Two weeks ago I went back to my old stomping ground... BOSTON to speak at the New England VegFest .
It was a BLAST! The Herbies came out and took the house down!
Hello my herbivores!!!!
There were soo many Herbies (I don't think the festival was ready for our love!) That I had to divide my hour talk into two demos :-D
AND my favorite part: I got to meet you and take pics! and sign books!
Funny note: I got recognized in the bathroom and ended up signing a book there and taking some selfies with fans. I checked that box! ha ha!
The fest was mostly venders selling or giving out samples of their food... always nice to see so many plant-based and vegan businesses!
I made a point to stop by the Cedar's and Upton Seitan tables to thank them for offering oil-free products :)
I also had a chance to eat at my favorite restaurant: Grasshopper .
When I lived in Boston, Grasshopper was the only 100% vegan restaurant, and one of maybe 3 total restaurants that had a vegetarian menu.
(Indeed when I first went vegan, and then plant-based, I was an odd duck and most people and restaurants didn't get it, but now??)
The city has changed so much!! There are a TON of all-vegan restaurants and a lot of the "regular" spots have vegan menus! (See my past posts here , here , and here ) The fact that 13,000 people attended the Fest speaks VOLUMES!
BUT Grasshopper is still my favorite!
AND of course, we went to a Sox game :-P
OK, so we went to two games! LOL.
I was delighted to see Fenway still offered vegan hot dogs!
(Note: I got a chuckle that they called it "VISITOR's veggies" -- so as to suggest the locals, what? Don't eat veggies?)
BUUUT all kidding aside, While most major league ballparks (and stadiums in general) now offer vegan hot dogs (or veggie burgers) Fenway was one of the first to sell them! So even if it is an "outsider" thing, I'm glad they have it!
For a listing of vegan options at any pro park , visit Veggie Happy .
We didn't eat a veggie dog on this trip, but have had them previously. You can see it here . (Scott and I still think Dodgers stadium has the best veggie dogs!)
Fenway also has other healthy options like fresh fruit cups and hummus. I also saw Kind bars for sale all over the park.
and I love that most of the foods targeted at kids is vegan or vegetarian:
While in Boston, I also helped a long-time friend's husband (and family) adopt a more plant-based diet.
Here are some of the foods I cooked -- Greg's first day plant-based!
Breakfast
Greg is from New Orleans, so I made the White Bean Gravy (from EHH and Holidays) with all his authentic creole and Cajun spice blends (best batch I ever made!) plus Gimme Lean sausage patties, tofu scramble , fresh fruit and some oat-biscuits I whipped up on the fly. I basically used my biscuit recipe from EHH with homemade oat flour, plus adding in some whole oats for a more grainy texture.
Lunch:
I made my famous Black Bean Burgers with oven fries and a "Cheese" Ball (recipe in Holidays ). Even the kids loved these burgers and the "cheese" ball!
Dinner:
The family had my Cauliflower Hot Wings (from Holidays) and loved them --- even the kids gobbled them up!
Lastly, let's talk about Logan Airport.
I didn't have time to eat before my flight, but on my quest to find a napkin I stepped into this restaurant (aptly called "Stephanie's" -- the name of my dear friend I was staying with!) and I was delighted they not only offered Steel Cut Oatmeal but there was a clearly marked VEGAN breakfast sandwich.
WHATT??? WTG Boston!
P.S. A new Meal Mentor podcast is up and ready for you !
In this episode Kaci (my copilot!) joins me to talk about being true to yourself and having that self-confidence to do what’s best for you!
We also chat about digestive quirks and how when you clean up your diet, you can really begin to listen to your body and find out exactly what it wants! Kaci also dishes on parenting plant-based kiddos, her mindful approach when they’re picky, WHY she embraces the power of cooking ahead, and our thoughts on booze!
(I also had the great fortune to meet Kaci in person recently AND she was a recipe tester for Holidays & Gatherings)