You need to get to Sage

Confession..I've been going to Sage for a while now, and you need you know about this fairyland. I wrote a review about Kind Kreme (their vegan ice cream store), but Sage is the hot older brother of kind Kreme.

They have two locations: Echo Park and Culver City (both have kind kremes inside). Culver City is my favorite; it's new, huge, and gorgeous. They have an amazing beer garden with olive trees and picnic tables...just like camping (if camping was better). It's great place to go for brunch with friends or date night. 

Every time I go to Sage, I fell like I'm on a Tour of The Willy Wonka Factory. They have items the unique and special, and you will not think you're eating vegan food. 

Dessert first because they're pretty:

Ok, after you see this little photo collection, you may deduce dessert is my favorite thing here. 

And yes that is a gluten free waffle with vegan ice cream on it...yeah it exists. Sage has the Kind Kreme counter, and the Culver City has a soft serve machine (the best in my opinion). They also have all sorts of fresh baked delights and raw treats, almost all gluten free. My point being, leave room for dessert. (Pictured below: waffle sundae, carrot cake, brownie sundae w/ bundt cake, chocolate soft serve + raw cake, and pecan bun)

Food 

They have soft baked gluten free pretzels that you can eat in the magical garden. The portions are big and very satisfying..and big. The food is straight up classic comfort food that all of us who cannot eat gluten, dairy, etc. long for. (Picture below: gluten free soft pretzels with dipping sauces, gf mac and cheese, portabello "bacon cheese" burger on gf bread, gluten free bowl of soul, sushi bowl with tofu, special salad, and dill cheese tostada).

Bottom line, this is a great find with lots of fun and interesting food to try.

I'm back + vegan road trip

My poor little blog I've neglected you for a while now, but you shall be unloved no more. Even though I wasn't posting, I took a load of food pics because that's just who I am now..a food instagramer. I have to let it all out here instead of bombing my friends with a million gluten free/vegan cake photos. 

It's been an interesting ride since last may. There was a vegan road trip across Amercia, that was interesting...Easter feasting, new LA eatery discoveries, cookbooks, and an expo. 

Let me wind it on back to February when we took a little (not really) road trip from the east coast to the west coast. Only three thousand miles of finding gluten free and vegan food, and actually it was a breeze. I can attribute the magical Happy Cow app. This saved my life..or saved me from a week of eating protein bars. The app either looks up where you are or any city and shows what vegan, vegetarians, v-friendly, or restaurants /natural markets are close to you. We tried our best to book hotels close Whole Foods, where we could just hit that up for smoothies and coffee in the morning. Some of the cities we went through obviously did not have whole foods, but I quickly found out that many small towns have a local organic markets (often with a resturant). There were a couple sad nights where there was truly nothing, so for those I brought protein powder + almond milk. 

Let me take you through a visual journey of all the different meals I got to experience: 

Knoxville, Tennessee - Sunspot Restaurant 

First stop was a little veg-friendly restaurant. They had vegan and gluten free menus, so I knew I would be good. These, my friend, are curried tacos on corn tortillas with roasted veggies. 

Note: Be careful when going to restaurants with separate vegan and gluten free menus. Not all vegan items will be gf and vice versa. Usually, your server will know what subs to make, but if they seem like they're guessing or just plain dumb...run. These people knew exactly what to do. 

Jackson Mississippi - Rainbow Co-op+ High Noon Cafe 

This was my first co-op of the trip. I soon found out I freaking love co-ops. They are the old school health food stores that predate Whole Foods. Locals own a percentage of the joint and often hang out there (plus a lot of them have restaurants). I liked the fact that the servers in a lot of the co-ops I went to were very knowledgable about their ingredients, and therefore knew exactly what was gluten free. At this vegetarian cafe, I got the black eyed pea burger gluten free style (over brown rice) with a vegan Caesar. 

Midland, Texas - Natural Foods Market + Strawberry Fields Cafe 

This was another place we went for acai bowls, protein smoothies, and wraps. 

Tip: If you get breakfast at one spot, get lunch to go, so you will have something for later. That saves time looking for restaurants and searching a random unknown areas at night (cause that's just creepy). 

Las Cruces, New Mexico - Mountain View Market Co-op + Kitchen

I found that the farther west I went the more wraps there were on the menu. By the end of the trip, I was done with them, but it was a great option on the road. This was the best wrap of the trip and probably my life. Pictures are of the vegan Caesar and hummus on gluten free wraps. 

Tuscon, Arizona -Urban Fresh and Food for Ascension Restaurant 

Both of these were real winners. I stayed in Arizona for a couple days with family. One of the bet things about driving so far is seeing people along the way. 

Urban fresh is an awesome mostly raw + vegan restaurant that also gives cooking classes. The vegetables are in so fresh. I got their veggie burger over greens with guac, cole slaw, and chili. I also had the pleasure of trying their raw chocolates, and I have been obsessed with raw desserts since. The taste is more intense than non raw chocolate. 

Food for Acension was also great. It's a vegan restaurant with a large gluten free selection. I actually got their soup with gf bread, but I ate it before I remembered to take a photo. Their dessert selection is fab. The cake was no joke, and I took home a biscotti to go with my morning coffee. 

Since we stayed a while, I was able to hit up a WF and make vegan enchallidas with tofu sour cream (picture with the avacado). As I've mentioned before, the Real Food Daily cookbook is a gem. I've never had a bad recipe from them, and that's really saying something. Some of Anne Gentry's recipes are a little spicy, but I was raised by Louisiana folk so I love it.

Palm Springs, California - Palm Greens Cafe

I discovered this place last time I was in Palm Springs, and it's my go to every time I'm there. It's not full vegan for your carnivore friends, but mainly it's insanely good. 

Pictured below is the curry tempeh bowl, raw salad, and cherries jubilee. All vegan + gf. I did have a little debacle once when I asked a waitress if one dessert had oats (even gf oats bother me) and she said no even though there was. In the future, direct any questions to the chef. 

All in all I actually felt better after this healthy road trip. I managed to work out every day on the hotel treadmills and did a hotel friendly workout given to me by my trainer. Having little food stuffs in the hotel room is always a good idea because the hunger monster will strike. Download the happy cow app, it will be your buddy not only for road trips, but a way to discover new places in your neighborhood. Remember if a server or restaurant ever sketches you out, just leave. A simple meal of fruit and nuts is better than three days of feeling bad.

Happy travels and look forward to more LA resturant posts and recipes. 

3 Thanksgivings and recipe

I realize this is a little late. But holidays are THE HOLIDAYS. And I had three thanksgiving meals this year. Yes, it was awesome. 

First up is my beloved Real Food Daily. They literally sell take home Thanksgiving meals..so essentially happiness. During the holidays, the offer a sample plate where you can taste this happiness. As you can probably tell by the picture, sample plate does not mean small. This plate has cornbread stuffing, faux turkey breast, gravy, veggies, mashed yams, regular mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. My favorite was definitely the stuffing. The gravy is not to be missed either. I make it almost every holiday (recipe can be found in their cookbooks or on RFD website). So next time the holidays roll around, do yourself a favor and check this out. 

 

Next up...Hugo's. This plate can be made for vegans like myself or you carnivore buddies. Vegan version had their staple veggie burger, gravy, veggies, yams, stuffing, potatoe pancakes, and cranberry sauce. The best thing on this is the veggie burger w/ gravy and potatoe  pancakes. Both of those are available on a regular basis. 

Finally is my actual Thanksgiving meal. We drove out to Tuscon to see family. I decided to make the AMAZING RFD gravy. It was a total hit and people ate it instead of the regular gravy...score! I picked up the rest of my meal from a local vegan spot. More on Tuscon reviews later. Major takeaway..the Happy Cow app is my savior...quick easy way to find options. 

Juicy Ladies

Woodland Hills is awesome. It's beautiful and there are lots if hidden treasures there. One of them is definitely Juicy Ladies Organic Cafe and Detox Bar. I originally found this because I was searching for gluten free options close to home. 

This is literally one of my favorite restaurants. They have the best gluten free waffle ever....EVER. I had the blueberry and my friend had the banana oat. Of course it comes with some earth balance vegan butter and pure maple syrup. Yum!

This is not just a spot for breakfast food. They have wraps. Gluten free and vegan wraps. I literally couldn't remember the last time I had a wrap, but my wrap-less streak is broken. This made me so happy because I have a place I can just run in and grab a wrap. Gosh, I love saying that. My favorite wraps here are the ones with the vegan bacon bits...aka the tofu scrabble burrito. I am really good at figuring out how restaurants make dishes  taste the way they do, but I wish I could make my tofu taste the way they do. And yea..it's panini pressed. 

Oh and if all this hasn't sold it for you...they have freshly made gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free treats. My favorite has to be the Chocolate Yummy Parfait. It's layers of gf brownie with mousse. Heaven..pure heaven. 

Next time your in the valley, check this place out. You will not be disappointed. They also have smoothies, fresh juices, healthy sandwiches, salads, and in house made grab and go food. They recently expanded the restaurant with lots of seating, couches, and a coffee bar. Enjoy❤

Crossroads Kitchen...Let Me Count the Ways I Love You

1). This is some of the best food I have EVER had in my life (not to mention it meets my dietary...issues).

2). This is a vegan tapas place, so you get to try MORE dishes than you would at a regular upscale resturant.

3). It's on Melrose Ave.....so shopping before or after (which ever you please).

4). The menu is chalk full of heavenly little GF markings next to gluten free menu items. The place is vegan, so I didn't have to worry myself about dairy. 

I could keep listing for a while, but I'll spare you. I went with two friends and we all shared our tapas plates. These were the standout dishes: arugula salad with a chickpea pancake (surprisingly flavorful and delicious), GLUTEN FREE lentil flat bread with roasted root veggies and fried onions (I kid you not when I say this is the best pizza I've ever had in my life....seriously), and cappuccino ice cream with a wafer (this was unresistingly tasteful and creamy).

This is just such a delightful place. It's a great place for a classy girls night out or date night. I am going back the next chance I get. Happy gluten free adventures :)

XOXO,
V   

Le Pain Quotidien

If you live in LA or any other larger cities like NYC, you might have seen or heard about Le Pain. This place is all about the bread and the creamy coffee drinks, so you would not expect it to be a friendly place for the gluten and dairy sensitive. Think again!

Their menu is clearly marked with vegan options and servers can inform you about gluten free options (they can do their tartines on gf crackers). They have fantastic organic salads and crunola (a gf raw granola). They also serve unsweetened soymilk opposed to the sugary option at most chain stores. I would say this is the perfect place for breakfast or lunch.

I started my brunch off with a refreshing ice soy latte. They have great coffee and serve their warm beverages in the traditional European coffee bowl. I then dined on the tofu scramble with the gf crackers (ask for a gluten free version of dishes). I finished with a chia seed pudding made with coconut milk and a raspberry topping.

I think it's very refreshing that you can get gluten free, vegan, and organic options at a chain. If you dine here, rest assured you will get a good meal in a charming atmosphere. Own your inner European and pretend like your in Belgium (it's very entertaining).

Babycakes Birthday and Vosges

Hello! I got to celebrate my birthday on Saturday at Dockweiler Beach with a beach bonfire. Dockweiler is the only beach in LA county with fire pits and it was a blast. Along with gluten free marshmallows for s'mores, I got Babycakes cupcakes to celebrate. If you didn't read my earlier post about Babycakes, it is a vegan and gluten free bakery in Larchmont Village (off Melrose). It's also adorable. I decided since we were on the beach cupcakes would be easier than an actual cake. I got an assortment if flavors: chocolate, vanilla, lemon, and carrot. They also have "delux" flavored cupcakes; I totally recommend the mint brownie...to die. The cupcakes were a total hit (even among the regular food eaters). Babycakes is also on the healthier side of dessert places because they use coconut oil, agave, and whole grain gf flour.

Today I finally got to visit Vosges chocolate in Beverly Hills. I've been dying to go, and I knew they would be able to cater to my restrictions. For those that are gluten free only, all their chocolates are gf except those with marshmallows and beer (they also have a freshly made gf cookie at their cafe). For those like myself with th dairy free component also, they have two flavors of vegan and gluten free truffles! Hip hip hooray :) The girl working their was an absolute angel and totally helped me out. I had the coconut and pomegranate chocolates. This was literally the best chocolate of my life not to mention its made with coconut milk and agave. This is a great find and a cute gift to give to other gf friends ❤