What does a hug do for you? Does it automatically make you smile? Create that warm fuzzy feeling inside? Does it calm your insides? Of course it does! A recent study shows that hugging increases a level of oxytocin and decreases blood pressure! So snuggle away!! National hug your cat day should be everyday, in my opinion. Not only do they make you feel better, but they promote good health also! Hugs have been a great slogan for young kids for as long as I can remember!!
I’d like to introduce you to my furry friends!! This is Zeke. Zeke is a 22# Tabby cat that I adopted 5 years ago here in Chicago at The Anti Cruelty Society. Zeke has lived in Naples FL and Portland OR. He enjoys dry cat nip over fresh, closets, organic dry veggie mix food (no wet food), and the occasional hug and go. He’s more of a drive by hugger.
Native Foods Cafe, vegan, vegan food, vegan restaurant, national hug your cat day
And this is my snuggle bunny LP! She is ALL about the kisses, snuggles, and biscuit making. You can’t get past LP without a hug and a kitty kiss (rub noses). She is a 9# half Siamese cat that I adapted in Naples FL. Man does she love snow!! When LP isn’t hiding under the blankets or playing in the bath tub, she is screaming for her hugs! Extra today of course.
Native Foods Cafe, vegan, vegan food, vegan restaurant, national hug your cat day
Whether you like to embrace, bear hug, bunny hug, clasp, clinch, lock, squeeze or cuddle with your fury little gato, we encourage you to do so a little bit more today. This holiday benefits both parties involved!!
And of course one of our most favortiest videos ever here at Native Foods Cafe (I know, I know... we've posted it before): Kittens Inspired by Kittens!
Native Foods Cafe, vegan, vegan food, vegan restaurant, national hug your cat day
So we are starting a new blog feature to get to know our guests a little... or rather ALOT better. Yep, we are stoked. Our first Native Foodie in the Spotlight is Patricia Ja Lee! She is super rad, plus she sent us a picture of her laying on the equator!
Patricia on the the equatorial middle earth in the Ecuador highlands, we should open a Native Foods Cafe there!
Which Native Foods Café do you visit most? Downtown Culver City
If you were to come back as an animal what would you like it to be?
A spoiled pet that gets lots of head rubs.
Do you have any pets? Yeah, a spoiled one ;)
If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? Belinda Carlisle said it best when she sang “Heaven is a Place on Earth.” Not necessarily a specific location, but for me it’s more about appreciating where you’re at and who you’re with, and it’s a bonus if there’s a Native Foods Café nearby ;)
What should we know about you? Although I am not a vegan, I enjoy eating like one when I’m at Native Foods.
What is your favorite current menu item at Native Foods Café? I seem to order the Native Nachos a lot. Mmm...
Favorite Native Foods’ dessert? The chocolately cupcake. I get it to go and savor it when I get home. Drool...
Do you have a signature dish you make at home? The dirty dish.
Do you have a favorite vegan recipe you would like to share with us? Here’s a secret I’ve been harboring for years. Did you like crispy bacon? Dip some DRIED Japanese mushrooms (there’s an expensive one that tastes best, but shitake is an affordable alternative) in olive oil, and crisp in a non-stick pan. Sprinkle some salt, and voila: the texture and flavor is very similar to crispy bacon, but it’s meatless! (Native Foods: "Wow! That sounds so freakin' good!")
Patricia ja lee motion capture volume &_ wire rig
What are your favorite bands/ musicians? Jack White (Dead Weather), Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde), Siouxie Sioux (and the Banshees), the Beastie Boys, and the Spice Girls.
What was your first concert ever? The Pixies, early 90s. I was in high school. It was general admission. When I finally got to the front of the mob, someone lifted me up and I was ‘crowd-surfed’ to the back of the pack. It was awesome!
What do you do in your free time? Random fun stuff. Last week I made a video with a couple puppets I built. It’s a parody of GOTYE’s video for their song Somebody That I Used to Know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLyRQjvvCms
Do aliens exist? Take me to your leader.
Chocolate or vanilla?
Both, but separately. Not mixed or blended. Yum.
Tofu, tempeh, or seitan? Nom nom nom!
Patricia Ja Lee snowboarding hard and fast in Park City, Utah! Another future location of Native Foods Cafe :)
That’s right Native friends!! Today is Nation Doughnut Day and I’m in the perfect place to be blogging about it. Yepper, Chicago is where it all began (the representing day of course, not the origin). It all started in 1938, as a fundraiser for Chicago’s Salvation Army. The mission was to help the less fortunate and honor the “Lassies” of World War I, who bravely served doughnuts to the soldiers. More than 250 volunteers went over to France to set up “huts” to provide baked goods, writing supplies and stamps for the boys. The baking became difficult, so two ladies decided to start making doughnuts instead. Today, the Salvation Army still runs this fundraiser in their honor.
So the doughnut, a deep fried confectionary if you will, is usually made from flour dough that can be made into ring shapes, flattened, twisted, or rolled into little balls of heaven!! They may have sprinkles on them, a sugary glazed or even filled with various fruit or cream fillings. Oh how I longed for my Long Johns and crullers when I was younger... and boy did it show! Whether they were introduced to North America in the 19th century by a Dutchmen, or invented here in 1847 by an American, or a magical gift given to us by the English in 1803, I salute all of you. And will devour a tasty doughnut for each of you today.
How good is your Vegan-dar? Which donuts are vegan and which are not?
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
In this case, bigger is better... and vegan! The doughtnuts in Exhibit B are vegan, and delicious. The doughnuts in Exhibit A are not vegan.
There are 47 different types or ways to make these warm sweet treats worldwide. From China to Poland, everyone is making their version and loving every bite!
In Australia, the Guinness Book of World Records largest donut was made up of 90,000 individual donuts and was sent to Sydney in 2007 as part of a celebration for the release of The Simpsons Movie.
In Canada, they consume the most doughnuts, and sell the most per capita. Ever see Strange Brew? Doughnuts played a huge roll in that. Nothing like a doughnut bribe!! Check it out..
Strange Brew Doughnut Bribe
I have a few different donut recipes that I’d like to share, but first, lets get the low down from a real Chef on how to make donuts!
Thank you Chef! And now let’s share my tricky of the trade...
In our household, we watch our sugar intake for health reasons and marathon training, so we like to make our doughnuts out of Mochi! It’s our healthier doughnut!!
Mochi is made from rice that is soaked and cooked overnight. Two people will alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mocha, using a wooden mallet. Then the stick mass is formed into varies shaped. Mochi is used in lot of Japanese desserts and sweets. Today, we used it to make our doughnuts!! These donuts are super easy. Just dice up the mocha in ¼ inch by ¼ inch cubes, place in your donut maker ($15 at Target) and….Whalla…Mochi Donuts topped with Raspberry Jam!
5- Form the donut to your desire! If you have a donut pan, ungreased, add the batter just to the rim. If not, lay parchment or wax paper down and form away.
(twists, holes, rounds to fill with fruits and creams, you name it)
6- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on top and you get a clean testing toothpick!!
Today is National Macaroon Day... how awesome is that? Well I have never made a macaroon, and have actually not eaten that many in my life. So I figured now is the time. I mean, why not? I have been eyeing this raw cookie dough recipe for a few months now and thought these could make a sort of art nouveau macaroon…. Since the recipe is somewhat similar to other raw vegan macaroon recipes. The macaroon was initially created as a small sweet cake made up of ground almonds… so instead of almonds we are going to use ground cashews. Thanks to Averie Cooks for this great recipe! And here we go…
Happy spring to all! I hope this season has been as enjoyable for you as it has for me. Spring offers so much entertainment: watching and listening to the great bird migrations, tracking the blooming of trees and flowers, and starting up your gardens! Spring is a time of rebirth, and this spring-cleaning I propose you throw away all of your toxic cosmetics and toiletries for natural products.
I used to rely on cheap shampoos, conditioners, and face products from my local convenience store because who doesn’t love things cheap and convenient? However, I did a little more research on all of the toxins in the products I was using daily, and had to make a change to my daily routine. You are not only what you eat, but also what you use. It hasn’t been easy making a change, in the world of natural cosmetics there are many great and not-so-great products out there. After many years of searching, I have found the products that work for me! Here they are:
Face Wash:
In the past I have tried Clearasil, Proactiv, and countless other convenience-store bought face washes to balance my skin. I have rather normal, combination oily/dry skin. However, most face washes either over moisturize or strip away all the oil and dry my face out. What has worked the best for me is a bar soap made with essential oils and natural clay. I really like Pure Life’s Organic Volcanic Clay soap. This Pure Life soap is organic, cruelty free, vegan, and 100% biodegradable! The ingredients are simple and effective: organic coconut oil, organic palm oil, organic natural volcanic clay, organic herbal extracts, organic sesame oil, organic olive oil, organic essential oils, pure spring water. My face feels balanced and thoroughly cleansed after I use it.
Toothpaste:
Auromere’s ayurvedic products are wonderful. Their toothpaste is free of fluoride, gluten, bleaches, artificial sweeteners, dyes, animal ingredients and artificial preservatives. However, it contains “Peelu” which is a natural tooth-whitening fiber. Auromere’s toothpastes are available in licorice, fresh mint, and cardamom fennel. You can pick up a tube of this wonderful, naturally whitening toothpaste at your local Whole Foods Market.
Shampoo and Conditioner:
Ah, the battle with an effective yet natural shampoo and conditioner has spanned over the course of YEARS. A lot of unnatural shampoo’s and conditioners contain sulfates, which cleanse hair so thoroughly that they strip away natural oils and fibers. A lot of natural shampoos and conditioners I have tried have done a mediocre job cleansing my hair, and leave it rough and knotty. One day, as I was perusing the beautiful isles of Trader Joe’s, I came across “Tea Tree Tingle” shampoo and conditioner. Intrigued, I scanned the ingredient list: water, tea tree oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, rosemary oil, nettle oil, thyme oil, birch leaf oil, chamomile, clary, lavender, coltsfoot leaf, yarrow oil, mallow, horsetail oil, soybean protein, coconut derived c12-14 olefin sulfonate, cocamidopropyl betaine, tocopherol (vitamin E), trace minerals, citric acid (corn), sodium hydroxymethyglycinate (sea salt), grapefruit seed. (They also do not test on animals!) I had my doubts that an ingredient list so simple and natural could yield salon-quality results. I don’t know which part is better, the invigorating cooling mint sensation as I lather up my scalp, or how shiny and wonderful my hair looks afterward!
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Body wash:
Although there are many wonderful body washes out there, I have to give this one to Trader Joe’s again. Their Refresh Citrus body wash smells and works so wonderfully! Trader Joe’s does not test on animals and the citrus-smell is from essential oils, not some synthetic fragrance. I love Trader Joe’s products because they are affordable and honest.
Night Time Serum:
At night, as well as in the mornings, I use the Pure Life Volcanic Clay soap. Afterwards, I use Brittanie’s Thyme Night Time Restorative Facial Serum. This little elixir is a miracle! It balances and brightens my skin. It is USDA certified organic, gluten free, and vegan. The ingredients are as follows: Aloe (which helps balance a healthy pH), Hemp seed oil (has fatty acids which balance moisture, and contains Vitamin A,C, K and D which is necessary for calcium absorption, especially useful to vegans), Rosemary extract (a natural preservative, rich in antioxidants!), Cyrpress oil (helps tone skin tissues), Sweet orange oil (a natural anti-inflammatory, it has reduced my puffy under eye circles), and Geranium oil (which is antibacterial and improves circulation.)
Facial Moisturizer:
Alaffia products are fair trade, which means they pay a fair price to the manufacturers of their products. They get their Shea Butter from small African Villages that use natural nuts of the wild Shea Trees. Shea butter is extremely moisturizing and has been proven to reduce wrinkles, stretch marks, and sun damage. I use their Neem and Shea Butter Skin Recovery Face Cream. It smells wonderful, and neem is a natural anti-inflammatory! This moisturizer does not make my face oily, it balances out my complexion perfectly.
I hope you are inspired to ditch your toxic toiletries for these products that will surely make you look and feel great!
So this past Sunday, after a fantastic week of pre-opening meals in Boulder, we headed to the Poudre River outside of Fort Collins for some white water rafting! Everyone kept pronouncing the Poudre as the “Pooter” which made us giggle really hard, each and every time. It was a perfect day and everyone had an awesome time to say the least. My accomplices were the Nelson family from VegSource, Ashleigh, Chef Kendall, and our four contest winners, Jordan, Jenny, Helen and Josephine a.k.a. Joey. Our river rafting guides from Wanderlust were Paula and Peter (they were awesome!). Ashleigh and Chef Kendall were getting competitive so Ash started out with some pre-game lunges:
Then we headed to the river…. so beautiful!
Here is Peter's boat getting ready to head out with Helen, Joey, Jenny, Jordan, Ashleigh and Chef Kendall:
And here is my boat with guide Paula and the Nelson family heading down some gnarly rapids... look ma, no hands!
And Ashleigh going overboard and taking Jenny with her, but Peter saved them:
The girls just doing a little awesome posing, you know, after conquering those Class 6 rapids... just kidding.
Frittata is fun to say... and delicious to eat. The frittata is traditionally an egg-based dish, similar to an omelette or quiche, whose name basically means "cooking eggs in a skillet." You can add all sorts of things to a frittata, and it can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In Italy they have several eggless frittatas throughout the various regions of Italy which originally were considered more of a crepe. Normally, the dish is called "farinata" or 'made of flour', which orginated in Genoa. In Nice and the Côte d'Azur, it is called "socca", and in Tuscany, "cecina" or 'made of chickpeas'. In Tuscany, it sort of evolved into a frittata type dish that is served warm with fresh foccacia or bread. I stumbled upon a packaged chick pea frittata mix in Whole Foods and decided it was time to do a freakin' frittata experiment.
So I bought some fresh asparagus and Spring onions from the farmer's market to jazz it up...
Then I sauteed them in some coconut oil and salt... so I could add to the frittata:
Now basically this mix is just pure chick pea flour with some seasonings, or just plain salt, so you could also use this recipe instead of buying the mix:
2 cups chickpea flour
3 cups cold water
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
Preheat your oven to 500°
Lightly oil a 9” cast iron pan, or an 8x8 (or similarly sized) glass pan.
Put the pan in the oven for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, oil and salt until there are no lumps.
Remove the frying pan from the oven carefully.
Pour the chickpea mixture into the hot pan and put it back in the oven ( I added my sauteed veggies here). Note that the batter will be very thin, strange, but don't worry it will turn out great.
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Open the oven door a little and bake for anothr 8 to 10 minutes (I wedged a dish towel in there)
Remove from oven and let cool a bit.
Then top with your favorite savory sauce, I used a Mustard Cream Sauce from Your Vegan Mom, and served with haricot verts. Bon appetit!
So we just had a wham-bam Win a Trip to Boulder Contest on our Facebook Page... and we received so many great entries, it was almost impossible to choose! So we decided to choose 2 Grand Prize Winners instead of just one. Each winner won airfare for two to Colorado this weekend, along with hotel, spending cash, a white water rafting trip and tickets to our VIP Grand Opening Party this Saturday night in Boulder... whew!
So the Grand Prize went to both Josephine Leffner (Check out her video HERE) and Jordan Harp (check his video below)!
Next we have 25 Runners up! Holy moly... here are the winners:
Winners please email contest@nativefoods.com so we can get in touch!
Weekly Lunch at Native Foods Café for an Entire Year!
So I promised you this recipe on Saturday in my Summertime Mints blog... so here you go!
Chocolate Mint Whoopie Pies
32 pieces (aka 16 total pies)
1 ¾ cup AP Flour
¾ cup Cocoa Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
4 TBSP Vegan Butter (Soft)
¼ cup Vegan Shortening (Soft)
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 TBSP Egg Replacer (no water)
1 cup Soy milk
½ tsp Vanilla Extract
1- Sift all dry ingredients together. Then transfer over to the mixer.
2- On medium speed, add the butter and mix for 30 seconds.
3- Then add the shortening and mix for 30 seconds.
4- Add all liquid ingredients and mix until well incorporated.
5- Using a spoon or ice cream scoop (big or small), scoop or drop cookie portions onto an oiled sheet pan.
6- Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before frosting!!
Frosting:
1 cup Vegan shortening
1 cup Vegan Butter
4 cups Powdered Sugar
½ oz Fresh Mint
2 oz Water
7- Blend the mint with the water until smooth.
8- In a mixer, on medium speed, mixer the shortening and butter together until smooth, about 2 minutes.
9- Turn the speed down to low, and slowly add the sugar ½ cup at a time. Once the powdered sugar in mixed, add another. Once all sugar in added, add the mint puree. (If you want it greener, you can use food coloring, but PLEASE read the label and make sure it’s safe!!)
10-Frost in between cookies, on top or both... then eat.... and yell whoooooopppppppeeeee!!!
1. Pickled Crispy Carrots from Tillen Farms. These crunchy carrots make a great side dish to sandwiches and wraps. I love everything that Tillen Farms pickles... that I have tried so far that is.
2. Spicy Pickled Asparagus from River Valley Kitchens. River Valley makes a whole slew of jarred delights that I like to pick up at the Chicago farmer's markets including Portobello Chili and Dill & Garlic Pickled Mushrooms... and they are seriously known for their shrooms, and for good reason.
3. Pickled Tofu Yes, you heard me right. I know several people who love this stuff, comparing it to dreamy things like port wine cheese, which is pretty vegan dreamy in my world. I have these two jars sitting in my cabinet because, well, I am kind of afraid to open them. They look a little scary. But I will report back when I do.
5. Make your own pickles! Try this Bread & Butter Pickled Radish Recipe that is on each and every table in Native Foods Cafe right now, you know, stuck in those cool rocks.
Bread & Butter Radishes
Spring is a great time to enjoy the crisp, spicy radish. Try pickling them for an amazing snack, sandwich booster or garnish for grilled veggies.
1 bunch red radishes
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vinegar, red wine or white
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon whole coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
INSTRUCTIONS
Rinse radishes and trim off their leafy tops (Save the tops for a sauté later). Thinly slice radishes and set aside.
Place remainder of ingredients(except the onion & radish) in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for about 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
Place radishes and onions in a glass container and pour brine on top. Let sit for a bit, half hour or so, then refrigerate. Makes a great gift packed in an old mason jar!
Native Foods Cafe The Native Foods website...yes, where you sign up for the FREE cooking demos with Chef Tanya!
PAWS The Performing Animal Welfare Society rocks and Native Foods celebrates this fabulous group the first Wednesday of each month and by donating 100% of the profits from the Native Tote Bags.
