I have only been doing the vegetarian thing for a couple months now, but I have never had an issue finding plenty of things I want to eat on a menu. I have been asked a few times, "so, what do you eat?" As if they couldn't imagine a meal being complete without a serving of meat (my husband included).
So, here are a few of my finds from around Hawaii:
-Spicy Tofu Stir Fry - the very first night here we ate at a cafe in the hotel called Koko Cafe. They had a couple vegetarian options so my momma went for the veggie burger with a garlic sauce, and I did the spicy tofu stir fry. It was amazing, especially if you like your food with a kick. There were all kinds of veggies mixed with soba noodles and tofu. Extremely filling, too.
- Fish Quesadillas - I will admit that I do have more choices because I do eat seafood still, but I am not willing to give it up and things like fish quesadillas are my favorite. I got these from Schooners Restaurant, outside of the Pearl Harbor memorial. They were so tasty! The wraps were crispy, the fish was tender and the salsa was loaded with all kinds of tomatoes and peppers. They do have a bean and cheese version if you don't eat fish.
-Ahi Tartare with Risotto Cake; Mango, Avocado, Pecan Salad; and Salted Chocolate Pretzel Tarte - This was from a restaurant called Town that was a recommendation from a friend of my husband's. The menu changes daily and most choices do have meat in them, but I love their slogan, "Local first, organic whenever possible, Aloha always." The food was absolutely amazing! However, the portions were pretty tiny, and the wait was long, but the tastes made up for it. The salad had a 'green goddess' dressing on it that was kinda tangy and delish, and the tartare was on point, but i wish I would have ordered what my momma got! I had dinner envy just staring at her plate and dug in shortly after finishing mine. She had this vegetarian assortment plate (not on the menu) that had all kinds of veggies I had never heard of, but they were all amazing. I don't even know the names of most of the things, but there was grilled squash, polenta, kale with pine nuts, and so much more. I wanted to order a plate of my own even after my tartare! Now the dessert, oh. my. It was so good. The chocolate was incredibly rich and the pretzels added just enough savory to balance it out. We spilt it between the three of us and it was perfect.
- Mediterranean Tofu Pizza - We were so exhausted one night that we just ate at the restaurant at the hotel, Biba's. The pizza was good, crispy crust, tomatoes, mozzarella, lots of herbs and tofu, but was definitely not weight watchers friendly because it was also covered in oil.
- Macadamia Nut Pancakes and Veggie Omelet - These were the best pancakes I've ever had and that is saying something because I just spent 3 months in Columbia, SC eating at The Original Pancake House. They came from Eggs N Things and they had macadamia nuts cooked inside them, as well as on top, along with powdered sugar. I don't typically use syrup (too many WW points) but their coconut syrup was delish. The omelet was just as good. It was packed with zucchini, spinach and mushrooms, and it usually comes with cheese, but we skipped it. Me and the momma split both and it was the perfect amount of food.
- Peanut Butter Shaved Ice - This was not what I expected. I expected something like a snow cone, but it was actually very soft, creamy, melt in your mouth flakes and covered in these sweet syrups. Super tasty and something Hawaii is known for so I couldn't leave without trying it.
-Pesto Salmon and Fries - I really wanted French fries and sometimes you just have to give in to that craving. This meal was back at Koko Cafe in the hotel and it was just as tasty as the first. The pesto was kind of salty, but it was laying on top of a sweet tomato sauce that balanced it out nicely. The fries definitely hit the spot.
- Pumpkin Soup, Tempura Veggies, Mediterranean Vegan 'Chickun' pasta, Avocado Smoothie - It sounds like a lot, but it was all split with the momma. Now before I describe the food, I have to give a disclaimer that this restaurant, Simple Joy Vegetarian, is not in the best area. I recommend coming during the day, with a group and driving there. They have free parking. Now, the food. It was amazing! The pumpkin soup had chunks of roasted pumpkin in it, the pasta had olives, onions, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and herbs, and the tempura veggies held up even after a half hour walk before we ate. The only thing I wasnt impressed with was the avocado smoothie and that may just be an acquired taste. It tasted like it sounds, a blended avocado. We had a couple sips each and then tossed it. Overall though, the food was so good, but check out my post 'Hawaii - Day 4' for the whole experience of getting the food.
- Fish Burrito - This was at a hole in the wall Mexican place called Serg's Mexican Kitchen. Like most holes in the wall, the food was excellent. I ate till I was stuffed (not weight watchers friendly). The burrito was filled with grilled mahi mahi and Mexican slaw (which looked like lettuce and guacamole) and came with beans and rice. Commence food coma. This was our favorite meal of the trip. We were talking about it for days after eating it.
-Tuna and Avocado Salad - This was from a little ocean side place called Crouching Lion. This was my kind of salad, all kinds of goodies on it. There was tuna, avocado (obviously), pineapple, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, croutons and papaya poppyseed dressing. Delish!
- Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese - The last night here the rain wouldn't stop so we ate at Biba's again. This was like a grown up version of the grilled cheese. It had mozzarella, provolone, tomato, basil, covered in Parmesan and grilled. Cheese overload! Again, not weight watchers friendly, but boy, what a sandwich. The basil really gave it a kick. At the same time, the momma was having an ahi tuna sandwich with wasabi aoli. The Aoli was everything I hoped it would be - amazing.
- Rare Ahi Tuna Salad - We ventured to the Hilton next-door to our hotel and ate at the Tropics Bar & Grill. The tuna was pepper-seared and had a wasabi dressing. I love wasabi, so that is what drew me in. It also had edamame, seaweed, pickled ginger and carrots. It was okay and the wasabi gave my sinuses a good clean out, but it was probably my least favorite meal for the whole trip. We had a tropical fruit crepe a couple hours later that totally made up for it, though.
- Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts - I had to have some of these since we're in Hawaii and I was instantly hooked. I think they may have added crack to them. Luckily, we left them in a hot car and they turned into an unappealing, chocolate goo.
-And i LOVE me some iced coffee with coconut creamer/syrup. It's like a special treat, without the insane calorie count that comes with a blended drink.
Now, like I mentioned, a lot of this food was not weight watchers friendly, but we really wanted to enjoy ourselves while on vacation. Time to get strict again!
-Spicy Tofu Stir Fry - the very first night here we ate at a cafe in the hotel called Koko Cafe. They had a couple vegetarian options so my momma went for the veggie burger with a garlic sauce, and I did the spicy tofu stir fry. It was amazing, especially if you like your food with a kick. There were all kinds of veggies mixed with soba noodles and tofu. Extremely filling, too.
- Fish Quesadillas - I will admit that I do have more choices because I do eat seafood still, but I am not willing to give it up and things like fish quesadillas are my favorite. I got these from Schooners Restaurant, outside of the Pearl Harbor memorial. They were so tasty! The wraps were crispy, the fish was tender and the salsa was loaded with all kinds of tomatoes and peppers. They do have a bean and cheese version if you don't eat fish.
-Ahi Tartare with Risotto Cake; Mango, Avocado, Pecan Salad; and Salted Chocolate Pretzel Tarte - This was from a restaurant called Town that was a recommendation from a friend of my husband's. The menu changes daily and most choices do have meat in them, but I love their slogan, "Local first, organic whenever possible, Aloha always." The food was absolutely amazing! However, the portions were pretty tiny, and the wait was long, but the tastes made up for it. The salad had a 'green goddess' dressing on it that was kinda tangy and delish, and the tartare was on point, but i wish I would have ordered what my momma got! I had dinner envy just staring at her plate and dug in shortly after finishing mine. She had this vegetarian assortment plate (not on the menu) that had all kinds of veggies I had never heard of, but they were all amazing. I don't even know the names of most of the things, but there was grilled squash, polenta, kale with pine nuts, and so much more. I wanted to order a plate of my own even after my tartare! Now the dessert, oh. my. It was so good. The chocolate was incredibly rich and the pretzels added just enough savory to balance it out. We spilt it between the three of us and it was perfect.
- Mediterranean Tofu Pizza - We were so exhausted one night that we just ate at the restaurant at the hotel, Biba's. The pizza was good, crispy crust, tomatoes, mozzarella, lots of herbs and tofu, but was definitely not weight watchers friendly because it was also covered in oil.
- Macadamia Nut Pancakes and Veggie Omelet - These were the best pancakes I've ever had and that is saying something because I just spent 3 months in Columbia, SC eating at The Original Pancake House. They came from Eggs N Things and they had macadamia nuts cooked inside them, as well as on top, along with powdered sugar. I don't typically use syrup (too many WW points) but their coconut syrup was delish. The omelet was just as good. It was packed with zucchini, spinach and mushrooms, and it usually comes with cheese, but we skipped it. Me and the momma split both and it was the perfect amount of food.
- Peanut Butter Shaved Ice - This was not what I expected. I expected something like a snow cone, but it was actually very soft, creamy, melt in your mouth flakes and covered in these sweet syrups. Super tasty and something Hawaii is known for so I couldn't leave without trying it.
-Pesto Salmon and Fries - I really wanted French fries and sometimes you just have to give in to that craving. This meal was back at Koko Cafe in the hotel and it was just as tasty as the first. The pesto was kind of salty, but it was laying on top of a sweet tomato sauce that balanced it out nicely. The fries definitely hit the spot.
- Pumpkin Soup, Tempura Veggies, Mediterranean Vegan 'Chickun' pasta, Avocado Smoothie - It sounds like a lot, but it was all split with the momma. Now before I describe the food, I have to give a disclaimer that this restaurant, Simple Joy Vegetarian, is not in the best area. I recommend coming during the day, with a group and driving there. They have free parking. Now, the food. It was amazing! The pumpkin soup had chunks of roasted pumpkin in it, the pasta had olives, onions, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and herbs, and the tempura veggies held up even after a half hour walk before we ate. The only thing I wasnt impressed with was the avocado smoothie and that may just be an acquired taste. It tasted like it sounds, a blended avocado. We had a couple sips each and then tossed it. Overall though, the food was so good, but check out my post 'Hawaii - Day 4' for the whole experience of getting the food.
- Fish Burrito - This was at a hole in the wall Mexican place called Serg's Mexican Kitchen. Like most holes in the wall, the food was excellent. I ate till I was stuffed (not weight watchers friendly). The burrito was filled with grilled mahi mahi and Mexican slaw (which looked like lettuce and guacamole) and came with beans and rice. Commence food coma. This was our favorite meal of the trip. We were talking about it for days after eating it.
-Tuna and Avocado Salad - This was from a little ocean side place called Crouching Lion. This was my kind of salad, all kinds of goodies on it. There was tuna, avocado (obviously), pineapple, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, croutons and papaya poppyseed dressing. Delish!
- Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese - The last night here the rain wouldn't stop so we ate at Biba's again. This was like a grown up version of the grilled cheese. It had mozzarella, provolone, tomato, basil, covered in Parmesan and grilled. Cheese overload! Again, not weight watchers friendly, but boy, what a sandwich. The basil really gave it a kick. At the same time, the momma was having an ahi tuna sandwich with wasabi aoli. The Aoli was everything I hoped it would be - amazing.
- Rare Ahi Tuna Salad - We ventured to the Hilton next-door to our hotel and ate at the Tropics Bar & Grill. The tuna was pepper-seared and had a wasabi dressing. I love wasabi, so that is what drew me in. It also had edamame, seaweed, pickled ginger and carrots. It was okay and the wasabi gave my sinuses a good clean out, but it was probably my least favorite meal for the whole trip. We had a tropical fruit crepe a couple hours later that totally made up for it, though.
- Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts - I had to have some of these since we're in Hawaii and I was instantly hooked. I think they may have added crack to them. Luckily, we left them in a hot car and they turned into an unappealing, chocolate goo.
-And i LOVE me some iced coffee with coconut creamer/syrup. It's like a special treat, without the insane calorie count that comes with a blended drink.
Now, like I mentioned, a lot of this food was not weight watchers friendly, but we really wanted to enjoy ourselves while on vacation. Time to get strict again!
No comments:
Post a Comment