Both my mom and I played hooky and too the day off of work so we could go out to lunch. She’s wanted to go to Big Bowl for a while, and I wanted to go because I’m always looking for new places to eat. We started off with the spicy peanut noodles because it was recommended to me by a co-worker. It was very good, and I was surprised how much they gave you.

The waiter also brought out a complimentary appetizer because it was our first time there. I’m not going to lie, it looked really gross and I was hoping the waiter would say there was meat in it. It looked like calamari but it was just eggplant, mushrooms, and peppers. I was a big girl and tried it though. It was just ok, and I don’t think I would ever want it again.

My love for stir fries has grown over the last few months, so I decided to try the “make your own.” This was an awesome choice because I could add all the pineapple I wanted! I was also excited for some tofu because I hadn’t been able to make it in the last week. This was where everything fell apart. Their tofu was AWFUL. Yes, it earned every one of those capital letters. It tasted like it wasn’t pressed at all, and that it was silken tofu, not the water packed variety that’s best used in stir fries. It’s almost like they had no tofu knowledge. I was so disappointed, and my poor mom felt awful for me. Not a good experience. If I ever go back, I’d have to go with just a plain veggie stir fry.

I got together with some friends this past week and we all went to Revolution Brewing Co. in Logan Square. It was a pretty cool place. They don’t take reservations, so we waited for a good hour and a half, but that doesn’t bother me. I was so excited to eat here because they have vegan friendly options and we’re not talking anything like what the burbs has. Chicago is in a whole different league. They had seitan here! I ordered the Italian Seitan pizza, which was topped with cremini mushrooms, seitan, red onions, and smoked tomato sauce. I can’t tell you how excited I was. Oh, and it was DELICIOUS! I wish that place was closer so I could pick up some every now and then. I guess I’ll just have to try and make my own… or drag my friends back there.

The restaurant was WAY to dark to take a picture, so you guys get to check out my leftovers. Still looks great.

I love a good Italian dinner, I was raised on this stuff. Eating Italian has been a bit more sparse since I went vegan. If I want something really good, I make it myself, I just haven’t had to time to experiment with making t a good vegan ravioli or gnocchi. So, it’s off to a restaurant! I have always enjoyed Maggiano’s. I think their portions are big, but there’s nothing like having a few extra meals as leftovers. This time, I had the angel hair with garlic and olive oil. Seems pretty plain to most people, but I enjoyed it. I think my absolute favorite thing at Maggiano’s though is the olive oil and bread that’s the appetizer. The only thing it needs is some good vegan parmesan cheese and I’m good to go. Yum!

I’m sorry, but I’m going to get a little ethical on your ass right now.

If I had to group one kind of animal as my favorite, it would be reptiles/lizards. I find them to be fascinating and magnificent creatures.

That said, I just got done watching this ad from Peta with Joaquin Phoenix. I think that Peta can cross the line sometimes, but their method of shocking the audience is something that works. These images stay with you and it can drive you mad. Believe me, I know. This video shows a behind the scenes look at the exotic animal skins industry. This video is VERY GRAPHIC, but if you have the balls and want to stop being ignorant, watch it. It may change how you feel about your snakeskin boots.

Warning: If you don’t want to see awful things, don’t watch this. And if you do decide to watch it, don’t you dare blame me.

If you can’t see it, click here.

I cried watching this. You may ask me why I watch these videos when the content is so upsetting. Well, seeing this reminds me why I decided to go vegan and why I’m never going back. My veganism is a protest to all animal cruelty. I choose compassion over cruelty.

I’ve always been a person of routine, even when it came down to my food. No matter where I’d go, I’d rarely stray from my usual. Well, today I was going to try something different. Not a bad time to do so, since I’m really not hooked into any particular dish at any place (unless I have no other options). I’ve had the Japanese pan noodles from Noodles & Co. a couple times, and liked for the most part, but today I was going to try the Bangkok Curry. I was excited to try something new!

To my disappointment, it tasted just like the Japanese pan noodles, just with different spices. Such a bummer. It felt like all they changed was the kind of noodle in the dish. It was still good, but just not what I had expected. I think next time I’ll try the Indonesian Peanut Sautee and hope for the best.

Alrighty kiddies, I’ve decided to dedicate Foodie Friday posts to only be about restaurants I go to. I will still talk about my cooking and other food related things, but those posts will appear more early on in the week. I don’t think it will be a weekly thing, but who knows.

So the other night, my mom handed me a clipping from a magazine. It wasn’t long, but it talked about the two different kinds of tofu. Two? Yeah, I didn’t know there was anything other than silken. This amazed me. The next day, I ran out to the store after work and picked up some water-packed tofu. I had always seen this, but it didn’t really click in my head that it was different than silken tofu. That’s the only kind I ever knew of. I read that is was good in a stir fry, so I whipped one up and it was amazing. This was exactly like the tofu at Noodles. Hooray! This is what I’ve been missing! My mom changed my life and opened my eyes to this new kind of tofu. Thank you mom. Here’s my lovely pepper stir fry.

I was so happy, even my meal was smiling :)