Chow Vegan

Pressed Juicery Freeze

September 17, 2014 By chow 10 Comments

For those of you who don’t live anywhere near Palo Alto, California, you might want to turn away and not read any further. Continuing on may very well result in a little sad face.

Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Over the weekend, I stopped by Pressed Juicery in the Stanford Shopping Center to try out their new frozen treat called “Freeze”. Basically, it’s their cold-pressed juice frozen to a consistency like soft serve. But it’s not ice cream. It’s like eating a soft serve popsicle only it’s not icy or slushy. It’s smooth and creamy and airy like soft serve but the taste is similar to a juice popsicle.

It’s amazingly good! And it’s 100% juice, nuts and vegetables. Nothing else. That’s actually Pressed Juicery’s motto. There’s no dairy, no added sugar, no gluten and it’s vegan.

I got half Greens and half Chocolate as I couldn’t decide which flavor to go with. There’s six to choose from:

Greens – kale, spinach, romaine, cucumber, apple, lemon, dates, coconut meat
Roots – carrots, beets, fuji apple, lemon, ginger, dates, coconut meat
Citrus – orange, apple, pineapple, coconut meat and dates
Fruit – fuji apple, strawberry, coconut meat, dates
Chocolate – almond, dates, sea salt, cacao
Vanilla – almond, dates, sea salt, vanilla

I got the small size (4 oz) for $4.95. I didn’t get any but there’s also a range of toppings available and they’re the healthy kind too. Add a dollar for up to 3 toppings, everything from fresh berries, to chia and hemp seeds to granola and almond butter as a syrup.

They also had their bottled juices for sale which I barely glanced at. And while they’re known for their juice cleanse, I probably won’t ever do that, but I would happily stop by anytime I’m in the vicinity for a healthy, nutritious frozen treat.

Giuseppe’s Cucina Italiana Pismo Beach

August 27, 2014 By chow 7 Comments

Eating out as a large family is a constant challenge with everyone’s likes and dislikes, will eat and won’t eat. But now we have a new favorite for when we’re all together down on the central California coast, where there’s something good for everyone, Giuseppe’s Cucina Italiana in Pismo Beach.

When it was first suggested as a dining option, I didn’t have much hope but called the restaurant anyways to ask about menu options that can easily be made vegan. I was delighted to hear that any of the salads can be made without the cheese and that the pizza dough is vegan.

I’ve eaten there three times now, each time I’ve gotten the salad off the specials-for-tonight menu. Pictured above is from the most recent visit, the quinoa farro salad without the cheese. It was huge. I didn’t expect it to be quite so large and only managed to make a small dent. No one wanted to help me eat it, because you know, it’s “healthy”. I don’t care, it’s more for me.

I also got a pizza with no cheese, just vegetables. It’s not on the menu but the chef just puts on whatever veggies that are available that night. It’s been different each time I’ve ordered it, summer veggies vs winter, but it’s always comes out great.

I’ve often wondered though, after calling the first time about vegan options, do you call again each time you plan on eating there? Or do you just assume they can make something vegan as they’ve done it before? I usually just assume unless I haven’t eaten there for a long time.

The service really was outstanding and very accommodating (we had a lot of special requests at our table and it wasn’t all me). The setting is casual, cozy, a bit on the small side so when they’re busy, there can be a wait. But it’s totally worth it.

Summer’s Bounty

August 13, 2014 By chow 8 Comments

While my sister was away on holiday, I raided her backyard garden. Because I’m a pirate and that’s what pirates do. Arrrr! That’s pirate talk for “I like vegetables.”

Back in the kitchen with my loot, I made a simple pasta dish so that the freshly picked from the garden tomatoes and basil can really shine. It’s so simple and easy, a recipe is hardly necessary.

Just chop said tomatoes and chiffonade the basil leaves. Mix together with a minced garlic clove, a splash of balsamic vinegar, a dash of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Toss with your favorite pasta, I like whole wheat spaghetti noodles. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and top with coconut bacon, because that’s how we pirates roll.

Disclosure: Alas, I’m not really a pirate. I actually had permission to help myself to the bountiful garden. Really. But don’t tell Mom I’ve been fibbing. The recipe is for real though.