Wednesday, September 30, 2015

What I Ate Wednesday, with plenty of Medjool dates

Vegan Vietnamese Spring Rolls From River City Grill in Yuma, Arizona

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend a blogger summit hosted by Natural Delights Medjool Dates in Yuma, Arizona. I'll have a post about my trip soon, but in the meantime this week's What I Ate Wednesday is heavy on foods that contain plump, tasty and nutritious Medjool dates.


vegan offerings at River City Grill in Yuma, Arizona

It was an unusual (and wonderful) experience in that there were several vegan bloggers on the trip. We were well taken care of and had great options to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's actually hard being home and having to cook for myself now. Poor me. One day we ate at Yuma's River City Grill for lunch. The appetizer was these artfully presented Vietnamese spring rolls with mint, dates, rice noodles, peanuts and a spicy sauce, above.

Medjool Dates Blogger Summit

We also had a pear and candied walnut and date salad over spring mix with a champagne vinaigrette (not pictured). My entrée was penne pesto pasta - penne tossed in basil pesto with pine nuts, Medjool dates and heirloom tomatoes. This one would be very easy to replicate at home.

berry date crisp from River City Grill, Yuma, Arizona

This lovely dessert is a berry and date crisp with a rolled oat and brown sugar topping. I hadn't thought to put Medjools in a crisp and I really want to do this at home now.

Medjools stuffed with a peanut butter filling and topped with nuts

On our first night's meet and greet, our hosts laid out lots of date-centric appetizers, including these Medjools stuffed with a peanut butter filling and topped with nuts.

mojito sweetened with date syrup

They even served mojitos sweetened with date syrup.

baby greens with agave-date vinaigrette, Medjool dates and candied pecans

We also enjoyed a beautiful evening dinner under the stars at a Medjool date grower's home. Catered by chef Alex Trujillo, the menu included this pretty first course - baby greens with agave-date vinaigrette, Medjool dates and candied pecans.

pan-seared tofu with marsala date sauce

My favourite dish of the evening was this pan-seared tofu with marsala date sauce.

Prison Hill Brewing Company in Yuma - vegan offerings

Some of the group had lunch at Prison Hill Brewing Company in downtown Yuma one day. They mainly have meat options, however I enjoyed the "Sprung Rolls" and a nice salad topped with veggies and onions.

Combo plate from Govinda's at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival

Now for some meals enjoyed at home. Before I left for Yuma the family and I attended the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fest and ate our traditional food fest meal - the combo plate from Govinda's. I look forward to this each year!

vegan eats on What I Ate Wednesday

Back from my trip (and spoiled as I was) I have been preparing easy meals. I cooked packaged spring rolls one day and served them with fried rice and broccoli with garlic.

vegan eats on What I Ate Wednesday

The next day I sautéed tofu cubes and added them to the leftover fried rice, along with some spinach. It made for a simple yet tasty lunch.

vegan eats on What I Ate Wednesday

My husband made a tofu loaf with simple vegan gravy one night and served roasted beets, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. Clearly we are getting in the spirit of fall cooking.

vegan eats on What I Ate Wednesday

He also made burritos one day, filling them with homemade refried beans, tofu sautéed with onions and salsa. We had roasted beets, cauliflower and a sweet potato/cauliflower mash on the side.

vegan eats on What I Ate Wednesday

I made one of our new family favourites one evening - this Vegan Faux Chicken Penne with avocados, spinach and tomatoes. We also had a salad of mixed greens topped with strawberries, raspberries and pecans.

vegan eats on What I Ate Wednesday

One night when my husband and daughter were out, my son and I decided to go get some veg sushi. Oh how I love veg sushi! We had a mix of sweet potato maki rolls and veggie maki with avocado, something pickled and cucumber. I could eat more right now...

What have you been enjoying lately? Do you use Medjool dates? If so, what for?



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7 comments:

  1. So much delicious-ness on this page :)

    I really love dates as well - they are paired wonderfully with so many other foods!

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    Replies
    1. I want to eat it all again! ;)

      Yes, I'm looking forward to thinking up some more date recipes. :)

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  2. lots of delicious things there, that Govinda's plate is what I go for at food/veg events! I love medjools with peanut butter and would have loved to go on that trip-- I bet the hosts had a good time planning the foods for you all (I would have!)

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    Replies
    1. I know you would have really enjoyed the trip! Lots of vegan food! Just what you and I look for in a trip. ;)

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  3. Jo, did you have a chance to have the date shake that Daddy and Mom enjoyed while they
    traveled in Yuma?

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    Replies
    1. No because they only had a dairy version. I did see them though.

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