Vegan Treats & Lentil Stew

Last night my husband and I went downtown to attend Art Walk with some friends. It was our first time and I had such a blast! There was a bit of art involved but it was definitely the food that made the event!! The streets were lined with super trendy truck vendors and we all enjoyed some good eats. For those of you questioning if you can splurge on fun foods while vegan ... feast your eyes on this!


Veg Chili Fries (sweet potato) w/ Daiya Cheese.

The consensus on my vegan chili fries was that they were tastier than the regular chili fries. How 'bout them apples? If you are heading to Art Walk in future months, you can get these fries at the Frysmith truck.

Later in the evening we stopped at Babycakes to pick up some vegan treats. I forgot to take pictures of the actual cupcakes, I was too eager to dig in. But trust me, they are to. die. for. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. We picked up a vanilla cupcake (for me), a carrot cake cupcake (for my husband) and a Caramel Coconut Doughnut to share. All vegan. No dairy, eggs or sugar in the entire bakery. Amazing!


Babycakes storefront.


Doesn't get better than this!

Today's eats included:

Brunch: Banana Oat Pancakes & Smart Bacon
Lunch: Quinoa Loaf w/ tofu cream & a pomelo
Dinner: Sweet Potato-Lentil Stew & a big salad
Dessert: Caramel Coconut Doughnut from Babycakes


Banana Oat Pancakes & Smart Bacon


Sweet Potato-Lentil Stew

Sweet Potato-Lentil Stew (from The Kind Diet)

1/4 cup safflower oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
1 tspn minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tspns turmeric
1 tspn cumin
1 tspn ground coriander
1/2 tspn ground cinnamon
1/8 tspn cayenne
fine sea salt
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4" cubes
7 cups vegetable broth
1 cup brown lentils

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, deep pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the tomatoes & ginger, cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and a small pinch of salt. Cook & stir for 2 minutes, then taste for seasonings, try to use only enough salt to heighten the flavors.

Add the sweet potatoes, broth & lentils. Stir well, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40 mins or until the lentils & sweet potatoes are soft.

Enjoy!