Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Vegan in St. Louis

This weekend I drove to St. Louis to visit my sister Cary and her husband and kids. (She summed up our trip pretty well here.) Only my daughter went with me, giving us some "girl time." (The boys had lots of fun at home with daddy - going hiking, etc.) Traveling with one child is obviously much simpler. I'm going to take just the boys on a trip next.

I think St. Louis (which is a 6-6 1/2 hour drive for me) has really stepped it up vegan-wise over the past few years. "Vegan" seems to be popping up on the menu at more places. My sister lives in a downtown loft; we headed over a few blocks to Rooster, a crepe & sandwich cafe, for Sunday brunch.

There is a gluten-free, vegan crepe option listed on the menu. My daughter and I ordered ours...

filled with black beans, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, onions, and oven dried tomatoes, etc. It was good; I would order it again for sure. They told me they have dessert crepes, too, for vegans who eat white sugar.

One night, we all went to Pi Pizzeria, located in "The Loop" area of STL. (Name dropping: apparently Obama loved the pizza here so much he had the owners go prepare it at The White House.)

I was looking forward to trying their deep-dish pizza. However, we found out upon arrival that they need a few hours notice to make the deep dish crust vegan (because otherwise it has butter on the bottom). Instead, we ordered the thin crust with roasted garlic, kalamata olives, artichoke, spinach, and Daiya. It's always fun to be able to order at a "pizzeria." (They also have Match meat as an option for those who are interested.)

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Of course, who needs a vegan restaurant when you have a vegetarian sister who likes to make vegan treats for her family?

Breakfast options: blueberry muffins (a veganized version of this recipe), yogurt, fruit salad, milk, and juice.

Supper one night: wraps with cut-up Gardein strips, mustard, spinach, quinoa, Daiya, and spinach.

Lunch one day: guacamole and quesadillas with Daiya, quinoa, spinach, corn, and black beans.

These have a glaze topping, which isn't apparent in this picture. The recipe at The Daily Garnish is gluten-free, but for lack of certain ingredients, Cary used wheat flour. Aren't they cute? They were tasty, too.

These were probably the best homemade brownies I've ever had. They just had a very reliable, moist yet firm consistency. And I really like chocolate chips in brownies.

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Mix all of that in with:
sweet Puddy who seemed quite at home under our covers on the daybed,

a fun morning at Lafayette Park,

my adorable niece and nephew,

a precious The Beauty and the Beast fairytale tea party for the girls (I brought vegan desserts for her, which she was fine with.) at The Magic House,

and even a So Delicious neopolitan icecream sandwich...

and it all equals a great weekend!

19 comments:

  1. next time we'll get deep dish. maybe that promise will get you back up here soon! i think those ARE the best brownies I've ever had anywhere. I can't wait to make them again.

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  2. does that mean you've already eaten the rest of the pan? you guys didn't waste any time...

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  3. I've never been to St. Louis. I am sitting here drooling over the food. That pizza is heavenly. YUM. The crepe looks fantastic too! Sounds like you had a great trip.

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  4. "They told me they have dessert crepes, too, for vegans who eat white sugar."

    thats pretty cool, even if i couldnt eat it i would still be pumped that they knew about it you know?

    i always enjoyed just hanging out with one parent, your daughter looks very happy:)

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  5. No Beans with Ketchup for breakfast?! I can't believe how long your little girl's hair is. Love her clothes & costumes. Will you be my personal stylist?

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  6. Go St Louis! Those crepes look delectable as does the pizza. All the food looks great. Sounds like a wonderful girls' weekend, Beauty and the Beast party and all. What fun!

    The little ones are so cute! Your daughter's hair is gorgeous!

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  7. That's so sweet your sister gets vegan cooking and made blogger food for you! I'm so impressed.

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  8. This sounds like a great trip! I can't wait until my sister has a place I can crash at and make her make me food! Those clementine cupcakes are so adorable, and that crepe looks amazing and filled to the brim! Very impressive.

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  9. What a wonderful weekend filled with great food and fun. The kids look so happy — and so much alike! And they aren't wearing coats, as if it were really spring in St. Louis, with actual sunshine and warm air. Sigh. You're so lucky to have a sister within driving distance!

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  10. Sounds like a really fun girls' weekend! You're right - your sister didn't need to take you guys to restaurants at all; she did a fantastic job feeding you!

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  11. Your sister rocks! I am ashamed to admit that I live near st. Louis but I have never been to these restaurants. It's the germaphobia! It won't let me! :)

    Aww, Puddy! <3

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  12. Wow,looks like you had some good eats while you were gone.
    Your lucky that your sister is a vegetarian and that she likes to cook vegan for you...that's so cool!
    Your little girl is adorable! :o)

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  13. That looks like a fun trip. It's great that you could go out and eat in to get the best of everything! I would love to try a vegan crepe. I have never tried to make them and never come across one eating out. All the photos of the kids look great, too!

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  14. What a happy visit! I haven't heard of either of those places and will have to check them out. Next time you go you should check out Shangri-La. They have a breakfast buffet with vegan food and vegan shakes. We were so excited that we went there for a lunch and breakfast! If you like coffee shops, Mokabe's has some good options, too :) It's exciting to talk about somewhere that's nearby and where I've actually have been!

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  15. OH, and I should mention, I love magical tea parties :) Looks like you guys had a lot of fun!

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  16. What a great reportage, thank you! I am very curious about the gluten free vegan crepe... I had one in Vietnam, but it was crispy, so I would love to try a soft one :-).

    ciao
    Alessandra

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  17. Heather, I can't believe you've never been to STL. You guys would have lots of fun. And you wouldn't even have to fly!

    Michelle, yes - I am a total weirdo about eating at non-vegetarian restaurants, but when he mentioned the sugar thing, it made me feel at ease. If someone knows a vegan may or may not eat sugar, then obviously he knew what he was talking about.

    Shen, she would have eaten the beans and ketchup for breakfast if they had been offered. She has never had a hair trim. And yes! I will be your stylist. Just send me a photo, and I'll see what I'm working with here. :)

    Rose, thank you? Are you a Cards fan?

    Bitt, my sister does indeed rock!

    foodfeud, yes, it was fun, and thank you! May you have plenty of food opportunities at your sister's future place.

    Andrea, yes, I am lucky. And my other sister lives 30 minutes away, and my brother lives 2 1/2 hours away, so we're all not doing too bad apart. All 9 of the cousins do indeed resemble each other. Yes - it was definitely Spring!!! I hope it has reached you at last.

    blessedmama, thank you! I agree!

    River, thank you! I have germaphobia, too; I'm just trying my best to overcome it...and get better about eating at restaurants. :0

    Michelle, thank you!

    Jessica, I had also eaten a vegan crepe in NYC. They are right up my alley as I love all things pancakes, burritoes, and wraps. Thank u.

    Cassie, I have eaten at Shangri-La! It's been a few years, I think. I don't know why I haven't been in awhile. I did not know they had a breakfast buffet. But we celebrated my son's b-day in STL once, and we got a b-day cake from them. I've never heard of Mokabe's. Have you been to Sweet Art? I liked it a lot!

    Allesandra, thank you for stopping by. A crispy crepe sounds good, too.

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  18. Oh I get it...send you a photo...one of these days...

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  19. Omg. That IS Lafayette park! Recognized the wrought iron! Is your sis close to the park????

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