A Chocolate-Covered Giveaway!

In case you haven't heard yet, Katie of Chocolate-Covered Katie (she switched to Wordpress- how exciting!) is having a SUPER awesome giveaway with the prize being an entire case of Jocalat Bars! Go here to learn more and good luck to all who enter :)

Sublime!

I didn't take many pictures during my vacation last weekend because it was just so relaxing that I didn't bother with it a whole lot. Overall, this trip to Ft. Lauderdale much more enjoyable than last year- my cousins and aunt came along with us and they're always fun, the weather was wonderful, and I got to try a new completely vegan restaurant: Sublime!! Our first night in Florida, my mom and I decided to go to Sublime for dinner while everyone else went to a seafood restaurant that my mom doesn't like very much. The pictures you see above is of the van parked next to us which I thought was so cool because the ARFF (Animal Rights Foundation of Florida) is the owner's animal rights organization and 100% of Sublime's profits go towards it, which I think is freaking unbelievable. I had brought my camera to take pictures of our meal, but the lighting was just too dark so I didn't bother. But one thing I can promise you is that our meal was AMAZING. Honestly, my experience and meal at Sublime was probably the best I've ever had. For an appetizer, we started out with the Eggplant Rollatini and it blew my mind! The ricotta filling was so creamy and I thought it tasted very "cheesy." For our entrees, my mom ordered the Enchiladas and I had the Sublime Loaf (which was even gluten-free and made with water chesnuts, lentils, and rice), which came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. My dish was great- the slices of the loaf were crispy on the outside and had the occassional crunch from the pieces of water chesnuts. Th gravy that was served with it totally made the dish and I couldn't have imagined it being any better. My mom loved her enchiladas and we both quickly cleaned out plates. I was totally ready for dessert and, while my mom would have loved to order dessert as well, she stuck with just come coffee since she's been trying to reduce her sugar intake. After a difficult decision, I chose the Key Lime Cheesecake (also gluten-free!) and I definitely made the right choice. While it didn't have much of a key lime flavor, the cheesecake itself was sooooooooooo unbelievably creamy yet light and airy. The nut crust added a nice almost caramelly flavor and I can say with all certainty that it was better than any cheesecake I've ever had (yes- even better that the Chicago Diner *gasp*)! I left stuffed, but was so happy I finally got to eat at this restaurant!

Sunday night was our last night in Florida, so my dad told me that I could order something to go from Sublime for dinner to try it one last time before having to wait a whole year before coming back. My aunt had tried the leftovers I rought home from our first visit to Sublime, so she wanted to order something as well (though I was unable to get pictures of her meal). She ordered the dish I had the first time, the Sublime Loaf, and was super impressed by it as well. I tried the Tuscan Quiche which was filled with the same type of ricotta filling as the eggplant appetizer from my first visit so it was, of course, delicious. While the quiche was great, I think I preferred the loaf because it was just so amazing. I had asked for the Key Lime Cheesecake one again, but the hostess informed me that they only had some of their strawberry cheesecake from the Valentine's Day dinner the night before, but I was happy to try it! The strawberry version was just as delicious as the original key lime cheesecake and it was great to try both.

When my dad came home from picking up my carry out order from Sublime, he surprised me with something that my mom and I did not see while we were at the restaurant- Sublime's cookbook! I've been having fun looking through it this week and marking all the recipes I want to try and, let's just say that you'll be seeing quite a few of these dishes soon!

I'm already looking forward to next February when we'll get a chance to go back to Ft. Lauderdale, meaning that I'll be able to return to Sublime :)

A Sweet Delivery

As I mentioned in my last post, my family and I took a quick trip to Florida for President's Day weekend and I will post all about my trip later. For now, I wanted to share an awesome surprise I got in the mail last week- a Peppermint Ritter Sport Bar from Ricki of Diets, Dessert, and Dogs! She had held a contest a few weeks ago and I was one of the lucky winners of this bar. This package unfortunately arrived minutes before we had to leave for the airport, but it was on my mind the entire trip and I was sure to enjoy it the night we got back. I am sure gonna be sad when this chocolare bar is gone since the company changed the formula so they will no longer be vegan because it is sooooo delicious! It tastes just like a peppermint patty, only the chocolate is less waxy and much creamier. Yummy! Thank you so much Ricki and I'm definitely enjoying my prize. I'll be back later with a post all about Ft. Lauderdale :)

Hearty, Warm (Frozen?) Veggie Chili

My mom was so sweet and mad this delicious vegetable chili for dinner on Xmas Eve and I've been able to keep enjoying it since then because I froze the leftovers. This chili is so full of black-eyed peas, black beans, chickpeas, zucchini, squash, carrots, and other veggies that I get soooo full after eating a bowl of it, but I just can't stop myself from finishing the whole thing! And, as you know, no bowl of chili is complete without...


...Super moist and sweet cornbread! I used my ol' standby recipe, which is the Skillet Cornbread from Vcon, but made it gluten-free and baked it in muffin tins. I made a double batch to freeze these as well so I always will have some cornbread for my chili. I've been restocking my stash of frozen meals and veggie burgers lately since those have been getting me by throughout the week, so I'll try to feature those in a future post. Speaking of that, I may not be able to post for a few week because next weekend, my family and I are going to Ft. Lauderdale once again to visit my grandparents. I'll probably be living off a bunch of rice cakes and Larabars, but I'll hopefully have a few culinary adventures to share when I return!