Cheers To New Beginnings!

Hi y'all!  I'm sorry I haven't been updating my posts but it's been a very eventful time for me.  I'm starting a position with a new organization and had to frantically train a new employee to take over old position before I left.  I have also been traveling to New York and Seattle so I haven't had a chance to update the blog but I promise to post my adventures soon! 

My first taste of the frozen hot chocolate from the original Serendipity located in Midtown East, New York.

Eggplant Parm Sammies

Hot sandwiches beat cold sandwiches any day.  I thought I would switch up Jase's lunch this week with eggplant parmesan sammies.  The filling was made the same way I baked my Eggplant Lasagna With Ricotta Cheese.  I just spooned out a slice or two of eggplant to fill a whole wheat pita.  Some spinach was added to the pita but you can add fresh basil leaves instead.  It's best if you can consume these yummy eggplant parm sammies hot out of the oven but you can always make them ahead of time and pop them in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds to heat them up.

Chick'n Scallopini With Lemon Caper Sauce On Spaghetti Squash

It's been a busy busy busy past few weeks.  I've had back to back meetings and I am exhausted but yoga has helped roll out the kink in my back!  I enjoy cooking dinners for hubs each day I can but we've both been working so much that my time is limited.  Thank goodness for Gardein products.  They have made my life so much easier.  I prepared the Chick'n Scallopini as directed on the package and made an awesome lemon caper sauce to top over the spaghetti squash I cooked in the microwave in 10 minutes.  This dish was easy and fast!  I melted 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter on a heated skillet, added 1 tablespoon of garlic, 2 tablespoons of capers, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, pinch of Himalayan salt, pinch of pepper, a teaspoon of agave syrup and some chopped scallions.  I stirred the mixture for about 2 minutes and poured over my chick'n scallopini and spaghetti squash. 

The First of Many Trips to Vinh Loi Tofu

hOLy  CaNnOLi!  No... I don't really type like this but this place knocked my socks off!  I had a few business meetings in the valley and since I was there, I asked Alyssa to meet me in Reseda to try Vinh Loi Tofu restaurant.  I have been wanting to try this place for months now and I am already marking my calendar for future trips.

As an appetizer, we ordered the fried lemongrass tofu.  So yummy!  It was super crisp on the outside and soft and moist in the middle.  Lightly salted and the hint of lemongrass flavor was not too overpowering.  They make their own tofu and soy milk so you can definitely taste the freshness opposed to store bought versions.

We also tried their vegan bun thit nuong.  Fresh vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, seitan, tofu, pickled carrots, pickled radishes and mint leaves tossed in nuoc mam chay sauce.  Soooo good!

My fave out of all the dishes we ordered was their house special soup.  This noodle soup is similar to the teo chow noodle my mom makes.  The chewy rice noodles were cooked to perfection and the savory spicy broth is addicting!  I even ordered one to go for my hubby because I knew he would love it since it's a similar to the staple dish my mom makes but this one was vegan!  Absolutely delicious! 

Suffice to say, this is my favorite restaurant for Vietnamese cuisine! You have to try it!  I also bought a banh mi for my hubs but he never got a chance to taste it after he got home from work.  Oooops!  =) 

Happy V Day From The Boxers!

These are pics of us at the only decent Chinese restaurant in town.  As you can see, my husband is very proud of his beautiful nostrils.  We didn't dare ask the server to take a photo for us because he hung out at our table half the time we were dining.  Yup.  That's right.  The server walked over to our table with a big bucket of sugar packets and stood at our table replacing sugar packets for a while.  As we were seated and stuffing chow fun into our mouths, we were at eye level of crotch view.  I guess this only happens at a Chinese restaurant.  I didn't dare ask him to take a photo of us since he joined us at the table for most of the evening. 

I am having the best Valentine's day although I have been glued to my computer working most of the day.  The hubs took me to get my fix of chow fun which made me so stinking happy!  Plus they gave us some yummy dessert of coconut milk, tapioca and mung beans!

XOXO!  Hope you all are having a romantic day snuggling up with your loved ones.

Elephant Seals Part II

Here are some more photos of these beautiful creatures from our last trip on the San Simeon coast.  Happy viewing!

Trader Joe's Marinated Beet Salad

This past weekend was one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a long time.  I listened to my body and didn't check my emails, practiced yoga for at least 30 minutes each day and slept in until noon.  My back is feeling much better but not completely healed.  I've noticed that yoga has helped relax my muscles tremendously and I will continue to also get therapeutic massages throughout the week.

It was a nice quiet weekend with just hubby and I and I picked up some marinated beet salad from Trader Joes.  If anyone loves a good beet salad more than Dwight Schrute then it would definitely be me!  For dinner, hubs and I tossed in some miso sesame salad dressing, a few handfuls of kale, thinly sliced onions and some of the marinated beet we bought from Trader Joes and it was so yummy! The pickled jewels were seasoned to perfection and would be a tasty addition to any salads.