Tabouli Mediterranean Snack Bar & Cafe

I will have multiple posts today so be sure to check back!  First up I'm VERY EXCITED to tell you that there is a NEW restaurant in town!  Yup!  In the small town where I live there is a new eating establishment that opened on Monday called Tabouli.  It's a Mediterranean Snack Bar and Cafe.  They have MANY vegetarian and vegan options available and they are clearly marked on their menu as such!  None of my co-workers have ever had Mediterranean Food (other than Greek Mediterranean Food, that is) so I brought a few things back for them to try!

In the first photo above is their Falafel made with Chickpeas, Onions, Parsley, and seasoning.  Some of you know I'm a HUGE fan of Falafel so of course I adored this!  I will note...their Tahini Sauce is made with Yogurt so I offered that to a co-worker as it isn't vegan.  Their Hummus is the vegan option for this.  Both are shown.

The other photo is of their Lentil Soup.  It's a thinner soup and the Lentils appeared to be ground and not whole.  The caramelized onions kicked the flavor up a notch!  YUM!

I know I will be ordering a LOT from Tabouli so be on the look out for more posts!  It's a block from where I work so I'm sure they will get to know me real well - and I - them!

My Vegan Thanksgiving Plate

Thursday my husband and I went to my parents for Thanksgiving as we normally do to meet with them as well as my sister and her husband.  I've been a vegetarian for almost 20 years and veg*n for almost a year and a half.  Believe it or not - I've never had a vegan turkey alternative until this year.  I decided to FINALLY try one.  I chose the Gardein's Holiday Roast.  It was pretty decent!  I cooked from frozen and it took about an hour or so in the oven.  I really liked the center of it where they had the stuff that was mostly grains, cranberry, and celery.  It came with 2 packets of gravy.  I haven't had gravy in YEARS.  It's not that I don't like it - it's just that I haven't made it in forever...I do like Mushroom Gravies and just might have to start making them again.

Anyhow...here is a photo of my plate.  As you can see I had LOTS to choose from!  All vegan!  You can see the slices of the Holiday Roast at about the 11 o'clock section of the plate.  At the top we did roasted Brussell Sprouts using a little bit of Wildtree's Grapeseed Oil and gently seasoned with California Garlic Pepper.  Next I had a little bit of the Sweet Potatoes.  Then I made a HUGE batch of Tabouli and my sister and I both had large helpings of that.  I was SHOCKED to see my husband tried some and Gold Stars to my Mother for having a spoonful eventho I know she wasn't a fan of it.  I think it's the texture for her as well as the Parsley and Mint...but I just LOVE it!  My sister and I split up the leftovers and took them home.  Then I had a few different flavors of hummus.  Not pictured are the bread/rolls we had.  Everything was yummy!

Earlier last week I posted about the Thanksgiving at my husband's family's gathering.  Between the two families I had completely different plates of food!  I ate real well last week!  That's for sure :)

Holiday Valley, Elicotville, John Harvard's, Sister Time, Scenic Drive

I think this will be the last of my posts for today.  This is 3 of 3 - so please continue to scroll down!

Here's another photo of my sister from over the weekend.  When you read my other posts it will all make sense!  It's a photo of me trying to dry her pants with a hair dryer! LOL

Yeah...so after we were caught in the heavy rain we decided to pay my parents a visit at the resort they were staying at for the weekend.  It was part of a promotion where my Dad works.  He and my mother helped work it and the accommodations were amazing!  They were at Holiday Valley in Elicotville, NY.  Holiday Valley is known as a Skiing Destination in the winter and a get-away in the summer months.  They are also quite busy during the fall.  It's been YEARS since I have been there for any reason.  Since we left our event 2 hours early we decided to swing by.  We saw some 'friends of the family' we haven't really seen in a while - who also worked with my father.  Mom and Dad were on their way to a dinner but Megan and I decided to go to Dinner in one of their restaurants within the Resort.

The name of the restaurant was John Harvard's Brew House and it was a really nice place!  There were a few vegetarian options on the menu and they could easily be veganized by omitting an ingredient or two.  The waitress was really nice and willing to help with this!

My sister - who is NOT a vegetarian - had a flatbread pizza with a Basil Pesto Sauce, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Onions.  So technically her meal was vegetarian but not vegan.  She really doesn't eat a lot of meat but still isn't veg.  There are several foods she stays away from because of stomach related issues such as fried foods, red sauces, carbonated beverages, etc.  She really liked her flatbread.  I'm not going to lie - it smelled amazing.  So much so - my next kitchen adventure might have to be a Vegan Basil Pesto Sauce.

We ended up splitting an appetizer.  We got the Mediterranean Platter (minus the Feta) which consisted of: Hummus, Tabbouleh, Roasted Peppers, Kalamata Olives, Tomatoes, Artichokes, and Pita Bread.  It was the first time my sister had Tabbouleh and she really liked it.  I told her next time I make it I would save her some! 

For my Dinner I got the Mediterranean Wrap (Minus the Feta) which was Hummus, Olives, Baby Lettuces, and Diced Tomatoes.  It was HUGE.  I took half of it home.  It was tasty, tho! 

After we were done with dinner we took a stroll around the grounds a little bit.  We came across this Faux Bon Fire out behind the one building!  I thought it was beautiful!  Everything about the place was nice, tho!

This was a photo of the building my parents and their crew stayed in...

My sister and I chatted the whole way home about trying to go back at some point and stay longer and have a girls weekend but I am sure it's very expensive!

Even if you don't STAY there you can go to the restaurants and different things around town which is more of what we are apt to do, I guess.

I also mentioned it to my husband and he was interested in taking a trip out for dinner some evening and/or weekend!

Neat Place!

Vegan Veggie Spinach Alfredo Topped Ravioli & Tabouli Salad & Tabouli Salad Sandwiches

 Last night I made this Ravioli.  I've been hungry for Ravioli since dropping dairy from my vegetarian diet.  I ended up ordering some Garlic & Veggie Stuff Ravioli online and topped it with several things I had around the house.  I used Chreese Alfredo Sauce but added more almond milk to it than it required.  I simmered that in with Spinach and Mixed Veggies including: Carrots, Potato, Corn, Peas, and Lima Beans.  It was quiet good.  It wasn't overly seasoned and I LOVE seasonings.  I did use a little bit of Garlic Grapeseed Oil within the mixture and next time I might had some onion and/or chives and more Garlic.

 I also worked ahead last night and made my lunch for today and will have plenty leftover for the next day or two or more.  I cheat.  I use a box mix for Tabouli!  That's what this is.  I just added water, Garlic Grapeseed Oil, Lemon Juice, and Zima Tomatoes. I like this stand alone but also put it in wraps or on top or IN tossed salads...as well as...

 Sandwiches!  So today I'm having Tabouli Salad Sanwiches and they are darn tasty!  Between the Lemon Juice, Mint, and Zima Tomatoes - I think that flavor combo is my favorite part!

Yes!  I can be messy but it's OH SO GOOD!  And Good FOR you! 

Participating In The Following:
Link Party Tuesday
Sweet Shot Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday Party
Tasty Tuesdays
Totally Tasty Tuesdays
Tuesday Friend Connect
Vegan Tuesdays
Simple As That
Project 52
Mix It Up Mondays
Made By You Monday

Meal Plan Hopefuls

I enjoyed blogging about my Meal Plan HOPES last week and it seemed other liked that twist I put on it.  I'm going to do it again today...this is what I HOPE to have for my meals this week - at least it's a starting point, eh!?

Monday
Breakfast: Coconut Chia Granola

Lunch: Whole Wheat Flatbread with Almond Butter

Dinner: Vegan Mac & Cheese, Whole Wheat Bread, Earth Balance w/ Nutritional Yeast Sprinkle

Tuesday

Breakfast: Cinnamon Raisin Granola
Lunch: Rice & Veggie Dish (Type TBA)

Dinner: Falafel, TBA Veggie, maybe Hummus

Wednesday

Breakfast: Chia Waffles

Lunch: Leftovers (TBA)

Dinner:  Artichoke Cashew Burger (Maybe in a Casserole)

Thursday

Breakfast: Mango Chia Smoothie 

Lunch: Tabouli Salad

Dinner: Leftovers

Friday

Breakfast: Chai Waffles

Lunch: Tabouli Wrap or Pita

Dinner: HUGE Salad

Saturday:

Breakfast: Mandarins

Lunch: Leftover Tabouli

Dinner: TBA - Out

Sunday:

Breakfast/Lunch: TBA Smoothie

Dinner: Veggie Salad (maybe Sub)

Participating in:

Meal Plan Monday

Menu Time Mondays