A Very Vegan Frappy Hour Experience

Last week, I attended the Frappuccino Happy Hour at Starbucks almost every day and it provided a great afternoon refreshment. The beverages were just as creamy as I remember and tasted just like the non-vegan version I used to drink religiously. I was excited to order my beloved favorites and also try some new offerings. I was definitely not disappointed and only wish Frappy Hour could have been extended a few extra days so I could enjoy more.

On day one, I opted for the tall soy mocha coconut frappuccino, which is a new addition to the frappuccino menu.

This was so delicious and quickly has become my new favorite frappuccino. It was very rich and decadent and had a strong chocolate flavor. The taste of coconut was also dominant and went really well with the mocha flavoring. There was a touch of chocolate syrup on top with a sprinkling of toasted coconut pieces that took the drink over the top.

On day two, I ordered the tall soy mocha frappuccino.

The mocha frappuccino was very creamy and decadent and had a strong chocolately flavor and was even sweeter than the mocha coconut frapp. There was also a hint of coffee, which added a slightly bitter taste. I wish the barista had topped the drink with chocolate syrup, but it still tasted great regardless.

On day three, I ordered one of my prior favorites, the tall soy caramel frappuccino.

This was very creamy and had a rich caramel flavoring. There was a hint of coffee and notes of chocolate. The beverage was very decadent and tasted very heavenly.

On day four, I decided to order the tall mocha coconut frappuccino again.

This was just as good as it was on the first day. It tasted a little more chocolately, however, and the coconuts were not as crispy.

On day five, I opted for the tall soy strawberries and cream frappuccino.

I was very conflicted about this drink. It seemed to be a cross between a smoothie and a milkshake but could not make up its mind. It was very creamy but had an artificial flavor. The drink was refreshing yet was too rich and felt bubbly inside my stomach.

I really enjoyed Frappy Hour and cannot wait for it again next year (although I hope they do another one sooner). I used a registered Starbucks gift card, which made the cost of soy milk free. Each drink ended up costing less than $2, which was a really great deal. I am so happy Starbucks is offering these vegan alternatives that are just as creamy and decadent as their nonvegan counterparts.

A Savory Meal At Samosa House

I discovered the Samosa House in Culver City a few years ago by some Vegan classmates. I was a Vegetarian at the time and immediately fell in love with their concept of delicious food at a very low price. They have a constant special for $8, which includes a combination of three dishes, raita or soup, rice and a choice of bread. The employees at Samosa House are very generous in the amount of portions they give and I often find my plate overflowing with delectable food. This Indian cafeteria is Vegetarian but the Vegan dishes are clearly labelled and the servers are more than happy to point them out, even though it is quite obvious. They are also more than willing to make substitutions and will explain what is in each dish when prompted. 

On my most recent trip to the Samosa House I ordered the combo plate with soy fish, jackfruit and chana masala. I opted for the sambar soup with papad in place of bread. 

I began with the sambar soup as my appetizer. It was fairly chunky and loaded with vegetables and lentils. It was quite spicy but not excessively so. The jackfruit was probably my favorite and was very soft and well-seasoned. It had a meaty flavor and was lightly spiced. The basil added a slight coolness to the dish and provided a great contrasting texture. The chana masala was also very soft and had a very spice. It was very well-seasoned and savory to match the jackfruit. The soy fish was also very enjoyable. It was slightly chewy and soaked in a very spicy sauce. The soy fish was fairly salty and had a slight bitterness. The sauce coating it had a slight tanginess and mixed very well with the soy fish and accompanying rice.

The papad was a great complement to the meal and really mellowed out all the varying degrees of spices from the dishes. 

The papad was very crisp and slightly cooling. It had a light spice and I could really taste the lentils that were cooked in.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal. I was completely full from my $8 meal and had so many tastes in my mouth. I love that the Samosa House varies the dishes they offer and every time I go, there's always something new. I cannot wait to go back and see what they will have next time. 

A Creative Dinner At Kreation Kafe

On a balmy Friday night, my friend and I met to dine at Kreation Kafe in Santa Monica. I was excited to see the menu had a fair amount of vegan options and even a couple dessert selections. I decided to order a few Tapas, as they sounded enticing and I desired a sampling of various dishes. I had a $10 restaurant.com gift certificate which required me to spend a minimum of $20. The restaurant was pretty expensive, since they use high quality, organic ingredients, thus it was quite easy for me to spend a lot.

I began the meal with a Persian Garden Cucumber Salad ($6).

The salad was very light and refreshing. The vegetables were very crisp and well-seasoned. There was a very slight spice and the oily vinaigrette added a creamy texture and slight tanginess. There was also a garnish of walnuts, which added an extra crunch.

Next, I had a quinoa salad ($8).

This was also very light but quite flavorful. There was a very subtle sweetness to the quinoa and the vegetables were well-cooked and lightly seasoned. The cilantro garnish added a slight spice and was very cooling.

Lastly, I had bruschetta ($7), which was probably my favorite.

The tomatoes were coated in a layer of oil and were very well-seasoned and spiced. The basil garnish was very light and a great contrast to the sweet tomatoes. There was also a hint of garlic, which greatly enhanced the flavor. The accompanying celery was very crisp and went well with the soft tomato mixture.

The bread accompanying the bruschetta was well toasted and very crunchy. It sopped up the tomato mixture very well and was also a great contrast to the soft, oily tomatoes.

The waiter also brought out some pita bread, which worked really well when the bread was gone. I enjoyed rolling the tomato mixture in, although the pita was quite chewy.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal. Each dish was so flavorful, yet remained very healthy. Afterwards, I felt very satisfied and energized. With the discount, I only paid about $16, which was definitely worth it considering the amount of delicious, organic food I ate. I will definitely be back and next time hope to try their chocolatey desserts.

Fresh East: Not So Fresh

When I first heard about Fresh East in West Hollywood, I was excited. I loved the concept of healthy food that integrated various traditional Asian dishes. I often get sick from greasy Asian food, so I looked forward to enjoying a meal without getting stomach pains. I headed over to Fresh East with my groupon that I paid $10 for $20 worth of food. I looked over the menu which had many vegan options, in addition to items which could easily be made vegan upon request.

Everything sounded so interesting and I debated between Indian and Chinese food. I decided to try their Indian food. First, I ordered the red lentil soup ($4) and green salad ($3) to start. I opted for the Palak Paneer ($9) made vegan by substituting the cheese with tofu and omitting the yogurt. To accompany the meal, I ordered a melonade ($2). There was also complimentary mint lemon water. 

First, my red lentil soup came out.

This was pretty good. It had a slight spice to it and the lentils were fairly well-seasoned. The mint on top added a slight bitterness and was very cooling. I would have loved to see this soup be spicier as it was quite bland for an Indian dish.

Next, the salad came out.

This salad was delicious. The vegetables were very crisp and there was a nice variety. The dressing was very tasty and was sweet with a slight tanginess. It had notes of mango and a hint of spice. It worked perfectly on the salad and was fairly thick.

The melonade accompanying the meal was the best part.

This was so sweet and very refreshing. The taste of melon was very strong and there was a hint of lemon to balance it out. There was also a slight minty flavor which was very cooling.

Lastly, my main dish came out.

This was quite disgusting and inedible. There was absolutely no flavor. The red lentil dal was decent but was even blander than the soup. There was too much dal with not enough seasoning. The tofu and spinach was almost impossible to eat. The tofu was very undercooked and crumbly and the spinach was overly chewy. There was no seasoning on either one and they were completely tasteless. The rice was even worse and was very sticky. Even mixed with the dal, the consistency seemed way off. 

While the food was far from oily, I somehow ended up nauseous almost immediately after my meal. I wish this place understood that it is possible to have healthy food that tastes good. If they had just added more seasoning to each dish, it would have been way better. It's hard to see how there is such a huge difference between the delectably sweet lemonade and extremely bland Indian food. There needs to be more of a balance with the food and I hope Fresh East will work out these kinks as they have so much potential. 

Finding Green At The Santa Monica Festival

This past Saturday, I ventured to the Santa Monica Festival and it was even more massive than I imagined. Since Santa Monica is allegedly the most environmentally friendly part of LA, I imagined the festival to reflect this. My friend and I sought out the "greenness" of the festival and although it didn't quite live up to my expectations, there was definitely a lot of potential.

We began at the food trucks, which were parked right outside the event, near the entrance. Many of the trucks had vegan options. First there was the Let's Be Frank Truck which had an adorable picture of a dog on the back and were serving up veggie dogs.

There was also The Border Grill Truck which I have heard amazing things about. Since there was such a long line during Lunchtime, I did not get a chance to try it. The Green Corn Tamal is one of the few dishes that can easily be veganized.

I hit up the Yalla Truck for an early lunch. They are an amazing truck that used to be completely vegetarian but oddly decided to add chicken to their menu. The concept of the truck is to create fusion falafel sandwiches and there is everything from Greek to Italian to Thai varieties.

I opted for the Falafel Reo Reo (Thai) sandwich ($6) as it sounded so interesting and unique, combining the best of both worlds.

For six dollars it was a great deal! The sandwich was quite filling and so tasty. The vegetables were so well seasoned and had a milky flavor from the combination of tahini and sesame sauce. There was even more creaminess and a strong spice from the peanut sauce. The falafels were very crisp on the outside and so soft on the inside. I will have to hunt this truck down to order this sandwich again.

My friend visited the Sweets Truck for a soy vanilla latte. We also found out that they carry vegan baked goods during many of their typical stops.

My friend really enjoyed her latte. She described it as very sweet with a strong vanilla flavor.  The cup was also green and biodegradable.

We also paid a visit to the India Jones truck to see what vegan options they had. It seemed the only options were a vegetable curry and samosas.

The last truck we checked out was the Coolhaus Truck. They told us they offer sorbets that are vegan.

Next, we walked through the festival to discover the booths and of course score some free items. First, we stumbled upon some freeze dried fruit at Crunchies.

The banana freeze dried fruit I tried was just so odd. I didn't understand the appeal to it. In fact, it tasted just like cardboard. Is this supposed to be space food or something?

I also tried some delicious, freshly brewed tea at the Numi booth. They had a variety of options on hand and they were all very soothing.

Right across from the tea booth was a woman handing out samples of glazed almonds. She assured us they were vegan, as she tries to be healthier by cooking them in water rather than butter or oil.

The almonds were so delicious and coated in a carmelized cinnamon sugar glaze. They were very sweet but not disgustingly so. Unfortunately the woman usually sets up shop right outside the dreaded LA Zoo,  so I will not be back to get more of these.

The other green initiatives were to encourage festival goers to use more environmentally friendly transportation. They provided a free bike valet and even free tune ups on bicycles.

There were also local organizations passing out free reusable bags with a pledge to use them for grocery shopping.  In addition, there was a booth to take a picture with your new bag, further enforcing the importance of it.

At the end of the festival, we noticed a sign that created such a positive energy and really showed how much potential this festival has for celebrating the environment. The sign alone made my day.

The festival was full of free cooking demonstrations (although sadly not vegan) and exercise sampler classes. I did not participate in the exercise classes but they looked really fun! This festival really demonstrated that people are starting to recognize the importance of protecting the environment and how eating meat causes many of the main issues. My hope is that next year it will be even bigger with more of a vegan influence.

Follow Your Heart To A Great Deal

Today and tomorrow, Gather Green is offering 50% off your meal at Follow Your Heart. I took advantage of their last deal and had an amazing brunch.  I especially enjoyed their delectably sweet french toast.

  50% off Follow Your Heart 

Personally, I can't wait to go back. Follow Your Heart is one of my favorite brunch spots and is a true gem. The only downside is it's so far from anything and can be such a pain to get to. Nevertheless, I am so glad they're offering the deal again. The prices there are already great so the deal makes it that much better!

A Crazy Vegan Cinco De Mayo

When imagining Cinco De Mayo, the all too familiar intense college nights of downing tequila shots until four in the morning pops until my head. This year, my Cinco De Mayo was nowhere near a crazy night, unless referring to the large amount of food I ate. Also, the only drink I had that night was water, to wash down all the delicious food.

My friend and I camped out early at the Vegan Cinco De Mayo celebration at The Other Door bar in North Hollywood. We wanted to ensure we would be one of the first fifty guests to receive a free goody bag. While waiting, we inquired about the drink specials at the bar and they were having a faux happy hour, with just $1 off beers. My friend ordered one, while we anxiously awaited the event to start. Finally, just before 7 pm, when the event was officially beginning and the food trucks would start selling their food, I went outside and grabbed two goody bags, since my friend was still nursing her beer.

The goody bag was definitely worth the wait. It had an assortment of vegan product samples from soy beef jerky to a vegan cheese mix to vegan condoms. There were also various coupons for popular brands, including Tofutti and Wayfare and even two buy one get one free vouchers for meals at Follow Your Heart! I can't wait to use these.

Next, I was excited to try all the food. There were so many offerings, I found myself debating what to have.  First, I had a cactus tamale from Mama's Hot Tamale ($3).

This was delicious. I have oddly never had a tamale before so I had no idea how to eat it. After removing the husk, I was pleased to find a delectably soft tamale, oozing with a savory, well spiced cactus. The tamale was so well seasoned and perfected by the mild green salsa I topped it with. I love how the cactus had a slightly bitter taste, but was not too spicy.

Next, my friends and I went to the Fresh Fries truck and could not decide what to order. I love their concept of combining a variety of fries with a unique array of toppings. I only wish they were more customizable.

We ordered the Sweet Potato Hummus which was topped with paprika and sesame seeds ($6).

These fries were so delicious and were not too greasy. The hummus added a savory, slightly spiced flavor to help balance out the sweetness of the fries. I loved how the hummus made such a creamy topping, which worked perfectly on the soft, well-cooked fries.

Unfortunately, I missed out on Doomie's Home Cooking's delicious chimichanga. Nevertheless, I was able to place an order of beef taquitos ($4) right before they ran out.

The taquitos were so delicious and had a deep fried crispy outer layer filled with slightly chewy, savory chunks of beef. The dish was so well spiced and flavorful and had such great textures. The topping was just as delicious and perfectly balanced with mildly spicy salsas and a touch of cream.

We couldn't end the night without some dessert, so my friend and I shared a tres leche cupcake ($3). The proceeds from the cupcake went to help fund a vegan Peruvian restaurant project.

The cupcake was very good although the cake lacked moisture. Nevertheless, it still tasted quite good and was not overly sweet. The frosting was so delicious and rich with a sweet-cream flavor and notes of rum. There was also a caramel glaze that took it over the top.

I really enjoyed this event and I hope the superb turnout will lead to more trucks gathering for a completely vegan event. I had such an amazing meal and did not end up spending much, since the food trucks were inexpensive and I shared most of my meal. I was able to feel completely satisfied for under $9 and I had some goodies to take home as a souvenir.