Veg out

Some new of my favorite vegetarian eateries for when I get sick of eating the same sandwich everyday.

Kaldi's - I'm sure most of you have heard this name, and with good reason. Kaldis is a small coffee coffee chain in St. Louis with completely vegetarian menu. They serve quiche, smoothies, salads, etc. People usually look at me like I'm crazy when I mention that my favorite breakfast is a bacon (sans bacon now) and egg taco with a healthy dose of salsa. Try Kaldi's breakfast burrito and you might understand, but you will have to eat one from Las Palapas in San Antonio, Texas to really get it. Kaldi's has several locations including the DeMun neighborhood, Chesterfield, Kirkwood, Columbia, Springfeld, and downtown Clayton. 7am-11pm daily (Sunday open till 9)

OR Juice & Smoothie - This place has awesome smoothies and healthy non-fried spring rolls and tofu wraps. They cater to vegans too. They seem to be pretty serious about the organic pledge, you aren't even supposed to use your cell phone next to the food. (right...) It's nice to have a place that substitutes some protein full tofu for meat instead of just veggies all the time. If you mention an ailment to them, such as "I'm feeling tired and restless at work" they will suggest something for you to eat. I don't know how much I buy into it, but their food is delicious. They are located in the Schnucks shopping center on Clayton and Big Bend.

How to Cook Tofu

Does anybody have any suggestions for cooking tofu in a way that it absorbs the flavor of the dish?

This article seems to be pretty helpful with understanding how to cook with tofu.

Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants

Tip top veggie food in St. Louis:*

The best is Shangri-La Diner (http://www.theshangriladiner.com/) in Antique Row. Weird hours, crazy employees, and a bizarre combination of dishes—but everything on the menu is delicious. It's the only real "vegetarian" restaurant that I've come across in the city. Plus, you can get the St. Louis Slinger vegetarian with veggie chili and either scrambled eggs or scrambled tofu. A must for St. Louis vegetarians.

I also enjoy City Diner (http://www.saucemagazine.com/citydiner/) for classic food—it's not exactly veggie paradise, but most of their dishes have a lot of fresh vegetables and there are several veggie protein-friendly dishes on the menu. Plus, if you're not a vegan, the shakes are delicious.

I've never eaten at Riddles (http://www.riddlescafe.com/), but they're very pro-local produce and meats. They have a great selection of changing seasonal vegetables on their menu, and a different veggie dish every night.

Another good bet for St. Louis vegetarian food is ethnic restaurants. I really enjoy Thai pizza on the loop (cause you can get pizza with tofu!!!), and the vegetarian Mexican options on Cherokee street are always cheap and delicious. There's also an Ethiopian restaurant on the corner of Kingsland and Olive that is really good (although a little pricey for what you get), but has a great vegetarian sample platter. On South Grand, there's the King and I and Lemongrass, both of which are good Vietnamese/Asian food choices. Strangely enough, I also recommend BarCelona in Clayton—the vegetarian tapas options are delicious and filling, and relatively inexpensive in comparison to the meatier choices.

*recommendations from Liz K.