Vegan in Bellingham

In January I was contacted by a representative from the Ariven Planet Company that distributes Ariven Imperial Rice   about reviewing their heirloom rice, and I became very interested in learning more, both about the rice itself and also about the philosophy behind the company, especially after reading the email where they explained: "...we believe in a purpose beyond profit and our vision is to create  self-sustaining ,eco-friendly farms for aged cows and oxen so we can grow intelligent vegan produce that can counter a giant like Monsanto." I was impressed with that statement and knew that was a philosophy I could get behind, and consequently, I was eager to try their product. However, as is frequently the case, time got away from me, and I took much longer to finally get around to creating a dish with this rice, but I am finally ready to share with you what I made yesterday. It's a simple, easy, and inexpensive dish that's both hearty and tasty. I made a hug...

Note: This Review is from 4/13/2014 While I generally try to stay on a budget, sometimes I really enjoy going out for a nice meal, especially when on vacation or celebrating a special occasion. And while that can occasionally entail paying a higher price for food than what my budget usually allows for, when the food is delicious and the experience wonderful, then to me it is worth the price. For the past two years and prior to my March birthday trip to Vancouver, I had been reading rave reviews of Heirloom Vegetarian Restaurant , and consequently was eager to check them out. And, as anyone who reads this blog probably knows by now, I have a thing for vegan breakfast and brunch. And I REALLY have a thing for a good vegan Benny. The interior of Heirloom is gorgeous and bright, open and airy, light and lovely. And the people working there welcomed us with genuinely friendly faces and inviting words. From the moment we set foot inside the restaurant, I felt like I was exactl...

Conveniently located next to the movie theatre, Zen Sushi makes for a great dinner-and-a-movie date spot. Their menu has a whole page of vegetarian options, and upon inquiry I learned that their tempura is actually vegan because there aren't any eggs in the batter and they use soybean oil. (Although I cannot say whether or not the soybean oil, and the tofu, soy etc. that they use are organic.)  I am always a fan of sushi with asparagus, so I was pleased to see that as one option. Most of the sushi options come on a conveyor belt and are color-coded to indicate price. However, you can also select options directly from the menu, which is what we did since we knew we wanted a number of veggie selections. Everything I tried was quite tasty. Of course, they had the standard avocado and sushi veggie fare, but they also had some other more creative options, including the Zen Roll, which included asparagus, gobo root cucumber, avocado, pico de gallo, and sesame seed. I was a...