Black Sheep Lodge

Today I met Tony for a lunch date at Black Sheep Lodge in South Austin. We started with chips and salsa. You can't really tell from the picture but the bowl of salsa was gigantic. Thumbs up for that.

I had the portobello cheesesteak with beer battered fries. The sliced portabello mushrooms were heavily marinated in a vinegary, garlicky marinade. Super bold flavor. The Hatch chile cheese sauce was mild in comparison. Only thing I didn't like was the bun, it was soft like a hot dog bun. I like bread that is more tough and chewy.

How much do I love when the kindergarteners all come out of school wearing construction paper hats they've made? A lot.

Head is so Hydra

I don't have enough pictures of Jackson on here lately because he is at school all day, so I will share a picture from his last day of school before winter break. Kindergarten really fits him to a T, because he loves to play dress-up, and they are coming home with little costumes they've made. I love my reindeer boy!

For his class party we made "Frozen Hearts" and "Frost Bites," chocolate-dipped strawberries and marshmallows.

And here's one of his recent drawings. I asked him, "What is this drawing? A hydra?" He asked what a hydra is. "A creature with nine heads," I replied. "No, mine is way better. My creature has ten heads," he said proudly.

Olivia wanted to help me cook today, but the onions were irritating her eyes, so she came up with a solution.

And what was Power Ranger O making? Appetite for Reduction's Portabello Pepper Steak Stew, served over Caulipots. I did not feel like making seitan so I doubled the amount of portabello mushrooms. I love portabellos, but the end result wasn't super filling due to a lack of protein. I should've done the seitan.

Midway Lunch

Awhile back, I took Jackson and Olivia to check out the Midway food trailer court. A carnival-esque sign greeted us.

Inside the gates, we were met by a suspicious-looking sasquatch. What were you doing behind that bush, Bigfoot?

Decorations hanging from trees added to the carnival atmosphere.

I had a portabello mushroom bahn mi from Dock and Roll Diner, accessorized with grilled onions, guacamole, hoisin sauce, and cotija cheese. It was served hot and toasty (I've had experiences with lukewarm trailer food so I appreciate this detail) and the portabellos were perfectly done, not rubbery.

I was kind of bummed out that half of the ten food trailers were closed the day we went. I guess Mondays aren't optimal for sampling trailer food. Yet, I ended up with a satisfying lunch that I probably wouldn't have chosen if there were more options (I'd been eyeing the tapas trailer, but it was closed.) So there you go.

Since the closing of NATY, Midway is currently the only food trailer court in Austin with a playscape. Happy kiddos.

Cooking Out

Today we invited my parents over for a cookout. Tony is always happy to fire up the grill.  He made various meats for them, but here is my veggie plate: grilled marinated portabello burger, corn on the cob, and salad with goddess dressing.

I made a batch of Thai basil lemonade. I just blended a handful of the herbs with the lemonade, then strained them out.

For dessert I made the Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake from Isa Does It.  I got a bundt pan for $3 so I had to try it out! The cake was wonderful, very moist. The chocolate ganache was a little too runny, though. I should've only added milk as needed, not the full amount. It mostly soaked into the cake. 

Jackson, proud of his cup stacking skillz.

Vegan MoFo Day 18: Brunch in Oklahoma City

This past weekend we visited my mother-in-law in Oklahoma. Always a relaxing and fun time. This visit included a trip to the toy store so Grandma could spoil Jackson and Olivia with some new toys, including a hundred little green and gray army men.

One morning we met some friends for brunch at Picasso Cafe in Oklahoma City. Right away, I was digging the mix-your-own-mimosa setup.

I had the Chicken-Fried Portabella with white sage gravy, home fries, and grilled asparagus. If you don't know what chicken-fried means (I didn't until I lived in Oklahoma), it refers to taking a piece of meat, like steak, and breading it and frying it, like fried chicken. In this case, a portabella mushroom was substituted. It was so good -- crispy, crunchy breading on the outside and hot, juicy mushroom on the inside. The home fries and asparagus were excellent as well.

Urban Vegan Tester #14 - Stuffed Portabellos

Tonight we had Milled-Stuffed Mushrooms with Aioli, from the Urban Vegan's upcoming book. Roasted portabello mushrooms are filled with a flavorful millet pilaf, and drizzled with garlicky aioli. The prep was a snap, since I made the millet and the aioli earlier in the day. Tony and I enjoyed the combination of flavors, while Jackson liked the pilaf on its own.

Tony got off work early due to Snowtorious B.I.G., and will be off most of tomorrow. So, after dinner, a little celebration was in order. Nothing says SNOW DAY like beer and brownies, right? My favorite brownie recipe can be found here. Mama Pea's brownies are low-fat, yet wonderfully dense and chocolatey.

And now it's time for me and the couch to get re-acquainted. I think we'll be spending a lot of time together over the next couple of days.