There's No Vegan In It!

   That's actually an inside joke between my parents and me.  They were at a grocery store one day and asked the manager if he knew if a particular packaged food item was vegan.  His response was a very enthusiastic, "Oh no, there's no vegan in it!"  When he said it he actually meant that the product was vegan.  We say it all the time now, except that when we say it we actually mean "there's no vegan in it!" (As in, I definitely can't eat it.) Ha.  That was definitely the theme of my week in Nova Scotia.

Fort Anne National Historic Site, at Annapolis Royal

     We spent a lot of time touring around Nova Scotia during the last few days of my visit.  We took a drive to Annapolis Royal (gorgeous), Lunenburg (so much history) and then over to Mahone Bay (adorable).  The next day we drove to Cape Forchu to see the Lighthouse and of course make fools of ourselves on the giant Adirondack chair.   We also made our way to Mavillette Beach which is absolutely stunning and very clean (especially considering the beaches here in Hamilton). 

I was so thrilled to find a Health Food Store. I bought Goji Berries to add to our Trail mix!

We laughed so hard while we were in this chair!  I dare you to hop in and not laugh!

Fisherman's Memorial at Lunenburg

   As a special treat, we wanted to stop at one of the lovely restaurants along the way.  It turns out that trying to find a restaurant that serves something other than seafood was harder than we thought.  I am so lucky that my parents are patient and made sure that I could study the menus before entering the restaurants.  I'm also lucky that a lot of restaurants these days post their menus outside of their establishments.  

   The first restaurant we ate at was in Lunenburg called Grand Banker.  

The menu was not super extensive but I was able to find a couple of items on the Appetizer side to order.  My mom decided to share with me so we ordered three different appetizers and asked them to hold the cheese on two of them.  If I ever go back in the cooler weather I would totally try the Honey Roasted Apple and Butternut Squash Soup.  The day we were there the weather was really warm and I definitely did not want something hot!

Here's what we ordered...

Bruschetta, Mediterranean Style, sans cheese!

Veggie Tapas Flatbread, hold the cheese please!

Sweet Potato Fries!

   The food was good and reasonably priced.  I tasted the Veggie Tapas Flatbread first and really liked it.  My mom tried the Bruschetta first and found that when she tried the Veggie Tapas it lacked in flavor.  We actually added the toppings from the Bruschetta onto the Veggie Flatbread and man was that good!  The sweet potato fries were really yummy and crispy but we were too full from the other two dishes to finish them.

    The next day while driving around Yarmouth we stopped at a little restaurant called Marco's Grill and Pasta House.

One of the seating areas at Marco's

 There was actually only two things that I could eat at this restaurant (three if you count the Garden Salad).
Here's what I ordered...

Sundried Tomato Rustica

   This dish turned out to be super delicious.  I didn't eat the garlic bread because it was smothered in butter.  But, I scored the lemon from my step-dads dish and added it to mine which took the flavor of the veggies and pasta to a whole new level.  I really should have popped over to the kitchen and shared that tip with them.  (Haha, kidding!)
   I was lucky enough to try one more restaurant during my stay in Nova Scotia.  This time it was in Halifax at the Waterfront.  We spent most of the afternoon there.  Unfortunately, it was one of the coldest days of my vacation.  No bueno when you are walking along the Boardwalk with the Atlantic Ocean to your right (or left, I suppose)!  BRRR!

The view from the Boardwalk.  It was beautiful but freezing!

   There were quite a few restaurants along the boardwalk but it was hard to find a place with decent options.  Luckily we stumbled upon this cute place called Hart & Thistle Gastropub.

   There were so many options to choose from I actually had a hard time figuring out what to order!  My mom and I decided to share again so this meant I could sample more things. 

Here's what we ordered...

We started with a cup of the Vegetarian Chili which went perfectly with the cold, rainy day we were having.

We shared this Grilled Vegetable Salad...

along with this Quinoa Salad.

   They also had a Veggie Burger with tofu in it on the menu but, after talking to the waitress I found out that they probably bind it with an egg and if not then they definitely put cheese in it.  Bummer.  I was really looking forward to trying it.  However, the food at this restaurant was our favorite!  I absolutely loved everything I ordered and would definitely come back for seconds (it's a toss up between the Chili and the Grilled Veggie Salad!)  

I hope you enjoyed my eats during my stay in Nova Scotia... I sure did!

Til next time...

Love,

Ves