Pure Food & Wine, ‘Snice, New York City

www.purefoodandwine.com

Part of my adventures in New York City today with friends included going to Pure takeaway, where you can order salads, sandwiches/light dinner items, juices, smoothies, and desserts, all raw and mostly vegan, with some items containing bee products.  I got a salad with dulse, rosemary crackers, hempseeds, avocado, and cucumber.  It was one of the best things salads I had ever had, albeit pretty rich with the avocado, hempseeds, crackers, and dressing.  I really like dulse on salads.  Sue and I also got caramel bars, with chocolate on top, just the right size and very delicious, not too sweet. 

In addition, I got some thumbprint cookies with raspberry filling, an expensive treat that I’m pretty sure was also dehydrated, but how many times do I have the chance to indulge in such things?  The raspberry flavor is awesome.  I highly recommend trying Pure.  Next time we plan on getting the ice cream.

Sadly, my pictures of ‘Snice didn’t turn out well, but it is a salad and sandwich place with coffee and espresso drinks, teas, and desserts such as cakes, cupcakes, muffins, and cookies.  Most items are vegan, and I heard good reviews of the vegan panini sandwich.  I got the house salad, a HUGE plateful of mixed greens with shaved carrots and cherry tomatoes.  I was very pleased!

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=5860

Raw Cookies & Truffles

Raw truffles with cacao (I need to grind it more next time!), coconut oil, agave nectar, raisins (ground), extracts, and hempseeds.  Not what I was going for but tasty, anyway.

These are simply amazing and I think better than any cooked cookie I’ve ever had!  They have cashews, sun-dried bing cherries, agave nectar (not a lot), and vanilla extract. 

Turtle Shortbread Wedges

 

My Sweet Vegan

Crunchy and sweet on top, chocolately on the bottom, these dessert wedges are good, but I’d hesitate to say excellent.  I think the chocolate shortbread was way too oily and the top too sweet.  Also, I used a candy thermometer and followed the directions exactly, but the top of mine are crystallized, unlike the picture in the book, which shows a more caramely goo.  :)     I don’t want to be too critical; don’t get me wrong, they will satisfy grandpa’s cookie cravings for 10 days straight!

I see that Fat Free Vegan also made these and cut them into squares, a great idea, considering the wedges do break apart easily.

Chocolate Chai Live Parfait

Vegan World Fusion Cuisine

My “raw” dessert isn’t completely raw; I don’t like carob, especially the raw variety, so I used cocoa powder instead. 

Otherwise, the dessert consists of a raw “crust” that I just used as crumbs, simply dates and nuts with spices ground together - so easy, tasty, and sweet.

The creamy layer is ripe bananas, psyllium husk, spices, and the cocoa.

Topped with a mint leaf….

Will let you know how it was after it chills for a while.

Interesting tidbit:  Psyllium husk powder is a common ingredient in over-the-counter laxatives.  You might be able to guess, from what I commonly eat, that I’ve NEVER had to buy a laxative.  :p

Housewarming!

 

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Tiramisu cupcakes with mocha-infused vanilla cake, cream cheese icing, and cocoa and cinnamon dusted on top.

Super chocolate with creamy chocolate icing.

Here’s to great times with your new roommates and new friends, Alex! 

Merrick Farm & Kaya’s Kitchen

Yesterday, I went to Merrick Farm in Farmingdale, NJ, and picked some berries, received plenty of organic vegetables, and enjoyed a potluck with friends.

Then we went to a park for a while and headed to Belmar, NJ for Kaya’s Kitchen.

Bean & cheese burrito with guacamole and salsa

Fried gluten with gravy, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes

A beautiful disaster.  I was too full for this but ate it anyway.

Herbs, Greens, and Bonus Hemp

 

Basil - I made an almond-hemp-walnut pesto with the basil and froze it in ice cube trays for single servings.

Lemon Balm - I think I will use this for tea, so I chopped it finely in the food processor, added a little water, and froze the herb in ice cube trays!  I think it will steep just fine and this was easier than drying it.

Sage (not pictured) - I decided to make two things with the sage.  One was a sage-garlic vinegar, with the sage, garlic, and a mixture of many vinegars, including apple cider, rice wine, ume plum, raspberry blush, red wine, and balsamic.  The other item was a garlic-sage spread, with extra-virgin olive oil and Earth Balance. 

Collards

Kale

Hempseed Butter

I’m sorry these pictures didn’t come out great.  I was trying to capture the making of the butter, by grinding the hempseeds in the food processor for approximately 5 min.  Also, it’s best if you add a bit of oil.  I used 2 T. of peanut oil and 2 T. of flax oil.  You do have to stop the processing and mix around the nut/paste to make sure it gets ground up well!

The best part?  Making desserts, for example, the chocolate hemp squares from Vive Le Vegan!

Thank you, Sara and Rob, for sharing the harvest goodies! 

Chocolate Coconut Pecan Cupcakes

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Honestly, this isn’t an exact recipe from VCTOTW, but it’s based off of the toasted coconut cupcakes with coffee buttercream frosting.  I didn’t have any shredded coconut, so I used some pecans instead and also made a caramel-coconut frosting.

Nothing Says Friendship

Better than Banana Peanut Butter Muffins…

 

WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS!  HOW ARE WE LIVIN’, SANCTUARY, GOERS?! 

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Peanut Butter Banana Muffins w/ Chocolate chips Vegetarian Times, March 2007 (Adaptation)Serves 6-12

1/2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 c. unbleached white flour

3/4 c. light brown sugar or raw sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 medium bananas, mashed

1/3 c. unsweetened crunchy peanut butter

1/4 c. soymilk, applesauce, or soy yogurt

1 egg replacer (as in Ener-G mixed with water or flax) (optional - these will hold together, as most baked goods, without it)

2 T. canola oil

3/4 c. chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together bananas, peanut butter, soymilk, egg replacer, vanilla, and oil. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter evenly between the muffin cups (12).

Bake 18-20 min. or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 min.  GREAT EATEN WARM….you know, to test and make sure they taste good.

Melting Chocolate Pudding

 

Veggie Chic

I made these thinner than the recipe called for because I halved the recipe - didn’t want too much chocolate laying around!  :)   The outside is crispy and cake-like, while the inner layer has smooth and creamy dark chocolate and white chocolate.  It’s a beautiful dessert and very tasty.  Mine were sturdy enough to eat like cookies!

(Note:  my white chocolate [chips] were kept in the freezer, which is probably why they didn’t melt all the way.)