HAPPY HALLOWEEN~ Spooky Dot Pcorn Balls

Thanks to Very Vegan Holiday, Lex & I found out these little pieces of magic crack are indeed VEGAN...so we bought several hundred boxes j/k:-D  The Halloween Dots come in three delectable flavors: Candy Corn, Blood Orange Bats, & Fruity Ghosts (3/$3 @ Walgreens).

Since they are made without oil/ fat, just toxic crap, we decided to indulge this Halloween and make big CraZy Town Pcorn balls. *"CraZy Town" is when I forget my name and start running around in circles when corn syrup is introduced into my blood stream...SCARY!

Halloween Pcorn Dot Balls 

~ Pop 1 bag popcorn (salted NO OIL)

~ Combine in Saucepan: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/3tsp Malt Vinegar, 2 1/2 T light Corn Syrup

~ Cook: Bring ingredients to a boil while stirring.  Cover and cook over medium heat for about 3 mins. Uncover and cook, stirring slowly until syrup is thick. *To test, drop a little cooked syrup into a small bowl of very cold water.  When it forms a ball,  it's ready.  Watch syrup closely, it thickens quickly.

~ Make the Balls: Remove syrup from heat.  Pour slowly over warm popped corn and small cut dot pieces, mixing with spoon.  Super Messy, start shaping balls with your hands. 

*** The first time we made these they were perfect but last night somthing when wrong and LEX won't confess:-D

Healthy TiP: Don't eat the left over dots, make Halloween decorations instead;)  The perfect pants to carry all your vegan JUNK food! tactical pants and the link is http://tacticalpants.com.

 

  

  

 

It's a WRAP

Ever since I left STL  I've missed my daily visits to CBW (fast food low-fat wraps).  After endless searching around LA for something remotely similar...I just gave up:(  Until a light went off  and I realized "I can make my own fresh fabulous restaurant style wraps!" It wasn't till last week when I FINALLY found a large enough tortilla at Whole Foods, Garden City Brand ~ All Natural Roll-up made of Stone Ground Whole Wheat.  They're absolutely perfect for all your wrapping needs!  TIPS: A great wrap starts with steaming the tortilla until soft and sticky (achieved in a warm oven).  Place ingredients in towards side of the tortilla.. not all the way over:)  Fold the bottom first then sides and roll it up Tight!  The OPTIONS are ENDLESS NOW!!  Woohoo:-D

Twice-Baked Falafel Wrap

~Twice-Baked Falafel

~ Brown Rice Cous Cous

~ Organic Eden Chickpeas

~ Organic Grape Tomatoes

~ Lettuce, your choice 

~ KK's Secret in out Dressing

~ Homemade Oil Free Hummus

~ Fresh Dill

Habanero Breakfast Wrap

~ Black & Pinto Beans (drained & precooked in fresh salsa)

~ Grape Tomato (Cut, Cover in Hot Sauce and Clintro)

~ Whole Foods 365 Frozen Jamsine Rice (Microwaved)

~ Oraganic Butter Potoatoes (Oven Roasted)

~ Fresh Lettuces (greener the better:)

~ Secret ingredient: LUCKY HABANERO SALSA...out of this world!!!

**Jnet's Mild Burrito: Black & Pinto Beans, Corn, and Fresh chopped red pepper cooked in Mild FRESH salsa.

Bird's Nest Pasta

Bird's Nest Pasta makes a weekly appearance on my menu.  It's sooo easy, filling, & delicious!!  Best of all it's completely gluten and oil free:)  It's important to choose the right organic products and ingredients to make it taste simply divine.  

  





Building your Bird's Nest

 
De Boles Gluten Free Rice Angle Hair pasta
Food Merchants Organic Polenta
Eden Organic Beans (BPA Free)
The Wizard's Hot Stuff
Whole Foods 365 fat free pasta sauce 
KK's Secret is out Dressing
Fresh Baby Spinach
Fresh Galic & Onions
Fresh Grape Tomatos
Soy Sauce
Maple Syurp (Med Amber)

 

Too Easy: Cook pasta boiling 5-7, rinse w/ cold water.  Tomato Sauce:  Bring to a simmer, add baby spinach and soy sauce, maple syrup, hot sauce ....to your taste.  Once spinach is cooked add grape tomato (don't over cook), simmer 2-3 mins.  

Med-Easy: Polenta Fries- 
Cut the polenta into finger width round slices.  Spread the slices on a large cutting board.  Chop up equal amounts of garlic and onion (2 cloves and about 1/4 of a small onion)  Evenly distribute the garlic and onion on top of each polenta disk.  Stack them back up vertically and smash down to evenly mix it all together.  After hand mixing it (super mess) for a moment spread it thin, fry sized onto your cutting board and make a nice rectangle or square.  Slice it evenly across and then subdivide it down the middle for your fry shapes.  Place them all on a hot nonstick skillet (leave room to flip them).  You might have to do it in two batches depending how large your skillet is.  They are super messy at first, but as soon as you have 2 or three sides browned they'll be easier to move around the pan.  Brown them on all four sides using a spatula to carefully flip them.  If the skin comes off just put it back on.  When they are brown on 4 sides put them in the oven 400 degrees and work on the rest of the dish or other half of the polenta.  The oven just keeps them warm and cooks the garlic and onion a little more, so you can leave them in for as little or up to 20 minutes. 

Remedial:  KK's Fat Free Dressing-

Equal Tablespoons of everything depending on your taste and need:  
Annies Naturals Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (Wizard's Gluten Free)
Organic Dijon Mustard
Maple Syrup (Med Amber taste best)
Organic Tamari Sauce
Filtered Water, To Taste
Ginger, Onion & Garlic powder, To Taste

Shape it like a Bird's Nest ....Voila!  The prefect meal for a two yr old stuck in a 28yr old's body:-D

Getting SKINNY @ Fatty's:-)

FATTY'S & CO CAFE

1627 Colorado Blvd.

Eagle Rock, CA  90o41 

(323) 254-8804  

Hours: 6 - 10pm (Su 5 - 9pm closed Mon & Tue)

 Fatty's is hands down one of the BEST vegetarian restaurants in LA!  Even the ambiance is a step above the rest and would fool any meat eater into thinking it was what they call "a real restaurant" lol :-D  They have white xmas lights strewn through the exposed wood beams in the ceiling which makes a great setting for an elegant evening.  It's the perfect place for a romantic date or to alter the vegan mindset of your parents.   Fatty's also has a extremely impressive all VEGAN wine list.  We were in a sweet mood and choose Kung fu Girl Riesling which was excellent, light on our pockets too!  

Although Fatty's specializes in fattie veggie goodness they graciously catered to our special NO OIL request without advance notice.  Yeah Yeah a simply boring veggie plate (Farmer Market Salad)...I KNOW:-(  But they really did it RIGHT!  The veggie were soooo grandly presented with amazing flavor and freshness.  I do wish they would have added a more filling grain (cous cous, orzo, wild rice, ect) to the dish because it left  us kinda hungry.  I've always wanted to try their homemade maple syrup cotton candy and since our visit was a special occasion we when for it...AWESOME!!  It tasted much more wholesome than that old school fair crack rock.  The maple melted so perfectly in my mouth, I can still taste it now:P  I think the best time to hit up Fatty's is for a lovely quite Sunday dining...usually slow Sunday but other nights make a reservations.

Vegan-LA Reviews:
http://vegan-la.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=507

HappyCow Reviews:

http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=5078

NO Muffin Toppin' w/ Krystine Crowell's Muffins

For some grab & go low fat goodies hit up the Santa Monica Co-op for some Krystine's Bakery Muffins!

The muffins are located in the short isle left of deli right below my favorite lower fat Michelle Cookies.  Most of Krystine's Crowell's Healthy Gourmet Bakery muffins ($2.39) are Low Fat, Vegan, & Oil Free (check label).  Beware: the chocolate peanut butter or raspberry/ blueberry bunt cakes... vegan fat kid treats:-D   In some of her low fat muffins there are traces of canola oil but I'm lead to believe it's a insignificant amount.  She mostly uses applesauce, bananas, and tofu as a fat re- placer.  
My absolute favorite is the Corn Muffin!!  It's perfectly textured with a tad bit of sweetness.  I usually enjoy it with a tall glass of non-fat soy milk or a big bowl of veggie soup:)  I'm also a fan of the low fat fruit and 98% fat free bran muffins, I wish they came in more flavors besides blueberry and nasty mushy peach on top..haha!!  for real

STUFF I EAT, TOO:-)

STUFF I EAT

144 N. Market St.

Inglewood, CA  90301 

(310) 671-0115  

Hours: 12 - 8pm (Su 12 - 6pm closed Mon) 

 This is STUFF I'd like to EAT every day!! You just can't go wrong.  Everything is hearty & healthy Vegan goodness. The restaurant is owned by the most amazing family who specially caters to McDougallers.  They're extremely happy to accommodate our oil free diet since they already are experts in low oil healthy cooking!! 

 Stuff I Eat is located in the town center of Inglewood and there's easy metered parking in front.  The menu features sandwiches, tofu, wild rice, yams, tacos, burritos, salads, raw, and desserts.  They use all organic ingredients when possible with no preservatives, artificial flavors, or refined sugar.  Most items are made with no oil but you still must request it because they will crisp the tacos & burritos with a small amount.  They also can omit vegan cheese from the savory sauce.   CASH ONLY.  Taco's from $5 each to $11 Burritos.  We choose the Mixed Tacos (seasoned tofu, mixture of wild rice & black rice, fresh tomato, kale, homemade guacamole, and double-shelled corn tortilla), Lunch Burrito (seasoned tofu, black beans, wild rice, fresh corn, savory sauce, fresh tomatoes, homemade guacamole) and Homemade yams.  It was an absolute treat and we CAN'T WAIT to return!!

Vegan-LA Reviews:
http://vegan-la.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=229&p=1701

HappyCow Reviews:

http://www.happycow.net/reviews.php?id=14920

Mrs. Winston's Green Grocery "LA's Best Salad Bar"

Mrs. Winston's Green Grocery

3150 Ocean Park Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA  90405

(310) 452-7770  

Hours: 7am - 7pm (Sat/ Sun 8am-5pm)

 

 Mrs. Winston's Green Grocery is REALLY "LA's Best Salad Bar"  ...sorry Whole Foods lovers:)  It's the perfect healthy take-away place with 3 locations situated around business parks on the West Side.  The salad bar is located inside a  small natural food "snack" store and has virtually the same selection at each location.  The BEST thing about the Salad bar is they CLEARLY mark "Vegan" & "OIL FREE" items.  Plus, it's not all about Salad..I always build my own sandwich!!  With about 6 different vegan breads to choose from and a plethora of fresh veggies, legumes, and oil free hummus... Heavenly:D   They also have a few pre-made oil free pasta & beans salads but noting compares to the Rock'n "build your own" salad selection w/ fat free dressings.   

Price: You pay buy Weight, so be cognizant of  your unnecessary water weight.  For example, try to strain the extra water from mixed salads, salsas, beans..ext.  I didn't last time...Lex's was $7.50 & Mine $12.75 for the exact same thing..YIKES!  Dessert??:  You MUST try the fat-free Rice Crispy Treat from HeavenScent!!  

Locations:  

3150 Ocean Park Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 452-7770

2450 Colorado Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90407
(310) 315-2777

1999 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 553-4100

**Remember to call ahead and make sure they are open they cater to the business lunchers so they have short hours

Vegan-LA Reviews:
http://vegan-la.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=229&p=1701

Yelp Reviews:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mrs-winstons-green-grocery-santa-monica

Twice Baked Falafel

Twice Baked Falafel

Deliciously Oil Free goodness!! 

 Twice Baked Falafel (c) what the heck is that you say???  A folly of sorts that ended up fabulous. 
After traveling Europe and running into one fried falafel ball after another that we had to pass on (aside from a drunken night in London at an none too sanitary late night falafel cart) we couldn't wait to be back in a kitchen to prepare our favorite baked falafel.  Unfortunately, the solar powered vacation rental we choose had rudimentary cooking supplies and ours are buried unlabeled in our storage locker until we find permanent housing.  Too make a long story short, a little too much water in the mix combined with a rack instead of a tray to bake them on resulted in what looked like falafel stalactites.  Keen to rectify the situation Lex rescued the crisped batter from the racks and began making balls out of it, crunchy parts mixed inside, sloppy parts outside and ready for round two in the oven.  These Twice Baked Falafels(c) turned out so incredibly good we're copyrighting the term!  (j/k)

                         Santa Monica Co-op's Ingredients

~ Falafel Mix (BEST)

~ Garlic Powder

~ Onion Powder

~Vegan Naan

~Low Fat No Oil Hummus

~Green Beans

~Salad

~Cherry Tomatos

~Chic Peas
~Near East Cous Cous

*The Vegan Naan is a new item at our Co-Op (Santa Monica CoOpportunity)

* Prep Time :  15 mins  Just follow the instructions on the back of the falafel mix, we used powered garlic and onion because its what we had on hand, fresh would work better.  Make little falafel burgers and soon as the falafel gets crispy in the oven take it out and LET IT COOL so you can handle mashing the patties into balls and rebake until crispy on the outside.  Crunchy goodness!

Most Important Meal of the Day ~ Oatmeal!

I've always hated Oatmeal, I found it flavorless and just plain boring.  As a child, you would literately have to pour a cup of brown sugar on it just to get me to touch it!!  ...Still then I would carefully spoon off the top layer of melted sugar making sure not to get a oat:D  As I grew older my morning sugar cravings haven't changed:(   Although I started actually eating the oats when I was introduced to Dr. McDougell: Organic Instant Oatmeal Light Maple Brown Sugar.  I've seriously been eating that everyday for the past 3 years...sometimes even for lunch & dinner!  It's just that good:P  I must admit, I know how to take the Healthy OUT of oatmeal...my additions: Non-fat soy milk (instead of water) & 1/2 tb Coco Powder.  Honestly, that not too bad, is it??   I recently evolved one step further into the light of health and pumped up my oatmeal with real OATS and Fresh Fruit!  I've been boiling up Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats with various seasonal fruits daily.

Baked Apple Oats 

4 c.  peeled and cut up apples
1/2 c. Non-Fat soy milk 
1/3c. Water

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. Allspice
1/4 c.  Maple Syrup (light amber)

2 tb.  agave (if your looking to spike you blood sugar:)
1/8 tsp. Fresh Ginger
 
Easy: Cook on stove top until done. (put them to the side)


Use what is left of the sugar water,  2c. Water 

Bring to a boil, add 1c. Bob's Rolled Oats

Reduce heat and cook for 10 to 15 depending on the consistency you like.  
Stir occasionally cover and remove for heat and let stand for 5 min.
Mix in baked apples.

Vegan Sandwich Appreciation Day

So I am not one to miss a Vegan Holiday of any sorts.  Cruising my daily ritual of vegan awesomeness websites and blogs I came across the following declaration: i hereby name today vegan sandwich  i appreciation day. now what are you gonna do to celebrate?  I am always up for the challenge, but upon a quick review of Vegan Sandwiches in a 10 minute radius Kristin and I decided to hit up the Co-Op to pay proper homage to Vegan Sandwich Appreciation Day and build our own.  Inspired by Quarrygirl's Vinh loi tofu Subs we set out to see if we could create something similar since Vinh Loi could result in a 2 hour journey and we had some Glee to watch...  Now heading into the grocery store with a single minded sandwich mission is fun.  Get in, grab sandwich parts, get out.  Baguette ($2.49), Cucumber($.96), Carrot (FYI buying 1 carrot costs $.16), Onion ($.51), Tomato ($1.39), GardenVegan Patties ($4.29).  We had an AgaveMustard Spread we'd made for a pot luck that didn't make its way into our bag full of soft pretzels (total calamity) sitting in the fridge.  I halved the bread two ways, spread both sides with the FuneyMustard, layered the GardenVegan Patties (awesome product btw 80 calories, 5 from fat, made from whole grains)  piled on the toppings and paired with a Oil Free Veggie Soup from the Co-op = a sandwich fit for a Big Rig TRUCK Driver!   And the best part is the Garden Vegan Patties cook 5 minutes on each side, which is all the time you need to dice up your toppings and dash on a little salt and pepper and left over greens.

The Perfect Baked Potato

FACT: Potatoes are the world GREATEST food!!  Seriously, no lie, they contain all the nutrients and amino acids needed to live a long healthy life.   Potatoes are the perfect comfort food that our bodies crave...mashed, fried air fried, grilled, boiled and my favorite BAKED.  You always know it's going to taste absolutely fabulous OIL FREE..no coating the SKIN!!

  I'm a lover of all potatoes but when it comes to baking I choose Russet Potatoes, they're the perfect size, have a flaky texture and naturally buttery flavor.  Choosing that "Perfect Potato" is important, make sure it's a nice uniform round size with a even brown tone (no greenish cast) and there aren't any sprouts, black spots or bruising.  Now to baking, I always rub and brush the hell out of my taters with my veggie wash because I'm going to devour those skins:)  I also suggest while still wet from their washin', rub some sea salt all over the skin for extra crispy flavor!

My rule of thumb is the longer you wait the better it taste!  I'll do mine at 350F for 90 min...maybe even 2 hours!  **Don't forget to poke those fork holes & place WITHOUT foil or parchment paper on the middle rack.  Why I took a pic without cutting up my delicious show potatoes is beyond me but here's my potato pair w/ Whole Foods oil free grains from the deli and a simple salad w/ my secret dressing (will disclose at a later date:)  Need your butter?  Use a butternut squash box soup as a low fat replacer, just add salt.  Getting more creative with my potato the next night I decided to make Lex some "Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes" from Veganomicon.   I found the wonderful oil free version on Susan's Cooking Blog

Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:
4 large Russet potatoes, baked, cooled, cut in half and flesh scooped out (leave 1/4 in potato in the skin)
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds (only had powder)
1 small yellow onion, small dice, about a cup
1 med carrot, small dice, about 3/4 cup
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 salt
1/2 cup frozen green peas, rinsed
juice of 1/2 lemon
 
Small amount of water in a medium sized pan, heated to med-high, then sizzle the mustard seeds briefly to toast them before adding the carrots, onions, and garlic, ground cumin, coriander and turmeric.


Mash the potato flesh (adding a bit of broth or soymilk if it seems too dry)... (DON'T miss this step I DID and mine were DRY:( then add the sauteed veggies and lemon juice and mix well.  Spooned the fillings into the skins.


Bake at 400 F. until the potatoes are nicely browned.

Conclusion:  Very good but not spicy enough:-(  Spice it up!!

   

Healthy Vegan Destination - The Stanford Inn by the Sea

The
Stanford Inn by the Sea

44850
Comptche Ukiah Road

Mendocino,
CA 95460

Get
Directions

(707)
937-5615

* approximate times

 - 

stanfordinn.com

We have been seeing ads for The Stanford Inn for as long as we've been subscribers to VegNews.  We could never tell if it was just some hippie fluke of a place or the real deal.  After a Dr. McDougall Advanced Study Weekend in Santa Rosa, the trip to Mendocino didn't seem so bad to find out.  Driving through wine country was a treat! Upon arriving we were warmly greeted at the reception with a fire crackling. The reception has a country lodge feel to it, with a nice gift shop filled with vegan books and goodies.

Without ever seeing pictures of the room we really had no idea what to expect wheeling our suitcases down the 6th grade camp looking exterior of the main guest quarters.  When the door to our room swung open we were instantly moved by the coziness.  Vegan chocolates on the organic cotton pillows, a fireplace in every room filled with wood and newspaper just awaiting your match, a terrace looking out to the Pacific Ocean and non toxic vegan shampoo, body wash and conditioner. Pure Heaven! 

   In the hotel handout you get when checking in there is a nice section dedicated to Dr. McDougall! Outside the room you have a 24x7 Pool inside a green house accompanied by a spa and sauna.  During the day you get bikes with your room that you can pick up at the canoe house and ride into the picturesque town of Mendocino.  Riding into town you feel like you're rushing to the see in the 1800s to see if your friends at sea have come back in. 

There are two organic grocery stores in Mendacino.

Cornters of the Mouth

Harvest

Plenty of random vegan options exist at the restaurants in Mendacino but our stand out favorite is the soy ice cream rootbeer float at
Frankie's IceCream

Each morning with your lodging you get a FREE breakfast of your choice at the Ravens Restaurant  http://www.ravensrestaurant.com
Plenty of healthy options along with decadent pleasures.  
The price for a  lovely evening will run you about $18 per entree but well worth it for a special occasion! 

I choose to go with the a healthy version of the  Falafel (chickpea falafel BAKED and served w/ arame polenta fries(no fries for me I requested steamed veggies), tahiti sauce and cucumber).

Lex decided to go with Sprouted Live Quinoa Wrap (Southwest spiced sprouted quinoa and cashew sour cream wrapped in garden romaine lettuce leaves and accompanied by a mango salsa and avocado) a rich dish indeed but no oil:) 

When you return to your room in the evening another special treat awaits you homemade Vegan chocolate chip cookies!  So TEMPTING... I was good and had only one oily bite:)  We then realized that we only booked one night on the off chance we wouldn't like it and immediately extended our stay :)  

Our only regret is that we didn't have all our friends along with us so next year its vegan retreat at the Sanford Inn.  Save your pennies ($238/nt for 2 people) and hit the rowing machine and bike so you're in shape for next summer!

M Cafe De Chaya

M Cafe De Chaya

9343 Culver Blvd.

Culver City, Los Angeles

310-838-4300 

www.mcafedechaya.com

Hours: 9am - 9pm (Fri/ Sat 10pm)

 

 M Cafe is a nice all organic Macrobiotic deli style cafe that is almost completely vegan if you take away the fish:(  Most of the menu consists of very creative vegan items. They have three locations around LA; Melrose (original), Culver City (serves alcohol), and Beverly Hills (online orders available) opened recently.  The food is Asian with French influences...meaning mostly everything is coated in OIL:'(  It's such a shame because the food quality is amazing there.

 The Teriyaki-Tofu Bowl (steamed veggies, Tofu, & Teriyaki) is about the only thing (besides one sushi) they will make Oil/ Fat Free which is fine because it's a favorite of mine.  I KNOW it sounds boring but it's actually pretty incredible!  I don't know HOW they make something so simple taste so good?? ....mine never tastes like this:-D  The positive thing about hitting up the Culver City location is you can get a big ol' organic BEER!!  woohoo:)  We had the St. Peter's English Ale and it was perfectly smooth and flavorful.  Top off your naturally low fat Vegan rice bowl with a delicious Green Tea soy ice cream...yum tum:P   Still hungry?? Head over to sister restaurant Chaya in Venice or WEHO for some amazing veggie sushi. 


The Bill: Pretty Damn Pricey for a Bowl of RICE & Beer..Yikes.  Basically, you paying top dollar to eat LA's hippest Macro Cafe:)  As you can see we could have definitely ordered one for each of us but spending $60 bucks for that would just be stupid. 

Vegan-LA Reviews:
http://vegan-la.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=370

Yelp Reviews:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/m-cafe-de-chaya-culver-city