Thanks to my Vegan Summer Swap Pal for the recipe! It's pretty simple - frozen banana slices, ice, chocolate soymilk, cocoa powder, and cinnamon, and I added about 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract.
I'm in love with my dining room wall paint. It's so rich!
I just participated in the Vegan Summer Swap on Ravelry and got my box earlier this week. Boy, was it full!
I can't wait to try out the Panda Cotton sock yarn, make some popsicles, and try the chocolate banana smoothie recipe! I know have a cute stitch marker holder rather than the ziploc back I was using, and postcards to send to friends. Thank you so much Llunarllama!
I'm a huge fan of Ethiopian/Eritrean food and this is one of the best restaurants I've been to out of NYC/SF/PDX. I went with a group of 6 last night without a reservation. We were seated immediately and the order was taken shortly after we were all seated and ready. I thought the food came quickly given how fresh everything is.
The menu boasts a wide combination of Ethiopian and Mediterranean food with lots of options for meat eaters, veggies, and vegans. As vegans, we were happy to read on the menu that all of the vegetarian choices are vegan, and everything was clearly marked.
We ordered three vegetarian combinations which came with a great variety of dishes. Then we also ordered three dishes a la carte - the mushroom nibs (in a thick spiced sauce with onions, like the typical beef dish), a sort of roasted potato dish, and a spicy pureed chickpea dish.
The veggie combos each came on a tray, and there was a fourth tray to go with the three platters of a la carte dishes. That tray had three piles of a cool lentil salad with red onions, tomatoes, etc. which was nice if you need a refreshing break. The injera was thick and tasty and there was plenty of it.
We could not decide which dish we liked best - everything was so tasty. You could tell right away when it arrived. Bad Ethiopian food often looks like baby food, whereas even the soft or pureed dishes here were freshly made.
They have 5 types of Ethiopian beer as well as a spiced tea (which I got and it was really good) and Ethiopian coffee, which you can order by the cup or with the pouring ritual, like Turkish coffee.
The cost came to $12.50 each including an 18% gratuity, and we were all stuffed. Although the service was a tad slow before we ordered, the owner came over to check on us a few times, left a pitcher of ice water so that we wouldn't run out, and a big basket of injera - there was even some left over! I am so happy to have tried this place - I will be back soon and often!
I may not have a ton of foods to blog about in the next few weeks. I am trying to cut down on the simple sugars and carbohydrates, partially because it's nicer to eat light in the summer weather, partially because I want to take advantage of tasty local produce, and partially because I'm dealing with some weight gain due to a recent medication that has made a lot of my clothing not fit. I'm not going on any specific dietary plan but I'm trying to eat as much fresh fruit and veggies, cooked veggies, and nuts and beans as I can, keeping the white flour down to a minimum. One yummy method is the enormous salad with tons of yummy veggies and a healthy dressing. Usually, I just use organic expeller olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some herbs and garlic, but this week I had a craving for some Amy's Goddess dressing. This one has lettuce, red onion, carrot, frisee, avocado, and sauteed and crumbled Lightlife's Garden Veggie tempeh on top.
Lest you all think I'm some sort of lush, I thought it proper to post my favorite non-alcoholic "healthy" beverage for summertime - a berry smoothie. I make them with Wildwood unsweetened soy yogurt, a splash or two of non-dairy milk, frozen blueberries, and fresh strawberries, and a few squirts of Agave nectar.
Thursday night, my husband and I were strolling down Alberta Street when we decided to stop for a late dessert at Tour de Crepes, which has vegan options.
I got the dark chocolate and fried bananas (which normally also comes with peanut butter, but I'm allergic) and my husband got dark chocolate with cinnamon and cayenne. They were really really tasty. The coffee is also extremely good. I didn't even put soy milk in it!
We stopped there again this morning for breakfast and although I forgot my camera, we got the savory batter this time, which is buckwheat-based, filled with fried mushrooms, fresh spinach, and chickpea/garlic spread. MMMMMMmmmmm. Then we shared another chocolate/cayenne/cinnamon for dessert.
I spoke with the waitress who said they are working on a gluten-free batter as well!
Bread baked two blocks from our house
Sunflowerseed butter
Tayberry jam made with local berries
Wildwood soy yogurt
Local strawberries
will get here at some point. Don't ask me when. I'm in Portland.
But this week's questions from Secret Pal 12 happens to be "What is your favorite summertime drink?" It's perfect timing since I hadn't blogged about a favorite summertime meal here. Bye & Bye's grilled cheese with a side of chili, and a "La Reja" - a wonderful Margarita made with Hornitos tequila, fresh lime and orange juice, simple sugar, and fresh lemons and limes, topped with some cointreau. There are a couple of bartenders who aren't so hot at making this one. But those that are, make it so well! It's hard not to drink a few.
Pattern: Broken Chevron Hat & Scarf from Alpacas with a Twist
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton in "fern"
Needles: size 10 from my Boye set
Modifications: Slightly smaller needles to go with non-alpaca yarn; made an extra repeat before the decreases to make it a bit larger due to smaller gauge
In general, I'm happy with this hat although I don't like the loose cast-on edge I have and might add something else there. I also wish it was a tad bit longer.
Biscuits and sausage gravy
pancakes with maple syrup
cajun spiced tofu
token broccoli
jalapeno grits
cherry cobbler (not shown)
