Musty's Bday & Our Trip to Mendocino!

We had a nice celebration for Musty's birthday, followed by a nice trip to Mendocino - to visit with our goddaughter. It was lots of fun.


For Musty's birthday we had two of his favorite things. First: Spaghetti & Meatless Meatballs. This is one of Musty's most favorite meals in the whole world. He was very delighted. You'll be happy to know that there were salads too.


Have you ever seen this page by PETA called "I can't believe it's vegan!" ? Well, I've got one to add to it! Jello brand "Flan" mix is vegan, as best I can tell. I kept reading and re-reading the ingredients and it really appears to be vegan (as long as you make it with non-dairy milk). Musty requested flan for his birthday, so I made a double batch. It's not my favorite thing ever, and it's a bit weird to buy something from a company based entirely on gelatin, but Musty was very pleased indeed.


On our drive up to Mendocino, which is about 5 hours away, we stopped in San Francisco for some lunch. We lucked out big time, and actually found a parking spot. Miracle of miracles! So, we went to "Ali Baba's Cave" for some delicious falafel sandwiches: huge, spicy, tasty, and naturally vegan! Mmmm.


Every time we go to Mendocino, I HAVE to eat breakfast at "The Ravens." The Ravens is the restaurant inside "The Stanford Inn," and is a wonderful, all-vegetarian restaurant. The Inn looks like an amazing place to stay - especially because it's doggie friendly! Apparently the dogs even get little doggie treats in the rooms. The grounds of the Inn are so beautiful, including a big, beautiful veggie garden, beautiful flowering gardens, and a swimming pool inside a plant-filled atrium. The Ravens is a great restaurant, and uses 99% organic and local produce. Cool! So, here's what I got the first day - Vegan Multigrain pancakes with huckleberries ... AND...


... a side order of Sauteed Veggies. YUM! Aren't they beautiful?? I love having a little sweetie and a little healthy savory when I go out for breakfast!

Luckily for me, Musty was happily willing to go back to The Ravens for breakfast again the next day. This time I got the Vegan Waffle with strawberry-pineapple compote... AND...

The Garden Veggie Tofu Scramble! They made it just the way I asked - heavy on the veggies, and light on the tofu. MMMM, perfect! Isn't it beautiful with the flowers from the garden?

On the way home, we stopped in Redwood City and had some great Thai food. It was some of the best Thai food we've ever had. It was fresh, and delicious! Also, across the street was a great little Indian grocery store, where I picked up quite a few goodies (keep your eyes out for an upcoming Indian food post).

Last night I made a modified version of a recipe out of "Vegan Planet." It was called something like "3-way sesame tofu with broccoli" and it wasn't a big success. The flavors were a bit too bland and simple - sesame seeds, soy sauce, and tahini. I added in garlic, ginger, and some more soy sauce... which helped a bit. The brocolli was great, but the tempeh strips were a bit too bland. Of course, that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing! :)

Lastly! Look at my great new baseball hat! It says on it: "Eat Fruits & Vegetables and Be Active" Ha ha! I love it so much. One of the women who comes to my Tuesday night yoga class gave it to me after I commented on her tshirt (with the same message) last week. It was a great surprise. I can't stop wearing it!