food.  I mean it, a lot.  Meals were about 3-4 hours long.  It was amazing.

The first town we stayed in was Siena, which is about a 90 minute drive outside of Florence.  We stayed for two days and here is what I ate.

Meal one, three courses.  First course, four types of anti-pastia.  Clockwise from top, bruschetta, fresh and aged pecorino cheeses, grilled bread with olive oil and garlic, raw artichoke salad.  Everything on this plate was amazing, but I have to say I loved the raw artichoke salad.  I had never had artichoke raw before.  And the fresh pecorino cheese was also delicious.  It's not in the picture, but they served a chili jam to go with the fresh cheese and it was amazing.

For the second course I had a risotto with radicchio, cooking in red wine.  It was a beautiful and delicious plate.  

This dessert is somewhat hard to describe.  It was like a coffee mousse on top of a sponge cake, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  And yes, it was also delicious.

Day two, four courses but I only have pictures of the first two.  For the anti pasti, fried zucchini flowers and sage leaves.  This might have been my favorite anti pasti of the trip.  Two things I had never had before and it was incredibly delicious.  Lemon wedges were served on the side to squeeze over the fried leaves and flowers.  Again, incredible.  I'm drooling now just thinking about it.

Second course, pici pasta with a sauce of fresh tomato, garlic, and breadcrumbs topped with parmesan cheese.   Pici pasta is a type of pasta specific to Siena.  It's like a really thick spaghetti.  This was maybe my favorite pasta dish of the trip.  The tomatoes were so fresh and the pasta perfectly cooked.  It was fantastic.

Stayed tuned for more Eats in Italy as well as new recipes.  It's good to be back.

Central Florida VegFest 2011

I think I'm very lucky to live in a region that's home to not one, but two, VegFests. Tampa's (home base) was October 15th this year and Central Florida (Orlando) was the following Saturday. Two Saturdays back to back filled with amazing food, beautiful animals, and great friends? Yeah, October was great. So what did I eat in Orlando this year?

I started out with a giant plate of vegan nachos. Oh my goodness, they were amazing. Blue corn chips topped with veggie chili and vegan queso. I split a plate with the boyfriend. Though we have a pretty great relationship, it got a little tense when there were only a few bites left. We worked it out, but maybe next year I'll just pig out with my own plate.

The nachos were just an appetizer there. I didn't drive all the way out to Orlando to stop with a plate of nachos. But there were just so many options! How's a girl to decide? Well, I just had to go with my gut, hehehe. And what really caught my eye was the "meatloaf" sandwich. This picture doesn't really do the sandwich justice. The meatloaf was wonderful, I'm pretty sure it was some kind of lentil loaf. It was smothered in ketchup and sandwiched between two slices of really good bread, served with a side a cole slaw. I really liked this sandwich, but I have some ideas for improving it at home. Mainly, making it an open faced sandwich and replacing the ketchup with...GRAVY!!! I'll keep you posted.

Other items our group of friends had were a veggie dog, a "philly" sub with portabello mushrooms, and a meatball sub. All were great (I stole bites, you know, to give a professional opinion) but I'm really glad I went with the meatloaf.

My only criticism of the Fest this year was the lack of dessert options. Granted, we waited awhile before searching for dessert, until around 3, but still. Cupcakes were the only option but I really wanted some ice cream or sorbet. The banana soft serve truck from Tampa needs to make it over to Orlando next year.

But all in all, it was a pretty great day. The weather was perfect, the company was awesome, and the food was fantastic. I'm not sure where I'll be next year, but hopefully in a town with a VegFest!

Tampa Bay VegFest 2011

Last Saturday, October 15th, was the second annual Tampa Bay VegFest. I'm happy to say, this year's was bigger and better than last year. And unlike last year, I remembered to take pictures of the food I ate. Bonus.

The boyfriend and I started out by making a lap of all the booths. We ended up eating a ton of free samples that way. Gardein, Dandies vegan marshmellows, So Delicious vegan ice cream, Field Roast sausages, and more. It was pretty fantastic. So by the time we made our way over to the food vendors we weren't actually super hungry. So we both got a $3 veggie dog. Turned out to be a good choice. I had mine on a whole wheat bun with ketchup, onions, and relish. It was just the right amount of food after feasting on samples.

Of course, we couldn't skip dessert. One of the vendors was a vegan ice cream truck, selling soft serve style ice cream made from bananas. I ordered a medium with chocolate sauce and graham crackers. It was really, really good. The texture was spot on and the combination of banana, chocolate, and graham cracker is just about perfect.


I also made new friends at all the different animal rescue organizations. But my best friend, the one who tempted me the most to make an impulse adoption, was Myla. She's about 2.5 months old and a collie boxer mix. She was as sweet as can be. Many of the other dogs seemed pretty bored with being petted and adored, and pretty much ignored me when I pet them. But Myla kept licking me and nipping my fingers. Oh my goodness, I wanted her so bad. It was really hard for me to walk away. I mean, look at that face!


All in all, it was a successful VegFest. The weather was perfect, the food was great, and the animals were adorable (and not on the menu). I'm not sure if I'll still be living in Tampa this time next year, but if I am, I will certainly return for round 3. And this Saturday I'll be going to the Central Florida VegFest in Orlando. It's hard work, going to festivals made especially for me and eating all this food, but someone has to do it!

Costa Rica: Parte 3

Casado, meaning "married" in Spanish, is a typical meal in Costa Rica. Traditionally, it comes with a meat of your choice (chicken, beef, or fish), a salad, rice, beans, and sometimes plantains. This meal was fairly easy to have vegetarian as I would simply order the "casado vegetariano" or the "casado sin carne" (vegetarian casado or casado with no meat). This is the very first casado I had, served at the cafeteria of the institute where I was studying Spanish. This meal, complete with an iced tea or fresh fruit drink of the day, set me back about $4 American. Needless to say, I ate this meal quite often for lunch while I was in Costa Rica. It really was a whole lot of food for a very small price. It was fairly healthy and kept me full for a long time. My only complaint about this plate of food was...it only had two pieces of plantain!

Costa Rica: Parte 2

When I left for Costa Rica I expected that I wouldn't have a ton of food options as a vegetarian. I left fully expecting to be eating rice and beans for three meals a day for 28 days. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this turned out not to be the case. Don't get me wrong, I did eat a fair share of rice and beans but I was also lucky enough to stumble upon a few vegetarian restaurants. My favorite was the Veggie House. I ate there twice and ordered the same thing both times, it was that good. Both times I had the wrap. It came with your choice of garbanzo or soy patty. I chose the garbanzo. Hummus was spread on the tortilla and then filled with numerous veggies including lettuce, carrots, beets, tomatoes, and avocados. On the side they served fresh, homemade salsa and chips. I know this doesn't sound super exciting, but it was incredibly delicious.

I've been making a similar wrap since I've been back. I spread a liberal amount of hummus (usually roasted garlic hummus) on a whole wheat tortilla. Then I add spinach, thinly sliced onion, grated carrots, and grated beets. I then add a good sized handful of chickpeas. A few times I've also made baked falafel to replace the straight up chickpeas. It's a healthy, satisfying lunch. I make it the night before and grab it on my way out the door to work. And it's perfect at room temperature.

Vegetarian in Savannah, GA!

This week is my spring break. Back in November a good friend of mine mentioned taking a trip to Savannah or Charleston for spring break. Because we're both from Florida, partying it up on the beach in Daytona or Ft. Lauderdale just sounded boring and unappealing (I'm also a really big square and I don't actually party). I had heard really great things about both Savannah and Charleston but we ended up deciding on Savannah. She invited her roommate and I invited my boyfriend and off we went!

Savannah is just a really neat little town. If you're a history buff like me then you'll love it. The town is really old and there are just loads of historic sites. But let's be real, this is a food blog. So this trip was really about some great food. I'm proud to say we didn't eat a single chain the whole time we were there; we only ate at local, independent businesses. And the food was really really really good.

After a 6 hour car drive and no lunch, we were pretty much starving upon our arrival in Savannah. I have a friend there and he had recommended a few places to eat. One of those places was Zunzi's, which we happened to spot after being downtown for about 5 minutes. We liked Zunzi's so much we ate there twice. And it was fabulous.


The first picture is of some really excellent falafel. It was served with lettuce, a fresh pita, and homemade yogurt sauce (it usually comes with tomato, but I don't like raw tomato so I asked them to leave it off). Now, this wasn't necessarily the most authentic falafel I've ever had but it was delicious. It was moist on the inside, crisp on the outside and the yogurt sauce just really pulled it all together. I demolished it and didn't even leave a single crumb.


My boyfriend ordered the portobello mushroom sub both times we went, that's how much he liked it. The sub comes with portobello mushrooms, zucchini, hummus, cheese, spinach, and tomato on freshly baked french bread. They also put their house-made dressings on the sandwich. I really don't know what kind of dressings they were, but they were delicious. Kind of like a buttermilk, vinagrette-like, ranch. And a spicy kind of the same dressing. Seriously delicious (and I don't even really like salad dressing!).


On our second trip to Zunzi's I decided to order something different, even though my falafel was delicious. I ordered the vegetable curry over mashed potatoes (you get a choice of mash or rice). It also came with a choice of spinach, romaine, or peas and carrots with a hunk of fresh french bread. Again, it was delicious. The curry was definitely a "white people curry" but super flavorful with lots of fresh vegetables. Again, the home-made dressing on the salad was delicious. The mashed potatoes were just how I like them, super smooth. And I am a sucker for any kind of fresh bread.

Also, one of the best things at Zunzi's I never snapped a picture of. They had some amazing iced tea. Not southern iced tea, which I drank a lot of in Savannah. But iced African tea. It was some sort of rooibos blend. It was amazing. They even gave me a sample before I ordered a cup. Basically, if you're ever in Savannah you have to check out Zunzi's! And if nothing else, order the African iced tea!

The next night for dinner we were planning on going to another recommendation of two Savannah locals, a pizza place called Vinnie Van Go Go's. But when we got to the restaurant it was an hour wait so we decided to look somewhere else. And we stumbled upon 606 East Cafe. Again, we had a pretty delicious, inexpensive meal. One of my favorite parts was the decor. There were an assortment of bras and panties hanging from clotheslines throughout the restaurant. There were also funky lamps and other furniture.

My boyfriend and I both ordered a sandwich (I don't remember the name). It had artichoke hearts, onions, cheese, and broccoli. We also ordered a side of curly fries. The sandwich was pretty good, but my only criticism is that is was cold. It was really tasty, but it would've been better warm. But my friend Sam ordered a curry chicken salad. I tried a bite of the lettuce that the chicken hadn't touched. And oh my goodness. The curry salad dressing was amazing! I am definitely going to try and recreate it at home.

Our last dinner in Savannah was a success at Vinnie Van Go Go's. We went on a Monday night before the dinner rush and were able to get seated right away. You can do pizza by the slice, but my boyfriend has a pretty big appetite (I've seen him eat an entire pizza by himself) so we split a medium pizza with pineapple and onions, our favorite toppings.

This was seriously good pizza. The crust was perfect, just the way I like it; really thin with fluffy edges. The cheese was ooey gooey and melted and perfect. And they used fresh pineapple, not canned. And it was $13 for a huge "medium" pizza with two toppings. Two thumbs up.

So if you're ever in Savannah, don't eat at chains. It is totally possible to eat entirely at awesome, local businesses. There were places that looked really good but we didn't get to try. But seriously, if you ever go, eat at Zunzi's, 606 East Cafe, and Vinnie Van Go Go's. You won't be disappointed.

West Palm Beach Green Market and the ABC's of Me

Though I am currently living in Tampa, I'm originally from Palm Beach County, FL. My one Friday class was canceled last week, and I am done with class at 12:15 on Thursdays so I took the opportunity to go home and see my family. My mom happens to be just as big of a foodie as me. So Saturday morning we headed to downtown West Palm Beach to enjoy the beautiful weather and walk around the Green Market.

The West Palm Beach Green Market is a great market. It's located at the end of Clematis Street right on the Intercoastal. Currently, there are over 50 vendors and free samples are plentiful.

My favorite vendor? Oh! Pickles. I know what you're thinking. Pickles? Really? But let me explain. These are the BEST PICKLES EVER. They are sweet, spicy, and garlicky all at the same time. The picture is really not indicative of how delicious they are, but if you look closely you can see the pickles swimming in red chili flakes and whole garlic cloves. They give out free samples on crackers with a little bit of cream cheese. My boyfriend likes his on sandwiches, my mom on black bean burgers. But me? I like them straight up, right out of the container.
And here a few other photos of some great vendors, Organic Teas N Spices and Farmhouse Tomatoes, Inc.



Now on to the ABC's of Me. This is just a fun little thing floating around the blog world that I stumbled on at one of my favorite blogs, Organically Me.

A. Age: 20

B. Bed size: Queen. It's basically the perfect size.

C. Chore you hate: Dishes. You think I would get over it because I cook so much and cleaning the dishes becomes routine, but I really do hate it. I keep trying to make my boyfriend responsible for all the dishes since I do all the cooking.

D. Dogs: I am definitely a dog person. My entire childhood I had the best dog ever. Her name was Lisa and she was the perfect mutt we found at the pound. She passed away my freshman year of college. I haven't gotten another dog yet, for several reasons, but whenever I need some dog time I go visit Oliver, my friend Sammi's dog. He's the second best dog ever.

E. Essential start to your day: OJ and a banana. I also enjoy a cup of coffee with agave and soy/almond milk, but the coffee is optional. The OJ and banana are a requirement. I only go to the grocery store when I am low on OJ and bananas. If I'm out then it's a real emergency.

F. Favorite Color: Blue

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'4

I. Instruments that you can play: I played cello from third grade all the way through high school. I also used to play guitar and bass guitar, but I haven't picked up either in a while.

J. Job title: Student. And also Park Operations Hostess, but I don't like to talk about that one.

K. Kids: Not today. Get back to me in 7+ years.

L. Live: Florida, born and raised. Tampa is the furthest north I've ever lived and I'm fairly certain I'd like to keep it that way.

M. Mom's name: Darlene. Hi Mom!

N. Nicknames: Blakey and/or Blakey Wakey. My dad always calls me Blakers.

O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was born. That's about it.

P. Pet peeves: Bad drivers. Wet towels on the bed. When my classmates ask a question that the professor already answered...twice. When I tell people I'm a vegetarian, they ask if I eat eggs, I say yes, and they say: "Well, that's just like chicken abortion!". Just to name a few.

Q. Quotes from a movie: "No, no. It's not schizophrenia. It's just a voice in my head. I mean, the voice isn't telling me to do anything. It's telling me what I've already done... accurately, and with a better vocabulary." Any guesses?

R. Righty or lefty: Lefty. I'm special.

S. Sibling: I have a little sister, Paige. She's 17, so not so little any more.

T. Time you wake up: Usually by 8 for school. On days when I have no responsibilities I prefer not to set the alarm which means I get up around 11, sometimes later.

U. Underwear: Excuse me?

V. Vegetables you dislike: I'm not a huge fan of broccoli, but it's growing on me. I've also never been brave enough to try brussel sprouts.

W. What makes you run late: I always set my alarm three seperate times, in five minute intervals. But somehow I still keep sleeping...

X. X-rays: Only of my teeth. Luckily, I've never needed any other x-ray.

Y. Yummy food you make: Everything on this blog, hahaha.

Z. Zoo animal: Ok, I don't really support zoos. But. My favorite animal has always been the bottle nosed dolphin and I like sea mammals in general. And elephants.