Getting Ready for the Holidays

Went to Thuyen Vien last week for dinner and to put in my order for their holiday feast.  It looks so delicious I can’t wait to try it out.

They have really good vegan cheesecake.

Spring Wellington

For Easter I got the spring Wellington from Native Foods.  It was so good!

I can’t wait for the next holiday to get this!

St. Patty’s Day

My camera is still in the shop, so I don’ t have any pictures of my St. Patty’s Day feast.  It was a really good Irish strew from Isa Chandra’s new cookbook, Appetite for Reduction.

It was really good!

I wanted to watch Darby O’Gill, as per my yearly tradition, but I forgot that I have it packed away in storage 😦

I did manage to record a celtic song I learned on the harp, called Down by the Sally Gardens.

Yule Holidays

Hello, I am here to announce that I have been slacking with the cooking.  I’m generally banned from the kitchen in my new, temporary place I’m living at, so that makes it hard to try new things to cook.

I did get an awesome cookbook from a friend, by the incredible Isa Chandra who wrote the Veganomicon.  This new one is called Appetite for Reduction.  Lots of incredible recipes.

So….no new food pics.  What have I been doing with my spare time?  Still being creative, of course.  I’ve been indulging my love for taking landscape photos, especially moody beach shots, as seen above.

And whenever I’m out there on the beach, dodging unpredictable waves and sea spray wind, I always have this song in my head haha.

Hopefully my next entry will bring new food to share, and I hope everyone had a nice holiday season 🙂

Samhain

I hope everyone is having a fun October and a fun Halloween weekend.  I’m spending a more quiet time at home, no parties or clubs this year, although I’m tempted to go on Halloween to a club.  I did have a glass of wine and watched The Vampire Journals last night 🙂

Anyway, above is what I had for dinner last night.  Heinz Beans on a sesame bagel with lentil soup.  All bought from the local British grocery.  Very good and totally filling.

And below, is one of my lunches this week.  Veggie meatball sammich topped with daikon sprouts, chives and daiya cheese.

This Halloween season has been Lovecraft in theme.  Started October with a movie party at my place to watch Dagon, a film adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories.  To keep with the theme, I’ve been reading another collection of his stories, called Dreams of Terror and Death.  Excellent book.  And I was going to share the song “Every Day Is Halloween” by Ministry, but that’s a bit cliche for me, so instead I’ll share a great Rudimentary Peni song, titled after one of Lovecraft’s imaginary places.

Dinner at Kobe Steakhouse

Went out with my family to celebrate the 3 day weekend at Kobe Steakhouse. It is one of those hibachi style places where they cook in front of you and do all kinds of cool acrobatics (pictured above, he made an onion volcano).

I got the Vegetarian Delight with miso soup and fried rice. It was really good! There were also chunks of fried tofu to go with the vegetables.

To Live and Dine in LA

I kicked off the weekend on Friday when I met a friend at Native Foods for dinner.

Yesterday I went to my mom and grandma’s for a nice homecooked dinner…..soy chicken cutlets, grilled asparagus and red potatoes.

Today (sunday)…..pancakes for breakfast and because breakfast is good anytime, country tofu scramble with fakin’ bacon tempeh strips for dinner.

I went out to a Smiths/Morrissey club in Los Angeles with my awesome bellydancing, multi-talented friend (and general partner in crime), Irene. We met our friend Karla and her boyfriend there. Lots of fun in Echo Park….lots of lame hipsters too! Irene and I cut out of the club a bit early so we could head around the corner to a historic cafe called The Brite Spot for some post-club munchies.

They have some great vegetarian and vegan items, and we both got the bagel burger with soy patty, onions, dairy-free cream cheese and chipotle veganaise. And we finished it off with a vegan chocolate lava cake.

Epic noms for an epic weekend!

I also go a new car on Saturday lol.

and……tomorrow I’ll be going back to Native Foods for more labor day feasting…….

Mother’s Day and other Adventures

My whole family gathered at my mom’s house for Mother’s Day.  The weather was nice, and the day was relaxing.

I’ve been lazy lately so I didn’t cook anything.  But my mom cooked an awesome meal.  Vegan fritattas along with vegan chocolate chip pancakes and also cake with soy ice cream.

It was some good eatin’.

I also met last Friday with my friend Annie at Loving Hut, which is a vegan Asian food place.  They have a few scattered around southern California.  The one we went to was in Orange, which was kind of an ugly location but I give them respect for doing their best to beautify their little area.  They built a small patio and decorated things very nicely.  It wasn’t thee best Asian food I’ve had but I’d go there again for sure.

One thing they had going very well was the rose lemonade.  That was pretty good.

Easter Feast

I hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend (whether you celebrate it or not).

I had probably one of the most relaxed weekends I’ve had in years. Only met with some friends for coffee on Friday night, and the rest of the weekend I stayed home. That’s a big deal for me…..2 nights in a row that I stayed home.

I didn’t do much cooking but I did blow a ton of money at the supermarket this week. Gotta love pay week 🙂
I bought a bunch of kombucha, as well as a bunch of herbal teas. I kinda got off track and have been drinking caffeinated teas which I don’t like to do…..so no more caffeine for me.

Had a nice Easter get-together with my family. My aunts made some really good vegan salads and of course hummus….my favorite. My mom made a delicious casserole using Daiya cheese, soyrizo, potatoes, tofu and soy breakfast links. Some onions and a few other ingredients too.

Mmmmeatballs and Disneyland fun

I decided to try that new Daiya cheez that everyone has been raving about and I must say it deserves every ounce of praise it gets. It melted so easily without even broiling it or otherwise cranking up the heat.

I sprinkled some on my veggie meatball sandwich the other day and it was delicious!

I’ve had this week off so I went to Disneyland with some friends. Lots of fun was had! I got my traditional mint julep that they only sell in New Orleans Square next to the Haunted Mansion (my favorite ride).

and because I can’t resist showing another photo I took with my awesome new camera and lens……..

Wishing everyone a fun safe and prosperous New Year!