Every time we go down to Seattle I try to research some places to eat around Pike Place Market. We’ve eaten at Beechers, and a little sandwich place which I can’t remember. We’ve also eaten at the Purple Cafe & Wine Bar (though the pizza was incredibly greasy!) However, all the ‘touristy’ places are always busy and a lot of the times the food is just ok. Though the mac and cheese from Beecher’s was amazing.
This time, I wanted to find some places outside of the downtown district. After asking on Twitter for some Seattle blogger recommendations, I came across Emily’s blog Daily Garnish. I think I spent an entire night scrolling through her Seattle posts, she’s a new resident to the area too. She is a vegetarian and had some delicious looking posts on vegan and vegetarian eats around Seattle.
Although I’m not a vegan, or vegetarian, but most days I’m ‘Vegetarian before dinner.’ I’ll have oats or a smoothie for breakfast, salad or veggies and humus etc for lunch, and then a main dish for dinner that probably contains some sort of meat. Although, I do make a lot of vegetable main dishes for dinner too. It’s funny when most people think about it we’re ‘accidental’ vegetarians a few days a week – I know I am for sure.
After looking through this post I chose Chaco Canyon Cafe. Chaco Canyon is Washington’s first Certified Organic and Vegetarian Cafe. The pictures she posted of the food looked delicious – and filling.
Now, Adam is a meat lover. No doubt about it. However, he is always willing to try something new, and let’s be honest he doesn’t do the cooking so he pretty much has to eat whatever I make. So when I asked him if he’d be willing to check it out he said sure – what a sport.
Chaco Canyon has two locations, West Seattle, and the one we stopped at on our way down to Seattle that is located in the University District. There was also a farmers market just across the street, though we didn’t go because of border restrictions for produce – dang!
Here’s what we ordered:
Blue Green Blast The perfect blend of delicious and healthy: blueberries, bananas, fresh apple juice, and green superfood powder.
The Hippie Bowl House made garlic tahini drizzled over baked tofu, high-protein quinoa, fresh carrots, sprouts, and topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Lentil Burger Seattle’s Best Veggie Burger is accentuated by our delectable special sauce and served on a grilled potato roll with vegenaise, marinated onions, cucumber, sprouts and bread & butter pickles. $12.95 With a side of ‘Cheesy’ Potato Soup
Of course we also had to sample a little dessert, two cookie. Adam liked the Hazelnut one, and I liked the cowboy one. Both had a hint of banana in them – yum.
I would definitely come back to Chaco Canyon. Adam’s Lentil burger was seriously ‘Seattle’s best veggie burger’ – not that I had another to compare it to, but it was super moist with delicious flavouring, and the entire burger was mouthwatering. The Soup was ok, and the Hippie bowl was good, definitely filling and the dressing was delicious, however next time I would try another sandwich.
So, if you’re vegan, vegetarian, or sometimes-vegetarian I would definitely recommend stopping by here on your way down to Seattle.
This past weekend Adam and I went down to the States to do a little relaxing, shopping and sight-seeing for a ‘spring break getaway’. We totally lucked out with the weather, considering the Friday we left it was snowing, hailing and raining! It had also been snowing in Washington so I wasn’t sure what to expect once we crossed the border.
Friday night we went to Bellingham to do some grocery shopping, and then headed to his family’s vacation property near Mount Baker. Saturday we woke up to sunshine and headed down to Seattle for the day. We stopped along the way for some delicious eats, which I’ll share later! It was glorious sunshine all day, warm enough to toss our jackets to the side. We shopped and walked around, then headed back to start a fire and roast some s’mores. It was a great much needed getaway.
Here’s some pictures from the weekend!
Last week I wanted to make something for St. Patrick’s day dinner, something Irish-y i.e. Something that included beer, more specifically, Guinness. When in Rome – err – Ireland…
However, in true Irish fashion we met up with my mom and brother and everyone else for Greek Food. Not quite Irish, but oh well. The pubs and Irish food joints were packed to the hill, so we decided to eat wherever was empty, which ended up being a Greek place. The food was good, but took forever – there were also 9 of us so that might have been why.
Although St. Patrick’s day was over, I woke up Monday wanting to still make something. So, I decided to go to the Liquor store to pick up some Guinness. It never crossed my mind what time it was. It was 11 am. On a Monday. And I was going to buy beer – all in the name of cooking. I joked with the cashier that I hadn’t had anything Irish on St. Patrick’s day and that I was going to make a stew with the Guinness, and not actually drink it. I suppose he knew a thing or two about cooking, or has had the conversation before because he mentioned that there were other, better, beers to use for a stew besides Guinness. I also didn’t really need a case of beer (though Adam would have helped me there), and apparently Guinness doesn’t make single serve beers. Not that I know about about Beers, or Stouts, but he suggested Phillips Chocolate Stout for using it in a stew. It was in the single serve beer section, so I though I would try it.
A friend of mine had asked me to post a slow cooker recipe, and also enjoys a good beer or two. This way, you can have both in one.
The great thing about slow cooker recipes is that you can throw it all together, and then be off on your way knowing that a delicious dinner will basically cook itself. That’s the kind of dinner I like, especially when I have finals and assignments to write – and Adam isn’t the chef around here. Although, I’m fairly certain anyone can make a slow cooker meal.
I know it’s technically ‘Spring,’ now, but yesterday it was so windy and cold that our power went out. So, as long as the warm weather holds off, you can still warm up with a bowl of this stew.
Adam and I are headed down to the States this weekend, hoping for some Seattle sunshine – maybe??
After hitting up the liquor store at 11 am, ahem, I went to our favourite butcher shop Meridian Meats & Seafood to get some beef. You’ll need about 1.5 – 2 lbs of stewing beef (they had extra lean, but a little bit of fat would actually add flavouring to the stew when you brown it)
Where’s the Beef. (hah)
Add 2 Tbs. of butter to pan over medium-high heat.
Add the beef in two batches, you’ll want to leave room for browning.
Brown the meat on all sides. Season with salt + pepper as it browns.
Once all the beef is browned, place the piece in the slow cooker. Leave the juice in the pan.
Saute onions and celery in juice for 5 minutes. Add 2 tbs tomato paste. Saute for a few more minutes, adding a splash of the Stout to scrape up the browned bits in the pan.
Once finished, transfer celery and onion mixture to the slow cooker.Add the rest of the Stout, worcestershire sauce, broth, thyme and vegetables to the pot.
Cover, and let cook on Low for 8 hours OR High for 4 hours.
This stew gets even better the next day.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1.5 – 2 pounds marbled stewing beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 celery staks, chopped
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbs. worcestershire sauce
- 1 pint Stout/Porter (may I suggest a Chocolate Stout)
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 small yellow nugget potatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 large turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
- dried thyme
1 Heat the butter in large pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in the butter. Do this in two batches to allow beef to brown evenly. Sprinkle salt over the beef as it browns. Once browned on all sides, transfer the beef pieces into the slow cooker.
2 Add the diced onions and celery to the pan in which you just browned the beef. Sauté the onions and celery until they begin to brown at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook for a minute or two, then add a little of the Stout, enough to make it easier for you to scrape up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Transfer the celery and onions into the slow cooker.
3 Add the rest of the Stout, beef broth, worcestershire sauce, carrots, chopped celery, parsnips, potatoes, turnips, and thyme to the slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook on “high” for 4 hours, or “low” for 8 hours.
Enjoy!
I served mine over mashed potatoes, but you can also just have it on its own.
