I have a lot of a lot of allergies; however, since my husband is a diabetic and needs to watch his weight I want to change to a vegetarian diet. However, the biggest problem I am encountering concern my allergies to HOT & SPICY foods. I am allergic to the following: garlic, horseradish, cayanne, hot (white) onions and any hot peppers or seasonings with garlic or hot pepper.

My question is, are there ANY seasonings out there I can use or substitute in recipes (like hummus or pesso) so I can still enjoy vegan cooking with some flavor??? So many recipes like soups, etc call for GARLIC! I LOVE spicy foods, but they HATE me & tear up my GI system BIG time.

Thanks for any suggestions or help you can give me – Kathy D.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice

Hi Kathy,

There’s no law which states that any recipe requires onions, garlic, peppers, etc. It’s just a cultural habit. I include those foods in our vegetarian recipes because most people like them, cook with them, and would feel lost without them. And they are tasty!

However, my husband and I can’t eat much of the nightshade or onion families. So I cook without them. My strategy is to just leave them out, and add a little more of other flavorings instead. E.G. for hummus I double the lemon juice, and add a pinch more cumin and coriander.
I use herbs and spices liberally for flavoring, plus lemon or lime juice, a bit of coconut milk, etc.

Seasonings I use regularly or occasionally:

Ginger in moderation – usually a slice of fresh ginger, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, fennel, asefetida (hing), cinnamon, cardamom, basil, thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, fresh herbs whenever possible (I grow parsley, thyme, basil, mint), a little black pepper, rock salt, Braggs liquid aminos (unfermented), nutritional yeast, white miso, veggie bouillon cubes or vegetable stock.

For a little red color I sometimes cheat and add a bit of paprika. The seasoning mix Mrs. Dash I’ve found to be O.K. I use curry powder if it’s very mild. I sometimes add nuts & seeds or nut butters to casseroles, or sauces. Shredded or juiced beets or carrots will also add color and flavor.

There are many other possibilities but that’s what I mostly do for seasonings.

I also use organic vegetables, which in my opinion have a lot more flavor, color and nutrition than non-organic. Especially things like carrots and celery and greens.

For vegetables, instead of nightshades, I use winter & summer squashes, yams & sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, leafy greens, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, chinese cabbage, kale, carrots, beets, celery, fennel, fresh parsley, basil, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, lettuce, avocado, sprouts, cucumber, etc.

I often saute veggies in a little oil, adding spices & dried herbs at the end. That boosts flavor too. Sometimes I add a squeeze of lemon or lime before serving or a dash of Braggs liquid aminos. Steamed veg can be made more flavorful with a little fresh or dried herb, a pinch of salt & pepper, and a dash of oil & lemon.

I tend to favor dishes like stews served over grains, sauteed veggies cooked in a sauce, soups with breads or muffins or scones, stove top casseroles, mild curries, grain salads. Those all have a lot of different ingredients, colors, seasonings & flavors compared to a meal of plain grain, plain beans, plain steamed veggies for example.

Most Savvy Vegetarian recipes reflect this way of cooking. If you leave out the ingredients you can’t eat, there’s still plenty of seasonings to flavor your dish. I never feel deprived!

Message for Savvy Vegetarian:

I have been vegetarian, in various stages, for 35 years. I have 2 reasons for writing.

1) I have been out of work for 3 years. I have a cupboard full of dhals, beans and split beans that I have had for years – I don’t even know how long and some them I don’t know what they are. Can I still use them? Maybe with longer soaking time? I would use them in soup or stew.

2) For 2 of my years out of work, I went back to college (I am now 57; graduated in May). Due to a blog I read yesterday I came to realize that I have not been eating quality protein – possibly for all the last 3 years. The blogger mentioned that it took quite some time to notice an increase in energy (my main problem). I would like to use a supplement to boost my energy until I get my diet back on track. Can you suggest a supplement and an initial diet? I would be much beholden. – P.W.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi P. W. Congratulations on graduating at age 57! I’m sorry you’ve been unemployed for 3 years, and I hope that changes soon. More energy would definitely help.

Regarding the legumes that you’ve had for years: I also have had some legumes for years, stored in glass jars in a cool cupboard. As long as they don’t look or smell bad, I would use them. They could need extra soaking (probably double) and cooking. If it’s hot in your kitchen, try soaking in the fridge. If you don’t know what they are, go to a natural food store that sells bulk beans, and do a bit of detective work. Or search online for a site with pictures of beans. Like Athena Foods.

Regarding your lack of energy: it’s could be that a lack of quality protein isn’t actually the culprit. It could be not enough calories, or poor nutrition in general, which means there could be several possible deficiencies. Nutrition is holistic and synergistic – all the nutrients work together for good health and energy.

My advice is to get tested for Vit D, Vit B12, and iron deficiencies. Any of those would affect your energy levels dramatically. It’s a good idea for anyone over 50 whether vegetarian or not to supplement with Vit D & Vit B12. Calcium & Vit C deficiencies are possible, but those are plentiful in a healthy varied diet with plenty of fruit and green veg. While you’re getting those deficiency tests, get a few other routine tests if you can: cholesterol, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, hormones for example, just to rule out other problems.

Protein: Many people I know boost their protein intake by adding protein powder to smoothies, along with other ingredients such as non-dairy milk or yogurt, green veg, fruit, ground chia seeds, nut butters. You could also add nuts & seeds & non-dairy milks to grains or breakfast cereals. Hummus is a great energy booster to have in your fridge, with a good balance of fat, carbs & protein. . Yummy in a sandwich or wrap, or with chips or crackers.

It’s easy for a vegetarian to get enough quality protein, by eating enough calories from a good variety of whole foods: whole grains, legumes, nuts & seeds, a little added oil, lots and lots of fruit and veggies, very little sugar and processed foods. Please read the article “How to Get Enough Protein in Your Vegetarian Diet”.

I repeat:It’s important to eat a high quality whole foods diet with a big variety of fresh foods, for optimum vegetarian health, with minimal supplementation, e.g. Vit D and B12 separately and possibly a one-a-day multi-vitamin. That’s according to the veg nutrition bible, Becoming Vegetarian, by Melina and Davis, and I also cover those basics in my Vegetarian Nutrition Report.

If possible, please consider consulting a veg-friendly dietitian or nutritionist for help designing the best diet for you. That’s a job that’s far beyond my qualifications!

Tips for delicious low-budget healthy eating on a vegetarian (or vegan) diet

From our own experience, we know it’s possible – and relatively easy – to have an excellent vegetarian diet on a low budget. You’ll also eat much healthier. It is a bit more work – you have to think and plan more, and be a creative opportunist.

It also takes more time, which may be in short supply, if you’re like most people. But it’s time well spent, and pays you back in so many ways for your whole healthy life. There’s always a trade-off, and we think this is a good one: spend less time chasing $$, and you might have less $$, but you’ll have more time to spend on eating healthy for less.

7 tips for healthy vegetarian meals on a low budget:

1. A pressure cooker to cook beans, soups and other foods -  one of the best vegetarian investments you’ll ever make, and will save you TONS of Time. A good one costs about $120, and will last 20 years or more. We recommend the Fagor brand. Are you due for a gift from someone who can afford it?

2. Crockpots or slowcookers are also great time savers, and inexpensive. Put supper on to cook, leave the house for the day, and come home to a cooked meal. What a brilliant invention! It’s handy to have both 4 – 6 qt, and 8 – 10 qt. sizes.

3. Get a good chef’s knife with a sharpener, to chop veggies, and learn how to use it. Otherwise prepping veggies is time consuming and difficult, the main reason most people can’t be bothered. But being a healthy vegetarian means eating vegetables! A good chef’s knife will last your lifetime, and you can get a 1st class knife for around $30.  My favorite is Victorinox – it’s one of the best & cheapest, recommended by Cook’s Illustrated.

4. Have at least one excellent all purpose vegetarian cookbook, with a large, informative ingredient section, nutrition information, cooking methods, and a vast array of delicious recipes for a varied vegetarian diet. Find used books in excellent condition online for half the price. See SV cookbook reviews.

5. Make extra, and freeze for later: beans, grains, soups, stews, breads, etc,. Not quite as nutritious or tasty as freshly made, although far better than most of the alternatives. Most of us can’t tell the difference, and don’t have time to cook three meals a day from scratch!

6. If your budget allows, buy bread, yogurt, sprouts, and other basics, such as canned beans, tomatoes, and frozen veggies like peas, corn, or spinach, to supplement what you make yourself. You’ll pay  more, but the time saved for other activities, such as earning money, may be worth it to you. Getting these things through a food co-op, or shopping sales, will save quite a bit, but the trade off again, is your time.

7. Shop Around For Fruits & Veggies: Prices can vary widely for produce from store to store. The cheapest fruits and vegetables are usually in season, and they also happen to be the freshest and healthiest. Basics like cabbage and carrots are always cheap and nutritious. Apples oranges & bananas are the least expensive fruits in winter. When foods like asparagus or peaches are in season, they’re relatively cheap, so go for the treats! Shop carefully at the local farmer’s market, and if you can, grow some of your own veggies – super cheap, but again, the trade-off is your time.

I have just become vegetarian, I hate to cook. How can I have a healthy vegetarian diet? Use cooking gadgets, stay away from processed foods. Two of many tips.

Message for Savvy Vegetarian:

I’ve recently become vegetarian, but I hate to cook. I would like to buy pre-packaged foods, pre-made foods, etc.  What do you suggest?  Where do you suggest I go?  I love tofu and that’s my main source of protein. Help! Thank you, K.H.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi K.H. – If you want to have a healthy vegetarian diet,  you’ll need to eat healthy: whole grains, beans and lentils and fresh fruit and veggies. You also need other sources of veggie protein than tofu.

So please try to overcome your cooking phobia a little bit. The nutritional benefits and increased variety in your diet will make it worth the sacrifice.  :-)

This list of 10 tips will make your vegetarian diet healthier without chaining you to the stove

1. Make full use of cooking gadgets: juicer, blender, food processor, rice cooker, crock pot, or pressure cooker to make any cooking you need to do quick and easy.

2. It’s extremely simple to cook whole grains, and you can make enough to last several days and put them in the fridge or freezer.

3. For beans you can use canned beans, and add them to things.

4. Many root veggies, like potatoes, yams, winter squash, carrots, beets, parsnips can be roasted in the oven or crockpot or baked in the microwave.

5. Steam  or microwave frozen veg or mixed raw veg packages to eat with a grain and some canned beans and a prepared sauce.

6. Raw veggies and fruits can be juiced or added to smoothies made with non-dairy milk, protein powder, nuts etc.

7. Make a crockpot soup once a week and freeze it in serving size containers to microwave or heat up on the stove.

8. Thaw and add a serving of brown rice, noodles or quinoa to a salad with some nuts or seeds or beans for a complete meal.

9. Make pasta or noodles, eat with fried or baked tofu or seitan, steamed frozen veg and a prepared sauce.

10. Stock your fridge and cupboards with foods for quick healthy meals with little or no cooking. Here’s a grocery shopping list of convenience or quick & easy foods you can buy at any well-stocked supermarket, or natural food store:

• Pasta and instant whole grain noodles
• Whole grain tortillas and breads
• Canned beans, refried beans, soups
• Tomato sauce and other prepared sauces
• Whole grain crackers and blue corn chips (blue corn isn’t gmo)
• Hummus
• Nut butters: almond, cashew, tahini
• Nuts and seeds
• Dried fruit (soak to make them easier to eat)
• Trail mix or energy bars (watch out for excess sugar)
• Washed salad mixes, baby spinach, mixed baby greens
• Raw veg like avocados, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, mushrooms
• Washed and chopped veggie mixes
• Fresh fruit
• Granola
• Dairy or non-dairy milk, yogurt, sour cream, cheese
• Frozen veg
• Frozen or dried organic vegetarian entrees
• Tempeh, seitan, baked tofu, miso
• Falafel or veggie burger mixes
• Frozen veggie burgers
• Fake meats
• Artichoke hearts, water chestnuts, etc.
• Condiments like curry paste, mustard, mayo, ketchup, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, salad dressing

Cautionary Notes:

Processed foods tend to be full of things that are Bad For You like excess sodium and fat, preservatives, flavor enhancers like MSG  (sometimes called natural flavoring), high fructose corn syrup, and toxic chemicals, so you should choose carefully what you eat. Read labels.

Buy organic and whole grain foods as much as possible. Avoid foods with corn and soy products as these are mainly Genetically Modified foods, have many proven health risks and aren’t even close to adequately tested before being approved by the FDA.

Consider taking supplements such as a one-a-day multivitamin, Vit. B12 and Vit. D to fill nutritional gaps. Plus buy enriched non-dairy milk and other packaged foods.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

SV Blog, Recipe Collections, Holiday Menus, Newsletter, New Look

Since last summer, Savvy Vegetarian has had a new look, an upgraded navigation system, and other technical improvements, to make the site prettier, more accessible, easier to read and faster to load. We’ve been performing SEO miracles on the vegetarian recipe pages to make it easier to find what you’re looking for, and we’ve been busy re-testing recipes, adding pictures (what a concept!), and lots of new recipes. Now we have a largish elf doing SEO updates on the articles. Next the advice section gets a tune-up.
This incarnation of Savvy Vegetarian Blog is brand new. For longer than we’re willing to admit, we’ve wanted to join the 21st C. and switch the original antiquated Savvy Vegetarian Blog to an updated blogging platform with separate categories for advice, cooking, health and news, all integrated with the site.

Now we can quickly & EASILY post veg-related news, health info and cooking tips on the site. We’re still pulling in content from the old SV Blog, and our blogger.com advice blogs, working out the glitches - and we’re happy! Tossing back champagne and dancing in the streets kind of happy!

Vegetarian Recipe Collections: We’re excited about this new direction at Savvy Vegetarian! So far we’ve put our most popular tofu and quinoa recipes into convenient downloadable collections, with more to come.

We love giving the recipe collections to our friends and family. They make special, much appreciated, and economical gifts – always a bonus! And it means they can make the recipes for themselves and have us over, instead of calling and inviting themselves to dinner all the time!

All Your Favorite Tofu Recipes: It’s wonderful to have all our tofu recipes printed out in one attractive recipe booklet, to keep in a neatly labeled folder in the kitchen. Before we had the recipe collections, we were always running to the computer to look up and print out our own vegetarian recipes. Or trying to find recipes in haphazard stacks of stained, tattered and scribbled recipes. We feel so professional now!

Same goes for the quinoa recipe collection. We’ve heard from lots of people that they’d like to eat more quinoa, but don’t know quite what to do with it, or they cooked some quinoa and it turned out badly. It seems that GOOD quinoa recipes aren’t that easy to find, which makes our collection of reliable and delicious quinoa recipes quite nice to have around!

10 Best Vegetarian Holiday Menus is our BIG ebook, at 81 pages. That’s because it has over 50 recipes to go with 10 Menus covering special occasions throughout the year – Traditional Vegetarian and Vegan, Gluten Free, 4th of July, Holiday Lite, Birthdays, Game Days, Valentine’s Day, etc.

Savvy Veg visitors have asking us for some time about our newsletter. NOW you can subscribe! PLUS get 2 free specials reports on Vit. B12 and Vegetarian Protein. You’ll also get our 10 part series on how to go vegetarian, and our free newsletter containing new recipes, advice posts, and tips for healthy vegetarian diet or vegan diet. Subscribe Now!

We now have a ShopSavvy store, where you can buy all the great books we recommend. We’ll be adding other cool veg-friendly stuff soon: cook ware, kitchen ware, t-shirts etc

Future Plans: Any day now we’ll have an RSS feed on the site, and a new site search from Lijit Search. Printable recipes are coming too. They are actally now printable – if you hit the print button on your browser tool bar, you’ll get nothing but the recipe. But we’re planning to take that to the next level, with actual PRINT BUTTONS and nicely formatted ad-free pages. Nutritional info on the recipes is also in the works. Plus, we’re planning to have comment boxes on all the pages on the site. Cooking videos are also coming – sometime in the next year, as soon as our kitchen is set up for it, and we have a video camera!

All these plans involve much time and labors of love. Mostly by us since we work for food. Please be patient – it will all happen! Eventually.

Question For Savvy Vegetarian:

I am not a vegetarian nor is my family. My best friend of 15 years is a vegetarian. She eats eggs and dairy if they are in something–say birthday cake. She also eats cheese. At family meals we are careful to check anything we might cook for hidden animal products, like lard. I regularly cook her a mixture of 15 bean soup with organic brown rice. (She likes to have every thing organic.)

I am worried that when S. eats big dinner type meals, e.g. Thanksgiving, with us she is not getting enough protein. S. doesn’t like black beans and is allergic to soy.

Do you have any suggestions for vegetarian recipes I could try and make for her that would fit in with the preparations of cooking a big family meal? Our family is medium sized and we have birthday dinners and such every month so it would be nice to have something for her. Thanks, M.C.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Dear M.C,

You could make lentil loaf for your friend – it will fit into any family meal. In fact, your non-veg family might like it too!

Our lentil loaf recipe makes 2 loaves, and you could freeze one, or make 4 smaller loaves and freeze 3. You could give your friend any leftovers to take home. Lentil loaf is wonderful fried.

You can make this lentil loaf the day before and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. As a variation, after it’s cooked, you can spread mashed potatoes on top of the lentil loaf, and brown them, to turn it into shepherd’s pie.

Another recipe is barley bean veggie soup, with kidney & garbanzo beans – very satisfying! It’s a big recipe, but you can half or quarter it, and freeze what you don’t need in friend sized portions.

Same with vegetarian chili – made with kidney beans or red chili beans.

Both these hearty vegetarian recipes are crockpot friendly and easy to downsize. All these recipes have lots of protein, and are complete meals by themselves.

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Dear Savvy Vegetarian,

I saw your wonderful website on vegetarian cooking. I am definitely going to make use of it. I believe cooking is a great art.

I am a vegetarian by birth, never ate meat but lately I found out so many mistakes I was making in nourishing my body.

I came across this Naturopathic diet which encourages not to use salt, sugar and oil. Instead get all those from natural forms.

For example drink a glass of veggie juice everyday for substituting potassium salt, eat sprouts and nuts for breakfast instead of sugary or cooked food, use honey or dates for sweet and sesame seeds, coconut, peanuts for oil.

We all feel wonderful after starting this diet 9 months back. My diabetes is much under control and my kid got off asthma medication. I thought you would love to know this. – P.I.

Hi P.I.

I do love to know this!! Your story is so inspiring – thank you so much for writing to share it. Congratulations!

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

Message For Savvy Vegetarian:

Hello, I don’t know if you know the answer to this question but I am trying to incorporate Quinoa into my diet and want to make it in some sort of portable form.

For example, I wonder if anyone has had success in cooking it (with some spices perhaps), frying patties of it in olive oil or guana butter, and putting patties in the freezer in zip lock bags so that they can be grabbed on the run to work, heated moderately in a microwave and eaten mid-morning.

I am trying to find a way to make healthy foods in my own fast-food manner so that a healthy diet is more realistic for a busy working business owner.

Do you know if this way of cooking -freezing/reheating quinoa would keep it full of it’s nutrients? Do you know of other ways or foods that are high-nutrient that can be made into fast-food self-packaging, any books on this, etc.

Thanks for your help or guidance on this…J. R.

Savvy Vegetarian Advice:

Hi J. Thanks for writing!

Here’s a recipe for quinoa burgers that I developed in response to your letter.

Other quick quinoa recipes that you can make and take to work – not in baggies, but in serving size plastic containers which you can freeze or refrigerate:

Quinoa Tofu & Veggies (substitute beans for tofu if you like)
Quinoa Black Bean Salad (delicious! serve cold or warmed)
Quinoa With Almonds & Cranberries
Crockpot Quinoa Red Lentil Stew

Also try:

Lentil Loaf (sub quinoa for bulgar if you like)
Black Bean Veggie Burgers

Soups and stews are quick to make, and marvellous take along foods. They’re easy to make in large batches (think crockpot) and freeze or refrigerate in serving size containers. Savvy Veg has lots of substantial one dish meal type soup recipes.

Hummus, tempeh and baked or fried tofu are other quick veggie wrap or sandwich fillings with many other uses – very good to make in quantity and keep in the fridge for speedy meals.

I think you should be able to expand your food horizons a little without taking up a lot of time. Crockpots are wonderful time savers, pressure cookers, blenders and food processors likewise.

There is inevitably some loss of nutrients when freezing, fridging, storing, transporting & reheating home cooked foods, but in my opinion, the nutritional advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Taking your own food to work is far healthier (and cheaper) than eating out.

When re-heating food in the microwave, of course, don’t use the plastic container, because plastic is Bad For You. Use a ceramic or glass container or dish, or paper plate or towel (not planet friendly however).

Please be consious of food safety issues – food poisoning at the very least isn’t fun and can kill you. Re-heat food hot enough to kill nasty bacteria. Refrigerate or freeze foods promptly after cooking in sealed containers. Invest in a food thermos and/or an insulated food carrier to keep food cold until you can re-heat it, or hot so you don’t have to.

Books on fast veggie food for busy people – there are quite a few, actually! You’re not alone! Here are several I recommend:

Quick Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson
The 5 Ingredient Vegetarian Gourmet by Nava Atlas
30 Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld & Jennifer Murray

All the best, Judith Kingsbury, Savvy Vegetarian

I was trying to find out where to purchase hing or asoeferida to “degas” beans for a recipe I saw on your site. Any suggestions where to buy ? Thanks, S.L.

Hi S.L.,

You can buy hing or asafoetida at some natural food stores or grocery stores with a big bulk section (such as Winco Foods or Whole Foods), or Indian grocery stores – call ahead. Or online – I googled ‘buy asafoetida’ and got lots of results. If not in bulk, then in small jars if there’s a good spice section.

Hing is a very strong flavor, you need very little in cooking, so you don’t need to buy much. Keep it well sealed so it doesn’t flavor your other spices. I store it in a sealed plastic bag inside a glass jar with a tight lid. If it’s in a small bottle, keep that inside a jar.

Note: Add the hing with spices heated in oil after the beans are cooked.

Hing is an acquired taste. If you don’t like, it there are other ways to ‘degas’ beans, e.g. fresh ginger slices, bay leaf, kombu (dried seaweed)

All the best, JK, Savvy Vegetarian

I just got back from a three month road trip from SE Iowa to Northern California and back, with my husband. Unfortunately we didn’t entirely escape the Iowa winter, but our journey was remarkable in many ways.

Our 10 yr old Subaru performed beautifully, our 60+ vegetarian bodies did nearly as well, the weather Gods smiled on us, and we’re still together (road trips are the ultimate test of relationships). The food was mostly good, occasionally memorable!

We ate lunch on the road every day, and in the evenings I usually cooked in our motel room from my travelling kitchen. More about that in a separate post. For now, I just want to tell you about some of the restaurants we encountered on the way.

NOT following my own advice: We never planned our lunch stops ahead or did any research before travelling for veg friendly restaurants. There just wasn’t time. When we got hungry we’d cruise the nearest decent sized town for food.

We ate sandwiches in the car a couple of times, and we were forced to eat pizza twice, but otherwise avoided chain restaurants. The one exception was an Applebee’s which got the prize for worst food and worse service.

We found that ethnic restaurants were our best bet, Indian or Chinese most of all. They always have rice and beans, go heavy on the veggies, came closest to vegan, and almost every town has one or both. Thai restaurants are becoming more common, and Mediterranean fast food is too (as in falafel wraps etc). Whole Foods has a great deli if you can find a store. They’re in most of the bigger cities – we found one in Sante Fe, NM.

Mexican restaurants were iffy – the food quality is often poor, and they mostly don’t do vegetables. They got better when we got to CA. The Chipotle mexican grill chain is reliable, as nearly everything is freshly prepared on the premises, and there’s a veggie option.

We stumbled across a few outstanding (and very affordable) restaurants in our disorganized way:

Tulsa OK: A little mediterranean cafe right off Hwy 44, the 4700 block on E. 51st St between Harvard and Lewis, just West of the Star Fuel Center. It had a silly name, like Happy Spud. We had the best falafel wraps there. I’d love to have their falafel and hummus recipes! Tulsa actually has a LOT of restaurants, including a couple of vegetarian, but this one was easy.

Sedona AZ: Mago Cafe – Korean restaurant above a new age shop, at 207 Rt 89A, in the oldtown area. Essentially a new age noodle house. Very fresh, delicious, healthy food, peaceful atmosphere, and a great view (everywhere in Sedona has a great view). We had yummy dumplings, miso soup, brown rice, veggies, tofu. The presentation and service were lovely. We felt very special eating there – we felt special all the time in Sedona.

Cheyenne, WY: The Dynasty Cafe, 600 W 19th St, had an entire vegetarian section on their menu. We ate fresh, delicious vietnamese food, spiced mild for us (their mild is our spicy). Everything was cooked there, including the divine sauces. They happily substituted green veggies for mushrooms and onions which we don’t like.

Chico, CA: In the downtown area, a tasty sandwich shop called the Pita Pit, with great falafels. Plus a lovely Thai restaurant  – the Thai Basil, with beautifully done veggies. Both very busy.