latest updates: m cafe updated!

the luckiest turkey on earth

it’s that time of year! thanksgiving is fast approaching, and while most of the country is planning epic meals of death, it’s time to start thinking about our cruelty-free celebrations. consider this a running list of vegan thanksgiving options in LA for 2011. as more restaurants release details, i’ll update the post. so keep checking this link. and if i’m missing anything, leave it in the comments!

list after the jump –>

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big daddy dagwood at native foods

this sunday is father’s day! are you prepared? if not, you better get on it. thankfully, LA has lots of great options for a vegan celebration. i’ll list the ones i know about here…and if i’m missing any, tell me in the comments and i’ll add them to the post. it’s that simple!

here we go:

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soak up that hangover with a vegan benedict?

hi everyone, happy new year! we’ve taken a moment to call some of our favorite vegan and vegetarian restaurants in los angeles and find a few dining options for new year’s eve and new year’s day.

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whether or not you celebrate xmas, it sure is a good excuse to eat some tasty holiday food. the 25th is just around the corner, so we’ve started a list of xmas vegan meals in and around los angeles. please let me know if i am missing anything, and keep checking back, because this list will be updated as i get more info!

vegan xmas from doomie's?! yes, please!

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holiday cheer right on your plate or sent home with you in a box—that’s what you can expect from m cafe de chaya over the next couple days.

before you ask: ….hell no, m cafe is not open on december 25th! but today and tomorrow they are running a holiday roast special that will help warm you through this dreadful 60 degree cold front, and get you ready for santa’s birthday. have i mentioned before how much i love holiday food? i ordered m cafe’s special last night to go, and while it was a bit overpriced, i loved every bite of it. you can see it pictured above in all its take-out box glory, and below i attempted to make it a little more picturesque.

holiday roast dinner: sliced seitan roast served with herbed bread stuffing, covered in homemade gravy. with rutabega mashed potatoes, ginger cranberry sauce and broccolini. $16.50

the price tag was pretty hefty on this entree, but i assure you, so was the portion size. a long sliced seitan loaf came resting on an large bed of fluffy mashed potatoes and chunky bread stuffing. the seitan itself was absolutely exquisite, just the right amount of chewiness with a slightly burnt skin. and i’m usually pretty grossed out by cranberry sauce, but i was a fan of m cafe’s. the ginger added a whole new biting dimension to offset the sweet flavor.

overall, i really can’t fault the quality of this dish. for a quick holiday meal, it really delivered. the only complaint i have, is that it was pretty expensive. i chalk that up to, “oh well, what isn’t expensive at m cafe?!” right, right? we are talking about a place that charges over 10 bucks for vegan breakfast.

anyways, i know this special is going on at the melrose storefront today and tomorrow, so check it out if you get a chance…if you like holiday food, i highly recommend this. m cafe has weird xmas eve hours, so call ahead. oh, and also call ahead if you are in bev hills or culver city…i’m not sure what the deal is w/ those locations.

may you have a happy holiday, and eat all the roast-ish type foods as you possibly can. i know i will!

m cafe de chaya
7119 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90046

i hate the holidays, but man i love holiday food. the best thing about this annoying time of year is that several different vegan companies all release their version of the stuffed roast. over the weekend, i had the chance to try a roast by a great company that’s relatively new on my radar, match meats.

their stuffed holiday roast consists of crispy faux chicken packed full of sauteed vegan sausage and vegetables. of all the different brands of roasts i’ve tried, this is definitely the one that tastes the most like real meat. get one of these and bring it to a holiday party full of omnivores, and it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. it doesn’t have lots of grains or vegetable flavors in it, but instead a really authentic chicken and sausage taste. as a vegan, i thought it was pretty great…it tasted like meat, but without all the gross textures.

the bad news is, match is based in st louis and right now these roasts are only widely available to our friends in that area. i was lucky enough to receive my roast directly from match to sample (yep, one of the perks of having a vegan blog!), and now i’m sad i can’t just pop to whole foods and buy another one. however, match has been kind enough to post the recipe for this roast online, so us here in LA can make it at home! it calls for basic ingredients, as well as some match vegan meats which you can buy online from cosmo’s or vegan essentials. the recipe looks super easy to, so i will probably end up giving it a try.

just check out this cooking demo by match’s very own chef freddie, where he shows us how to make the roast:

i have heard rumors that some restaurants in LA may start carrying match, which would be awesome. until then, you should bug your local whole foods about it. as we’ve seen, whole foods is pretty good about listening to its customers.

i’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again…i think match is a company that makes vegan meat so realistic tasting, it may convince a few omnivores to switch to our side. i sure hope i’m right!

for more on match, check out their website…and follow them on twitter.

on some days it’s so cold and rainy out, all you wanna do is huddle inside and mow down a hefty plate of vegan comfort food. yesterday was indeed one of those days. it was storming hard in los angeles, like it does so rarely, and by chance the daily special at flore vegan was a tummy-warming plate of shepard’s pie. when i saw the announcement on twitter, i knew i had to brave the weather and haul ass across town to try this meal. suffice to say, it was worth the trip.

vegan root vegetable and beef shepard's pie with a sauteed broccoli and carrot side. $10.95

served in a casserole dish, the shepard’s pie at flore was a mix of milky sauce, thick chunks of soy beef, and hearty vegetables under a layer of creamy partially-mashed potatoes. each layer of this dish was top notch—the meat was salty and chewy, the vegan sauce had a dairy-like richness, and the unpeeled potatoes were soft with a touch of crispy. i have never tasted such a wonderful shepard’s pie.

oh, and the sauteed vegetables were ridiculously good as well. they were simple—just carrots and broccoli—but were cooked to the point where they were crunchy and oily yet not overly wilted. i am not a huge carrot fan, but i munched these up immediately and was sad when they were gone.

while i love the regular menu at flore, this shepard’s pie is above and beyond anything i’ve eaten there before. moral of the story is, be adventurous and try the daily specials. this one was damn good.

to find out what special flore is offering each day, follow them on twitter.

flore vegan
3818 w sunset blvd.
silverlake ca 90026 (sunset @ hyperion)
(323) 953-0611

two new american veggie patties with our vegan, gluten-free mushroom gravy. Served with mixed seasonal vegetables, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. $13

we have some good news for you this morning: hugo’s restaurant has finally added a vegan mashed potato option to their menu! throughout december they are continuing to offer their happy holiday feast special, which both me and foodeater have written about in the past, and now you can get it with their new and delicious vegan mash. just be sure to specify you want the vegan potatoes, because they are continuing to offer the non-vegan ones as well.

i highly recommend you get over to hugo’s and order this special while it’s still around, because it’s tasty as hell and the gravy can’t be beat. i can’t wait to go back to hugo’s and try out more of their dishes with vegan mashed potatoes. thanks for listening to the vegans, hugo’s! we will make it worth your while. xo

special thanks to sunny at vegan beauty review for telling me about these potatoes. she is awesome.

hugo’s restaurant
8401 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 654-399
and
12851 Riverside Drive
Studio City, CA 91607
(818) 761-8985

for the holiday season, vinh loi tofu is offering full size vegan faux turkeys, and you just have to try one! we ordered one of these for our thanksgiving celebration with my omnivorous family, and it was definitely a crowd-pleaser.

the vegan loaf is shaped like a real animal, with little fake legs and a hole for stuffing. it isn’t realistic enough to be gross though, if anything it made for a great conversation piece and i thought it was kinda cute. we pre-baked a batch of homemade stuffing and carefully put it inside the vinh loi turkey before heating it.

the turkey comes already cooked from vinh loi, but we put it in the oven for a while to heat it up. after about 40 minutes it was just right, and the outer skin was perfectly crispy. the soy meat inside was soft and juicy, and the overall flavor was amazing.

there were four of us, and we didn’t even finish off half of this thing. in fact, i still have tons of leftovers in the freezer. the turkey cost $49.50, and was worth every cent. it’s definitely some of the best fake meat i’ve ever had.

call vinh loi tofu to order a delicious vegan turkey for your xmas meal. you can have a traditional holiday feast, except without the murder. oh, and they also have a vegan ham tray as well! YUM.

vinh loi tofu
18625 Sherman Way #101
Reseda, CA 91335
(818) 996-9779

update november 2010: madeleine bistro is doing thanksgiving with the turkeys AGAIN this year!! thanksgiving day from 10am – 3pm. this was honestly the most special thanksgiving meal of my life…so i highly suggest you book a table asap. if you aren’t free on thanksgiving day, madeleine bistro is also doing take-out holiday meals. give ’em a call!

hey my fellow herbivores, i hope you all had a lovely holiday and managed to avoid the stench of dead flesh…we sure did! we had a magnificent brunch at one of LA’s top vegan restaurants, madeleine bistro. the los angeles vegan thanksgiving offerings this year were plentiful, so we had quite a hard time deciding where to eat. the deal was pretty much sealed though, when we saw that madeleine bistro would be bringing in healthy, happy turkey friends from animal acres to join in the celebration!

we booked a table for mid-morning and were happy to see that madeleine bistro would be offering not only a thanksgiving five-course fix prixe meal, but also some holiday specials a la carte as well as their regular brunch menu. we were shocked at how crowded the restaurant was with vegan a-listers when we arrived, from famous actors and authors to bloggers like moi. rad, right?! we settled in and ordered some entrees and sides, all of which were excellent and exceeded our expectations.

fresh organic donut with organic fruit compote. $2

we started off with some fresh organic donuts, which we’ve had before, and they were phenomenal. so crispy and sweet on the outside, yet unbelievably light and fluffy within—these set a new standard for animal-free sweets. i can honestly say that the donuts at madeleine bistro are the best i’ve ever had, even trumping the (in)famous ronald’s.

vegan biscuits and gravy. $7

next up, we had an some biscuits and gravy from the holiday specials menu.

i fucking adore biscuits and gravy, and i seriously have to get them whenever they’re available. the portion from madeleine bistro was absolutely amazing. the gravy was thick and meaty-tasting (but not in a gross way)…and while the biscuits were small, they were moist and packed with flavor.

thanksgiving sandwich: herbed seitan, cranberry mayo, caramelized onions, gravy. $15

for our first main course, we ordered the thanksgiving sandwich from the holiday menu. this sandwich is one of the best things i have ever had the pleasure of eating…and i have eaten a lot of stuff! the turkey-style seitan was crispy and pleasantly oily, a perfect compliment to the fluffy vegan mayo and soft warm bread. and the cranberries added the perfect amount of sweetness without being overwhelming.

i know, i know….15 bucks seems like a lot to pay for a sandwich, and i am the first person to bitch when something is overpriced. but this thing was seriously worth it. not only was it massive (the pix don’t do it justice), but the flavor combos were just plain brilliant. my only complaint is that madeleine bistro doesn’t offer this sandwich all year!

the Skillet, tofu scramble, seasonal vegetables, tempeh bacon, home fries. $15

for our second entree we ordered the skillet, which is available year round on the madeleine brunch menu. omg this shit was INSANE. soft, fluffy, and slightly wet tofu all mixed up with fresh vegetables and salty tempeh. it was beautiful. take that, and add in the best home fry potatoes ever (i’m not lying!)…and you have a virtually perfect breakfast. the portion was hearty as well—we ended up with more food than we could eat!

while the food at madeleine bistro was exquisite and we had no complaints, the most special part of our thanksgiving celebration was spending time with the wonderful turkeys from animal acres. on a day when so many animals are slaughtered with perverted notions of joy and thankfulness, it was great to hang out with these beautiful creatures after a completely satisfying vegan meal.

i’m thankful for an awesome and cruelty-free holiday, complete with beautiful birds and amazing food from madeleine bistro.

madeleine bistro
18621 ventura blvd
tarzana, ca 91356
818-758-6971
(check the website for hours, it’s complicated)

warning! the following content is NSFV!

please send this video around to your omnivorous friends and family members. they probably need a reminder of what they are really eating today for thanksgiving dinner.

video via the extreme vegan. follow @extremevegan on twitter.

there is nothing happy or kind about this holiday.

would you believe that some of the best dessert i’ve ever eaten is available at whole foods? i probably wouldn’t have believed it either, before i tried the amazing pies and cheese cakes made by earth cafe. the entirely vegan company specializes in raw living desserts that are so decadent, you just wouldn’t believe they are animal-free, gluten-free, raw, with no refined sugars or hydrogenated oils…and they are widely available throughout los angeles!

Strawberry Fields Forever Cheesecake by Earth Cafe

when earth cafe first offered to send me some samples of their pies and desserts, i was a tad bit skeptical because i usually associate the word “raw” with “healthy/boring tasting.” wow, i couldn’t have been more wrong. each different flavor was incredibly luscious and rich, the kind of thing i would share with my non-vegan friends in order to “convert” them.

the first flavor i tried was the “strawberry fields forever” cheesecake (pictured above). any product named after a beatles song is gonna get extra credit in my book—just check out my site banner—but this cheesecake was AMAZING. extra thick with a moist center and the most delectable nutty topping.

Who's Your Daddy Pie by Earth Cafe

next up was the “who’s your daddy” pie, a raw vegan carob mousse. this was hands down the best dessert i’ve had in a long time. it was fluffy, rich, and packed with amazing chocolate-y flavor. i could have eaten like ten pieces of this daddy.

i also tried the “rockin raspberry”…

Rockin' Raspberry Cheesecake by Earth Cafe

and the “cherry dream” cheesecake…

Cherry Dream Cheesecake by Earth Cafe

both of these were incredible, with juicy bits of fruit throughout the center and thick nutty crusts.

Peach Passion Peace Pie by Earth Cafe

earth cafe also makes a peach flavored cheeesecake, called “peach passion peace pie”, which is super sweet, smooth, and silky.

Pumpkin Spice Life Pie by Earth Cafe

and lastly i tried the “pumpkin spice life pie”, which completely blew me away. this is some of the best pumpkin pie i’ve ever eaten, and i would definitely recommend it for a vegan thanksgiving gathering.

i have no idea how earth cafe can make something so delicious that’s completely raw, vegan, and not full of crap. and i can’t believe this incredible food has been right under my nose for so long and i never even tried it. have you guys had this stuff? i mean, it’s pretty amazing right?

you can find earth cafe products at places all around los angeles including whole foods, erewhon, locali, and even some restaurants and ralphs locations. also, WHOLE CHEESECAKES AND PIES ARE AVAILABLE through earth cafe’s website! did you hear that?! whole vegan cheesecakes! and i don’t know who in their right mind could pass up getting one of these pumpkin pies for thanksgiving. i know that’s what i’ll be doing. oh, and they freeze well for months, so it’s time to stockpile.

try this stuff from earth cafe and let me know what you think. i’m predicting you will be just as impressed as i was.

POST UPDATED 11/25 at 12pm

i can’t believe it’s that time of year already…thanksgiving is right around the corner! i know this is a big holiday for all the omnivores, but there’s no reason vegans can’t join in the feasting fun as well. there are several ways to have a meat-free celebration here in los angeles, so here is a list of your options. i will keep updating this post with more information as it becomes available, so be sure to check back as we get closer to tofurky day.

thanksgiving celebrations:

flore vegan in silverlake is having a thanksgiving dinner the day BEFORE the holiday (11/25) for just $10.95 per person. their special meal includes vegan turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce and a dinner roll.

akasha restaurant in culver city is having a vegan-friendly thanksgiving dinner fro $55 per person, and is a great place to go if you are dining with omnivores who insist on having turkey. the vegan options include wild peppercorn and sage roasted tofu, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie and apple tart.

shojin japanese restaurant is offering a thanksgiving feast from 11/25-11/28. it will include homemade vegan turkey with all the fixins and dessert for $34.95 per person. shojin was rated one of the top 5 vegan restaurants in LA, so i have no doubt this will be a great feast. for more info, check out their blog.

zephyr cafe in long beach won’t actually be open on november 26th, but they are having their third annual potluck on the day before thanksgiving. It’s on november 25th at 6pm. 340 East 4th Street, Long Beach 562.435.7113

vegi wokery in cerritos is having a special thanksgiving dinner on november 26th from 11am to 7pm. it’s only $15.95 per person and includes meatless turkey, stuffing, soup, vegetables and more. advance reservations are required.

madeleine bistro (one of LA’s top 5 vegan restaurants) in tarzana will be serving a brunch on thanksgiving day, and some birds from animal acres will be there as guests! the restaurant will offer its regular brunch menu, as well as a special thanksgiving sandwich…plus a full on traditional prix-fixe for $55 per person. here is what will be on the menu.

potluck time! the free vegan thanksgiving rancho park potluck picnic has been going since 1941! it’s LA’s longest running single day vegan tradition. read more about it here.

stuff i eat in inglewood (one of LA’s top 5 vegan restaurants) is holding and all you can eat buffet on thanksgiving day. i called them and they said it would be around $40 per person, and that they would be serving a variety of creative dishes. this is an amazing offer, because stuff i eat is seriously some of the best food i’ve ever had. (sorry, this blows real food daily out of the water and is the same price)

mary’s secret garden in ventura is offering a 3 course meal for $40 per person, with 3 menus to choose from…including a raw menu! a reservation is a must, and they also offer pre-reserved carry-out.

native foods in costa mesa is open for thanksgiving dinner from 2-8pm and are offering a holiday menu that includes their famous wellington (pictured above) with all the fixins. be sure to make a reservation asap.

one world vegetarian in west covina is also open on thanksgiving day and are offering a veggie turkey!

follow your heart in canoga park is closed on thanksgiving day, but has a famous feast for the two days before that, which you can get to go.

thanksgiving take-out:

for those of you who don’t feel like dining at madeleine bistro on thanksgiving day, they also have a holiday to-go menu which includes a 4 course meal for $50 per person. just be sure to order it by 5pm on november 22nd. it can then be picked up by appointment on the 25th or 26th. here is what’s on the menu:

vinh loi tofu (also one of LA’s top 5 vegan restuarants) is offering a whopping 4 pound vegan thanksgiving turkey starting sometime next week for $45! they will also have smaller “turkeys” available as well. i am definitely gonna get one of these, the offer of a 4 lb vegan creation by kevin tran is just too good for me to pass up.

m cafe de chaya has a holiday feast available that includes soup, salad, and a seitan roast dinner. just be sure to place your orders before noon on november 24th.

click to enlarge

real food daily has a full thanksgiving menu available for 40 bucks per person, as well as whole pies for individual purchase.

cinnamon vegetarian in highland park has a traditional thanksgiving menu, as well as a latin one including tamales and pozole.

cinnamon thanksgiving feast from cinnamonvegetarian.com

native foods (all locations) is offering their famous wellington, which feeds 6 people, for only $40 this year! this is what i am getting for thanksgiving. be sure to order yours asap.

the native wellington: puff pastry filled with savory seitan, organic kale, portobello mushrooms, orange-glazed yams, stuffings and caramelized onions. served with shallot-mushroom gravy.

cook it yourself:

gardein has a whole thanksgiving menu planned out, complete with step by step recipes on their website so you can make it at home. on their menu are things like sage and pumpkin encrusted seed gardein, wild mushroom stuffed cakes, sweet potato biscuits and much more. check out their thanksgiving dinner menu here.

check out the invaluable article vegan thanksgiving 101 from lunchboxbunch.com. it’s basically a crash course about cooking your own meal, throwing a party, and having a blast on the holiday.

viva la greens is holding a special thanksgiving cooking class along with a guided meditation session on sunday, november 15th. check out the website for details.

if you feel like cooking at home this thanksgiving, check out this meal by robin robertson, one of america’s best selling vegetarian cookbook authors. robin has recipes for every part of your holiday meal, from seitan en croute to garlic smashers and ginger-dusted pumpkin cheezecake. all the recipes are available for free, online at vegan.com.

also, spork foods is offering a thanksgiving feast cooking class on november 21st and 22nd, where they will teach you everything you need to know in order to cook a turkey-free meal on the big day. on their menu is rosemary & lemon roasted seitan, sauteed broccolini, tempeh bacon stuffing, and pumpking cheesecake.

that’s all i have for now. if you know of any more los angeles vegan thanksgiving stuff going on, leave it in the comments and i will update the post. keep checking in!

HAPPY THANKSLIVING, EVERYONE!

it’s no secret that we don’t really celebrate xmas. to me it’s just an annoying holiday when the bars and vegan restaurants are closed. however, that doesn’t stop me from taking the day off work and filling up on holiday-themed food. it also doesn’t stop my awesome parents from buying us tons of gifts. 🙂

this year on xmas day, my husband and i attended a slap-up vegan holiday party, meaning we couldn’t have dinner with my parents until the next day. we decided to invite them around to our place on boxing day for an informal vegan celebration. we provided the main course and desserts, they brought us some side dishes and some unexpected gifts. it was awesome.

one dozen vegan twinkies from no whey vegan baking. 6 regular flavored, 6 red velvet with cream cheese frosting.

we went a little over board with dessert, and ordered 12 twinkies from no whey vegan baking. needless to say, there were tons left over and we sent my parents home with a whole container full. everyone loved them, especially my dad who has been dying to try a vegan twinkie for like 6 months. while the normal yellow cake with white frosting filling variety was well received, my new favorite is definitely the red velvet twinkie. the cake is moist and insanely decadent, and the filling isn’t frosting, but instead vegan cream cheese. absolutely delicious.

red velvet cake with a cream cheese filling

for a main dish, we cooked up a standard tofurky. although i prefer the celebration roast, which we made on thanksgiving, the tofurky was only $7.99 at the santa monica co-op. you can’t beat that price.

tofurky!

my parents brought with them some wonderful sides including the quarrygirl recipe for potato salad, and a broccoli salad that my mom veganized. you can see the original broccoli salad recipe here.

vegan broccoli salad with raisins, vegenaise, "bacon" bits and onion.

in addition to food, my parents also brought with them some surprise presents. thanks mom and dad! knowing what fans we are of veganomicon, they brought us isa chandra moskowitz’s other two wildly successful cookbooks: vegan with a vengeance and vegan cupcakes take over the world. yay!

vegan cookbooks! w00t!

they also brought us some shirts in honor of the quarrygirl.com mascot, tofu robot. check out the cool t’s they found online at spicy brown.

tofu robot clothing from spicy brown.

so overall, it was a great feast with some extraordinary vegan twinkies and some vegan gift surprises. a fine, fine holiday indeed.