Posts tagged ‘vegan’

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November 11, 2009

Promise Pizza

Promise Pizza

There are two AMAZING things about Promise Pizza:

1) Gluten-Free Pizza Crust:

- Smart Flour (amaranth flour, tapioca flour, teff flour), water, sweet white sorghum flour, modified tapioca starch, potato starch, eggs, olive oil, honey, yeast, sugar, xanthan gum, guar gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda

MUCH better for you than regular crust!

2) Vegan cheese WITHOUT casein, soy, lactose, gluten, egg, wheat, barley, corn, whey, rice, or nuts

What IS in it then? Plant-based ingredients. The full list of ingredients:

Purified water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola and/or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, natural flavors (derived from plants), xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, vegan enzymes (no animal rennet or animal enzymes), vegan bacterial cultures, citric acid (for flavor), annatto.

For more info: http://www.daiyafoods.com/products.html

So Promise Pizza is active on twitter (@promisepizza), and excited, energetic co-founder (of 4) Suzanne tweeted me suggesting I come give it a shot. I invented an excuse to head up to Round Rock (ok, I really had to be there, but NOW I’ll start inventing excuses) and was floored by Suzanne. It’s a labor of love for her, and the three other founders, and they really just wanted to make good pizza. Maybe that’s the third AMAZING thing about Promise Pizza. The brains behind it have no background in restaurant, retail, nothing. Two of the investors own a wind energy firm in town. They just wanted to make happy pizza as eco-friendly as possible. They deliver in Smart Cars. Recycle everything. Have cane-juice-sweetened drinks (erm … I mean, if you’re gonna have sugar, it’s better than HFCS). Gotta love all that.

But on to the pizza. Pictured above is a Nature’s Choice, with Daiya, Tomato, Portobello Mushroom, Black Olives, Red Onion, Green Pepper, Basil on gluten-free crust. And it is delicious. It was also a little too sweet for me. At first I thought it might be the cheese, but turns out the cheese is just fantastic. Then maybe the crust. Turns out the crust is crispy-crunchy and just salty enough. It definitely wasn’t the delicious, perfectly-prepped veggies who retained the slightest firmness while melding into the pizza. So I deduced with my pizza powers that the sauce was too sweet for me, and upon looking on the web at the ingredients, I discover why:

Tomato Sauce: Ground Tomato, Herbs, Garlic, Sugar

I kid you not, this pizza would have been absolutely perfect for me were it not for the too-sweet sauce. Even the black olive bombs (in honor of my missing Vermocoloradoan) in all their salty glory couldn’t counteract the sweet. BUT don’t be fooled, I still ate the entire damn thing (except one piece my mom later enjoyed) in one sittingdriving back to Austin.

For those of you lucky enough to live in RR (did I just say that?), they offer a KILLER lunch special–personal pizza (8″) + drink for only $5.95!!

They plan to open a downtown spot within six months. Can’t wait! In the meantime, it looks like I have a lot of, uh, work to do … in Round Rock … near Grimes Blvd …

Promise Pizza
1500 A. W. Grimes Blvd.
Suite #410
Round Rock, TX, 78664
(512) ORGANIC

Promise Pizza box

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May 27, 2009

Cheer Up Charlie’s Grand Opening

Cheer Up Charlie's Grand Opening

Finally our hippie town is getting the food to match! I’ve heard great things about their coconut milk drinks served in a coconut, cacao drinks, and goji-berry-stuffed raw chocolate, but there’s more to come too! The east side is getting so hot …

… And Happy 25th Birthday to a certain June bride …

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February 3, 2009

El Greco < Raw Food Bar at Whole Foods

I’d been wanting to try El Greco for awhile, ever since my mom met the head chef and told me how nice he was and that I needed to go try his restaurant. It’s on 31st & Guadalupe, behind the Mangia–which is a disadvantage for me, because I’d rather eat the delicious Mangia pizza I know and love than strange food I haven’t yet identified with–but on a cold Saturday I bypassed my standby and popped into El Greco for lunch.

I like Greek food, especially the seasonings on the meat, but as I now only eat free-range, I am limited to the vegetarian or vegan options–vegan?! That’s rare! I was initially impressed by the number of vegetarian options, including a delicious-sounding casserole of sorts. Unfortauntely, at $15, it hardly seemed like a prudent lunch choice. Instead I went for the vegan plate, which ended up being $13 anyway. I had severalchoices, but I ended up with some of the veggie casserole, a salad, and tabouleh. I wanted the hummus but was trying to avoid white bread and they don’t have whole wheat pitas, so I went all veg.

Of course, my dish arrived with pitas anyway. Jerks! ;-)

The woman who brought out the food was very attentive, wanted to know how everything was, and generally just eager to please, which is nice. The food, while good, was not great. My veggie casserole was a bit greasy, which was disappointing. A friend’s gyro was good but she didn’t rave about it. Another’s stuffed peppers were also good, but not rave worthy. Which might be fine, if our dishes were $2 or $3 cheaper. But when you’re paying a premium for lunch, you expect greatness. And I’m sad to report that El Greco disappointed.

Which isn’t to say that you shouldn’t go there. It fits a nice niche of “nice” food that’s quick and easy, a nice place to dine without having to dress up but being better than fast food. If that’s what you’re looking for, by all means, check out El Greco. The staff is sweet and the food good enough.

But I’m pretty sure I’ll be taking my $13 to the raw foods bar at Whole Foods–I just discovered that they serve entrees! They have a delicious Pad Thai served over zuchinni noodles, and you can stick to the raw or they’ll sautee your veggies for just a little warmth over the raw noodles. Amazing!! I want to go back and try the other dishes as well…

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January 28, 2009

Daily Juice Cafe

Hello! I’m Lisa, and I’m often mentioned as one of Lyssa’s “companions” when she blogs. I’m now getting my own voice!

I started counting down the days to the Daily Juice Café opening last spring, after a Daily Juicer on a party boat told me about the plans for a full restaurant. Daily Juice smoothies are original, brilliant, and delicious, so I couldn’t wait to see what they would come up with outside the blender. Plus, all the food is vegan and raw- a tough find at a restaurant, even in Austin.

My first visit did not disappoint. My friend and I stood at the counter reading and rereading the menu aloud, unable to decide what to order. Fortunately for us, the staff was all too happy to help. One guy recommended the cheese enchiladas and a BBQ coconut sandwich. After a debate over cheese vs. mole enchiladas, we settled on one order of each. Plus a side of chips and salsa, two cups of butternut squash soup, and two shots of locally made peach-habanero kombucha. (Note: This was definitely way too much food, but that’s what happens when you’re indecisive!)
Kombucha shots in hand, we happily made our way to a table to wait for the rest of our meal. The chips and salsa came first, and I immediately declared them to be my favorite chips ever. They were unlike any chip I’ve had before: made of some magical combination of yams and other root vegetables, they were thin and crisp, but not quite crunchy, with just a touch of sweetness. The salsa had more of a pico de gallo consistency, but was delicious as well.

Chips & Salsa at Daily Juice Cafe

Next came the soup and enchiladas. I am sorry to say that I was not a fan of this soup. It was thick (ok for butternut squash soup), but with an almost gritty texture (not ok). It seemed like there was too much of a certain spice, but we couldn’t quite put our fingers on what it was.

Cheese Enchiladas

However, the enchiladas more than made up for the soup. Each plate came with two enchiladas topped with sauce and a generous heap of fresh guacamole. Under the sauce, they were virtually the same: coconut-cilantro tortillas stuffed with kale, onion, and zucchini. This cheese- which was really not cheese at all (remember, all vegan!)- tasted better than actual cheese. Smooth, creamy, and light- it complimented the flavors of the enchilada without taking over. The mole was a bit heavier and spicier, but still delicious.

As I mentioned, this was definitely more than enough food. But that didn’t stop us from clearing our plates (except for my soup) and finishing off the last little bits of heavenly chips. The menu is a bit on the expensive side ($9-$13 for entrees), but I think it’s well worth it for a delicious, healthy meal. In fact, I can’t wait to go back to try the Texicali Tacos (made with walnut chorizo!), or possibly the BBQ coconut sandwich that we passed up last time.

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November 19, 2008

FREE everything at Progress Coffee!

Progress Coffee is giving away FREE EVERYTHING tomorrow!

I’ve never heard of such a thing! But from 6:30am to 7pm tomorrow, Thursday, everything on the menu at Progress is FREE. That’s free drinks, pastries, waffles with nutella, salads, paninis and wraps! They are asking that that customers consider making a donation to Bread for the World and/or the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. All the proceeds from the day will go to the charities. The hip joint on East Fifth has a great selection of magazines and friendly baristas, plus a porch that’s fun to sit on if you like views of old tires …

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November 8, 2008

Sunday Afternoon Veggie Chili Cook-Off

They may bill it as the Vegetarian Chili Cook-Off, but all the chili actually has to be vegan! It’s just $8 to sample all the chilis there, and teams get wild with their booth decorations and themes. Sunday from 12-4 at the Historic Austin Farmer’s Market 6701 Burnet Rd. There are also door prizes, live entertainment, and educational booths!
For more information: http://www.lsvn.org/

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October 24, 2008

Cookie Lounge – Hello Candied Serrano Pepper

Candied serrano peppers.

Sure, the dough is good, the customizing thing is good, the choices are good … yeah, Cookie Lounge is good. But the candied serrano peppers make the place great. They make your cookie fantastic.

I had the gluten-free dough, which is made with amaranth–an ancient grain that’s so super good for you. It’s high in protein and digested slowly by your body, as opposed to white flour. I put in mine the candied serrano peppers, dark chocolate pieces, and toffee. It was very, very good, and not too sweet. The spice lent the heavier dough a gingerbread-like taste, but I don’t know how much resemblance it has sans serrano.

Astonishingly enough, my complaint with the other cookies was too sweet! They’re good, for sure, but even of the peanut butter I could only take a bite; the second bite overwhelmed me. My friend ordered a cookie with brown sugar butter dough with snickers, dark chocolate, and something else, with a white chocolate drizzle, and while a bite of it was tasty, it was definitely overwhleming.

Last time, I wrote about the milks being locally sourced. Still hoping that’s true, because I drank one, and their milk mixes or milkshakes or whatever are delish–chocolate-covered cherry is what I enjoyed.

The owner/chef is Mark Chapman, former chef at the Driskill. He is an amazingly passionate man, will bend your ear all day about cookies and gluten-free dough and how excited he is to see his dream come true. You know anything coming out of the kitchen is high quality and made with a lot of care, as he speaks excitedly of French butter or some kind of fancy vanilla.

So, my verdict is this: definitely go to cookie lounge. It’s an experience, and you can get exactly what you want. But DO exercise a little restraint, as throwing all the things you love into one cookie won’t necessarily make the best cookie you’ve ever had.

After all, I have to go back at least to try the vegan gluten-free dough–I didn’t get a chance to, so I need to go back!

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September 14, 2008

Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop

Mmmmm more cupcakes. I know I’ve blogged about quite a few cupcake places, and my reviews are usually pretty good. I mean, it’s pretty hard to screw up a cupcake. (Well, that’s not really true, because Hey! Cupcake figured out how pretty easily) But after all the buzz Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop has been getting, in the name of journalism I had to investigate …

The cake melted in my mouth. And was gooey. And fudgey. It astonished me. I am not a cake girl. I will happily eat the icing off the top of cakes or cupcakes and leave the cake to someone else. I am an icing girl. But this cake … this cake was incredible. How could it be melty and gooey and fudgey all at once? I marveled at this as I licked the last bits off the cupcake paper. It was that absurd. I was licking the paper. I had taken the thing to go, and almost turned my car right back around to buy another.

I ordered the peanut butter cup, a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. The icing, in contrast to the fantastic cake, pretty much sucked. It had very little flavor other than sugary-sweet, and it was a weird texture–way too airy, way too light to be buttercream, as it advertised itself. The shop also offers cream cheese icings, but there’s only so much cupcake a girl’s waistline can take. At one sitting.

That’s another thing. These babies don’t come cheap. The cupcake is really small, like the kind you bake yourself, and at $2.50, seem a bit overpriced. Personally, I’m happy to pay that much and have less to eat–I consider it a sort of portion control, because lord knows I can’t do that on my own. But savvy consumers will be hesitant to pay that much for the small cake. It’s worth it though, at least once.

I’d also recommend sitting in the South First shop, as it’s super cute with red-and-white decor, friendly servers, and a fun, adventurous menu. They offer six regulars, and a host of rotating options. Some of the more exciting cupcake offerings include a Black & Tan Guinness cake with Irish cream frosting (Wed & Fri), French Toast (Thurs & Sat), or the Elvis banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting and gold dust (Tues & Fri).

I can’t vouch for this personally, but I hear the molasses cookie is heavenly.

Short of that incredible cupcake from Sprinkles (remember to vote for an Austin location!), Sugar Mama’s is now my vote for best cupcake in Austin! Of course, I will never quit my search for the best … I’ll just be going to the gym/trail a little more often.

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June 20, 2008

Weekend Calendar

There’s a lot going on this weekend! Here’s a calendar:

Friday: Roger Creager at Midnight Rodeo

Texas music classic, big dance floor, $10 cover, $2.75 Coors Light, $3.25 Crown Royal … what more could you really want from Friday night?

SATURDAY

10am-1pm: As always, sand volleyball at Zilker starting at 10 am. atxvb.com for more info, but really, just show up and play.

Splitting Time Between:

Veggie Dog Eating Contest at Scholz Garten from 1 to 4pm

The best thing to happen to vegetarians since … I don’t know. Anyway, iLoveMikeLitt is some strange social and cultural organization that just throws parties as far as I can tell, but they’re throwing this shindig and there’s still time to sign up to compete! If you just want to watch, it’s $5 for a veggie dog and unlimited vegan ice cream. Local vegetarian celebs (like Deb O’Keefe from 101X) will be on hand for the revelry. Do512 is offering $1 off of the $5 cover if you RSVP through the site.

Clarksville Cookout at West Austin park from 1 – 3pm

The Clarksville neighborhood is trying to create a sense of community with their website, and now a cookout! There will be limited, but delicious, quantities of hot dogs, water, soda, and even some treats for dogs. They’re also giving away t-shirts to the first 35 people.

SummerFest at Guero’s from noon to 9:30pm!

mrandmrsmays is a crazy group, so much fun to watch. The rest of the lineup is pretty stellar too:

SummerFest flyer

Have a great weekend!

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June 10, 2008

Sittin’ in Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse

Driving over here, I realized why people love Starbucks so much. I was nervous. Nervous to go to a freakin’ coffeeshop! But I didn’t want to look like the newbie. Regulars are nestled into their fave tables with their laptops and “the usual,” and I didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. I briefly contemplated re-routing myself to the nearest Starbucks. And then I realized how ridiculous I was being, and how much I wanted to try Bouldin Creek’s breakfasts, made with free-range eggs. Or possibly their vegetarian or vegan food.

So now I sit at this table, working happily, my belly full of delicious bagel sammich and tea. I’m certain I look like a regular to anyone who comes in after me. Mission accomplished! And I feel silly for being intimidated.

So on to my thoughts of Bouldin Creek: I ordered a Tokyo Fog, which is green tea chai with vanilla soymilk–delicious and served at a perfect temperature, which is pretty amazing. For breakfast, I ordered the special: a whole wheat bagel sammich with a patty of free-range egg, spinach, and Swiss gruyere cheese melted together. Aside from being way too greasy, it was quite tasty. Next time I’ll try something else, though, and ask for them to use as little oil as possible. I mean, this thing took TWO napkins to eat!

The atmosphere is pretty chill, I’m inside right now, but they have a substantial number of patios and outdoor seating and covered outdoor seating and such. They also have the requisite game/book bookshelf, which is cool for people that are just hanging out. Obviously they have free wi-fi, since I’m posting this. The staff is typical coffeeshop–a little funky, sometimes scruffy, definitely unique–and super nice. I like the place so far …

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