I Should Rename This Blog

and call it Wendi's exploration of all vegan hot dog and taco joints in Pittsburgh. That's a bit of a mouthful though, eh?

I was reading Pittsburgh Vegetarian's blog last night, and she mentioned having an amazing veggie dog at Joe's Doghouse.  Coincidentally, I needed to visit the very street the hot dog cart is parked on for a scary visit to Sephora. So I stopped on the way back and grabbed myself a veggie dog with all the works. This meant diced tomatoes, lots of mustard, and spicy giardiniera. All on a whole-wheat bun.

It was beyond delicious! I especially appreciated how the veggie dog was split lengthwise and grilled. It then became the perfect compartment for keeping the tomato/mustard goodness in place. 

Another perk was that my visit to Sephora was the least scary one yet. Two of the makeup specialists came up to me to compliment me on my robot earring. And then an older woman in line told me she "loved my hairdo." I don't know what was going on, but it was better than the surly experiences I've had in the past.

Back at home, the cats were doing an unexpected twin routine. 

Let me tell you, this never happens. My cats usually can't stand to be within two feet of each other. 

Look at their identically pissed-off expressions after I took the first picture! Too cute.

French Bread Pizza

This was so ridiculously easy to make, I don't know I never thought of it before. French bread baked in the oven with pizza sauce, Daiya, fake pepperoni, black olives, and a sprinkling of Italian seasoning. The pepperoni didn't get crisp, but it still tasted good. 

I was looking at my vegan peeps' blogs earlier. It amazes me how talented everyone is, whipping up homemade empanadas and pita bread, dehydrating cool raw foods, making magic happen with tofu. Maybe sometime soon I'll do something fantastic too. I do have a copy of the The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur that I have yet to crack open. Hmm.

Casa Rasta

Recently, Pittsburgh has exploded into the realm of tacos. Sure, we had Mexican restaurants galore. But now I can count at least six places that specialize in tacos.

Casa Rasta is one of these of these newcomers. It's a tiny but very cute restaurant located in a little suburb outside of Pittsburgh. On the weekends, if the traffic isn't bad, it takes maybe fifteen minutes to get there from my apartment. Which is a good thing, because I foresee a lot more Casa Rasta lunches in my future. 

They had two veg options on their menu: Raja (roasted veggies) and Soyrizo (fake chorizo). I tried both of them, one as a soft taco, the other as a torta. 

The folks who work at Casa Rasta are very friendly and accommodating. The woman taking our order asked if I consumed dairy or not, because they typically add a thin layer of sour cream to the Rajas.

First off, let me just say: the freshest corn tortillas ever. Pittsburgh has a great Mexican grocery store that sells fresh corn and flour tortillas, but these tasted even fresher. All the ingredients were super fresh. And take a look at how pretty the food was!

If I had to choose a favorite, I'd go with the Soyrizo taco. But honestly, both of them were fantastic. 

And here's a picture of me, looking pensive before tasting the first bite. Of course, I was all smiles afterward. 

So yeah, I'll definitely be heading back to Casa Rasta on a regular basis!

Lazy Girl Photo Pastiche

Okay, so basically I'm giving the impression that all I've been eating these past couple of weeks have been veggie dogs and more veggie dogs. Which isn't entirely true ... 

Oh, and did anyone out there go to their local comic book stores for Free Comic Book Day? I have to say that I was kind of disappointed in the selection. But of course, I'm complaining about free comic books here. So maybe I'll just be quiet now.

Chickpea Tacos

So I was at Trader Joe's this weekend, and there was a giant display of their organic taco shells, along with a handwritten sign suggesting either ground beef or chickpeas for a filling. That got me to thinking ... I do love chickpeas ... and I do love tacos.

I sauteed the chickpeas with onions, tomatoes, black olives, and a generic taco seasoning. Topped with yummy queso, and then green salsa (not pictured). This is the perfect weeknight dinner, because it literally took fifteen minutes to make.

Earlier this week, I also heated up a lovely Field Roast and roasted asparagus and baby potatoes.

I have staunch omnivore house guests this weekend, so we may have to resort to restaurant eats. I'll keep you posted.

Stir Fry and (Finally) A Few Comics

So, I managed to cook a few dishes this week. Tonight we had a stir fry. No recipe needed. I used a Thai satay peanut sauce and asparagus, fresh green beans, mushrooms, straw mushrooms, baby corn, green pepper and onion. A liberal teaspoon of sriracha rounded out the flavor. 

 I also tried a new dish. Cannellini Kale Soup is from Get it Ripe, and it was quick, easy, and delicious. The cannellini beans give this soup a smooth, hearty texture. Can I just say again how much I heart kale?

Now onto comics! I finally read Batwoman #6 by J.H. Williams III/Amy Reeder and Animal Man #7 by Jeff Lemire/Travel Foreman. 

I have to say that both issues were disappointing. There was a great scene in Animal Man where Cliff attempts to impress girls by telling him who his father is. The girls don't believe him, at least until Buddy swoops in, quite literally. Otherwise, nothing really stood out in either comic. There was a lot of flashback sequencing in Batwoman that made the events hard to follow. I can only assume that everything gets clearer in #7, which I forgot to pick up from the comic book store last night! I did get the next issue of Animal Man, so expect a review soon. 

Food Collage

A vegan mostess from Dozen Bake Shop. Eaten on an inappropriate Christmas Mickey Mouse plate! Yes, I do know that it is Easter.

Broccoli with Food for Lovers' original queso. So far, this is my favorite vegan "cheese" dip.

 Homemade veggie enchilada with liberal amounts of Daiya.

Oh, and I finally caught up on some of my comic book reading. I'm so behind, I don't think the guys at Phantom of the Attic will recognize me anymore. More on that next time.