Things I Have Eaten

One week last month, Tony worked long days downtown at the convention center, usually getting home after 9 pm. Since he wasn't joining us for dinner, the kids and I ate out often. 

Big-ass house salad with cashew tamari dressing from Mothers. I was craving greens and this salad was bigger than my head!

Red-Hot BLT's from Isa Does It. Hot sauce-marinated tempeh makes these sandwiches super good.

Staring contest over cereal, super intense.

Frozen matcha latte, a summer necessity.

Rebbl maca mocha. Chocolaty herbal goodness, worth the $3.99.

Wheatsville tofu poboy with cashew tamari dressing, and a sparkling grapefruit yerba mate.

Also from Wheatsville, a Red Rabbit Co-op pink lemonade donut!

New England Glam Chowder from Isa Does It. I shut the blinds and pretend it's a rainy, cold autumn day when I eat this hearty stew.

Garden fairy Olivia.

Turmeric tonic, made by heating soymilk and then blending it up with turmeric, vanilla, and stevia.

A tiny friend on the patio. I thought it was a leaf until it hopped.

Sunday Morning Pancakes from Let Them Eat Vegan. I like the slight crunch that chia seeds add.

Looking at the world from a different perspective.

Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff from Isa Does It. The best.

Tony relaxing with Jackson after a long week. 

Tony had been eating out all week too, so I offered to cook for him, but he was craving a bowl from Bouldin Creek so off we went. He had the Buddha Bowl topped with sauteed cubed tofu.

I had the Aztec Bowl with rice, broccoli, sprouts, zucchini, and chipotle pesto.

This month, fewer restaurants, more home cookin'!

Alien Pumpkins

Last night's dinner was Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff from Isa Does It. I love this creamy pasta. Total comfort food. I had some scallions to use up, so they went on top.

After dinner, it was straight into pumpkin carving!

Jackson and Olivia both went for an alien theme. This was the first year we let Jackson wield the carving tools himself.

Tony helped Olivia with her carving.

Many-fanged, many-eyed, many-horned jack-o-lantern aliens!

Weird confession: I absolutely love the smell of pumpkin guts.

I picked out the seeds, tossed with a little olive oil and sea salt, and roasted them slow and low, at 250 degrees for an hour. 

Looking spooky!

Frozen in Real Life

Sorry for the disappearance. I was on "single parent" duty all last week, as Tony's job required him to practically live at the convention center downtown 24-7. We did get to visit him.

Now the kids think that watching robots play basketball is what Daddy does at work all day.

We ate some not-at-all-healthy meals, such as the fried veggie plate at Boat House Grill, for a lunch playdate with friends.

But I did cook some evenings. Tempeh Stroganoff from 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe was enjoyed by all. I served it over quinoa instead of pasta because I seem to serve everything over quinoa these days. Thank you, giant 5-lb. sack of Costco quinoa.

The highlight of the week for Jackson and Olivia was the Frozen sing-along at the book store.

I now know the sound of 100+ small voices singing/shouting the words to "Let It Go" in unison (well, mostly in unison.)

Afterwards, Princess Olivia and Sir Jackson got to meet Elsa and Anna. Jackson even gave Elsa a hug. Say what now? A special night for us all.

Let the Splashing Commence

Breakfast was oats with cherries, almond butter and cinnamon. A good combination.

The Austin splash pads are open! We love this time of year when we can splash and swim every day, before it gets too unbearably hot.

Strawberry snacktime.

For dinner I made the Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff from Isa Does It. Delicious pasta dish, terrible pic. Much better one here. Sometimes hunger outweighs food staging.

More Isa Does It and the Zoo

I can't stop cooking from Isa Moskowitz's new Isa Does It cookbook! Everything has been a winner so far.

Carrot Cake Pancakes. These are really thick, puffy pancakes. So good.

Tofu Mushroom Stroganoff. The cashew cream sauce is so creamy and thick. Total comfort food.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Penne with Broccoli. I used rotini (because I accidentally used up the penne in the stroganoff.) Sorry for the crappy pic -- I think I left the flash on. This was a big hit with my broccoli-loving children (although they picked out the onions.)

Olive Angel Hair with Seared Brussels Sprouts. This wasn't a hit with Jackson and Olivia, but I freaking loved it. I used 16 oz. of brussels instead of 8 oz., because brussels = awesome.

Finally, Acorn Squash Risotto with Cranberries. It doesn't get any more autumnal than this, folks.

Today we visited the zoo (which is actually an animal sanctuary) with my friend Carey and her son. Feeding the animals is the kids' favorite part, so we did that first.

Jackson was a little timid about letting the deer lick food out of his hand. "It tickles!"

The llama was acting a little funny, stamping his foot and grinning at us. We were afraid he was going to spit at us. It turned out he was just jealous that the deer was getting more food than him.

When we were eating lunch, Olivia was nervously guarding her sandwich from a peacock who was lurking around her feet. "Don't worry, honey, it's not going to jump up on the table," I said. And then this happened. Shows how much I know!

A nice time with our animal friends.

Tempeh Stroganoff

For dinner last night I made a recipe from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe, Tempeh Stroganoff. 

Tender bites of tempeh and mushrooms, coated in a smoked paprika cream sauce, served over pasta...I think I could eat this for a week straight. I have memories of my mom making beef stroganoff when I was growing up but, as a vegetarian, I could never partake, so I have nothing to compare this to. But it's awesome. And I'm so in love with smoked paprika these days.

For lunch today, I gave in to a craving for queso. The PPK's cashew queso is the only queso recipe I'll ever use. I topped it with olives, tomato, jalapenos and scallions, and scooped it onto tortilla chips.

Jackson's been practicing his grilling so he can cook out with Tony when the weather warms up a little. Flip that (veggie) burger!