I am lazy when it comes to cooking tend to prefer convenience when it comes to meals and as luck would have it, I live in an area full of delicious juice bars (I even dated a guy I met at one!) And I don’t know about you, but no matter the time of day, I always gravitate to the chocolate smoothies. But I will say, I found myself sluggish and cranky after I would drink them, so one day while about to order a chocolate smoothie, I asked to look at the container of chocolate hemp milk they were using and saw 22 grams of sugar per serving, and that isn’t even counting the additional cacao nibs, coconut, etc in the smoothie!

Now I am not a calorie counter by any means, but I do know that when I start the day with a lot of sugar, I crave need it all day (to the tune of sundaes for lunch, cinnamon rolls for dinner, etc).

So I took it upon myself to create a low sugar chocolate smoothie that was delicious, and let me tell you, it’s so good I drink it every morning!

And the best part, it only involves 5 simple ingredients:

Creamy Dreamy Chocolate Smoothie

2 cups almond milk (I use unsweetened)

1/2 avocado

1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder

1 packet Stevia

2 dropperfulls Sweet Leaf English toffee extract

frozen banana chunks (optional, to give it that flavor, as well as make it creamier)

Blend (in a blender, VitaMix, immersion blender, etc) and enjoy….don’t blame me when you get addicted!!

What are your favorite smoothie combos?

Do you get sluggish after you drink a sugary smoothie?

While IMHO, the mint/chocolate combo will always play understudy to chocolate/peanut butter and carrot cake/cream cheese frosting, it does happen to be an especially enticing combination for two people in my life: my younger sister, whose favorite childhood combo was mint chocolate chip ice cream with gummy bears! (anybody else eat that?) and my spicy saucier, who is one of my frequent dining/cooking companions- not only helping me with the recent double chocolate PB cookie cake (and taking the photos) but also giving a seal of approval to the Grand Marnier cupcakes with “nutella” ganache.

I have been making an effort to replace sugar with baking Stevia when at all possible, including this recipe. As I have found the Stevia does tend to make baked goods a little dry, I went to great lengths to ensure that the final product would have that moist texture.

Without further ado, here is the final product…on a sadder note, I am now finished with my seasonal stash of Trader Joe’s Mint Jo-Jo’s. Anybody know where I can score some on the black market?

What is your favorite flavor combination for desserts?

What is your favorite way to eat chocolate and mint together?

Vegan Double Chocolate Mint Oreo Brownies

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup non dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond)

1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

½ cup vegan sour crème (if you don’t have this on hand, you can sub in a neutral tasting oil)

½ cup baking Stevia

½ cup cocoa powder

1 cup flour

½ cup finely crushed mint Jo Jo cookies or Newman’s Mint “oreos”

½ cup chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup Mori-Nu soft tofu

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1)     Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8 X 8 baking pan

2)     Combine the milk and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and whisk until small bubbles form. Set aside.

3)     Mix applesauce, oil, vanilla, tofu and Stevia in a medium bowl with electric mixer till well blended.

4)     In a larger bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

5)     Fold the wet mixture and non dairy milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

6)     Fold in chocolate chips and crushed cookies.

7)     Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

8)     Allow to cool completely before cutting.

While I had enjoyed these beautes in many a good restaurant dish (Cru pad thai, Hugo’s kelp noodle bowl with tofu, I’m talking to you!), I finally picked some up for myself at Whole Paycheck and decided to give preparing them a spin.

The prep couldn’t be easier: just rinse, drain and voila, though for whatever reason, when I make kelp noodles myself, I like them to be warm (they are a little cold and slimy if not). The added bonus is that they don’t have that dirty feet smell of those other “low carb noodles” that will remain nameless.

A few ways I’ve been enjoying kelp noodles:

• With a stir fry with mixed veggies, peanut sauce and my favorite soy free tempha
• With fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, goddess dressing and roasted garlic (I even ate this for breakfast one morning!)
• As the “lettuce” of a salad with mixed veggies, avocado, hummus and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast

What is your favorite way to prep/eat kelp noodles?

Any interesting food finds to report?

However, I like a sweet treat just as much as the next person (well let’s be real, probably a bit more than most) so when my latest partner in baking wanted us to attempt a jumbo cookie cake (he has a soft spot for pizookies!), did you really think the lady doth protest?

As it was his first foray into vegan baking and I wanted it to be especially good, I dusted this recipe out of my archives and decided to make a few tweaks, with the intent of making it a little healthier but still just as decadent.

Between chocolatey bites, baking partner dubbed the cookie cake YUMMY and when I cut him leftovers, he commented that it held the texture so perfectly that it looked like a dessert you would see on display at a fine bakery (**see note below about going commando on the egg replacers)…though  I may have just caught him in the throes of a chocolate coma.

Before I give you the final product (and your requisite food porn) a couple notes:

1) I’m super big on texture in desserts and for me, the use of chunky peanut butter made all the difference in the world… or maybe it was the Truffle Shuffle I did a la Chunk while adding the PB.

2) Instead of the standard chocolate chips, I opted for the Enjoy Life mega chocolate chunks…the larger chunks led to even bigger patches of melted chocolate (the best part IMHO).

3) I had a bit of a disaster with my egg replacer (the silken tofu I had JUST bought went rancid) and because I was out of all other egg replacers (flax, Ener-G, etc), I went commando with the egg replacers. You couldn’t really tell with the final product, but I will definitely include it going forward just to see if it makes for an even better texture.

4) We opted to eat it fresh out of the oven with some vanilla ice kreme, but  if you have the willpower to wait for it to cool, I bet it would be also good slathered with a healthy coat of my “nutella” ganache

**Note that I would also love to attempt a gluten free version, so gluten free baking tips much appreciated!

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

If given a plate of cake and ice cream, what would you eat first and why?

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Cake

Makes 1 9 inch round cake

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup vegan sour creme

1/2 cup unrefined brown sugar **I used Alter Eco brand**

1/2 cup baking Stevia

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanut butter (like I mentioned, I prefer crunchy, but go for your fave type)

3/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks

1) Preheat oven to 350. Spray or grease 9 inch round cake pan.

2) In batches, cream together, the applesauce, sugars and sour creme. Add the vanilla and peanut butter and whisk until creamy.

3) In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and combine well.

4) Fold in chocolate chips.

5) Pour batter into pan and bake for 28 to 30 minutes.

So when I got a request to bake with a flavor combination I had yet to attempt, you can bet I was up for the challenge.

Said fan of my baking has a soft spot for the chocolate Grand Marnier pairing and upon hearing that, I immediately started thinking about frosting, aka my favorite part of the cupcake. Not wanting to go with the obvious chocolate or orange combo, I chugged tasted some Grand Marnier to see what complementary flavors I could drum up.

After much contemplation (and multiple reruns of Cupcake Wars), I decided to go with a “nutella” ganache topping.

Since I’ve been recently trying to make my baked goods lower in sugar, I’ve taken to baking predominantly with powdered Stevia. It should be noted that Stevia does for some reason give baked goods a bit of a dry texture, so I was determined that this end product be moist.

I also knew that since I was dealing with 3 strong flavors: orange, chocolate, and hazelnut, I wanted to take care that one flavor didn’t overpower the others. So yes, this recipe required a bit more brainpower than some of my others.

While I am by no means the orange and chocolate flavor connoisseur, I will say my taste tester proclaimed them “lick the wrapper good” and then proceeded to do just that. Since I know this opinion may be slightly biased, I need YOU to make these cupcakes and tell me how they turn out!

Yes, I’m aware that these cupcakes appear a bit, erm cold if you catch my drift…

What are your favorite boozy baking combinations?

Chocolate Grand Marnier Cupcakes with Vegan “Nutella” Ganache topping

 Makes 12

1/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (you can also use lemon juice)

1/4 cup neutral tasting oil (I used safflower)

1/3 cup vegan sour crème **I used Follow Your Heart**

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup baking Stevia (you can also use organic sugar)

Zest from one large orange (great excuse to bust out my microplane!)

1/3 cup Grand Marnier

2 tbsp brown rice syrup (if you don’t have that on hand, sub pure maple syrup)

1 dropper-full SweetLeaf orange Stevia extract (optional, though I used it)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Optional garnishes: hazelnuts, candied orange peel, tangerine segments

1) Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 baking liners.

2) Whisk the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar together until bubbly and set aside.

3) Cream together the Stevia, sour crème, brown rice syrup, vanilla, applesauce and oil by hand using a spatula or with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; set aside.

4) In a separate bowl, mix together flours, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder.

5) Add milk-vinegar mixture and wet mixture, as well as Grand Marnier, orange Stevia extract (if using) and orange zest, to the flour mixture and stir until combined.

6) Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7) Let cool completely before icing. If desired, top each cupcake with a single hazelnut, candied orange peel or tangerine segment.

 Vegan “nutella” ganache

½ cup Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter **warning, this is pretty much crack in a jar. put it on your highest shelf and don’t say I didn’t warn you**

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

¼ cup Earth balance, softened

2 tbsp flour

2 dropper-fulls Sweet Leaf Toffee Stevia extract (optional, but I think it complements that chocolate/hazelnut nicely)

¼ cup non dairy milk

Mix all ingredients together with an electric or handheld mixer until completely creamy, slowly incorporating flour. Note that frosting will appear pretty runny but will harden upon being iced onto the cupcakes. I recommend icing them over wax paper (because it gets a little drippy).

Sure I like all the vegan ice cremes I can find in the freezer section of my local supermarket-I’ve turned many a non-vegan onto the wonders of So Delicious Purely Decadent Turtle Trails.

But there’s something about that creamy soft serve consistency that has always been my kryptonite.

However, to my delight, LA has stepped up its vegan soft serve game over the past few years and I’m here to give you the lowdown.

I must preface this post by saying that the best vegan soft serve I’ve had, can’t be found in LA but rather at Toy Joy in Austin (pictured below, and here is my review on QuarryGirl), with the honorable mention going to Lula’s in NYC.

However, there are multiple options in LA, three of which I like for very different reasons.

Best Flavor and Texture:

Hugo’s Tacos… I know I already told you about my super delicious recent lunch but wanted to save the praise for the soft serve for this post.  This is among the creamiest, most delicious soft serve I’ve ever had (dairy or non-dairy). Hugo’s Tacos house made Frozato contains sweet potatoes,  cashews and sweet potatoes…yes you read that correctly. While I couldn’t taste them, methinks the use of sweet potatoes helped create such a creamy texture. Frozato comes in chocolate, vanilla and swirl, though in my opinion chocolate is the superior flavor in the bunch: rich, decadent and calorie free (a girl can dream!)

Best Toppings:

Hands down the raw, salted caramel at Kindkreme. Sadly, I believe that the Studio City location is still the only one with a soft serve machine, but all 3 locations feature the most decadent salted dairy free caramel I have ever tasted it. And did I mention it’s somehow raw? If I were at Willy Wonka’s factory and he had a river of this stuff, I’d probably start dipping my grubby paws into it  and pull an Augustus Gloop.

Best Pinkberry Knock-Off and Best Cup:

Milky’s which is all Kosher and while they always have four vegan flavors on rotation, their plain tart is my favorite, harkening me back to my daily Pinkberry addiction from a few years back.

And don’t even get me started on how cute these cups are, yes those are 3 peas in a pod, below word bubbles that say “I love vegan”.

So many vegan soft serve options… I wish I had my own separate belly to fill with each delicacy every day!

What is your favorite vegan ice kreme?

Have you had vegan soft serve?

I was still riding high on my Hugo’s Happy Hour induced food coma (I still can’t believe how many delicious items they have, all for under $5) when Arielle and I and made a follow up mother/daughter double date to lunch at Hugo’s Tacos, a sister spot I’ve been dying to try out.

I was instantly excited when I clicked onto the website to menu stalk and saw their tagline  “Free your mind and the tacos will follow” (sung in the tune of En Vogue).

I instantly loved the ambiance: it is a order at the counter food stand with a handful of tables of outdoor seating.

Just like Hugo’s, nearly everything at Hugo’s Tacos is veganizable and there are so many options, not just the standard veggie tacos, beans and rice.

I opted for the tostada, veganized: choice of filling, choice of salsa on two crispy corn tortillas with organic white beans, lettuce, cheese (they offer both regular and vegan), guacamole.

With the exception of the bites I shared, I cleaned my plate. Loved the crispy tortilla on the bottom, was happy they could sub in vegan cheese and of course inhaled the guac. They offer two vegan filling options: soy chorizo and mixed veggies and I went for the mixed veggies, which  was a great choice (zucchini, corn potatoes) and pumped up with the right amount of heat emanating from the honey chipotle salsa I selected.

My mom veganized a burrito which was comprised of soy chorizo, onions, cilantro, choice of salsa (she went with pico de gallo), flour tortilla with Spanish rice and organic white beans. Arielle and I kept coming back for repeat bites. The Spanish rice was perfectly spiced and I liked the kick of cilantro. Nice ordering, mom!

I didn’t try Arielle’s vegan taco but she seemed to really enjoy it.

The chips, which went unpictured were also perfectly hot, crispy and salted. Yes, I judge a Mexican place based on the quality of their chips and Hugo’s Tacos more than delivered. Next time, I would order an extra side of the honey chipotle salsa, but I was definitely content munching the chips plain.

Even though I was full, I knew I needed to make room for Hugo’s Tacos fabled vegan soft serve, only offered at their taco stands (the other location is in Atwater Village). Now this dessert warrants its own post, but here’s a couple teaser photos.

It’s no secret how much I love Hugo’s. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. Exhibit C.  And I found out today, we are both the same age (31 years old!). In fact, when I was introduced to the manager he said “Oh I know Bess. She’s in here all the time.”

Boasting an impressive list of appetizers and cocktails none of which is priced over $5, Hugo’s has recently begun rolling out their “Intermission Menu” from 4 pm to 7pm M-F at their West Hollywood location and from 3 to 6pm in their newer Agoura Hills location.

After a lengthy deliberation, I kicked off the Happy Hour festivities with a very delicious mango margarita. It tasted of fresh fruit, not artificially sweet and you could definitely taste the tequila (always a plus in my book). I envision myself sucking down a few more of these in the very near future.

One of my favorite things about Hugo’s is that almost everything on the menu is vegan-izable. The Intermission menu is no exception: every item could be veganized save for a garlic, parmesan cheese bread. Hugo’s also has a Director of Sustainability on staff who oversees the food sourcing for all menu items… absolutely LOVE that!

We were super lucky to get to try so much delicious food including:

Green tamales topped with pico de gallo, tomatillo sauce and avocado. So flavorful and I wasn’t missing the cheese and sour cream from the tamales of my pre-vegan days.

Vegan mac n cheez, topped with crispy onions. The sunflower and cashew cheez was perfectly flavorful and I liked the inclusion of veggies like peas and the crispy frizzled onions not only added texture, but made the dish seem like a love child between green bean casserole and mac n cheez (a huge compliment)

Gluten free flatbread pizzas with Daiya cheez. The one up top, was a mung beans and rice combo with pesto and was hands down, my favorite dish of the night. I could eat this every day and be happy. Hugo’s has mastered the gluten free flatbread which is no easy feat.

The pizza below was also good: roasted veggies with marinara.

Veggie sliders done four ways: barbecue, honey chipotle, marinara and masala sauce with mint chutney. My favorites were def the honey chipotle (obsessed with this sauce) and the barbecue (both pictured below).

Nachos… Arielle and I recently became addicted to them and so were very happy for an encore of these melty cheesy triangular pillows of deliciousness. Their newest addict, my mom could not get enough of these!

Cool spring rolls with a chile sesame sauce… another standout dish. Light, crunchy and the sauce, oh the sauce. I think I need to marry a Hugo’s saucier…

Suffice it to say, I left the restaurant with one happy and full belly and can’t wait to return to Hugo’s for more intermission menu deliciousness.

What are some of your favorite happy hour foods you’d love to see veganized?

Have you come across a noteworthy vegan happy hour?

Which dish made you drool on your keyboard?

I was virtually unfamiliar with Grubwithus, until my fellow foodie friend, Kim invited me to what sounded like a perfect evening: a dinner at Sage Vegan Bistro where I have enjoyed a stellar brunch, but had yet to dine for dinner.

For those of you who are also unfamiliar with Grubwithus, it’s a super cool concept that has currently rolled out in about 10 cities nationwide. Once you register (there’s no cost to join),  you are given the opportunity to “buy” a seat at delicious dinners that are held all over the city. The price includes a multi-course meal that’s served family style, and all tax and gratuity (with drinks usually a la carte).

I was instantly sold upon reading the tentative menu (which is posted on the Grubwithus site) but was even more excited when I found out the dinner hosts would be none other than the Hot Knives fellas. If you do not own their cookbook, Salad Daze or have yet to cruise onto their blog, you best crawl out from under your rock now.

I know you’re really reading this for the food porn but before I give you the goods, I would just like to say that I really enjoyed the people I dined with. A couple new friends even wrote super nice comments about me on my Grubwithus page.

Disclaimer: yes this meal was about 9 courses, but because it was shared family style, we got the perfect (smaller tasting serving) of each dish.

Without further ado, here was the spread (in chronological order):

Samosa spring rolls. These pillows were bursting with aromatic spices, potatoes and peas and I loved the dipping sauces (though was too busy stuffing my face to ask what they were).

Spinach and artichoke dip, served in a bread bowl and topped with cheez. It needs to be said that this dip was so delectable in a lick your fingers clean, serve to your friends who would never believe it’s vegan kinda way. The only qualm my tablemates and I had was that we would have liked a different accompaniment than the tortilla chips, ideally something pillowy like warm pita or bready yet crispy like a flat bread.

Avocado bruschetta. Simple, spot on flavors. You can’t go wrong with bread, avocado, tomato and fresh basil.

Jalapeno and cheez wontons served with horseradish sauce. I loved the crispy exterior but would have liked an additional ingredient inside for both an extra punch of flavor and texture (maybe caramelized onions?)

Quinoa with pesto and seasonal veggies. This is the kind of dish that a picture will never do justice. In fact, I asked my new friends if they would revoke said friendship if I walked around slathered in this pesto…my dining companions agreed that this pesto is the stuff dreams are made of! They also served an (unpictured) dish that was the same, but with pasta instead of quinoa.

Now this dish I am not sure what it was officially called but it was a ravioli of sorts with a delectable filling, topping and served with some of the most flavorful kale I have ever eaten. Another one of my favorite dishes.

Kale close up

Fried macaroni and cheez balls with horseradish. Now this is one of those cases where looks can be deceiving. While the cakes had a perfectly crispy exterior, the innards were a bit cold, plus there was a slight buffalo wing like flavor that I couldn’t quite get on board with. I would have just loved the mac and cheez in its normal form

Braised portabella “steak” with seasonal vegetables and some of the most delicious mashed potatoes I’ve ever eaten.

Last but certainly not least…a gluten free waffle topped with 3 flavors of KindKreme (including chocolate mocha and oatmeal cookie), salted caramel and fresh fruit. Admittedly, by the time we finally decided to pass this sundae to the other side of the table, Hot Knives’ Evan commented “man you guys really demolished that sundae.” It really looked like battle remains after we sunk our raging sweet teeth into it. There was also another sundae with more innovative flavors: carrot ginger, coconut and seaweed KindKreme, though I’m going to go on the record to say that the below dessert is one of the top 10 desserts I have ever eaten, vegan or otherwise.

I may or may not have unbuttoned my pants after this dinner but it was well worth it!

Have you gone to a Grubwithus dinner or been to a yummy dinner party lately?

As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Brendan has most recently partnered with Fresh N Lean to launch Thrive Foods Direct, an organic, whole foods vegan meal delivery service that ships nationwide.

I was lucky enough to get to try out some of the Thrive Foods Direct meals and am excited to share my thoughts with you.

Having read and enjoyed Brendan’s book, Thrive Foods, which is extremely informative about the importance of adopting a nutrient dense, plant based diet and features an amazing recipe section (and is also endorsed by the likes of Hugh Jackman and Moby), I had a feeling I was going to like these meals.

Plus, I really liked the philosophy behind Thrive Foods Direct: not only is the produce ordered directly from local farms but the meals also emphasize “high net gain, alkaline-forming, plant-based, whole food. And always made entirely from fresh, certified organic ingredients. The menu changes frequently – variety is emphasized – for both enjoyment and optimally nutritional benefit. “

Enough background: now onto the food. I was given the below meals to try, all of which were gluten-free and incredibly easy to prepare (just 2 to 3 minutes in the microwave). So that this review wasn’t just based on a single palate, I also enlisted a couple taste testers.

• brown rice risotto with cilantro pesto
• traditional lasagna
• spinach and lentil soup
• quinoa pasta with marinara sauce
• hearty vegetable stew

The verdict? I loved how much flavor was gleaned from these meals that featured a short list of fresh and unprocessed ingredients (all meals featured less than 10 ingredients).

The favorites were:

Lasagna. This dish was brimming with flavor and lots of fresh veggies including spinach, kabocha squash, tomatoes, celery and onions. Also, I would never have known the dish was gluten free…the brown rice pasta was a perfect stand in! I ate 2/3 of this for lunch and was full for hours (a rarity for me!) I topped it with some fresh basil which really took it over the edge. I also found that I wasn’t missing the “cheez” at all and it was refreshing to enjoy a delicious dish made out of fresh, unprocessed ingredients.

Quinoa pasta with marinara sauce. This dish was felt to be delicious, difficult to believe it was gluten-free because the texture was en pointe. The tomato sauce was refreshing and you can really taste the freshness of the minimal ingredients.

Hearty vegetable stew. This dish was like a hearty chili, chock full of beans and lots of veggies. It didn’t come pre-seasoned which I appreciate because I’d rather have carte blanche to add my own sumpin’ sumpin’.

Click here for more information on the meals, pricing (which I find to be pretty reasonable and includes shipping) and how to order.

Have you ever tried a meal delivery service?

What kinds of vegan dishes would you like to see in a meal delivery service?