Goodbye Organic Works!

Yesterday was my last day as the retail purchaser for Organic Works... and it was really hard for me. The staff there have become like my family over these past few months! Peter and Kate were like my cool parents who gave me so much independence in my job, the Chef was like my best friend who I just immediately clicked with, and Brady was like my favourite older brother who was always good for ranting to when or for sharing a few laughs.

The food at the cafe was also amazing - I'm going to miss the food almost as much as the people! I loved everything I ate there, but these were some of my favourites:

Best comfort food meal: Spaghetti squash lasagna with quinoa noodles, sweet potato, spinach, and pounds of mozzarella cheese and garlic toast topped with pesto and cheese on the side.

Best dessert: Nanaimo bars!

Best ethnic dish: Saigon style sweet potato and tempeh curry over brown basmati rice.

Best veggie burger: I've eaten a lot of Chef's veggie burgers and they're all good, but this falafel burger on a focaccia bun with tahini sauce was the best!

Best sandwich: Local roasted turkey on buckwheat bread with avocado spread, tomato, sprouts, red onion, and Dijon. I think I've ordered this sandwich at least 10 times and it never gets old.

Best salad: Massaged kale salad with avocado, nori, marinated tempeh, and toasted hemp seeds. I actually gave Chef the idea for this salad, so I was so excited when she put it on the regular daily menu! Her version is way better than any massaged kale salad I've ever made.

What is the best job you've ever had?

Veg Out

Is it just me, or are restaurants becoming a lot better about accommodating allergies and dietary restrictions? Two years ago I never would have dreamed I would be able to find a bakery with nut-free treats. And now I know of two.

I also used to never be able to eat at vegan restaurants. In fact, I've called London's only fully vegan restaurant, Veg Out, a few times in the past to ask if they can accommodate nut allergies, but each time I was told it would be too risky. But this week when I called again I got a different answer: they said it would be no problem and that they would be sure to take measures to prevent contamination in the kitchen. This made me so happy!

So on Saturday evening I went there for dinner with my friends Andrea and Rae, who are both big fans of the restaurant. It had such a cute cozy feeling inside - I almost felt like I was eating at someone's house.

For my meal I was debating between the tempeh bacon mushroom melt sandwich and the "bowl of plenty" with greens, veggies, sprouted lentils, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and apricots, but when I heard the daily special, I was sold. It was a sweet potato stuffed with curried chickpeas and spinach - yum!

I was so impressed with this meal, and also with the great service. The waitress did a great job of taking care of me and making sure all my allergy-related questions were answered by the kitchen.

I wish I wasn't moving out of the city in 4 days, because I could definitely see myself becoming a regular here!

What's your favourite kind of stuffed vegetable?

Do you have any allergies or dietary restrictions that make it hard to eat at restaurants?