Eating Proper at Proper Eats

YAY! I think I have a new favorite restaurant! Well, to add to my always-growing list of favorite restaurants.

Last night Joe and I went to happy hour at Radio Room and had drinks with some of his work friends. Actually, Joe had drinks, I, thanks to my anti-parasite diet, downed an entire wine bottle full of water. Mmmm... I really had no interest in getting food at Radio Room; while they do indicate their menu items that are vegan and gluten free, there are only 2 that are both and one has tomato...I wasn't about to have edamame as a meal.

So I decided it was time to try a new place. Not that I don't love frequenting Vege Thai and Blossoming Lotus (and I do...I just had Vege Thai the other night), but there are SO MANY vegan places in Portland that I need to discover! I ended up deciding on Proper Eats Cafe in North Portland....an area of town that I was previously unfamiliar with....

BEST DECISION EVER!

Oh my stars this place is so cool! They use all organic and vegan ingredients in their stuff, indicate items on the menu that are gluten free, AND they don't add cane sugar to anything!! There were actually multiple items on the menu that I could eat...and as I'm sure you know I don't usually get much of a choice at most places. Even Blossoming Lotus is tricky thanks to my tomato and corn allergies.

We started with drinks, house-made Kombucha (=LOVE) for me and cabernet for Joe...definitely best kombucha I've ever had. A lot of the store-bought stuff is a little too tangy, this had the perfect balance of bite and flavor. Just goes to show that anything homemade is always better!

The salad menu was unreal...I'm such a dang salad fiend lately there was no way I was leaving without trying at least one. Tough choice too because they ALL sounded amazing! I ended up going with the sea salad, which was raw sauerkraut, carrots, beets, avocado, cucumber, and kalamata olives on a bed of mixed greens with a cashew-nori dressing that seriously tasted exactly like sushi. It was even better than in sounded! Joe got a caesar salad (vegan of course!) that had their house-made tempeh on it and the usual caesar staples. It was a little fishy, despite the lack of real fish in the dressing, but according to Joe (who is a carnivore by the way), the tempeh made it all worth it.

The main course menu consists of sandwiches and wraps (bowls for us gluten free folk), and entrees with an international flare. Tacos, masala (indian dish), asian noodles, shepherd's pie, you name it. Raw fajitas anyone? I was immediately drawn to the Pesto and Veggie Wrap/Bowl... steamed veggies, red and yellow quinoa, and house-made tempeh (my stomach is growling just thinking about it), topped with avocado and arugula-hazelnut pesto (which they totally sell in-store, heck YES!). And once again, it was even better than it sounded. Soooo much flavor and from all veggies and grains! It's amazing how delicous simplicity can be. Joe ordered the "NoPo" Burrito, which included steamed veggies, salsa, tofu, beans and rice, topped with guac and corn-pumpkin seed relish. He made a point to tell me to share his review on the blog... he LOVED it. Which I love...I'm just one step closer to convincing him to eat that way all the time :). I tried a little bite and I was impressed as well...it honestly tasted like a more flavorful version of my once-upon-a-time order at Taco Del Mar. It is, of course, about 10 steps up from good ole TDM however, you just can't beat fresh, organic ingredients.

I never get dessert, nor do I really crave it anymore, but I HAD to get some here. I mean, they had like 7 or 8 different variations of vegan, sugar free chocolate: bars, truffles, fudge, hemp-butter cups...hello! It's like my dream! I had a hell of a time picking one out, but I ended up going with the hempseed butter cups. It's just been too long since I've had a reese's. Definitely a good choice for me, but milk-chocolate lovers beware, it is definitely dark chocolate to the core. Unfortunately, that party-in-my-mouth lasted only moments, I smashed those real fast. Thank God for vegan chocolate.

Aside from freaking delicious food, Proper Eats also offers retail items, including organic (and mostly local!) produce, cooking sauces (like my Thai and True curry pastes!), tofu, and other convenience items (natural toothpaste and local hand-made soaps!). They even sell a lot of their house-made sauces, plus that amazing raw tempeh! Do you know how hard it is to find raw tempeh? Freaking impossible now that everything and it's mom is pasteurized. My favorite part was this shelf of all sorts of flyers and business cards for health and vegan-related businesses and events. I spent forever looking at everything! I sneakily left behind a few of my business cards while Joe stood guard (not sure what their policy is on that).

I don't think its even a question that I'm going to become a regular at this place. How I haven't heard about it until now blows my mind. I'd honestly recommend this to anyone who likes food, vegan or not. There's totally something for everyone and everything tastes amazing! What's not to love?

Live free my friends,
Sarah

Kelp Noodles...

...are my latest obsession.

If you're a health freak like me, you know how beneficial adding sea vegetables to your diet is. If you aren't, get this: sea veggies like kelp, nori, wakame, and arame are high in iodine (which can also come from salt but beware: most iodized salt has dextrose, a corn sweetener, added in), iron and vitamin C, and are highly alkalizing in the body. Adding sea veggies to your dishes also reduces the need for excess salt, which is pretty awful for you if you weren't aware!

I've been a big fan of nori (the seaweed used in sushi) for awhile now; I mean shoot, I literally eat it in sheets right out of the bag. My boyfriend called me out on it yesterday ("I don't think normal people eat it like that..." to which I respond "when have I ever been considered normal?"), and my friend Jennifer calls it my sloth food. But my world has been shifted with the addition of another sea vegetable, kelp, in the form of noodles!

The noodles, made by Sea Tangle Noodle Company are made of kelp and sodium alginate (which is extracted from brown seaweed) and water. I've found them at multiple Portland Whole Foods as well as Chuck's Produce here in Vancouver (Vancouver Whole Foods doesn't appear to carry them yet). They are really jiggly and kind of translucent; I'd compare them to like a cooked rice noodle (those ones you find in salad rolls and stuff). But they are so much more nutritious than rice noodles with much fewer calories! I haven't experimented much with cooking them (they are recommended in stir fries and such), but hot damn are they good in salad!

Here's my favorite recipe so far:

Kelp Noodle Salad with Almond Butter/Miso Dressing

1/3 pkg kelp noodles
2 c. fresh spinach, or 1 c spinach and 1 c. romaine lettuce
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
handful of snap peas, chopped

Dressing:

1 tbsp. Almond Butter
1 tsp. unpasteurized brown rice miso paste
1/2 tsp. maple syrup

Whisk dressing ingredients together, adding water until it reaches a salad dressing consistency. Toss veggies and kelp noodles in dressing and enjoy!

Serves 1.

Tofu Wraps

So I got a bit of interesting news from my naturopath doctor this last week....Apparently my inability to feel better even when I eat well is being caused by a parasite and having too much H. Pylori bacteria in my body. Kinda crazy, but I'm so relieved to have finally figured out what was wrong with me! I'm on a bunch of supplements and it should clear up in a couple months I guess. Thank goodness for that.

The other thing we discovered is that I may be producing too much cortisol due to stress which has caused me to gain a little bit of weight. I think a lot of the stress stemmed from feeling crappy all the time and not knowing why, but I've always been a little bit high strung/anxiety prone so I'm sure that doesn't help either. As of now, my doctor has me on a blood sugar control diet, which basically means I need to get as much protein at each meal as possible. My veggies and beans are chock full of protein but I may not have been eating enough of them to get the proper amount.

I made this delicious wrap last night that features tofu and hummus as the main protein sources. My taste buds were seriously in love so I obviously had to share it with you!

Tofu Wraps

1 gluten-free tortilla of your choice (I like Food for Life brown rice wraps, make sure you microwave them for about 30 seconds though!)
1/2 c. seasoned tofu, this can be from your own recipe, I prefer either Whole Foods sesame tofu from the deli section or Papa G's sesame tofu
2 tbsp. King Harvest hummus
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 c. spinach
1/4 avocado

After heating up the tortilla, spread the hummus in the middle and start piling on the other ingredients. Wrap up like a burrito and eat! Yummmm!

All Things Thai

Lately I've been absolutely obsessed with Thai food. I've been eating curry multiple times a week, both homemade and out at restaurants. I told my boyfriend the other day that I could eat Thai food every day and not get sick of it, and so far that has held true. If you are a Thai fan like I am, then get excited. I've got restaurants, products AND a recipe, all in one post!

If you are a regular reader, you know that I love Ginger Pop, a Thai restaurant that has been nothing but accommodating to my needs (not to mention that the food is out of this world). But I'm always trying new places, and I think I may have found a place that tops the ol' GP. Enter Siam Society. Located on Alberta, this restaurant has everything I want in a dining establishment. Think vegan, vegetarian, AND gluten free menus, a cocktail list that I promise will blow your mind (although more than two of those and you won't remember dinner), and an extremely friendly and knowledgeable wait staff that will make you feel right at home, even if you are the pickiest customer EVER.

I remember a while back my parents mentioned they ate at Siam Society...They said it was good, but they didn't mention it was Thai food. Basically, they've been holding out on me. Thankfully, Groupon seemed to have my best interests in mind when it offered a deal for the restaurant. After using one, Joe and I ended up buying three more, cause we know we'll be going back. So let me paint the picture for you. The restaurant was classy without being stuffy, and hey, it's Alberta street, so no one is going to be dressed to the nines anyway. Our waitress was super goofy and amicable, I liked her right away. She brought out both the vegan and gluten free menus, and when I asked if certain dishes could be made both vegan and gluten free she didn't even hesitate when telling me yes. She also knew off the top of her head that the curries don't have sugar in them, and offered to swap the potatoes in my yellow curry out for kombocha squash , which was way better. Joe had the Pad Kee Mow and loved it, he even mentioned it might be the best he's tried yet. As for my food, well, I ate all of it. And had two Hibiscus Mojitos. Moderation be damned.

It doesn't stop there...another place I'm growing to love is Vege Thai, a completely vegetarian thai restaurant that makes all its dishes without fish or oyster sauce, and has a bunch of different faux meats to add to your meal. You can view my whole review here.

Now if I ate out as often as I had thai food cravings, I'd be 300 pounds. I knew I was going to have to teach myself to make curry at home. And while you just can't replicate that perfect restaurant curry without being a chef, Thai, or both, I think I do a pretty decent job. Although I do have the help of a pretty awesome product: Thai and True curry pastes. Thai and True is a local company that makes vegan, non-GMO and gluten free curry pastes, as well as sarachee and peanut sauce. And they are so easy to use. Throw a tablespoon into a saucepan with about a cup of coconut milk, heat until blended, and voila, you have a blank canvas to create curry masterpieces of your own! My favorite concoction is below.

Easy Curry

Serves 2

1 c. brown or black rice
1 tbsp. Thai and True red curry paste
1 c. coconut milk
1/2 tsp. Thai and True hot chili oil
1/2 block of tofu, cubed
1/2 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 c. mushrooms
1 bunch kale, chopped.

Prepare rice according to directions. Heat curry paste in large saucepan with coconut milk over medium heat until blended. Add onions and peppers and cook until soft, or 3-5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and cook about 5 more minutes or until ideal tenderness has been reached. Add chili oil and mix well. Serve over rice.

A tasty way to get your greens!

Due to my new venture of becoming vegan, I've fallen in love with leafy greens. Wow, that is something I never thought I would say. I think the reason I'm soo into them right now is that I've found ways to make them new and exciting, a far cry from the extreme bore that are salads. Get this...I'm even eating greens for breakfast these days. I've gotten plenty of weird looks from people I've shared this fact with, but seriously, you guys don't know what you're missing!

I challenge you to try this recipe. Maybe try it for lunch or dinner first, I know how hard it can be to give up breakfast carbs (I used to be a cereal addict). I promise you'll eventually fall in love with your greens too and you'll feel so much better eating this than processed cereal for breakfast!

Sweet Breakfast Greens

2 c. leafy greens of choice (I love collards, kale and or rainbow chard)
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 medium Fuji apple, cored and diced
1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds, hulled
Cinnamon to taste

Heat the greens and the apple in the maple syrup over medium high heat until apple is soft. Add pumpkin seeds and cinnamon, cook another 30 seconds and serve! Makes one large serving.

Try it! I know it sounds weird but I promise you can train yourself to like greens when a little maple syrup is involved! Happy eating!

Chicken Stir Fry with "Peanut" Sauce

When I started planning meals for this week, I knew today was going to be rough because my manager at Lingonberries asked me to close the store. I don't mind working later at all, but I knew my family would be more than ready to eat when I got home, so I had to be able to whip up something quick and easy.

On top of that, my sister surprised us all with a visit, so I found out I'd be cooking for her as well. Meaning, since she's the only family member free of any restrictions, I knew my cooking would have to be really good to impress her.

So, I figured, what's easier than throwing some pre-cooked chicken and a package of frozen stir fry veggies into a skillet? Normally, I'd use fresh, local, in-season vegetables for this stir fry, but like I said, I needed a quick fix. This is the perfect recipe to make if you are in a hurry or if you are starving and can't wait to eat.

The sauce was originally supposed to be a peanut sauce, but seeing as I can't eat peanuts, I decided to substitute almond butter instead. Just as I figured, it turned out great! True, I am a total almond butter addict, but I think even a peanut lover would enjoy this take on the classic sauce.

As usual, my family absolutely devoured this meal...another win for me!

Chicken Stir Fry with "Peanut" Sauce

1 large pre-cooked chicken breast, diced
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. wheat-free tamari
1/4 c. unsweetened apple juice
1/4 c. almond butter
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken for about 1 minute. Add thawed vegetables and cook for about 3-4 more minutes. While the veggies cook, whisk together tamari, apple juice, almond butter, ginger, garlic, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl. Once veggies and chicken are heated through, add sauce to skillet and cook for about 1 minute. Serve hot over brown rice. I use Rice Expressions frozen rice packets because they cook in the microwave in 3 minutes and contain 3-4 servings a package. Throw in a side salad and you've got yourself a meal!!

Serves 4.

Indian Lentil Crepes

These savory crepes are awesome, and full of fiber, and best of all, they are cheap! All you need are lentils, brown rice, salt and water. Gotta love that in this economy!

Indian Lentil Crepes

2 cups uncooked lentils

1/2 cup uncooked long grain brown rice

Salt to taste

In two bowls, soak lentils and rice separately in water for 5 hours at room temperature. At the end of the 5 hours, grind lentils, rice and salt in a food processor with some of the soaking liquid. Mix until pancake batter consistency is achieved, the mixture should be coarse.

Warm coconut, olive, or grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, spread a spoonful of batter on the skillet. Let cook for 2 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip and cook the other side.
For the filling, I sauteed chopped mushrooms, zucchini, green pepper and onion in olive oil until cooked through.
Spoon filling into the crepes and enjoy!

Spring Cleansing Day 3

Ughhh woke up this morning so tired again. To be expected I guess. I felt way more energized after having a grapefruit sprinkled with cinnamom (soooo good!)

Work today flew by. Anna and I had a ton to work on, plus I got to watch Biggest Loser during my downtime. I'm so hooked on that show. I drank a bunch of water and tea all morning, so when lunchtime came around I actually wasn't starving. And after my apple, carrots, snap peas and mango slices I was actually pretty full! This detox is so weird...I didn't think I'd make it this far without feeling like death. I did have a stomachache last night, I at least I know its working!

I had vegetable broth, half a papaya (which wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting) and a chard, spinach, cucumber and strawberry salad for dinner, plus some detox tea. I was stuffed, which shocks me. The upside is I was able to walk on the treadmill for a half hour without feeling tired. But I still feel really full. Strange...

I'm halfway through the detox, and I can't believe I've done so well! I'm hopefully going to be feeling like a new person by next week, I'm so sick of feeling crappy!

Wish me luck, and Live Free!

Spring Cleansing Days 1&2

So, as promised, I'm writing about my detoxing experience this week. Let me explain a little bit about where I'm coming from.

I first read about detoxing in "Skinny Bitch" and I was automatically intrigued. You can do a water fast, a juice fast, or a raw fruits and veggies fast. Starting out, I didn't want to go too extreme, so I started researching raw fasts. Basically, you only eat organic, uncooked fruits and vegetables for a period of time. I decided to match my detox up with Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter), because detoxing is supposed to be a mind clearing and spiritual experience. My physical reason for doing it is that I need to flush my system out and rid myself of all the junk I've put into my body that I'm allergic to.

I started the detox yesterday with grapefruit for breakfast. I thought I'd be absolutely starving a short time later, but I actually wasn't! That grapefruit actually held me over longer than cereal does! All morning I had plenty of energy, I was so surprised because I'd read the first days of the detox are rough. For lunch, I had carrots, snap peas, an apple, and strawberries. Again, I had energy all afternoon, though it did start waning towards the end of my work day. For dinner, I had a cup of vegetable broth, a pear, a bunch of broccoli, blueberries and sliced cucumber. I also drank some detox tea after dinner to help the process along. I was definitely tired by that point, I'm sure as a combination from my weekend in San Francisco and the new eating pattern.

This morning I meant to get up early and work out, but I woke up with no energy so I skipped it, probably for the best. I had cantaloupe and strawberries for breakfast. I was definitely tired all day at work today. Luckily, I never really got the headaches that I'd been reading about. For lunch I had an apple, carrots and snap peas again. Its amazing how filling fruits and vegetables are! I never even realized that before, probably because I've never eaten enough fruits and vegetables. I started to get a bloated stomachache around dinner time, so I know the detoxing is finally starting. I'm so happy to be getting rid of those toxins! For dinner, I had a pear, a red bell pepper, and broccoli, and I even treated myself to "dessert": cantaloupe chunks, strawberries and grapes. Wow that sounds lame hahaha.

Overall though I feel pretty good about what I'm doing. I thought I'd be starving all the time, but I'm actually realizing that fruits and vegetables can totally fill you up, and I actually find myself eating less. I'm excited to see how this will affect me once I start eating real food again! I'm hoping it will noticeably lessen my food allergy symptoms. We'll see though.

Stay tuned, and Live Free!

My Vegan Take on Scrambled Eggs

I miss eggs. Scrambled, Fried, Omelettes. They are so easy to make to get a protein-packed breakfast. Since I can't eat eggs, I usually eat oatmeal or some kind of smoothie for breakfast. But every once in a while, I crave something savory in the morning. Luckily, I found a recipe that allowed me to do this. I decided to twist it around a bit to make it my own. I've eaten this for the past two days for breakfast because I ran out of oatmeal at my place, and I'm hooked. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Tofu Scramble

1 lb. Extra Firm Tofu, cubed

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 Red Onion, chopped

1 c. Mushrooms

1 Zucchini, sliced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tsp. olive oil

Red Chili Pepper Flakes

Salt

Start by cooking the onions in the olive oil over medium low heat for about 3 minutes or until they start getting transparent. Add the garlic and the red bell peppers and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then add the mushrooms and zucchini, and finally, the tofu. Cook until heated through. Add chili pepper flakes and salt to your liking. If you want it more savory, add more salt. If your looking for a spicy kick, add more chili pepper flakes. Best served hot, but tastes great reheated!!

Serves 3-4. Like I said, it is still great reheated, so even if you are cooking for one, I recommend making the full recipe.

This recipe is so good for you thanks to all the vegetables you are getting, and still provides plenty of protein to get you through the day. What's not to love?