Restaurant Review: Oasis Cafe – Utah

One thing I love about friends who live in another county, is the exposure to new restaurants.

Marilyn suggested that we meet at Oasis Cafe in Salt Lake for our dinner date. Yeah! An organic, vegetarian, local spot. We sat in their patio area, enjoying the mild night breeze and giggled like school girls. I love girls-night-out.

We started off with the zucchini wrapped baked tofu in marinara sauce. Holy cow was this good! I would’ve had two of them, but need to remember to order without the parmesan cheese next time. You gotta try it!

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Marilyn had the famous Mediterranean Salad with grilled salmon. I snagged one of her grilled potato slices. This vegetarian salad could easily be vegan with omitting the meat and vinaigrette dressing. Looked amazing though and Marilyn says it’s her favorite.

 

I enjoyed the Udon Noodles with tofu. This vegan dish was really tasty with fresh crisp veggies (gave Marilyn the mushrooms). The peanut sauce was amazing! I think peanuts are God’s way of telling us He loves us. I wish the noodles were whole wheat, or preferably rice, but were quite yummy.oasis2a

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Thanks, Oasis for a great dinner! I’ll be back… maybe try the Med salad vegan style.

 

 

 

Vegan lifestyle tip: Wraps

Knowing that there are times I don’t want to cook, I make sure to keep my kitchen stocked with things that are fast and easy to make.

Wraps are one of my favorite ways to eat quickly, but healthy. Helping me to stay true to my vegan way of eating.

In this wrap, I reheated some left over yellow squash and zucchini stir fry, with salsa, spiked sour cream, and guacamole. Fold up the end and roll the sides together… It’s almost like eating a Mexican burrito, but lighter and healthier.

vegan wrapsThe trick is to have ingredients on hand and ready to go all the time, including:

  • Guacamole
  • Fresh salsa
  • Spiked sour cream
  • Left over cooked veggies
  • Ezekiel Bread wraps (LOVE these)

Look in your fridge and make sure that you have ingredients to be used in multiple different dishes. I promise, it’ll make your life easier! Plus, you’ll be more inclined to eat healthy because you’ll have yummy stuff ready to go!

Recipe: Apple Pecan Quinoa

apple quinaServes 8

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups red quinoa
1 apple small dice
1/2 cup chopped pecan
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup currants
1 avocado cubed

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare quinoa using directions on the package. Allow to cool on the counter top for 1-2 hours. Mix together all the other ingredients and add in the cooled quinoa. Serve as a stand alone dish, or on bed of lettuce with drizzle of your favorite dressing. We served on red leaf lettuce and Walnut Cinnamon Dressing.

Recipe: Walnut Cinnamon Dressing

Created this dressing off the cuff because we needed something to add to the Apple Pecan Quinoa salad.

Yields about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon no-salt seasoning
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pomegranate juice

DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients together in a high-powered blender until smooth and creamy. Add extra water if necessary. Chill until ready to serve.

Note: We used this dressing with the Apple Pecan Quinoa salad.

Restaurant Review: The Wild Grape

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Business lunch in downtown Salt Lake area, so I invited my guest to join me at The Wild Grape. She hadn’t been before, so that was a nice bonus!

Pamela enjoyed the Beet Salad with side of grilled salmon. Love how the yellow beets are so bright and springy! She really liked the meal.

I enjoyed theGrape Salad. Their signature salad normally has an awesome honey vinaigrette, but to keep it vegan, I requested lemons instead. They provided me with steamed asparagus and broccoli rabe with garlic. This was a great vegan meal – hooray for another business lunch spot that meets my vegan preferences!


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British folk love their chips, so Pamela tried a side of fries. I had a few… the salt and oil just about caused a coughing fit, but soooo good.

 

Recipe: Chocolate cherry ice cream

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We love this dessert! Great with banana or berries instead of cherries too.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup vanilla soy, hemp, or almond milk
1 tablespoon natural cocoa powder
4 dates, pitted
1 1/2 cups dark sweet frozen cherries
[We added 1/2 cup of ice for extra creamy goodness]

DIRECTIONS:
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth and creamy. If using a regular blender, add only half the cherries and blend until smooth, then add the remaining cherries and continue to blend.

Variation: Use berries or banana instead of cherries. Freeze ripe bananas at least 24 hours in advance. To freeze, peel, cut into thirds, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

Recipe: Eat To Live: Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup

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An excellent soup from the Eat To Live recipes!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into pieces
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
2 leeks, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman’s VegiZest or other no-salt seasoning [we used 3 tablespoons]
2 cups carrot juice
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup raw cashews
5 cups chopped kale leaves or baby spinach

Directions:
Place all the ingredients except the cashews and kale in a pot. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Steam the kale until tender. (If you are using spinach there is no need to steam it. It will wilt in the pot.) [We used kale]

In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend two-thirds of the soup liquid and vegetables with the cashews until smooth and creamy. Return to the pot and stir in steamed kale (or raw spinach).

Recipe: Eat To Live: Triple Treat Cabbage Salad

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We found this recipe on Dr. Fuhrman’s website. The crunch and snap of the cabbage is really refreshing and fresh. We added a little extra red wine vinegar because we like slaw that is a little on the tart side. Really great recipe!
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:

SALAD

  • 2 cups green cabbage, grated
  • 1 cup red cabbage, grated
  • 1 cup savoy cabbage, grated
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated
  • 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons currants
  • 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds

DRESSING

  • 1/3 cup soy, almond or hemp milk
  • 1 apple, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews or 1/4 cup raw cashew butter
  • 1 tablespoon Dr. Fuhrman’s Spicy Pecan Vinegar [we used red wine vinegar]
  • 1 tablespoon currants
  • 1 tablespoon unhulled sesame seeds, lightly toasted*
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix all salad ingredients together.
In a high-powered blender, blend soy milk, apple, cashews and vinegar and toss with salad.
Garnish with currants and lightly toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe: Eat To Live: Black Forest Cream of Mushroom Soup

This soup is AMAZING. We will undoubtedly make this recipe again. The Eat To Live recipes leave us full, satisfied and the soups last for at least a week in the fridge. That’s if we don’t eat it all immediately!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons water
2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms (button, shiitake, cremini), sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence [we used Italian seasonings]
5 cups carrot juice
3 cups unsweetened soy, hemp, or almond mild
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels [we used 1-15 ounce can corn]
1 cup chopped celery
3 leeks, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
1/4 cup Dr. Fuhrman’s VegiZest or other no-salt seasoning
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme [we used dried]
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary [we used dried]
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added or low-sodium white beans (northern, navy, cannellini), drained and rinsed [we used northern]
5 ounces baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the water in a large saute’ pan. Saute’ the mushrooms, garlic, and herbes de Provence for about 5 minutes, or until tender, adding more water if necessary to prevent from sticking. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, bring the carrot juice, 2 1/2 cups of the milk, the carrots, onion, corn, celery, leeks, and VegiZest to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

In a food processor or high-powered blender, purée the cashews and remaining 1/2 cup milk. Add half of the soup liquid and vegetables, the lemon juice, thyme and rosemary. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Return the pureed soup mixture to the pot. Add the beans, spinach and sautéed mushrooms. Heat until the spinach is wilted. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Additional cooking notes:

We cooked the soup and let it rest for a couple of hours on the stove. When we were ready to eat, the blending of the soup was easy because it was room temperature and much cooler to handle. Then, we reheated the soup, added the beans and spinach. We didn’t add the mushrooms to the final cooking because Jen doesn’t like mushrooms. Instead, Klint put mushrooms on the bottom of the bowl and added the soup to the top – he loved it! Jen loved it without the mushrooms!

Recipe: Eat To Live: Tomato Bisque Soup

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We really enjoyed this Eat To Live soup recipe and will definitely have again!

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
3 cups carrot juice
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, no-salt-added or low-sodium (San Marzano variety is best; lower acid and sweeter)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (omitted)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped (omitted)
1 large shallot, chopped (we used green onion)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small bay leaf
Pinch saffron
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
2 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman’s MatoZest or other no-salt seasoning
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (1 tablespoon dried basil)
5 ounces baby spinach

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the cashews, basil, and spinach. Simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Remove 2 cups of the vegetables with a slotted spoon and set aside. Puree the remaining soup and cashews in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth. Return the reserved vegetables to the pot. Stir in the basil and spinach and let the spinach wilt.