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SoCal Vegan: Bagels and Organic Coffee at Old New York Deli & Bakery Co.

8/21/2013

V and I were looking for a place in Camarillo to grab a quick breakfast last weekend and came across Old New York Deli & Bakery Co. on Verdugo Way.

While the vast majority of the menu -- including bagel sandwiches, wraps, burgers, soups, pizzas and deli sandwiches -- are not vegan, almost all of their bagels are, so there are veg options available.

I had the Hummus Delight off the breakfast bagel sandwich menu, which came with thick slices of cucumber, sprouts, tomatoes, avocado and hummus. I opted for the garlic bagel, but -- after chatting with the staff -- it looks like almost any of their made-from-scratch bagels would have been a vegan option.

They also have a veggie wrap, a couple of salads and a vegetarian deli sandwich that look like options for vegans.

Plus, they have an organic espresso bar filled with 100% organic coffees and teas, as well as organic soy milk to whip up some vegan, organic coffee drinks.

Next time we stop by, I'm definitely going to try the organic Moroccon mint green tea - yum!

Old New York Deli and Bakery Co. has locations in Camarillo, Newberry Park and Mammoth Lakes. You can check out their menu on their website.

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SoCal Vegan: Tofu Chiliquile at Fred 62 in Hollywood (#hollywood #vegan #vegetarian)

8/19/2013

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Tofu Chiliquile at Fred 62 in Hollywood

V and I went to Long Beach to visit the Queen Mary this past weekend, and then headed to Hollywood to meet up with my best friend and his partner for dinner.

As the only vegan in the group, I kind of figured it would be a salad or veggie burger night for me, but my bff had my back and suggested we meet up at a diner - Fred 62 - in his 'hood that has some veg options on the menu.

I ordered the tofu chiliquile (shown above) off the breakfast menu, because there is nothing better than breakfast for dinner. While it actually wasn't very breakfasty, the pico de gallo was great and the dish was plenty filling.

The nice thing is that it wasn't the only veg option on the menu, so now I have one more spot in Hollywood where I know I can find something good to eat!

As we left the restaurant and headed back to the freeway, we passed a place called The Vegan Joint, so I think I'm going to drag my non-veg crew there next time we go down to visit!

Queen Mary

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Vegan Road Trip Food: True Mediterranean Kitchen in Corona, California

8/13/2013

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Corona, California isn't exactly a mecca of vegan restaurant options, but like most cities in Southern California, you can pretty much always find a decent meal with just a bit of Googling. The options for veg food in this particular city seemed to mostly include Indian, Asian and Mediterranean eateries, which is pretty common when searching for healthier food on road trips. Since only one of us is veg, we opted for a Lebanese restaurant that offered both vegetarian and non-veg options.

That is how we ended up at True Mediterranean Kitchen in Corona. While the menu has lots of meat-based dishes, there were plenty of veg options from which to choose -- like hummus, falafel pita wraps, sweet potato fries and a veggie plate.

My goal was to fill up really well, since we were on our way to visit family and were pretty sure dinner would consist of grilled steaks and other non-veg dishes, so I went for the veggie burger and fries, which was one of the specials that day.

The veggie burger was basically a falafel patty served up with chopped onion, tomato, lettuce and a super-tasty sauce that made this one of the best veggie burgers I have ever had.

I also ordered some veggie kebbe to go (pictured below) so that I would have something to eat when we all sat down at the dinner table later. I'd never had kebbe, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was really good. In fact, V's uncle (an omnivore) even tried it, and came back for a second and third bite!

The very nice Chef Laila, who completed her culinary education in Lebanon, is the owner and executive chef at True Mediterranean Kitchen. Focusing on serving up fine Mediterranean dishes, she and her staff make everything from scratch, and it shows!

V loved her non-veg meal, and I seriously wanted to scarf down another one of those awesome veggie burgers on the spot! The next time we are in the area, we will definitely be going back.

If you find yourself in the Corona area, True Mediterranean Kitchen is located at 469 Magnolia Avenue, Suite 105. For more information on the restaurant or their catering services, you can also check out their website at www.TrueMediterraneanKitchen.com.

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Strictly Vegan: All-Vegan, Organic Food Vendor at Camarillo Fiesta Street Fair!

7/19/2013

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Leonie, the proprietess of Strictly Vegan.

When I headed over to check out the Camarillo Fiesta with V and my cousin last weekend, I made sure to pack some coconut water, bananas and a Defender Meal Bar in my bag. I knew my non-vegan companions would have no trouble finding plenty of street fair food at this community festival, but I figured finding anything vegan, organic or even remotely healthy would be next to impossible.

While we were checking out booths, we ran into my cousin's plant-strong aunt who informed us there was an all-vegan food vendor at the other end of the event. We headed that way, and I got a bit too excited when we found Strictly Vegan -- purveyors of some quite fabulous vegan, organic Jamaican food. Finally, some street fair food for people who adhere to a plant-based diet!

After chatting a bit with the quite lovely Leonie (Leonie and Jamhari McDonald own Strictly Vegan), I snapped some photos, and we ordered a Reggae Wrap (at a discount - thanks, Leonie!) for me and my cousin to share.

Here are Leonie and Amoy making the Reggae Wrap...

Leonie and Amoy of Strictly Vegan whipping up an awesome Reggae Wrap for us.

And here is the Reggae Wrap (seconds before we devoured it in a quite unladylike manner)...

The Reggae Wrap (sorry for the crappy picture quality)

As you can see from the menu, they also offer organic salads, a raw bowl, and gluten-free and soy-free options, which makes this street fair food great for more than just the vegans and vegetarians among us.

Strictly Vegan Jamaican Cuisine doesn't have a restaurant location, so I will have to wait to enjoy it again the next time I see them at a SoCal festival, but they do events around the area and do catering!

To check out their menu, learn more about their vegan catering services or see which event they will be at next, check out the Strictly Vegan website.

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Dr. Fuhrman's 2013 Health Getaway in San Diego (#plantstrong #vegan #organic #vegetarian)

2/6/2013

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Dr. Fuhrman's 2013 Health Getaway is going on June 26 through July 2 in beautiful, sunny San Diego, California!

Now, this isn't a cheap event, but I still wanted to make sure y'all knew about it -- just in case you might have saved enough from all that vegan couponing to spring for a trip that would be awesome for your health and wellness.

If you aren't familiar with Dr. Fuhrman -- or would like to learn more about the 2013 Health Getaway -- click on the image above to go right to the website for more info.

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Silk Fruit&Protein at the 99¢ Only Store!

1/30/2013

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I've been finding some truly awesome deals at Dollar Tree and 99¢ Only. I really am going to do a bigger blog post about some of the deals I have been finding regularly, but until I have time to put that together, here is one that you need to know about right now!

99¢ Only stores currently have Silk Fruit&Protein for just...well...99¢!

I'm sure these are going to disappear quickly, so run out to get some before they are gone!

Look for a location near you at www.99only.com.

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Double Coupons Every Day at Starr Market in Ojai CA!

1/9/2013

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As most of you know, I have temporarily (I hope) relocated back to my hometown of Ojai, California.

Since I've been here, I have been seriously missing some of my fave spots to save in the Seattle area, like Grocery Outlet, Bartells and Albertsons (with their awesome doublers).

I have been finding lots of awesome vegan deals at the Dollar Tree and the 99-Cent Store, but I was beginning to think that I might never again have that super-saving satisfaction that comes from having your manufacturers' coupons doubled at the grocery store.

Ojai is a small town that doesn't have much in the way of grocery stores. I have found some great places to pick up cheap produce and bust out my coupon binder, but this post is about double coupons, so I will talk more about those money-saving options for local folks later.

One of the two larger grocery stores in town is Starr Market. (The other is Vons.) Word on the street was that Starr was pretty pricey and was really only good for a produce deal now and then when the best local, roadside produce stand closes for the winter.

After hearing this, I quickly crossed Starr Market off my list of options and went about seeking out other options where I could get in on some cheap vegan and organic finds.

Well, it turns out that I have been totally missing out!

There was a toilet paper deal in the Starr Market ad that came in the mail, and since I had coupons for that particular brand, I figured I would head over there just for that one deal.

I cruised the store and noticed that the prices on many products did seem a bit steep, but that they had a pretty impressive produce section for a small-town store, and their produce prices weren't bad.

Then I headed to the register with my cartload of toilet paper.

I asked if they stacked coupons, since there was a coupon in the store ad, and found out that they don't -- so make a note of that if you shop here.

However, as the cashier is scanning my coupons, I notice that I'm saving $2.00 off of the sale price on the toilet paper -- rather than just the $1.00 off stated on the manufacturer's coupons.

So I ask if this is a double coupon day and if they have those regularly.

Much to my surprise and delight, he told me they double manufacturers' coupons up to $1.00 every day!

Woot!

Stores that double coupons are rare in Southern California; stores that double coupons every day are almost like unicorns.

So, here's the bottom line: Yeah, some of Starr Market's prices are a bit higher than you can find elsewhere. However, as soon as you factor in that they double coupons up to $1.00 and have some good sales in their weekly ad, this is looking more and more like a viable option for saving money on groceries in Ojai.

They do have gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and organic groceries, so I'm going to have to pay more attention to their offerings next time I stop in -- now that I know the word on the street was wrong!

If you live in the Ojai or Ventura area and want to get down with some double coupon love, here's where you will find them:

Starr Market
131 East Ojai Avenue
Ojai, CA 93023

Phone: 805.646.3359

Side note: I was not able to find a coupon policy for Starr Market online, so I will see if I can get a copy of it next time I'm in there.

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