Review: M Cafe de Chaya

Haven't had time yet to do a write up, but this video review of M Cafe de Chaya in Los Angeles should speak for itself (for now).

Video Reviews: Las Vegas Restaurants with Vegan Options

I'm one of those people who loves Las Vegas, aside from the environmental disaster it is. Fortunately, the vegan options are growing - since my first time there in 2006, several great places have opened and others have expanded their menus to accommodate the plant-based diet. In 2007 and 2008 my vegetarian sister and I made a few videos documenting our dining experiences, which I've finally edited. I've changed a lot since then, in appearance and eating habits, but want to share with you some of the delicious food the city has to offer (vegan donuts anyone?)

Video: Easy, Cheap, Healthy Vegan Meals That Take Less Than $2 and 15 minutes to Prepare

I get a lot of questions about and requests for me to do videos on cheap and fast vegan meals - so here it is! I was pretty shocked myself when I compared prices at Kroger, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods and found that you can make many meals for $2 or less and spend 15 minutes max preparing it. And that's in San Francisco, which is likely more expensive than most areas of the country/world. Prices depend on whether the ingredients are local, in season or are organic, but you'd be surprised how cheap food can be even if all of the above. 

Check out the video for 13 meal ideas under $2 that take less than 15 minutes to make. I give options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, then mention some cheap foods you can have for dessert and snacks.  Most of them are gluten and soy-free and are low in oil, salt, and sugar, or can easily be adapted to fit any dietary preference.

Video Review: Paleta - Organic, Sustainable Meal Delivery in LA - The Ultimate Way to Diet and/or Get Healthy

Yet another video has finally come out of the Eco-Vegan Gal vault! Just over a year ago I tried out Paleta's meal delivery service, which offers vegan and gluten-free options that are organic and locally sourced.

Video: Fashion Giveaway, New Vegan Movie, Man = Meat, Gluten-Free Bagels & More!

What better way to beat the Monday blues than with a weekly roundup?! Here's what I share in this week's video (hint - I'm giving something away worth $50!!):

Eco-Vegan Daily Download: Radio Interview, Raw Food Recipes, Festivals, & Books

Eco-Vegan Gal News

I'm being interviewed on a live radio station this Tuesday the 14th at 10:15am Eastern (7:15 PST) on The Mary Jones Show. If you can't tune in I'll try to post a recording of it afterwards.

Mini Review

Sunshine "Hemp-Fast" Breakfast Patties ~ For the longest time I didn't like Sunshine's burgers - they tasted really bland and...well, too earthy. But since going gluten and soy free I forced myself to try them again and realized they're actually really good. I'm assuming this is because my palate has changed, but they're actually a really popular brand and are available in most natural markets, probably because they are virtually allergy free. This morning I tried their Hemp-Fest Breakfast Patty and loved it. It has that breakfast patty flavor and hearty whole grain taste. The only problem is that they're quite dry, especially when you don't cook them in oil (healthier) and they fall apart really easily. But I enjoyed it completely on it's on and was very satisfied.

Easy and nutritious steel cut oatmeal recipe

Hint - buy as much in bulk as you can. You can easily find the oats, walnuts, and raisins; and perhaps the cinnamon too if your grocery store has spices in bulk.

• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance (or vegan butter alternative)
• 1 cup organic steel cut oats
• 2 1/2 cups water
• handful of organic walnuts
• handful of organic raisins
• organic pure maple syrup (as much as you need)
• organic cinnamon (to taste)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepot, melt the butter and add the oats. Stir for 2 minutes to toast.
2. Add the water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer for 20 minutes, without stirring.
3. Add in the walnuts and raisins, and cook for another 5 minutes
4. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with maple syrup and cinnamon.

Health Benefits:

• This meal has about 18 grams of protein in it, mainly from the oats.
• Steel-cut oats are high in B-Vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in salt and unsaturated fat.
• Raisins include relief from constipation, acidosis, anemia, fever, and sexual weakness. They also help in weight gain, eye care, dental care, and bone health.
• Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, which benefits include cardiovascular protection, to the promotion of better cognitive function, to anti-inflammatory benefits helpful in asthma, rheumatoid arthritis
• Maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc, which can assist in heart health and in balancing cholesterol levels
• Cinnamon has extremely high anti-oxidant activity, and the oil of cinnamon has strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is also a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

Atlas Cafe NYC: review

Atlas Cafe

Featuring Vegan Treats.

Seed Kitchen - new brunch menu!

Figtree's Cafe: Venice Beach, CA

I got a mixed-berry elixir and tofu rancheros for breakfast at FigTree's.

Vegan discoveries at Whole Foods Brentwood, take 2

Including a review of Bradford Tonic

Vegan breakfast at A Votre Sante in Brentwood, CA

A Votre Sante: vegan pancakes, scrambled tofu, potatos, and fresh squeezed OJ

Product Spotlight: PROBAR

While waiting for my food from the Green Truck today I spotted PROBARs. Before I knew they were vegan I was drawn to the flavor Cherry Pretzel, and upon discovering they were in fact vegan I had to try one. I'm usually pretty unsatisfied with food bars, so I wasn't expecting much, but this one blew me away! It is so delicious - full of great flavors, crunchy but still soft, and not too sugary. PROBARs are advertised as meal replacements and I believe they are that filling (especially for breakfast). 

Bellissimo: Organic market in Venice, CA

Bellissimo is a small, organic, market/convenience store with a European feel right off of Venice Beach. It's located on Venice & Pacific, across the street from Canal Club and next to James Beach. During the summer they are staying open until 9 or 10pm.

I've stopped by Bellissimo twice in the past week and discovered new items each visit.

On Sunday I went by to grab a snack and noticed their new menu, which included breakfast items with vegan meats - they don't have vegan breakfast yet, but it is vegetarian. However, there are several vegan meals, including a few sandwiches (such as a TLT with tempeh) and deli items (such as a potato salad).

I went by this evening looking for some dessert. I wanted ice cream, specifically Coconut Bliss, but right now they just have Ciao Bella sorbet. I ended up buying some chocolate chip cookies from a company called Lucy (also gluten & peanut free), and they were delicious. There are all sorts of dessert options there, mostly cookies, including Uncle Eddies and Late July. Bellissimo has some great gourmet teas that smell amazing, and you can order coffees with either soy, coconut, or hemp milk.

Bellissimo's vegan options are growing, but they have a lot already, so check it out next time you're in the Venice area and you're looking for a healthy snack!

Bellissimo
68 N Venice Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
310.305.2430

Vegan veggie salads: curry carrots & sesame cucumbers:

Ann Arbor trip - eco taxi & vegan options at airport

During my recent trip to Ann Arbor I flew Northwest from LAX to Detroit and back.

I took Green Taxi there and that was a great experience. I had a great driver, who picked me up (on time) in a Prius. There were even free bottles of water for passengers (not so eco-friendly though)

On my departure date I arrived at LAX early and was very disappointed at the vegan options in the NWA terminal (Terminal #2). I circled around the restaurants many times, almost like being at home and checking the fridge and cabinets multiple times before realizing nothing new appeared since the first time you checked.

• Starbucks, Burger King, and La Brea Bakery didn't have any good options. Starbucks had bagels but couldn't toast them.
• L.A. Roadhouse-Route 66 had a lot of food but they refused to make any substitutions
• I finally settled on Wolfgang Puck Express and bought a Naked Juice and a toasted bagel with jam. They also had fruit cups.

Detroit McNamara Terminal had a lot more options. I left around dinner time so I went to Online Cafe (Gate A36) and found a great hummus & tabouli wrap, chips, peanut butter crackers, and even a chocolate Silk soy milk.

Breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien (West Hollywood)

I had a great breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien in West Hollywood this morning.

Of course I got the Organic Matcha Green Tea Latte - my favorite, especially with agave.

Then I had my new favorite muffin - the Ginger Green Tea muffin. I tried some of the fruit spreads on them (Apricot, and 4 Red Fruits) and they were amazing!

Then I had the Organic Omega-3 Berry Boost Oatmeal - delicious. It was just the right size and was bursting with nutrition due to the flax seeds and oil. It wasn't sweet, aside from the berries, so I mixed in some agave and it was perfect.

Breakfast (and dessert) at Seed Kitchen

During a recent trip to Seed Kitchen in Venice I noticed some new items in the dessert section. When I asked Eric what they were he told me they were the new breakfast items: scones and muffins. I got the raisin-flax seed scone and the raspberry-chocolate muffin: YUM!

The scone...well, it tasted like a scone, and it had great flavor. The muffin was out of this world - great flavor and texture (a little moist). Even though I ate them at closing, they still tasted very fresh. Eric said they haven't been selling very well because no one knows about them - so get yourself down to Seed and try them! Seed opens at 10am everyday.

Also, while I was there I tried the new and improved vanilla soft serve - AMAZING! The vanilla flavor is really intense and the texture is just right. The only downside is that it melts really fast, but it still tastes delicious as a drink! ; )

Vegan pancake mix by The Cravings Place review

Sureshot cafe - Seattle: yummy vegan scone

I just ate my strawberry-peach vegan scone that I bought on Saturday from Sureshot cafe, and it still tasted fresh and delicious...never-mind that it was so greasy that it soaked the brown bag it was in. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture because I was too excited to eat it! It was a good size, with icing, and strawberry-peach filling.

Sureshot is a little cafe in the University district. I went in because it had a big sign bragging about all its vegan pastries.

Mighty O Donuts - Seattle

Mighty O was amazing. I'm bringing back 6 donuts to LA! I'm so mad LA doesn't have an organic, vegan donut shop...or pizza place. Maybe I'll have to open my own....

UPDATE: They survived the plane ride back to L.A., even after being in my bag for about 6 hours (leaving for the airport until getting home). Then, I froze them and they actually tasted good the next morning, even before defrosting them! And lastly, I put a frozen donut in the microwave for 30 seconds and it was very tasty. Definitely not as good as fresh in the morning, but better than no vegan donut at all!