I’m in the process of moving to a new place and thus don’t anticipate blogging much this week (although it’s possible), so please check back again soon!

From Sevilla we drove west heading to our next stop, Portugal.  We knew we would be staying at a resort hotel where we each had our own fully stocked kitchen, so we stopped at a grocery store along the way.  I love going to grocery stores in America, and found this Portuguese grocery store to be fascinating!

I found some food that was vegan….

And some food that was decidedly not vegan.  (Do people really eat canned hot dogs??)

The best part was the produce selection.  I was in heaven perusing the aisles and found many new-to-me fruits and vegetables.

I also loved the covered parking spots and the coin-operated grocery carts so that customers are forced to return their own carts.

Driving to the hotel:

Each “room” at this hotel was really a fully furnished two-story apartment.   

After admiring the beautiful view, we stopped to have lunch.  I was excited to try the new fruit that I had purchased!  I know starfruit (carambola in Portuguese) can be found in America, but I never buy it so I got one at store.    

It had a nice flavor but was too mild and bland for me to buy it again.  Very pretty though!

Next I tried the melano, or “horned melon”.  Once you cut into the horned melon, you have to scoop out the insides and discard the pointy outside.  It tasted similar to cucumber (just a tad sweeter) and had a very jello-like consistency.

Last I cut into the nona, which is the one shown in one of the grocery store pictures above that looks like a small artichoke.  Interestingly, the flesh of the nona tasted like a pear to me (and maybe also a bit coconut-y?) and also had the texture of a very soft, mushy pear.  I really liked it but no one else was a fan.

After lunch we took a walk to the pool. 

After lunch I fell in love with a couple stray cats that were desperate for food and desperate to come home with me to Chicago, but instead of sneaking illegal animals through customs I decided to feed them potato chips instead (for lack of any other food).  The poor things were so skinny and underfed…

Dinner that evening was perhaps the highlight of my entire Spain and Portuguese vacation.  We found a restaurant not far from our hotel that was located right on the oceanside cliffs.

There is nothing like eating a delicious meal and drinking delicious sangria while just a few feet from the ocean!

(Does the kid on the left not look like Rusty from National Lampoon’s European Vacation?? )

I had a ton of bread and olives (naturally), sangria, a delicious warm squash soup, and a tomato salad.

After finishing our meal we were each given a shot of port, which is customary in Portugal.

This will always stand out in my mind as one of my all-time favorite restaurants… what a view!!!

What is your absolute favorite restaurant and why?

I flew out of O’Hare with my friend Lisa, and was overjoyed at the fact that the flight ahead of me was a mere 1 hour and 50 minutes instead of a backbreaking 10 hour flight to Europe.

You all know my love for all things Argo Tea, but sadly we weren’t in the right terminal so I couldn’t get my hands on a chickpea salad and chocolate chip muffin.  For any vegetarians flying out of the United terminal at O’hare, I did find a really delicious grilled portabello and veggie wrap at one of the kiosks, which I rounded out with a strawberry banana smoothie from Jamba Juice.

After arriving in OKC and subsequently melting in the 109 degree heat, we headed out for Mexican.  Oklahoma isn’t known for their healthy dining and its crawling with BBQ joints, but I always find great options at Mexican restaurants.  As you would expect in a state so close to the border, Oklahoma knows how to do Mexican food!

Molly was voted Most Likely to be the next Martha Stewart in high school.  Ok not really, that’s just what I call her… and true to form, she was the ultimate hostess and was well-prepared for our arrival.  Aside from stocking her kitchen with avocados (I can’t imagine why….), Molly bought herself some Earth Balance and made a delicious vegan apple crisp.  It was absolutely delicious, and paired nicely with [many] glasses of fruity wine.

The next morning, Molly again rose to the occasion and baked a vegan apple spice cake which of course was delicious. 

After breakfast, we headed over to the Oklahoma City bombing memorial.  It sounds like a very somber and morose thing to do on vacation, but it was actually incredibly interesting albeit very sad.

This tree miraculously survived despite catching on fire.

I like this quote!  Judge Murrah is the man that the Murrah Federal building was originally named for.

School children from across the world sent artwork to the memorial, and this one is my favorite:

As hot as it was there, I would love to run the OKC Marathon one day…

Back in high school, our group of friends used to love going to the Cheesecake Factory on Michigan Avenue in Chicago where we would happily wait two hours to get a table.

These days we are far less patient (or at least I’m not!) so luckily the OKC Cheesecake Factory wasn’t as crowded.  I ordered the portabello burger (having been craving a good veggie burger for weeks) topped with avocado instead of cheese, which was outstanding.

For dessert we stopped by Peach Wave, where I got a pineapple sorbet topped with fruit and sprinkles, and we walked around the OKC riverwalk area before heading to a movie.

The last full day we were there we ate at the restaurant in the Art Museum, which is Molly’s favorite place to eat brunch in OKC.  Nothing on the menu stuck out to me (it was a lot of quiches and sausage dishes) but the waiter was very accomodating and made me a delicious salad with various types of vegetables and avocado.

We walked along the riverwalk some more before it started to rain, saw another movie, and called it a night.  All in all, a great weekend excursion to see old friends!

Do you still keep in touch with any friends from high school?  (I feel so lucky that I do!)

As much as Mike was obsessed with Spain’s patatas alioli, my mom was in love with their tortillas Espanolas.  The Spaniards don’t like to compare this dish to an omelette, but (in my ignorant American opinion) that’s pretty much what it’s like.  It’s a bit different than a frittata because both sides get cooked in a skillet, instead of a skillet and an oven.

I made the traditional tortilla Espanola, filled simply with potatoes, but this would also be delicious with any other veggies…  the next time I make this I’m going to try it with potatoes, leeks, and mushrooms.

I brought a piece of this home to my parents’ house in Indiana the weekend after we got home, and my mom loved it so much she immediately went to the store, got the ingredients, and made my recipe the next day!

Spanish Tortilla Espanola (Potato Omelette)

Ingredients:

6 red potatoes

EVOO or nonstick spray

***

1 lb. silken tofu

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

3 T. EVOO

1 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika

2 T. arrowroot

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 c. chickpea flour

1 – 2 tsp. black salt (depending on how eggy you want it to taste)

pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel and slice the potatoes.  Using a mandolin or a knife, slice then as thinly as possible.

2.  Cook the potatoes in a large skillet with EVOO or cooking spray over medium-low heat until tender, taking care not to burn them.

3.  While the potatoes are cooking, blend the remaining ingredients (tofu through garlic powder) in a food processor until blended, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.

4.  Remove the potatoes from the pan and place into a large bowl.  Add in the tofu mixture and lightly stir to combine.

5.  Pour the potato/tofu mixture back into the pan.

6.  Cook on medium-high heat until the bottom is set, like if you were cooking an omelette.

7.  Slowly slide the omelette onto a large, flat pan (I didn’t have one large enough so I used the lid for my largest skillet).

8.  Carefully turn the skillet  you used to cook the potatoes upside down and place over the top of the omelette which is on the plate.  Very quickly, flip the pan and plate over so that the uncooked side of the omelette is now in the skillet.

9.  Continue to cook this side of the omelette on medium-high heat until it is set, and until the center appears almost done (use a knife or toothpick) – but it’s ok if it’s still a bit soft and runny.

10.  Serve warm or cold.

What would you put in your tortillas Espanolas, or what filling do you like to put in omelettes?  I think this would also be delicious with some vegetarian ham, veggie cheese, potatoes, and tomatoes…

The last time I blogged about my Spanish/Portuguese adventures I had just arrived in Sevilla from Madrid.  My morning began with free wi-fi in the hotel lobby (oh hallelujah for free wi-fi…) 

And taking advantage of the hotel’s breakfast buffet. 

Unlike the average American who goes nuts for the meat carving and omelette stations, nothing makes me happier than a salad bar!  The veggie selection was lacking but I made do with a random assortment of oddball  toppings like canned mushrooms, lots of olives and pickles, and sauerkraut.

They also had a great selection of fruit, the best dates I have ever eaten, and freshly squeezed peach juice which was incredible.

After breakfast we took a cab into the heart of Sevilla, where we walked around and through the gorgeous Cathedral.

We walked up the bell tower, which was probably at least 30 stories high.  The pay off was well worth it with stunning views of the city and beyond.

I was still stuffed from numerous trips to the buffet earlier that morning, but the dairy-eaters went crazy for this patatas alioli.  I didn’t have any but took a picture because it was so pretty!  I love the idea of packing the potatoes into a ramekin so they come out in a cute, molded shape – feel free to do this with my Patatas Alioli with Olives and Caper Berries recipe that my family is now obsessed with!

While Mike and my dad split the patatas alioli, my mom ordered her umpteenth bowl of gazpacho.

The rest of our evening and night consisted of our favorite Spanish pastime – tapas bar hopping.

  These garlic and bread crumbed stuffed mushrooms were to die for!!

The guys split a Neopolitana, which is basically a chocolate-filled croissant… something I’m going to recreate soon.

After consuming multiple sangrias and not enough tapas, we found a great place, El 3 de Toro,  that had tons of vegan options on the menu (and also had misters to cool down their outside diners, which was a big bonus).  

I feel sorry for anyone who is allergic to strawberries as I couldn’t get enough of this strawberry gazpacho!!

We finished the night with one last drink back at the hotel.  Next up:  Portugal!

One of my favorite, favorite foods is quite simple, really.  It’s Yaya’s roasted sweet potatoes.  I’m quite certain I could out-eat anyone when it comes to roasted sweet potatoes, as long as they are made her way… with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and rosemary (similar to the Greek potatoes you  might find at a traditional Greek restaurant just with sweet potatoes instead of white).

I’m also a big fan of my mom’s recipe for baked carrots with butter, honey, and dill (though I’m pleased to say that she now makes them with Earth Balance).

Why not combine the two?

Purple Potatoes, Yucca, Parsnips, and Carrots Roasted with Honey and Dill

Ingredients:

4 purple potatoes

2 parsnips

3 carrots

1/2 yucca root

3 T. coconut oil, melted

1/4 c. fresh dill, minced

1 T. honey

salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Chop all vegetables (peeling the parsnips, carrots, and yucca first) into bite-sized pieces.

2. Place into a 13×9” pan.

3.  Drizzle with the melted coconut oil and honey.  Sprinkle with the dill.

4.  Lightly toss the vegetables so that they are all covered with the coconut oil, honey, and dill.

5.  Bake at 475 degrees, stopping midway to toss, for 35-40 minutes, or until tender.  Be careful not to overbake – these go very quickly from being perfectly done to being burnt!

***

When I mentioned the ingredients that went into the aforementioned recipe, Mike became a bit wary.  He doesn’t enjoy sweet/savory foods as much as I do, and was a bit apprehensive about the idea of honey and coconut oil (gasp!) in his veggies.

So, to appease us both I also made a second batch of vegetables:

Truffle Roasted Vegetables for the Sweet-Hater

Ingredients:

4 purple potatoes

3 parsnips

3 carrots

1/2 yucca root

1/2 onion

3-4 T. truffle-infused olive oil (I used 4 and it was phenomenal, but you can go with 3 if you are trying to go light on the oil)

2 T. lemon juice

1/2 T. herbes de provence

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Chop all vegetables (peeling the parsnips, carrots, yucca, and onion first) into bite-sized pieces.

2. Place into a 13×9” pan.

3.  Drizzle with the truffle-infused oil and lemon juice.  Sprinkle with the herbes de provence, salt, and pepper.

4.  Lightly toss the vegetables so that they are all covered with the oil, lemon juice, and spices.

5.  Bake at 475 degrees, stopping midway to toss, for 50 minutes, or until tender.  (Interestingly, even with a bit more oil than the previous recipe this took a bit longer to bake).

I kind of enjoy going to the movies and shopping by myself on occasion, but I’ve never gone to a restaurant alone.   To up the personal vulnerability factor I went off to explore LA with zero makeup and in day-old yoga clothes.  Not exactly the best way to fit in with the beautiful people of LA, but it worked for me.

LA is synonymous with liberals and hippies and vegans…. aka, my kind of people!  Amazingly, not only is LA full of veg-friendly restaurants but there were about 5 vegan restaurants within a couple miles of my hotel!

I took a beautiful stroll through the hilly roads in perfect 70 degree temps.

After a 20 minute walk, I stumbled upon Sun Cafe, an organic vegan cafe with an extensive menu.  I wanted to try everything, from the sandwiches to the pizzas to the desserts!

I had been craving a good veggie burger for a few days, so I went with the homemade Sunshine Burger. 

The burgers came with a choice of various types of buns, and I went with the raw bun as recommended by the waitress.  I didn’t care for the bun, but the burger itself was amazing (as things tend to be when topped with avocado and vegannaise).  It also came with a choice of salad, and I chose the kale salad which was topped with a delicious cashew-based (I think?) sauce and diced tomatoes.

While I would never eat alone in Chicago, since Mike was away at a groomsman brunch I ended up really enjoying eating my wonderful lunch by myself, sitting in the sun.

Lynn mentioned that I should check out Kind Kreme, which was literally right around the corner and about 30 feet away from Sun Cafe.  Kind Kreme is famous for their raw vegan ice cream, and I found out why!

I would hate to have to choose one dessert to eat for the rest of my life… but if stranded on a dessert island, I would probably go with a warm brownie topped with ice cream.  Wouldn’t you?

Although everything on the menu called out to me, it was an easy choice.  I went with the brownie sundae which was comprised of a spectacularly ooey gooey, fudgy brownie topped with two scoops of ice cream (I chose one scoop of Salted Chocolate and one of Superfood, which is a chocolate laced with superfoods such as maca and goji berries), salted caramel sauce, and Oreos.

Again, eaten in the beautiful LA sunshine.  This was one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten!!  I may or may not have called my mom after eating this to tell her that I could die happy…

If you are in LA in the Universal City area, do yourself a favor and check out Kind Kreme!!   I can only imagine how great it must be to live in a city with so many amazing vegan dining options at a stones-throw away.

After a couple hours at the hotel pool, it was time to head to the wedding.  The bride did a really great job planning an antiquated, romantic theme.

Just like a good Boy Scout vegan, I always come prepared…. with nutritional yeast in my purse! I was a bit apprehensive whipping out my bag of yellow powder at the dinner table but fortunately I was surrounded by two other vegetarians and a nutritionist, and the other people at my table ended up wanting me to share which I was happy to do.

My entree was a simple bowl of steamed veggies, but that was nothing that some EVOO, salt and nutritional yeast couldn’t doctor up!

It was tough to leave the gorgeous LA weather (and vegan restaurants!) but good to go home at the end of the weekend.  And once you’re reading this on Monday I should be just about to arrive in Chicago from Oklahoma City, in which case I’ll be done vacationing for awhile!

What was the last great vacation you took?  Or what fun vacations do you have lined up that you are looking forward to?

After a 9+ hour flight to and from Europe recently, I wasn’t looking forward to another plane ride… but it was my first time flying Virgin America, and it turned out that that made all the difference.  Aside from having comfortable seats (I swear!) and employees that actually show their personalities, each seat has its own TV where you can watch a handful of live TV channels for free, or you can pay to watch other shows, movies, or to play video games.

(That’s Mike’s ginormous ET finger, not mine…)

Right after we arrived at our hotel, we met up with Lynn who was kind enough to pick us up from our hotel to drive us to lunch!

I’ve been reading Lynn’s blog for over two years now, and I’m so glad that I finally got to meet her in person!  Lynn is every bit as sweet, personable, and gorgeous as she seems on her blog.

We went to Aroma Cafe, which was pretty close to our hotel and – and as Lynn, a talented actress herself, pointed out, is also known for being a favorite of celebrities.  (Mike spotted one of the actors from Swingers, but I didn’t see him.) 

At Lynn’s recommendation, I ordered the Wild Rice and Tofu Salad.

Talk about a huge portion! I loved the perfectly seasoned grilled tofu…. I need to add warm tofu to salads more often.

Thanks for the great lunch date, Lynn!

Next up we headed to the wedding rehearsal (Mike was a groomsman) which was held on a beautiful golf course overlooking the mountains.  If only I had my clubs!

The rehearsal dinner was held at a beautiful house way up high in the Hollywood hills where I ate more guacamole than most people eat in their lifetime.  Which will remain unpictured lest you realize what a huge glutton I really am.

Hope you are having a great Saturday!

Before I left for Spain, I was a bit apprehensive about what type of vegan-friendly food I would find.  I knew my options might be limited, but at the very least… I knew I would find plenty of gazpacho!

Gazpacho, by its very nature, is vegan.  Typically, gazpacho is made from little more than fresh tomatoes, cucumber, vinegar, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper… no more, no less.  Its simplicity is part of its appeal, as its short ingredient list allows the bright flavors of the tomatoes and cucumbers to shine through.

As much as I love a traditional tomato gazpacho, this a fun variation!  I originally served this in a bowl, and then realized that it would be even better (and frankly much more adorable) served in shot glasses as an amuse bouche course.

Cucumber Nectarine Gazpacho

Ingredients:

2 cucumbers – peeled, cored, and loosely chopped

3 nectarines – peeled, cored, and loosely chopped

3 T. EVOO

2 T. red or white wine vinegar (I used chardonnay vinegar and I imagine if you used a red it might change the color slightly)

1/2 c. loosely packed basil leaves

1 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

optional:  extra cucumbers and nectarines to finely dice for a garnish

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until smooth.

2.   Serve chilled, and garnish with diced cucumber and nectarines.

I’m not eloquent enough to put into words what a breathtaking experience it was to see him in person – just a few hundred feet away, no less!! – so let’s just say it was everything I hoped it would be and more.  Abby, if you want to quit our jobs and become Paul McCartney groupies following him around the world just say the word (no pun intended)…

Hard to tell who that tiny dot in red is.. it’s this guy!

On a much less exciting note, let’s get back to those Spain recaps, shall we?

The Tuesday morning of my trip I woke up early to hit up the hotel gym at the Westin Palace Madrid.  I tried to discretely take a couple pictures of the gym because I know I have a few readers who are heading to Madrid soon.

I was very pleased with the gym, which also had a very nice adjacent locker room and sauna.

Soon after my workout we got a rental car (no easy feat in Europe! ) and headed for Sevilla. Along the way I was thrilled to find a chocolate soymilk at a gas station so of course I had to buy it, being the chocolate-milk obsessed person that I am.

Once in Sevilla, we stayed at the Silken Al Andalus Palace.  It had a great pool (complete with poolside bar, a vacation necessity in my opinion) and free wi-fi in the lobby which I was all over.

Oh, and a poolside hammock.  The only thing better than a drink in the pool is a drink by the pool which reading your Nook in a hammock! 

Cena y cervezas:

After getting the usual (bread, olives, etc) at the first tapas bar we went to, we walked down the beautiful, winding streets of Sevilla until we found this place.

The owner was ridiculously charming and brought out an endless amount of sangria and various tapas.  When he heard that my mom is a vegetarian and I’m vegan, he immediately brought me out a plate of curried chickpeas with spinach.

Not sure how authentic this is to Spain (although it must be because his sister made it) but it was delicious!

My mom and I turned in early but Mike and my dad took these amazing pictures of the cathedral at night.

Next up:  more from Sevilla!