Cowboy Caviar

When I was working my way through my 30 before 30 list, Samantha from Live, Laugh, Lighty and our friends asked me over for dinner during my vegetarian week. They all agreed to go vegetarian for the meal and I offered to bring an appetizer.

After a quick Pinterest search I came across the most colorful dish, cowboy caviar. This vegetarian delight is quick to mix up and delicious.

You will need:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound Roma tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) black-eyed peas, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 can (11 oz) corn, drained
1 red onion, diced
1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced red bed pepper
1/2 parsley or 1 cup cilantro. I prefer parsley.

Steps:
1) Whisk together olive oil, sugar, white wine vinegar, chili powder and salt in a large bowl
2) Add cut tomatoes, black-eyed peas, beans, corn, red onion and bell peppers to the bowl

3) Add parsley and stir all ingredients together
4) Cover and chill for at least one hour or overnight
5) Enjoy

We couldn't keep our hands off of it!

No Churn Cookies N Cream Ice Cream

If you follow me on Instagram you know I love whipping up homemade ice cream. Here is a fool proof recipe that doesn't require an ice cream maker. 

Ingredients: 
2 cups heavy cream 
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk 
10 Oreos, crushed
1 box Cookies N Cream pudding mix 

Step 1) Using a whisk, whip heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Do not over mix or you will end up with some very fluffy butter. 

Step 2) Add in condensed milk. Mix well. 

Step 3) Add pudding mix 

Step 4) Fold in crushed Oreos 

Step 5) Pour mixture into a bread pan 

Step 6) Add Oreos on top (optional) 

Step 7) Freeze overnight. If you can wait that long :)  

Thai Topaz: Date Night Destination

Disclosure: I recently dined at Thai Topaz as their guest, along with other San Antonio Bloggers, to sample their dishes and learn about the restaurant. However, all opinions are my own. 

$20 Gift Certificate Give-A-Way Below! 

To be honest, Ive never been to a Thai restaurant before so I really didn't know what to expect when I walked into Thai Topaz for the first time. I was delighted by the fun atmosphere, friendly wait staff and the wide variety of dishes available.

Photo Credit: Thai Topaz Facebook Page

Although, the restaurant is very kid friendly, Thai Topaz offers a place for couples to escape the norm and try something a little bit out if their comfort zone. The owners, David and Somjira, have created a space that is calm, relaxing and modern.

Blogger Menu with Spring Rolls

Sipping on some Lychee Flavored Sake, I enjoyed summer rolls, miang kai (thai lettuce wraps), red curry mussels and tom kha soup as appetizers. Each dish was better than the next. I was very impressed by the presentation of the tom kha soup bowl, pictured below.

Tom Kha Soup

Red Curry Mussels 

We then moved on to our dinner entrees. The pineapple fried rice actually comes in a pineapple! Perfect for serving two, the dish is almost too beautiful to eat, almost.

Pineapple Fried Rice

As we moved to dessert, David told us that all of the dishes on the Thai Topaz menu were developed by Somjira's mother, who owns the Medical Center Thai Topaz location. Did you know avocado ice cream is a thing? A delicious thing! All of their ice cream flavors are homemade.

Homemade Ice Cream: Coconut, Avocado, Mango and Pineapple

Next time you are looking to mix up date night go try Thai Topaz in Castle Hills. You won't be disappointed. Cant find a babysitter? No worries, kids eat FREE on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Enter to win a $20 Gift Certificate to Thai Topaz below. Give-a-way ends on February 25th 2015 at 12am.

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Good Luck!