Parent Visit Day Four: Sweets and Slices

Day Four of the visit was my husband's birthday, and I decided to surprise him at work with 4 dozen cupcakes for him and his office. He hates surprises, but he loves cupcakes, so I figured he'd forgive me (he did). Unable to give non-vegan food to people, even strangers, I turned to Sugar Beat Sweets to make his birthday wishes come true. I'd heard such good things about SBS, and its owner, Melisser, that I knew I was leaving our taste buds in good hands.

She was totally awesome to deal with through the whole ordering and picking up process, and once I had the car packed and ready to go (above) it really felt like a birthday. The scent of fresh-baked cupcakes wafted through the Prius as we drove to the office, and it was all I could do not to pull over and eat one. The Peppermint Patty flavor, in particular, was calling my name, but I took pics of the Peanut Butter Cup (my dad's fave) and Classic Vanilla (husband's fave) below:












When we finally did devour them, all your heard was "mmmmm...." I especially loved my Peppermint Patty, but I'm a mint chocolate kind of gal. They were all absolutely magnificent cupcake specimens - super moist, sugary and flavorful. Nobody knew they were vegan and everyone raved. Hooray birthdays! Hooray Sugar Beat Sweets!

For dinner that night, we went to an old favorite, Beretta. I swear, this restaurant is amazing. So vegan-friendly and so insanely delicious, it's no surprise that it's always packed. I mean just look at this slice of vegan margherita:

So good. Never had better vegan pizza and doubt I ever will. I want to eat there once a week for all eternity. Everything we had, from the perfectly cooked veggie antipasti to the pizzas to the unique drinks (try a "Hemmingway"!) were all so tasty, and we all enjoyed the husband's birthday dinner very much.

Still having a hard time keeping up with all the eating, but I'll do my best to blog it all as quickly as I can dear readers. We're off to Santa Cruz tomorrow to hit up some places I've always wanted to try, so in the meantime, enjoy your own eats!

Parent Visit Day Three: Greens

The onslaught of food is in full effect, and I can barely keep up, let along have time to write about it all! To that end, my next few blog posts will be short and to the point. Here we go....


So, what I want to tell you about Greens is that it's amazing. Still going strong after 30 years, and more vegan-friendly than ever, it delivers high-quality delicious and inventive food with a view of the Marina and GG Bridge which can't be beat. Of course, we managed to go on the one foggy night of my parent's trip so far (see our view, left), but it was still fantastic. Some highlights:



We started with some hummus and warm pita bread. Delicious. Best hummus I've had in a long time, and that's sayin' something!











My dad had those amazing spring rolls one the left, which are huge for an appetizer since they also include some savory enoki mushrooms and peanut-sauced tofu. He devoured them happily. I got my favorite offering on the menu - the mesquite grilled brochettes. Last time I was lucky enough to eat this, the couscous was speckled with dried cranberries and cashews, but this time it was raisins and almonds. Very hard to say which was better as they were both so tasty with the charmoula-spiced sauce and perfectly cooked veggies and tofu.

There was also salads and curries and pasta eaten at our table that night, and everything was wonderful. If you haven't been, vegan or otherwise, get thee to Greens soon.

Parent Visit Day Two: In the Mood for Food

After the last time the husband and I went to a dinner concert hosted by Philip Gelb's In the Mood for Food, we knew that we wanted to go to as many of these events as we possibly could. The food and entertainment are both of the highest caliber and they come together to create a rather magical experience. It's certainly not something you can find every day, but it was something we found again last night.

First of all, the musicians on hand, a violinist and an oud player, delighted our ears and hearts with their amazing technique and soulful melodies. They, alone, were worth the price of admission. To be served and astounding 5 course vegan meal on top of that was just sheer delight. Even more exciting was that the menu consisted of Philip's experiments in combining Japanese and Middle-Eastern flavors, an homage to his culinary leanings (Japanese) and the violinist's background. Before we even ate I leared what raw wasabi looks like, and in the second course, I experienced that ingredient in a way I never would have thought of:











On the left, wasabi in the raw. Who knew it was so pretty? :) On the right, we have carrots, lotus root, and burdock, stir-fried, wrapped in filo and topped with a blueberry wasabi sauce. It was truly a revelation for me. The saltiness of the veggies, the savory pastry, the slightly sweet/slightly tart blueberries and the nose-clearing wasabi all balanced each other perfectly. I haven't had so much fun eating anything in a long time.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. First up, there was fattoush (a traditional Arabic bread salad). This one was deconstructed - made from homemade pita and veggies treated with tradtional Japanese flavors, like yuzu juice and toated sesame. To see a plate that seems so obviously Mediterranean and have it taste Japanese was so surprising and unique, and it set the theme for the meal.












Our third course, on the left, was a Japanese veggie kabob, marinated in middle eastern flavors, and served over a deliciously sweet and salty corn and hijiki salad. So much fun! For our fourth course, on the right, we had homemade tofu and eggplant, each with different miso glazes and served along with beet pickles. The glazes were to-die-for good (I wanted bottles to take home) and this dish left me totally happy. Of course, dessert always makes me happier....

For dessert, the whimsy continued, as we were served a fig stuffed with apricot kanten (jello made from agar agar and not nasty horse hoof gelatin) alongside the most amazing blueberry ice "cream" I ever did have. The night was warm, and this was such a fantastic light ending to an unforgettable meal.

These events Philip puts on are are so much about love to me. Love of music, love of food and cooking, and the love that can be created amongst strangers willing to share those things on a beautiful night in the Bay Area. I can't wait to go back, and recommend you do too.

Parent Visit Day Two: The Plant

On day two, we woke up and headed out into the sunshine. We decided to wander the Embarcadero and the Ferry Building before having some brunch at the Plant Cafe's new location in Pier 3. Not a bad way to spend a beautiful Sunday morning. I highly recommend it.

The Plant Cafe's new location on the waterfront is just gorgeous, and having deck where you can nosh in the sun makes it perfection. I could think of no better place to enjoy my "Spicy Red with Green" juice. Bright red beets pair with kale, apple, celery, and ginger to make in invigorating and nourishing beverage. It was just the light start to the day I needed.

My parents, on the other hand, were in need of something more substantial. Pops ordered something I've had before and loved - the Tofu Scramble with a side of Vegan Sausage. The scramble has fresh peppers and spinach, making it savory but light, and comes with toast and home fried potatoes. What more could you ask for in a breakfast?

Meanwhile, Mom was feelin' lunch and opted for the vegan pizza. Roasted garlic cloves adorn this marinara-covered disc and though I didn't taste it, the smell, and her praise, have me pretty convinced it's a winner. Seriously, get thee to the new Plant location. You won't regret it.

In the evening, we attended an amazing culinary and musical experience... but I'll have to write about that later. For now, I've been wrangled into take a duckboat tour of SF. Part of me is saying "Shoot Me Now", but it'll probably be fun, so off we go. More good eats to follow of course!

Parent Visit Day One: DOSA

My dad had never been to DOSA, and since it's within walking distance of our place, it was a no-brainer to make it the first dinner of their visit. After stopping to hear some kick-ass Taiko drumming at the Japantown Festival, we walked on over, stomachs grumbling, and happily got to ordering. We all had delicious food (the only kind they have there) but there were definitely some highlights:













On the left is the Organic Greens and Mango Salad. It normally comes with goat cheese, but since that is gross, I left it off. :) The toasted walnuts are just a tad bitter, which pairs well with the sweet cilantro dressing. I love this salad. The other was my dad's order of Bhel Puri. I first had this dish on the streets of Dehli, and I love how the bright onion and cilantro bring out the flavors of the green mango, chickpeas and puffed rice. It's very fun texturally and the flavors really pop!

And then, of course, there's the namesake:

This is the standard Masala Dosa and nobody makes a creamier potato and cashew filling, a more exciting (mmmm, hot and spicy) rasam, or a cooler coconut chutney than Dosa. I love when this big grin of a meal appears before me. It really is one of my favorite things to eat in San Francisco.

Today we've got more good eats on the agenda, including a super special underground dinner and concert. Can't wait to tell you all about it soon...

Another Day in the Kitchen

For you, my awesome readers, a repeat invitation into my kitchen. My parents arrive tomorrow and the onslaught of food shall begin. I will be sure to document every bite as we make our way through almost all the vegan eateries in San Francisco and places surrounding, but for today, I was left to my own devices at home again. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

If there's anything better than a perfectly juicy bright red strawberry, I've never had it. Organic, and at full ripeness, I knew this pint of fresh-picked berries would make a great breakfast. But woman can not live on berries alone (chocolate, on the other hand....). So, I mixed them with some of Nature's Path Brown Rice Puffs, a banana, and some Low Fat Unsweetened Almond Milk. This is no novelty, as I eat this pretty often, and I think it just might be my favorite breakfast. In fact, I have more strawberries on hand and can't wait to eat it again tomorrow!

For lunch, as usual, there was the infamous big salad. The go-to ingredients (lettuce, sprouts, cucumber, tomato) were all in place, and then I topped it with some Savory Baked Tofu. I took the picture before dressing, but for the record, I used some Vegan Ranch, which I cut with about a tablespoon of stone-ground mustard because, for me, ranch alone can be too heavy and not acidic enough. Try it sometime. Yum.Dinner was about as simple as they come. Two ingredients make up this plate: Baked sweet potato, and steamed kale. A little salt, a little pepper, and viola! I love how the sweetness of the potatoes play off the bitter greens. There is something so satisfying about eating a meal this simple and this tasty. It's soul-nourishing... at least to me.

So there you have it. Stay tuned, as things are about to get crazy around here as we've got dinner (and sometimes lunch and breakfast as well) plans every night for a week starting tomorrow. Hooray for good eats!

Supplementation

Another question I get asked a whole lot is "What kind of supplements do you take?" I'm not a fan of this one either because I really do believe it's possible to get everything you need from food. However, after hearing Dr. Fuhrman talk extensively on the topic of supplements, and from doing some of my own research, I now take two. The first is a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral and the second is Vitamin D. With our soil being so depleted of minerals and the sun being so potentially toxic, I'm pretty convinced that both of these are a good idea.

The multi I use is Dr. Fuhrman's Gentle Care, and it's mostly just for peace of mind. I know that when I take it I'm getting what I need. It doesn't have 1000% of anything, and it doesn't have any of the things you can actually get too much of, like Vitamin A and Iron. It does, however, have years of research behind it, and the willingness to change. The good doctor is always reformulating based on the latest nutritional studies, so you know you're getting the best product possible. Plus, it's vegan!

Vitamin D deficiency is estimated to be at epidemic levels, and it's mainly due to our lack of sun exposure. To get enough Vitamin D from the sun these days, you'd put yourself at risk for skin cancer, and since Vitamin D is very hard to get from food, supplementing makes sense, espcially when one considers all the studies showing the link between D and bone health. (By the way, anyone who thinks this is a vegan issue is wrong. I've been told by some that I should just drink milk because it has Vitamin D, but what most people don't know is that the only Vitamin D cow's milk has is the stuff that's been added to it, so you can get just as much Vitamin D from drinking fortified soy milk.) For my daily ration, I use Dr. Fuhrman's Osteo-Sun, the vegan version of course. Vitamin D3, which is used in the non-vegan version, is derived from sheep, so it's Vitamin D2 for me.

You can read a lot more about both of these supplements at the embedded links, and I suggest you do. Knowledge allows you to make the best decisions about your health, after all!

Tomorrow, I'm back in the kitchen, and taking you with me. It's my last day of all at-home meals for a while since my parents are coming into town, so I figured I'd document another round of self-prepared dishes. Stay tuned...