On the Menu this Week

I’ve had family visiting NYC this week which meant lots of good food and dining out. We had everything from vegan mac and cheese to Ethiopian food to donuts! We went to some old favorite restaurants and checked out some new restaurants too. So for some planty food inspiration here’s what was on the menu this week!

I enjoyed this simple dish as dinner one night and breakfast the next morning. It’s roasted potatoes with oregano and thyme, all mixed with sautéed onions and bell peppers. I eat it with a little bit of Trader Joe’s organic ketchup.

Does anyone else go through phases where you make stir-fry a lot and then don’t make it for ages? That’s what happened to me. I forgot about this simple-as-can-be dish for what feels like a year. Now that I’ve remembered it I’ve already made it a few times. This time I simply sautéed greens beans and broccoli in a little olive oil, garlic and tamari sauce and then ate it all over rice. It’s such a perfect flavor combination.

I’ve been heading to my parents hotel for breakfast in the mornings and having this oatmeal with warm fruit compote. Warm fruit compote is such a perfect topping for oatmeal. The oatmeal also comes with agave but I didn’t use any because the compote was so delish.

I also brought my parents to my favorite Gansevoort Market. The stand out dish was this “moc and cheese” from the market’s newest vendor, The Squeeze. The vegan mac and cheese even had my dad’s approval as, “really good.”  It’s made with gluten-free quinoa pasta and raw creamy cashew cheddar cheese.

My family and I also had a delicious lunch at ABC Kitchen. This mushroom toast with parsley and lemon was fabulous and we all enjoyed it. The creativity at this restaurant always impresses me. The squash toast I’ve had there in the past and this mushroom toast were both divine. And, as anyone who has been to ABC knows, the atmosphere at ABC is beautiful but makes for terrible quality photos! So bear with me for these next two…

This sugar snap pea side dish might have surprisingly been the star of the meal. It was so simple but so delicious. The snap peas were cooked with a little olive oil, garlic, sesame seeds and parsley. We all enjoyed it.

At ABC Kitchen I also had the sweet pea soup with carrots and mint. It was a stellar take on classic pea soup. It was light but full of flavor.

Another stand out meal was our dinner at my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in NYC, Meskerem. We shared this vegetarian combo platter that is so beyond delicious. It comes with various vegetarian dishes made out of lentils, yellow peas, collard greens, green beans, cabbage and chickpeas. And all of those are served on traditional Ethiopian bread, which you eat with your hands.

My mom and I also enjoyed a healthy lunch from Sun in Bloom in Tribeca. I had the Chef Aimee salad which I’ve mentioned here before because it is hands down my favorite salad ever. It’s made with kale massaged in sesame ginger dressing, avocado, sauerkraut, collard greens, beans, warm roasted root veggies, wakame, spiced pumpkin seeds and cayenne pepper. And my mom had a simple dish of rice, beans and avocado with the sesame ginger dressing on the side.

And as an indulgent treat my friend Lauren surprised us with these vegan donuts from Purple Glaze in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Between my family and friends these were devoured within two minutes. It was the perfect way to end a week of delicious, vegan eats!

xo,

Tedi