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New Posts At "THE VALLEY VEGAN"

3 "failed" trips to Hugo's last week, resulted in us branching out and trying some new places.

Read the reviews at "The Valley Vegan"

Caioti Pizza Cafe

Jinky's Cafe

Last night, finally broke down & ate a veggie burger.... at Hugo's of course!!

Happy Reading!!

Braided Headband

I really want to make this headband this weekend. I like all of Ruby's crafts. They're so colorful!And the tutorial doesn't seem too hard. I think this is what I'm going to make this weekend. I have lots of fabric. Because of the gift card my Nono gave me for Christmas. I just hope I can make it! :) C

The Valley Vegan!

As many of you already know, The Vegas Vegan is relocating to Los Angeles and obviously I can't continue to be referred to by The Vegas Vegan if I'm living in a different city!!

So my gastronomic partner-in-crime, suggested the handle "The Valley Vegan" and I like it!

In the last 5 months, I have been filling my tummy with wonderful treats from LA establishments. I have a backlog of sushi bars & cafes to review, so it's time to get to work!!

If you have any favorite restaurants in LA that I need to visit, please let me know!!

Please visit the new blog: http://thevalleyvegan.blogspot.com

Feliz Cumpleanos Papi!

Today is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Papi! I LOVE you lots!!! And I hope you have a nice day. You're the best Dad ever! I want to give you a big hug and tell you that I love you. And I hope you like the breakfast that I'm making you. :) C

Heart Shirt

I really like this shirt. Disney makes some really fun things! I wonder if my Nana and I can make one of these. It's a little too hard for me. But I think my Nana could help me. She's good at sewing stuff. And I think it would be fun to wear for Valentine's day! :) C

Sew Liberated Book

I wanted to let you know about another giveaway that Kathleen is hosting. It's for this book. It looks like a wonderful book. All about sewing And dad said I could enter this too! I think the projects might be too hard for me to do all by myself. But I think my Nana could help me. If not, I would give her the book. I hope I win. I really like some of the pictures that Kathleen has posted. You should enter too! :) C

It's My Party Skirt

One of my favorite websites to look at is Grosgrain Fabulous. Kathleen sews beautifully. When I'm older, I hope to be talented like she is. Kathleen is also very generous. She is always having giveaways. I'm usually too shy to enter them. But when I saw this skirt, I had to go ask my dad if I could enter. and he said yes!

I'm very small. A lot smaller than the rest of the girls in my class. I think this might fit me. I hope so. It looks like such a grown up outfit. I would love to wear it with some tights and my new pink ballet slippers. I hope I win! You can enter too. You just have to go to her post and leave a comment. :) C

Pink Nails

My Nana really does spoil me. She gave me a lot of different nail polishes for Christmas. With lots of other stuff too! But last night she polished my nails. I'm still not good at it. After dinner she polished my nails and Sarita's. This isn't a picture of my nails. But this is the color. It's really pretty. My Dad and my Nono both said that it looked nice. And my Tia Christina went to buy some of this color today. It's NYC Midtown. It just makes me smile! :) C

Rick Moonen's RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay

Tucked away at Mandalay Bay is this wonderful restaurant by Rick Moonen: RM Seafood Perhaps you were a fan of Top Chef: Las Vegas and remember the episode of Restaurant Wars took place here? If you haven't experienced this place, then you have no idea what you're missing!

Dining on The Las Vegas Strip is difficult for vegans, but RM does make a fantastic vegetarian sushi if you ask your server. There is a "Seasonal Veggie" roll on the menu, but be sure to remind your server that you do not eat any fish whatsoever to ensure that there aren't any hidden treats like fish flakes or crab meat (sometimes considered "vegetarian" by traditional sushi chefs!).

From Las Vegas Weekly: Moonen, who wrote the terrific Fish Without a Doubt, a home cook’s survival guide full of techniques and recipes for all manner of sea creatures, is a champion of sustainable seafood; or, in other words, fish that are caught in an environmentally sound, socially responsible manner, and which are not in danger of being fished out, like the dreaded Chilean sea bass, aka the Patagonian toothfish

I've had the pleasure of dining at rm 3 times, and each time the vegetable sushi is unique and creative. The size is also manageable - sometimes sushi chefs pack a veggie roll so full it barely fits in your mouth! I'm not complaining: it just means they are actually excited about the fresh ingredients they have on hand & want to show them off. I'm all for it.

The experience of dining at rm is worth the trip in and of itself! The decor is clean & sophisticated - really makes dining out feel "special" which, let's face it, if I want to eat in a restaurant that looks like my own comfy kitchen, then I'll just eat at home! I want to be wowed when I go out to eat!

There are a few other items on the menu that are lacto-vegetarian (*) or can easily be converted to vegan:

• Edamame (vegan)
  
• RM baby lettuce & wild herbs salad (most likely vegan but ask about the dressing)
  
• Grilled eggplant & hallumi cheese panini (*)
• Asparagus mascarpone ravioli (*)
• Heirloom tomatoes (ask to remove the sopressata)
• Marinated beets & watermelon
• Bib lettuce & wild herbs (again, ask about the dressing)

Check out the dessert menu (all menus on the website are downloadable pdfs) and you'll find a lacto-vegetarian paradise. Vegans on the other hand...may want to ask about the banana spring rolls for an exact ingredient list. It says on the menu that there is a caramel-passion fruit sauce - can they just top it with a passion fruit reduction instead? Or nothing? Who knows. I haven't asked. I always go for the teas as a nice ending to my sushi.

In all, rm is worth the experience, and it is nice that the sushi chef is willing to put together a pretty and delicious veggie roll. Being a seafood restaurant, though, the choices are inherently limited. Although... one of their incredible Mojitos will make you forget all about that!



Located in the entrance to Mandalay Place
Between The House of Blues and the Lion King Theatre

3930 Las Vegas Blvd. So.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
702-632-9300

Las Vegas Vacation Deals

Sarita

We're all very lucky. We have our health. But my friend Sarita, she's been sick since she was a baby. Sarita is like my little sister. She is 4 years old and has leukemia. Her mom and dad are my tio and tia. And they've been here with us. It's been really nice to have them here.

Sarita has to be in Tennessee to have her treatments. But when she isn't having her treatments, they like to come and visit. And my Dad always makes sure that they stay with us! Sarita's Nana and Nono are the same as mine. :)

I feel bad when I see her sick. But I know that she is getting better. The doctors are working hard to make her better. And we are all praying a lot to make her better. I'm not sure why God makes some of us sick and some of us healthy. But I'm glad that he is helping Sarita. :) C

Señor Fred, LA

Today was a veritable foodgasm for the Vegas Vegan in LA: lunch at Hugo's & dinner at Señor Fred. It's becoming clear to me that the Vegas Vegan is quickly morphing in to a very fat Valley Vegan as most of my gastronomic exploits are occuring in Los Angeles these past 5 months. Who's complaining? I say bring on the food!!

Señor Fred's always begins with a basket of warm corn tortilla chips with salsa. When it's just the two of us, one basket of chips is enough, but tonight, we had 2 hungry teenage boys with us... and I'm almost proud to confess that we polished off 3 baskets without batting an eyelash. Everyone enjoyed a good laugh as the 4th basket was placed in front of us and we waited to see who would crumble and take the first chip. (it wasn't me!)

At first glance at the dinner menu there are several items that can easily be made vegetarian by removing the meat. As usual, it's easy for lacto-vegetarians to eat just about anything they want off the menu with just a little creativity. But the vegans always have a little more trouble at Mexican restaurants. Lard & cheese are usually in every dish! So imagine my joy, the first time I ate at Señor Fred's when I saw right on the menu "lard free" !! Bring on the refried black beans! The Vegas Vegan is hungry!

On the menu, there is one purely vegetarian item, a burrito. And I can say that I've been eating that burrito every single time I've gone. That burrito is packed full of rice, black beans, spinach, onion, garlic, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, and whatever other veggie they have lying around! But tonight was special. Tonight was our 2nd meal at Señor Fred's in 2 days. Yep. We LOVE Señor Fred's!! So we spoke to the waiter, asking what the chef could make that was vegan. To my undisguisedly enthusiastic joy, I was told I could have an enchilada with spinach, mushrooms & onions, covered in my choice of red or green sauce, with a side of beans & rice. Oh baby!! It's been YEARS since I've had an enchilada!

The only thing that would have made this enchilada better would have been vegan cheese inside. Not impossible, Señor Fred... I know it doesn't keep for long after opening, but it might not hurt to have a few bricks of Vegan Gourmet cheeses on hand!!

I'd highly recommend Señor Fred if you're in LA and looking for great Mexican food!!

Phone:	(818) 789-3200
Fax:	(818) 789-3232
E-mail:	info@señorfred.com
Address:	13730 Ventura Boulevard Sherman Oaks, California 91423 (just west of Woodman Avenue)

Feast of the 3 Kings

Yesterday was the Feast of the 3 Kings. And after mass, we had everyone over for dinner. And to celebrate the 3 Kings. Even Papi Rene came. It was really neat. And we had Rosca de Reyes. It's a bread that they bake a baby Jesus into.

Whoever gets the baby Jesus, they have to have the party for the Candelaria. That's on February 2nd. It's also the last day of Christmas at church. My tio Jose got it! It was really funny!

But we had a fun night. It's neat to hear all the stories that my Abuelita, Dad, and Papi Rene tell. I learned a lot! And mi Tia Amelia was tell us stories about when she worked in the bakery in Mexico! I'm glad we celebrate these things. :) C

Back to School

Tomorrow I go back to school. I'm really excited! I've missed my friends. We haven't seen each other at all during our break. But I've also had a lot of fun on winter break.

I did read my book over break though. I'm happy. It will make this week a lot easier for me. Because I also start my dance classes again tomorrow. They've been on break too! I have both my backpack and my dance bag packed. I'm ready for tomorrow.

Dad has to go back to work too. But he will still take me to school tomorrow. My Nono is going to be picking me up. He is very cool. I want him to go with me to my dance class. Maybe he will. I hope so!

That's it for tonight. Dad is making us all some popcorn. And we're watching some TV. In a little while, I have to go to sleep. I hope I can sleep! :) C

Border Grill

Today I had the pleasure of dining at Border Grill at Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip. Regular readers of this blog know that I avoid dining on the Strip as much as possible, but today, was a wonderful exception!

According to the website, Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Food Network’s “Too Hot Tamales”, want to "spice up your day" and they certainly spiced up ours!

At the hostess stand, we perused the menu - I noticed right away several dishes that could be made to be vegetarian or vegan, but my friend made a point of telling the hostess that I am a vegan and would I be taken care of? She assured us that the chef was able to make anything on the menu vegetarian and if we spoke to the server, there would be no problem in creating a vegan dish. Woo hoo! Show me to the table!!

We were treated to chips and 3 types of salsa: chipotle, tomato & tomatillo. Each had their unique charm, and it was difficult to decide which I liked better. The chipotle was smokey and dark, the tomato was sweet and smooth, and the tomatillo was cool and citrusy. We pretty much devoured it all - stopping just short of licking the monkey dishes.

Time to order... When I told the server I was vegan and what would he suggest I order, he immediately jumped enthusiasitcally to my aid. He pointed to several dishes that could have the meat and cheeses removed, but said that the chef usually makes black bean tacos (this is an off-menu item and many of us vegans are used to eating off-menu!) with 2 types of rice (green & red) and pico de gallo served with warm home-made soft corn tortillas. The server assured me that the rice and black beans were 100% veg*n, no lard. My friend ordered Chile Relleno (roasted poblano pepper • manchego • panela • cotija cheeses • roja salsa • tomatillo salsa • rice • black beans) which I am now realizing is vegetarian!

My black bean tacos were to die for because of the simplicity! I love eating foods where I can identify in one tasting and name all the ingredients in English, not in chemistry terms. Simple and delicious.

With the help, confidence & knowledge of the hostess and the server, and the ease with which the chef whipped me up something as delicious as these tacos, I am happy to give Border Grill 5 sprouts and recommend that if you are on the Strip and looking for Mexican food, visit Mandalay Bay for this hidden treat located over the lazy river & along the way to the Shark Reef.

Become a fan of Border Grill on facebook

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89119
phone: 702.632.7403 fax: 702.632.6945

Executive Chef - Mike Minor
General Manager - Kent Harman

Las Vegas Vacation Deals

JoAnn's

One of my presents from my Nono was a gift card for JoAnn's. He didn't have to get me one. But it was really nice of him! Today, we're going to JoAnn's to spend it. My Nono is a little worried. He doesn't know anything about crafts. But I think it will be a fun trip!

I want to get some sewing stuff. And maybe some yarn. My abuelita has been showing me a lot of new crochet stuff. It's super exciting! I can't wait to get to Joann's! :) C

Happy New Year!

We got to go to Disney last night. We went with my Nono. It was so much fun! They had lots of beautiful fireworks. I'm so glad that we got to come. :)

This morning, my Dad and my Nono are making us breakfast. It smells really yummy! Then we're all going to Disney World today! I'm really excited. My Nono and I already have our plans for all the rides we are going to ride!

But I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! :) C