With a very busy school week ahead of me, today I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and tried to enjoy the end of the weekend.
For brunch this morning, I took Cammy and Julie to Quantum Leap, a pescatarian health food restaurant in Greenwich Village. I love this place for their reasonable prices, generous but still sane portions, and delicious, healthy food!
Since I’m not a fan of “brunch” food, I ordered the vegetarian stew: a mélange of seasonal vegetables and tofu slowly simmered in a tomato herb base.
I couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect dish for a crisp fall day. The broth was flavorful, the veggies were plentiful, and the tofu wasn’t mushy at all. There were even a few pieces of okra thrown in- what a pleasant surprise!
My meal came with two monstrous slices of vegan garlic bread, of which I ate one.
Cammy ordered the “Big Leap Burger”: a signature veggie burger piled high with crispy onion rings, avocado slices, cheddar cheese and chipotle BBQ sauce. It came with a side salad and garlic fries.
Julie went the more traditional brunch route with the Tex-Mex: three soy breakfast links, refried black beans, guacamole, tofu sour cream, pico de gallo and two eggs, served with tortillas.
After brunch, we strolled up to Union Square in the gorgeous weather, where I hit up Whole Foods to restock my dwindling fridge and pantry. I absolutely took advantage of the extra sets of hands to help me carry things home, and stocked up on plenty of fresh produce!
Cammy and Julie left mid-afternoon, and though I was sad to see them go, I knew I needed to get to work on my mountains of homework.
Candy corn, dark chocolate espresso beans and peanuts made an excellent study snack.
* * *
While at Whole Foods today, I picked up a perfectly ripe avocado to make a guacamole salad with. Every time I post these I receive comments and e-mails inquiring about my method, so I figured I’d do a tutorial!
Start with a ripe avocado. It should be soft to the touch, but not at all squishy. A good ‘cado is crucial!
Next, slice the avocado in half and remove the skin and pit. If it’s ripe enough, these should slip right off, but if you were a little too eager a spoon can do the job as well.
Squirt some fresh lemon or limejuice into the bowl. I usually use lime, but today I opted for lemon. This was about ¼ of a large one- maybe 2T?
Use a fork to mash the avocado, pressing the fruit between the tines and the side of the bowl.
After a few minutes, it should look thick and creamy but not completely smooth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
And plop it atop a bowl of veggies! A few spoonfuls of salsa is always a nice complement as well.
My favorite mix includes tomatoes, cucumber and steamed carrots. I’m always tempted to add red pepper, but eating them raw tends to really hurt my stomach.
It’s an easy, delicious and super filling meal that only takes a few minutes to prepare.
In addition to my salad, I had gala apple slices with peanut butter and a four squares of Lindt chili dark chocolate.
Sunday night…more homework for me! Hope you all have a great start to your week.
Do you like brunch foods, or do you order from the lunch menu? If you go out to breakfast or brunch, what do you typically order?
What are your favorite vegetables to include in a salad?
22 comments:
Bo nor I enjoy brunch. It takes forever, the service is normally bad, and it's overpriced. :) But, when we have the opportunity to dine with great friends, I go for the lunch option! :)
I'll get eggs if I go out for breakfast or brunch. & I love cucumbers lately!
I don't really like brunch in general because I prefer eating breakfast and lunch at their respective times, and eating brunch kind of interrupts with my schedule (that probably sounds weird).
I love massaged kale salads! Massaged kale, tomato, carrots, oodles of nutritional yeast and hemp seeds Nom nom.
I'm definitely not a big brunch person, never have been huge on eggs and I have to be in the mood for pancakes or bagels...I did always hit up the Belgian waffle line @ my university though for Sunday brunch!
I wish we had a Quantum Leap near me! And can I just say your study snack is adorable? Haha ooh and thanks for the guac salad tutorial!!
I lived like a block away from Quantum Leap this summer and never ended up going! I need to come back and visit it now!
Brunch and breakfast items are my favorite!! Love them... and will order them whenever I can!
hey girlie!
your weekend looks awesome&delicious! I've been loving the root veggies lately..oh fall!
in a salad I love everthing you included +mushrooms and onions!
I hope you have a great week adead of you!
xoxo!
Love your avocado salads! I probably eat at least 4 avocados/week, usually atop a black bean bowl or a salad - it makes everything better. :) For brunch, I'll usually order an omelette or maybe poached eggs and toast. Billy and I will often share 1 sweet and 1 savory dish. Works well!
I swear, guacamole is SO GOOD it shouldn't be so good for you..
I still have yet to go to Quantum leap, maybe over thanksgiving when I can finally get to nyc. It looks delicious!
I tend to go for the more breakfasty brunch foods but if it is a late one and have already eaten a carby bfast than I will go with soup, salad, veggie burgers, etc.
I totally agree with you about brunch food, it's def not my thing.
Are you by any chance around the weekend of fall break for a Candle 79 dinner?
Quantum Leap looks so good! I wish my city had more restaurants like that!
My favourite thing to order at my favourite breakfast/brunch restaurant is a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, served with a huge pile of fruit.
I looove brunch foods, but I'm not a big fan of the brunch hour. I always hated when I had to wait hours and hours to eat my first meal, haha.
i really dont there is a veggie I do NOT like BUT in salads, I must have cucumbers and red pepper!! I love those in a salad! speciality items that I also love are roasted beets, roasted mushrooms (or raw) basically any roasted veggie ATOP a salad wins over my heart!!
That Big Leap Burger looks delish! I love the idea of onion rings on burgers... :)
As for brunch, I'll take it if there's a good vegan menu. But since there usually isn't, lunch tends to be a better option.
Hopefully your studying went well last night--it looks like you at least had some awesome brain food!
Love the guacamole tutorial! One of my favorites ;) So glad you like the idea of mixing it with squash, I think you will like it too!
I love all veggies on a salad but favorites are red onions, dulse flakes, avocado, and cucumbers!
I'm not really a brunch person either. If I go out to brunch to a brunch only place, I usually stick with some fresh fruit and potatoes.
Your avocado salad always looks amazing! My favorite salad mix has cukes, carrots, tomatoes, chickpeas (or hummus, depending on what I have on hand), and salsa. Deeelicious!
To me, brunch = breakfast! Omelets, pancakes, I love it all :)
I'm seriously CRAVING guac right now. The past few avocados I've gotten have been bad, though :/ They're super dark on the outside but aren't ripening...it's weird!
For some reason I thought NYU had the same Halloween four-day weekend as us, but maybe I totally made that up lol.
I love Quantam Leap! I think I went there for dinner once and it was delicious. I do like brunch foods though. I could eat omelets every single day! Your guac looks soo appetizing! Guac is def. my favorite salad mix-in!
I think that is is amazing that you so openely enjoy Halloween Candy. I feel like there is alot of seterotyping around Halloween candy and I think we should ALL be able to enjoy it once a year. I mean I love the Halloween Pumkins and I ate a HUGE bag in a week!! :)
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