Your Vegan Mom

Green Earth Vegan Cuisine

 

 

Me: We just had lunch at Green Earth Vegan Cuisine.  What was your favorite part?

Desmond: Guacamole on the chip.

Me: So you liked the nachos?

D: I like the guacamole on the chip with no cheese on it.

Me:  Got it.  How come?  Wait, did you try the cheese?

D: mmhm.

Me: Really!?  I think mommy and daddy hogged all the cheese.

D: Hogged?  What does hogged mean?  There's a hog in the screen.  It looks like... (And he veers off into the fantasy world of the almost four-year-old.)

 

Me: Ok, what about the stuffed shells?

D: Yeah, I do like the stuffed shells.

Me: What did you like about them?

D: I loved them 'cause it had pasta sauce in it and it's made of pasta.

 

Me: How about the eggplant, pumpkin, and tofu dish that they call three flavors?

D: Yeah.  I love that too.

Me: How come?

D: 'Cause I love the punkin.  And I love the tofu.

Banana Spring Rolls with Vanilla Ice Cream

Me: What did we have for dessert?

D: Banana Ice Cream.

Baby was also a fan of the pumpkin and eggplant and tofu, and really, everything we ate here.  The seasonings were very mild.  Though the space was a bit more chic and upholstered than I'm comfortable with in his company.  

Me: Was there anything you didn't like?

D: I didn't like the pepper I had.  (Apparently the boy doesn't like bell peppers.)

Me: Thank you for trying it.  Anything else?  Is there anything else you think someone should know before they come to this restaurant?

D: I didn't like the pepper I had.

Me: Got it.  Thanks for your review, Buddy.

Green Earth Vegan Cuisine
37 South Fair Oaks Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105

Hours:
Monday - Thursday, Sunday 11AM - 9PM
Friday, Saturday 11AM - 10PM

Strawberry Milkshakes and SunPower Natural Cafe

 

About a year ago, shortly after they opened, we had a quick lunch at SunPower Natural Cafe.  We happened to sort of be in the neighborhood, and I had heard good things.  Paul, Desmond, and I sat in a sunny window seat and shared a couple sandwiches.  There was a good seitan salad (the cafe is not entirely raw).  And something else.  And something on the side.  It was pleasant.  We enjoyed it.  If it were in our neighborhood, we'd be regulars, but since it's not it's just a fuzzy memory of a pleasant lunch and a mental note for anytime I happen to be passing through North Hollywood.

But what does remain vivid, what I have thought about approximately everyday since is the strawberry milkshake.  It was so rich and creamy and perfect, and magically created without actual ice cream, the sort of decadent treat that you really don't mind your kid indulging in.  But it's in North Hollywood.  And we're not.  And we have two small children.  So that shake might as well be in another state.  We needed to make one at home.  And really, you do too.

Raw Strawberry Milkshakes

• 1/2 cup raw cashews 
• 1 cup water
• 6 ounces (or half a 12-ounce bag, or about 1 1/2 cups) frozen strawberries
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar (or to taste)
• a teensy, tiny pinch of salt  

In a blender, cover the cashews with the water and set aside to soak for at least an hour or overnight. Puree the water and cashews until very smooth.  Add the strawberries and agave nectar.  Blend again until smooth and thick.  Taste for sweetness.  Slurp.   

Makes 2 cups.  Or enough for Paul, Desmond, and I to each have a very small milkshake.  

 

 

12 Days of Thanksgiving: Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Beets with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

 

I love this salad, or side dish, or whatever you want to call it.  It's perfect for Thanksgiving because you can make it ahead of time and serve it at room temperature, but it's good pretty straight from the oven too.  Plus it makes a lovely cold accompaniment to your day after sandwich.  

I need to add, though I'm certain that you already know this, that if you or anybody you know thinks brussels sprouts are gross it's because you haven't had them roasted.  The outer leaves get crispy and browned in the hot oven, the center gets tender, and they have a mellow sweet-bitter flavor that is wonderful with the earthiness of the beets and the slightly sharp maple mustard dressing.  Good, good stuff.   

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Beets with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

Serves 4 - 6

• 1 pound brussels sprouts
• 2 large beets
• olive oil, salt, and pepper
• 1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces
• vinaigrette: 
  • 1 medium shallot, roasted 
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 400.  Cut large brussels sprouts in half, and trim any tough stems.  Peel and cut the beets into biggish chunks (about an inch).  Peel the shallot.  On a rimmed baking sheet, toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned.

Remove from the oven and let cool while you prepare the vinaigrette.  Roughly chop the shallot and throw it and the other ingredients for the vinaigrette into the blender.  Puree until smooth.  In a medium bowl, toss the vinaigrette with the brussels sprouts, beets, and walnuts.  Taste for salt and pepper, and serve.  Can be prepared up to two days ahead of time. 

Today I am thankful for my neighborhood.  Incredibly rare for Los Angeles, I can walk to just about everything I need - Desmond's pre-school, the dreamiest park (where we took that picnic to yesterday), a great library with a children's story time, a weekly farmers market, Trader Joes, the post office, a train stop, and really nice people.  I am so lucky.  

Apple Town

 

Last Friday we drove to Oak Glen to pick apples for Paul's birthday apple pie.  There weren't any apples to pick.  Before we left I read that you should call ahead to find out what is being harvested.  You should call ahead.  Especially before you tell your three-year-old for a week that he'll be picking apples on Friday, and before he's started practicing at home with some sort of paint scraper or something that he calls his apple picker, and definitely before you check out books from the library to help him get excited about picking apples, and then before he starts speculating about whether he'll need a ladder.  You should call.  I'll give you all the numbers you need at the end.  There were some raspberries though.  And they were delicious.  Desmond ate about half that basket before we got home.

We also managed to pick a pumpkin.  (When we got home the boy had a melt-down because I wouldn't let him eat it.  Ah, the son of a food blogger.) We also watched apples being pressed into cider and brought home a gallon of our own.  

And we bought apples - little tiny sweet tart cameos for snacking.  And then a big bag of granny smiths and another of pippins (I think.  We bought those just before we drove home at 2:30 when we had finally resigned ourselves to not picking apples, and by that point we all really needed a nap, and the bag's not labeled.) for baking.  

There were also old-timey tankards of cider for drinking.  Riley's Apple Farm does this whole big colonial schtick - New England colonial - with costumed guides and candle making demonstrations and kids rolling hoops on the big center lawn.  We went for a pint in the period reproduction tavern, but the only thing on tap at Riley's Apple Farm is juice.  You should know this before you tell your husband for a week that he can have a nice pint in a big tankard, before he starts imagining what sort of ales they'll have on tap, before he says that he doesn't mind that his birthday's not a big deal this year - just as long as he gets a good pint.  

Despite the disappointments (that could have been avoided with a bit more research and preparation on my part) we actually had a pretty fun day out.  The weather was crisp - we got to wear sweaters. And we had our first successful family of four major outing. (Did I tell you about our previous family of four outing where we forgot Desmond's shoes?  So the relative success of Apple Town was huge.)  We'll go back.  Cheers.    

 

Riley's Apple Farm  (909) 797 - 4061
(In the future, I will save the colonial schtick for field trip groups.)

Riley's at Los Rios Rancho (909) 797 - 1005
(We picked a pumpkin here.)

Willowbrook Apple Farm (909) 797 - 9484
(This seemed like one of the least gimicky apple farms, but they're only open on the weekends.)

Snow-Line Orchard (909) 797 - 3415
(This was my favorite - fresh pressed cider, berries to pick, and picnic tables underneath a huge chestnut tree.  Incidentally they're famous for their apple cider donuts, but I haven't checked on their vegan-ness so I wasn't going to bring it up.)

Your Vegan Hospital Stay

...will require take-out.  

 

That lasagna is not vegan.  And those steamed vegetables?  Not delicious.  I should have specified.  My special diet is vegan and delicious.

If you have any overnight plans for Cedars Sinai, put this list of take-out options in your hospital bag:

Mani's (323) 938-8800
Holy Cow (323) 852-8900 
Real Food Daily (310) 289-9910
Cafe Flourish (323) 939-3932
Chipotle (310) 855-0371 
Vegan Glory (323) 653-4900
 

Also, there's a Starbucks on site for your coffee with soy milk and New York Times needs, but if it's not an emergency, I'm sure you know that Mani's has much better coffee and those fruit turnovers.      

(With Desmond's birth, I fared no better at Kaiser Harbor City.  There was a really yucky incident involving Not Vegan Salsbury Steak.  Does anyone have anything nice to say about veganism and hospital food?  I would think that a center of health and wellness would put a greater emphasis on healthy meals and meeting the needs of special diets.  I would love to hear about your experiences.)

Vegan and Delicious.