So, EVOO has renovated and changed up their menus. They were closed last week for this and reopened for the weekend. We couldn't wait to try it out and see what the new menu was all about. There were a few favorites that didn't make the cut but there are lots of new items to try; and they still have a vegan menu and some gluten-free options :)

First of all, I will start by saying they were absolutely mobbed on Friday. Busiest I've seen them in awhile. Great to see!

The renovations seem to be mainly the moving of the bar. The bar was hidden in the back but now it's front and center :) Looks good. Sorry, should have gotten pics. We sat in the back (where the bar used to be). It's mostly bench seating with a couple of tables at the end. It's a little more quiet out there and you can see food coming out of the kitchen if you're curious. 

I will say the service was a little slow at the beginning of our evening but it was expected as they were so busy and dealing with a whole new menu. It took half an hour to get drinks and another half an hour to get our apps. By the end we were on track though, mains and dessert were quicker, and everything was fine overall.

We ordered the vegan bread sticks and the fries for apps. Both were great. The fries were delicious and crispy and cooked great but they did come out not overly hot while the bread was steaming. Again, working out the kinks I suspect. My main was the vegan mac & cheese. Had to try it. I've tried making Vegan Mac & Cheese at home and it wasn't very good. This dish was good though, way better than my attempt, but still not great; so not something I would likely order again. Hubby had Fettuccine & Meatballs and really enjoyed it. Dessert was their vegan option, I want to say Nocciolino, but not sure if that's correct. This dessert is what I usually get, it's a small custard/pudding-like dessert topped with coconut cream and the flavors change up each time. This night was cocoa and it was great :)

Tried a second new recipe from The Minimalist Baker cookbook: Garlic Pineapple Stir-Fried Quinoa. It was pretty good. I wasn't 100% sure if we would like it but wanted to try something different. It was good but not great. Even Hubby liked it, although he picked the pineapple out :)

Hubby brought home a chicken to have with it as it seemed to be more of a side-dish than a main. I only ate the little bit of white meat as I didn't really want the chicken and the quinoa was good and actually filling on its own. I also didn't serve it with the extra sauce as the recipe suggests, it didn't need it in our opinion.

Tried a new recipe from one of my new Christmas cookbooks. Not an actual Christmas cookbook, but a cookbook I got for Christmas :) lol
​Super-Thick Three-Bean Chili from The Minimalist Baker Cookbook. Sorry, no recipe link. Couldn't find it online and too much to type up, but I will post a pic :)

This was a good chili. Nice for a change as I always make the same chili recipe. It also uses some veggies that I don't typically put in my chili; sweet potato, carrot, and zucchini. but it all worked really well :)

I made a few changes of course and also made it in the slow-cooker.

A great and easy supper tonight; great any night of the week but so much better on a Monday. Last week we made a new rice noodle dish. Sorry, no actual recipe, just added lots of veggies to a large jar of marinara sauce. Made tons of sauce so froze the leftover sauce. Tonight for supper I cooked rice vermicelli (takes 3 minutes once water is boiling) and heated up a container of sauce from the freezer. Supper done! 

I questioned the title for this post and went with my idea as Hubby's (although funnier) would have needed a breakdown and explanation for non-Newfoundlanders. His title idea: "Nar' veg wha?" :) LOL

Anyways, no matter the title, tons of veggies today.
​Had homemade hash-browns (potato, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms) with eggs for breakfast. Delicious as always and even better as Hubby makes it :)

Lunch was leftover veggie rice from supper at The Peaceful Loft last night.
Dinner tonight was a pile of roasted veggies with quinoa. I had quinoa and Hubby had grilled chicken on his new grill pan he got for Christmas. We did two trays of roasted potato, sweet potato, carrot, turnip, and beet. We did one larger tray of zucchini, yellow squash, onion, broccoli, and asparagus. Made lots of veggies so there would be leftovers. 

We had an early supper at The Peaceful Loft on Saturday, and it was Hubby's idea, and it's a 100% vegan restaurant. May convert him yet! It is great Chinese food and we were both craving it. It was fantastic as usual :) We have the same three dishes we order and share. We get a Peaceful Roll (gluten-free option) and both the Singapore-Style noodles and rice dishes (both made gluten-free and less spicy). When you sit down you automatically get green tea, soup of the day, and dipping sauces :) We got a 4th sauce which was very spicy (for Hubby). Two of the four sauces are also gluten-free.

Food and service was fantastic as usual :) It is run by a lovely Husband and Wife team; he serves and she cooks. Great value as well; this meal was just under $35 before tip and we had leftovers :) 

Went to dinner and a show Friday night. We ended up going to EVOO :) I know what you are thinking, "Really, EVOO again" or "You guys eat out a lot" :) Yes and yes :) I love the fact that EVOO offers vegan and gluten-free options and the food and service is usually fantastic!

I ordered the vegan Penne dish and had it gluten-free. It was delicious as always. It also came with gluten-free bread which is an okay bread but not the greatest. I also find it difficult to get a good gluten-free bread. Hubby had the Mediterranean Vegetable Penne but he had it made with their pomodoro sauce instead of the basil pesto. Friends of ours had the Chicken Parmesan and a lamb shank special. Everyone loved the food and cleaned their plates; I left a little pasta as I wanted some room for dessert :)

Sorry no dessert pics; ate it before I remembered. Oops :) Our friends had the tiramisu which they really enjoyed and I had the vegan custard dessert that they usually have, but I never remember the name. It starts with an N though :) It was an almond Baileys flavor this time and it was delicious :) Here's the empty dish, see, I really liked it :)

Made the Garbanzo Stir-fry this week for dinner. Found this recipe several months ago and we both really enjoy it. It's nothing fancy but it tastes good and it's pretty simple to make. I serve it with rice and add a little salt to help bring out all the flavors. I also add extra tomatoes. It is becoming a regular in our house.

Wasn't really in a cooking mood tonight but still wanted a decent meal. Hubby picked up a cooked chicken, roasted potatoes, and a tabbouleh salad from the grocery store on his way home :) 

A good and tasty meal, no cooking and no dishes. That's a win, win, win :)

Thought of this title and then thought it could be interpreted for other things besides dinner, so definitely had to go with it :) lol

Had a busy day today so wanted something simple for dinner but didn't want to resort to packaged food or take-out. I took some frozen cod from the freezer this morning. Wasn't 100% sure what I would do with it; ended up having pan-fried cod with baked sweet potatoes and some frozen corn and peas for a side. Nothing fancy or complex but still good food.