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Chow Thai in Boca Raton, FL – A Favorite Among Vegan Diners!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Jan 31, 2014 in Boca Raton, I-95, Thai, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly | 0 comments

So there we were, my running partner, Mark, and I, scrambling to find a restaurant to accommodate our specific tastes on a Friday night. With no long run scheduled for the next morning, we were looking for something somewhat exotic and spicy. We contemplated the trendy and overpriced Japanese place up the street and then decided on the all-you-can-eat Japanese place nearby for the same value. Much to our dismay, it had closed so we were at a loss. Then it suddenly occurred to me…a few blocks north of us, on S.R. 7 or 441, just south of Palmetto Park Rd. , in South Boca Raton, FL, there is a Thai restaurant that the local vegan Meet up group raves about. I know, I know, Thai food isn’t typically vegan friendly, with either fish or oyster sauce present in most, if not all of their dishes, sauces and dressings, not to mention egg in the Pad Thai. I had eaten at this very place a few years back and I did indeed enjoy it. With my palate being even more refined, I thought, why not revisit this establishment, long hallowed by discerning vegan patrons.

Chow Thai Vegetable Soup

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Taste of Tandoor Marries Indian Spices With Old World Elegance in Woodbridge, VA

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Dec 31, 2013 in I-95, Indian, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly, Woodbridge | 0 comments

by Lisa Harris

The Taste of Tandoor located at 13836 Smoketown Road, in Woodbridge, Virginia is a wonderfully pleasant and relaxing place to dine for lunch or dinner. Although not a completely vegan restaurant the owner Dave has worked very hard to meet the needs of his vegan patrons by having nine main vegan dishes permanently on the menu such as Chana Masala, Aloo Masala, and Aloo Ghobi Masala.

Chana Masala

Vegan Flatbread

Bismatti Rice

They also have two appetizers and several vegan breads. The appetizer vegetable samosa is a delicious vegetable turnover stuffed with potatoes, green peas, cumin seeds and spices. It come with two types of dipping sauces but a word of advice, the green dip is not vegan so be sure to avoid it. Besides your everyday salads Taste of Tandoor serves kachumbar which is a delicious cucumber and onion salad with lemon herbs. (more…)

Udipi Café Indian Vegetarian Restaurant of Sunrise, FL Offers Certified Kosher Fare!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Dec 29, 2013 in I-95, Indian, Sunrise, FL, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly | 0 comments

by Andrea Medalie

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in South Florida this time of year then you must not miss out on Udipi Café where, upon first bite, you are transported to the Southern region of India known for exotic vegetarian cuisine. Udipi Café is located 11 minutes northwest of Fort Lauderdale via I-95 and Hwy 518 or just 8 minutes south of Coral Springs via University Drive. It is the only certified Kosher Indian restaurant in Florida and just about everything can be made vegan!

Udipi Café Mission Statement

For my running partner and I, we often delight in such spicy Indian fare as a reward for enduring our scheduled long runs in the grueling heat. More heat, you ask? Why of course, it’s what we crave!!! The hotter the better! We sweat when we train and likewise there’s nothing like breaking out in a cold sweat and grabbing your jacket during a meal! For those spices contain anti-inflammatory properties not to mention they taste so darn good!!! If you don’t fancy your meals burning hot, chef/owner Santhosh Shetty is more than happy to accommodate your preferences without compromising flavor.

Udipi Kosher Menu

Mr. Shetty was happy to start our dinner off with his famous Chinese style Manchurian Cauliflower ($10.95)! While it isn’t exactly low calorie, if you work out like we do, we would rather indulge in this rich starter than any ordinary fried finger food. Or dessert, for that matter! An absolute must for us for every Indian meal is Dosai. At Udipi, the delicate rice crepe the size of a cornucopia, filled with potatoes, onions and an array of spices known as Madhuri Masala Dosai ($7.50) never disappoints. It is very light, airy and savory, like an elevated version of the classic deli-style potato knish! We always say we will never finish it but not even a crumb can ever be found.

Madhuri Masala Dosai

Manchurian Cauliflower

Our meals included Yellow Dal ($9.95), made up of protein-rich lentils (to heal those tired muscles) with a savory stew-like consistency, along with Diwani Handi (Tawa Ghotala) ($11.95) made up of fresh, juicy (and healthy) mushroom shreds combined with mixed veggies and Indian spices…so creamy without the cream! How do they do that?

Udipi Café Tawa Ghotala with Yellow Dal

Each entrée is accompanied by fragrant white basmati rice for a hearty meal but should you feel guilty about white carbs after the cauliflower and the dosai, the dishes hold up on their own. Of course, if your plan is to run or work out even harder the next day, then by all means, load up on those carbs! It might just be what you need as a binder to offset the potential for a little delayed gastro action!

Mango Lassi

Dessert is not really our style with our overabundance of saltier taste buds (lost from sweat) so as a rule, we avoid the sweets. However, Mr. Shetty delighted us with his mango puree smoothies (Mango Lassi $3.50) to accompany our meal. I believe they contain yogurt. My running partner isn’t vegan and was happy to drink both as he knows I prefer to eat, rather than drink my calories anyway!

Offering authentic Indian cuisine in the same location for 11 years, Udipi Café is here to stay!

Well, I gotta run! Until next time…

Andrea “VeGAL” Medalie

Andrea earned an MS degree from The University of Florida and is a mom to 3 incredible sons. She works as an independent Speech and Language Pathologist within a diverse population in the Northwest Broward County, FL area. She LOVES to plan destination marathons (when budget allows) where she get to visit new cities and discover fab vegan/veg friendly restaurants/cafes/markets. Andrea has been a vegetarian for over 20 years, vegan for about 10. “It’s very exciting to see how society is beginning to truly embrace veganism for improved health, animal welfare and a greener environment!” she exalts. Andrea has developed a blog (book in the making) for vegan female endurance/hard core fitness athletes a.k.a.VeGAL (Vegan Girl AthLetes). Andrea’s territory is all of South Florida! Contact Andrea to review your favorite veg-friendly restaurants within her territory.

Tampa Bay’s 4th Annual VegFest, 2013, Beats the Heat and Packs In the Crowds!

Posted by Danielle Bussone on Nov 14, 2013 in I-275, I-4, I-75, Tampa Bay, FL, Tampa, FL, Veg Fests, Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly | 0 comments

By Stacy Perry

Tampa Bay’s Fourth Annual VegFest, 2013, was held in Tampa’s Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park. It was organized by Florida Voices for Animals, a non-profit formed to “raise awareness about animal cruelty issues” and to give the public ways to help. This was my first year to attend and it was pleasantly busy, conveniently happening on the same day as a nearby breast cancer walk was finishing. Hungry participants of the walk floated over to check out what was happening in the park — ahhhh, serendipity. Well-behaved dogs on leashes were invited to the event too.

Tampa Bay VegFest T-Shirt

There were several food booths on one end of the venue, selling Vietnamese, Indian, Ethiopian, Mexican, specialty popsicles, frozen banana ‘ice cream’, and baked goods. If there was something non-vegan at this festival, I didn’t see it.