Lula's Sweet Apothecary

So, this is part two of my vegan sweets adventure in New York. I visited Lula's Sweet Apothecary, a vegan ice cream parlor, which is located on the lower east side of Manhattan. I mention in my video that I believe it's the only vegan ice cream shop around the city but I've been informed that there are a few more. Lula's is deliciously decadent and divine. I had a scrumptious ice cream brownie sundae with two scoops of creamy yummyness. Check out my video below:

Trader Joe's Gluten free Waffles

Yesterday, for breakfast I tried trader joe's gluten free waffles. My sister had mentioned them the week before I and since I've been wanting to cut back on my gluten intake I felt like I should give these a try. So, I popped these in the toaster and while I waited for them to finish I heated up some Smart Bacon in a pan.

This was the first time I tried both of these products and fortunately I was not disappointed. The waffles definitely taste different from the waffles I'm used to but they still have that fluffy waffle flavor. They soak up syrup fast, so it might be best to cut it in pieces and pour the syrup on each piece at a time. The bacon comes in very thin strips and it cooks pretty quickly. It tasted more like turkey bacon then regular bacon to me. Pretty yummy breakfast.

Babycakes NYC!

While visiting New York last week for my friend's wedding I had the opportunity of finally stopping by NYC's vegan bakery Babycakes. When I walked in I was immediately hit with the delicious aroma of cupcakes baking in the oven. I love sweets and this place has definitely got the goods...cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and vegan doughnuts! So excited I finally got to try a vegan doughnut...can't wait to try these again with a nice cup of coffee...Mmm. Check out my video and pics below for my full experience.

Chocolate brownie, vegan doughnut, and lemon poppy seed cake.

Chocolate crunch vegan doughnut..

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.

Chocolate Vanilla Cupcake. I got a little hungry before I took the pic.lol

Fresh Green Bean Sauté

A few weeks ago I found fresh green beans in my CSA box along with some crookneck squash. I sauteed the veggies for a delicious side dish to pair with some Match Meat chicken.

Green Bean Sauté

 

Ingredients

Fresh green beans
Crookneck squash
A handful of peanuts
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Parsley


Directions

Heat your pan to medium with some olive oil. Add green beans and crookneck squash and begin to sauté. Stir occasionally until  the vegetables are almost done and splash with some lemon juice. Add peanuts (I used salted peanuts so I wouldn't need to add other salt to the dish). Keep stirring until they are ready and then sprinkle with some parsley.

Chocolate Muffins!

Do you want a chocolaty muffin that's just as delicious and way healthier than the muffins you buy at a local bakery or grocery store? If the answer is yes...which I know it is...then check out this recipe below for healthy chocolate chip muffins from Bethenny Frankel.

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

                ½ cup raw sugar    (I used maple sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon almond extract

¾ cup oat flour   (I used some rolled oats in my blendtec and pulsed them until they became flour)

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips

1 dash cinnamon

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Use nonstick spray on regular sized nonstick muffin tin and combine ingredients.

2.     Using 3 ounce ice cream scoop, evenly scoop into muffin tins.

3.     Bake for 20 minutes to one hour, rotating half way through.

4.     Place toothpick in center.  When the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done.

5.     Allow to fully cool, then pop out with a spoon.

New York, New York!

I love New York!...the food, the culture...I went to school there and lived there for six years. New York is like my third home. I had such a great time there last weekend for my friend's wedding (I was a bridesmaid! ). This is the first time I've been back since becoming a vegan and I was excited to see what food would be available to me during the wedding extravaganza. Check out the pics below to see a few of the things I ate.

I had to sneak this one in here. A picture of me with the beautiful bride.

I've only been to the Whole Foods in Union Square but this one was located further downtown and it was awesome. They had this amazing salad bar upstairs where I ordered this yummy dish.

A raw Asian salad with raw veggies, toasted almonds, and asian dressing. 

There were no vegan options at the wedding so the waiter spoke with the chef and they served up this plate of roasted veggies. The artichokes were so delicious! I also had a fruit plate as a first course but I forgot to take a picture.

Roasted veggies: Eggplant, artichokes, peppers, and asparagus. 

The day after the wedding we met up with the bride and groom for brunch and once again the menu had no vegan options, fortunately, I was able to speak with the waitress (who also informed me that she also tries to eat vegan sometimes), and she made sure I had a delicious meal. The portions were so big that I could only finish half of the sandwich.

Bread with fresh jam.

A double-decker sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and avocado served with a side of fries. 

I know what you're thinking..."Where's the dessert?" Do not fret, I will have pics and videos up of the vegan dessert yummyness very soon!

P.S. I almost forgot about these really cool eco-friendly bags the bride gave us.

Eco-friendly bags from Envirosax

Vegan Crab Cakes!

I used to waitress at a restaurant in New York that served the yummiest crab cakes ever...and some of the best sauce to go with it. I haven't had crab cakes in a while and when I decided to try the Match Meat crab cakes I was a little skeptical. So far, I haven't had any crazy experiences with meat substitutes...but vegan crab meat???? I wasn't sure this was going to be the greatest adventure my stomach was going to experience. BUT! I was quite pleasantly surprised with this crab cake-liciousness! Match Meat is on point with crab meat! These crab cakes were crunchy on the outside and flavorful and tender on the inside. You have to try these and marvel in the wonders of vegan crab.