Native Foods – 1, Big Ag – 0

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Orange County, Veg Restaurant September 4, 2012

I have this friend that was once a vegetarian for many years and is no longer. Doesn’t it make you so sad when you see a vegetarian/vegan turn back to the dark side? I mean, you’ve seen them thrive on a veg diet, watch them eat delicious veg food, and then ultimately go back to eating meat. Why? I don’t know – but it breaks a little piece of my heart.

So back to this friend. Whenever I have a visit with him, we always go to a vegan restaurant. He knows veg food is good, so why shouldn’t we eat it when he comes to town? In honor of his latest visit, we went to Native Foods. I think most vegetarians in California know about this place. They are popping up everywhere these days. And, since the founder has stepped aside, the new owners have expanded to even more places out of state (Oregon, Illinois, Colorado…). It’s a very exciting time for Native Foods.

The menu is quite large at Native Foods and it keeps changing (which can be good or bad, depending on if your favorites get removed or not). I once had an amazing burger one week, and the next week it was gone. One menu item that never seems to go away is the Native Chicken Wings ($6.95). And there is good reason these don’t go away – they are really delicious. They are lightly fried and not too heavy. The ranch dressing that they come with is also super good.

Chicken Wings

The Saigon Roll ($5.95) was once a special, but came back as a smaller appetizer version. No matter what the size, I love this roll. It is prepared with lemongrass tofu, pickled daikon, carrot, brown rice, cucumber, cilantro, and basil. And my favorite part about it is the peanut sauce. I love peanut sauce! This is also a good dish for omnivores that like tofu and are weirded out by the fake meats (like some former co-workers of mine).

Saigon Roll

My friend got the Portobello and Sausage Burger ($9.95) with a side of sweet potato fries. This burger is prepared with grilled portobello, homemade seitan, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, salsa, pumpkin seed pesto, and mayo. I think he liked the burger. I remember his one comment was that it was very garlicy. I’ve tried this before and thought the seitan was rather chewy.

Portobello Mushroom and Sausage Burger

I went with the Twister Wrap ($9.95): greens, avocado, salsa, chipotle sauce and your choice of crispy or grilled chicken. I really like their chicken and I love wraps, so this one is a no-brainer. It’s good. I went with the regular fries as my side, since I’m not a huge fan of their sweet potato fries (I think Veggie Grill’s are better).

Twister Wrap

And how could we not complete this fabulous meat-free meal without my favorite Native Foods dessert?? The Peanut Butter Parfait ($2.95) always hits the spot. Creamy and full of delicious goodies – I wish I knew the recipe!

Peanut Butter Parfait

So maybe the meal didn’t turn my friend back to forgoing the dead animals, but at least this one meal didn’t need to kill anything. Now I need to work on the other 1,094 meals this year.

Sandwiches from Locali in LA

Posted by socalvegangal in Breakfast Options, Los Angeles, Omnivorous Restaurant September 1, 2012

Locali is a cute little shop that sells packaged foods, eco home products, and freshly prepared sandwiches. They have a lot of meat sandwiches, but most can be made vegan.

The two most famous vegan sandwiches here are their Baaadasss Breakfast Sandwich ($5.99) and their Reuben. The Baaadasss Sandwich is made with vegan sausage, vegan cheese, chipotle sauce, and maple syrup on an english muffin. It’s very sweet and salty. I think I might have liked it with just Vegenaise instead of the chipotle sauce, because it was a bit spicy for me. Otherwise, this was a very good breakfast sandwich.

Badass Breakfast Sandwich

The Reuben ($10.50 full/$5.99 half) is made with tofu deli slices, vegan cheese, sauerkraut, and vegan russian dressing on rye. I can see why this is one of the favorite sandwiches. It’s very juicy and that dressing is wonderful.

Reuben

And one item that is not on their menu, but was special when I was there is the Hot Mama Pastrama. It came with Pastrami seitan, Daiya, and spicy homemade giardiniera. The seitan was very good – the only thing I liked about it. The veggies (aka giardiniera) were too chunky for me and didn’t have the best flavor.

Pastrami

I do like Locali’s sandwiches. The one thing that was grossing me out, though, was the fact that when I was there, there was only one guy on duty. He had to deal with customers, ring them up on the cash register, and prepare the sandwiches. Luckily when I was there he only paused to ring up people paying with credit cards (a bit cleaner than cash), but there just wasn’t that awareness of washing hands after handling non-food items that I would hope there should be. I know Locali is trying to be eco-friendly and constantly washing your hands makes for a lot of wasted paper towels, but I think a lot of us can agree that we don’t want dirty hands preparing our food. This won’t deter me from coming back, though. And, in fact, there will be a Vegan Hot Dog Fest this Labor Day weekend that I hope to go to. And you should, too, because it’s supporting ARME – Animal Rescue, Media & Education.

5825 Franklin Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
323-466-1360

Open Daily 8am-10pm

Another Lukewarm Review of 118 Degrees

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Raw, Veg Restaurant August 25, 2012

You may recall that I was not too impressed with 118 Degrees from my last post about my meal here. I have to say, that the feeling was the same on another trip to the restaurant. I went because of another Groupon. This time, my mom bought the deal, because the last time I went here with her, we loved their Miso Soup and she wanted to try more.

First we got the Topaz Pizza ($13): decadent pistachio pesto with tomatoes, herbed Italian squash on sprouted grain crust. Served with warm sun dried tomato topping, chopped olives, and basil. To be honest, we got this dish, because it had “warm” in the description. It was edible (obviously), but neither of us really liked it.

Topaz Pizza

The Sweet Corn Tamales were sold out, so we got the Spicy Almond Cheese Empanada with Spicy Vegetables and Avocado Lime Sauce ($15). While not as good as the tamales, these were tastier than the pizza.

Empanadas

For our first dessert, we got the Drunken Fruit ($9): fruit in agave champagne sauce on top of vanilla creme. This dessert was so much better than the desserts I got with my vegan guy on my last visit. It probably has to do with the fact that this dessert focuses on livening up fresh fruit (something I enjoy raw). The mangoes were perfectly ripe, very sweet, and paired beautifully with the agave champagne.

Drunken Fruit

The second dessert we got was the Fruit Fondue ($9): fruit with chocolate and vanilla dipping sauces. This was also very good. The fruit was nice and ripe and the dipping sauces were sweet and creamy. Our dessert was brought with the vanilla dipping sauce and also a berry dipping sauce even though it stated it was coming with a chocolate sauce. We asked what happened and they ended up bringing out the chocolate sauce, too. Score for the bonus sauce!

Fruit Fondue

Chocolate Sauce for Fruit Fondue

Now that all the Groupons have been redeemed, I have learned that the warm food at 118 Degrees is better than the raw and the fruit desserts are the only ones worth ordering.

Check it out for yourself.

2981 Bristol Suite B5
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-754-0718

Monday – Saturday 9am – 10pm
Sundays 10am – 9pm
Brunch on Sunday 10am – 3pm

Great Risotto from a Box?

Posted by socalvegangal in Inland Empire, Packaged Food August 19, 2012

Risotto is that rice dish that takes forever to prepare. One has to stand at the stove and gradually add in broth to the cooking rice. And if you’re vegan, don’t even think it’s that easy to find a place to make you risotto free of cream, cheese, or meat broth. I think I’ve only found one place in my life that was willing to modify their risotto recipe to accommodate my vegan diet – and this was in not-at-all-nearby Oakland. Luckily, there is a product in a box that makes making risotto a little bit easier.

Caley & Cobb is a small business offering gourmet foods such as risotto mixes, spices, and spreads. These products aren’t meant to be vegan, but a few of their products actually are. I love the Mushroom Risotto, because it tastes so good and is pretty easy to make. It comes with a rice packet and and a spice packet. Just saute the rice in some olive oil and butter (Earth Balance) and add the spice packet and some vegetable stock. Keep adding the stock a bit at a time until the rice is fully cooked. Easy peasy. I topped mine with some Parma Vegan Parmasean Cheese and ate it up.

Caley & Cobb Artisan Mushroom Risotto with Parma

Mushroom Risotto with Vegan Parmesan

Where can one find this product? You can order by phone at 909-794-4415, but I always buy mine inside Gerrards Market at 705 West Cypress Avenue, Redlands, CA.

More from Bulan Thai Vegetarian

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Veg Restaurant August 15, 2012

Back when it was colder, my vegan guy and I went to Bulan Thai Vegetarian. While it was still tasty, I think the food we order was not as good as what we had ordered before.

I wanted to try the appetizer of Seaweed Rolls ($8): deep fried nori sheet stuffed with tofu, glass noodles, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms and served with a sweet and sour sauce. When they say these are deep fried, they weren’t joking. I think they might have been too fried for me. The filling and sauce were mighty tasty, but I think I’ll stick with the Summer Rolls.

Seaweed Rolls

My vegan guy got the Rad Nah ($9): crispy vermicelli noodles topped with broccoli, shiitakes, and protein choice in gravy. He ordered this with tofu. I had a bite and thought it was good, but would choose pad thai or pad see ew instead.

Rad Nah

Because it was a colder day, I was craving a warm soup. They have a new soup item: Thai Style Pho. You’ll see it displayed at your table. I definitely prefer Vietnamese Pho places better, but this soup was still pretty good – especially since vegan Vietnamese pho is hard to come by in the central LA area (don’t you hate going to a Pho place and finding out their vegetable Pho is made with meat broth?! Yuck.).

Thai Style Pho

Go to one of these locations – just don’t order these items. (Sorry Bulan! I still love you.)

7168 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-857-1882

4114 Santa Monica Blvd
Silver Lake, CA 90029
323-913-1488

Bo De Vietnamese in Westminster

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Veg Restaurant August 8, 2012

The Westminster/Garden Grove area of Orange County has a large Vietnamese population. Luckily for vegans, there are some restaurants in the area offering delicious vegan Vietnamese food. One such place is Bo De Tinh Tam Chay– a Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant.

As an appetizer, my vegan guy and I got the Fried Won Ton ($6.99). I thought these were good. Not the best won tons I’ve ever had, but good enough to not be disappointed.

Fried Won Tons

One entree was the Combination Fried Rice ($7.99). I really liked this dish, because of its simplicity and flavor. I rarely have fried rice, but was craving it that night. This dish definitely satisfied that craving.

Combination Fried Rice

My vegan guy got the Vermicelli with Shredded Tofu and Eggless Roll ($7.49). From what I remember, he liked it all right, but has had better.

Vermicelli

And we also got their Sauteed Mushroom with Ginger and Basil ($8.99). This is basically just fried oyster mushrooms with a red sauce. I didn’t think it was that flavorful. Most of the flavor came from the sauce. Plus, the mushrooms weren’t that crispy.

Sauteed Mushrooms with Ginger and Basil

Even though what we ordered this particular night wasn’t the best, I have been here before and have had some wonderful dishes. Of course their Pho is great and I’m sure many other dishes are, too. Also, beware – they charge $0.50 for a glass of water (that’s tap water, not bottled).

It’s in a shopping complex with lots of parking.

15352 Beach Blvd
Westminster, CA 92683
714-891-4455

Monday – Thursday 9am – 9pm
Friday – Sunday 9am – 10pm

Breakfast and More at Follow Your Heart

Posted by socalvegangal in Packaged Food, San Fernando Valley, Veg Restaurant August 1, 2012

I went to Follow Your Heart, because it’s one of the few places to get a vegan breakfast. I love this place, not only because of their varied menu, but also because they have a wonderful market with hard to find vegan products.

My breakfast meal was the cleverly titled Om Lette ($10.25): an omelette shaped tofu pancake with your choice of three fillings and cheese. I chose to have my omelette filled with mushrooms, spinach, and avocado. It also came with a side of hash browns and fruit. I loved this dish, although I thought it had a bit too much cheese. It’s nice to be able to get a vegan omelette, though. Real Food Daily used to have one at their Sunday brunch, but it is no longer on the menu (bummer).

Vegan Omelette with mushrooms, spinach, and avocado

I also shopped around the market and found some vegan goodies I haven’t bought before. I haven’t used the Tofutti Ricotta ($5.79) yet, but now you know where to get it. Since purchasing this Ricotta, though, I have heard it’s not that great. Have any of you tried it? Follow Your Heart now carries Upton’s Naturals ($4.89) for those of you looking to try some new seitan varieties. I used this to put into a beans and rice dish from the cookbook “Vegan Yum Yum” and it was delicious.

Goodies from Follow Your Heart Market

Amanda’s Bakery Cupcakes at Follow Your Heart

Amanda’s Bakery has their cupcakes here and you can get them in the refrigerated section in packs of four. I got the Maple Cupcake and Raspberry Chocolate Cupcake. Both were really good. And even though I don’t know how long they had been sitting there, they still tasted pretty fresh.

Maple Cupcake and Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake

Daniel’s Choice Mac and Cheese

And they have a new prepared Vegan Mac and Cheese from Daniel’s Choice. I thought this was very creamy and a good sized quantity. It did have this one flavor. It reminded me of when I was a child and I would eat the boxed mac and cheese at friends’ houses and sometimes they would add chopped hot dogs to it (something I did not enjoy). Even though I would pick the hot dogs out, it still had that hot dog taste. I’m guessing this smokey taste came from the roasted peppers listed in the ingredients. I’m weird, I know, and this is probably my personal little quirk, but that flavor just bothered the little child inside me. Otherwise, it was very tasty.

Daniel’s Choice Mac and Cheese

Follow Your Heart’s market has tons of other products on their shelves. There’s always something new to discover. If you haven’t been there yet, you’re missing out.

21825 Sherman Way
Canoga Park, CA 91303
818-348-3240

Daily 8 am – 9 pm

Yummy Deal at Whole Foods this Weekend!

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Orange County July 27, 2012

I hope I have your full attention, because I am about to tell you some terrific news. There is a special discount on Vegan Chocolate Chip Cremewiches today through Sunday at Whole Foods Market. This might be all So Cal Whole Foods or only a select number. I know they have it at the Whole Foods at The District in Tustin and at the location in Laguna Beach. Call your local Whole Foods to see if they have it.

I just happen to be there today and saw the deal. It’s not a deal that will save you so much money that it will help pay your student loans, but it’s still something. Vegans often get overlooked when specials come to town (has anyone ever noticed that most of Whole Foods’ one day sales are of disgusting fish??). Anyway, this gigantic cookie sandwich is only $3! They also had a pack of 3 smaller cookie sandwiches for the same price if you want to share with people this weekend.

Chocolate Chip Cremewich from Whole Foods

The cookie tasted like a Toll House cookie. It didn’t hold together well, but still was yummy. The creamy center was just vanilla frosting, but oh so good! Look at the size of this thing!

Chocolate Chip Cremewich

And while I was in the bakery department, I happened to see this new product: Whoopie Pies from Cafe Indigo. This bakery is based out of New Hampshire, so it is something I hadn’t tried previously. I got a Chocolate Whoopie Pie and a Pumpkin Whoopie Pie. Each was $2.39. I almost liked these, but they had a funny flavor. I looked at the ingredients and nothing stood out as something I’d find weird. My guess is it’s whatever they used in their “natural flavors.”

Whoopie Pies from Cafe Indigo

And proof that one should never go to the grocery store hungry: a Chocolate Cupcake made by Whole Foods ($4.99). I’ve had Whole Foods’ cakes when I’ve travelled, but since I bake cakes all the time when I’m at home, I’ve never had one in So Cal. The cupcake was pretty large and they say the cake is a chocolate sponge cake. I don’t remember what animal based sponge cakes tasted like, but this one was the most dense cake I’ve ever eaten! It reminded me of a processed brownie – like an Entenmann’s brand or something. I don’t know if this is good or bad: good, because I used to like foods like this, but bad because I wanted a fluffy cake. I was also a bit disappointed by the small amount of frosting. I like a 2:1 ratio of cake to frosting and this one was more like 5:1.

Chocolate Cupcake from Whole Foods

Brunch at Real Food Daily

Posted by socalvegangal in Breakfast Options, Dessert, Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, Veg Restaurant July 20, 2012

Real Food Daily is an all vegan eatery serving up healthy, organic food. They now have three locations: Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and the newest in Pasadena. My vegan guy and I used to go here often for their Sunday brunch, but when their tofu scramble portions got smaller and smaller, we stopped frequenting them as much. The Santa Monica location has a full bakery attached to it that specializes in healthier-for-you desserts. If you want to star gaze (or impress out of town guests) the West Hollywood location often has celebrities dining in. I’ve often spotted one on a trip to their Sunday brunch. Once, we sat next to Leonardo Di Caprio and Tobey Maguire (swoon!!)! Sorry, vegan guy, but I’ve been in a relationship with Leo long before I met you.

And now back to the food. I got the Breakfast Burrito ($13.75): whole wheat flour tortilla, scrambled tofu, tempeh bacon, spanish rice, black beans, onions, peppers, topped w/ ranchero sauce, cashew cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo with hash browns or fruit. This thing is huge and (as you can see) loaded with goodness. I got it with a side of hash browns, which were crispy on the top and softer underneath. The tempeh bacon is too smokey for me at Real Food Daily, so I gave the side to my vegan guy.

Breakfast Burrito

My vegan guy went with his standard RFD brunch item: Ava B ‘n’ Cheez Scramble ($12.95): avocado, crumbled tempeh bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, cashew cheese (only he gets chopped tomatoes instead of the sun dried tomatoes). It also comes with hash browns or fruit and a side of toast. While it looks like a lot in the picture, it’s actually a bit small (especially for the price). When you see that my meal was less than a dollar more, I would expect almost as much food. It is still tasty food, but beware if you have a larger appetite.

Tofu Scramble

I was so stuffed from my burrito, that I couldn’t eat anything more. However, I saw in the bakery display case a glorious looking cheesecake, so I got it to-go. The Caramel Pecan Cheesecake ($6.95) was nice and creamy. I liked it, but my vegan guy thought the tofu flavor was too strong.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake

Check out their website to see which of their three locations is closest to you.

Comfort Food From Doomie’s Home Cookin

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Veg Restaurant July 16, 2012

Omnivores may think that vegans only eat grass (and there are some that basically do!), but some of us vegans still crave those good ol’ classic dishes. LA is home to Doomie’s Home Cookin – the latest vegetarian restaurant to bring humane alternatives to fried chicken, burgers, and pasta dishes. Doomie’s is mostly vegan – with the exception of an option of dairy cheese. I think from the people I know, some people like Doomie’s and some don’t. I am also a lover and a hater of Doomie’s. Some items I love and some items I just don’t like. I have tried about every menu item and have found the ones I love, so I stick with those. If you aren’t into the occasional unhealthy food, you may not like Doomie’s. See why the health nut may not be interested in Doomie’s below.

My absolute favorite item at Doomie’s is their Clam Chowder ($4.95/cup). Sometimes they even put it in a bread bowl – soooo good! Unfortunately, this soup is only available on Fridays (bummer!). What luck I had on Saturday, when they had clam chowder available. I got a cup of it with my entree and (as usual) loved it.

Clam Chowder

Another option to get with your entree is a Salad. I got mine with Ranch dressing. This is your typical salad, but their Ranch dressing makes it better. Nice and creamy.

Salad with Ranch

I enjoy their Chili Cheese Fries ($6.95), but prefer Chili Addiction’s a bit better. Doomie’s chili is really runny – you’ll need a fork to eat this one.

Chili Cheese Fries

My vegan guy gets their Nachos ($7.95) quite often. I’m not a huge fan of this dish, but do enjoy a few chips when he gets it.

Nachos

And the pièce de résistance – Doomie’s Fried Chicken Entree ($11.95). We got our side of mashed potatoes with gravy. It also comes with corn, bread roll, and coleslaw (upon request). I can’t eat this often (too much fried foods don’t sit well with me), but when I get the craving, it is wonderful. The chicken reminds me of what I used to eat at KFC – and it doesn’t gross me out, because I know it’s not a dead animal. The flavor is just so delicious. I am also a little obsessed with their bread rolls. I know they are so basic and packaged, but something about them makes me happy. Maybe because I normally eat more nutritious breads at home and find it to be such a treat. My vegan guy doesn’t get it, either.

Fried Chicken Dinner

Doomie’s is now open everyday: 12pm – 10pm. You can get your comfort craving filled at

1253 N Vine St Suite #9
Los Angeles, Ca 90038
323-469-4897

And they also have a secret menu that includes such things as a Big Mac, Double-Double, and Dino Egg.

So Cal Vegan Gal

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