VEGAN
Who isn't thinking about avocados these days? When the sun is out and the temperatures are high, an avocado can find its way onto any table and in so much more than guacamole.
This recipe is just as healthy as it is insanely good. Avocados are used here instead of cream, and what you get is a creamy, rich and filling dish, that's still light and perfect for an upcoming summer. The garlicky flavor and zing from the lemon juice work wonders alongside avocados. While this dish is perfect for vegans, it will make anyone happy. It's quick and easy, so you can whip it up and enjoy it in the sun.
When Chef Adam Sobel decided to launch an organic, vegan food truck, he had one thing in mind: to capture the attention (and appetites) of passersby who might normally opt for an animal-based meal. Like a morally-charged version of MTV’s Pimp My Ride, Sobel and a few kindhearted friends came together to transform a ramshackle hot dog truck into The Cinnamon Snail: a vibrantly painted, fully renovated mobile food purveyor dishing out gourmet vegan cuisine and desserts in Hoboken and Manhattan.
Since opening, The Cinnamon Snail has been moving at anything but a snail's pace. It's been dubbed one of Yahoo's top ten “remarkable food trucks,” named one of the top five vegetarian food trucks by PETA, and was a finalist in the 2010 Vendy Awards.
You don’t have to be a vegetarian to appreciate the cuisine at Horizons. Located on South 7th Street, this vegan eatery does things with tofu one never thought possible. Even the most committed meat-eaters will be blown away. What better way to celebrate Earth Day than by sitting down to a meal solely consisting of ingredients that have sprung from the soil?
Horizons is the brainchild of Chef Richard Landau; when it started in 1994, it was just a small counter at a health food store in the suburbs. Over time, as Chef Landau acquired a following, he opened a free-standing restaurant nearby. In 2006, Horizons closed up shop in the burbs and headed for the bustling streets of Center City. Rich, who was invited in 2009 to cook at the James Beard House in New York City, continues to oversee the kitchen while his wife, Kate Jacoby, manages the restaurant and makes the desserts.
That's her baby's fault!
Natalie Portman decided to drop veganism because her pregnancy cravings left her wanting eggs and dairy.
She explains, "I actually went back to being vegetarian when I became pregnant, just because I felt like I wanted that stuff. I was listening to my body to have eggs and dairy and that sort of stuff.”
“I know there are people who do stay vegan, but I think you have to just be careful, watch your iron levels and your B12 levels and supplement those if there are things you might be low in in your diet.”
Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you have to be healthy all the time, and luckily, restaurateurs in Los Angeles seem to understand this. The following are (in my humble opinion, as a vegan with a sweet tooth that influences more life decisions than I care to admit) the best places to find animal product-free desserts in L.A.
Scoops 712 N. Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles, (323) 906-2649Tai Kim’s nothing short of a genius with his impressively Yelp-approved menu of vegan and non-vegan ice creams. How he manages to rotate his eclectic flavors daily and never miss a beat, how he makes some of them vegan without a hint of iciness or intrusive soy flavor, and how he does it for just $2.49 per giant two-scoop serving, are beyond me. And how I’m ever going to be able to move away soon from my convenient walking-distance location from Scoops is definitely, most certainly, beyond me. Stop by here (perhaps after dinner at vegan haunt Pure Luck across the street), and you won’t be disappointed. Feed your vegan-phobic friends Kim’s signature brown bread dairy-based ice cream, and they won’t be disappointed, either.
The Sensitive Baker, 10836 1/2 Washington Blvd, Culver City, (310) 815-1800, http://thesensitivebaker.com/
Whether you are a true vegetarian, a vegan, a once-a-week-vegetarian or you just wonder how people make it through life never eating meat, the vegetarian menu choices available on The Las Vegas Strip will delight your senses and make for a truly memorable dining experience – sans meat.
Renowned chefs Julian Serrano, sushi master chef Stephane Chevet and longtime cooking partners Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger have created some of the most unique and delicious vegetarian options that will exceed your expectations.
Our first stop is South of the border at Mandalay Bay's Border Grill. This casual chic restaurant may be a popular meeting spot but it’s not your everyday Mexican restaurant. Executive check Mike Minor has adopted the famous upscale Mexican recipes from Hot Tamale chefs Milliken and Feniger. Each is filled with the flavor and festivity of Mexico. Portabello Mushroom Mulitas are so bursting with meaty flavors, you don’t even miss the meat. Poblano Enchiladas with manchego, panela and cotija cheeses make for a corn-flavored hearty entrée, and the Watercress and Hass Avocado Salad hits home with its spicy undertones. Each menu item features a unique combination of the true flavors redolent of Mexico, echoing hints of haute cuisine. Exotic ingredients, elaborate sauces and produce used at the perfect point of ripeness give each bite intensive flavor and appeal. The Ultimate Border Grill Vegetarian Experience Menu is a satisfying three-course dinner that includes their amazing appetizer sampler, choice of signature entree and a selection of some of the best homemade desserts you will ever taste. $42 per person.
Our second stop is the beautiful Shibuya restaurant at the MGM Grand for an incomparable, elegant five-star dining experience. The Vegetarian Menu is an artistic wonderment that delights both the palate and eye. The ruby red and green Seaweed Salad Tasting comes in shell-shaped glass presented on a wooden tray of sea salt. It’s so beautifully displayed it almost appears to be an underwater arrangement. The five different flavors in the Warm Japanese Mushroom Salad create a tender but woodsy aroma and a heavenly sublime mushroom experience. The Mango Sashimi Dessert transforms mango into delicate round fresh “pasta” leaves uniformly folded over with touches of color and sesame stick candies.The six-course Vegetarian Menu offers an artistic and delectable presentation of Japanese-inspired plates for $55 per person.
For a taste of Spain and tranditional tapas, venture on over to our third stop: Julian Serrano, in the upscale and modern Aria Hotel. Spain—the country who spearheaded the now ever-present small plate trend—has been serving up appetizing tapas in neighborhood taverns for decades. However, the tapas experience takes on a new dimension inside the outrageously plush and colorful Chef Serrano's dining room. The minute you sink into the black lacquered and purple tufted dinning chairs you get the sense you are in for something special – and you are.
You’ll soon discover the striking tapas plates match the vibrant temperament of the establishment. Bold Red Piquillo Peppers are bursting at the seams from the goat cheese-stuffed inside and come with a tomato-ripened puree that is neither bitter nor tart, but pungent and velvety with the richness of homegrown tomatoes. Pan Manchego is a simple yet delicious plate of toasted bread, one-year-old manchego and tomatoes. Creamy Risotto with Wild Mushrooms, garnished with a hefty sliver of manchego cheese, enhances the cooked-to-the-perfect-point grains that remain slightly firm and chewy. Sautéed Baby Spinach is sautéed with sherry (an integral ingredient in Spain), and has small apple pieces, raisins and pine nuts to make for a robust and original creation of an old standard. For a dynamic way to end the meal, try the Hot Chocolate with Crispy Sugar Balls – a wonderful concoction of dark melted chocolate and paprika served in its own espresso cup. Yum. Vegan and Vegetarian Tapas range from $3 to $12, and the knowledgeable wait staff recommends starting out with five plates.
The Border Grill at The Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, 891190 http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/bordergrill.aspx
Shibuya at The MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, 3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/shibuya-japanese-restaurant.aspx
Julian Serrano at The Aria Hotel inside The City Center, 3730 Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada 89158 http://www.arialasvegas.com/dining/julian-serrano.aspx
These red velvet cupcakes are the perfect dessert for Valentine's Day. With their rich chocolate flavor, sweet and creamy frosting, and vibrant red cake, the suit the holiday in the tastiest way.
No matter what your plans are for Valentine's Day, these cupcakes are sure to sweeten the day.
This recipe makes a dozen cupcakes.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients:
We all love to dine out. Usually it is to reward ourselves after a long work week, a stressful day, an accomplished month, or maybe just for sheer enjoyment. However, do you find yourself leaving the dinner table stuffed and uncomfortable?
It’s not terrible to indulge once in a while, but what if you could treat your palate to a delicious meal and actually feel good about it? You can! Once a month, Conscious Bite Out hosts a dining-out experience unlike any other. It dinner is held in unique venues around Miami, and it invites individuals to gather around an elegantly decorated community table for $65/person. While there, guests taste organic wines, fresh coconut water and enjoy mouth-watering meals that are made with only the freshest ingredients.
If you're anything like me, you bought several cans of pumpkin puree just in case you needed to make 8 pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. But you didn't need to make 8 pumpkin pies, and now you have more cans left over than you really know what to do with. You could stick them in the back of your cupboard until the next Thanksgiving rolls around, or you could use them now to make a delicious breakfast that will leave you all toasty and warm inside.
These pancakes are perfect for those chilly winter mornings (or nights) when all you really want to do is cuddle up in your favorite blanket and drink warm apple cider or hot cocoa.
Vegans, rejoice! Sudo Shoes, Boston's very first all-vegan shoe store, is now open.
Located in Cambridge's Porter Square, this exciting new store sells a great variety of shoes, bags, belts and wallets that contain absolutely no leather, wool or animal-based glues. The majority of the shoes are also fair-trade and sustainable, the most notable being the Olsen Haus 2010 collection, which is made out of--get this-- recycled TV screens.The difference between the brands that Sudo carries and the cheap synthetics one would get at a discount store is that, while cheaper shoes are made out of vinyl, Sudo's high-end vegan footwear is made out of microfibers that are breathable, able to stretch easily and last as long as leather.
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