last week we brought you the news of frozen cookie dough by luscious organic desserts, and today we want to let know about another one of their brand new products: frozen brownie batter.
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LA Farmer's Market Vegetables, Mole Negro Oaxaqueno, Vincotto
it’s that time folks, dineLA restaurant week is almost here! from jan 24 thru 29 and jan 31 thru Feb 5, select eateries all over los angeles will be offering 3 course prix fixe menus at a discounted price.
just like last time, we made the effort to call pretty much every restaurant taking part in dineLA, and we’ve compiled a list of the places that can accommodate vegans. some restaurants haven’t finalized their menus yet, so i will update this list as more info becomes available.
list after the jump!
remember our super awesome vegan soundboard that later turned into an iphone app, with a really cool commercial?! well now thanks to kevin from veganbrew.com, the quarrygirl vegan app is available for palm pre and users as well! and it’s FREE. you can’t beat that with a stick, people!
a huge special thanks to kevin for making this app, and also to brittany from sickoflettuce.com for providing the voice!
have fun with this, kids! let the downloads begin!
heyo, just a quick post to tell you/shamelessly brag to you that we were mentioned in the latest issue of vegnews! (you know, the january edition with a ridiculously cute alicia silverstone on the front.)
i hate the holidays, but man i love holiday food. the best thing about this annoying time of year is that several different vegan companies all release their version of the stuffed roast. over the weekend, i had the chance to try a roast by a great company that’s relatively new on my radar, match meats.
their stuffed holiday roast consists of crispy faux chicken packed full of sauteed vegan sausage and vegetables. of all the different brands of roasts i’ve tried, this is definitely the one that tastes the most like real meat. get one of these and bring it to a holiday party full of omnivores, and it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. it doesn’t have lots of grains or vegetable flavors in it, but instead a really authentic chicken and sausage taste. as a vegan, i thought it was pretty great…it tasted like meat, but without all the gross textures.
the bad news is, match is based in st louis and right now these roasts are only widely available to our friends in that area. i was lucky enough to receive my roast directly from match to sample (yep, one of the perks of having a vegan blog!), and now i’m sad i can’t just pop to whole foods and buy another one. however, match has been kind enough to post the recipe for this roast online, so us here in LA can make it at home! it calls for basic ingredients, as well as some match vegan meats which you can buy online from cosmo’s or vegan essentials. the recipe looks super easy to, so i will probably end up giving it a try.
just check out this cooking demo by match’s very own chef freddie, where he shows us how to make the roast:
i have heard rumors that some restaurants in LA may start carrying match, which would be awesome. until then, you should bug your local whole foods about it. as we’ve seen, whole foods is pretty good about listening to its customers.
i’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again…i think match is a company that makes vegan meat so realistic tasting, it may convince a few omnivores to switch to our side. i sure hope i’m right!
for more on match, check out their website…and follow them on twitter.
14
Dec
hey everyone, our friend erik marcus over at vegan.com has written a book about animal agriculture called “meat market: animals, ethics, and money” which is for sale on amazon.com.
i haven’t read the book yet, but it seems like it is something worth reading for omnivores and hardcore herbivores like ourselves. a great review by ginny messina explains, “Written primarily for activists, this is well worth reading for anyone who cares about how farm animals are treated. It’s a super quick and easy read. That’s because Erik has a talent for distilling big chunks of information and compelling arguments into just a few pages that get the important ideas across.” sounds good to me!
due to some issues with his distribution agreement, unfortunately erik is being forced to take his book out of print in early january. to move the last copies off the shelves, he is offering some sweet ass deals if you buy 5 or more copies. “5 COPIES,” you say, “that sounds like an awful lot!” —-not really! it’s actually a great bargain, considering crimbo is right around the corner. these quickies would make perfect little stocking stuffers and gifts for all those poor unenlightened meat-eaters you still associate with. 5 copies may not be enough! check out his blog post about the situation and contact him if you wanna take him up on it.
let’s help a vegan homie out and learn some shit in the process, k?! win/win!
13
Dec
the roman bar was born in 1990 when roman starno had the idea to dip a fig newton into some chocolate and let it cool. today, almost 20 years later, a variation of that experiment is available at stores all over southern california and beyond. they come in several different flavors, and recently i had an opportunity to sample the raspberry variety. completely vegan, this treat tastes just like a fruity fig newton encased in thick chocolate. chewy and soft in the middle and perfectly sweet, the roman bar packs tons of delicious flavor. each bar is under 200 calories, so they make for a tasty and guilt-free snack any time of day.
you can find the roman bar at select whole foods locations in socal, as well as in the nature mart bulk bins, at the santa monica co-opportunity, and at follow your heart market. if you are in the mood for something fruity and chocolatey, give the roman bar a try, it won’t disappoint!
not long ago i wrote a very positive review of earth cafe’s raw vegan cheesecakes and pies, and in the comments section y’all agreed that they were great but bitched about the high price. well guess what, i was at whole foods today and saw that they had dropped the price by 60 cents per slice!!
Cherry Dream Cheesecake by Earth Cafe
now you can get a slice of one of the best desserts i’ve ever had for just $5.99 at whole foods. seriously, you can’t complain about that price when you take into consideration that this stuff is all raw, vegan, gluten-free and with no refined sugars or hydrogenated oils. this stuff is actually good for you…but it sure doesn’t taste like it.
well done, people. obviously The Man was listening to your complaints. maybe other stores will take whole foods’ lead and start dropping prices on vegan shiz as well!
actually, make that: i am thankful for whole foods, gardein and field roast. although i’ve got holiday/family celebrations going on throughout the weekend, my meal on the actual evening of thanksgiving came from the prepared foods section of whole foods west hollywood. and boy, what a feast.
26
Nov
warning! the following content is NSFV!
please send this video around to your omnivorous friends and family members. they probably need a reminder of what they are really eating today for thanksgiving dinner.
video via the extreme vegan. follow @extremevegan on twitter.
there is nothing happy or kind about this holiday.
hey los angeles vegans! just a quick post to let you know that whole foods has some special holiday offerings including seasonal products from gardein and field roast.
in the prepared foods section, you can find a whole holiday spread which features stuffed turk’y roasts by gardein and stuffed hazelnut cranberry en croute by field roast. both products look absolutely delicious, although i haven’t had the chance to try them yet.
gardein stuffed turkey at whole foods
they also are offering gardein rosemary grilled breast. seriously, there is no excuse not to have a vegan thanksgiving. everything you need is at whole foods!
also, at whole foods west hollywood (fairfax and sanmo) they will be offering 50% OFF all whole and 12 inch prepack pizzas! This includes the basu’s homestyle pizzas, the black garlic pizzas, or you can create your own! they also have a hummus pizza and a field roast pizza, which i haven’t tried yet. whole foods uses daiya cheese on their vegan pizza and they do a fucking amazing job, so i suggest you take this opportunity to check it out if you haven’t already.
i know i will be hitting up whole foods for some vegan thanksgiving eats, as well as a post-holiday pizza.
this week the meet market, a hybrid vegan sandwich and specialty grocery shop, has opened in silverlake in the spot that used to be flore cafe. they have a small but appetizing and reasonably priced hot menu, as well as some grocery shelving and a refrigeration unit full of goodies. i stopped by yesterday to have a look and a taste of what was going down, and i must say i was impressed!
roast beef and cheddar: "beef" strips with grilled onion, bbq sauce and "cheese" sauce. $5.95
i ordered the roast beef and cheddar sandwich, which is quite sizable and a total steal at under $6. the thing comes piled with strips of faux meat, grilled onions, and an amazing runny “cheese” sauce. the dude who took my order was super nice, and gave me a cup of water to sip as i looked around the shop and waited for my sandwich.
although the meet market doesn’t have a ton of groceries right now, they definitely have some good stuff. they have a shelf full of snacky things like tings, have’a corn chips, vegan gummy bears, and soy jerky. they also have a refrigeration case up front filled with staples like kombucha, silk nog, and the non-hydrogenated tofutti cream cheese.
i got my food to-go, and when i unwrapped it at home i just couldn’t believe the big beefy and cheesy hot mess staring back at me. it was great. since the vegan spot shut down, there just really hasn’t been a place where you can get fast, hearty comfort food…so this was a real treat.
over the next few weeks, the meet market will continue to grow and offer more and more products. for now though, just drop in and pick up a few of those vegan novelty items that are hard to find, and enjoy their sandwich and salad menu. for now, the meet market has pretty short opening hours (11am – 4pm on weekdays and 11am-8pm on weekends), but let’s hope those expand as well.
here is a peek at the menu, so you can decide what to order when you visit:
oh and BTW, the meet market will continue to do the all you can eat buffets on weekends that flore cafe was famous for. yay!
the meet market
3206 W Sunset Blvd (at Descanso)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
21
Nov
hey all you peeps who have been hanging tight, we finally have the winners of the first ever quarrygirl caption contest!
a new vegan grocery store and deli called the meet market is opening in los angeles, in the same location as flore cafe! this just came in from the owners (i will keep you posted as more details become available):
would you believe that some of the best dessert i’ve ever eaten is available at whole foods? i probably wouldn’t have believed it either, before i tried the amazing pies and cheese cakes made by earth cafe. the entirely vegan company specializes in raw living desserts that are so decadent, you just wouldn’t believe they are animal-free, gluten-free, raw, with no refined sugars or hydrogenated oils…and they are widely available throughout los angeles!
Strawberry Fields Forever Cheesecake by Earth Cafe
when earth cafe first offered to send me some samples of their pies and desserts, i was a tad bit skeptical because i usually associate the word “raw” with “healthy/boring tasting.” wow, i couldn’t have been more wrong. each different flavor was incredibly luscious and rich, the kind of thing i would share with my non-vegan friends in order to “convert” them.
the first flavor i tried was the “strawberry fields forever” cheesecake (pictured above). any product named after a beatles song is gonna get extra credit in my book—just check out my site banner—but this cheesecake was AMAZING. extra thick with a moist center and the most delectable nutty topping.
Who's Your Daddy Pie by Earth Cafe
next up was the “who’s your daddy” pie, a raw vegan carob mousse. this was hands down the best dessert i’ve had in a long time. it was fluffy, rich, and packed with amazing chocolate-y flavor. i could have eaten like ten pieces of this daddy.
i also tried the “rockin raspberry”…
Rockin' Raspberry Cheesecake by Earth Cafe
and the “cherry dream” cheesecake…
Cherry Dream Cheesecake by Earth Cafe
both of these were incredible, with juicy bits of fruit throughout the center and thick nutty crusts.
Peach Passion Peace Pie by Earth Cafe
earth cafe also makes a peach flavored cheeesecake, called “peach passion peace pie”, which is super sweet, smooth, and silky.
Pumpkin Spice Life Pie by Earth Cafe
and lastly i tried the “pumpkin spice life pie”, which completely blew me away. this is some of the best pumpkin pie i’ve ever eaten, and i would definitely recommend it for a vegan thanksgiving gathering.
i have no idea how earth cafe can make something so delicious that’s completely raw, vegan, and not full of crap. and i can’t believe this incredible food has been right under my nose for so long and i never even tried it. have you guys had this stuff? i mean, it’s pretty amazing right?
you can find earth cafe products at places all around los angeles including whole foods, erewhon, locali, and even some restaurants and ralphs locations. also, WHOLE CHEESECAKES AND PIES ARE AVAILABLE through earth cafe’s website! did you hear that?! whole vegan cheesecakes! and i don’t know who in their right mind could pass up getting one of these pumpkin pies for thanksgiving. i know that’s what i’ll be doing. oh, and they freeze well for months, so it’s time to stockpile.
try this stuff from earth cafe and let me know what you think. i’m predicting you will be just as impressed as i was.
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