Who’d have thought Worcester was a veg central for Massachusetts???

If you’re heading in that direction, be sure to make a stop at the vegan Buddha Hut on Chandler Street. This place has the best soups ever! Not surprising their soups were included in PETA’s Top 10 in the country.

If you still crave a little carnivorous fare, the menu includes a number of meat alternatives. The “seafood” tofu is super yummy, as are the “spare ribs” and “chicken fingers”.

You can also find healthier eats with tofu and a variety of rices and noodles.

Buddha Hut is a family-owned and run business where everyone is friendly, accomodating, and seems to embrace the philosophy behind veganism, including compassion and environmentalism.

Also on Chandler Street you’ll find EVO. Not a veg restaurant, but with many veg and vegan options. The meats (or should I say animals) that are served are grass-fed and organic. Next door is the Living Earth whole foods market, where you’re sure to find some healthful staples for your pantry.

Jumpin’ Juice and Java is a little more than a hop away and although you won’t find vegan desserts there, you will find soy milk for your coffee. A cozy cafe with a decor that is a mix between contemporary and rustic, this is a perfect place to spend a little time on a cold, winter afternoon. Winter…did I say winter???

If you’re looking to explore and head a little further west than usual, consider Rte. 146. The Blackstone Valley has a lot to offer.

Last week, Max and I headed to Sutton, where we ventured through Purgatory Chasm, an area of rock formations believed to have been carved out when the glaciers moved through after the last Ice Age. This is a GREAT hike for school-aged kids. Although only about a half mile, the hike requires climbing up and over rocks for most of the well-marked trail. Shoes with good grips definitely required.

Today, the family headed to Worcester to check out EVO, a restaurant that serves organic foods with a variety of vegetarian options. My husband and I split the appetizer vegan sesame nuggets with spicy Thai dressing, vegetable and tofu quesadillas, and a vegan burger on pannini bread. Max enjoyed the vegan nugget meal, which is served with mashed potatoes and broccoli. Although too full to try any, the desserts included apple crisp pizza, carrot cake, and a trio of sorbet.
The decor is chic, but casual, and family-friendly. Prices are reasonable. Service was great.
Before leaving, we headed next door to the Living Earth health-food store, and found an assortment of veg food, including vegan meatloaf and lasagna.

I feel fortunate to live in a state that has so much to keep us busy. We look forward to returning to the Blackstone Valley again soon.

Looking for something to do other than hit the beach? Need to get some school shopping done?

Max and I checked out the cranberry bog trail behind Patriot Place in Foxboro this morning. It’s located at the far end, behind Bass Pro Shop. About a half mile long, this generally stroller-friendly trail is half shaded and winds through a still-used bog that is teeming with turtles, herons, geese, and other wildlife.

If you need to grab some grub afterward, you might try the Red Robin burger restaurant. I know, it’s a burger joint, and though I would never frequent a place like this, I was impressed with their veg offerings and feel it’s important to support places that keep the veg crowd in mind.

The restaurant is family-friendly and every burger on the menu can be substituted for a veggie (which has cheese) or Boca burger. The kids menu offers pasta, mac ‘n cheese, grilled cheese, and pizza. Top that off with a side of broccoli, carrots, melon or apple slices, and you’ve got a decent meal.

Oh, and Patriot Place uses recycled water in its toilets…so as the sign says on the door…don’t drink it!
(Serious…)

We were down around NYC for Thanksgiving, so our family decided to go on a little food venture. I’d read of a number of new veg places and wanted to check them out.

We knew we didn’t want to be ANYWHERE near Times Square the day after Thanksgiving, so we hit the trendier area of Greenwich Village area, or just “the village”, if you’re a hip person from NY.

Lunch began at Gobo. This rustic, country-looking restaurant with the raw, Asian-inspired menu was created in the Zen philosophy, “founded on the belief that delicious food & beverages using wholesome, non-meat ingredients will nourish both your body & mind”.  We shared from the reasonably-priced “quick bites” menu. The homemade hummus with pita chips was super tasty and I can’t wait to attempt the five spice tofu rolls with mango puree. (Okay, that may be a while…)

Next, we were off to find a couple vegan bakeries. The Whole Earth Bakery and Kitchen is quite the hole-in-the-wall, but then most of the places in this part of the city are…and sometimes that’s where the best finds are.

The man behind the counter was friendly, as was a customer already in the store, who made a whole number of suggestions. The chocolate chip brownie was a bit…um… healthier-tasting than I prefer,  but Max enjoyed his chocolate chip cookie and my sister-in-law loved her banana bread slice.

After a taxi ride back to our car, which Max thought was the coolest, we headed for a late afternoon snack ( I did say this was a food venture) to Zen Burger. Except for the 60’s inspired green and orange colors on the wall and the fact that the menu is entirely veg, this fast-food restaurant is just like its meat-laden equivalent. Oh, but there is also a TV on the wall above the counter explaining how going veg is one important way to help save the environment.

My husband had the Original Zen Burger, while I tried the ZenFish Filet, and Max devoured the ZenChicken Tenders with sweet and sour sauce. The veggies were actually quite fresh and the chocolate soy shakes- yum! Like any fast food, this isn’t the kind of stuff you want to be eating all the time, but it’s great to know that this option is out there. With locations in California and New York, Zen Burger needs to come to Boston!

Before leaving the Big City, we hit Babycakes NYC. As you might have guessed, this was another vegan bakery. This, too, is a hole-in-the-wall, but with lots of yummy choices. We left with samples of the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, two kinds of cupcakes, and two brownie samples. Hey, we hardly ever get to New York!

Oops, I almost forgot our stop at High Vibe. This health-food/ supplement store is one carrier of the new Dr. Cow’s tree nut cheese. I’d read so many good things about this cheese, I had to find it!

Funny, the article in Veg News that pictured this cheese wheel should have indicated that the photo was NOT the actual size. The wheel is about the size of a button mushroom and is pretty pricey, but I was determined. Today I indulged. I tasted the aged cashew cheese, which, like most aged cheeses, is a bit strong, though I enjoyed it thoroughly. The best part was when I paired it with slices of apple and french bread. Ah…mon amie…where have you been for so long? It was heaven.

Finally, before leaving High Vibe, I picked up a copy of The Vegan Guide to New York City. Who knew???? So it looks like I’ll be off on another food venture to the Big Apple soon!

We just returned from what was probably one of our best vacations. Funny, I grew up in Maine- spent more than twenty years there- but I had more fun this week, as a tourist, than I did most of the time I lived there. Is that some kind of psychological phenomenon? Do we appreciate places more when we’ve moved away from them?

We started our trip with lunch in Freeport. I try not to get lost in all the commercialism of that area, but it’s a good place to get lunch. Isabella’s Sticky Buns Cafe on School Street had the BEST toasted portabella mushroom sub, while my husband had the hummus wrap and Max chowed on a grilled cheese sandwich with homemade bread.

After that, we drove a few miles to Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park. Max met his young cousins and they went traipsing along the rocky shore searching for snails and shells deposited by the tide. The ranger had a high-powered telescope focused on the resident osprey and it was exciting to watch the mother and juvenile devour lunch as if they were only feet in front of us.

Afterward, we hiked through the pine and hemlock forest trails along the ocean cliffs. The trails were generally flat, easy to hike, and easy to follow.

Later in the trip we walked around Damariscotta, a southern coastal town that is home to the Salt Bay Cafe, where we had lunch. I was excited when I learned they had a vegetarian menu, but I was blown away when I looked at it. Instead of the typical two or three salad selections, this menu had over thirty sandwich, salad, and entree meals! I tried the fried tofu sandwich, while my husband ate the Caribbean bean cake sandwich. Max stuck with the pasta. We were all pleased and can’t wait to go back. We even brought home a vegetarian takeout menu so I can attempt some of the choices at home.

Our next hike took us to Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal. This place has a number of short trails that are great for the littlest hikers. We started with the trek that lead straight up to the summit. This is pretty steep, which is why we chose this route first. Max had a blast climbing up the rock steps and beamed when he made it to the top. After that, we followed a mile-long loop trail through the woods. It was a little wetter there and we became mosquito morsels along the way. Fortunately, our bug repellent worked most of the time.

We had breakfast out a couple mornings at a place called Bagel Mainea. Voted Top 10 bagel place the past two years, this breakfast and lunch place boasts a variety of bagels. They also have Tofutti cream cheese and an excellent hummus sandwich.

Finally, we ended our vacation with a stop at Margarita’s in Portland. Mexican is pretty easy fare if you’re a vegetarian and they can make a great bean and rice burrito, minus the cheese, if you prefer. Of course, the margaritas are pretty fantastic, too!

I like being a tourist in New England. We’ll have to do this again soon!

Psst! I have a secret. At least I think it’s a secret. Today we found a really neat place to bring Max, and not too many people seem to know about it. Ever visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History? If not, you have to try it!

Okay, so the bizillion stuffed animals are a bit of a turn-off to most vegetarians, but I assume they were donated and, well, it’s neat to see some of these animals close up!

I never realized how HUGE a Mongolian tiger was, how tall an Emporer penguin, and how funny-looking the Probiscus monkey.

Rumor has it that one admission covers the Peabody Museum also, which had interesting exhibits, too. We never made it to the second museum; we didn’t even make it through the first. In addition to the mammal/bird and dinosaur exhibits, there are gems and pieces focused on environmental changes.

Although Max was mainly interested in the elevator, the stairs, and the microscope activity, I know he absorbed at least some of what we saw today. How can you not be impressed that some of the strongest and largest dinosaurs were vegetarian? That hummingbird eggs are about the size of a fingernail? That horses started out the size of a small dog?

Unlike our trip to the Museum of Natural History in New York City, this event was quiet and crowd-less. A bit pricey if you have to leave early like we did, but elementary kids should get a kick out of it. Being right in the center of Cambridge, there’s much to offer afterward- like book and music stores, street entertainment, and a variety of food.

If you make it to the museum, let me know what you think. Just don’t tell anyone else about it. It’ll be our secret!