Philadelphia Vegetarian

Philadelphia may not seem like a city on the forefront of the dining scene, but a new restaurant there, Square 1682 begs to differ. Chef Guillermo Tellez, a Charlie Trotter and Stephen Starr veteran, emphasizes sustainable and organic ingredients, using seasonal produce, free-range meats and ocean-friendly seafood. No taking out your little sustainable seafood watch card to see if the fish meets eco-standards.

The chef puts the same care into his vegetarian dishes as he does the signature short ribs. A vegetable lasagna consists of layers of portabellas, squash and peppers; no pasta at all, with aged balsamic and brown butter. It is utterly delicious. Even better, the decadently rich mushroom tart has a hauntingly earthy sauce, under a puff pastry crust. A line of miniature vegetables alongside had beets, roasted onions and micro-greens. These entrees make vegetarians feel like full members at the table, not afterthoughts.

Since the chef prepares everything to order, you can also customize other dishes. Black Cod in Porchetta comes with a fantastic creamy polenta, leek confit and caramelized fennel. Ask for it without the pork if you eat fish, or without either port or black cod if you don’t. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

The LEED-registered restaurant, in the LEED Hotel Palomar also uses eco-friendly materials, including a bar of walnut, sourced from a Forest Stewardship Council certified forest. From the bar, the signature Bell Pepper Smash, with vodka, peppers, ginger and raspberry is a must.

Should a vegetarian stay at Pig Inn?

Actually, The Pig Hill Inn, in Cold Spring is one of the rare Bed & Breakfasts that welcomes children. They offer cots, cribs and you can get connecting rooms. Children will love the inn’s signature pigs, rendered in porcelain or fleece; even the milk pitchers are pigs. In warm weather, eat breakfast in the garden; there is also a conservatory, or you can have breakfast brought to your room. And you don't have to just eat sausage, though it does come with the excellent pancakes and French toast.

Cold Spring is a perfect weekend getaway, close to NYC, accessible by train and family friendly.

Boscobel Restoration, the country mansion overlooking the Hudson, is a Federal style home open for tours. The gardens are filled with flowers and picnicking is allowed on benches near the pond. There is a Woodland Trail, perfect for beginning hikers; you can picnic here, too, but must carry out all your garbage.

Just south of Boscobel, the Constitution Marsh Wildlife Preserve has wildlife and wildflowers. Take a self-guided nature tour, and stroll the boardwalk along a tidal marsh. The terrain here is rather rugged; the foot path is decidedly not stroller friendly, but young children can walk the short path. There is also a small nature center with Hudson River exhibits and fish.

If these short hikes give you a taste for more, head to Clarence Fahnsetock Memorial State Park, where there are several hiking trials, including an eight mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail. There is a mile and a half nature trail around a pond, and a beach with showers and a picnic area.

The little town of Cold Spring is a great place for families. The shops in town tend towards antiques and kitsch, but you can find nice cafes, and a farmer's market.

At the end of Main Street, accessed by a tunnel under the train tracks, there is a large grassy area where you can let kids romp, climb trees and over rocks and toss pebbles in the water. The chief attraction, though, is the trains that rumble past. The outdoor tables at Cold Spring Depot almost touch the passing trains. When a lone Amtrak roared by, our table actually shook. The restaurant has a children’s menu and vegetarian choices include a portobella sandwich and whole grain vegetable wrap.

Cooking Winner - Vegetarian!

Last week, French’s had a cook-off in Manhattan. On the day of the latest winter storm, but that doesn’t stop intrepid writers and bloggers from getting around the city.

Of the five finalists, only one recipe was vegetarian. As it happens, the recipe was delicious – and the winner. The onion polenta with spiced tomato avocado salad was most definitely not your mother’s tuna casserole, topped with French’s French Fried Onions, but the recipe did make use of with French’s Cheddar French Fried Onions and French’s horseradish mustard.

The contest rules state that the recipes must use no more than 8 ingredients (not counting salt, pepper or water) and take no more than an hour, making the entries particularly family friendly. In fact, 4 of the 5 finalists were moms, and all were women, so despite male chefs running most major restaurant kitchens, women still seem to dominate the home kitchen.

The winning recipe is by Suellen Calhoun, a mother of 2 from Des Moines, Iowa. She won $25,000 (and got a trip to New York). It’s time to break out the canned fried onions, the mustard, the Worcestershire sauce, and get creative for next year’s contest.

ONION POLENTA WITH SPICED TOMATO AVOCADO SALAD

Servings: 6 Cook Time: 30 min. Prep Time: 10 min.

4 ½ cups Water

2 tsp. Salt, divided

1 ½ cups Dry polenta grain

6 oz. French’s Cheddar French Fried Onions

1 lb. Tomatoes, seeded, cut into ½ inch pieces

2 Ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces

1 bunch Fresh cilantro, chopped

5 Tbsp. Olive oil, divided

2 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar

1/3 cup French’s Horseradish Mustard

Optional Garnish: Fresh cilantro

1. In a medium saucepan add water and 1 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil.
2. Slowly add polenta to water, whisking continuously until all of polenta is used. Cook for 5 minutes, whisking continuously.
3. Remove polenta from heat and stir in coarsely chopped French’s Cheddar French Fried Onions.
4. Spoon into a 10 inch pie dish. Let stand for 15-20 minutes to firm.
5. Meanwhile in a large bowl mix tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar and French’s Horseradish Mustard until blended. Set aside.
6. Turn polenta out onto a board. Carefully cut into 6 pieces.
7. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place polenta pieces in hot oil and brown until golden on each side, about 5 minutes.
8. Remove from skillet and serve browned polenta pieces toped with spiced tomato avocado salad.

The vegetarian panini

If you are coming to New York and want to take your vegetarian family out for lunch, or an early dinner, 'sNice, in the West Village (there’s another location, in Park Slope) is perfect. The sort of self-service restaurant – you wait on line to order, but your food is brought to you – has about a dozen sandwiches, a couple of huge salads, and a daily soup. Some food is vegan, all is vegetarian and everything is delicious. There are fake meat versions of traditional sandwiches, like a Cuban, with soy ham and pickles, a tempeh Rueben, with sauerkraut, and a Thai ‘chicken’ wrap, but don’t get your heart set on a particular sandwich; the menu rotates. The quinoa salad sometimes skimps on the avocado slices, but is quite filling, and the autumn salad, with cranberries, bleu cheese and walnuts, is available year round.

One note: cash only.

The city ‘snice is 45 Eighth Ave., near 4th St. The Brooklyn branch is at 315 5th Ave., near 3rd St.

A stand-out ‘sNice sandwich, the vegan Panini, is particularly easy to replicate at home. I pressed a block of tofu between two cutting boards, weighting it down with my Nespresso maker (you could also use a heavy pot, like Le Creuset, or maybe a left-over fruitcake). When you press tofu like this, it takes on the consistency of cheese, or paneer, but gives you more protein. I love cheese, but if you have a cheese sandwich every day for lunch, you are eating a lot of fat.

Spread a Ciabatta with pesto sauce and add tofu slices and a couple of oil packed sun-dried tomatoes. That’s it. This is also a great sandwich to pack in a lunchbox.

The travel gods

Ancient Egyptians used amulets and ancient Greeks certain rituals, intended to appease the travel gods and ensure a safe journey. Today, we use smartphones. But still, we can get tripped up when the gods of snow, wind and rain conspire against us.

Traveling in winter is tempting fate, I know, but Sela, my 16 year old, had a soccer tournament in Virginia. The operative word here is ‘had.’ Two feet of snow on the soccer fields canceled the tournament, but we had non-refundable airline tickets. Nora, 12, hates being the ‘plus one’ at soccer tournaments, but when she heard it was in Williamsburg, she said, wistfully, “ever since I got my first American Girl doll, it’s been my dream to go to Colonial Williamsburg.” Far be it from me to crush a little girl’s dream, plus, I’d never been there. So we went, leaving Sela behind (she was driving down with the team, and when the tournament was canceled, she quickly filled her dance card with the usual teen-age activities. Plus she could feed our cat!).

Our flight down was uneventful, but hours before we were to leave, my husband and I got calls that our return flight was canceled. It was hardly snowing in New York, but the new rage is for airlines to pre-empt any problems by canceling. So our 53 minute flight home was going to be a six hour marathon through Atlanta, landing around midnight. This did not seem good.

Rob consulted the web and saw there was a no-stop flight in less than 2 hours. Could we make it? We jumped in the car, ignoring Nora’s pleas that she needed lunch (and a bathroom) and raced to the airport, where our new flight was…delayed. And delayed. And delayed some more. In fact, it left an hour and a half after our original flight.

And let me tell you, the food in the Norfolk airport is beyond abominable. My bagel had the texture of a wet paper towel. Silly me, ordering a bagel outside New York or Montreal, but the only other option was pre-made turkey or chicken sandwiches, not a viable vegetarian choice.

For my next flight, I may try a St Christopher medal. Although I wonder, if I buy a Hermes bag…

Tips for First Time Skiers

For both parents and children, going skiing for the first time can seem daunting. A family trip to the beach requires minimal preparation, but taking a family ski trip involves a lot of planning, even if you’ve been skiing. But the potential rewards are so great that most families who ski together can’t wait till their next trip tot the mountain.

The importance of dressing in layers cannot be emphasized enough. Weather can change quickly in the mountains, so you will be glad if you can peel off or add on a layer. However, you need one pair of socks, not four. Thick clunky socks, make it hard to fit boots; one pair of light to medium weight Smartwool socks is perfect. Bring an extra pair of socks for every member of the family, in case one gets wet.

Helmets are not just for kids or beginning skiers. You can rent a helmet at most ski resorts, but if you bring your own, you can ensure a custom fit – with a hat or headband underneath. Test out the fit before you leave to make sure everyone is comfortable.

When you ski, there is a lot of wind; sunscreen offer sun and wind protection. Special ski goggles are not necessary for children or adults, but sunglasses that block UV light are.

A good pair of warm mittens or gloves is vital, along with a second pair in case the first ones get wet. Once kids (or adults) are cold or wet, it is difficult to make them happy again and enjoy being outside.

Advance preparation should also include leaving enough time to get to your destination. Don’t show up right before a program begins; there is paper work to fill out, and fitting for rental equipment can be time consuming. If you are getting to a ski resort the night before, big places like Killington, in Vermont, let you pick up your skis then, to save time in the morning. If you rent from a place close to home, you can spend more time focusing on fit, but then you have to lug the equipment from the parking lot.

Do some stretches to get limber before getting into a car and driving to a ski resort. You will do a lot of bending, getting ski boots on and off. Back and leg stretching will help reduce post-ski aches.

Finally, smile! You are having fun!

Vermont and Vegetarian

Given the choice between a cute local café and Starbucks, I will always choose the local place. But in airports, Starbucks has my business. Dunkin’ Donuts serves coffee in Styrofoam and McDonald’s has that gross meaty smell.

It annoys me, though, that Starbucks breakfast sandwiches all contain meat. Yes, you can have a pretty decent (if Dickensian portion) of oatmeal, but the egg sandwiches, all pre-made, have ham, bacon or turkey on them. Haven’t they realized how many vegetarians travel, or just like to grab breakfast on the go? Would it have killed them to offer one meat-free sandwich?

The funny thing is, most vegetarians happily pay the same price for a meat-free meal as those eating steak, and their food costs a lot less. My husband and I went to a restaurant the other night with a tasting menu. Six of the eight of us choose the tasting menu; five of us got the vegetarian version. Basically, it was the same menu, but the steak course was instead a plate of lentils. Now, I like lentils as much as they next gal, and they were pretty tasty, with flecks of shiitake mushroom, but come on! Steak has to cost the place a whole lot more than a handful of beans.

We like to ski at Mount Snow, in Vermont. It is near Izabella’s Eatery, which specializes in fresh, local and seasonal organic ingredients. Of the three breakfast paninis, only the one with avocado, Monterey Jack and egg comes without meat, but you can have a freshly made egg and cheese, or egg, spinach and cheese, panini with no meat. There are also a few other breakfast choices, and there’s soy milk for vegans.

At lunchtime, you do even better. Half the sandwiches are vegetarian; the avocado and tempeh or peanut butter with ginger preserves are particular favorites. There are also soups and salads.

A great place to stay is The Snow Goose Inn, West Dover. It is one of the few area B & B’s that accepts children, though the caveat that they be well-behaved may give you pause. Kids under five are free, and you can bring a child, ages 6-17, or a pet, for the same additional $25 a night. Hmm. The innkeepers, sensitive to the dining preferences of their guests (lactose-intolerant, gluten-free) always have vegetarian options at their great breakfasts, but let them know in advance that you are a vegetarian and they will offer even more choices.