Product Review: Meatless "Beef " Jerky... Well There Are Worse Things To Eat?

Waiting with my groceries at the checkout lanes of Whole Foods, my wondering eyes graze over the chocolate bars they have on display, and then.. what is this? Meatless Jerky?!?! Well, a believer in this or not, I HAD to try it. 

 99 calories is the first indicator of what is to come...

Primal Meatless Teriyaki Jerky

Well... it certainly looks completely revolting and I threw up in my mouth a bit like raw meat... I took a bite. Slimy? Yes. The texture however, actually pulled apart like jerky, though a lot more tender. It wasn't that bad, I ate it all with no problem. Perfect for someone who is on one of those stupid vegan diets a light snack.

Price: $1.00

Verdict: The price point is definitely a lot more appetizing then the look of this jerky. It's worth giving a shot, and hey, its a serving of protein for you!

Primal Spirit

Sold at health Food Stores

www.primalspiritfoods.com

Sweet Tooth: Vegan Ice Cream?!?

After dinner one night with Melissa and Nikoma, we all got the sweet tooth and wanted a little treat. Since Nikoma is a vegan we decided to stop by Stogo, an all vegan organic  ice cream shop!

Outside and right across the street from Urban Outfitters

Display of goodies! They also have vegan cupcakes and macarons for sale as well.

Also, just to let you know: There are 3 different types of "bases" for the ice cream:

soy based: I tried the pistacchio, dry as hell, almost powdery...egh

coconut based: Tried the blueberies and cream, very creamy; the most resembling traditional ice cream

hemp based: I tried the honey walnut; gritty and inconsistent in texture..again, egh

Ice Cream Sandwich

Nikoma got this and it was made with vegan chocolate chip cookies from Babycakes and vanilla ice cream (coconut based). Thank goodness I asked him to take a picture of it for me because by the time I paid and sat down with him, it was all gone!  He absolutely loved it.

Price:  $ 5.50

Blueberries and Cream

Well....the truth is, the only way for me to truly enjoy ice cream is if I eat it in a cone. Since stogo didn't sell their ice cream in cones, I bought a cone from a store and brought it into Stogo. Yes, I know I am a freak of nature. But a girls gotta do whatever it takes to enjoy ice cream at its fullest potential right??

Finally done making my ice cream cone!

I had tried handing my cone to the girl behind to counter so she could fill it, but she looked at the cone as if it had Herpes or something " Umm... its our POLICY that we don't have our equipment touch anything from the OUTSIDE." She said almost snobbishly. Fine, I will my own cone after you wasted a perfectly good plastic cup for nothing. Organic and vegan they may be, but not eco-conscious! ( I guess you can have it all?)

Anyway, on to the ice cream.... it was insanely creamy, generously drizzled with blueberries throughout and an after taste if coconut, which complimented the blueberries very nicely. If someone hadn't told me this was vegan, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference! Downside? My teeth looked like it had gotten a horrible case of blackheads. They were completely covered in bits of blueberries which took about 5-10 minutes of unattractive tongue licking in front of a mirror to get off. The ice cream was worth it though!

Price: $5.50

Verdict: Delicious? Yes. A nice beating to your wallet? Yep. Think of this as the "Godiva" of ice creams, ( and get a flavor that is coconut based it has the most resemblance to real ice cream!) but if you are just looking for a quick cool fix, a "Hershey's" (a.k.a Mister Softee) would do just the trick!

Stogo

159 2nd Ave

New York, NY 10003

www.stogonyc.com

Dinner: The Heat Made Me Eat Healthy

I have featured Atlas before, but that is because I have a sneaking suspicion this place may be one of my favorite affordable vegetarian/vegan friendly spots in the city. 

Lentil Soup and Smoked Turkey Panini Combo Special

I went here with Melissa and she ordered this one, it came with a side salad and looks pretty darn tasty. Also- a really great deal!

Price: $6.95

Unchicken Tofu Salad

Since is was a sweltering 85 degrees, my body could not take anything heavy, so I opted for a salad. This was mesclan  greens with carrots, olives, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red onions, 2 scoops of tofu chicken salad and a vinaigrette dressing. Notice how one scoop is a little differently colored than the other? Weird huh? Will it was still delicious. If you have ever had vegan chicken salad, it tastes exactly like the kind you pick up at Whole Foods in their prepared refrigerated section. Chewy, moist and with small chunks of tofu. Enough unchicken for the salad and to make a sandwich.

Price: $6.75

Verdict: Want a satisfing, healthy, and cheap dinner for under 10 dollars? This is the place for you. They also make crepes and have a wide variety of vegan and non vegan cakes, cookies, and desserts. Just a warning, this place is small and offers no air conditioning in the summer.

Atlas Cafe

73 2nd Avenue

New York, NY 10003

http://www.atlascafenyc.com/home.html

Dinner: Pukk

 The other night, Melissa, Nikoma, and I met up for dinner in East Village. Hungry, hot, and tired we decided to walk to the closest yummy place within the 4 block radius. We finally arrived at Pukk; a Thai vegetarian restaurant with fun decor and affordable food. 

Interesting 2 people seating right in the glass lobby. Not sure how I feel about being on display as I shovel food into my mouth like an animal, but it does interest some people...

The place has a very clean modern atmosphere. The white tiles reminded me of a bathroom, I didn't know if I should have taken a poop or eat...maybe both...at the same time!

 

Spinach Pancake

There were 6 that came in the dish. These were more like sauteed spinach wrapped with wonton wrappers and deep fried topped with duck sauce. The spinach was soft and melted in my mouth, the wonton itself was a little oily. The duck sauce tasted like the packet sauce, I wished there was something more added to it other than the pepper flakes they threw in. I wouldn't get these again, but it was something to tide me over until the main dishes came (which they did and very quickly!)

Price: $4.00

Gravy Noodles

This was Melissa's order, it looked DELICIOUS. This was made with vegetarian duck, veggies and flat glass noodles in a ginger gravy sauce. She said that it was pretty bland until she put some hot sauce on it, and would definitely order it again.

Price: $8.00

Massaman Tofu Curry

Nikoma ordered this one. Made with tofu, sweet potato, onion, peanuts and served with a side of brown rice. All I remember was a very quite Nikoma with loud bursts of "MMMMM!!"  I am guessing he would recommend this dish to people.

Price: $7.00

Chicken Green Curry

This was made with vegetarian chicken, and veggies. The curry was very watery and not very flavorful until I added hot sauce. The chicken were shaped like round disks and ladled the curry and brown rice in a perfectly proportioned mouthful. They gave me huge portions and I ended up taking some home for leftovers (woo-hoo!)

Price: $7.00

Verdict: I would definitely come back again, the food was good, the portions HUGE, and the prices; very reasonable. They also serve sangria, and fun asian themed martinis (including lychee flavor!) The service was fast, efficient and good. Our appetizers came within the first 5 minutes of ordering!

One thing that drove me CRAZY was that I felt something like a mosquito continually biting my legs and arms throughout my entire dining experience. Sure enough, I saw tiny little white ones flying around me. They didn't seem to bother anyone else too much. This was the 4th time I have been here and the first time this happened, so hopefully the bugs came because of the sudden hot weather and not moving in!
Lesson learned: Being itchy while eating is not fun

Pukk

75 1st Avenue

New York NY 10003

www.pukknyc.com

Brunch: Earth Matters

Late sunday morning, Buddy and I met up with some friends to get brunch together. We all wanted a relaxing, calm and roomy environment. Nikoma suggested we head to Earth Matters,  an all organic vegan/ vegetarian friendly cafe that also serves meat.

The room was spacious, roomy and had a lot of light coming through the windows. There was seating upstairs, as well as downstairs. They serve micro brews and wine and also carry groceries. Talk about a one stop shop!

Very Berry

This was 14 oz, and made with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, and cranberry juice. I enjoyed this because it was not too sweet, and all of the berries blended together nicely. Tart and tangy, a great cold and refreshing drink to start the day.

Price: $7.50

Small Bowl Combo

This was at the buffet where you can order hot combos of your choosing. I got the "small", but they STUFFED it until the food was basically falling off of the sides. I picked 3 dishes, the tofu veggies stir fry, the mixed kale and collard greens, and the curry seitan. After asking for a plate so I can actually eat my food without it all falling on the floor, I dug in.

The seitan was my favorite, the perfect amount of curry, tender and not rubbery, just a dash of pepper was all it needed. I also enjoyed the stir fry and greens mix. However, there was too much oil for my liking. My mouth felt coated with it, but over all the veggies were not over cooked and still tasty.

Price: $5.50

The Gandhi

My friend Casey ordered this one. It was a homemade veggie burger with lettuce, tomato, avocado and humm

us. I didn't have any, but she seemed to really love it. Doesn't it look yummy?

Price:$9.95

Vegan Brownie

We had to top off the meal with a brownie. This was more like a piece of fudge than actual brownie. Extremely dense, moist, and chocolatey. Before I could blink, it was gone down in my belly. None vegans wouldn't have been able to tell the difference!

Price: $2.50

Casey, Melissa, Nikoma, Buddy (isn't he so photogenic?) and I

Verdict: The people here are really friendly. Though service was slow for not being busy, they did make everything fresh to order.  If you are looking for a relaxing and healthy meal, this is the place to go!

Earth Matters

177 Ludlow Street

New York, NY 10002

www.earthmatters.com

Dinner: Gobo

The other night my friend Janet had suggested we go to this vegan/ vegetarian restaurant for dinner. I am always looking for good healthy places to eat, so I was pretty interested in this place. I had a pretty optimistic outlook on this place since my experiences with vegan restaurants were usually very pleasant and surprisingly delicious. The menu was extensive, and we decided to get 4 appetizer plates to share.

The outside, located at one of the busier parts of the West Village

The inside was very roomy and had a modern earthy feel to it. It also had an open kitchen and a juice bar in the front.

Complimentary 7 Grain Toast

The waiter gave us this with a side of sweet potato and raisin spread. The bread tasted like the standard packaged bread you would get at a supermarket, nothing special. The spread was kind of bland as well, though it had a nice creamy texture to it. It would have been nice if they blended the raisins in with the sweet potato, or if they added a tad more honey. 

Price: Free

Five Spice Tofu Rolls

This was actually one of my favorite dishes of night. The tofu was very well seasoned, and the flavors marinated deep into the tofu. It was very soft and tender, and was served with a mango puree. The tang danced around my mouth playfully and had the consistency of milk. The roll was crispy and fun to crunch on, but for 6 dollars I wished there was more than 1 roll!

Price: $6.00

Steamed Green Tea Vegetable Dumplings

These were hand wrapped dumplings and came in a set of 5. The skin was the perfect thickness, though I couldn't get any green tea flavor out if it. The mixed veggies inside the dumpling managed to somehow taste like meat, but was soft, light and chewy. I love that they served pickled veggies with it, which added a nice tartness to the dish.

Price: $8.00

Eggplant Stuffed with Herbed Tofu Cheese

Yum! Is it wrong to say that this tasted like a very well made de-constructed pizza? Two nice generous slices of grilled eggplant sandwiches together the tofu cheese which had the texture and taste of herbed goat cheese. The stewed tomatoes had a very bold flavor which almost overpowered the delicate earthiness of the eggplant. The sauce was a bit too oily for my taste, but over tasty.

Price: $12.00

Seitan with Malaysian Curry

This was a slow cooked seitan stew with chunks of potatoes and carrots. This reminded me of a nice winter beef stew except there was a lingering flavor of curry after each bite. This would be wonderful to eat on a cold winter night, but felt too heavy when it was so warm out. It was hardy and the seitan, carrots and potatoes were all equally tender and well cooked. They had given a cereal sized bowl full, but neither Janet nor I could finish it

Price: $12.00

Verdict: I really enjoyed the atmosphere here and the service was excellent. It was very cozy and I didn't feel overly stuffed, but full and satisfied. Each dish had it's own very bold distinct flavors textures ( if not a bit salty). I would like to come back again for more healthy tapa's style eats.

Gobo Restaurant

401 Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave)

New York, NY 10014

www.goborestaurant.com 

Dinner: Atlas

After work one night my friend Melissa, Nikoma, and David decided to grab dinner at Atlas, a vegan and vegetarian cafe. The place was very small and only had a 4 tables inside and 4 tables outside.  The menu was written in chalk along the wall.  At the counter there were an array of vegan pastries and cakes. I was super excited to try them after dinner!

The outside view

Vegan Tofu Steak Salad

Taste:  They serve it to you with roasted peppers and carrots and a vinegar soy sauce. The tofu was well marinated with soy and spices but was not too salty. The peppers were fresh as was the mesclun leaves. This was a simple, light salad and the portion was huge.

Texture: Crispy fresh salad, crunchy carrots, and the tofu was the extra firm kind that they chopped into long then rectangular squares.

Price: $7.25

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcake

Taste:  I am very critical of my red velvet cupcakes since they are (one of ) my favorite sweet treats ever. This was the first vegan red velvet I had, it was a bit too oily but the cream cheese frosting was pretty good (probably made from tofutti or some other vegan cream cheese) The cupcake itself didn't have much if a cocoa taste I love from red velvets, but still satisfied my sweet tooth

Texture: It was very moist and fluffy. It fell apart easily and was best eaten with a fork

Price: $2.50

Vegan Peanut Butter Brownie

Taste:  This was so absolutley AMAZING. One of the best brownies I have ever had, you would have never known it was vegan. The brownie is so chocolaty with chunks of carob/vegan chocolate. The peanut butter had a very sweet flavor and complimented the chocolate perfectly.

Texture: This was a very dense brownie, perfectly chewy and the peanut butter was thick and crumbly.

Price: $2.50
* Just a note, I noticed that this exact brownie is at Satellite Cafe in Philly (the one next to Dock Street Pub) so I'm not sure if there is a company that ships their baked goods to many other vegan places.

Verdict: I really enjoyed this place, the portions were good, the food was fresh. They also make vegan crepes, pancakes, waffles, ravioli and many other super yummy treats.  It is great for a quick cheap and healthy meal.

Atlas Cafe

73 2nd Avenue
(between 1st Ave & 4th St)
New York, NY 10003

www.orderatlascafe.com