Vegan by Valerie

Stay tuned!

I’m in the process of moving to a new place and thus don’t anticipate blogging much this week (although it’s possible), so please check back again soon!

Carvoeiro, Portugal

Our last morning in Sevilla began with another stop at the breakfast buffet.  Nothing too exciting, but I was able to find some veggies in the form of tomato slices, pasta salad, and more peach juice.

From Sevilla we drove west heading to our next stop, Portugal.  We knew we would be staying at a resort hotel where we each had our own fully stocked kitchen, so we stopped at a grocery store along the way.  I love going to grocery stores in America, and found this Portuguese grocery store to be fascinating!

I found some food that was vegan….

And some food that was decidedly not vegan.  (Do people really eat canned hot dogs??)

The best part was the produce selection.  I was in heaven perusing the aisles and found many new-to-me fruits and vegetables.

I also loved the covered parking spots and the coin-operated grocery carts so that customers are forced to return their own carts.

Driving to the hotel:

Each “room” at this hotel was really a fully furnished two-story apartment.   

After admiring the beautiful view, we stopped to have lunch.  I was excited to try the new fruit that I had purchased!  I know starfruit (carambola in Portuguese) can be found in America, but I never buy it so I got one at store.    

It had a nice flavor but was too mild and bland for me to buy it again.  Very pretty though!

Next I tried the melano, or “horned melon”.  Once you cut into the horned melon, you have to scoop out the insides and discard the pointy outside.  It tasted similar to cucumber (just a tad sweeter) and had a very jello-like consistency.

Last I cut into the nona, which is the one shown in one of the grocery store pictures above that looks like a small artichoke.  Interestingly, the flesh of the nona tasted like a pear to me (and maybe also a bit coconut-y?) and also had the texture of a very soft, mushy pear.  I really liked it but no one else was a fan.

After lunch we took a walk to the pool. 

After lunch I fell in love with a couple stray cats that were desperate for food and desperate to come home with me to Chicago, but instead of sneaking illegal animals through customs I decided to feed them potato chips instead (for lack of any other food).  The poor things were so skinny and underfed…

Dinner that evening was perhaps the highlight of my entire Spain and Portuguese vacation.  We found a restaurant not far from our hotel that was located right on the oceanside cliffs.

There is nothing like eating a delicious meal and drinking delicious sangria while just a few feet from the ocean!

(Does the kid on the left not look like Rusty from National Lampoon’s European Vacation?? )

I had a ton of bread and olives (naturally), sangria, a delicious warm squash soup, and a tomato salad.

After finishing our meal we were each given a shot of port, which is customary in Portugal.

This will always stand out in my mind as one of my all-time favorite restaurants… what a view!!!

What is your absolute favorite restaurant and why?

Oklahoma City

As if I wasn’t having enough fun flying across the Atlantic Ocean and across the country to Spain, Portugal, and California, I recently got back from yet another vacation to Oklahoma City to visit an old friend, Molly, from high school.

I flew out of O’Hare with my friend Lisa, and was overjoyed at the fact that the flight ahead of me was a mere 1 hour and 50 minutes instead of a backbreaking 10 hour flight to Europe.

You all know my love for all things Argo Tea, but sadly we weren’t in the right terminal so I couldn’t get my hands on a chickpea salad and chocolate chip muffin.  For any vegetarians flying out of the United terminal at O’hare, I did find a really delicious grilled portabello and veggie wrap at one of the kiosks, which I rounded out with a strawberry banana smoothie from Jamba Juice.

After arriving in OKC and subsequently melting in the 109 degree heat, we headed out for Mexican.  Oklahoma isn’t known for their healthy dining and its crawling with BBQ joints, but I always find great options at Mexican restaurants.  As you would expect in a state so close to the border, Oklahoma knows how to do Mexican food!

Molly was voted Most Likely to be the next Martha Stewart in high school.  Ok not really, that’s just what I call her… and true to form, she was the ultimate hostess and was well-prepared for our arrival.  Aside from stocking her kitchen with avocados (I can’t imagine why….), Molly bought herself some Earth Balance and made a delicious vegan apple crisp.  It was absolutely delicious, and paired nicely with [many] glasses of fruity wine.

The next morning, Molly again rose to the occasion and baked a vegan apple spice cake which of course was delicious. 

After breakfast, we headed over to the Oklahoma City bombing memorial.  It sounds like a very somber and morose thing to do on vacation, but it was actually incredibly interesting albeit very sad.

This tree miraculously survived despite catching on fire.

I like this quote!  Judge Murrah is the man that the Murrah Federal building was originally named for.

School children from across the world sent artwork to the memorial, and this one is my favorite:

As hot as it was there, I would love to run the OKC Marathon one day…

Back in high school, our group of friends used to love going to the Cheesecake Factory on Michigan Avenue in Chicago where we would happily wait two hours to get a table.

These days we are far less patient (or at least I’m not!) so luckily the OKC Cheesecake Factory wasn’t as crowded.  I ordered the portabello burger (having been craving a good veggie burger for weeks) topped with avocado instead of cheese, which was outstanding.

For dessert we stopped by Peach Wave, where I got a pineapple sorbet topped with fruit and sprinkles, and we walked around the OKC riverwalk area before heading to a movie.

The last full day we were there we ate at the restaurant in the Art Museum, which is Molly’s favorite place to eat brunch in OKC.  Nothing on the menu stuck out to me (it was a lot of quiches and sausage dishes) but the waiter was very accomodating and made me a delicious salad with various types of vegetables and avocado.

We walked along the riverwalk some more before it started to rain, saw another movie, and called it a night.  All in all, a great weekend excursion to see old friends!

Do you still keep in touch with any friends from high school?  (I feel so lucky that I do!)

Spanish Tortilla Espanola (Potato Omelette)

As much as Mike was obsessed with Spain’s patatas alioli, my mom was in love with their tortillas Espanolas.  The Spaniards don’t like to compare this dish to an omelette, but (in my ignorant American opinion) that’s pretty much what it’s like.  It’s a bit different than a frittata because both sides get cooked in a skillet, instead of a skillet and an oven.

I made the traditional tortilla Espanola, filled simply with potatoes, but this would also be delicious with any other veggies…  the next time I make this I’m going to try it with potatoes, leeks, and mushrooms.

I brought a piece of this home to my parents’ house in Indiana the weekend after we got home, and my mom loved it so much she immediately went to the store, got the ingredients, and made my recipe the next day!

Spanish Tortilla Espanola (Potato Omelette)

Ingredients:

6 red potatoes

EVOO or nonstick spray

***

1 lb. silken tofu

1/4 c. nutritional yeast

3 T. EVOO

1 tsp. Spanish smoked paprika

2 T. arrowroot

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 c. chickpea flour

1 – 2 tsp. black salt (depending on how eggy you want it to taste)

pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel and slice the potatoes.  Using a mandolin or a knife, slice then as thinly as possible.

2.  Cook the potatoes in a large skillet with EVOO or cooking spray over medium-low heat until tender, taking care not to burn them.

3.  While the potatoes are cooking, blend the remaining ingredients (tofu through garlic powder) in a food processor until blended, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.

4.  Remove the potatoes from the pan and place into a large bowl.  Add in the tofu mixture and lightly stir to combine.

5.  Pour the potato/tofu mixture back into the pan.

6.  Cook on medium-high heat until the bottom is set, like if you were cooking an omelette.

7.  Slowly slide the omelette onto a large, flat pan (I didn’t have one large enough so I used the lid for my largest skillet).

8.  Carefully turn the skillet  you used to cook the potatoes upside down and place over the top of the omelette which is on the plate.  Very quickly, flip the pan and plate over so that the uncooked side of the omelette is now in the skillet.

9.  Continue to cook this side of the omelette on medium-high heat until it is set, and until the center appears almost done (use a knife or toothpick) – but it’s ok if it’s still a bit soft and runny.

10.  Serve warm or cold.

What would you put in your tortillas Espanolas, or what filling do you like to put in omelettes?  I think this would also be delicious with some vegetarian ham, veggie cheese, potatoes, and tomatoes…

Sevilla

If you’re still reading… hi, and thanks!!  I switched domain hosts last week and for whatever reason the transition meant the blog was down for about 5 days.  But no fear… now I’m back to stay!

The last time I blogged about my Spanish/Portuguese adventures I had just arrived in Sevilla from Madrid.  My morning began with free wi-fi in the hotel lobby (oh hallelujah for free wi-fi…) 

And taking advantage of the hotel’s breakfast buffet. 

Unlike the average American who goes nuts for the meat carving and omelette stations, nothing makes me happier than a salad bar!  The veggie selection was lacking but I made do with a random assortment of oddball  toppings like canned mushrooms, lots of olives and pickles, and sauerkraut.

They also had a great selection of fruit, the best dates I have ever eaten, and freshly squeezed peach juice which was incredible.

After breakfast we took a cab into the heart of Sevilla, where we walked around and through the gorgeous Cathedral.

We walked up the bell tower, which was probably at least 30 stories high.  The pay off was well worth it with stunning views of the city and beyond.

I was still stuffed from numerous trips to the buffet earlier that morning, but the dairy-eaters went crazy for this patatas alioli.  I didn’t have any but took a picture because it was so pretty!  I love the idea of packing the potatoes into a ramekin so they come out in a cute, molded shape – feel free to do this with my Patatas Alioli with Olives and Caper Berries recipe that my family is now obsessed with!

While Mike and my dad split the patatas alioli, my mom ordered her umpteenth bowl of gazpacho.

The rest of our evening and night consisted of our favorite Spanish pastime – tapas bar hopping.

  These garlic and bread crumbed stuffed mushrooms were to die for!!

The guys split a Neopolitana, which is basically a chocolate-filled croissant… something I’m going to recreate soon.

After consuming multiple sangrias and not enough tapas, we found a great place, El 3 de Toro,  that had tons of vegan options on the menu (and also had misters to cool down their outside diners, which was a big bonus).  

I feel sorry for anyone who is allergic to strawberries as I couldn’t get enough of this strawberry gazpacho!!

We finished the night with one last drink back at the hotel.  Next up:  Portugal!