Lucky Day

Over the weekend we were out for a family stroll, and I stopped to take pictures of Jackson and Olivia in front of this mural. 

 

 

 

This is a very popular mural. Every time I pass by it, there are tourists posing in front of it, film students shooting a scene, or a couple having their engagement photos taken. When I finally came across it when it was deserted, I felt like it was my lucky day.

 

And it really was. As we continued our walk, we spotted a $50 bill on the ground! I immediately felt bad for the poor soul who lost it. But, after looking around to see if anyone had dropped it, we realized there was nobody in our vicinity. We were cutting through an empty parking lot. So, there was nothing left to do except celebrate our good fortune!

 

My good luck continued at home, as I tried out three new recipes from The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe, and they were all phenomenal. So far I've been very impressed with this cookbook.

 

Spanish Rice, with olives and capers. This would be perfect in a wrap with some veggies and salsa, or as a side with any Mexican dish.

 

 

Chickpeas and Roasted Garlic...did you know it's possible to roast two heads of garlic in ten minutes? Neither did I, until I came across this recipe. Now, you do have to peel all of the cloves first. That actually might have taken longer than my traditional method of roasting the bulbs whole for 45 minutes, then squeezing the roasted cloves out of their peels. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I don't really care for peeling garlic. I typically reach for the giant Costco jar of minced garlic rather than buying fresh. Oh well. It was worth it in this case. There's nothing better than the smell of garlic roasting in the oven, and it made this chickpea salad special.

 

 

Paprika Tofu...yes, there are slabs of marinated tofu hiding under that beautiful rainbow assortment of roasted veggies. You season both the tofu and the veggies with smoked paprika and pop it in the oven, couldn't be easier or more delicious.

 

This dinner was a hit with all four of us, and that is rare! Jackson and Olivia seem to be polar opposites these days, with their taste preferences. It's almost guaranteed that if Jackson likes a certain dish, Olivia will turn up her nose at it, and vice versa. Hearing them both request seconds, I felt like it was a lucky day, indeed.