Recording

Tonight I got to go with my Nono. He was doing some recording at the studio. He got to do his singing tonight. It was so much fun to watch him work! And he has such a beautiful voice. :)

His group is recording a new CD. And it was really neat to watch them put it together. I'm glad I got to go. They even let my Nono and I record a song together. I know it wasn't as professional as the stuff they are working on. But it was fun.

And now I have a CD of my Nono and me singing! It's really special. I'm glad the other guys were there too. Because they did all the music. I had a lot of fun! I'm so glad we got to come. I'll never forget tonight. :) C

Being Lazy

We're being really lazy around here. But we need to pack our bags. Because we're going to go visit my Nono in Florida. We leave tomorrow. My abuelitas are really excited too!

My Nono already has our entire trip planned. And we get to spend New Year's Eve at Disney World. We're going for more than 1 day. But we get to spend that day there! It's going to be a lot of fun!

Now I just need to talk my Dad into packing his bags. We've been watching movies all day. And eating lots of yummy cookies! But we've got some work to do. Because we have to be at the airport tomorrow at 4 in the morning! :) C

Hugo's Restaurant, Los Angeles, CA

Hi. My name is Lisa & I'm a Hugo's addict.

Any guesses as to how many times The Vegas Vegan has dined at Hugo's....? I think 10 times in the last 5 months. It might even be more...

The best thing about Hugo's is the fact that I can find something different to eat every time. With so many choices, I refuse to limit myself to one favorite dish. Considering the limitations of other restaurant menus, it would be irresponsible of me not to take advantage of Hugo's menu!!

• Use their handy guide to find the right dish for you:

- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-Free
() - Can be Vegan
() - Can be Vegetarian
() - Can be Gluten-Free

My favorite items so far have been the creative pancakes they have! In November, they featured a Sweet Potato Pancake on their specials menu - served with spiced agave nectar & bananas. I have been dreaming about those pancakes for weeks, so imagine my excitement when I saw this month's special:

Gluten-Free Energy Pancakes
Our gluten-free, vegan pancakes blended with our energy granola which features pumpkin seeds, quinoa, almonds, shredded coconut, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, puffed rice, dried cherries & cranberries, cinnamon & maple syrup. Topped with sliced bananas and served with spiced agave syrup.

I admit, I have never eaten gluten-free pancakes before! They were delicious & if I didn't know better, I wouldn't have known they were gluten-free. They were crunchy & sweet, and now I am dreaming about these...

Indian Frankies ()

Frankies are the quintessential Mumbai (Bombay) street food. They are the Indian version of wraps. Ours contains Indian spiced roasted vegetables with leafy greens and peas blended with our Tika masala sauce and wrapped in a Ezekiel sprouted grain tortilla. Served with cilantro-mint chutney, plain yogurt and a jicama cucumber salad with orange segments and cherry tomatoes.

Avocado-Hummus Wrap

Spinach tortilla wrapped around avocado, tomato, cucumber, hemp hummus & sunflower sprouts with a drizzle of sesame-ginger dressing.

The Very Green Protein Burrito Our most nutrient rich and delicious burrito ever. Filled with green organic lentils, roasted garlic, steamed leafy greens, guacamole and green rice. Wrapped in a spinach flour tortilla and topped with an avocado-tomatillo sauce and mozarella or vegan cheese. Choice of organic mixed greens or crispy fries.

Two other dishes I've had recently were off of the Specials menu:
Portabella Mushroom stew
Moroccan Vegetable stew

And I certainly need to try the green juice at some point (though I admit to being a vegan who is deathly afraid of green liquids!)

They make a wonderful soy latte as well - although I needed to add 3 packs of Sugar in the Raw - and drew me a beautiful leaf design in the foam. Be still my heart...


GO TO HUGO's!!! (oh, and Hugo's: hire me for advertising!!)


I give Hugo's 5 Sprouts, although this place is in a class all it's own.

• Become a fan of Hugo's on facebook

TWO LOCATIONS:
12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-3993

Feliz Navidad

It's Christmas Eve! I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. This is such a special time of year. Tonight I'm singing Ave Maria in the Children's Mass. I'm really excited! Last year, I got to be Mary.

Our Christmas tree is up. And all of our presents are wrapped. My Dad has been making lots of yummy food. I can't wait to eat our Christmas Eve dinner tonight!

Merry Chirstmas! I hope you get everything on your list! :) C

Yummy Comida!

Dad made some yummy green chili stew and tortillas tonight for dinner. It was so good. And it warmed us all up. It's so cold outside! I ate 2 bowls of stew and 3 tortillas. 1 of them with butter. Fresh off the placa. It was the best one!

I also made a chocolate cake. Mi abuelita helped me with the frosting. We make our own. It is so yummy! I baked 2 cakes and we stacked them. Mi abuelita make some chocolate and raspberry filling to put between them. And then we frosted the cake with chocolate icing. After dinner, we each had a big piece with a glass of milk. My belly is all full now!

Tonight, I need to work on dad's Christmas present. I only have a few days left to finish it! But it's almost done. I'm not too worried about it yet. I think I can finish it tonight. Maybe in the morning. I'm not sure. But that is what I'm working on tonight. :) C

Christmas Presents

Last year I got to make a lot of Christmas presents. My Nana helped me every week. We started when school started. I finished my presents right before Christmas. I had lots of fun!

This year I think my Nana had more classes. I know she is working more. She is studying to be a doctor. We didn't get to spend a lot of time together. She wasn't able to pick me up from school every Wednesday. Only 1 week in the month. But it is ok. I know she is trying to make kids feel better.

I have been trying to work on my projects by myself. I have a bunch of things made. 1 for my Nana, 1 for my Nono, my abuelitas, my Dad, and the girls. I have 8 little friends. I think I might get done on time. I wrapped a few of them. When I get stuck I put my project away. I wait until I can see my Nana to ask for help.

I gave my friends at school their stockings I made. Nana helped me to make those. My dad took me shopping for stuff to put inside. My friends were really happy. 1 of my friends never had a stocking before. She told me that she was going to hang hers up at her house. I'm glad she liked it! :) C

Baking Galletas

Today My Dad and I baked galletas. Cookies. :) I asked him last night. He was excited like me. Mi abuelitas helped us too! We had lots of fun! My Dad is off of work too. He doesn't have to go back until January! All week we are going to do things together.

We made biscochos and wedding cookies. Those are my favorite. My Dad wanted chocolate chip cookies too. He made some sweet bread. We have lots of good things to eat now. Mi abuelitas are excited to have some galletas with their coffee. I think they will like them.

I tried some wedding cookies. We made them small. But they are still my favorite. :) They were messy too! I was covered in powder sugar. But they are really good. My Dad couldn't find his recipes. But he remembered them. He's got a good memory. Maybe he will let me post his recipe. I just have to ask him to write it down for me. :) C

Christmas Party

Today was our last day of school until January. We had a Christmas party. It was lots of fun! Our teacher, Sister Maria brought us special gifts. She made us reflection books and rosaries. I don't know how to post pictures yet. I want to show you my gifts. But I don't know how to post a picture yet.

I made Sister Maria a tote bag for her books. She likes to read. I always see her at the library. I thought she would like a tote bag. :) That way she could carry her books. She decided to wait to open her presents until Christmas. I made my friends stockings. In their favorite colors. Then my Dad and I went shopping. I got lots of fun stuff to put inside. Candy too!

We ate lots of good food. My Dad made us some green chili chicken enchiladas. Empanaditas too! There were lots of good things to eat. I got to bring a plate of desserts home too! I'm going to miss everybody from school. I don't live near anyone I go to school with. My friends are going to try and meet once during our school break. :) C

Good People

"Let anyone who comes to you go away feeling better and happier. Every one should see goodness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile." - Mother Teresa

Today we learned about Mother Teresa at school. We were talking about giving back to people who need your help. Mother Teresa is 1 of my favorite people to learn about. I like going to Catholic school a lot. We learn about a lot of important people. I know I wouldn't learn about them in regular school. My friends from dance class don't.

I'm asking my dad for a book about Mother Teresa for Christmas. I think it is important to learn about good people like her. I want to be a good person like. Someone who can make people smile. I want to make people happy.

My Nana does that. She takes the time to make sure we are all ok. I know that she works a lot. But she is never to busy for me. I wish that I had a mom. 1 like her. I like to spend time with her. Wednesdays are my favorite days. Because she picks me up from school. We go eat lunch and go to the library. Sometimes we go shopping too. But I like to just spend time with her. Because she makes me feel good and happy. I want to be like her when I get older. C

Time with Dad

Tonight I get to go see my dad at work. I like to go to his concerts. I have lots of fun listening to the music. It is so magical. This morning before dad left, he brought me a new dress. I got it because it is our "Special" night out. My dad takes me to fun days 2 times a month.

Tonight we are going to go have dinner. Then go to my dad's concert. :) My dad let's me pick where we are going to go eat. I think I will pick a Mexican restaurant. It's my dad and I's favorite kind of food. :)

I'm just excited to get to spend time with my dad. I want to wear my new dress too. I think it will be lots of fun. I like to watch my dad play. Spending time with him is the best! C

Welcome

My Nana helped me to make a blog today. I like to read her's all the time! I wanted to be able to write posts about my crafts. Because I like to craft a lot. :) My Nana helps me with my projects. And sometimes mi abuelitas help me too!

I just started middle school this year. And I play the violin and sing. I also do Baile Folklorico. It's a lot of fun! My dad is really fun too! He helps me with all of these things. And teaches me about our culture.

That's just a little bit of stuff about me. I hope you come back to see what I'm making. I might also write posts about what I'm doing. I don't know yet. I guess I will just have to wait to see. C