Best Veggie Burger- Hillstone Boston

Hillstone, formerly Houston's, has my vote for Boston's best veggie burger.  I have had this veggie burger a number of times and it has never been anything less than amazing.  Made from brown rice, black beans, and oat bran, with a sweet soy sauce this burger is super juicy.  The portions are huge, which means I usually cut mine in half and have the other for dinner. Hillstone also has tons of veggie options and will even squeeze you fresh grapefruit juice if you order a greyhound!  This place is a must try, especially with spring in sight because they have great outdoor seating.

Black Bean Soup and Black Bean Flat Breads

 

                                                                                                




I re-created this dish after I had the most amazing black bean soup at Rosie's Soda Tica in Playa Guiones. Its super super easy and way yummy.

SOUP
Ingredients
Any combination of veggies you like in whatever amount pleases you- I used:
1 cup cauliflower
1/2 cup onions
1 carrot
1/2 cup diced green beans
1 small yellow squash, diced into half moons
2 cloves garlic, 1 minced and 1 for your puree
1/4 cup cilantro, save a few sprigs for puree and garnish

2 cups vegetable broth
1 can black beans or 1 1/2 cup dried black beans cooked
SI sea salt

Method
Boil your veggies in the broth, with a dash of sea salt, until tender.  While veggies are cooking, puree the black beans (drained) with one clove of garlic and a few sprigs of cilantro (set aside 2+ tbs for your flatbread).  Add puree to the veggies cooking in the broth.  I used a little extra to get a thicker soup base, but its your call. Cook until the veggies are to your desired texture.  Garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown rice.

FLAT BREAD
Ingredients
Whole wheat tortillas
EVOO
Your choice of toppings, I used:
Roasted bell peppers and onion
Pureed black beans with garlic and cilantro

Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle your desired amount of EVOO on the tortilla and put it into the oven on a baking sheet.  This will allow it to get a little crispy.  After it starts to brown very lightly take it out and let it cool for a couple minutes.  Spread approximately 2 tbs black bean puree onto the tortilla and top with veggies of your choice. Place back into the oven until cooked to your desired crispiness! Enjoy.

Best Eats in Playa Guiones

1. The Rising Sun: this place will feed vegans and a carnivores...so its convenient if you are traveling with a carnivore.  They have some of the best food in all of Playa Guiones and is a must visit if you make it there! For my first visit I tried the dragon bowl with quinoa, which was the perfect lunch.  It was light and filled with veggies and the mushroom sauce was so good, just what I needed after a great surf session. For my second visit I tried the yogi, which is their veggie burger, upon the recommendation of Spencer.  This was such a hearty meal, I was so full afterward.  The salad it comes with was amazing, packed with toppings! (My carnivore travel companion had the burger, and said it was one of the best he had ever had!) Also they have a pool that you can lounge around in after you eat!

2. The Harmony Hotel- Restaurant and Juice Bar: we went to The Harmony one afternoon for lunch after some serious surfing and yoga, so needless to say we were hungry!!!!!  We decided to eat in the restaurant because there were more options.  I ordered the falafel pita and substituted the yogurt for black bean hummus- it was spectacular.  I also had a hearts of palm salad (hold the feta), which was fabulous as well. The meals were big, which was perfect because we were so hungry.  The Harmony also has a fabulous juice bar.  I ordered a blackberry juice with fresh basil....yummmm.  We also tried a watermelon juice with ginger and lime, so good.  You can also get great vegan pastries at the juice bar.

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3. La Dolce Vita: just past the Nosara Yoga Institute outside town you will find this amazing Italian restaurant. This place is perfect if you are looking for a romantic dinner spot, or just an exquisite meal with a bunch of friends, like we did, not once but twice during our time there. This is authentic Italian, and the majority of the ingredients are imported from Italy!!!  The first night I had the fettucini  with the diablo sauce and the spinach salad.  The diablo sauce was amazing, definitely not so spicy that it ruined the meal, it was perfect.  They also serve this amazing flat bread with optional minced garlic in oil.....oh so good. The second time we went there I got the taglitelle with porcini mushrooms and truffle oil. Que buenisimo. Also, if you order wine by the glass, they give you these huge goblet glasses and fill them to the top!

4. Rosies Soda Tica: this little place is run by three women and was really good.  They only serve breakfast and lunch.  We went for lunch our second day and I had the black bean soup, but it was more of a vegetable soup with a black bean broth, which was fabulous.  And it came with a side of rice. This place is super cheap and the food has a very home-cooked feel. I have also heard that they have the best banana pancakes in the area. So I would suggest this place for a casual, cheap meal. (I entirely plan to recreate the black bean soup!!!!)

I have to admit, my restaurant choices were entirely influenced by locals who thought these places had great vegan options, which means I did not try all the restaurants in Playa Guiones.  There are likely many other vegan worth restaurants, thus I'm already planning my return trip in May!!!

Yoga- Playa Guiones, Nosara, Costa Rica

I fell completely in love with Plays Guiones during my last vacation to Costa Rica.  This place is a yoga mecca and a surfing hot spot.  I managed to make at least one class, if not two, every day I was there.  If you make it down to this wonderful place check out these studios and instructors:


1. The Yoga House

 

This amazing little studio was a little hard to find, but my good friends Jeff and Karla made sure I knew where it was because it is one of their favorite places to go. If you are on the main road in Playa Guiones, headed toward the beach, take a left at the mini market just past the bank and Surfing Nosara.  Go down that road until you see a break in the hedge and you will find The Yoga House. My favorite instructor was Monica. She had such great energy and knew how to tailor the class perfectly to your needs.  They offer an amazing surfer's yoga daily and plenty of flow. There is an indoor studio with air conditioning and outdoor studio. The indoor studio was so nice on hot days!!! The Yoga House is located right in town and is super easy to get to. 

2. The Nosara Yoga Institute

This studio is world-renowned.  Their daily classes are offered in their "tree tops pavilion" studio, which is breath taking.  Although it is outdoors it is high enough up that the entire studio catches the breeze off the ocean cooling the space to a very comfortable temperature.  This institute is a short walk to the edge of town, I rode my bike when I went, but there were some intense uphill spots.  I took yin and flow yoga here and loved both of them.  Young Joo and Amber were my favorite teachers. Both put on great classes, but if you are looking to sweat hit up one of Amber's flow classes.  It was amazing, with lots of adjustments.  

Spring Break 2011 Must Haves

Okay I just got back from Costa Rica and have complied a list of Spring Break must haves.  I knew I wanted to get a little sun, but did not want to burn.  I found myself apply sunscreen constantly.  I got this great face sunscreen from origins. Its not too oily, which is big concern of mine.  I reapplied every few hours and managed to stay burn free.  A heavy duty sport sunscreen is absolutely necessary if you plan to be in the water.  When I wasn't surfing or in the pool I kept myself covered up...its super easy to burn when walking around or going to and from the beach. A hat is essential and super stylish. Also, I found some great cover ups at JCrew and Victoria's Secret.  Last, if you do happen to burn, slather on the aloe. Its best if you can find an aloe plant, but the store bought stuff works great too.  It will take the sting out and will calm the redness.  If you find a plan you can cut a leaf off, then cut it in half down the middle so you have two wide flat pieces.  Rub all over your burn.  Keep the leaves in a plastic baggie in the fridge for later use, it will last about 5 days.  Also be careful because aloe plants tend to have a red tint that can stain your clothes, so make sure to wash your hands and let it dry completely.

1. Sunscreen for your face: Origins Brighter By Nature SPF 35

2. Sun cover for your head: JCrew Summer Straw Hat

3. Beach Cover Up: JCrew Solid Beach Cover Up

4. Footwear: Clark's Flip Flops

5. Just In Case: Aloe

Brunch at Life Alive

After the amazingly warm weather last week it was such a bummer to wake up to snow this morning.  But I did get to sleep in this morning and am going to be spending next week in Costa Rica with a short stint in Florida with Grace and Levi, so I really cannot complain.  However, again while it is a holiday, because of the lovely weather this winter in Boston I have a make up day at school today, meaning I have class from 1-8 PM, yuck!  So I figured the best way to get this day going is with a good breakfast.  And what would be better then smoothies and granola (the crunchy hippie) from Life Alive, well nothing. So while this day is cold and snowy and I'm forced to sit in class on a holiday I cannot complain.  I had an super yummy banana smoothie with almond milk and shared an amazing bowl of granola with dried fruit and fresh apples!!!

After brunch I hit Ame Wren's lunch time power yoga class for a little extra lovin....such a perfect day!!!
(**Special thanks to my partner in crime....such a good morning).

Nobu's Black Cod

This is by far the best fish recipe I have ever made.  Although not vegan, I have been having small amounts of white fish lately, following traditional macrobiotics. 

Ingredients

1/4 cup mirin

1/4 cup sake

5 tbs white miso

5 tbs maple sugar

1 lb black cod (yield four fillets) 

Method

Bring the saké and the mirin to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Boil for 20 seconds to evaporate the alcohol.

Turn the heat down to low and add the miso paste, mixing with a wooden spoon. When the miso has dissolved completely, turn the heat up to high again and add the sugar, stirring constantly with the wooden spoon to ensure that the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn. Remove from heat once the sugar is fully dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Pat fillets thoroughly dry with paper towels. Slather the fish with Miso and place in a non-reactive dish or bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. (Save a small amount for plating). Leave to steep in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Preheat a grill or broiler. Lightly wipe off any excess miso clinging to the fillets but don't rinse it off. Place the fish on the grill, or in a broiler pan, and grill or broil until the surface of the fish turns brown. Then bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Immersion Blenders

I love to make soup..... but its tends to be a lot of work.   My friend Avi introduced me to an amazing kitchen tool that I find absolutely necessary if you like to make soup.  An immersion or hand blender allows you to blend a soup right in the pot you are cooking it in.  No more mess, less to wash, so convenient.


Consumer search rates the Cuisinart Smart Stick CSB-76 as the best basic hand blender.  Most importantly it retails for around $30.

http://www.consumersearch.com/hand-blenders/cuisinart-smart-stick-csb-76

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon

Last night I cooked dinner with Avi and TK.  Avi made an amazing carrot soup with ginger and lemon.  As well as a chipolte chili broccoli rabe!! I love carrot soup but don't make it very often because I haven't found an easy recipe that I really liked.  This recipe has filled that emptiness in my life. It does not have an overwhelming carrot flavor and is well balanced with hints of citrus and ginger.  Its very light and pairs well with fish or pasta in a white wine sauce.  It is also very easy to make, especially if you, like Avi, own a immersion blender.  (I must get one of these!)  This saves you from having to blend the soup in batches, and also means less mess.

Ingredients
1/4 cup Earth Balance Butter or EVOO
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tbs finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/4 lbs medium carrots, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbs fresh lemon juice

Method
Melt butter or heat EVOO in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion; saute 4 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add hopped carrots, tomatoes, and lemon peel; saute 4 minutes.  Add 3 cups broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Puree soup in batches in a blender OR blend right in the pot with an immersion blender.  Return to pot if using blender.  Mix in lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper.

The Blue Room

This restaurant was so good.  Great environment, nice but unpretentious.  They focus on local ingredients...which I love, and are very accommodating to requests.  The other thing I loved was that they took note of the fact the people might be time constrained considering the "holiday" and were willing to get you in and out quickly.  While I was not in any hurry whatsoever, I really appreciated that they took that into account.  Our waitress was amazing, very friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about all the dishes and the wines.  She suggested the Nigl Blauer Zwieglet, an Austrian wine, which I had never had before but was amazing. They have a great cocktail list, with very creative drinks, but since it was a Monday I figured I should stick to the wine.  We ordered the fennel and chili marinated olives...delish.  My favorite dish was the vegetable antipasto, which was an amazing selection of local veggies cooked to perfection.  I recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a nice dinner in a laid back environment.

http://www.theblueroom.net/