Austin, Texas: Day 3 - The MOTHER of all posts!

Hello everyone! I hope you have been liking my Austin, Texas vegetarian round up. The last day I spent in Texas was Mother's Day. So after a morning of breakfast in a local college coffee shop, and and afternoon playing pinball, it was only natural that we went to Mother's, out favorite vegetarian restaurant, for Mother's Day!

Of course this wouldn't be a meal if David and I didn't order the same thing. When we were looking at the menu, David asked me what I wanted.  I told him I couldn't decide between the BBQ tofu sandwich, or the sloppy Joe. He also couldn't decide between those exact two options, so we each ordered one, and split it with the other. Ahh, sibling love!

Then the waiter informed us that the soup of the day was a tomato, spinach, and feta soup. Instantly my eyes lit up, and I knew I had to start with that.



This soup didn't have a strong tomato flavor, but you could really taste the spinach. I loved when I got a spoonful of feta cheese too.



I havn't had a sloppy Joe since I gave up meat, and when I did eat them it was with turkey, not beef.  It was awesome getting to enjoy them again, since I remember loving them so much.  David ordered the Joes, so he ordered them with cheese.  These were so good! The sauce was on the tomatoey side, so with the added cheese and the bun, they tasted like pizza.



The BBQ sandwich was absolutely amazing, and it was my favorite of all the foods we ordered that meal.  It was like nothing I have ever tasted before. The sauce didn't taste at all like BBQ sauce, since it was peanut butter based.  You might think tofu with peanut butter on is sounds like something pregnant or stoned people would come up with, but it was so delicious!  Both sandwiches were vegan (as long as David didn't order cheese on his) and came on really tasty vegan buns.

After a late lunch, we hung out outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather while we still could.  Then David and I had so much fun playing with his Xbox Kinect which was so much fun, and quite the work out! We were both so sweaty after, but we had a great time making fools out of ourselves four our mom's amusement  What could be a better Mother's Day gift then that?

We had some leftovers for dinner since we were too tired to go out. And then the fun began!

Awareness Wednesday. Marsmallows

Hey everyone and welcome to today's Awareness Wednesday.  I was saving this topic specifically for November.  When some people think of marshmallows they picture a warm summer night making s'mores by the campfire.  However, my all time favorite season is fall! I live for the cool air, changing leaves, changing fashions, and most of all PUMPKIN!  So when I think of marshmallows I think of Thanksgiving sweet potatoes and hot chocolate.  So November was the perfect month to talk about marshmallows.


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Everyone knows what marshmallows are are everyone has eaten them.  They are sweet and really fun too, with lots of possibilities.  But not too many people know, or even care, about what's in them: lots of sugar, chemicals  water, and...Gelatin!!  I linked to my original Awareness Wednesday post, but again just to remind everyone, gelatin is the bones and connective tissues of various animals like cows and pigs.

Remember, I am not just talking about the big, white, fluffy marshmallows.  Marshmallows are in a lot of desserts and breakfast cereals. If anything says it has marshmallows in it like Lucky Charms, Rice Crispy Treats, Mallomars, or rocky road ice cream READ THE  INGREDIENTS before eating!


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Well I might have to give up fish sticks, turkey burgers, and leather shoes, but I was NOT going to give up marshmallows, especially when they are a staple of my favorite season. One year my dad and I tried a recipe to make our own vegetarian marshmallows and it was a complete disaster, until I remembered about marshmallow fluff! You remember? The amazingly delicious marshmallows out of a jar that's great with peanut butter?  I mean, basically all it is is marshmallows that don't retain their shape, so why would it need to have gelatin?  Well I was right!  Fluff only contains corn syrup, sugar, eggs whites, and vanilla!  Ok so you can't stab it with a stick and cook it in a fire, but you can substitute all your fall favorites with it!


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While most thanksgiving sweet potato dishes call for marshmallows on top, I just cover it with dollops of fluff on top and pop it in the oven.  The marshmallows end up melting and looking like the fluff anyway, and it still gets golden brown and tastes the same just without the dead animal parts. Can't beat that! Try adding a scoop to your hot chocolate too! And if you just can't live without that marshmallow, graham cracker, chocolaty goodness, then try assembling your s'more with the fluff, wrap it in tin foil, and put it on the edge of the fire. BAM! Warm, sweet, melty, gooey summer goodness that's vegetarian!


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My goal is to show people that you can be a vegetarian and still eat just like everyone else does, just with a few tweaks here and there.  And you never know, you might even get a meat eating friend to switch over just for one meal.

Will you be trading marshmallows for fluff this fall?

Bye from the Veggie Side!