More Miami

This dish warms my heart. My very good friend, Maria Jose, (mother of my little sisters-in-law) prepared this vegan version of her stir fry in a separate pan as she was fixing another panful with shredded turkey for the others. This one has falafel. I didn't worry too much about being a good guest in the home of people I love, figuring I would have a car and I could run out to the grocery store if need be. I just didn't want to be a bother. But realizing that Maria Jose had given my dietary choices some thought on top of all the other things she had to plan for, I was reminded of what I already knew to be true of her character. She is lovely, generous and gracious throughout, and I am so privileged to have her in my life. The falafel stir-fry was wonderful.

Before Maria Jose and John got home from work on the day of our arrival, the girls ordered some very good chinese food for us, including an enormous veggie dish -- the kind that's very lightly cooked without a heavy sauce. There was also a wonderful clear vegetable broth soup with quartered baby bok choy and large mushrooms bobbing in it. I ate some of these leftovers whenever hunger struck while I was a guest -- there was a ton of food and I did not tire of it!

Among other food I ate was this veggie burger from Johnny Rocket's:

All of us walked around the mall one day and did a little shopping, working up an appetite. This burger was very agreeable. I wasn't crazy about the white bread bun and iceberg lettuce, but I was crazy about the burger, pickles, onions, tomato and mustard. Yum.

And now for the entertainment portion of this second Miami installment. Remember New Year's Eve? Well, fortunately for us, we were able to crash a wonderful party of friends of the family.  Here's our hostess, Vanessa:

Vanessa told us of her memory of my late father-in-law, Maximo, right after the earthquake of 1971 in Managua, Nicaragua, where they all lived at the time. As a little girl, Vanessa remembers looking at Maximo's bandaged head as he sat in her living room. So many amazing stories . . .

The party was very culturally rich. Instead of simply toasting the new year, Vanessa had each of us write  on a piece of paper what we want to remove from our lives, and on another piece of paper what we want to nurture and grow. Then we ceremoniously burned the negatives and planted the positives in her yard.

As midnight began to approach, Vanessa instructed us to "raise the vibrations" by beating on drums and shaking maracas. Here you can see Maria Jose and her husband, John, doing their part. It was all very joyful and tribal.  And then we danced . . .

Liana teaching Hans to dance

Maria Jose and John

Liana with Sabrina or Ariella - Wynne is in the background

Liana and Sabrina

Hans, Wynne and my husband, Andres, lovin' on Vanessa's pup

Vanessa's party was so much fun, and we are so fortunate to have been included. Stay tuned for a future post about the morning after!

Back in South Beach!

Hey folks, did you miss me?  I missed you, but we had a wonderful trip. I really LOVE the energy in Miami, and our family members who live there are such a joy. I will be making a few installments about our Miami trip since there is so much content. I like this photo I snapped as we were walking back from Lincoln Road to our hotel in the Art Deco District. It catches a bit of the mod vibe.

Backing up chronologically, Wynne and I had to wake up at 4:45 a.m. to catch our ride to the airport, so we missed breakfast. But guess what? I was thrilled to find vegan food at Hartsfield/Jackson International Airport, yep, that's right, even here in the deep south!

It may not look like much, but let me tell you, it was the best in-transit food I had on the trip. Road/air food is the toughest part for me about being vegan. I wish these pecans would find their way to all the gas station stores I visited as we drove home.  They were seriously delectable. The Lemon-Thyme Pecans were made with fresh lemons and herbs and the tiniest touch of palm cane juice. But the forward flavor was that of the nut. The lemon, thyme and palm cane juice were only enhancements. I couldn't have made 'em better myself. With the nuts, I had a delicious soy latte, no sweet -- just the way I like it.  Thus nourished, I was ready to proceed with the easy flight, in the good company of my daughter. We only brought carry-ons, so it was a breeze. I love traveling light.

Upon arrival in Miami, my husband and son met us at the airport. They had already been in South Beach for several days on a fishing trip. We spent the first couple of nights at the home of my husband's sisters, their Mom, Maria Jose, and her new husband, John. In the next Miami installment of "A Midlife Vegan" I will be featuring some of the wonderful vegan food Maria Jose created especially for me! She is an amazing cook! But for now, let me tell you about some of the entertainment:

My husband's sisters are all amazingly talented musicians, and whenever we are with them the air is sure to be full of song. As luck would have it, my daughter, Wynne, also has a beautiful voice and has of late been learning how to play guitar. Above is a shot of Wynne with her Aunt Sabrina on Bass, and Aunt Liana teaching the harmonies. Liana is in her second year at University of Miami Frost School of Music. She is working toward being a music teacher. The girls were looking up the words to songs they liked so they could sing them. No music, they just sang/played by ear. My other wonderful sister-in-law, Ariella, was also involved in this songfest when she got home later, but I was showering at that point so I missed getting her in one of these shots.

Here's another angle of the entertainment. That's my son, Hans, on the left. The girls even had him adding a deep, percussive chant to one of their songs. It was a great afternoon leading up to a fun New Year's Eve Party. Here's sweet Sabrina all cleaned up for the party:

That's about it for this first installment of the Miami Files. I'll share more later.