Vegan Ice Cream at Scoops

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert Shop, Ice Cream, Los Angeles June 20, 2012

It’s Summertime! And that means vegans go out in search of frozen treats like non-dairy ice cream from Scoops. They’ve been around for awhile and most LA vegans are already in the know, but some of our dear vegan friends outside the LA Metropolitan area are out of the loop. I’m here to include those poor folks and let them know of a vegan ice cream option to try on their next trip to LA. Scoops has two locations. The original location is next to LA City College and the newer spot is in West LA. Scoops sells a bunch of dairy filled ice creams (gross!) and two or more vegan varieties (yum!). The flavors change daily, so you’ll never get bored.

My latest trip to Scoops gave me Raspberry Chocolate and Oreo Ice Cream. I think it was either a very hot day or they changed the temperature setting on their freezer, because these scoops were a bit softer than I remember. I think it made them extra delicious. I also really loved the Raspberry Chocolate, because the raspberry really mellowed out the strong chocolate flavor. Most of the time when I go to Scoops, they have a chocolate based flavor, but I always find the chocolate to be too much for me.

Raspberry Chocolate and Oreo

I have yet to go to the one in West LA, but they are nice enough to update a facebook page so you know what flavors are available. The original location is very popular and sometimes sells out of the vegan flavors before closing on Saturday nights. There used to be an awesome vegan restaurant across the street (RIP Pure Luck) and I asked if their closing had any influence on the amount of vegan ice cream Scoops was selling these days. I was told that there was a decline at first, but now everything is about the same. Good for them! I’d hate to see the demand get so low that they would discontinue their vegan flavors.

Scoops East
712 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323-906-2649

Monday – Saturday 12pm – 10pm
Sunday 1pm – 6pm

Scoops West
3400 Overland Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90034
323-405-7055

Monday – Saturday 12pm – 10pm

118 Degrees in Costa Mesa

Posted by socalvegangal in Orange County, Raw, Veg Restaurant June 19, 2012

Awhile back, I had a Groupon to 118 Degrees. It was a great deal. Unfortunately, in my opinion, 118 Degrees is one of those reasons why I was turned off to raw cuisine. 118 Degrees was my second raw restaurant experience (after Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco – also not a very good experience). It just didn’t grab me. After two not so great experiences, I was not very interested in trying more raw cuisine. Luckily, I found some raw food in LA that I liked and the best raw restaurant in Oklahoma City. Be your own judge of the cuisine, but this is what I got.

For an appetizer, we ordered the Fried Avocado Mini Tostadas ($7): crispy buckwheat shells, spicy pepita cheese, chopped spinach, cilantro, corn, and fried avocado. This appetizer is something I have had before and liked it. However, on this trip, that crunchy coating on the avocados was lacking and brought the whole dish down. On a good day, these actually are pretty good. I can never really say anything bad about raw cheeses – I always like them, but I’m not a huge fan of dehydrated things resembling the bread (in this case: the tortilla).

Fried Avocado Mini Tostadas

My vegan guy got the Sweet Corn Tamales ($14): sweet corn masa with marinated portobello mushrooms – served warm with rojo salsa, guacamole, and napa slaw. According to the restaurant, this one sells out fast and I can see why. I enjoyed this much better than the raw stuff. Besides being comforting and warm, it also had lots of flavor.

Sweet Corn Tamales

I had the Fusion Pasta ($16): sweet miso, squash noodles in a chipotle shiitake creme with shiitake mushrooms, avocado, and dulse flakes. When I think “squash,” I mainly think of butternut squash. I’m a fan of butternut squash, so I thought I would like this dish. When it came to me, I saw it was mainly zucchini noodles. I hate zucchini. I had about two bites of this before packing it up and bringing it to someone else.

Fusion Pasta

And for dessert we got the Apple Cobbler ($9). I love baked apple cobbler, but am not so much a fan of dehydrated apple cobbler. The creme topping was nice.

Apple Cobbler

And the Raspberry Cheesecake ($9). I love Earth Cafe’s raw cheesecake, but sadly, I did not like 118 Degrees’ cheesecake. I think I liked the filling better than the crust, but all-in-all, I would never order this again.

Raspberry Cheesecake

If you are into raw cuisine (and even if you’re not), you may like 118 Degrees. I encourage you to try it out yourself.
2981 Bristol Suite B5
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-754-0718

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

Brunch at Sage Vegan Bistro

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert Shop, Los Angeles, Veg Restaurant June 15, 2012

I would like to share that this week So Cal Vegan Gal hit 1,000 views! That means my vegan guy is super supportive of my blog! No, no – he’s pretty normal… sometimes (wink, wink). But really, I would like to thank everyone who visits my blog. It really means a lot to me knowing that I am not just sending this information out into the cold, black space. And I even get some views from pretty random places around the world. I don’t know what brings them to a blog about being vegan in Southern California, but if you happen to be reading this from overseas, “Welcome! Thanks for reading my blog!!” I say very slowly and loudly, because we all know that if we speak to non-English speakers very slowly and loudly, they will understand.

And now back to the post.

Sage Vegan Bistro is one of those places that has a large and varied menu that changes often. It’s a good thing if you don’t like what they offer one month, because, most likely, the next month they will probably offer something else. However, if you absolutely love something, you might be disappointed the next time you dine here. Both have happened to me. Right now, though, lots look good to me on their menu. I better start making more trips to the Echo Park area before these items disappear.

On a day with tasty-looking menu items, my vegan guy and I went in for brunch. I started with the Polenta Cake ($8.95): fried polenta topped with tomato confit and sautéed spinach with green pesto sauce. What a delightful dish. The tastes just blended so nicely and I always feel like I’ve earned some bonus points by starting off my day with some greens.

Polenta Cake

I also ordered the BLTA ($11.95) served on a croissant. For me, the bacon was too smokey. After eating some of it, I really ended up just wanting that amazing croissant. Next time I’m asking for the croissant with some jam.

Croissant BLTA

My vegan guy got the Spinach Avocado and Walnut Sausage Florentine ($11.95): served over fresh baked baguette, topped with hollandaise sauce, and comes with roasted potatoes. From what I remember, I think he liked it all right. Also from what I remember, I think I liked his dish more than my BLTA.

Florentine

Sage is located at:

1700 West Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213-989-1718

Sunday 9am-4pm & 5pm-10pm
Monday-Wednesday 11am-10pm
Thursday-Friday 11am-11pm
Saturday 9am-4pm & 5pm-11pm

Brunch Saturday and Sunday 9am-4pm

BONUS: Inside Sage Vegan Bistro is a Kind Kreme. Easily get your vegan dessert after your meal!

Getting Warm at Leaf Cuisine

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Raw, Veg Restaurant May 30, 2012

I have gone to Leaf Cuisine a few times recently and I have discovered that I am more of a fan of their fusion cuisine than their raw cuisine. Their fusion cuisine consists of cooked and raw foods combined. I especially like their fusion wraps.

Their Chick’in Pesto Wrap ($10.99) is really good – Soy Chick’in mixed w/ cashew kreme cheeze, sauerkraut, pico de gallo, sour kreme & sprouts. This wrap was very flavorful – I loved the pesto used to drizzle on it. It was also a large portion, so you can always take the one half home and enjoy it later.

Chick’in Pesto Wrap

Another wrap is the Philly Cheeze Stake Lavash ($10.99) – Soy Beaf Stips w/ melted vegan cheeze-, marin onions, spicy sour kreme, cashew kreme cheeze, sauerkraut, tomato & spring mix. I didn’t taste this one, but my vegan guy enjoyed it.

Philly Cheeze Stake Lavash

We also got a dessert to go (well, it was given to us, because of a mistake in our order). I obviously had a lapse in judgment, because I went with the Raw Chocolate Cheesecake. I should have known I wouldn’t like the bitterness of the raw chocolate, because I never do. And it was bitter. The raspberry filling was also way too tart for me. The only good thing about this dessert (besides being free) was the creaminess. Next time, I’ll opt for a non-chocolate cheesecake.

Raw Chocolate Cheesecake

Leaf Cuisine is located at:

11938 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 397 0700

Hours of Operation
Mon – Fri 10 AM to 9 PM
Sat – Sun 11 AM to 9 PM

More from Green Earth in Pasadena

Posted by socalvegangal in San Gabriel Valley, Veg Restaurant May 25, 2012

It’s rare that my vegan guy and I are in the Pasadena area, but when we are, we like to stop at Green Earth in Old Town.

One of my new favs is their Golden Wontons ($4.50): fried wontons served with sweet chili sauce. They have this creamy center, crispy outside, and a wonderful, slightly sweet dipping sauce. I love them!

Golden Wontons

My vegan guy got their Chick’un Burger ($8.95): crispy breaded chick’un breast, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle, avocado, and house made tofu mayo. This burger is like your basic chicken burger. It had great flavor and wasn’t dry. Simple and delicious.

Chick’un Burger

I was trying to get something a little more wholesome and not so much fake meaty, so I opted for the Spicy Lemongrass Tofu ($8.50): tofu sautéed with spicy minced lemongrass. I am not a fan of overly spicy dishes, but I could handle this one. A few bites that contained more of the chili sauce were tough for me to get through, though. Luckily, this comes with rice to mellow out the spice.

Spicy Lemongrass Tofu

Green Earth’s menu is large and varied. I definitely recommend a trip to Pasadena to eat here. You can even park for free for 90 minutes across the street in the parking structure.

37 South Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-584-0268

Sun – Thur: 11:30am – 9pm
Tue: CLOSED
Fri – Sat: 11:30am – 10pm

Vive le Euphoria Loves Rawvolution

Posted by socalvegangal in Los Angeles, Raw, Veg Restaurant May 19, 2012

I tend to have a love-hate relationship with raw cuisine. Sometimes it can be really good, and sometimes it just makes me want to gag. I think I initially put off raw cuisine, because my first experiences were more of the gagging kind. Luckily, I persevered and found items I liked. One place with some tasty raw cuisine is Euphoria Loves Rawvolution in Santa Monica.

One of my new favorites at Euphoria is their Warm Adzuki Bean Miso Soup ($4 cup/$7.50 bowl) – soy free miso with homemade Nofu, scallions, and mushrooms. The Nofu just melts in your mouth and the broth has great flavor. I’m going to remember this soup when I feel a cold coming on.

Miso Soup

I also got a Taco Salad ($11.50) – walnut taco meat, guacamole, and tangy mayo on a bed of lettuce. This thing was huge! I had to take half of it home. The taco meat was very filling and they give enough of the topping so you can have some with each bite of lettuce. I really hate it when places are stingy with the dressing.

Taco Salad

My vegan guy got the Avocado Cheese Scramble ($10) – homemade cashew scramble with avocado, sunflower seed cheese, red bell peppers, red onions, and marinated mushrooms served with heirloom purple corn chips. I had a tiny taste of it and really liked it. He also enjoyed the dish. Good thing breakfast is served all day, so we can get this anytime.

Avocado Cheese Scramble

Euphoria Loves Rawvolution is located at:

2301 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 392-9501

Open 10am to 9:30pm daily

Vegan Sweets at Muffin Top Bakery

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Dessert Shop, Inland Empire May 16, 2012

Once again, the Inland Empire is coming up in the vegan world. There is now a bakery that has two locations in the I.E. Muffin Top Bakery‘s original location is in Riverside and they have recently opened their second location in beautiful downtown Redlands. I had been buying their breads at Clarks Nutritional Center in Loma Linda (where they also sell a few select pastries), but was excited to have their full bakery menu at hand in Redlands. I haven’t been to the Riverside location, but I would think the offerings at both locations would be very similar.

Muffin Top Bakery

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Vegan Eats at The Gypsy Den

Posted by socalvegangal in Omnivorous Restaurant, Orange County May 9, 2012

The Gypsy Den is one of those omnivorous, hipster restaurants with vegan options. They have two locations – one located in Costa Mesa and one located in Santa Ana. I went to the Costa Mesa location and was delighted by the cozy cafe atmosphere. They have a large menu and bakery display case, but only a few vegan choices.

I got the Chipotle and Avocado Vegan Chicken Wrap ($9) – soy chicken, chipotle cream, salsa, avocado, and spinach in a whole wheat wrap. I am not a huge fan of overly spicy food items, but could handle this one. And when things got too hot, I’d just take a breather and have a few chips. I love wraps and would order this one again.

Chipotle and Avocado Vegan Chicken Wrap

My vegan guy got the other vegan lunch option: the Veggie Burger ($9) – vegan patty on a grilled wheat bun with lettuce, avocado and salsa. He also opted to add vegan bacon. We both thought the same thing – it needed some sort of sauce. A little bit of vegan mayo would have done it. Other than being kind of on the dry side without the sauce, it was good.

Veggie Burger

After dinner, my sweet tooth kicked in, so I got the Mocha Cupcake ($2.75). I thought it was also a little on the dry side and a bit too dense. It had a nice flavor, though.

Mocha Cupcake

Be prepared for the many naked women paintings around the Costa Mesa location. I was a little irked by that. Come on Gypsy Den, where’s the men? Why does nudity always seem so focused on women? Let’s get some equal opportunities for our male counterparts up on your walls.

The Gypsy Den is located at:

2930 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Open 8am – 11pm daily

125 N. Broadway Ave.
Santa Ana, CA 92701

Monday – Wednesday 8am- 10pm
Thursday – Saturday 8am – 11pm
Sunday 8am – 9pm

Green Earth in Pasadena

Posted by socalvegangal in San Gabriel Valley, Uncategorized, Veg Restaurant May 5, 2012

Pasadena is growing in their offerings for vegans. Green Earth is an all vegan restaurant in the quaint Old Town district of Pasadena. My vegan guy and I went and got a plethora of options.

Our first appetizer was the nachos ($5.25) – organic white corn chips and cheese served with guacamole, pico de gallo, and jalapeños. As you can see from the picture, it is kind of plain. We got the pico de gallo on the side, but even so, the guacamole was more like pureed avocado. It was decent, but not the best.

Nachos (pico de gallo on the side)

Hot and Sour Soup ($4.95) was next – spicy soup with bamboo shoots, tofu, soy protein, king oyster mushroom, and shredded carrot. I didn’t really like this one either. I thought it was not very flavorful, but high on the spicy factor. This soup was small, but enough to serve two.

Hot and Sour Soup

My vegan guy got the Wonder Sub ($8.95) – veggie “meatball” sandwich topped with marinara sauce and vegan mozzarella cheese. He really liked this. I had a bite and liked it as well, but I also think I have had better meatball subs.

Wonder Sub

For my entree, I got the California Chick-un Wrap ($8.95) – sautéed chick’un, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, avocado, pico de gallo, and house made tofu mayo. I love wraps and this one was no different. It is very light – not greasy at all. There was a perfect amount of chicken versus avocado versus tortilla.

California Chick-un Wrap (pico de gallo on the side)

As if you thought we couldn’t eat anymore, we got dessert. Green tea is always appealing to me, so I got the Green Tea Cheesecake ($5.25). It was slightly cold and wonderfully creamy. A very nice lightly sweet dessert to end the night.

Green Tea Cheesecake

If you make it out to Pasadena, make sure to check out Green Earth Vegan Restaurant. You can park for free for 90 minutes across the street in the parking structure.

37 South Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105
626-584-0268

Sun – Thur: 11:30am – 9pm
Tue: CLOSED
Fri – Sat: 11:30am – 10pm

Vegan at Mu Thai Restaurant in Redlands

Posted by socalvegangal in Inland Empire, Omnivorous Restaurant May 2, 2012

Sometimes the Inland Empire is not so fun for vegans finding food, but there are exceptions. Redlands is a small town located next to an even smaller town that is predominately inhabited by Seventh Day Adventists. For those unfamiliar with this religion, most followers eat a vegetarian diet. This makes eating there and in Redlands more friendly to veg*ns.

One very nice restaurant in Redlands is a thai place that has many vegetarian options. Thai food is generally easy to get prepared vegan, but the ambiance and knowledge of the staff at Mu is so great, it keeps me coming back.

On a dinner outing with some old friends, I decided on the Panang Curry ($12) – peanut sauce, bell peppers, coconut milk, and tofu. It came with a side of rice, which was great, because it was a way to deliver that amazing peanut sauce to my mouth! Order this, and you won’t be sorry. I’m also a huge fan of their Pad Thai and their vegan coconut milk based tofu and vegetable soup. See all their menu items here.

Panang Curry

Mu is located at:
309 W State St
Redlands, CA 92373

Monday – Friday: 11am – 2:30pm and 5pm – 10pm
Saturday: 5pm – 10pm
Sunday: 5pm – 9pm