A {Vegan} Love Letter to LA in Two Parts (Continued)

This is a continuation from a previous post, wherein I heralded LA's amazing weather and several of the fantastic restaurants that we visited while traveling there. Here, I'll discuss a few more vegan restaurants, and another one of my favorite things about California: The desert...

| The Food |

\\ SunCafe //

Before going on any kind of trip, I always feel compelled to compile a list of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars to use as a reference during our frolic. In California, SunCafe's Studio City location made it onto said list. That's because it’s an entirely organic, vegan restaurant that offers fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, and several raw, and/or gluten-free options (if you’re so inclined).    

On our visit we began with the raw Lettuce Leaf Tacos, which consisted of romaine lettuce leaves filled with “sun chorizo,” cashew cheese, and pico de gallo, plus a drizzle of avocado and basil ranch dressing.

A {Vegan} Love Letter to LA in Two Parts

As a New Yorker it’s become apparent that I’m not supposed to fall in love with, or even really like, Los Angeles. Bestowing any type of warmth on LA beyond a stoic eye-roll is tantamount to declaring a fatwa on the crowded, filthy, noisy city that I call home. I mean, there’s a reason why the East Coast/West Coast Biggie/2Pac feud raged so hard during my youth, right? Even Chloe Sevigny agrees.

Nonetheless, at the risk of sounding like I’m betraying The City of Dreams, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and declare that I love Los Angeles. Like, seriously, LOVE it. Not enough to consider leaving NYC, mind you (even after being hit by a car!), but enough to wax poetic about it for at least two very long blog posts…

Buckle up.

Lemon + Cranberry Kale Salad

I'm feeling a little sheepish about this recipe.

You see, I recently declared my borderline obsession with kale, which means I'm probably crossing the line by revisiting the topic again so soon.  (Also, who am I to force yet another 'effin kale salad upon the internet?)

Furthermore, publishing a "recipe" for something void of any actual measurements makes me feel like I'm copping out somehow.  (I mean, what makes a recipe a recipe?  Are ingredient amounts clearly one of those non-negotiable prerequisites?  Is "to taste" an antiquated term?  Does Ryan Gosling even bother reading recipes this simple?)  

Instead of succumbing to pangs of self-doubt, I'm choosing to share this with you.  It's my favorite kale salad - a stunningly simple combination of sweet and bitter flavors, elegantly disguised as health food.

So, go ahead and roll your eyes about my kale overload/recipe rule infractions.  Just do it while shoving this glorious salad into your mouth.

{VeganMoFo} Kale Chips + a Brief Kale Primer

kale chips w/ nutritional yeast

 

It's official: Kale is finally getting its due.

These days, you can find kale salads in restaurants all over the country, kale in juices at gas stations/convenience stores, and even kale chips on the store shelves of non-health food stores (see:  Trader Joe's).

In fact, it has become so popular - so ubiquitous - that I'd be surprised if a backlash weren't a' brewing.  Soon enough, poor kale will be languishing on the "Not List," having been upstaged by some other food that vegans have been obsessing over for ages...

Regardless, its myriad health benefits (and fantastic, though some would call "acquired," taste) always keep me coming back for more.

{VeganMoFo} Raw Zucchini Pasta w/ Creamy Avocado Sauce

I know, I know, I just did a post about a raw zucchini pasta two weeks ago.  But come on!  That was fourteen whole days ago!  And it's not like you can ever have too many zucchini pasta recipes... right?

Also:  CH and I are headed off on a mini-vacation today (we're going to upstate New York to visit Farm Sanctuary and hit the wine trail, if you must know).  As a result, I'm gonna keep this post short and sweet.

{VeganMoFo} Raw Taco Salad

This raw taco salad is something of a revelation.

In it, crisp lettuce marries with seasoned taco meat and tangy cashew cheese to form the main components of the most coveted raw recipe in my arsenal.  The trick is to throw in just a few of the usual taco suspects:  tomatoes, scallions, olives, and cilantro, and to top the whole thing off with nothing more than a bit of freshly squeezed lime juice, which allows every flavor to shine through brilliantly.

Yes, there's a little advanced prep work here.  Yes, it's totally worth it.

This is pretty much heaven in a bowl.

{VeganMoFo} Raw Zucchini Pasta w/ Fresh Tomato Sauce

I absolutely love the way that eating raw foods makes me feel.  It's kinda my equivalent to that feeling some people describe when making the leap from an omnivorous diet to a vegan one.

Since my path to veganism essentially started at birth (my mom can attest to this fact), and I was a long-time vegetarian before becoming a vegan, I didn't experience an overnight change in my mood and energy when I altered my diet.

Honestly, my changes have been much more subtle (but nonetheless magnificent), which sometimes makes me envious of people who have a different story.  Fortunately, however, I've been able to cultivate that missing feeling through raw foods.

VeganMoFo: Shaved Asparagus Disaster

It's that time of year again! The time when just about every single vegan blogger (except me) participates in the very tantalizing, very delicious, very hard-core, Vegan Month of Food (aka VeganMoFo).

In case you haven't heard, the idea of VeganMoFo is to "write as much as you can all month, about vegan food. The blog entries can be about anything food related - your love of tongs, your top secret tofu pressing techniques, the first time your mom cooked vegan for you, vegan options in Timbuktu..."

Road Trip Trail Mix

Veggie Terrain will be on a short hiatus while JD and CH go on a much-needed vacation. Our trip will take us (on the road) all the way from Chicago to Toronto, Ontario. But don't worry! When we return, I anticipate posting lots of delicious food, wine, and beer pics. Hopefully this quick trail mix post will tide you over until then!

If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that road trips present the perfect opportunity to throw together one of the easiest (and healthiest) snacks you can make: trail mix!

Plus, it's almost impossible to go wrong while making it, which is particularly helpful when you're running around trying to pack your bags at 2am the morning before your trip! (Not that I would know anything about that, mind you!)

A Vegan Twist on Tapas, Featuring Gazpacho!

Anyone familiar with traditional Spanish tapas can attest to the fact that the phrase "vegan tapas" is almost an oxymoron. Which means, of course, that tapas are exactly what CH was in the mood for on his b-day a few weeks ago! (Not vegan tapas, per se, but I digress...)

As a result, when I decided to make him a delicious spread of vegan tapas for dinner, I felt like I was grasping at straws. So, I kept racking my brain for ideas based upon the food that we encountered in Spain years ago. Unfortunately, that method wasn't exactly fruitful, particularly since all of my "tapas memories" consisted of downing pitchers of sangria while CH enjoyed jamón ibérico and various cheeses. Ick.

Smoothies 101

This post is lovingly dedicated to my dad, who hasn't stopped asking me smoothie-related questions for approximately 6 months. Dad, if the recipe isn't provided here/your query isn't answered in this post... well then, God love ya!

It's that time of year again: the sun is starting to shine and the heat is picking up a bit (every few days, anyway!), which means that cool, fruit- and veggie-filled smoothies are cropping up almost everywhere.

So, what's a thirsty guy/girl to do? Should you succumb to the temptation of Jamba Juice, or even Dunkin' Donuts? Should you give that old 7-11 gas station "smoothie" a try? Should you buy one of those instant-smoothie mixes from your local grocery store? Or, should you take a chance and try making a scrumptious, healthy drink all by yourself?

Lettuce-Free Salads: A Terrific Trio

Unlike some vegetarians and vegans, I never tire of salads.

What I do occasionally tire of, however, are lettuce-based salads.

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes it seems like the old "greens + veggies" or "greens + fruit" thing can get a little boring. You know the drill: Throw some romaine lettuce into a bowl, add your tomatoes, toss in some broccoli, sprinkle a few sunflower seeds on top, drizzle it all with a bit of dressing... yea, yea, yea.

Predictable.

Holy Michael Phelps, It's Been a Long Time!

It's official: my nearly 3-month-long hiatus from Veggie Terrain (coupled with a recent 4-day "complete blog shutdown") has finally ended!

But as much as I've truly missed blogging, I'm proud to say that I accomplished a lot during my absence. During the past few months, I graduated from law school, completed an undeniably hellish Bar-prep program, and ultimately sat for the Bar Exam, itself. And although I won't know whether I passed until the 2nd week of October (talk about traumatic), I'm trying to be as positive as possible, and to take comfort in the fact that I've never worked so hard at anything in my life...

So, with that little bit of Bar Exam talk out of the way, let's get to the new - and hopefully improved - Veggie Terrain!

Brighten Your Day Salad + Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing

You know how sometimes when you're feeling down, just seeing something that's bright and sunny can make you feel a little bit better? Well, as silly as it might sound, that's exactly what creating this salad did for me...

Last night, my mom called to tell me that she had finally decided to put our cat, Natasha, to sleep. We've had Natasha (or "Tashie," as we liked to call her) ever since she was a kitten and I was about 8 or 9 years old. She was a Seal Point Siamese cat, with blue eyes, beautiful white fur, and the typical black legs/ears/face that're associated with Siamese cats.

Tashie was a sweet and affectionate, yet calm and sophisticated pet. She was the kind of cat who could even make sworn "non-cat people" want to pet her, and was the envy of my friends when I was growing up.

Apple Chowder with Maple Cashew Butter

JD (of Veggie Terrain) and CH will be on vacation in Portland, OR for the next week. Their flight leaves early tomorrow AM, so they'll be out of touch for a bit. However, they will be sampling lots of beer and veggie meals - and are planning to share the tasty details (and visit your blogs!) when they return.
Dear reader, let me introduce you to the most fabulous breakfast that you'll ever meet. His name is Apple Chowder, and I have no doubt that once you see him in person, it'll be love at first sight.

Now, I know what you're thinking:

"I worked so hard to snag Mr. Popularity (aka: "Johnny Cereal"), and now that our "routine" is down to just 5 mins, why in God's name would I wanna leave him?"

or

"But Old Reliable (aka: "Oatie Oatmeal") and I have been kickin' it since the days of middle school, and he's always been so good to my heart - I'm not taking a chance on someone who might break it!"

Don't worry, I completely understand. You and your breakfast already have a great relationship going, right? I mean, it's not like you get hungry before noon is it? And you're certainly not getting tired of having the same thing over and over again, are you?