ROAD TRIP: Vegan in Mammoth Lakes, CA (plus bonus cookie link!!)

Posted by socalvegangal in Breakfast Options, Central & Northern California, Dessert, Dessert Shop, Gluten Free, Ice Cream, Omnivorous Restaurant August 27, 2012

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll probably have remembered I just went on a road trip to Oklahoma City for my cousin’s wedding. Well, my mom and I (and a sister) were at it again and went on a road trip to Lake Tahoe for another cousin’s wedding. Lake Tahoe is not too far from Southern California, but we wanted to make it a mini vacation, so we decided to have a few stops along the way.

Mammoth Lakes is a hot spot for skiing (so I’ve been told), but also is a great place for summer outdoor fun. We weren’t there too long, but I did have a chance to notice plenty of bike and hike paths around the town. And since Mammoth is full of nature loving individuals, it didn’t surprise me that there were a few spots for vegan food.

Our first stop was a place to get some snacks. Sierra Sundance Whole Foods is an awesome little health foods market. They had a great selection of vegan foods for snacking or preparing a meal in that cabin you’ve rented. Being in a small car with three women, we weren’t thinking “healthy snacks,” so we stocked up on some comforting sugary sweets. They even carried a local company’s vegan cookie!

Sierra Sundance Whole Foods Goodies

Speaking of that local cookie company – we passed Mimi’s Cookie Bar’s storefront on our way to our hotel and had to stop to see what other vegan selections they had.

Mimi’s Cookie Bar

This cookie bar is really cute and they have both non-vegan and vegan goodies. We got some of their daily vegan cookies and their one and only vegan ice cream. The Mocha Almond Fudge Cookie (I believe was gluten free) was a bit dry, but had a good flavor. The Coconut-Lime Ice Cream was just ok – sort of gummy. The Apple-Cinnamon Cookies (from Sierra Sundance) were also getting a bit dry from sitting on the shelf, but would be fantastic fresh. And the Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies were some of the best cookies I’ve ever had (gluten free or not)!! We went back and got more of these cookies.

****Seriously, you have to try these cookies – and lucky for you, they are running a deal on Fab.com that allows you to do just that! But hurry – this deal is only on for another 6 days!! Go get them. Now.****

Mocha Almond Fudge, GF PB Chocolate Chip, Coconut-Lime Ice Cream

And finally, on our way out of Mammoth the next day, we stopped to get a breakfast burrito at Stellar Brew & Deli.

Stellar Brew

The Breakfast Burrito ($5.50) was full of carrots, potatoes, bell pepper, and vegan sausage. I thought it was a bit spicy, but good. I also had wished they used some tofu and no bell peppers (yuck!). It did give me that wholesome breakfast feeling so I could face the day of driving.

Breakfast Burrito

Stay tuned for more from my vegan road trip, including stops in Ridgecrest, Lake Tahoe, and Sacramento!

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.

Kyotofu Brownies from NYC

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Dessert Shop, New York, Omnivorous Restaurant August 12, 2012

Kyotofu in New York City is a Japanese inspired cafe with a large bakery menu. I haven’t been here before, but I know it is not a vegan place. Their menu lists what is vegan and what is not, though. I can’t speak for their savory items, but I can speak about their vegan brownies.

I received a box full of individually wrapped brownies from Kyotofu in the mail. I thought the presentation was adorable. A fancy brown box with pink accents is my kind of style. But what did the brownies taste like?…

…Not good. Even though they were individually wrapped and marked with a “best buy” date a week later, they were very dry. The flavor was also a super deep chocolate – not my kind of brownie. It could have been better had they just been moist. I could get over the flavor by warming them up and serving them a la mode, but I couldn’t get over the texture. I hope they are better fresh from the store.

Brownies

Even though these brownies left a bad taste in my mouth, I still might try Kyotofu’s other items if I should ever be in NYC (I hear they have soft serve!).

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

Raw Cheesecake from Earth Cafe

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Mail Order, Packaged Food, Raw July 29, 2012

Have you seen those single servings of cheesecake in your local natural foods market? Chances are, they are from Earth Cafe. I know they are a bit pricey, but it’s worth a try. I once brought some samples to my male meat-eating co-workers and they thought it was delicious. These cheesecakes are totally raw and primarily nut based. I went on a little splurge (what’s new?) and bought one of those group coupons for two cheesecakes at a discounted price. Since I’ve purchased mine, I’ve seen this discount come up a few times (be on the lookout, my cashew-loving friends). Gathergreen is a good one to follow (in fact they are running the deal right now). The cheesecakes freeze well – bonus if you don’t have a need to eat an entire cheesecake at once. Because I’m very indecisive, I got the Sampler Cheesecake.

Raw Cheesecake Sampler

From front to back: Strawberry (my favorite!), Vanilla (creamy – your basic flavor), Chocolate (just the right amount of cocoa – not bitter at all), Lemon (way too tart for me), Blueberry (very blue, but a very mild blueberry flavor), Raspberry (creamy on the outside – just enough tart on the inside), Coconut (strong coconut flavor – me likey), and Blackberry (same idea as the Raspberry flavor, but with a less tart center). Another thing I noticed was the crust was too salty for me. I’ve had the single serving packages in the stores and never found them to be too salty. I’m hoping someone just got carried away with the salt when making this batch of crust and they didn’t change their formula for good.

Raw Vegan Cheesecakes

I think I’m good for awhile on the raw cheesecakes. I ended up having my vegan guy taste some and I gave most of a cheesecake to my family, but I ended up eating a little more than an entire cheesecake by myself. In about a week. Glutton. I know. And I’ve learned my lesson.

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

Delivery from Kat’s Hot Cakes

Posted by socalvegangal in Dessert, Mail Order July 23, 2012

Kat’s Hot Cakes may be based in Michigan, but you can order their goodies online and have them sent to you. I recently had a Sample Pack sent to me and here’s a quick review of what I thought.

Sampler

As a baker, I know the difficulties in sending baked goods. Add frosting to those baked goods, and it is nearly impossible to get those goods to the recipient in tact. I write this to say that I understand why Kat’s left the frosting on the side. I was given just one frosting for both cake flavors: Carob Frosting. I am not particularly fond of carob, so the frosting didn’t grab me. I get that the carob frosting would go with the Lick the Plate It’s Carob Cake, but I don’t think it went well with the Oh, Oh Orange Cake. Again, the carob in the carob cake didn’t grab me, but the orange cake had a nice flavor. Both cakes were a little dry – which I know will happen when time passes during transit – so I won’t fault Kat on that. I was a little disappointed that the orange cake didn’t come with the frosting meant for it, though.

The third little cake in the picture is a Ms. Berry’s Molasses Muffin. I’ll admit that I don’t like molasses a whole lot, but these weren’t overly molasses-y. It was super moist and full of sweet raisins.

The last was my favorite: Banana Bread. This was still very moist and perfectly banana-y. It held together beautifully and contained a good amount of walnuts. If you live far from Michigan, I’d suggest ordering this one – it keeps the best.

Sampler: (clockwise) Banana Bread, Molasses Muffin, Carob Cake, Orange Cake and a side of Carob Frosting

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.

Vegan Pizza Day at Follow Your Heart

Posted by socalvegangal in Pizza, San Fernando Valley, Veg Restaurant July 7, 2012

If you’re a social media addict, chances are you heard about Vegan Pizza Day that happened on June 30th. Quarrygirl had a detailed map of all the places offering specials for this food holiday. Because I had already tried some of these amazing pizzas, I went with something new. Follow Your Heart was offering a special deep dish pizza for Vegan Pizza Day. I love Follow Your Heart mozzarella cheese on pizza when it’s done right (aka- melted).

The options included two different options, so my vegan guy and I got one of each. Our favorite was the Meat Lover’s Pizza. As you can see, there were tons of melty cheese covering different types of vegan meats. My only complaint about this pizza was actually the reason I came – the deep dish. I didn’t think it was like a pizza crust at all. To me, it was almost like a really thick piece of toast: too crispy for me. My vegan guy was a fan of the crispiness, though. To each his own, I guess.

Meat Lover’s Pizza

The Margherita Pizza was the same as the Meat Lover’s – only with less flavored toppings. It still had that crispy crust and melty cheese, but was more plain only topped with just some tomatoes and basil.

Margherita Pizza

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed Vegan Pizza Day. And if you missed it, there’s always next year. But as always, most of these places have vegan pizza year-round (just without the special discounts). Make Everyday Vegan Pizza Day.

So Cal Vegan Gal

Category Archives: By Food Type: