A Quiet New Year's At Home

Two bottles of Freixenet (economically sold

shrink-wrapped together).

Some vegan hors d'oeuvres...

I enjoyed these with some Goddess Dressing. If

my 2009 is half as phenomenal as these bite size

delicacies, I will be in very good shape.

Masala Wok, Herndon

Lunch today was from Masala Wok.

The manager was very friendly and helpful

when I told him I was vegan.

He recommended the Chole Masala, described

as 'Seasoned garbanzo beans cooked in a flavorful

curry sauce sprinkled with fresh cilantro.' I

also got two Samosas. The Chole Masala was more

like spicy tomato soup w/a few garbanzos. The

Samosa was light and non-greasy. The food was

good, but I doubt I'll ever go back. I prefer the

Chana Masala on Whole Food's hotbar, it's chock-

ful of garbanzos and the curry sauce is thick.

Mr. Noodle & Rice, Winchester

Lunch today was at Mr. Noodle & Rice.

We started with some Cucumber Sushi...

Followed by some Bi Bim Bop...

Mixed with some yummy Korean bbq sauce.

Bi Bim Bop is a favorite vegan entree.

Macho Meal

Seitan with Heinz 57 with a side of Ore-Ida
Gourmet Onion Rings and Goddess Dressing.
Manly, yes, but I like it too!

Broccoli Soup

Combining a few recipes I saw on the internet,
I boiled several bunches of Broccoli w/some
Potatoes and Salt.

I caramelized an onion while they were boiling.

I drained the Broccoli & Potatoes, reserving
the liquid (a la Gordon Ramsey) to add when
reheating and combined them w/the Caramelized
Onion.

Then I pureed it all together...

A dab of Sour Supreme & a shake of Cayenne
Pepper really helped. This was buh-land! Oh
well, at least I tried something new.

Lunch From Cosi

Lunch today was a Hummus and Veggie
Sandwich from Cosi. The chips that came with
it contained whey, so I didn't eat those.

Here's the lovely insides of my sandwich. Very
delicious and lo-cal.

Mimosa Again

Unlike yesterday, today we were completely
stuffed after lunch.

We started with some delicate and flavorful
Spring Rolls.

I went back to my usual Kung Pao Bean Curd...

...and Mr. SV had the Bean Curd in Spicy Basil
Sauce. A ton of delicious food for less than $25
including tip! Why isn't this restaurant packed
to the gills every day? It's fantastic!

The Union Jack Pub, Winchester

Lunch today was at The Union Jack Pub in
Winchester.

Kudos to our waiter, when I asked if the
English Chips (fries) were cooked in vegetable
oil, he actually checked and came back to
report that they're cooked in the same oil as the
fish and chicken etc. I appreciated that, as
he could've just said they were cooked
in vegetable oil and left it at that.

So instead of the Chips, I ordered the 'Basil
Marinated Portabella Mushrooms - sliced and
served with Chive Oil and Croustade'. It first came
out without the Croustade.

Here they are once the Croustade finally showed up
and Mr. SV ate all the garnish. Very tasty.

Then I had the 'Union Jack Salad - Mixed Field Greens
tossed in Cider Malt Vinaigrette with Grape Tomatoes,
Marinated Carrots and Crispy Onions'. This was
a tiny salad for $6.

We were both still hungry after we left, so even though
the food was good, there isn't enough vegan fare on
the menu to make it worth returning. Not that they
need to worry, they were completely swamped with
customers.

My First Brussel Sprouts

Just like the Lara Bar, I finally had to know
what all the cool vegan bloggers have been
raving about in regards to Brussel Sprouts...

So I bought a bag at Trader Joes and trimmed
them into little PacMen, tossed w/EVOO, salt
and pepper...

and roasted them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

I served them w/Celebration Roast, Mushroom

Gravy and Fingerling Potatoes. They were good!

They did not taste bitter as I'd always imagined.

My next order of business:

Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy.

New Menu Items At Mimosa

My favorite restaurant updated their menu.

Today we started with the Crispy Asparagus

and I had the Garlic Soba Noodles. Both were
superb!

My First Tomatillo Recipe

Two pounds of tomatillos, some garlic, a jalapeno
and a spanish onion...

After roasting w/olive oil, salt, pepper and a

tomato....

I pureed the roasted veggies and added two

cans of garbanzo beans.

I decided to serve the 'chili' on a tostada that

was spread with refried beans...

A simple recipe that tastes complex from Lindy Loo.

Highly recommend!

My First Lara Bar

A Cherry Pie one. I usually just have a banana

for breakfast, but today I brought this Lara Bar.

I don't want to slam it, but I really dont understand

the raves on all the vegan blogs. Maybe someone

can 'splain it to me? It was just a puny little bar that

was mostly pressed dates.

Le Mush

I tossed a cup of toasted millet into the crockpot
with some basil, thyme & bay leaves.

Then I added the carrots, celery, onions, potatoes,
mushrooms and four cups of water...

I set the crockpot to HIGH for four hours and
wound up with a somewhat tasty pile of mush,
AKA Millet Stew In A Crockpot.

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna

Susan's Favorite is a great recipe I've made
several times. Dont judge it by this photo.

The Great Santini's

deli that is. I got the 'Health Delight' today --
Avocado, Sprouts, Cucumber, Tomato on Multi-
Grain toast with a side of Curly Fries. They even
wrapped up the cheese that was supposed to go
on the sandwich for my critters to enjoy later.
This restaurant has multiple locations and is a
fantastic addition to the Northern Virginia dining
scene. The fries were perfectly cooked and I
could've eaten about twenty more sandwiches.
A stellar lunch.

Weekly Soup - Leftover Vegetable Tray

Ye Olde Thanksgiving Vegetable Tray need

not be wasted.

I started the soup with Onions, Garlic & Jalapenos.

Tossed in some Chili Powder, a Bay Leaf, Cumin

and Oregano...

Added the chopped Baby Carrots, the Peppers

and some leftover Celery..

...the Cherry Tomatoes..

...and the Broccoli...

The spices really helped, otherwise it would've

been super blah. Zero point zero points.

I Love Big Lots

They have lots of items that for one reason or

another, didn't succeed in a regular store. For

instance, today I saw bags of Pringles Potato

Chips. I was able to scarf up several bottles

of this Annie's dressing for 80 cents each. The

wafer cookies were vegan also. The JujyFruits

were just an impulse item at the checkout.

Day After Leftovers...

Spinach, Stuffing, Celebration Roast, Mashed
Potatoes all topped with Whole Food's Wild
Mushroom Gravy.