Surprisingly Vegetarian

I don't want to seem like a hypocrite. And I don't want people to think that I am "holier than thou." So let me be honest. {Katrine} I think it's understandable-nay even O.K.- that parents feed their children crappy foods every once in a while. Like a hot dog at a BBQ or a hamburger at a pool party...but it's the how much and how often that I have an issue with.

I say this because I have to be honest when we eat at home, we eat really well, probably 2/3 of our meals are vegan; BUT we LOVE-LOVE-LOVE going out to eat. We go out to eat every 10 days or so. I know, horrible. So we are not Mr. and Ms. Healthy. Unfortunately. I just wanted to clear the air.

Eating a plant based diet though, dramatically changes where you go out to eat. And although we are eating out, it is usually relatively healthy. We usually eat ethnic food, such as Indian and Mediterranean. But occasionally we will eat at "normal" American chain restaurants. Here is our list of our top surprisingly vegetarian friendly restaurants that we like to eat at.

BEST ASIAN (and our pick for #1 overall):

• WHY WE LIKE IT: You can get EVERY SINGLE ENTREE on the menu made vegetarian. (And by doing so making some of them vegan as well.) To have a national chain that offers both vegetarian and vegan options is awesome.
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: The Orange Peel Tofu and Vegetables will make you wonder why you didn't eat vegetarian sooner.
• HINT: It's pronounced pay-way...not pee-wee.

BEST BURGER JOINT:

• WHY WE LIKE IT: You can get every Classic Gourmet Burger made with a Boca (R) Patty. (Soy based patty).
  
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: The Banzai Burger. Pineapple+burger=yum!
  
• RUNNER UPS: Fudruckers: you can get their specialty blend grain patty. Burger King: Do you need a hamburger fast, BK offers MorningStar all vegetable patty-move over Whopper.

BEST DELI:

• WHY WE LIKE IT: Jason's Deli offers a wide variety of sandwiches and salads and even has a vegetarian kids menu.
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: We like their Famous Salad Bar and soup.
• RUNNER UPS: Cafe Express: They have a great variety and sweet potato fries. Subway: They may only have one veggie delight, but at least you can make it anyway you like.

BEST ITALIAN:

• WHY WE LIKE IT: I hate to say it but the Olive Garden is really the only national Italian restaurant chain out there. When we do eat Italian, we usually hit up the little hole in the wall restaurant (ie. Angelo's). But Olive Garden does offer a variety of veggie dishes
  
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: We like the soup and salad lunch. At least that way you don't overload with calories. In the mood for pasta try the Capellini Pomodoro.

BEST PIZZA:

• Again I hate saying this, but I am thinking of surprisingly vegetarian restaurants here. When it comes to pizza we often go local, but recently we have been eating Domino's
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: The Pacific Veggie. De-lish!

BEST VEGGIE PLACES NATIONWIDE:

• Mr. Natural's (Austin, TX)
• Ghandi's Indian Cuisine (Las Vegas, NV)
• Damassis (Houston, TX)
• Atlanta Bread Company (Nationwide)
• Boston Market (Nationwide)
• Sweet Tomatoes (Nationwide)
  

WORST VEGGIE PLACES NATIONWIDE:

• Pappacito's Cantina
  
• Applebees
  
• TGIFriday's