Vegan Chicago: Restaurant Review of Karyn's on Green & Karyn's Fresh Corner

One of my favorite places to dine in Chicago for a high quality all vegan dinner is Karyn's on Green. Ever since I heard about it opening, I've been pretty excited. The only other fancier restaurants that I can think of to go to that are specifically vegan-friendly are MANA food bar and Green Zebra (which I still have never been to, sadly). Of course, there are restaurants of upscale dining that can make vegan options (just call and ask, usually). For example, Charlie Trotter's has a vegetarian menu that can be made vegan upon request. The same applies for Vermilion (if you watch the Food Network, the executive chef, Maneet Chauhan, was featured on The Next Iron Chef and judges on Chopped), TRU, Coco Pazzo, and Crofton on Wells. If you really want to try something special and different, there is the art of molecular gastronomy. Chicago has two restaurants that feature this, Alinea and moto. They both can create vegan menus upon request. Be prepared to shell out the big bucks, though. For a 12-course tasting with wine pairing, tax, and gratuity, the average person spends $350 at Alinea. A 20-course meal is around $500. You could split this with a number of people; though, I'm not sure how full you'd be. Lastly, there is vegan afternoon tea at The Lobby in the Peninsula Hotel. This hotel is probably the loveliest in the city and is worth checking out alone. They have a nice jazz bar that I've been to before for some after dinner drinks. Another tea spot with vegan-friendly options is the Russian Tea Time restaurant. I've never been, but have been meaning to go for years now. One day! I would recommend placing reservations for all the above restaurants. Be warned, you'll be spending at least $100 at any of those restaurants if you include drinks.

Bread & Butter

While Karyn's on Green can be very expensive, if you cut out the alcohol your bill will probably be about $60-70 for two people. With alcohol and desserts, you are looking at about $125 (they do have organic liquor which is nice). It is the place to go for a vegan who wants to splurge, take someone out on a very nice date, or show an omnivore the classy side to plant-based dining.

Roasted Foraged Mushrooms

The menu at Karyn's on Green changes here and there (I believe it is seasonally). The menu sort of combines the other Karyn's restaurants, Karyn's Cooked and Karyn's Raw, plus added options. Karyn's Cooked is more like home cooked food (ex: barbeque pork and the crispy mixed basket) and Karyn's Raw is quality raw dining. For starters, I always like to begin with the roasted foraged mushrooms. They've changed this dish in the past year, though. It used to come with a sauce which it now desperately needs. While it is still enjoyable, the polenta that the mushrooms sit on is quite dry. The taro sticks give the dish a nice crunch, though. Of course, you're going to have to love mushrooms for this dish and I am definitely an avid fungi fan. This causes a problem for me because I always order this dish (despite I think it needs that sauce)! I have heard the aged raw cheese plate is to die for, so one day I will order that instead. Crossing fingers.

Butternut Squash Soup

Caesar Salad

My friend and I got soup and salad before our entree's. If you tell your waiter that you'll be splitting those, they will bring each out on two separate plates. For soup, we had the butternut squash. This was really good. In the past, I've had soups from this restaurant that have been way too salty. They have apparently fixed this problem. The oil drizzle adds a nice complimentary touch to the soup itself. Much like my problem with the appetizer round, I always get the Caesar salad at Karyn's. I really enjoyed Caesar salads prior to becoming vegan which I think is the root of my problem here. Again, I have found in the past that this dish can be salty, but the last couple times it has been perfect. The dressing is fantastic and you have to love those croutons. I have also had the chopped vegetable salad in the past. It was pretty good, but if you are looking for a special vegan salad, I would really recommend the Caesar salad (you don't see a vegan Caesar that often!).

Pumpkin Risotto

Marinated Portobello Steak

Ah, the entree round. I've had a number of the options on their menu on previous dining outings. This time, we tried the pumpkin risotto and the marinated portobello steak (my staple here - told you I have a fungi addiction!). The risotto was prepared beautifully. Creamy and perfect for fall weather. Since I took these pictures, they have modified the marinated portobello steak on their menu. As you see in the picture, it came with fingerling potatoes and wilted spinach. Now it comes with horseradish mashed potatoes and creamed spinach with the same balsamic reduction. I've had both version since they changed the menu (they deliver to me!) and was surprised they changed it. The previous version with fingerling potatoes was much better. The new version is okay, but I was sad to see it modified. Perhaps I have to try it at the restaurant to give it a better chance. Other entree menu items I have had are the crab cakes and the fra diavolo. The crab cakes are a nice meal. Not too dry and the sauce gives the crab cakes a great flavor boost. I've only had the fra diavolo once a long time ago and from what I recall, it was great as well. I'll have to try it again, though, since it has been a while! I've also heard the chicken legs are a real treat. Never had them, but definitely willing to try them one day too.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Any place that I can get a dessert cocktail that is vegan is the place for me. Karyn's not only has a small dessert libation menu, but fantastic sweets too. They used to have a chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and some kind of ice cream that was to die for. For our dinner, we had the pumpkin cheesecake. This was really tasty. I loved the ice cream that went with the cheesecake. The crumble gave the dessert an added crunch which it really needed due to all the creamy elements. A couple was having the doughnuts and coffee ice cream near our table and that looked very cute and yummy too!


If you can't tell from my review, I really love Karyn's on Green. It is one of my top five vegan restaurants in the city. The service can be spotty, though. I've had some really great waiters and some really snooty ones. I give the place a 4.5/5 because of this.

Raw Salad Bar

Karyn's is somewhat of a mini vegan empire here in Chicago. The owner has the three previously mentioned restaurants plus Karyn's Fresh Corner, Karyn's Inner Beauty Center, Karyn's at Home, and a book. The beauty center has organic spa services, holistic procedures, and lines of organic/vegan beauty products. Karyn's at Home is a meal service program.

BLT Sandwich

Karyn's Fresh Corner is where Karyn's Raw is located as well as the holistic wellness center, and a small market with a juice bar. The market has raw and organic products plus some of Karyn's food to-go. If you need some rather obscure raw items that you can't find at Whole Foods, this is the place to go (ex: detox items). They also have a raw salad bar and a juice/smoothie bar. It's a nice place to stop by for a quick pick-up lunch and an organic juice. The salad bar is $7.99 a pound or $12.95 for all-you-can-eat. I got the raw salad bar and a BLT sandwich (be warned, some of the breads the sandwiches are made of have honey in them, but they are marked). I have to say, I think I'm not a fan of raw sandwiches. I've had them from raw before and now from Karyn's and both times I have found them too acidic and just off tasting. I much preferred the raw salad and the juice. The juice was a lovely pick-me-up. I had the summer cooler, though the employee recommended the peaceful warrior.


Just a quick mention: There are a couple other juice bars in the city that I love. Peeled Chicago had a great cleansing Groupon a little while ago (3 day juice cleanse - all vegan and organic). I was just in about a week ago and they said they may be having one again soon, so be on the look out! Green Corner is also great. Newcomer Vegetarian Express also has vegan juice available. Kramer's Health Foods has a number of vegan options of their menu as well as a juice bar.

Vegan Chicago: Restaurant Review of Borrowed Earth Cafe

Haunted Trail

For a weekend trip, my friend (check out her website about teaching kids empathy) and I went to a family farm called Kuipers Farm in Maple Park, IL. It was a nice fall trip for us city dwellers here in Chicago. This farm was a great place for kids (and adults!). We specifically picked out a place to go that treated their animals in humane ways. A lot of the places we looked into had things like pig races and exotic animals. One even had a white tiger exhibit. Kuipers Farm had a corn maze, a nature walk, a haunted trail, a small farm area (where the farm animals had a lot of room to live and enjoy their lives - even an adoption program for the few cats there!), a hay wagon ride to the pumpkin patch, and kid-friendly areas with giant pumpkins and tractor truck tire playgrounds. They have duck races, but never fear... it is with plastic ducks! For adults, there is an apple orchard where one can pick their own apples and a large store with all sorts of local products including their apples and pumpkins. It was a very impressive place! They sell Christmas trees during the winter which I think would be a great outing for a family in order for children to see where their trees come from and the ecology behind it. The process of seeing where the tree is chopped to your living room I think is an important one because we often don't think about how items get from a to z (similar to factory farming and the meat at your grocery store).

Hanging Out With Goats

Corn Maze

Cheese Perogies

On the way back to the city, we stopped in Downers Grove to have lunch at Borrowed Earth Cafe. This place is a small raw, organic vegan restaurant. My experience with raw vegan restaurants has only been Karyn's Raw and raw. The meal was satisfying and the dessert was exceptional. For starters, we had the cheese perogies. It is a "cheese" filling with a jimaca wrapper. While I wouldn't necessarily call this a pierogi, the filling was creamy and scrumptious. 

Spinach Quiche

Egg Salad Sandwich

Oreo Cookie Ice Cream

For entree's, we shared the spinach quiche and the "I Can't Believe It's Not An Egg Salad" sandwich. The quiche wasn't really a quiche as I remember them, but the same concept was there. It had a base of nuts and chopped veggies combined with "cheese" to create the rest. The egg salad sandwich was creamy but not really an "egg salad". I made a vegan version a while back with tofu which I thought was better mostly due to texture. It had the same kick, but the texture was just too silky in this sandwich. It definitely wasn't bad, though, so I would get it again. It was wrapped in a zucchini flax seed wrap which was great. Both entrees came with three types of salads. One was a mixed greens, another a cabbage, and lastly a collard greens salad. The dressing was sweet yet not too cloying. My favorite was the collard green salad.

Raw Chocolate Cheesecake

For dessert, we split two different treats. My friend got a chocolate cheesecake and I had an oreo cookie ice cream sundae. I've had raw cheesecakes at the Chicago Diner, but this cheesecake was something to be said. It was amazing! The base was made of nuts and dates, while the cheesecake part was made of coconut meat, coconut oil, and other ingredients. I've never had raw ice cream, but I've seen pictures before. ...So tasty. It was also made of coconut meat, coconut oil, dates, etc. Everyone should go to Borrowed Earth Cafe just for desserts alone!

Your Blog Doll In a Pumpkin Patch

Vegan Chicago: Restaurants & Chef Showdown!

As many of you may know, I am a Chicago Outreach Coordinator with Mercy For Animals. One of the many campaigns of MFA is our Vegetarian Dining Campaign. MFA works with restaurants to add vegan options to their menu and provides them with the support, PR, and connections to get soy cheese, faux meat, etc.


Recently, some great work was done by MFA in Chicago with the Vegetarian Dining Campaign. El Nuevo Mexicano has added vegan quesadillas, flautas, chile rellanos, enchiladas, fajitas, and more. There is even non-dairy, cruelty-free dessert! Daiya and local master seitan makers, Upton's Naturals, provide the vegan cheese and faux meat. A friend of mine and I went there for lunch to check out the new menu and were floored! We had never had flautas or chimichangas before, but I bet these were better than any filled with meat and dairy cheese. If you are in the neighborhood, come out and support the new vegan menu at El Nuevo Mexicano. Click here for the full new vegan menu. For more information, check out MFA's blog post here.

Grilled Cheeze Sandwich with Daiya from LooseLeaf Lounge

Tomorrow, MFA is having a launch party for a new vegan menu at another Chicago restaurant, LooseLeaf Lounge. They have already had a great vegan sandwich up on their menu, but it has been expanded to include a grilled cheeze sandwich, a seitan sandwich, a chorizo seitan wrap, a vegetable sandwich, and vegan cookies. Again, the cheese is provided by Daiya and the seitan by Upton's Naturals. If you are free tomorrow and in Chicago, check out the event! Click here for the Facebook event page for more information. This new menu is permanent, by the way!

I'd been aware of vegan pizza with vegan cheese from several different places here in Chicago including Ian's Pizza (also has Upton's Naturals seitan), Mista (not at their downtown location, though), Karyn's Cooked (to be expected, they're a vegan restaurant), Moonshine, and Pick Me Up Cafe (they have a very extensive vegan-friendly menu). Pie Hole Pizza Joint also carries pizza with Daiya which I just found out about. Thought I would share the news up on here since I'm updating about vegan restaurants! Here is a list of places that carries vegan pizza in Chicago. 

Pad Thai with soy chiken from Urban Vegan Chicago

Two new restaurants that have opened in Chicago in the past few months include Urban Vegan Chicago and Earth's Healing Cafe. Urban Vegan is a Thai vegan restaurant. Though I haven't been there yet, I can't wait to try it out. I've heard really good things from people who have gone. Their menu uses a variety of faux meats including soy chiken and vegan seafood. Earth's Healing Cafe is a raw organic cafe that boasts smoothies, juices, several entrees (pasta, wrap, pâté), and desserts (cheezecake, fruit pie, apple pie). If you are looking for a healthy, light meal, this is the new place to be! Also coming to town in July are three new locations of Native Foods, based primarily in California.  As a California native, I've heard fantastic things about this vegan chain for years now. I haven't tried it out myself, but I've had friends who have (and even were nice enough to bring me a reusable bag all the way to Chicago) and they all love it dearly. Native Foods makes their own vegan cheese which I hear is to die for (also, very impressive!). I'm looking forward to not one, but all three new Native Foods here in Chicago! I'm not sure of where all the new locations are to be, but for sure one will be in Wicker Park.

Lastly to report about here in Chicago is the very anticipated Chicago Vegan Chef Showdown sponsored by Upton's Naturals with the help of the Funky Buddha Lounge. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit Mercy For Animals. Twenty chefs will battle it out with yummy vegan food that includes Upton's Naturals seitan and the team or person whose food was bought the most wins the showdown. Guess what? Vegan Miss is participating! So, come out and show your support for Vegan Miss, MFA, and Upton's Naturals! We'll be serving a VM specialty that we're super excited to share (how often does the blogger get to cook the recipes she writes for her readers, huh?!). The more people come and show support by buying VM's delicious food ($1 per sample), the more money goes to MFA and their life-saving work. Win for everyone! Excited!

Dishes Men Like: Mystery Cheese Ball Spread, Imperial Salad, & "Beef" and Mushroom Casserole

Ah, Dishes Men Like. I decided to give another few recipes a whirl out of this book. Honestly, I am floored with how good they turn out despite a) 1950's food in general was never deemed all that good and b) it's veganized 1950's food! This salad dressing was very tasty, the cheese ball actually tasted like bleu cheese, and the casserole was a huge hit.


Mystery Cheese Ball Spread

* Prep Time: 1 hour - 24 hours
* Cook Time:  5 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1 6 oz. package soy bleu cheese*
• 4 oz. vegan cream cheese*
• 1 tsp white onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

* Recipe:

1. Combine the bleu cheese, cream cheese, onion, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate for at least one hour, up to 24 hours.
2. Form the mixture into a large ball. Roll around in mixed up parsley and walnuts. Serve with crackers.

* Note:  For soy bleu cheese, I used Sunergia Soyfoods. You can order it online. For cream cheese, I used Tofutti. For Worcestershire sauce, I used The Wizard's organic brand.




Imperial Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegan sugar*
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• water
• 3 strips veggie bacon*
• 4 tbsp salad oil
• 1 large head of lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, diced

* Recipe:

1. Combine the first seven ingredients in a measuring cup; add water to fill up to 1 cup mark.
2. In a small skillet, fry up the bacon in the salad oil until tender.
3. Chop the lettuce and place in large bowl. Add onion.
4. Tear the bacon into small bits.
5. Stir contents of the cup; combine with fried bacon and oil.
6. In a small sauce pan, heat the mixture and simmer. Do not bring to boil.
7. Pour over the lettuce and onion. Serve immediately.

* Note: For vegan sugar, I used Florida Crystals. For veggie bacon, I used Lightlight. 




 "Beef" and Mushroom Casserole with Sour Cream

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 bags of Gardein Beefless Tips*
• 3-4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup vegan sour cream*
• 4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz. cooked fusilli noodles or cooked rice

* Recipe:

1. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and heat. Add the beefless tips and brown for a few minutes. Remove the meat and add the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are translucent.
2. Blend in flour, add sour cream, and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.
3. Return meat to pan, add remaining ingredients, mix well.
4. Turn into greased casserole dish, bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
5. Serve over noodles or rice.

* Note: Gardein is a great brand you can find just about anywhere now. This recipe called for steak so this is what I used instead. It turned out amazing. For vegan sour cream I used Tofutti.

Meatout 2011: Chick'n Bacon Ranch Sandwich & Greek Salad

 
Meatout is a worldwide event run by FARM that takes place yearly. From their website, "On (or around) March 20, thousands of caring people in all 50 U.S. states and two dozen other countries get active to host educational events for Meatout- the world's largest grassroots diet education campaign. Activists distribute free food, educate their communities, and ask their friends, families, and neighbors to "kick the meat habit” and explore a wholesome, compassionate diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains." 


As a part of the activism for Meatout, they have asked me and many other bloggers to hold an e-event by posting a special recipe on their blog today, March 20th. In honor of this, I decided to make a rather simple but delicious meal.


Chick'n Bacon Ranch Sandwich

* Prep Time: 5 minutes
* Cook Time: 15 minutes
* Ingredients (for sandwich):

• 1 Gardein Chickn Scallopini patty*
• 2 slices of Lightlife veggie bacon*
• 1 romaine lettuce leaf
• 1 slice of vegan cheese*
• 1/4 of avocado, sliced
• 1 bun*
• 1 tbsp vegan ranch (or to taste)

* Ingredients (for ranch):

• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise*
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or to taste)*
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp garlic red wine vinegar

* Recipe (for ranch):

1. Combine all ingredients. Mix well.

* Recipe (for sandwich):

1. In a small skillet, fry the chick'n patty until golden brown on each side.
2. In the same skillet, fry up two slices of veggie bacon until slightly crispy on each side.
3. Again in the skillet, toast the insides of a sliced roll until crispy.
4. Construct the sandwich by bottom bun, lettuce, chick'n, bacon, and cheese. Microwave the sandwich so the cheese melts. Add the avocado and ranch. Top with the remaining half of the bun.

* Note: Gardein is a great all vegan product that can be found in most grocery stores now. I used the Chick'n Scallopini because I wanted to have a "chick'n breast" on my sandwich. One could also have used a Boca chickn patty or another brand. Lightlife makes a vegan bacon that is pretty good. Again, one can find it in many grocery stores. For cheese, I used a local brand of vegan Muenster. The company is called Ste Martaen and they have a great line of cashew cheeses here in Chicago. They also happen to co-run the vegan food truck which is awesome! The bun I used was a ciabatta bun, but feel free to use a hoagie roll or something else. For vegan mayonnaise, I prefer Vegenaise over other brands. Their dressing mayonnaise works so well to make ranch. Lastly, for the milk, feel free to use any non-dairy milk.


Greek Salad

* Prep Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: n/a
* Ingredients (for salad):

• 1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup black olives
• 1/3 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 medium vine tomato, chopped
• 1/3 large cucumber, chopped
• 2 tbsp soy feta*

* Ingredients (for dressing):

• 4-5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 lemon, juice squeezed
• 2 tbsp garlic red wine vinegar

* Recipe (for salad):

1. Chop all the vegetables and combine well in a bowl. Take half the vegetables and place in one bowl, the other half in another bowl.
2. Top with 1 tbsp soy feta on each bowl.
3. Lastly, add the salad dressing to each bowl.

* Recipe (for dressing):

1. Combine the oregano, salt, pepper, lemon, and vinegar in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive until combined.

* Note: For soy feta, I used Sunergia Soyfoods brand. It's pretty good. Feel free to skip this part if you don't want to order it.

Pear, Walnut, & Soy Bleu Cheese Salad w/ Pear Vinaigrette

As promised, here is a recipe for a yummy salad. I also have some soy feta that I want to make a Greek salad out of, so be on the lookout for that too. In the next few days, I will be posting my St. Patrick's Day recipes.

Pear, Walnut, & Soy Bleu Cheese Salad w/ Pear Vinaigrette
 

* Prep Time: 5 minutes

* Cook Time: n/a

* Ingredients:

• 2 cups arugula
• 1/4-1/3 cup white onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 medium pear, sliced or chopped
• 1/3 cup soy bleu cheese, chopped into squares*
• 1/4 cup pear nectar, or more/less to taste
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, or more/less to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

  * Recipe:

1. Combine the arugula, onion, walnuts, pear, and soy bleu cheese together. Place in two salad bowls.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the pear nectar, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix. While mixing, pour olive oil into the dressing. Feel free to add more pear nectar or vinegar, to taste.
3. Drizzle the dressing over the salads. Enjoy!

* Note: The soy bleu cheese is a brand called Sunergia Soyfoods. It wasn't bad! I've never seen or had soy bleu cheese before, so I was really intrigued. I ordered it online from Pangea.