bananas for babycakes.

After our last trip to Babycakes, my sister and I were waiting all week for the bananas to brown so we could recreate their delicious banana bread. I have yet to purchase the book, as I am trying to make it through my other vegan cookbooks first, but that didn’t stop me from searching for the recipe online. Erin, the Babycakes genius, shared her favorite recipe on the bakery’s blog, however, the books recipe varied slightly. Referring to another favorite banana bread recipe, the Veganomicon Lower Fat Banana Bread, I decided to go with the recipe with more flour (the books version), so we could have a larger loaf with more banana. Instead of Gluten Free flour, we used Organic Spelt, which meant we left out the xanthan gum since it wasn’t needed. I also used coconut milk yogurt instead of the milk, and only used 1/3 cup instead of the recommended 2/3. I am more drawn to a denser banana loaf than a cake-y texture, so I was in favor of using coconut oil (in the babycakes recipe) instead of unsweetened applesauce (in the Veganomicon recipe) to lower the fat. We figured there was enough fruit in the mix, considering we used 4 large bananas to get the 1 and 1/2 cups of mashed banana.

After impatiently waiting by the stove to remove the heavenly smelling loaf, I had to wait twenty more minutes to flip it out of the pan. Those were difficult moments.

Once the first bite hit my mouth, I was perfectly satisfied. The texture and taste were ideal, everything I imagine banana bread to be.

The vegan chocolate chips really bring it to a whole other level. You should make it. I would recommend the cookbook on the banana recipe alone. But, if you aren’t sold yet, try the banana bread from the blog or the the book recipe.

As the loaf dwindles, I savor each piece, but am anxious about what tasty treat to make next. Spelt flour continues to impress me, but I am interested in trying some new flours soon. This recipe using Kamut flour looks amazing.

you have a favorite flour? I am not gluten-free, obviously since I use spelt flour, but I am more and more interested in gluten-free flours like coconut, garbanzo, etc. I’d love a suggestion of what type to try next.

sibling bowls.

After a crazy last few days of 4 a.m. wake up times and boring morning eats, I ventured into the kitchen this morning with two things on my mind. First, I heated filtered water for a few minutes and sliced a freshly picked lemon from the tree aside my apartment window. As I squeezed in the lemon juice and then sipped the warm glass of lemon water, I was reminded of how simple it is to feel a sense of balance in the morning. The routine of making slow cooked steel-cut oats came next, and I didn’t even have to ask my still visiting sister if she was also craving a bowl.

Since V went rather overboard on the amount of berries he purchased on Sunday, I eagerly poured a few more than usual on both our bowls. The usual mix of steel-cut oats was slow cooked with banana, chia seeds, nut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Lily’s was topped with a few vegan chocolate chips.

I went with a small spoonful of raw almond butter. It was grand.

The rain hasn’t really stopped in LA, and part of me is happy to have an excuse to stay in and be all sorts of lazy. I read words from the new-to-me site, The Well Daily, my lovely friend Danielle’s place of work and enjoyment. Each post left me feeling wonderful, and I was especially intrigued by the Ayurvedic Body Scrub idea. Creating homemade beauty products, with far less ingredients than store-bought, is something I’ve often wanted to try. Eventually I will get around to it. Ayurveda has always fascinated me, so I went on to take the linked quiz in order to find my Dosha. Although a few of the questions were difficult, making me feel as though I may be more than one option, I answered to the best of my ability. In the end I learned I was primarily a Vata Dosha, and therefore should eat mostly warm nourishing foods like hearty oats for breakfast. That seemed about right. Other things that balance Vata’s are nuts (nut milk and nut butter too), pureed soups, and cooked vegetables like beets, carrots, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. The expansive food list isn’t something I would necessarily follow, considering that I also have some Pitta qualities. Eating by the Vata Dosha would also mean limiting all raw vegetables and adding dairy to my diet, two things I don’t see myself doing anytime soon. Still, I do agree with many aspects that make me a Vata-Pitta Dosha, and am willing to start adding more Ayurvedic practices like yoga, meditation, routine meal times, hiking, and afternoon tea. As usual, the Ayurvedic cookbooks and recipes interest me most, and I’ve already found some tasty looking ones to try.

Ironically, my lunch was already planned for, and well, differed quite a bit from the Ayurvedic recipes I was reading most of the morning hours.

Lynn had mentioned that Chipotle was having a two for one offer and my sister and I were in the mood for two more bowls of delicious afternoon fuel. Chipotle may be considered fast food, but at least they do it with integrity. The salad bowls covered with fajita veggies, black beans, salsa, and guacamole are soul and belly-satisfying. Oh, and the chips, with a hint of lime and perfectly salted really make the meal complete. The two salad bowls and chips were just under $10, only a $5 a piece. That is what I am talking about.

Yum. I finished every last bite.

The end of the day warming meal was a shared roasted sweet potato (425 degrees for just under an hour), lentil soup, coconut roasted parsnips, and brussels sprouts.

You know dark chocolate was involved too.

- Have you ever read about Ayurveda and even found your Dosha? Did you agree with your Dosha balancing foods?

- Do you Chipotle? Of course it isn’t my food place of choice, but it doesn’t hurt to eat a veggie filled bowl with healthy fats and salty crunchy chips. It was amazingly satisfying.

Happy Weekend!

I’ll be your sweetheart.

This is the reason I venture to Veggie Grill.

The Sweetheart fries are fabulous on their own, but the Chipotle Ranch is what really makes these so tasty. The dip is begging to be recreated at home. The fries are always well seasoned and perfectly hot and crisp.

Obviously there are other great things on the menu, but since I am not the biggest faux-meat eater, my past favorite order was a gigantic Quinoa-infused, “All Hail Kale” salad.  The kale is marinated with red cabbage, roasted corn salsa, agave-roasted walnuts with a ginger-papaya vinaigrette and blackened tempeh. It is so tasty.

This weekend, I opted for a new-to-me choice, the “Chipotle BBQ” wrap-style (usually sandwiches come on a wheat bun) consisting of shredded veggie-steak, marinated in tangy BBQ sauce, with chipotle ranch, caramelized onion, lettuce, & tomato. I guess I couldn’t get enough of the Chipotle Ranch.

As you can see, it was a tad messy, but delicious none the less. The more I eat seitan, the more I enjoy the texture. Although tempeh is still top on my list for veggie protein, it is great to try new things I wouldn’t make at home and this was a prime example. On the side I had some steamed kale with ginger miso dressing. That is another dip/sauce/dressing I need to make ASAP.

Originally, I was going to order the “Bali Bliss,” filled with Indonesian styled tempeh, sautéed and grilled, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and chipotle ranch, but V beat me to it. He requested his tempeh blackened and added avocado. That’s my kinda man.

Oh, and these should also be mentioned.

V had ordered one of his favorite things, Nachos, without me even hearing. Already pretty stuffed with sweet potato fries and half my wrap, I tried a few “Uptown Nachos” to see how the chili, VG-cheese, corn salsa, avocado, soy cream, and jalapeno topped chips tasted. The chili, avocado, and corn salsa were wonderful, but the “cheese” was a little too much for me. It kind of reminded me of velveeta or the type of “fake tasting” cheese they serve on nachos at sports events. V made his way through them though.

My sister was also in attendance, but I somehow missed a shot of her “Bean Me Up Chili.” It was a red and white bean stew with a touch of soy cream, and chopped green & red onion. The soup had crispy slices of toast on the side for dipping, and she said it was wonderful. That girl knows her chili too.

Never one to go without dessert, I ordered a large vegan chocolate chip cookie with walnuts for us three to split.

These were another winner and the perfect amount of sweetness after a filling meal.

Veggie Grill is the kind of place I really appreciate in LA. Not only is the menu entirely vegan, healthy, and filled with comfort-like food, but it is an ideal place for non-veggies as well. My sister and V seemed to enjoy their meals as much as I. We will definitely be back.

- Do you have good veggie places in your area? Are you hesitant to take friends and family with you in fear of it being “too healthy” or boring?

- What is your favorite type of Veggie protein?

pancakes for one. oats for two.

Ever since starting a commercial at the beginning of last week, I’ve been craving bowls of warm steel-cut oats. Waking up at 5 a.m. just doesn’t give me adequate time to prepare a quality bowl. Instead I’ve been eating packed overnight oats made with rolled oats, almond or coconut milk, chia seeds, banana, vanilla, cinnamon, and all the berries I can find in my fridge. After the initial craziness that takes place as soon as I arrive on set, I take a few minutes to eat my cold breakfast while the steamer heats up to prep the wardrobe for the day. Eating breakfast before 7 a.m. always makes me hungry  for lunch very early, as it should. I grab fruit, nuts, and all the bars in my snack drawer for days like these. By the time lunch rolls around (1-2 p.m.), I feel like I’ve eaten quite a lot for the day already. Of course that doesn’t stop me from making the caterer’s scratch their heads when I ask for anything vegan from the three entrée options of fish, poultry, and red meat. Usually this means I receive a plate full of the rice (or other grain) and whatever  side veggies they can find prepared without butter. I’m difficult, but that is their job. Commercials, with a much smaller crew, have less choice, but the quality is usually better than when they are feeding an entire film crew. This week I had a delicious meal of brown rice and beans topped with grilled asparagus, and a spinach, beet, and walnut salad on the side. It was one of the best catered meals I have had to date. There are also the days where I am off doing errands (returning wardrobe, picking up alterations, etc.) where I miss lunch entirely. These are the days I actually prefer, because I get to go off and find my own lunch from places I enjoy in LA. The best meals I’ve had while working were Native Foods and M Cafe. These are easily two of my favorite veggie places in Los Angeles. I can’t get enough.

As soon as the weekend hit, I knew oats would be on the menu. I still wanted to make pancakes for V since he prefers them over oats, but my sister chimed in that she also craved a bowl of oats after being without them all week. For the pancakes, I used my go-to recipe from Angela, the spelt pancakes. V has a pretty hearty appetite on the weekend mornings, so I doubled the recipe. He ate every last bite.

They were filled with bananas and walnuts and he poured delicious maple syrup on top.

Lily and I ate comforting steel-cut banana oats with almond milk, chia seeds, cinnamon, and vanilla in my new small Anthropologie Lotus bowls.

We poured California organic berries on top and I sliced up some raw walnuts from the farmer’s market for satiety. I really shouldn’t go that long between warm oats consumption, it was a little bit of torture.

For the long weekend I am going to relax and enjoy the California sunshine by hitting up the flea market and reading in a nearby park today. There may be some vegan baking involved too.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

- Do you ever feel deprived of warm oats, even when the weather isn’t chilly?

-What is your favorite long weekend activity?

lots o’ love

Alright, I know that I’ve been away much longer than I previously mentioned, but I must say that I am still all about the blog world. Yes, I am starting this post with an apology. I am sorry. An apology goes out to all my readers who have wondered where I’ve mysteriously disappeared to.  I promise it really isn’t too exciting. It’s always good to be busy, but as most of you know, blogging creates such a wonderful feeling. Sharing and reading others ideas about food, travel, yoga, etc. is something I can’t forget to let myself do.

So on this Valentines day, I decided that I should really go somewhere I love most, and that is the world of blogging.

Since moving to Los Angeles, finding an apartment (which I love, but have yet  to decorate), and starting a few different work projects, I haven’t had much time for pretty much, well, anything. When my last film finished, just a week ago, it was the first time I could breathe, and it happened to be the same time my sister would be coming to see if LA was a good fit for her, as well.

The list of veggie-friendly places I wish to visit in LA is ever-expanding, and my little sister is the perfect person to bring along. We are all about sharing, and so far, we’ve had some great eats at Seed in Venice, Le Pain Quotidien in West Hollywood, and M Cafe in West Hollywood. There was also the babycakes visit Friday night when V was wrapping up a day of filming Downtown. That cafe is too cute and just too good. We shared a chocolate chip cookie and a banana chocolate loaf slice (maybe this recipe with added chocolate chunks & topped with raw sugar, yum). We ate them on the car ride home, true story. Falling asleep by 10 p.m. is pretty standard these days.

Although I am not so into Valentines Day, I am into Valentines Day specials. When I heard M Cafe , my favorite nearby macrobiotic joint, was going to be having specials for the holiday, I brought my sister along for some chocolate-y goodness. We went for the Petit Fours, which were essentially tiny cakes covered in a rich ganache. They were tasty, but I was expecting something a little more truffle-like. My sister saw the gingerbread cookie on the counter, and we decided to go for it although it is an item on the regular menu. It really was a great choice and not one I would typically go for. It was chewy, sweet, and perfectly spiced. Later we will  break into my favorite item from the deli case, the kale salad with spicy peanut dressing. That stuff is addicting. Sometimes I grab a little container mid-work-day shop for a pick me up.

Lastly, just for kicks, here are our recent Le Pain Quotidien lunches.

The Tartines (open-faced sandwiches) are always delightful. I adored my Black Bean Hummus one with avocado, and spicy tahini spread. Lily also raved about hers, which was Ricotta with mission figs, black pepper, and acacia honey.

I hope everyone is having a truly great day. I hope to be stopping in more around here. I have a particular place in mind, I can’t wait to share with you.