I spent most of yesterday in the kitchen, but WOW:

I was pretty impressed with myself!  I made 3 salads and tofu. 

I went to the Dekalb Farmers Market earlier this week so I had a lot of fresh produce I wanted to use.

1) Kale Waldorf Salad
I found this recipe on WholeFood's website.  They have a fabulous recipe collection.  I typed in vegan and gluten free - 377 recipes appeared.  I read through those and saved the ones that sounded good in my recipe box on WF's website.
Here is the recipe:

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=2853  
The walnuts I bought just did not smell right to me.  So, I substituted cashews for the walnuts in the dressing.  In the salad I put in pistachios instead of the walnuts. I think I will continue to make it that way.  I loved the sweet, crunchy, yet slightly spicy from the dijon mustard taste.  And, taste testers response - Chad said he was most scared of this recipe - yes he said "scared" but to our surprise, he loved it and had 2 servings.  S enjoyed it and Ry would not try it.  I ate 2 servings and finished the rest of it today.  Loved this recipe!

2) Zucchini Pasta
This is from Whole Living.  It appealed to me because it looked easy and I like to try "raw" recipes (which the waldorf salad above was raw as well!)
Here is the recipe link:
http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/zucchini-pasta

I made a few changes.  Again,  I had to replace the walnuts, so I did almonds instead.  I chopped the nuts in half.  I also used 2 zucchinis.  I am trying to add more Omega 3 in my diet, so I used flax seed oil instead of the olive oil it called for.  I only used 1.5 TBS of oil instead of 2.  I also tried elephant garlic which has a milder taste.   Chad and I both liked it - the garlic was too much for me.  It will be awhile until I make this one again, Waldorf was much better.  The girls did not try this one!

3)Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango
This one is from my new found favorite website theppk.com
Here is the recipe: http://www.theppk.com/2010/04/quinoa-salad-with-black-beans-mango/

Another great quinoa recipe!  It was missing a little kick that Chad and I like.  I added double the red wine vinegar.  But we felt it needed just a hint more spice - salt and pepper helped.  Maybe chop up a little jalapeno?  Overall though it was a good salad and I will make this one again.  S tried and liked.  Ry did not try.  (Are you spotting another trend?) 

Lastly - I marinaded firm tofu, after pressing out all the water.  I smeared a little tahini on each piece of tofu, then drizzled gluten free soy sauce over each piece.  Then put cilantro leaves on top.  The tofu marinaded for a couple of hours.  Then I baked them in the toaster oven  - no precision here, I just checked on them every ten minutes.  Then I broiled them for a couple of minutes. They turned out great. AND, Ry's plate now just consisted of some of Chad's chicken, and to make me feel better a piece of tofu.  Well, she did not like the chicken and ate all the tofu!  Unfortunately she wanted more, but I had polished off the last of the tofu.  We made a special trip to the store today to get more tofu so I can finally make her a tofu she enjoys!

NOTE - All of these recipes are VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE!  And, the first 2 are RAW!

Asheville

Towards the end of summer we usually get the urge to get out of town for a quick weekend trip.  As we are all tired of the heat in Atlanta and need a change of scenery.  And, yes, right now is almost the end of our summer, the girls go back to school August 8th!  Last week, Chad got that urge and planned a family overnight to Asheville, NC.

Well, the trip was not exactly the "vacation get away" that we had envisioned, but we did get to see great friends and had several amazing meals!  Asheville is similar to Denver and Boulder - most of the restaurants are familiar with "gluten free" and "vegan" in fact, the majority  have options designated on the menu. 

The Saturday we started our adventure turned into a lesson on patience, a virtue our family needs to work on.   The trip up took almost five ours (we were planning on three), it took us about 30 minutes to find a parking space in Asheville, and the wait at the restaurant we had intended to eat (Early Girl Eatery) was 45 minutes. So, we put our name down on that list and walked down the street and discovered Laughing Seed Restaurant, a vegetarian restaurant.  So, we put our name on that list too.  We spent the next 35 minutes going between the two restaurants seeing which one would seat us first.  Laughing Seed won.  Mind you none of us where in a laughing mood at this point - tired, hot, hungry, etc.  And, Chad was not excited that the vegetarian only restaurant won:

The Laughing Seed Restaurant -

Hemp Burger

http://laughingseed.jackofthewood.com/ 
I was overwhelmed by the menu, so many great options.  And, an actual healthy kids menu - no chicken finger, hotdog or grill cheese only menu for the girls. 

Chad ordered the falafel sandwich with the jalapeno onion fries.  To my surprise, he loved it - cleaned his plate.  The girls ordered a veggie plate with an amazing dipping sauce.  And, I ordered the Omega Hemp Nut Burger.  Since my GF began, I have been missing a good veggie burger, most are not GF.  This was a delicious, hearty burger, filled with good for you ingredients.  Hemp is an excellent source of protein and essential fatty acids - Omega 6 and Omega 3.  I also enjoyed a carrot, apple and ginger juice with my burger.  This meal put all of us in a much better mood.  Now, how do we get a Laughing Seed in Atlanta?

Girls Veggie Plate

 The other place we were going to eat lunch had a great looking menu as well.  I hope to try it out next time:

Early Girl Eatery
http://earlygirleatery.com/

We were planning a hike after lunch, but due to all of our delays, we decided instead to walk around town and then check out our hotel.  The girls had   three favorites of the trip (only one of which we expected):
1) Discovering the plug into the wall phone with a DIAL TONE in our hotel room - you have no idea how much entertainment this provided
2) swimming in the hotel INDOOR pool
 3)The arcade games at the restaurant we met our friends at (this was expected!)
So, on to dinner.  We met our friends from Asheville at:

Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company
http://ashevillebrewing.com/2011/index.html
A perfect family restaurant!  They had this big room filled with picnic tables, one way in, one way out (to contain the kids) with a huge movie screen and tons of video / arcade games.  The parents were able to sit and talk and the kids were able to run around and play games.  The cherry on top - good beer (I was told) and GF / Vegan options on the menu and of course other items one would expect at a pizza place!


The next morning I went on an exploratory jog around town and found a little restaurant that boasted juices and smoothies on the window.  On our way to our hike, we stopped in and ordered smoothies for everyone.  My next trip to Asheville will also include a meal at this restaurant!

 Over Easy Cafe
http://overeasyasheville.com/

We drove up on the parkway to our little hike at Chimney Rock.  It was a beautiful drive up there, unnoticed by the girls, but Chad and I enjoyed it.  Our hike was short, but it was nice to get the girls in nature, despite their protest!

On our way out of town we stopped by one last restaurant.  Again, filled with gluten free, vegan labeling on the menu.  It had meals to fit all of our desires after our hike:

Tupelo Honey
http://www.tupelohoneycafe.com/

So do you see a trend here?  It is simply not hard to have gluten free, vegan options at a restaurant while catering to all eating types.  I hope more restaurants in Atlanta will venture into this!

Quick Healthy Dinner

Trader Joes seaweed snacks - I had no idea these would be such a hit in my house, but Ry can eat an entire package in one sitting!  So, last night, I prepared a healthy salad - spinach, carrots, avocado, pumpkin seeds and sprinkled the crunchy seaweed on top.   It was spicy, crunchy, and had lots of flavor.  I used a light, light lemon vinaigrette to top it off.  So healthy!  Chad did not try but S and I loved it. 

Mine and the girls dinner was super simple but good.  Brown rice, black beans, this salad and seaweed on the side.  (Chad brought home BBQ).  I promise I do try to include him in meals, sometimes though I just strike out!







Pumpkin seeds have become my new obsession.  Read what this website has to say about them "natures almost perfect food"!
http://health.learninginfo.org/herbs/pumpkin-seeds.htm

And seaweed - "all of the minerals required by humans are present" see more at:
http://health.learninginfo.org/seaweed-benefits.htm


Impressive - I want to eat perfect foods and ones that contain so many great nutrients.  And, they taste good too!

Smoothies

I have been on a smoothie kick recently.  My fresh fruit purchased at Dekalb Farmers Market yesterday.  I laid the fruit out on a cookie sheet to freeze overnight.  Today, I can put them in my freezer containers and they won't stick together!  On to freeze my pineapples and raspberries!

Pumpkin Seeds

Always on the quest for easy summer dinners filled with fresh veggies, but looking for a little added flavor, I have stumbled upon toasted pumpkin seeds.  Yes, my favorite lunch place, Lotta Frutta and a root canal helped me with the discovery.

I love nuts, but after an almond recently split my tooth resulting in a less than fun and incredibly expensive root canal and a crown I decided to give up nuts for awhile.  I was dining at Lotta Frutta and Myrna suggested adding toasted pumpkin seeds to my salad.  Delicious!  So, last night I whipped up a salad with lots of veggies, grilled some asparagus with seasame oil and GF soy sauce and baked polenta topped with veggies.  I threw some pumpkin seeds in a pan with a little spray olive oil and just mixed them around a bit.  They turned out perfectly.  The seeds added a smoky, crunchy lift to my salad.  And, I sprinkled them over the asparagus too.  All vegan, all GF.  Yum.  But this dinner did fail the family test.  Not one taker.

Speaking of Lotta Frutta, the girls finally got their picture posted in the restaurant.  This was a HUGE deal to the girls.  I think it might have been the best day of their short but adventure packed life.

Beyond pumpkin seeds - and on to smoothies.  I used to be intimidated by smoothies, did I need to get a recipe?  Follow it precisely?  No and No.  I am no longer afraid.  I threw in one frozen banana, one big handful of frozen strawberries, a scoop of vegan protein and about a cup of water.  Perfect afternoon snack!  Another tip I learned recently - if you are freezing fresh fruit (I am trying, trying to be that organized and proactive), cut the fruit lay it out flat on a baking sheet, and freeze them not touching one another.  After they are frozen, then throw them into your freezer container, glass or zip lock bag, and they wont stick together!

Honeysuckle Gelato

I forgot to take the "before" picture!!!

New food truck in Atlanta.  We went to the VA Highlands food trucks this evening and Honeysuckle is now serving larger sizes!  We took home a pint of the new Prince sorbet - GF/ Vegan delicious.  The girls and I finished it in one sitting.  Check out Honeysuckle!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/​Honeysuckle-Gelato/16175830722​2262?ref=ts

Other trucks - S loved her Texas Taco veggie.  And, they told me they have corn tortillas!  So, I will have a veggie taco next week.  Ry enjoyed her cheeseburger slider and Chad was very happy with the new Fry Guy and his trip to the Pup Truck.  Keep it up Food Trucks!  

 

I am a little obsessed with MetroFresh

Unfortunately for my bank account but fortunately for my taste-buds I signed up for the MetroFresh daily emails.  I used to pop into MetroFresh not knowing what was on the menu (menu changes daily).  But now that I get the fun, entertaining email everyday, my trips to MetroFresh are getting out of control.  

Remember my delight with the saying right on the menu of Root Down on my recent trip to Denver?  If not - here you go:
At Root Down we pride ourselves on striving to solve the ‘Omnivore’s Dilemma.’ We have created a dining spot where all dietary needs will be accommodated, including vegetarian, vegan, raw and gluten free; also allergies or intolerances are always handled professionally by the kitchen team.


I realized during my second trip to MetroFresh today that they have incorporated this philosophy exactly.  Everyday they offer something vegan and gluten free - now maybe there is only one option - BUT there is always an option.  And, I have seen as many as 5 vegan, gluten free options offered.  That is quite impressive.  And, down right thrilling.  So, when I anxiously open the email everyday, I almost feel obligated to go pick up some of their delicious, creative, unique vegan, gluten free soups and salads.  The combinations they put together are so amazing, and sometimes so unusual I have to try them.  I feel like each soup and salad has been created with a lot of thought, love of good tasting food and great consideration into what is healthy and in season.  I am seriously addicted.   This morning I stopped by with the girls and picked up fruit salad and yummy gluten free banana blueberry muffins.  The girls would not share their fruit with me!  They each ate an entire bowl.  So, I did not share my muffin with them :)  While I was there, I saw the lunch, so I had to go back to pick up chilled SPICY white grape soup - see what I mean on unique??  And, the Lady Pea, sweet corn, with artichoke hearts and baby spinach salad.  I ate it all - my taste-buds celebrated with every bite.

Now the really fun part - if someone frequents MetroFresh who is not a vegan nor GF, I would bet they dont think of the restaurant as a "vegetarian" place - it is not crunchy at all and always has several great meat, poultry or fish options.  This is place is truly solving the "Omnivore's Dilemma" right here in Midtown, Atlanta in a clean, trendy, beautiful spot. 

Embarrassingly, I will be returning to MetroFresh a 3rd time today - I left the grilled blackened chicken that Ry had requested during my second trip.  Ry is a very picky eater, so when her eyes lite up this morning when she saw the chicken, I had to get it for her.  Yes, sometimes she eats chicken - and I will buy it for her from MetroFresh - I just cant / wont cook it myself :)
http://www.metrofreshatl.com/

Trying to "try" a new recipe once a week -

Chickpea Piccata - Appetite for Reduction

Last night I got my nerve up to try a new recipe.  A friend had shared with me that her family liked it and the recipe said it was "super fast".   My kind of meal - but oh not so fast...

The recipe is Chickpea Piccata from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Surprise, surprise, I did not follow the directions exactly.
The ingredients I used:
1tsp olive oil
1 c thinly sliced shallots
2 TBS of bread crumbs (I toasted 2 pieces of GF bread for 10 min at 350 degrees, then crumbled them up!)
2 cups veggie broth (I use Whole Foods brand)
4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of thyme
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup of capers with brine
Juice of 1 lemon
Well, before reading the entire recipe, I dumped all the ingredients(except for garlic, shallots, and chickpeas) together in one pot - not what you are suppose to do.   So, I had to take strain the capers out and put them aside.  What you are suppose to do is - Saute the shallots and garlic for 5 minutes, add the bread crumbs and toast by stirring for about 2 more minutes.  Then add veggie broth, salt, pepper and thyme.  Turn up heat bring to boil and let sauce reduce by half - around 7 minutes.  Then you add the chickpeas and capers, let them heat through, ~ 3 minutes, turn heat off.  Then add lemon juice.  (My lemon juice was in from the beginning)  Also, recipe called for 1/3 of dry white wine - I didnt have any so I left it out. (I don't think I would add it next time, I loved it as prepared)
Chopping, sauteing, and timing all of this was difficult for ME, but hopefully not for you.  Because it was delicious.  Seriously tasty.  Isa suggested serving it over arugula, again, I didn't have that so instead used regular lettuce.  My side was Caulipots - another one of her recipes.

Caulipots - I tried to get creative with this one - she called for 2 russet potatoes - I found purple potatoes (unfortunately I didnt read that they were purple sweet potatoes).
1/2 head of cauliflower cut into florets
1 TBS olive oil
4 TBS veggie broth
salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a big pot with enough water to cover them and the cauliflower (when you put those in later)
Bring potatoes to boil, once boiling add cauliflower and lower heat to simmer.  Simmer for ~ 15 minutes until they are tender.  Drain potatoes and cauliflower, then return them to the pot, add the rest of the ingredients and mash together, until they are the desired consistency.  What I have learned -my family doesn't like the sweet potato taste - so no one ate these last night.  BUT if I had used regular potatoes, or regular purple potatoes and a lot more seasoning, they would have been great.  They did have a great texture, and you could tell they had potential.  Next time I might add lime juice and a little vegan sour cream.  Lots more salt and pepper!

If you have not picked up Isa's cookbook - Appetite for Reduction - do so, it is amazing - it is listed on my Amazon page on the homepage of my blog!

Family verdict - Chad LOVED the chickpeas, Ry ate all of hers and a second serving.  S did not like them at all.  No one like the potatoes.   Also, Ry asked for me to post her new healthy dessert - frozen mangoes and strawberries.

Denver - to be exact it was 52 hours not 48 hours

So Denver - Day 3 - At the pool party the day before, I was told about a vegan restaurant, Watercourse.
http://watercoursefoods.com/  After a wonderful jog with Chad along Cherry Creek, we packed up and went to find Watercourse.  I believe it is in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.  Once again, I thought I was in heaven, right on the menu- tons of vegan / gluten free options.  But of course the true test, is can Chad and I both enjoy a meal here??  There were literally so many things I wanted to try I didn't know where to start.  I ended up ordering two breakfast entrees AND a coconut milk/ cacao / banana smoothie.  Since going gluten free I have not had any pancakes.  I did not eat pancakes often before, but when I realized I could not have them, I seemed to think about them more!  They had gluten free / vegan pancakes on the menu - those were ordered along with a tofu scramble.  It was AMAZING.  The smoothie was more like a milkshake, the pancakes were perfect and the tofu scramble had more taste than any scramble I have had.  The tofu had peanut butter in it - sounds weird, but it worked.  The tofu also had broccoli and artichoke hearts, served with GF corn tortillas and potatoes.

Chad's meal before

 Now - did Chad enjoy this vegetarian restaurant???

Chad's meal after

INDEED.  Best biscuit he said he has ever had.






I finished the smoothie and tofu, but wrapped up the pancakes to take on the plane.  Then, we headed out to find Watercourse's BAKERY.  A few blocks away is their bakery, and next door is City o City where they sell and serve their bakery products, coffee and breakfast.  I walked into find a case filled with vegan treats!  And, gluten free muffins, cupcakes, keylime pie, and chocolate peanut butter pie. All VEGAN/ GF - are you kidding.  After much consternation I decided only the muffins would survive the plane ride. So I bought their 2 remaining GF muffins.  They were incredible.

Filled to the brim and carrying a bag of gluten free treats we got on the plane and headed back to ATL.

Denver Day 2 - Good friends

Day 2: Denver (wow it is taking me a long time to post blogs these days!).
We woke up early, still on East coast time, and decided to drive up to Boulder.  Chad went to school at University of Colorado so it is always fun for him to reminisce.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day.  It was hot, but not like in the South - no humidity.  If you are in the shade it is perfectly pleasant.  We got to Boulder so early that most of the brunch places were not even open.  We walked around for awhile and found Foolish Craigs.  Very fun atmosphere. I told our waiter that I needed a vegan / gluten free breakfast - and once again was greeted with "no problem."  I had a delicious tofu scramble with spinach, tomatoes, onions, etc in a GF sauce and a side of potatoes.


Walking around Boulder was so uplifting.  Everyone seemed so healthy.  People were biking everywhere.  Most of the shops were geared towards outdoor activities.  A great life indeed!

That afternoon we meet up with Chad's good friends from college and hung out by a pool for awhile then headed to dinner. 

This weekend I was around Chad's friends whom some I had just met, but after about 5 minutes, I felt like I knew all of them for a long time.  It was really nice to be in a different city with new people but to not feel like an outsider.  They were incredible to talk with and very interested in and accepting of the way I eat.  I enjoyed going to dinner in Denver at Little Ollie's a sushi place.  http://littleolliescherrycreek.com/
Usually, sushi isnt too difficult, you can always order veggie sushi rolls.  But with the new GF restriction, it is harder because soy sauce has gluten.  When I ordered, I asked the waiter to make sure none of the sauce on the veggie roll I ordered had gluten.  She said no problem and without me asking, brought  GF soy sauce to our table!  And, they had a creative selection of veggie rolls, not just the plain cucumber or avocado rolls I end up ordering at other places.  Our table had a thought provoking conversation about food, and there was no judgement (I hope they didn't feel any frm me!) or anyone saying, well you SHOULD eat this way or you are not eating enough protein!  And, even better that we indulged in more conversation topics than just food. 

Thanks Denver for being so accepting and for offering so many selections!

48 Hr. Denver Adventure - Day 1 - "solving the omnivores dilemna"

Chad and I had an amazing weekend get away to Denver, CO.  It was one of the best 48 hours I have spent in a long time.  We chose Denver for several reasons, our favorite band was playing at Red Rocks (I had never been to RR), Chad's best friends from college live in Denver, along with several of our good friends from ATL, and, to top it off, it was Chad's birthday.   To make things even better good friends of ours from Atlanta joined us for the first half of our trip. 

www.rootdowndenver.com

The trip began at 6:30am (4:30am Denver time).  Our friends pick us up and we head to the airport.  (I thankfully had Sally's Bakery GF/ vegan muffins in the freezer, so that went into my carry on.)  - Note this post should also be called What delicious things I found to eat in 48 hours.  Travel was uneventful besides the 40 + year old plane.  Found a vegan / GF bar in the airport to eat.  Drive into Denver.  Our good friend from Atlanta, who is also best known for introducing me to Virginia Highlands, and all the good eateries in the hood at that time, says he is available for brunch and knows of a perfect place. The four of us head to the Highland neighborhood in Denver to a restaurant called Root Down.  We step out of the car into the most beautiful weather, clear blue skies, bright, bright sun and CLEAN air.  We look one way and see mountains, the other way, downtown Denver and finally our eyes rest upon this very cool converted old garage:

 Our friend and his new baby took us to our seat out on the patio.  We were all starving so I really hoping there would be something tasty for me to eat.  I look at the menu and after noting the BOTTOMLESS blood orange mimosas, I spotted the little symbols for Gluten Free and Vegan.  And low and behold, there were several items on their menu that had both symbols beside them!  I have YET to see this in Atlanta.  I ordered the tofu scramble and of course the bottomless mimosa.  It was the most satisfying, delicious brunch I have ever had.  And right on the menu it states:


At Root Down we pride ourselves on
striving to solve the ‘Omnivore’s Dilemma.’ We
have created a dining spot where all dietary needs will be accommodated, including vegetarian,
vegan, raw and gluten free; also allergies
or intolerances are always handled professionally
by the kitchen team. Our menu has icons reflecting this philosophy, though we always request you
notify your server of specific needs. We
look forward to seeing you soon!

 THIS is what I am talking about.  PLEASE can we start this trend in Atlanta.  Everyone else at my table loved their meal as much as I did, and we all had different eating styles.  We ate in a very trendy, popular place, it did not feel "crunchy" and we all had great meals whether we were vegetarian, GF/ vegan, or meat eaters.  After our meal we headed down the street to Lola's to check out another amazing view, to meet up with my friends amazing wife and to have another drink.  
We retreated to our hotel to rest up and gear up for Red Rocks.  Then we met up with Chad's college buddies to begin our journey with Studebaker.  Yes, that was our driver's name and yes, we should have been forewarned when he introduced himself.  Red Rocks was truly incredible,  it is all that people say it is - no words to describe, only something you must experience in person.  Then we headed back down to Denver with Stew da baker.  In our bed at 1:30am.  Ouch.  On to day 2...