Part of my reason for being vegetarian was because it practices respect and love for life all through the day,
so three times a day, you make a decision to eat things that have not been killed.
~ Natalie Portman
Buenos Aires Vegetarian Restaurants – Spring
23 MayAdriana, our tour guide in Buenos Aires, was full of suggestions on where to eat vegetarian in the city.
One of her suggestions was SPRING… a vegetarian restaurant with the perfect format for a Devanand vegetarian – TENEDOR LIBRE. “Tenedor Libre” is the Argentinean terminology for “all-you-can-eat”. I am not a volume eater, but my travel companions certainly were.
We went to Spring one day just because it was the closest option to our hotel. A short 6-8 blocks only… we were not prepared to what we were going to find there.
Spring is a buffet-style restaurant with a prix-fixe for lunch and dinner. Eat as much as you want at the restaurant and pay the same low price. Drinks are extra… This was just what the Devanand guys needed. You could pick from a wide variety of dishes. I think we counted over 50 options, among them – a great salad bar with greens, raw veggies, cooked veggies, prepared salads, cheeses, sushi, pastas, pizzas, casseroles, potato dishes, tofu dishes, rice and fritters. It was at times overwhelming; especially when the lunch rush traffic is right behind you in a hurry.
Here is a sample of my favorite combination – large salad, scalloped potatoes, and gnocchi with a creamy tomato basil sauce. The brown fried rice, the French fries and the cooked broccoli were also huge favorites among the group. I got to order once a non-alcoholic wine, which was very much like a bottled grape juice. And we would all finish with a lemon sorbet… creamy and refreshing all at the same time.
I personally ate at Spring 4 times – I was in Buenos Aires for 7 days, so that’s a nice average, no??? But I happen to know people who went to Spring for both lunch AND dinner a few days in a row. Yes… the food is that good. And the value of the “tenedor libre” is undisputed. We would make Spring our meeting point if we ever got separated in our sightseeing or shopping trips.
If you’re a vegetarian traveling in Buenos Aires, YOU MUST visit Spring Restaurant. You will never regret it. We all need to thank Adriana for the tip. This makes me guilty we should’ve left her an even bigger tip!!!
Have you been to Spring in Buenos Aires too?? What was your favorite dish there??? Have any other vegetarian restaurants in Buenos Aires for us to try next??
Spring Restaurant
Bulnes
Canada welcomes Vegetarians – Boston Pizza
21 MayBack in February, I was supposed to go to my usual skiing trip to Vermont. We were looking so much for it for months… thinking what we would do, what we would buy, what we would EAT during our trip.
Unfortunately, snowy winter weather was not on our side. Without sufficient snow in the mountains of Vermont, we had a decision to make – do we cancel our travels or do we go somewhere else?? We decided we would visit Quebec and Montreal instead. We love adventure, we love travel… and Madelyn loves to speak French too!!! Mais oui!!!
After arriving at the Burlington Airport, we directed ourselves towards Quebec City. Our first stop after crossing the border was a very Canadian place… BOSTON PIZZA?!?!? Ey??
Apparently is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants and we say so many of them in route that we just had to try… and they were the safest option for this vegetarian gal too. I was super pleased I was ordering in French and translating to everyone what the waitress said. I was in CANADA!!!!!
I ordered the Artichoke Goat Cheese Dip with Pizza crisps. It was DIVINE!!! I had to order extra pizza crisps to finish it off. Of course, to accompany a dinner of cheese and artichokes, a green side salad would only be right.
If you live around Canada or visit Canada in the near future… the Artichoke Goat Cheese Dip get a 2 thumbs up from KarmaFree Cooking. Give it a try!!!
Have you had it already??? Tell me what you thought about it…
Buenos Aires Vegetarian Restaurants – Naturaleza Sabia
18 MayCan a vegetarian eat well in Buenos Aires, the land of the Parrillada??? OF COURSE!!!!
From the moment I started mentioning to people I was traveling to Buenos Aires, people were questioning and worrying, where would you eat?? I never worry about these things because I know that I will learn how to navigate the local menus to be able to:
- Eat the local favorites
- While still maintaining my vegetarian diet and lifestyle intact
They say in life there are NO COINCIDENCES… Adriana, the tour guide I had been in contact with over email, happened to be a long-time vegetarian too. She even had a vegetarian restaurant for a little while a few years back. She offered to provide us with information on vegetarian restaurants in the city… JACKPOT!!!
Adriana took us on a walking tour of Buenos Aires… we WALKED for about 7 hours that day. We visited all the major touristic points in the city on foot – the Recoleta Cemetery, Ave. 9 de Julio, Florida Street, Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada where Evita saluted her people… and believe me, after all that non-stop walking you get hungry.
So Adriana took us deep into the San Telmo area for lunch to savor our first vegetarian restaurant experience in Buenos Aires – Naturaleza Sabia.
Naturaleza Sabia is a nook of tranquility from the bustling streets of Buenos Aires. The décor is simple and serene. I loved the chalkboard menu with all the favorites of the day…
They welcome you with a selection of dips with crostini – lentil, broccoli and carrot. They were all delicious, but my favorite by far was the lentil one. Kinda like a lentil hummus, if you will. I particularly loved the toasted sesame seeds on top.
We stayed in the realm of the vegan dishes to make sure no egg was included in any of the recipes.
My mom and I ordered two dishes to share – the House Salad and the grilled tofu with mixed vegetables sautee. This tofu is one of the best tofu dishes I’ve had in my life. The tofu was well seasoned and the crust in the outside gave it real nice character. It was really nice…
Between the dips, the salad, the tofu and the strawberry lemonade I ordered, I was too stuffed to be able to order dessert. I was even looking forward to the rest of our walking tour to be able to take care of the stuffiness…
Buenos Aires may be “the land of meat”, but they certainly know their vegetarian stuff too at Naturaleza Sabia.
Naturaleza Sabia Balcarce 958 1064 San Telmo, Capital Federal, Argentina (0)11 4300 6454The Shape of Foods Help our Organs?? – EGGPLANT, AVOCADOS and PEARS
16 MayThis is part of a series on how our food can help certain organs that resemble their same shape. I already shared with you how the following foods benefit these organs:
Celery, Rhubarn, Bok Choy – Bones
Now, look at the Eggplant, Avocado and Pear… they’re all shaped like a WOMB. So according to this theory they’re good for feminine health, for the womb and cervix. To be honest, I searched and searched the internet to find data that supported this theory… I couldn’t find anything specific to womb or cervix.
However, I did find some interesting facts important to women’s health and issues over all:
- According to some internet research, avocados are great for our sex drive because they contain high levels of folic acid to help metabolize proteins giving you an energy boost. They are also known to benefit a women’s libido due to the high potassium content. That potassium content also helps with fatigue, depression and poor digestion.
- Avocados are a complete food, providing fat, protein and carbohydrate – every vegetarian’s dream! They contain healthy fats we could all do with in our diets. But the fat is GOOD fat; in the form of monosaturated. They contain good levels of vitamin B6 to help you fight stress and give you the energy to keep going.
- Avocados are excellent for the skin. Research shows that substances in the pulp of avocados appear to trigger DNA to produce more embryonal collagen – the soluble kind we start our lives with, producing smooth and supple skins.
- Pears are a good source of Vitamin C and copper, both are antioxidant nutrients that protect the body against free-radicals and aging. They’re also a good source of fiber to help regularity and lowers cholesterol levels. Fiber also binds to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon, preventing them from damaging colon cells. A study in postmenopausal women showed a 34% reduction in breast cancer risk for those consuming the most fruit fiber compared to those consuming the least.
- Eggplants contain powerful antioxidants too. They help letting nutrients in and wastes out, especially in brain cells. They also help to relax blood vessels, improve blood flow and reduce cholesterol levels, particularly if taken in juice form. Even the National Diabetes Education Program, Mayo Clinic and American Diabetes Association recommend an eggplant based diet as a choice for management of type 2 diabetes.
- Eggplant has been found to be especially useful in the treatment of colon cancer due to the high amount of fiber found within eggplant. But, the fiber found in eggplant has other uses–like helping people lose weight. Eggplant keeps dieters feeling full for a longer period of time and prevents from being as tempted to snack between meals.. Eggplants are filled with water and it’s important in the maintenance of healthy skin and hair.
Here are some recipes to help you increase your eggplant, avocado and pear intake:
Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese and Walnuts
Greens and Pear Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
KarmaFree Cooking 