May 6, 2016: Foods to Die For

Tanya's Daily Scoop
​NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 13 DAYS 

Lots of Great Meals coming our way...

Welcome to the weekend! Yup, it's Friday Baby! And we've got a weekend full of fun stuff going on over here...

Starting with tonight, and on this FOODIE FRIDAY with the topic of the day being 
GREAT VEGAN EATS - we are gonna kick off Dave's bday wkd by going to dinner at the very tasty Equelecuá Cuban Cafe located in the City of Angels (Los Angeles).
​With the chef hailing directly from Cuba, these people really know how to cook it up!

Vegan Camarones Al Ajillo (c)travelincousins.com

Tomorrow will be filled with plenty more vegan yums to fill our tums...

The morning will start out with Breakfast at Freesoul Caffe - which I've got to say has become the BEST vegan restaurant in Orange County.
​Why is it the best? Because it doesn't matter what you order...it's gonna be GREAT and you're gonna want to come back and try more.
​Serving delicious Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Desserts, and specialty coffee/tea drinks, this place has got it going on!

Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes (c)travelincousins.com

The plan is for us to head up to the Palomar Observatory in Palomar, California - which for those of you that don't know is located in San Diego.

FYI more on Palomar tomorrow!

Did you know: that Dave B. had once dreamed of becoming an Astronomer...
Somewhere along the line, he apparently changed his mind, but he never lost his love for Astronomy. 

Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico 2015 (c)travelincousins.com

After working up an appetite while checking out the 200-inch Hale Telescope, and gazing at the stars and planets; we will be heading further into San Diego proper and having lunch at Ranchos Cocinas.

This little place is by far one of the BESTEST homestyle Mexican Restaurants that I have ever been to!

This however is not a strictly Vegan or Vegetarian Restaurant, they do offer a lot of everything for everyone. Giving everyone in the party plenty of delicious Mexican food options to choose from.

It pretty much makes great sense to me that the food here is so BOMB. Being that it is in San Diego which is pretty close to the Mexican border! 

Vegan Cheese Enchiladas (c)travelinscousins.com

Following a tasty lunch, we are going on a lovely bike ride in and around Mission Bay Park...

Roller Blading in Mission Bay, SD circa 2008 (c)travelincousins.com

Mission Bay Park is the largest aquatic park of its kind in the country. Consisting of over 4,600 acres in roughly equal parts land and water. Mission Bay boasts 27 miles of shoreline and an annual attendance in the park is estimated at 15 million!

It is truly one of San Diego's most fun-filled spots to visit.
There are also close to 14 miles of bike paths along Mission Bay which we will be exploring.

And then comes more FOOD! I told you that we like to EAT!

For this meal we are heading to try one of San Diego's newest Hot Spots - Bar Kindred - where I've got to say that the menu looks freakin' amazing and I can't wait!!

Then on Sunday - Mother's Day (and Travelin' Cousins 2nd Anniversary) the entire gang is gonna spend some time over at Roger's Gardens.

The name might ring a bell for you, as this was originally part of the plan on Easter - but they were closed. 

I'll give you one guess where we are going after the Gardens?
​
To eat of course! Lol
​
We will be heading to Kabuki - we ate there on NYE and on last Mother's day as well. 

Mother's Day 2015 (c)travelincousins.com

The Japanese menu offers something for everyone and the food is fresh and tasty. A couple of things that I'm already looking forward to are the Garlic Edamame, and the Vegan Rainbow Roll - YUM

Vegan Rainbow Roll (c)travelincousins.com

And although the weekend will be over come Monday.
Monday is Dave's actual birthday and we are having dinner at one of his favorites, which also happens to be on several of the
TOP VEGAN RESTAURANTS lists - Shojin.
Now with 2 locations, we still stick with going to the original which is located in Little Tokyo. 

Lots of yummy food coming our way of the next few days!!!

And now for a little catch up...
I managed to start packing as of yesterday.
I started with Cosette's bag, and made some good headway. Still lots to do, which I will continue later this afternoon and again after dinner. 

I also managed to BOOK that Sedona trip that I had mentioned to you yesterday.
We are heading there in November!!

(c)travelincousins.com

As far as today goes (before dinner), just like Elisa and the girls, it's gonna be a horsey day for us, as we too are going to the stables!

Please don't forget to take a look at the great list Elisa has posted from one of my favorite sites: OneGreenPlanet.org
LOOK at that Eggplant CrunchBurger - I've been eyeing this recipe for a while now! Sounds DELISH!
And just like Elisa, I can't wait to take a bite into that one!!!

Okaaay then. I'm off.
​See y'all back here tomorrow!
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Vegan Delights Before You Die

Hello Hello!!! Sorry for being MIA the past two days.  Ugh - personal stuff. Trust me, nothing fun.

On the one hand, I feel like the week flew with all the "personal stuff" I had to do (yuk), and yet, I feel as if I just woke up and it's Friday.

The girls had off from school the past two days as yesterday was "Ascention Thursday" and then they got a bonus day for today.

I'll be honest, to me, it would have made more sense to just save the "bonus day" for the end of the year and let the kids finish the school year one day early.

Whatever.  I'm pretty sick and tired of schools and people in positions of authority who think they know so much more about raising everyone else's kids.  (do I sound annoyed?  You bet I am, but 'nuf said).

Let me move onto better things...
Today is Foodie Friday and we thought it would be super fun to make your mouth water with some Food Talk!!

As you know, Tanya is a big-time Vegan.  Her Cuz, has been a vegan, always a "mostly" vegetarian, but lately, me and my girls are getting more and more inspired to turn it all vegan.

We do our best, because we do believe all the scientific evidence that being a vegan is so beneficial to health.

In honor of our quest (lol), I wanted to share some tasty information about 25-plant based foods you have to try before you die!

Thanks to OneGreenPlanet.org, they have assembled a killer list of 25!! Click Here for entire article and list!

I want to highlight my favorites:

(photo: onegreenplanet.org)

Yummy Eggplant Burger
Looks pretty messy and with all the fixins - I'd love to bite into this one!!

(photo: onegreenplanet.org)

Almond Milk
We do not drink Cow's milk - that was something I never had in the house for many, many years.
It tastes delicious; it's cruelty free and doesn't have all the icky stuff like pus (EW) that is found in dairy.  It's Fabulous in smoothies too!! Store bought almond milk is  fortified with calcium, Vitamin D, and B12

(photo: onegreenplanet.org)

Falafel
Made from chickpeas, these are super good and super healthy... and oh so versatile.  They can be eaten as a main course over a salad or in a wrap or in tacos as the above picture illustrates!

(photo: onegreenplanet.org)

Tempeh Picatta + Tempeh BBQ Ribs
Tempeh is a soy-based product that has a consistency that resembles meat.  Since the soybeans in tempeh have already undergone a fermentation process, the end product is easy for your body to break down and digest. Plus, it aids in stabilizing blood sugar and lowering cholesterol.

Prepared correctly, even meat eaters will find it quite fulfilling which vegan twists on some very popular non-vegan favorites!

(photo: onegreenplanet.org)

Quinoa Burgers
I love quinoa!!! And it acts as a complete protein!   Mixed with white beans, mushrooms and to her wholesome ingredients, you have one yummy and healthy burger!

(photo: onegreenplanet.org)

Pumpkin Hummus
Hummus has really made it into the mainstream.  It's so easy to make too!  Another great food from the versatile chick pea!

With an addition of pumpkin, it becomes a healthy, sweet spread!

Vegan Sushi
Sushi anyone??  I am probably one of the few people who do not like sushi. But , prepared vegan style - now, that's fun!!

In fact, according to One Green Planet, "chefs are experimenting with vegan sushi. Chef Guy Vaknin from the show Hell’s Kitchen is one of them. His cool restaurant in NYC, Beyond Sushi, offers all sorts of veggies mixed with forbidden black rice or a six-grain rice blend, taking vegetable sushi to a whole new level."

Banana Soft Serve
If you love Bananas and ice cream, this is a great dairy-free option for you! 

One the topic of vegan soft serve -  I had the BEST soft serve in Boca Raton, FL at Apura Juicery & Coffeehouse, which is their own recipe using Almond milk.  So yummy!!!

Well, as the Vegan Queen, I know Tanya is going to wow us with a few outstanding Vegan Meals of her own!!

It's raining and icky here on Long Island, but I have to head out to the barn as the kids are doing a lesson today on their day off!!

Enjoy your day and eat something Delicious!

-E
xoxo