Places to Check Out: VeggieGrill

I finally got a chance to check out VeggieGrill! 

I was running some errands in Hollywood earlier today and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try VeggieGrill, especially since there was one close by and I've always wanted to try it. 

VeggieGrill is a 100% vegan restaurant. 

They are actually a chain of restaurants. There are quite a few in the Los Angeles area, which makes sense to me because there is such a high volume of vegetarians and vegans living here.

So, here is my experience:

The style of the restaurant is very similar to the layout of a Chipotle. The three main differences being that VeggieGrill is fully vegan, they don't assemble the food in front of you like Chipotle does, and VeggieGrill has a wider variety of foods. They have some Mexican food...as well as American, Italian, rustic dishes etc. 

I looked at the menu while I waited in line. After taking quite a while to choose what I wanted to eat, I decided upon the "Crispy Chickin Plate". It goes without saying that the "chickin" was not really chicken. The entree was supposed to be the vegan version of a country plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and greens.

The fried chicken is replaced with vegan chicken, the mashed potatoes are a healthy combination of potato and cauliflower, the gravy is a mushroom gravy, and the greens are kale!

All in all I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved my meal. My only complaint would probably have to be that it was just a little bland. It was also a TON of food! I didn't finish it and took the rest home to eat later.

Have you guys tried any vegan/vegetarian restaurants? Let me know if you try VeggieGrill and what you thought!

BKL

 

Vegan Recipe: Tame Tepache

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Tepache Recipe

 

For those of you who don't know what traditional tepache is, let me break it down for you. Tepache is essentially a type of Mexican "agua fresca" ...which is basically a juice beverage. I compare the taste of tepache to a pineapple version of apple cider. It is a very sweet, very spicy (as in spices, not spicy like hot peppers), very fruity drink. A traditional tepache recipe usually calls for fermentation of the beverage, causing it to become slightly alcoholic. It is then usually served iced and sometimes mixed with beer. My version is a bit different. Instead of fermenting it and serving it with ice, I prefer mine made more like a cider. It's served hot, in a mug, and non-fermented.

 

The recipe itself is very simple, assuming you have the ingredients available to you.

 

My recipe calls for:

 

.1 ripe, whole pineapple

.2 cones of piloncillo

.whole cinnamon sticks

.whole star anise

.whole allspice

.whole cloves

.water

.1 or 2 limes

 

Fill a big pot with water, about 3/4 of the way full. Add in all the spices and piloncillo. Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice into the pot, then add the limes in as well. Wash the outside of the pineapple very well. Cut the leafy part off, discarding it. Now cut the rind of the pineapple from the flesh. Put the flesh aside for eating later... you won't be using it in the recipe! Add all of the pineapple rinds into the pot. Give the pot a good stir if you'd like. Set the stove to high, and cover the pot with a lid. Allow the brew to boil. Once the brew is boiling, turn the stove down to low/medium. Allow the brew to cook like this for at least two hours. The longer the brew cooks, the stronger the flavors. Make sure you taste test the brew as you go. Once the flavor is to your liking, pull it off the heat, strain it, and serve it hot like apple cider!

 

 

 

RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS/ALTERATIONS:

 

.If you don't have piloncillo or can't find it, regular dark brown sugar will work just as well. Piloncillo is basically just a Mexican version of dark brown sugar. You can find piloncillo at Vallarta or any other Mexican grocery store.

 

.There are a few extra things I like to add to my tepache to change the taste slightly. You can also add cut up apples, apple sauce, and apple juice to sweeten the brew. I find that the extra sweetness goes great with the pineapples and spices.

 

.Whole spices really are a must in this recipe because you have to be able to strain them easily. I would not recommend using ground spices. I found mine at Vallarta, and they'd be easily found at any other Mexican grocery store. You can sometimes find whole spices in regular grocery stores too if you look hard enough/ask someone. Not every regular grocery store will carry whole spices.

 

 

 

 Thanks for reading!!!

 

BKL

 

Vegan Recipe: Creamy Basil Sauce

 

This is a lovely little recipe that I pulled out of my ass.

 

It's completely vegan and very healthy.

 

Creamy Basil Sauce:

 

1 organic avocado

5-10 fresh organic basil leaves

garlic salt

1/2 cup hemp milk

2 tbsp olive oil

pepper

blender/magic bullet/blendy thingy

 

I love this recipe because it is so incredibly easy to make! Start by cutting the avocado in half and scooping out the insides into the blender. (discarding the seed of course) Add the fresh basil, olive oil, and hemp milk. Blend until smooth. Add pepper and garlic salt to taste. I prefer a lot of garlicy goodness in mine.

 

This sauce makes a great pasta topper. I didn't bother warming my sauce before putting it on the pasta because the pasta warmed it for me, but of course you could heat your sauce in a pan over the stove top.

 

Recipe Substitutions:

 

.I used pasta made completely from whole wheat with no other added ingredients, but any vegan pasta would go great with this sauce! Quinoa pasta adds extra protein.

 

.Instead of using garlic salt, try sauteing fresh minced garlic with chopped onions in little bit of olive oil. Once golden brown, add to blender to be blended in with the rest of the ingredients. This is a healthier alternative to using garlic salt.

 

.Instead of hemp milk, any non dairy milk can be substituted. I used hemp milk because it's what I had on hand. Unsweetened soy, almond, rice milk etc would do just fine.

 

Halloween DIY (a little late)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! I know, I know... Halloween crafts on November 2nd?! Well, in my family Halloween lasts certainly through October 1st - November 5th, sometimes much longer. 

Either way, Halloween is fun! So why not enjoy it more than one day? 

Pumpkin carving/decorating is a Halloween craft classic.

In this case I chose to carve one pumpkin, and decorate two others!

The blue/purple pumpkin was extremely simple to do. It would be easy for little ones as well. You can find crafts like this one at many pumpkin patches.

You'll need Elmer's glue, water, paint brush, bowl, mini (or large) pumpkin, and many colors of tissue paper.

Mix the glue with a bit of water. You don't want it too runny.

Paint the glue onto your pumpkin and place the tissue in any fashion you desire!

The last pumpkin I did is mostly paint. 

You'll need: pumpkin, tape, red paint, black and red Sharpies, green temporary 

hair color or green spray paint

Basically you're going to use the tape to create the face you want on your pumpkin. Then you can spray your pumpkin with the paint. Make sure you let it dry completely. When  you remove the tape you'll have the perfect base for your pumpkin face. Use the other materials to add more detail!

 

 But what to do with all these pumpkin guts we just carved out?! Definitely do not throw them away!

Separate the seeds from the guts and put the seeds aside for later. 

Use the pumpkin flesh to make a fresh face mask!

You'll need the pumpkin, milk, sugar, green tea, and a blender/magic bullet type deal.

Put 2 cups worth of pumpkin guts into the blender, along with a 1/4 cup of milk and a 1/4 cup of green tea.

The pumpkin is a natural source of antioxidants and enzymes. Milk contains lactic acid, and green tea is also a source of antioxidants. 

This is why combining these ingredients into a mask is great for your face. Once you've blended it into a paste like consistency, add a cup of sugar. The sugar will act as a natural exfoliant.

I made mine on the thinner side, so it was more of a wash. The sugar exfoliated my skin perfectly.

 

 

 Now, onto the seeds! Start by prepping them in a bowl with warm water. Swish them around with your hand to loosen any pumpkin that may be left over on the seeds.

Strain the seeds and allow to dry on a paper towel for a few minutes.

Place the seeds on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Now add garlic salt, dried basil, and even fresh basil if you have some. Mix the seeds lightly together in the pan with your hand. Make sure they lay in a fine layer on the pan. You don't want them overlapping.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the seeds in. They should cook for 15 or more minutes. Stir them around on the pan every 5 minutes, checking to make sure they don't burn.

They're done when they're lightly brown in color.

 

 

Happy Halloween, (AGAIN)

Please let me know if you try any of these fun diy projects or have any questions!

Lots of love,

BKL 

Places to Check Out: Hollywood Farmer's Market and Dia de los Muertos

vegan cheese stand at the market

  Today I spent my morning and midday at the Hollywood farmer's market at Sunset and Vine and Dia de los Muertos at Olvera Street! There was a woman at the farmer's market that was giving out samples of vegan cheese. Of course, I had to try it! The "cheese" was absolutely fantastic! I tried both the chia cheddar and herb cream cheese. I couldn't leave without some. I can't wait to try it out. 

The herb cream cheese has a really light herb/creamy taste. I'll definitely be buying from this brand when I go fully vegan! (The brand is Nary Dairy fyi)

vegan cheese from the market!

 I also had some tofu pad thai while I was there. Yeah, it was 8:30 in the morning, but I'm not a huge breakfast foods person and I couldn't think of a better thing to eat than Thai food. Thai food always wins.

Vegetarian tofu pad thai from the market.

All in all the farmer's market was just the place I like to be. They had fall flowers and gourds everywhere! ...not to mention the amazing food.

Amoeba Music was right across from the market

After the farmer's market I headed to Olvera Street in DTLA where they were celebrating their annual Dia de Los Muertos...

Even though I am not Mexican or Hispanic in any way, I am Californian, and Mexican culture is very dear to my heart. In fact, every culture fascinates me. Just because I'm not a member of a certain culture doesn't mean I can't celebrate and appreciate the diversity in my country. That's one thing I love about America. There is so much diversity in cultures. I love being surrounded by it. 

Tamarindo holds my heart.

 

The traditional Dia de los Muertos dancers were so beautiful!

 

Pan de Muerto, sugar skull, and tamarindo and chile apple

By the time I was ready to leave Olvera Street, I had accumulated quite the array of Mexican dulces.

I picked up some pan de muerto, a sugar skull, and a tamarindo apple. All of these are traditional Mexican sweets, especially for the day of the dead.

The apple is my favorite. It's a green apple covered in tamarindo candy and then rolled in red chile. It doesn't sound like it would be that good .....but trust me, it is!

I hope you all had an amazing Halloween!

             Warmest wishes,

                               BKL

Veganism and the Politically Correct Activist

From time to time something will catch my eye (usually on social media) that really grinds my gears. I want to make sure I note that I'm usually not upset over the fact that others have a different opinion than mine. I'm usually just upset over the fact that people are arguing over (usually political) topics on social media.

Sometimes these arguments can really affect me in a negative way. They really do bring me down.

In this case I got the lovely opportunity of witnessing an argument on Twitter about veganism, vegetarianism, and omnivores.

Personally, I am vegetarian. I have been for a year and a half now. I'm going to make the transition to veganism as soon as my time and finances allow it.

That being said, I do not judge those that still continue to eat meat etc. It is absolutely their choice what they do with their own bodies/morals/etc. In fact, all of my family and most of my friends still eat meat. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I pay it no mind.

This argument on Twitter started when someone tweeted a cartoon about the hypocrisy of people who say they are against murder, yet eat meat. Of course, this started a huge sh*t storm. The vegans were mentioning the fact that cows are raped in order to ensure that they produce milk and veal. The meat eaters came back with "You can't possibly compare milking a cow to rape!!!"

This is the problem...

The reason vegans compare the production of milk to rape is because cows must be artificially inseminated constantly in order to continue making milk, not to mention babies.

When I explained this on Twitter to one of my friends who eats meat, she took back what she said about rape not being an accurate label for it. She explained that she simply didn't know that cows had to be pregnant and/or postpartum in order to produce milk.

I find that arguments over things like this (especially on social media) are usually started because a lot of people simply aren't educated over the topic at hand. This is not to say that they are uneducated. I'm simply saying they misunderstood something about the topic that naturally leads to arguments.

 This is why I get so sad sometimes over these arguments. On one hand, I simply want the fighting to end. I've never liked when people argued or fought. It's always made me unhappy and nervous. On the other hand, I truly want to educate the people that don't understand veganism and its foundation. My purpose for wanting to educate is not to turn people into vegans. This is a very important part of my personal belief. I don't want to convert anyone. Absolutely not. I simply don't want meat eaters to think poorly of me because I choose not to eat animal products. Hopefully education would enlighten other as to why some people choose not to eat animals, and arguing like this would stop.

The world would be such a happier place if we would just learn to tolerate each other a little better.

To meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans alike, I hope you'll take this post to heart. Stop the fighting. Despite what we eat, we're all still the same: human.

Warmest wishes,

BKL