Kansas City: A Post in Pictures

I recently took a day trip to Kansas City with my parents. Dinosaurs and pizza were involved.

Nha Trang: Peanut Sauce of the Angels

Living in Lincoln, I always wondered what kind of food was served in the white restaurant with the round windows on 13th and L street. Once I finally explored, I discovered that within the walls was a giant menu of Vietnamese and Chinese food, featuring the best peanut sauce I've ever had. Inexpensive, with generous portions and employees who know what veganism is, Nha Trang quickly became one of my favorite places to eat.

To be fair, I always get the same thing: vegetable spring rolls and B10, bún chay or a rice noodle bowl. Basically, I'm just trying to get as much of that smooth, coconut-y peanut sauce sent to my table as possible. The spring rolls feature cooked vegetables, bean curd and rice noodles, as well as peanut sauce to dip them in. Though the house sauce that the bún comes with isn't vegan, a substitution of peanut is easily made and absolutely delicious. Rice noodles, bean curd, pickled and fresh vegetables all combine to form a delicious, refreshing meal. Maybe someday I'll order something else, but only if I can get a side of peanut sauce to eat with a spoon.


As a bonus, this place is totally omni-friendly, as evidenced by my father's enthusiastic thumbs up. With such a huge menu, there's definitely something for everyone here. Plus, it was $22 for myself, my mom and my dad to eat there. It's officially been added to my list of places I can eat with my dad.

NVS Potluck featuring Isa making waffles and puppies

To begin, NVS stands for Nebraska Vegetarian Society, a group that holds potlucks for vegetarians, vegans and the veg-curious. January's NVS potluck was a combination of potluck, bake sale for Town and Country Humane Society and a cooking demonstration by the lovely Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Potluck standouts included vegan quesadillas and a spaghetti-rice pasta bake, but there was plenty (two tables worth) of other delicious food to be had. Unfortunately, I was too busy stuffing my face to take any pictures. But really, how can pictures of my packed potluck plate compare to puppies? Over $300 was raised for Town and Country, as well as several instances of interest in adoption for our furry guests of honor.

Our other guest of honor, Isa, gave a cooking demonstration on waffles. Considering that I've never made waffles before, I definitely found it informative, as well as entertaining. You can watch clips of it here and here. Sorry about moving the camera a little, my arms got tired. I did my best not to induce motion sickness.

I love going to NVS events and seeing people come together to enjoy cruelty-free food, as well as watching the organization grow. Veganism and vegetarianism have both come a long way since I stopped eating meat and it is always rewarding to see so many people getting involved with these movements in my home state.

Yay for Yia Yia's!

The bread is also vegan. Score!

My love for Yia Yia's pizza goes back to eighth grade, the first time I ate at their establishment. Cozy, a little bit dark, with outstanding food, Yia Yia's has held a place in my heart from the first time I took a bite of their pie. I've always loved Yia Yia's for the fact that you can order by the slice, preventing any topping related fracas among friends, but also allowing you to try crazy combinations (sauerkrauts, potatoes and almonds, anyone?) without committing to the whole pie. My love for Yia Yia's was finally cemented when I found out that they had vegan cheese for their pizza. As a new vegan, I had condemned myself to a sauce-only existence when it came to dining out, but Yia Yia's showed me the light and I now know better.

Up until a week ago, I thought I couldn't love them any more. I was wrong. They introduced a whole wheat crust. The new crust is thick, a major change from their traditional thin crust. It's also fantastic. It held up perfectly to the onslaught of ingredients I requested on my pie (black olives, sauerkraut and garlic), without overpowering their flavors. The thick wheat crust is a welcome option at Yia Yia's and will most likely be my go to from now on.

Yia Yia's is located at 14th and O Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. It's a great place to take anyone- friends, family, meat eaters, vegans and picky eaters. Seriously, I've never heard anyone say they don't like Yia Yia's.