Banana & Strawberry Chia Pudding

I normally start my mornings with about 2 cups of green smoothie. While smoothies fill me up, they don't hold me over until lunch time. So this chia seed pudding comes to the rescue. And it has become my favorite morning snack at work. I like the jelly texture of soaked chia seeds and I can make tons of variations by using different kinds of fruits (fresh or frozen), nuts or seeds. The possibilities are endless. It is very easy to prepare, super healthy, and delicious! This pudding is also great for dessert - like this one which I prepared as soon as I got home from the farmers market with 3 baskets of organic strawberries this afternoon. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow morning to enjoy this juicy and sweet strawberries. Excellent pudding toppings! 


3 tablespoons raw, organic chia seeds
1 1/2 cups almond milk or any milk of choice 
pinch of pink himalayan salt
pinch of cinnamon
1 organic banana
5 fresh organic strawberries 
a handful organic raisin


Soak chia seeds in almond milk for at least 2 hours or overnight, stir often for the first 15 minutes to prevent clumping. Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with banana, strawberries and raisin. 

Quinoa & Shiitake Salad

It's Friday evening, I am hungry, I don't want a take-out, and I don't feel like eating out alone (hubby is on a business trip). So what's for dinner? There is not much left in my fridge on Friday - I go to Farmers Market every Saturday and/or Sunday, and only buy veggies and fruits for a one-week consumption. So dinner will have to be whatever left there. Glad I have quinoa, a staple in my kitchen that had become my go-to food since I became vegan. 


Quinoa & Shiitake Salad 
- 1/4 cup organic quinoa, cooked per directions
- 1 cup organic shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tbsp raw, organic coconut oil
- a splash of coconut aminos
- 1 garlic, crushed
- 5 leaves organic kale, chopped
- lots of organic greens
- organic cherry tomatoes


Directions
Saute shiitake mushrooms in coconut oil
Add crushed garlic and kale when the mushroom starts to wilt
Pour in the coconut animos then stir 
Turn off the head then add cooked quinoa and tomatoes. Toss together
Arrange greens on a plate than add the mushrooms and quinoa mix. 
Enjoy with a lot of smiles

True Food Kitchen

We finally tried True Food Kitchen at Santa Monica Place 4 months after it opened.  While TFK is not a vegan restaurant, it offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dishes - even though only 3 vegan items listed on the menu. I asked about several non-vegan items on the menu to see if they could be made vegan. The server said yes. Good to know for future reference. 

For appetizer, I had Shiitake & Tofu Lotus Cups with ginger, cashew and garlic sauce (pictured above) and melon and goat cheese salad for my hubby. My shiitake and tofu lotus cups were delicious! I could have 2 orders of those for my main.

Hubby had a ravioli dish which he liked. I didn't remember what's in the ravioli though. For my main, I had their organic tomato and roasted vegetable pizza, which was pretty good. 

We rarely order dessert when eating out unless we know for sure the restaurant we visit really has great dessert. But when I looked up their dessert menu and found several vegan dessert; I was tempted. We ended up with two orders to share; dairy free pomegranate sorbet and dairy free chocolate pudding with pistachio and walnut. The sorbet was so refreshing and delicious. It was gone in an instant. The chocolate pudding is also yummy and very rich. 

Overall I am happy. The food is tasty, the service is friendly and the place is beautiful and spacious! Since hubby and I spend our weekends in Santa Monica often, this would be the perfect place for both of us. 

True Food Kitchen

395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 172

Santa Monica, CA 90401

310-593-8300