Pumpkin & Pomegranate

Colors changing at Kubota Gardens

I had such a wonderful visit with my father this past weekend. It was pretty packed, and surprisingly I don’t feel drained like I usually would if I hadn’t had any real rest. On Saturday we spent time in Seattle, we did a little shopping and then hit up the Kubota Garden. We had been there before, but it was lovely to see what it is like in different seasons. We both took a lot of photos, but of course I know his are going to come out better.

The garden is really pretty. It’s quite peaceful and I was even able to catch some photos of a rabbit. I don’t think he was quite sure what to make of me.

a wee bonny bunny!

We also did a little shopping. My father was kind enough to buy me a couple of knives as my Ikea knives are dangerously dull and not worth having them sharpened.I also took him over to The Spanish Table which is an excellent little shop underneath Pike Place Market. My dad bought me a bottle of sherry wine vinegar which he has been using in many different ways for months. He has actually been telling me to buy some for months as well but I kept forgetting to get some!

While at the Market we also picked up 3 lbs of Chanterelle mushrooms and some tasty Concord grapes.

Amazing price for chanterelle mushrooms

We had lunch at the Queen City Grill, which is in Belltown and has excellent food. Their menu isn’t exactly easy for me to navigate, and I ended up having to ask for substitutions. Wait people and chefs often get annoyed with me, but the way I see it I am paying for something, and If people with dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated in some way then there is a huge loss of money. I ordered a piece of lingcod which usually comes in a butter sauce, and vegetables on the side. I said no dairy and so everything was done in olive oil. It was very very good, but quite honestly if I had done it at home I would have used less olive oil and it would have been just as good. The vegetables were excellent, and even though I said “no potatoes” they came on my plate. I was a little sad to see them go to waste, but they did.

View from West Seattle

For Dinner we headed over to West Seattle and ate at the only sustainable sushi restaurant in the city, which just so happens to be one of the three sustainable sushi places in the country. If you eat sushi and are ever in the Seattle area I highly recommend Mashiko.

Sunday we took a day trip to Portland. We left early, my yummy apple muffins and some fresh fruit to keep us company on the drive. I thought I would sleep as it was SO early, but no! My father and I had a lively conversation for most of the trip and the scenery was well worth staying awake.

Classical Chinese Gardens

Once in Portland we hit up the Saturday Market, which was a bit of a disappointment, the Classical Chinese Gardens (very worth it, and then had lunch at Blossoming Lotus.  First off, let me say that I could easily eat my way through Portland. It is the vegan capitol of the world, and there were a number of restaurants for me to choose between. I went with Blossoming Lotus because they had raw options…and I always love checking out a new raw place. I went with the “living pizza” which had a buckwheat crust, and oh my goodness it was DELICIOUS. So good in fact that I am going to try my hand at making something like it very soon. I even bought the buckwheat groats last night :-)

Living Pizza of YUM!

The pizza was topped with pesto, “caramelized” onions, and Swiss chard. The side salad was good as well, but I fear it probably had agave in it. I would definitely prefer to use date paste.

My father got the “Incan Bowl” which had quinoa, kale, lentils, and a ginger sauce. He also got a cup or the Cucumber, avocado, and dill soup.   Now, my father disagrees with vegetarian ethics, but he does love some good vegetarian food. I am just really really glad he enjoyed this so much (and he kept raving about it for hours after wards), as it is so healthy. I am to find him recipes that would be similar, good quinoa recipes, vegetable recipes that are flavorful, and I am honestly delighted to do this. Anything to help him be a healthier man.

After lunch we went to the Japanese Garden. Can you see the theme in our interests? This has to be my favorite of all the gardens. Seattle also has a Japanese Garden, but quite honestly it isn’t nearly as impressive.  This garden is done vertically and is pretty big. I think we must have wandered around it for about 1.5 to 2 hours taking oodles of photos. I may have to take a trip back later this Fall to see it when the Japanese maples are changing colors. It was a bit too early in the season for that.

I just loved this little guy

Last night I took my dad to my favorite Thai place in Seattle, Araya’s Place. Not only does it have incredible Thai, and the ONLY place I have been to where I can get the spice level I desire, but it is 100% vegetarian, and 100% vegan to boot! My recommended dishes are the Pumpkin Curry (my absolute favorite) and the Pineapple Curry (also amazing). If you can handle the heat level, go past 4 stars. 4 is where they start using fresh chilies, and oh my god…so worth it! I think the highest I have gone so far is 8 (and they only go up to 5 stars usually, however they make exceptions).

Another recommendation, Castelvetrano Olives. If you can get your hands on these babies, try them! Deliciously mild and buttery! I raved about them to my dad so much that I had to get him a little container for him to try out.