Yumtastic May leftovers

I’ve got so much yumminess to share! I ate this first meal on Cinco de Mayo. My friend Emily and I went to our favorite local Mexican joint (though not quite my favorite Mexican restaurant ever; that would be Ixtapa in Lawrence [see here]), Dos Reales, for drinks – Merlot for me, margaritas for her – and food. Emily, though not totally veg herself, had a vegetarian combo platter with a chile relleno, a bean burrito, and rice.



I special-ordered a black bean enchilada, sin queso, and a side of rice.



I made the self-frosting peanut butter cupcakes from Bittersweet-Hannah’s cookbook My Sweet Vegan.



Though I didn’t execute the swirl as neatly as I could have, they still turned out great.



At First Friday in the Crossroads Arts District, a girl had a vegan food table set up at one of the galleries. Matt bought a curried tofu burrito, and I had a bite. He also got a brownie, but I forgot to take a pic.



One night I whipped up a plain batch of Ani Phyo’s "Love-the-Chicks Pâté," a blend of almonds and sunflower seeds with a touch of turmeric.



I made a version of Baking Bites’ white chocolate chip-pistachio cookies (here's lookin' at you, Hannah!) to take to Lindsey’s birthday cookout at Tyler & Henry’s house.



At another weeknight dinner with Emily, this one at Wai Wai quick-Thai, I had my favorite—their cashew-tofu stir fry.



After my co-worker Sean’s wedding reception, Matt and I went for drinks – sangria for me, a chocolate martini (yep, really!) for him – and snacks at Boozefish Wine Bar. I had (what else?) the hummus trio. Clockwise from top, there’s artichoke basil, black olive, and traditional.



Upon Meaghan’s recommendation, I made these no-bake coconut-carob cookie balls.



Matt and I ate at a newish Mexican place in south Overland Park called Frida’s. It’s high-end, authentic Mexican—nary a burrito in sight! Nor, I’m afraid, was there anything remotely veganizable. But no biggie—I got the Pescado al Cilantro, a white fish filet marinated in cilantro pesto and grilled with slivered almonds and lots of olive oil. It was served with an herby green rice and grilled vegetables. Though super-oily, this was really good, and unlike any Mexican food I’ve ever had (even IN Mexico!).



Matt had the Chile Relleno de Callo al Cilantro, a pair of sautéed-scallop-and-cilantro-stuffed poblano peppers topped with tomatillo sauce, also served with green rice. Both of us loved our dishes; we will definitely be going back to Frida’s.



But that's not all! Dessert was a must once I saw what they offered—a non-dairy, corn-milk-based ice cream! I’ve never even heard of such a thing! Though Matt would probably have preferred chocolate, he let me order it with the cinnamon, caramel, and candied walnut topping option. Wow. Wow. WOW. This was just unreal. I can’t wait to go back and have it again!



I’ll wrap up with some homemade stuff. This is a raw blackberry crumble from Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen. The topping is predominantly almonds and pumpkin seeds. Simple, summery, delicious.



Speaking of Ani, this is a riff on the raw wild rice salad she posted on her blog awhile back.



Here’s a random weekday breakfast of mine—plain yogurt, plump fresh raspberries, dehydrated buckwheat groats, and a sprinkle of blueberry flaxseed.



Last but not least, a ginormous batch of homemade hummus. I even cooked my own chickpeas from dried; the whole shebang. I ate half of it as-is, then added Ethiopian spices (berbere, cardamom, and mekelesha) to the other half, and oh man, it may have been the best hummus I’ve ever made. (Yes, maybe even better than my Indian spice variety!) I will have to make it again so I can blog about it.
...Would you judge me if I said this whole thing only lasted me a week?



If you like this, you might also like...
April leftovers
March leftovers
February leftovers