working through my leftovers

Well, if you've seen weather reports, you know that it has been rainy, then blazing hot here in Washington, DC. As I am living with just my cat, I end up having plenty of leftovers. I bring them for lunch, but still three entrees will last a while. Then my boyfriend's mom came into town, and I had a handful of meals in restaurants.

One of the newest museums in DC is the Museum of the American Indian. Like all museums, it has a cafe, but unlike most museum cafes, this has tons of options marked vegetarian, like black bean tamals (what they call a tamale), a quinoa salad, various veggies, a wild rice salad, and little fruit cups. Yes, they serve meats, but if you're veg*an, you can easily get a pretty tasty meal. Like most museum food, this was rather expensive. Unlike most museum food, it was quite tasty. And it seems I'm becoming quite a quinoa fan. But quinoa is an awesome grain, packed with nutrients and a good source of protein.

Our lunch on Tuesday was not so successful. One of our favorite places for Middle Eastern, Skewers, was closed on the 4th, so we went around the corner and found a place called Pasha Bistro. Now, I have issues with a place calling itself "Bistro" where you order your food at the counter and get your drinks from a cooler. I also have issues when a place advertises a special, but won't give it to you unless you ask. And I had serious issues with the food. The hummus was bitter and didn't have that smooth taste that hummus is supposed to have. The tabbouli was all parsley with a few specks of tomato and what was allegedly bulgur, but I'm not sure. The only things I did like were the falafel and the fries, but I can get better falafel and fries with better service only a few blocks away for less. Even my boyfriend hated it, and that is saying a lot because he's one of the easiest people to please when it comes to food.

Luckily, our dinner, at a Thai place near the Verizon (ne MCI) Center was much better. They seem to get vegetarian -- or at least point out on the menu to let your server know if you have allergies, and there are times when it's tempting to fake allergies, but I decided to play it straight. Next time I go, though, I'm going to have to ask if I can sub brown rice for white.

I've got tofu defrosting in my fridge for tomorrow, and I really have to make more seitan, but I've just felt too lazy lately to do it. But I so need to give myself a kick in the pants. I promise I'll have something good soon!