Recently, Vegan Omaha held a meet up at Dante Pizzeria with the basic premise being all you can eat pizza. I can eat a lot of pizza. However, due to matinee tickets of Les Miserables, my mom and I were about two hours late and basically ran into people as they were leaving (my life is super rough, I know). We decided to stay and try the pizza out anyway and I am endlessly glad that we did.
In addition, we ordered some warm olives and some sort of amazing mushroom dish that wasn't on the menu that day but was the best thing I'd eaten in quite some time. Unfortunately, they didn't photograph well (lots of brown), so you'll have to use your imagination.
When it comes to going out for sushi in Omaha, my friends and I can narrow down our choices quickly and it always comes down to Matsu Sushi or Sakura Bana. What tips the scale in favor of Sakura Bana is when we want the carrot ginger dressing served with their side salad. I always start my meals there with a side salad topped with this outstanding dressing. I will even confess that sometimes I am gross and dip my avocado rolls in the leftover dressing. Delicious.
While they don't have the selection of rolls that Matsu presents, they don't exactly slouch in that area either. On the platter pictured, we have an avocado roll, a yasai (veggie) roll, a kanpyo (cooked gourd) roll and a seaweed salad roll. There are a few other options, including inari. The sushi always tastes fresh and is rolled perfectly. One of my pet peeves is when sushi is rolled poorly, making it difficult to eat. 
The newest buzz in Omaha vegan dining is Crystal Jade. Housed in a former Village Inn, Crystal Jade offers a fantastic vegetarian menu (with vegan items clearly marked) and also a vegan night with the offer of free soup with any vegan entree. Armed with this knowledge, I met up with several of my vegan cohorts to experience vegan night for myself.
One thing I need to note about Crystal Jade was the remarkable service. Not only were orders taken, questions answered and food delivered promptly, the staff went out of their way to make sure we had a good time. The end of the meal brought free chocolate pie, and when they realized that there were not enough thawed slices left for a family dining with us, they gave them the whole pie. For free. A free pie! How can you beat that?! They also taught us how to turn daikon slices into a beautiful flower (like the one shown at left) with a patient lesson.
One of my favorite ways to spend a lazy Sunday morning is at McFoster's, enjoying brunch. Though I usually opt for the tempeh, lettuce and tomato sandwich, with a garden salad with cucumber garlic ranch as my side, this particular brunch had me ordering a plain tofu scramble with hash browns. Yes, I fancied it up with a bit of the aforementioned ranch and a few splashes of hot sauce, but it was a perfect start to a lovely Sunday.
The aloo gobi was also delicious and more than I could finish. It was spicy without being hot and wonderfully filling. The rice was exceptional. I rarely notice rice at any restaurant other than Chipotle (I love their cilantro-lime rice), so that says something. The aloo gobi also tasted fantastic as my breakfast the next day.
And the food? Amazing, not that I expected anything less. I have sampled the green thai curry and two types of sopes, all with lovely, complex flavors in food that made me feel energized, rather than weighed down. I also was allowed a close-up look at a waffle, which I figured my mom would offer me a bite of. She didn't. I am 99% sure that this is the only time my mom has been so into her meal that she didn't offer me a taste. That's a big deal. The menu also features juices, smoothies, soups, hearty bowls, sandwiches and anything else Elle dreams up. 
In other news in the world of La Buvette, there is a movement towards including more vegan soups on the daily menu. When I was last there, the soup was roasted red pepper and though I am not soup in general's biggest fan (but I am getting better about it), I still enjoyed it. It was light enough for an early Spring day, but still hearty and flavorful to complement the hummus. I'm extremely excited to see what else La Buvette comes up with. If their hummus is any indication of what their soup will be like, I'm about to be very spoiled.
ms: This lovely couple creates some of my favorite bracelets of all time. They hand-cast their charms, and each charm has it's own meaning. This year, I bought a bracelet wtih a sandstone cat charm for protection, as well as a peacock for wild success and colorful romance. Saucy! They have pre-made bracelets, but you can have one custom made. I have several of these and they get compliments all the time, and now that I know that they custom make bracelets, ev
eryone I know will be receiving them for their birthday (buy four and get the fifth one free!). I look forward to visiting this booth to sift through their amazing bracelets every year. The website is a little clunky right now, but they are updating it to make it more user friendly. Visit it and make a bracelet! You'll love it!
nd look was a sign that said "meets vegan requirements". Hold up! I asked the proprietor of the booth and she confirmed that this soap was, in fact, vegan friendly. I bought six slices and got my seventh one free. This rou
nd of slices purchased included gingerfish (doesn't smell like fish), energy (satsuma), Caribbean coconut and citrus cilantro. The scents are strong but not overwhelming and the soap is wonderfully moisturizing.
extra cool about this booth is that they hand-weave the rugs with the salvaged edges of upholstery fabric- the part that normally gets thrown away. In addition, they weave their smaller rugs on looms from the 1930s and 1940s. I have one of these rugs in my kitchen and I always make a point to stand on it, even I don't have to, because it feel so good on my feet. For being eco-friendly, high quality and hand-made, these guys get a thumbs up from me.
Discovering thrifting was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me. Cheap, unique (like my treasure to the left) and environmentally friendly, with the usual added benefit of helping an organization? Count me in. However, thrifting can be super intimidating when you don't know which stores to hit up. I've stuck my hand in one too many wet sweaters to not be willing to share my spots. So, here are my favorite thrift stores and vintage spots in the Omaha and Lincoln area:
e happy.1. Puddleglum makes me happiest. Don't act surprised. I adopted Puddleglum from Town and Country Humane Society, a local no-kill shelter last summer. I was going to name him Clive Staples or Miskatonic, but neither seemed to fit, so he became Puddleglum instead. Puddleglum now sleeps next to me in bed and enjoys Brita water, catnip and near constant petting. He's also getting leash trained. Lucky kitty.
2. Layovers in airports. As a wee girl, I had a children's book about what it was like to fly on an airplane. I was a child possessed. I longed for exit aisles, souvenirs and kindly flight attendants. To this day, I love wandering around airports, looking at cheap gifts and people watching, waiting for my flight to take off because of that book.
3. Brothers. Duh. Megatouch for life.
4. Sushi,
especially the Tofu Yasai Maki from Matsu.
5. Sunday brunch at McFoster's. Yes, I complain about how slow brunch is. Yes, I complain about how hit and miss the tofu scramble is. Yes, I worry if the guy behind the bar is the one who harasses vegans. Yes, sometimes the hash browns are green. However, few things are better than re-hashing the previous night while basking in the sun on their patio while nursing a strawberry chocolate malt.
6. Back to airports: I really love having books that I keep around to read while traveling because the covers are creepy and I can bust them out to prevent conversation when I'm not in the mood. Here's an example. This is another. Sometimes you just don't feel like talking.
7. Thrifting with Alaina. I heart getting new (to me) things for a minimal amount of money and Alaina is the bestest person to do it with.
8. Diet soda. I love my soda and you can pry it out of my cold, dead hands. I know that it is full of chemicals and that it is totally toxic, but diet sodas are my cigarettes, so whatev. Plus, I can indulge on them indoors in the winter. SCORE.
9. The Shangri-Las. So much more than "Leader of the Pack". I love them almost as much as Del Shannon, who was an absolute childhood obsession of mine. Tragic oldies will always have a place in my heart.
10. Omaha. I never, ever thought I would love living in Nebraska, but it turns ou
t I super love living in Omaha. I was sitting on some steps in the Old Market, waiting for Alaina to get her coffee, and I realized that if I was sitting on these steps as part of a vacation, I would be wishing that I lived in this fine town. Omaha constantly steps it up with everything I've ever wanted in a city: great vegan options, fabulous music scene, lots and lots to do, great vintage and thrift shopping and a Whole Foods, plus a low cost of living. Also, living in the middle of the country allows me to be within a day or two of driving to anywhere in the lower 48. Rad for random road trips. However, what I love most about living here is the people. People are so kind and genuine and welcoming that I immediately fall in love with every person I meet (sentiment ends here). I am always amazed at how much I love living here.
And done, time to pass it on. Here you go:
Strawberry and the World of Vegan Food
My first love when it comes to salads in Omaha is McFoster's kind salad with their cucumber garlic ranch. Granted, I could smear that ranch on styrofoam and it would be good, but I digress. My second favorite salad (which is my overall favorite salad-as-a-meal salad) is served at Upstream Brewing Company, a local brewing company and restaurant. I always get the Thai Chicken Salad and sub out the chicken for portobello mushrooms. The result is a combination of warm portobellos, jalepenos, tomatoes, greens and onions, with a side of their house beer bread to mop up any leftover dressing, a slightly tangy creation that compliments the ingredients perfectly. While the picture is less than flattering, I can assure you it is a beautiful, filling salad.
I have a love-hate relationship with soup. I really love how it warms me up from the inside out and how it always comforts me. Two of my favorite foods are even mulligatawny and corn chowder. I hate how I always spill the soup all over myself and generally burn my tongue and hands while making it.
When you burn the roof of your mouth, every time you touch it, you tend to think "stupid tea/coffee/panini/etc." I happen to be in a similar situation right now, with a burned palate, but somehow, every time I touch it or it hurts, I think "that pizza was so freaking good."
only was the Daiya fabulous, but so was everything else. The pizza sauce was the perfect complement to the toppings, with strong overtones of onion and garlic mixed in among the tomato sauce and the crust was thick enough to stand up to the toppings without being so thick that it was all you could taste.
