Cafe Gratitude

Cafe Gratitude Los Angeles

Cafe Gratitude is one of the most popular vegan/raw restaurants in greater Los Angeles. The vegan restaurant scene down there is much more expanded than here in Vancouver. I have never dined at a vegan restaurant before but have much interest in doing so. I took the opportunity to visit one during my vacation in Los Angeles; it would be an interesting experience for the rest of my family as well. It was my 'special day' that day, since my parents let me choose all the restaurants we would eat at for lunch and dinner. It started with a late brunch at Little Next Door and ended with a healthy, clean dinner at Cafe Gratitude. We are all vegetable-lovers so I figured a vegan dinner wouldn't be too much of a shock for them. 

After getting at mani-pedi at Marie Nails (which, by the way, I do recommend!), we drove down Beverly Boulevard to Cafe Gratitude. It is located outside of the busy Hollywood area in what appears to be a more residential area. We thought our GPS has brought us to the wrong destination, but it wasn't wrong! Cafe Gratitude is part of a tiny plaza that even has free (but limited) underground parking! Free parking in Los Angeles is nearly unheard of... Just watch for the bright blue A-fold sign that points to the garage entrance. 

My mom still needed a bit of coaxing before actually agreeing to eat at the restaurant. We walked into the cafe (not restaurant) side and asked to see the menu. The prices were decent and it was getting late so we asked for a table. There was a covered patio seating area that would've been a lovely place to eat; evening temperatures in Los Angeles are extremely enjoyable. Unfortunately, eating outdoors would have to wait for another time. Seating is a bit dim, especially as the sun begins to set. 

We were served water in unique glass bottles that matched the hippie-style of the whole restaurant. Now, descriptions of the dishes on vegan menus doesn't really do much more than listing all the vegetables used. Photos are much more effective in showing how the ingredients were transformed into a work of art, so I suggest taking some time to look at the photos on Yelp and Urbanspoon before visiting to get a sense of what interests you. I also asked our waitress for recommendations and what the most popular dishes are. She was very patient and kind to us newbie vegan diners while waiting for us to make decisions or taking our order. Oh, I've heard you're supposed to order by saying "I am..." then the dish name, cute huh? 

After writing down our orders, the waitress or waiter will ask you the question of the day, which is written on a chalk board by the cashier. Our question was 'What are you proud of?' and served as an opening topic for our table to chat away some of the wait time for our food. It is a clever way for the restaurant to keep the atmosphere lively and the guests less focused on how long it takes for food to be made.

I am Warm Hearted ($13)

Cafe by Tao

Walking around Vegfest Vancouver, we walked by Tao Organic's booth and decided to give it a try. I've always wanted to try something there, but its location in North Vancouver is somewhere my family rarely venture out to.
I really expected more of VegFest and I was kind of disappointed with the lack of actual booths that actually served vegan food... there were about three. All the other booths were information booths about animals and humane societies, etc, which was great but many non-vegetarian/vegan Vancouerites probably would not stop by those booths.
Cafe by Tao had a few of their menu items displayed for people to order at their booth. The items included Rawkin Pizza, The Real Lasagna, Gaia Burger, and the Falafel Wrap. Keep in mind that these items are all vegan, raw, and wheat-free. Love!
I ordered the Rawkin Pizza and the Falafel Wrap. If you want to try a raw vegan lasagna, I have a recipe for you!

Rawkin Pizza

The Rawkin Pizza is a wheat-free sprouted buckwheat crust topped with dill nut cheese, sweet chili sauce, chiffonade kale, julienne carrots, cauliflower florets, and marinated mushrooms. Let me just say, that crust is really good. It's not your usual raw vegan cardboard pizza crust. It is a thin crust, seasoned well with indian spices like cumin. The marinated mushrooms were fantastic too, as they had a salty flavour with some tanginess. I will have to try to make a marinate like this and share it with you guys in the future. Because we were at the festival at a later time, they reduced the menu prices slightly, so this slice was around $2 (i don't quite remember).I know gourmet raw foods take at least one day advanced to prepare as the dehydration process can take any time from 24-48 hours. Therefore, I think this was worth the price I paid.

Falafel Wrap

The falafel wrap is actually much more flavourful than it seems. Its "wrap" is the lettuce which consists of tomato, alfafa, cucumber, nut cheese and their famous falafel all wrapped inside. I really appreciate how the wrap didn't come apart because of the lettuce's delicate nature. The toothpick with the dried olive and cucumber really helped stabalize the burger from falling apart in your hands.

I would make a trip to their actual cafe in North Vancouver one day, perhaps after skiing up on Grouse Mountain in the area? I'd like to try more items, like their soups and mesquite cakes! 

Lots of Nuts,

Peanut Crumpet xo

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

Raspberries and chocolate, a dreamy combination of sweet and tart. My family is down to the last few raspberries from our trip to Krause Berry Farms so I took the opportunity to incorporate them into some kind of chocolate dessert. This recipe is a no bake, super easy, and uses minimal equipment. It's a tart that looks extravagant enough to bring to a dinner party. No one has to know it is vegan and can also raw!

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

I managed to put this tart together in one hour, the pressing in of the crust taking most of that time. It sat in my fridge while my mom took us grocery shopping for our upcoming 'glamping' (glamorous camping) trip. By the time we returned home with an entire cooler of food for the barbeque, I was hungry and ready for a sweet snack. So hungry that I forgot to sift icing sugar over the tart to make it prettier. All that was on my mind was "photograph then eat". Oops~ Natural animal instincts, okay?

The vegan mousse is quite impressive. If made with a stronger machine like a Vitamix, the texture could become a lot smoother. My 'antique' food processor did an okay job but I could still feel a few clumps of mac nuts. I was so surprised as to how airy and light the mousse is! Looks like real mousse and feels like it. It's amazing what nuts can turn into whether it be a custard for Nanaimo Bars or a crust for a Banana Cream Pie, nuts are a healthy and satisfying alternative to highly processed store-bought food with zero nutrition and who-knows-what in it. Plus, it's been loving made with your own hands and effort~

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Raw Vegan Tart

Next time I make a this tart, I'll have to either make the sides shorter or double the mousse filling. The final product will look more 'normal' and less like a boat (as my mom described it as). But aesthetics aside, this is absolutely delicious. I couldn't stop eating after one slice and helped myself to another. The chewy and naturally sweet crust is just as good eaten alone. This wetter version of the crust used in my Nanaimo Bars holds its shape a lot better and doesn't crumble at all. I can imagine it working beautifully in mini individual tarts.

The overall tart is very lightly sweet with no refined sugars whatsoever. Most Asians prefer less-sweet desserts so this tart suits those with that preference. As for myself, I would probably add a tad bit more honey and cocoa into the mousse to give the dessert a more robust flavour. I mean, if you're going to eat dessert it might as well be one that truly satisfies your craving for glucose. 

When in a rush and need a delicious and nutritious dessert, try making this Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Tart! It won't disappoint any taste buds ;)

Click below for the recipe

Chocolate Banana Cookie Dough Cream Pie

Who says a vegan can't have pie?!
A pie that is so delicious and good for you at the same time? Yes please!
Your family and friends would NEVER believe this pie isn't laden with processed sugars, butter, lard, modified corn starch and all that "natural and artificial flavouring" junk. But i don't blame you if you decide you want the whole pie to yourself because I grant you permission to eat this whole pie! 
But do try controlling yourself eh? ;)

Vegan whipped cream is the best thing I've ever experienced in my life. It tastes so. freaking. delicious. 
Coconut whipped cream= happy peanut crumpet

Chocolate Banana Cookie Dough Coconut Cream Pie

yield 1 pie that would make you go "MAMA MIA" 

Crust:

1 c. almonds

1 c. walnuts
1 1/2 c. dates

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Layer:

4 large bananas (set 2 aside for slicing)

3 tbsp. agave

1/4 c. almond butter

1 tbsp. coconut oil

dollop of vanilla paste (or splash of extract)

Pinch salt

1/4 cup cacao

splash of almond milk

Whipped Cream:

1 can full fat coconut milk, in fridge overnight (I used Thai Kitchen organic coconut milk)

1/8 - 1/4 tsp. stevia

splash of vanilla extract

For the crust, put everything into the food processor and pulse until it forms a sticky gooey delicious mass of dough. Remember to pulse so the oils of the nuts don't release as much to prevent it from being too oily! Take a generous amount of dough to press into your pie pan. Put your crust into the freezer to firm up while you make the filling. 

For the leftover "crust", roll them into cookie dough balls the size of the nail of your thumb and set those aside. 

For the chocolate layer, put all of your ingredients in the food processor (except the almond milk) and just give it a whirl until super smooth with the consistency of a thick pudding. If you think your mixture should be a little runnier, add a teensy weensy splash of almond milk, but don't add too much or the filling won't hold its shape!

Pour this lovely concoction into the prepared crust and let sit in fridge until it firms up a bit.

Once firm, slice your 1 banana thinly (so you get more slices), and scatter them in addition to some of the cookie dough balls all over the chocolate layer. Bat your eyelashes at the pie and admire for 1 minute (optional step ;) ). TIME TO MAKE THE COCONUT CREAM!

Take the coconut milk you've been hiding in your fridge and spoon off all the thick goodness from the top. You will be left with clear liquid which can be used for smoothies, or any coconutty baked goods. It tastes sort of like a coconut syrup/extract. I know coconut crumpet would approve. After the scooping of the yummilicious full fat coconut milk, it's time to whip it up baby! Use a handmixer or stand mixer for optimum fluff, but because I don't have a hand mixer and I didn't want to wash the large bowl of my stand mixer, I decided to whip by hand. Wheeee! When you get soft peaks, add your stevia in and whip until you get moderately stiff peaks! Now, you don't want to eat this whole bowl because your pie will make it all up to you later. So just spread this goodness on your pie and lick ALL the equipment that touched this luscious cream. 

Garnish your pie with another sliced banana and your remaining cookie dough balls, and stick it into the fridge for at least 1 hour before eating! (or you can eat it all gooey and melty :) )


Lots of nuts,
Peanut Crumpet xoxo

Strawberry Chocolate Icebox!

You drooling yet? ;) Just look at that natural pink colour! No chemically formulated colours here, folks!

My intention was to post an Easter recipe, but somehow this turned into another delicious frozen dessert. Well, who's complaining? ;) It's probably because of this beautiful weather I'm experiencing this past few days here in Vancouver.

Warning, your eyes may experience some extreme widening and you
may will feel the urge to get into your kitchen and make this chocolatey strawberryness ;)

If you like strawberries dipped in chocolate, you're definitely at the right place. And don't get intimidated by its gorgeousness; this is one of the recipes that requires little hands-on time, but a longer waiting time (which is definitely the hardest part!) :D

In fact, you make lose some of the love for chocolate-dipped strawberries, as now you can have something that tastes better, and is wayyyy healthier for you than the 50 grams of sugar you get from the chocolate fountain. Oh, and did I mention it's vegan also so no animals are suffering on your behalf? ;)

Strawberry Chocolate Icebox - makes one 11× 5.5 × 3 inch loaf pan