Keep losing weight on your vegan diet – while dining out.
June 24, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments
So, you pledged the vegan food frat recently.
And you quickly dropped a heap of el-beez.
It was really nice. But – unlike those extra inches – there’s something you admittedly miss:
Ordering something other than boring salad at a restaurant.
“Can I sub in tofu?”
“No.”
“Can you do your mochas with soy milk?”
“No.”
“Does this dressing have cream in it?”
“Yes.”
“Mmmkay,” (*puts finger to menu; feigns focus on specific line*), “I’ll just take a plate of your freshly shot Smith ‘n Wesson, with extra ammo on the side, thx.”
All sinister quips aside, dining out’s a totally social thing.
And it’s downright depressing – deliberating over your order, only to end up with shredded lettuce anyway.
Whether or not we like it, a lot of friends and coworkers like to shoot the shiz over dishes they paid some stranger to make them. It’s a nice way to relinquish a responsibility for a night. It’s good to be served. And while I myself am no longer a huge fan of that (I’d rather cuddle up with a bowl of homemade soup), I am partial to keeping companions around. Thus, I’ll acquiesce e’ry now and again. And, while, that was initially a source of high anxiety for me, that’s altered as I’ve come to realize two things. The first? That (if I’m at a Barbecue joint whose only vegan options are a few sides and maybe a bowl o’ rotten Romaine) I can always get something light while out, enjoy the company, and then enjoy a “f’real” meal later at home. The second? That being vegan doesn’t mean you have to be abstemious. If you’re like me and’ve got a lot of those “I dunno; where do YOU wanna go?” type friends, you can totally take advantage. ’cause in the past several months alone, I’ve encountered a claw and hoof-ful of creature-free eats on the menus of major chain restaurants. I haven’t tried all of them yet, but we’ll begin with one I have and can for sure vouch for:
1. Cheesecake Factory’s Vegan Cobb Salad
(Don’t let the Hollister lighting misrepresent this delectable dish…)
“Fair warning… when my plate arrives, you’ll cease existing to me for the next fifteen minutes.”
This verbal caution is one I didn’t even have to tell my ex by our third visit to this place. Why? Probably because the second the waiter and her tray are in sight, my eyes light up like a groom viewing his bride striding down a chapel aisle. Obviously there’s lettuce – but beyond that, this vat of wonder’s all decked out in grilled asparagus, green beans, beets, avo, cukes, tomato, chickpeas, quinoa, almond, sunflower seeds, and… extra avocado (if you’re me). It comes with a viagrette – but I usually request that on the side. It just masks the natch flavors of all that awesomeness happening on my plate.
2. Chipotle Mexican Grill Sofritas
This one also begins with a quote:
“This line’s longer than the one we saw outside of the Star Wars matinee.”
My brother dragged me here not long ago. And, while Mexican’s not my thing (I mean that in a culinary – not Trump – kinda way), I was pleasantly surprised to see that I wasn’t forced to order a smattering of iceberg with a wedge of lemon to maintain my dietary preferences. Rather, Chipotle (which, up ’til this year I thought was pronounced “Chuh-po-tuhl”) and its various burritos, tacos, bowls, and salads, can each be veganized. How? This tofu shoe in for meat called “sofritas”. Also, if you dig sides, their veggies, rice, salsa, chips, beans, and guac are all non-animal-y as well. Unlike the dressing on the Cheesecake Factory salad, however, their honey vinaigrette, is not (because: bees.)
3. Noodles & Co. Indonesian Peanut Saute
Now for one I haven’t had yet – even though I drive by this place literally every other day.
Noodles & Company, I’m told, has at least a few dishes vegans can dig into. Just take care, because while the menu marks a “v” beside vegetarian options – they’re only exactly that (no meat). You have to follow up and actually ask if eggs or dairy were involved. While that’s a bummer, if you find yourself stuck here and not wanting to do the draw-attention-to-yourself routine, order the “Indonesian Peanut Saute”. It’s a spicy peanut sauce with rice noodle stir-fry which I’m told is all-vegan. Also free of creature contributions? The soups Japanese Pan Noodles, the Bangkok Curry, and salads as well. And for a li’l extra protein, tofu’s an add on option as well. Looks like I won’t just be passing this place by anymore…
4. P.F. Chang’s Veggie Menu
A tear came to my eye when I first observed the veggie region of Chang’s menu.
But, unlike the Noodle joint (or any of the others), they claim they can make any dish vegan. So, which have I tried? Well, thus far the Buddha’s Feast, veggie lettuce wraps, and edamame are a couple faves of mine. However, I’m also told I’m missing out on some deliciousness by always sticking to the same thing. (My fault – I fill up on apps all the time.) However, next visit, I’ll be indulging in either the stir friend eggplant, ma po tofu, or coconut curry veggies I keep hearing are TDF.
5. Red Robin’s Garden Burger
“I’d get it… but I dunno if the bun’s vegan…”
That same guy I used to frequent Cheesecake Factory with happened to be a burger addict. So, to ensure he got his fix betwixt my cobb salad ones, we’d hit up such places as Red Robin together. I usually settled for a lesser salad that the holy CF had to offer. Why? ’cause I dunno what’s in them buns, “garden” could mean anything (including milk products), and I didn’t wanna ask the waiter either. (Not because I’m shy but because I’m pretty sure if cooks hear the term “vegan”, it ensures my meal ends up with a personalized body fluid deposit prior to reaching my table.) However, I’m told that I can rest assured that the Garden Burger (and its bun’s) not got any involvement from anything that was ever sentient after you sub in a whole wheat bun and mustard instead’ve honey dijon. What it has got is: pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and Dijon mustard sauce, squashed between a bun o’ whole grainy goodness. Not enough for you? Me either. That’s why next time I’m dragged here, I’ll also be ordering a few steamed veggie sides.
So, that’s a pretty good starter menu for me.
Only caveat?
With the exception of Cheesecake’s Vegan Cobb salad, a lot of this stuff is super salty. Slight deviation from the “chain restaurant” theme here, but often you can expect that to be even worse when you hit up vegan specific restaurants. I found this out the hard way recently. A friend and I stopped in at a fun little dive with “chicken” and “beef” and “tuna” on the menu. (Air quotes because it’s meatless tofu sheep in a wolf’s moniker’s clothing). And while it was definitely savory, you can bet your sacral meat pads that that faux meat turned my face into a fugu fish by morning. However, ’cause they want to cater to a large enough demographic to actually remain open, I suppose they have to do that. (Although I might try learning just enough Chinese to request they not drown my tofu in sodium paste next visit.) This is why I prefer sticking to my DIY diet most of the time. The majority of the country’s so hooked on hyperpalatable crap that contributes nada to our health, that anything remotely natural tastes “bland” to them. This’s why it’s so hard to find anything that won’t make you retain a glacial amount’ve water post dining out. That said, since I’m not orthorexic about it, I’ll let myself give into this grandma-esque brand of dietary rebellion occasionally and try out something new from the list. (Likely this weekend.)
Because – even on my green, clean, vegan diet – I still totally believe in balance.
And it’s nice to know we don’t hafta lose our social lives or ourselves.
Even as we lose a few unwanted inches of ourselves.