Danielle Bussone

Ming’s Asian Cuisine, Johnson City, TN

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 21, 2013 in Asian, I-26, Japanese, Johnson City, TN, Thai | 2 comments

Correction! Originally I posted that this is the only Chinese restaurant we’ve discovered to date which uses organic ingredients, no genetically modified ingredients and no MSG in the preparation of their food. However, I visited Ming’s again this week and discovered that some of their commercial soy sauces, which are available on individual dining tables, are not organic and are likely to contain sodium benzoate and GMO soy. After speaking with a member of the restaurant staff, I learned that this same soy sauce is used in the preparation of the food. Unless this is changed, we can no longer tout this as a non-GMO restaurant. Sorry, readers. We work on the honor system and unless we discover something to the contrary, we have to trust our restauranteurs to give us the facts. We do believe in this case it was an honest mistake of the ownership, which is the only reason Ming’s is remaining on Veggin’ Out and About’s list of recommended restaurants. We take these claims very seriously. While Ming’s is not entirely GMO-free, it still stands above its competitors in freshness and no MSG.

Ming’s Asian Cuisine had been opened five days when Rich and I happened by. It is located off of State of Franklin on Hamilton Place.We thought it must be a new chain restaurant but we were certainly mistaken about that. Ming is the owner. Ming’s Asian Cuisine prides itself on using seasonal fresh vegetables from local sources. They use no canola oil, which is a highly genetically modified product. Instead, they use sesame oil and olive oil. (more…)

Whole Health Center, Abingdon, VA

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 12, 2013 in Abingdon, VA, Grocers, I-81 | 1 comment

by Danielle Bussone

If you find yourself low on organic supplies while tooling down Interstate 81, pull off at exit 19 in Abingdon, Virginia and stock up! Just a couple minutes from the Interstate on Main Street is a small family owned health food store called Whole Health Center. You can find organic bulk items, some fresh locally grown vegetables, packaged items like Bob’s Mills grains, coconut oils, date sugar, Braggs Amino Acids, Coconut oil, essential oils, soaps and the ubiquitous shelves of supplements.

Sean and Donna Bossie bought Whole Health Center two years ago from, Charlie, its former owner of 27 years. They had been visiting Abingdon from North Conway, New Hampshire, where they owned a coop. Their daughter had moved to Abingdon where she teaches school. The winters in New Hampshire on White Mountain were as brutal as the name suggests. Their children were grown and moved away and there didn’t seem to be much tying them to their home in the north. When Charlie commented one day, “You know, if you ever want to move closer to those grandbabies… I’m thinking of selling if you are thinking of possibly buying,” the wheels begin to turn in the Bossie’s brains. After a year of negotiating through snail mail (Charlie was not computer savvy), Whole Health Center became theirs and Abingdon, Virginia became home. (more…)

Raw and Juicy Organic Juice Bar and Café

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 12, 2013 in American, I-10, Organic and/or Non-GMO, Raw and Juicy Organic Juice Bar and Café, Santa Rosa Beach, FL | 0 comments

by Amanda Trevelino

There was a time when Seaside, Florida was known as the town Jim Carrey made famous in the movie The Truman Show. But these days, people might instead say, “You know, it’s the little resort town with all the Airstream food trucks.” True enough. But those who pass by the barbecue and hot dog hawkers will be rewarded with fresh, raw juice, smoothies, gluten free sandwiches, sophisticated lunches and packaged vegan treats worthy of any movie star or health-conscious vacationer. The Raw and Juicy Airstream has been keeping it real at the corner of the town’s amphitheater along Scenic Highway 30A for years, and it never disappoints.

Well, okay. It might at first seem a little disappointing to hand over $8 for a Green Goddess juice, but that’s only until you go home and try to blend your own concoction of organic, locally grown kale, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon and parsley. Afterwards, you not only will be grateful to buy these invigorating, unpasteurized, unprocessed sips of health; you will probably want to do it as often as possible. (more…)

“Eat Your Vegetables” Joe Yonan’s New Cookbook To Be Released In August!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 6, 2013 in Features, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles | 5 comments

by Danielle Bussone

Joe Yonan at Richmond Vegetarian Festival

If you live anywhere near our nation’s capital, enjoy good food and do not live under a rock, the name Joe Yonan is probably as familiar to you as the White House or The Washington Post. Joe Yonan came to the Post as Food Editor in 2006 and added Travel Editor to his repertoire a few years later. He has twice earned for The Washington Post the James Beard Foundation’s award for the nation’s best newspaper food section. Yonan has also won honors for his Cooking for One column which inspired his book, “Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking For One” (Ten Speed Press, March 2011). He co-authored “The Fearless Chef: Innovative Recipes from the Edge of American Cuisine,” with chef Andy Husbands (2004). Yonan writes a weekly column Weeknight Vegetarian as well as other food and travel features for The Washington Post.

Last year Yonan took a break from the Post and spent some time in southern Maine learning to homestead on his sister’s and brother-in-law’s farm. Each day he had his hands in the soil learning everything he could about growing his own food. When he wasn’t up to his elbows in dirt he was working on his new cookbook, “Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook,” due to be released August 6 of this year by Ten Speed Press.

Veggin’ Out and About’s restaurant reviewer, Danielle Bussone, caught up with Joe Yonan at the annual Richmond Vegetarian Festival in mid-June where he demonstrated how to cook a recipe from his new book, “Eat Your Vegetables.” His simple pasta recipe, Fusilli With Corn Sauce is prepared in less than fifteen minutes. It is a refreshing burst of summer flavors, yellow onions sautéed in olive oil and freshly picked sweet corn. The aromatic addition of raw basil chiffonade adds a fragrant complexity to the dish. The best way to truly describe it is, “Yum!” (more…)

Veggin’ Out and About Is Changing Its Icon

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jul 5, 2013 in Features, Living Plant-Strong! Profiles & Articles | 3 comments

Veggin’ Out and About’s original intention was to review restaurants across the United States. However, we are finding we are developing a global audience and are receiving tips about excellent restaurants worldwide. Also, we have received comments that our current logo suggests a political bent to our blog, which is simply not the case. We are changing our Icon to better reflect our mission of plant-based travel. Artist, Tokuko Takamatsu of Tokyo, Japan created this Icon for us. Look for it in all our future posts!