Wayward Cafe & Vegan Vocab

Wayward Cafe is located in the U-District, just a few blocks north of the UW itself. Matthew found out about this restaurant while searching online for vegan restaurants. I had no idea there was even such a thing as a vegan breakfast cafe. Vegan breakfast? All American? What???

The cafe, from outside, isn't noticeably appealing. It looks like the rest of the U-District - a little rough around the edges. On our way up to the door, though, I noticed a gluten free menu. That's when I really became sold on this place!

I have searched far and wide for an extensive, accomodating, and edible gluten-free (not to mention dairy-free) menu and have always come up short. Either the menu wasn't dairy free, or it was too difficult to order from, or it was just too unhealthy. I'm not that hard to please when it comes to taste buds, but I am hard to please when it comes to combining all my needs (allergies, health requests, and the like). Wayward Cafe literally brought all of my needs to one place, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Being a vegan restaurant means it is naturally entirely free of dairy, butter, eggs, meat products, and completely cruelty-free. The gluten free menu made my jaw drop. This is coming from someone who has been void of wheat and all things "normal" for the past 3-4 years, so seeing a menu with things like Tempeh Bacon Breakfast Burrito, Brown Rice Pancakes, and Quinoa "Oatmeal", I was ecstatic to say the least.

For breakfast I ordered the Gluten-Free Sampler. Clockwise from left: Scrambled tofu, steamed kale with toasted sesame seeds, tempeh bacon, and half a plate of hashbrowns.

Above, I took a picture of the gluten-free menu, and the unlikely blend of sauces and seasonings on each table including nutritional yeast, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, S&P, hot sauce, and not pictured, organic ketchup. I decided the ketchup had to have been organic, because it didn't burn my throat like normal high-fructose corn syrup ketchup does.

I also have to say a quick word about Wayward's amazing customer service. They were all friendly, bubbly, knowledgable, and helpful. The service was fast (under 20 minutes from the time we ordered, paid, and sat down). The staff was smiling, and the food was absolutely amazing. It was hot and cooked to perfection. To be honest, I really don't remember what Matthew ordered because I was obsessed with my own plate - taking pictures of it, eating it, and relishing every moment of how good it is. It was so good in fact, that we went back the very next day and tried two new breakfasts.

This poor business was robbed the night before we came here, and everyone there acted as though nothing had happened to them. Being a small business like this with expensive vegan food, they need every penny they can get in order to make a profit. Matthew left a large tip both days, but if you can visit Wayward Cafe, please stop by and give them a try. Even if you don't like tofu, try one of their Cinnamon Rolls. Who doesn't like those?

           

             *Vegan Vocab - or really, just everyday vocab*

Bragg's Liquid Aminos: Equivalent to soy sauce, but gluten and wheat free. Tastes just like soy sauce. Also delivers an extensive amount of amino acids (good for you) in each serving.

Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast produced by culturing the yeast with a mixture of sugarcane and beet molasses (Wikipedia). Nutritional Yeast is added to a lot of vegan "cheese" products to give it an enhanced, richer flavor. Personally, I don't much like nutritional yeast, but I have heard that people either love it or hate it. Since it is made from fermenting sugarcane and beet molasses, I suspect it is not a good idea for those allergic or intolerant to cane sugar. Although, in terms of health profile, nutritional yeast really takes the cake (ha!). Take a look at the nutrition profile for just two tablespoons (left).  

Tempeh: Fermented soybeans that are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves. The beans are fermented, which actually makes them easier to digest than regular soy products such as soymilk and tofu. Tempeh has a higher protein, fiber, and nutrient density than tofu, although tofu is still a healthy alternative to meat products. Tempeh is also naturally gluten free, but many ready to eat tempeh products contain gluten and corn additives, so make sure to check labels if you are watching out for these. Tempeh is a great source of iron, calcium, and the trace minerals magnesium and phosphorus.

Tofu: Tofu is curdled soymilk. That may sound unappealing, but the tofu is curlded with natural coagulants (chemicals that make tiny pieces clump together into larger pieces) such as nigari, found in ocean water (which turns into magnesium chloride, thus curdling the soymilk) or calcium sulfate, which is a white salt (a man-made chemical). Either one of these coagulants causes the soymilk to curdle, and then it is formed into a block of tofu. Tofu is high in protein and calcium, making it a great alternative to dairy.

If you don't know what kale is, shame on you. Go to the store right now and buy a large amount of vegetables you don't recognize and just start cooking them. :|

I hope all of my readers are inspired and intrigued by these strange words, and will try to integrate them into their own diets. Yes, you, the reader! :) Please leave comments or feedback, or if you have any questions, I am open to hearing/reading them!

Have a good week and stay healthy!