Because we had a Labor Day Barbecue to attend on Monday, my parents treated me to a birthday dinner Sunday night. Hey, I was born in England, so technically, it was my birthday at the exact time we celebrated… Not that I didn’t celebrate on Monday as well. Two birthdays are better than one.
Tell me if any of you have this problem: You’re such a good cook that you don’t normally like to eat out, because the entire time, you’re sitting there thinking, “I could make this better.” When I do eat out, I try to go to places that offer food I can’t easily make myself, such as Indian (like this past Sunday’s dinner) or Korean (think Hangawi in NYC) or Ethiopian, like my vegan Ethiopian post of a few years ago.
This weekend, we decided to try a new restaurant, called Clay Pit. Well it’s not really new, but it’s new to us. They have a separate section specifically for vegetarian items, so I was a happy camper. Plus, when I called ahead of time (to ensure that the vegetarian items could be made with oil, not butter), the manager told me that they can even change some of their non-vegan dishes to accommodate my needs if I so desire, such as leaving the cream out of the dahl. A lovely offer, but I didn’t even need to take advantage of it, as there were plenty of already-vegan options at my disposal. Sometimes it’s actually simpler if there aren’t; it’s easier to decide! That night, I went with Aloo Ghobi, a traditional Indian cauliflower-potato dish. However, since I’m not the biggest potato freak (I think they’re mushy and bland), I asked for mixed-veggie Aloo Ghobi instead.
Above, my no-potato Aloo Ghobi, alongside an order of roti bread. This was so good! You bet your socks I licked the dish clean (when no one was watching, of course). The whole-wheat roti bread was a perfect accompaniment for the saucy curry. Ingredients: whole wheat flour, oil, water, and salt. That’s it. Oh, it was so soft and flavorful… I must learn how to make this!
Curry close up. The veggies were cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, peas, and broccoli.
Katie!! I regretfully was nowhere near a computer for nearly all day yesterday and so am sending you these birthday wishes 1 day late, but:
** HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOVELY GIRL!!! **
This delicious dinner looks like a perfect celebratory feast, and I hope the rest of your day yesterday was wonderful!
xx
hey, I have no problem with late messages… they enable me to think it’s still my day. Yes, I’m milking (soymilking? hehe) it for all it’s worth! 🙂
Oh I haven’t had Indian food in so long! Huge craving!
Side note: Has anyone ever told you how stunningly striking your eyes are? I hope this comment doesn’t make me sound creepy, I just had to tell you :).
Oh no, I wasn’t online most of yesterday and missed the big birthday!! Happy belated birthday Katie! Glad you had such a wonderful day 🙂
Happy Belated Birthday, Katie!! I’m new to your blog and just love it!!
Aww thank you so much, Barb! 🙂
Aloooooooooooooooooo Gobiiiiiiiiiii! I love love loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! So so good!!
Glad you had such a delicious Indian meal!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN, and you are more than welcome for the facebook post!! I should thank you for being so wonderful and amazing!!
HUGS!
Happy belated !
You look fabulous, even with a cut-off head 🙂
I looove Clay Pit!! When I lived in Plano my parents and I used to go there allll the time! Soo so good; I miss it! I am totally going to suggest going there the next time I’m home!
Oh my gosh that indian food looks so good!
and its easy to like such positive people as yourself 🙂
keep up the good vibes girl!
Aw, you’re so sweet Katie! Of course you have a billion friends all over the world!
And I also agree that little HEABlet is going to be one of the luckiest girls in the world!
That dinner looks awesome! I’m the exact same way, not to sound all presumptuous or anything :X but I cook really well! Even with baking, I really don’t enjoy restaurant or bakery desserts as much because I like my baking better. I think it’s also that we know EXACTLY what we want and another chef will never predict our tastes as accurately. So I do the same thing, when I go out, I order things I can’t or don’t frequently make. Indian is definitely in that category.
I also don’t like white potatoes! My family is your average meat and potato type, and are especially obsessed with things like potato chips or fries. Those are not appealing to me at all. And I still only eat baked potatoes if it’s the only thing available and I have really good toppings. My family thinks I’m craaazzzzzy but for me, it’s all about the sweet potato 🙂
I’m glad you had a great birthday weekend! Let the celebrations continue!
Your birthday meal looks fantastic. I love Aloo Gobi! 😀 Your mixed vegetable Aloo Gobi sounds lovely.
I fell the same way about going out to eat. Plus, I’m always nervous that the server or chef won’t understand what vegan means. I tent to just stick to salads when My family goes out, but I always prefer to cook for myself. Unless it is a vegan restaurant, or something like Chinese, Thai, or Indian (they almost always understand) and their diets are centered around veggies anyway.
That Indian food looks so good! I’m a HUGE lover of Indian anything. It’s such an amazing culture, and they make AMAZING food. I actually had Aloo Gobi last week for lunch. It’s my favorite dish, but then again, I’m a potato freak.
Hope you had a wonderful 2 day birthday experience (that sounds so extreme!)
*feel
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