Thai on a Truck

I love this little vacation I'm on. I've been staying with Kayla since Sunday night. We had our fun mini day trip to LA yesterday and have been going to the gym and making dinner for ourselves in the evening. It feels just like it used to when we lived together. She had to work this morning so I've been hanging around town today. One item on my to do list was to go to the CHP office in Goleta to get information about the hit and run for my insurance company. Some idiot hit me on the freeway Sunday afternoon and tried to flee the scene. I followed him and got his license plate number so they were able to track him down. There were only minor scratches on my car. The best part of this whole thing was that the cop informed me of an independent witness who made a call to 911 and also followed the guy for a few blocks. It makes me happy to know that there are such nice and caring people out there in this world. 

Since I was driving to Goleta, I checked on twitter to see what food trucks would be in the area. Thai on a Truck was super close to where I needed to go. I recently discovered them from following other food trucks on twitter. After my stop at the CHP office I made my way over to what is now my new favorite food truck. This place has such good energy. It's a husband and wife team who run this truck. The wife, who is so incredibly sweet, manages the ordering and the husband cooks up delicious Thai food. As I was snapping pictures of the truck, a man waiting for his order asked me if I was taking photos. He ended up being the father of the chef. I had a nice conversation with him while I waited for my food. He even let me take a photo of his Pad Thai. I need to order this on my next visit.

I ordered the green papaya salad and chicken stir fry with basil. I also got a Thai iced tea. Drinking a Thai iced tea or iced coffee should be mandatory when eating Thai food. 

Green papaya salad

This was so spicy but oh so good.

Chicken stir fry with basil... So yummy!

I drove up to the Mesa and had myself a little picnic overlooking the ocean. Today turned out to be such a lovely day.  I enjoy my days off so much but also love going back to work which is what I get to do tomorrow morning. 

Day Trip to Los Angeles

My friend Kayla had to drive down to Los Angeles to attend a meeting for work yesterday morning. Since I had the day off, we decided that I should tag along. Her meeting was on Melrose Ave so I could easily kill some time for a couple of hours while she was busy. I was involved in a minor hit and run the previous day so the first hour while waiting for her was spent on the phone with my insurance company. The rest of my time was spent walking through the residential areas... I always love walking through neighborhoods in new places. 

I looked at books in Urban Outfitters and even got my palm read! That was really fun. Kayla's meeting took longer than expected so by the time she got out we were starving. We drove to Echo Park to have lunch at Sage Vegan Bistro.  We started with the zucchini and sweet potato tater tots. Kayla ordered the Soul Bowl and I had the Falafel Bowl. The food was so good and tasted so healthy. I loved how they added pomegranate seeds to the Falafel Bowl. It added a nice bit of sweetness. I wish this place was closer because I want to try everything on their menu. We took a peek at their brunch menu which sounded amazing. They also offer desserts and shakes from KindKreme which looked and sounded delicious. 

Handmade zucchini and sweet potato tater tots with chipotle ketchup

Soul Bowl

Roasted sweet potato, black beans, okra, baby corn, garlic polenta, horseradish and deep fried mac and cheese with pickled jalepeno cabbage

Falafel Bowl

Basmati rice topped with pistachio mint, falafel, cucumber, red onion, roma tomato, avocado, oranges, and fresh cilantro served with a side of tzatiki and red pepper hummus

I'm definitely not a big fan of Los Angeles but I do like how they have so many good places to eat. 

Sun Tacos

 Tuesday night, I spent the evening with one of my best friends. She lives down in Santa Barbara so we have to plan our hangout time around our work schedules. We used to be roommates and cook dinner together all the time. It was so much fun to be able to do that again. Having both worked in the deli at New Frontiers, we loved eating the Sun Tacos. I've totally been obsessed with them lately and have been making different variations. We decided to make our own version for dinner. 

 To accompany our tacos, we made a salad with red bell peppers, carrots, and sprouted pumpkin seeds.

Our version of Sun Tacos

Spread a thin layer of yellow miso on a corn tortilla... we each made two.

Top with sunflower seeds and Daiya Mozzerella Cheese. This is by far the best vegan cheese I have ever had. When melted, it actually tastes like real cheese. 

Place in the oven at 350° until cheese is melted.

Top with broccoli sprouts, avocado, onion, carrots and red bell pepper.

Breakfast the next morning after an early spin class.

Greek yogurt with sprouted pumpkin seeds and homemade granola made by Kayla's roommate. It was so yummy!

I told you I was obsessed with these tacos. For dinner last night I made them with zucchini, pumpkin seeds, sage cheddar cheese, green bell pepper, onion, and carrots.

Buckwheat Carob Pancakes

 A few weeks ago Amber told me about foodgawker. I was familiar with craftgawker, but one dedicated to food? I was in love the first time I set my eyes on this site. All the photos are so beautiful and everything looks delicious. I have the app on my phone now so before bed I find myself browsing though all the yummy goodness, getting inspired... and hungry. I've been drawn to posts from The Healthy Foodie. Black Forest pancakes and chocolate cherry buckwheat bake. I love how she likes to indulge (but in a healthy way) for breakfast. Her photos are lovely to look at as well. I really like her styling. I woke up this morning craving pancakes after reading her latest post last night. I'm always trying to create new recipes for pancakes so I tried making a blend with almond and coconut flour. It was an epic fail. After rinsing all my dishes I used the recipe I usually work with.

3 tablespoons buckwheat flour

1 tablespoon ground flax

Enough almond milk to give the batter a semi-runny consistency.

(These pancakes are not fluffy. They come out more like thick crepes.)

To make these pancakes decadent, I added 1 tablespoon carob powder and a few drops of liquid stevia to the batter.

I topped them with peanut butter and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. For the syrup, I mixed cinnamon flax oil and agave syrup together. They were so yummy.

Sunday Fun With Amber and Opal

I must say I have the best boss in the whole wide world. Work never really feels like work. I get to make cupcakes and hang out with an amazing woman who has been a very influential part of my life for the past year and a half.  This morning we decided to take a little day trip up to San Luis Obispo. Amber could tell I was down about some things and wanted to help take my mind off it.

 We stopped for lunch at Sally Loo's. I loved the laid back atmosphere of this place and also how Brandon and Jen named their cafe after their beloved pit bull. It was nice finally getting to meet Jen in person. I follow her on Instagram and always see postings of the yummy food being served at the cafe. We did some coloring with Opal, Amber's daughter and my favorite little buddy, while waiting for our food.

 

Rosemary, bacon, egg, and cheese stuffed croissant sandwich. Knowing these sell out fast, Amber called in this morning to have them save us two... That was sweet of them to do. We had the best ginger iced tea. I later found this tea at the Secret Garden Herb Shop. It's Sally Loo's special blend.

Ever since I discovered chipotle chili powder at the Secret Garden Organic Herb Shop I have been addicted to it. I use it often in cooking homemade kale chips, salad dressings, dips, scrambled eggs, and veggies. My favorite use is for seasoning onions. In a bowl I add sliced yellow onion, a little bit of olive oil and chipotle chili powder. Mix well to distribute evenly. Lay out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350° until onions are soft and tender. These are great on tacos and burgers. 

I love the selection of herbs and spices this shop carries. They have the best selection of teas.

I came home with lots of goodies and a much happier state of mind. Spending the day with Amber and Opal was so much fun. We had long talks in the car about Disneyland and Sea World and Opal came up with the most hilarious song I now have stuck in my head.

Happy Birthday to my Mama!

Happy birthday to my mom! The most amazing woman I know. She worked so hard to provide for my brother and me growing up and still always puts us before herself. She's not only my mom but my best friend. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of her. Circa 1975. She's on the right and my aunt is to the left. My friend commented and said this photo looks like my cousin and me.

 Some birthday cuppies and wine. Thanks Amber : )

 My brother and I took my mom to a lovely dinner at Olio Pizzeria. This is our favorite place to eat in Santa Barbara.

Instagram

Ever since I discovered the Instagram app for iPhone, taking pictures of my food became so much more fun. Although I don't blog about everything I eat, I am usually snapping shots before my first bite. For anyone who has an iPhone and would like to see more of the yummy foods I eat, you can follow or check me out on Instagram @ karalinaluna.