FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Post-Weekend Recovery

by

After a weekend full of splurging in every arena possible, I was in dire need of Runyon and some healthy eats.

Nathan and I hiked the canyon in the foggiest (smoggiest?) weather ever and then headed to M Cafe for the healthy eats.

I started with a juice made of lemon, wheat grass, ginger, and another ingredient that escapes my mind.  I really enjoyed the tartness of the lemon and the ridiculous amounts of nutrients I knew I was getting with the wheat grass.

Then I moved on to the wild salmon and asparagus sandwich on multi-grain toast with a side of kale with spicy peanut dressing.  I loved how thin the toast was and how they added asparagus to a sammy.  It was a perfect, post-hike meal.

And look at that!  My sandwich and I even smiled at each other before I took my first bite.

I’ll be in downtown LA til Friday if you have any metro accessible restaurant suggestions!

La La Brunch

by

Good Morning LA!  Good morning Boxwood Cafe!

Walking downstairs from a flawless hotel room to a flawless brunch is by definition a perfect morning.  We oohed and ahhh-ed at the decor as we made our way to the most immaculate continental setup we’d ever encountered.

A smorgasbord of pastries, quiche, yogurt parfaits, lox, cheeses, and olives? OH-EM-GEE heaven?

Ah, heaven…

Clearly I left dairy-free, meat-free Kristin behind in Tampa.  Clearly.  But the second I found out that Nathan and company were flying in from Dallas to join me in LA this weekend, well, I knew I’d be indulging without hesitation.

Friend Finds

by

One of the best things about blogging is the frequency in which my friends and family suggest new recipes.  It happens almost daily and I enjoy it, well, almost daily.

Earlier this week, Lex told me that she found the best, most perfected tofu recipe ever.  Naturally, I wanted to try it.  And when I read through it, I realized how closely it resembled my favorite tofu dish at Urban Thai.

Since I used a tofu press rather than the paper towel method, my tofu was much less moist than I imagine the recipe intended.  I didn’t get as much sizzle as I had expected while reading.

And before I get to the good stuff, my only beef with this recipe is that it didn’t tell you how long it should take for the tofu to brown.  It seemed like it was taking forever, I grew impatient to the power of ten, and gave up with barely browned tofu.

But onto the good stuff, I’m confident that once I grow a little more patient and find the perfect marinade, this technique will be my go-to tofu recipe.  Dry fried is where it’s at!

Have you ever dry fried tofu?  Favorite marinade recipe??

VegFest

by

When I saw Tampa Bay VegFest was being held down the street from my house I was so excited!  My mom came over around lunch time and we walked over to Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park to see what the event was all about.

Upon our arrival, we bumped into lots and lots of dogs.  Adoptable dogs. Adopted dogs.  Herds of really stinking big white dogs.  Can you say Never Ending Story??

I’m not a super huge dog person, but my mom and I had such a good time walking around and looking at all of the cute mutt combos.  My favorite was the chihuahua/Italian greyhound combo.  I wish I had a picture, she was so darn sweet.

When we arrived at the food area, I was surprised to see a larger vendor turnout than the food truck rally.  And although the lines were still long, they were much more manageable than the rally.

I was beyond pleased with the event and even more pleased with my No Steak Panini from Joe’s Oat Patties stand.  I was craving something a little heftier in the bread department, but after I finished the panini, which was more like a quesadilla, I was the perfect level of satisfied full.

I’m so proud of Tampa and Tampanians alike for supporting community events lately!  Have you seen an increase in community events in your town?