Hey guys!

I’m trying to make a point of eating more in Long Beach rather than venturing south-bound on the 405 to Fountain Valley or Irvine for my delicious vegan fare; but it’s tough. There aren’t a lot of straight-up veg-friendly restaurants in Long Beach – though there are plenty of places with suitable options for the health-minded in general. If any of you in Long Beach or the surrounding area know of restaurants, preferably not large chains, that have veg-friendly or simply healthy items on the menu, holla’!

These are the restaurants I know of:

In Long Beach

Cafe Ambrosia 1923 East Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802
The Scoop: Greek and American food w/ a nice perk: a menu with a separate section that lists the vegetarian and vegan options. Some of the vegan items include dolma, falafel, skordalia (a garlicy dip served with pita), homemade vegan burger, vegan mousaka (eggplant, auchini & potatoes in a creamy soy-based sauce), vegan loaf (veggie-based “meatloaf”), charbroiled veggies, tofu & avocado wrap, tofu burrito, tofu pita, tofu with roasted bell pepper sauce platter, and BEST of all…a vegan DESSERT! Apple Loukomades are a not-so-healthy-but-vegan-so-who-cares apple=pie like concoction: “Crispy Granny Smith Apples covered in fluffy Batter, lightly fried to crisp Perfection, topped with honey and chopped walnuts” <– hm make sure you ask for it w/o the honey if you are a honey-restricting vegan.

Fresh Foods Cafe* 340 Golden Shore Street, Long Beach, CA 90802 (Shoreline Village)
The scoop: Not much for vegetarians and vegans, but this place does offer plenty o’ sandwich, soup and salad options that are healthy enough if you opt for the right stuff. Try anything from the “Fresh and Fit” line-up. The sides are cool with seasoned black beans and brown rice, steamed broccoli, and grilled vegetables. If you’re vegan, opt for the salad bar and the “Hearty Vegan Vegetable Soup.” If you’re vegetarian, you can also have any of the burgers done with a veggie patty. Steer clear of the cheese and chipotle sauces — those are always ridiculously high in calories and fat. News: They’re opening a Fresh Foods Cafe Express at CSULB! [See here]

Kafe Neo 2800 East 4th St., Long Beach, CA 90814
The scoop: Plenty of salad and fresh-fish options on the menu. As long as you’re cautious of dressings and added sauces, this place is excellent for health-conscious eaters. There’s a specific section calling out the vegetarian dishes. According to Kafe Neo, their veggie burger is vegan (ask for the bun not to be buttered), so is the falafel, and plain pita with hummus.

Magic Lamp Lebanese Mediterranean Grill 5020 East 2nd Street, Long Beach, CA 90803
The Scoop: Symbols on the menu categorize dishes that are spicy, vegetarian and/or vegan, which is great! Some of the vegan dishes include fried cauliflower, garlic fries, fattoush salad, tabbouli salad, & falafel pita sandwich. The vegan dishes here are nearly identical to the dishes offered by Open Sesame (listed below & located across the street), another Lebanese restaurant across the street. In fact, the only vegan dish Magic Lamp offers that Open Sesame does not, is the garlic fries. And Open Sesame offers a raw veggie platter that Magic Lamp does not. Clearly, both restaurants offer vegans quite a few fried items (oy), but they are balanced out with some nice salads

Open Sesame 5215 East 2nd Street, Long Beach, CA 90803

My pre-vegetarian/pre-vegan favorite: Chicken Tawook w/ whole-wheat pita

The scoop: Healthy Lebanese food fit for omnivores and vegans alike. The menu has symbols that easily indicate which menu items are raw, vegetarian & vegan. You also have the option of whole-wheat pita. I personally think the vegetarian platter offers the least bang for your buck, so I opt instead for ordering the raw vegetable platter with an order of falafel patties. Falafel patties typically have about 55-100 calories each, which is quite a range, but considering most servings include only 3 (as does Open Sesame’s), you can’t do too much damage if you avoid the creamy dips accompanying them and opt for hummus instead. Also, portion sizes at Open Sesame are just right — you won’t be overwhelmed with too much on your plate.

Tantalum 6272 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA 90803

The miso soup, supposedly vegan, is full of ‘shrooms and has a dark base. I’m used to no ‘shrooms and a light broth, so this was different!

The scoop: Open only for dinner; a few vegetarian options including salads; vegan options include the miso soup (waiter said it was vegan), edamame, house salad, and wok-fired marinated tofu.

Roots Gourmet 6473 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA 90803
The Scoop: Roots Gourmet is a small cafe featuring vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options made with fresh, all-natural ingredients. The website boasts: “Nothing is ever frozen. Local, sustainable and organic farming practices are supported whenever possible. With recipes passed down from four generations in Mexico, and delectable influences from Spain, Cuba, Argentina, Columbia and Brazil, a viable menu spurred by heart, passion and good health is provided to hungry patrons.” Some cool things? Mayan Mocha Mondays: Receive 15% off Mayan mochas (made with real dark chocolate, a secret blend of spices & a nice kick of heat) all day; Whet You Palate Wednesdays: Free plantains with the purchase of any entree; and Thank Dog it’s Friday: Receive a free meal for your dog with the purchase of an entree. Some of the vegan options include: two sandwich options (use the sourdough bread — it’s vegan) such as “The Grilled Veggie” ((seasonal veggies topped with alfalfa sprouts and basil pesto) and “The Vegan” (filled with tofu, portabella mushrooms and caramelized onion jam) and vegan chili.

Viento y Agua 4007 East 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90814
The Scoop: This is an awesome coffee shop decorated in Dia de Los Muertos style. While you can’t technically get a meal here, I thought I’d point out that they have a lot of vegan and organic drink options and snacks (including some salads, bagels with Tofutti, vegan cookies & more). You gotta try the peanut butter oat smoothie – I’m sure it’s a caloriefest, but yummo! I’ve got a special place in my heart for this place since my band and I performed here recently

Zephyr 340 East 4th Street, Long Beach, CA 90802
Daily special “Texas ‘Burger’”- my friend Ryan loved it

The scoop: The only officially mostly-vegan restaurant I know of in Long Beach. The coolest things about Zephyr are 1) the extensive menu (including salads, sandwiches with seitan, tofu, tempeh, or nut butter, “burgers,” (including a chicken-style one) & more! ), and 2) the daily specials (once there was a black bean tamale special, holyyumfactor!). If you’re watching your caloric intake, this place is the shizzle — get a salad, skip the dressing; get the spring rolls, skip dippage in the tahini sauce; get a veggie burger, skip the veg-mayo.

…And then there’s always the chain restaurants in LB that offer healthy options, such as:

Chipotle 1800 Ximeno Ave., Long Beach, CA 90815
The scoop: If you get a salad with romaine, black beans, fajita vegetables, guacamole, & salsa, you’ve only got 320 wholesome vegan calories on your hand. Add chicken and make it 510 calories. Not bad for a big and filling meal – the majority of the calories come from the guacamole (150 calories per 3.5-oz serving), so either use or ask for half or ditch all together if you’re sweatin’ it. If they would start serving brown rice instead of white cilantro rice, we’d have a total winner!

Claim Jumper 6501 E Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA 90803
The scoop: There’s the produce bar, a vegan vegetable soup, plenty of salad options (you’ll want to de-calorify), the vegetarian baked potato and plenty of healthy vegetable sides, assuming you order them without butter. See my previously-published guide to eating at the CJ here and avoid ordering the chocolate Motherload Cake at all costs…

The Yard House 401 West Shoreline Drive, Long Beach, CA 90802
The scoop: Check out their “Healthy Dining Options” menu section, which includes an ahi salad for 300 calories (if ordered w/o “crunchies” and dressing; use salsa instead), BBQ chicken pizza, 2 slices @315 calories (not bad!). Vegans, you can order a salad with Gardein meat substitute! Take off all the unnecessary junk from your salads (obvs. cheese & bacon, anything “crispy” and use salsa as dressing. If you “need” dressing, opt for the peanut thai peanut vinaigrette – it has the lowest cals at 45/tbsp, which still isn’t good. Eek.). Vegetarians, stay away from the appetizer menu unless you think over 1k calories is suitable for some lettuce wraps with mushroom. No joke!

Wahoo’s Fish Tacos 6449 E. Pacific Coast Highway C-1, Long Beach, CA 90803
Scoop: You can get any starter off their menu for under 417 calories — that’s pretty damn decent. With tons of burrito, taco and salad options – this place rocks. You can get the vegetarian chopped salad with banzai vegetables, black beans and brown rice (love this!) for only 378 calories and 4g fat! If you choose to use dressing here, use the roasted pepper cilantro – it’s got 39 calories per 3-0z serving in comparison to the 283-325-calories price-tag of the others.

My Surrounding-area Faves

Fortune Cookies 11151 Los Alamitos Blvd., Los Alamitos, CA 90720
The scoop: Did you ever think you’d find a Chinese restaurant that cared to post the nutritional info. of their food right on the menu? This place does and they needn’t fear — their menu was designed with a registered dietitian. No MSG, plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, brown rice is available upon request. One thing to note is that nutritional info listed on the menu and site is per 1/2 serving — so, if you plan to eat the whole thing, multiply the numbers by two! You can eat an entire (that’s two servings) plate of Spicy Fortune Tofu for 42o calories or an entire plate of Buddha’s Delight for 200 calories, for example!

Kabuki 11431 South St., Cerritos, CA 90703 [my original review here]
The scoop: Obvs. if you’re not vegetarian or vegan, you can get loads of brown rice sushi as a healthy meal — just avoid anything with cream cheese, a sauce, mayo, the words “dynamite” or “explosion” and you should be good to go. Miso soup is always a low-cal option coming in around 40 calories per cup. My fave items on the menu are the avocado and cucumber rolls with brown rice (brown rice, add $1.00).

Vegi Wokery* 11329 183rd St., Cerritos, CA 90703
The scoop: Vegetarian Asian-style food with no eggs & no MSG; only one dish has dairy. You can try things as daring as “vegi eel” and “vegi squid” or choose something that actually sounds delectable, lol, like the yam ball with basil in brown sauce!

To my fellow LBers & So-Cal peeps, where are your fave places to eat that have healthy food options? Have any of you been to these places? What chain restaurants do you think have the most healthy options?

*Recommended by a friend

<3,

The Cranky One

Dear The Loving Hut. If I were a vegan restaurant, I would want to merge. Ya know what I’m sayin’? Merge.

My boyfriend and I have always loved trying new foods and restaurants. One of our favorite dishes to enjoy when we first started dating was pho — a Vietnamese noodle soup where the broth is made of beef bones boiled for hours and hours. Usually the meat is served raw and then cooks in the broth at your table. When I went vegetarian, I had the option of eating pho without the meat. When I went vegan, I resigned to never eat pho again, and was fine with it.That is, until I found a restaurant that served vegan versions of Asian-inspired soups, like pho and wonton soup!

The Loving Hut is a franchise quick-serve restaurant serving only vegan dishes — most with an Asian flair. Since it’s a franchise, they allow each location to offer different dishes based on its particular market and regional favorites. I visited the Huntington Beach location for the first time yesterday [this is the HB-specific menu]. It was a small place — about the size of most Subway and Yogurtland restaurants — with a very Ikea-sterile-white-everywhere decor. The lady who greeted us at the counter was exceptionally warm and inviting which immediately put me at ease. The boyf and I ordered spring rolls ($3.25 for 4) as an appetizer, which we devoured before I even thought to take a picture #badblogger. I then ordered wonton soup for my entree — I couldn’t pass it up even though I love pho!

$6.95

Must be the childhood nostalgia I associate with the soup b/c when I was younger, my family and I would often visit our favorite local Chinese restaurant and order a large wonton soup to share. This vegan version was delectable! The benefit of eating a vegan wonton soup, purely for health-related reasons, is that it’s not full of fatty meats, which means lower calories and no bad animal fats.

The boyf ordered the Hawaiian Burger…

$7.25

Usually when my boyfriend orders “meat substitute burgers,” he reports it tasting like soy, even if he still enjoys it. But this burger was the best tasting to him so far — he said it beat out Native Foods & The Veggie Grill!

The added bonus to The Loving Hut’s menu is it features an extensive beverage list including Thai iced tea and smoothies!

[photo property of The Loving Hut]

My boyfriend and I both ordered tha-iced teas ($2.75/each) — delicious! If you’re watching your calories, you’d want to avoid the drink unless you’re calling it dessert — the non-vegan version’s typically got about 135-200 calories per 8-oz serving and I assume the vegan version is similar — and this was definitely more than 8 oz! Eep!

My boyfriend ended the meal with a piece of cheesecake ($2.50) that he devoured in the car! [and no picture again...]

We can’t think of a bad thing to say about this restaurant — the prices are cheaper than any other vegan establishment we’ve visited, it’s closest to our house, and the menu boasts some of our exotic favorites, including fried rice, kung pao “chicken,” “beef” and broccoli and typical faves like whole-wheat wraps and veggie burgers! You’ve gotta check this place out. California locations include: Alhambra, Huntington Beach, Milpitas, Orange, Ladera Ranch, Palo Alto, San Diego, San Francisco (2), San Jose & Upland.There are also locations in AZ, FL, GA, HI, IL, MA, NJ, NY, TX & WA.

Tried any new restaurants lately?

Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

<3,

The Cranky One

One of my best friends was visiting from San Francisco and staying in Los Angeles for a couple days. Naturally, we wanted to reconnect at a casual restaurant serving healthy food. So, I queried LA-based vegan blogger Quarry Girl for a recommendation and she came back with Interim Cafe in Santa Monica (530 Wilshire Blvd). I trusted the recommendation without a doubt!

Interim Cafe is located on a corner and the side of a commercial building — it might be hard to spot if you’re driving. But don’t let its subtle presence full you. Interim Cafe offers a diverse menu featuring free-range meats, organic vegetables and plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans. So, it’s the perfect compromise for a vegan dining with an omni. Bonus? They’ve got VEGAN SOFTSERVE, vegan smoothies and lots o’ vegan desserts *drools*

When I first went up to order, I wanted a black chai tea, described on the menu as having soy and agave. I asked the staff member if I could have it without agave (what can I say, I’ve read too much about agave…) and he seemed flustered at the question. The manager piped in and told me he mixed the tea himself and offered me a taste of it. I took one taste and all qualms with agave went out the window as the smokey taste of chai and the sweet taste of soy and agave overwhelmed my mouth with angels bearing trumpets. If this were Jerry MGuire, I’d have said, “you had me at ‘chai.’”

Anyway…

You can view Interim Cafe’s entire menu here. Compared to Real Food Daily, a vegetarian & vegan restaurant, also with a Santa Monica location, Interim is significantly more affordable, and their menu more extensive. Also, if you live closer to the area than I do (it’s a good 35 minutes away in no traffic for me), try to get there for breakfast (before noon) as their vegan offerings look off the hook. For instance, a whole line-up of hemp-tofu scrambles.

Here are our lunch eats:

Tempeh Whole Wheat Pita Stuffer tempeh, hummus, cucs, greens, tomato – $9.00 (served with choice of Terra Chips or organic side-salad)

Super Food Veggie Burger caramelized onion, avocado, sharp raw cheddar, pickles, lettuce, tomato, vegan super-sauce $9.50 (served with choice of Terra Chips or organic side-salad)

Latte, Organic Black Chai Tea and a vegan chocolate marshmallow brownie

But I couldn’t leave it at that. I had to re-visit the restaurant later in the week with my boyfriend.

I ordered the same tempeh pita — it was too good the first time to pass up a second time. However, the boyf tried the…

Fresh Crab Meat Quesadilla fresh real crab meat, Low Fat On Whole Wheat Tortilla Topped With Chipotle Corn Salsa & Avocado, Side Sombrero Salad, Salsa Vinaigrette $10.00 *The sombrero salad, which the boyf handed over willingly, was amazeballs* The boyf loved the quesadilla.

If you’re ever in the LA-area, I full-heartedly recommend Interim! Thanks, Quarry Girl, for the recommendation!

Hope you guys are having an amazing weekend! I’m off for a beach run, and later baking cupcakes for a special birthday girl and then a night of dancing to celebrate.

<3,

The Cranky One

“Look how Sagittarius is in the tenth house!”

I got an astrology reading this week. No, I’m not a kook. Yes, I am open to new ideas. And moreover, my other vegan friend Brian gave me a free reading in exchange for a vegan Indian meal.

So what did the stars tell me? My career prospects look promising, so long as I work hard and stay open to communication. Well, duh, you may be thinking. I found that the reading was not so much informative as it was reaffirming – it simply “confirmed” everything I already knew.

What I do know about my current dieting situation is that if last week was a great workout week for me, then this week was its polar opposite: the scorching heat wave across the Southland meant all I wanted to do was stay indoors and plant my ass on my couch, in my apartment, where I have the blessed fortune of central air. On a completely different note, I kept to the freedom of no schedule – and still managed to weigh in at 0.2 pounds less than last week.

So – still no scheduling! Hooray! Let’s face it, writing down the calorie count of every morsel you eat is a pain in the ass. But how the hell did I manage to come in so closely – heck, losing 0.2 pounds – without exercising? I’m not trying to brag or make anyone feel bad. I just seriously don’t get it.

My theory? I ate less meat this week. Despite virtually no exercise, I ate two vegan dinners (one with The Cranky One, and another with the aforementioned vegan astrologer) and no meat on three other days. Normally, my part-time vegetarianism is a minimum of three days. If I eat less meat on other days, fantastic. If not, it’s okay as long as I meet the 3-day requirement. I am really starting to believe that simply by cutting meat out of my diet, I’m somehow magically keeping up my metabolic rate and/or not gaining weight. Thoughts?

I wonder what the stars would tell me about losing weight?…

Best Meal:

Real Food Daily: The best vegan restaurant in L.A., hands down. The Cranky One was lovely company over my veggie burger and Caesar salad.
[This is the "Burger with the Works" $14.75; bad pics taken by me, The Cranky One herself, sorry!]
[This was my "Mexicali Chop" -- delicious w/o tortilla strips or dressing! $13.75 - The Cranky One]
However, if I have to complain about anything with them, it’s the pricing. They get with away with ridiculous prices for their food! Still, I’m happy to fork over $10 for “not-chos” with cashew cheese. So good!

Worst Meal:

Diet Coke: Alright, it’s not a food, but it’s not good either. [The Cranky One refers to her post on the soda demon] I’ve been slipping into a terrible Diet Coke habit lately. I think the heat leads to thirst, which leads to a sugar craving. Or some other, more plausible medical explanation. In any case, instead of sugar, I’ve been reaching for Diet Coke, but diet sodas often contain awful chemicals that are terrible for you, particularly aspartame. Speaking as someone who drank gallons of soda pop as a child and teen, quitting soda was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. If I have soda now, it’s the good stuff – I save ultimate cravings for Crush and Virgil Root Beer, not lame old Coke. But still, Diet Coke is just not good for you. So this week, no diet soda of any kind!

Food I Didn’t Realize Would Be Bad:

Trader Joe’s Blue Cheese Roasted Pecan Dip: Whenever I go to Trader Joe’s, I make a deal with myself: I can try any new food item I’ve never had before, but just one. I chose this piece of shit. Listen, it seemed like a good idea, and the calorie count was not abysmal. Plus I was eating with baby carrots and Ak-mak crackers. However, hummus is a far better choice for a dip, as it’s not only healthier and lower in calories, but also better tasting! Seriously, hummus goes with everything. I dare you to defy me.

How I Worked Out:

Um…pass?

What Did We Learn?:

Eating less meat makes you feel good, or at least tricks you into thinking that you’re still on task!

This Week’s Goal:

Eh, last week I said I would save money. Then I got a check from my old job, plus I set up a few dinner dates and outings with lovely companions. Common sense and savings thrown out the window! This week, I’ll actually TRY and save money! The limit is still $75 – c’mon, people, yell at me or something! I know you’re anxiously awaiting these answers!

I kid, I kid. I’m a comedian, remember?

Start Weight According to Crappy Target Scale: 141.0

End Weight According to Crappy Target Scale: 140.8

Ask me and Ana questions on Twitter at @nahdeeeyah and at @feedmeimcranky1!

________________________________________________________________________________

Nia, you rockstar, you! You’ve lost a total of 9.4 pounds! And I’d like to point out that Nadia did exercise! We walked all around Santa Monica pier and all throughout the town — remember, Nia?! Walking counts! Consider that walking for two hours at a 3 mph pace burns ’round 530 calories (based on a weight near 135 pounds)! Sweet! Also, it’s not anomalous that you still lost weight even without deliberate exercise. Diet is like 85-90% of a person’s weight-loss (or somethin’ like that! Health bloggers, help me out…). Keep it up – you’re doing so rad — and you totally rocked at your improv show!

To see Nadia’s first update, click here; her second, click here; her third, click here; her fourth, click here ; her fifth, click here; and/or her sixth, click here.

<3,

The Cranky One

But won’t you gain weight, or fail to lose those pesky 10ish (I don’t have a scale; don’t know for sure) pounds? No. No form of exercise in and of itself is a guarantee that you’ll lose, maintain, or whatever, your weight. In fact, many people actually gain weight when training for marathons. It all comes down to consistently moving and consistently eating well. I’m working on both. It’s hard, no lie. Because just how running, for example, is not a guarantee to lose/maintain weight, neither is being vegan. Have you had a slice of this vegan chocolate cake? Insanely good. And around 500 calories a refined-flour-filled piece. D’oh!

In addition to ‘blading, I’ve been doing boot camp!  I did bootcamp a few years ago and loved it. The problem — it’s muy expensive! My justifications for coughing up the dough? I love the feeling of having an hour work-out done by 6:30 in the morning and I’ll freakin’ pay for that feeling of accomplishment (oh and I guess I’m paying for the fun of an ass-kicking work-out, too, right? Right!). And the fact that I eschew the purchase of clothes, shoes, accessories; cut my hair once a year; don’t get mani/pedies, etc. (this list could go on, for reeeeeeals!) means I got mula to spare. Hip hip hooray for being frugal on everything except food and exercise!

Any of you done a boot camp? What are the things you are willing to shell out dough for?

Food News

• Saturday, July 24th, is the LA Street Food Fest (Los Angeles, CA) — Shell out $45 and get unlimited food and booze, free parking (at the Rose Bowl), and live music! From the site: “Enjoy sampling signature bites from more than 60 vendors including hot gourmet food trucks, old school carts and stands, celeb chefs and street inspired dishes from LA’s best restaurants. Our open bars and beer gardens will keep you hydrated ‘n happy with cold suds, delicious cocktails, tequila tasting, juices and more. To top it off, you’ll rock out with our summer concert from two of LA’s hottest new bands, all on the grassy green field of the Rose Bowl for one affordable, all-inclusive ticket price benefiting St Vincent Meals on Wheels & Woolly School Gardens!” Um I’d go, but unlimited food and beer is kinda not my thing right now precisely because it used to be my thing (just instead of being a once-in-a-while-special-event thing, it was an every single day thing, so….yea…). If you’re vegetarian or vegan, there are for suuuuuure gonna be options for you. Two restaurants that are vegetarian and vegan friendly right of the bat who will be at the fest are: The Mandoline Grill and The Vegan Joint.
• New vegan-friendly and calorie-counter-conscious restaurant, Seasons 52, will be opening this summer in Costa Mesa, CA. Now that many states are requiring that calorie counts be posted in plain view, it seems the next step is restaurants actually concocting healthier dishes instead of just revealing how awful most of food is. Some fast food places like Applebee’s, Subway, Taco Bell and even some restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory and Mimi’s Cafe, specifically market portions of their menus to the calorie conscious. But it’s kinda lame to market a healthy salad on one page and a triple decker sub of lard on the next page. Just sayin’. And with a lot of vegan restaurants not coughing up the nutritional stats on their foods — I’m talking to you Native Foods and The Veggie Grill (my two FAVES!) — it’s about time we get everything we want in one restaurant. So, I’ve got high hopes for Season 52 since it boasts that each dish is under 500 calories, including its vegetarian and vegan options. Don’t let me down!
• Previous McDonald’s Alums to Open Eco-Friendly & Health-Food-Based Restaurant. Say what?
  [photo cred]
  Crackers with beets instead of fries with meat?
  Yep. It’s not rocket science — if it’s seemingly profitable, people will build it. And it seems that marketing healthy fast food can be just as profitable as blatantly marketing crap food (here’s looking at you, KFC and Friendly’s!). So, two McD’s alums are slated to open a restaurant featuring healthier options and a few appeals to the green crowd like herb-garden-lined roofs and a grass parking lot, per AdAge here. Does anyone know: what is the green appeal of a “grass parking lot”? (Aside from the obvious and literal green appeal lol). The dudes also plan to take the restaurant food to the grocery store (I guess the plastic and crap for their frozen foods will counterbalance the restaurant’s green initiatives, eh? Asks the cranky pessimist).
• Check out some recent clips in food safety news here. Antibiotics, melamine, e.coli, YUM!

Alright, I’m tired of hearing my own voice type this mess. Off and onward.

<3,

The Cranky One

p.s. Thanks to @YetAnotherSusan and @DetectiveLara for their notes on restaurants marketing food for its specific calorie counts.

If you live in OC or LA county, CA, and are cravin’ something fresh and outside the clog-your-arteries norm, you’ve gotta give Veggie Grill a try. Ok, ok so it’s a vegan restaurant, but don’t let that deter you from trying it out if you’re an omnivore — this food was designed, like Native Foods’ food — to appeal to everyone. In fact, the same restaurateur who backed Native Foods, joined the Veggie Grill team in its infancy to get things rolling.

The menu is very similar to Native Foods’ in that dishes aren’t listed as explicitly vegan — i.e. they still call things “tacos,” “burgers,” “pizza,” etc., (sneaky, sneaky!) even though it doesn’t have the animal products we’ve come to associate as the foundation for these food items.

The boyf and I hit up Veggie Grill on my birthday last year and even on our 3-year anniversary last week. What can I say? My boyf is a trooper and knows that I’m not a fancy schmancy girl, but a girl with a little, hippy mission — eat food that doesn’t make me or the environment suffer unnecessarily. He eats at these places out of love for me — cause #1 — but I think the fact that the food tastes damn good is kinda his secret cause #2, knowhatimean?

Carne Asada Sandwich – $8.95

Our specially seasoned and marinated veggie protein Grilled veggie-steak, marinated in Mexican spices, with southwestern spiced vegan mayo, red onion, lettuce, tomato on a wheat roll.

Grillin’ Chickin’ – $8.95

Grilled chillin’ chickin’, avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion, cilantro pesto, chipotle ranch on a wheat roll.

Baja Fiesta Salad w/ Crispy Fried Chillin’ Chickin’ – $11.45 (inc. $2.50 for added chickin’)

Chopped romaine, papaya, avocado, roasted corn salsa, quinoa, cucumber, cilantro with a ginger-papaya vinaigrette.

Chinese Chickin’ Salad – $9.50

Chillin’ chickin’, romaine, cabbage, green onion, sesame seeds, roasted corn salsa, mandarin oranges with a sesame-rice vinaigrette.

Chipotle BBQ Sandwich & Sweetheart Fries - $8.50 (+2.25 extra for sweet potato Sweetheart Fries)

Shredded veggie-steak, marinated in our tangy BBQ sauce, with chipotle ranch, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato.

Chickin’ Caesar Wrap – $8.95

Wrapped ceasar salad, blackened chillin’ chickin’, avocado, corn salsa, chipotle ranch.

Sweetheart Fries – $4.25

Scrumptious sweet potato fries, seasoned and served with chipotle ranch.

Please excuse the awful photos — The Veggie Grill gets crowded on Friday evenings and weekends and, usually, the boyf and I can only get outdoor seating where flash — the killer of good photos — reigns supreme.

My favorite dish is the Baja Fiesta salad with added crispy chickin’. The taste of the quinoa with the papaya and avocado is foodgasmic. The boyf’s favorite is the Chickin’ Caesar Wrap (shhh don’t tell him that it’s like a SALAD in a wrap…he likes to think he’s anti-vegetable).

When I last went to the VG I noticed they were testing out new items that have not yet appeared officially on their menu. These items include Macaroni and Cheese with Whole Wheat Macaroni (and I’m guessing cashew cheese) and nachos. The boyf, who could live off mac ‘n cheese, had to give the VG version a try…

He thought it was mighty cheesy. In a good way — not in a chick flick way.

With locations in West Hollywood, El Segundo and two in Irvine — you may have to take a little road trip to try it out. It’s worth it. The boyf and I happily drive the 20+ miles each way to hit up the Irvine Campus location. The food’s that good. Ok, and it also happens to be across from my alma mater, so it’s like nostalgia mixed with vegan food and you’ve totally uncrankyfied The Cranky One.

Go for the Sweetheart Fries. Stay for the Fat Tire (yep, they sell it at the Irvine, Campus Drive, location!)

<3,

The Cranky One

Any lifestyle change is going to, invariably, be met with intrigue…and sometimes criticism. Veganism is definitely one of those changes that might be met with concern (there’s a lot of myth that vegetarians and vegans are protein and nutrient deprived) and/or met with a scoff and the question, “well, what will you eat? Rabbit food?”

I assure you that while I do love me some rabbit food, carrots and celery yum yum, etc., I also like to feel full and to eat a variety of delicious foods. Most simply, vegans do not eat or use anything that contains animal products (so no meat, eggs, dairy, etc.). It can seem a challenge to find things without animal products when you go out to eat at non-vegan restaurants (for realz!), but making your own vegan recipes at home is a cinch!  Just start with the basics:

• Whole grains — Brown rice, whole wheat pastas, whole wheat bread (Note: Don’t fall for marketing gimmicks! “Multi-grain” and “whole wheat blend” are NOT the same as “100% whole wheat”; also read labels since some breads use eggs)
• Legumes/beans
• Vegetables

Then, if you’re feeling saucy, add:

• Tempeh — Fermented meat substitute made from whole soybeans (and sometimes whole grains, too). Has a more “rugged” and meaty texture than tofu and also higher protein.
• Tofu — A meat substitute made from a bean curd made from soy milk.
• Seitan — A meat substitute made from wheat gluten.
• Nuts — Adding chopped nuts to a salad is so cliche (yet delicious).  Add chopped nuts to everything for added protein (but still watch yer calories, yaknowwhatimean?)!
• Oils — Olive and canola are the best
• Herbs, spices — Fresh herbs and spices make a bland meat substitute go from meat mockery to meat flattery.

and:

• Soy sauce
• Marinade
• Hot sauce

and voila! you’ve got a hearty and healthy vegan meal!

Some of my vegan staples & faves include:

Fried brown rice, black beans and steamed vegetables

Sweet potato enchiladas

Strawberry bread

Thai-style stir-fried tofu

Sweet potato and asparagus quiche

Corndog minis

Homemade lemon Larabars

BBQ tofu pizza

Refried bean tacos with homemade potato chips

Lemon basil brown rice

Lentil bolognese tacos with avocado and hot sauce

Black bean and yellow and red pepper tacos

Don Lee Farms veggie patty with whole wheat pita and veggies

Miso soup and avocado rolls
[photo cred]

Whole-wheat cold pasta salad

Tofu/veggie spring rolls

Whole-wheat spaghetti
[photo cred]

Don’t worry — veganism doesn’t steal away your nostalgic foods either. You can still have PB&J and many cereals (including Puffins — my fave!), just eat the cereal with soy milk, almond milk, rice milk or whole grain drink (a mix of whole grains like brown rice and quinoa).
[photo cred]

Pissed that cheese comes from animals and not the heavens above? No worries — try a cheese substitute (but keep your expectations low, let’s be real lol).  Vegan Yum Yum has a delicious-lookin’ vegan recipe for mac and cheese here.

And, seriously, let’s not forget dessert (the most important meal of the day!   Vegan desserts just so happen to be the love of my life and nemesis of my hips. My fave vegan dessert recipes are here, here, here and here. You can also check out all dessert books by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. If you want to go out for a vegan treat, visit my fave vegan restaurant Native Foods in the LA & OC area, or visit Baby Cakes Bakery in Los Angeles, CA or NYC if you’re near there.

Food News

• Corner Bakery announces “Combos Under 600 Calories” here. 600 calories is still a lot for a sandwich (calorie counts DO NOT include the side-item the sandwich comes with), but I guess it’s better than eating a salad worth 1000 calories (jeebus — these horrific salads are everywhere, it’s shocking!). Note: Not many vegetarian options at Corner Bakery and maybe a couple vegan options if you remove the cheese…

Related Posts

• Vegetarian and Vegan Resources – Recently updated
• How to Eat Vegetarian Everywhere
• Vegan Thai Dishes

What restaurant do you think needs a healthy-foods option makeover the most? I recently went to California Pizza Kitchen and found that the only options under 500 calories were a cup of their soups.  I don’t know about you guys, but a cup of soup for a meal leaves me feeling pretty deprived and cranky as hell.

<3,

The Cranky One

Restaurant Guides

Organic

• Eat Well Guide

Vegan

• Happy Cow
• Veg Guide

Vegetarian

• Happy Cow
• Veg Guide
• Veg Dining

Los Angeles/Orange County Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants (These are the ones I know of — but there are *tons*)

• Native Foods (Vegan) – Los Angeles & Orange County
• Real Food Daily (Vegan) – Los Angeles
• Swingers (Has vegan, vegetarian and/or organic options) – Los Angeles
• Veggie Grill (Vegan) – Los Angeles & Orange County
• 118 Degrees (Raw Vegan Organic) – Orange County
• Urth Cafe (Organic with some vegetarian and a couple vegan options)
• Baby Cakes (Vegan Desserts) — Opened yesterday in downtown Los Angeles!!!

Online Vegan Stores

• Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe
• Vegan Essentials

My Fave Vegetarian Recipe Blogs/Websites

• 101 Cookbooks
• Vegetarian Times online (Has option to search only vegan recipes, too)

My Fave Vegan Recipe Blogs/Websites

• Vegan Yum Yum
• Happy Herbivore
• Fat Free Vegan
• Post Punk Kitchen
• Dreena’s Vegan Recipes
• Vegan Lunch Box
• Vegan Feast Kitchen
• What Do Vegans Eat?

Additional Resources

• Check out the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart (backed by doctors and Alicia Silverstone) — A vegan challenge began the first of this year and the site provides recipe plans each day for 21 days.
• List of vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles, CA here

Tips for Eating Out at Non-Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants

• Do your research beforehand!  Most large restaurant chains put information online as to what’s in their dishes and even break it down for you in list fashion which dishes are vegetarian and/or vegan.  For instance, check out California Pizza Kitchen’s vegetarian/vegan list here. Check out Subway here
• Google search your fave place to eat and its vegan/vegetarian options. A lot of your co-veggie-peeps have done the research for you and have put their research on the web for your convenience! (Always double-check and use your good judgment though…;)

Any of you have additional resources to add?

<3,

The Cranky One