Cafe Gratitude LA

So I took my mom and brother to Cafe Gratitude in LA this past Saturday.

Okay, I kind of coerced them into going with me. I had been to the Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley during my Cal days, but didn't dig it, but the LA one looked so nice and hip that I wanted to try the food.

Before we get to the food, guess who we had lunch with. Natalie Portman!

Okay not with, but right next to at the communal table. She had her baby in a chest carrying sling thing and was with her man, husband? Not sure. They sat right next to us!

My mom and brother noticed as soon as they sat next to me (which is why I couldn't really see), but I didn't know until we got our check. Its funny because I kept looking at the maple-miso glazed brussels sprouts she was eating and thinking, ooh, that looks good. She is the most delicate, petite person you ever saw.

Anyway, enough with my starstruck self, here's what we had:

Flax Crackers with Guacamole

Veggie Burger with Side Salad

BLT Sandwich with Side Salad

Massaged Kale Salad

(so delicious, creamy dressing!)

This is how my brother felt about his veggie burger. Poor little dude got veggied out. He did like the strawberry shake though. It was really good and real-tasting!

I ordered the cacao fig shake, which was pretty awesome, too, but I think the strawberry one was better, more fresh. The little bro didn't finish his so I ended up finishing both shakes. I got so full, but I wasn't about to let an almost $9 shake go to waste. I'm so bad...

All of Cafe Gratitude's plates say:

I was grateful for my mom and brother for coming to Cafe Gratitude with me.

My brother said he was grateful that we don't have to eat here every week.

Haha... -_- I would if I could!

What are you grateful for?

Fancy, Simple Meals

It's funny how some of the best foods are so naturally simple and delicious.
In most restaurants, the dishes I love are the ones that star un-messed with, fresh ingredients.
For example, the Mediterranean plate at the Getty Villa:

Hummus, Pita, Olives, and Quinoa Salad

Another simple awesome meal I had was at the Childhood Obesity Conference:

Grilled Tofu over Mushroom Barley and Peas,

with White and Green Beans

What is a favorite food of yours that is so naturally delicious it's hard to believe?
For me, it's steamed Kabocha squash. Oh maybe a perfectly ripe mango, too.

Homemade Lasagna

Yello. I rediscovered this blog today and it is mine! I noticed I apologize a lot for not posting often and today's follows suit. I just finished my dietetic internship a couple weeks ago, so I guess I'll use that as my excuse for the last year.

This is a lasagna I made with my little sister and brother during the holidays.
I always thought lasagna was too complicated to make at home, but it wasn't that bad.
Its much easier when you have a hand with layering the ingredients. We just used the recipe on the side of the lasagna noodle box. :P

While this one wasn't vegan, you could easily sub in Daiya Mozzarella Shreds and mashed white beans for the mozzarella and ricotta cheese. We used marinara sauce, sauteed onion-mushroom-garlic, and frozen spinach in our layers, too. I would top it with nutritional yeast in place of parmesan.