A Review of Vatica - Marietta, GA

Hey Hey! I'm very excited to share a little gem of a restaurant with your guys today. We have lived in Marietta for almost seven years, and I've driven by this strip mall so many times and wondered what this little Vegetarian Indian Restaurant, Vatica, was like. My sister, Kenley and I went last night, and I'm so glad we did. 

The outside is very unassuming. It's a old little strip mall with a liquor store, Mexican bakery, Mexican grocery, and a wings joint. Not too enticing. Even the inside of the restaurant is low key and humble. The food, however, is delicious. I looked high and low for reviews and menus from Vatica before we went, only to find that there is no menu. I LOVE that. You eat what they have prepared for the day, so it's always fresh, and I'm gonna guess, always tasty. 

When I looked around for reviews, I found a few on several food blogs that helped. I hope that this review can help you make the decision to come to Vatica, too. We had a skeptic on our hands when we arrived....

Kenley wasn't sure at first. She loves to eat out though, and we make sure that she eats in restaurants at least two or three times a week. The owner greets you at the front and answers any questions you might have. He's funny and warm, and very welcoming. Kenley had a little stranger anxiety at first, but got over it by the end of our meal. Typical 15 month old problems :)

From what I understand from reviews, this is authentic Gujerati (West Coast of India) Cuisine. You sit down and they bring out the daily "Thali", or plate, consisting of several dishes.

As you can see, I didn't know what a couple of the dishes were, but I demolished everything on my plate, and was more than ready for the refill cart when they came around. All this for under $10? Amazing. My favorite by far was the Dal. I usually make it with lentils, but this one included mung (moong) beans - which I actually preferred.

Even Kenley got in on the action. She eats curry at the house, but has never eaten it in a restaurant. She had one bite with hesitation....

And then dove into her own little plate for the rest of the meal (while sitting on the table, naturally). Oh, an kids eat free here!

By the end of the meal, we were hiding the raita (yogurt) from her. She was inhaling it! And what kid doesn't love rice, potatoes, and roti? A couple of the dishes were a little too spicy for toddlers, but definitely not for adults. They were all seasoned wonderfully and perfectly spiced, in my opinion. 

By the time I we had asked for seconds, we could barely finish our plates.  The flavors, spices, and portions were right on. The roti was warm and chewy. If you like Indian food, you'll love Vatica. It's not fancy by any means, but it's fast, yummy, and filling.

And it's toddler approved!

Enjoy!

VATICA is located at 1475 Terrell Mill Rd SE  Marietta, GA 30067, on the corner of Powers Ferry and Terrell Mill Road near the new LA Fitness. 

Buttery Orzo with Peas, Parsley, and Parmesan

I never used to post many kid recipes, but then as my kiddo got old enough to eat real food, I was on the hunt for ideas. I figured that other Moms are probably in the same position as me, so maybe I should share some meals I've been making for Kenley. Here is a really easy, nutritious, and quick meal that every toddler will love.

We try to keep Kenley's meals pretty balanced. She has a starch, some veggies, a little protein, and fruit at most meals. I don't buy "kids" food for Kenley. I do, however, try to make a large portion of pasta, rice, quinoa, etc, for her on the weekends that we can grab for a quick dinner during the week after we get home from work/daycare. Almost every dish I make for her includes peas. She LOVES them, and will never turn them down. 

The good news is, we like peas, too! This dish could easliy be doubled and used as a side dish for your meal on a busy weeknight. If you don't like peas, add in roasted broccoli - that would be delicious! Don't leave out the parsley, the kids won't know it's there, and it's super healthy! Click here to read about all of the nutrients in parsley.

This pasta will stay in the fridge for about 5 days. It is the easiest go-to meal a Mom can have in their arsenal. Here is what a typical lunch (on the weekend) for K looks like. Pasta, some blueberries, a few steamed carrots and water:

If this was dinner we would add a glass of milk and some protein, too. Can't get much easier than that! 

I hope this dish makes it to your toddlers' plates soon...enjoy!

BUTTERY ORZO WITH PEAS, PARSLEY, AND PARMESAN

2 adult servings, at least 4 toddler servings

1 cup orzo

1 cup peas

1/4 tsp garlic powder (or a clove of fresh garlic, minced)

1/4 cup parmesan

2 tbs salted butter

2 tbs fresh chopped parsley

pepper, to taste

Cook the orzo according to package instructions, drain. Add in remaining ingredients and serve.

You shouldn't need salt because of the salted butter.

Avocado Egg Salad

Ok, here goes nothing....let's get back into blogging!

I will have a longer blog post for you later in the week (maybe tomorrow?), full of photos and a couple more recipes. For now, I wanted to start back with a great avocado recipe that is so quick and easy. Huffington Post featured my Baked Avocado Fries in a post on "Baked Avocados: 12 Ways to Grill and Cook Them" yesterday. Pretty exciting! In honor of that, I've decided that it's time to get back to it. 

My girl eats hard boiled eggs like apples - she can't get enough. This is a healthy and easy way to make a yummy lunch or dinner that the whole family will love. And if you buy the pre-cooked hard boiled eggs from Trader Joes, this meal takes less than 5 minutes to prepare!

This recipe is made a little lighter by only using half of the egg yolks. The other half I gave to our pups, but you can always save them for a high-protein snack for the kiddos.  The dressing couldn't be easier....one avocado, some vinegar, a little greek yogurt and mayo. Season it up with salt, pepper, and some chives, and your done.

We ate ours in a habenero-lime tortilla (Trader Joes), because that's what we had on hand. You could easily put this between two slices of thick wheat bread with some fresh spinach and tomato. Mmmm. I hope you enjoy this quick egg salad recipe. You can press plastic wrap touching the top of the salad and it will keep overnight in the fridge.

Recipe adapted from Skinny Taste.

Black Pepper and Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie

It's FALL! I am so happy to see the temps dropping, trees changing color, and more soups and stews on pinterest. I LOVE warm, comforting food.

We've had some nice weekends here in GA, but I'm ready to get outside and bundle up. Baby girl is 10 months old, and we are soaking up every second...I think it's going to be an awesome Fall.

Since Kenley eats what we eat, I try my best to make meals that I think she'll like, too. The kid likes everything so far...curry is one of her favorites!  I rarely make a "kids meal" for her at dinner (Do you know we are the only country that has those?), I just heat up leftovers and she's perfectly happy. I know it's hard to think of meal ideas for babies and toddlers, so I'll show you a food day in the life of Kenley next week.

Needless to say, this is a very kid friendly meal. Organic chicken, TONS of veggies, some cheese and milk....all topped with fluffy biscuits. Comfort food at it's finest!

The filling is super easy and creamy, and it doesn't use the yucky can of creamed soup. Score!

My plan was to make my own biscuits, but when you start cooking at 7:30 - making the entire thing from scratch isn't really an option. We opted for Grands biscuits from the can. Topped with black pepper and more parmesan.

I have to say, that next time, I would peel off half of the layers in each biscuit. They got HUGE, and soaked up a lot of the filling. It was still really good, but next time, I'd go for less biscuit. :)

The addition of parmesan in here really makes it!

I spy some filling!

We all had this for two meals. It was delicious! You can easily substitute beans for chicken, or pie crusts for biscuits. You won't be disappointed!

BLACK PEPPER AND PARMESAN CHICKEN POT PIE

3 organic chicken breasts

1 qt veggie or chicken stock

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen peas

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

salt and LOTS of pepper

1 cup parmesan

1 dash worchestershire

1 dash hot sauce

1 tbs cornstarch, mixed with 3 tbs water

1/2 can of Grands Biscuits, split in half

1/3 cup half and half or whole milk

Start by cooking the onion, garlic, celery, carrots in olive oil until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, poach chicken breasts in broth for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Chop chicken in small pieces and add to the veggies, along with the frozen peas and thyme.

Combine half and half with remaining stock and add to the meat and veggies. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer to thicken. Add hot sauce, parmesan, black pepper, and worchestershire and taste for seasoning.

Top with halved biscuits. Sprinkle with more black pepper and parmesan and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy!

Toasted Sesame Chicken and Quinoa

Slowly but surely, I'm coming back to blogging. A new look was just what I needed to jump start this week! I've got a few good recipes to share, and because Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons for cooking - I know there will be plenty more to come.

Until I get a million photos uploaded and edited, I have an awesome recipe to share with you. It's easy and oh so yummy. I love any dish with the word "sesame" in the recipe, and this did not dissapoint.

The glaze on the chicken is almost teriyaki-like, and it compliments the quinoa so well. The sugars in the glaze will get nice and dark on the chicken once it's cooked. Just remember that color=flavor people! Don't forget the scallions, they really cut through the sweet and saltiness of this dish.

This meal comes together in 30 minutes, so it's perfect for a weeknight. Enjoy!  

TOASTED SESAME CHICKEN AND QUINOA

serves 4

Adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

6 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of sesame and olive oil. Add in garlic and quinoa and stir to coat, then toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in chicken stock and increase heat to high, bringing the quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed and quinoa can be fluffed with a fork. Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.

Add in chicken, green onions and dressing, tossing well to coat. Add in sesame seeds and toss once more.