New York City's Twelve Best Vegetarian Restaurants?

Refinery 29 recently put together a slideshow of what they consider to be the 12 best vegetarian restaurants in New York City...and having lived in or just outside NYC for four years, I'm not so sure I agree with all of their picks.

Image via: Refinery 29

Recipe: Lauren's General Tsao's Tofu

Yesterday, Lauren told us how she went veg in junior high, how she approaches cooking, and how she handles Thanksgiving with her non-veg extended family. 

On cooking at home for herself and her non-vegetarian husband, she said: 

"I try to make things that he likes that are vegetarian. He likes to order General Tsao’s chicken at Chinese restaurants, and so over the years, I’ve perfected my General Tsao’s tofu recipe, which he loves.

It’s a good challenge for me to find things I can cook for us both, so that he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out. I personally never feel like I’m missing out, like, “Oh, I wish I could go eat a hamburger.” So, I don’t want him to feel that way, either."

Today, she shares that recipe. 

Don't worry about "what's allowed": How Lauren Quit Meat, Learned to Cook Veg, and Lives Consciously in NH

In the 7^th grade, Lauren came home from the mall wearing a button saying “Meat is Murder.” It was her way of telling her parents that she was giving up red meat. Having identified with a vegetarian lifestyle from that young age, Lauren’s diet has been continually evolving. Today, she considers herself to be a pescatarian (a self-described vegetarian who occasionally eats wild-caught fish). Here, she talks about growing up as the only person who identified with vegetarianism in her New Hampshire-based family, cooking veg for her non-veg husband, and not being restricted by labels.

What are you eating today?

Trader Joe’s sells these awesome vegan enchiladas that I buy by the case - literally. I eat them all the time, with some fresh cut avocado, for lunch – which is usually a working lunch for me. For dinner tonight…the weather’s starting to get nicer, so we’ll probably do something on the grill - veggie burgers, with sweet potato fries and corn on the cob.

You grew up in small-town New Hampshire, among family and friends that all ate meat. How did you make the decision to stop?

As a kid, I always loved animals. We always had pets. Once I found out about slaughterhouses, factory farming, and where my meat came from, I was horrified. I just couldn’t put that aside. My answer was to immediately stop eating red meat.

For me, it was a very simple equation that the animal on my plate was no different than the one sitting in my lap.

You were 12. What was that like for your parents?

Grocery Shopping? Go to the Farmer's Market First.

I love the farmer’s market experience.

Image via: The Atlantic

In fact, when my husband and I were on our honeymoon in Kauai, we went to the local farmer’s market. (We weren’t cooking on our honeymoon, but when I saw the ad, I had to check it out.)

I just love being outdoors, in the fresh air, picking through recently-delivered heaps and barrels of local produce, and feeling the raw potential of how those ingredients can be combined, seasoned, presented.  

I also love the fact that buying from the market cuts my grocery bill by about 30% every week.

Now, I know this isn’t something that holds everywhere. When I lived in New York City, the Union Square Farmer’s Market, for example, while inspiring, wasn’t cheap.

However, if you pick the right places to go, research now is showing that farmer’s markets are, in most cases, less expensive than surrounding grocery stores.

This article from The Atlantic outlines the major findings of the research: The Farmer’s Market Myth

The kitchn did a summary post: It’s true! Farmer’s Markets are Cheaper than Supermarkets!

 

To take advantage of this, I go to the produce market first, pick up everything I can get from there, and whatever I can’t get (tortillas, dried beans, bread, Daiya cheese), I pick up at my second stop – the grocery store. This cuts my grocery bill by about $30 a week. Plus, the produce is fresher.

 

Here are seven more tips on making the most of the farmer’s market, from Serious Eats: 

LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET US KNOW: Is your local farmer's market is cheaper than the supermarket? Do you use any of the tips offered by Serious Eats? How do you make the most of the farmer's market?

You Might As Well Market Weight-Loss Cookies

According to this recent NY Times article, exclusive nightclub owners in New York City have partnered up with a high-end beauty vendor to create a line of cocktails that will erase your fine lines, even out your skin tone, and restore elasticity and glow to your skin.

Awesome!

Things that used to make you look like crap – lots of alcohol, late-night partying, and little sleep – can now actually help you look younger, healthier, glowing!

How does it work? Frank Bruni had the same question when he was researching this article, and didn’t see any fine lines disappearing. The cocktail co-creator’s response:

“…the antioxidants and other nutrients infused into the cocktails had undeniable health benefits, and that getting them via alcohol was better than not getting them at all.”

Ok, guess what. Green tea is supposed to suppress your appetite and help you lose weight. So how about I bake some green tea powder into my new fabulous recipe for chocolate chip cookies and create a new line of desserts that will help you lose weight? Will you buy them – my weight-loss-inducing chocolate chip cookies?

Right, I didn’t think so.

FACT: Alcohol is dehydrating, as cookies, albeit delicious and whimsical, are fattening. So, mix whatever you want into your cocktail – or your cookie – it’s not going to help your skin (or your waistline).

Thank goodness the article ended on this note, from Manhattan dermatologist, Patricia Wexler,

“Nothing in a cocktail will give you younger skin,” she said in an e-mail. “But your judgment might be impaired, and you might see Angelina in the mirror.”

If you want great skin, these cocktails got one thing right - it does start with what you put into your body. And a plant-based diet can do wonders, because healthy skin is rested, hydrated, and well-nourished, by naturally occurring sources of vitamins and minerals.

Here’s the truth, from personal experience, (and common sense):

I used to have terribly congested skin. Maybe I’ll put a photo on this blog one day. I went to dermatologists for years. I took pills and underwent procedures. Nothing worked.

Then, I transitioned to a completely plant-based, vegan diet. I cut out alcohol and processed foods. I drank water all day long (with the help of this). It took time for my body to fully detoxify. But, it did. My skin has completely cleared up. The scars have diminished. I don’t take any medication. I will have the occasional drink, but mostly stick to non-alcoholic grown-up beverages like the ones in this post. I feel confident enough to go out without makeup on. And my 22-year-old self would not have believed that I could have looked the way I did at my wedding last December. (Not a point of vanity or arrogance, just personal joy at a food-initiated transformation and healing.)

(Here’s the woman who helped me do it – and the proof is in her own skin. She’s turning 72 this year – 72.)

Want your skin to lock in hydration? Save yourself the $20+ dollars on the Soothing Cucumber cocktail, and go spend $0.49 cents on a cucumber. Throw it into a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, shredded carrots, baked tofu, and sprouts, dressed lightly with some olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Drink a tall glass of water, flavored with a couple of orange slices – or even cucumber slices! (Like they do at actual spas, where they specialize in actual skincare, and serve you cocktails water with cucumber.) Go to bed on time. And, call me in the morning and let me know how it works out for you.

LEAVE A COMMENT & LET US KNOW: How has a plant-based diet improved your skin, or your health overall? What other products, making outrageous health claims, do we need to watch out for?