Houston's

Due to my sheer incompetence in creating a decent veggie burger recipe, and the questionable quality of almost every pre-packaged vegan burger on the market, I've been forced to venture out for a quality, freshly-made veggie burger. Luckily for me, there's Houston's! With locations in Park Cities and Addison, I've decided to give up all efforts in creating my own veggie burger and just treat myself to Houston's once a month. Made with a combination of brown rice, black beans, beats, oat bran, and a soy glaze, Houston's veggie burger can easily be made vegan when ordered sans mayonnaise, cheese, and bun. Occasionally an accidentally-vegan rustic bread is available in place of the bun, but it's absolutely unnecessary in qualifying this as the best vegan burger in town! Additionally, Houston's couscous and hand-cut french fries are vegan, and most of their seasonal vegetables can be ordered vegan and/or steamed. At the Park Cities location, ask to be seated in Michelle's section, as her knowledge of vegan menu items and wonderful personality will make your experience at Houston's an exceptional one!


Houston's
8300 A Preston Road
Park Cities
(214) 691-8991

5318 Beltline Road
Addison
(972) 960-1752

Autumn Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cake

With the vast variety of gourds available at the market this time of year, celebrate the season by indulging your sweet tooth with this autumn-inspired breakfast cake! Although I tend to favor sweeter gourds such as Fairytale pumpkins and Butternut squashes, this recipe can be made using any buttery textured autumn gourd. Avoid using large carving pumpkins and Spaghetti squashes, as they have a stringy texture unsuitable for this recipe.

1 cup palm oil shortening

2 cups evaporated cane juice sweetener

1 cup autumn squash purée

1 cup soymilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup macadamia nuts

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly whip together shortening and sweetener. Add all wet ingredients and mix well, using a spatula to scrape down sides of bowl. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Combine dry ingredients to the wet mix, scraping down sides often to reach an even consistency. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips, using hands to knead batter together.

Grease and line a large baking dish with natural parchment paper. Evenly spread batter in dish and bake for 40-50 minutes (oven temperatures vary, so modify baking time as needed). Remove dish from oven and allow to cool completely before serving. 

Sangría Tapas y Bar

After a recent trip to visit my brother in Northwest Spain, I'd been on a mission to find palatable vegan tapas in Dallas. My only experiences with Spanish tapas in town included fat-laden potatoes, olives, and way too much vino tinto! Having been accommodated by other Lombardi restaurants in the past, I decided to give Sangría Tapas y Bar a try...and they certainly did not disappoint! With their impressive wine list and standard menu items including Pimientos del Padron (fried peppers native to Northwest Spain), Marcona Almonds, and Esparragos y Setas a la Plancha (asparagus and oyster mushrooms sautéed in garlic and olive oil), I was happy to indulge in the Spanish feast! General Manager Gerald DuBose was extremely accommodating. On a whim, he had his chef prepare me a special dish consisting of mixed sautéed vegetables and informed me of other dishes that could easily be made vegan (Vegetable Paella and Vegetable Fideua) with advance notice. I plan on returning to Sangría Tapas y Bar very soon to sample their paella and fideua...and probably a little too much vino tinto! 

 

Try Sangría on Tuesday nights for half-priced bottles of wine, or hold off until the weekend for $6.00 bottomless brunch sangrías.

Sangría Tapas y Bar

4524 Cole Avenue (off Knox)

(214) 520-4863