Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar & Vegan Cookbooks

This past weekend we did a couple of day trips and I have been wanting to go back to Woodmere, OH, (just outside of Cleveland) since we stopped at the Trader Joe's out there and discovered Eton Chagrin Boulevard about a month or more ago.  How could I NOT be interested in this place with all of the EYE CANDY?  If you click on that Google Images will give you a sample of what I saw and why I was interested.  It's a flashy mall but it looks like village on the outside.  Very cool!



This trip we stopped at Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar.  There were several things on the menu that were clearly marked vegetarian and most of which could be made vegan.  They even had a footnote to ask about vegan options.  The staff was wonderful.  The decor was gorgeous!  As much as I wanted to have a salad on the menu that featured Spinach, Hearts of Palm, Mango, and more - I can get a salad almost anywhere so I wanted to try something I can't usually find.  I decided to go with the Coconut Curry Vegetable Stew.  This dish was vegan all by itself and the waiter said it was a vegan favorite for sure!  It had sweet potatoes (some with the skin on but done to perfection), sweet red bell peppers, sweeter red onions, zucchini, and what you can't see underneath all of the wonderful veggies...brown rice and pinto beans!  All in a Coconut Milk and Gentle Curry Sauce.  It was amazing!

Shortly after our very filling LINNER it was starting to rain and the parking lot was CRAZY.  I noticed there was a Vegan Sweet Tooth (Bakery) somewhere around there but I didn't see where it was so I'm sure we will have to go back in the near future to find it.

While we were there we did stop at a Barnes & Noble.  I had a little dejavu because the day before we were in Buffalo and I stopped in at a B&N there, too!  Regardless, I was stoked because between the 2 stores I picked up 3 books!

The Taco Cleanse was one of those books and I have to say I LOVE everything about this book and will be using it often! The snarky humor is a trip, the ideas and recipes are AWESOME, and the additional fun things at the end are cool, too!  Why haven't I known about this book before now!?  I seriously can't tell you how blown away I am by this book!  It's so fun!  It's so...ME!!!!  If you have read it let me know in comments and if you haven't make sure you get your hands on it!  FAST!

This was another book I picked up this weekend!  I did my initial thumb-thru of it and enjoyed it.  There were many recipes I in there that I have seen similar recipes for but Alicia put her own spin on them.  That's totally what I do sometimes so I appreciate that for sure.

I have to confess I was drawn to the cover.  Then again most of them I am.  I know, I know...you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover but sometimes I can't help it (in the literal sense).

I understand that photos are expensive to take, to print, and to include in cookbooks.  I wish this one had more but I understand why they usually fall short.  I do agree that for the most part the ones included in this Quick & Easy Vegan Comfort Food book by Alicia C. Simpson were fairly quick and easy!

So yeah...I did a little retail therapy this weekend!  It's not something I have done much of the last few years outside of foods.

I was always a fan of Isa's Vegan with a Vengeance.  I never bought/owned the book but borrowed it from more than one library several times.  When I saw the 10 year Anniversary Edition with NEW PHOTOS I knew I had to have it.  It was NOW or NEVER!  Ok...I probably would have been able to find it and buy it again at some point but still...the best time to BUY is when you see it, right?  That's exactly what I did!

While I have already spent some time with the first two books - I'm leaving Isa's for THIS WEEK!  Can't wait to jump in and see the new look and feel of this vegan classic!

Eton on Chagrin, Miyoko's Vegan Cheese, Vegan Mushroom Melt at Melt Bar & Grilled, Another Vegan Dipping Sauce, & Leucistic Red Tailed Hawk...

I've been telling you bit and pieces of my trip to Trader Joe's and other places in and around Woodmere, OH, which is near Mentor, OH.  We usually go to the Whole Foods Market out there when we do go but I wanted to specifically stop at Trader Joe's this time around!  It's was INSANELY busy!

This Trader Joe's in Woodmere is within a shopping development called Eton on Chagrin Boulevard.  If you have a minute be sure to check out the website...the design of the shopping center is STUNNING!  I wish I had more time to visit the other stores.  Hopefully in the spring.

I've also been chatting about the Whole Foods Co-Op in Erie, PA, the last few days and I forgot to tell you that they now carry Miyoko's Vegan Cheeses.  I was able to grab this one!  It's the first of the Miyoko's I have been able to try and I have to say I'm in LOVE!  It was on sale for $2 off!  It's expensive but a little bit goes a LONG way!  It's creamy and much more of a spread than a hard solid cheese.  The flavor is very rich and flavorful!  I'm so grateful I was finally able to locate it and purchase it!

I couldn't help but try it with pasta!  I added a few table spoons of the vegan cheese and melted it with a little Earth Balance and Almond Milk.  It was tasty!

Also I have been telling you more about our latest trip to MELT Bar & Grilled!  I was telling you about their Mushroom Melt I brought home.  This is one of their graphics - of course I opted for the VEGAN one!  The Caramelized Onions really took it to the next level flavor-wise!

Last night for dinner I had the Anasazi Burrito from Sweet Earth and I made a Peanut Dipping Sauce for it.

Again...not the BEST photo of the sauce...but you get the picture!  Here's the recipe...

About 1 C Peanut Butter

1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 C Water

5 Squirts Bragg's Liquid Aminos

4 T Agave Nectar

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

Lemon Pepper to taste

More Water if needed

On our way home I saw something beautiful!  Something that I don't ever remember seeing before!  It ended up being a Leucistic Red Tailed Hawk.  This photo isn't mine but it's very close to the bird I saw!  You can read more about these birds HERE.

Day Trip - Fringe of Cleveland

This past weekend Hubby and I needed to get-out-of-dodge at least for a day...so we decided to take a trip over to 'our side of Ohio'.  We didn't want to get smack-dab in the middle of Cleveland so we stayed on the fringe of it with Lyndhurst, Woodmere, and Mentor on our minds.  We decided to drive to the farthest point and work our way back.  It was just under 3 hours there.  We went to a very LARGE music store in Lyndhurst called Sam Ash Music.  It's the first branch we have been to.  We usually frequent World of Music in Erie, PA, or various Guitar Centers but this shop blew all of them out of the water!  This is a FIRST...Hubby didn't buy anything but I did!  I found a fabric Ukelele Case with a shoulder strap for about $20!  In was in a nice little plaza section with various other stores and we walked by the store fronts but didn't go inside any of the other shops. 
We then moved on to Woodmere.  I found out they had BOTH a Whole Foods Market as well as a Trader Joe's!  I was limited to one stop because there were other places we were interested in going so I decided to choose Whole Foods.  It's only the 2nd Whole Foods Market I have ever been to!  Usually when I speak about Whole Foods I am referring to Erie, PA's Whole Foods Co-Op which is owned by members and not by a chain like the market is.  Anyhow...the only other one I have been to is the one in Las Vegas.  I really liked the store but because we were only there for about a week and staying in a hotel I didn't purchase much, then.  I did notice that the Las Vegas store had a large Juice/Smoothie Bar that the Woodmere location didn't have but I have to say I really enjoyed the Woodmere location.  The staff was AMAZING, the store very clean, the selection was very nice, and I ended up buying about $45 worth of stuff.  Mostly things I couldn't find in my area/region as well as items that were lower in price than I am used to finding.  I also chose Whole Foods over Trader Joe's because they are supposed to be building a new Trader Joe's in Amherst, NY, during 4th Quarter, and that is half the time to get to once it's up!  I'm looking forward to it very much!  I have only been to one other Trader Joe's, as well, and that was the one in Pittsburgh about 2 years ago.  Saturday they were having a Vegan BBQ to raise money for a local Sanctuary and had I known I would have tried to participate but hubby had his heart set on The Winkin' Lizard and we sort of build the trip around that original thought in the first place. 

I think it's been about 5 years since we've been to the Winkin' Lizard last and I remember liking it.  So after Whole Foods Market we drove to Mentor where we ate at Winkin' Lizard there.  They have various locations as well.  I wanted to sit outside so we did.  I had a veggie wrap - without the dairy - and we shared one of their 'Drinks for 2'.  It was very nice.

We were going to try and look for a winery or two on our way back thru but we were driving on a different route and went back thru Erie and stopped to see my brother in law for a few minutes and then drove home.

It was a nice drive!  A nice day!  I'm so happy we stopped at the places we did and now Hubby has a new Music Store and perhaps we can swing by Whole Foods Market a couple a times a year now.  What did you do this weekend?  Anything special!?  Any plans for this week or upcoming weekend?