NYC Food Update

11 Apr 2012 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights, Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What a great couple of food outings I have had over the last couple of weeks! YUM! Some goodies but oldies and some that I have been wanting to try out and finally made my way over to. Love that!!

My Babies Blessing Party at Candle 79. Awesome!! Always an amazing time there 🙂

Quintessence in the East Village has always been a solid stand out as far as vegan raw food. I have been totally craving Caesar salads lately and they make such a great one! I have actually had that and their raw tacos twice over the last 2 weeks haha. So good! The Caesar dressing is amazing with a generous amount of avocados in the salad to make for salad perfection! YUM! Plus the tacos are just super awesome too. I love that you can order just one.

Dirt Candy is also in the East Village and I have been wanting to go there since Amanda Cohen opened it up a few years ago. FINALLY we were able make it there! It was actually pretty hard to get a decent time reservation but luckily I planned this one in advance and there we were 🙂 It is a pretty tiny, yet adorable place but of course the main reason why we were there was the OUTSTANDING food! As you know I am quite the foodie and been to many many restaurants but I have to say – I was beyond impressed with everything we ate! I am really hoping to go back super soon and try the other half of the menu!

We started with the Jalapeno Hush Puppies served with maple butter (how could we not!) and the Mushroom! dish portobello mousse, truffled toast pear & fennel compote, incredible! Complex, creamy and of course deelish! Then we moved on to our entrees. I have to say, everything we had was well thought out, very creative, visually stunning and sooo tasty! Chard – chard gnocchi, grilled chard, garlic granola & drunken fig jam and Cauliflower buttermilk battered cauliflower, waffles,  horseradish, wild arugula. And although we were getting pretty full how could I not try their dessert after such an incredible meal! Popcorn Pudding salted caramel corn. The other desserts had more of an out there sound to them, and although I am sure they were deelish, I had to go with this one. Suffice it to say, there was no disappointment here 🙂 We will for sure be back and are just sad that it took us this long to finally make it there!

Cauliflower - buttermilk battered cauliflower, waffles,horseradish, wild arugula

Chard - chard gnocchi, grilled chard,garlic granola & drunken fig jam

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary is another East Village fabulous vegan stand out when you are craving some amazing dessert. This awesome warm weather we have been having was just the perfect excuse to head over for some ice cream. They have a ton of fabulous flavors and I have tried many of them but I am sure as a lot of people would agree with – the Cake Batter soft serve is not to be missed. This is the first time I tried it with a topping and I had to go caramel sauce. So happy I did that! haha YUM!!!!

Cake Batter Ice Cream -- photo from http://www.theurbanhousewife.com

Gingersnap’s Organic  is another amazing new raw place to open up in the East Village. It just opened up in November and I am so happy I didn’t wait too long to make it over there! The owner, Jamie, is super awesome, friendly and down to earth. The place itself is really cute, comfortable and they specialize in food on the fly. So although they have an awesome full menu, you can can just grab pre-made food and run. I had already eaten lunch when I went but wanted to try one of their raw vegan dessert specialties. OH MY Chocolate Ganache Cake! It was seriously the best raw food cake I have ever eaten! I am sure this would pass to anyone for a master slice of chocolate cake. I love raw food, but I know the thoughts and feelings many people have about them as desserts, and this one seriously measures up! YUM! I am excited to come back here and try the rest of the menu and their cool looking cleanse as well. Welcome to the neighborhood Gingersnaps!

Gobo is a West Village mostly vegan restaurant that has a cool vibe to it. I have been going there for years and years! It was always the, parents taking me out go-to restaurant, for so long 🙂 But it had been maybe 2 years that we have been there and it was super nice to revisit. I always start with their Scallion pancakes with homemade mango salsa. Then we moved on to the natural Seitan medallions in sizzling spicy citrus sauce and the Organic king oyster mushrooms in sizzling basil black bean sauce. I typically would not order a mushroom dish as an entrée but last time I was here my friend ordered it and I was lucky to get a taste. So deelish! The king oyster mushroom is such a star! My very favorite dish there is the Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps, which I could not help ordering to go for my lunch the next day 🙂 Absence does make the heart grow fonder, it was nice to go back. Yum!

Pine nut vegetable medley with lettuce wraps

Marisa’s Babies Blessing Party

21 Mar 2012 7 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights, Raw Desserts and Treats, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Candle 79 is one of the best restaurants ever as far as I am concerned! It’s on the UES so a bit of a hike for us, but makes the ultimate date night spot. Romantic, Cozy and deelish!! Check out my review from 2009.

But I went there for a very different reason recently. I had my fabulous Babies Blessing Brunch Party there. SO much fun, a bunch of beautiful girlfriends and the best food to celebrate the almost arrival of our little kiddos 🙂 Benay, the manager, was amazing in helping me set up this event and everything went super smooth. The food of course was deelish!

My mom made fabulous favors: Super cute planters all prepped with organic soil and seeds and a super cute flower on top 🙂 So perfect!!

Thanks ladies! Such a great day to celebrate!!!

We had a great menu!

APPETIZERS


Guacamole Timbale
chipotle black beans, caramelized onions, cucumber-jicama salsa, tortilla chips, ranchero sauce

Steamed Dumplings
seitan, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, sesame-soy-ginger sauce
Angel’s Nachos

corn chips, mozzarella, tomatoes, refried pinto beans, chili-grilled seitan, guacamole, salsa, tofu sour cream, romaine lettuce

ENTRÉE


Stuffed Avocado Salad
baby greens, quinoa, zucchini, cucumber, radishes, black beans, toasted pumpkin seeds, grape tomatoes, chipotle-avocado dressing

Black Bean-Pumpkin Seed Burger
mixed lettuces, avocado, polenta fries, chipotle ketchup


Home-Style Pancakes
seasonal fruit, cranberry butter, gingered maple syrup

Wild Mushroom-Squash Risotto
cashew cream, pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, frizzled leeks

Seitan Picatta
creamed spinach, grilled potato cake, oyster mushrooms, lemon-caper sauce

Check out my version of this famous dish 🙂

and then Dessert 🙂

Live Sweet Potato Parfait
nut granola, huckleberry ice cream


Cannoli
vanilla cream filling, coconut-chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate sauce


Apple Cranberry Pie
toasted oat crumble, french vanilla ice cream, berry
coulis, candied almonds

There were lots of fabulous beverages going around. I was super happy to have ordered the Coconut-Mint Frappe avocado, coconut water, agave, mint, lime. AMAZING!! I have been craving this drink ever since!

Vegan Pizza with homemade dough

24 Feb 2012 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in Home Cooking, New York Highlights, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Who doesn’t appreciate a good slice, especially here in NYC where pizza is so very important and such a point of contention – even for vegans! Our favorite place to order from is Viva Herbal Pizzeria where we can get spelt or gluten-free crusts with daiya and even vegan sausage as toppings (our personal fave combo!) Pala Pizza also has great vegan options and that brick-fired pizza taste, yum!

Sometimes it is easy to buy dough and tomato sauce quickly whip up a pie at home, but if you are interested in making your own dough, here is a great recipe! My mom made the dough and I added the homemade sauce (thanks mom!!).  It was really very very good!

Check out here for some of my other fun pizza nights 🙂 Flatbread Pizza with hummus, green olives, cherry tomatoes and za’atar (this is a raw one and Well Worth the effort!), Raw Eggplant Pizzas and the quick at home whipped up kind with purchased dough.

Vegan Pizza with Homemade Dough & Daiya Cheese

Pizza Dough Recipe

  • 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon finely ground sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast (1 packet of dry yeast)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  1. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (if using a pizza stone – place in the oven to get hot and heat for an hour)
  2. Mix together the warm water, sugar and yeast. Put aside to get foamy. If it does not foam then the yeast is not good – redo this step.
  3. In a separate bowl mix all of the other ingredients. Add in the yeast mixture and mix well until dough forms a ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough – Use the palm of your hand and keep pressing in and folding it over and repeating for about 5 minutes.
  4. Divide the dough into 4 – one pound balls. Place these dough balls into containers and cover the container with anything that will keep the air out. Set the dough to rise in a warm spot for at least 45 minutes. (you can freeze any unused dough after rising*)
  5. Prepare your topping. Stretch out the dough and aim for it to be even thickness all around. Top your pizza and place in the oven. Bake for 8 minutes. Let it rest. Add any herbs to your pizza afterwards.

*If using frozen dough – allow dough to defrost in fridge 12 hours

  • Either use a jar of Marinara Sauce or make your own

Basic Sauce Recipe

  • 28 ounce pureed tomatoes
  • sugar to taste
  • salt to taste
  • 3-6 finely grated fresh peeled garlic cloves

Mix all the ingredients together.

Topping Suggestions:

  • Mushrooms
  • Onions
  • Fresh or Roasted Garlic
  • Broccoli
  • Sweet Corn
  • Peppers
  • Olives
  • Fresh Tomatoes
  • Sun Dried Tomatoes
  • Grilled/Fried/Baked Eggplant
  • Grilled Zucchini
  • Roasted Red Pepper
  • Capers
  • Saute Spinach
  • Pesto Sauce
  • Artichokes
  • Soy Pepperoni or Soy Sausage or Tofu/tempeh
  • Daiya Vegan Cheese or other vegan cheese
  • Herbs

Unbaked Pizza

Babette’s in East Hampton

14 Aug 2011 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was super excited to read about Babette’s in East Hampton. They offer many different vegan dishes. When we went we were happy to get an outside table but I was a little astounded by the prices for the kind of food it was. But hey, its the Hamptons, I get it. The Lentil Vegetable Walnut burger with avocado and soy cheese was decent, but we liked the one at Banzai Burger better. We also had the vegan Tempeh Reuben which was super yummy. The sweet potato fries and smoothies were good too 🙂 I would go back but maybe try some of the other vegan options. I love that there are many! Fun!

Vegan Soba Noodles at Page at 63 Main

26 Jul 2011 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

AMAZING! I loved our meal at Page at 63 Main in Sag Harbor. So YUM! They had two really great vegan options. The Asian Steamed Buns were so deelish but the Vegan Soba Noodles were out of this world. I am not normally that impressed with a soba noodle dish. I love them, but restaurants don’t typically impress with them and these were seriously amazing! And of course I love that the word Vegan is in the title of the dish on a fancy restaurant’s menu 🙂 Awesome!!!

Vegan Soba Noodles: Black trumpet mushrooms, carrots, seared water chestnuts & soba noodles with lemongrass soy glaze.

We dove in too fast to catch a picture of the Asian Steamed Buns but here is what was in them; pickled cucumber, avocado, scallions, cilantro, green curry, soy glaze and smoked coconut with shitake mushrooms. Really amazing 🙂

Banzai Burger – Vegan Burger

25 Jul 2011 4 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights Tags: , , , , , , , ,

After the day in Montauk we stopped by Banzai Burger on Montauk Highway in Amagansett. I am not typically up for a burger joint but I heard this new place even had a burger called the Vegan Burger. I always love and appreicate not only when things are vegan but when it is brought to your attention in the name.

We had the Vegetarian Roll and the Vegan Burger. The burger was made with Quinoa, Bulgur Wheat, and Pinto Beans on 7-Grain Bun with Vegan Mayo and Salad. I don’t think they gave me a 7-grain bun but overall it was a pretty good burger and love the ingredients!

My 30th Birthday!

19 Apr 2011 Leave a comment

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights, Raw Desserts and Treats Tags: , , , , , , ,

I LOVE Birthdays and I turned 30 last week! SO of course a fun reason to celebrate!

On Friday Night we celebrated at Friday Night Yoga Social! FNYS is an AMAZING class I teach with two unbelievable, inspiring and beautiful teachers and friends; Mimi and Angie. It was so perfect to be able to celebrate with many of our students and friends, such a special night as always! If you are ever in NYC on a Friday Night, come to our fun class!!

Saturday was more fun party time 🙂 And of course since this was my party, there had to be yummy vegan food!

Terri’s delivered their SUPER YUMMY sandwiches. Michael and I LOVE all their Vegan sandwiches but seem to never get enough of the Vegan Bacon Cheddar Chicken Ranch sandwiches. See my review here from when they first opened. It was great to see all these non-vegans Loving these scrumptious sandwiches too, always fun of course! Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures. But go there yourself and try these sandwiches out, so good!

I also had a crudité platter from Whole Foods. Of course a crudité platter would not normally get a honorable mention but this one was special because it had a super yummy Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip. The catering guy at Whole Foods Union Square, Mark, was Super awesome and so helpful! We went around the whole store to score the best vegan dip for the platter. Perfection!

I love my sweets and since it was a birthday party, there had to be a cake and then of course some more desserts 😉 I brought the deelish vegan brownie bites, chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies from BabyCakes. And the cake, oh the cake…. one of our faves, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bomb Cake from Vegan Treats… we bought it at Atlas since Vegan Treats is in PA, but they sell their AMAZING cakes and treats all over the city so thank goodness not hard to come up with. (pic below)

Then on another night Michael took me to Pure Food & Wine to celebrate just the two of us 🙂 YUM!! And of course this meal had to end with the amazing Mint Sundae. (pic below)

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with me and who sent Birthday Wishes!! Lots of love all around!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bomb Cake

Ugh Oh! This is a dangerous cake to have leftovers of! YUM!!

Mint Sundae from Pure Food & Wine

Lisa Dawn’s Vegan Stuffed Shells with Cashew Ricotta Cheese!!

28 Mar 2011 16 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in New York Highlights, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I am super excited about having my amazing friend Lisa Dawn Guest Blog!! She has just started her own fabulous blog, Lisa’s Project:Vegan with deelish vegan recipes which almost all take less than a half hour to make! She was the inspiration behind the Coconut Lentil Soup, which if you tried I know you loved! The Vegan Stuffed Shells with Cashew Ricotta Cheese below looks out of this world. I know I will be making this soon myself!! Thanks Lisa!

About Lisa Dawn: I am a vegan mom and wife and I love to cook. I became vegan over four years ago for several reasons – the health and welfare of the animals, myself, and that of the world. My husband has been vegan since he was a teenager and together we are raising our son vegan. It is a challenge to do so in this world but it makes it that much more fun to be creative and to cook delicious meals that people really enjoy. Everyone who joins us for a meal leaves fully satisfied and with a handful of recipes!

My cashew ricotta cheese is outstanding and I use it in a lot of dishes. But nothing beats stuffed shells! You can vary the filling (e.g., you can use butternut squash or just plain cashew ricotta). My family loves it! It is not as hard as you think to make this and it is very satisfying!

Stuffed Shells

Cashew Ricotta
1 lb cashews (soaked overnight)
water
salt
nutmeg
fresh lemon juice
Stuffed Shells
1 box shells (to make it gluten free, use rice pasta shells)
1 small bag frozen spinach
garlic powder
1 jar of tomato sauce (or make your own)
Cashew Ricotta
Soak cashews overnight.  In the morning, drain them and then place 1 cup at a time into the in the food processor.  Process the nuts until fine and then add 3/4 cup of water, a pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg, and a dash of lemon juice.  Process and then place in strainer (with very small mesh) over a bowl to drain excess water.   Repeat until you finish all of the cashews.  Let this strain for a few hours.  The top might get slightly hard but don’t worry, just mix it back in.  When it seems like all the excess water has drained out, place in a container and use it when ready.
Stuffed Shells
Preheat oven to 350.  Boil up shells according to package directions.  Use lots of salt in the water to season the pasta.   While they are boiling, place frozen spinach in small pot with a little water and set on a high flame to defrost quickly or do this ahead of time.  Either way, make sure you drain all of the water out.  Mix the spinach with the cashew ricotta.  Add some garlic powder and mix.  Taste it and decide if you want any more seasoning, e.g., salt and pepper.
Coat the bottom of a baking dish with tomato sauce.  When the shells are done, carefully strain them.  Assemble your shells by stuffing them with the mixture and placing them into the baking dish.  Pour tomato sauce in between and around the shells.  Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes so they are thoroughly heated through.

Enjoy!

Now is the Time! 10/27 – ANIMAL LIBERATION THROUGH THE HEALING POWER OF MANTRAS- THE SHARANAM CAMPAIGN

26 Oct 2010 2 Comments

by marisashealthykitchen in In the News, New York Highlights Tags: , , ,

Now is the Time! – ANIMAL LIBERATION THROUGH THE HEALING POWER OF MANTRAS- THE SHARANAM CAMPAIGN


Music has the power to change hearts, minds and consciousness.   History shows there are messages inherent in music that create peaceful and revolutionary change for freedom and civil rights.  Animal Rights Activists/music artists such as Paul McCartney, Emmylou Harris, Morrissey and Moby successfully use music as the message to speak up for animals.

Every decade or so, an extraordinary artist comes along – who carries us to the newest, important musical frontier. “Sharanam” by our friend and animal rights activist Sharon Gannon, is a CD that gives the listener the direct and powerful experience of healing our emotional, spiritual, psychological and ecological disconnection with ourselves and with the world through Sanskrit Mantras.

Mantra is a Sanskrit word that translates to: Man means “mind”, Tra means to “to protect” or “to cross over.” Sharanam means “Refuge.” By listening to and singing with Sharanam’s mantras, we can take refuge, strength and inspiration to change our perception of our ability to create positive change in our world. Sharanam is a healing mantra and prayer offering for all beings- especially animals.

Today, Wednesday October 27, we are requesting your participation in a special offer for this extraordinary CD called “Healing the World with Mantra – Sharanam -” an online campaign.

TODAY 10/27 only, anyone who purchases a copy of Sharanam through Amazon.com will be eligible to receive an array of gifts. http://www.amazon.com/Sharanam-Sharon Gannon/dp/B002L1AV78/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1287577495&sr=8-2

Many generous friends and supporters have donated excellent, exclusive gifts and prizes to anyone who purchases Sharanam (on Wednesday October 27th only.) As a thank you for participating, Jivamukti Yoga Schools and some of their friends around the world are offering a wide range of cruelty free gifts. These includes:  FREE yoga classes , downloadable CDs and MP3 songs from artists such as world renowned mantra singers Jai Uttal, MC Yogi, Cheb I Sabbah, Deva Premal and Miten, Sharon Gannon, David Newman, Sura das,  vegan recipes, discount coupons, plus enter your name for a chance to win amazing prizes (such as a one of a kind Yantra painting!) With over 20 cruelty free gifts and prizes, everyone who buys Sharanam via amazon.com on October 27 (only) is eligible to receive them.  After you purchase the album, simply enter your Amazon.com order number on the gift page to receive your free gifts: http://jivamuktiyoga.com/promo.html

With your participation in purchasing Sharanam via Amazon.com we want to create a tipping point that will change global consciousness, encouraging healing, freedom, kindness and happiness for all beings – animal and human.To learn more about the album, the campaign, or to redeem your free gifts, please visit: http://jivamuktiyoga.com/promo.html

Free Yoga in Bryant Park TONIGHT! 6pm

01 Jul 2010 1 Comment

by marisashealthykitchen in In the News, New York Highlights Tags:

I will be assisting Lisa Dawn tonight at Bryant Park. Come on down for a great free yoga class! FUN!!!

July 1st 6:00-7:00pm tonight!!! Avenue of the Americas between 40th and 42nd

Greet July with a rejuvenating class in the park. Join us for a complimentary and open-level yoga class in Bryant Park, courtesy of Lululemon. Yogini Lisa Angerame will leave you smiling and feeling relaxed.

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