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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Holiday Lattes by Got Milk? and Heather Perry at Le Pain Quotidien – West Hollywood, CA

Heather Perry, the National Barista Champ, teamed up with Got Milk? to share her homemade latte recipes for a festive holiday event at Le Pain Quotidien in West Hollywood. It’s amazing how you can take just a few simple ingredients that you already have in the kitchen to make several different holiday drinks. Check out the recipes below. My favorite are the Eggnog Latte and Tres Leches Latte. There are even non-coffee drinks too such as the Holiday Frozen Hot Chocolate.
Enjoy some of the pictures below taken from the event. We got to enjoy several yummy sweet treats – mini brownies, blondies, custard tarts as well as fabulous Got Milk! giveaways including an apron, electric frother, Moka coffee pot, insulated grocery bag, and a $25 Amex gift card!

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Recipe Review: Tiramisu

Wake up guys, here’s the one recipe you should know if you want to truly win over someone’s heart. This Tiramisu recipe comes directly from the single most romantic place on Earth – Venice. Put aside any dairy fears, pop in some lactase, and dig in. This only takes 30 minutes, the fridge does the rest. A friend once told me the secret to an amazing Tiramisu is a top-notch mascarpone cheese. So do not skimp and pick the best mascarpone selection that your cheese guru recommends. Let the love begin..
Recipe: by Enrica Rocca, Venice, Italy
Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Time: Total 5 hours
Ingredients:
19 to 21 savoiardi biscuits (Italian dry lady fingers; from a 7-oz package)
2 cups freshly made strong coffee
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup mascarpone cheese (an 8 ¾-oz tub)
1/2 cup sugar
a 3 oz piece bittersweet chocolate
1. Arrange the biscuits in one [...]

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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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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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Candy Bag: Zingerman’s Zzang! What the Fudge? Candy Bar

Zzang! What the Fudge? Thank you Charlie! I’ve found the chocolate fudgy candy bar I’ve been looking for in Zzang! What the Fudge? – and what a name. This is more than the dark chocolate caramel combo I was orginally hunting down, it’s got the same satisfying rich gooeyness I crave. This candy bar has a thick dark chocolate outer layer with rich muscovado caramel sandwiched between malted milk cream and sweet milk chocolate fudge.
Behind this substantial chocolate fudge candy bar is Charlie Frank. Charlie is actually the pastry manager of Zingerman’s Bakehouse and started the candy factory this September 2009 – the Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory. There are there different candies that they make: Zzang! Original, Cashew Cow and What the Fudge? What the Fudge? is a sweet tooth candy bar combo of dark and milk chocolate made of muscovado brown sugar, fresh milk [...]

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Grocery Bag: Annie’s Organic Wheat Chocolate Bunnie Grahams

Hmmm, I think there’s a theme here, chocolate maybe? Even though it’s not Easter yet (it will be here sooner than you think by the way), bunnies are cute anytime of the year. Chocolate bunnies are my favorite kind of bunnies. So that’s the main reason why I had to try these out. Annie’s Organic Wheat Chocolate Bunnie Grahams totally satisfy my craving for a crispy chocolate cookie. They’re flaky like a butter cookie but with more of a cookie crunch and as light as a graham cracker. These are also super tiny and would be adorable as decorations on a cupcake or sprinkled on an ice cream scoop. The all natural and organic ingredients make these the healthiest chocolate cookie treat possible without compromising indulging flavor. I couldn’t tell that these were wheat cookies at all!

Click here to see more Grocery [...]

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Candy Bag: Chuao Chocolatier Chinita Nibs – Dark Chocolate, Nutmeg, Caramelized Cacao Nibs

This is serious chocolate, truly. I’ve never seen this one before. Chuao Chocolatier Chinita Nibs is dark chocolate with nutmeg and caramelized cacao nibs. When I bite into it, there’s an immediate crunch with a burst of fruity, smoky, and rich chocolate. The bits of caramelized cacao nibs make this a very grown up chocolate bar and the nutmeg reminds me of my childhood comfort foods. This is not very sweet, which is just right for a dark chocolate bar.
Here’s how they describe it:
Named after “La Chinita,” the beloved patron virgin of Maracaibo, Venezuela, Chinita Nibs bars is a blend of dark chocolate, fresh nutmeg and caramelized cacao nibs from the famous plantations in Maracaibo.
Chuao Chocolatier is all about “fusion chocolate” with the drive to create unusual, unexpected and delicious combinations. The name comes from a legendary cacao-producing region of Chuao (pronounced chew-WOW) in [...]

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