After the game we were all feeling a little hungry and loopy but no one as much as Ma….
So after a million a few last minute photos were taken we made our way to Candle Cafe for an early dinner.
I have always wanted to go to Candle Cafe, ever since years ago when my mom bought me the cookbook for kitchen. I have made many of the recipes myself but was ready to get the full experience. We all would have liked to visit Candle 79 but considering we had been at a ball game all day and weren’t staying the the city where we could head back to our hotel and shower and change, we decided casual would be better. However, after this visit to Candle Cafe we will for sure be heading to Candle 79 next visit.
After reviewing the menu about 30 times we all finally made decisions, since we couldn’t justify ordering one of everything we all got different things so we could get a little taste of a variety of items.
Mine: INDIAN PLATE tofu spinach saag, black-eyed pea masala, yellow basmati rice, date-raisin chutney, cabbage salad and parata bread.
Hubz: CAJUN SEITAN SANDWICH Pan-seared seitan, steamed greens, caramelized onions and avocado. Served on toasted focaccia with an ancho chili aioli and coleslaw.
Ma: GRILLED SEITAN BURGER Seitan burger on a seeded bun with fried potatoes, lettuce, tomato, onion, coleslaw and pickles.
PA: TUSCAN SEITAN PARMESAN SANDWICH Breaded seitan cutlet with melted tapioca cheese and roasted garlic tomato sauce on a potato onion roll. Served with a mesclun salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette and fried potatoes.
Everything was delicious however here is a run down of everyones favorites:
Ma: Seitan Burger
Pa: Seitan Burger
Hubz: Cajun Seitan and Tuscan Parm
Me: Cajun Seitan, Tuscan Seitan Parm or the date-chutney
I loved everything and now I am ready to go home and make some more recipes from my cookbook and hope that they taste as good.
The day that we have been waiting for all summer finally came our first trip to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play the Jays.
Making Our Way to The Bronx
Ma and Pa
The Hubz and I
We got to the stadium early to get the most out of our day- we got to see the Jays batting practice but unfortunately got in too late to see the Yankees. After we checked out the field and a few stores we headed to the Memorial Park.
Hubz with his favorite players number
Me with my childhood favorite players number
Watching the Ball Game
We didn’t really eat much at the game as we had a sandwich earlier in the morning and were saving our appetites for Candle Cafe after the game. I did see however veggie burgers, veggie sushi, guacamole and chips and veggie noodle bowls along with your normal ballpark food like french fries, popcorn and pretzels.
Garlic Fries- debatably vegan- my sources say yes and others say no- oh well they were good
We also ran around the stadium trying to locate the Brooklyn Brewery beer because what is a ball game without a beer and I was not spending $9 on Bud or Miller-yuck. So we finally located the Brooklyn Lager after going to almost the top level of the ball field but it was worth it even if they were $9.
Brooklyn Lager
We sat back in our comfy seats and enjoyed the game.
The Hubz, the Rents and I headed out yesterday afternoon to Stamford CT, where we are staying this weekend. By the time we got there we were pretty hungry and decided to try a place called Little Buddha. The place and it’s sister restaurants have received great reviews from the NY Times and the reviews were right on AMAZING food.
Now the place leaves a little to be desired like it only has seating for 14 people and you are crammed into a small place. However the restaurant is more focused on it’s take out orders and the food makes up for the not so ideal dining space. Here is what we shared:
So the Hubz and I are headed out today to CT/MA and the NYC tomorrow for a Yankees game and to eat good food and visit one of my BFF’s. I will hopefully be blogging about the start of our adventure tonight but you’ll get a full recap Sunday evening. Until later lets reminisce about past NYC trips.
The good people at Juliet Mae’s sent me their Indian Spice Sampler to try and I was so excited I dove right in. After work I made myself a sandwich for lunch filled with yummy Cool Vindaloo Spice mix.
The spice mix suggested adding vinegar to my mix to enhance the mustard flavor so I decided to add some coconut water vinegar. It really enhanced my tempeh, mushrooms and onions.
This morning I just wasn’t feeling solid foods, warm foods, heavy foods, ect. However something cold sounded good, especially in this ridiculously hot weather (it has been over 90F in VT this week). So I decided to make a smoothie filled with the things I love.
Melon from our CSA, unsweetened Hemp Milk, Chia Seeds and Raw Almond Butter
I really love to add chia seeds to smoothies because it adds omega-3’s and are loaded with antioxidants, calcium, protein, fiber, and vitamins including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, niacin, and zinc. They really help to bulk up my smoothie. Buy Now
I also add the raw almond butter to bulk up this simple smoothie since I am having it for breakfast and want it to fill me until lunch. This raw almond butter is great because it is silky smooth and just nice a creamy with a sweetness you don’t get from regular almond butter which generally is made from roasted almonds. Also just a reminder that this almond butter is available in my OpenSky shop and until September 7, 2010 for every jar purchased $1 will be donated to The Lunch Box Project and I will make a donation for every jar sold as well. Buy Now
Oh and of course the Hubz and I drank ours out of our GlassDharma straws- decorative dots for me (Buy Now) and simple elegant for the Hubz. (Buy Now) I love these straws and am so glad I was finally able to try them – I will have a mini interview coming at you next week from the crew at GlassDharma- so keep your eyes peeled!
To help you get a little better aquainted with one of my favorite products in my OpenSky shop I did a short interview with Dr. Ayala:
What is the inspiration behind HerbalWater?
I am a pediatrician and one of my main interests in pediatrics was preventive medicine, especially the role good nutrition has on overall health.
Well before everyone became concerned with the obesity epidemic, I started advising parents to stay away from sweet drinks, because there are so many calories and so much junk in most sweet drinks and drinking sweet is so habit forming.
You see, the average American consumes about 300cal/day in sweet beverages, mostly empty calories from sugar. There’s pretty good evidence that these calories don’t register the way solid food does, and therefore they’re not compensated for. Just attacking this habit is a going to make a huge impact on our waistlines.
And since I try very hard to practice what I preach, and I believe that anything you put in your mouth should taste good, and not just be good for you, I started exploring calorie free beverages for my home
I grow an organic herb garden, and have an abundance of herbs in the warm months. I love cooking with herbs: Culinary herbs are the natural way to flavor anything, while adding health benefits. Herbs are also, to me one of the most sensual foods, and really connect you to nature and memories. I would make herbal beverages to pair with meals, and our guests were offered this herbal water as an alternative to regular water or wine. They came to expect it, and asked for it whenever they came. But I couldn’t make it in the winter, since I didn’t have the fresh herbs growing then.
The enthusiasm for this healthy alternative led my husband to believe that this beverage answers a need in the market, and we should make it commercially available. My enthusiasm for making this drink widely available is so great because there just aren’t many truly healthy alternative drinks out there.
What is your favorite flavor and why?
I love all my kids the same, really. I find that I’ll tend to drink the Cloves Cardamom Cinnamon Herbal Water with a meal, the Verbena Geranium with dessert, the Lavender Mint when I want to relax and the Lemongrass Mint Vanilla on a warm day after exercise. The Ginger Lemon Peel and Cinnamon Orange Peel are my “anytime, anyplace” drinks. Each of the Herbal Water flavors has a place in my own routine, and a lot of it also depends on the mood I’m after.
What makes Herbal Water a better choice than other flavored waters and functional drinks?
Ayala’s herbal water is a delicious flavored water that is 100% good for you. It is made by infusing pure water with organic herbs, adding nothing else. It has no calories, no preservatives and no additives and it delivers the wonderful taste and aroma of herbs. Herbs are the natural way to flavor water without adding calories. We achieved a full flavored plant based drink, without manipulating the ingredients, or using any additives and preservatives.
Unlike some of the other functional offerings, Ayala’s Herbal Water doesn’t throw in the new hot nutrient, thinking you can get away from eating well by drinking nutrients, many times mixed in lots of sugar and artificial ingredients. What we offer is a centuries old traditional food that was always known for both its benefits and wonderful taste.
To get my favorite flavors you can simply click here for Lemongrass Mint Vanilla And here for Ginger Lemon Peel
To purchase any of the other flavors, which are all on my OpenSky Shop please click here.