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raw vegan

Zucchini Pasta & Marinara Sauce

Posted on by Gigi in Recipes 2 Comments
Zuchinni pasta & mair

Zucchini pasta & marinara sauce

On warm days it’s nice to have a salad for dinner, especially when I am on “program” and working on dropping a few pounds. We have been having a nonstop heat wave here in Cali. This is one of my favorite dishes to make- I love pasta but pasta does not love me, so these zucchini noodles are a nice alternative. The recipe is so easy and can be varied to your taste, it is the sort of recipe that lends itself to eyeballing and adjusting your seasoning to your palate.

Equipment needed:

vitamix or high speed blender

spiralizer

spri

spiralizer

Ingredients:

2 or 3 zucchini

2 cups of sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 2 hours- I soak mine overnight

2 or 3 small heirloom tomatoes- diced

1/4-1/2 cup of chopped red onion

3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1-2 small garlic cloves chopped

1/4-1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

fresh herbs- basil (I like a lot of basil), oregano, thyme

1-2 tablespoons of agave if needed- I find it depends on the sweetness of my tomatoes

1-2 teaspoons of sea salt

red pepper flakes or a fresh pepper

1. spiralize zucchini and set aside

2. drain all the water and squeeze excess out of sun-dried tomatoes, mix all ingredients in vitamix until smooth, sauce should be thick-taste and adjust flavoring to your liking-

3. arrange noodles on plate and top with sauce and serve!

heirloom tomatoes

heirloom tomatoes

sun-dried tomatoes

sun-dried tomatoes

chili olive oil adds a nice kick

chili olive oil adds a nice kick

so easy-love this gadgit

so easy-love this gadgit

"pasta"

“pasta”

Enjoy!

Happy Thursday,

XOXO,

Gigi

 


TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT…

Posted on by Gigi in Dining, My Life, Well-Being Comments Off on TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT…

I’ve always been a foodie, I loooooove decadent, flavorful, preferably ethnic vegan food. Growing up, my earliest memories are of both my parents in the kitchen cooking. We never had convenience food, which at the time would have been something like frozen TV dinners. At that time I had no dietary restrictions, I ate everything, meat, chicken, seafood etc.. As time passed and I became a young adult, I denounced all red meat and existed on seafood and chicken. My husband was raised vegetarian, but he too had converted to the seafood/ chicken plan. Shortly after my son was born, I gave up chicken and became a “fishatarion” , sushi, salmon, crab, shrimp, and my favorite ahi tuna became the mainstay of my diet. I ate so much seafood that four years ago, I was diagnosed with mercury poisoning. So I gave up seafood overnight and became a vegetarian/vegan. At the time I had a friend who was a raw vegan and she shared with me the benefits of a raw vegan lifestyle and helped me make the transition. I felt great and enjoyed learning about and making gourmet raw vegan food. Currently my diet consists of lots of raw vegan food and some cooked vegan food. I find that adding some vegan food works for our lifestyle, especially when traveling. I love all the raw vegan restaurants in my area, Au Luc, Cafe Gratitude, M.A.K.E., and Planet Raw to name a few but I did not want to restrict my dining options to a few spots. So I have become a master at tweaking menus at main stream restaurants to fit my needs. I’m amazed at how chefs are happy to come up with interesting vegan alternatives other than green salads. This past weekend we went to the Lazy Ox, the name alone made me think this was going to be problematic. What a surprise!

Husband & I At Lazy Ox

Husband & I At Lazy Ox

Our Delicious Dinner

Our Delicious Dinner

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We had grits with curry oil, mushrooms and kale,- blistered shishito peppers & lime, -caramelized cauliflower, chili flakes and toasted almonds,- beet salad with white balsamic & hazelnuts,- Black tuscan kale salad with preserved lemons and apples, and not pictured a green salad and a mushroom risotto, everything was delicious and full of amazing flavors.

What type of diet do you follow?

Xoxo,

Gigi

Lazy Ox Canteen, 241 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, 213 626 5299 Reservations a Must (it’s a tiny place only seats about 50)

 

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Raw Vegan Foodies-Dream Comes True-Matthew Kenney’s New Restaurant M.A.K.E.

Posted on by Gigi in Dining 2 Comments

M.A.K.E. Lasagna

My friend Teresa aka “Raw T” turned me on to raw vegan food many years ago. My concept back then of raw vegan food was a bunch of different salads with a variety of dressings, fruits and veggie juices. Pretty boring, I thought to myself. Of course that was so far from the truth, raw vegan cuisine is quite complex, full of flavor, and most of all so good for you. My first experience tasting gourmet raw vegan food was in New York at Pure Food + Wine, the first raw vegan upscale restaurant, co-owned by award winning chef and author  Matthew Kenney. The food was delicious and beautiful. I picked up a cookbook from Pure Food + Wine and started preparing some of the recipes. My collection of Matthew cookbooks grew and became my go to for raw vegan recipes, so when I found out that Matthew was opening a new restaurant and culinary school in Santa Monica I was thrilled. Teresa and my friend Juliana are studying at Matthew’s school, so of course they informed me of a special “soft” opening, which I was fortunate to attend. It was a delightful evening filled with delectable tastes. M.A.K.E. dishes use only the freshest produce and never anything processed, which really makes a difference. Every bite of the lasagna was a burst of flavor–you cannot duplicate this with tomatoes from Ralphs.

Rainbow Carrots, Cashew Yogurt, Cumin Crisp

M.A.K.E. restaurant and Culinary School is located in the Market area on the top level of Santa Monica Place. I love the combo of retail therapy combined with fine dining.  395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica reservations 310 394-7046 open 12-9 Monday thru Sunday plenty of parking in the structure www.matthewkenneycuisine.com I will certainly be a regular at M.A.K.E. hope to see you there–Gigi

Santa Monica Place

Gigi, Matthew and Teresa

Open Kitchen

 

 

Culinary School

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I am Gracious, Grounded, Passionate, and Cool-Cafe Gratitude

Posted on by Gigi in Dining Comments Off on I am Gracious, Grounded, Passionate, and Cool-Cafe Gratitude

Each day I am reminded that a vegan lifestyle is becoming more mainstream. My local Starbucks now carries green juice, not a sugary imposter, but pure cold pressed juice made from identifiable veggies.

Green Juice

Evolution Green Juice

Green Juice

Green Juice

Many restaurants are now offering a large variety of vegetarian options, no longer regulated to a cardboard processed frozen veggie burger. I am amazed at the selection and surprised at how accommodating chefs are with their vegetarian diners, some are even offering vegan, gluten free, and raw vegan items.

Cafe Gratitude

Cafe Gratitude

Cafe Gratitude is one of my favorite vegan restaurants. They hail from the bay area, and have made their mark in the city of vegan angels. No matter when I go, there is always a long line of LA peeps waiting for a table or a spot at the communal table. This past week I had the great fortune of dining there twice, each time equally delicious. Cafe Gratitude is 100% organic vegan, specializing in gourmet raw and cooked vegan dishes. The entrees are named for various validations, such as “I am Gracious, I am Grounded, I am Passionate, I am Cool etc., so when you order, it immediately starts the dining experience in a positive light. I am in love with “I am Passionate” a raw living soup made with heirloom tomatoes and strawberries, it sounds like an odd combination, but oh so good.

Cafe Gratitude

Cafe Gratitude

Parking is crazy, there are a few spots in their lot, and the rest is street meter parking with ticket hungry officers lurking waiting to give you a $53.00 parking ticket (I got one because I was not perfectly parked within the lines). Go when you have time to relax, this is not an in and out dining experience. Leave room for desserts, they are incredible. I had “I am awakening key lime pie” which was so light and creamy, full of flavor, you wonder how are these desserts are so decadent, the “real thing” wishes it was this good.

Cafe Gratitude

Cafe Gratitude

Cafe Gratitude

639 North Larchmont Blvd.

Los Angeles 90014

323 580-6383

Open daily 10-10

Go do your body a favor and stop by Cafe Gratitude. Venice location opening very soon.

xoxo,

Gigi

 

 

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