Ciao, Bela
Yesterday I was out in Western Mass, and stopped in Northampton to eat at Bela Vegetarian Restaurant. It was a small place, and while they didn’t have a lot on their menu, everything was very well prepared and deliciously simple. Not everything there is vegan, but they have everything on the menu clearly labeled so it doesn’t take long to figure out what choices are.
I got one their specials, tofu and chard in a sweet barbeque sauce served over rice noodles, and cleaned my plate. The only regret is that I didn’t have room in my stomach for one of the many vegan deserts they had.
too bad I never knew about Bela when I was in Massachusetts – sounds great!
Comment by VeggieGirl — January 22, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
You are so fortunate to even have a vegetarian restaurant in the vicinity. We used to have a great one, run by 7th Day Adventists. They made some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. Sadly, they closed.
Comment by SuzyQ — January 23, 2008 @ 5:57 pm
I forgot to mention that I just discovered your blog and I read it all the way through last night. You inspire me to cook and bake again. I am a recent vegetarian/vegan, meaning that I do eat some things that have eggs/cheese in them, but I found rice cheese and I like it!
Since you have been so generous to share, I thought I’d share my recipe for Cashew Sauce:
1 large onion (I used a yellow onion)
1/2 C raw cashews
1/4 C water
Garlic (add however much you want)
Cook onion & garlic in water (or oil if you like) for about 45 minutes. Put in a good blender and add cashews, adding water a little at a time to create a white sauce for pasta or brown rice or whatever.
Comment by SuzyQ — January 23, 2008 @ 6:25 pm
Hi SuzyQ! I’m so glad you’ve rediscovered the love of cooking. It’s one of life’s true gifts. Thank you so much for reading!
Comment by jeffrey — January 27, 2008 @ 5:29 pm
I live in Western MA and LOVE Bela. Next time you are there, you must try the lemon coconut cake…it’s pretty much heaven on earth :)
Comment by Jessica — March 9, 2009 @ 2:24 pm