Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Red Lentil Daal

On Sunday's I typically do my grocery shopping for the week and prep some meals so that I don't have to get up early to make my lunches. But there are a few of those Sunday's that are better spent in bed, watching movies and eating pizza.

I love and treasure days when I can just lay around, not put on make up and chill in my apartment watching all the shows and movies I love BUT I always feel a little guilty for not being productive at all. SO to alleviate that guilt I whip something up in my crockpot with only ingredients I have on hand. It's easy and also stocks my freezer up. Check out this delish, warming soup for these cold days:

Red Lentil Daal
Ingredients
4 cups red split lentils
10 cups water
4 cups veggie stock
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced

Directions:
Place all ingredients into your slowcooker and cook on high for 6 hours. 

SOOoooo, normally this would be the spot where I put in a picture but apparently there is a max capacity for storage on blogspot. Ugh. No picture today unless you check out here. AND some good news is that my new site will be up and running in the next couple weeks! So follow me on FB and twitter to get all the pics! Otherwise it'll just be recipes.

That's it! This was some serious case of the yummies kind of soup. And lentils are very easy to digest, full of protein and economical. Add a nice side salad and you have yourself a complete meal. 

Eat better. Feel better.

xoxo

K

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Sandwich

My breakfasts are almost always liquid....and no I don't mean alcohol! Lol. I drink a glass of water with a cap full of apple cider vinegar upon rising, a very green, vegerrific smoothie with Vega One and coffee. I like having a liquid breakfast because it gives your digestive track a bit of a break but by adding a nutrient dense smoothie you are still getting all the vitamins and minerals you need.

Now all that being said, a good hearty breakfast on the weekends is a nice treat too. I had a real hankering for a breakfast sandwich recently so I went down to my church....I mean Whole Foods and picked up the ingredients to make this masterpiece. 

The Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients
Terra Breads, walnut bun
Organic smoked tofu, sliced
Tempeh bacon
Daiya wedges, sliced
Spinach, steamed
Mustard
Sriracha

Directions:
I didn't put amounts for the ingredients as it all depends on how many you make.....I baked the tofu while I prepared the other ingredients. I just thinly sliced it, then threw it in the oven and baked for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, pan fry the tempeh bacon for 4 minutes on both sides. Steam the spinach until bright green; less than 5 minutes.

Once the ingredients are cooked start assembling your sammy. Put mustard on both sides (I love mustard) and sriracha to taste. I used dijon mustard but any will do. Place the baked smoked tofu down, the daiya slices, then the tempeh bacon and topped with the steamed spinach! This will be enough heat to melt the daiya wedges. If you are using daiya shreds you might want to put it on top of the tofu while baking as it's a little harder to melt. 

The Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Sandwich

Nom nom nom
Yum Yum Yum!!! This breakfast sammy was so freaking yummy! Give it a shot and lemme know how it turns out. Tweet me a pic @vegucatedinvan

Peace

Eat better. Feel better.

xoxo

K

Friday, November 9, 2012

Curried Rice Noodles with Tofu

This dish was super easy to prepare. I wanted to do a one pot kinda meal and def winged this one. I've never really made dishes with noodles all in one pot before so I took a risk. It worked out! Phew! As I'm sure you can tell, especially with the last few recipes I've been posting, I have a big obsession with coconut milk. Especially with the colder weather happening right now, I just am feeling like eating comfort food. Creamy foods just spell comfort to me. Being vegan and lactose intolerant, cream is not something I can eat so I improvise with coconut milk. It's also WAY more delish if you ask me. 


Curried Rice Noodles with Tofu
Ingredients
1 pkg fried tofu (350g)
1 head broccoli, chopped
3 bok choy, chopped
2 handfuls snow peas, cut in half
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pkg rice noodles
3 tbsp yellow curry paste
1 cup veggie stock
5 cups water
1 can low fat coconut milk
2 tbsp agave nectar
sriracha to taste

Directions:
1. Pan fry the garlic in a tbsp of grapeseed oil on medium heat for 2 minutes. 
2. Add the tofu and fry for 5 minutes. Add veggie stock, water and rice noodles. Bring to a boil.
3. Once boiling, turn down to medium heat, add all remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk. Cook for 5 minutes covered.
4. Add coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and add more agave if needed (or sriracha!)
5. Enjoy!
Curried Rice Noodles with Tofu

I prefer to use the fried tofu in this case as it has a bit different texture than your usual firm tofu. But if firm tofu is all you can find it will work just great! I would just pan fry it separately and add it in the final steps. that way it won't break apart.

If you aren't vegan or are cooking for a meat eater, I think prawns or chicken would be a good replacement for the tofu. Just use a similar amount. I think we should all eat what makes us happy. Just keep it as vegerrific as possible. It will keep you healthy, energetic and regular! :)

Happy long weekend peeps! I'm off to Seattle this weekend.

Peace

xoxo

K


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Coconut Carrot and Red Lentil Soup

It's that time of year again when I'm making soup or chili once a week! Growing up, I hated carrot soup. Bleck! Now I crave it! So yummy and so versatile. As soon as the weather starts to turn cold I make (in this order) chili, carrot soup, and chili. Lol True story.

One of the other reasons I love making carrot soup, is that it goes amazingly well with coconut milk. I am obsessed with coconut milk. It's so darn tasty! I cook with it quite often so I always buy the low fat version but this time I went a little crazy and bought the full fat. Woah! Slow down Krystle. ;)

Check out the Winter 2012 version of carrot soup from Krystle's Kitchen:

Coconut Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
Ingredients
4lbs carrots, chopped
2 cups red split lentils
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
3 garlic
3 lemongrass, chopped, big pieces
3 cups veggie stock
3 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp saffron
1 tsp ground galangal (or ginger)
1 can coconut milk

Directions:
Place all ingredients except for the coconut milk into a slow cooker and cook on high for 8-10 hours. Once the carrots are soft enough to blend, remove the lemongrass. I cut them into large pieces so that they are easily removed. Pour in the coconut milk and puree with a hand blender until smooth. It will take about 5-8 minutes. If you don't have a hand blender, use a regular blender or food processor! 

Coconut Carrot and Red Lentil Soup
Chopped cilantro would have been nicer as the garnish but I was out and I'm out of town for the weekend so I didn't want to buy it and end up wasting it. But I highly suggest it for yours! This made a boat load of soup. Awesome for lunches. Goes great with a whole grain bun or a nice salad. Keep it clean friends!

Peace

xoxo

K

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Restaurant Review: Heirloom Vegetarian

I love that there have been so many new Vegetarian restaurants opening up in this gorgeous city called Vancouver. Dining out is so fun and trying new restaurants is funner! Yah, that's not a word but you see what I was doing there right? :) I don't go to just fully vegan or vegetarian spots. I find it easy to eat out. Many people think it's hard to dine out if you're vegan or vegetarian but in fact it's not. I've never been to a restaurant that wouldn't modify a salad or veggie dish for me. Another cool way to make an awesome meal is to put together a bunch of their sides! But this post is not about how to be vegan and dine out....its about Heirloom Vegetarian restaurant. I almost can't choose what to eat when I dine at veggie spots. SO many choices!

Heirloom is located on West 12th at Granville. Very close to Broadway and Granville. It's in a great location. It's huge, white and modernly outfitted. I dig the space, felt extremely welcomed, pampered and satisfied. The staff were amazing; even the guy filling our waters was out of this world! He complimented my friend Danica and I which if you've ever met me, flattery will get you everywhere with me. Ha.

My friends Olive and Jake had already had the pleasure of dining at Heirloom and gave me some tips on items to get. Their must have dish was the yams. In fact they said they were the best yams they have ever had! Wow. That's a bold statement if I do say so myself. So, check out our experience:

Danica!

Me

Handpicked greens
Fennel, ginger poached pear, roasted brussel sprouts, hazelnuts and an orange blossom vinaigrette. This was fantastic! not your average salad. Really, really love fruit in salad and especially a poached pear!

Wild and Foraged Mushrooms
Coconut cream, fennel, garlic, dry cider, shiso and walnut onion baguette. This was honestly my fave dish of the night. Omg it was so tasty! The flavour was unreal. I could just roll around in it. But I won't...cuz that would be weird. Lol. 
Yams
Coconut butter, hemp hearts and cashew greens dip. This was my 2nd fave dish. It was quite substantial. You get 2 yams here! Love that! That cashew green dip should be sold separately. If they had a container and would sell it to me I would have bought it for sure! It was so rich and creamy. Amazing! I also dig that they used hemp hearts. Hemp hearts are a nutritional power house and should be worshiped.

All in all I give this place my seal of approval. It would satisfy anyone; meat eater or vegetarian it will impress you and fill you up. I was actually uncomfortably full because I didn't want to waste one ounce! I can't wait to go back and try more items. Try all dishes on the menu...challenge accepted.

OOoohhh yah, they also have a communal table. Those are so hot right now.

Check them out!

Heirloom Vegetarian on Urbanspoon

Peace

xoxo

K

Monday, November 5, 2012

Healthy Hummus

I love hummus. I pretty much eat it every day during the work week as I have a salad for lunch and I use it as dressing. Sometimes I'll make my own dressing or use salsa but hummus is my fave. I NEVER use store bought dressing.....unless I'm dining out.

I usually always make my own hummus as it's so easy and so cheap but lately I've just been so busy! But this weekend I took it easy and made it my mission to make it. Mission accomplished! I love a good challenge. LOL Even if it's a tiny one like this......with myself. :)

Healthy Hummus
Ingredients
2 small cans chickpeas (2 1/4 cups)
1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1/2 - 3/4 lemon, juiced
3 tsp tahini (I used raw)
1/4 cup water, or as needed
Sunflower seeds (garnish)
Paprika (garnish)

Directions:
Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Add salt to taste and more water as needed.





Serve with veggies, pita or have it on your salad like me! You can add a little olive oil if you like but I use water to make it smooth and omit oil to keep the calories and fat content down. I generally don't like to use oil in cooking like this. I like to get my fats from avocado, nuts and seeds. I try to cook with as little as possible. Fats are good for you and necessary for life, I just like to get them from the right places and def think we consume too much!

Eat awesome my friends!

Peace

xoxo

K

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Joli's Chili Inspiration

I'm a big lover of chili. It's warm, it's a complete meal and it's just down right delish. I make it quite often. Sometimes weekly. It's a dish that is so easy to make and one in which you don't really need a recipe for. I've made it so many times and not posted recipes. Sometimes it's amazing, sometimes not so much. Actually my last crockpot full of chili was not my best. I'm glad its gone. Now I can fill my freezer with this gem!

This is inspired by my friends Jake and Oli. Which was inspired by the Foundation's chili. This is a great vegetarian restaurant on Main Street. I had it for the first time a couple weeks ago and was just floored by how good it was. Then Jake and Oli told me thay have the recipe! Which they modified and played around with. They were kind enough to share the recipe with me. Which I played around with and add my own flair too. 

Now this recipe is not the one at Foundation. Or Jake and Oli's but it is very much inspired by them. Many of the same ingredients. Its pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

Joli's Chili Inspiration
Ingredients
2 cups chickpeas
2 cups pinto beans
1 large can diced tomatoes
3 tomatoes, chopped and blended
1 large can tomato sauce, low sodium
3 carrots, diced
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 packages Ives veggie ground round
2 cups corn
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup veggie stock
5 tsp chili powder
3 tsp oregano
3 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup maple syrup

Directions
Place all ingredients except for maple syrup in a crockpot. Cook for 8-10 hours. Pour in maple syrup and cook for another 15 minutes. Stir until thoroughly combined. Serve on its own or with brown rice or corn bread.

Joli's Chili Inspiration
Now, this recipe has NO sriracha and NO chili flakes! Blasphemy! Who knew I could even cook without using spiciness. lol Well it happened. Not sure how. But it did. I did however douse it in hot sauce. Don't you worry my spicy friends. ;)

Keep it real! Keep it hot!

Peace

xoxo

K

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

I have been very much neglecting the recipe portion of my blog....and my diet I guess. lol I have been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to cook. And when I do, it's been really quick food, but still nutritious of course. Just not blog worthy. But I made a commitment last night to make myself a yummy meal as the only plans I had was a conference call. Soooo, check, check, check it out!

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup
Ingredients
1 pkg udon noodles
1 cup fried tofu, diced
2 cups green beans, chopped
2 handfuls mushrooms, sliced
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup water
1 small can low fat coconut milk
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp agave nectar
2 tsp yellow curry paste
basil and bean sprouts for the topping

Directions:
Saute the mushrooms in 1 tsp of grapeseed oil for 5 minutes, add the green beans and tofu and saute for 5 minutes. Pour in veggie stock, water, and curry paste. Bring to a boil, add noodles, kale, soy sauce, agave and lime juice. Simmer for 6 minutes then add the coconut milk. Serve in a big bowl and top with bean sprouts and basil.

If you like it spicy like me add sriracha to the broth and on top!Sriracha will warm you to your core. lol 


Naked coconut curry noodle soup
Coconut curry noodle soup with toppings

Spicy! Jazzed up while I blog
You can also use any curry paste you want. I like to mix my curries up with all of them, green or red. Yellow is much milder in spice level, so if you're not into spicy food, this is the one for you. :)

Stay warm my friends.

Peace

xoxo

K


Monday, October 22, 2012

Restaurant Review: House of Dosa

My friend Leanne and I checked out House of Dosa a few weeks back. I'd heard of this place a long time ago and that it was famous for its Dosa's (duh) but also that on Monday nights they are on special for $5.99!!! Gawd, I love a good sale. 

I obviously got a veggie one but Leanne got a beef one so no pic of that. But we also had appies. :)

Idly
My friend Britney told me to get these. I thought they were ok. Never had them before so nothing to compare them to but I thought they were kinda boring. Very plain. Just rice and flour I think.

Veggie Pakora
 Good veggie pakora, nice dip. I think its probs pretty hard to mess up pakora's. lol

Masala Dosa (veggie)
Its HUGE! lol I've had dosa before and was shocked when it came for the first time. lol Its massive! But found out that the whole thing isn't filled. Dosa wrap is made from lentils and rice flour typically so its gluten free but always ask your server. Mine was yummily filled with veggies and potatoes. Also came with a small soup and 2 kinds of chutney. One was coconut and the other was tomato possibly. LOL it was all kinds of delish.  But the coconut one was my fave fo sho.
Insides of Masala Dosa (veggie)
YUM! Get some! If you haven't checked out House of Dosa yet, I highly suggest you do. If you go on Monday's be prepared to wait. Its not that long though. Big thumbs up from this gal.

House of Dosas on Urbanspoon

Peace

xoxo

K

Monday, October 15, 2012

Restaurant review Yolks Breakfast

I was invited back to Yolks Breakfast food truck to give them another shot a couple weeks ago. I did an honest review of them and they responded. I did keep in mind that it was day 3 or so into their opening so I didn't judge them too much as there are usually some issues that arise when opening a new business.

Tempura panko avocado sandwich
 They also had a veggie special this day that was sauteed mushrooms with goat cheese. But I didn't get that and obviously I don't get the egg. But I do LOVE mushrooms!


Tempura panko avocado sandwich with hash browns
I basically got the same thing except that I had it as a sandwich with an English muffin instead of as tacos. All the critiques I gave had been fixed. This time it was SUPER delish. I thought the addition of salsa fresca was perfection. The acidity in the tomatoes goes really well with the creaminess of the avocado. The tempura panko avocado was also cooked to perfection. Not overcooked. Not too hard. But crunchy enough. 

The hash browns were always cooked wonderfully but when I had them the first time they were lacking in flavour. They had a lemon truffle oil seasoning and this time you could actually taste that! They were lightly seasoned and cooked perfectly.

I was really impressed this time and really appreciated the fact that they even cared what I had to say. Its such a great idea and I will definitely continue to go there. Especially since they are right up the street from work!

Yolk's Breakfast on Urbanspoon

Peace

xoxo

K

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Vegan MoFo Day 11: Restaurant Review Chutney Villa


I've been to Chutney Villa on Broadway once before for Dine Out Vancouver last year and really enjoyed it. My friend Sean and I have been meaning to go back for months but there are so much good food in Vancouver it can be a little tough. We made it though! And it did not disappoint. Serving sizes were much larger than for dine out. 

Aachi Varuval
Crispy cauliflower that is super yummy! I love all the chutney's they give you (below). They go awesome with the cauliflower. Good advice from our lovely server, don't eat ALL of the appetizer as the meal serving sizes are quite large. Tis true my friends. Tis true.

Paruppu Oorundai
I got the paruppu oorundai which are lentil dumplings soaked in a South Indian curry and I have to say this is seriously delicious. SO yummy! It was just fantastic. I love Indian food and eating South Indian is something new to me. Even though there are so many similarities, the differences are noticeable. I find there is less oil and there are differences in the spices. Also, do you see that little donut looking thing? DELISH! The meal did come with a yogurt sauce (I did not eat it), veggies, soups and a dessert type thing. It was gelatinous. I did not like it at all. I have never enjoyed Indian desserts. It was just like gelatinous sugar with seeds. 

Chutney
Look at all the chutney's! Love them. To be honest, I never know what kind they are. All I ask is if there is dairy in them. If not I'm good. Both times I've been here the chutney's have been different. YUM.

Go check them out! They are on Broadway and Main. Great service, great food.

Chutney Villa Fine South Indian Cuisine on Urbanspoon

Peace

xoxo

K

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Vegan MoFo Day 9: Tabbouleh


I have never been a big fan of tabbouleh before as I'm not into parsley very much. Parsley and cilantro have an intense flavour BUT are super good for you. So I now force myself to eat and cook with it as they add awesome notes and vitamins to a dish. A couple weeks back it was my good friend Eduardo's birthday and my friend Dean thew a surprise birthday for him. He made a gorgeous spread of appetizers which I'm pretty pissed that I didn't take a snap shot of that cuz seriously it was rather impressive. Dean was so sweet and made sure there were some vegan items on the table so that I could snack as well. 

Like I said, tabbouleh was never a fave but Dean's looked so good and it was all homemade so I HAD to try it. OMG. Best tabbouleh. Hands down. I told him immediately that I need to have the recipe. 

Tabbouleh
Ingredients
1 cup Bulgar wheat, cooked and chilled
1 cup lemon juice (abt 3 lemons)
1 bunch parsley
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Mince the parsley in a food processor.
2. Combine all ingredients in bowl, season to taste
3. ENJOY!

Dean's tabbouleh
I have to say, it was freaking delish! It was my first time ever making tabbouleh but I think I did a pretty good job but Dean's was still way better. I really want him to try it and give me some pointers. He has mastered it for sure. :)

Birthday cake
The coolest birthday cake I've ever seen! 
Birthday man, Eduardo
Oh Eduardo, so gorgeous. He's also a chef. I'm hoping we can get in the kitchen and make some magic together......I meant cooking you perverts! lol We plan on making some cactus tacos! YUM! I've never had cactus before. I'm pretty much game to try almost anything once! Sounds cool.

Peace

xoxo

K

Friday, October 5, 2012

Vegan MoFo Day 5: Chickpea vindaloo with mango and coconut milk


I have been threatening to cook dinner for my friend Danica for months now but every time we plan on it, we end up going out on some sort of adventurous fun time on the town. Not that I'm complaining cuz we have FUN! lol But last night we FINALLY did it! I made her a feast, we chatted and got caught up and started planning our Halloween costumes. :)

I whipped up a new recipe for her on the fly. I had no idea how it was going to turn out but it was deelish!

Chickpea Vindaloo with Mango and Coconut Milk
Ingredients
3 cups chickpeas
1 mango, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece ginger, minced
2 tbsp Patak's Vindaloo paste
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup water

Directions:
1. Saute the onions, garlic and ginger with 1 tbsp of grapeseed oil until fragrant and translucent (about 5 minutes) on medium heat.
2. Add tomatoes and saute for another 5 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas and water, cover and  simmer for 7 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except for coconut milk. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Pour in coconut milk, simmer for 2 minutes and serve!

I served mine with brown rice and a bed of organic spinach. Don't give me credit for the bed of spinach, I stole that idea from the Foundation restaurant. Such a great idea to get some extra greens and adds some pretty colours to your meal.

Chickpea Vindaloo

Chickpea Vindaloo close up
My love for coconut has not diminished at all. Our love story is holding strong. lol. I love cooking with coconut milk! It makes food taste so yummy! This was no exception to this statement. :)

Try it out!

Peace

xoxo

K


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Vegan MoFo Day 3: Restaurant Review: Acorn



When I first heard about Acorn opening up in Vancouver I was super excited. There are not many vegetarian fine dining restaurants in Vancouver so whenever something a little nicer than the Naam opens up I'm super excited. It's great to have a nicer spot for a celebration dinner or a date perhaps. 

Acorn has vegetarian, vegan, raw, and gluten free dishes! BOOM. Speaking my language. They mark every item on the menu with codes to indicate if there are vegan, raw or gluten free options but all are vegetarian. Whenever I go to a restaurant where I can eat everything or almost everything on the menu its super hard to choose. LOL It's like Christmas!  Thankfully I went with 3 girlfriends, one of whom is vegan and 2 that are semi-vegetarian. So we all agreed to order different items and share. MY FAVE! I love trying as many items as I can off a new menu. So here goes it:

Ladies night!


Apple
I didn't try these delicious looking balls (shocking I know) but they have cheese inside. I know I know, its VEGAN month of food, but I had to show the picture. They looked wonderful and the plating is beautiful. And the comments from my non-vegan friends were awesome. 
Artichoke
This was tasty. Kind of like a hummus but with artichokes. It does not come with enough croustini's but they will give you extra. The pate was light but flavourful. 
Beet
In terms of plating, this one is my fave! Looks SO gorgeous. I love the red and yellow contrasting colours. I love nut cheese so the addition of macadamia nut cheese is to die for, along with an odd pairing with grapefruit sorel was WONDERFUL! I loved that. I love combining ingredients that are unusual. It worked very well in this dish and the cider glaze was like icing on the cake.
Zucchini
Again, plating in this place is just fantastic! Every dish is so beautiful. The colours are vibrant and contrasting to make them pleasing to the eye. I quite enjoyed this dish as well. The sauce was a cashew rose sauce which really complimented the zucchini noodles. It was rich enough to add a lot of flavour but not so much that it overpowers everything else. I'm not a fan of olives, but not a big deal.
The special (potato salad)
I liked the use of the different types of potatoes in this dish. It also had avocado which I love. Super colourful and a nice spin on a potato salad. It wasn't homely which is what I think of potato salad. Its usually all mayo and egg but this was nothing like that. It was good but not a dish that stood out for me.
Mushroom
This was my fave entree of the night. When I saw king oyster mushrooms on the menu, it didn't even matter what else was with the dish. I LOVE oyster mushrooms and they are not utilized enough. It says spelt on the menu but mine was done with quinoa. The peppercorn sauce was SO yummy!!! I didn't waste one drop. lol It was powerful and complimented everything else. Freaking fantastic.

Rhubarb
My first choice for dessert was obviously chocolate and peanut cuz that is one of the best combo's ever but I still wanted to try another dessert. The other vegan option was the rhubarb so my friend Marina and I shared both. And to my surprise, the rhubarb was my fave. I didn't even think I liked rhubarb but apparently I do. The sorbet and rhubarb combo was so satisfying. The tartness of the sorbet went amazingly well with the rhubarb. I ate it all. lol
Peanut
This was obviously good but not awesome. Basically anything with chocolate is good. It gets me every time. Its hard to complain when ur eating chocolate. But it was not what I was expecting. It was a little hard and not as flavourful as I expected. Kind of light in terms of both chocolate and peanut. The coconut whip was delish though. But the dessert itself was kinda just average. 

So overall I liked Acorn a lot. The food is REALLY good. Like I said, if you have a celebration or need to take a date somewhere a little nicer that a burrito joint than here it is. But don't think you're going to get great service. That is my one complaint. Service was crappy. I almost wanted to strangle the bartender. He was not nice. Not friendly at all. The server was a little better but still attitude was really lacking there all around. As long as ur ok with some average at best service but some good food then you'll be fine. 

Oh yah, no reservations which is kinda typical these days in Vancouver but also, they won't seat you till your whole party arrives. I think that is total BS. Its one of those places. 

The Acorn on Urbanspoon

Peace

xoxo

K


Monday, October 1, 2012

Vegan MoFo Day 1: Restaurant Review: Hell Pizza


It's that time of year again!!! Vegan Month of Food. This will be my second time participating in MoFo and I'm really excited to see what will come of it. I'm gonna start Vegan MoFo off with a restaurant review. Its not a full vegan restaurant but they have vegan options. 
 
I heard about Hell Pizza from my friend Oli. It's great pizza with cool names. The coolest part is they have a vegan pizza on the menu! It's called Sinister and has refried beans, avocado, onions, salsa, green peppers and jalapenos. YUMMMM. Omg you had me at refried beans. They also have daiya and will use that if you ask for it, but if you don't, then its just sans cheese. So keep that in mind if you're really into daiya.

I love the addition of refried beans. I never thought of that! Adds some necessary protein and bulk to a vegan meal. Not that pizza usually needs more bulk. LOL I just love refried beans so much. It makes the pizza juicy, tasty and filling. 

Sinister - vegan w/ Daiya
Cool box!
If you haven't had this pizza, I highly suggest that you do. The names are cool, the options are endless and they can make any pizza vegan! Obviously not the meat pizzas but any of the veggie options can be done vegan and I'm sure you can create your own. I love pizza shops that have daiya. Ordering a pizza to be delivered to my couch is a luxury I took advantage of when I wasn't vegan. LOL

ALSO, you can place your order online! Love that. If you wanna pick them up and are in the West End, check them out at 1074 Davie Street. Tell Steve I say what up.

Hell Pizza on Urbanspoon

Peace

xoxo

K