Kitchen Dances

Hello all!

Thought I owed you guys a post since I feel like I've been so behind these last few weeks. I've now spent two weekends in Seattle, which totally throws off any semblance of routine I have. When I'm out of town its hard to keep up with my meditation, yoga, morning juicing, and sadly, blogging. But its Monday morning, I've had my juice for breakfast and my salad for lunch, and I'm ready to write!

It's been an interesting week. I went to Seattle for my best friend Kelli's birthday. As excited as I was to celebrate with her, I was super bummed that I wouldn't be able to partake in any drinking thanks to my parasite (which Kelli named Clarence, by the way). Thursday of last week, I couldn't take it anymore. My diet is so restrictive as it is and although I'm a big advocate of treating things the natural way, the meds my natropath had me on were just taking too long. So I bit the bullet and went to a regular doctor. Thankfully, the new doctor I tried out was actually pretty awesome, so I appreciated that. They had to retest me for the parasite but once my results come back I can get on a more hardcore treatment that will hopefully knock little Clarence out. So I decided to go off my parasite diet for the weekend! And as a result I had an amazing weekend with Kelli and her friends. As much as I'm a stickler about my diet and health, there is really something to be said for letting go every once in a while. I think a little indulgence is good for our wellbeing.

Moving on...

If you are from the Portland/Vancouver area, you are well aware that Portland has a big food cart scene, one that is supposed to be the best in the country. There are seriously food carts for EVERYTHING! Aside from late night drunk munchies, I haven't done much exploration of these food carts simply because many of them only have hours that suit a lunch crowd, and seeing as I get a half hour lunch and work in Vancouver, I don't have the luxury of testing them out. Lucky me though, with my new work schedule, I get Friday's off as a part of my weekend. So I figured, what better way to celebrate this new freedom than check out a vegan food cart?

I happened to be running errands in the SE Belmont area, and I'd heard of this place called Kitchen Dances. It's located on Belmont and 43rd in a parking lot that has a whole bunch of carts all clustered together. You can't miss Kitchen Dances, its in a cute little red cart with an outdoor seating area towards the back. The menu is all vegan with a lot of raw and gluten free options and specials that change daily. But probably the most exciting little tidbit about this spot is that 2011 Vegan Top Chef winner Piper Dixon runs the cart...so you know the food is gonna rock!

I had a really difficult time deciding what to get...everything sounded amazing. They make vegan quesadillas and they even have gluten free tortillas for us celiacs, the beet ravioli also looked pretty unreal, but I ended up going for the salad that was on special, which was a delish mix of greens, topped with pear, avocado, carrots, sauerkraut and a super-fresh lemon tahini dressing. It definitely hit the spot, although I did consider ordering a quesadilla afterwords as well.

(I forgot to take the pic until I was halfway through...it was THAT good)

In addition to fresh lunch options, they also sell some of their stuff to go. They've got hummus made from raw chickpeas which I'm absolutely dying to try, as well as vegan cheesecake and all sorts of other little goodies. If I hadn't been on the parasite diet at the time, you KNOW I would have tested those out. Oh well, guess I have a good excuse to go back! Please go out and support this cart, I promise it is well deserving!

Chaco Canyon Review - Seattle

Hello all!

Sorry its been awhile! I have a ton to blog about and not nearly enough time! Like seriously, I have a list in my iPhone of posts I need to write. I need to figure out how to make blogging my full time job.

This last weekend I spent a night in Seattle, dropping Joe off for his first Seattle to Portland ride! Every year, 10 thousand cyclists ride 204 miles from Seattle to Portland (if you couldn't guess), and this year I'm proud to say that my boyfriend was one of them! I honestly couldn't be more impressed. I've ridden 20 miles with him before, and that was just about all I could handle.

Here is Joe at 4:30 a.m., getting ready to embark on the STP journey:

And here he is crossing the finish line, 14 hours later. Unreal right?

As is normal for any kind of trip, I had to find somewhere I could eat! We went up Friday night so he could leave early Saturday morning, so dinner had to be pre-planed. I figured this wouldn't be too difficult in a big city like Seattle, but it was also important to us to find somewhere close to our hotel, since he wanted to be in bed early for the big race and Seattle traffic is nothing short of unpredictable. 

Thanks to my iPhone and Yelp, I was able to find a place super close to us (we went to the West Seattle location, but there is also one near University of Washington) called Chaco Canyon. Reading the menu online got me really excited...it reminded me a lot of one of my go to spots, Proper Eats.

The West Seattle location is in a quaint little neighborhood, right off one of the more main roads (I never have any idea where I am when in Seattle...its so confusing to me). It's got a very organic feel to it, lots of wood decor and a sustainable bus-your-own-tables mentality. You order at the counter, where you can also pick up their house-made granola, pumpkin seeds and a wide assortment of baked goods and desserts. Your order is then brought out to you. While you wait, you can check out a wide assortment of business cards, flyers, etc. pertaining to like-minded businesses and events. (I always love checking those out, they have one at Proper Eats too).

As usual, I had to order juice to start my meal. Places with juice bars score huge points with me these days. I ordered the Green Goddess, which according to Joe, tasted like a garden, and according to me was fresh and delicious! Joe got an apple, carrot concoction that I believe was called the Swamp Monster, and that was delicious as well, much sweeter than mine and definitely not green.

Choosing what to have for dinner was way difficult, a) because I have an unreal amount of limitations on my anti-parasite diet (no coconut...WTF?) and b) because everything looked amazing. Their menu clearly indicates what is gluten free, raw, and soy free, which I love. They have a whole list of specials that change every month, and reading through all of them still makes my mouth water...Raw Falafels anyone (contained tomato though, sad day). I ended up settling on the Raw Ginger Sesame Bowl, which was basically a ginger sesame dressing over a mix of kelp noodles and shredded zucchini, topped with carrots and their tamari pumpkin seeds on a bed of spinach. It actually reminded me a lot of the salads I eat at home, only made by professionals :). And you know I love my kelp noodles! I was so excited to actually see them on a menu! As I'm sure you could guess, it was freaking amazing...

I also got tempeh added to the top...Joe and I have decided we are tempeh connesseurs, so we try it everywhere we go. Not my favorite tempeh, but the rest of it was so good I could care less! And honestly, you can never go too wrong with tempeh in my book, I'm the girl who eats it right out of the package.

Joe ordered the Thai Peanut Bowl, which I obviously had to taste...it was pretty dang good too. Very peanut-y if you're into that. It was also super creamy for not having dairy, which is always a plus!

I think what impressed me most about this place was the service. The lady who helped me was one of the best restaurant employees I've ever encountered. I'm usually pretty high maintenance, but due to this stupid anti-parasite diet, I'm worse than ever. I've gotten to the point where I don't even get upset when someone seems annoyed with me, I'd be annoyed with me too, so I just apologize until my face falls off. But this lady was amazing. Not only was she patient, she went out of her way to help me decide what to get. They have a handy-dandy guide of all the ingredients in every item on the menu, which was awesome and made everything a whole lot easier. She even let me take it and look through it, which helped me out tremendously. After dinner, we had a hankering for something sweet, so even though I couldn't have any of their desserts (and trust me, she checked the ingredients on every single one), she made me an iced hemp milk with agave and chai spice that totally satisfied my sweet craving. Unreal service, I would go back in a heartbeat. I did actually, to get my morning juice for Saturday's breakfast :)

I would highly recommend this place to anyone travelling to/living in Seattle who wants a healthy gluten free, vegan meal. I can't wait to go back post-parasite and try more stuff!

Some thoughts on Hummus (includes recipe for Raw Hummus)

Hello my friends!

Fourth of July weekend is upon us, and I can't tell you how excited I am for some sunshine on my four day weekend. I plan on spending as much time on the boat/at BBQs/camping on government island as possible watching other people get wasted and soberly nursing my stupid parasite problem. At least I will be amused...

To kick off my weekend, this morning I got some cavaties filled! Yayyy!! Haha not...apparently that's what happens when you avoid the denist for two years. Oopsie! Won't be making that mistake again. My appointment was at 8 am and the left side of my face is still completely numb (its noon...). This is what I looked like trying to smile at 9:30...have a good laugh people:

I'm starting to get hungry for lunch, so that better go away real fast.

Moving on...

As the title suggests, this post is entirely dedicated to one of my favorite foods....hummus! The way I eat it, it could honestly be its own food group. It's THAT good. Never tried it before? Don't worry, I won't lead you astray, I'm a bit of a hummus snob so you're only getting the best of the best!

I'm sure you are already aware that I'm a huge King Harvest fan, there is no question they make the best hummus I've ever had. What you don't know is that they have a new flavor, and its easily one of my new favorites! Get this...Seaweed Hummus! So perfect for me right? Now I know that probably sounds hella weird, but honestly, give it a try. It's not fishy or anything, its freaking delicious. Be open minded people! My new thing (and keep in mind that I'm a very strange human being), is spreading seaweed hummus on a sheet of nori with some raw dill sauerkraut (which is baller for digestion). It's amazing, I swear.

My newest hummus-related find is The Hummus Stop. I discovered them at the Vancouver Farmer's Market where they were selling homemade hummus, babaganouj, fresh pita chips and other bomb-looking stuff. While their price is a little too high for my liking (5 freaking bucks for a little container, come on people, I'm a poor blogger), they have the most interesting flavors. I splurged and bought four... Artichoke, Roasted Garlic and Chive, Jalapeno and Cilantro and Avocado and Cilantro. They are all bomb. I still prefer King Harvest as far as texture goes, but the flavors of the Hummus Stop are so different, I can't help but be impressed with their creativity! It definitely inspired me to be a little more creative with my homemade hummus. Last week, I made a traditional hummus recipe with fresh oregano and chives from our CSA share...UNREAL. By the way, if you get a CSA share with tons of herbs you don't know what to do with, throw them in hummus, its almost guaranteed to be good.

So here's my new thing, this is a great way to make your hummus last. I've been using hummus as salad dressing! I love salads, I have one every day for lunch, but most of the time I don't have time in the morning to make a really good dressing from scratch. I tried this one morning and have been doing it ever since! Mix 1-2 tbsp of your favorite hummus with 1-2 tbsp of water and mix until the hummus reaches a salad dressing consistancy. You can add more or less water depending on how thick you like your dressing. Pour it over salad and voila! The best I've made into dressing is the King Harvest Jalapeno hummus. It brings a whole new dimension to my salads!

As much as I love hummus, I'm sad to report that eating too much of it really doesn't make me feel great. I don't know if I'm mildly sensitive to garbanzos or what but every once in a while I need a break. Plus, I try to eat mostly raw foods at breakfast and lunch, so hummus doesn't tend to fit in. If you are in the same boat, never fear! I found a recipe for Raw Hummus that will blow your mind! It's made with a zucchini base (whoever thought zucchini could replace chickpeas?), but pretty much all the other ingredients are the same! I tweaked it a little bit to make use of some of the stuff I bought at my local farmer's market.

Yumm, fresh local zucchini and yellow zucchini :)

Almost done! So freaking good. The recipe is as follows:

Raw Hummus

1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 medium yellow zucchini, chopped (if these aren't in season, use 2 zucchini)
1/2 c. raw tahini (I like Artisana brand, so much better than the roasted stuff!)
1/3 c. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
dash of olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. sea salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor and mix until desired constistancy is reached. Any add-ins you might use in a normal hummus recipe should work here. I've tried basil and oregano (delicious!), and I'm sure any herbs, jalapenos, whatever would be bomb as well. It's definitely a little different that your average hummus, but my "normal-eating" boyfriend Joe loved it, so that's always a sign that I succeeded!

So have a happy, hummus-y 4th of July! Have a gluten-free beer for me, since I can't :-/

GF/Vegan Entertaining on a Budget

Ahh I love parties! I really do. I'm such a social butterfly; I just love catching up with good friends, cocktail in one hand, some delicious appetizer in the other (or sometimes another cocktail, let's be real). However, I'm hardly ever the one throwing the party. There are a few reasons for that: a) how mortifying would it be if no one showed up, b) how mortifying would it be if people showed up and all the food sucked and c) I absolutely hate cleaning up my apartment and thats basically a requirement of a good hostess.

BUT, I decided to overcome my fear of party failure and throw a little get together for my girlfriends last night. Put out the official facebook invite and everything. Unfortunately, not a lot of people can commit to a random Wednesday night, but there were 8 of my good friends there so I can't really complain! Any more than that and the whole hostess things gets a bit overwhelming. There's only so much catching up you can do when you want to get a piece of everybody right?

I don't think it occured to me until a week or so before this get together that I would need food and booze in order to pull this ladies night off. Um, hello anxiety! How the hell do I make party food that other people will get excited about that I can also eat without inducing a massive body meltdown? Bahhh I've never done this before! As comfortable as I am sharing my recipes with you, its a whole nother story when you have to watch people try your stuff....is that a real smile and nod or are they covering up the fact that they are choking with disgust? Yikers!

My other issue, of course, is cashola. How do I pull off a classy-ish party with no money in the bank?? I knew I was going to have to get real creative to make this work for both me and my guests.

So, I figured, you can't go wrong with the classics. Make things that people expect at a party, then don't tell them till after that it has been modified. Sheer effing brilliance. My menu? Mexican layer dip, spinach artichoke dip, stuffed peppers and chocolate covered strawberries, all vegan, gluten, corn and sugar free of course! Oh, and a little Andre Peach Passion champagne with frozen berries...cheap and tasty (just don't drink too much unless you love being hungover)!

I was so relieved how everything turned out! So cute right?

I think the favorite was the Spinach Artichoke Dip, people were shocked that it was vegan. I think that was definitely my proudest accomplishment. I did bite the bullet and buy corn chips (they are so cheap and everyone else can eat them!), but at least I bought the organic ones with only 3 ingredients! And I of course, used Beanitos (definitely polished off a whole bag, oops!).

I wasn't as excited about the Stuffed Peppers, mainly because I forgot an ingredient in the filling and was expecting them to be more flavorful, but everyone else loved them! I guess we are usually our own worst critics.

And the Chocolate Covered Strawberries of course! I used unsweetened bakers chocolate that I already had, but you can use any dairy free sugar free chocolate you can find (they are usually spendy though, unfortunately). I topped a few of them with Suzanne's Ricemellow Creme instead of whipped cream, but they are definitely just as good without! Well, my friend Renee thought so anyway....

I did have some leftovers, I planned for like 10-12 people and got 8, so that's to be expected. I know we were all super stuffed afterwords (mainly from gorging on Spinach Artichoke Dip), so thats always a good thing! Including booze, the whole thing cost me around $60, but you know me, I buy organic and stuff too so that factors in. Really, you just can't have a good party with special diet food without spending a little cash, but I definitely think it was worth it!

So without any futher ado...here are the recipes! Enjoy kidlets!

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 bag frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry (10 oz)
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained (13.75 oz)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 package firm silken tofu (12 oz)
1/2 c. daiya (I used pepperjack) or nutritional yeast
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion, spinach and artichoke in coconut oil until onion is soft. Meanwhile, blend tofu, cheese or nutritional yeast, garlic, vinegar and seasonings in a high powered blender until smooth. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and add extra spices or cheese if needed. Smooth into a baking dish and cook 15-20 minutes (took about 17 for me) or until golden brown on the top. Serve with corn chips or Beanitos!

Stuffed Peppers

1/2 cup quinoa
1 c. vegetable broth (to cook quinoa in...this is where I made my mistake, dont forget this step!)
1 package (12 oz) firm tofu
3 tbsp. minced white onion
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
dash of stevia powder (1 tbsp. agave also works)
1 tbsp. freshly grated orange zest
1 tbsp. minced fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
20-ish mini sweet peppers (they are the same size as hot peppers but they taste like bell peppers, please dont accidentally buy habeneros or jalapenos!)

Cook quinoa according to package, subbing the veggie broth for the water. In a large bowl, crumble tofu and add the onion, vinegar, agave or stevia, orange zest and oregano. Stir in quinoa and season with salt and pepper. Slice the stems off the peppers and remove seeds. Fill each pepper with quinoa mixture. I made this the night before and served them chilled...delicious!

5-layer Mexican Dip

1 can vegetarian refried beans
1/2 pkg. pepperjack Daiya cheese
1/2 pkg. King Harvest Jalapeno Hummus (or hummus of your choice)
1 c. tomatillo salsa
1 1/2 c. vegan sour cream (I prefer Wayfare to Tofutti)

Spread beans in a microwave safe baking dish and top with cheese. Mircrowave about 2 minutes until cheese starts to melt. Spread hummus over top with a spatula, then do the same with the salsa and top with  sour cream. You can also add a layer of olives or guacamole!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1 bar chocolate
However many strawberries you want

Make sure strawberries are dry. Microwave chocolate until it becomes soft, about a minute and a half. Dip each strawberry in chocolate, making sure to coat all sides and place on a cookie sheet. They can also be dipped in coconut, sprinkles or nuts, or topped with whipped cream of some sort. Refridgerate until chocolate hardens, about an hour.

I definitely want to experiment with more party recipes in the future, but here are a few to get you party people started! And make sure to have a drink for me :) Enjoy!

Mmmm Lebanese... Review of Nicholas Restaurant

It's no secret I looooove my Greek food, in addition to my hummus obsession (it's gotten unhealthy....) and my addiction to gluten and corn free falafel (aka non-Americanized falafel). But as I've done more research into the Portland vegan restaurant scene, I've noticed Lebanese places popping up quite a bit. You know me, I always want to try new ethnic foods, especially ones that have awesome vegan and gluten free options. One place, Nicholas Restaurant, stuck out to me (after reading positive reviews on Yelp and the Food Fight PDX Guide), so I decided to make a point to try it!

Luckily, my opportunity to tantalize my taste buds came pretty fast. Even though we went to Cabo and had family dinner for Joe's birthday, we just can't seem to stop celebrating (shit I want to turn 28 if it means my birthday is a week long!). Our friends Marcus and Tabitha wanted to do a birthday dinner with us, and because of all my limitations, they suggested I pick a place. Yay! I pick Lebanese food! Everyone was down for it so we checked it out last night and DAMN I was impressed!!

The restaurant actually has 3 locations in the Portland Metro area, one on SE Stark, one on NE Broadway and one in Gresham. The Stark one got the best reviews on Yelp so we chose that one. Quaint little place, I've probably driven by it hundreds of times and never realized it was there. It wasn't so inconspicuous last night though, their were people dining on the sidewalk due to the 70 degree weather. The place was packed, luckily a table opened up right as we got there because there's really nowhere to wait.

First thing, they brought out this giant piece of housemade pita bread with an herby dip thing. I was disappointed that I couldn't partake in the devouring of that little guy...it smelled freaking delicious. But my mood was immediately lifted upon realizing that the falafel was not only gluten free but corn free as well. Hell yeah!! The waitress knew the answers to all my questions without even having to consult the kitchen. I'm always a sucker for good service! Plus, the menu was dotted with "V"'s to indicate which items were vegan.

Being such a lover of new ethnic food, there was no WAY I was going to be able to pick just one thing (especially when there are so many things on the menu I can have), so I ordered the Vegan Mezza platter: Falafel, tahini, tabouli, hummus, mjadra (a lentil/rice dish) and a garbanzo plate. I subbed an extra falafel for the tabouli, since tabouli is traditionally made from bulgur wheat, def not gluten free.

Um....YUM!! Everything was so tasty, seasoned to perfection, an explosion of chickpea-flavored goodness in my mouth. The falafel is among the best I've tasted, and dipping it in hummus and tahini was a killer combo. The rice lentil dish was plain-looking, but was definitely delicious, as was the garbanzo plate. Every flavor complimented the others perfectly and I was seriously in hog heaven. The only thing for me is I unfortunately don't tolerate an overabundance of chickpeas well and I honestly eat mostly raw at home so it was definitely a heavy meal. But hey, what would life be if we didn't treat ourselves every once in awhile? We definitely needed to take a walk afterwords, but when you have the gorgeous Eastbank Esplanade to stroll along, you can't really complain!

I would DEFINITELY visit this place again. Not even a question. And I hope it's soon cause I know I gotta get that falafel fix on a semi-regular basis....oooh I need to learn how to make raw falafel, anyone know of a recipe?

Check this place out, and until next time, Live Free!

Being a "Vitortarian" in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

My body has been back from vacation now for 4 days, but my mind is just now catching up, hence the delayed post! We were only gone 4 nights but man, we fit in a lot of craziness in a short time. It's hard to come back from that, and to rainy Vancouver no less...

Cabo was an absolute blast. It's not exactly my first rodeo in CSL, but it's definitely the first time I've been there since I've been on my current diet. I was a little worried, because the first thing I found when I searched "vegan" and "Cabo San Lucas" on Google was a thread of people posting about how hard it is to eat vegan in Cabo. Greeeat...

Let's be real, it is hard. From the language barrier to the fact that meat, corn and dairy are staples in the Mexican culture, it's hard to get a good Vitortarian meal in those parts. And seeing as I already have one parasite, I had to be super careful with anything fresh in order to avoid picking up another one.

So, if you are travelling to Cabo (and many of these rules apply to anywhere in Mexico), here's some advice:

1. Guacamole and Fajita Vegetables are a girl's best friends
I ate fajita vegetables and guac like it was my job. I dabbled in the rice and bean arena, but let's be real, Mexican beans arent always vegan and sometimes arent even gluten free, so I definitely wouldn't rely on them. All the rice i had was white rice, which I'll eat if there isn't any other option, but I don't like to OD on. So anytime we ate Mexican food, I ordered fajitas with no meat, no tortillas, no sour cream and no cheese (people thought I was bonkers) and a side of guac. However, I did get pretty dang sick of sauteed peppers and onions, which brings me to my next piece of advice:

2. Bring your own food
I kid you not, in preparation for this trip I packed a whole carryon just for food from home. Unfortunately you can't bring produce into the country (I still did by hiding it in my suitcase but I'd definitely advise against that), so I ate a lot of packaged food which isnt the norm for me but it sure beats being hungry! Rice tortillas and Beanitos Bean Chips were musts, I could bring them along to restaurants to dip in guacamole or pair with fajita veggies. I also packed a butt load of sea snax, those little roasted seaweed things I love so dearly. Also, a few packets of Vega Whole Food Optimizer powder in Chai Vanilla for breakfast (they pack a ton of nutrition into a little packet, and they taste great!), and some Larabars. Again, not exactly ideal food for day to day life, but a whole heck of a lot better than eating flesh and mucus (meat and dairy).

3. Visit the Monkey Business bar
I can't begin to tell you how many sugary effing drinks I had in Cabo. If its not beer or watered down tequila, you can bet there's probably more sugar than alcohol in your drink. I had more sugar in those 5 days than I have in the last 3 years. And my body hated me for it, no doubt about that. Luckily, I had one saving grace when it came to boozing. Joe and I were wandering the town one morning and stumbled across a tequila specialty shop. The man in the shop told us we could sample any tequila at the bar next door. Enter Monkey Business. It's a little outdoor bar, with a few barstools and wood pillars that have been tagged with names, etc. in sharpie all the way around (Joe and I definitely left our mark). The bartende informed us that they'd been voted the best margaritas in Cabo, so naturally we had to try one! Who says 11 am is to early to start drinking? So he gets to work on our drinks and I can already tell that the voters were right...instead of your typical pre-prepared margarita mix and Jose Cuervo, these margs were made with fresh squeezed (we literally watched him do it) oranges and limes, top shelf tequila, and a little soda water.

Everything fresh, no added sugar, definitely up my alley. And WOW they were good, not only was it was the best marg in Cabo, it was the best dang drink I've ever had! We also had mojitos...same deal. In fact, a guy showed up while we were there to deliver fresh mint, which the bartender then muddled to perfection and mixed with soda water, fresh lime juice, and sugar (a mojito staple, I can't be perfect all the time!)

Yummmmmm....We were happy campers

Superstar clientele (besides yours truly...hahaha) include Lil Wayne and Lil John (who were there last year), which basically just made the place that much cooler! YEEAHH (Lil John voice).

4. Pack Your Supplements!

Digestive enzymes and probiotics are an absolute must! I seriously think my enzymes saved my butt a few times when I got accidentally contaminated. For some of the stuff I ate I should have felt a lot worse than I actually did! I took enzymes with lunch and dinner and probiotics twice a day, just like I do at home. Seriously, don't leave home without those babies.

5. Visit our buddy Tim at Salvatore's

One of Joe's distant relatives owns a little out-of-the-way Italian joint in the city. Took us forever to find it, it's pretty hidden and not well advertised but one of the most popular word-of-mouth places in Cabo. They've seen all sorts of celebrities, and been written up as a top ten attraction on Trip Advisor, yet you wouldn't know about it if you didn't hear from a loyal customer. The guy's name is Tim (he owns it and his sons Matt and Sam work there as well), and he took great care of us. Great wine, amazing food, and while the menu wasn't exactly Sarah-friendly, they were more than willing to accomadate. The cook made me a giant plate of artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms, peppers and a bunch of other veggies, all seasoned to perfection and complimented with a delicious Chianti. I was in absolute heaven. Just watch out for the Sangria, its really dang sweet and it'll get ya...

(Joe, post-sangria/wine)

6. RELAX!!
I really can't stress this enough. So they put a little lard in your beans, or a little tomato in your guac. Unless you are severly allergic, don't freak out about it. Being relaxed will help you feel better anyways, take it from me, anxiety over food only makes all your symptoms worse. Just enjoy yourself you're in freaking MEXICO! Deal with it when you get home if you have to. It's not life or death people.

And don't be afraid to party like a rockstar!

Woo! Viva La Mexico! Enjoy your travels :)

Eating Proper at Proper Eats

YAY! I think I have a new favorite restaurant! Well, to add to my always-growing list of favorite restaurants.

Last night Joe and I went to happy hour at Radio Room and had drinks with some of his work friends. Actually, Joe had drinks, I, thanks to my anti-parasite diet, downed an entire wine bottle full of water. Mmmm... I really had no interest in getting food at Radio Room; while they do indicate their menu items that are vegan and gluten free, there are only 2 that are both and one has tomato...I wasn't about to have edamame as a meal.

So I decided it was time to try a new place. Not that I don't love frequenting Vege Thai and Blossoming Lotus (and I do...I just had Vege Thai the other night), but there are SO MANY vegan places in Portland that I need to discover! I ended up deciding on Proper Eats Cafe in North Portland....an area of town that I was previously unfamiliar with....

BEST DECISION EVER!

Oh my stars this place is so cool! They use all organic and vegan ingredients in their stuff, indicate items on the menu that are gluten free, AND they don't add cane sugar to anything!! There were actually multiple items on the menu that I could eat...and as I'm sure you know I don't usually get much of a choice at most places. Even Blossoming Lotus is tricky thanks to my tomato and corn allergies.

We started with drinks, house-made Kombucha (=LOVE) for me and cabernet for Joe...definitely best kombucha I've ever had. A lot of the store-bought stuff is a little too tangy, this had the perfect balance of bite and flavor. Just goes to show that anything homemade is always better!

The salad menu was unreal...I'm such a dang salad fiend lately there was no way I was leaving without trying at least one. Tough choice too because they ALL sounded amazing! I ended up going with the sea salad, which was raw sauerkraut, carrots, beets, avocado, cucumber, and kalamata olives on a bed of mixed greens with a cashew-nori dressing that seriously tasted exactly like sushi. It was even better than in sounded! Joe got a caesar salad (vegan of course!) that had their house-made tempeh on it and the usual caesar staples. It was a little fishy, despite the lack of real fish in the dressing, but according to Joe (who is a carnivore by the way), the tempeh made it all worth it.

The main course menu consists of sandwiches and wraps (bowls for us gluten free folk), and entrees with an international flare. Tacos, masala (indian dish), asian noodles, shepherd's pie, you name it. Raw fajitas anyone? I was immediately drawn to the Pesto and Veggie Wrap/Bowl... steamed veggies, red and yellow quinoa, and house-made tempeh (my stomach is growling just thinking about it), topped with avocado and arugula-hazelnut pesto (which they totally sell in-store, heck YES!). And once again, it was even better than it sounded. Soooo much flavor and from all veggies and grains! It's amazing how delicous simplicity can be. Joe ordered the "NoPo" Burrito, which included steamed veggies, salsa, tofu, beans and rice, topped with guac and corn-pumpkin seed relish. He made a point to tell me to share his review on the blog... he LOVED it. Which I love...I'm just one step closer to convincing him to eat that way all the time :). I tried a little bite and I was impressed as well...it honestly tasted like a more flavorful version of my once-upon-a-time order at Taco Del Mar. It is, of course, about 10 steps up from good ole TDM however, you just can't beat fresh, organic ingredients.

I never get dessert, nor do I really crave it anymore, but I HAD to get some here. I mean, they had like 7 or 8 different variations of vegan, sugar free chocolate: bars, truffles, fudge, hemp-butter cups...hello! It's like my dream! I had a hell of a time picking one out, but I ended up going with the hempseed butter cups. It's just been too long since I've had a reese's. Definitely a good choice for me, but milk-chocolate lovers beware, it is definitely dark chocolate to the core. Unfortunately, that party-in-my-mouth lasted only moments, I smashed those real fast. Thank God for vegan chocolate.

Aside from freaking delicious food, Proper Eats also offers retail items, including organic (and mostly local!) produce, cooking sauces (like my Thai and True curry pastes!), tofu, and other convenience items (natural toothpaste and local hand-made soaps!). They even sell a lot of their house-made sauces, plus that amazing raw tempeh! Do you know how hard it is to find raw tempeh? Freaking impossible now that everything and it's mom is pasteurized. My favorite part was this shelf of all sorts of flyers and business cards for health and vegan-related businesses and events. I spent forever looking at everything! I sneakily left behind a few of my business cards while Joe stood guard (not sure what their policy is on that).

I don't think its even a question that I'm going to become a regular at this place. How I haven't heard about it until now blows my mind. I'd honestly recommend this to anyone who likes food, vegan or not. There's totally something for everyone and everything tastes amazing! What's not to love?

Live free my friends,
Sarah