today is a great day, because i get to announce that earth cafe (one of my favorite vegan dessert companies ever) is introducing a new pie to their already delicious line of cheesecakes!

life is sweet potato pie. by earth cafe. 🙂

earth cafe’s “life is sweet potato” pie is definitely one of their best creations to date. it’s thick and rich with a smooth velvety texture and packed with sweet complex flavors. the pie itself is moist and fluffy, and the crust has just the right amount of crunch. it’s seriously the perfect indulgence, because it tastes amazing, yet isn’t full of bad ingredients. everything made by earth cafe is completely raw, vegan, and gluten free with no refined sugars or hydrogenated oils.

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WARNING: you probably shouldn’t even read this unless you have a massive and i mean MASSIVE sweet tooth…

recently when mr. meaner and i celebrated our wedding anniversary, stephen hauptfuhr from mooifood got in touch with me and told me he was going to make us something special as a gift. i had no idea what to expect, but after having tried several flavors of mooifood ice cream, i knew it would be delicious.

about a week later i received an enormous raw, vegan, organic pie that was so sweet, words don’t do it justice. it came in an extra thick cinnamon almond crust, with a full-bodied layer of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and peanut butter…all finished off with a pecan caramel topping. there were so many nutty and sugary flavors going on in this thing, one bite just about knocked me over.

seriously, i cut myself a small slice and had to take breaks while i was eating it because it was so rich….but in a GOOD way. if you need an opponent for a super fierce sweet tooth, call mooifood and order one of these. there is absolutely no match for this pie! pure lusciousness.

just so you know, everything at mooifood is raw, organic, and vegan…and they are opening up a restaurant soon in los angeles which is gonna have a full on ice cream bar, and i am soooo fucking excited!

mooifood.com
twitter.com/mooifood

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.

of all the incredible restaurants we visited on our recent trip to england, the warehouse cafe in birmingham stood out as one of the best. the warehouse cafe is an entirely vegetarian co-op with a bookstore on the bottom floor and a kick-ass veg restaurant upstairs. they have a passion for the environment and serve up meatless meals containing local and sustainable ingredients that taste bloody brilliant—their vegan junk food and pub fare is completely unmatched. we went for the nachos, burgers, chips and pies…no room for salad. the guilty vegan pleasures at warehouse tasted so amazing…melty cheese and buttery crusts like i haven’t experienced since i was a teenager. wowee!

nachos grande (vegan): organic hand fried tortilla chips, jalapeno chillies, melted mature cheddar, and salsa. £3.95

to start, we ordered the vegan nachos, which were nothing short of incredible. the homemade chips were sinfully greasy and thick…not to mention the melty and creepily convincing cheese. total guilty pleasure x 1000.

organic vegan burger special with garlic and mushrooms.

the husband ordered the burger special, which was also above and beyond. a thick vegan patty with soy vegan cheese, sauteed vegetables, and chunky homemade fries made this dish one not to miss. we ordered it off the specials board, but the burger is available on the normal menu, it just normally doesn’t come with the mushrooms.

warehouse cafe special: leek pie served with garden peas and chips.

lastly, i again ordered off the specials menu and went for the leek pie. holy mother, this shit was traditional pub food done just right but veganized…right down to the rich, greasy crust and huge steaming chips.

the insides were prepared absolutely perfectly…i’m talking really succulent mushrooms in a moist but crispy-on-the-edges buttery crust and creamy beer-flavored sauce. everything we tried from warehouse’s menu was waaaaaay beyond delicious.

in addition to serving up excellent, traditional, and entirely vegetarian/vegan-friendly food, warehouse cafe was charming in the fact that it was run by a shared co-op which includes an environmentally-conscious bookstore located below the restaurant, and all the staff rotate and share ownership. literature on making our world a better place is scattered everywhere…in the dining hall, in the bookshop, and even in the bathroom (where there are 3 different ways to dry your hands, and pamphlets on each method explaining its effects on the environment).

the warehouse cafe is a little hole-in-the-wall that caught me off guard with its sweetness, its consciousness, and its ridiculously tasty vegan food. i will return to this place every single chance i have, because it’s so fucking special. if you find yourself in the uk, it’s totally worth taking a trip to birmingham to visit this place.

warehouse cafe birmingham

the warehouse cafe
54-57 Allison Street
Birmingham B5 5TH
0121 633 0261
Monday to Saturday
11 a.m. til 10 p.m. (last food orders at 9 p.m.)
Sunday
11 a.m. til 6 p.m. (last food orders at 5.00 p.m.)