23. White Orchids

I went to high school in the Lehigh Valley, PA, and I can assure you that it was never the happening place back then. I wasn't a vegan at the time, but I was vegetarian living on french fries mostly.

Now that I've moved away, several vegan-friendly spots have popped up. These places aren't vegan-friendly as in they'll hold the cheese, chicken, and ranch on the house salad for you; these places actually use the word "vegan" on their menus.



Vegan Treats is a bit of a given there, but another place that welcomes vegans is White Orchids in Center Valley. This Thai restaurant has become a family favorite. It's beautifully decorated inside and there are vegan and gluten-free menus that offer a variety of dishes to satisfy any taste.



On my most recent trip, I had fragrant Jasmine Tea, spicy Masaman Curry, Cool and Refreshing Summer Rolls, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Som Tum (papaya salad). I shared all of these dishes, or I would have exploded, and had the leftovers for dinner. There are a lot of Thai places in D.C., but honestly not one has come close in taste or vegan access to White Orchids. They get that vegan means no fish sauce. And I never imagined I'd live to see the words "vegan menu" at any restaurant in the Valley.

5. My First Yellow Rose Recipes

As you may recall, I just received my copy of Yellow Rose Recipes. Not wanting to wait, I got right to it and made the Thai Bowl and the Spice cake.

The Thai Bowl is very good and is a satisfying meal. In the future I'll add more peanut butter and more Sriracha (I had none this time, and so used hot sauce). But this doesn't reflect on the recipe; I'm just used more heat and you can't go wrong with more peanut butter.



The Spice Cake was nearly a disaster. I kept messing up with the ingredients, but was able to rescue the batter each time. And as it cooled on the window sill, I caught a crazy cat hanging from the cooling rack. In the end, I was very happy. I was even happier though, the next day. The cake barely made it through the night - it was too delicious for anyone to resist, but today it was even better. The frosting was gooier and the spices were just right. This would be the perfect invite the new neighbors over for coffee treat.



I can't wait to make more from YRR.