Cafe Sunflower, Atlanta #2

In all of the years that I've been visiting Atlanta and going to Cafe Sunflower, I don't think I've ever had a bad experience. They are a fully vegetarian restaurant that is mostly vegan and all of their desserts are vegan, which is fantastic. They have two locations and we decided to go back to the one on Peachtree Road.

We've been lucky in that even though they've always been busy, we've never had to wait for a table. There were only three of us this time, so a relatively small party.

I started with the Ginger Spice Juice made with fresh juiced carrot, ginger, and organic apple juice. It was delicious.

There was no discussion on the appetizers as the Buffalo Lollipops are so delicious here. Coated in buffalo sauce, these faux drumsticks are filled with flavor. And served with celery and blue cheese dressing, it all just goes together so well.

For my entree, I went with the Roasted Portabello Mushroom Melt. This delicious sandwich had a juicy portabello mushroom with spinach, tomatoes, and caramelized onions topped with melted Daiya cheese and tahini sauce on multigrain bun. It was perfect. Sweet potato fries and an organic mixed green salad rounded it all out.

My friend ordered a Black Bean Quesadilla and he said it was pretty good.

We then finished it off with a peanut butter chocolate cake that was rich and just the right balance of peanut butter and chocolate.

Afterwards, we had tea and reminisced about good times. Nice job, Sunflower--I always look forward to coming back here.

Previous review
July 20, 2017

Cafe Sunflower
2140 Peachtree Road
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 352-8859

Mayuri Indian, Tallahassee

Across the street from our hotel, we spied an Indian restaurant, Mayuri Indian, and our local friend told us it was one of just two Indian restaurants in this small town. So, we met him there for dinner one night.

We had a fairly large party of five and it took them a little bit of time to prepare the table for us, but luckily we came early because it is a very small restaurant and apparently very popular.

Inside the red tablecloths were covered with a sheet of plexiglass, so it wasn't the classiest place. Also, amidst the pictures of India was a large screen television showing a game--not really my cup of tea.

I was pleased though when I opened the menu to find a section of vegan entrees. When I inquired about vegan appetizers, there were some, but the samosas that I wanted were not vegan so I just decided to forego the appetizer.

For my entree, I went with the Mixed Vegetable Curry-- extra spicy. The curry was tasty and the vegetables (potatoes, peas, cauliflower, and green beans) were good. The rice, however, was not the typical seasoned rice you get in Indian restaurants. Instead, it was steamed rice, which really took away from the meal. And as that was all I ate, it's all I have to go on.

The service was slow, the entire meal was only $10 so very cheap, and the food was so-so. This place would never survive in DC, but it's probably the best Indian Tallahassee has.

Mayuri Indian
1108 S. Magnolia Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 402-9993

Hummus Pods

I'm a snacker. I wish I weren't, but I just am. I love to snack. And my favorite snack is hummus. So when I saw the Hummus Pods at a food trade show, I immediately fell in love! Hummus Pods are hand-held hummus treats wrapped in a crispy shell.

The whole concept is ingenious.Take creamy hummus, encase it in a doughy shell and package it frozen, so once heated, it is super crispy. Could they be healthier? Yes. They are made with enriched unbleached white flour, but they also have whole wheat flour, navy bean flour, vital wheat gluten, teff flour, and quinoa flour. That's a lot of flour!

They come in three flavors: Zesty Lemon, Smoky Chipotle, and Sriracha Lime and all three flavors are vegan. While I liked all of them, the Smoky Chipotle is my hands down favorite. I could easily get hooked on these!

They are available around the country in select areas listed here. In DC, they are available at Yes! Organic Market. Enjoy!

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

Real Food, Really Fast - Cookbook Review

The busier we get, the less time we want to spend on cooking. I'm with you on that. I was excited to hear that one of my favorite authors, Hannah Kaminsky, wrote a new cookbook with recipes filled with real food that can be cooked really fast. Hence the name, "Real Food, Really Fast!"

The book opens with sections on cooking fundamentals, essential equipment, and an introduction to specialty ingredients. The pictures will have you hooked in no time. From appetizing recipes for tempeh fries, falafel fattoush, French onion soup, and walnut bolognese, you'll wonder how in the world she created so many meals that can be made in 10 minutes. But, amazingly enough she did.

The first recipe I tried was fantastic and amazingly simple. The Jamaican Jerk Chili has browned tempeh to give it a meaty texture, black-eyed peas filled with protein, and fire-roasted tomatoes and cooks in just 10-15 minutes. Amazing! She basically just throws all the ingredients in a pot and cooks it for 6 minutes and it turns out great.

I also tried the Instant Kimchi Noodle Soup, which If found pretty unique. It's fairly easy to make, but has so much flavor, it'll taste like something you'd get in a fancy restaurant. Layers of kimchi, soba noodles, cremini mushrooms, zucchini, scallions, and wakame all hit your mouth at the same time and the result is happiness. And all of this happiness in just a few minutes...give me more, please!

Lastly, I also tried the Hasselback Zucchini. Although this recipe took considerably longer than indicated in the recipe, the prep was quite simple and the end product quite good. I sliced zucchini, layered them with a spice mix and baked them for several minutes. Voila! Tasty zucchini!

I'm pretty hooked on this book because it is real food, really fast! Next, I'm trying the Spinach and Artichoke Bisque, Seitan Bulgogi, and Mofongo Bowl! If you are interested, you can order this book on Amazon here. 

Full Disclosure: Although the cookbook was provided to me at no cost to review, that in no way influenced my veracious opinion.

Hasselback Zucchini

A different take on hasselback potatoes, Hannah Kaminsky does it again with Hasselback Zuchini out of her new book, Real Food, Really Fast. After cooking these, I inhaled them like there was no tomorrow. The mixture of garlic, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and salt smeared over zucchini with olive oil makes a fantastic side or main dish after just a few minutes of cooking. I will, however, add that even though the recipe below states to cook for 2 minutes without foil, I felt I needed to cook them for 12 minutes more to really cook them through. Just keep checking them. Also, the recipe calls for dried thyme and rosemary, but fresh is even better. Enjoy!

Hasselback Zucchini
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds of zucchini
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
Preheat your oven to 500-degrees Fahrenheit.

Properly prepping the zucchini is essential for success here, so be careful when cutting. You don't want to go all the way through the vegetables, but just about 3/4 of the way, at regularly spaced intervals of just a few millimeters. Exact measurements aren't critical as long as you're consistent. For those less confident with their knife skills, try placing thin skewers or dowels on either side of the zucchini to prevent the blade from going all the way down to the cutting board.

Place the zucchini on a lightly greased baking sheet and drizzle liberally with oil. Combine garlic, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and salt together and smear this mixture all over, pushing it in between the cut layers and all over the sides. cover loosely with foil and slide the pan into the hot oven.

Lift the foil after about 6 minutes to check on their progress. The zucchini should be just about fork-tender. Bake for an additional 2 minutes or so, uncovered, until lightly browned. Serve warm.

1 Fresh Stir Fry Grill, Tallahassee

I definitely didn't come to Tallahassee for the food, but I knew somewhere there was some good food to be had. As we were driving down the street, I saw this little hut that had "1 Fresh Stir Fry Grill" on it. I asked my local friend about it and he said it was a good place to go, so we did.

I was thinking it was a fast casual place, but it also had a drive through! And it was next to a real fast food restaurant. Perhaps they are just keeping up with their competition, we thought.

The plastic one-page menus are kept in a bin before you get to the register. You can figure out what you want, then go order. It's an interesting concept. Immediately the ladies behind the counter left their post and asked if we needed help. They explained the menu, told us what was vegan, and left us to decide.

You first choose if you want a stir fry, quesadilla, wrap, soup, or salad. Stir fry for us! Then, you choose your type: we chose tofu. Then, you choose your veggies and beans--we went with mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, black beans, spinach, cabbage, and onions. You have a choice of rices, but we wanted the more expensive ones: black rice and quinoa, which were an extra $1.99 each! Then, your sauce--we went with habanero spicy one sauce. And, lastly, your toppings like scallions, cilantro, and garlic.

We went to seat ourselves in the large dining room. It is simple with black tables and brown chairs. Strings of lights hang from the ceiling and fun signs that state things like "Drooling not permitted, but understandable."

We really weren't expecting much, but, we ended up impressed. They brought it out and it was huge (glad we decided to share it!). It looked and tasted amazing. The black rice and quinoa with the veggies and tofu topped with that habanero sauce was awesome.

They came over once to ask if everything was good. So good! I love this place! The service is great (even though there is no table service), the prices reasonable, the food fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere is nice. Recommended!

1 Fresh Stir Fry Grill

1820 Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32301

(850) 422-2111