Vermont

First Days and Sugar Houses

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Yesterday was my first day of work and it was great! I was super nervous at first and a bit overwhelmed but by the end of the day I was feeling comfortable with the position and I am excited to go back to work next week.  My second day I have to travel for a meeting which is fun so we will see how that goes but so far I am loving it (haha okay it’s been one day).  Also did I mention that I get to have an iphone for work! Hello colour me pumped!

After work hubby and I decided to stop and get a beer to celebrate my successful first day of work.  Since it was dinner time we decided to go out (again) for dinner.  I don’t know what is up with us we never go out to eat this much, usually only once every 10 or so days but this week we have been bad about it- I blame the awkward days, poor planning and no real grocery shopping.  However this week will be filled with lots of home cooked meals as I went to the market yesterday and picked up lots of yummy produce.  Anyways we stopped at The Alchemist but it was packed and there was a 45 minute wait for a table so we left and walked next door to The Reservoir where we had some yummy beers, a huge plate of hummus, salad and grilled bread and a housemade tofu/bean burger YUM!

I was pretty tired out after my first day back in the working world so we spent the rest of the night home hanging out on the couch watching a little L&O.  Since we ate dinner so early we were hungry later on in the evening and decided to munch on some Veggie Medley Straws that I was sent to sample from The Mediterranean Snack Food Co. and they were super yummy! I also had another Inko’s White Tea this time Original.

Now I need to get myself in the kitchen and make breakfast and do some dishes before G-Ma and the ‘rents get here so we can go and see all the open sugar houses. Each year on this weekend the Vermont sugar houses are open for the public to come and visit and try their maple syrup and have sugar on snow with a pickle (to cut the sweetness) and a cider donut. It’s a been a tradition with my family to go and visit the sugar houses however since I haven’t been home for many Springs we haven’t all been out together. Neil and I went last year to the sugar house near our house but it was pouring and cold booo!

Last year wet and cold at Morse Farms

Hubby With his New Friend at Morse Farms 2009

Is there a family tradition that you do each Spring?

Swings and Farmers Market Finds

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Neil and I were woken up this morning by the howling of our cat outside our door (don’t worry she was fine she just wanted us to wake up and give her attention).  We started off with some yummy tofu scramble (which I forgot to photograph) as part of my 7 day 6 day Breakfast Challenge for a warm up class for my Health Coach program.  Each morning we will eat something different and evaluate how we felt immediately after eating it and two hours later.  It is supposed to be 7 days but the first day was scrambled eggs so we skipped to the second day which was to our delight tofu scramble.  If you want more info you can check out hubbys blog.  After breakfast we decided to get out and take advantage of the beautiful day so we headed out to the playground because even big kids like to swing.


After we goofed around on the swings we took a nice 2.35 mile walk around Montpelier and up to the Saturday Farmers Market. We have missed every other Saturday Farmers Market because it seems to only be on the Saturdays that we aren’t in town. I’ll be glad when it’s May and the market is every Saturday not every other. When we arrived we stopped at and tried the sugar on snow because well it’s getting to be sugaring time in Vermont!

Then we went inside to see what produce/items that we could pick up this week.  We found Jerusalem Artichokes and Sunflower Shoots.

Since we were feeling kind of hungry we decided to pick up a snack of Butterfly Bakery Raspberry Almond Cookies and a cup of Lavender Rose Kombucha.  This Kombucha was really tasty, some of the best I have ever had!

Now I’m off to shower, make some lunch and then I think it’s time to get back out in this glorious sun! I also need to figure out a recipe for these Jerusalem Artichokes. Do you have a favorite Jerusalem Artichoke recipe?

Also don’t forget to enter to win the Namaste Foods giveaway! They are generously giving away a bag full of gluten free goodies.

The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

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Last night my husband, Neil, decided he would take us out for a date night at The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury Vermont- “The Alchemist is a 7 barrel brew pub specializing in hand-crafted beer and casual pub fare. All of our ales flow directly from our basement brewery, which was designed and installed by our brewer and co-proprietor John Kimmich.  We use only the finest imported malts and domestic hops available to bring you the tastiest and finest selection of beers in Vermont!” (from their website).

We settled on getting the oatmeal stout and the red….however we were brought a porter and a harvest.  They quickly apologized about that mistake and gave us our correct beers on the house. IMG_5152IMG_5153

For dinner I ordered the Marinated Tempeh Sandwich without the walnut pesto and subsituted the maple balsamic dressing.  Neil ordered the Blackened Tofu Burrito without the cheese and sour cream.  We also ordered a side of fries with their house made mustard and ketchup.

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Although our meals were really good we didn’t make it through the first bite of the burrito because they had forgotten to not put the cheese on.  So we sent it back and it was quickly replaced with the correct vegan version.  The tempeh sandwich was so good and the fries were amazing- nice and crispy fresh cut. The burrito was good we really liked the blackened tofu but it was missing something in it, maybe the salsa would have been better in than on the side.

Overall we just fell in love with the places great atmosphere, food and beer.  We extremely impressed with the service as well and appreciated the 2 free beers and the free burrito (they covered that as well since they had made the mistake- we really didn’t expect that but it was a great treat).

A Single Pebble

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Delicious family style REAL CHINESE resturant in Burlington, Vermont. Has a variety of vegan options!

Menu Options

small plates:

Vegetable Red Oil Dumplings

Six house made steamed dumplings filled with spinach, shiitake mushrooms, & seasoned bean curd, topped with red oil sauce.
8.25

Potsticker Style Dumplings

Five traditional hand formed dumplings served with a ginger vinegar sauce.
V

Cha Tzu Style Eggplant

Japanese eggplant dipped in tempura batter with a ginger hoisin sauce.
8.75egetable 5.95

Mock Eel

Braised shiitake mushrooms in a ginger sauce. a delightful, crispy flavor and texture.
8.95 (my favorite item)

Double Garlic Broccoli

Wok-fried Broccli in House Garlic sauce with cashew nuts.
9.25

Noodles and Rice

Cold Sesame Noodle

Lo mein style noodles with famous house sesame sauce.
Classic 7.95

Chow Fun Noodle

Fresh wide rice noodle.
Vegetable 16.95

Fried Rice

An exceptional version of the traditional dish.
Vegetable 8.75

Beijing Street Noodle

Wheat noodles tossed with fresh garlic, chinkiang vinegar, & soy. everyday chinese cuisine.
7.95

Capital Vegetable Noodle

Fresh and seasoned pressed tofu with diced chinese vegetables in a peking sauce over lo mein.
11.25

Copper Well Noodle

A very flavorful garlic, sesame seed, & chili sauce topping a lo mein style noodle.
7.95

Lo Mein Hong Kong Style

The ingredients in Hong Kong lo mein are layered rather than wok tossed. Traditional lo mein.
Crispy bean curd 14.25

Lo Mein

Mushroom 10.95

Vegetable Dishes:

Salt & Pepper Tofu

Wok seared batons of tofu, tossed with red chili peppers, scallions, ginger, & garlic.
15.25

Many Mushroom Tofu

Crispy tofu with straw, shiitake, & fresh mushrooms with chinese vegetables in a black bean sauce.
15.25

Orange Taste Bean Cake

Crispy bean cake, chinese greens, & vegetables with orange peel in a pungent garlic sauce.
15.25

Buddha’s Sesame Beef

Crispy seitan served with mixed vegetables in a sesame garlic sauce. A house favorite.
15.95

General Chou’s Mock Chicken

Seitan showered in a red chili sauce, framed with broccoli crowns.
15.25

Sweet & Pungent Walnuts

Battered walnuts, red peppers, onions, & bean cake glazed in a sweet and pungent sauce.
13.25

Double Garlic Eggplant

Tender japanese eggplant braised with a special garlic sauce.
9.25

Chinese Greens

Quick poached choys, then wok tossed to retain crispness and flavor.
7.75

Chinese Broccoli

Poached with shiitake mushroom sauce. seasonal availability and price.

Yu Choy

A very flavorful bright green chinese vegetable that complements all single pebble dishes.
10.25/td>

Hearts of Baby Bok Choy

Served with braised shiitake mushroom.
9.25

C

Fresh Nappa

A cri
spy cabbage tossed in a cilantro & rice wine vinegar dressing.
6.95

Sichuan Spicy Cucumber

showered with a garlic, chili, & rice vinegar dressing.
6.95

amazin food try it!Chinese restaurants, Chinese food, Burlington VTChinese restaurants, Chinese food, Burlington VT

Five Spice

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The Best Asian Resturant in Vermont- according to Lindsay


This amazing Asian resturant includes a variety of vegan options such as:

  • Sesame-Peanut Noodles or Spicy Hunan Black Bean Noodles Lo mein (egg noodles) served cold. The Sesame-Peanut Noodles made our Sesame-Peanut Sauce To Go a huge seller! Our Hunan Noodles are within the great Hunan tradition. 4.99

  • Sampler of Noodles Cold Hunan and Sesame-Peanut Noodles plus Spicy Cucumbers. 5.99
  • Spicy Cucumbers Crisp, spicy, a refreshing pause between mild or hot dishes. 4.75

Vegetarian Siu Mai Cup – shaped steamed dumplings filled with Thai red rice and white sticky rice, mushrooms and “Secret Spices.” SPECIFY VEGETARIAN WHEN ORDERING. 6.25

  • Vegetarian Sampler Tofu with Sesame-Peanut Sauce, Vegetarian Siu Mai, Sesame-Peanut and Hunan Noodles, and Spicy Cucumbers. (Spicy and mild items.) 11.99

  • Dim Sum Sampler For a hint how wonderful our Dim Sum brunch is, try our Chef’s selection of eight savory dumplings (four kinds), plus Cold Hunan or Sesame-Peanut Noodles and Spicy Cucumbers. SPECIFY VEGETARIAN OR MIXED. 10.99

  • Evil Jungle Princess with Tofu Our vegetarian version of the popular Evil Jungle Prince. With lots of mixed vegetables, tofu, lemon grass, chilies, Keffir lime leaves, and coconut milk. Lunch 8.99 Dinner 16.99

  • Indonesian-Style Mock Duck – The seitan tastes like real duck. So feast on a shower of vegetables in a rich delicious sesame-peanut sauce. Even better with a touch of heat. SPECIFY HOT OR MILD. Lunch 8.99 Dinner 16.99

  • Vegetarian Kung Pao An all-vegetarian version of a classic Chinese-menu staple. Delectable crispy chunks of seitan (wheat gluten) stir fried with cabbage, hot peppers, and peanuts in tangy sauce. SPECIFY VEGETARIAN WHEN ORDERING Lunch 8.99 Dinner 16.99

  • Indonesian Vegetables Vegetables stir fried in our interpretation of what may be the world’s best hot sauce. Its complexity fills the mouth with flavor. We wish we had invented it! (We do sell the sauce.) Lunch 8.50 Dinner 15.50
  • Thai Mock Beef in Red Curry In a fabulous sauce of red curry, coconut, lemon grass, and soy sauce, with fresh vegetables and basil. Served on rice noodles. Lunch 8.50 Dinner 15.50

Amazing food and most vegetarian/vegan dishes can be made with seitan,tempeh or tofu!

this place is incredible!!!!

Zabby and Elf's Stone Soup

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Stone Soup is located in Burlington, Vermont and is a vegan friendly resturant. Their menu includes items such as:

A Vegan Club that has marinated tofu and tempeh on it for $6.95
Hummus and vegetable sandwiches for $6.95
there is also a hot bar which has many vegan items and a salad bar and soups

on saturday’s there is brunch from 9am-1pm and it inculdes a seitan hash, home fries and tofu scramble, along with salad bar and fruit

I also would reccommend trying one of the ice teas my favorite being Iced Duality- a blend of assam and ceylon tea with lemonade and mint.

Make sure to try the many vegan treats (muffins, cookies, cakes, and pies) that are also offered!

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