I felt like I was at some celebrity restaurant! I told people about it before the trip looking to incite jealousy and envy. I fussed about what to wear.... will there be a red carpet? paparazzi? Gaga? Ok, so I didn't really think those things, but I was super stoked, and I love my sissy dearly for taking me there.
The interesting thing about the restaurant is that they have a new menu each day, but it is like a specials menu, so there's just a few things to choose from. I was a little nervous about this, but as long as I can remove 'shrooms from a dish, I am willing to try most things. We had an app of quinoa black bean salad with guacamole (the recipe is below), that was super tasty, and for an entree I had the Pine Nut Pasta. (okay, so it had some pretty, fancy name, but I don't remember what it was.) I know I asked for it without the pine nuts. I don't think I like them. so sue me! I must have had a bad batch of pesto once, and I have always been convinced it was the pine nuts. I avoid basil-pine nut pestos to this day. true story.
Here's my yummy pasta:
THEN. oh then. Then, it was time for dessert. Joe and I shared the vegan chocolate cake. I don't know if we so much shared as much as I gobbled. I seriously had a Meg Ryan moment at the table. I mean, I think it would have been a good cake even if it wasn't vegan, but since it was vegan, it was like the best cake I ever had. It was moist and the flavor was so chocolately full, and then the frosting was a ganache that wasn't too sweet. It was so. good. My sister got a piece, but couldn't get through the whole thing, and she actually pondered not taking it home with us! gahh! We were going to get a box, but things got a little chaotic when we were leaving and that just didn't happen. As soon as we got up they came over to clear the table (I'm pretty sure Oprah was waiting for the table), and Joe and I both looked at the leftover cake and simultaneously forked up the rest of it. I felt like Chunk from the Goonies when they take the ice cream away from him, ripping the spoon out of his chubby, sad cheeks!
Here's the picture of the oh-so-amazing cake:
ha! Have no fear! I remembered that I had this recipe in my Moosewood cookbook, and I have all the intention in the world to bake it this week. ohhh yeah.
So what's awesome about the restaurant is that their dishes are all from their cookbooks, so if you like something, you can just go find it. The magic of the internet quickly led me to the appetizer dish we had, and Joe and I cooked it up last night. It's tasty and simple. Plus, it's grains and beans and veg: the magical 3 combo.
Here is *our* version:
and here's the recipe! We made guac too cause I love me some guac. and those are blue corn chips in the back.
Quinoa Black Bean Salad
1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup water
Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cool running water, and add to a saucepan with your 1 cup of boiling water. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until all the water is absorbed - about 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool about 15 minutes.
1 tsp. olive oil
4 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. minced scallions
1 1/2 cup. cooked black beans (or a 15 oz. can, drained)
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup. diced bell peppers (any color you'd like)
S&P to taste
In a small bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander, cilantro and scallions. Stir in the beans, tomatoes and peppers. Add the cooled quinoa, and salt and pepper to taste, and combine well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
Here's the picture of the oh-so-amazing cake:
ha! Have no fear! I remembered that I had this recipe in my Moosewood cookbook, and I have all the intention in the world to bake it this week. ohhh yeah.
So what's awesome about the restaurant is that their dishes are all from their cookbooks, so if you like something, you can just go find it. The magic of the internet quickly led me to the appetizer dish we had, and Joe and I cooked it up last night. It's tasty and simple. Plus, it's grains and beans and veg: the magical 3 combo.
Here is *our* version:
and here's the recipe! We made guac too cause I love me some guac. and those are blue corn chips in the back.Quinoa Black Bean Salad
1/3 cup quinoa
1 cup water
Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cool running water, and add to a saucepan with your 1 cup of boiling water. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until all the water is absorbed - about 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool about 15 minutes.
1 tsp. olive oil
4 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 T. finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. minced scallions
1 1/2 cup. cooked black beans (or a 15 oz. can, drained)
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup. diced bell peppers (any color you'd like)
S&P to taste
In a small bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander, cilantro and scallions. Stir in the beans, tomatoes and peppers. Add the cooled quinoa, and salt and pepper to taste, and combine well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
