What I Ate...in NYC!

Hello Everyone!

I'm excited to be writing this post from America! These past two months have been quite the whirlwind. Brett and I were in China for five weeks and then flew straight into NYC to look for our new apartment. We found an amazing place in Queens in only four hours of looking and we couldn't be more ready to stop living out of suitcases. If you live in New York City, leave me a comment! I'd love to know who else is living in the City.

The self-proclaimed "Queen of Queens!"

Brett's parents met us in New York and we had an entire week to explore different parts of the city and try out amazing food. With all the different kinds of food we ate in New York and with all the amazing Chinese food we ate in China, I've gotten some amazing inspiration for different dishes and baked goods I want to try and create. I can't wait until Friday when we'll be fully moved into our new place and I can be back in the kitchen again. 

Today I'm going to share some of the amazing food I got to eat last week during our time in the big apple with Brett's parents. They spoiled us rotten and we tried out so many different cuisines! If you live in NYC, I hope this post will introduce you to some new places to eat that you've never heard of before. I included links to some of the restaurant's websites, so be sure to check them out!

Tibetan Vegetable Momos from Phayul Restaurant in Jackson Heights.

$3 Juice with Carrots, Spinach, Apple and Celery from a fruit stand in Queens.

The Garden Veggie Sandwich with Parsley Hummus from Siggy's Good Food in Brooklyn. 

If you live in New York City and have yet to go to Smorgasburg, you need to go! It's on pier 5 right by the Brooklyn Bridge and there are tons of venders there selling all kinds of amazing food on Sundays. And for you fellow vegans and vegetarians, they have tons of plant-based options. I was in heaven.

The Calexico from Chickpea and Olive at Smorgasburg.

A beet slider with avocado, picked red onion and jalapeños, daiya cheddar cheese and chipotle aioli!

Ample Hills Creamery on Pier 5 in Brooklyn.

One of the best things about Ample Hills Creamery is that they have pretzel cones. Pretzel cones people! The combination of the salty cone and the rich, sweet ice cream was amazing. I think I'll start adding pretzel to my ice cream more often!

Coconut Fudge Vegan Ice Cream.

The falafel wrap from Hummus Kitchen off 9th Ave between 51st and 52nd.

Focaccia Bread with Marinara Sauce, Mushrooms and Basil from Full Moon Pizza in the Bronx.

And of course there is always Whole Foods for lots of quick, grab-and-go options. I got these spring rolls and the brownie right before we went and saw the Broadway show Bullets on Broadway.

Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce from Whole Foods.


Vegan Peanut Butter Swirl Brownie from Whole Foods.

That's all the food from New York that I have to show you right now. Starting Friday I'll be back in the kitchen, hopefully whipping up some delicious, new recipes to share with you!

Brett and I on our last flight rocking some $8 Beats from China.

To see what other bloggers are eating and to get some new meal ideas, head over to Jenn's blog, Peas and Crayons!

If you live in New York City, which part do you live in? What are some of your favorite restaurants in the city?

Where have you traveled overseas?

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Eats from China!

I can't believe my 5-week trip to China has come and gone and that I'm currently in New York city looking for an apartment! Brett and I traveled throughout different cities in western China this past month and it was quite an adventure. We saw 7 different cities, did some hiking, squeezed in a few runs, took 11 hour bus rides through the mountains, and also traveled to one of the cities via a TWO day train ride. You can just imagine how great a shower felt after two days in a crowded train, smelling Chinese food all day and using squatty potties. It's all just a part of the adventure right?!

Last but not least we ate delicious food throughout our travels! China is such an amazing place for people who try to eat a plant based diet. There are outdoor markets all over with tons of fresh fruits, veggies, tofu, fermented things, etc. I've loved the inspiration I've gotten for recipes as I've walked through the different markets and tasted new foods. Today I'll share with you some of the staple foods we ate throughout our trip. (You can also follow me on Instagram @theconscientiouseater to see what food I'm eating around the world or cooking in the kitchen.)

Breakfast were mostly eaten in our hotel room. While I love trying out new foods, I don't like eating every meal out , so I brought oatmeal with me to eat most mornings. It was fun to try out different flavor combinations with all the fruit that was available! One great thing about China is that most hotels and restaurants serve freshly made soy milk in the mornings so sometimes I was able to eat my oatmeal cold as museli. Yeah, this China is perfect for me.

Lunch usually cost Brett and I less than $3 total! I ate a lot of noodle soups. The flavor of the broth there is amazing! And the spice made my nose run every time. Just the way I like it! Some other lunch staples were vegetable fried rice, vegetable dumplings, and large plates of chewy noodles...all of which are often followed by fruit.

Dinners were quite varied. Many nights locals would take us out to dinner and order lots of different dishes for us to try family style. Every time there was rice and vegetable soup as the staples and usually some other vegetable dishes and boiled peanuts. It was easy to pass up the meat dishes because of all the vegetable dishes.

Snacks were always random. Corn on the cob and baked potatoes dipped in chili spices were sold lots of places and both are amazing. Brett and I also found some grocery stores that sold dates and peanut butter, so those two things combined happen often too. Raw almonds and fruit were other staples!

I can't wait to be moved into our new apartment  in New York so I can get back in the kitchen again. All the different food we ate during our time in China gave me so much inspiration. It will also be nice to control the amount of oil I cook with! Brett and I also took a cooking class right before we left China so I'll be sharing one or two of those recipes with you all soon!


Have you ever been to China?


What is the best food you've eaten overseas?

Eat consciously,

Faith

WIAW: Good eats amidst all the craziness.

Can I just share how crazy my life is right now? Brett and I just got back from a week vacation on Saturday and are currently trying to pack up our entire apartment and move everything into storage by tonight. We also have to have bags packed for a 1-week work trip to West Palm Beach and a 5-week trip to China! Our schedule is insane...and somehow we like it that way. 

It's still surreal that we're leaving Orlando. We're really going to miss this state, but we're so excited for the adventure that living in New York City is sure to bring!

Notice the horchata on the bench! 

My life for the next two months:

May 29 - June 6: West Palm Beach

June 9 - July 15: China!

July 15 - July 21: New York City (we're flying straight from China to NYC to find our apartment!)

July 21 - August 1: Flying to Orlando, driving up a U-haul to New York and moving in

Thankfully amidst all the craziness I've still be able to create some delicious food in the kitchen, which is always a stress reliever for me. 

Breakfast: Homemade Cashew and Almond Cherry "Yogurt" with homemade granola and a banana

Morning Snack: a Fried Plantain in coconut oil and sprinkled with sea salt. 

Lunch: A big ol' salad with spinach, tomato, cucumber, carrots and Gingerly dressing...

...with a side of Rosemary Power Seed Crackers and Avocado Hummus (recipes coming soon!)

If you're looking for a way to get more fiber and healthy fats in your life, these crackers would be perfect. I'll post this recipe on Friday, so check back!

Afternoon Snacks: A nibble of this, a nibble of that, as I experimented in the kitchen...

and broke kitchen appliances... (seriously?!)

I may have forgotten to pit a few of my dates...whoops!

Almond Date Chocolate Chip Cookies!

There are only 6 ingredients in these bad boys and they don't have contain any sugar, dairy or gluten. 

Dinner: A bowl of some this amazing Butternut Squash Soup with some more crackers.

Seriously check out this recipe!! This soup is so flavorful and is made with 1 butternut squash, a sweet potato, carrots, an apple, an onion and some veggie broth, water and spices. It's one of my favorite recipes I've made so far!

It was Brett and my good friend's birthday this past week so we had her and her husband over for some birthday dessert. I was trying to make vegan brownies (and of course decided to experiment a little) and accidentally made an amazing Vegan Chocolate Cake! It's made with whole wheat flour, olive oil and I used only agave to sweeten it. And when you top it off with some Easy Fudge Sauce it's so decadent. 

Dessert: A slice of Vegan Chocolate Cake with Easy Fudge Sauce for icing 

And that's it: a full day of what I ate. Hope you got some new recipe ideas! Check out Jenn's blog Peas and Crayons to see what other people are eating.

Eat Consciously,

Faith

A Dream Come True: Ireland Sister Trip! (Plus Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies)

It still seems surreal.

My sister and I have been dreaming of backpacking Ireland for 14 years and it finally happened! 

This trip couldn't have gone better. We never got lost and it only drizzled once for about five minutes. We landed in Dublin early Thursday morning and with heavy backpacks on our backs bussed to four different locations and stayed at three different B&Bs before Sunday. A lot of walking, eating, talking and laughing took place and we kept saying that we couldn't believe our dream was actually coming true.

I wasn't sure how trying to eat mostly plant-based would go, but overall it was never a problem. We even brought some snacks with us (oatmeal, granola bars and homemade, Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies - recipe at the end of this post!), but I didn't need them most days. The Irish really know how to cook and Ruth and I fell in love with their Brown Bread and ate it every chance we could. Tea also became a big staple in our diet.

Lunch on our first day in Cashel

Ross Castle in Killarney

Killarney was both Ruth and my favorite city. We got up early after a deep, jet-lagged sleep and ate a big Irish breakfast before walking 45 minutes to Ross Castle. It was a perfect day and we kept on having to remove layers of clothing because we were getting too hot. After checking out the Castle we walked another 30 minutes or so into the city center of Killarney where I had my favorite meal of the entire trip.

We ate a place called Dyne and started our meal with some french-pressed coffee. We each got salads with a side of brown bread. My salad had chickpeas, roasted veggies and tahini dressing and it was fantastic. We stayed and talked for a couple of hours and enjoyed another cup of coffee with one of my Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies. A perfect lunch.

Another one of our favorite parts of the trip was going to the Milk Market in Limerick. After showering and eating some breakfast we walking into town to scope out the huge tent full of different vendors. We were in heaven! Fresh bread and scones, coffee shops, produce out the wazoo and much more. We made sure we saw all of our options before deciding on some olive bread and oranges. Yes, a weird combination, but it was delicious!

I love the way people in Ireland do life. They never seem to be rushed and take their time at meals to savor their food and enjoy the company around them. It only took Ruth and I a day or so to get into this mindset.

The second half of our trip was actually spent with Ruth's 14-year pen pal and her family. Yes, 14 years of writing letters and they finally got to meet in person. And...they have the same name! "Irish Ruth" met up with us in Galway and we spent the evening in the city before sharing a room at another B&B. The next morning, after another filling Irish breakfast, we drove to the Cliffs of Moher.

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! There wasn't a cloud in the sky and we no longer had to walk around with our backpacks because "Irish Ruth" generously offered to drive us to the Cliffs. I couldn't stop taking pictures. 

After soaking up the Cliffs, we drove back to Navan (a city near Dublin) where Ruth's family lives for the last few days of our trip.  We ate delicious home-cooked food, shopped around Dublin and had some awesome girl time with Ruth and her sister.

Lunch in Dublin at Bewleys

It was bittersweet to leave such a beautiful country and the people we met, but Ruth and I couldn't help but be thankful that our dream finally came true and that everything went so well. We hope it wont be too long before we go back!

Now for some cookies.

I made these cookies specifically for this trip and they turned out so well. I love the ingredients and they make the perfect snack or healthy dessert. I was worried I didn't bring enough after Ruth and I put a dent in my stash just on the plane ride over!

Date-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats (processed into flour)
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and set aside.
3. In a food processor, process your oats until you get flour. Pour the oat flour into a bowl and whisk in the salt, cornstarch and baking soda.
4. Chop up your dates and place them in the food processor. Process them until they begin to break down into a sticky dough. Add in the coconut oil, flax egg and vanilla extract and process until as smooth as possible.
5. Add in the dry ingredients and pulse to combine. I used my processor's dough blade for this part, but you don't have to. Remove the dough into a bowl (or just remove the processor blade) and add in the chopped chocolate chips and mix well to combine.
6. Form the dough into balls and slightly flatten them before placing them on your baking dish.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They will still be somewhat soft right after you remove them from the oven, but they will harden as they cool. Place them in the fridge after they've mostly cooled to help them set.
8. Store them in an airtight container for a few days or in the fridge for longer!

Eat Consciously,

Faith

Good Eatin' in Dallas!

The past ten days were a whirlwind! Brett and I left for Houston, Texas last Friday and got back home last night from North Carolina. We started in Houston for the first weekend and got to spend two days with Brett's family. We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries (ours is in 13 days!) and new jobs. We even fit in some strawberry picking at a nearby patch. It was so great to be with family.

Brett and his sister at the strawberry patch.

Sunday evening Brett and I made the short flight to Dallas for the week. We had some recruiting work to do there and also met with a bunch of Brett's friends from when he lived in Dallas for 6 years. Our schedule each day was seriously jam packed. Some days would start breakfast with friends at 7 A.M., coffee with someone else at 9 and then we'd recruit from 10-11. After that we'd rush to meet up with more friends for lunch and then often we'd try to fit in a quick gym session at LA Fitness before meeting up with more people for coffee and dinner. We were so wiped out by Friday!

Even though it was tiring to meet with so many people in between working, we loved it. And of course we got to eat some delicious food. Usually I don't like eating out that much, but this trip wasn't as bad as other trips we've been on. Most of the time we'd eat breakfast at our hotel and there were a few days that I would just get a big ol' salad from Whole Foods. 

But, I have to highlight some restaurants in Dallas. I think the best meal I ate all week was at Asian Mint. They have sushi, thai food and desserts. 

  

I got the green curry and I couldn't stop saying, "Mmmm!" This picture doesn't do it justice. It was so creamy and flavorful. You have to eat here if you ever make it to Dallas!

Another delicious meal we had was from The Juice Bar. Expensive as all get out, but delicious.

Brett and I had just finished up our workouts at the gym and had a little free time before we needed to be at the airport. We got these Acai Cups with vegan protein powder mixed in. They topped it with chopped up banana, blueberries and amazing granola. Delicious!

Eatzi's is another great spot. You can make your own sandwiches or salads, pick up some already made sushi, or choose from a wide variety of entrees and sides already made. I got some sushi while Brett got the pasta of the day, kale and white bean salad and roasted cauliflower. I love this place because everyone can get something different and there are tons of vegan and vegetarian options!

While the green curry was my favorite meal all week, this restaurant was my favorite. The Cosmic Cafe serves vegetarian Indian food and it's incredible. The restaurant itself is so eclectic and colorful. It's hard to miss!

  

I got the Buddhas Delight so that I could try a few different things. Everything was incredible and I left stuffed but content. It was spicy, but not over kill, and everything was bursting with flavor. They even offer non-dairy desserts a lot of the time. 

And of course a lot of Americanos with steamed soy were enjoyed throughout the week! This cup is from a newer place called the Ascencion Coffee House. It was a cool venue and had nice outdoor seating too.

Our trip ended with a bang in North Carolina. Friday afternoon we flew from Dallas to North Carolina for a friends wedding. Most of my family was there so during this trip we got to see both of our families! Amazing! The wedding was a blast. They did breakfast for dinner (why didn't I think of that) and for dessert everyone was able to go to the frozen yogurt shop downstairs. They had glow in the dark sticks for entertainment too. Brett tried to make Mickey Mouse ears and we even ended up making a hula hoop. It didn't work very well, but we tried.

Now were home for a whole month! I'm excited to get some rest and to cook and bake up a storm. I already have a pot of black beans cooking and some fresh whole wheat bread on the counter. Life is good!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith