Lets Help an Atlanta girl get her Food Truck on our STREETS!!

Graces Goodness- owned by Brittney Grace is awesome...  I have meet her a couple of times at food truck events and local farmers markets.  Her pimento cheese and hummus are amazing.  She usually only has a few left by the time I find her, which means she sells out fast.  Great person, great food.  Help her out on Kickstart!  At least click on the link to get to know what she is all about!



http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/980025442/spread-goodness-around-atlanta?ref=video

Found a gluten free bakery and created a new recipe - all in one day

Today, thanks to a friend who introduced me to this bakery, I took a drive OTP to Sally's Bakery.  Everything in the bakery is gluten free!  And the majority is also vegan.  Yippie!  I stocked up - I bought pumpkin bread, banana bread and banana chocolate chip muffins.  The girls and I love all of it.  Fortunately it freezes well, so I wasnt tempted to eat it all in one day!  Well worth the drive!

So another friend inspired me to make basil pesto out of the basil my mom had given me from her garden.  I read a couple of recipes but made up my own.  I still had some cashew cream left over, so I incorporated that.  I used:
1 cup of my mom's fresh basil
1/4 cup of pistachios
1 TBS miso
1 TBS cashew cream
2 TBS of water
Pepper to taste - put all of this together in the food processor.  The smell was unreal!
I spread this over hot pasta.  I added tomatoes, roasted red peppers and asparagus to the pesto and pasta.
I boiled the asparagus for a few minutes, then put it in a shallow dish with a little sesame oil and GF soy sauce.  They marinaded for about 15 minutes while I got everything else ready.   The red peppers were straight from the jar and I just chopped in half little tomatoes and tossed it all together.  Delicious! 

Another quick note, I am experimenting with different gluten free pastas.  I am trying all of the spiral pasta, because the pestos and sauces stick to it better.  So far, I like the quinoa pasta the best.  The rice pasta gets a little soggy for my liking.

My Basil Pesto Creation - no oil, no garlic, yet creamy and tasty!

Sally's Bakery Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sallys-Bakery-A-Gluten-Free-Place/110108582334971

First VA Highland Street Food Night This Evening!

 Tonight the food trucks found me in my neighborhood - kidding of course, but I was very excited to see them on North Highland across from Osteria in the vacant lot.  It was a small gathering tonight, their first night, and a big storm had just passed over.  There were not many if any vegan options - so we ate dinner first at Osteria, then headed over for dessert.  The girls got delicious cupcakes from the Yum Yum cupcake truck and I got my sugar fix at the King of Pops.

So, I dont have to re-create the wheel - here are several great resources regarding the explosion of the Atlanta Food Truck Scene.

 Atlanta Street Food Coalition's Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/ATLStreetFood?sk=wall


Good Article on Atlanta food trucks:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-restaurants-food/stalking-the-not-so-980557.html

Favorite Food Trucks:
http://blogs.ajc.com/best-of-big-a/2011/05/31/best-food-truckstreet-vendor/

Another one:
http://www.citysbest.com/atlanta/news/2011/04/28/atlantas-best-food-trucks-how-to-track-em-down/

App for food truck locations:
http://www.foodtrucksmap.com/atlanta/

NOT a comprehensive schedule:
Tuesday nights - Food trucks are on Howell Mill
Wednesday lunch - Inman Park Stove Works
Wednesday evening - Virginia Highlands on Highlands across from Osteria
Thursdays - at 10th and Peachtree and Woodruff Arts Center
Friday - last Friday of the month they are at Sweet Auburn Curb Market and at Atlantic Station every Friday

This is NOT a complete list of when and where they are, but it will get you started!!

Fancy Monday Night Dinner

I have never cooked brussel sprouts before last night.  It was not until I tasted MetroFresh's brussel sprouts a few weeks ago, that I became a fan of brussel sprouts.  I cut the ends off and cut them in half, blanched them (which I just learned means put them in boiling water for a few minutes), then coated them with a very little grapeseed oil, salt and pepper, then roasted them on 350 for about 15 minutes.  I served this with polenta and tofu.  For the polenta, I cut them in 1/2 inches rounds, and put them in a hot pan with  oil cooking spray.  You can watch as they change to a darker yellow, then flip and wait for them to cook all the way through.  I served the polenta with a little cashew cream, basil, a drizzle of balsamic glaze and topped them with nectarines and strawberries.  Awesome new creation!!  For the tofu, I marinaded them in 1/4 cup agave syrup, 1/2 cup GF soy sauce, the juice of 2 limes, and lots of pepper.  After pressing the tofu to get the water out, I cut them in triangles, put them in a shallow pan with the marinade for about 30 minutes.  Then baked them at 300 for about 15 minutes.  After the oven, I put them on our stove top grill for a few minutes to get the grill marks and become a little more firm.  Yes, the dinner was  more difficult and time consuming, but the taste was out of this world.  BOTH girls loved it, and I saved the tofu sauce for Chad's dinner.  He just substituted a piece of chicken for the tofu.   I am trying to do one "fancy" dinner a week - I cant do this kind of cooking every night!!  (For those interested, Whole Foods as already cooked chicken breast by Bell that I pull out of the freezer for Chad's dinner.)  By the time he gets home it has thawed, and takes just a minute on the grill to heat up.  Cashew cream is a new discovery.  I now have little cups of it frozen in my freezer.  You soak cashews in a lot of water over night.  The next morning drain the water, and put the nuts in the food processor.  The result is delicious, and can be used in mashed potatoes, salad dressing, as cream on top of polenta, etc.  I hope to discover many more ways to use it.  Its a great dairy substitute.
MetroFresh mentioned above is a favorite restaurant of mine - amazing vegan, GF options EVERY day!!
http://www.metrofreshatl.com/

The girls are now Jamie Oliver fans

Lotta Frutta's Pops

I thought Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution might be a little over my girls heads or that they would become instantly "bored".  But, I was telling them about where food comes from one day and had his show saved on our DVR so I  decided to give it a try.  They LOVED it, and seemed to understand healthy eating much better after watching his show.  They now ask to watch him everyday!  Their new found enthusiasm and curiosity about healthy eating as been a lot of fun for me.  To hear them talk about what is healthy and what is not, and how can we find a good healthy meal, etc is exciting.  Today, my oldest suggested that we go out to lunch, because I had worked so hard cleaning the kitchen and she didnt want to have to see me do that again.  Humm, valid point, my dear, where shall we go?  Both girls screamed, Lotta Frutta.  I know, I have written about this place too much - but I had two new exciting discoveries!

Coconut Milk Mango Ice Cream

I was able to talk with the owner, Myrna for a few minutes.  She was so full of love and excitement it was a pleasure to spend time with her.  I told her I was heartbroken that I could not eat my favorite sandwich (b/c of the gluten).  She did not miss a beat and came up with an amazing salad.  Mixed greens, tomatoes, the avocado spread that I love on the sandwich, toasted pumpkin seeds, kiwi, oranges, and a lemon vinaigrette.    Wow!!  Seriously -   I am beginning to think the more things I tell a chef that I can not have, the more exotic and full of taste the dishes become!  So - Lotta Frutta - vegan, gluten free salad. Awesome.  2nd, they are now serving vegan / GF ice cream made of coconut milk - today was mango.  Again - awesome.  Soooo good. 

Salad creation - GF and Vegan

Amazing meal in Highlands, NC

I am pretty confident that  I can find something vegan to order at most restaurants.  Sometimes it takes a little creativity, but I rarely find it overly challenging.  Now that I have added an extra layer of complexity - vegan and gluten free - I find dining out a LOT more difficult.  But when the chef smiles at the challenge and doesn't roll his or her eyes, I know I am in for a treat.  So it was Friday night in Highlands, NC at Lakeside Restaurant. (www.lakesiderestaurant.info/)  The Chef and Owner, Marty came out, and I told him my obstacles, and he said no problem.  I had the most scrumptious variety of veggies embolden with a hint of curry and simply, an amazing taste.  My tastebuds were delighted, and the mix of vegetables was filling and satisfying.  I could not put my fork down.

Gluten Free / Vegan Muffins

I awoke this morning craving muffins -  I walked down to MetroFresh but unfortunately I got there during the one hour a day they are closed!  So, I upon my return I remembered that I just bought a gluten free muffin mix at Whole Foods made by Namaste.  I combined the Namaste mix with:

• 1 cup of water
• 1/8 cup of apple sauce
• 1/8 cup of oil (I use grapeseed oil)
• 2 TBS of ground flax seed with 6 TBS warm water (mix and let this sit for 2 minutes)
• a handful of vegan dark chocolate chips
• a handful of dried cranberries
• I baked according to the directions on the Namaste package

Result - delicious, sweet, dense, moist muffins!

Good weekend, great food finds!

My dessert for the week

I had an exciting weekend, filled with great friends and good chocolate.  Friday night we met friends at The Shed in Glenwood Park.  It was our first experience there.  I enjoyed the butter bean hummus and their veggie plate.  To the best of mine and the waitress' knowledge, it was gluten free and vegan (except for the grits!)  The squash salad and succotash were my favorites on the veggie plate.  Then we headed down to the Sweet Auburn Curb Market for Atlanta Underground's Chocolate Market.  Inside were dozens of confectioners selling their delicious unique chocolate creations.  We saw (but did not try) chocolate chicken wings, chocolate covered potato chips, etc.  I was most thrilled to find several gluten free / vegan chocolate treats.  Jake's Ice Cream is now serving vegan ice cream made from coconut milk!  Dr. Sweets had a delicious gluten free brownie.  And, my all time favorite Sugar Coated Radical had vegan chocolate covered cherries.  Speaking of Sugar Coated Radical, you must check them out.  The chocolate is out of this world - seriously, unreal, but beyond that, the people are so genuine, caring and devoted to their craft.  I also saw them on Sunday morning when we joined them for Bakery Sunday.  The family enjoyed their pastries, and Taria greeted me with vegan chocolate to try, it had coconut and a few other amazing ingredients, that I devoured on the spot.

Their website is: http://www.sugarcoatedradical.org/
And one article (there are many more):
http://clatl.com/omnivore/archives/2011/02/15/sugar-coated-radical-already-expanding

We then went to the Grant Park Farmers Market - bought peach gazpacho from Grace's Goodness, and the girls took part in a scavenger hunt!  Worn out, we headed to the pool.

My Frozen Coffee Drink!

After much tinkering, I finally have a breakfast / pick me up / frozen coffee drink that I like.
I first fix a cup of coffee - I use Aurora Coffee Seattle Espresso beans.  I put that in the freezer to chill while I add the rest to the blender:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp agave syrup (I dont like mine very sweet, add more if needed)
• 1 scoop of vanilla vegan powder (see picture below)
• 1 cup of crushed ice
• Add my chilled cup of coffee and blend away

This is the perfect way to start my day: with protein, fruit, caffeine, cold, creamy and delicious!
Tip - I always keep a bag of frozen bananas in the freezer for snacks and smoothies

I get this at WholeFoods - I only use one scoop per smoothie / drink

Experimenting begins:

Let me reiterate - I am not a cook, nor do I LOVE to cook.  I mildly enjoy it when I have all the ingredients I need, a quiet kitchen, maybe some music playing and a glass of champagne in my hand.  So, as you can imagine, that scene never occurs.  But, I do have a few summer goals - create a great gazpacho, a tasty hummus and a delicious, yet healthy frozen coffee drink.  The last two, I am still fiddling with.  The first, I undertook this morning at 7:30am with 2 girls running around screaming over their latest drama.  Note, I said 7:30am, yes the family had been awake since 6:30.  I had no less than four recipes spread out on the counter, and I did my best to take what I liked from some and combine. I came up with this:
Summertime Gazpacho

1 cup of orange juice (I use organic Trader Joes)
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
1 whole chopped avocado
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 chopped garlic clove
1/2 chopped vidala onion
1/2 finely chopped jalapeno (next time I would use a whole)
1/2 chopped cucumber
1/8 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

First lesson - I need more kitchen utensils - something that will chop all of that stuff for me - that took way too long. 

After dicing everything, I put the OJ, spices and half of all the chopped goodies in the food processor.  Blended away, then added the rest and pulsed it a few times.  I used my mom's trick of putting it in a big pitcher in my refrigerator and let it chill for a couple of hours.  Then it is easy to pour yourself some healthy gazpacho anytime!  Ry did not like it, S loved it, and I loved it.  I did not ask Chad to try it, he doesn't like sweet dishes.  (Lucky guy)

Notice - this dish is gluten free, vegan, and  low in fat!  One small goal accomplished, on to many more.

Home late... dinner had not even crossed my mind

One of those nights:  home late, girls are starving and what in the world am I going to fix?  Limited supply in the frig.  I had great looking asparagus, so I grilled those with sesame oil and GF soy sauce - delicious.  Threw in a pot - white beans, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers.  And, got some black rice going.  All of these ingredients had been in my cabinet for awhile, so I was glad to finally use them.  But how to season the beans, artichokes and peppers??  Seasoning is always my downfall.  I used some of the juice from the roasted red peppers (Trader Joes brand is really good), salt and pepper.  The dish was fairly successful, you could tell it has potential.  Next time I would saute the mix with veggie broth, add more pepper and I think it would be perfect.  All of this was vegan, gluten free and relatively simple to make, especially using quick cooking rice.   Chad and I liked the dish, but agreed it needed a little more seasoning.  Both girls ate the asparagus.  S ate some of the mix.  R however does not like things mixed together, so we had to separate it out, after cooked - always fun.

This weekend is Virginia Highlands Summerfest, which takes place across from our house, so I will be enjoying the festivities and doing very little cooking!  Have a great weekend!

Serenbe, have you been?

Well - this post is 2 weeks delayed, but the family and I went to Serenbe for the day on May 14th for their May Day.  It is an amazingly easy drive from Atlanta and an absolutely beautiful place.  The people are so warm, inviting and always seem to be smiling.  They exude a healthy glow and it is easy to see why.  Farm animals, fresh organic produce, lots and lots of land to bike, hike, jog, ride a horse, etc.
And a festival was taking place- we did not plan ahead, that morning after our Saturday ritual of taking the girls to Aurora for our coffee, I suggested we head down to Serenbe - and we actually DID!

I swear my love for the Atlanta Food Truck scene, was not a motivation - (but they were in fact there!)  It could not have gotten better than when the girls started screaming and ran up to The King of Pops and yelled, "how in the world did you get all the way here from Atlanta?"  He agreed, it was indeed a long trip pushing his cart all the way down to Serenbe.

Gloriousa - an event planning an catering company (who by chance did our wedding!) was serving up homemade strawberry shortcake.  The most amazing looking strawberries and cakes I have ever seen.

Chad was thankful for the BBQ from Low Country and the girls enjoyed everything sweet!  I did get to check out their produce at their farmers market.  I cant wait to go back - lush, green, beautiful veggies.

Also, they have 2 amazing restaurants, the girls and I had previously an opportunity to eat at the Hill - we were able to get a great vegetarian meal!
You can never go wrong with farm to table produce.

Thanks Serenbe for providing a great Saturday for our family.