Fun OTP Restaurants

So I’m from Georgia. Atlanta and the city around it is kind of confusing to explain to people.

Atlanta is the capital. The big city. Then you have outlying cities and neighborhoods that keep fading out from the city. We have a thing called The Perimeter, which is divided by a big circular interstate 285. Inside the Perimeter is the City. Outside of the Perimeter is mostly the suburbs. Except then you have to take 75 or 85 or 985 or Buford Highway…

It’s like Mario Kart for where you want to live.

Anyways. All these pockets of Atlanta are so fun and have so may great places to eat. Here are a few I have gone to lately. I would love to hear yours if you are local!

La Belle Vie in Suwanee

The BEST restaurant in Suwanee. Everything is PERFECT!

Blue Crab in garlic butter oil ❤️

Roswell Provisions on Canton Street

Heaven. Sweet or Savory. It doesn’t matter what you get. Here are some desserts…

Strawberry Shortcake
Banana Split Crepes
Chocolate Mousse

Downtown Duluth. So many options! This is Epicurean Cafe. Quaint and delightful!

Friend Green Tomato with Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Shrimp and Grits
On the hunt for this Pinot Grigio

Sweet Chili Chicken Wings

Some people are very confused by my eating habits, so I thought I would clear it up for anyone reading this. I mostly eat vegan/vegetarian, tons of seafood, and occasionally meat (mostly at home if I make it for the family) . Tonight I ate chicken wings. I was watching a cooking show, and they just sounded really good, so I made them for dinner.

It all started with the chicken wings. I put them all in a bowl and tossed them with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and salt & pepper. Then I put them skin side up on a sheet pan and cooked them in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Then I warmed up some of this yummy sauce I found at Sprouts…

Half took a dip in the sauce and half stayed Plain Jane. We like to eat mac and cheese with our wings, and I added some peas for a veggie 😉 It was very tasty!

Cavatappi and Meatball Bake with Mozzarella Bruschetta

So I am on a roll in the kitchen cooking up a storm and loving it! I think I just needed a break for a bit to realize how much I missed it.

Tonight I did not have carpool duty, so I decided early on to make a pasta bake for dinner. I wasn’t sure what meat I was going to use, but I knew it couldn’t be “fake meat” because my husband does not care of it. When I got to the grocery store, I saw that meatballs were on sale, so I decided to make a meatball pasta dish. I settled on Cavatappi, which is the pasta shaped like corkscrews.

It was super easy to throw together. I cooked the pasta 2 minutes less than the package said, while I cooked the frozen meatballs in the jarred sauce. Then I added the pasta to the sauce and meatballs.

I covered the entire dish with mozzarella cheese and baked until the cheese melted and had some pretty brown bubbly spots, about 30 minutes.

A huge pan of pasta means leftovers!!!

I also made these delicious Mozzarella Bruchetta…

I grated a clove of garlic in a heaping tablespoon of butter to make garlic butter. Then I sliced an Italian loaf of bread in medium sized pieces and slathered on the butter and topped with a slice of fresh mozzarella. I put that in the oven on the second rack halfway through the pasta baking. It about 10 minutes to melt the cheese and toast the bread. Keep an eye on them. You don’t want to smoke out your kitchen!

I chopped up 2 tomatoes, some fresh basil, and mixed it with a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of balsamic glaze with a bit of salt and pepper. Topped the cheese toast with the tomato mixture and topped with more balsamic drizzle and basil. I honestly ate 4 pieces and really wasn’t hungry for the pasta, even though I still had a few bites. I could eat this everyday forever and ever…

My Summer Vacation

Unapologetic rye toast with chunks of avocado 🥑

Summer is wrapping up in the south (beginning of school is starting) 😭 and I have been quiet on the blog mostly bc I’m just eating tomato sandwiches and avocado toast. Hopefully soon I’ll come up with something more exciting 🤷‍♀️Until then, ❤️

Tahini Bulgur Bowls with Charred Broccoli and Crispy Tofu

Another vegan dish from Purple Carrot. I read the recipe 5 times, and I changed the directions around in a different order. My prerogative as the chef 😉 Says it can feed 2, but I am getting 4 meals out of this…

What is bulgur?

Bulgur

Bulgur

Bulgur (from Turkishbulgur;[1] also burghul, from Arabicبرغل[2] bourghoul, “groats”) is a cereal food made from the cracked par boiled groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. It originates in Middle Eastern cuisine.

It cooks like Couscous, because it is parboiled and tastes like a cross between couscous and rice. You can substitute any grain you want to in this bowl, but I think you should give bulgur a shot. It is light, but very filling!

Ingredients

6 oz. broccoli florets (1 small package or 1 small bunch)
1 lemon, zest and juiced
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and dried with a paper towel
1 oz. fresh ginger. peeled and minced
3/4 cup bulgur wheat
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp tamari (vegan, gluten free soy sauce)
1 tsp. agave (like honey, but vegan)
3 tbsp sesame oil (my favorite ingredient, but don’t let the smell intoxicate you. Use sparingly!)
2 oz. of red cabbage (garnish only…pretty for pop of color)
1/2 cup edamame (I may have eaten more than I put in the actual dish! Addictive with salt!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475. Roast the broccoli in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with some salt and pepper. Roast for about 10 minutes. Toss with the lemon zest at the end and put aside.

2. Add 2/3 cup of water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Ad the bulgur, mix, cover, and remove from heat. Let it rest covered for a bit until the end. The steam will cook it through.

3. Cook the tofu in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss occasionally, until browned on each side, about 5-6 minutes.

4. While the tofu cooks, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, add the garlic, juice from half the lemon, ginger, tahini, tamari, agave, and 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Whisk the dressing to combine. This dressing is a FLAVOR BOMB! LOVE IT!

5. Now they give directions on adding everything together. I think I just used smaller bowls than them? You are split everything in 2 bowls and top with the edamame and cabbage. I just did one bowl, ate it, then made 3 more bowls to eat and share this week.

It is a super yummy dish! I even think I could make this with more veggies, tempeh, seafood, chicken, or steak. Deconstructed Tahini Bulgar Bowls that everyone could add what they want!

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