etoiles's Profile
Where to find Dutch Processed Cocoa in Chicago?
Check out Woodman's in Carpentersville, they have a big selection of imported Dutch Cocoa. Dutch lables are: Droste (www.droste.nl), Van Houten (www.vanhoutendrinks.com). The Vintage Tin from Van Houten is sold at Trader Joe's (like another poster said, with the Dutch costumes).
Restaurants near Bloomindale/Addison/Glendale Heights
We have been visiting the same restaurants over and over in this area and are looking for something new. Does anyone have any recommendations of restaurants in or near this area of the burbs?
We are open to any cuisine but the restaurant needs to have at least one good vegetarian option.
Thanks in advance!
Oak Brook Area...Mexican?
I like the Adobo Grill in Lombard for Mexican food. There is a nice guacamole station on a cart where someone will make it for you and it has some good options. I am a vegetarian so just have eaten the vegetarian food but enjoyed it.
vegetarian-friendly, near Mart Plaza
I would highly recommend Ben Pao. It is within walking distance from your hotel and is super delicious! Modern Chinese type food. The interior is beautifully decorated as well. I am vegetarian and this is my favorite Chinese food restaurant. Almost all of the dishes with meat can be substituted with tofu so it has tons of options for both you and your sister.
http://www.benpao.com
Across the street is Vong's Thai Kitchen which is also delicious and also has plenty of both meat and vegetarian options.
http://www.vongsthaikitchen.com
I highly recommend both choices, but of the two my favorite is Ben Pao!
Vegetarian Birthday Dinner in the Burbs
Hello!
My birthday is coming up and I have had a tough time figuring out a good place to eat. I am a vegetarian and live in the western suburb of Glendale Heights. I would rather not travel all the way to the city since I have a long commute during the week but still wanted to eat at someplace that had a great vegetarian dinner.
I'm not looking only for places that are all vegetarian, just have at least 2 good vegetarian dishes.
Any suggestions????? They would really be appreciated!
Interesting way to serve fruit for party
Fruit salsa with cinnamon chips is always a hit whenever I have served it at a party and it is a fresh way to serve it:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Annies-Fruit-Salsa-and-Cinnamon-Chips/Detail.aspx?prop31=1
Your Favorite Recipe for kale?
I love Italian Wedding Soup made with kale instead of spinach. It is so good!
rec. for good, affordable japanese?
How about Mitsuwa Market? It has a very affordable food court, sushi section, bakery, and ice cream area. Lots of selection.
Not very fancy or anything but it is affordable and tastes good!
What products at Trader Joes to avoid?
The vegetarian 'chicken' should be avoided at all costs. It tasted absolutely disgusting.
Of course, once you try Quorn vegetarian 'chicken' then anything else does not taste good but this was particularly bad.
Food that Most People Love and You Don't...
- Meat - any type
- Olives
- Sun dried tomatoes
What's your 'go-to' vegetarian main dish?
For a super quick cabbage/pasta meal I take sauteed onions, add a bag of coleslaw mix and saute it and then mix that in with cooked pierogi. Sometimes sprinkle with cheddar. Super easy and fast.
For company my mother in law (red meat lover) loved the veggie 'meat loaf' that I made and requested it again:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cottage-Cheese-Roast/Detail.aspx
Also a risotta made with veggie stock would be wonderful.
We often go to a pasta dish with tomatoes, blue cheese, mushrooms, walnuts, basil, balsamic vinegar and oil tossed together while the pasta is hot.
Best Restaurants on Restaurant.com
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. The menus really look great. We'll check out the options on restaurant.com and figure out what will work for us.
Thanks again!
Low Carb cooking (SB recipes welcome!)
Hello!
I am not on Atkins anymore (too hard to stay on as a vegetarian) but when I did it successfully for a few years I used the low carb recipes from this site:
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html
She always had something good and I still make some of her recipes even now just because they were so tasty!
Vegetarian at Fridays?
I went there this past June and had a pasta dish with tomatoes, mozz, and basil with eggplant on top. (also am vegetarian) It wasn't 'wow! that tastes great' and enough for me ever to go back there but it was an okay thing for one meal. They may still have that one dish.
California Pizza Kitchen
I enjoy CPK especially being a vegetarian since it has so many options. I like the tostada pizza in particular.
Now that I read about it that is true that the dough is oddly sweet...
Vegetarians: What chains do you eat at?
Fast food: Also go to Taco Bell once in a great while. It really is the only fast food place with at least some choices. Boston Market is also good for the sides platter.
Baja fresh is absolutely delicious and I love it! Corner Bakery has some options. Portillo's has a few options as well.
Ruby Tuesday for the salad bar with baked potato (no bacon please). Overall the options are pretty pitiful or taste bad at most chains.
Best Restaurants on Restaurant.com
Hello!
Recently we received a gift cert to restaurant.com. Instead of just buying certs to our usual restaurants we thought maybe we could get a certificate for a special or extra nice restaurant that we would not normally go to. What are the best restaurants on restaurant.com in the Chicago area? We live in the west suburbs but are open to travel to a great spot. I am a vegetarian so it would need at least one great veggie dish on the menu. We are open to any and all cuisines.
Thanks!
Which nice foodie gifts did you get?
I got a few things I am very excited about. I got a mandeline slicer with many different slicing options that I am rearing to try out and a ricer to make easy mashed potatoes. I also got Madhur Jaffrey's book "World of the East Vegetarian Cooking".
DH got a waffle maker which he has already put to good use.
What should i do with a hunk of Blue cheese
Blue cheese tastes delicious in a green bean salad with red onion and toasted walnuts and a light vinagrette.
Also crumbled in pasta with walnuts, mushrooms and tomatoes and then oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum!
Cooking Dried Beans in the Slow Cooker
I have cooked dried black beans in the slow cooker several times now and it has given me wonderful results. I used the instructions from the crockpot lady:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/cooking-dried-beans-in-crockpot.html
I freeze the extra batches in ziploc bags and defrost or microwave them to thaw them. The texture is SO MUCH better than in the canned beans and you can just tell by eating and looking at them that they are better for you this way. The house smells nice too then.
What food gifts did you make / buy this year ?
I have put together....
- Ingredients to make hummus to go with dip set gift.
- Sugar free chocolate covered pretzels for diabetic
- Sugar free flavored popcorn
- Puppy chow snack mix
- Ranch flavored snack mix
- Assorted x-mas cookies
The fruit is a good idea for the person who has everything! Thanks!
Munchies for work Xmas party?
How about tortilla roll ups? I rolled cream cheese/onion type filling in tortillas (Paula Deen recipe). This can be made in advance, wrapped in plastic wrap and sliced at the last minute. No utensils needed and delicious. I get tons of compliments every time I make them. You could roll other types of fillings in tortillas as well.
Bruschetta. Make the filling and keep in a tupperware in advance. Toast bread slices keep in plastic bag. Either leaver spoon for self assembly at the party or spoon on at the last minute.
your favourite slow cooker recipes, please
My favorite recipe is making yogurt. It's not traditional but it's delicious and so much cheaper than buying the cups in the store.
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html
I also like cooking beans from dried in the crockpot. Takes practically no effort, cheaper than the canned ones and without that disgusting slimy stuff on it.
Yogurt maker(read: Greek). Good investment?
I have made this multiple times. It turns out wonderfully! Not as thick as greek yogurt but I'm sure if you would strain it in a cheesecloth overnight that would do the trick. So much cheaper than regular yogurt too!
Ranch Snack Recipe Needed
Hello!
My mother in law LOVES the flavor of ranch dressing. She is from Holland and can't get it anywhere there. She is visiting the US and staying with us over Christmas so I wanted to make a ranch flavored snack to fill a canister I bought her as part of a x-mas gift. I have made her the ranch oyster crackers in the past and she LOVES them but am looking to try something new. Does anyone have a great ranch snack recipe? I have searched online but it is hard to find one!
Gobi Manchurian
The Himalayan Restaurant that just opened in Bloomindale, IL has it listed on their menu. Since it just opened I have not gone there yet but it sounds good!
http://www.himalayanrestaurant.com/default.aspx
Best Homemade Food Gift
Some things I have made sugar free include pretzel rods dipped in melted sugar free chocolate and rolled in nuts or unsweetened coconut, nuts like those that you smell in the mall but with splenda instead of sugar:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cinnamon-Roasted-Almonds/Detail.aspx
For recipes I just use regular recipes but use splenda instead of sugar (for white sugar). I don't make many recipes with brown sugar subs. A loaf of banana bread made with splenda and a loaf of sugar free jam is nice.
Best Homemade Food Gift
I love hearing all of these wonderful ideas! I think I will be busy makins some of these soon!
I also made a herb infused vinegar and homemade croutons and gave it with a nice olive oil and some salad tongs for the perfect salad kit. Sugar free baked goods for diabetic family members are always a hit too since the ones in stores don't taste great.
Best Homemade Food Gift
Hello!
Each year I like to make something edible to give to various people as gifts. I have made cookie mixes in the jar, pancake mix, and soup mix in a jar in the past. Do you have something special that people love to receive? Do you make something they crave? I would love to hear about it!
Thanks!
Dip Mix Recipe Needed!
Yes thanks. That is not a bad idea at all for including the ingredients for hummus along with a recipe. I think I will use that for the dairy allergic family!
