From Scratch is always best. . .

Is your vegan food really vegan? They tested 17 LA area vegan restaurants for non-vegan ingredients. Read to find out why seven of them failed miserably.

Follow Your Heart Cafe

We were hungry and couldn't face cooking in Art's LA closet-of-a-kitchen. Plus the girls were with grandparents, so we were free to eat experimentally. Our options were limited since it was late on a Monday. Taking all this into consideration, we cut across the San Fernando Valley to Follow Your Heart Cafe, a mostly organic veg eatery that's open 7 days a week until 9. I was excited to eat at this vegetarian landmark and slather vegenaise on everything!




There's my Italian Salad (marinated artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, red onion, black olives, tomatoes, pepperoncinis, on a bed of organic greens)

and Art's Caesar Salad (vegetarian version of the classic with organic Romaine lettuce, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, croutons, with garlic bread)
Both salads were delicious and devoured.



"finally!" There's Art's Reuben (thinly sliced wheatmeat, natural swiss cheese, sauerkraut, mustard and vegenaise on oversized rye bread)
Mine is a Club (triple decker with wholewheat bread, turkey-style wheatmeat, vegetarian bacon bits, tomato, lettuce, vegenaise, and I added avocado)
each had carrots piled high and was delicious. But Art's would have been better had it not sat in the window for so darn long. duh!


Here's a photo of my sandwich sitting lonely on the table waiting for the other. We waited and waited, and our waiter was no where to be seen, and no one else received our wondering glance. I watched the sandwich sit under the heat lamp...
Never fear, the service won't keep us away, and perhaps it'd be better next time? Though Art chalks it up to classic vegan service. Is there something to this? Have you gotten apathetic service at veg restaurants?

Veggie Grill, Vicious Dogs, & More. It's Southern California, baby.

The girls and I met Karen for lunch at the Veggie Grill on Campus Drive. This place rocked my taste buds and is 100% animal-free! I have a fantasy that this restaurant replaces every single McDonalds on Earth. Imagine that.
Karen ordered The V-Burger (grilled steak burger) for now and The Stack (grilled veggie sandwich) for later at work. I got the Grillin' Chickin' (with cilantro pesto, avocado & other veggies on a wheat bun). Quinoa is a treat in the salads and you must get Sweetheart Fries.


I can't resist vegan cookbooks, so I was eager to check this place. The store is tucked in the back corner of a San Diego shopping center - similar to the way the books are crammed in the store. Stacks and piles of (mostly) cookbooks everywhere! I like scavenger hunts and found an abundant vegetarian section, but not one vegan book. With all the clutter, I asked. She said there's a HUGE demand for vegan cookbooks and she can not keep them in stock. Disappointing. A Moosewood and Newman's Own Organics Guide was the best I could do.

Vicious Dogs. It's a meathouse with killer vegan hotdogs! Willie understands and cooks it separately with pride. I've raved about this place a time or two before, and I mean it, if you are anywhere near North Hollywood and crave a delicious, no fuss, inexpensive vegan meal, you must give this a try. Really, do yourself a favor.
You see fries, a plain with ketchup for Abi, and my new favorite. A #4 "Chicago Style" featuring tomatoes, onion, peppers, pickle, & green relish. What a treat! So fresh & zesty!


I savored a shopping spree at Whole Foods while in California. I miss them and Trader Joe's dearly since moving to Idaho, but I digress. These are the things that caught my eye: I'd buy both food bars again (Organic Fiber Bar & Raw*Revolution) which are vegan and raw. Nature's Path Hemp Plus Granola is completely addicting. O.N.E. coconut water is rich in potassium & good in smoothies, but I'll stick to bananas. We went ga-ga over the eco-planet cookies. And I look forward to raw chocolate adventures with the cacao beans.

and look! I won a BIG jar of Vitamineral Green from Kristen's Raw, who drinks it daily, says: "Many ways... in a fruit smoothie is great, or add a teaspoon to a green juice. If you're not used to it... start small with a teaspoon in whatever you put it in. I'm at a tablespoon serving now, but I worked my way up to it. Sometimes I just chug it down fast with some water or orange juice - it's very green, but so good for you! It's easily hidden in smoothies though :)"
Next up is a Follow Your Heart restaurant review.

Mostly Green

I updated my FB status with, "Vicki asks What to do with all this broccoli?" Getting responses like a YouTube of Dana Carvey's "Chopping Broccoli", or the "Love Food Hate Waste" link with recipes to use it up. Or, a PPK recipe Theresa suggested "Classic Broccoli Quiche" which you see. It was OK. I think it'd be righteous sandwich spread, or burrito filling - being complimented by other ingredients. If nothing else, go learn potluck faux pas & eves drop on the fall-out of one potluck party gone bad.


This is the pie shell I used for the quiche. It was delicious and convenient. No wonder Wholly Wholesome was named "Best Pie Crust" in the November 2008 issue of Real Simple Magazine.

Green because they are organic, animal-free pie shells. They are available in Traditional, Whole Wheat & Spelt, as well as Graham & Chocolate Pie. No kneed to roll the dough.



My Costco broccoli bag continued...
VICKI'S BROCCOLI POTATO SOUP
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 lb yukon gold potatoes, chopped
6 cups boiling water
2 tbsp "Better Than Bouillon" vegetable base
4-5 cups fresh broccoli, cooked & drained
sea salt, fresh ground pepper & nutritional yeast



1. In a soup pot saute onion & garlic in oil. Add potatoes, water and veg base. Cover, bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Clean & remove broccoli stems and steam. Once cooked add to soup.
3. In a food processor puree the soup and return to stock pot. Season with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast.
If you're lucky, you'll have Sweet & Saras on hand for dessert! Seriously.

Have you heard of Cono Sur?
You can feel even nicer drinking this wine because it's green. They are the first winery in the world to obtain CarbonNeutral delivery status, which means that CO2 emissions from the shipping has been measured and balanced to net zero through Greenhouse Gas Emissions reductions projects. They also grow organic grapes, and ride bicycles. Bet they recycle & compost too. And the wine doesn't suck either!

*recipe testing* The Urban Vegan: 250 Street-Smart, Animal-Free Recipes (32-35)

TUSCAN BRAISED BEANS












COCONUT-LIME BARS















LUNCH MUFFINS

Some of my new favorite things...

A place I love to get lost is Creative Kismet. I always see the cutest handmade things and am flooded with clever ideas to inspire me.

I love how Regina recycled vintage neckties to make this lovely flower brooch Olivia is modeling. Thank you for the gift! :)






Woot! I won a contest at VegDining, and the prize was a bracelet of my choice from Snooty Jewelry! Thank you! :)

I loved my new bling bracelet even more when I found out this company's mantra is to promote compassion for animals, people, and the environment. This is a company worth promoting, so go and get yourself some bling!



I was thrilled to receive a copy of Amey's annual cartoony vegan cookbooklet again this year! Such a clever way to share vegan recipes & captivating cartoons. Thank you, Amey! :)

You'll want to check out more of Amey's artistic talent here.






Another favorite Christmas gift was from my friend, Wendy. His and her matching LifeLine Green water bottles. After bummin' water off Wendy at playdates for so long, we now can rehydrate ourselves in style. The lovely background is my new fashionable shopping bag the bottles came in.

Thanks, Wendy! You know exactly what I like. :)


With so many reasons to be thankful, I wanted a new way to show it. Handmade cards adapted from Family Fun Magazine.

PHOTO HOUSE CARD

Supplies: heavyweight white paper, markers and/or crayons, photographs, craft glue, scissors




If you'll be mailing this card, make sure it will fit into an oversized envelope without folding.

Draw and color a house, including a window for each family member. Cut out the window, and place photos behind, taping in place. Glue another piece of paper to the back to cover the photos and on which to write your message.




I made 6 different houses which we sent out, but not before going to Kinko's for extra color copies to have on hand as personal stationary.

The whole family had fun picking photos and coloring. They didn't take much time to make, and now I'm thinking of the possibilities -- Christmas cards, invitations, birthdays, etc.

*recipe testing* The Urban Vegan: 250 Street-Smart, Animal-Free Recipes (26-31)

CHOCOLATE-CHIPOTLE CHILI













CREAMY CILANTRO-LIME SAUCE















SWEET FRENCH TERRINE













MOROCCAN MILLET TIMBALES
















LEMON-SCENTED CARROTS WITH CAPERS AND CORIANDER










VIETNAMESE-INSPIRED TAPIOCA PUDDING

*recipe testing* The Urban Vegan: 250 Street-Smart, Animal-Free Recipes (21-25)

CHERRY-CHOCOLATE CHUNK SCONES













WHEAT-FREE SOFT PRETZELS













DOUBLE APPLE CAKE
















CHOCOHOLIC PANCAKES













POTATOES WITH 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC

*recipe testing* The Urban Vegan: 250 Street-Smart, Animal-Free Recipes (15-20)

Arty-Farty Party Nuts













Chocolate Mousse














Tapenade













Tri-Color Quinoa














Niblet Salad













Blueberry-Banana Bread

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Thrill your kids with these simple holiday treats! The idea came from Family Fun Magazine, but you can making them vegan using the following ingredients:

Nutter Butter cookies, red Sunspire candy, pretzels, semi-sweet chocolate chip, and white frosting.

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history!!!