Restaurant Review: Something Healthy

I have been to this little shop a few times. The name Something Healthy speaks to me. Right up my alley. lol They are located in Crosstown, 660 Abbott Street, near Tinseltown. And they have relatively good hours, open till 8pm most nights. Good if you live in the area and are in need of something healthy.... ;)

So far I've only had the vege/vegan burwich. Yup. That's what they call it. A burwich....hmmmm. Anyways, its freaking delish! Its a patty made with brown rice, chickpeas, corn, veggies, mushrooms and topped with vegan mayo. When you order the burwiches they come with a side of veggies and a pickle!!! I love pickles! Well let's be honest...who doesn't love a big pickle? 

YUMMY!!

Go check them out! I heard the smoothies are really good too and they have pizza, rice bowls and fresh juice. I'm def gonna try something new next time. I work right by there so its perfect! You also have a choice of diff types of awesome bread and they have veggie platters, hummus, wraps, paninis, salads...etc! Hmmmm, maybe I'll grab something for my ferry ride to the island this weekend. Good plan!

Have an awesome long weekend folks!

Peace

xoxo

K

Lentil Sweet Potato Stew

I have noticed that my stock of soups, stews and chilies in my freezer has gotten quite low. I've been eating them up pretty fast which is good and bad. I used to cook a goodie in my crockpot once a week to keep it full. I made sure they were rotated so nothing stayed in there for very long but the summer makes it a little hard to want to eat a soup for lunch. Lol.

That being said, since my accident in Portland, I have been dying to cook. That's actually when I knew that I was getting back to my normal self. As you know, I'm a big lover of cooking. It makes me feel awesome and creative. Its one of my only creative outlets I guess. I'm no painter, sculptor or artist of that kind. And I def don't play any musical instruments. haha. But cooking is where I love to be creative. Its so fun because you can just be so wild with it as long as you are somewhat knowledgeable about the ingredients. But I sure love to pair unusual flavour profiles I've been told. 

The recipe I'm sharing today is not unusual in my books. I love lentils. They are super hearty and provide a good bang for your buck in terms of nutrients, mostly protein. Even if you eat this stew without rice or any side dish, you will be satisfied. I've done both. Had it alone and had it with rice or other veggies.

Lentil Sweet Potato Stew

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, chopped

1 cup green lentils

4 small/medium carrots, diced

4 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp coriander

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp chili flakes

3 tsp tomato paste

2 cups veggie stock

6 cups water

1 bunch kale, chopped small

Directions:

Place all ingredients except for kale into a slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours. At end of cooking time, add the chopped kale and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Serve on its own or with some brown rice. Makes a nice complete meal that is wholesome and nutritious!! I used dried lentils as lentils don't need to be cooked ahead of time but if you have canned ones you can use those too. Brown ones would work well too but I don't think red would work in this recipe. But hey, give it a shot!

Enjoy!

Peace

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review: La Taqueria

I have been to La Taqueria a couple times but just forget to snap pics cuz I gobble up my tacos too fast. :) They have a pretty good selection of veggie tacos, some of which are vegan and some just vegetarian. I love that! I never tried them before I was vegan so I can't attest to the meat ones being good but I imagine they are if the vegan ones are so killer.

The vegan options are Tinga de Hongos: sauteed mushrooms in a spicy chipotle sauce and De Picadillo: sauteed ground tofun in Chin-chin's secret recipe (Contains nuts). I get both, duh. And love both pretty equally but I'm partial to the Tinga de Hongos cuz its sauteed mushrooms which is one of my one true loves. They also have 2 vegetarian ones but I haven't tried them because they have dairy in them and well, I don't eat dairy. lol

 This is the shop at 322 W. Hastings. Its awesome, small and cute. Its pretty fast too. I've never waited long.

So, they also have this little condiment bar where you take your tacos and load it up with guacamole, hot peppers, hot veggies, pickled onions and hot sauce. I of course am a hot sauce addict and always load it up like crazy. So much so that I'm dripping with sweat. I always forget that Mexican food is actually spicy. LOL They don't try to trick you. haha

If you're looking for some good quality and tasty taco's in Vancouver, check them out!! I know there's a lot of options but these guys really do them up good. I'm no expert but I think they are more like traditional Mexican cuisine than a lot of the others.




Peace

xoxo

K

Missing in Action

Sorry friends!!! I have been totally absent from the blog. Ugh. Not really voluntarily. I went off to Portland at the beginning of August and had an accident. Kinda serious one too. I've been in bed recovering for like this whole time. I actually just started getting back to life and work just late last week. So I'm REALLY sorry for neglecting yah folks!! I have lots of posts planned for this week and will start with one tomorrow. Restaurant reviews and recipes galore! I knew I was getting better when I had this insane urge to create something new in the kitchen. That was a happy day!! 

That's me before Color me Rad! Will fill you in on that fun time too. 

Stay tuned! Tomorrow loves.

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review: Bandida's Taqueria

I had the pleasure of going back to Bandida's a couple weeks ago with my Aunt and Uncle for breakfast. Its out favorite spot. Mine because you can pretty much veganize every breakfast option by subbing the eggs with a tofu scramble/squash mixture and the cheese with daiya. Its pretty awesome to have choices and not just have to choose from either dry toast and fruit or an underwhelming tofu scramble. The butternut squash adds some really nice texture and flavour to their dishes.

I was having a little bit of a rough go that morning, I almost cancelled as I had gone out the night before and had to many glasses of white wine. Ugh. In fact, I'm off wine right now. Its actually been about 11 days since I've had some. We'll get back together I'm sure, but for now we're on a trial separation. Lol

Anyways, I thought I wanted the chili with the tofu scramble/squash mixture but I opted for one of the veggie burritos. My Aunt Elaine always gets the chili so I knew I could have a few bites of hers. 

Veggie chili w/ tofu scramble/butternut squash

You can get this with eggs as well and it comes with avocado. You can also add corn bread. Yum. The chili is actually pretty yummy. And I'm a tough sell on other peoples chili as mine is pretty much the best. :)

Breakfast burrito, vegan, with veggie sausage

This burrito was monsterous!!! And actually pretty freaking tasty. It had tofu scramble/butternut squash, pinto beans and fresh salsa. I think there was vegan sour cream too.

BOOM!

I was so freaking full after. But it pretty much cured my hangover. Thankfully. 

Anyhoo, I'm in Portland right now. Blogging in bed after a long day of traveling and eating. I pretty much ate my face off and I wanna puke right now. But that's why I came here. To get fat. Lol. Actually we went for a work out after dinner and Voodoo donuts. Although I only lasted 30 minutes cause I was about to puke. It was a close call. HA

Peace

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review: Spicy Vegetarian Cuisine

Last week my friend Jimmy and I ventured out to Richmond to see the Batman movie on the IMAX screen. Which by the way, I highly suggest. Movie was awesome! Screen was HUGE. We decided to meet a little early so we could have some eats. I checked out the Happy Cow website to see what the options were in Richmond. Even though eating vegetarian is quite easy if going for Asian cuisine, I figured there would be a vegan Chinese restaurant there and I was right.

We found Spicy Vegetarian Cuisine on No. 3 Road. Not a very creative name for a restaurant, lol but it gets its message across. It was a typical Chinese restaurant in terms of decor, but the food was pretty darn tasty. We originally wanted to go to a different spot but its closed on Mondays. FAIL.

Beef and Broccoli with Tofu Sheets in a pepper sauce

I really liked this dish the most. The sauce was yummy and flavourful. The 'beef' was tasty....I freaking love tofu sheets and broccoli is my fave vegetable. WIN! The sauce was so good that I was using the tofu sheets from the sweet and sour dish to soak up the sauce. And then the lady came to clear the plate, I got sad and wouldn't let her. HAHA

Sweet and Sour Tofu Sheets

I can't remember the last time I got a sweet and sour dish. Probs when I was in high school or something. But this one was delectable. Of course I'm a big lover of the tofu sheets and I'm pretty sure the sweet and sour sauce was homemade. And it had finely chopped veggies in it.

Wide Shanghai Noodles with mushrooms

This noodle dish was good. Not my fave, and not the best I've ever had. But it was nice. It had bean sprouts and mushrooms. I love these kind of noodles. Rice noodles in general are my fave. Whether they are wide or skinny, it don't matter. This was the only dish we couldn't finish. We're pigs. lol

Demolished

Dessert

We got some lovely watermelon for dessert with our meal, complimentary. I find that a lot of vegan Chinese restaurants do this. I think its a nice touch. Fruit is a great way to end a meal. Something about sweets after a meal make my digestion better. Not sure if there is some science to back me up but it feels right. 

I really enjoyed the meal here and would definitely go back. If you're in Richmond, check them out! I think they do pretty well. It got packed right after we got there. The service was average. Nothing good or bad to say. They were friendly enough but not much interaction. 

Peace

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review Round up

The past few weeks I've gone back to a few restaurants that I've review a number of times and just felt that a whole new post was unnecessary  I like to review restaurants for you guys multiple times as I think it shows consistency that a lot of places have. Sometimes you go to a new spot once and its mind blowing and then the next time its rather lack luster.Well, these places are def not lack luster in any way shape or form. 

Loving Hut BC Reuben

Loving Hut: This was my first time having this delectable sandwich. I know I know, its like the most popular item but the burgers are just to DIE for; I got caught up. Anyhoo, the Reuben did not disappoint. True to Loving Hut style, it is rich in flavour. The only thing I'd say is its not as filling as the burgers, so maybe get it in a combo if you're used to a bigger lunch or when you want something a little lighter than this is your go-to sammy. I kinda can't wait to try it again....

Loving Hut

 Ps this is what the cart looks like, its on the corner of Pacific and Davie. GET SOME!

Loving Hut Bacon Cheeseburger

This has got to be one of my faves, its the BBQ Ring Cheeseburger. Its got this awesome cheese sauce and BBQ sauce obvs and a couple onion rings and a beefless pattie. YUMMMMM. Its saucy and delish.

Foundation Mingling Yams

The Foundation: I like to try new things. A lot. Its fun and makes like more interesting. Right?!! So I tried the mingling yam dip. Which I never really wanted to try cuz it just sounds kinda weird to make a dip from yams....but I went with it. It was pretty darn tasty. Its sweet, smooth and rich.  I would describe it as a yam hummus. Not sure if there were any chickpeas in it, but there very well could be. Actually there probs was because it was far too smooth for it to just be yams. So maybe some tahini and chickpeas. Try it. I was pleasantly surprised.

Foundation Rogue Grain

This was my friend Kevin's meal. He always gets the same thing. Tried and true. Its super yummy. Its got everything and like every other dish at Foundation, it is very filling.

Foundation Sesamum Salad

I opted for a salad this time. Its called sesamum salad, but basically its the Sesame Society dish but on a salad. Sesame Society is actually my fave item so I was happy but was kinda looking forward to a new sauce.

GRUB Berry Cake

Grub: After dinner at The Reef, my cousin and I went over to Grub and got a dessert. They feature a vegan dessert every day which is AWESOME!!! It was basically a strawberry shortcake with this amazing cream sauce on top. OMG so yummy!!! I loved all the fresh berries. It wasn't actually a strawberry shortcake but close. It had a few other types of berries. Man that was good. Good memories happening right now. I gotta get back there and try their dinner again. :)

 Loving Hut: "The Krystle"

This is The Krystle. Its the bacon cheeseburger with sauteed mushrooms. Its DA BOMB!! Yah I went there. It couldn't be more true though. You gotta get it. And make sure you ask for it by its real name....The Krystle. :)

Cultured Coffee and Tea: Sprouted Bean Trio Salad

This little vegan gem you can pick up at Cultured Coffee and Tea which is in the Granville Skytrain station, the new side. Its vegan and amazing! Its made with TruRoots Organic Sprouted Bean Trio, balsamic vinegar, roasted cherry tomatoes, and veggies. Its super flavourful and filling. You can get this with a panini or sammy which they can grill in shop. There is a veggie/vegan sammy too but they have meat ones of course.

Ok so that's what I've been up to food wise lately. Got a few others to throw down for yah, but figured this post is long enough as it is. This weekend is Vancouver Gay Pride, Vancouver Vegfest, Japanese Festival, BC Day long weekend and just a big party basically. By the sounds of it anyways. HAHA. Then I'm off to the Motherland....and by Motherland I mean Portland. Basically just going to eat, drink and be merry. lol Oh and shop too. I'll have TONS of food porn to show you! Tons!

Peace

xoxo

K