Here’s another fantastic salad from HealthyCA. I told you I was going to be making my way through their salad menu, and this latest option most certainly did not disappoint.

It’s simply called the HealthyCA salad and features: avocado, hearts of palm, apples, jicama, mandarine orange, spicy pecans, asparagus and Italian parsel on a bed of greens. What a great combo of flavors and textures! I had it with the roasted pepper dressing (addicted) and they also serve it with a small fruit cup (or your choice of quinoa salad, potato salad or rice). So good and healthy and fresh… I ate every last bit of nut and green and crunch off my plate!

Another cool note about HealthyCA. They do serve some non-vegetarian items here, including their own homemade sausage. They also have a very delicious vegan version of the sausage. Recently I made a big mistake and ordered the wrong one (totally my fault). They brought it, it looked good, I bit into it, it tasted good… then I started to realize that it tasted too good, as in, too much like real sausage. I quickly realized my mistake, and after being grossed out for a bit at what I’d just had in my mouth, I took it back up and let them know I’d made a huge mistake when ordering, and that I had actually meant to get the vegan version. I then placed another order so I could get what I’d actually planned on eating. I pulled out my wallet with full intention to pay, but the nice guy who works there (I think he’s one of the owners) refused to take my money and told me it was on the house. How cool is that?! He didn’t need to give it to me for free as it was in no way their fault. That’s the kind of thing that not only ensures they will continue to get my business, but also that I will wholeheartedly continue to spread the news about just how great they are. Now if only they would stay open later and open up on weekends, I’d be in HealthyCA heaven :)

That’s the sesame tofu from the deli at Whole Foods. The veggies I made myself: steamed asparagus, orange bell pepper and shitake mushrooms. Seasoned with just a bit of lemon juice, curry powder, coriander and gomasio. A quick and healthy meal.

I’ve posted the Garden Salad from Vegan Express before, but this time I brought one home with me to-go, so I thought I’d share with you what a nice presentation it makes even when you don’t eat in at their restaurant. The tofu doesn’t come with the salad but I had them add it on. There’s also romaine lettuce, carrots, shredded beets, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, celery, avocado, cucumbers and sunflower seeds. An overall excellent salad. They offer it with their peanut or tahini dressings (which are both good), but I had it with my less fattening miso dressing at home.

Well, this picture didn’t come out too hot… I’m learning quickly that all things wrap-like are pretty darn hard to photograph! I’m posting it anyways though because it was so tasty that if you’re in the area, you must try it.

What this is, is the “Breakfast Burrito #4″ from Vegan Express. Tofu scramble, sweet potato and vegan cheeze in a whole wheat lavash wrap. It was great… a thick, hearty, stick to your ribs sort of breakfast that fills you up while not leaving you feeling like you need another nap. Like I said, the picture doesn’t do it justice, it’s much tastier than it looks.

On that note, I realize that I often use the name sweet potato when I actually mean yam. There’s a lot of confusion about the two out there and I certainly contribute to it. I was confused as well when I got this wrap as I was expecting the orange yams that I always erroneously refer to as sweet potatoes, but instead got… well, actual sweet potatoes! I will attempt to correct myself from now on from confusing these two different tubers when I write about them.

Ok, so I’ve been trying to eat well and not go off the deep end with foods I shouldn’t be eating right now, but I do on occasion slip up and dive in head first despite my best interest. Here’s an example:

I hadn’t intended on eating at Sanamluang. Really. I had only planned to visit the awesome Thai market, Bangluck, which is located next door for some imported supplies that I can’t find anywhere else. However, by the time I was done with my shopping, my senses thoroughly teased by all the Thai yumminess in the market, I was starving. When I used to live near the Sanamluang Cafe in Hollywood, they had this amazing dish made with radish cakes that I loved even before I was a vegetarian. I figured that surely their North Hollywood location would have these, and sure enough they were on the menu!

I sat down and checked out the whole menu, realizing that other than the radish dish there weren’t many other vegetarian/vegan options (there were about four other items listed on their vegetarian page, all of which sounded really boring, such as, a plate of sauteed bean sprouts). Time comes to place my order, lo and behold, they are out of the radish cakes today… damn! What to do? I am so hungry! Another quick look through the menu and I decide that despite the fact that I’m supposed to be dieting, I’ll order a noodle dish as it’s one of the only things I can have them make for me without meat or seafood. So I ordered the Pad-See-You, a common Thai dish of noodles, veggies (and usually eggs and shrimp) flavored with soy sauce. I made sure they made it for me without eggs or shrimp, and I asked for tofu to be added.

When it arrived it looked pretty good. Lots of green and red bell peppers, shitake mushrooms and fried tofu. Unfortunately I didn’t like it very much, which is actually somewhat fortunate considering I shouldn’t have been eating it in the first place. Everything tasted burned, especially the tofu. You can actually see the burned bits in the picture, which upon first glance might lead you to believe would add a nice smokey flavor to the meal, but no, you would be wrong, it tasted more like the caked on stuff you’d scrape off the bottom of the pan. I don’t know if everything really was burned, or if it was more so that the oil they used was not clean (yuck). The noodles were just ok, kinda bland while at the same time way too salty for my taste, and pretty greasy too.

Overall, a disappointing meal (I ate only a few bites and left hungry, though at the same time, having lost my appetite). Perhaps I’m just spoiled at this point considering there’s a number of amazing and way more healthy vegan places around that I would usually get my Thai food fix at (just read through the blog to find ‘em!). Even many of the non-exclusively vegetarian Thai places come up with stuff for vegetarians that is way better than this (like at Toi for example). I used to love Sanamluang back in the days when I’d eat just about anything, but if burned tofu and greasy salt noodles is all they have to offer vegetarians at this point… I’m thinking I won’t be back again any time soon (despite the fact that they are open until 4 in the morning). Frankly, I’m just glad this didn’t make me sick.

Wow, this was really good! It’s the spicy chicken salad from Vegan Plate. I therefore don’t need to tell you it’s not real chicken, right?

“Soy chicken tossed in a spicy lime juice, served with red onion dressing on a bed of mixed greens”.

I asked for medium spicy and the heat level was just right. Their fake-chicken I already knew was awesome, but the lime and onion flavoring was just great. Even as an unabashed onion basher, I gotta say I loved it. It didn’t taste oniony at all, it was just very limey… a perfect mix of sweet, sour and spicy all in one plate. Good stuff I tell ya, good stuff!

This is the Quinoa-Black Bean Burger at Hugo’s, but instead of having it on a bun I had them do it as a wrap in their spinach tortilla. It was great! The burger is made from quinoa, black beans, breadcrumbs, carrots, onion, almonds, sunflower seeds, basil, pepper and cilantro… it’s really tasty. They also stuff it with Anaheim chiles, guacamole and Sante Fe veganaise, lettuce and tomatoes. They’ll even give you grilled onions should you be so inclined. Served with an organic green salad.

This is the miso soup from Vegan Plate (take out). Yummy miso broth with seaweed, mushrooms and tofu, which I served over steamed brown rice.