Mexico time, ya'll!

The time has finally come.
I'm done with my crazy busy work week and tomorrow I'm leaving on a jet plane!

My flight leaves at 5:30am. I have yet to figure out how to get there. The MAX line runs that early (I love public transportation in Portland!) but not from my house. I'm on a different line. So I think I'll have to take a cab to the Rose Quarter Transit Center, which will be about 3 bucks or something, and hop on the MAX from there.

I'm taking car parts with me, in my suitcase.

So, I will arrive in Veracruz at 5:50pm. That's 3:50pm Portland time. 10 hours. Not too bad. Abby and her dear deported hubby Isnardo (Nardo, for short) will pick me up, and then we will commence the 6 day 5 night festivities. They live in a tiny town called Luma de Guadalupe, which is close to Cordoba. Here is a map.


View Larger Map

I will take many pictures, and have quite an adventurous time finding vegan food to eat, and will go exploring and hiking and to ruins and to beaches and meet Abby's bird, Capitan and drink cervesas and meet her extended family and play and pretty much encapsulate the word "Vacation."
I'm not sure if that's the correct usage of encapsulate, but I like it like that.

Also, Nardo's 2 best friends John and Jeff are coming down 2 days after I do, so we'll have lots of adventures!

Abby tells me people keep asking, "Where's the gringa? When is the gringa arriving?" :)

I can't wait!

I'll be back Sunday night around 11:30 pm, so until then, bye bye to computers and phones and internets and all that jazz. Hello, Vacation!

Vegadilla

Check this out. The Ale House was running a Quesadilla special yesterday for lunch.

I veganized it.

What you see is:
--housemade salsa. slightly spicy, just the right consisitancy.
--chips.
--black beans, spinach, tomatoes, olives, green chilis, onions, jalepenos and lettuce in a tortilla and heated.
--spicy tofu-cashew cream sauce on top

This was such an amazing lunch. I sometimes have qualms with working at a place that serves meat, but I do love that we offer some amazing vegan options, even if I have to piece them together sometimes. Without the cheese, everyone asked how it would hold together. That's what they ask about pizza too. And I tell them, "It just works." I mean, yeah, it gets a little messy, but it's so freakin' good and I don't even miss the cheese! And this is coming from a girl who loves bean and cheese burritos so much she might pick 'em over her mom if given the choice... just kidding, mom! :)



Just looking at this picture make me wish I had another one right now. Yum.

Mint and Gravy

Going through my random pictures from November, I found these two I thought I'd share.

This one is a spicy and fruity martini made at Mint/820 Lounge on Russell Ave, one block from my house.The owner, Lucy Brennan, is probably the most famous mixologist in Portland. She's written at least one book, and is known all over town, primarily for her avocado daiquiri, which I still have never tried. She's also known for being a sugar nazi--the bartenders have to rim all the martini glasses *just so* and line them up evenly along the bar. If they fail to do it correctly, she makes them do it again.

Regardless, it's a fun place, and there are delicious yummy sweet potatoe fries on happy hour.

This one is my breakfast at Gravy a month or so ago--wasn't too hungry, so ordered a side of hashbrowns and a (housemade) soy sausage.

Oh my gosh. HUGE. I know, right? I don't know if you can quite tell how big these hashbrowns are. They're the size of my head. The soy sausage patty was delicious. The hashbrowns were delicious too, but way too much for me. When I came here, I asked for a vegan bloody mary, and they couldn't help out. I did have a mimosa though!
A Bloody Mary is not vegan (or even vegetarian) because worchester sauce is a common ingredient, in mixes and when made fresh. I always think that in Portland, bloody mary's would be made fresh and I could have one, anchovy-free. It rarely happens though.

Anyhoo, I had a delicious lunch today at work, and I'll post a picture of that soon.

A Vegan Thanksgiving

A Vegan (of course) Thanksgiving with the family:

Tofurky. (Mik/Turtle Island)

Stuffing (Ahi)


Cranberry Sauce (Mik)


Mashed Potatoes (Ahi), Gravy (Mik/Turtle Island), and Jalepeno Hush Puppies (Mik)


Braised Cajun Greens (Mik)


Almond-Ginger Pumpkin Pie (Me)
Sparkling Cider (Martinelli's)

Yum! It was delicious and filling and fun. Thanks to Craig Steele for reminding me to put these pictures up. Wish you could have been there! :)

Why I am Vegan

I stumbled across the page today, while paying bills. While taking a break from paying bills, to be truthful.

Why I am Vegan

It states much more eloquently that I could hope to what motivates me every day.