eat pure

Prasino

2012-02-24T10:03:00.002-05:00

My husband and I recently had brunch at Prasino in Chicago, where they offer gorgeous fresh juices. I opted for the Strawberry Blonde, made with strawberries, pineapple + orange juice.

It tastes as good as it looks.

Then it was onto the Vegan Benedict with chorizo seitan, black beans, pico de gallo and fresh herbs on an english muffin. Full of flavor and really substantial.

I love having good vegan options for breakfast, I find it to be the most challenging meal of the day when eating out. You can definitely expect a follow up post soon, as they also offer vegan pancakes, sweet potato hash and a tofu scramble.

GGA . Columbus, OH Part II

2012-02-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

My latest post for Girlie Girl Army is up! See Part II of my Midwest eating adventures in Columbus Ohio...from Dirty Frank's to Mellow Mushroom.

I'll be in Columbus again next month...please let me know if you have any recommendations! In the meantime, you can see Part I here.

Quesadilla La Reyna del Sur

2012-02-22T14:53:00.001-05:00

I was recently told that I had to try the burritos at Quesadilla La Reyna del Sur in Chicago. They offer all kinds of faux meats, Daiya cheese and the biggest burritos I've ever seen.

I had no idea Chicago had its very own all vegetarian Mexican restaurant. I've eaten there twice now and everything I've had has been amazing.

Shown here is their Pollo de Soya burrito with rice, lettuce, tomatoes and Daiya cheese. With their guacamole, it's heavenly. My husband goes for the Ranchera burrito with faux steak. They also offer soy based shredded marinated chicken, soy based pork skin, soy based pork and soy based Mexican sausage, which you can have in a quesadilla, burrito, taco or torta.

The restaurant is cozy and the people are uber-nice. Awesome find!

Ste Martaen + Canary Confectionery

2012-02-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

Did you know that the Ste Martaen vegan food truck has started carrying vegan sweets from Canary Confectionery? I had lunch there last week and got to try an amazing vegan brownie (eaten before I had a chance to photograph it) and this gorgeous vegan pumpkin cupcake. Check their website for their menu and schedule...it's not to be missed!

You can see more about the Ste Martaen food truck here and Canary Confectionery here.

King's Highway

2012-02-17T10:15:00.000-05:00

After leaving LA, my husband and I drove two hours east to Palm Springs. We were only there a day, but it was well worth it. I've posted about the Ace Hotel + Swim Club several times, as it's our favorite place to stay when visiting.

By the pool, you want something light and refreshing, not heavy and greasy. The Quinoa Salad is filled with garbanzo beans, tomatoes, lemon, cumin, arugula and fresh herbs. It's the perfect lunch on a hot day. You can see more of what King's Highway offers here.

Real Food Daily

2012-02-15T10:24:00.000-05:00

I couldn't visit Santa Monica without stopping by Real Food Daily. They also have a West Hollywood location and I've heard they'll be making their way into LAX sometime this year.

My wonderful family joined me, along with some local friends. We started with a few appetizers...

The Sea Cake (my favorite!), a butternut squash, yam and sea vegetable croquette with pesto and sweet chili aioli.

The BLT Tartine with tempeh bacon, avocado, tomato, spicy Vegenaise, baby mix lettuces and balsamic vinaigrette on a sourdough baguette.

And the Wabi Sabi Rolls filled with cabbage, cucumber, carrot, mint, cilantro and rice noodles wrapped in rice paper, served with wasabi dressing.

We followed up with the Fettucine Alfredo, spinach fettuccini, creamy alfredo sauce, roasted red peppers, broccoli and toasted pine nuts with roasted garlic bread.

The RFD Burger, a tempeh vegetable patty with melted cashew cheese, sautéed onions and peppers. Mmmmm....melted cashew cheese.

And finally, the Total Reuben with tempeh, tofu cheese spread, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing on sourdough rye bread.

It was a lovely dinner...especially with a group so I could taste a bit of everything!

After dinner, a gorgeous sunset.

Buddha's Belly

2012-02-13T10:36:00.000-05:00

While in LA, I spent most of my time in Santa Monica. I was with my husband and several family members...two vegans, one pesceterian and three omnis. It can sometimes be pretty difficult to eat out with such a mix. However, my family is so lovely that they happily accompany me to full-on vegan restaurants, so of course, I reciprocate.

I was in luck when we went to Buddha's Belly. It's an Asian fusion restaurant with several vegetarian options. To start, they offer edamame, plain or sweet & sour, seaweed salad and an eggplant steak with black miso sauce and fresh ginger. For entrees, they have an 8 Vegetable Fried Rice that can be veganized and Wok-Tossed Vegetables and Tofu in a garlic sauce.

Also on the menu, an Asian Chopped Salad (pictured) with romaine and leaf lettuce, yamagobo, oven-dried shiitake mushrooms, corn, fried tofu and sesame dressing. The oven-dried shiitakes add a nice touch - they get really crispy and salty. I've seen them used as a substitute for bacon in several recipes.

Everyone loved it here, it was a great choice.

The Gentle Barn

2012-02-09T10:42:00.002-05:00

During my recent trip to LA, my family and I drove about 45 minutes outside the city to Santa Clarita to visit The Gentle Barn. I'd been wanting to visit for a couple of years and finally made it there. Every Sunday they allow visitors from 10-2.

The thing I love most is how the animals interact with each other. The sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and llamas all live together in the same area. It's adorable.

I believe this sheep is Stanley, very friendly and very fluffy.

A turkey, who appears to be sleeping.

This pig is not the biggest they have, but she is gigantic.

Here she is from the front. When she walks, it looks as if she's tiptoeing. It's the cutest thing to see this massive pig tiptoe around on her little hooves.

Here are more of their pigs, napping on a Sunday afternoon.

The chickens seem to really have a thing for pigs.

This one in particular.

This may have been my favorite part of the day...a little goat playing with his ball. He would kick the ball, run to catch up with it and repeat.

A stunning peacock named Jewel.

This cow's name is Buddha and she is so sweet and gentle, and likes to be brushed. You can also give her a hug!

And of course, there's great vegan food. The hot dog cart serves vegan hot dogs, brats and sausage with all kinds of toppings - ketchup, mustard, onions, veggie bacon bits and vegan sauerkraut, to name a few.

I chose all of the above, it was uber-good.

And they have homemade vegan cupcakes, chocolate or pumpkin. I went with a chocolate pig...seriously tasty.

If you happen to be in the area, I highly recommend a visit. The animals are always there, but the hot dog cart isn't so make sure to check ahead of time for their schedule. Or if you can't visit in person, you can always donate to them. It makes a really great gift - I donated in my mom's name last year for Mother's Day!

Emmy's Macaroons

2012-02-06T12:04:00.001-05:00

Last week, I was in Omaha for a quick stop over and found some amazing macaroons. Emmy's Macaroons are vegan, gluten-free and raw. And they are outstanding. I tried the Coconut + Vanilla - they also have Lemon Ginger, Chai Spice, Mint Chip, Choco Orange and Choco Chili. They also make granola, chocolate sauce, trail mix, fudge and almond mylk.

You can order online or pick some up at the Omaha airport!

Virgin America

2012-02-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

I recently flew Virgin America from Chicago to LA and got to experience two of their in flight snacks. They blow every other airline out of the water (or sky), in my opinion.

I was absolutely thrilled to see a non iceberg/ranch dressing salad on the menu. Their Asian Salad contains crisp romaine and mesclun lettuce topped with snap peas, daikon, carrots, and cashews, served with sesame vinaigrette. A stellar salad, in the sky or on the ground.

I also tried the Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich with chocolate chips and a side of vegan fruit snacks. The sandwich was incredible...I was concerned about the chocolate chips having some kind of dairy but the Virgin website confirmed they have none! (Gotta love Gogo!)

Tasty fruit snacks are absolutely delicious. I stumbled upon them a few years ago at a health food store in Miami and have yet to see them since. They're all vegan, sweetened with fruit and so much better than the processed kind most people are used to.

I will definitely fly Virgin any chance I get.

Los Angeles Holiday

2012-01-27T18:04:00.004-05:00

I'm off to the west coast for some sunshine with my family. I'm hoping to visit Real Food Daily, Veggie Grill and Millions of Milkshakes while I'm there! I'll have lots to share very soon.

See you next week!

Photo source

Lula Cafe - Breakfast Edition

2012-01-25T10:39:00.000-05:00

Recently, I had breakfast at Lula Cafe in Logan Square (Chicago) and had an amazing tofu scramble. Broccoli, spinach, onions, tofu, ginger miso sauce and black sesame. The ginger miso sauce and the chunky vegetables really set it apart from the norm.

Lula also has some great vegetarian/vegan options for dinner...I'll have a follow up post soon!

Meatless Monday - Sizzling Pancakes

2012-01-23T12:39:00.000-05:00

It's Meatless Monday today and if you're in need of recipe ideas, Saigon Sisters recently posted their recipe for a traditional Vietnamese dish, Sizzling Crepes, or Pancakes. These are naturally vegan, no substitutions required.

My mom has been making these since I was little, and it's easily one of my favorite things to eat. The filling is really substantial - mung beans, mushrooms, bean sprouts and onions. Wrap the crepes in lettuce and fresh herbs and it's the perfect meal.

Happy eating!

Sushi Wabi

2012-01-18T11:34:00.000-05:00

Sushi Wabi is a great sushi restaurant in my Chicago neighborhood. What sets it apart from other sushi joints is that substitutions are allowed, and you can create your own rolls. For a vegan or vegetarian, this is huge. So many times, rolls are vegetarian except for one ingredient and there's a clear note on the menu that states 'No Substitutions'.

Dengaku, grilled Japanese eggplant with sweet miso and sesame is a great place to start. They also have an incredible salad with Fuji apples, cashews and citrus vinaigrette.

For rolls, it's very basic, but I love an Avocado Cucumber roll. So fresh and light. On my last visit, I added fried shallots, which were incredible.

This roll I created had spinach, jalapeno, cucumber, avocado, green onion and cilantro, very similar to their Ecuador roll, which can easily be veganized. They can make many of their rolls vegetarian. They even make a vegetarian eel sauce, and you can specify soy paper and/or brown rice.

And don't miss their Fresh Ginger Soda, it's really light and refreshing with a hint of spice.

Note: The owners of Sushi Wabi also own Mana Food Bar, an all vegetarian eatery. You can see my post on Mana here.

Buckwheat + Flaxseed Waffle Recipe

2012-01-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

It's Meatless Monday today and I have a great recipe to share...

Buckwheat + Flaxseed Waffles, courtesy of Ely (my mom) of Ely's To Go. The beauty of this waffle is that it can be made sweet or savory. The waffle is your base. You can add anything you'd like to make it dinner, dessert or breakfast.

Buckwheat and Flaxseed Waffle

Ingredients

1 c organic unbleached all purpose flour

1 T organic unbleached sugar

1 1/2 T baking powder

1/4 c organic buckwheat flour

1 T organic flaxseed meal

pinch of salt

1 c organic coconut milk

1 T vegetable oil

1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix all of the liquid ingredients in a liquid measuring cup. Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients mixture. Stir with a whisk or wooden spoon until smooth. You may need to add more coconut milk to thin the batter - it all depends on the humidity in the air. Pour the batter into your waffle maker - it's ready when it's perfectly golden and crisp.

When I recently visited Ely's To Go, I had the Savory Waffle with BBQ Soy Chicken and Yellow Beet Coleslaw. It was amazing, especially because the bbq sauce is made in house.

They also offer the Savory Waffle topped with Sloppy Jo or Cream of Chicken, and a Sweet Waffle with Roasted Pears, Pecans and Maple Syrup.

I'm also quite proud that they feature my photography prominently on their wall :)

Canary Confectionery

2012-01-13T09:59:00.000-05:00

I've had many a vegan truffle. Some good, some better. This year, at Chicago Vegan Mania, I bought some Chocolate Raspberry Truffles from Canary Confectionery. I took them home and could not believe how good they were. By far, the very best truffles I've ever eaten.

Canary Confectionery recently sent me two more flavors to try...Original Chocolate + Almond Mint.

The outside is what you would imagine, a hard shell of chocolate. The inside is almost cake like. Rich, ooey gooey chocolate cake. For best results, these should be refrigerated until you're ready to eat. In my opinion, let them sit out until they're room temperature to get the full effect.

Right now, they offer mail order confections, or if you're in the Chicago area, they're offered on the Ste Martaen Vegan Food Truck. Did I mention they also make cupcakes...and offer gluten-free and raw options???

Mast Brothers Chocolate

2012-01-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

While in Williamsburg, I stopped by Mast Brothers Chocolate. I checked several of their chocolate bars, and all of them were vegan. No milk or cream.

They have amazing flavors like almonds and sea salt, salt + pepper and Stumptown coffee. Plus their packaging is incredible.

Foodswings

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Foodswings...a legendary spot among vegans. My very first visit was a few weeks ago with my non-vegan friend, Bridget (of unbuttoned). I'm always a little anxious taking non-veg friends to full on vegan restaurants. I hope it'll be an amazing experience, changing how they view vegan food forever, but since I had never been to Foodswings, I wasn't quite sure what we were in for.

Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. We both started with Root Beer Floats. It's been years since I've had one and now I can't stop thinking about them! Incredible.

I ordered the Eggie + Cheese, fried tofu "egg style" with sliced soy cheese and soy bacon on toast with a side of coleslaw and pickle. Cheesy, smoky, crunchy and delicious.

Bridget ordered the Foodswing Burger with a side of coleslaw. I didn't partake but she seemed to enjoy it :)

And we shared a side of Mac and Cheese. Vegan mac and cheese can be hit or miss, but Bridget loved it. Non-vegan approved!

The desserts looked amazing, all kinds of cupcakes, shakes and floats, including Cookies and Cream, Butterfinger and Cookie Dough.

Foodswings is in a great neighborhood in Brooklyn, so if you don't live in the area, it's a great day trip. Lots of great shopping, restaurants and people watching in Williamsburg.

Risotteria

2012-01-05T09:37:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago in New York, I met a very good friend for dinner. Not a vegetarian, but she is gluten-free. She had heard amazing reviews about Risotteria and their fabulous gluten-free pizza.

We shared a pizette to start, I don't have a picture, but I can easily say it was THE best gluten free pizza I've ever tasted. You can easily order any of their pizzas without the cheese.

I followed up with the Roasted Garlic, Oven Dried Tomato and Arugula Risotti. They have their risottos divided into sections, depending on what type of broth they use. If you're vegetarian, make sure to pick one from the vegetable stock section. And if you're vegan, just let them know to leave off the cheese and pesto.

They also give you an herb salt to sprinkle on top - I highly recommend it.

The restaurant is small so get there early or be prepared to wait!

Hummus Place

2012-01-02T22:00:00.001-05:00

There are four Hummus Place locations in Manhattan. They're casual eateries focused on the amazing chick pea. On my last visit to the city, I stopped in their West Village location for a quick bite.

Their menu appears to be totally vegetarian, and just about everything can be veganized. I started with the Falafel with tahini and green sauce.

And followed with the Hummus Masabacha, warm hummus with whole chick peas, olive oil and spices, served with warm pita. Everything was so flavorful and perfect on a cold afternoon.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I'm off to see my family in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Connecticut...I'll be back on January 3rd!

Photo source

Patsy's

2011-12-19T13:19:00.003-05:00

Patsy's Pizzeria in New York makes their thin crust pizzas in coal fired ovens. The result is delicious. They offer all kinds of toppings, meaning you won't miss the cheese. I ordered my pizza with fresh garlic, broccoli, sundried tomatoes, extra sauce and basil. No matter what you choose, you cannot go wrong with their crust.

Tartinery

2011-12-19T13:18:00.002-05:00

I recently had dinner at Tartinery in Nolita and found a great vegan option on their menu. A ratatouille open faced sandwich, or tartine, on sourdough bread. It's everything you expect from ratatouille with a nice addition of crusty bread and fresh herbs.

The restaurant has a great vibe. Glossy black pendant lights, chalkboard walls + lots of exposed brick and wood.

They also have a vegan Gazpacho and several salads that can be veganized - and fresh juices until 6pm. (Don't be late - they disassemble the juicing machine at 6 sharp).

Caravan of Dreams

2011-12-18T22:54:00.002-05:00

I had dinner at Caravan of Dreams a couple of weeks ago and had a great experience.

I knew I would be walking to Lula's Sweet Apothecary for dessert (only a few blocks away) so I skipped the appetizers and went straight to the main course...Wild Rice and Cremini Risotto Croquettes with shiitake mushrooms, roasted red pepper puree, asparagus and french lentils. I've had some pretty dry and bland vegan risotto cakes before but I decided give these a chance. They were anything but. Seriously creamy and full of flavor. Paired with the red pepper puree, lentils and fresh asparagus, it was the perfect dinner.

Caravan also has an amazing looking brunch menu including Sourdough French Toast with housemade 'Nutella'.

Lula's Sweet Apothecary - Follow Up

2011-12-15T20:18:00.002-05:00

I first experienced Lula's Sweet Apothecary last year and fell in love. However, I had only tried their soft serve ice cream. While its amazing, now that I've had their regular hand scooped ice cream, I can never go back.

It was freezing last week when I was in New York and still I had to have a scoop of their Mint Chip cashew cream vegan ice cream. It was absolutely divine. Better than milk based ice cream. If you've never been, add it to your must eat list.

You can see more on Lula's soft serve here.