Vida Vegan Con: The Day After!

I knew Vida Vegan Con would be a whirlwind of new friends and presentations and good food and general non-stop activity, so I made sure to give myself one extra day at the end of my trip to explore Portland and visit with my friends and family there.

My sweet friend Sandy picked me up at the conference on Sunday night, and we headed over to Prasad for some dinner. I ordered the "Ganesh Bowl," with half quinoa and half brown rice. After a weekend of all-out gluttony, this healthy and delicious bowl of yumz really hit the spot! Veggies & tofu in a warm coconut milk curry, with a giant heap of fresh kale (lightly steamed). Just thinking about it makes me want to eat it all over again.

Monday morning, Sandy and I made our way over to Vita Cafe, for the first stop in a crazy vegan-errand day of fun. Even though Sandy used to live ACROSS THE STREET from Vita, she had never been here before. The decor was warm and funky, and even though Vita isn't 100% vegan, there were so many vegan options to choose from! So, we got our coffee and started to consider our options.

I ended up with the "2+2+2": two veggie sausage patties, 2 pieces of french toast, and scrambled tofu (equal to two eggs, I guess). I have a long-standing love affair of french toast, and I find it difficult to pass up French Toast any time I see in on a menu. Mmmmm.

Sandy ordered the Huevos Rancheros, vegan style. OMG. I was jealous of it! But luckily it was huge, so there was enough for me to have a little too. Definitely good. Want to go back.

We also got a Northwest Hazelnut Corn Cake, which was freaky good. Oh my gosh. Just looking at these pictures and remembering this all these good meals is making me want to go buy some more plane tickets!

dorky fan pic outside Vita Cafe

You can practically see the drool dribbling down my chin!

Two doors down from Vita Cafe is the beautiful little all-vegan bakery called Dovetail Bakery. The owner Morgan even came out from the kitchen to chat, and she was so kind and friendly. I was still full from breakfast, so I picked out a couple of treats to bring home with me.

In the end I picked out the Apricot Scone (left) & Apricot-Millet Muffin (top). Of course, I also forced Sandy to take me to Back to Eden and there I picked up a Coconut Cardamom Muffin (right) & Blueberry Scone (bottom). Now these tasty treats are all hanging out in my freezer, just waiting for me to eat them. I'll be there soon, little friends... just gotta eat some more veggies for a few days!

We stopped at the Co-op on Alberta St., where I was told you could find Soy Curls in the bulk bins. Score! Of course I had to buy a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread and one of their Peace Bomb mini baguettes too. I'm sure you understand!

Cute bike racks outside the Co-op. Even the bike racks are veg-friendly, for God's sake!!

We stopped to spend some time cruising all the cute shops on Mississippi St. I was worried that with so many vegans roaming the streets of Portland, someone might break into the car for my stash of Dave's Killer Bread and soy curls, so I made sure that Sandy locked the car. Stay away thieves! You can get this stuff in your own city! You lucky turds!

Los Gorditos! A great little taco truck with an extensive vegan menu. A perfect spot for my last meal in Portland, and a final visit with Sandy and my lovely cousin Eliza.

I ordered the veggie burrito. It's not all that exciting to look at a rolled up tortilla, is it? But I'm sure you all know, burritos are magical pockets of rainbows once you bite into them! Also you can see a few of the different salsas I sampled. They had a huge salsa bar, I love that! I love trying different salsas, but my favorites are always pico de gallo and tomatillo salsa. Mmmmmm!

Sandy ordered the enchiladas, which were amazing and also huge, requiring a take-home box.

Friends... Portland is like a vegan fairy land. You go from your vegan brunch to the vegan bakery (and in between those two is a fancy 4-course meal place which offers an all-vegan option every night). Then you get in the car and as you drive down the street you see the word "VEGAN" everywhere - outside the shoe store, on every food cart... it's absolute madness. Then someone tells you that right down the street you can get Soy Curls in the bulk bin. It's enough to make a vegan go crazy! I can't wait for my next trip to Portland... family, friends, food, fun... it's wonderful!