Vegetables with a side of vegetables

Last night I made a rare appearance outside the Somerville/Cambridge city limits to a restaurant in Dedham called the Yard House.  Nice evening of outdoor eating and catch up time with my sis and cousin.   I noticed on the Yard House menu an item called "gardin".  It was starred at the bottom and was a mix of soy protein, wheat protein, pea protein and some other stuff.  Any item that had a green dot next to it could have gardin substituted for the animal protein in the original version.  I asked the waiter for more info..he was a good waiter and I am sure he meant well when he stated:  "It is really good, taste just like chicken".  Really?  Just like chicken?  There in a nutshell is the misconception.   Vegetarians must be looking for something to eat that taste just like the food they are trying to avoid.  When did this idea come into play?  Aside from it making little sense, most of the items that give you the chicken/beef/pork flavor are often over processed food product found in the freezer section.  If I wanted to eat food that tasted like chicken or beef, I would be eating those actual foods, right?

Needless to say I skipped the gardin and went for the shiitake/portabella lettuce wraps as my main meal.  Not too filling, but the "chicken nachos without the chicken" we split as an app made up for that!  (We all love to indulge in a good nacho platter every once in awhile..good for the soul!)

So today's lunch is vegetarian in the true sense of the word..actually it is vegan, but you get it.  Fresh veggies, hummus and bread purchased at the Union Sq. market yesterday morning.

Seta's Mediterranean Foods usually are available at the Davis Sq Market, but she made a rare appearance on Saturday in Union Sq., so of course I had to purchase some of her hummus!   Homemade and located in JP, her foods are tasty and hard to resist.  Hummus, baba ganoush, cous cous salads and so on.  I have taste tasted everything and this food is a delicious hidden gem at the market.

Roasted zucchini and cherry tomatoes tossed with garlic, onion and a little evoo.  Toasted 2 slices of Iggy's sourdough bread, spread some hummus and topped with veggies.  I added a side salad of roasted brussels sprouts and cauliflower with a bit of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

   

Flavor packed and magically delicious!

Stay happy and healthy!   ~L