Redemption

This weekend we were out and about in DC and wound up at…(drum roll please)…Sticky Fingers Bakery! This is the ‘all items vegan’ place that won ‘Cupcake Wars’ on the Food Network. I had been wanting to try it out for so long and a cold, windy day gave us a perfect excuse to go and hang out.

Items ordered: BBQ Burger (The Boy), Black Bean Quesadilla (The Hubs), Rueben (Me), and Carrot Ginger Salad Wrap (to split). It was all Dee. Licious. It felt SO GOOD to be in a place that I didn’t have to create my own dish, question ingredients or leave feeling cheated by my meal and I loved how everyone loved everything that was ordered. This absolutely made up for last weekends restaurant fiasco.

Oh – and I didn’t even touch on the desserts. We each got a sweet treat before we left and I also tucked two little sumthin’-sumthin’s aside for The Hubs and I Saturday Night Couch Date Night (when you haven’t gone out on a date in – what? A year? – with your Hubs, you gotta make something work). The Stout & a Shot and Peanutbutter Fudge cupcakes were great. The Blueberry Muffin was fantastic. The Boy won the overall prize with his Little Devil cake. That is, until we opened our Date Night Brownie. O. M. G. Words cannot describe. But my husband said it best, ‘This is worth driving into DC for these alone’. It was the most fabulous brownie I have ever had in my life. My *LIFE*.

Of course we ate them before pictures could be taken, but we did get a mid-bite pic.

 

 

And here is a dish that was made the night before: Veggies and Peanuts with Rice Noodles.

 

 

 

 

Sadness with a Side of Cheese

Well, it was bound to happen…I had my first bad restaurant experience. It probably wouldn’t have been too upsetting, but in addition to the fact that we very rarely go out to eat, we went to one of our favorite restaurants thinking I wouldn’t have any problems finding food I would eat and love.

One of my favorite dishes I make (Stuffed Poblano Peppers) is inspired by a dish that I love to order at this particular restaurant. I knew it would need some things omitted but one of the things I love the most is the grilled vegetables it comes with, so I couldn’t wait.

It’s too long to get into details, but the bottom line was a combination of not having a great waitress to start paired with my being so disappointed by the entire experience that I didn’t even want to get into the complications of sending it back. Hubs was mad (such a good Hubs) because he so clearly heard me ask the waitress for ‘no cheese, sour cream, or anything dairy’, only to be given a plate coated with cream sauce and mozzarella cheese. But that’s a customer service issue and a whole different conversation.

Thankfully I had a nice batch of cashew cheese, black bean salsa and avocado waiting for me at home. Next time I’ll just stick to what I know best – salsa, black beans, avocado, rice and tortillas (hmmm, that sounds good right now). Another restaurant, another time. 

White Bean and Kale Soup with Toast

Simple Things

Call me a simple girl but of everything I make lately, I am always amazed at my soup. Up until recently I was always a ‘pot of water with bouillon cubes’ kind of girl. I later graduated to homemade chicken stock. It never occurred to me that I could literally chop up a bunch of vegetables, cover them with water and call it a day. Low budget, day-before-grocery-shopping, plentiful, easy to make, comfort food.

And while none of my dishes ever come out exactly the same, soup is always such a fun ‘never know what you’re going to get’ grab bag.

 

Sweet potato, asparagus, kale, lima bean, corn and wild rice soup.

One Meal at a Time

Today I had TWO…

count ‘em: not ONE but TWO

people ask me to pass along some vegan dish recipes to them! More than the number it was the different people themselves that shocked me. How awesome is that?!

Super awesome.

 

 

Pad Thai(ish) Dish

I Can't Hear Your Opinion Over All This Screaming

My co-workers seriously melt my heart sometimes. You would think working at a seafood restaurant and eating a plant based diet would equal in a lot of ridicule…or at least I did. But as I slowly let it be known that I didn’t eat dairy or meat, they began asking really intelligent questions and were open to my responses. We have ongoing, respectful conversations and it’s pretty cool being able to have an ‘adult’ conversation from two opposing view points.

These conversations are meaningful to me for two reasons: 1) it helps me to review in my own mind the importance of healthy eating and 2) I get the privilege of planting a seed in their own mind to develop a curiosity of healthy eating.

Maybe it’s just an act of getting older, but it seems that, especially through social media, there’s a lot of ‘screaming’ going on these days to try to get other people to listen to a differing point of view – or even a straight up fact. On the other hand, I see a lot of ‘over loyalty’ going on, where some people are more insistent in sticking to ‘their kind’ and ridicule everyone else that isn’t following the same trend they’re on.

I love that I have such an awesome range of friends that support me, challenge me, question me, have different opinions than me, have the same opinions as me, and most of all respect me.

 

Butternut Squash, Kale and Olive Stew