Tag Archives: sushi

Getting to Know…?

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I enjoyed reading the ways that everyone gets to know the places they visit. A few of my favorite ways is by going on outdoor runs, trying the local food, walking around, taking public transportation if it’s there, talking to people, and going to places like galleries, neighborhoods, and parks. Sometimes if I’m lucky there are festivities going on during my visit!

Every major city seems to have a neighborhood with a high population of people from another country.

Whether it’s a Chinatown, Little Italy, or Little Havana.

I’m always curious about any places Dim Sum.
Later on we headed on over to Yorkville Ave.
A sign for desserts caught my mothers eye, and we walked into the lushest dessert place I’ve been to yet.
You can get ‘Fondue To Go’ if you so desire.

Toronto’s MoRoCo is a place for lovers of chocolate, and those who don’t mind in indulging. This place was very unique and eclectic, being influenced by French sipping chocolate, edgy glamour, and European salons. There’s a boutique where you can get truffles, chocolates bars, gourmet s’mores, other chocolate treats, macarons, and even frozen yogurt!

Or you can sit in the patio or the indoor lounge, and order from the menu.

Perhaps the service was having an off night because it took them quite awhile to get to us, and finally when they did they weren’t very accommodating. We still wanted to enjoy one of their treats though…

So we decided to get a frozen yogurt and Ginger Rocks to go.

We split a ‘twist’ of chocolate and original frozen yogurt topped with caramelized pecans, milk chocolate chai sauce, and strawberries. The Ginger Rocks are these incredible little bites of crystalized ginger covered in 62% dark chocolate and dusted with icing sugar. Sadly they were all out of their macarons, but maybe I’ll find my way back there to see if they have them again.

The next day we ventured out of Toronto to another part of Canada…
Don’t go over the Niagara Falls!
Then a rainbow decided to come out in celebration of New York’s recent decision to allow same-sex marriage.
Woo hoo!
Eventually we headed back and our tummies were knocking on our doors telling us it was dinner time.
My mom said this was a Thai restaurant, but when we got there we found out it was a sushi place.

I am not the biggest fan of sushi, but I didn’t want to rain on my mom’s seafood parade.

I did find something on the menu, and I do like seaweed salads!

After our little bite to eat we went to another grocery store called Fortino’s. I continue to be amazed by Canada’s grocery stores. Perhaps that is a strange thing to be amazed by, but as a lover of food and cooking… well it’s not so strange afterall. I found some of your recommendations like the Liberté yogurt, President’s Choice, Taste of Nature bars, and some other finds.

How I know I’m in Canada… Vega everywhere I go!
I got the Liberté plain organic yogurt…

And oh my goodness! It was so creamy and full of flavor. It tasted similar to one of my favorite yogurts: the honey flavored Greek Gods. But this was plain, less sweet, and not Greek. I’m pretty sure they sell this brand of yogurt in the states, so I will definitely be making this my staple yogurt. We just got this container yesterday and we’re almost done with it. It’s that good!

I’ve enjoyed this straight out of the container and here with raw multi-grain hot cereal, mango, dried figs, almond butter, and cinnamon.

By the way, the grocery store I went to in my last post was Highland Farms. They have a great selection of cheeses, breads, vegetarian items, and produce from around the world. This is one of those places that just has so many things that it will take you awhile to peruse through everything.

I had mentioned that one of the ways that I like to get to know a place is by trying out the local food. Recently, I was contacted by a rep over at Restaurant.com. I’m sure that many of you have heard of this site, and may have even taken advantage of their great offers.

I was given the opportunity to host a giveaway for four Restaurant.com $25 gift certificates for the Washington D.C. area. You can click over here to see what restaurants are on their list.

Now I know that not all of my readers are from the D.C. area, but if you are or if you plan on going there then this giveaway is right up your alley! Here’s what you have to do to enter:

1. Browse through the Washington D.C. restaurant guide, and let me know which restaurant you’d like to go to.

2. If you have a blog you can mention this giveaway in a post.

3.  Share this give away on Twitter: “Win a Restaurant.com $25 Gift Certificate for the D.C. area from @mixoparthenos over at  http://wp.me/puETn-1yH!”

Each of these counts as an entry so please make sure to notify if me if you share this on Twitter. Thanks and best of luck! The giveaway ends next friday 8 July, 2011 at midnight. Remember I have FOUR of these to give away!

And if this giveaway may not be for a part of the states that’s on your radar, keep in mind that they offer discounts on over 15,000 restaurants across the states. So you can check out what they have available near you.

The Bigger Picture

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Hello everyone! I have some delicious things to share with you!

Roasted green beans with almonds is one of my favorite side dishes as of late.
Roasting things in general is something I’ve been loving lately.

It doesn’t require active participation in the kitchen, so it’s perfect for making something delicious when you also need to be doing something else. Shown above is a chickpea cutlet (recipe from Veganomicon) with fig preserves, red potatoes and chickpeas fried with bratkartoffel würzer, and roasted brussels sprouts with a sweet mustard dressing. I can’t begin to explain how deliciously savory and sweet this meal was.

Let me explain…

This is a seasoning my mom’s friend sent over from Germany, and it has all of these wonderful ingredients: salt, paprika, onion, curry, pepper, marjoram, pimento, ginger, cloves, and sugar. You just fry the potatoes with these seasonigs, some diced onions and voila! You have yourself a meal to remember. Actually, this meal made me feel very nostalgic of Germany, and I thought of my two Prinzessins, Neela and Mel.

More roasting, chickpeas, potatoes, and chickpea cutlets!

But still different! I can’t remember the last time I had mashed potatoes, but I have been missing out. I simply followed a recipe in my ayurvedic cookbook for regular mashed potatoes, but I added in some other spices and garlic. Once I served it I let some ghee just melt into this comforting mash. Also served with a chickpea cutlet with fig preserves (thanks to this lady’s recommendation), roasted chickpeas and broccoli, and cilantro for garnish (and flavor!).

All together now–yum!
Taking a moment with a tranquil cup of orange blossom tea, while finishing up a crafting project.
Breakfast just elevated up to whole other level!

I was so excited when I saw this bowl at the thrift store the other day. I remember over a year ago pining over it and thinking how it was so perfect for me since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

Many delicious breakfasts to be had with my spilt milk bowl: oats, diced apple, dates, crunchy peanut butter, sliced banana, almonds, cinnamon, and honey!
Behold, the honeycrisp! Now I know why people love these apples so much.
Funky deconstructed sushi bowl

I just threw together some cooked rice, edamame, nori, wakame, a grated carrot, vegan mayo, sesame seeds, Bragg’s, cilantro, and pickled ginger of course! Totally random and yummy.

Recently, I did a performance/video/projection piece.

This semester has been really wonderful for me so far. I’ve explored and challenged my mind, my body, and my craft in so many different ways. I usually have a hard time asking for favors, and in my dance class I’m constantly asking for favors. Let me explain what I mean. In other words I’ve gotten use to literally giving my weight to others, and taking weight from other as well. It feels great, and has helped me realize that things just go along smoother when you do share your weight. Because if you hesitate and hold back, then it makes it difficult for the other person to understand what you want to do. In the end you’re left with a balance. I guess my point is that in my classes I’ve found so many parallels that I can apply to my life, and not just in the classroom. What are some things you’ve learned recently that could be applied to the grand scheme of things?

Celebrations and the Wonderful World of Fast Meals

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Hello everybody! Let me start off this post with a review. Awhile ago I was contacted  by the kind people over at Farm Rich to try out some of their frozen snacks. Taking a look at their site, I was excited about the choices so I happily accepted! Not to mention I love snacking. I went to the store to redeem my coupon and I chose the mozzarella bites. I was sad to not see as many choices as I had seen on the website. Another thing to note is the price. I noticed that these were expensive, and I really couldn’t imagine myself shelling out that much for snacks. There is a bright side though! I did like these little bites! They’re even better if you serve them with an awesome marinara sauce or in my case, artichoke scarpetta. Look at how ooey-gooey the mozzarella is–yum!

Mozzarella bites!
What are these egg-shaped balls?

Delicious Armenian red lentil patties. Here I served them with tamarind-date chutney, diced onion, and flat-leaf parsley. The recipe is easy and doesn’t take much time to make.

I had this Amy’s tamale pie as a yummy nighttime snack while baking…
Baklava!

It was one of my best friend’s birthday recently so I made her one of her favorite desserts. This lady has great taste. I have never made anything with puff pastry before so this was definitely fun. Since she’s quite picky about what makes good baklava I was a bit nervous. I’m the same way when it comes to my two favorites: tiramisu and carrot cake.

Delicious and birthday girl approved!
We went to a local sushi place to celebrate.
Best miso soup ever and mine had lots of tofu.

Bean Curd Roll

Oshinko Roll

I learned a neat trick from my friend’s boyfriend: mix a bit of wasabi into the soy sauce for dipping. I also announced to everyone at the table that if someone didn’t like pickled ginger they could pass them over to me!

Group shot--sans birthday girl!

Afterwards we headed to a bar/restaurant that happened to be having “Psychedelic Night” with really awesome color oil projections. I was being a social butterfly that night since I ended up knowing a ton of people at the place.

The leftover chopped pecans + honey sauce from the baklava baking extravaganza was perfect for topping a bowl of oats.

Busy lady = boxed meals!

I prepared a box of Annie’s Shells and White Cheddar. I added some cooked chopped spinach, pine nuts, garlic salt, and black pepper.

Now I’m going to fill out a survey that the hottie boombalottie, Ayla, passed on to me!

Favorite cookie?

Okay… I have a few.. Bountiful Vegan’s lemon snickerdoodle, Samoas, Immaculate Baking Co.’s pumpkin gingerlies, and freshly baked chewy and moist spiced oatmeal cookies

Favorite way to eat oatmeal?

In a jar!

Favorite snack?

Lately I’ve been loving snacking on these apple-banana muffins I made (put some of my hemp protein powder to good use) with maple syrup, apples and bananas + peanut butter

Favorite sandwich combo?

Tricky tricky! I’ll just say mango chutney and sharp cheddar grilled on pumpernickel bread. Oh gosh I also love banana + Nutella sandwiches.

Are you a vegetarian?

Indeed I am

Favorite vegetarian product?

Sunshine burgers!

Favorite yogurt?

Greek and Danonino (one of my favorites since childhood)

Favorite fruit?

I can’t just pick one you know… mango, bananas, dark sweet cherries, papaya, gala apples, and dates

Favorite dried fruit?

Cranberries, pineapple, and bananas

Favorite veggie?

Romaine, carrots, butternut squash

Favorite comfort food meal?

Mom’s secret red lentil recipe

Favorite restaurant?

I don’t believe I have one… I have favorites depending on the cuisine, but my favorite cuisines are Indian, Thai, and Mediterranean

Favorite beverage?

Hmm… I don’t really have one but I really enjoyed a nice refreshing pack of coconut water today!

Favorite way to take your coffee at home?

I don’t usually drink coffee, but I like it black

Favorite cracker?

Animal crackers!

Favorite dessert?

Tiramisu and carrot cake

Favorite condiment?

Bone Suckin’ BBQ Sauce–thick style baby!

Favorite way to eat tortilla chips?

With guacamole, black bean salsa, cheese, and sour cream

Favorite fast food restaurant?

There’s this fast food place in Florida called Pollo Tropical and they make really great yuca fries!

Do you watch food network?

Not really… I rarely watch television

Favorite food network show?

I’ve seen Ina Garten’s show and I liked it!

Favorite salad combo?

Romaine for sure, some great cheese, onions, tomato, pears, and a slightly sweet vinaigrette

Do you like Panera?

Sure, I like their bread bowl soups actually.

Favorite bagel?

Cinnamon and sugar bagel with cream cheese please

Do you like cream cheese or peanut butter on your bagel?

Cream cheese!!!

Favorite bar?

Granola bar = 18 Rabbits, etc. = Boomi Bar

Favorite peanut butter?

Whole Food’s 365 crunchy peanut butter (and it’s cheap!)

Favorite almond butter?

Blue Diamond crunchy

Favorite cereal?

I love Kashi Go-Lean Crunch!

What milk product do you use on your cereal?

It depends… either soy milk or almond milk

Favorite nut?

Pistachios

Favorite candy?

Watermelon Jolly Ranchers and Werther’s Originals

Favorite ethnic food?

Indian!

Favorite tea?

Coconut Almond and Richmond Blend

Favorite indulgence?

German chocolate

Do you like margaritas?

I don’t care for them

Favorite margarita?

I don’t have one

Do you like pickles?

Why yes I do!

Are you into spicy food?

Not really spicy

Do you like banana peppers?

Yes! I love them.

Favorite way to eat a banana?

With chocolate hazelnut butter or peanut butter

Favorite way to eat an apple?

With peanut butter!

Favorite apple variety?

Gala!

Are you good at eating with chopsticks?

Indeed, I don’t have to ask for a fork.

Favorite fruit juice?

I love peach nectar

Favorite alcoholic beverage?

Root beer + Stoli vanilla

Favorite tropical fruit?

I love so many of them! My dad is flying up this weekend and packing a delicious papaya from their own tree!

Hands down favorite food ever?

My dad’s latkes… actually I’m torn between his potato pancakes and this German restaurant’s (with apple sauce and sour cream of course).

This was a lot of fun! I am going to tag some lovely people: Lauren, Sophia, Mitri, and Gillian!

So it’s a new week and I started it out by walking around feeling like a zombie all day. But today was a hectic day in terms of my academics and I’m glad it’s behind me. Stay tuned in my next post to see my piece for my final critique of the semester! Hope all is well my dear friends.

Getting My Groove Back

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Pilar came over and we did some crafts and watched The Little Rascals.

Watching that movie made me realize how much we grow up as people and how perspectives change. When I was taking the Taoism class, the “ideal” state of mind was the one of a child – simple.

I think as a child I would've eaten this still!

I probably wouldn’t have sat there admiring all the colors, textures, but I definitely would’ve appreciated the taste. Reminded me a bit of a childhood favorite, peaches-n-cream.

For dinner we wanted to go out on my last night. I found this amazing sounding restaurant called Emunah. Let me tell you a little bit about it. It’s a kabbalistic cafe and teabar, “the intention of café emunah is to offer an experience for the senses, & an oasis for the mind, body and soul… a physical journey into your spiritual self.” With things on the menu like Artichoke Expansion, rolls with candied ginger and crisped plantains, Vegetarian Encounter, and Chai Tea Creme Brulee… I got excited to go! We headed out but when we got there we found out that they do respect the Sabbath day so they didn’t open their doors till an hour after sunset. Well not to worry because on the way there we spotted a cozy Italian bakery, so we checked it out.

The Italian bakery

The place was very authentic and they even had live television from Italy. I saw so many almond delights – hello marzipan! They also had colorful pressed paninis with cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes–the works! I even spotted lots of fresh panettones. Not to mention, we were the only ones there who weren’t Italian.

Can't forget the desserts!

A cup of coffee to go along with...

We got some cookies that sparked our curiosity.

My favorite was the one on the top left! That one was so soft with marzipan and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Delicious.

A real cheesecake!

This was so good and so easy to savour. Rich in texture and subtly sweet.

I had to take a picture of this beautiful torte.

I love the use of crabapples as garnish!

Last night in Florida... until next time!

We came home and since my mom would be alone this coming week I wanted to make things a little easier for her.

So I made an Asian stir-fry

I think Mom was proud of me and I was not use to being photographed while cooking haha! I better get use to it, right?

I also made a ratatouille for her.

I also left some things diced and sliced so she won’t have to worry about food prep. Food prep is such a relaxing and quieting experience for me, but for some it can be a hassle. I think I may start buying pomegranates because I love deseeding them. Well that’s not the only reason hehe!

A Reese's ice cream bar... it barely had any peanut butter!!!

From the ice cream bar selection at gas stations the Strawberry Shortcakes ones are my favorite. What are yours?

Holy moly snack!

I am so glad this idea crossed my mind! I used Sunland’s caramel peanut butter as a dip for the apricot pumpkin Pranabar.

Now that I’m back in Richmond here’s what I’ve been up to…

Trader Joe's with my roommate!

She found some inspiration for a color palette for some jewelry all thanks to these beautiful pearl onions!

Yesterday was a crazy errand running day. I should just call it Crazy Errand Running Day! I was literally running errands from after lunch till around 9 pm. But it was fun though! I love busy days that have you feeling accomplished. After I was done with my errands it was time to meet up with some of my favorite ladies!

Camera shy Pantene Pro-V model?

Taking pictures of each other taking pictures!

My stomach is sore from laughing thanks to them haha.

It was half off sushi night!

Apparently everyone in town and their mother knows about this because we sucked it up for two hours to finally get a table. Atleast we had each other, a bar, and a super cute bartender to keep us company!

Then my opera singing lady showed up. She's going to be the feature of an upcoming recital! Oh and there's our cute bartender!

What's this? A miracle! We finally had a table!

We were finally seated around 12:30 so we had sushi as a midnight snack!

Since it was half off we ordered a bunch of things and shared. I ordered the Garden Balls – shiitake mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers, jalapeños, cilantro and spicy rice in an inari pocket then tempura fried. So good!!!

So now I’m just sorting things out, getting use to the weather (which hasn’t been too bad), and hanging out with friends before my semester starts back up again! I hope you all had a great start to your week yesterday. My dad’s birthday is coming up in two days and I haven’t got a clue as to what I should do! Hmm…

p.s. check out one of the most exciting giveaways I’ve encountered so far!!! Iowa Girl Eats + Amy’s = Amy’s Kitchen Giveaway!