Cheeseburger Pizza, Tofu Chicken, & Kool-Aid Pickles!

The cafe at Crosstown Arts (where I work) has two menus – an ALWAYS menu and a TODAY menu. The ALWAYS menu stays the same for several months at a time, only changing with the seasons. But the TODAY menu changes, well, everyday. And Fridays are flatbread days! Flatbread Fridays! A couple weeks back, the featured flatbread was this Cheeseburger Flatbread with Impossible burger crumbles, cheese (I opted for non-dairy cheese), fried onions, vegan aioli, and pickled shishitos. It was SO GOOD.

Here's another amazing plate from Crosstown Arts. The TODAY menu also features a daily vegetable plate, which stays the same for a week at a time. Last week, it featured Grilled Eggplant, Roasted Brussels, Sizzled Kale, and Carrot Puree. I loved all the different textures from the various cooking methods, and that kale was OFF THE CHAIN Y'ALL. It was fried and very crispy, like a perfect kale chip. Best veggie plate I've ever had.

Down the stairs from my Crosstown Arts office inside Crosstown Concourse, there's a new popcorn shop — Pop-a-Roo's — that just opened. Not only do they have popcorn, but they also carry KOOL-AID PICKLES! This is a Southern thing, but I'd somehow never tried it. Probably because I'd never actually seen a real-life Kool-Aid pickle. I'll try anything though, so I bought some as soon as I heard they had them. And you know what? They're freaking good. They sell grape and red (guess it's cherry?), and the grape is definitely the better flavor. I know this is a combo that shouldn't work, but it does. It tastes like a sweet and sour grape pickle.

Here's a less-weird meal that I made at home last night — No-Chicken Tofu Bites with Agave Mustard, Oven Roasted Fries with Curry Ketchup Aioli, and Roasted Asparagus. 

The no-chicken tofu bites are actually a recipe for the air fryer from my dad. They're really good! You bread the tofu in a batter that's seasoned with vegan chicken broth and then coat with panko. This entire meal was basically oil-free, aside from a few spritzes of cooking spray. I feel best when I'm eating oil-free!