A Road Trip to the Land of Hip

A few weekends ago, I had the fortunate opportunity to take a road trip. My parents took the boys, my husband was in South America, so it was just me and my baby girl. We went to Seattle (one of the hippest and most beautiful cities in America!) and spent the weekend with my best friend from high school, Heidi, and her terrific hubby, Tim, as well as their overly joyous puppy, Bazzle. I love the water, the trees, the mountains, and of course all the art, good food, and good friends.

My friend, is like many of you, in a period of transition to a healthier way of eating, so we had so much fun making food and going to some of the many fantastic grocery stores (like Central Market & Trader Joe's). All I have to say, is that if you live in Seattle or vicinity, you have absolutely no excuses for not being able to eat healthy! The abundance of farmer's markets, health food/vegan-friendly grocery stores just blows my mind. Nothing like the atmosphere in Provo, UT, where I live. It's certainly an option to find healthy foods, but we have nothing like those stores found in Seattle.

Heidi and I made my lemony corn waffles. For another meal I created a new recipe, my Very Veggie lasagna with the Berry Berry Cobbler.

And since Seattle is a Mecca of sorts for all kinds of vegan/veg friendly eateries and restaurants, we had to take advantage. We tried out Araya's Place, a Thai vegan restaurant. This was the first time I'd been to an actual 100% vegan sit-down restaurant and the experience was amazing. Not only did I NOT have to scour the menu and use all my creative capacities to create my own vegan dish (which I don't necessarily mind doing, but it was a nice change to have so many options, all vegan) but the whole atmosphere was terrific as well. No sitting next to the guy who ordered a plate of steaming hot ribs or a big juicy steak. Nothing but plant food, all cooked and presented in a beautiful, tasty way.

Thai food at it's best: fresh with LOTS of veggies and herbs (like Thai Basil). This was the Pad Thai w/ tofu. We also tried some curry which wasn't overdone with coconut milk, like many restaurants do, but rather light and rich with flavor.

Heidi with my favorite food on earth: fresh spring rolls with cilantro and basil, dipped in a spicy peanut sauce. YUM! The young chap on her left is her awesome hubby Tim, sampling a green papaya salad.