This is just a quick reminder to let you know that the final date to submit your Couscous Cake recipe to Robin Robertson’s contest is fast approaching. Your entries must be received by May 10th… that’s this Saturday (and it’s also my birthday!).

You’ve still got a few days left to concoct your delicious creations, so hop to it! For more info visit the contest page over on Robin’s Vegan Planet website. Good Luck!

I didn’t want to leave you all weekend looking at something ugly like that last Anthony Bourdain post, so I will leave you with something much prettier, and I’ll bet, much tastier too.

This is the garbanzo bean (chickpea) salad sandwich at Pure Luck, which I think might have a fancier official name to it but I don’t have the menu in front of me. In all of it’s straightforward simplicity, I’d have to say it was an outstanding sandwich. It’s like a really good chicken or tuna salad sandwich, minus the animal bits and mayo (they use Vegenaise). The texture of the beans is thick and chunky, with some celery in there too I believe… it really does have a nice meaty bite to it that is neither pasty or mushy. They’ve come up with the perfect combo of seasonings to where it’s just right, truly a delicious sandwich that leaves you licking your fingers after each bite. I always love their bread here too and this lightly toasted and tasty bun was no exception. Don’t get me started on tasty buns.

This sandwich is usually served with fries or their yummy vegan Cesar salad but they were happy to oblige my request for the Potato Pals instead (fried gnocchi). The garbanzo salad can also be ordered as part of a larger salad, a full meal in it’s own right. This sandwich is a newer addition to the Pure Luck menu, and like everything else I’ve had there, it surely did not disappoint.

Running this blog can be so much fun. The best part isn’t the great and positive feedback I get from 99% of my visitors… no, the best parts are the random comments and emails I occasionally get from the other 1% who stumble in here somehow (mostly likely in between halftime commercials on the way to the fridge for another Bud-lite) and feel motivated to crap out their intolerant, dimwitted observations.

Take for example the following comment I just received from a rather devoted and passionate fan of Anthony Bourdain, identified only by his chosen moniker of “Carnivore“. Isn’t that clever?

Hey here is a thought… How about all you hippies come up with your own recipes? Bourdain is an incredible chef who disagrees with your ways totally. He has that right. Doesn’t he? If you don’t like him or his ways then don’t buy his books or even bother changing his recipes. The fact that you are investing so much time and effort in it whatsoever proves you must be obsessed with him on some level. Just jealous because you aren’t as cool or as famous as he is… or is it the fact that you lack the ability to cook like he does so you just change around his recipes instead of coming up with your own?
Jeez…Get a life
Losers.

Wow Carnivore sure told me, huh? Way to put us hippies in our place man. You’re right, I am so totally jealous of and obsessed with Anthony Bourdain because I’m not as cool or famous. You’ve totally figured me out… how did you know? The best part Carnivore is that you seem to think you’re on the Hezbollah Tofu website, considering that those are the folks veganizing Bourdain’s recipes and having a fine time ridiculing him, not me.

For what it’s worth Carnivore, as far as time invested is concerned, it’s taken me about 10 minutes to write this response, while it probably took you about 3 or 4 hours to string those few sentences together… so let’s not be pointing any sticky fingers.

It’s funny to me how Anthony Bourdain seems to inspire such a following of devoted dudes ready to annihilate any hippie in their path who dares to say anything negative about him. What’s with all the straight-boy man-crushes these guys have for Bourdain? Is it his lanky, stunted-into-skinniness by cigarettes and too many years of consuming diseased duck liver physique that gets them all hot and bothered? Or is it just the thought of his crispy-fried-pork-skin breath kissing away their fears of broccoli and dark leafy greens that really gets them going? Whatever it is, I find their misdirected ire rather amusing. I wish these guys would just accept themselves for who they are, come out of the closet (or in this case, the meat-locker), and perhaps seek out advice from a gay love columnist instead of an obsessed hippie vegan food blogger who can’t cook.

Anyhow, I’m going to go ahead and assume that Carnivore is reaching out and that his comments are really just a cry for help. It appears that he’s desperately in need of some healthy, vegan recipes to help cool down that hair-trigger temper born of unrequited Bourdain-love. It’s ok Carnivore, I know what it’s like to have a broken heart (though mine was caused by getting dumped while yours is probably due to clogged arteries). In treating Carnivore’s condition I’d say it’s best to go for something raw and cleansing considering there’s probably a whole mess of ground beef, ketchup and lard stopping up his colon, no doubt adding to his cranky mood. Probably something gluten- and sugar-free too… the last thing our friend here needs is another spike in his blood sugar. If you’d like to help Carnivore who is so clearly in need, you can send your recipes, vegan lifestyle tips and animal rights/factory farming information to him at this address (which probably doesn’t really exist): pilotboy25@mail.com
IP: 68.60.205.217

(Update: Thanks to Foodtrance for letting us know that indeed the email address for the Cowardly Carnivore was bogus.)

When the weather’s hot as hell like it’s been here in Los Angeles the past few days, I enjoy light, cool meals. The thought of eating something hot and heavy when the temperature is in the triple digits just doesn’t do it for me. This plate of raw goodness at Flore in Silverlake however, did.

Talk about light and cool… these raw jicama tacos are not only meat free and dairy free, but they’re also wheat free and gluten free. Did I leave anything out? Oh yes, the part about how very delicious they are!

Julianned seasoned jicama, kale, chopped cilantro, raw sunflower seeds, raw cashew cheese and pico de gallo wrapped in green leaf lettuce and served with lime wedges and dehydrated mango slices.

This was unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before, and I loved every last, somewhat sloppy, bite of it. The texture and the seasonings on the jicama mixture was delicious on it’s own, but then you’ve also got the nutty-sweet-creaminess of the cashew cheese underneath, and to add to the multitasking excitement of it all, you can also add a heaping spoonful of the salsa and a generous squirting of lime. The next part of the fun is figuring out how to pick it up and get it in your mouth without looking like a dork and getting food all over yourself, but after a few messy attempts I fell into a good rhythm (and I’m already pretty comfortable with being a dork).

Overall a very tasty raw meal without the pretentiousness and exorbitant prices that I’ve come to associate with raw food. This was raw food that didn’t really need to announce itself as such, instead it was just a refreshingly good plate of food on a ridiculously hot day. Cooked food would have felt like overkill.

For those of you who just can’t get enough scrumptious vegan Thai food, there’s now a new place in town to get your fix: Lotus Vegan in North Hollywood.

Brought to you by one of the delightful ladies from Vegan Express in Studio City, Lotus Vegan has just opened it’s doors on Vineland Ave., a few doors down from the pirate shop (there used to be a Thai restaurant in this same location).

Their menu includes much the same fare you’ll find at Vegan Express and some of the other vegan Thai joints in town, with a few newer items I haven’t noticed at the other places. They also told me they plan to offer specialties of the house on a rotating basis.

On my first visit I tried the Orange Chicken plate, which comes with rice, spring roll and a side salad. The faux-chicken was delicious, perfectly crispy on the outside with a sinfully sweet and just slightly spicy orange glaze. This is totally the sort of thing I could order over and over again if it wasn’t so fattening. Thankfully they’ve got a large menu with many other delicious and less calorie intensive choices, including a number of great salads and vegetable dishes. They’re also aiming to use only organic produce and products whenever possible.

Another delicious item they’re serving is the traditional Mango and Sticky Rice. The rice is the most amazing consistency of sticky-meets-chewy-meets-awesome, and I was told it’s made with the chef’s special vegan coconut cream. The mango was perfectly ripe and the whole combination was in a word, heavenly. They’ve also got a refrigerator case full of those yummy No Udder mini-cakes in case the mango isn’t enough dessert for you.

I spoke to the host regarding some of the issues and speculations regarding the fake meats and cheeses served at some of the other Thai vegan restaurants and how some of them claim to be vegan while their food contains hidden dairy. He told me that the cook herself is a vegan and he assured me that they are 100% committed to serving only truly vegan food. Right on!

The space is tiny and cute, not fancy but nicely decorated… a fine option for an quick, inexpensive lunch or a more leisurely dinner. Even though you’re eating out at a restaurant, the place has an intimate, homey feel and you know that your food is being cooked fresh and with love, made just for you… the next best thing to homecooked. I like that they’ve got a seating area out front which will be great during the hot summer months… and I also like the fact that they’ll deliver.

Vegan Lotus is just getting up and running, so pay them a visit, stuff your face full of flavor, then come back here and tell me all about it in the comments. For more info visit their website (which really doesn’t have much info on it yet but most likely will soon): www.lotusvegan.com

That’s right comrades… you heard it here first at To Live and Eat in L.A…. forget about cupcakes… it’s the couscous cakes that are taking over the world!

Robin Robertson has just announced the “Creative Couscous Cake Contest” over at her blog. The grand prize winner will receive a free copy of her Proggy Award-winning vegan cookbook, Quick-Fix Vegetarian. See what I started? Now aren’t you glad I’ve been yammering on and on about these cakes?

The contest closes on May 10*. For more info on the contest and to find out how to enter, click here to read all about it. Good luck and viva la revolucion!

* = my birthday. I’m soliciting presents early.

Well, you know… I think I may have started something here with all my couscous cake talk. Couscous cake this, couscous cake that. It all started with my “Pumpkin Couscous Cake That No One Almost Ate” adventure. By the time I’d gotten done telling everyone who would listen about this yummy cake from Robin Robertson’s Vegan Planet cookbook, I’d received lots of great feedback and heard from a number of people stating that they were going to have to try this for themselves. Robin herself even stopped by and offered more great suggestions for the recipe in the comments (like using millet instead of couscous) and another cake based on the same concept for “Apricot Pineapple Couscous Cake“. Yum!

Now it seems that I may have unleashed something great because Robins craving for sweet and luscious couscous cake has been newly re-awakened and inspired! She’s just blogged about some delicious new variations that can be made with this same basic idea, including the “Couscous Breakfast Cake with Pear and Dried Plum Compote” also from Vegan Planet, as well as (are you sitting down?) “Mango Couscous Cake“. Oh joy… mango is the king of all fruits as far as I’m concerned so I can only imagine how good this is. She even goes so far as to say that this mango version is the easiest one out of all of them to make… and I kid you not when I tell you that the basic recipe is beyond easy.

You can read all about it and find the recipes in her succinctly titled post: Craving Couscous Cake. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that couscous and dessert don’t go together… the revolution has only just begun!

Hugo’s Tacos in Studio City is a wonderful little oasis of taco stand goodness right in the middle of the valley, smack dab between a gas station and the 101 freeway, with a number of satisfying vegan options. You’ll find them across the street from Whole Foods Market and catty-corner to the Hugo’s main restaurant (yup, same owners).

Hugo’s Tacos offers a number of basic and classic Mexican dishes such as tacos of course, as well as burritos, taquitos, tostadas, tortas, salads and bowls… most of which also involve rice and beans in some form or another. You get your choice of filling which would be either one of the meat options or one of the two vegan options, which are either the soy chorizo/potato/zucchini mix, or the grilled veggie combo of corn, zucchini and string beans. Or if you wanna be extra piggy, get both (this works particularly well on the salad or in a bowl). You also get your choice of salsa, all of which they make there and are genuinely fantastic.

On a recent visit I got the Salad: “Romaine lettuce, green beans, corn, zucchini, pico de gallo, cotija cheese and vegan spicy caesar dressing.” I had them leave off the cheese and bring on the soy chorizo, which is vegan and made from Soyrizo. This stuff is so good… if crack were made from soy, this would be it. It’s very rich and meaty tasting, so if you don’t like mock meats I’d stay away from it. However if you do still enjoy all the flavor and feel of the stuff without the guilt, dig in. Their vegan caesar salad dressing is excellent too. As you can see the salad is huge and could easily feed two people.

On another occasion of particularly reckless abandon, I opted to try the taquitos in all of their deep fried, vegan glory. These also involved the soy chorizo & potato filling and they come served with delicious (and you guessed it, vegan) organic white beans, lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, tomatillo sauce and cotija cheese (which you’ll want to remember to ask them to leave off for full veganization optimization). These taquitos are perfectly crispy and frighteningly good… well worth the occasional naughty indulgence of greasy goodness. Just do it and don’t look back.

Last but not least, yet another way to enjoy Hugo’s yummy soy chorizo… stuffed inside of a burrito. Flour tortilla with organic spanish rice, organic white beans, choice of filling (soyrizo please!), choice of salsa, onion & cilantro. Ok, so I asked for them to leave off the onions and give me the honey chipotle salsa and it’s like heaven has suddenly exploded in my mouth. If you no longer consume honey, obviously the honey chipotle isn’t for you, but if that is an ingredient you do still allow… oh mama, it’s to die for… sweet & spicy in all the right places. But as mentioned above, all of their salsa rock.

From their website: “Our Jalapeno Tomatillo salsa, for instance, is a descendant of a salsa served at a small taco stand in Tijuana. The Salsa Negra traces its lineage to Michoacan where dark red guajillo chilies are given a special roasting on open fires.”

Sounds good, right? What’s cool about Hugo’s Tacos too is that it’s another great spot to have in your arsenal for when you’re eating with folks who aren’t vegetarians… because all of the food here is delicious, so everyone in your group will leave very pleased… and very full.

And check out what I just learned: their rice pudding is vegan too! I’ve never ordered it because I always thought it was made with cows milk, but I just found this on their website: “Organic basmati rice, saigon cinnamon, tahitian vanilla, organic cane sugar, organic rice and soy milks. A sweet vegan option.” Fancy that!

A visitor named Michael has dropped in to bring the good word of a brand spankin’ new Los Angeles vegan restaurant and internet cafe that just opened up last weekend, Village Vegan Cafe. Now I must first pass along to you my disclaimer; that being that I have not yet visited this establishment and have not tried their food, so this is not a endorsement. I don’t usually promote anything if I haven’t personally first tried it myself. That said, Village Vegan Cafe sounds like it’s got the potential to be my new favorite restaurant, so I’m very eager to try it and of course will report back once I do. In the meantime, news this good shouldn’t be kept a secret, so here’s the lowdown:

We are proud to announce and invite you to come in and taste the Soul/Mex creations of the Vegan Village Cafe during it’s opening week. Below you’ll find further information about the restaurant and what it has to offer. We look forward to seeing you here!

You’ll be amazed by Vegan Villages tasty natural vegetable meals: BBQ dumplings, tostadas, burritos, wheat burgers, falafel sandwiches, vegetarian shrimp po boy and soy ice creams to name a few. Once again, Jewel Thais-Williams, the nationally honored community health activist is opening the Vegan Village Internet Cafe, serving up some of the best vegan Soul/Mex cuisine in the greater Los Angeles area. Located on the corner of Norton and Pico, The Vegan Village Internet Cafe is poised to be the closest thing to your mother’s kitchen, save the meat.

The menu is an eclectic mix with everything from a homemade apple cider dressed Wakame Salad to soy fried Hot Wings. Some of the menus highlights include the Nutmeat Chili Wrap made with Brazilian nuts and assorted veggies all wrapped in a marinated collard green leaf, or try the BBQ Tofu dumplings fried in sunflower oil and then smothered in a smoky BBQ sauce. Looking for a light meal? Vegan Village also offers salads ranging from Raw Kale Salad to the best Potato Salad this side of the Mississippi. Let us not forget about desert. Come in and try the Coconut and Almond Bar made with raw almonds, coconut, liquid lecithin, dates, agaves and carob chips or just sit back and enjoy the Sweet Potato Pie.

Jewel is also the founder of the Village Health Foundation which provides affordable, accessible, and effective professional services in complementary medicine to the community. She is an authority on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. Now she is, once again, reveling her love of cooking and healthy, sensual dishes for all to enjoy.

Vegan Village is located at 4061 W. Pico Blvd. It is open daily from 11am till 9pm seven days a week. For more information you can check out the website at www.veganvillagecafe.com, or call at (323) 766-9773.

Sure sounds great on paper, right? Can’t wait to try it! Note that this is in the same location as where Soul Vegetarian used to be, but it’s a new business with new managment. Considering how good Soul Vegetarian was, I’m now even that much more intruiged…

Now for something completely different: here’s a delicious new breakfast special on the menu at Hugo’s, the Mung Bean Fritters.

“Three fritters made with sprouted mung beans blended with zucchini, green pepper, green onion and Chinese 5 spice. Topped with two poached eggs, sauteed leafy greens and an apple-mint drizzle”. I had them substitute the eggs with grilled tofu.

This was a really great dish. Being that they’re called fritters, I was expecting something more… well, fried. I assumed they’d be kind of like potato pancakes (you know, with shredded stuff like latkes) but instead they’re like regular pancakes and they didn’t taste or appear to be fried which is actually a good thing. I’d say they were more like savory griddle cakes. The flavor was delicious, delicately spiced and not too oniony for my taste. The apple-mint drizzle is what made this a real stand-out, being both sweet and minty at the same time, much like an Indian chutney, but with apples. Overall, a perfect breakfast.