G Sandwich Shop by Mike Isabella

Located at 2201 14th Street NW, this new Mike Isabella concept, G, is a "sandwich shop by day, tasting menu by night." I wouldn't have known about the sandwich shop's vegan options, were it not for Angela at The Veracious Vegan blog, who scouted out the place and also Kapnos, its Greek sister spot.

From the sandwich shop's wall menu, it wasn't evident what menu items were vegan, or vegetarian even. So I asked the helpful counter staff to double check for me. The ordering process was quick. I got an unsweetened iced tea and was pleased to find free lemon and limes wedges. I also ordered a side of the marinated veggies, namely the Giardiniera. And I ordered the "vegan-as-is" sandwich: the Roasted Cauliflower.

The "Cauli"

The cauliflower was nicely roasted with a great Romesco sauce on an excellent sesame seed roll. The three roasted hot peppers on the top were the bomb. And the herbs were a nice touch, including flat leaf parsley and dill. But OMG, this was an oily sandwich. The whole thing was drenched in oil. I needed extra napkins just to mop it up. And I felt like I needed to wash afterwards because I was covered in oil--inside and out. So next time, I'm going to ask for no extra oil.

Giardiniera pickle

Meanwhile, the veggies in the Giardiniera weren't oily at all. They were a perfect pickle trifecta of spicy, sour, and sweet. Inside the tub were carrots, more cauliflower, onions, and what I think were baby white radishes. So good! I wish this pickle were a sandwich filling option.

I visited on a weekday for lunch and G wasn't too crowded. However it was loud, due to a combo of bad acoustics and blaring 90's rock. They played the Beastie Boys twice in a half hour. Is this a Pandora station thing?

G Sandwich Shop exterior

Green Juice Smoothie

This green smoothie has been my Moby Dick. I've been chasing it all month long. Here it is finally, just as Vegan MoFo is coming to a close. And the VegCookbook Club is moving on to another book. Looks like October will be devoted to Mouthwatering Vegan by Miriam Sorrell.

But first, the third and final smoothie from Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. (Free PDF version available here.)

Green Juice Smoothie - action shot

Green Juice Smoothie
There are 12 ingredients in this smoothie, not counting the ice and water. I scored them all with the exception of apple juice. I substituted coconut water instead. The actual blending was a breeze, thanks to my new blender. (I know that I need to pipe down about the Vitamix soon. The honeymoon glow will subside. Did I mention that it is chainsaw loud?)

How did it taste? Great. You could clearly pick out the citrus (lime, orange, and pineapple). The grapes, apple, banana, and cucumber were more subtle. My favorite ingredient was the ginger. (Wow, I need more ginger in my life!) The carrot and spinach provided the veg. And the chia seeds made it nicely thick.

Overall, a lovely juice-smoothie hybrid. Worth the wait and the blender purchase. I know that I enjoyed it because I forgot to photo it again until the cup was half empty full. 

Green Juice Smoothie - half full cup

Greens, Cucumber, and Pineapple Smoothie

Here's a second smoothie from Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas, which I have checked out from the library. I made the Greens and Apple smoothie earlier this month but found it too pulpy. That's not a problem here, thanks to my new Vitamix blender. The blender processed the challenging produce (kale, apple, and pineapple) perfectly.

Greens, Cucumber, and Pineapple Smoothie
Nava Atlas calls this smoothie "incredibly refreshing and hydrating" and I must concur. The tropical pineapple added a nice level of sweetness without requiring agave or other sugars. I used coconut water rather than juice for the liquid. And I added the red raspberries to the top for color. They didn't sink! That's proof of a thick yet well-blended smoothie.

Red Velvet Smoothie and Chickpea Poppers

I finally made another smoothie and a snack from this month's VegCookbook Club selection, Vegan Indian Cooking: 140 Simple and Healthy Vegan Recipes by Anupy Singla. (Free PDF version available here.) After falling in love with the first smoothie recipe that I tried from the book, I've been eager to tackle the remaining two. However, I didn't think I could blend any other challenging produce to the desire consistency. Until now. Yes, the Vitamix package has arrived to much fanfare.*

Red Velvet Smoothie
This inventive recipe made a smooth and luscious drink with a lovely strawberry-pink hue. And I still can't get over how my mighty new blender dealt with a whole, raw, and unpeeled beet. It liquefied that sucker. Plus the almonds, goji berries, and apple too.

Chickpea Poppers
I also made this roasted chickpea snack from the cookbook. This popcorn-like snack is reminiscent of the chickpea nibbles from How It All Vegan! However I think I liked the Indian spices here more. I used high quality garam masala and paprika (thanks to a kind relative's spice gift). Plus, low quality cayenne pepper and chili powder. I think I'll reduce the salt when I roast the chickpeas again. This recipe is a keeper.

*Here's my cat, clawing at the Vitamix box:

Black & Blueberry Smoothie

My new blender arrived today and in all the excitement I almost forgot to post this smoothie recipe. This is another smoothie that is in my normal morning rotation. Today I made this version slightly thicker than normal and added some coconut and berries for toppings, ala The Colorful Kitchen blog.

Black & Blueberry Smoothie

Blend the following:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup frozen blackberries
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 Tbsp ground chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp maca powder (optional)

Serves 1.

Richmond bites

Enjoying the rocks on Belle Isle

Here's a brief respite from healthy smoothies. This past weekend my boyfriend and I made a mini trip to Richmond, VA. We went to a beautiful park, called Belle Isle, which is an island in the James River. It was a POW camp in the Civil War and later used for industrial purposes. Now it's a revitalization project with an impressive retrofitted pedestrian bridge under the car-centric Robert E. Lee Memorial Bridge. The revitalization seemed to be working, as the scene was vital -- with lots of brave bathers in the rapids.

The park would make a fine spot for a picnic. However we were also in Richmond to dine out, which we did at these three veg-friendly spots.

Vegan breakfast burrito with salsa and grits

821 Café 
We hit 821 Café for brunch.  Located at 825 West Cary Street, this busy café had a kitchen staff of very energetic punks. It was fun to watch them slice massive amounts of onions from the counter bar stools. My boyfriend and I both ordered the vegan breakfast burritos with sides of grits and salsa (above). The burrito was filled with curried tofu, vegan sausage, rosemary potatoes, and black beans. My boyfriend thought his burrito was too bland but I doused mine in the readily available hot sauces.

The grits were rather meh; like Cream of Wheat. But I think that's a style. (We are spoiled by the delicious jalapeño vegan grits at DC's Smoke & Barrel.) 821 Café also had an impressive draft list, good coffee, unsweetened tea (hard to find sometimes in the South), and spacious bathrooms.

Vegan Buffalo Wings

Strange Matter
Next we visited Strange Matter, a barcade/music venue at 929 W Grace Street, for pints and classic 1980's video games. We weren't going to get any food but could not resist the Vegan Buffalo Wings, served with vegan ranch dressing (above). Made of tofu, these greasy, breaded faux wings did the trick. Overall, Strange Matter is a little funky but lovable. Half of the arcade's games are out of commission but that adds to the charm of the few working machines. It's like playing in a video game graveyard.

Panda Veg Buffet plate

Panda Veg
Finally we ended our Richmond excursion at an old favorite, Panda Veg, located at 948 West Grace Street. Okay, I guess this restaurant has, in fact, changed their name to "Panda Garden" and they are no longer all veggie. They now offer meat. But the inviting sign on their facade continues to read "Panda Veg" and that's what it is in my heart.

Panda Veg still has an all vegan buffet on weekend nights. Yes, an all vegan Chinese food buffet. The quality and quantity of the buffet was very good on the night that we visited. Although some of the dishes are laughable. Like the salt potatoes, which are my boyfriend's favorite buffet item. I enjoy the donuts for dessert but you shouldn't overdo. (Once, with my parents, we got an entire Chinese take-out container of them. Too much of a good thing.)

Dessert of oranges and donuts

Crazy Sexy Goddess Smoothie

My refurb Vitamix has shipped. The shipping notice reads, "Congratulations!" Like it's a new baby or another happy life event.

Meanwhile, today I am playing old favorites, and posting a repeat. I first blogged about this smoothie in January, when I decided to make all the smoothies in that month's VegCookbook Club selection, Crazy Sexy Kitchen: 150 Plant-Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution by Kris Carr with Chad Sarno.

Crazy Sexy Goddess Smoothie

This smoothie is still a winner, maybe my all-time favorite. (Although I've also made this Blueberry–Green Smoothie four times this month. That's huge for a Mofo month.) I do love the combo of cucumber, coconut water, kale, blueberries, and banana. For the Goddess, I skip avocado but add chia seeds, cacao, and some nut milk. Pairs well with Prince's Purple Rain, opening track "Let's Go Crazy."