Raw as a rainbow…

I went to a raw food restaurant in Hillcrest today. It’s called Cilantro Live! Have you seen it? It’s right there in the heart of Hillcrest on 5th next to the Starbucks.

I was a raw restaurant virgin. I never would have gone there (in about a million years) if it weren’t for my deliciously healthy and in-the-know sister-in-law Anisa.

She runs. She detoxes. She wanted to have lunch with me there, so I’m glad it worked out for us on a post-heatwave Thursday.

Anisa told me that Cilantro Live is famous for their Heavenly Tacos, so that’s what I got. Heavenly tacos are: “Two tacos served with Mexican wild rice. Folded green tortillas filled with nut-meat, avocado, salsa fresca, lettuce and sour cream.”

And I also ordered their Cleansing Cocktail of beet, carrot, apple, celery and a hint of parsley. Next time I would have them add a little fresh lemon juice to brighten it up. The juice tasted really earthy and grassy, but I was willing to put up with it since I knew it was good for me.

Inside it is very green.

As for the tacos, I pretty much ate every bite. I liked the nuttiness of the “meat” and the dish overall had a zesty, full flavor. Again, if I got such a dish at a “regular” restaurant, I would have found it lackluster and odd. But since I knew that it was fitting into the raw, vegan concept, I ate it up heartily and counted it as my good healthy karma for the day. (Okay, month…)

(Anisa has tried a lot of the menu items at Cilantro Live. Besides the juice blends, she favors the Nopalitos, Thai Salad, and the Cilantro Live Guacamole.

It felt weird to eat so healthy. Quite unnatural, actually. And eating raw seems like a helluva lot of work. I’m not sure I’d go back to Cilantro Live! on my own, but not because they aren’t doing their particular thing well. I guess I just am not a raw girl (except when it comes to sashimi).

Anyway, it’s good to know that raw food can be done creatively and conveniently in central San Diego. I bet there’s a whole big group of people who are beyond thrilled about this addition to the SD food scene.

What do you think of raw food restaurants? If you’ve never been, are you totally opposed?

~Beth

I really love Ellie Krieger’s show on the Food Network and I wish she would come out with a cookbook already!

Her show, Healthy Appetitie with Ellie Krieger, showcases exactly how I like to eat - fresh, colorful, wholesome ingredients, whole grains, and an emphasis on health without compromising good taste.

I want/plan to make almost everything she demos on the show, but the main recipe that I’ve loved so far and have made several times is Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce.

You put all this yummy oniony, peppery goodness into the blender with feta and a bit of broth and that’s all there is to it!

It combines my love of roasted bell peppers with the lowfat creaminess of feta coating whole wheat noodles. I use the Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat fettuccine which gives the perfect nutty heartiness without the cardboard dryness that sometimes characterizes whole grain pastas.

You should try it for yourself!

~Beth

I like my drinks iced, even in the Winter, and I like them cold-steeped. With tea, the cold-steeping process produces less bitterness, especially from green teas.

Like the Toddy coffee situation, I love that I only have to make my favorite beverage every few days. And again, brewing in a reusable pitcher means I reduce my ridiculous “carbon footprint” because I’m not buying bottles of prebrewed tea from the store.

(I’m all for recycling and using less packaging, but I hate the term “carbon footprint.” Ironically, I seem to be the main person using that term lately.)

The cold-steeping process is totally passive. I bought this little cold-steeping pitcher at Infusions of Tea in La Jolla for about $15. And I get my tea in bags at Trader Joe’s.

I like experimenting with various combinations of flavors. I usually do half plain black tea and half flavored, such as Mango or Ginger Peach. Or, I do half plain green tea and half Pomegranate green tea. I put 12-14 tea bags total. I’m still experimenting with this number, but I’m certain there’s no exact process to it. It all tastes good to me!

You put the bags (or loose leaf tea, which is why I originally started brewing tea this way) in the little removable part of this pitcher. Then put the pitcher in your fridge overnight, or for only about 6 hours for green tea. Squirt some lemon in after you pour it over ice and you’re ready to refresh!

Any other cold-steepers out there?

~Beth

One of the first things I ever blogged about was how I’d never had a single cup of coffee in my life.

Well, I’m here today to apologize to the Universe, the Coffee Gods, and the humble java bean for my former ignorance. I was stupid. Very, very stupid.

And I have A LOT of time to make up for!

My sister Amy (also a recent convert to coffee) gave me my first hot cup of coffee homemade in her kitchen back in March. I’ve hardly skipped a day since, although I have gone through various incarnations in how I drink my coffee, how I sweeten it, what kinds of creamers I’ve used, and where I get my coffee fix.

It was nice of me to wear a shirt that matches my blog as I sipped my first cup of coffee at Amy’s house:

(What!?! You’ve never blingeed before? Hmmm…)

I think I’ve finally figured it all out now - thanks to our friend Kelsey (by the way, CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement, Kelsey and Amanda!) introducing me to the Toddy Cafe Cold Brew Coffee System.

This lovely device cold steeps your coarse grinds into a tasty coffee concentrate that has 1/3 of the acid of traditionally brewed coffee, as well as less caffeine (I’m not sure how much less) and no burnt taste. It’s pure coffee goodness and it’s changed my life!

I prefer my coffee iced year-round, so it’s perfect for me because you keep the “Toddy coffee” in your fridge and simply add ice, sweetener, creamer, and however much water you’d like to use to dilute to your personal taste.

You can also use Toddy coffee to make hot coffee and all you have to do is add hot water. No coffee is wasted because it keeps for 2 weeks in your fridge and each person in your household can add water to suit their own tastes.

The Toddy produces enough coffee to last me one week. So I only have to worry about brewing coffee and cleaning “a machine” every week or so. I hated cleaning my drip coffee maker every day. A waste of time, water, dish soap, energy, etc.

Watch the coffee drip and get ready to sip it up!

I use a pound of Trader Joe’s Organic Fair Trade Sumatra beans (pictured at the top of this post), fresh and coarsely ground at the store. After you set up the grounds and the water in the Toddy system, you let it steep for 12 hours on your counter, then remove the stopper and let it press and drain into the provided carafe. Pop the top on the carafe, put it in the fridge, and you’re set with the best coffee around!

The taste is addictive, clean, pure coffee yumminess. I add a little whole milk, sugar (or a squirt of agave nectar as I’ve taken to doing lately), ice, water, stir, and I’m done.

I also get to be a little High and Mighty because I’m “shrinking my carbon footprint” (UGH! Give me a break!) by using my own glasses at home and breaking the Starbucks cycle. Priceless!

But seriously, I highly recommend the Toddy to almost all coffee drinkers. Amanda told me that Bruegger’s Bagels uses Toddy coffee for their iced coffees, if you want to try out the taste before you get your own. My sister’s converted to the Toddy lifestyle, too, and I’m hoping that, with this blog post, Toddy coffee will start to take over the world!

~Beth

Tart yogurt is a crazy craze right now. If you haven’t tried it or don’t even know about it, you really need to get out more.

No offense.

Pinkberry - I’ve tried it twice (the one in Temecula on the way back from Vegas trips). Why does Temecula get a Pinkberry before San Diego proper? I’m already having nightmares about the quiet little corner in Hillcrest where the Pinkberry is going to be - crowds, parking scarcities, etc. I like the simple formulaicness of Pinkberry - it’s very neat and tidy, easy to order, easy to eat, smooth, tasty, refreshing, and good. The taste is not very creamy, almost airy. It’s not surprising that Pinkberry is having some issues with explaining exactly what is in their yogurt.

Yogurt World - Daniel and I both prefer Yogurt World’s taste, toppings (especially the mochi balls!), and their serve-yourself system. But we don’t prefer being squished in wrap-around lines and driving in circles for parking. So we made a rule that we would no longer go to Yogurt World after sunset - it’s just too mobbed. So if we’re going to brave that parking lot after dark it will be for burger and beer at O’Brien’s. By the way, if Yogurt World is out of mochi balls, we don’t even bother to go. I’ve actually called ahead several times to make sure they have mochi in stock before we drive down there. Now that’s when you know you are food-obsessed! We like all of their tarts flavors (except Green Tea - too grassy/earthy) and we’ve finally figured out (through much caloric experimentation) the perfect mochi to yogurt ratio. I also add shredded coconut, but Daniel stays with just the mochis. Fruit is just way too healthy for us most of the time. Besides, the yogurt itself is fruity, right?

The Yog(art) Scene

Yog(art) - In Hillcrest, we visited Yog(art) on only its 3rd day in business. I first noticed it Friday night as I was picking up Mama Testa’s to bring home to the exhuasted husband. After dinner on Saturday night, we went to Yog(art) and tried it out.

My best explanation of it is that Yog(art)’s vibe and product are like a combination of Pinkberry and Yogurt World. It’s not self-serve. The toppings, cups, and pricings are almost identical to Pinkberry. But they are going to get mochi balls soon (yes, we asked!) which I don’t think Pinkberry will ever have. We got a mix of the Mango and Plain tart flavors with raspberry, mango, and coconut toppings. The mango flavor is complex and satisfying. I don’t think they offered granola, which is one of the toppings I actually really like to get at Pinkberry.

I’d say the best part about Yog(art) and what gives it the best chance of ka-ching success and longevity is that it’s a big, friendly, open, welcoming space with tons of seating and free wi-fi. There’s a fun, festive atmosphere with free board games to borrow while you hang out and black-and-white movie projected on the big space over the front door. The location is great - I can definitely see stopping by there after eating dinner at Ono Sushi or Mama Testa’s or anywhere in the area. The service was extremely friendly and I think they’re going to be able to capitalize on the tart yogurt craze in a way that everyone can enjoy.

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And here’s a new feature to Zen Foodism - the Husband Cam. Like most women, I’m verbose and my communications are nuanced (which might be a friendly way to say “over-explained”). But my beloved engineer-minded husband Daniel is succinct and extremely confident in his opinions. He’s also even pickier about food than I am.

Here’s what he has to say about tart yogurt in San Diego, and Yog(art) in particular:

Husband Cam: “I think Yog(art) has a great location and good flavor, but I prefer the self-serve aspect of Yogurt World. And, for me, mochi is a must-ee.”

***

What’s your favorite tart yogurt joint?

~Beth