Friday Five: Dining Out with Omnivores

Linking up today with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for Friday Five.

Especially after the 22-day challenge in January, I'm leaning more and more vegan-ish. But plenty of people in my life anything but! If I want to go out for lunch with my coworkers, dinner with my in-laws, or drinks with probably about half of my friends, I'll need to be as accommodating to their preferences as I'd like them to be to mine. 

Here's what I've come up with so far as some options that have truly vegan options (not just like, well, we can do a house salad without the bacon...?) but aren't fully vegan so everyone can find what they want. (And as far as supporting vegan versus nonvegan businesses - I think there's something to be said for letting mainstream companies know you support them providing vegan options! It'll probably never become their sole thing, but it certainly might increase as a percentage.)

1. Personal pizza places. All those quick-oven-fired pizza places that are popping up all over are perfect for letting you get your own thing, while everyone else enjoys a conventional pizza. Spots like MOD and Blaze even have non-dairy cheese available (in addition to the option of just not getting any cheese). 

2. Thai restaurants. You can get tofu for your "meat", and otherwise be enjoying the same dishes as everyone else! Do be aware of recipes that could have non-vegan ingredients like fish sauce (or, uh, just choose not to ask if it's not obvious and remain blissfully unaware), and ask to have the eggs left off things like pad see ew. Thai Basil in Lake Oswego is my favorite in the Portland area.

3. Chipotle, or other built-your-own Mexican food. Everyone can customize to their hearts' content. Chipotle's beans, rice, and sofritas are all vegan; just leave off the cheese and sour cream. 

4. Middle Eastern food. While others try meat kabobs, you can enjoy a mezze with hummus, baba ghanoush, and tabbouleh. Habibi and Ya Hala are a couple of Lebanese restaurants in Portland I've liked. 

5. Places with full veg menus or clearly marked veg options. Departure is an upscale such restaurant we went to recently. This list of veg-friendly restaurants from NW Veg provides a lot of options. Cafe Yumm is a great for a quick and casual pick. 

NW Veg 22 Day Veg Challenge: Week 3

(See also posts about the first and second weeks.) 

This week was crazy busy and exhausting, so I did even fewer of the actual tasks! But I stuck reasonably well to the actual eating vegan part. Got Chipotle for lunch one day again sans cheese, as well as a similar bowl through catering at work from Qdoba. I thought the shredded cheese really added something to burrito bowls, but I'm not really missing it that much. 

Sunday 1/24
Try a new grain, such as amaranth or spelt. 

Quinoa has become a staple in our house, it's great for stir fries instead of rice. 

Monday 1/25
Find a recipe for a vegan dessert to try out.

Well, on Wednesday I tried a new dessert - a fabulous vegan chocolate cake! When one of my coworkers (who is not vegetarian, but definitely conscious of the issues and so very aware in terms of making accommodations for someone who is when the need arises) found out it was my birthday, she decided to organize a little celebration with our team (as often happens - a lunch or Starbucks outing, perhaps), and ordered vegan cake from New Seasons! I think some of our colleagues were a bit apprehensive about trying it, but everyone thought it was really great!

Tuesday 1/26
Check out a new vegan soup recipe.

Later on the weekend Abe made a recipe from a cookbook he got for Christmas, a butternut pear soup. It's not my kind of soup (pureed - it has to taste really good to overcome that kind of texture!) but wasn't too bad. 

One note about soups - I very rarely eat soups in restaurants, because even veggie or minestrone soups are frequently made with a non-vegetarian broth. Be sure to ask, no matter what the description on the menu says!

Wednesday 1/27
Check out resources through NW Veg, such as their YouTube channel. 
Think about how animals are friends, not food, by learning about Esther the Wonder Pig.

I went ahead and liked Esther's facebook page. I knew she existed due to an acquaintance on facebook who frequently likes things on the page. I don't know her super well, but she's vegan, and the food she shares on facebook really is a nice quiet reminder to see how great this lifestyle can be.

Thursday 1/28
Despite the stereotype that we eat nothing but salad, it is a part of a healthy vegan diet and can be quite filling - eat a big salad!

I've actually been eating a lot of salad as part of my monthly goals - January was to eat either a salad or smoothie every day. I ended up meeting this 28 out of 31 days - not bad!

Friday 1/29
Check out one of the many vegan podcasts for support and resources on living a vegan life.

Already on my to-listen list (but not currently prioritized until I've caught up on Gilmore Guys) is the No Meat Athlete podcast. 

This night we had dinner with my in-laws. They typically have cheese and crackers while we chat before dinner, so we brought some of the camembert we bought at  Vtopia along. Best compliment it could get was I think the reaction - "it tastes like cheese!" I was sad to see so much of it eaten up by someone other than me, but I'm thrilled they all enjoyed it! 

Saturday 1/30
To continue on the vegan journey, officially join NW Veg as a member.

I was previously a NW Veg member, and plan to rejoin. While I haven't been super involved all the time, I have definitely taken advantage of its resources. At one point I did a six week cooking class, I like going to Veg Fest, and this challenge was definitely a great experience! 

Friday Five: Vegan Snacks for the Super Bowl

Linking up today with Mar, Cynthia, and Courtney for Friday Five. 

I'm almost done with the 22-day vegan challenge! On Sunday, if I want, I can eat aaalll the cheese and ice cream I want. Am I going to? Well, probably a little. We have some such products in the freezer to use up; and although going through something of a "boot camp" to force myself into finding the options has been useful, I think to keep it permanent, allowing it back in and more gradually phasing it out will also be beneficial. 

But, I still do want to continue seeking alternatives, especially when it comes to socially. I want to find restaurants that I go with options for me but without limiting the choices for omnivores in my life (plan to do a Friday Five for that sometime soon!), and I want to pick crowd pleasers to take to events that will please a mixed audience. Next big event? The Super Bowl of course! We're going to a get-together at my sister-in-laws, which will be mostly omnivores, and some gluten-free thrown in to boot. 

I want to take something vegan that I can enjoy with my newly adopted standards, but that isn't too far out there and can show others that vegan food can be great! (The cake that a veg-friendly coworker brought in for my birthday this week was a good example of that!) Good vegan food is basically an ambassador to this way of life.

Here are some sources for vegan superbowl snacks that I found to pick from.

1. Oh She Glows - The Big Vegan Super Bowl Recipe Round-Up

The warm vegveeta dip looks amazing!

2. Vegan Richa - 15 Healthy Vegan Super Bowl Recipes

Not sure if they fit the "an omnivore wouldn't find them weird" threshold, but the melty cashew mozzarella sticks are very intriguing. 

3. Veg Kitchen - 12 Easy and Fun Vegan Super Bowl Snacks

I'd like to try the artichoke and white bean dip - close enough to the real thing, I'm sure, but without subbing in anything too weird (tofu or a processed nondairy cheese or whatnot).

4. Running on Real Food - 14 Healthy(ish) Vegan Super Bowl Snacks

While not something that'd really be my favorite (vegan or not), the jalapeno poppers are something I think many people would love.

5. Veg News - Vegan Super Bowl Eats That are a Culinary Touchdown

I love the idea of the roasted red pepper dip - it's not trying to be a substitute for anything else, just a dip that happens to be vegan. 

NW Veg 22 Day Veg Challenge: Week 2

(See post about the first week here.)

I wasn't quite on the ball in doing specific tasks on assigned days, but at least thinking about things, and caught up on some over the weekend. 

Sunday 1/17
Go to your library and check out some vegan cookbooks.

Well, we really don't need to check out any new cookbooks, we have plenty! 

Although I didn't set a goal to make new recipes from them this year (as I did for 2015), after busy season is over I'll spend some time picking out some new things to try.

Monday 1/18
Try out a new legume.

I had lunch with one of the firm partners (who, though I don't have one specific boss, is the partner I work with the most, so essentially my boss). As we were making small talk, he asked how my weekend was, and I mentioned that I went to a farm animal sanctuary. He seemed rather perplexed by the idea as I tried to explain it - but once we ordered, he got tofu on his dish instead of meat, so maybe it got him thinking...

Tuesday 1/19
Watch Cowspiracy.

I watched it this weekend - I liked it so much more than Forks Over Knives. Although ostensibly about the environmental impact, it eventually goes into so much more. I'd say it doesn't provide quite as much guidance about how to go vegan, but it does make it clear that's is a healthy and compassionate choice, and really hits hard to convince you of that.

This day I had lunch with a coworker, at a breakfast cafe restaurant. When I go here, I usually get the breakfast combo which is an omelet (with your choice of add-ins), toast, potatoes, and fruit. It's all so delicious! (How does even toast taste so much better at a restaurant than at home?) But... obviously not vegan. Instead, I compromised with a veggie burger, including the default cheese that it came with. Less animal product altogether than an omelet would have, but some nonetheless. 

Wednesday 1/20
Explore trusted resources to support your values.

NW Veg, of course  is a good resource in Portland (the organization leading the challenge). They put on VegFest each fall, cooking and classes to learn how to lead a vegan life, and much more. 

They suggested a couple other websites in the challenge materials, but while they each had some lists of other resources, mostly they were just animal-based clickbait, and kind of dumb. Personally, I think it's useful to follow vegans on Instagram or other social media - seeing pretty pictures of vegan food can be motivating to find such treats for oneself!

Thursday 1/21
Plan out your meals for the next few days to make vegan eating easy.
Share a photo of one your vegan meals to social media to show how easy and delicious it can be.

After Abe and I did our January volunteering gig this day, we had a late dinner at Veggie Grill. It's a fast-food type chain that is all plant-based! (Loving Hut (which I haven't yet been to) and Native Foods are also similar chains that we have in Portland.) I had a great burger and fries!

Friday 1/22
Read Mad Cowboy or No More Bull by Howard Lyman.

I wasn't able to make the speaking engagement by Howard Lyman (not the semi-retired law partner in The Good Wife), but I did request one of this books from the library and have started reading it. So far, I really love his style - very colloquial and entertaining. 

Saturday 1/23
Deepen your knowledge of all things animal. 
Consider volunteering or donating money to a nonprofit that helps animals.

Out of some suggested books, I decided to check out Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows. Haven't started it yet (you know when every hold list you're on at the library comes in at once...) but am looking forward to reading it. (Reading it soon - there's still a hold list, so I can't renew it!)

I ended up "cheating" a few times throughout the week - the lunch out on Tuesday, the firm-provided lunch for working on Saturday was pizza which I had mostly cause I missed having had it for a while, the snacks that the firm brought in for busy season which includes string cheese. Cutting out dairy is so much harder to cutting out meat was (that was easy to do cold turkey). I know at least I've had sooo much less than I would have otherwise had during the past two weeks. 

NW Veg 22 Day Veg Challenge: Week 1

First week of the challenge is done (actually, more like halfway through the three weeks by the time I'm finishing writing this)! Here are the daily assigned tasks we were supposed to do, and how it was all going. 

Saturday 1/9
Watch Forks Over Knives.

I'm planning to do a longer post with some thoughts about, probably combined with some other documentaries I'm planning to watch. Ultimately, this one is almost exclusively focused on the health aspects of a plant-based diet. There's literally maybe 3 minutes total (within the last 20 minutes) that briefly touches on the environmental impact and treatment of animals. 

The main point seems to be that going vegan is the obvious choice. They present a lot of compelling evidence (mostly - though general opinion about the impact of dietary cholesterol has since changed), and I certainly agree that there are health benefits to a plant-based diet. However, they take it further than that, and are essentially asserting that (1) most people will see dramatic health changes by adopting a plant-based diet, (2) you can either be really healthy or really unhealthy - nothing in between, and (3) you have a moral obligation to live as healthy as possible.

I have problems with all three of those assertions. There is still value in the underlying facts and discussion surrounding those thing, but they are not the clear conclusions that the documentary makes them out to be. Plus, in basically the same breath as assigning this to watch, the organization shared an article in the 22-day challenge facebook group that points out that understanding the ethical reasons for going vegan are much more important in convincing people to stick with being vegan compared to the health reasons. Sure it all has a place, but if the ethics are more important, why make the very first task learning about the health benefits? 

You can see what I ate this day here. I definitely felt a bit deprived. I have a bit of a sweet tooth anyway, but just knowing that there were certain things I "couldn't" have, I really wanted to eat whatever junk food that was in the house that was allowed. That feeling went away a bit over the course of the week, and it was more about just logistics of figuring out what my options were, rather than feeling emotional about it.

Sunday 1/10
Discover your "why", write it down, and put it somewhere to remind you every day.

I wrote this on that day, thought it didn't fully hit home until the end of the week when we went to the farm sanctuary. Hearing from someone who's seen the industry up close, and seeing animals who would otherwise be used and abused for our sake made an otherwise just theoretical belief more tangible.

Monday 1/11
Clean up your kitchen to remove animal products. 
Use the "Is It Vegan" app to help make decisions in buying.

We have a huge block of cheese and a container of ice cream in the freezer, that had been purchased and opened shortly before the challenge began. We're planning on using those up after the three week challenge, even though in terms of buying new stuff we expect to lean more on the vegan side of things. We gave away a partly full carton of eggs to my SIL to use up. 

I checked out the "Is it vegan?" app and it's pretty slick. One really important feature is that it lets you indicate whether you want processed sugar to be viewed as vegan or not - in theory, it might not be, due to including bone char as part of the processing. But one thing I found recently said that that's probably only about 25% of the sugar, so it's not like it's all or even most of the sugar that's being used. While I'd be nice to know for sure that I wasn't eating stuff associated with that, it seems like it's a relatively low risk, and I should be aiming to avoid processed sugar in general anyway, so not a huge portion of my diet as a whole.

Thank goodness my diet coke is ok for a vegan lifestyle!

January PDX Restaurant: Vtopia

Website

In the midst of the 22-day veg challenge, and trying and wanting to make more vegan choices (hmmm, I like that phrasing - to go all or nothing and "be vegan" can be daunting; to make vegan choices, moment by moment, choice by choice, is perhaps more doable), it seemed like the perfect time to explore a vegan alternative to something I love dearly, cheese. 

Cheese. It's a big reason I haven't gone vegan before. Not only is it delicious and part of many comfort foods, but it's almost always a big part of the vegetarian options at mainstream restaurants. Finding a vegan alternative to cheese is a must. And processed vegan cheeses (like daiya) just really don't do it for me.

The shop is located on the edge of downtown Portland, just a couple blocks from the Goose Hollow MAX station (which we did take in - street parking looked like it's available, but not plentiful). I'd heard about it shortly after they opened this summer, and I can't believe I put it off and missed out on it for so long!

Genre: Artisan cheese, deli dishes including their cheeses

Price: Cheese plates: each for $5, 5 for $23, 6 for $27, or 7 for $31 (and they're quite generous servings of each!). $5.50 to $13.50 for other small dishes, entrees, and sandwiches. Wine, beer, and other drinks also available.

Setting: Home-y deli

What we tried: 

Obviously we had to get a cheese platter and try a variety. I honesty can't completely recall which ones we got (other than than the feta which Abe really wanted to try, we just asked asked the waitress to include her favorites. This was in partbe cause they were out of a several - due to their recent move to a bigger manufacturing facility - but also just because why not.) 

I think, from left to right: 

Mediterranean feta, macadamia and cashew camembert, spicy white cheddar, roasted red pepper surrise, peppercorn brie.

My favorites, by far, were the camembert, followed by the one on the far right (which I think is brie, but is the one I'm least sure I'm remembering correctly). They were really amazing. Just like any fairly mild spreadable or cream cheese (the camembert seemed like Laughing Cow - yes, I have very low brow tastes in my cheese, I didn't even recognize half the names of the cheeses here). Really, really delicious! The only one I didn't like was the feta, but I'm not a fan of regular feta either.

The cheese plate came with some bread and crackers - surprisingly the cheese portions were very generous, but the carbs seemed a little stingy to go along with it! Fortunately they gave us a refill on that. We also got the beer cheese with sourdough bread - taste and texture were right on! 

Abe had ordered one of the specials (to be joining the regular menu, I believe), a club sandwich. Sadly, we eventually got news that they were out of the cheese to make it (again, supply issues were due to the relocation of the manufacturing spot, but that's done now so shouldn't be an issue going forward). But, to make up for it, they gave us a couple bon bons. I'd say the cheese was better vegan cheese than the bon bons were vegan chocolates/candies, but that's not to say I'd turn them down!

Overall impression: Amazing! Abe has instructions to stop by sometime soon (it's reasonably on his way home from school) to pick up cheese to bring home.

Would I take my parents?*: Yes. While the concept "vegan cheese" is a bit outside of their comfort zone, I think they'd be willing to give it a shot for my sake, and I'd bet they'd find something to enjoy.

*Scale: Heck no. No. Probably not. Maybe. Eh, yeah. Yes. Definitely. 

Wildwood Farm Sanctuary

I think this might have flipped the switch for me. A quesadilla sounds a hell of a lot less appealing to me now than it used to. 

Saturday's daily challenge for the 22-Day Veg Challenge was to learn about farm animal sanctuaries. The bonus was an organized trip to visit Wildwood Farm Sanctuary, a small farm animal sanctuary just outside of Newberg (about 45 minutes SW of Portland). There were about 10 of us from the 22 day challenge that made the trip out there to see the animals and learn more about the sanctuary and its mission.

We met Shauna, the founder of the sanctuary. Her grandfather used to raise cattle on the land; the family now raises some crops, as well as making space for the rescued animals. She's also a vet tech, which is part of what led her to become vegetarian, then vegan, and to want to provide a safe haven for animals subjected to the meat industry. There are goats, sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys, alpacas. They are sometimes rescued from abusive backyard-type farms situations, or allowed to be taken just after being born if they're of no use to a farmer (e.g., male cows). 

One of the things she told us that particularly made an impact on me is what "organic" really means to farm animals. It doesn't just mean they don't get unnecessary antibiotics - it means they can't get antibiotics when they're actually sick. So little baby cows that get sick can't be helped in any real way, simply because they're being raised to be organic. It's the obvious consequence, but that had never occurred to me before. 

Wildwood is a newer sanctuary, and become a 501(c)(3) in 2014. In addition to Shauna and her family, there are volunteers that keep it running - I might wait until the weather is better (it was rainy and windy while we were out there - but worth it), but I definitely want to attend one of their work events to help out. The animals are all so sweet; some friendly and desiring petting more than others (The goats in particular loved attention! One of the roosters liked to follow people around, but was a bit more variable on touching.), but you can see all of them are loving creatures, with emotions just like our pets. 

NW Veg 22 Day Veg Challenge & WIAW as a Vegan

I've been a vegetarian for over half my life, since my freshman year of high school. I've written before about my reasons (ultimately, it's because it's the best and healthiest choice for everyone involved), and how I'd like to go vegan but find that difficult. Food is part of our culture, and while vegetarian isn't that far out there, vegan is; it sets you apart, it makes it hard to participate in mainstream communities.

In that last post, I mentioned how I tried to plan it out in advance, and even that didn't work. Looking at that today - that's not at all how I make big decisions! The movement towards a vegetarian diet probably was somewhat gradual, but deciding that that was officially what I was doing was a quick decision, and then it was done. Jobs, moving, relationships, races - I'll consider all the options and possibilities, but I tend to make the actual decision spur of the moment, and never look back.

So it really shouldn't have surprised me when I got an email last week of a 22-day vegan challenge (run by NW Veg) just a couple days before the challenge started (last Saturday) - and decided to do it! It somehow seemed like the right time. 

I honestly don't expect this to be the catalyst to being vegan forever (though, who knows). But I really do want to be vegan - it's what's ethical, it's what's healthy, it's important - but I don't want to put the work into it or give up the things I enjoy. This is making it easier, setting up daily tasks to build the required habits, and it's only temporary - in three weeks I can have ice cream and a quesadilla again! There's built-in support through the challenge, and I've also been gradually building some other vegan support and community into my life, particularly through the No Meat Athlete running group. Abe already leaned more vegan, overall, than me (though he also has meat occasionally), so he's doing the challenge with me and obviously that's a huge help in keeping our house and joint meals free of animal products.

Two of my reasons for wanting to be vegan.

Any tips for sticking with a vegan diet? Especially in regards to (1) comfort foods and (2) socializing?

I also thought it'd be fun to share what I ate for the first day of the vegan challenge. It's a bit treat-heavy - I was trying to make it up to myself, a bit, for not being allowed to have the quesadilla that's become a diet staple in the past couple of weeks! And it doesn't look like I had many veggies, although there are greens in that ugly smoothie. But produce is something that could be improved upon, for sure.

Pre-run breakfast: Toast (Dave's Killer Bread) with gingerbread peanut butter (a stocking gift), an orange, and diet coke

Post-run: Some kind of really healthy-sounding Girl Scout cookies (Abe just bought a bunch at a a grocery store that sells, essentially expired or near-expired foods - he's always one for a bargain, and I'll acquiesce so long as it's things I don't think will kill me; this was the only kind of the 3 or 4 boxes he got that is vegan), almonds

Post-weights lunch: Smoothie with spinach, flax seeds, chia seeds, protein powder (Garden of Life raw), blueberries, water

Afternoon snack: Graham crackers (eh... not technically vegan because of honey - but an open package in the cupboard that I didn't want to go to waste) with frosting (homemade with Earth Balance, pudding mix (leftover from Nanaimo bars at Christmas time), powdered sugar, and water)

Dinner: Pad see ew, homemade by Abe, sans the usual eggs, La Croix (Abe just go a bunch because, again, on sale. I could get used to having these around!)

Evening snack: Pomegranate

December PDX Restaurant: Departure

Website

Departure isn't a wholly vegan restaurant, but it is extremely veg-friendly. In addition to the regular menu, there is an entirely separate vegan menu (as well as a separate gluten-free menu). It's not quite as long as the regular menu, but it is quite extensive!

Set on a high floor downtown, in the summer I'm told a table on the deck gives you a wonderful view of the city. We didn't really have that view indoors, but it's still an interesting vibe and good food. 

Genre: Asian small plates

Price: $12 cocktails, $6 to $14 per plate on vegan menu (up to $33 on regular menu) - you'll probably want two plates per person as a full dinner

Setting: Boat-like architecture, music, upscale/sleek atmosphere

What we tried: 

For drinks, Abe and I ordered the two mocktails, to see which we liked better - I loved the strawberry cooler, and he the Thai basil sipper (both were really good, though). My MIL got the indochine - which contains creme de cassis, which I've never heard of before but is a fruity (berry) liquor and the cocktail was delicious.

Food - from left to right, top to bottom:

• Shaved collards salad, Minzuna & apple salad, Edamame
• Green beans, Sweet potato tempura roll, Salt & pepper tempeh
• Hand cut rice noodles, Kimchee fried rice, Brussells sprouts  

Our favorites:
Mine: Tempura rolls
Abe's: Shaved collards salad
MIL's: Brussell sprouts

I think we all like those top three a lot. Nothing was particularly bad, although the tempeh was may just so-so. To me, everything was more spicy than I'd like - unlike much spicy food, there actually was still flavor, the spicy didn't just cover up everything, but nonetheless my mouth was burning by the end of the meal! We definitely ordered too much, each dish is more than an appetizer, but definitely less than an entree. I'd recommend going with a group so you can try as many options as possible!
Overall impression: A fun place, I'd like to go back in the summer to see the view from the deck. I was surprised by how much I actually did like the food considering how far outside my norm it is, and so spicy. It's a good place to take a variety of tastes - with a full vegan menu, gluten-free menu, and normal menu, we suggested my MIL bring us back with my SIL and her boyfriend sometime to accommodate all of our needs.

Would I take my parents?*: Probably not. I actually think they might like the food (it's outside of their comfort zone a smidge, but not that much), but they would not be thrilled with the atmosphere. It's definitely a noisy, more "club" type of vibe. 

*Scale: Heck no. No. Probably not. Maybe. Eh, yeah. Yes. Definitely. 

December Recipe: Vegan Pie in the Sky

The final cook book for the year, December's recipe was from Vegan Pie in the Sky. This is by the same authors as August's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, so I knew it was likely to contain some good treats! 

I have to admit, though, I'm not much of a pie person, in general, which is why as best I recall I hadn't previously made anything from this book. (I believe I acquired the book in a swag bag from one of the VegNews yoga retreats. P.S., I don't think it's official yet, but rumor has it they might be reviving their yoga retreat! I don't know if life would allow me to attend again in the near future, but I'd definitely highly recommend it!)

Anyway, I'm not much of a pie person. Fruit ones mean the fruit is soft and soggy (ew), and other kinds are usually some kind of mushy pudding grossness (eww). But chocolate can overcome all odds, so I'm usually content with a chocolate creme pie of some sort, thus I figured the old-fashioned chocolate pudding pie was worth a shot. I also made the crust from scratch with the book's graham cracker crust recipe (after all, if I must consume pie, at least it's a good vehicle for graham cracker crust and whipped cream).

Graham Cracker Crust

Difficulty: 2.5 out of 5. Difficulty was perhaps due to assumptions on my part, not the recipe. It gave an ounces of graham crackers that should yield the given amount once crushed, and so I just used what should of been that, given the total ounces of the box, and failed to actually measure once crushed. It seemed to be too much in total, and I had to add more oil and milk, and actually ended up making two 8-inch crusts instead of the one 9- or 10-inch crust specified.

Enjoyment: 5 out of 5. It's hard to screw up a graham cracker crust so much as it to make it unenjoyable! It crumbled a bit instead of holding up perfectly once the pie was made, but it still tasted good!

Likelihood to make again: 3 out of 5. I'm not terribly likely to need a pie crust again, but if I did, I'd make this one.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie

Difficulty: 4 out of 5. It sounds simple, but somehow things weren't mixed together well enough once I started the heating (to thicken) process, and some stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan and started burning. It didn't hinder the remaining mixture, but added a slight burnt taste to the whole thing. I thought I was following the instructions, so I'm not sure how I could have avoided this.

Enjoyment: 4 out of 5. The slight burnt taste dampened the experience a bit, but it wasn't bad at all, even so. 

Likelihood to make again: 2 out of 5. Still not a huge pie person. It's not something I'd make to have around for my own daily dessert. But if I needed to make a pie for something, this would be on the short list.

November PDX Restaurant: Papa G's

Website

After the Peacock Lane Run, Abe, Karey, and I headed to Papa G's for dinner. The guy serving us noticed Karey's race shirt (from last year's Holiday Half), and mentioned that he'd been thinking of doing some kind of race to keep up his running. I think we talked him into doing a half marathon some time soon! 

Genre: Deli, comfort food

Price: $2.50 - $4.75 drinks, $7.95 - $10.95 entrees

Setting: Rustic-y, casual diner with counter service.

What we tried: 

For drinks, I had the hibiscus cooler, Abe got the limeade, and Karey tried the kefir. I tried a sip of the kefir - it was interesting, a bit tangy like yogurt but not overly so. I don't think I'd want to drink a whole glass of it, but it wasn't that bad!

I got the chili with cornbread. Unlike many restaurants, the chili wasn't too spicy - just spicy enough. Abe got the country plate, and Karey got the nacho salad. Everyone enjoyed their meals!

Overall impression: A very Portland kind of place! Very crunchy vibe in both atmosphere and food. Food is good, but kind of out there in terms of using veg substitutes (lots of tempeh or tofu in dishes that would otherwise have meat - I think naturally-veg stuff is more accessible to non-vegetarians). 

Would I take my parents?*: Maybe. I think they could find food they'd enjoy (though perhaps a bit out of their comfort zone), but the vibe is very Portland and perhaps not quite what they'd enjoy.

*Scale: Heck no. No. Probably not. Maybe. Eh, yeah. Yes. Definitely.