M Cafe – West Hollywood, CA

What’s left when there’s no refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat or poultry? As bizarre as this probably sounds to most diners, there’s still a long list of other ingredients and intensely flavorful dishes to eat without these overused 5. I really think that we are so used to automatically reaching for these items without thinking about it and forget all the other great things to eat that are better and more delicious. Break the rut, open your eyes and expand your taste buds to a more interesting and diverse world of eating. The easiest and very motivating way to start is by heading over to M Cafe, the contemporary macrobiotic cuisine cafe with a global menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and more. Their kitchen uses wholesome, ecological ingredients like heirloom-varietal whole grains, organically grown beans, fresh fish and locally-grown fruits and vegetables. [...]

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Real Food Daily’s Organic Cuisine Menu Update for Jan.18-31

Here’s an update to Real Food Daily’s weekly specials for the 2nd half of January. I’m ready to find out what the forbidden black rice is all about in the Madame Wong’s Stir-fry Palace. My favorites include the Country Vegetable Miso Soup, perfect for this rainy week,Faux-stess Cupcake with gooey white filling, chocolate cake, and fudgy icing, and Peanut Butter Cookies!
Monthly Special Jan 4 – Jan 31
Hippie Love Loaf
Lentils, millet, butternut squash, carrots, onions, herbs, gravy and roasted parsnips, carrots, Brussels sprouts
WEEKLY SPECIALS Jan 18 – 31
Madame Wong’s Stir-fry Palace
Spicy, stir fried Chinese long beans, miso glazed tempeh, eggplant, onion, carrots, forbidden black rice, peanuts
Fajita Chop
Black beans, seitan fajitas, vegetables, corn, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, guacamole, salsa, romaine, chipotle ranch dressing, spicy tortilla strips
Week Jan 25 – 31
On the Mexican Riviera
Pecan-cornmeal crusted tempeh, coconut yams, sautéed chipotle greens, spicy black bean sauce, mango salsa
Pippi Longstockings
Chickpea polenta, corn, roasted [...]

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Real Food Daily’s Organic Vegan Cuisine Menu for January

Good for you food and yummy comfort food can both be delicious and drool-worthy. Vegan and vegetarian food has come a long way but most people still think of them as tasteless boring vegetable dishes. That is so untrue and the complete opposite, especially with the abundance of choices in Los Angeles. So for 2010, I’m promising myself to remember to try out more new healthy delicious dishes. One of my favorite and very popular restaurant for this occasion is Real Food Daily. This place has done all the work for you in preparing yummy high maintenance food for vegans, vegetarians, macrobiotic dieters, organic eaters, kosher certified, low-calorie low-fat and low-sugar, and all foodies. My favorite is the Cold Soba Salad with soba noodles, julienne vegetables, cucumbers, cilantro, sesame seeds, peanuts, peanut dressing, and marinated tempeh. Check out their new menu [...]

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The Sweets Truck – Los Angeles, CA

The Sweets Truck is almost a dream come true for me – candy, pastries and a cafe on wheels! Now I just have to figure out how to make them follow me.
This truck also has a sweet heart with a commitment to supporting the global and local community. So it’s not entirely self-indulgent to enjoy their daily baker specials and hand-picked seasonal treats. Check out some of their menu items below.

BROWNIES & BARS
FROM OUR BAKERS
Embrace Triple Chocolate Chunk Brownie • Peanut Butter Blitz Brownie
Toffee Almond Crunch Brownie • Chunky Walnut Brownie • Caramel Pecan Brownie
Double Chocolate Brownie • White Chocolate Chunk Brownie • Blondies
Cookie Casa Chocolate Fudge Cookie Bar • Cookie Casa Coconut Walnut Bar • Cookie Casa Pecan Shortbread Square
BEAUTY PAGEANT BROWNIES from Xtreme Desserts
Black Forest • Boston Cream Pie • Cappuccino Mocha • Chocolate Malted • German Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip • Pistachio Chocolate Chip • [...]

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Recipe Review: Molly Killeen’s St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake

It’s pastry season. I’m thinking of all the cakes, pies and cookies I’ll get to surround myself with thanks to the upcoming holidays.
Here’s something I can’t wait to try out. I basically drooled all over myself while reading about it. The magic of butter, sugar and eggs creates this cake that’s as irresistible as the “center of a pecan pie” without the oversweetness. It hardly resembles a cake with it’s sticky and flaky texture – so my friends who happen not to like cake should like this (that’s crazy and I don’t understand how someone doesn’t like cake).
Recipe: by Melissa Clark
Yield: 16-20 Servings
Time: Total 4 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the cake:
3 tablespoons milk at room temperature
1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
For the topping:
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light corn [...]

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Restaurant Review: Alcove Cafe & Bakery – Los Feliz, CA

My 3pm brunch doesn’t have to be at home with Alcove Cafe & Bakery around. This place is the perfect spot for lingering over heart-warming meals in a garden setting that feels just like home. Their menu serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and a dizzying list of pastries throughout the entire day and night. I love this place!
Finally, I can have a seriously good brioche french toast with side of apple wood smoked bacon as late as I want. I had to order the fruit plate to add something healthy to my table. They also have an impressive coffee/smoothie bar and variety of other drinks to order. There is plenty of patio seats around the front and sides of this house converted cafe – with umbrellas for shade in this sunny spot on the block.

Apple Wood Smoked Bacon – cooked to order! Goes perfect [...]

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Restaurant Review: Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe – Santa Monica, CA

I found a new reason to love L.A. – the local artisan Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe. If this place was open 24/7, I’d definitely have to live here forever. This is the home of the Kouing Amann (top pic) – a heavenly cinnamon sugar twist on the butter croissant, my absolute favorite – along with the salted caramel bar!
Everything served here is made fresh on site. Their menu makes it obvious that they use only the best quality ingredients – organic flour, Vahlrona chocolate and seasonal produce from the farmer’s market. The place is an adorable homey but modern cafe with large sunny window doors that open to the sidewalk tables while letting in streams of sunlight. It’s hard to resist leaving this place without a box of several treats. Their menu of sweets covers a wide range of cravings and childhood favorites. [...]

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Restaurant Review: Zeytinz Fine Food Marketplace – New York City

I found a fantastic lunch/grocery place in the Midtown East/Murray Hill area of Manhattan. Directly across Bryant Park is Zeytinz Fine Food Marketplace. I could spend hours in grocery markets like this that are also deli, bakery, food gourmet all in one. Not only do they sell fresh produce and meat, but they are also a coffee bar, bakery, deli, sushi bar, salad bar, and serve hot panini, breakfast and italian dishes to go. They have anything and everything you could possibly want. They even have an olive bar and an entire wall of cheese selections.
In the mornings, this place is packed with people ordering hot breakfast dishes to go and fresh brewed coffee from the bar. Even though the line looks long, it moves along pretty quickly. I’d recommend this place for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to go. There’s also a [...]

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Restaurant Review: Falai Panetteria – New York City

I’ve never in my life had a chocolate croissant like this, or cornetti as it’s called in the italian cafe Falai Panetteria. I had asked them to heat up this perfect little croissant. It appeared perfectly crispy and flaky in it’s petite size and as soon as I tore it open, a flood of semisweet chocolate poured onto the plate. I could not believe how perfect this chocolate cornetti was. It had just enough crisp and flaky butter with melty semisweet chocolate to spoon up. This is the best chocolate cornetti I’ve ever had. The waitress told me that she has to have one of these every day. I totally understand.
I also got some treats to go. Their almond butter sugar cookies are perfectly crisp with a subtle sweet butter crunch. These are perfect to much on with tea. The [...]

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Recipe: Chocolate Chili Bread Pudding

I found another easy recipe that reminds me of mexican chocolate. The cinnamon and cayenne with the dark chocolate is an incredible comforting and aromatic combination. Here’s a recipe for Chocolate Chili Bread Pudding that is ready in less than an hour. It’s warm gooey sweet fudgy goodness in a bowl that is pure bliss. Make sure you use the best chocolate you can. This is something my sisters are going to love.
Recipe Adapted From: Ian Knauer, Gourmet.com
Yield: 1 Serving
Time: Total 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter plus additional for greasing ramekin
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened or extra-bitter), chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cubes (1/2 inch) firm white sandwich bread (from about 2 slices)
Special equipment: an 8-oz ramekin or a muffin tin with 1-cup muffin cups
1. Put oven [...]

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