Ok, y’all. I have a lot of praise to sing about Verdine. Not only is this spot serving up some super fresh and flavorful plant-based food in Houston, Texas, but it was opened by none other than my best friend! Chef Stephanie Hoban launched Ripe Cuisine a few years ago, and what started out as a humble farmers market stand soon grew into a popular food truck, and has now been relaunched as a successful (and beautiful!) brick and mortar restaurant! To say I’m proud of my bestie is a huge understatement. Now, although I love my veggies, I’m no vegan; nor is anyone in my family. However, that doesn’t stop us from enjoying all the plant-based eats that Steph whips up on a regular basis. Verdine satisfies herbivores and omnivores alike- there’s truly something for everyone! The menu changes seasonally, and there’s always some fun globally-inspired dishes to try. I’m partial to the Spinach Dosa, filled with hearty turmeric potatoes & green lentils, and served with a zesty cilantro-peanut chutney! Equally delish is the Beet Falafel Bowl, a take on a classic hit from her food truck. Drizzle tahini sauce on anything, and I’m a happy camper ;) You obviously can’t go wrong with her signature Bistro Burger, which features a housemade organic lentil-walnut-mushroom patty and cashew “chevre” cheese! Just don’t forget to order a side of sweet potato fries (served with raisin-sweetened ketchup!). If you’re in the mood for tacos, you must try her slow-cooked & smoked jackfruit carnitas. They’re bright and just bursting with flavor thanks to the roasted corn salsa and chipotle aioli. Yum! Trust me, you won’t leave hungry or unsatisfied after a plain ‘ol boring salad- but you won’t leave feeling uncomfortably full and weighed down either. Getting to enjoy tasty, vibrant eats while also doing good for the planet while you’re at it? Win-win! Next time I’m in town, I have to get back to try her cauliflower crust pizzas at dinner too! I absolutely cannot wait!
açaí bowls
My husband has been on a serious açaí bowl kick lately, and to be honest, I'm not complaining! They're refreshing, delicious, and packed full of healthy ingredients like açaí (duh!), nuts, seeds, and other fruit! The options are pretty endless, but a good place to start is with some high quality, unsweetened açaí, either puréed and frozen or freeze-dried and powdered. The recipe for our go-to version is listed below, but feel free to play around with your favorite superfoods! We love including chia seeds, matcha powder, coconut flakes, and almond butter for a healthy, yet satisfying treat. While artfully arranging the toppings over your smoothie is not necessary, it sure does make for a pretty darn beautiful breakfast or snack! PS- Make sure you go follow my husband's catering company, Beck & Call, as well as his soon-to-be casual eatery Scratch BK, for more delicious eats!
Açaí Bowls:
2 packs açaí purée, frozen
1 banana, frozen
1 cup mixed berries, frozen
2 cups milk of choice (we like coconut or almond)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp maca powder
honey or agave nectar, to taste
toppings: fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, bananas, coconut flakes, granola, almond butter, matcha powder, chia seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, etc.
Blend everything together in a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix. You're going for a thick smoothie consistency, so that it can be eaten with a spoon. Scatter desired toppings across the bowl. Enjoy! Makes two bowls.
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abcV
The latest restaurant in the abc line up from Jean Georges is abcV, a plant-based eatery with a focus on sustainable and organic ingredients. Everything on the menu is vegetarian, and most of it is vegan, or can easily be made so. I got the chance to dine at abcV with my vegan bestie, and we ordered a bunch of dishes to share so as to try as much as possible! Highlights for me included the pine nut and lemon dip with harissa and dried apricots- such a unique and flavorful take on hummus! The stone ground nut and seed butter layered underneath roasted carrots created the perfect sweet and savory dish, and its richness was cut nicely by chilies and lime. As I'm obsessed with all things tahini, it was no surprise I loved the roasted cauliflower drizzled in turmeric tahini and topped with crunchy pistachios! Yum!
Plenty of other dishes tempted our tastebuds as well, however, we were getting full! If you can believe it, we didn't even have room for dessert, so reluctantly skipped this part of the meal. I know- who even am I? Next time for sure though, as I recall absolutely loving the salted caramel ice cream sundae with candied peanuts and popcorn from abc kitchen! I'm also looking forward to returning for brunch soon, as the creative brunch bowls and dosas sound super delish. Be sure to click through the photos to see descriptions of each dish, and definitely make a reservation at abcV stat!
jajaja
New York City- the land of endless food options. There's literally something for everyone here, which great, but there's also a lot of average places to filter through to find the true gems. When it comes to vegan restaurants, it seems like there's a new place at every corner, but many of them serve standard veggie cuisine (think fresh, seasonally-inspired American eats). Jajaja thinks outside the box, by creating a vegan menu full of unique and flavorful Mexican dishes. I stopped by with my vegan bestie Stephanie (of Ripe Cuisine) on her recent trip to NYC, and we noshed on some seriously delicious eats. Their taco menu offers some classics like housemade "chorizo" and heart of palm "carnitas", but also gets creative with mezcal mushrooms and chayote "fish" tacos! I love that they make their own tortillas, and infused them with vibrants colors and flavors like turmeric and blueberries! I also highly recommend the Sikil Pak, a Mayan pumpkin seed dip served with plantain chips that was so up my alley and totally addicting! Please excuse the poor lighting, but the restaurant is a bit dark with a fun, nightlife vibe to it (and since it's right in the middle of the Lower East Side, why not?!). Click through the pics to read more about our tasty meal. We have a return trip planned for a fun dinner for Steph's 30th birthday, and I'm already counting down the days!
superiority burger
When the former pastry chef of a fine dining Italian restaurant opens up a vegetarian burger joint, people take notice. Brooks Headley, who previously ran the pastry department at Del Posto, surprised us all with Superiority Burger, his fast-casual East Village spot. The food and atmosphere are no-frills and reminiscent of a retro fast-food restaurant, albeit one with no meat involved. The superiority burger itself is obviously the main draw here, however, you really cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. I loved that the small menu was still super creative and unique- it changes often so keep an eye out for enticing specials! All the food at Superiority Burger is vegetarian to begin with, and can be made vegan if necessary, so don't hesitate to ask!
Since Chef Headley is a famed pastry chef, I was super pumped to try his gelato and sorbet. Lucky for me, the housemade flavors available on my visit were fig sorbet and cinnamon tahini gelato! Oh my glory, they were both so delicious, but the cinnamon tahini truly stole the show. It was perfectly creamy and I loved the big swirls of tahini inside. Savory-wise things were not too shabby either, and I really enjoyed my burnt broccoli salad. The smoky eggplant, spicy red chile and crunchy cashews all played together nicely to create a wonderfully balanced dish. Just a heads up, this spot is tiny with only a few seats, so I suggest going at off-peak times as things can get pretty busy! Regardless, I look forward to planning a return trip soon!
modern love
Whenever my vegan bestie comes to town, she always has a long list of veggie places she's dying to try. And although her trips typically last only a few days, we manage to cram in tons of delicious plant-based eats (see Double Zero and Vedge for examples). Modern Love comes to Brooklyn from famed vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who describes the cuisine as "swanky vegan comfort food", and I tend to agree.
Some highlights from our meal included the za'atar pretzels with babaganoush (what's not to love about freshly baked bread?!) and the root vegetable chickpea korma. The rutabaga parsnip coconut curry was so flavorful, and the persimmon chutney was the perfect complement to the rest of the dish! Click through the photos for more details on our swanky homestyle meal. Modern Love may not be my favorite vegan spot in the city, but if you're craving some good 'ol veggie comfort food, it's definitely a great bet!
