Isa Live at City Winery NYC

Last weekend I had the fabulous opportunity to see vegan all-star Isa Chandra Moskowitz "perform" live in New York City at City Winery. I went on the first night of her 4 city tour, and it was so neat to finally see her in person after years of following so many of her recipes!

The show was called "Isa Live: A Vegan Life In Four Courses" and was meant to be a four course dinner with wine pairing and cooking demonstration from Isa herself. Of course, Isa did not prepare all of the food that each person received, but the staff at City Winery did a fantastic job and everything we tried was delicious. I've seen some not so great reviews of the tour so far, but I'm baffled by why! Yes, the wine-tasting was an additional fee, but it was better to be able to choose your own glass of wine anyway. I think it was a great night and my husband and I had a fantastic time. :)

 

{The Menu - including all 4 courses. We had previewed it online beforehand and could not wait to try these fantastic dishes! }

 

{First course - grilled Caesar salad with grilled brussel sprouts and tofu. I usually despise brussel sprouts - somehow Isa made a brussel sprout lover out of me :) }

 

{Isa herself on the stage at City Winery }

 

{Second course - lentil chorizo tamales with mole rojo and guacamole - I haven't had a real tamale before but this was so amazing }

 

{ 3rd course - Chickpeas & Dumplings. This was so creamy and delicious, I'd love to re-create this dish at home on a cold night! }

 

{can't end dinner without dessert - 4th course was a chocolate cupcake with chocolate mousse frosting and coconut whipped cream.. drool-worthy! }

 

{ with isa herself! such an amazing night and so glad to have been a part of it!}

i was scared of dentists and the dark

 

 

 

 

 

{ new favorite frozen treat - vegan gelato in sea salt caramel, too good }

 

{used to love Gnu bars but never seem to see them anymore - picked up this box from tj maxx and love it }

 

{ a little too excited that my pen matched my simple to impress Christmas card box; made writing them out more fun }

 

{ previously mentioned Christmas felt craft tree. I think it needs a partner }

 

{keeping with the Christmas spirit - new printables to take the place of the fall art }

So I guess it's kinda funny how I loved you so way back when

{ not only my favorite flower of sunflowers - but in a perfect red to add some fall flair }

{ supplies for my next west elm inspired Christmas craft }

{ old pink carpet is officially gone in the entire upstairs! love the new master bath tile in hopscotch pattern }

{ yesterday my last day in pre-student teaching and observation at the elementary school - next step = full on student teaching! can't wait }

{got these a few weeks ago from whole foods using my free coupons I won from Vegan Mofo! have to give them a try when it's not so frigid outside }

there's this movie that i think you'll like

Last weekend we made our yearly trip up to Syracuse, NY for the SU football game. This time it was myself, Jason and my parents and it was a nice weekend getaway despite the outcome of the game.

We were staying in a hotel a bit away from the downtown campus area, but luckily there was a delicious vegan friendly diner, Deja Vu Diner only a mile away that we could grab a bite to eat before heading to the stadium on Saturday.

They had almond milk to add to my coffee and a full menu to choose from.

I ended up choosing the garden omelette, since I had yet to have a vegan omelette and used to love them during my pre-vegan days. Although a bit salty, this was a delicious way to start the day - plus they had Franks as their hot sauce, so they get extra points from me for that. :) My family didn't order off of this menu, but they all enjoyed their choices too so this was a good place to go with both vegans and meat-eaters.

The game was a lot of fun and it's always nice walking around the downtown main street afterwards with my family walking in and out of the shops. We also headed over to Destiny USA (aka the insanely large mall) and walked around for a bit. We had plans to go to Alto Cinco for dinner that night, and despite the long wait we were able to make it. I had read online they had a lot of vegan friendly options and it was mexican-type food - my favorite cuisine. It was very dimly lit, so the pictures I attempted to take did not turn up that great.

Bar view while waiting for our table. Note - it is a small restaurant so reservations would be a good idea or try to get there early!

My entree - I ordered the BBQ Tofu Plate, which included the tofu, steamed spinach, rice, black beans, and a salad. It was really good - not exactly the traditional mexican food I am used to, but still good. We also started with chips, salsa & guacamole which was also very tasty. My gripe though - they do not give you chips and salsa to start, it needs to be ordered - and it's not salsa..it's pico de gallo. Otherwise, it was a good meal and a nice vegan-friendly place in Syracuse to go to.

Everytime we've gone to Syracuse, we always make sure a stop at Strong Hearts Cafe is included. Sometimes it is for a meal, sometimes just for their extensive milkshake list and cupcakes. We had never gone for breakfast before, so we planned on going there on Sunday morning before taking the long drive home.

This was the menu board for the new On-Campus location of Strong hearts. It was small and more of a take-out location, but still a delicious menu and awesome they have a new spot right on campus.

This was from their original location on Genesee Street where we ate that morning. 

I had the green tofu scramble - including broccoli, tomatoes and pesto. So delicious and with a nice curry heat to it. I loved their coffee and their soy creamer they had available as well.

Beautiful presentation of their daily special - Pumpkin pancakes! My mom ordered this and I tried a bite - they were perfect! The cinnamon cream cheese on top was a perfect addition to my toast as well :)

My Dad & Jason both ordered this - Peanut Butter & Jelly French Toast. This was one of the most delicious breakfast foods I have ever had. I was envious they ordered it and I did not - but luckily Jason was willing to share many bites of it with me so I was glad he ordered that! This was just too good - I have plans on recreating this at home soon on a Sunday morning!

We of course also brought home some to-go treats from Strong hearts - including a Chocolate Coconut cupcakes and a Peanut Butter Whoopie pie- both are gone by now but were great souvenirs from our trip. Can't wait until next year! :)

when things start splitting at the seams and now the whole thing's tumbling down

{a mild fall so far means a lot of exploring new trails. french creek state park is a new favorite }

{loved this broth from TJ's, I'll share soon what I specifically used it for }

{thanks to Vegan Crunk, I won this book! Interesting read and can't wait to try the recipes.}

{ went back to an old favorite this week -chickpea piccata with broccopots from appetite for reduction }

{sneak peek of our guest bathroom - so glad to finally have the tile done this week, now for the next project }