Lunch at Calabash

Boy do I have a pile of pictures to post. It’s been almost a week since we had lunch at Calabash Vegetarian Kitchen, 233 Mitchell St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30303. As usual, I get so excited about eating that I forget to take a picture until I’ve already chewed on it.calabash lunch rundown and mac and cheeseThe mac & cheese was made with a whole wheat pasta. The sauce was creamy but thinner than Soul Veg’s sauce. It seemed like it was probably healthier too. Just don’t expect it to be that creamy, decadent kind. The thing on the right is a rundown. Potatoes, callaloo (wow, I didn’t know those were leaves on an amaranth plant) and I can’t remember what else was in it in a light coconut curry sauce. Excellent. We also got some fried plantains. calabash cabbage dishAnd here is a cabbage dish. It tasted similar to Ethiopian Alicha. Yum.calabash rice and peas bbq tofu beetsAnd Kevin had BBQ tofu, rice & peas and a beet & potato stew. The tofu was just a little bit chewy but still very good, so were the other items. I’m looking forward to trying some more dishes. Maybe next time the collards will be ready.   

Brunch at Saba

Yay! Another place to get a yummy vegan brunch! Kevin and I checked out Saba‘s brunch Sunday. They have a bunch of vegan options and BONUS they serve brunch until 3pm. It was the first time I’d had their brunch, so we got the Tofu Scramble plate and the Vegan French Toast and shared. The tofu came with lots of broccoli and bell peppers, the potatoes were seasoned with rosemary and the soysage patties were like Lightlife patties but a bit bigger around and much crispier. Oh and the biscuit was so good it didn’t need anything on it. The French Toast was wonderful…made from ciabatta bread I think, all full of holes that held the syrup like a sponge. Yum, yum, yum. And sorry there are clearly bites already gone from the food. At least I remembered to take a pic while it was still mostly whole. Oh yeah, this restaurant also serves meaty dishes so it’s great for mixed veg/non-veg company.

Tofu Scramble Plate

 

Vegan French Toast 

Soup and other stuff

moroccan-style lentil and chickpea soup

As usual, I’ve been cooking, just totally forgetting to take pics. Above is the Moroccan-style Lentil and Chickpea Soup from Fresh From a Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson. (I love how that link doesn’t credit the author…) This is a great pick-me-up for cold grey days. It’s a hearty soup that’s also really brothy. And the Moroccan seasonings make the flavors really bright. Oh, and if you don’t have any harissa around and don’t feel like making it, rooster sauce (sriracha) is a fine substitute.  And now on to the non-illustrated part of this post… I’ve had my eye on this recipe for Candied Lime Sweet Potatoes since November and finally gave it a try this week.  I loved the flavor but I think mine came out too candied and chewy. Could be my oven spiking in temperature like it likes to do, or that I got too happy with my mandoline and sliced the sweet potatoes too thin. Or I’m being too picky. Anyway, I might try one more time following the recipe, but I’d also like to try it with the sweet potatoes cubed. These ate up nicely with Oven Roasted Tom Tofu from Vegan Vittles and steamed broccoli.Let’s see, what else have I cooked…ah, I tried the Tempeh and White Bean Sausage Patties from Vegan With a Vengeance for a potluck Saturday.  They were tasty but were in no way interested in being patties. So they ended up being crumbles instead. I think if I make them again and WANT them to be patties, I might toss everything in the food processor and process with a bit of moisture until they look more like they’ll stick together. Although I will say that the mix  did form into a patty fine, just busted all apart upon flipping. I also took Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, but I’ve posted about those before.

Mmmm…baked goods

Mmmm…baked goods, originally uploaded by abracapocus.

A lavender choc chip scone and a jumbo peanut butter bar with chocchips from Dolce Vegan picked up at Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe, Atlanta, GA

I know the lavender choc chip scone sounds strange, and it might be to you. I’ve always been all about eating flowery foods. Back when I still ate dairy, I loved trying the different flowery flavors at Paolo’s.  This reminds me, I need to hunt down another jar of rose jam. Anyway, I was concerned about the choc chips in this. It didn’t sound quite right. Now that I’ve eaten one, I can say it isn’t totally wrong, but I think something else might be better. I like the idea of pine nuts. Maybe pecans or walnuts. Or don’t add anything. That said, I’d still eat again with the choc chips. 

The jumbo peanut butter bar was moist and yummy. Be warned: you can taste the banana in these so if that will turn you off, don’t get it. As someone who occasionally enjoys a peanut butter and banana sandwich, that didn’t bother me at all. The peanut butter was not super strong tasting. A chocolate ganache might’ve been nice drizzled on the top, but not entirely necessary.