An Ethnic Start to the Weekend

Oatmeal. Yum. More about that later. First, I must tell you about my wonderful ethnic cuisine experiences from today and yesterday!



I was really in the mood for chocolate at lunchtime today. So I shuttled my way into town and stopped at a Mediterranean cafe that I'd passed many times with curiosity. I informed the cashier (who I believe was the owner) of my vegan-ness, and immediately he began spouting off all the menu items I could have. But I had chocolate coffee on the brain, and I asked about the Arabian Mocha on the coffee bar menu. The owner said he had soymilk, and the chocolate was dairy-free. Yee-haw! And entree-wise, he pretty much decided what I was going to have. He was just one of those types of managers, really fun and warm but very confident about his food. He said, "I'm making you Baba ghanouj." I was so excited because never before have I tried Baba Ghanouj, an eggplant dip similar to hummus. My much-anticipated mocha was delivered first.



Wow! As soon as I stuck my nose near the glass, I could smell cardamom, and lots of it. I was so proud that I could identify the spice, haha. I really like the idea of putting a hot coffee drink in a heavy-duty clear glass instead of a mug. It looks prettier. But I digress. The mocha was unlike any other I have had before! It had a thick crema on top, but was made with Turkish coffee. It was incredibly strong and concentrated; traditionally mochas are made with espresso, but the menu said it was coffee. I was thankfully that the drink was deeply chocolate-y, but not overly sweet. Dark, dark chocolate is the best! This was a big glass, which excited me because it lasted my entire meal, but four and a half hours later, I still have a few jitters left over from drinking it.





The verdict? I really like Baba ghanouj! For some reason, the owner decided to include puddles of olive oil on top of the dip, so I just avoided that. I knew there was already oil on the pita triangles and pureed into the dip! By the way, I think this meal encompasses my favorite food combinations: a hot chocolate or mocha paired with dip and pita bread is so comforting and delicious. Ahhh.


I didn't go hungry on Valentine's Day. Do you need proof?




There's your proof. My local Whole Foods and Wild Oats stores carry baked goods from Chicago Diner, the famous vegan eatery. This Peanut Butter Cookie was the best cookie I've ever had in my life, vegan or not, and nothing could complement it better than a soy hot chocolate (top right corner; made with Ah-laska dairy-free cocoa mix). I'd also have to say the size of this cookie could rival any other cookie I've had in my life. It was gigantic. Two-thirds of the way through I decided it was so good I had to photograph it for the blog. The cookie was still moist and soft from being baked in Chicago, and I microwaved it for 15 seconds: It tasted just-out-of-the-oven fresh and radiated with cozy warmth. The rest of you may have enjoyed homemade baked goods on V-Day this year, but I so thoroughly enjoyed this cookie that I would not have traded it for any other dessert. It's one of the those foods up there in the running with Isa's Fauxstess Cupcake and Isa and Terry's Chocolate Chip Brownie Waffles, my other two most favorite foods posted about on my blog.



Now, let us continue with the ethnic fun!





Sorry for the blurry picture, but I felt obligated to protect the innocent by not including their faces on the blog (and thus I cropped the picture). But that's me on the left, about to enjoy my Ethiopian feast! The awesome thing about dining Ethiopian-style in a group is that you all eat from the same plate! No one uses utensils - you just scoop up the food by tearing off little pieces of injera, a spongy, pancake-like flatbread made from teff flour, and dipping. And the best part was all of our food was vegan, even though no one else at our table of 6 was even vegetarian! Since it was Friday, some people were observing Lent and couldn't eat meat, so we decided to only order vegetarian food. Again, the waitress said everything we ordered was vegan, and before the meal someone made a remark about how they would die without meat. However, I am confident in saying that every person at the table highly enjoyed our Ethiopian experience, which just so happened to also be vegan. Veganism is not deprivation if you do it right!!!

Oh, did I tell you some oatmeal was coming up? Well. I tricked you! I didn't mean to, but... This post is entirely too long to include my two new recipes, but they will surely, definitely, most certainly be in the next one. I cross my vegan heart. I'll leave you lovely, loyal, dear readers with this to satiate your anticipation: