Friday Favorites 9.22.17

Friday is here again... and the crowd goes wild!  Time for another linkup with Erika, Narci and Andrea for Friday Favorites.

Panacea's Ultimate Burrito with Sweet Potato Fries and Vegan Mayo Aioli.

The vegan cheese and cilantro cashew cream on this burrito did it for me!  #yum

Panacea's Osaka Burger with Shoestring Fries and Cashew Ranch.  Hearty burger but all vegan!

I’m starting with a new restaurant that was a favorite this week.  I love trying new spots and this one was an all vegan place.  For readers in Las Vegas, it's called Panacea at Boca Park in Summerlin.  I gave up red meat and pork 21 years ago, and while I eat poultry sometimes, I love food that you actually can’t tell is meat-less.  This place did one better, you can’t tell everything is vegan.  They even had vegan cashew ranch dressing and it was delicious (and remember, I take my ranch very seriously).  Although it’s pricey, I thought it was worth it and I’ll definitely be back to try their smoothies and desserts too.

It’s always a favorite when I get in a good chunk of reading time.  I read 3 books on my Kindle this week.  I’m really a fan of hardback books from the library but when I travel, I’m so grateful for my Kindle Paperwhite because it saves so much space and is so much lighter in my bag.  I put it to good use this week!

Speaking of Kindle, the Overdrive app is for sure a favorite!  This is the app that’s linked to my local library card that I use to download audiobooks and digital books for my Kindle.  If you’re a reader, I highly recommend it.  You will love having digital books at your fingertips through Overdrive... for free!

I have been eyeing these Yumbox bento lunchbox containers for some time now.  I finally gave in and purchased one for myself.  They are on the pricey side, but really good quality and leak proof.  I needed it because I’m taking a class every Thursday night for a few months.  I recently found myself eating fast food more often because I’m rushing to class after work and need to eat something quick.  Packing a yumbox lets me pack healthy portions, various snacks, and it’s easily portable.  The one I got has 1 big compartment, 2 small compartments and a little compartment I could use for dips.  In the picture, I put olives in the dip compartment.  Lots of ways to use it.

Elote corn served in a cup from a street vendor in Seattle.

Elote corn I made in a bowl for a potluck recently.

I have been on an elote corn (sometimes called fiesta corn) kick!  That’s the Mexican grilled street corn you can find at fairs, Mexican restaurants, and street vendors.  Elote is usually done with corn on the cob but I love it in a bowl, off the cob.  So much easier to eat.  Today, I’m sharing the super simple recipe that I use to make it at home.

Ingredients
1 bag frozen corn kernels
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup grated cotija cheese (cheaper to grate it yourself)
4 lime wedges
Cayenne pepper (as desired)

Directions
1. On stovetop, splash a tbsp of water in a medium pot then pour in frozen kernels.  Cook on medium heat until defrosted and tender.
2. Add butter to pot, stir until melted then remove pot from heat.
3. Mix mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and lime in bowl, then add mixture to pot.  Mix well.
4. Sprinkle cayenne to taste.

That’s it!  Simple and cheap to make, and it’s a crowd pleaser too.

That’s all for this week’s edition of Friday Favorites.  Hope you got some good tips today.  Have fun ringing in the weekend, everyone.

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