Hell Yeah Veganism: "Challenge Accepted"by Randi / October 11, 2013
Before spending a week in New Jersey, I asked my PPK friends where I would be able to eat. They came through with plenty of suggestions, as always, but the overriding theme seemed to be ‘Eat at Veggie Heaven above all else!’ Of course, they were right. Veggie Heaven, an Asian vegetarian restaurant in Denville, was all-around delicious, with superb sushi, decent dumplings, and wonderful faux meats used in fun ways. I set out to over-order, as is my wont, and everything was very good.
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Adding another plus, they had fresh juice! I first asked for a shot of wheatgrass, but the waitress informed me that they don’t make that anymore because no one wanted it. (They need to take it off the menu, or bring it back when I go!) So, I got the Veggie Special Juice, with apple, carrot, celery, and beet, and asked to add spinach to it, though I’m not sure if she did because I tasted mainly beet and carrot. It was a nice juice though!
 Steamed spinach dumplings |
 Veggie Special Juice, hopefully with spinach Next were the Steamed Spinach Dumplings. With a very mild and pleasant flavor, they were almost necessary to counteract all the spicier and heavier dishes I ordered. I love steamed dumplings much more than fried, and it was nice to have a solely veg filling instead of faux pork or something thrown in with it.
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Crispy chicken wraps
The next dish was actually a mistake, but a very delicious one. I ordered the Crispy Veggie Chicken Salad, but was brought the Crispy Chicken Wrap. It’s probably my bad, mumbling or something, but it was no big deal because look how pretty! With crispy soy chicken, avocado, spicy mayo, tomatoes, and mixed greens, the wrap was light and delicious, with the fresh veggies thankfully more prominent than the chicken. Also, spicy mayo makes everything delicious. (Except cake. That would be disgusting.)
Tom Yum Chicken over spinach and mustard greens
Since I have a love affair with appetizers (you can order so many!), I only got one entree, and I couldn’t even eat it! The Tom Yum Chicken arrived just so I could take a picture and then ask for it to be packed up. Too much food. Luckily, it provided me with two dinners. The flavor was great. I usually hate Americanized Chinese food entrees, with their sauce-logged components that all seem interchangeable. However, this sauce was not overpowering at all. It had touches of ginger and scallion complementing tons of basil leaves, spinach, and I think mustard greens, all mixed with crispy chicken strips that were perfection. Also, I love that the waitress asked if I wanted white or brown rice even before I could request brown rice. My kind of place! I enjoyed this dish and would recommend it, but I think next time I’d stick to appetizers. I just like being able to try smaller bits of lots of things.
 My favorite thing, naturally, was the sushi roll I will definitely be getting more of someday. The Fashion Roll, as it’s called for no apparent reason, combines faux crispy shrimp (my favorite faux thing, probably because I used to love imitation crab meat. So gross. Don’t judge) with spicy mayo, cucumber, and avocado. You know how I feel about sushi, and this roll reinforced my obsession. It was so good! I used to love all the crazy crispy shrimpy rolls, and this roll totally satisfied my constant craving.
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 Fashion Roll, with soy crispy shrimp and spicy mayo |
Autumn roll, with yummy things in tofu skin and deep-fried
Another standout was the Autumn Roll, a delicious, deep-fried mixture of veggie ham, jicama, and black mushrooms, all rolled in tofu skin and fried to crazy levels of friedness. So good! It was pretty heavy, and I usually don’t enjoy super-fried oily stuff, but this was really good, I admit. But I don’t think I could have eaten the entire dish myself, even if I hadn’t ordered other stuff, because it was so dense and filling. Even so, I’d probably get it again. Have you ever had deep-fried tofu skin? It’s like the coolest kind of wrapper ever! Look at that color! And it provides the perfect kind of bite and chewiness.
I was pretty impressed with Veggie Heaven and I definitely want to return next time I’m in the area. It’s like my version of Pan-Asian comfort food. There’s a lot of heavy, fried food, but it’s easily balanced by many light, fresh-tasting options. I didn’t get the chance to try their vegan desserts because I was counting on Silk almond milk soft-serve at the TCBY around the corner, but of course they didn’t have it. It sucks, because I really want to know if their Fried Tofu Ice Cream is vegan, and if so, what on earth it tastes like. Lesson learned: Always get dessert when you have the chance, and the worst that can happen is extra dessert!
I was pretty impressed with Veggie Heaven and I definitely want to return next time I’m in the area. It’s like my version of Pan-Asian comfort food. There’s a lot of heavy, fried food, but it’s easily balanced by many light, fresh-tasting options. I didn’t get the chance to try their vegan desserts because I was counting on Silk almond milk soft-serve at the TCBY around the corner, but of course they didn’t have it. It sucks, because I really want to know if their Fried Tofu Ice Cream is vegan, and if so, what on earth it tastes like. Lesson learned: Always get dessert when you have the chance, and the worst that can happen is extra dessert!
Veggie Heaven, Denville NJ
- Water speed: Amazing, upholding the Chinese restaurant stereotype
- Bathrooms: Nice single-serves off to the side
- Service: Decent, though I wish my many app plates came at a slower pace
- Food: Yummy!
- Bonus: Juices, vegan desserts, spicy mayo
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VEGAN MOFO Is Almost Here! Get Pumped!
VeganMofo is only 3 days away!!! That’s right, this year the Vegan Month of Food is taking place in September. I’m so excited to participate in my first Mofo!
If you aren’t familiar with Mofo, read about it on the official blog! You’ll also find a list of all participants there. VeganMofo is a fun yet challenging, well, challenge to blog every day (or at least most days) of the month! So, check out Laughfrodisiac throughout September for posts with the following themes:
If you aren’t familiar with Mofo, read about it on the official blog! You’ll also find a list of all participants there. VeganMofo is a fun yet challenging, well, challenge to blog every day (or at least most days) of the month! So, check out Laughfrodisiac throughout September for posts with the following themes:
MONDAY: On Mondays, we will veganize things that Monica (Courteney Cox) made on ‘Friends’!! I think I’m most excited to make the infamous English Trifle/Shepherd’s Pie disaster. (I know Rachel made that, but it counts.) So much fun!
TUESDAY: On Tuesdays, we will get new travel guides for locations all over the globe! If you plan to go anywhere ever, this information will save you! Like the bahble!
WEDNESDAY: On Wednesdays, we will play Restaurant Wars! New restaurant reviews will be posted — including the review for one of top 10 restaurants in the world. You’re going to want to read that one!
THURSDAY: On Thursdays, we will review special meals for holidays occurring in September, as well as discuss other big events (like weddings!).
FRIDAY: On Fridays, we will return to “Friends” and make some more fun things!
SATURDAY: On Saturdays, we will get a mix of style blogs and entertainment blogs, from theatre reviews to ravings about TV shows that are soon returning!
SUNDAY: Finally, on Sundays, we will bake breakfast foods! From muffins to my special protein-packed energy bars, these blogs will be delicious!
I might also throw in second posts on certain days, about random things that come to my attention!
So, there you have it! I’m mainly posting this in advance in order to hold myself accountable to what I’ve outlined here. Help keep me to it, and I hope you enjoy all of VeganMofo!
