One Green Cafe

It was quite the day last Saturday as I was up and about earlier than I always am during weekends. After my successful meeting late in the afternoon, I decided to go to the mall and walk around a bit. Then as fate would have it, it started to rain again so to while the time away, I decided on early dinner. Comfortably located within the boundaries of the Sports Loop at the third floor of the Galleria was a little nook of a restaurant that catered to serving vegetarian cuisine. Called Cafeteria Verde, I immediately checked their menu and was surprised at the wide array of mouthwatering veggie dishes they had.

I was in the mood for Italian that night so the first thing that I excitedly took on was their Tomato-Garlic Spaghetti. Cooked using olive oil, its delightfully sweet and mildly tangy sauce is literally comprised only of tomatoes and  garlic. Served mixed in with the pasta noodles, it offers that slight garlic crunch with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top that makes for the perfect finishing touch. I must say, for a dish with no meat in it, it was absurdly delicious.

My second palatable pick was one I really shouldn't have ordered because cheese is a no-no in my diet and I completely missed out on noticing it as I was so taken by it's description that said "roasted vegetables or margherita flavors atop crispy baguettes". It's a good thing the cheese was easy to peel off so I still got to partake of this healthy hearty half-wich. Called French Bread Pizza, its crunchy French baguette had a luscious slathering of tomato sauce and toppings that called for diced roasted eggplant, zucchini, carrots and tomatoes with a generous smothering of cabbage chiffonade. Its size was a filler in itself  and to have all the wonderful fresh garnish to complete this tasty number, I'd say you're in for the total treat.

 

 

Cafeteria Verde has a lot to offer the hungry vegetarian. I'm just sorry I was without company when I dropped by their neat little restaurant to sample their culinary creations. Theirs is a full roster of savory selections that not only leaves you full but guilt-free as well. All meals are served with their fruit slush of the day and prices, though a tad higher, are still at that range deemed affordable for all to enjoy. Hence, you get complete gastronomic satisfaction without any compromise to your health. 

Admittedly, vegetables are now getting into the heat of things. And though meat may still be the main choice of the vast majority, the veggie loop is most certainly inching its way to being it's toughest competitor. It's a close fight.

Rockin' Alternatives

I know they look like moon rocks. But trust me, they are as edible as the food inside  your fridge.

These unfriendly-looking things are actually one of the friendliest you can ever get into your body. These are balls of veggie meat and this is what they look like when they're raw. They were an unpopular household substitute for meat back in the '70s but have made a major comeback over the past years, offering more veggie meat variants to cater to even the most discerning taste bud.  Made from either soy or wheat gluten, these often misunderstood healthy replacements are, in fact, packed with high levels of protein, iron and calcium. They come in airtight bags and cost all of 70 bucks, a massive cutback from your regular meat budget. Soak them in tap water for around 20 minutes and use as an alternative to meat in whatever you wish to cook. I must say, though, for me, they taste especially great when used in tomato-based dishes like the Pochero and Kaldereta versions of veggie meat below.

Now this is my favorite. At first glance, would you really think this isn't meat?  

I wouldn't think so. Veggie meat in one of it's more pleasing forms, the Citrus Spareribs, I'd say, hits closest to home in the league of major meat fake-outs, appearance-wise and taste-wise, as compared to the rest of the other variants and there really are a lot to choose from. Slightly sweet with a hint of heat, it allows for easy labor and clean-up as well. All that needs to be done is to steam it together with your rice and you're set. No muss, no fuss. Now, if you're not one to slave over a hot stove to make an actual meal out of the raw veggie meat or steaming the pre-prepped sort just seems kind of a hassle, doing the rounds of mall food courts would be your next best option.The store to go to for all your veggie meat needs is Bodhi so you might want to just traipse over to their so many fastfood outlets and give them a whirl.

A lot can be said about this mean mock meat ball. And it may not really be for all. Many say they can still taste it's obvious difference from the real deal. But looking past all that, we all have to admit that veggie meat offers a fresh alternative and limitless options to the once limited list of vegetarian choices. I'm happy with that. 

  

**A FRIENDLY REMINDER: Veggie meat, though proven healthy for the body, is made up of either soy or wheat gluten, and people who are allergic to  these components might get a reaction upon ingestion. Please find out first if these are your kinds of allergens. It still, after all, is better to be safe than sorry.  

A New Beginning

                    "Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like    
                                     and let the food fight it out inside."

And Mark Twain couldn't have said it better. It goes without saying that no matter where you are, food will always be around to nourish as well as to comfort, and admittedly, I am a great lover of food. I'm not a picky eater primarily because my mother was a very good cook so I was okay with anything and everything she'd put on the table, except vegetables. I was a carnivore. That's why when I first got the news that I had to lay off meat because of the growing problem with my heart and basically my health, I felt like going on a fit. Don't ask what I couldn't have but what I could because my diet was limited to only three things: fish, fruit and dreadful, tasteless veggies. Everything else had to be low fat. Highly enraged with my sudden limitations, I vented out on a good friend for comfort and what I got was a boink in the head as he reminded me of the so many options available now to replace meat with. All he says I had to do was to open my eyes and actually see, for the only one limiting myself is really me. In all fairness, he's right. So 10,000 rants and over a year later, I now realize there really is a lot to veggie rave about. 

                 This is an almost all-vegetable blog with a dash of seafood goodness  all served on 

A Fresh New Plate.