Monthly Archives: August 2011

Nacho Cheese Sauce

Posted in Recipe, Sides by

The first time I experienced vegan nachos from Real Food Daily in Santa Monica, I was hooked. As I’ve gushed before, these nachos aren’t just vegan good, they are the best nachos on the planet good.

RFD's best menu item, period

What makes these puppies so incred is the unbelievable cashew cheese sauce they are smothered in. Cashew cheese sauce is undeniably crazy tasty, but also undeniably crazy high in fat and calories. Cashews are a great source of healthy fats and contain tons of beneficial nutrients, but if you eat nacho sauce like I do, you can’t really afford to go balls to the wall with the stuff. Also many friends of mine have nut allergies so I wanted to make a recipe they could enjoy as well (hi Jesi!). Most vegan cheese sauces are either nut based, soy based or super high in fat due to adding a ton of Earth Balance or other vegan butter substitutes, so even though they are vegan they are not necessarily healthy.  Here’s my version of nut-free and soy-free nacho cheese sauce that even the pickiest cheese connoisseurs will fall in love with. I mean, I did. Move ovah cashew cheese, you’ve officially met your match.

NACHO CHEESE SAUCE

(Makes just over a cup, serves approx 4)

  • 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • Scant 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • juice of half of a lemon
  • 2 scant Tablespoons white miso
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon cumin

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a sauce pan.

 

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Eat.

This recipe is extra healthy due to the nutritional yeast, which if you have never used, is the best vegan sub for “cheesey” flavor I have come across. It also boasts a super high protein content fortified with B12, the one vitamin vegans have trouble getting enough of. If you are not into taking a daily b12 vitamin than look no further, just eat some cheese sauce instead. Here is the rest of the nutritional info on this creamy dreamy sauce.

Nutritional Info (per just over 1/4 cup serving): 104 calories, 2 g fat, 9 g protein.

That’s a whole lotta protein and a whole little fat for a vegan cheese sauce!!! Mission accomplished.

Tonight I enjoyed this sauce over a huge serving of steamed brocc as a side to my dinner. Hell yes.

My nacho cheese sauce would be delicious on a baked potato, on brown rice pasta for a mac n cheese dish, or served over blue corn chips for a super healthy nacho plate! The possibilities are endless when it comes to vegan cheese sauce you can and should pour on everything.

After trying this recipe I know I won’t be the only one with a “special relationship” to vegan cheese sauce. Hey, no need to closet what’s real between a woman and her cheesey love dip. Legalize it.

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

Mini Oatmeal Rasin Cakes

Posted in Breakfast, Recipe by

I love oatmeal. It’s super easy to digest and provides all the carbs I need to sustain me through tough workouts or extra long mornings. Lately, however, I’ve tired of my traditional bowl of wholesome oats. I hate eating the same thing over and over again, it makes me feel seriously boring. My oatmeal brekkies have needed a serious revamp and bad. I’ve come across baked oatmeal recipes in the blogverse for some time now but until recently haven’t had a pressing reason to test out my own version. After adapting and combining ideas from a few recipes to suit my tastes I created a perfect single size option anyone can whip up in a cinch. Here’s how to turn your boring bowl of oats into a  muffin-like bite sized cake of fun.

Mini Oatmeal Raisin Cakes (serves 1)

  • 1/3 cup oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free version)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • Dropper full of KAL stevia
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons raisins
  • Coconut oil spray (to grease your muff tins)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spray two muffin tins with coconut oil spray and evenly distribute your batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn up your oven to broil and bake for 5 additional minutes so the cakes get that crispy golden brown crust.

Before

After

Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy your oatmeal raisin mini cake, yaom!

Cake in ya face!

Who doesn’t love eating two little cakes for breakfast! And nutritionally, these rock too. Hope you’ve come to expect it.

Nutritional Info (for entire recipe): 217 calories, 2 g fat, 7 g protein.

Breakfast of Vegan Champions!

I’m loving simple recipes lately. Eating vegan does not need to be challenging or time consuming, especially when it comes to breakfast. Most of us don’t have a ton of time to dedicate to preparing our first meal of the day, but these cakes take a mere 25 minutes. If you are super pressed for time, cook these babies the night before and stick em in your toaster oven for a few minutes to warm them up. So simple.

Hope you all like this new and improved way to enjoy oatmeal as much as I do! Feel free to try your own mixins like bananas, chia seeds, blueberries or even chocolate chips for an awesome dessert like breakfast. The possibilities are endless so let me know what you guys come up with!!

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

Green Peas – casual vegan dining in Culver City

Posted in Restaurants by

It’s been almost a year since I’ve eaten at Green Peas but I remember it being great. Green Peas, although not exclusively vegan, boasts a huge vegan menu ranging from salads, soups, sandwiches, pizzas and breakfast. It’s casual dining done vegan and done right. So this Saturday when my mom and I were deciding where to lunch, I jumped at the chance to take her to this Culver City spot I’ve been meaning to go back to for so long.

Green Peas

4437 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230

Hours: Mon-Fri 6 am – 10 pm, Sat 7 am – 9 pm, Sun 8 am – 3 pm
Parking was a little tricky. We had to drive around the block a few times before something opened up and there is no lot in the back, so mentally prep for that.

Huge menu with an entire section for vegan sammies!

Green Peas’ menu is huge. They clearly mark their vegan items with a V and even have an entire section dedicated to vegan sandwiches. Almost all of their sammies however, are made with Gardein, a fake meat product that despite being insanely delish contains wheat and soy, so I try to save it for special occasions since my body doesn’t do gluten so well. Moving on from the sandwiches I eyed their long list of vegan salads but decided to go with my tride and true order – Kale.  The salad came with a choice of soup or potatoes, but after tasting their soup (you know how I love me some samples and GP delivers!) I had to get it. Creamy vegan tomato basil soup, their soup of the day, was a real gem. I also ordered a Gluten-Free Veggie Pizza to split with my mom, since just a salad was not gonna cut it.

You order from the counter, take a number and then a waiter brings you your food ala M Cafe or Native Foods. They have an outdoor section in the front of the restaurant but since it is right on busy Sepulveda my mom was not in to it. Instead we grabbed a table inside and got some cucumber water to sip while our food came. They have “spa water” you help yourself to which I totally dug.

Lots of seating and couches too!

Our food came pretty quickly and dug into the Kale. I totally loved the lemony dressing that was on the salad in the perfect proportion. The heavy handed addition of walnuts, cranberries and raisins made it almost dessert like too, which is always a plus.

Raw Kale Salad - raw kale, cranberries, raisins, tomatoes, almonds and home made lemon dressing. Side - tomato basil soup.

The salad was pretty darn good and I would def get it again. My only complaint is that I thought the portion size was a little small. There was a ton more nuts and raisins than kale so half way through the salad I was really eating forkfuls of toppings.

Loved the tomato basil soup. Super creamy and thick with a subtle Italian flavor. I slurped that suckah up pretty fast. I would def order that again, and am excited to try one of their other daily soup flavors in the future.

The gluten-free pizza was not anything to get super hyped about. On their menu it doesn’t say the pizza comes with green peppers but ours did. I don’t love green peppers (or any peppers in general) and they totally dominated all the other veggies as the primary topping. A. false advertising and B. Uck. I also wasn’t wowed by the rice crust but I’ve yet to try a gluten-free pizza crust I was super excited about, so there’s that.

Vegetable Pizza - grilled carrots, grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant, grilled red onions, pizza sauce and shredded dairy cheese (no mention of peppers in their menu's description!!)

I would try another pizza here but not that pepper explosion ever again.  My mom loved it though, so if you like peppers you might too. I did love the melted daiya though – cause who doesn’t love daiya cheese on everything.

I left Green Peas relatively pleased with my experience. I liked but didn’t love my meal. In the future items I want to check out their breakfast/brunch since they have an insane sounding vegan breakfast burrito. Will report on that soon.

If you’ve on the Westside and have never been to this vegan friendly neighborhood spot, it’s def worth checking out. If you eat gardein then I totally recommend trying one of their sandwiches since they are supah yummy. Salads and soups are consistently bomb here too, so that’s a safe bet. Bottom line: lots and lots of vegan and gluten-free options and a good price. Into it.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I hope I’ll finally have some free time to play around in the kitch this week, I’m dying to cook something blog worthy :)

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

The best Indian Restaurant in LA – Samosa House

Posted in Restaurants by

I’ve been on a serious Indian kick lately. Indian food is a great option for vegans because so many of their dishes are veg, and some Indian restaurants are even completely vegetarian. Samosa House in Culver City not only boasts an almost exclusively vegan menu but it’s food is by far the best I have had in LA. Hands down my favorite Indian restaurant. It was also featured on Food Networks The Best Thing I Ever Ate, in which Aarti fawns over their signature item: the samosa! She calls them the “jewel and crown” of Indian cuisine. Sounds like a pretty good endorsement to me. Samosa House is not only the mecca of incredible and authentic Indian dining, it’s one of the largest Indian supermarkets in LA. So you can eat lunch or dinner and then pick up all your hard to find spices for your home cooking. Score!

Samosa House

11510 W Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90066

Hours: Mon-Sun 10:30 am – 9:30 pm

Groceries galore

There’s not a ton of ambiance at Samosa House. You order from the counter, choose from a buffet style of sides, pay, and sit down. The women who take your order at the counter are authentically Indian in every way. After spending a summer in India two years ago, I always get excited when I hear traditional Indian accents. Don’t expect a ton of warmth and patience here especially if you take your time deciding what you want to eat like me. Not to worry the ordering process takes just a minute and you will soon be enjoying your amazing meal.

Waiting to order

A great feature of Samosa House is their labels highlighting non-vegan and vegan items. Usually there are only one or two non-vegan sides so you don’t feel like you’re missing out :) I also highly recommend taking advantage of their tasting policy (aka you can have tastes of anything) before ordering since some sides tend to be hit or miss. Try before you buy!!

Sides galore - yum!

You can get a lunch/dinner plate special that comes with regular or garlic non or a chipati, 3 sides, and white or brown rice for like ten bucks. It’s an amazing deal.

Combo Plate! Clockwise from the top right: soy tikka masala, chana bhindi, chana masala, jackfruit curry, brown rice.

So good! Their garlic naan is pretty incredible but for me the real gems are their perfectly spiced and unique vegan sides all by their lonesome. On my most recent visit I ordered 4 small side orders to go for dinner.

Clockwise from top left: Lotus Root, Jack Fruit, Chana Masala, Mixed Veg,

I was pretty much OBSESSED with this meal. The Lotus Root is insane. I had only had Lotus Root once before, from Dave’s Korean, and I loved it. So when I saw Lotus Root as an option I knew I had to try. It was perfectly spiced and smothered in this incrediblely savory sauce. This was my favorite of all 4 sides my far. AMAZING. The jack fruit was also absolutely incredible. If you’ve never had jackfruit before this is the place to get it. They way in which they cook the jackfruit makes the final product resemble the texture of pulled pork or something of that nature. The huge chunks of jack fruit came with some spinach and a thinner sauce that complimented the”meatyness” of the dish perfectly. The chana masala was prob the best I’ve ever had anywhere. The mixed veg was the only think I didn’t love, but I blame myself really since that was the only thing I didn’t taste first. Remember, try before you buy!

This place is not a sit down and experience the ambiance type deal. But if you get Samosa House takeout style and enjoy it in the comfort of your own bed watching True Blood on a Sunday night I promise you will be one very happy camper (note: bad HBO is not necc to enjoy this food). Can’t wait to indulge in the spicy, bold, flavorful and super unique sides Samosa House has to offer again. Might have to make it a Sunday night tradition! Who wants in?

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

Super Healthy Snickerdoodle Blondies

Posted in Dessert, Peanut Butter, Recipe by

My dear friend Koko recently started an amazing blog all about her life and adventures in eating and baking called Koko Likes. Koko makes the most drool worthy looking desserts I have ever seen but sadly thus far none have been vegan. Sad face. On the Fourth of July Koko hosted her annual BBQ and made the most incredible looking blondies I have ever laid my eyes on. Everyone there RAVED about them and I seriously haven’t gotten over it since.

Koko's Blondies

I have been dreaming of vegan blondies for a solid month now with a no gluten, no sugar spin. Not so surprisingly, I have had an impossible time finding any recipes that cater to my supah picky requirements for the perfect healthy blondie. Then, a few days ago, I stumbled upon this recipe for blondies, using chickpeas instead of flour as the base. I was seriously into it. With some mayjah tweaks and substitutions I managed to create a snickerdoodle version of these healthified treats that I think could stand up to Koko’s now world-famous recipe. My blondies are super gooey and fudge like, with all the flavor of a regular blondie, cept zero butter, eggs, flour or sugar. Say what??? Guess blondes do have more fun.

Super Healthy Snickerdoodle Blondies (makes 12)

(inspired by Koko’s recipe and Chocolate Covered Katie’s recipe)

  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 4 Tablespoons reconstituted PB2 (or you can use regular creamy peanut butter)
  • 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cups Nu Naturals Stevia Baking Blend
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup ground flax

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the chickpeas, peanut butter and vanilla in your vitamix or food processor and blend. Then slowly add the dry ingredients, blending until it forms a very sticky paste like consistency.

Spread evenly over a greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

When the blondies come out of the over they will still be sort of gooey, but not to worry, they firm up once cooled but stay chewy and fudgey in the center.

I may or may not have eaten half the recipe in one sitting. I plan on eating the rest tonight. Seriously these are STOOOOOPID good. The only kind of stoopid blonde I would go bonkers for. Yum.

Now if you are not used to the taste of stevia I suggest you use brown sugar or another sweetener instead. I love the taste of stevia so I didn’t notice anything amiss with the flavor, but my mom said they tasted “stevia-y.” That’s good news for me but if it’s not for you than sub away.

Here’s the unbelievable nutritional facts for these cinnamon-sugar squares of bliss.

Nutritional Info (per blondie): 62 calories, 1.5 g fat, 2.4 g protein, 0.8 g sugar, 5.9 g fiber

I mean….. I don’t even know what to say to blondies that healthy. Oh wait, yes I do, “I’ll have another.”

If you sub brown sugar for the stevia or regular pb for the pb2 the nutritional info will be slightly altered, but not majorly. These will still be redonk healthy, fiber rich and most importantly CRAZY AMAZING.

Enjoy. I’m outtie to eat the rest of the pan.

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

Oooooo that smell! (aka Cultured Vegetables!)

Posted in Product Review, Recipe, Sides by

Have you heard of cultured vegetables? Until last year I hadn’t either.

Spotlight on December of 2010. I was having a particularly awful run with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, a gnarly stomach disease that had me pretty much unable to eat anything without pain. It was the fourth time I had it in a year and I was desperate for a lasting solution. I had been on antibiotics, probiotics, special diets, gave up gluten, and yet nothing seemed to keep my stomach issues permanently at bay. That was until I got turned on to the wonder of fermented foods.

I was initially introduced to cultured vegetables through the Body Ecology Diet Book and through my dear friend Carly Dowell. Carly is a colon hydrotherapist, studied with Donna Gates (the author of the BED Book), and now produces cultured vegetables for health food markets all over Los Angeles. Carly told me if there was one thing I must do for my digestive health it was to eat fermented foods, in particular, lots of cultured vegetables. I listened and I haven’t been sick since. No drugs, no doctors, no new special diets, just the simple addition of this ancient super food with my lunch and dinner.

So what are cultured vegetables and what makes them so special?

Cultured vegetables are vegetables naturally fermented by friendly lactobacilli, which are present on the surface of all living things.  Cabbage is commonly used, or a mixture of vegetables including cabbage, when added with a culture starter and left to ferment, create this wonder food. Raw cultured vegetables  are rich in lactobacilli and enzymes, alkaline-forming, and loaded with vitamins. They help reestablish your inner ecosystem and the friendly bacteria in them are a less expensive alternative to probiotics! They also control sugar cravings which help with appetite and weight control.

Think of cultured vegetables as glorified sauerkraut, just with out the salt and in a raw natural form. Cultured vegetables are not the same as the salted and pasteurized sauerkraut sold in supermarkets and even some health food stores. That kind of sauerkraut is definitely not a digestive enhancing food, as the pasteurization (heating) process destroys precious enzymes, and the added salt eliminates any health benefits.

So now that we know what and how amazing this true super food is, let’s talk about where to buy it and how to make it.

I actually have never made cultured vegetables myself, which in typing this, I see is kind of ridiculous. The real reason? I’m lazy. And Carly makes the best darn version and buying from her requires no manual labor on my part. She makes four different “blends” to choose from, my favorite being the Green Blend, with the Spicy as a close second. I love adding the green blend to any plant-protein dish I’m eating (like on top of veggie burgers!) and the spicy is perfect for Mexican inspired dishes. So if you’re like me and don’t feel like putting in the work in to make a batch yourself (it’s kind of a hassle and requires you purchase an often pricey culture-starter) you can buy Carly’s product here. She will ship anywhere in the US! If you live in LA you can also find her products at Erewhon, The Co-Op, and in September, Whole Foods.

Now be warned. The taste of cultured vegetables is pretty startling at first. As Americans the somewhat tart and fermented taste is not something typical in our diets, so don’t be scared if you don’t like it at first! It grows on you. Even now I wouldn’t say I am in love with the taste. It’s good, especially mixed with other foods, but I don’t especially crave the flavor too often. I do however crave the benefits I almost immediately feel from eating this fermented food.

If you are feeling adventurous you can try your hand at making cultured vegetables at home. Here’s two great recipes I borrowed from the Body Ecology website that are pretty simple for your first veggie making endeavor:

Note: An important secret to making really delicious yet medicinal cultured veggies is to use freshly harvested, organic, well-cleaned vegetables. After washing the veggies, spin them dry. Clean equipment is essential. Scald everything you use in very hot water.

Cultured Veggie Version 1

  • 3 heads green cabbage, shredded in a food processor
  • 1 bunch kale, chopped by hand(optional): 2 cups wakame ocean vegetables (measured after soaking), drained, spine removed, and chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. dill seed


Cultured Veggie Version 2

  • 3 heads green cabbage, shredded in a food processor
  • 6 carrots, large, shredded in a food processor
  • 3 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Remove several cups of this mixture and put into a blender.
  3. Add enough filtered water to make a “brine” the consistency of a thick juice. Blend well and then add brine back into first mixture. Stir well.
  4. Pack mixture down into a 1½ quart glass or stainless steel container. Use your fist, a wooden dowel, or a potato masher to pack veggies tightly.
  5. Fill container almost full, but leave about 2 inches of room at the top for veggies to expand.
  6. Roll up several cabbage leaves into a tight “log” and place them on top to fill the remaining 2 inch space. Clamp jar closed.
  7. Let veggies sit at about a 70 degree room temperature for at least three days. A week is even better. Refrigerate to slow down fermentation. Enjoy!

To use the BED culture starter:

Dissolve one or two packages of starter culture in 1½ cup warm (90*) water. Add approximately 1 tsp. of some form of sugar to feed the starter (try Rapadura, Sucanat, honey, Agave, or EcoBLOOM). Let starter/sugar mixture sit for about 20 minutes or longer while the L. Plantarum and other bacteria wake up and begin enjoying the sugar. Add this starter culture to the brine (step 3). Done!

One last note on cultured vegetables. They smell funkadellic. I don’t know why but they smell absolutely gnarly but they do. Fear not, they are not nearly as crazy tasting as they smell. Promise. If you can get past the initial shock, I assure you the immediate and lasting benefits are worth a nose full o funk. This has been a saving grace for me and my digestive health and I know it can be for ya’ll too.

Hope this post can help a few people like it profoundly helped me.

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

Soy-Free Chocolate Mousse (It’s still Jewish guilt free too)

Posted in Dessert, Recipe by

Another Sunday another blender full of chocolate mousse eaten. I was in my normal chocolate binge mode around 9 pm last night and knew something serious had to be done. I didn’t want to eat another blender full of the mousse I made last week since that did not exactly make my stomach feel amazing afterwards. It did taste outta this world good though. Dilemma.

I have heard magical things about the sea vegetable agar agar for its gelatinous like ways, so I decided to try my hands at using it as my base of my treat. For those unfamiliar with agar agar, it’s an amazing vegan gelatin substitute produced from seaweed that you can find in the Asian section of your Whole Foods (or other health food store). You typically add 1 tablespoon to every cup or so of liquid, cook it, and end up with a great thick pudding like creation. And it’s calorie free!!

My prefered brand of choice

With a couple of tries I perfected a crazy simple recipe sure to please everyone’s palate. Get ready for the Super Soy-Free AND Jewish Guilt Free Version of my mousse. It’s my mitzvah for the year.

Soy-Free Chocolate Mousse (serves 1)

  • 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 1 Tablespoon Agar Agar flakes
  • 1 – 1 1/2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • A few droppers of stevia to your taste (or other sweetener)
  • A shake of two of cinnamon
  • A shake of guar gum (optional)
  • Extra almond milk to thin it out

To make your agar base combine your agar and the almond milk in a sauce pan.

Let it sit for a few minutes and then boil.When it reaches a boil turn down to simmer and cook for 8 minutes.

When it’s done cooking the mixture will still be partially liquid. Don’t worry this will change soon…

Add all the other ingredients, except the extra almond milk and blend in your vitamix.

Transfer to a bowl and put in the freezer for 5-15 minutes. When you take it our of your freezer it will be like chocolate pudding!! Sooooo cool!

If you want pudding go ahead and dig in, but if you want a creamier consistency (which I did), transfer the mixture to your vitamix and slowly add almond milk to thin down the texture. The end.

Ta da!!! Perfect soy-free chocolate mousse!!! Light, fluffy, chocolatey, and it will not leave you feeling weighed down, gross, or crashing from sugar afterwards.

Okay no get ready for the best part ever. This entire single serving of mousse is only 63 calories. Say whaaaaaa???

Nutritional Info: 63 calories, 5 g fat, 2 g protein

Unreal. Here’s the song I was singing while eating this blender full of joy: (to the tune of hollerback girl) “Uh huh this my shit all the treats drop a mousse like this.” Then I’d do a little solo dance with my spoon in through kitchen and sing “that’s my shit that’s my shit” … and over-share complete.

Okay, now I admit this does not taste as rich as my other recipe for chocolate mousse which uses tofu, but for those looking for a lower calorie option, or for those avoiding soy, this is a great choice. It’s super simple to make and let’s be real, it’s super satisfying to eat an entire bowl of chocolate. Or maybe that’s just how I roll. Either way, you gotta try this recipe out to test the agar agar base for yourself. It’s pretty science project cool.

Sorry for the lack of “real food” recipes lately. I have been swimming in homework and my time for concocting treats has been severely limited. I promise to make something meal worthy this week and stop patrolling the Whole Foods hot bar every day. Until then do like any stressed out time restricted vegan girlfriend would and eat chocolate straight out the blender. :)

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

CRU – Raw Vegan Dining in Silverlake

Posted in Restaurants by

CRU has been on my vegan bucket list for what feels like an eternity. There are so many amazing vegan restaurants on the east side but I am so rarely over there that I have phonebook sized list of places to eat when I make the schlep. So this weekend, when I trekked it over to Los Feliz to hang with my friend Zandy, going to CRU was pretty much obvious, especially since my meat loving friend adores it there. A meat lover raving about a raw food restaurant? Pretty mayjah. And it was indeed.

CRU

1521 Griffith Park Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Hours: Mon-Sun 12 pm – 4:30 pm, Mon-Sun 5:30 pm – 10 pm

Nestled in the arts district of Silver Lake, CRU is a small comfy intimate dining experience perfect for a weekend dinner. CRU serves mainly raw cuisine but features a few cooked dishes on their nightly specials menu. Strict vegans be warned some dishes contain honey, but I eat honey so for me this wasn’t an ish.

Inside view

Since Zandy knows CRU’s menu pretty well I let him take the reins and order a bunch of things for us to split. Our lovely waitress was also super knowledgeable and helpful about what to choose for a first time CRUer like myself. We started with the Pure Raw Sugar Cane Juice which Zandy assured me was gonna blow my damn mind. I’ve seen this drink pop up at juice bars and in Whole Foods next to the Kombucha recently so my interest was already piqued. When it arrived at our table I was surprised to see that the drink was bright green. I had no idea that this juice was bursting with natural chlorophyll, and being the lover of all things green that I am, I was even more excited to squeeze in my lime wedge and get into it.

Pure Raw Sugar Cane Juice - Alkalinzing and high in chlorophyll. Raw sugar cane juice, chilled and served with a lime wedge

Okay I don’t even now where to start. This was so good I practically fell off my chair and started screaming. Screaming! I pulled out my iphone to take notes to try to remember how to describe it. Here’s what I wrote mid-juice sugar daze: “Grassy, sweet, drinking the earth plus sugar from the God’s bosom.” Pretty effing accurate. I’d make the trip back just to get that drink again. This is an absolute MUST ORDER.

Next our appetizer came, the Mezze Platter, which I was pretty stoked about because it featured so many different little tastes of things. That’s kind of my jam since it gives you an opportunity to taste a bunch of different flavors.

Mezze Platter - Flax and pumpkin seed crackers, rubbed garlicky kale, tunisian apple beet salad, fig pate, cucumber taziki, kalamata olives and cashew cheese

Holy bananas was this good. The cashew cheese and the beet salad were my favorites on the plate, but everything was so well done, bursting with flavor. The cheese was just outta control though, by far one of the best cashew cheeses I have had. ICBIND (I can’t believe it’s not dairy). The only thing not 10 outta 10 bomb was the fig pate. It was just eh. Even sothis dish rocked the house. This is a perfect app to split, highly recommend.

Next our salad came, which was CRU’s take on a taco salad but with kale instead of romaine. YESSSSSSS.

Taco Salad - Rubbed kale, pumpkin seed chorizo, salsa, guacamole, sprouts, Peruvian mojo sauce and cashew sour cream.

I DIEEEEEEEEEEEE. This was my fav of the night. This could actually be my favorite kale salad I’ve ever had. I don’t know what they are working with in terms of dressing (tasted like lemon and olive oil) but for some reason it’s just the most perfectly dressed and massaged kale I have ever had. The kale was so tender, not at all bitter, and of course the acutrimounts were absurdly good. That pumpkin seed chorizo, are you serious??? OMFGGGGG. Amazing guac, fab salsa and the medly of sauces just brought it all home. I could eat this every day of my life and be happy. MUST MUST MUST ORDER.

Now it was entrée time, and CRU’s famous raw lasagna was about to happen. It arrived and we dove in.

Vegetable Lasagna - A delicate terrine of thinly sliced zucchini, pesto, marinara, cashew cheese, and marinated portabello mushrooms. Topped with coconut cream and served with mixed greens tossed in pumpkin seed pesto dressing.

There’s something about a zucchini lasagna that is so refreshing. Instead of using traditional noodles, zucchini is thinly sliced and layered between the other marinara, cheese and vegetable layers, for a somewhat lighter take on the Italian staple. I love ordering this dish at different raw restaurants because you can’t really can’t mess it up. Sun Cafe and Planet Raw have their own delicious versions as well, but CRU’s was its own brand of awesome.

The pesto was perfection on this and the cashew cheese was of course incredible. Let’s not fail to acknowledge the side salad too, which was UH-mazing. I don’t know how CRU manages to make their greens taste like heaven in a bowl, but by golly they certainly do. This is a great dish to order if you are newer to raw foods as well. Two thumbs way up.

Even though we were pretty full (raw food is filling ya’ll!) we had to order dessert, obvi. I surprisingly was not in a chocolate mood (so weird) so we let the waitress help us decide from the crazy list of delectable sounding non-chocolate dessert options. We decided to go with their blueberry cheesecake and I am so happy we did.

Blueberry Cheesecake with Creme Fraiche - A smooth and creamy cashew coconut cheesecake with fresh pureed strawberries, fresh whole blueberries and a walnut date crust. Topped with a rich coconut creme fraiche.

This cake was bonkers. I loved the huge chunks of whole blueberries right in the pie. The crust was sweet and crumbly and the cake itself was a decadent rich and creamy indulgence. I just love the simplicity of raw desserts. These cakes and pies are so nutrient dense and usually super rich and filling due to the large amount of  nuts and coconut oil used (good fats but clearly not an everyday indulgence). Even though highly caloric, because they are made exclusively from raw whole foods, our body can process these treats completely differently and more effectively than their non-raw vegan equivalents (I’m talking to you Cheesecake Factory).

By the end of our meal I was stuffed and ready to be rolled home to bed. I tend to over do it when I go to new restaurants. Whatever. Totally worth it.

All in all I HIGHLY recommend CRU. Utilize the very knowledgable waitress (or other wait staff), order the cane juice, make sure to get something with kale, and BYOB if you like (this and Elf are BYOB so rad!). I will 150% come back here again. Next time def trying one of their specials and the CRU pizza.

East side of LA, you’re lookin better every day.

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend

Sautéed Mushrooms

Posted in Recipe, Sides by

A recipe for sautéed mushrooms seems pretty much like a no brainer. I mean, you can’t really fuck it up. I’m a little embarrassed to even post this “recipe” since it’s about the easiest thing ever, but I want to share what I love eating with you all, and believe me I LOVE these mushrooms. I have been known to go to the Whole Foods Market Mexican counter pretty much daily to get a little grab and go container of freshly sautéed mushies. En route I may or may not sing, “Oh do you know the mushroom man the mushroom man the mushroom man, oh do you know the mushroom man who lives on Whole Foods lane!!!!” (Seriously, writing jingles in my next life).

As much as I love my near daily WFM trips, my wallet does not. Paying $3.00 for a few bites of mushrooms is pretty silly slash ridiculous. Making them yourself is not only more economical (clearly) but tastier and less fattening. Here’s how to turn 4 ingredients and 15 minutes into yum yum mushroom bum.

Arielle’s Sautéed Mushrooms

(serves 2 or 1 Vegan GF)

  • 1 Tablespoon soy-free Earth Balance (or more if you like it real buttery)
  • 1 package Baby Bella Mushrooms (any mushrooms will work here, try a mix!)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • Scant 1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
  • Onion Powder and/or Garlic Powder

Ingredients

Melt Earth Balance over medium heat in a large pan. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

Add sliced mushrooms, stir to coat, and cook for about 5 minutes.
Drizzle the Braggs into the mushrooms. Sprinkle with garlic powder and onion powder.
Continue cooking over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the mushies are cooked to your liking. Donezo!
I eat these like candy, fo real. I don’t know why mushrooms are like the most satisfying thing to me, but they are. So “meaty,” flavorful, and savory but not loaded with oil and butter. Just de way I like it. Check out the nutrient but not calorie dense nutrition.
Nutritional Facts: 70 calories, 5.5 g fat, 1.5 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 5 g protein.
I don’t know how I don’t make these everyday. They are seriously so simple to whip up and SOOOOOOO good. I wish I could eat nothing but mushrooms, eggplant, broccoli and kale. And veggie burgers. Oh wait, and chocolate. So basically a lot of stuff. Awesome. The end.
xoxo
Your Vegan Girlfriend



Gluten-Free Grain Veggie Burgers

Posted in Burger, Main DIsh, Recipe by

Yesterday was a ridiculously busy day for me. I had school in the morning and then proceeded to do all my research for a final paper in the afternoon. Then I went to a doctor’s appointment and then straight to the gym while stuffing my face with food. (Note: this was a terrible call and I ended up having the worst workout ever since I had cramps the whole time. Ugh.) The thing about being back in school after years in the real world is …. I actually like it. I never thought I would love writing papers, taking notes, reading assigned reading and the like again, but I seriously do. It’s honestly a great outlet for my neurotic a-type tendencies that normally end up being exhausted on something as absurd as making the perfect veggie burger. Oh wait, I still do that too.

So what could be a better ending to insanely crazy day than making an insanely good veggie burger? Nothing. One could say that my obsession with veggie burgers is getting a little out of hand, a little obsessive even. Yes, one could say that. But after tasting these über healthy gluten-free grain burgers I doubt you’ll be too worried about my manic patty making ways. Bomb is an understatement. Get ready for the gluten-free gold.

Gluten-Free Grain Veggie Burgers (serves 7)

(Adapted from Kimberly Snyder’s Beauty Detox Solution)

  • 1/2 cup dry millet
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 3 cups spinach, finely chopped
  • 2-3 stalks celery, finely minced
  • 5 small carrots (or 2 big ones), finely minced
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Cumin
  • 1 cup Amaranth Flour
  • Coconut Oil Cooking Spray

The ingredients

Soak your millet for at least a few hours and up to overnight. Rinse and strain your millet well. Add water to a pot and boil. Then add your millet, stirring until it boils again. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until millet fluffs a bit. Set aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor (my preferred way of chopping) or by hand, chop your celery, carrots and spinach and set aside. All of these ingredients can go in the same bowl.

Finely chop your onion and put that in a separate bowl.

Generously coat a large sautee pan with coconut oil spray. Add your minced garlic and sautee a few minutes over medium heat.

Add your onions and sautee over medium heat until onions are translucent.

Yes this pic is blurry, but hey sometimes it's hard to cook and photograph at the same time.

Add the celery, carrots and spinach and cook for another two minutes.

Add the salt and cumin and mix well.

Add your cooked millet and mix until well combined.

This is not well combined yet... but you know what that looks like. I hope...

Remove from heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference. Add the amaranth flour and mix until well combined.

Spray a parchment paper lined baking sheet with coconut oil spray. Form your mixture into 7 equal patties and place on the baking sheet.

I experimented with baking times with the seventh patty that's why there are only six on the sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or so on each side, or until burgers are golden and crispy on the edges.

If you remember to spray your parchment paper your baking sheet will look less scary than mine did. Whoops!

I enjoyed my first burger right out the oven just like I like I eat my Bistro Burgers. These burgers are super simple, healthful, delish, and filling without weighing you down. Perfectionism personified! HOORAY!

Then came burger number two…

Veggie Burger Salad? Yes please!

Once you peep the nutrition facts for these crazy healthy burgers you won’t worry about having seconds too.

Nutrition Facts per burger: 130 calories, 1.8 g fat, 3.9 g fiber, 4.5 g protein

Pretty freakin awesome. And with no textured soy protein or any other gnarly culprits I usually eat begrudgingly in my store-bought burgers, these are pretty much a home run. Dr. Prager and Amy better watch their backs.

Glad my vegan perfectionist qualities went to good use, in burger form but of course. Even though we got a rough start, your vegan burgers and Your Vegan Girlfriend seem to be quite the match made in heaven. It can only get better from here. Here’s to hoping all my crazy days end in crazy good dinners (cause you know I won’t settle for anything less) …

xoxo

Your Vegan Girlfriend