Thursday, September 30, 2010

restaurant review: follow your heart & juicy ladies (a day in the valley)

Follow Your Heart is a sweet little, well, not that little, vegetarian health food shop and cafe in Canoga Park, California. If I'm in LA and need a specialty health food or supplement or medicine, or anything item - I can find it at this place. In the back of the store is a cramped (not because it's small, but because it's crowded) café. They had a gluten free menu.. which I'm pretty sure is becoming more and more popular, even in non-healthy restaurants. I had the wok stir fry, of fresh vegetables and organic tofu, stir fried with garlic, ginger and tamari on a bed of brown rice.

A little while later, my aunt and I ventured to Juicy Ladies.. a cute little place on Ventura in Woodland Hills. They serve lunch, snacks, desserts, juices, and smoothies. I had them make my favorite juice of red apple, celery, ginger, and lemon (the ginger tonic from Main Squeeze) and my aunt got a carrot.. apple, ginger, lemon? I can't remeber now.. but they were delicious. Don't let the tasteless logo throw you off.. the food at this place is great. :)

soup at home

Chicken broth + sautéed summer squash, carrots, onions, and kale + leftover kasha(buckwheat) made this meal in my parent's backyard a loving and nourishing treat.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

simple lunch at caite and john's

Sorry the posts have been sparse.. I'm traveling again. Right now I'm in Los Angeles, and in a couple days I'll be in Buenos Aires! Here's a little view of a visit I made to my childhood best friend's new loft in Long Beach. It was simple and delicious.. just like our lunch of sautéed onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli - with strawberries for dessert.

The third photo is just strange.. and.. I felt like I needed to share it?

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

one dish meals with tempeh. one hot one cool..

I haven't been doing much cooking for other people lately.. Just quick-ish meals for myself, meals with one dish. I'm getting ready to go on a 6 week trip to Los Angeles and Buenos Aires.. so I've been working a lot, and not focusing my energy on pretty entrées.

1. Sautéed leek, tempeh, and spinach in olive oil with gluten free tamari sauce. Add leaks to heated oil, then add the tempeh and tamari, then a little water and the spinach leaves (so they will steam a bit).

2. Spinach salad with avocado, tempeh, and red onion. Dressing: olive oil, flax seed oil, lemon juice, honey, and a tiny pinch o'salt.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

sauteéd veggies with curry and tofu

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.. I've been out of town a couple more times, and when I do make meals at home - they have been really really simple. Sautéed, steamed, or roasted veggies. In olive oil. I added a bit of soy back into my diet now, mainly through tempeh and soy sauce.. but in this case I ran out of tempeh and had a block of tofu that needed using up.

This dish is everything green: (1-2 servings)
1/2 of one zucchini sliced
1 handful of okra, sliced
1/4-1/2 of one leek, sliced
1 handful of spinach
1 small serving of tofu, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp curry powder
pinch of salt

Sauté the zucchini, okra, and leek in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cover a few minutes. Add the curry powder, salt, and the rest of the oil. Let sauté a few more minutes. Add the tofu, then a little water if it's sticking to the pan, and top with the spinach. Cover and let steam. Then, once spinach is to your liking, serve :)