Mother's Day Pig Out

Pro-Flowers delivered this lovely plant,
complete with rattan basket.

For Mother's Day this year my son and his family sent me a rosebush studded with miniature pink roses. It is lovely and one of these days, I'll find a perfect place for it out in my yard. My daughter and son-in-law took me to lunch at San Diego's newest vegan and raw food restaurant. Between the two kids I received all I could possibly want: something for the eyes and something for the tummy. How blessed can one mom be?

The main floor is the restaurant; the second
floor is home to their cooking school.

I realize some of the other friends who post on this blog have written about some of the restaurants they've visited, but I've never found one worth talking about until now. Casa de Luz is in the North Park area of San Diego and my daughter thought it would be the perfect place for me to be able to eat vegan food I didn't have to cook myself. Plus, since she is going more and more plant-based herself, she was game to try it. My son-in-law, a dedicated carnivore, escorted us and I did note that he had licked his plate clean.

I loved that the cuisine was not only plant based,
but free of pesticides.

Casa de Luz isn't actually a  restaurant. It's a sort of eatery. There is no menu to speak of. There is a short buffet line where the diner can choose from two different salads, two different soups, and if you want the entree, you eat what's on the menu for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The choices are different every day and because I wanted to know what I'd be eating, I went online and scouted out their lunch menu.

In print, it sounded good. But who can tell from something written down what the food will look like or taste like? The Saturday cuisine was listed as "Latin." I figured that would work for me, so I looked forward to digging in to a whole batch of new recipes I could try to copy. My daughter and I both agreed we'd go back in a heartbeat. Son-in-law would most likely accompany us just because he's a good sport. But I bet he'd chowed down on a hunk of meat before hand.

My plate and the two chefs who created it.

I had the alfalfa sprouts with walnut dressing and a bowl of cabbage, yam, and corn soup that was as good as any soup I've ever eaten and I am now obsessed with figuring out how to make it myself. The lunch entree was a wrap stuffed with grilled tofu, brown rice, grilled asparagus, fresh carrots, mushrooms, daikon, peas, and sprouts. All of that was creatively rolled inside a huge collard green, topped with a mango salsa and drizzled with a delicious strawberry-beet coulis. The white beans had been cooked with oregano and the itty bitty grilled corn was topped with the best guacamole I've ever tasted.

Cheesecake has always been a favorite
dessert but went by the way when I
became vegan. How nice to be able to
indulge myself with this delicious alternate.

Truthfully, I was so full I was glad I'd worn slacks with an elastic waist. The three of us sat and visited a bit, taking advantage of being together  and it was during that time that I spied the dessert case. I just had to check it out. What an array of goodies and so hard to choose just one. We were, after all, full to the gills, but I just HAD try a vegan dessert. Daughter and I decided on a slice of the coconut-flavored cheesecake topped with a fresh strawberry sauce. The piece was large enough that all three of us got a good portion. And while the cheesecake itself was outstanding, it was the crunchy ground nut crust that drew the most raves.

The original Casa de Luz is in Austin, TX. I understand there are hopes for expanding the eatery into more places and if the offerings continue to be this good, I believe we'll see them popping up in more states. These days ever more people are choosing to eat healthy, even macrobiotically, and where there is a need, there is always someone waiting in line to fill it. I loved my time at Casa de Luz and the cost was on par with any upscale eatery. If you live in Austin or anywhere near San Diego and would like a new dining experience, give this restaurant a go. I bet you'll love the food.

For more information on the restaurant or cooking school, go to www.casadeluz.org. 

Happy Mother's Day!

I got my cookbook collecting fetish from my mother. If you follow the blog, you know her. She is Mary. She is a fantastic cook. She is the one who taught me to cook. Her first blog a couple of weeks ago was a very tasty Sweet and Sour Tofu. I have never had a sweet and sour dish that I thought was worth a damn. They are almost always sickeningly sweet. And then there's that orange Day-Glo color. Leave it to her to come up with a sweet and sour that tastes fabulous and is vegan for her once a week vegan day.


There were some lean times growing up but she is one of those people who can whip up a meal out of few ingredients and transform it into a feast. I never thought of her as a particularly patient person. When the barbarians were at the gate, she was most vocal. And she had a husband who was not easy. But when she is in the kitchen, magic always happens and there is an air of serenity. The results were and are always inspiring. My preteen waistline showed it.


So she is the spark that light the fire that made me want to cook. And eat. She spent hours and still does pouring over cookbooks investigating technique, reading about unfamiliar ingredients, planning that next family get together. To me there is nothing more comforting than turning on the light on the bedside table and browsing through my latest cookbook find. Or the one that I have been carrying around for many years. Mary is the inspiration. She tells me that she is enjoying blogging with us and the results look truly impressive. She worries that she may not be following the "rules". I tell her that there are no rules. It is her day to blog and she can blog about anything she wants. Dandelion greens picked by her dog? Go for it! Just as today is my day and I can blog about anything I want to. So this one is about happy memories. Memories of coming home from ice skating or sledding and having a sweet treat waiting. Memories of shared times in the kitchen.Memories of great meals at family get togethers.


This was one of Mary's staples. Whip it together in a hurry and it tastes great after sledding on a cold winter's day. I know of few people who make it or have even heard of it. As the name states, it is wacky. No eggs, no butter, no mixing bowls or beaters to clean. And it contains vinegar. Vinegar! All these years she has been making it and I bet she never even thought about it being vegan. I never did. It just tastes great!


Wacky Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water

Sift dry ingredients together and place in an UN GREASED 8' x 8" square cake pan. Make three wells. Put vanilla in one, vinegar in another and vegetable oil in the last. Pour over water and mix with a fork. Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Serve with whipped soy topping or by itself. Enjoy.




Oh yeah, did I mention that at 72 she is still hot and a lot of fun? Happy Mother's Day Mom! Thanks for all the great meals. All the great memories!