Restaurant Review: The Reef

I love The Reef. I don't get over to them often enough but when I do, its always an awesome experience. I went last week with my cousin Josh. He's a big foodie as well, and loves trying all the cool spots I know. Lol Then he takes his girlfriend. :) You're Welcome.

Josh has never had Caribbean food before so I figured The Reef would be a great spot for him to check out before we venture out to all the other places I want him to try. I recommend the Jerk dish as that's the most famous Caribbean dish and its pretty much da bomb. I obvs get the Jerk Tofu, but Josh got the Jerk Pork Tenderloin. Being the big pigs that we are we got a couple of appies too. I wanted him to try as many items on the menu as possible. 

Plantain Chips

Plantain's are like banana's. There isn't much difference between the 2 fruits botanically except for the way they are consumed. Plantain's are used for cooking and are not as sweet as banana's. Plantain chips are pretty freaking yummy!!!

Chana Salad

This Chana salad is warm and done with a garam masala with a side of greens and roti. Its really tasty and they def don't skip on the chickpeas!!! :)

Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Not sure how this tasted but the Jerk sauce is amazing. Josh devoured it and was kinda sad when it was over. lol The meat looked pretty tender and juicy and there was the right amount of sauce. He seemed pretty satisfied with his dead carcass. Sorry vegans/vegetarians. LOL

The Jerk Bun

I've had the Jerk Tofu before which comes like my cousins meal with rice and coleslaw but saw this little gem. Its the jerk tofu in a bun with the coleslaw in it too!!! BOOM! lol It was so good! You have the option of getting a side salad or plantain chips. 

Another awesome experience at The Reef. If you haven't visited them you should. They have a pretty impressive selection of rum. And good drink specials. :) They have a location on Main Street (the one I go to), Commercial Drive and in downtown Victoria.

Peace

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review: Wild Rice

With every season change comes a menu change at Wild Rice. I'd have to say that this is my fave restaurant in Vancouver. The menu is not fully vegan but they have many dishes that are. They use local, sustainable and seasonal ingredients to create a fresh, inventive and visually pleasing menu to satisfy any palate.

I've been coming here since its opening in 2001. Since the menu changes every season, it never gets dull or boring. I've gone from a meat eater to a vegan and still been able to dine here. I love that! They keep the long time favorites on the menu such as the Kung Po and the Chinatown Sweep. Both of which can be done vegan. But then they transform the rest of the menu utilizing seasonal ingredients. I almost always get the Kung Po with the smoked tofu, but I wanted to try as many of the new dishes as possible. They did not disappoint!

Veggie Spring Rolls

 Delish, fresh and jam packed.

Grilled King Oyster Mushrooms

 Also served with polenta fries and a cashew ricotta. Which was to DIE for!!! Cashew ricotta is da bomb!! YUMMERS. This dish was my fave. I LOVE mushrooms and oyster mushrooms are so dericious.

Mapo Daofu

A deconstructed mapo daofu. At first we had no idea what to do. Andrew, the owner, just watched us looking at the dish. Asking each other how we think we should tackle it. Mix it all together or not. LOL We chose not. And just dished it out on our plates. It was very yummy. I'm not a fan of eggplant at all and neither is my friend Jimmy, but we both thoroughly enjoyed this dish. If was full of flavour and the presentation is obviously creative and eye pleasing.

Potato and Caramelized Onion Potstickers

Sorry!!! Bad lighting!! Not a good shot, but let me assure you they are not burnt. Just sauced up. I REALLY liked these. Anything with caramelized onions is A-OK in my books. Caramelizing really brings out the flavour of onions. Super tasty and a nice sorta perogy type spin on a potsticker.

SOOOO as you can tell, I really liked the menu change. I thought all the items we tried were pretty freaking phe-nom. We actually tried all the new vegan dishes. All that's left for me to try are the sides and one of the desserts. LOL  Can't wait for the fall season and see what Andrew and Chef Todd conjure up to please this palate. :)

Peace

xoxo

K

Edamame Tacones

A few weeks ago I went over to Victoria and tried Red Fish Blue Fish's Edamame Tacones. OMG so yummy!!! They are quite a far trek, a ferry ride away so I had to try to recreate them at home to get my fix. The filling is mushy edamame which is a spin on mushy peas. Mushy peas are en English dish of just mashed peas, usually with olive oil and salt and pepper. The ones at RFBF quite possibly had mayo (oops) but after looking around online, I don't see any indication of it. 

Edamame Tacones

Ingredients

Mushy edamame

Shredded purple cabbage

Sui choy

Green onions

Creamy coconut sauce or Mayo

Sriracha

Corn tortillas or Nori Sheets

Directions:

Put 1-2 tsps of mushy edamame and the rest of the fillings and sauces into a corn tortilla or nori sheet, wrap and enjoy!

Mushy Edamame

Ingredients

2 cups cooked edamame

1 tsp grape seed oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until mixed thoroughly. Edamame doesn't have to be completely mashed but its better when its not too chunky.  

PS obvs I used vegan mayo in this instance. :)

I wrapped the nori ones like cones, but the corn tortillas I got were too small. Or maybe I just put too much filling. LOL that's probs it, I'm greedy like that. I think some fresh basil or cilantro would be good and some pea shoots. Well there's a lot you could do with these little suckers. YUMMY!! That's all I gotta say. The creamy coconut dressing I make goes like amazing with it. Who knew that dressing was going to be so versatile. I can't wait to make it again!

ENJOY!!!

Peace

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review: Tera V Burger

Veggie burgers can really be hit or miss. I've had some pretty boring ones, more than I care to talk about. They're usually really dry because I say no mayo. Apparently no mayo means no sauce. No ketchup, no mustard, no BBQ sauce, nada. It really bothers me. Just because I don't eat meat doesn't mean I don't like tasty food. Jerks. ;)

You all know by now of my love....make that obsession with Loving Hut Express burgers. They are to die for. I heard about this Tera V Burger place and peeps say its good. Its not all vegan, but most can be made vegan. They want to make vegetarian meals more mainstream. They don't want to cater to just vegetarians/vegans but to meat eaters too. Just eating one day or even just one vegetarian meal a day can make a big impact on your health and the environment (if that's what you're into ;) ). 

So my friend Sean and I made the trip over to 2961 West Broadway to check these burgers out. And kinda do a comparison to our first love...The Loving Hut Express.

V for Vegetarian! lol Sean is by no means vegetarian or vegan. He just loves good, saucy food. Such a supportive friend :). Anyhoo, we both got a different burger and they offered to cut it in half so we could share. 

Fiesta and BBQ burger

Close up!

We both got the tempeh burgers. I never liked tempeh before but have been dabbling in it more and more. I'm digging it a lot actually. It was Sean's first time. We both enjoyed the burgers. And agreed that the BBQ one was the best. But I was a little disappointed that the cheese wasn't melted. You can't have a cheeseburger with unmelted cheese. Its just wrong and seriously unpleasant.

Other than that, I liked them. Saucy, tasty, good quality. The yam fries were awesome actually. And the combo we got was super filling. Came with your choice of drink, we got Boylen sodas. I hope they take care of the unmelted cheese situ cuz that's unfortunate. I read the Georgia Straight review and Stephen Hui said the same thing. They do use daiya which is awesome, but its best melted.

BUT nothing can compete with Loving Hut Express. They are still number 1....by a long shot. But this place would be my number 2 for veggie burgers in Vancouver. Anyone know of any other spots for a good veggie burger?

Peace

xoxo

K

Restaurant Review: The Juice Truck

I have been dying to get down to Gastown and check out The Juice Truck for a while now but more so when I found out they had a smoothie called 'The Special'. It's got coconut water, coconut meat, coconut milk, vanilla, agave and lime. OMG. My coconut wet dream. *drool

 They are located at the corner of Abbott and Water Street in a red truck.  But on the weekends they could be in Kits or Gastown so follow them on Facebook or Twitter for up-to-date news. The service is super friendly and sometimes they give you samples. :) I got a sample of the Avocado Pineapple. Wow. I always forget how good avocado is in smoothies. I should stop that. 

The menu!

The Special

It sure is special!!! I had to actively stop myself from downing it in 2 minutes flat. It was SO yummy. The coconut water is obviously super hydrating and the coconut meat adds some texture. I also love that its not sweetened with white sugar. Its all quality here.

The Green

I went back a 2nd time and tried a Cold Pressed Juice. I got The Green which is cucumber pressed with kale, parsley, celery and lime. You can sub half the greens for green apple, but I didn't. Straight up. It was yummy! I thought it was going to be a lot more 'green' tasting but the lime seasoned it up quite nicely. It was a welcome surprise. I wanted something uber healthy and detoxifying which it def was but the lime added that little extra to make it amazing.

I'm pretty sure I'm going back today, so check my facebook or twitter, cuz I'm sure I'll be sharing that pic! I might get The Blueberry Matcha or The Hybrid or maybe The Special again. I just love it so much. Check them out if you're in the area!

Peace

xoxo

K

Picnic in the Park: vegan, gluten free salads

Every Tuesday for the rest of the summer there will be outdoor movies playing at Stanley Park. I LOVE to go watch these. The actual movie doesn't necessarily matter, its just the experience that I like. Its outdoor, different from the usual ways we watch movies and if you're on a date then its kinda romantical.

I whipped up a few salads to take down with us. I love having a picnic. I think its cute. :) It can get pretty chilly at night so bring extra blankets, a sweater, snacks and bevvies. 

Asian Sweet Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped, boiled

1.5 cups cooked edamame

1.5 cups corn

Handful Thai basil

1 cup creamy coconut dressing

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a big bowl and serve.

Creamy Coconut Dressing

Ingredients

1 small can low fat coconut milk (160ml, Organic)

6 tbsp stone ground mustard (Organic)

1 tsp Sriracha

1 tsp tahini (raw, Organic)

3 tbsp organic shredded coconut

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well combined. Season to taste.

I made this dressing before, which you can find here. This time I added some organic shredded coconut. That's the only difference.

SO yummy!!! 

I also put together a quinoa salad. There is no recipe for it. Just quinoa, sprouted mixed beans, carrot, celery, a little grape seed oil, sesame oil, splash of soy sauce, garlic powder, chili powder, chili flakes, 1 lemon juiced and some apple cider vinegar. I think that's it. And no idea on quantities. I was just throwing stuff in and tasting. Seeing how it all worked. It turned out yummy even though there is quite the mix of seasonings in there. 

Then I made my Avocado Kale salad. Which you can get the recipe here. The only difference is the fixings. I didn't use carrots, celery or mustard cuz they are in the other ones. All the rest is the same, which a few handfuls of grape tomatoes. I like making this one cuz you get to massage the kale. Its fun making food with your hands like that. I washed of course. 

Oh yah, I put a container of broccoli sprouts in it too. 

 There is also some hummus and rice crackers. 

My plate! Super nutritious and satisfying dinner. Lots of protein and fats to keep you full.

Lots of boys to snuggle with. ;)

This week was Zoolander. Which I haven't seen in years. So funny! Next week is Spaceballs. I'm pretty sure I've seen it but totally don't remember. Should be fun!

Check out the link for the movies here. Its a great time.

Peace

xoxo

K

Vegan in Kelowna: restaurant review Lake Tai

This past weekend one of my girlfriends got married in Kelowna, so Kevin and I rented a car and went on a little road trip. The drive sure was beautiful and hot. :) Of course you already knew this, I posted my travel snacks and salad recipe already, but what you didn't get to see is the yummy vegan Chinese restaurant I found. Its called Lake Tai and is Taiwanese food. All vegan. 

 You can find it at 1958 Kiirschner Road. Its kinda off the beaten path, but many veggie restaurants are.

Pickled Cabbage

 She started us off with a little pickled cabbage appy. Light and yummy. No tricks here.

Beef and Broccoli

Essentially it was beef and broccoli. Can't remember what the menu called it. It came all in a bowl and then she dumped it into that scorching hot plate and it cooked a little further. Was pretty exciting. lol This was my fave dish. The beef looked so real and broccoli is my fave. The sauce was SO tasty. Rich and full of sensations. :)

Vermicelli noodles with veggies

Light tasting, nothing too strong. Went well with the broccoli dish. Yummy. I haven't had vermicelli noodles in a while so I was stoked.

Pan fried dumplings

I liked how these weren't closed on the ends. They didn't even spill out. Which would lead you to think there wasn't a lot of filling, but you would be wrong.

 A close up of the "beef". Looks pretty real hey?

Dessert

Sorta like a cream puff but pineapple flavour and no actual cream. It was vegan and delish. It was still warm. Mmmmm

Enjoying every last bite. 

So if you're from Kelowna, passing through, or hanging out, go find Lake Tai and eat your face off. Vegan or not you will leave satisfied. Its just good food.

Peace

xoxo

K