FOOD HEAVEN PART1

First I want to apologize for neglecting my precious blog and my readers. I have been too busy to even think about writing but now I need to tell you about some amazing restaurants I've found in New York. The list is long, so I'm going to do it in two parts.

1. Pure Food and Wine

54 Irving Place  New York, NY 10003

This restaurant is just fabulous with the inside terrace and  its romantic atmosphere. The menu is all raw, the prices are ok and most importantly the food is CRAZY!!
I came here with Niina and Jenni. I had philly rolls for appetizer and me and Niina had zucchini lasagnas for main course. Jenni had Tacos al Pastor. I can't wait to take my mom to this delicious raw food restaurant- She is going to love it :)

Philly rolls with spinach, avocado, cashew cheese.

Zucchini, Local Heirloom Tomato Lasagna basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara, macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta

Hen Of The Woods Tacos Al Pastor smoked guacamole, hearts of palm, bi-colored corn, guajillo crema fresca, pickled onions

2. Caravan of Dreams

405 East 6th Street  New York, NY 10009 Very cute and delicious vegan organic restaurant that offers some raw food dishes too. My salad was amazing and so was Annika's squash spaghetti.

Omega (LIVE)

Kale, sunflower sprouts & mixed field greens, avocado, spiced macadamias & hemp seeds and citrus hemp dressing 

 Zucchini and Yellow Squash Spaghetti (LIVE)

Brazil nut & sesame meatballs, sun-dried tomato marinara, kalamata olives and basil

3. Souen- Macrobiotic, Natural organic Food

326 East 6th Street  New York, NY 10003

My friend and coworker Annika took me to this restaurant yesterday. It was hard to choose what to eat since the whole menu looked so delicious. This macrobiotic restaurant offers something for everybody since it is not a vegan restaurant. The prices were surprisingly affordable too.

Kuzu Stew 12 broccoli, cauliflower, nappa, green, carrot, snow pea, shiitake, onion in ginger tamari clear kuzu sauce. 

Vegan desserts

4. The Hummus & Pita Co

585 6th Avenue  Manhattan, NY 10011 This is a fast food restaurant that usually are not my favorite places, but the food was actually fresh and good, and definitely inexpensive. This plate cost about $7.

Hummus with Falafel, Whole Wheat pita, cabbage salad and quinoa.

This last Hummus with Falafel was actually in a small Kosher restaurant in Brooklyn but I have no idea what the name was or even where in Brooklyn we were. unfortunately.

Ok, it's time to go to sleep. I will continue my restaurant experiences as soon as possible! Good night and remember to enjoy good food!

-E-

HipCityVeg Philadelphia!

IM IN LOVE!!!


I found the most delicious and fresh restaurant in Philly last week. Their food is 100% plant based and they try to be kind to the earth. They deliver on bicycle, source locally, and all HipCityVeg packaging is compostable. They compost kitchen scraps as well. Also their interior is made of recycled and energy-efficient materials..... I think that's just great!


I had an Asian side salad and a fajita wrap. The wrap was whole wheat with blackened chick’n, onions, peppers, tortilla, pico de gallo, avocado & chipotle creme.


I wish we would get our own HipCityVeg to Helsinki! Visit the restaurant's website HERE and get some good veggie food ideas :)) I definitely did.

-E-

Library of recipes: Hummus

Hummus is a Middle Eastern food, sauce or dip made of cooked chickpeas. It is super easy and fast to make and you can serve it with baked or fresh vegetables, salads or traditionally with pita bread. It is a great alternative for chips and dip and actually tastes delicious. There are hundreds of hummus recipes available, but this is the one I use.

Ingredients: 

250 g Cooked chickpeas

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 glove of garlic

sea salt

black pepper

(cumin, cayenne pepper)

Drain chickpeas and set aside from the liquid. Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until throughly mixed and smooth. 

ENJOY!

-E-

6 tips on How to get started with a plant based diet

Like many of you know, I don't eat meat or eggs and I avoid dairy products. I'm not a vegan, since I love honey and use leather and if my grand mom has made a pie that includes some cream, I eat it.  My cosmetic products are vegan friendly and I sometimes I call myself vegan just to make people understand that I don't want the sandwich with cheese.
I believe that moving to a (mostly) plant based diet is one of the best things you can do for your health, for the animals and for the environment. If you are a meat lover, It shouldn't happen in one night without the help of somebody and reading how to do it.
I don't try to make all the people in the world vegan, since I believe that there is no one size fits all diet. I do think that everybody should try a mostly plant based diet, see how it feels and then add some animal products if you feel that you need it. If you do, try to choose organic products.


Here are my 6 tips for how to get started with a plant based diet! 


1. Read a book about plant based diet: Go to a bookstore and find a book about a plant based diet. I recommend Kimberly Snyder's The Beauty Detox, Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals or for more deeper and wider information T. Colin Campbell's The China Study.


2. Read vegan blogs: There are hundreds of vegan food blogs where you can get super delicious vegan recipes. Try to google your favorite food or a pastry as a vegan version, and you're gonna be surprised how easy it is to make a vegan version. (ok, If your favorite food is not a steak..lol)


3. Go to a vegan restaurant: Vegan or vegetarian restaurants and their menus can give you great examples of vegan meals. 


4. Start cooking more: To me cooking is one of my favorite things to do but I know it is not like that for everybody. Even if you feel like you don't like it or that you are too busy for doing it, start cooking more! You can do with your friends and family and start with quick and simple salads and smoothies. You can make a big salad for dinner and take the rest of with you to work the next day. carrying a lunch box with you


5. Add super foods to your diet: Superfoods are nutrient dense foods found in nature. They are packed with healthy nutrients and can be found from organic and natural stores. There are a lot of different super foods and you don't need to start consuming all of them. Find your favorites and start adding them daily to your salads, smoothies, snacks...etc.


6. Start carrying a lunch box with you: I do it everyday all day. I have fruits, veggies, nuts and a lunch box with me all the time and I believe that everybody should do the same thing. It is not as hard as you might think. Try it for one week and you will notice that you don't want to stop!


I challenge you all to try a mostly plant based diet for two weeks! If you do, feel free to send me an email and ask me more tips on essi.liljama@gmail.com.


Hope you all are having a great day! 

-E-

Library of recipes: Vegan coconut apple pie

This vegan coconut pie is super easy to make and can be made with pineapple, apple, rhubarb, strawberries or any of your favorite fruits and berries. You can also use different flours and if you are like me, you can complete skip white flour with this delicious pie. The pie in the picture was made with apples and strawberries. This recipe is modified from one of my favorite vegan blogs Chocochili. You can find the original recipe HERE.

Ingredients:

100 g Coconut oil

3/4 dl raw cane sugar

1,5 dl coconut flour

3 dl another flour (spelt, white flour, oats)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

1 dl almond milk (oat milk, soy milk are also good)

topping:

5 dl soy yoghurt

juice of a half lime

3/4 dl raw cane sugar

1/2 dl coconut flour

2 teaspoon vanilla sugar

4 dl fruits or berries

1. Mix the coconut oil with raw cane sugar. 

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

3. Slowly mix half of the dry ingredients to the coconut oil and sugar while blending.

4. Add the almond milk and the rest of the dry ingredients

5. flour a pan with coconut oil and breadcrumb and press the dough on it

6. mix all the topping ingredients together adding fruits and berries last

7. Add the topping on the pie

8. bake it in the oven in 200 C for 15 min and then 175 C for 4 minutes

The pie tastes the best after you let it stay in the refrigerator for the night!

ENJOY!

-E-