Vegetable sauté from Twin Sisters, $9.89

At the urgings of PETA, Morrissey, and (eventually) my conscience, I became a vegetarian 24 years ago. But like many other brooding teens in my clan, I lived on grilled cheese sandwiches, nachos, and fries ― not vegetables. Now that I’ve come to my senses, the Vegetable Sauté at Twin Sisters is one of my go-to lunches. Not only does it strike the perfect balance of crisp and soft with perfectly cooked veggies on a bed of brown rice, the mixture of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, squash, and minced ginger (plus leeks if you’re dining at the downtown location) can taste totally different depending on how you order it. In my opinion, the soy sauce and mustard mixture’s best, and adding organic firm tofu (for an additional $2.99) provides for the perfect mid-day protein blast.

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