Shopping, Dinner And a Movie!!

I made it to Trader Joe's yesterday to pick up the few things I didn't get yesterday. I usually love going to Trader Joe's, but I was feeling a little blue, so to be honest I just wanted to get in and out. That's how I know I've got the sads, when I want to rush my trip to Trader Joe's!

These olives are going into a dish I'm going to make today but it's so tempting to rip into the bag and eat them as is! They're yerba mate is the best price I've seen. $3.99 for twenty five tea bags!!

I'm going to experiment and make Portabella mushroom bacon. I saw a someone do it on YouTube, and at first I was going to try their recipe, and then I thought, why not make your own recipe?  Today is going to be another grey, rainy day, the best kind for experimenting in the kitchen.

After shopping I went to dinner and a movie with an old friend. We went to a restaurant in my second favorite neighborhood in Seattle, Greenwood called El Chupacabra. Here is their menu if you are interested. They are extremely vegan friendly, they have gardein mock meats and vegan cheese, so vegans and/or vegetarians can basically have anything on the menu. I am the worst at making decisions, and when I have soooo many choices it gets worse! I ended up ordering the mission style burrito, and I got it "wet". I went super simple and just went beans and rice and no vegan cheese. The delicious red sauce was all I needed. The mission burritos come in small and large, and I ordered a small, and it was still sooooo massive!

The picture is upside down or something. Sorry, I had my friend take the picture and E-mail it to me because I am still very self conscience of taking pictures in public. But seriously, that is a small burrito! It had rice and pinto beans that were so flavorful I could have eaten a big bowl. It also had sliced avocado, and pico salsa. I will definitely be going back. It was cozy and dive-y, but very clean and comfortable. Our server was super nice, the food is not expensive, as you can see you get a lot, and they clearly have love and respect for vegetarians and vegans. I felt safe and comfortable, I didn't worry that my rice had been cooked in stock, or that the beans were cooked in lard. It's just a real pleasure to go to a restaurant and feel like you can have a meal without fearing what you're eating, or feeling like you are annoying the staff. My very first job in Erie PA. was as a server at a somewhat fine dining restaurant. The owner was so horrible and abusive I still feel traumatized, but that's another story for another day. Anyway, on one of my first days I mentioned to the chef that I was a vegan. I remember he looked at me with disdain and told me I better plan on not eating at any restaurants in Erie because "Erie chefs hate vegans" I mean, what do you really say to that? What I soon learned is Erie people hate anything that could be considered "different". Anyway, back to the positive. If you live in or near Seattle, and haven't eaten here, you should eat here! And if you ever visit Seattle, look this place up! Greenwood is an amazing neighborhood with really cool shops, restaurants and people. And I definitely want to show appreciation for restaurants that respect vegans, and want to give us more than an iceberg lettuce salad with one mealy tomato slice.
I went to see the new Star Wars movie, and it was AMAZING!! I don't know all there is to know about Star Wars, and I was able to keep up and enjoy this movie. I did ask my companion a few (hundred) questions, but that's par for the course with me. Question everything!
Happy Friday!