eating veg at the ballpark

So yesterday I went to a Rockies game at Coors Field with my dad, and I cannot tell you how ecstatic I am to have discovered tons of vegetarian and vegan options! When I think of baseball games, I usually think of hotdogs, hamburgers, nachos and beers, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of other healthy options as well.

Pop and I decided on the veggie dog and the garden burger- not the best I've had, but certainly not the worst either. I'm just excited the the option even exists! In fact, Coors Field is incredibly veggie friendly, and I love it!

Veggie Dogs & Garden burgers can be found at section 137

Wraps & Soups at section 137 and 223

Paninis and Sandwiches at 137

The Infield Greens Salad Cart at 120

The Gluten Free Cart at 147

A beautiful day, with good food, and great company. If only the Rockies would have won, it would have been perfect!

giant old-fashioned oatmeal cookies

It's a beautiful day in Denver today, so why, you ask, am I inside baking? Because these giant old-fashioned oatmeal raisin cookies are AMAZING. I found the recipe at Vegan Family Favorites, and I am completely in love. I used about 1/3 cup silken tofu for the egg replacer, and it worked like a dream. I invited a neighbor over for the taste test, and he came back for seconds! Easy, vegan, and ridiculously delicious. These cookies = an epic success! :)

lemon oat muffins with cranberries and walnuts

Whilst doing some blog lurking today, I came across this recipe at Nom! Nom! Nom! Blog from author Kris Holechek. I checked out her book 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes at the library a while back, and let me tell you that it is AMAZING. Her pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and banana bread recipes are both super easy and ridiculously delicious. I've made both dishes a few times, and everyone adores them (vegan or otherwise). Since Kris Holechek is now my vegan baking hero, I thought I'd give another one of her recipes a try. I just pulled these lovelies out of the oven, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow for the taste test. So far, they look delicious and smell great. Can't wait for morning!

dining out vegan #1

Looking for vegan food while dining out can sometimes be challenging, but i'm actually quite pleased with my selections today.

1. For lunch, I got Bridget's veggie sandi at Gvnr's Park- the olive tapenade was super delicious paired with the hummus, sprouts & avocado. I don't know how many other vegan options there are on the menu, but that sandwich & a blue moon was the perfect meal for sitting out on the patio in the sun.

2. If you haven't been to Watercourse yet, stop everything you're doing, and go there right now. This is the perfect restaurant to take your friends who happen to wince every time they hear the words vegetarian or vegan. Everything on the menu is ridiculously delicious. I've had the po boy, portobello cap, and today I had the toulouse scramble with tofu and a homemade biscuit. OMG seriously amazing. I can't recommend this place highly enough. Just trust me- eat there.

Ooh it's been a very gluttonous weekend, but a delicious one too :)

braised white beans w/tomatoes, zucchini & garlic

Ooh, this is one of my favorite recipes from Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin. I love it because it's full of delicious things, it's hearty, and it's all warm and gooey and wonderful. My roommate is running a half marathon tomorrow morning, so we also made bulgur wheat to go along with it. If he's carbo-loading, that means I can too right? :)

For the veggie ragout, you just need garlic, potatoes, zucchini, a can of diced tomatoes, and a couple cans of white beans- the original recipe doesn't call for red onion, but I add it in, because onion is delicious. Everything comes together in a big skillet, and when you're satisfied with how tender all the veggies are, you're done! I won't go into full detail, but it's such a simple dish, and makes a ton of food, so there's lots of leftovers for the week. Add a nice big piece of crusty bread on the side? Phenomenal.

ps. The frozen banana pops are great. If you like your banana a little less frozen, I'd stick it in the fridge for a bit before devouring. Still. Delicious.

frozen bananas with chocolate & walnuts

It's random nights in the kitchen like this that get me so excited about creating food. I really wanted cookies, but was hoping for a healthier alternative. I stumbled across this idea somewhere in my blog lurking, and not only is it ridiculously easy, but I'm betting that they're going to be ridiculously delicious too.

* A bunch of bananas cut in half

* Popsicle sticks (I used skewers broken in half, but they weren't particularly sturdy)

* Chocolate (or for a healthier vegan option- peanut butter)

* Chopped nuts of your choice

The roommate helped me make an impromptu double boiler for the chocolate, and once it was all nice and melty (a splash of canola oil helps a bit), I took the skewered bananas, rolled them in the chocolate, then rolled them in the chopped walnuts, and popped them in the freezer on a bit of wax paper. DONE AND DONE.

Now the hardest part comes- waiting until they're all frozen and wonderful for devouring. Results will come tomorrow :)