pitahaya

Favorite weird tropical fruit from Colombia: pitahaya! Tastes like a really sweet and smooth kiwi, without the acidity.

feijoa and passionfruit juice

Second most favorite Colombian fruits (tie): feijoa and passionfruit (maracuya), in juice form.

curuba

Our third favorite weird tropical fruit from Colombia: curuba. Texture is like a passionfruit, but it's much more sour and not really for eating plain, but rather in juice form.

uchuva

Our fourth favorite weird tropical fruit from Colombia: uchuvas. As big as cherry tomatoes, but firm and sticky on the outside like tomatillos. Fairly sour, but when they're ripe the tang is welcome.

cholao

We just got back from a trip to Colombia, so several Colombian food posts will follow. First up, cholao - a drink of sorts from the city of Cali. It's made with some combination of shaved ice, chopped tropical fruit (mango, banana, guanabana, etc.), jam, condensed milk, and milo flakes (made of chocolate and malt). I ordered mine without the condensed milk, but later found out that the milo flakes have a tiny bit of dairy. Even without them, it makes for a great fruity treat!

urad dal & mustard greens

Urad dal (cooked with cumin seeds, chili, garlic, and turmeric) and mustard greens (cooked with ginger and green chili), over basmati rice, topped with fried onion.

PROBARs

A sampling of the new PROBAR Sweet and Savory line: sesame goji, cocoa pistachio, kettle corn, cherry pretzel, and maple pecan. Soft, sweet, and genuinely sweet and savory! They taste better than other bars I've had, probably because most of them have chocolate and plenty of sweet stuff. And they look better too - you can actually see all the ingredients. My favorites were maple pecan and cocoa pistachio, both of which really tasted like their main ingredients.

fruit salad

A refreshing breakfast of: papayas, mangoes, bananas, and kiwi, tossed with a little orange juice.
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smoked almonds

A recent discovery for me- smoked almonds. Smoky, salty, savory, addictive!

seared seitan & maple mashed potatoes

Pan-seared seitan & Pomery mustard sauce, with maple potato purée, green beans, & glazed pearl onions.
From Counter in New York.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Mint leaves from Josh's indoor herb garden.

bialy & kielbasa sandwich

veggie kielbasa sausage with fried onions, red cabbage, shredded carrots, and pickled chili pepper, sandwiched inside of a toasted baily. lunch heaven!