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

One door closes, another door opens. Here in L.A. I’m still mourning the closure of one our best vegan soul food restaurants, Taste of Life (still serving weekend’s at the Hollywood Farmers Market), but up in Oakland they’re celebrating the re-opening of their best soul food place, Souley Vegan.

Souley’s had been a staple at the Oakland Farmers Market in Lake Merritt and had also opened up a restaurant, but they didn’t stay open for very long. Much to my luck, my recent visit up north coincided with the grand reopening of Souley’s in their new Oakland location in Jack London Square. Even though they’d only just opened their doors to the public, they were more than ready to take care of us, both with very friendly service as well as enormous portions of amazing food. They might have been extra nice to us that day because my friend and I were dressed as superheros (don’t judge) but I’m pretty sure they’re just as nice to everyone. As much as I love Taste of Life, I gotta admit the incredible food at Souley’s really gives them a run for their money. Have a gander…

These little bites of ridiculous deliciousness are the Fried Okra. Pretty much just what the sign says… battered up, deep fried, served up hot & crunchy. These are so damn good, my partner in crime Jason & I practically devoured this entire plate in seconds flat.

And that was just for starters…
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Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For-From Asparagus Omelets to Strawberry Pancakes
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

You already know Isa because she’s written many of your most used cookbooks: the Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. She’s also the mastermind behind the Post Punk Kitchen and is an all around bad-ass vegan superstar chick who we all want to be when we grow up. Or marry.

And now she’s back to blow our minds with yet another book all about everyone’s favorite meal of the day, Brunch! Here’s the description:

Omelets. French toast. Bacon. Brunch has always been about comfort, calories- and for vegans everywhere, a feast of foods they can’t touch. Until now! Bestselling vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz unleashes her signature flair and ingenuity to give readers breakfast they won’t find anywhere else, whether welcoming you from a late night on the town or waking you up for a meal you won’t want to forget.

Recipes range from the classic (Pancakes and Waffles) to the inspired (Banana Rabanada) to the decadent (Pain au Chocolat) to the essential (Bloody Marys).

The book also includes gluten-free and soy-free recipes. With over 75 recipes suitable for one or to wow a crowd, and gorgeous color photos throughout, Vegan Brunch is the ultimate cookbook for the most important meal of the day.

You know you can’t live without it, so get a headstart by ordering it now and Amazon will deliver it to you as soon as it’s released on May 25th.

Click here to pre-order Vegan Brunch…

Vegan Soul Kitchen:
Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine
by Bryant Terry

Here’s one I’m besides myself with excitment about and I think you will be too. Here’s the description:

This is the forthcoming book by Oakland-based eco chef, food justice activist, and author Bryant Terry. In this deeply personal and cutting-edge cookbook, Terry revisits his Southern roots and offers innovative, animal-free recipes mostly inspired by African American and Southern cooking. The recipes use fresh, whole, best-quality, healthy ingredients and cooking techniques with an eye on local, seasonal, sustainably grown food. Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Terry reinvents African American and Southern cuisine- capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition, without the animal products.

Includes recipes for: Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce; Double Mustard Greens & Roasted Yam Soup; Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Citrus and Spice Pickled Watermelon Rind; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits; and Molasses-Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts.

The best way to summarize this eclectic book: Alice Waters meets Melvin Van Peebles!

“Bryant Terry transforms age-old black culinary traditions into what soul food ought to be- food that sustain our bodies, our earth, our sense of community, and our desire for the delicious. For the naysayers who resist the audacity of okra or the soft power of tofu, Vegan Soul Kitchen is the new manifesto that cries out, Yes We Can give up meat and enjoy gastronomic nirvana.”
-Robin D. G. Kelley

Hot damn! Now I can try my own hands at some of this amazing cuisine that I’m always spending my cold hard cash on at the vegan soul food restaurants! Order it now and Amazon will deliver it to you as soon as it’s released on March 2nd.

Click here to pre-order Vegan Soul Kitchen…

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons
by Nava Atlas

It’s cold and raining here in Los Angeles today and I wish I had this book in front of me, along with a warm bowl of soup made from any of it’s recipes. Here’s the description:

From hearty stews to refreshing desserts, Nava Atlas ladles out 120-plus imaginative, low in fat but rich-in-flavor meatless delights to suit every taste, in this veganized version of her bestselling Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons. To highlight the best produce available at any time of year, Nava has arranged the book by season, with spring soups like Leek and Mushroom Bisque and Okra-Rice Gumbo; Cool Ratatouille and Zesty Green Gazpacho for summer; savory Baked Onion Soup and Orange-Butternut Squash Soup for autumn; and hearty Curried Millet-Spinach Soup and Vegetarian Goulash for winter.

There’s also a scrumptious selection of dessert soups, including Chilled Cantaloupe Soup, and a tempting selection of accompaniments such as quick breads, dumplings, muffins, and scones.

With exotic international offerings, basic comfort soups, delicate broths, and plenty of soups and stews that can serve as one-dish meals, this cookbook is a must for vegan kitchens everywhere.

Yum! It’s definitely soup weather out here today, and this book is available now for immediate shipping, hot off the press!

Click here to order Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews…

Soul food is the new black. Just a few years ago, for most of us the concept of vegetarian and vegan soul food was unheard of. Today I know of at least three mostly vegan soul food restaurants in Los Angeles, and for all I know there might even be more.

Vegisoul Vegetarian Take-Out has been serving tasty vegan soul food in the West Adams area of South Central since 2004. Located very close to USC in an area that both suffers from a bad reputation and is lacking in healthy & vegetarian options, this is one of the last places you’d expect to find BBQ fake chicken, vegan ribs, assorted veggie burgers, seasoned seitan, blackened tofu and stuffed yams (their most popular item). And yet, there it is, beckoning to you from behind it’s welcoming yellow signs.

There’s so much good stuff to choose from at Vegisoul so it took me a while to decide what to order. I finally settled on the BBQ Combo: “Fibbs” (fake ribs) & chik’un, red beans, brown rice and choice of greens, spinach or cucumber salad. I really liked the fluffy brown rice and tasty beans. The cucumber salad was only lightly dressed but it was both fresh and refreshing. I hate onions but at least they were in big chunks that were easily dispensed with.
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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…

Greetings fellow Foodies. I thought I’d share with you yet another glorious display of vegan soul food:

This anything but humble offering is yet another fantastic lunch from the Taste of Life booth at the Hollywood Farmers Market. We’ve got the macaroni & cheese (so good and cheesy… how do they do it?), the pot roast (god I love this), the black-eyed peas (kinda plain but still tasty), and at the suggestion of one of my readers (thanks Scott!), the veggie lasagna. The lasagna was the only item I had not tried from these guys yet, and yeah, it was all that. The sauce was delicious and I don’t know what they used to simulate the Ricotta (tofu?), but it was spot on both in texture and taste. True, lasagna has got nothing to do with soul food… don’t ask me why they decided to add it to their menu. I for one am sure glad they did.

Oh and of course the cornbread on top was the proverbial icing on the cake. Although it wasn’t icing. And this wasn’t a cake. And I would have liked about two or three more pieces.

If you’re in L.A, head on over to the Hollywood Farmers Market tomorrow (if it’s not raining) (or on any given Sunday) and get your belly nice and full on some of this filling, comforting, fattening and authentically scrumptious down home cooking.

I love the Hollywood Farmers market. So many tasty vegan options… the amazing tamales, the Indian food, the salad lady, the fresh juices and so many other awesome options. Most especially though, I love the vegan soul food over at the ‘Taste of Life’ stall.

I went full force ahead today and got the sampler plate which lets you pick four items. I got the mac & cheese, kale, BBQ tofu and pot roast. This also came with corn bread. It was all delicious, especially the mac & cheese and pot roast. I was wishing they would have had some sort of yam dish but there was none to be found. I sure wasn’t lacking for food though, you can see what a huge serving this is and I only made my way through about half of it.

This fine food is only one of many reasons to wake your ass up early on a Sunday morning and head on over to one of the best farmers markets in town.

I’m only now getting around to sharing my bay area food stories with you nearly a month after the fact, but as they say, good things come to those who wait. So without further adieu…

My first stop was Neecha Thai which recently opened in the Grand Lake district of Oakland. They are not an exclusively vegetarian restaurant but they have a plethora of vegetarian/vegan choices. For starters we had their incredible corn cakes. Think of these as an edible orgy of crispy, slightly chewy corn and lime love. Fantastic. [Update: Probably made with egg]

As I’d just stepped off a plane I opted for a lighter meal and went with their salad. Sadly I can’t recall it’s name or all of what was in it, but I do remember it involved apples, crispy yams and a very tasty, citrus dressing.

The next day we got to catch up with the folks vending vegan soul food at the Lake Merritt farmers market. Wow… this was so awesome! My plate consisted of spicy greens, stickily-sweet amazing yams and finger-lickin’ good BBQ tofu. They also had a great potato salad as well as a lentil dish. Now that’s some good eating right there.

Next came a special treat as we learned that Herbivore had just opened in their new Berkeley location on Shattuck. Of course I had to go!

First came our appetizer of soft tacos: “two soft taco shells with beans, guacamole, vegan sour cream and salsa”. Yum!

My entree was the Lemongrass Noodles: “Char-broiled vegetables garnished with fresh cilantro and crushed peanuts in a lemongrass-ginger dressing over rice noodles with tofu”. It was delicious with the strong and pungent flavor of the lemongrass and the spiciness of the ginger. Berkeley just got even that much cooler.

I’d heard tell that the vegan brunch at Fellini (also in Berkeley) is something else. I can now attest to the fact that these rumours are all true, it was excellent. I had the tofu scramble with vegan sausage, which came with grilled potatoes & vegan sour cream, wheat biscuit, jam and vegan butter.

Yet another breakfast spread, this time on another visit back to Herbivore.

I tell you, I can’t get enough of their blueberry cornbread. It’s the best thing on earth!

I had already starting moving stuff around on the plate before remembering to take a picture, which is why it looks a bit of a mess. Anyhow, this was their Southwestern style tofu scramble which comes with potatoes, black beans, guacamole, vegan sour cream and spicy cornbread. All of it rocked. Talk about being in multi-flavored cornbread heaven! I actually only tasted some of this savory-spicy version, which was great, but at that point I’d really had my fill and needed to go catch my plane.

Here’s to another delicious time well spent eating and cavorting up north. I highly recommend it.