The Gift That Keeps on Giving

I have been receiving payments on my loans that I made to various people and organizations through Kiva. $25.00 is the minimum needed to make another loan so when I had that much in my account I decided to make another loan and choose Jose Motino Guillermo.
Here is his story:
"Young Jose Motino is 24 years old and lives with his parents in the Honduras section of the city of Tegucigalpa. He is about to finish his university studies where he expects to earn a degree in marketing. Jose Guillermo is thought of as a leader, and a person who is determined and capable of reaching his goals.
His main motivation for continuing his studies is to achieve personal and professional success, serving as an example for his family to follow. He believes that the best way to contribute to the development of his country is to always think and act in a totally positive way, looking for solutions to problems that currently pose a series of obstacles for many people.
Jose Guillermo is involved in activities that evaluate companies' decision making processes on daily situations and states that not all companies react
favorably. He wants to support education; this is very important to Jose because there are young people who want to better themselves, but today economic factors often get in the way of their ability to achieve their goals. He hopes to attain success by becoming a professional, thus being able to provide a better education for his children."

Kata Robata

I had another delicious meal with J and her mom on Friday night.  We went to Kata Robata, a sushi restaurant on Kirby and Richmond. Sushi isn't my favorite but I knew there were some vegetarian options because Cameron and his family (all vegetarians) have eaten there a few times and loved it.  I ordered fried tofu with mixed mushrooms and Asian truffle oil sauce.  This is one of the best tofu dishes I've ever had and the presentation with the fried lotus chips was beautiful as you can see in the picture. 

"My Dinner with Leonard"
Robin Williams with his pug Leonard Bean, a rescue from Curly Tail Pug Rescue in NY.
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The Last Supper

Cameron and I shared our last dinner Wednesday night. We went to our favorite restaurant Radical Eats and were joined by two friends, Elizabeth and Ashleigh. The food was of course wonderful. We shared the vegan nachos. I ordered the Bahn Mi Tacos (tofu) and Cameron ordered the Wild Mushroom Tacos with kimchi, peanuts and Thai chiles. We shared these two plates also.




We wanted to steal these salt and pepper shakers.

These butterflies in training were sitting on the bar.

I'm really sad that Cameron has left for New York but am looking forward to visiting him there in December. When I turned the corner in my apartment complex yesterday and didn't see his bike it really struck me that he was gone for good. My new roommate Jake is moving in Monday night.
This is probably my last food blog for awhile because I'm not planning to eat out any time soon and of course I've lost my photographer.

Vegan Chocolate Chipotle Cake

Cameron and I love the vegan chocolate chipotle cake at Radical Eats so I decided to try to make one at home.  I found a recipe online and changed it up a bit and it turned out great.
Here is the recipe:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa (unsweetened)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. chipotle (this was a little too much)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp white vinegar
5 tbsp vegetable oil (I used almond because that's what I had)
1 cup cold water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 inch cake pan.
In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla, vinegar, oil and water and stir until just combined.
Pour into the cake pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.


Just coming out of the oven.

Waiting to cool.

It was almost as good as the cake from Radical eats. Theirs may be a little better because of the icing. This one was definitely more spicy. Probably too spicy for most people. If I make this again I will use 1/2 tsp. of chipotle.

Sesame Ginger Quinoa Salad

I made this extremely healthy dish for Cameron. It was delicious, especially if you like ginger, and as you can see from the picture, very colorful. Like eating the rainbow!

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shelled frozen edamame
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 cup red cabbage, chopped
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. Place the quinoa, water, and salt in a covered pot. Heat on high until it boils, lower the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is soft and the water absorbed.
2. Pour the quinoa into a medium-sized bowl, and mix in the frozen edamame, carrots, peppers, and cabbage.
3. In a small bowl, make the dressing by mixing the sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced ginger, and sesame seeds.
4. Pour the dressing over the quinoa and veggies, and mix thoroughly. Enjoy immediately, or store in a covered container for later.