Delicious vegan mozzarella with vegan seed crackers with edible and bright orange shades of nasturtiums from our garden.
Y4 – Day 127 – Vegan Snacks
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Category Archives: Food
Y4 – Day 114 – Cafe Gratitude in Newport
Cafe Gratitude in Newport Beach, CA is just Gratitude. It is located at 1617 Westcliff Drive along busy 17th St. The name changed to Westcliff somewhere along the two or so miles away from the 55 South but it is the same road.
Everything is fancier for the fancy beach folk in Newport. The eatery is no exception.
Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley is very Berkeley. It’s bohemian and does its own thing which is raw vegan last time we went which was a while ago, Mother’s Day when the eldest was in college, so quite some time. I was raw at the time so it must have been 2009. No one enjoyed it at the time except maybe V. I believe everyone went out for burgers after I stuffed myself with almost the entire menu, knowing this might be my one big chance to eat at the famous Cafe Gratitude I had read about in their array of books I owned and had made recipes from. Their well thought out menu names are touching and positive.
Then, another time, my friend Danananda swept me off to the Peace Labyrinth Gardens in LA and we ate at the other Cafe Gratitude, I remember it was on Larchmont. Here, the restaurant group had already began to expand to include cooked vegan food as well. Again, it was delicious and we both ate from each other’s plates and had desserts. This must have been about three or four years ago.
Today, we went to the new Gratitude.
“Have you been here before?” asked our server.
“Yes,” we said in unison and then, “I have been to the one in Berkeley.” I said.
“I haven’t been to that one, but I have been to the very first one in San Francisco.” added Dana.
” I had no idea there was one in SF.” I said with a tilt of my head to hear more.
“Yes, it’s called Gracias, Madre.” our server piped in.
“OMG!” I shrieked, almost falling off my chair with the biggest smile on my face, ” That’s where my kids took me and ML to in SF when we were there last September!” and I added, ” That was incredible! If your food is as good as that, I will be coming back”, I punctuated with a sense of relief as my whole countenance relaxed because now I knew I was in good hands. See blog post on Gracias Madre.
After re-reading the menu in between sharing and contemplating what exactly we were going to pick, I ended up indulging on the item I intuited I needed at first glance, minutes before. Every ingredient is organic and all the offerings are vegan. My kind of speed.
Danananda had the Humble Bowl which included red dal, quinoa, spinach, yams, coconut mint chutney and spicy tomato jam. In place of the quinoa, one had the option of sprouted probiotic brown rice instead, a nice touch.
I tasted her Indian flavors but was relishing my Warm-Hearted entree which was a bit more Northern Italian, clashing with her spices, so I stuck to my plate. She felt the same after trying mine.
My dish was grilled polenta with mushroom ragu, wild arugula, cashew ricotta, brazil nut parmesan and fresh basil cut chiffonade style, with a side of marinara and pesto sauces because I just had to test as much of their food as possible in one sitting, of course.
The presentation is a bit homey looking, less chef like than I expected, but I guess that’s what they are going for nowadays.
And Gracias Madre is still my favorite of the chain.
I savored every bite and we concluded the meals represented us well.
“Humble and Warm-Hearted”
Y4 – Day 98 – E’s Creations
My daughter E is getting to be quite the vegan cook. She has sent me pictures recently of her creations and I am impressed. It doesn’t hurt to live with your vegan sister who accomplishes her own magic in the kitchen.
Vegan chicken patty on a bed of rice with chopped red cabbage, green and red onions and a dash of soy sauce.
Thai sweet chili vegan patty tacos with spinach, cabbage, cilantro and pico de gallo.
Curried tofu, onion, green onion, cilantro, corn, spinach and sweet chili sauce.
You might think there’s a theme here but then she sent me a picture of a dessert and also pretzel bagel slices with four different kinds of hummus, marinated tofu, cucumber slices and cinnamon spiced almond butter.
Adventurous and nutritious!
Y4 – Day 93 – Gluten Intolerant?
I have six out of the eight possible symptoms for gluten intolerance. I don’t think I have celiac disease and I haven’t been tested, but for the last few days I have avoided gluten and feel just a tad better, at least no headaches. Here are the 8 signs to look for:
- Brain Fog
- Unexpected Weight Gain
- Dental Problems
- Headaches or Migraines
- Joint and Muscle Aches
- Fatigue and Exhaustion
- Skin Problems
- Abnormal Immune Function
I have the first six. I will continue avoiding gluten and see if I also get rid of weight, memory/word loss, mouth sores and this tired feeling I experience way too much especially after chomping down on some pizza, pasta, bread, etc….
Plus, I am saying goodbye to sugar again. The first few days make me cranky so I am glad I am alone up here in Arrowhead.
I really need to commit this time.
Y4 – Day 38 – Artsy Petite Chocolates
How can you not gain weight?
The top row, left to right, are all dark chocolates. Under that, a roasted series filled with different nut pralines and salted caramel. The orange row is spicy, my favorite one was the peppercorn. The green row is herbal; mint, thyme, verbena and star anise/fennel. The pink row is floral; orange blossom, rose and lavender. The buttercream hued row, second to last, is citrus (or should I say was). Orange, grapefruit, yuzu and bergamot sound like essential oils but inside chocolate they are tangy and intoxicating. And the last row, is fruity: pineapple, blueberry, raspberry and mango nectars in smooth ganaches.
The middle heart is a special Valentine filled with supposedly salted caramel coulis. Mmmm.
Y4 – Day 36 – Fancy Dancy Macarons
Another Valentine’s gift came my way and it was scrumptious.
Before picture
After just two hours, this is what is left.
Y4 – Day 34 – Mountain Vignette
I love the look of rustic with modern or traditional with rugged textures, industrial chic mixed in with classic curves, or retro farmhouse with contemporary slick colors. It is curious what will catch your eye and how we all feel differently about beauty. It is unique to bring yourself into your environment. I especially felt validated when I saw the frames inside the frames on the raw hewed wooden vertical log siding. I had wanted to use bare frames of different sizes and colors on a partial wall and I am even more determined to accomplish that. Notice the cute galvanized bucket hanging from the back handlebars of this two seater. The ironwork is painted a pure white and contrasts starkly like snow against the natural, dark wooded cabin.
At the same cute spot filled with themed, 1910-1920 style cabins among landscaped vignettes up in Skyforest, (wherein we ate scrumptious pizza at Lou and Eddie’s), I saw this sign outside on the patio and had to share it. C’mon, it is hysterical!!
Y4 – Day 30 – Ruth Reichl
Comfort Me With Apples
I picked up this book by Ruth Reichl ( LA Times Food Critic and editor of the famed but now defunct Gourmet magazine ) at a used book store, I believe, and I read it in about one week, only at bedtime, mind you. Several nights, it had me up longer than I bargained for. It was that good. Her description of food, her blatant honesty, without being offensive (because I don’t need to know every graphic detail, thank you Ruth and Random House Publishers for appreciating I have an imagination ), about her love life, the sequence of events to her rise to fame and her emotional upheavals are just splendid and I don’t want to tell you more and go and spoil it.
Needless to say, this is a memoir on just a certain time of her life and as a journalist by trade, her writing smoothly reads as funny, clear and real.
Y4 – Day 18 – Hi Altitude Veggie Soup
It is relatively cold up here in Arrowhead so yesterday I cooked up a soup that is both delicious, easy and nutritious. It was made completely from leftover organic produce I brought up.
I heated a smallish amount of coconut oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat. First, I added some medium sliced red onion, and later, I added some chopped up red onion. In total, about half a medium large one. I covered the pot and diced up two carrots, thinly chopped one stalk of celery and added it after stirring up the onions which at this point had become translucent and soft. After that, I covered it and chopped up a peeled large zucchini. I added the squash and one minced garlic clove and stirred, covering the pot. I brought up half a jar of organic, Italian chunky tomato sauce and added that and around one cup of water, stirred and covered. I de-stemmed one large kale leaf and ripped it up into the veggie mix. I brought the soup to boil, stirred, covered, simmered and waited for five minutes. At this point and time, I added organic veggie Better than Bouillon paste I had left in the fridge up here and stirred, tasted, covered and simmered. I chatted with a friend, puttered around and made myself a salad. By this time, the soup was ready.
It took the birds (especially the stunning red capped woodpeckers) just about 24 hours to realize I had put out some wild bird seed in the feeder. And it took me, less than an hour, to create a delicious, nutritious and super easy melody of layered flavors. It tastes much better than my amateur food picture and… I was in a rush to eat. 🙂
This is vegan, gluten free and worth it. Today, I will add cubed, sautéed tofu to my leftovers for a protein punch.
Y4 – Day 17 – Lemons
This morning I picked around two dozen dwarf Meyer lemons, sweeter than the Eureka or Lisbon lemons you find in the supermarket. Meyers don’t travel well because they are thin skinned so you will only find them in farmer markets during the winter season here in So.Cal.
We are very lucky to have planted two trees when we landscaped seventeen years ago or so. They must love their location because I kind of neglect them, rarely feeding them nutrients or warding off any diseases or insects. And yet, they give and give when they give fruit.
I am finally up here at the treehouse in Arrowhead after about four months of missing my pine trees dearly. I knew I wanted to do a fair amount of cooking, so I picked the citrus this morning down the hill and this afternoon, up at the cabin, washed them and placed them in a basket at room temperature (they are juicier when warm). I will probably wring a few out tonight and tomorrow.
Lemons are the kind of fruit that work with savory or sweet. Imagine fresh squeezed lemonade over ice on a heat soaked day or lemon pie. They are just as useful as a finish for most soups, rice dishes and of course in salads. In fact, that gives me an idea, I think I will make myself a salad right now with olives, and an avocado/lemon/olive oil/sea salt sauce. I made a veggie soup as soon as I unpacked, so my tummy calls. And maybe, I will concoct a bowl of coconut yogurt with vanilla, lemon and stevia. YUM!
