Snack Bar

Tony has a new job down in South Austin, which provides him with a lot of new lunch options. Today he suggested that I meet him for lunch and we would try someplace we hadn't been before. We decided on Snack Bar and it was a great choice. Pretty much everything can be made vegetarian or vegan. So, even though the menu is small at the moment because they are reworking it, we had a lot of options.

We shared the flash fried Brussels to start. The server said that it typically came with aioli, but offered to bring us a Veganaise-sriracha dip instead. Perfect.

Tony had the migas, subbing tofu scramble for the eggs. 

I had the vermicelli bowl with noodles, tofu, all kinds of veggies, and sesame-tamari dresssing. It was light but filling. We will have to go back when they unveil their new menu. They make tasty stuff.

Incredible Hulks gotta practice reading, too.

New Orleans Part 5

Our final morning in New Orleans was spent on a swamp tour, which means...gators!

We arrived a few minutes before our tour was scheduled and we were told that we were on the last available boat. All the other boats had covers except ours. So our punishment for not arriving early was that we got to bake on the open water for two hours. At this point in our trip, with having to boil water, and streetcars not running, and numerous other minor inconveniences, I just said, "Of course!" and laughed as I boarded the boat in a sweaty delirium. Because hey, gators.

We learned that alligators really love marshmallows and hot dogs. They will jump three or four feet out of the water to get a piece of hot dog attached to a stick. Possibly because the hot dog resembles a human finger. Possibly.

When I heard the word "swamp" I pictured a narrow waterway with overhanging trees and moss, so I was surprised at how much water there was. The swamp was way bigger than I expected. Sometimes, when no gators were in sight, the tour guide would rev the engine and off we went. The breeze felt nice during those times. Jackson and Olivia enjoyed going fast.

Summer 2015, all the cool guys are sporting this hairstyle, they call it "Swamp Breeze." 

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The gators were just the first part of the tour. As we went deeper into the swamp, we saw a bunch of oil company equipment that had been wrecked thanks to Katrina.

Not scenic. Although, it was probably not very scenic when it was in working order, either.

We also started to see more signs of swamp life. The human kind. Like these oyster boats.

All the Cajuns who lived along the swamp were flooded out by Katrina but many have refurbished or rebuilt.

Some are fishermen.

The plant life was interesting too. The further we got into the swamp, the more it looked like the swamp I imagined, with Spanish moss hanging from all the trees.

The guide passed around a sample. Mossy.

Elephant ear plant. The roots are edible in a pinch.

A stand of really old cypress trees.

A Tupelo gum tree. The bees go inside and make Tupelo honey.

The sun was getting to our buddy Jackson.

It was hot.

At the deepest end of the swamp we encountered wild boars. A whole extended family. The little ones are cute. Our guide said they are considered a nuisance and can be hunted freely. It is the same in Texas. These guys hanging out way back in the swamp did not seem to be hurting anything, though.

This was the turnaround point. We came back through the Cajun village.

"Cajun hot tub."

Crawfish for sale.

At the dock, spider lilies.

Sweaty swamp selfie.

Gator wranglers!

After our tour it was straight back to the apartment for a shower. Yes a real shower. The boil water advisory was lifted! This was such good news. It meant we could look halfway presentable as we headed to dinner on Magazine St., which is a long street of shops and restaurants. They seem to start out more hippie, and get more fancy and high-end as you head west. We had dinner at Pizza Domenica and it was kind of halfway between casual and fancy. We started with mixed olives.

Tony and I shared a summer salad, with greens, peaches, cherry tomatoes, and other stuff I can't remember. It was a special of the day.

We also split a roasted carrot pizza. Tony was alarmed when I suggested it, would there be chunks of roasted carrot? No, the carrot is pureed to make the sauce. Ah, much better. It was topped with Brussels sprouts, yellow beets, hazelnuts, red onion, and goat cheese. It was good, especially the nice, chewy crust.

Tomorrow, wrapping up our trip!

Spring Things

I can't believe spring's almost over. It has gone by fast. Here are just a few snapshots from our cool, rainy Texas spring.

Morning Jenga.

Smoothie-on-the-go from Hydrate, a juice bar up in Georgetown where my parents live.

A night out with some girlfriends at Foxhole Culinary Tavern. Three or four of us ended up ordering the roasted Brussels sprouts and beets, in a balsamic reduction. So amazing! Glad my friends share my Brussels fixation!

An old favorite, Averie's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip balls, high in protein thanks to chocolate protein powder. A perfect snack when I'm craving chocolate.

It's melon season! Fresh watermelon and cantaloupe, yum.

My mom brought over a fruit tray and Olivia could not have been more excited.

Snowballs from Casey's. A spring and summer tradition.

Art and Vegan Trailer Food

One morning Olivia and I ventured downtown to Women and Their Work Gallery to see Susi Brister's show before it closed. Olivia, the 4 1/2-year-old art critic, stated that the faceless, anonymous figures were "creepy."

But the weightless palm trees were "super fun."

We treated ourselves to lunch at a brand spankin' new vegan food trailer called Bistro Vonish.  We shared a pizza with Brussels sprouts, fennel, apple, and a savory, salty cheese (cashew-based, maybe?) that I loved. The pizza "sauce" was an apple-cinnamon chutney. This was one gourmet, sophisticated pizza. Absolutely out of this world. 

The "custard" kolache was no slouch, either. Can't wait to go back and sample more of the menu, which changes depending on what's fresh locally.

Saw this sign in the course of our travels. It really depends on the situation, for me personally. 

Natvia and Norbu

The kind folks at Natvia/Norbu recently sent me some of their natural sugar alternatives to try out. Natvia is stevia-based, while Norbu is made from monkfruit. No artificial ingredients! I've been using them in my coffee and smoothies, and I enjoy them both. They both have a pretty neutral flavor, and no aftertaste. Although stevia is my preferred sweetener and I wasn't familiar with monkfruit, I do like the Norbu, although it's not quite as sweet as the Natvia and I have to use more. So it's a matter of personal taste which one you'd prefer, but I can see myself buying either one in the future.

Here's a smoothie I made with blueberries, banana, spinach, spirulina, raw vanilla protein powder, and a packet of Norbu. Looks like the black lagoon, but tasted awesome.

It's another rainy day. We don't get enough of these, so I'm appreciating it.  Jackson also loves rain. He ran around in the driveway until he was nice and soaked.

Olivia and I shared a pound of roasted Brussels sprouts for lunch. That's my girl!

For dinner I made tacos using quinoa taco meat. The seasoned quinoa smelled so good as it was cooking! We topped them with lettuce, tomato, black olives, and hot sauce.

Last Soccer Game

Jackson's soccer season came to an end with a victory, and he scored two goals in a row. Go Pirates!

Afterwards, awards were presented. 

We came home to find our neighbor's cat chillin in the driveway.

We can't have a cat of our own because Tony is highly allergic, so Olivia took the opportunity to love on this one.

For brunch, I made a recipe from a cookbook I won called OATrageous Oatmeals. We had the Tempeh Oat Brussels Sprout Scramble. Not so pretty to look at, but tasty and filling! The oats added body to the scramble, in place of tofu, but there was so much other veggie goodness going on, it definitely didn't feel like we were simply eating oatmeal.