Let me start this post by saying it: We LOVE Vancouver. It's one of our possible cities to settle in someday and every opportunity we get to head north or the border, we take. I spent a week in Whistler for Thanksgiving (you can read about that HERE) and found some prime vegan spots to nosh at. Since I've now spent a few trips in the greater Vancouver area, I figured it was time to share some of my favorite vegan spots to stop at while we hang out in the city. This is not an all-inclusive list, and there are a lot of AMAZING places I've heard about but just haven't yet tried. Here are some of our favorites:

1. 4 STONES VEGETARIAN- Richmond, BC.
This menu is at least 1/2 vegan already, and they are willing to convert almost any other dish to MAKE it vegan if they can. We discovered this gem a few years ago when we booked a hotel just a block away, and have looked forward to having it again ever since. You know I love kimchi, so I'm a sucker for their kimchi fried rice, kimchi with noodles, and kimchi hot pot. The hot & sour soup (pictured right), is my FAVORITE- but the green tea is equally amazing. Strong and flavorful, you feel cleaner and healthier after just a cup. We were in Richmond for 3 nights for Alex's hockey tournament and we ate here EVERY NIGHT. Its well worth the visit, even if you're just in the area for a bit. There's another great restaurant down the road that's COMPLETELY vegan, called Spicy Vegetarian Cuisine- also worth the visit- but has a little bit weirder hours and was harder for us to catch them at a convenient time. Oh and don't forget to try the vegan spring rolls...YUM!

2. LEMONADE GLUTEN FREE BAKERY- South Cambie, Vancouver, BC.
A place that didn't pop-up on Happy Cow or any google searches, we stumbled across this cute bakery on our walk from the AirBnB we were renting to our first meal at 3G Vegetarian (listed below). The smell of freshly baked bread wafted into the street and we couldn't resist checking it out! They had a bunch of freshly baked dairy-free, gluten-free breads as well as a dessert bar and chocolate coconut cupcake that was vegan. We got the cupcake and a loaf of bread for munching. It was delicious! Worth stopping by if you're in the neighborhood.

3. SARGAM HOUSE- Vancouver, BC.
This was another place you could order quite a bit off the regular menu, and they were willing to veganize a lot of their other dishes, as well. We ordered aloo gobhi, gobhi pakora, samosas, basmati rice, and naan and were seriously impressed. We ate the leftovers for breakfast the morning and have been dreaming of it ever since. I'm now on the hunt for a GREAT Indian food restaurant in the greater Long Beach area. Anyway, this place was less than a mile from our rental, which confirms my belief that Vancouver has vegan food literally EVERYWHERE. It is so awesome.

4. 3G VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT- South Cambie, Vancouver, BC.
This place may be my second most favorite, right behind 4 Stones. The hot & sour soup was amazing, the gyoza were steamed and then fried juuuust enough, and the place was a total hole in the wall. And I mean that in the best way! The service was excellent, the food was incredible, and the location was just a 20 minute walk from our rental. What more could you want?! I loved that the tofu in the hot & sour soup here was thinly sliced and not in HUGE chunks- thats the worst. And the spring rolls were pretty damned good too, if you're into fried stuff (and I am). Oh and the ENTIRE menu is VEGAN! The perfect place to take veg-heads & meat-eaters alike. 

5. VEGAN PIZZA HOUSE- Vancouver, BC.
This was a welcome sight after a 4-mile (6.4K) walk around the city. We had worked up quite an appetite and were pretty happy there weren't many other people there. We ordered a large wheat crust pizza with pesto, Daiya cheese, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños. It came out pretty quickly and we went hard- we ate the whole thing! It wasn't the best vegan pizza I've ever had- Cruzer's in LA simply cannot be beat. But it was pretty damn good! If you're not into Daiya, have 'em go light on the cheese. I loved that they had a pizza case where you could buy by the slice. If I lived nearby, I'd stop in a for quick, cheap lunch for sure! The best part though? The raw, vegan, gluten-free, homemade Nanaimo bars. A local treat, it has a grammar cracker crust, topped in a sweet custard layer and coated in dark chocolate. And theirs was SO GOOD. Grab one on your way out, and chat up the guy behind the counter- he's really sweet!

6. TERA V BURGER- Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC.
THE BEST BURGER I HAVE EVER HAD. Hands down, no question. It was flavorful and rich, and had a great bite- meat-like but not overly chewy or sinue-y. Alex ordered the 'No-Bull' burger, and I got the 'Smokey No-Bull' burger. His came with cheese, lettuce & tomato, and mine was slathered in BBQ sauce, swiss cheese, and sautéed onions. Alex's tasted JUST LIKE In 'n' Out- like the best fast food burger you've ever had. And mine- well, just fucking amazing, frankly. It was ooey-gooey, tangy, fresh, and better than any veggie burger I've ever had. The burgers are soy & tempeh based, and it gives them an amazing meaty texture. The restaurant has even won BEST BURGER IN VANCOUVER for the last two years. I bet meat eaters are fooled by this place all the time. Oh, and those fries! They were obviously fresh-cut and fried to a perfectly golden and crispy perfection. There are also at least 5 other burgers on the menu, as well as soup, salads, and smoothies. If you're in VanCity do yourself a favor and GO HERE! 

7. EDIBLE FLOURS- Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC.
We knew Edible Flours was 100% vegan 'cause we found it on Happy Cow. We didn't realize they offered soy-free, wheat-free, and gluten-free options too! We walked into the cozy, warm bakery to see a few small tables and a well-stocked bakery case with a beautiful open kitchen behind it. The baker was making fresh pastries when we walked in, and it was cool to see her work- plus, it smelled AMAZING! We ended up ordering two large cinnamon rolls (one with raspberries), a blueberry lemon scone, a chocolate chip cookie and a vanilla donut with frosting and sprinkles. We ate them ALL that day, and I'm not even ashamed. They were some of the best gluten-free pastries I have ever eaten. They still had a great texture and crumb, and they were buttery and soft and perfect. It's a good thing I don't live nearby, 'cause I would drop some serious dough here. HA! Get it? DOUGH! 

Last night, Alex and I drove out to LA for a a 4-course tasting menu at Crossroads Kitchen in LA, celebrating the release of 'The Kind Diet' author Alicia Silverstone's new book, 'The Kind Mama'. Yup, Alicia Silverstone -queen of 90's girl movies- is a powerhouse mom blogger who fights for animal rights, healthy kids, and living an eco-friendly, low-impact lifestyle in an attainable, enjoyable way. She ROCKS. If you don't follow her blog over at The Kind Life, you're missing out. She offers info & blog posts for expectant or already-mommies, but she also posts recipes, beauty info, and DIY chemical-free home cleaners. Meeting her last night was a pleasure. She's as friendly in person as you could hope, and made a personal effort to chat with every single person that came to the event. She was even sweet enough to let Alex snap a quick picture and personally address a book to us, but also sign a SECOND copy that we'll be giving away right here! WOO! Told you she rocks. 

Sorry for the crappy yellow photography. It was lovely, low lighting for enjoying dinner but god awful for photos. Alas. On the plus side, the food was AMAZING. We were served a four course tasting menu as follows: 

1st Course:
Artichoke & Mushroom Crostini with Pesto, served with lightly dressed Watercress & Beet Salad.

2nd Course:
Garlicky Fat Fried Udon Noodles with Corn, Green Onion, and Cabbage.

3rd Course:
Pan Fried Tempeh slathered in Teriyaki Glaze over Bok Choy.

4th Course:
Peanut Butter Mousse Pie with Chocolate Crust & Chocolate Ganache.

All of the recipes, cooked up by legendary vegan Chef Tal Ronnen, are based on recipes in Alicia's book. And they were seriously delicious. The first course was light, a meal you could any time of day or night but was perfect on a hot fall evening. I loved the lightly dressed sunflower sprouts on top. This course was my favorite.
The 2nd course of Fat Fried Noodles was by far the most flavorful and a dish I think you could convince any meat eater to enjoy. It was full of garlic, Asian-inspired flavors, and was Alex's favorite course. 
The 3rd course (and by far the worst looking of the photographs- my apologies!) was a few large pieces of Teriyaki Tempeh served over steamed bok choy. I really loved the bok choy as a side, and thought it complimented the tempeh nicely. That being said, I'm not the BIGGEST tempeh fan, so I wouldn't normally order it, but I loved the plating & presentation.
The last and final course was rich, decadent, and a sweet surprise. We loved getting our own pieces, but could easily have shared. This tiny slice o' pie was one of the richest, sweetest (in a GOOD way!) PB/Chocolate combos I've ever eaten. I'll have to recreate in our own kitchen! (On second thought, THIS was Alex's favorite.)

After our final course, we finally got to meet & greet with the lovely Alicia, who was more than sweet and gracious about signing our books and taking photos- the kind of celebrity EVERY celebrity should be. We chatted about my blog (yep, THIS BLOG!!) and she was supportive and encouraging, even doling out hugs since we vegans all just love each other (I mean, we do kind of rock). As you probably saw in the first paragraph, she even offered to sign our 2nd copy so we could include YOU guys in all the fun! Yup, we're giving away one FREE, SIGNED copy of 'The Kind Mama'! This book is amazing. Filled with recipes, family photos, and notes from Alicia's diary the first few days after welcoming her son into the world, this book takes you from pre-pregnancy through raining a happy, healthy baby- and everything in between. From doulas to breastfeeding, potty training to creating meals your kids will love, Alicia's got you covered. And the best part? She's so sweet and down-to-earth, her stories and advice are relatable and never feel forced. Any mom- or dad, grandma, uncle, babysitter- would benefit from this amazing book.

So how do you enter? EASY! Just enter using the widget below. Enter as often as you want...until the 30th that is, when we're picking our winner! International entries welcome, but please note it may take a little longer to get to you. And don't forget to keep up with Alicia on The Kind Life and stay updated on Crossroads Kitchen's future events here. Good luck!

On the third day of our trip, after waking up somewhere in rural Tennessee, we headed west to continue our road trip and drove through Nashville. This coincided with lunch time, so after a quick stop at the Grand Ole Opry, we drove deeper into the city in search of food. Shout-out to Vicki for leaving us a comment suggesting this place, because it was AMAZING! So amazing, I just had to share. 
Its located on the back side of a larger building with businesses in the front, so it took us a minute to find it once we'd pulled in the GPS'd parking lot. There is a small sign, pictured above, and a single table outside. We walked in and were immediately and warmly welcomed by owner Pam, and assistant/ resident cheese maker Daphne.

We immediately noticed the case full of goodies, pre-packed raw snacks, and local kombucha- we were so happy to have found such a healthy, delicious place, especially after days of not-quite-the-healthiest road trip food (french fries, anyone?). In the case were large plates with a raw entrée and two sides, a large serving bowl full of mock tuna salad and one full of sundried tomato hummus, plus fresh coconuts, raw apple pie, pre-packed chili, and homemade vegan cheeses. Now, if you know me, you know I rock out pretty hard when I get a great vegan cheese. I'm a sucker for 'em, and these were no exception. Daphne, who makes all the cashew-based cheeses by hand in 8 flavors right from her home, let us try a sample of all the cheese she had on hand- a white cheddar, brie, gruyere, smoked cheddar, and sriracha cheddar. I was sold immediately. They were rich, full of flavor, and tasted like the real thing- only BETTER!  She sells her cheeses under the name Door 86, and recently got a contract with Vegan Cuts- so some of you may get to try her cheeses soon, anyway! To get more info on her cheese, and buy it (you should), check out her site here.

For lunch, Alex and I ordered one special plate of the day, and a salad plate, plus ginger kombucha, two blocks of vegan cheese with homemade buckwheat crackers, and a raw apple pie to go. We may have over-ordered, but the leftovers were amazing and again, we were just so happy to have found food that made us feel good. The special plate of the day, pictured below (top) was a Mexican-style bowl with hummus & veggie topped buckwheat flatbread, in sort of a pizza style, shredded carrot salad with lime and cilantro, and a small salad with roasted red pepper dressing. The salad plate contained a larger salad with the same dressing (though balsamic vinaigrette was an option as well), a serving of nut-based mock tuna salad and a serving of hummus. We love everything on BOTH plates, and would've loved an extra slice of the 'pizza'...it was so fresh! We loved how spicy & gingery the kombucha was, and felt great that it was made locally. The raw apple pie was probably Alex's favorite- he's a sucker for pie of any kind. 
The best part of Spark is the fact that so much love and care is put into every dish. The owner comes out to meet every customer, and both Pam and Daphne made our lunch experience totally awesome. If we lived nearer, we'd be back weekly for sure.  Make sure you check it out if you're in the area- its so worth it!
Check out Spark of Life Healing Foods online, or connect with them on Facebook for daily menu updates. And don't forget to order some cheese from Door 86- it's to die for. A special thanks to Pam and Daphne for answering all of our questions and letting us snap a few photos; hopefully we'll be back soon!

Park across the street or in the back, approach the door, pull to open, enter. Face the wall. The wall of donut flavors, that is.  If you're like me, you know exactly what you are there getting; you pre-ordered the cinnamon-sugar vegan donuts yesterday since they're known to sell out. You make your way to the counter, now totally consumed by the light, sweet smell of fresh donuts. To your left: freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices; to your right, handmade mugs and t-shirts with the Holy Donut logo imprinted on them.  The t-shirts read 'If loving donuts is wrong, I don't want to be right!' This place couldn't get much cuter.
You pay for your donuts (yes, they accept credit cards), and grab a window seat. 
Welcome to my Sunday morning.

Now back to why you're living out my Sunday morning: the potato donut. The Holy Donut specializes in making real, old-school donuts just the way (my old, very French) Grandma used to.  Instead of just adding in potato flour, they take eating locally to a whole new level by cooking and mashing real Maine potatoes into the donut batter.
The plain, simple cinnamon and sugar flavored potato donut is 100% vegan, and 100% of the reason I will never look at donuts the same way again. The donuts have a lightly sweetened flavor and are thick, slightly doughy, 
and- amazingly-manages the perfect balance of dense-ness and air pockets.
Opened for about a year and a half, The Holy Donut began as one woman's mission to create a better-for-you, traditional style donut with tons of flavor. Leigh Kellis teamed up with her Dad to start producing what I now know as vegan donut gold after longing for far too long for delicious donuts near where she lived.

 "She LOVES donuts!" Her sister Liz told me when I stopped by for an interview last weekend. So, Leigh took matters into her own hands and started creating a product people just couldn't get enough of. Now most of the family works there together and they create at least a dozen regular daily flavors, along with several other specialty flavors everyday. They have a few that are regularly popular, like the Maine blueberry, ginger-glazed sweet potato, & chai glazed-and few funky favorites too: apple cider donuts made using the whole apple, mojito donuts in the summertime, and an Allen's coffee brandy flavor- which started as a one-time gimmick but became so popular it earned a spot on the everyday menu! The most popular flavor to sell out first every single day? That would be the dark chocolate sea salt, and from what I've heard, its worth getting there when the doors open just to guarantee yourself one. I asked Liz what her favorite was and she immediately knew- "Lemon! We use freshly squeezed lemon juice in the old-fashioned lemon glaze. Is it so good!" Well its sounds good!

In fact, that is one of my favorite things about this place- everything is done simply, the old way.
There are no 'donut machines' in this place. All the donuts are freshly made each morning, then hand-cut and hand-glazed by one of the awesome 20 employees on staff (between the 2 locations). They use unbleached flour and organic cane sugar is all their recipes and because they use a very small amount of sugar in their recipes (about a teaspoon per dozen donuts), enjoying these yummy donuts won't spike your blood sugar.
If you ask nicely and call ahead, The Holy Donut will not only set aside a dozen vegan donuts (or any flavor) for you, but if you ask reallly nicely, they'll even customize a flavor on the menu to be vegan- just for you. Seriously, the customer service and desire to earn customer loyalty at this place is INCREDIBLE- just give them at least one days notice on your special order so they can make all your donut dreams come true.

Visit The Holy Donut at 194 Park Avenue, Portland, Maine- or check them out online here. 
Visit their facebook for the most recent updates, including info on their newly opened 2nd location on Exchange Street in the Old Port!

Green Bliss- the Cafe is located in my adopted hometown of Fullerton, CA. It's a vegetarian cafe (with lots of vegan options!) focusing on using organic and local foods and reducing their carbon footprint (you can see their mantra above). Not only do they compost every scrap of food leaving the building, but they hold sustainability meetings monthly to hash out ideas for making the earth a better place. I like people who back up what they believe, and Green Bliss and owner Rita can definitely back it up.
The atmosphere is cute, eco-driven, and inviting. Full of bright colors, living plants, tons of wood, and recycled materials, this place screams 'cozy'. They already have a steady stream of regulars, and every cup of coffee is a precise science. They buy & brew only from fair-trade, local roasters and have a real knowledge of the flavors accentuating each cup. 
The menu rotates seasonally, always offering up a range of paninis, flatbreads, and salads to keep even the pickiest palette satisfied. 
Not much of a coffee person, I regualarly order the kale ginger smoothie or munch from the tray of vegan cupcakes and cookies always staring at me from the bakery case. 

Since the holiday season is fast approaching, the baristas at Green Bliss have been prepping their seasonal coffee beverages. They'll be offering three different drinks: a Pumpkin Pie Latte, a Minty Mocha, and a Spiced Apple Cider. 
And the best part? Each of their three holiday drinks (when made with soymilk) are 
100% VEGAN and ORGANIC!
The Pumpkin Pie Latte, pictured above, is made from a base of organic pumpkin purée, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, agave and brown sugar, mixed with a shot of espresso and steamed soymilk. 
It literally tastes like gooey, warm pumpkin pie. Sweet, with hints of vanilla and nutmeg in every sip!

The minty mocha is made with the house chocolate syrup (organic cocoa powder, turbinado sugar, hot water) and organic peppermint extract, mixed with a shot of espresso and steamed milk.
I tried the minty mocha hot chocolate with soymilk...oh man. It was SO good. Like I had melted a real peppermint stick into a rich cup of melted dark chocolate. Absolutely amazing!

The apple cider is simply organic pressed apple juice simmered in a slow cooker with mulling spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and fresh orange peel. Its the warmest, coziest winter drink I can imagine. It reminds me of fall in Maine; picking fresh apples, grinding them to a pulp, extracting the juice, making cider. 
It compliments any meal, and is best enjoyed all day long. 
I love that unlike coffe giants like Starbucks and Coffee Bean, Green Bliss is committed not to using fake flavors, dyes, preservatives or excess sugar! Its simple, organic holiday goodness at its best. 
And, if you bring your own reusable cup or mug for your drink, you get a discount!
Definitely check out this place soon if you're in the Orange County area, its worth it. Especially for a great, guilt-free pumpkin latte!!

Green Bliss the Cafe
http://www.green-bliss.com/
305 North Harbor Boulevard #103, Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 773-0018

Last weekend, we finally made our way to the very-well praised Gypsy Den Cafe in Santa Ana. It was totally by accident. We were originally traveling down the 55 freeway heading towards Irvine to stop in at Phoney Baloney's for a vegan Elvis, but traffic was a killer. We hadn't moved more than 30 feet in 10 minutes, so we decided to get off the freeway and see what Santa Ana had to offer. 
We had heard of the Gypsy Den & their Sunday morning vegan brunch before, but hadn't had a reason or opportunity to drive there really. And while on this trip we still missed brunch, they did have several other delicious vegan options available that we were happy to  chow down on!

The atmosphere is very hippie eclectic. Colorful glass bottles catching the light, tapestries and patterned scarves covering the windows; the ceilings are high, the tall walls covered with framed art and elaborate rugs.
Its adorable, and awesome. 
Here are some shots of the restaurant:

The mismatched tables & chairs added to the coziness of the place. It was dimly lit, with sun streaming through the upper windows- a wonderful place for a laid-back lunch.On the menu, they clearly point out all of the vegan options; it is SO nice, and way more convenient!
We started with an order of the (vegan friendly) roasted red pepper hummus and pita bread. It was so, so good. The hummus was the perfect amount of spicy, the pita the perfect amount of warm and soft.

 Alex ordered the (also vegan) mushroom bacon burger: a vegan patty with lettuce, tomato and vegenaise on a grilled wheat bun with bacon, pepper jack cheese, and sauteed mushrooms. It was surprisingly flavorful, and the cheese was seriously convincing. He clearly enjoyed it!

I ordered the chipotle & avocado vegan chicken wrap: soy 'chicken', chipotle cream, salsa, avocado, and spinach in a whole wheat wrap. It was okay. I hate to say that, because I wanted to love it, but I thought it was just average. It felt like they were pushing the soy-meat based meals for vegans, and that frustrates me. I'm a vegan, I usually don't want any meat- even soy, but I figured I'd give it a try. The flavor of the chipotle cream was wonderful, and the spinach was fresh and crisp, but there was just too much soy chicken. I was getting full mouth fulls of just that, and I wasn't really diggin' it.
My picky vegan brat rant aside, my roommate, who joined us for lunch, really enjoyed it. As a pretty big meat eater, I was really happy and impressed that he enjoyed it. He liked that the sandwich was aimed at people who probably aren't already strict vegans, and that made sense to me. Not everybody is a vegan blogger, and not everyone can make the transition as easily as others- for that, I'm really pleased that they had the wrap on the menu.

After lunch we checked out the dessert case- it was full of yummy looking goodies, and several were vegan! There was a cookies and cream bar of sorts, and a giant, delicious looking vegan lemon poppyseed cake. We bought a slice, and it was excellent! Totally made up for the wrap. 

Next time we head there for lunch though, I'll get what Alex got for sure. His burger was the highlight of the meal: so flavorful! Oh, and more cake...duh!
I've heard great things about the brunch, so we'll have to head back soon and give 'em a fair shake at breakfast foods! 

As vegans, we respect food. We understand that to make really delicious, healthy meals, it requires some effort. There's usually a lot of prep work, followed by a lot of cooking, followed by a lot of overeating and then regretting cooking in the first place after seeing the dishes you've made....just me? I didn't think so.
And sometimes its nice to not have to deal with it. Sometimes, I'm okay with paying hard-earned money for a meal, just so someone else has to deal with the clean-up. But a good, new vegan place to try can be hard to find.
Several months ago we started to hear the whispers: a new vegan sandwhich shop  was coming to town. And the rumor? It was gonna be good. 
Phoney Baloney's started to sound just like the kind of place I would like to visit.

When we walked in on opening day, we were a little confused. Located inside a gym, Custom Bodies Fitness, Phoney Baloney's is really a large sandwich bar inside of a fitness center. Although that makes it slightly hard to find on your first visit, its worth the look.
Kyle, the owner, sandwich magic-maker, 10 year vegan veteran, and website owner of veganvagrant.com immediately greeted us. He was funny, friendly, and super helpful explaining what makes each sandwich delicious. 
We asked about the shop name (because its so clever!) and we couldn't agree with Kyle more: "what else could be more apt for a place serving faux meats?" We agree. 
So what's Kyle's favorite sandwich on the menu? "I truly don't have a favorite. When I created the menu it was meant to make Phoney's a place where a vegan (or anyone for that matter) could eat daily and never get bored. I definitely feel like I accomplished what I set out to. If this weren't my project, but was in my area, I would eat here every day. "

Kyle was cool enough to answer a few questions before we sat down to enjoy our sandwiches: 

What inspired you to create a sandwich shop for such a niche market of eaters?
Sandwiches and Mexican food are my all-time favorite foods. I came up with this concept 8 years ago, when there was nothing close to a vegan sandwich shop around. There are now vegan places that serve sandwiches, but usually at a much higher price point than our average $4.95-$5.95. This is meant to be a place that can compete with the Chipotles and Paneras of the world in price and quality, only completely vegan and using local, organic produce. 
What do you like to do when you're not making delicious sandwiches?
I like to spend as much time outdoors as possible, usually with my two dogs walking around the bay or at the dog park. Other than that, I do freelance marketing consulting for a variety of companies, write my blog at www.VeganVagrant.com, and sit around watching Shark Tank and eating EatPastry cookie dough straight from the tub. 
What would like for Phoney Baloney's in the future?
I can't even count how many people have asked me about franchising already. That could be an option someday, but for now I'm focused on creating delicious, affordable vegan food at our current location, and then securing a second location by the end of the year.

Alex ordered the OG Grilled Cheese: avocado, tomato, and a blend of vegan cheeses melted between two pieces of whole wheat sourdough. It was awesome and gooey and cheesy-without that faux cheese flavor that all too often accompanies it. I loved that there were plenty of veggies stuffed into the sandwich, and Alex loved having a grilled 'cheese' again.

I had the Vegan Elvis sandwich: peanut butter, banana, and house made coconut bacon on whole wheat sourdough. The first bite changed my life. I had never had such a rich, decadent sandwich that was not only vegan (with a GF option available), but something I could re-create at home! The coconut bacon tasted just like the real thing- I actually stopped after my first bite and had to remind myself that I was in a 100% vegan joint and there wouldn't be any sly animal parts hangin' around my food.
The peanut butter was warm and drippy and delicious, slathering the banana in its goodness. The bread was lightly toasted- just enough to keep the whole thing together.

 In fact, Kyle's creation inspired me to make my own version of his delicious sandwich for an event I catered: vegan Elvis cupcakes! Peanut butter cupcake, banana creme frosting, topped with coconut bacon--YUM!

Before we left, we squeezed in a few more questions:
Who's your go-to for music when you cook?
Right now it's gotta be that G.O.O.D. Music "Mercy" joint, Kendrick Lamar's "The Recipe" with Dr. Dre, or anything from Tyga. Those last two are bringin the West back.
What is your favorite vegan joint in the greater LA area?
In LA specifically... Real Food Daily in West Hollywood or Shojin in Little Tokyo, Downtown. Here in Orange County my favorite place is Sol Cocina. It's not vegan or vegetarian but they have a very well defined list of vegan options, a beautiful view of the bay, and the best Mexican food around. 

***UPDATE 11/13: Unfortunately for us, Phoney Baloney's no longer operates a sandwich storefront. They have however moved into exclusively selling their delicious coconut bacon by the bag, which you can purchase at the link below . You can also make your very own Coconut Bacon with our recipe, ispired by Kyle himself, here.***

As luck would have it, we are not only blessed with one delicious Babycakes over here on the west coast, but TWO! And in reasonable proximity to one another, in case you feel like hitting both in one afternoon. In fact, both are located in Los Angeles. Lucky us! 
We visited the Downtown location for some treats on a recent wholesale trip to American Apparel for Alex's newest adventure, FLOW Clothing Co: apparel for hockey and lacrosse players.

Immediately facing the door was this wall, where we were promptly informed that everything was gluten free, vegan, kosher, soy free, and casein free; at least we knew we were in the right place!

This was the next thing we saw, and by far my favorite part...the goodies!
There was a reasonable selection when we arrived: donuts, cookies, cupcakes, wonder buns, and loaves of banana bread. The prices might seem expensive in comparison to your regular ol' cupcakery, but I like the guarantee that what I'm eating is 100% vegan...and all of the other awesome things listed on that first sign. I simply feel better about eating good, healthy 'junk food'.

Alex and I each chose two treats. He picked a blueberry donut and cinnamon sugar donut; I picked a coconut donut and a 'wonder bun', which is basically a cinnamon bun.
The flavors of the donuts was incredible. They were soft and not too crumbly, with a delicate hint of vanilla in the batter of each. The blueberry was topped with a blueberry glaze and had real blueberries floating around inside. The cinnamon sugar was a basic, really well done vegan donut. I don't think anyone could not like this donut. The coconut donut was frosted and covered with a thin layer of pink colored shredded coconut. The coconut taste wasn't overwhelming and really complimented the whole thing nicely.
The wonder bun didn't quite measure up to the donuts, sadly. It was harder than I expected, and almost flavorless. The frosting seemed more for decoration than flavor, so it seemed like we were just eating empty calories, which made me feel sort of guilty. 
Overall, I understand why they're famous for their baked goods, because the donuts are awesome. I have heard rave reviews about the cupcakes and cookies  as well, so maybe it was just an off day in wonder bun world.

This adorable corner is filled with sugar, syrup, utensils, and love letters. Seriously, people LOVE this place! And they should. The store was well kept, the employees friendly and helpful, the decorations adorable. Plus, where else did such a bakery exist before Babycakes? Thousands of vegan and gluten free Angelenos were ready for a place like this. 
In the ten minutes we were inside the small bakery, another ten people must have come and gone. 
The corner above is filled with letters of thanks, appreciation, articles...and a signed copy of a J. Lo headshot. When you have Jennifer Lopez endorsing your products, you know you're got something good.
(For the record, the J. Lo picture got cut off. Top left hand corner for the signature, though.)

Babycakes will definitely be seeing our cute little vegan faces again! Ordering goodies and not having to stress over wether they were both prepared and baked using vegan ingredients was a nice reprieve. Plus, those donuts!
Also, if the prices are keeping you away, they have a 'day old' section where everything is half priced (but equally delicious I am sure)!

For more on the Babycakes bakeries, visit BabycakesNYC.com.

You can also buy their cookbook (like I did!) here. Its full of delicious pictures to accompany recipes that speak for themselves. 

Last weekend we were lucky enough to try lunch at the cutest, most awesome little veg-friendly cafe in Oceanside, California. We stumbled across the quaint Hill Street Cafe after a playoff game for Alex's hockey team. Thanks to the ever-handy Happy Cow phone app, we were able to search for and locate vegan restaurants in the area. We found this little gem and stopped in...and we're so glad we did! 
The restaurant is mostly vegetarian but had a wide selection of vegan options and menu items that could be made vegan if not already. It was very reasonably priced and our waitress was the coolest. She was happy to suggest menu items and clarify the vegan stuff for us.
The parking is all located in the back of the restaurant from what we could tell, but the back entrance is just as interesting to walk through as the front. There is a large koi pond filled with beautiful white and orange fish, tons of flowers and greenery, and even a little stone wall contained in the small courtyard. 

The restaurant is a converted house  and registered historic landmark, built in 1888, with a completely glassed in porch for your dining pleasure. Filled with 2 & 4 top tables, we promptly seated ourselves in the main dining room (all of the coveted porch tables were filled). 
Our waitress was really great. She was whizzing around the place, helping every table. She never ignored us, stopping by to make suggestions and recommendations whenever possible. She had a couple of bussers helping her, but she was really a one-woman, do-it-all kinda girl. And she was good, too! 
The restaurant is a Certified Green Restaurant, meaning they use no harmful chemicals for cleaning, recycle and compost everything they can, and promise to be styrofoam free!
There is also an art gallery upstairs, but we didn't have any time to poke around.

We began our order with a tall glass of freshly squeezed blood orange juice and a rice milk-made chai latte. The latte was incredible- the best vegan chai latte I have ever had. It was light, frothy, and had just the right amount of spice. 
The blood orange juice was too good to put into words. I had never previously been lucky enough to have an entire glass to drink...which is probably good, considering this entire glass was finished in minutes.
The juice was freshly squeezed from the same oranges available at the front. They also had freshly squeezed lemonade from the meyer lemons they grow, and it was seriously tempting.

Alex ordered the potato tacos plate, which came with 3 potato tacos, a side of rice, beans, and a small salad...plus a spicy homemade chipotle salsa!
I had never had a potato taco before, and these ones blew my mind. Its the last thing you'd think to pair together- chunky mashed potatoes in a taco? But hell yes. Topped with avocado and some of their homemade salsa it was incredible.
I ordered the falafel wrap on a whole wheat tortilla. The wrap was stuffed full of spicy fried falafel, carrots, avocado, lettuce, and onions with a tangy sauce. It was so delicious. 
The chips and homemade chipotle salsa capped everything off nicely.

And the coolest part? Just outside the entrance is a four tiered shelf containing the days freshest produce. I think our waitress said it was all grown by the owner himself; anyway, with an optional but suggested donation, you can have some of the fresh, delicious produce for yourself! They had blood oranges and meyer lemons when we visited, and we snagged a couple of each before we left. Look how great these blood oranges are! Super juicy and gorgeous coloring...plus they turned into GREAT carrot & orange juice the next morning.

Overall, a truly pleasant experience. If we lived closer to the San Diego area we would be very frequent visitors. 
The atmosphere was funky, the service was terrific, and the food was truly phenomenal.

To see their yelp page for hours and exact location, click here. 

We tried a new restaurant recently that we have been hoping to try for a while now. The first 100 percent vegan pizzeria in Los Angeles, Cruzer Pizza is perfect for the vegan who just can't seem to give up those cheesy, garlic-infused italian recipes. 
Cruzer Pizza has something for everybody: specialty pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes, and dessert! 
We took Amber's mom and sister with us (who are both not vegan) and ordered quite the spread. A gourmet Pesto Pizza, a BBQ Chick*n Pizza and a Quarry Girl Pizza, along with Pesto Pasta, and an order of cheesy bread sticks). While we waiting for our food we talked with some of the guys working there and they were all super nice. Just because of how nice they were, I would go back again!
 The place has the vibe of your basic pizza spot, but EVERYTHING is vegan. They use Daiya cheese products and imitation meets, but after that, they're a pizza place. The phone was ringing, people were placing orders, the delivery guys were coming and going, and this was at 4 pm on a monday (impressive!). After a short wait we collected our food and went to a park down the street to enjoy our order. 

As soon as we jumped in the car, we broke into the cheese bread sticks which anyone, vegan or non-vegan, would be more than happy with. My main focus was the Pesto Pizza, a simple combination of pesto sauce, spinach, artichoke, garlic, and Daiya mozzarella cheese, and it was seriously good, I loved it. The BBQ chicken pizza was also great, covered in BBQ sauce, faux chicken, red onion, cilantro, and Daiya mozzarella cheese.
 The quarrygirl pizza and the pesto pasta went to Amber's mom and sister, the non-vegans, and they were huge hits and I even saw the pasta leftovers make an appearance for breakfast the following morning. 
For someone like me who is relatively new to the vegan lifestyle, this was perfect to curb those cravings that I've been having that I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with. 

The best part? They have dessert. And it is good dessert.
 We were lucky enough to catch them on a day where they had carrot cake and chocolate chip 'cheesecake'. Let's put it this way: the carrot cake was gone before I even got a bite. As for the cheesecake, I did some damage to make up for my lack of carrot cake and was definitely not disappointed. 

Vegan or omnivore, check this place out. For non-vegans it's great because there aren't a lot of unfamiliar vegan terms that may seem scary or daunting. For vegans, it's all of the pleasures of italian food without the animal products, while staying cruelty-free. Just take a look at their menu, you'll be hooked. Oh, and if you live close by, don't forget that they deliver!
To see all the scrumptious choices on their menu, visit their website here.

Tell them Fettle Vegan sent you!