Horizons Valentine’s Dinner

Orlando and I went to Horizons last night for the Valentine’s Day menu, with them happily accommodating a raw meal for me. 

I didn’t take any photographs, but I wanted to note for any raw fooders or raw-inclined people who read my blog that the raw menu that Horizons does is spectacular.  I don’t remember the names of everything, but it was all light, fresh tasting, low or no oil, no dehydration, including a beet salad; a celery, radicchio, lettuce salad; a tomato-fennel soup; carrot risotto with cumin and cilantro; avocado jicama ravioli with tomatoes; and for dessert, grapes with mint, tangerines (or some orange citrus?), and pears with a pomegranate balsamic reduction.

Definitely go there, but call ahead so they know to have raw ingredients available!

Horizons Does Raw

www.horizonsphiladelphia.com

Horizons will make a raw appetizer and entree if a call is made ahead of time!  It is really good, too.  This should be kept in mind as well now that they don’t have fresh spinach ready because the spinach salad is not on the menu (at least right now).

Kale, Fennel, and Olive Salad

Here it is, a simple salad with three types of kale, fennel, and sliced raw olives that I got from a specialty raw-food store right next to Quintessence in NYC.  Sue and I took another day-trip on Tuesday, the 4th.  I think it’s important to note that I never liked cooked/jarred olives, but I do like raw ones mixed with a salad or hummus and chips.  I wouldn’t eat one plain still.  But it’s interesting, nonetheless.

So I feel that even though I don’t post often anymore, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Caravan of Dreams in NYC, www.caravanofdreams.net.  This place has excellent prices, SUPER general proportions, and fabulous raw food, even compared to Quintessence (okay, they’re probably equal!).

We shared the nachos appetizer.  I love Caravan’s raw chips!  Then I got the hummus, which was also delicious.  Everything came with plenty of vegetables.  I also got the live sea vegetable salad w/o garlic or onion, and I loved that, too!  Sue got the Thai Avocado salad and seemed to enjoy it.  To go, I got a Ceasar salad and live berry cheesecake, the best cheesecake I’ve ever had.  If you want raw or cooked, I highly recommend Caravan.

From Quintessence, www.raw-q.com, we got the chipotle hand rolls, filled with a delicious spicy and creamy mixture, greens soup, and then I got the Italian pizza again which I devoured last time.  Sue got the Fofu, which was an interesting raw tofu-like dish with greens.

Will we go back?  Yes, please, to both!! 

For my birthday, in addition to many thoughtful gifts, I got some raw chocolate from Oasis in PA, http://www.oasis-pa.com/.  The truffles are really good and creamy on the inside!  My boyfriend said he knew he was in a special group of people when they give food as a gift.  Imagine my eyes lighting up to a box of raw chocolate and fruit.  I’m talking a HUGE box.  I bet they didn’t even know that Sue surprised me with food, too!!! 

One more thing – both places, Quintessence and Caravan, use VERY good and high-quality salad dressings.  You can tell that they are high in flavor from herbs and such, NOT high in oil, other fats, and salt.

Quintessence NYC

www.raw-q.com

Mexican Platter with garlic & scallion wild rice, tortilla chips, burrito, and a taco.  Served with salsa and a chipotle red pepper sauce.  Very good except the wild rice would cake a bit to your teeth after chewing.  Awesome flavors.

I know this isn’t the best picture, but I loved this dish.  Sara got it – it’s the Thai coconut noodles with greens in a spicy sauce.  Unique and a real treat for our raw excursion!

Besides the “hot” cacao drink and a pear juice, this was our appetizer:  The Italian sausage pizza.  I’d challenge anyone open-minded to get this slice instead of cooked pizza and not enjoy it.  The crust, sauces, and nut meat were perfect.  We were impressed with the seasonings.

The dessert platter!!!    We shared this:  tiramisu, chia seed pudding, strawberry ice cream, and banana coconut cream pie.  All were a joy…..what was my favorite?  Well, the tiramisu, of course!  Sara liked the uniqueness of the chia seed pudding, being almost tapioca-like, and I loved the cinnamon on top of it.  The strawberry ice cream was a little icy but very good.  The pie was excellent.  I have a weakness for chocolate, in case no one has noticed. 

Pure Food and Wine in New York City

www.purefoodandwine.com

Unfortunately, the pictures that I got at Pure Food & Wine did not turn out well.  The restaurant is dimly-lit and the flash made the pictures too bright, especially against the white plates.

I had previously gotten a salad and some cookies from Pure Takeaway, so I knew the restaurant would be completely satisfying, and it was!

My companion got the Caesar salad without nori, and I ordered the aruluga and watercress salad with watermelon.  Both were great.  I loved the sweetness of the watermelon with the salad.

For dinner, I enjoyed the Chili Lime Tortilla Wraps, with some kind of (I think) sun-dried tomato spicy spread, guacamole, pico de gallo, nut sour cream, on delicious tortilla shells.  I would definitely order this again.

He got the marinated and dried mushrooms with vegetable medley that I see is not on the website menu right now.  I tried the vegetables, with peppers and snap peas.  Not sure what was in it, but they were some of the best-tasting veggies I’ve ever eaten.  The fungus, I’m told, was good as well.  I did not partake. 

No dessert, except some brownies, thumbprint cookies, and caramel chocolates to go (yes, very indulgent), which were tasty and perfectly sweetened, just as before.

The waitress was very helpful.  My only complaint about Pure is that they say everything is vegan, but when you read the menu and/or pry further, you must ask what is honey-free specifically, because apparently, they don’t understand or don’t want others to know that honey is not vegan.  I’m sure some of the employees who are vegan realize this, but perhaps they’re directed to answer in a certain way.  It would be nice if everything at Pure was exploitation- and cruelty-free, one day, just like Raweos, which I see are now vegan.

Naked Chocolate (does vegan!)

I was very pleased to go into Naked Chocolate at Juniper and Walnut in Philadelphia, ask about what was vegan, and promptly getting answers without a bat of an eye.  These people know what makes good chocolate (that would be the cocoa/cacao, people).

I chose the fondue without the cakes and other miscellaneous items (I don’t know if they were vegan), opting for mostly raw with the fruits, and the dark chocolate.  It was heavenly!

Horizons Visit w/ Sisters

Lavender Cheesecake with White Chocolate Caramel and Strawberries…..sisters say it was delightful and creamy!

Sauteed Exotic Mushrooms.  Dawn really loved these.

This is my usual setup at Horizons, a glass of Chardonnay, water, and my camera at my side.  And two spinach salads and the green salad.  Yes, three (or four) salads in one meal!  Dawn got the spinach salad as well, saying it’s the best spinach salad she has ever had.  Tracy got the grilled seitan, something she had gotten before, and she was craving the spinach and mashed potatoes.

Horizons Visit with Sue

Unfortunately, many of the pictures of the great meal I shared with Sue did not come out great; they were all taken with a camera phone.

I got my usual, the green salad as an appetizer and spinach salad (Yucatan salad) as my entree.  Not all raw but mostly raw.

Sue got the vegetable sampler tasting menu, which was really cool.  It came with a beet salad to start, then a tomato soup with spinach and asparagus, then a heart of palm cake with horseradish sauce and guacamole, an exotic mushroom dish with a parsnip ravioli, and then a dessert sampler with brulee, cheesecake, and biscotti.  Sue said everything was great except for the biscotti. 

Pictures are of the heart of palm cake, the spinach salad, and the beet salad.

Spiral Diner

www.spiraldiner.com, an all-vegan restaurant in Fort Worth, TX and Oak Cliff, TX

 

For me, an all-raw salad with greens, apples, raisins, zucchini, cucumber, avocado, walnuts, pine nuts, red bell peppers, carrots, and walnut-basil dressing

 

For my sister Tracy, the McNut burger, which she likes so much, she got it on our return trip to Spiral (and I loved my salad so much, I did the same!).

*Salad is gluten- and wheat-free, not burger.

Raw Cheezburger – Arnold’s Way

(Disclaimer – picture was taken on my phone camera!)

www.arnoldsway.com

In Lansdale, PA, there is a raw vegetarian cafe with juices, smoothies, entrees (wraps, soups, sandwiches), and desserts.  There is also a store section with produce and miscellaneous items, such as agave, seeds, nuts, dried fruit, seaweeds.

I went there yesterday with my friend Tracey and purchased a green smoothie along with this cheezburger, with flax bread, red sauce, a patty with beets (see website for all ingredients), sunflower seed cheese, avocado, broccoli, carrots, and onion.  I loved the bread, cheese, and vegetables.  The patty was so-so; I only liked it combined with the other ingredients, but keep in mind that I’m not a HUGE fan of beets.  As you may be able to tell from the photograph, this item is eaten with a fork. 

We will definitely be going back to Arnold’s for these treats and they also have raw potlucks monthly.