Happy St. Paddy's!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you are all wearing your green and avoiding the leprechaun's pinch. 

Here are my latest testers for Joni's fusion cookbook. 

Esquites (Mexican street corn) -- so creamy, spicy, awesome!

Cotija Style Tofu Crumbles -- these crumbles mimic the dry, salty Mexican cheese known as cotija. I used them to make rajas poblanas, with a side of esquites.

Sweet Chili Tofu Noodle Bowl -- tofu is marinated in a sweet chili sauce, then grilled and served atop miso broth with noodles. Yum.

Tahini Garlic Roasted Cauliflower -- a nutty tahini sauce makes a delicious coating for roasted cauliflower.

Here are a couple of shots from our playgroup's St. Patrick's Day party. Jackson and his buddy battled it out with their light sabers.

Olivia went a more peaceful route and enjoyed the swings.

Cows and More Cows

Today was a rare day where we had nothing going on. No school, no playdates, no appointments, no errands. I announced to Jackson and Olivia, "Today we will do only fun things! What should we do?"

First suggestion: lunch at Phil's. Of course. It's their favorite. I love it too.

The playscape is the big draw, but the cows are fun to climb on, too.

After Olivia's nap, we decided we weren't really hungry for a big dinner. So we headed back out for a special treat, instead -- Amy's Ice Cream.

I had an insanely rich concoction of chocolate ice cream, Heath bars, pecans, and caramel, sprinkled with sea salt. I don't need to eat sugar for the rest of the week. But it was so good.

Amy's also has cows.

After we finished our frozen treats, we went for a walk down to the lake.

Jackson and Olivia enjoyed watching the ducks swimming along...

...and this big guy, too, sunning himself on the beach.

After catching a beautiful sunset, we walked back up and spent some time at the bookstore before heading home for the night.

A Pile O' Panini

Today was a bit cold, so we spent a lazy day at home. Jackson is working on identifying his numbers. He likes to put the flashcards in order as fast as he can. Everything is more fun for little boys when it's a race!

For lunch, I made panini sandwiches with sourdough bread, mozzarella, roma tomatoes, and pesto. I grilled up a bunch of them so we would have leftovers to snack on during the next couple of days.

Olivia can't resist pesto. It's genetic!

For dinner I made the "No-fu Love Loaf" from Let Them Eat Vegan, undoubtedly my favorite cookbook from last year. So many winners! This was no exception. I had always turned up my nose at the idea of meatloaf. Even the name is unpleasant. A loaf of meat? Well obviously there is no meat in this version. It's made from lentils, oats, and bulgur. And it's a game-changer. Tony was shocked to find that it tasted quite a bit like his mom's meatloaf, which he has frequent cravings for. It's going into regular rotation for sure.

Olivia is 3!

My baby is now a three-year-old, as she reminds me multiple times per day. Olivia has big ideas about what turning three means. 

A three-year-old gets a train cake.

A three-year-old throws a birthday party.

A three-year-old celebrates with her friends.

Being a three-year-old is pretty awesome.

Grillin'

It may still be winter for a few more weeks, but here in Texas we already have plenty of warm days when Tony gets the urge to fire up the grill, as long as it is not too windy. Yesterday we made veggie kabobs with zucchini, summer squash, red pepper, mushroom, and onion.

We ate the grilled veggies over pasta, with olive oil, salt and pepper.

We had plenty of leftovers, so today I made a grilled veggie and pesto pizza. I also pureed some of the grilled veggies and used that as my "sauce" on the pizza.

Fire Chief Jackson always looks out for us when we grill.

Today: prepping for Olivia's third birthday party this weekend. She has requested a train cake.

Have a great weekend!

Tempura Time

My latest tester recipe for Joni, Sesame Sriracha Tempura Veggies, sounded so good that I tried it three different ways for today's lunch.

Asparagus - awesome! 

Cauliflower - cool!

Brussels sprouts - bad idea? I should've halved them, maybe. Not Joni's fault. 

I'm getting really good at frying things, which is good for my culinary confidence, yet bad for my thighs. To strive for a bit of balance, dinner was a green smoothie. Extremely green, thanks to a huge amount of spirulina powder. It also contained banana, chia seeds, vanilla, and stevia. I realized tonight that I don't actually like bananas in a smoothie. Luckily, I just bought a 30-lb. bag of frozen blueberries at Costco (not really, but close enough), so I will still be able to have my smoothies, banana-free.

Today was Jackson's last soccer lesson. He has had such a great time.

We will be signing him up again for spring. Soccer is a great sport for young kids. He is learning a lot about sportsmanship and being on a team.

I joked when Jackson was growing in my tummy that he would love soccer, because he kicked me constantly. Looks like my premonition was right! 

Fort Worth

Last Saturday, we woke up and decided it had been too long since our last visit to Fort Worth, and more specifically, to Spiral Diner. So, after arranging for a friend to check in on Monster, we set out on a day trip.

Lunch was our first priority. We started out with chips and salsa, queso, and guac.  

I had a glass of lovely hibiscus iced tea.  I'm excited to make my own version soon -- I just discovered dried hibiscus flowers at a Mexican market here in town!

Olivia had spaghetti with "meatballs."

She called dibs on the vegan parmesan and guarded it closely.

Jackson went with the black beans and quinoa. I'm glad he doesn't share my bean allergy because he absolutely loves them. He also loves the farts they produce! Ah, boys.

Tony chose the blue plate special, a zucchini po'boy. When I tried a piece of this gigantor sandwich. I almost wished I had ordered it myself. Hot breaded, fried zucchini slices, red onion, red pepper, lettuce, and tartar sauce on crusty, chewy French bread. I'm such a sucker for a po'boy, and this one sets the bar high.

However, I was also blissfully happy with my choice -- the Mitch. The Mitch is grilled tofu, bacon bits, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo, piled on not two but three slices of bread. Holy amazing. I remembered Jenny singing the praises of this sandwich and wondered what took me so long to try it. Now I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to order anything else.

After lunch, we stopped at the Kimbell Art Museum to see the Bernini exhibit. The sculpture below isn't by Bernini, but no photography was allowed in the exhibit. 

We kind of raced through because the kids were antsy and we got a couple of slightly nervous looks from the museum guards. I wasn't too upset because I had some Spiral Diner goodies waiting for me in the car. 

The chocolate chip cookie was just so-so.

But the chocolate brownie was pure heaven. Some brownies are dense like fudge. Some are airy like cake. But this brownie was just right. Just the way a brownie should be. It made the ride home so much nicer.