1. The Baby Arugula Salad – Ely’s Ivy (Grand Forks, ND)

I can’t imagine making this list without including this amazing entrée from Ely’s Ivy. This combination of peppery baby arugula, crisp green apples and celery, tangy goat cheese, and sweet candied pecans is a dream. The first time I ordered this, I was concerned that the dressing would be too sweet – but it’s very balanced. The cider vinaigrette is creamier than expected, and a winning combination of acid and sweet that pairs perfectly with the fruits and vegetables. Pair it with a glass of wine or a cocktail and you’re in flavor heaven.

**Veggie Honorable Mention at Ely’s Ivy: Attention vegans! Ely’s has a corner on the veggie market offering vegan entrée options – that rotate with the season!! I have tried a few of them over the past year and they are all excellent, filling, and you don’t miss the meat one bit. My top honorable mention is the vegan grilled radicchio – chef’s kiss.

2. The Mac & Cheese Attack – Blue Moose Bar & Grill ( East Grand Forks, MN)

Anytime I have visitors who are new to the area I always bring them to Blue Moose in East Grand Forks, MN. But special for my vegetarian friends…you must try the mac n’ cheese attack. I’m not entirely sure what they do to make it so darn good, but let me try and break it down for you. It’s perfectly cooked penne pasta in the richest, creamiest, velvety cheese sauce. They load up your bowl to the brim and then cover it with, you guessed it, more shredded cheese. They leave it in the salamander until the cheese is gold and bubbly, top it with some parsley and send it on its way to you. What I love most about this dish is that it heats up well the next day (if leftovers ever make it home from the restaurant).

**Veggie Honorable Mention at Blue Moose: Hitting up the Blue Moose happy hour is a must. For my veggie friends try these on the ‘Small Bites’ menu – the artichoke hearts with garlic toasts, and the stuffed mushrooms. Ordering the two together is the perfect balance of briny, garlicky, cheesy, crunchy, and comforting.

3. The Bianca Pizza (’86 the prosciutto) – Toasted Frog (Grand Forks, ND)

The martini menu and cheesy pickles are enough to bring me in any day, but did you know that they also have fantastic pizza?? What I love about this pizza is the wood-fire aspect of it. The crust is crunchy and toasted on the outside, but chewy and still holds its shape with the toppings. The Bianca is another one for my garlic lovers. This pizza is loaded with roasted garlic, oregano, olive oil, and caramelized onions. To make this vegetarian you will have to ask your server for no prosciutto, but let me tell you: I have had it both ways, and I have found I prefer it without. When the pizza arrives it is hot, bubbling, and comes with a side of freshly shaved parmesan cheese for you to sprinkle on top. This pizza also makes fantastic leftovers – hot or cold (my cold pizza lovers know what’s up. It’s a thing).

**Veggie Honorable Mention at Toasted Frog: The blackened Brussels sprouts; savory, hearty, and a great way to get some extra veggies that are packed with flavor! This hits all the marks flavor- and texture-wise and always leaves me feeling like I ate something good for me.

4. The Snow Pea Salad – Rhombus Guys Brewing Company (Grand Forks, ND)

Another salad makes the list! And that is high praise from me – salad is not usually my go-to, even when following a vegetarian lifestyle. I remember first trying this on the menu and experiencing a feeling of risk…a salad of only snow peas?? But then it arrived, a beautiful mountain of shaved peas in a vinegary parmesan dressing with plenty of parmesan cheese, and I was forever changed. This salad walks the line between salty, acidic, and slightly sweet from the snow peas and it is luxuriously divine. The vinegar also slightly softens the snow peas in such a way that they maintain their crunch, but are easier and not exhausting to chew. Rhombus Guys Brewing Company has found so many layers of flavor in this veggie forward dish – it’s nearly impossible to visit and not include this salad with my order.

**Veggie Honorable Mention at Rhombus Guys Brewing Company: This is another restaurant with both vegetarian and vegan options – hooray! I love that there is a key on the menu that helps you know which is which. My favorite honorable mention dish here are the mac n’ cheese bites…which are vegan by the way (*gasp!*). Perfect companion with their wide beer selection!

5. The Kashmiri Curry with Paneer – House of Punjab (Grand Forks, ND)

This restaurant embodies, in my opinion, top-tier deliciousness that all of Grand Forks has to offer. I realize that Indian food is not for everyone, but hear me out on this. The Kashmiri curry is a perfect mix of savory spices with slight fruity, mango notes. The richness of the paneer (paneer is a compressed cheese that doesn’t melt in the sauce) in combination with the savory sauce, onions, and peas is almost impossible to describe. It is warm, sweet, spicy, a little acidic, and addicting. This entree comes with a side of basmati rice speckled with fennel seeds, but you would be remiss not to add a side of garlic naan to your order as well. It is an umami dream combination. I say dream…because I literally dream of this curry that is how good it is. Worried about the spice factor – no problem! You can order this in any degree of spice from low to extra-extra hot depending on how brave you feel that day.

**Veggie Honorable Mention at House of Punjab: The veggie samosas, hands down. These fried pockets of pastry dough are filled with potatoes, peas, and warm spices. They come with two dipping sauces, mint cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney; the perfect fresh & sweet balance to this savory starter.