To Live and Eat in L.A. - A Vegan Food Photo Blog

I’ve shown you a previous version of the “Vegan Feast” I had at HealthyCA before… grilled tofu trio (teriyaki, tomato and ginger olive oil) on a bed of red and white cabbage.

You get two sides with it so this time around I got the quinoa (the greatest tabouli style quinoa in all the land) and the coconut curried vegetables. It’s vegan love on a plate I tell you.

I always leave here full, satisfied and grateful that this awesome little oasis of healthy, delicious food exists in my neighborhood. I also like that they’re usually playing some good old school bands like The Who, The Clash, The Ramones, The Dead Kennedys, Motorhead, etc… What more could I ask for? Ok, I could ask for them to be open on weekends too, but I’m trying not to push it.

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 :)

As promised, I’m now making my way through the salads at HealthyCA. This one here is the “Tofancho” salad.

“Ancho chili marinated grilled tofu, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, daikon sprouts and cilantro on a bed of greens”. I got mine with the roasted peppers dressing (love it) and quinoa salad as choice of side. As you can clearly see for yourself, this baby is huge! Their portions here are always quite generous… there’s actually more tofu there than you can see in the photo, there is a whole bunch more stacked underneath that slab. This salad as excellent, everything was perfectly fresh and so beatifully arranged. The ancho chili tofu was tasty, though I like the other marinated tofus (tofus’? tofuses? tofii?) better (for example their “Vegan Feast“). The daikon sprouts had a spicy kick to them, nicely tempered by the smooth & creamy avocado and juicy, crispy cucumbers.

You’ve seen me enjoy this one before, but previously I had the grilled vegetable sandwich at HealthyCA in a lavash wrap. This time around I got it on their soft and yummy wheat bread. It’s a little bit tricker to eat this way because it’s so action packed, but it still tastes great. I also had a hard time photographing it, so you get to zoom in with me for a close-up.

The sandwich is stuffed with portobellos, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes and lettuce. The creamy looking stuff is a vegan pesto. There’s also something with a bit of a spicy kick to it, not sure if it’s maybe a dijon mustard or perhaps even wasabi. Awesome.

The “Veggie Delight” at HealthyCA features a “macrobiotic tofu-grain patty with pesto sauce” and choice of two sides. I got the red smashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Everything on the plate was delicious. The yummy patties were more moist and flavorful than they appear (I thought they looked a bit dry and bland but I loved the flavor and the texture was very nice), the potatoes are super good and olive oily and the asparagus gets grilled in a tasty marinade that I have yet to figure out how to describe, but I’m guessing there’s some soy sauce in there, and something slightly sweet. I wish they’d give me a bottle of it to take home so I could put it on everything.

Update: I just learned the potato salad here is not vegan, so don’t eat it if you are so (not) inclined.

Another perfect 10 from HealthyCA. This is their “Almost Raw” sandwich with grilled tofu, hummus, avocado, tomatoes, purple onions (declined), olive spread, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and sprouts. I got it on their oh-so-fantastic seseame roll along with the baby mixed greens salad and roasted peppers dressing. Everything here tastes so fresh and so good.

I think I’ve officially made my way through all their vegan entrees, now I need to get to work on their salads. Stay tuned.

I was eager to try the vegan sausage at HealthyCA, because well… it’s a freakin’ vegan sausage!

Here’s the menu description: “Homemade vegan sausage served on sesame roll with tomato, mustard, mayo, lettuce, grilled onion and fresh red pepper and pesto sauces”. I got mine without the mayo (not vegan) and without the onions (ewww). The sausage was delicious and had a very appetizing texture. You wouldn’t mistake it for real meat as it was bit mushier than a real sausage but the flavors were spot on. The sesame roll was nice too, perfectly toasted. The two sauces that came on the side were both very tasty, I liked the pesto best and spread that on the inside of the bread. You get to pick a side with the entree, my choice here is their quinoa salad.

Here’s a closer look so you can see what the actual sausage looked like.

Another fantastic meal at HealthyCA. This is their “Vegan Feast”: Grilled tofu trio (teriyaki, tomato and ginger olive oil) on a bed of red and white cabbage. You get to pick two sides, so I got the red smashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. So good…

Update: I just learned the potato salad here is not vegan, so don’t eat it if you are so (not) inclined.