Better than Brownies Amanda :-)

Sejak kemaren sore saya bersin-bersin tanpa henti. Awalnya saya pikir hanya alergi biasa tapi saat bangun tidur pagi ini hidung terasa agak mampet dan tenggorokanpun terasa sakit. Jadilah hari ini ambil cuti sakit biar bisa istirahat. Kalau sakit saya usahakan untuk tidak minum obat dan membiarkan tubuh berperang melawan penyakit dengan sendirinya. 

Setelah melakukan yoga ringan, badan mulai terasa baikan. Istirahat sebentar terus makan siang - semangkok besar organic greens tanpa dressing yang bisa bikin kambing ngiri. Begitu selesai makan siang, badan sudah terasa segar kembali dan punya enerji lagi. Jadilah bikin brownies mentah yang memang sudah lama pingin dicoba. Ternyata rasanya tidak mengecewakan. Menurut saya brownies ini jauh lebih enak dari brownies Amanda dari Bandung yang terkenal itu. 

Brownies terenak di dunia - diadaptasi dari Raw Food Punk

Karena tidak dimasak bahan yang saya gunakan semua raw dan organic. 

- 1/2 cup pecans

- 1 cup almond pulp (ampas kacang almond sisa dari membuat susu almond - duh panjang amat terjemahannya ya)

- 5 dates

- 3 tbsp raw honey

- 1 tbsp filtered water

- 1/3 cup cacao powder

- 1 tbsp almond butter

- 1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil

- handful whole pecan, cincang kasar

Masukan semua bahan kedalam food proces­sor kecuali pecan yang sudah dicincang sampai tercampur rata dan liat. Tuang adonan ke dalam mangkok, tambahkan cincangan kacang pecan terus pindahkan adaona ke dalam loyang. Tekan sampai padat, diamkan sebentar sampai agak mengeras (biar mudah dipotong). Enjoy!

Easy Breakfast - Green Smoothie

Akhir pekan kemaren, saya dan suami pergi ke Farmer's Market sudah agak siang. Tentu saja sampai disana sudah tidak banyak pilihan lagi sayur-sayuran dan buah-buahan yang tersisa.  Alhasil green smoothie minggu ini resepnya sangat simple. Semua bahan diblender sampai halus dan mudah diseruput.  Sayuran dan buah yang digunakan semua organik.

- 1 1/2 cup air yang sudah disaring

- 2 genggam bayam 

- 2 batang celery 

- 2 fuji apel 

- lemon juice dari 1/2 emon

- 2 sendok makan raw and organic hemp seed

- 1 genggam parsley (termasuk batangnya)

- 1 peach

Chocolate Cashew Milk

I love chocolate! Well, who doesn't?!

Sejak mencoba mengkonsumsi makanan mentah dan ketagihan, saya rajin membuat susu kacang rasa coklat, tentunya dengan menggunakan cacao yang belum diolah. Rasanya jauh lebih enak dari susu coklat yang selama ini saya konsumsi dan jauh lebih sehat lagi. :-) Konon cacao mentah merupakan 1 dari 10 superfoods karena mengandung antioxidant yang tinggi, phenyl ethylamine (PEA), anandamide yang merangsang perasaan bahagia dan sumber manganese, zinc, cooper, iron, magnesium dan omega 6 fatty acids. Melihat sederet faedahnya, saya usahakan untuk menggunakan cacao mentah di dalam resep sebanyak mungkin. 

Biasanya saya menggunakan kacang almon untuk membuat susu. Karena kehabisan stok dan yang ada di pantry saat ini cuma kacang cashew, ya saya coba pakai kacang cashew. Seperti yang saya duga sebelumnya, hasilnya tidak mengecewakan. Malah saya tidak merasakan perbedaan rasa sama sekali. Yang terasa adalah susu coklat yang lezat. 

Semua bahan yang digunakan mentah, organic, tanpa gula dan tanpa perlu merasa bersalah jika minum bergelas-gelas :-)

Chocolate Cashew Milk 

1 organic cup cashew

3 cups filtered water

3 organic medjol kurma yang sudah dibuang bijinya

2 atau 3 sendok makan organic raw cacao powder 

Masukkan semua bahan ke dalam blender sampai tercampur rata. Membuat susu dari  kacang cashew lebih mudah dibandingkan membuat susu kacang almond karena tidak ada ampasnya. Takaran di resep ini menghasilkan 3 gelas (untuk ukuran gelas dalam gambar) dan bisa disimpan di lemari pendingin sampai 3 hari (kalau bisa menahan godaan untuk tidak menghabiskannya dalam sekali teguk). Haha 

Hip Vegan Cafe - Ojai

After our nice morning hike with great views of the Ojai Valley this morning, we stopped by Hip Vegan Cafe for lunch. The food was super yummy, the owner was very friendly and nice. My non-vegan husband raved about how delightful his tempe burger was. The burger was served on sprouted whole grain bun and had tomatoes, a lot of sprouts, miso mayo, onion and lettuce. It came with light and tasty salad and chips. 

I was blown away by my Hip Hip Hooray Wrap. It was a raw dish of spicy jalapeno almond pate with guacamole, sprouts, lettuce mix wrapped in collard green. It didn't look so appetizing but it was one of the best meals I've ever tried. Easily.

After lunch we visited a very cool olive tree farm and olive oil facility and walk around downtown Ojai afterwards. 

Olive tree farm

Hip Vegan Cafe

928 East Ojai Avenue

Ph. : (805) 646-1750

Ojai

Ojai Olive Oil

1811 Ladera Road

Ph.: 805 646-5964

Ojai

Nut Milk, My New Love!

Move over soy milk! I have a new love; nut milk.  

A few weeks ago, I started following a high raw diet which is consuming more than 80% uncooked food. I eat predominantly vegetables, fruits, raw seeds and nuts. Since then I have been drinking homemade nut milk almost every day. I love the taste and the creamy texture of it, especially when I add raw cacao powder to the mix to make very delicious chocolate nut milk.  


I have tried making nut milk using almonds, brazil nuts, cashew and macadamia nuts so far which all yields a very delicious and nutritious drink. While almond milk is easily accessible and probably is more economical to purchase, I prefer to make my own almond nut milk because I don't want additional ingredients that usually come along with almonds; sugar, preservatives, stabilizers or other processed ingredients.  Good news is making delicious nut milk is very simple and doesn't require a lot of ingredients or efforts. There are a lot of recipes for nut milk on the internet but the following recipe is the one that I use the most. 

Nut Milk Recipe
Ingredients: 

• 1 cup organic, raw nuts of choice, soaked at least for 8 hours
•  3 cups of filtered water or 4 cups if using macadamia or brazil nuts
•  3-4 organic medjool date (I like my milk sweet)
•  a pinch of himalayan pink salt
•  a pinch of organic, raw vanilla been powder

Method:  

• Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed or Vitamix for 1 minute or so. 
• For a smooth texture, use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to strain the mixture. Most of the time, I don't bother straining it as I like my drink creamy and thick. 
• Enjoy this delicious milk as is or add 1 tbsp raw, organic cacao powder to make creamy delicious chocolate milk or frozen strawberries/blueberries to make tasty strawberry or blueberry milk.
• Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

12 Hours in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been my lay-over point for my trip home for the past 10 years. It is the home base for Cathay Pacific, the airline that I frequently use when I fly home or to any cities in Asia. I've been to Hong Kong, beyond the airport, several times - my first visit was in the early 90s with my youngest sister where we visited most of must-see places and attractions both in HK Island and Kowloon.

Chin Lin Nunnery

On my way back from Bangalore on Wednesday, I had a 12-hour layover in Hong Kong and had a great time visiting a garden, a tea shop and a tea house. After having a quick breakfast at Crystal Jade at the airport - my flight arrived very early in the morning-, I headed to Nan Lian Garden and Chi Lin Ninnery (took Airport Express to Central then MTR to Diamond Hill Station) to enjoy the peaceful part of Hong Kong. It was sooooo nice to take a walk in the garden that is like an oasis in the middle of a bustling city. 

I spent my morning through afternoon in the garden and had a delicious lunch at Long Men Lou, a vegetarian restaurant operated by Chi Lin Nunnery. After lunch, I was tempted to have some Wuyi Yancha (Wuyi Rock Tea) at Song Cha Xie teahouse across from the restaurant but decided not to because I was planning to check out Lau Yu Fat Tea Shop anyway. 

After spending a few hours sampling delicious teas at the tea shop, I went to Museum of Tea Ware, had some dim sum and tea at Lock Cha Tea Shop before heading back to the airport.

Fall in Vancouver

I was in Vancouver for a conference this week and managed to enjoy the city a great deal. Despite experiencing not so friendly weather, I had a fabulous time! What made my trip more enjoyable and easy was the people I met. Every one was super friendly, nice and very helpful; from the immigration officer at the airport and volunteers in every station to the bus driver and people in the street and at the restaurants.


Finding something to eat was a little bit of a challenge but I managed to eat well and was happy with all the vegan food I tried and a few tea houses I visited. As shopping was not in my agenda when I travel (shopping for tea and teaware is the exception), I avoided the malls and clothing stores event though my hotel was located right in the shopping district. 

Let me bore you with my day-to-day activities in Vancouver :-)
Saturday, October 23: LA to Vancouver on Alaska Airlines. With the help of a very nice volunteer at the VYR Airport, I took Canada Line to the City Center then walked about 3 blocks to get to the hotel. Checked into Hyatt Regency Vancouver was easy. 30 minutes later I was already in a taxi to SAWA Tea Lounge for lunch and tea! After checking out the area near the restaurant, I took a bus back to downtown Vancouver then walked around the area to check on dinner options before heading back to hotel. I did some work a little bit, then went to the Urban Tea Merchant to check their teaware. Their teas are from The O Dor, which I am not a big fan of so I didn't try their teas. Dinner was the vegan version of Tagliattele Funghi and bruschetta from Italian Kitchen. 

Sunday, October 24: Had a great session in the morning at the conference. After light lunch at the hotel, I walked to Canada Place then along the promenade walkway by the harbour, passed Cardero's Restaurant where hubby and I had our first lunch in Vancouver 7 years ago. When hubby and I did this walk,  the place was busy, lively and packed with people. This time it was really quiet, damp and raining. But it's still beautiful. Lunch was veganized items from Vietnamese Restaurant CHAU Kitchen & Bar. After lunch I strolled down Robson Street toward Stanley Park. The walk could not be more perfect! I very much enjoyed the vibrant Fall leaves, damp streets, the drizzle and colorful storefront and signs of ethnics restaurants on both sides of the street. What a treat for the eyes! Stanley Park was too cold and damp for me so I went straight back toward downtown along Robson Street again and grabbed soy milk and some snacks from Whole Foods before stopping by Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar for a pot of hot tea. Dinner was a takeout from Panz Veggie Restaurant. 

Monday, October 25: A long day at the conference but had really fabulous sessions. Dinner was delicious Indian vegan food at Salam Bombay.


Tuesday, October 26: Had great session throughout again ended with group dinner at Dockside Restaurant at Granville Island. 


Wednesday, October 27: Morning session was again superb. The conference ended before noon. I planed to have lunch and tea at SAWA Tea Lounge again. But this time, instead taking a taxi, I walked to the foot of Hornby Street then hopped on the boat over the Granville Island. SAWA Tea was not too far from Granville Island. After lunch I went back to Granville Island to visit Public Market and picked up some marinated olives - one of which was huge distinct bright red olive and giant emerald green olive - (which I later learned that they are from the family of Bella di Cerignola Olives) and artichoke which were delicious - all from Duso's Italian Food. 

Before leaving the market I grabbed a bar of handmade dark chocolate (71%) from artisan chocolatier Wim Tas of ChololaTas. It was the only dairy free bar available at the store. The taste was strong and intense but good! This bar is thick so I will enjoy one section of it at a time.


Wanted to check out the neighborhood near Granville Island, I walked west a couple of blocks then stopped by T Tearoom for a cup of tea. Went back to Granvile Island to enjoy warm Vancouver while watching boats, people and kids chasing seagulls at the deck before heading back slowly to hotel. I did some work a little bit in the hotel room until dinner time. Too tired to look for new restaurants that offer vegan options, I went back to Chau Kitchen & Bar for dinner.  

Thursday, October 28: After breakfast, I walked around the hotel for some fresh air then picked up some fresh fruits and bread from Urbane Fare. Checked out, took Canada Line back to the airport to catch the afternoon flight home. It was an enjoyable and a fabulous trip. 

French Riviera and Monaco - Part 1

Antibes and Cannes
Greetings from Paris! Writing a quick recap of our weekend from my hotel room before I forget all the details about it. 

What a wonderful time we had this past weekend. My husband and I, my sister, her husband and their adorable children left Bergues early morning on Friday to catch our morning flight from CDG Airport to Nice. As soon as we exited Nice Cote d'Azur Airport, we were greeted by gorgeous weather, perfect blue sky, beautiful beaches - felt like we're at home in California! After we checked into  La Perouse, we headed straight to Antibes, located halfway between Nice and Cannes. 

We enjoyed our walk from the harbor -filled with multi-million dollar yachts- through the old town while snacking some baguettes that hubby bought from a bakery that seemed to be popular amongst locals which turned out to be really good baguettes.


Had a decent lunch at a vegetarian restaurant, Chez Helen (for my husband an me), my sister and her family enjoyed their lunch at a nearby restaurant because their kids couldn't find anything they wanted at Chez Helen. 

A visit to Le Marche Provencal - covered farmers' market in the heart of the Old Town was the highlight of the day for me. Marche Provencal was a fabulous market of local specialities; fresh cheese, olives, fruits, vegetables, honey, potpourri, spices and herbs, etc. 

This gentleman sells the best olive tapenade ever. And it was vegan! He assured me (well he told my niece as I don't speak French) that he wasn't using any animal products in the recipe. The black one especially is to die for! Bought a lot of them (me thinking enjoying it with fresh baguette) in case I can only eat salad when we go to restaurants during our stay in France. 

After a quick trip to see the exterior wall of Musee Picasso, we didn't have the time to explore and to see inside, we left Antibes and continued our drive to Cannes. 

Cannes, here we come! We did what most tourists do; strolling along the Promenade de la Croisette, home to many designer boutiques and run into the Palais des Festivals et des Congres - where the Cannes International Film Festival takes place.

taking some pictures ...

Enjoying the narrow streets of Rue du Suquet and Rue St Antoine in the old quarter. 

We also walked up the hill around the fortress of old Cannes and enjoying this beautiful and breathtaking panoramic view of Cannes from the top of du Suquet.

After a long walk around Old Cannes, we went to the beach so that my niece and nephew could play a little bit. 

It was already late by the time we arrived back in Nice so we went straight to get some food. Unfortunately finding a table for six on Friday night in Nice proved to be challenging. Every restaurant was packed with people and the wait was long! We ended up eating at Cote Sud, a restaurant with the shortest wait. The food was not good at all. Hence it had the shortest list - I assumed. Oh well. Since we had a really nice time today, our dinner experience will be soon forgotten.

Penne pasta with tempe and tomato sauce

As Indonesian, I grew up eating tempeh throughout my life; fried tempeh (tempe goreng), rice flour-battered tempeh (tempe mendoan), stir-fried tempeh (orak arik tempe), marinated tempeh (tempe bacem), tempeh cooked with chilli sauce (sampal tempe) etc.  When I switched to plant-based diet in July, I started using tempeh in my pasta sauce. One of my favorite recipes is this easy and yummy pasta sauce. 

For the pasta:
-Cook as per directions on the package. I  used organic, vegan penne. 

For the sauce: 

Adapted from here

- strained tomatoes (I used Pomi)

- onion, chopped

- garlic, minced

- 4 roma tomatoes, chopped

- maple syrup

- apple cider vinegar

- himalayan pink salt

- sambal Oelek

- tempe, cubed (I love Organic flax from Lightlife) 

Directions:

- simmer all ingredients in a pot 

- once it boils, add tempe to the pot

- stir often until the tempe absorbs the sauce and breaks into small pieces 

- pour into the cooked pasta, add fresh spinach and arugula, toss well

- stir in chopped fresh basil

3 Days in Seattle

Hubby and I travelled to Seattle for the weekend. It was a lot of fun and relaxing. Glad we built our trip around food and tea. Seattle is definitely a gourmet heaven for us. Here is an overview of the trip.

We arrived in Seattle around 9:00 a.m. on Friday and took the Light Rail to Westlake Station which was about 2.5 blocks from Hyatt at Olive 8.  We were starving when we arrived at our hotel. So I did a quick freshen-up then walked to Wild Ginger for our 11:30 a.m. lunch reservation. After lunch visited Robert Fornell studio in a beautiful setting of Lake Washington to pick up a couple of chawan. Stopped by the hotel to dropped off the chawan before strolling downtown then to Belltown neighborhood. Had dinner at Zoe -the food was phenomenal-. Walked around the neighborhood after dinner toward the Space Needle. Spent the rest of the evening enjoying the incredibly breathtaking view of downtown Seattle, suburban area and the water in three different settings; with late afternoon sun over the city, on sunset and at night.  Took the monorail back to downtown. 

We woke up early the next day and had breakfast at the hotel's Urbane Restaurant which was surprisingly delicious. Spent the morning on the 2-hour Pike Place Market food tour. (We're not big fans of arranged tour but would highly recommend this one). What a great way to explore the market and learn historical info! Tried delicious food from 10 great places during the tour that included dangerously delicious donut,  savory Russian piroshky pastries and renowned chef Tom Douglas' mini crab cake. Didn't need to get lunch after that. 

Late that day we took a bus to Ballard neighborhood. Walked around downtown Ballard, stopped by The Market Arms Pub in Ballard to take a peek at US vs England WC game on the way to Ballard Locks. Enjoyed outdoor concert performed by Highline Community Symphony Band at Ballard Locks. Ended our afternoon in Ballard with delicious Spring 2010 Oolong Teas from Taiwan with Shiuwen at her Floating Tea Leaves Teashop. Dinner at Green Leaf for a flavorful Vietnamese feast. Took a quick swim before going to bed and enjoyed a lap pool all to myself. 

Come Sunday, breakfast was back at hotel's Urbane Restaurant for its yummy zucchini & cheese frittata. Went back to Pike Place Market to pick up some goodies to take home from Beechers Handmade cheese, Chukar Cherries; Market Spice and Pappardelles' Pasta. Stopped by Le Panier for its super yummy croissant and pastries before exploring the market again. Lunch was a cup of award winning chowder for hubby and scallop bisque for me from Pike Place Chowder. Relaxed at the waterfront near the market and watched the bustle of Pike Market on Sunday. Had an early dinner at Etta's, then stopped by a Native American Art Galleries to see Northwestern Coast Native American art and artifacts on the way back to our hotel. Checked out from hotel, took the Light Rail to the airport to catch our 7:00 p.m. flight back to LA. A very eventful and enjoyable trip indeed.