Creamy Broccoli with Garlic and Cilantro - Savory Smoothie or Soup

Smoothie or Soup? I guess it is your choice! I'm not a huge smoothie drinker so when I was asked to review 100 Best Juices, Smoothies, and Healthy Snacks by Emily Von Euw, I immediately flipped to her savory section where smoothies are soups and soups are smoothies! It's all in one. The Creamy Broccoli with Garlic and Cilantro is a very strong-flavored thick soup made of good stuff -- broccoli, cilantro, oranges, almonds, and miso paste. It's a bit bitey because of all of the cilantro, but I love cilantro and, therefore, loved this soup. I think it could have used some more water though as mine was really thick! Just keep adding water until it feels right. Drink or slurp!

Creamy Broccoli with Garlic and Cilantro

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp miso paste
• 1 orange
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 1/2 cups water, as needed
• 1 avocado (optional)

Instructions
Peel, wash, and chop everything as needed. Blend all the ingredients together, adding water as needed.

Late July Tortilla Chips and Frontera Salsas

Sometimes I can be a chips and salsa fanatic. I mean - who doesn't like chips and salsa?! The problem is that there are so many cheaply made chips with low quality GMO corn and crappy salsas out there that I don't even eat the chips and salsa when I'm out half the time. But, when I can choose my own chips and salsa and devour them at home, I'm all about it!

Late July makes outstanding chips in soooo many flavors. Ten of their flavors are vegan like the Sweet Potato Multigrain and Chia & Quinoa Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips! What I like most about their chips is that they are made with non-GMO corn, mostly organic ingredients, and good-for-you seeds like chia, millet, flax, quinoa, and amaranth. That's about as healthy as a tortilla chip can get!

But, wait - no chip is good without some sort of salsa or guacamole, right?! My absolute favorite salsa - I mean the salsa I choose when I go to the grocery store is Frontera's Gourmet Mexican Salsas. These salsas have incredible flavor and real ingredients. So what happens when you pair the Late July chips with the Frontera salsas? It's magic!

Take the Sea Salt by the Seashore and Red Hot Mojo chips with the Jalapeno Cilantro salsa.  The Sea Salt chips are made with brown rice, chia seeds, and a grain & seed blend that includes millet, flax, brown rice, quinoa, and amaranth.  The result is just a fantastic basic tortilla chip. But when you dip it in the Jalapeno Cilantro salsa it really comes alive with tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro. This salsa has perfect flavor that could complement just about any chip. The salsa is not overly thick so it lasts a bit longer than those super thick salsas.

My favorite chip was the Red Hot Mojo -- a fiery blend of jalapenos and red peppers in a chip. This chip is amazing. It's not too hot and not too mild and has just the right amount of crunch! I paired it with the Jalapeno Cilantro salsa because that salsa is not too spicy while the chip really is!

For my next double pairing I took the Cure for the Summertime Blues (yes, the names are all that cute!) and the Sub Lime chips with the Roasted Habanero salsa. Oh my! The Roasted Habanero salsa is one of the hottest salsas with habanero I've ever had! You get chunks of fire-roasted tomatoes with habanero that leave a slow burn at the back of your throat. Pair this salsa with mild chips like the Summertime Blues - a great high-quality crunchy blue chip with chia and flax seeds or the super-limey Sub Lime chips and you get a party-ready pairing!

After all that, I decided to try Late July's new Jalapeño Lime Clasico and Bacon Habanero Clasico chips. Honestly, I really wasn't a big fan of these. I tried them briefly at Expo West and was really more excited at the novelty of Bacon Habanero chips than the taste itself. After taking the time to really try these at home, I felt like some of the added ingredients like maltodextrin made these chips taste like they had fake flavor added.

Late July chips can be found on Amazon here and Frontera salsas can also be found on Amazon here. They are commonly found in Whole Foods as well. And with that, I'm going back to planning a Mexican siesta!

Full Disclosure: Although the products were provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.

Sunflower Vegetarian, Vienna, VA

After having recently dined at Sunflower Vegetarian in Falls Church, I decided to check out their other location in Vienna, Virginia. I thought it would be really close to Tysons Corner, but it turned out to be much further away than I expected. Finally, we saw their green and yellow awnings over yonder in the two-story building and turned in with anticipation.

Inside, it's a medium-sized restaurant with small wood tables. Sunflowers adorned everything -- as it is their signature flower. This all-vegetarian restaurant has just a few non-vegan items, which are clearly marked. Yes, the non-vegan items are marked -- I love that.

I really enjoyed the dish I got at the Falls Church location so I really had to try hard to find something I thought I'd like as much at this location. They seem big on the faux meats here, which aren't my favorite thing. I'm more of a vegetable dish person myself. This is where our server came in. As we described what we were looking for, she helped us identify what we might like. With her help, we placed our orders.

The restaurant was really cold this day. I mean, really cold. I didn't even want to take off my knit hat. They obviously saw how cold I was as they suggested I order a cup of tea.  I went for a funky tea that was mix of mu, earl grey, ginger, and burdock. It was very unusual, but I liked it.

For my lunch, I ordered the Kale and Burdock Deluxe that came with lots of kale, burdock (a root vegetable), organic tofu skins, seitan, and chickpeas in a light ginger sauce. As simple as it was, it was just what I needed. It felt cleansing and the ginger sauce was quite mild. I asked if they had any hot peppers and they brought me fresh hot peppers that were burn-your-ass-off hot. They added just the right amount of spice to my dish.

Chris ordered the vegan General Tso's Magic, which came with steamed broccoli.  They have a non-vegan version as well so be careful when ordering. These crispy chunks of soy protein were tossed and cooked in a hot kung-pao sauce and served with sliced carrots. I thought it was pretty good, but I'm generally not a big fan of deep-fried dishes. Chris proclaimed that it was better than the same dish at Vegetable Garden. That's a lofty statement -- but, he really, really liked it.

We had to flag our server down to get our check, but it is a casual veg restaurant so I don't expect top-of-the-line stellar service. I have to say that I am very excited to have found that they greatly improved their dishes over the past few years. We found both of our dishes, moderately priced at around $10 each, to be quite good and very filling. The atmosphere is inviting, minus the cold temperature, and the drinks are good too.  I think this is a great place to schedule a get-together with veg and non-veg friends.  Now, it is time for them to open one in DC. A girl can dream, can't she?

Sunflower Vegetarian
2531 Chain Bridge Road
Vienna, VA 22181
(703) 319-3888

Spaghetti and Seitan Wheatballs

Seeking a way to dress up a simple pasta dish, I turned to the seitan wheatballs described in the Candle 79 Cookbook. Made with shallots, onions, celery, and seitan, these wheatballs had some great flavor that was enhanced with red pepper flakes and fresh chopped celery. The cooking method described below will steam them so that they are very soft. I prefer them to be a bit more on the baked side so I uncovered them and baked them for an additional 5-10 minutes. These wheatballs are a great addition to a simple spaghetti dish with roasted tomato sauce.

Spaghetti and Seitan Wheatballs
Makes ~ 20 balls

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 pound seitan
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 pound spaghetti
• Tomato (spaghetti) sauce
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.

To make the wheatballs, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, shallots, onion, and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Put the seitan in a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process until completely ground. Add the red pepper flakes, parsley, and salt and pulse to incorporate. Add the sauteed onion and celery and process until completely ground.

Transfer the seitan mixture to a large bowl and stir in the flour. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and put them on the prepared baking sheet. There should be about 20 balls. Brush the balls with olive oil and put 2 tablespoons of water into the baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well. Heat the tomato sauce on the stovetop until warm and bubbly. Portion the pasta into individual bowls and top each serving with tomato sauce and wheatballs. Garnish with basil and serve warm.

Meridian Pint, DC #2

I've been taking a yoga class in Columbia Heights lately and my fellow yogis mentioned that they love to go to brunch at Meridian Pint. I had a good experience at a Vegan Drinks event there in 2012, but hadn't been back since so I was way overdue. I joined them on two occasions.

Meridian Pint is a large restaurant that focuses on craft beers and environmental sustainability. The first floor is traditional dinner seating while the downstairs features these amazing huge booths where you can get beer on tap. The atmosphere is relaxed and the lighting dark.

I started with an orange juice and perused the menu. I was so delighted to see that items were marked as vegan or vegan optional, which made it so easy to understand. I decided to go with the housemade lentil barley burger served as Mother Earth and I'm so glad I did. This hearty, fresh burger is loaded with flavor and served on grilled ciabatta with caramelized onions and Daiya as well as fresh lettuce and tomato. I think this burger is better than the Science Club's black bean burger, quite frankly. The salad was also very good and came with a light vinaigrette dressing.

A friend of mine ordered the Thai Noodle with Avocado, Basil, Tomato, Peanut and Arugula and said it was very good.

On my second visit, I was so tempted to order the same thing, but instead went with something new. I started with a delicious mimosa and had the Vegan Curry Burrito. I noted that the vegan burrito was misspelled as "burritto" while the regular burrito was spelled correctly so it was kind of funny. This burrito looked very plain, but was anything but. Again, I got that great salad. The burrito was filled with black beans, onions, roasted eggplant, and avocado and served in a very fresh wrap that was grilled perfectly.

The burger was $12 while the burrito was $13 so it wasn't cheap, but given the fresh, high-quality ingredients, I had no complaints. The service was quite good and the atmosphere inviting. Overall, I am very happy with where this restaurant is going. The food is excellent, the menu is labeled appropriately, and the drinks are top-notch. Meridian Pint has just jumped back up on to the top ranks of my favorite casual restaurants in DC.

Previous review
June 12, 2012

Meridian Pint
3400 11th Street NW
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 588-1075

Raaka - Chocolate Bars

It isn't very often that I feel like I actually want to order chocolate bars that I can't find locally. With Raaka, this is definitely the case. Raaka is a new Brooklyn-based company making super high-quality, unroasted chocolate. Their unique low temperature process preserves each region's natural, wild flavors, bringing you closer to the bean...or so they say.

Ryan Cheney was introduced to chocolate-making at a yoga school in Thailand. Inspired by companies with social missions, he founded Raaka to explore low-temperature chocolate making and create a more equitable global society in which communities have the opportunity to improve their quality of life. After spending a year learning bean-to-bar chocolate making, Ryan teamed up with Nate Hodge, a musician and gastronomist with a lust for exotic flavors and groundbreaking processes. For several months, Nate and Ryan enjoyed the sound of micro-batch chocolate grinders churning around the clock as they developed a new approach to chocolate making.

They sent me two bars and other tiny samples to try. My favorite of the two was the Vanilla Rooibos. Rooibos is a nettle tea from South Africa and brings warm notes to this bar. But what really arouses your tastebuds is the vanilla. Upon first bite, you get a melt-in-your-mouth vanilla flavor enveloped in pure, natural cacao. It's one of the best bars I've ever tasted.

The Maple & Nibs is also great. Maple sugar adds sweetness and cacao nibs coat the back of the bar for crunchiness and flavor.

Other tiny disc-sized samples were of their 75% Madagascar, Coconut Milk, Lapsang Chai, Dark with Sea Salt, Bourbon Cask Aged, and Yacon. All were excellent. I especially liked the milky Coconut Milk flavor, the Sea Salt, and the Bourbon Cask Aged.

Farmers at OKO Caribe and CIAAB co-ops are paid a 20% premium for the beans used in Raaka's bars. That's social responsibility at its best. All of their bars are certified Organic, soy-, nut-, and gluten-free as well as vegan. You will find them on Amazon here for $7.95 each. Well worth it in my opinion. They even make vegan truffles too!

Full Disclosure: Although the products were provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.

Chik'n Lentil Noodle Soup

Another win for JL Fields' new cookbook, Vegan Pressure Cooking, with her Chik'n Lentil Noodle Soup. This is not your mother's chicken soup. In fact, there isn't even faux chicken in it, which makes me happy because I'm really getting away from the faux meats. This is vegan udon noodle soup with green beans, carrots, and celery all wrapped up in brown lentils and seasoned with poultry seasoning. It's all the goodness of a brothy noodle soup with the heartiness of lentils. No faux chik'n needed! Feel free to add jalapenos for additional spice! 

Note: you need a pressure cooker to make this dish.

Chik'n Lentil Noodle Soup
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen), snapped into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 tsp vegan chicken-flavored seasoning (I used Simply Organic poultry seasoning)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 4 ounces soba noodles
• 4 cups vegetable or no-chicken broth
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions
In an uncovered pressure cooker, heat the oil on medium-high. Add the garlic, onions, green beans, carrots, and celery and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken-flavored seasoning, bay leaf, and sage and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the lentils, noodles, broth, and water. Stir to combine.

Cover and bring to pressure. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Use a quick release.

Sample both the lentils and noodles. If they are not cooked through, simmer on low in the uncovered pressure cooker until done, adding more water if necessary. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Sweetgreen - Umami Bowl

At this point, Sweetgreen needs no introduction. Known for quick, healthy salads, soups, and grain bowls, the cafe has become a household name. I was home from work late on this particular evening and stopped by for a quick take-out dinner.

On the springtime menu, at least in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia locations, was the Umami Bowl. This was my favorite dish ever at Sweetgreen! Unfortunately, it is already off the menu, but hopefully they'll bring it back in the near future.

Perhaps, there are way too many grains, but if you put that aside, you will realize in one taste why this is called what it is. Umami is a pleasant savory taste that is often hard to describe. This bowl exemplifies that taste with its warm organic wild rice, quinoa, and farro grains mixed with swiss chard, roasted mushrooms, chopped raw red onion, roasted tofu, pea shoots, spicy sunflower seed and miso sesame ginger dressing. I don't even have to describe it because that says it all. It is the mix of roasted, cooked, and raw ingredients that brings this dish alive and I absolutely loved it.

Oh, and a plug for the Sweetgreen app -- once you spend $99, you get $9 for free so be sure to use it!

Sweetgreen - I hope you never take this off the menu. Ooooomami.

Previous Reviews
April 21, 2014
June 19, 2012

Sweetgreen
1325 W Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 234-7336

Way Better Snacks - Sprouted Barley Crackers

Way Better Snacks, the makers of those fantastic chips we all know and love, are now making crackers! But, not just any crackers -- healthy crackers, of course. Way Better is all about sprouting - they will sprout a seed, bean, or grain in every snack they make. Sprouting naturally unlocks the protective layer around each seed, bean, and grain, that makes their nutrients easier to digest and absorb.

Their new Sprouted Barley Crackers come in four flavors and three of them are vegan - yay! Barley has the highest amount of fiber of any grain because the fiber in barley permeates the entire grain not just the outer layer. Barley is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that are essential to health.

My favorite flavor is the Rosemarry Me & Olive Oil. These crackers are made with sprouted barley flour, spelt flour and farro flour and seasoned with olive oil and a seasoning mix that includes rosemary, tapioca starch, sprouted flax, and baking soda. That's it! They are super crunchy, salty, and full of rosemary flavor. You will find that these crackers are heartier than your typical cracker because of all the grains! I paired them with Field Roast's new vegan Chao cheese for a complimentary duo.

Next up are the Beyond the Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper crackers. These are also exceptionally good. I think there is more salt than there is pepper and again - nice crunch and hearty flavor. I served them with Follow Your Heart's new vegan Garden Herb cheese and when Chris tried them he said, "Where can I get some of this Way Better...and is this real cheese??" Yeah, they are both that good.

Lastly, I had the Back in Black Bean and Salsa (cute names, right?) flavor.  The combination of grains and beans may have been a bit too much in these crackers as they just seemed a bit too dry and didn't have enough flavor to keep me interested. Oh, well, two out of three isn't bad!

Since they are a new product, they are currently obtaining Non-GMO Project Verification flavor by flavor and so far two out of four of them have been verified. I love their commitment to ensuring their products are non-GMO. I also love that they sprout some of their grains, seeds, and beans. When I asked why they don't sprout all of them in each box, they told me it would be cost prohibitive. Instead of retailing for $3.99 per box, they'd be $9 per box and would never sell! So, to keep the cost down, at least one grain, seed, or bean is sprouted, but not all.

These new crackers are slowly making their way around the country and are available in many stores nationwide including Whole Foods. If you can't wait, they can be found on Way Better's website here for purchase online. Try these crackers and let me know if you think they are Way Better too!

Full Disclosure: Although the products were provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.

Acqua Al 2, DC #2

Having just dined at Acqua Al 2 a few months ago, I was hesitant to try them again so soon. But, it's where my friends wanted to go, so why not?! Acqua Al 2 is an Italian restaurant in Capitol Hill and a very busy one at that.

We arrived around 8:20 for an 8:45 p.m. reservation on a Friday night. Little did we know just how packed it would be. There was almost no standing room and we would not be seated early. So, our party of five just stood near the bar, but sort of in the way of everyone else, for quite a while. We ordered some drinks at the bar and in the process, the bartender blew champagne all over Chris' coat while opening the bottle. For that, he was nice enough to give us two complimentary glasses. We were happy.

So we waited...and we waited. Finally about 20 minutes after our reservation time -- around 9:05, we were seated with apologies about the other party taking longer than expected. For that, they supplied the table with two free appetizers. They remarked that they knew vegans and vegetarians were in the party and had prepared a vegan artichoke risotto for us to start. Well, thank you. And it was delicious. This risotto had perfectly baked artichoke hearts wrapped in a creamy sauce that had everyone asking, "Are you sure this is vegan?" They happily confirmed it was. Yum!

For my first course, I started with the same salad I got last time because I loved it. It's the Insalata di Rucola e Pera, a delicious salad of arugula with thinly sliced Bosch pears tossed in a citrus, shallot, and dijon vinaigrette. Just be sure to hold the parmesan.

For my entree, I decided to try something different and I'm glad I did. The Fusilli Lunghi alla Fiaccheraia is a super long corkscrew pasta with layers of spicy tomato sauce and a touch of garlic. It was so fresh and so good.

Everyone was pretty happy with their entrees. We had a bottle of wine as well, but I forgot to note exactly which one we ordered.  The service throughout the night was as good as it could be. They were very busy, but you wouldn't have known it with the attentive service we received. Everything is priced appropriately with my pasta dish being $14. It was a lot of pasta for that price. And the atmosphere is loud, but fun. I especially love the DC-inspired decorative plate I found on the wall. How's that for intermingling traditional and contemporary all in one. So, we had another great experience at Acqua Al 2 who clearly cares about its customers. Can't wait to come back for more.

Previous review
September 18, 2014

Acqua Al 2
212 7th Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 525-4375

 

Back to the Roots - Stoneground Flakes

I always thought Back to the Roots, those fun guys who brought us the grow-it-yourself Mushroom Farm would stay in the mushroom business, but nope, they didn't. The Mushroom Farm may have made them famous, but it may be their other products that keep them famous.

Their latest product is Organic Stoneground Flakes. When I first saw them, I was just like "hmm." Why these simple flakes? Well, they are quite proud of a number of things about these simple flakes. They are grown and milled in California -- right here in the USA. They claim that stoneground wheat has more nutrients and taste than refined or whole wheat. In the process of turning the wheat into flakes, nothing is added and nothing is taken away. And their packaging is a recyclable box with no bag for added waste.

How do they taste? Great! Simple, hearty, stoneground wheat flakes! Top them with cinnamon, sugar, berries, or nuts for a complete breakfast. Their concave shape holds the almond milk well and because they are so hearty, they don't get soft quickly.

You can order two boxes for $9.99 online. And I'm sure they'll be coming to a store near you soon.

Full Disclosure: Although the product was provided to me for free to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.