Vegan London. VitaOrganic. Puppy Rescue. Radius talking to Pj.

Vitao

Vitaorganic

020.7734.8936

Soho, 74 Wardour St.

Soho, UK, W1F 0

When we walked into this little place in Soho, we were immediately drawn to all the wood & the incredibly vibrant food.  But the first time we looked at the menu we got really confused.  There were "menu items", different sizes of plates, a buffet, a plate with a "main", etc...so we walked out because a family of four was behind us & we didn't want to keep them waiting.  The funny thing was that we walked back in several minutes later, and the family of four was still trying to figure it out.  

As far as I could tell, most people just do the "buffet", which here means pile whatever you want on your plate-one time.  It's not American after all.  You could also pay more & order a buffet with what they considered to be a "main" dish, but it seemed pretty unecessary.

There was one pretty much "raw" food bar & then one that mostly had cooked & steamed veggies, rices, curried veggies & really nourishing, simple cooked foods.  I chose the mostly raw kale salad, broccoli salad, and loads of shredded veggies.  Very simple.  Some oil.  Some seasonings but very mild.  Perfect for travelling-I just don't like to tax my system that much when bebopping around.  And I was pretty stoked to find food that I wouldn't totally regret eating an hour later (like sugar laden vegan bakery goods!!).

Hubby actually got Kale too!  And some wonderfully warming brown rice & curried veggies with a coconut milk base, warm noodles, veggies, mushrooms, and some other grains. 

They had a pretty large selection of juices & smoothies from the uber green to the cacao maca type decadence.  I opted for a green juice.  

I love that they put Free from GMO AND Irradiation on their sign!  Irradiation isn't even really a word we use in the States.  Unlike the States, Peeps are leery of GMO's in Europe.  It's not that they don't have any, but people are much more reluctant to have them take over.  

The food was so perfect for me, that we ate here twice!  It's central location lent itself to an easy place to stop in, while walking until we could no longer, on the streets of London.  Which may be one of our fave places in the world.  Like a refined "States", yet there is enough chaos to keep it interesting.  And people are just generally friendly. 

And onto
www.gatewaypets.com
(East St. Louis & Washington Park, Illinois Stray Animal Rescue)

This is kind of normal.  Pj digging under foundations, saving puppies.  This one was in Washington Park, Illinois.  Where so many homes are "newer", yet abandoned & completely falling down.  Pj & GPG spent hours digging to rescue this little Princess.  Her siblings were rescued on another day.

And then all different feeding days for Radius.  Pj's new love, in East St. Louis.  He is a stray & was always super quiet until he saw that Ol' Man Ellis was in the back of the car, and was getting rescued.  Once he figured out that Pj's car was a viable option, he seems to insist that it will be his option as well. Pj is pretty much wanting to get this guy as soon as the shelter has room or we have a foster.

September 2012

October 2012

Other Posts:

Vegan London. Best Whole Foods in the World!

10 Second *Emergency* Raw Vegan Brownies

Trendiest & Super Yummy Sacha Inchi Seeds.

Anupy Singla's latest, Vegan Indian book, ROCKS.

Sex Balls.  Okay, Raw Vegan Maca Infused Balls.  Same thing, right?

Sisterhood at the first Midwest Bhakti Fest in Madison, Wisconsin. 

I want a Hula Hoop. 

Raw Vegan Matcha (Green Tea) Ice Cream

Black Forest Burger Recipe. Vegan Indian. Anupy Singla.

PuraVegan OPENS! and "Forks Over Knives" Hits St. Louis May 27th! JOPLIN ANIMALS need your help!!

Raw Vegan Pizza (Pi) from PuraVegan
307 Belt St., St. Louis, MO. (314-282-5834) Tues-Friday 5-8pm, Saturday 11-6, Sunday 11-3, Monday closed for classes

Finally, PuraVegan was able to get all the red tape "taped" and open their doors!  My other Post "Cosmic Eats"  talks about the peeps, atmo, and has the slideshow & more pictures.  That was a sneak peak, so I was stoked that they finally opened "for real".  I went with a veggie friend on their second day open & they had an incredible menu!  I have a feeling the menu will probably be  changing a little here & there though, according to what people like and also availability of certain foods.  PuraVegan (and my cheerful friend) certainly livened up a very dreary Sunday morning though (I feel like I live in Seattle now, but without the abundance of all the cool shops). 

A dreary day was brightened by yummy green food....


Tucked away in the DeBaliviere Neigbhorhood, just off of Pershing.
Between Union & Debaliviere.

Yes, Yoga Classes in adjoining studio in  JUNE 2011!


Great place to eat after class!

Things to know about PuraVegan.  They serve "living" or "raw" food.  That means that their food (even their crackers, pizza crusts, everything) has not been subjected to temperatures of more than 105-115 degrees.  There is major dispute about what is considered "raw" in the living foods community, from 105-115ish temps, but if you eat cooked food, you get the idea.  This stuff wasn't "cooked" in the traditional sense.  Some people (it can get crazy) also differentiate between "raw" and "living".  A sprout is still growing, so it is "living".  Coconut Sap may just be raw.  Um, here it's just uber fresh food.  

PuraVegan is Gluten Free.  But that doesn't stop them from having delicious food and using other amazing grain or grain like foods, like sprouted quinoa and buckwheat (which is a fruit), flax or hemp.  In fact, their pizza crust was partially made from zucchini.   So basically, if you are celiac, you are probably safe to eat anything on the menu.  If you are gluten intolerant, this is your place.

PuraVegan

"Raw Vegan"

PuraVegan is Vegan.  Obvious from the title, right?  Yeah.  But some "raw" foods people eat raw milk, raw cheese, and yes, even raw meat.  AJ & Leah aren't those type of raw food people.  Aj and Leah are big time animal lovers and don't eat anything with a face.  So you don't care about the animals?  Fine.  But you may care about cholesterol and animal products are the only things that have it.  Eliminate animal products and then you are not ingesting any cholesterol. 



Raw Kale Wrap.  


They create crispy crackers, pizza crusts, and breads using a dehydrator.  Yeah, maybe you have heard it is all about the enzymes...and part of it may be (or it may not be....).  But, when you cook food you are losing nutrients & more importantly you are actually creating harmful substances like acrylamide, advanced glycoxidation end products (AGE's), heterocyclic amines (HCAs), and PAH's.  Also, if your food has pesticides on it, it's not like they have really tested what happens to the already poisonous substance when it's "cooked".   Apparently your white blood cell count increases after cooked meals.  Cooking food also raises the glycemic levels.  A raw white potato (for juice) or dehydrated white potato chips may have a very low GI, but fry or bake those babies and it's an entirely different situation.  Raw foods tend to be more alkaline as well.  Not that you shouldn't ever eat "cooked", but it is certainly a good idea to include more raw food in your diet regardless of how cooked, vegan, raw, S.A.D. you are!!  If you want to read more about real science & the raw diet, read Becoming Raw.  You will not find a more comprehensive book about the pros & cons of eating raw that this.  It even talks about Seaweeds & Heavy Metal contents!!  Stay away from Hijiki!!



This dish had sprouted Quinoa! And had avocado!


The cheezes are typically made with nuts or seeds.  Raw foodists usually use vegan probiotics or "ferment" the cheezes either with time, miso, or lemon juice.  All of these will give a "sharper" flavor.  Desserts can be simple (food processor) or more elaborate.  I am a huge fan of Raw Cheezecakes made with Coconut Oil & Cashews.  Pastas are made from using a "Spirooli" (or something similar) to create "noodles".  You can use anything, but usually Zucchini makes a good neutral base.  Beets, Celery Root, Turnips, Parsnips and Kelp Noodles are also fair game.  Cheeze Sauces from nuts (usually) as well.  Raw food is usually bursting with flavor because there isn't anything in there that isn't "real".  Grains & Beans aren't as heavily used.  But many do sprout lentils & even chickpeas to make raw hummus! Quinoa, Amaranth,  Buckwheat, and Millet make great gluten free sprouted "grains".

Raw Vegan Pi.  Crust made with Zucchini & Seeds (I think).  Nut Cheeze. Marinara. Olives & Tomatoes.  This was AWESOME!  Aj kept saying their "Raw Tacos" are awesome as well.

On the menu that day:

Main
Raw Pad Thai (12.00)
 Zucchini, Red Bell Peppers, Nut Sauce, Onions, Sundried Tomatoes, Olives, Cilantro, Red Cabbage.

Raw Pi (12.00)
Raw Pizza Crust topped with Marinara, Ricotta, Tomato, Spinach, Olives, & Bell Peppers.
Dawgs-n-Jicama Fries 
Version of an old S.A.D. classic served with diced onions, tomato, mustard, and Raw Catsup.

Green Goddess Salad (10.00)
Green Herbal Dressing, Spinach, Kale, Cherry Tomatoes, Dandelion, Carrots, & Bell Pepper.

Spiced Root Salad (15.00)
Daikon Radish, Pineapple Ginger Dressing.

Lasagna (15.00)
Zucchini, Carrots, Spinach, Tomato, Basil, Pine Nut Ricotta, Marinara.

Raw Mexi-Tacos (12.00)
Organic Spices, Walnuts, Carrots & Tomatoes served on Purple Cabbage or Corn-Flax Wrap.

Raw Burger (13.00)
Blended Walnuts, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Carrots, Celery, Organic Herbs & Spices. Topped with Tomato, Lettuce, Red Bell Pepper, Carrots, Red Onions, Avocado Homemade Raw Cashew Cheese.

Rawfredo Pasta (12.00)
Zucchini noodles, Spinach, Red Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Raw Alfredo Sauce.

Sunrise Pasta (12.00)
Yellow Squash Noodles, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Green Onions, Spinach, Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce.

Quinoa Kale Wrap (10.00)
Sesame Lemon Dressing, Tomato, Avocado, Green Onion, Nut Spread Wrapped in Collard Greens.

Marinated Kale Salad (10.00)
Red Bell Peppers, Red Cabbage, Green Onion, Carrots, Tomato, Sesame Lemon Dressing.

Sunlower BBQ Burger (13.00)
Made with Veggies & Sunflower Seeds.  Topped with Lettuce Onion, Tomato, Avocado.

Raw Pi.

Drinks
Organic Teas (2.50)Choices: Yerba Mate, Peppermint, Chamomile, Blueberry, Pomegranate, Green.

Organic Cosmic Coffee (4.50)
Your Healthy Decaf Coffee Made with Reishi Mushrooms.

Desserts
Raw Fruit Cobbler (6.00)
Mixed fruit topped with Spiced Date Nut Crumbles and Cashew Whip Cream.

Omega Banana Cookies

 Macaroons.

PuraVegan is going to have Yoga next door.  This is amazing.  Just like Jivamukti in New York, my mecca, Yoga Studio with adjoining Vegan Cafe.  PuraVegan one upped them though, they are all raw.  Think Jivamukti started all raw, but they did eventually integrate simple, wholesome cooked foods. And seriously, I think the yoga instructor (who was working in the kitchen) had on a "No Fur" shirt on.   I kid you not.  And she was adorable, without pretense. 

Raw Pi.

PuraVegan is growing a hydroponic garden in their basement.  So just when you don't know if your fresh greens have E Coli on them from a neighboring Factory Farm,  (yes, it's Meat Production that causes this nasty stuff, they can identify the origin by the type of E Coli) they just grow their own.  They are just embarking on this project but I look for some hydroponic workshops and the like to pop up eventually.

Raw Vegan "Bread"

PuraVegan will be having Raw & Vegan Cooking & UnCooking Classes.  So you are interested in trying some stuff at home, but it is all totally new to you.  God, I remember when I had NO idea what raw food was and was pretty perplexed by all of it.  It took one visit to Pure Food and Wine to forever enchant me.  That bill was steep, but I don't think I ever would have gotten what raw food can be without a visit to that place.  While Pure Food & Wine dishes tend to be more "Sex in the City" Uber Trendy, real raw food people have to make dishes that they can prepare in less than one week.  

Loved the crust!

PuraVegan is the place to get acquainted with types of raw, vegan diets and get down & dirty trying some new stuff out.  This is not a stuffy atmosphere that eschews alcohol, bananas, and people who can't complete 90 day juice fasts.  No, these are real folks, who eat.  I have to throw that in there, because there are some raw foodies that live on very little food and have throbbing 3rd chakras 24/7.  While I wish I had a throbbing chakra, I am happy eating raw pastry and I just don't think I personally will reach the Chakra Throbbing Fasting Enlightenment in this lifetime.  There is more than green juice & sprout salad at this place!  But there also is green juice & sprouts at this place as well.....so yeah, they accommodate everyone.

Raw Vegan Macaroons.

Macaroon.

Macaroon.

Omega Banana Cookie

Green Juice.

Oh, Yeah, I was going to start a 3 day juice feast, meaning intake lots of green juice, on Sunday.  Well I had to push the start time back to 1:30 because I had to get more than just a juice at PuraVegan.  But their food is pretty "detox" friendly anyhow.  Of course, I did dessert too!!

Smoothies & Elixirs
(Aj mentioned that they might be focusing more on "Elixirs" in the future though...these are just the offering for the day I was there!

Power Meal Replacement (15.00)
Power Meal with bananas & apples and 34 grams of protein.

Green Machine (8.50)
Organic Spirulina, Dandelions, Bananas, Spinach.

Super Maca Banana (10.00)
Maca, Banana, Walnuts.

Chocolate or Strawberry Cacao Smoothie (9.00)

Organic Hemp Boost (10.00)
Bananas, Blueberries

Super Seeds (10.00)
Flax Mango, Bananas, Super Seeds

Juices-all 16 oz.
Blood Booster (Beets, Carrots, & Fennel) 8.50
Beta Boost (Carrots) 6.00
Spinach Kale, Celery (7.00)
Apple, Carrot, Ginger (7.00)
Kale, Celery, Apple (7.00)
Beet, Carrot, Apple, Ginger (7.00)

I also want to mention the Forks Over Knives opens this Friday, May 27, 2011 at Plaza Frontenac.  This movie could save your life or the life of someone that you love.  If you already know all of this stuff, it is still an awesome movie to take your friends & family to see.  Perhaps this will open up some new doors for people and at the very least justify a more integrative approach to medical care.

Omega Rich Banana Cookies.

Also, the Animals of Joplin really need your help.  There are a lot of people helping people, and that is wonderful, but a lot of those people have fur kids and their fur kids have been displaced.  I saw a child on Anderson Cooper last night whose only concern after their family had lost their entire home in the tornado, was to locate their family dog.  They had to close the basement door before the pup would agree to go downstairs.  This makes a case of having a "plan" in the event that you actually have any time to prepare.  I just put our dog & cat kennels all in the basement and in storms we keep them in a room by the basement door, just in case we have to round them up quickly and head downstairs.  The kennels would provide at least a little bit of protection from falling debris as well.   Thankfully, that pup had a happy ending.  But there are countless animals in Joplin that need food, water, & medical care. Here are some links to help these animals.  If you guys know of others who are helping the furkids of Joplin (or other animals), please leave the info in the comment section!

Joplin Humane Society 
They have been overwhelmed with animals displaced from the deadly tornadoes.
Pet Supply Drive to Help Joplin Humane Society Facebook Page
Humane Society of United States




Video below is from previous post...the "Sneak Peak" of PuraVegan.

Our Little Vegan Anarchist Easter

We spent the rainy morning at a very cool "Black Bear Bakery".  A veggie/vegan place with an anarchist/communal type of vibe.  Will be posting lots of photos soon from a brunch (ALL vegan from 10 until 2)  we had there a few weeks ago.  They are reinstating their Vegan Sundays with 25% of proceeds often going to a non-profit.  Sighted reading material included "Crazy Sexy Diet" by Kris Carr and "The Gas We Pass" (which may be appropriate if you overindulge on the Baked Kale with Abundant Garlic or maybe even if you do the  21 day Crazy Sexy Adventure Cleanse, as someone found my blog by searching for "Crazy Sexy Diet Poop Smell"!!).

                  

So no eggs or sacrificial lamb for us (Wasn't Jesus having to die enough? I can never understanding having to kill stuff to celebrate his coming back to life....), just vegan blueberry pancakes (these ROCK), vegan sloppy joes, vegan blueberry muffins, vegan sweet potato baked fries, vegan garlic laced baked kale, homegrown salad with lots of spicy greens (which this spicy blonde digs), vegan strawberry yogurt, vegan blueberry not overly sweetened blueberry pie, french toast, vegan biscuits and gravy and lots of other yummies!  This place rocks.......So above a fitting "Easter" video.  Easter at Farm Sanctuary, a place where the geese, chickens, and lamb are being celebrated in a living form!

Vegan Brunch Sundays!
10-2 pm!  Only Ten Bucks! Homemade Vegan Eats.

Teddy Bear Upstairs at Black Bear.  Note: The book was already in his hands!
Also noted, I am not an anarchist!  I still like to buy stuff and remember even voting Green is a progressive stretch for me!!  Even though I try to buy hemp and fair trade, I am still attached to girly-girl stuff and I still vote!  I do however, have some sympathisers in my dad's side of the fam.  You know, that Zany Quaker Upbringing.  Breeding Poets, Food Not Lawns Activists, Tasmanian Writers,  Social Workers, and Social Activists!  If we made more money (the lack of this is due to my Zany Quaker Upbringing and Social Change Grandmother and Grandfather!), we would be the "Yuppie" ones on this side of the family!  As it stands I think my most recently married cousin stands a better chance!  They can probably afford to buy newer cars than us (Oh, that  we even have cars probably disqualifies us from the Anarchy Club, as Bikes seem to be the preferred mode of transportation)!  And she probably still votes Democrat too, and hasn't gone Green just yet!  All my Aunts and Uncles Vote. (I think)...think it's just a few in the younger generation that has some doubts about the system as a whole and believe that just living a certain way "replaces" voting and obviously, I guess voting signifies that there actually "is" a Government.  Which Anarchy would not include!

  I was not enrolled in youth groups or Bible studies when I was a kid (my mom has residual Catholicism from childhood and my father was raised attending a  somewhat secular, or at least not traditionally "God-Centered" type Quaker Meeting house).  My only experience with "Church" was when I went to visit my Grandmother (on my mom's side) and would go to Palm Sunday or something with her.  She was a progressive, Democrat type of Catholic.  She was not marching outside of Planned Parenthood shouting at chics going in for their Birth Control Pills.  I sometimes went to church with my Spanish girlfriend also, another Catholic church, but that was usually because we were having an "overnight" later and a matter of logistics.

 I remember always freaking out about not knowing the order of making the "cross" with your hands and also how did this whole group of people know when to stand, sit, and kneel?  It was practically a work-out!!  I didn't know that all of those things were particular to "Catholics" and that you weren't expected to just "do" those things!  I thought anyone who grew up Christian did the same things!  And I tried to act like I knew all the secret hand signals.  I don't remember if I ever drank the grape juice.  I remember thinking I was supposed to but then you had to know the secret hand signals and what if you went up there and you f**ked it all up? I remember sitting there watching everyone, trying so hard to remember the order!! I would try to "study" it so I would "pass".  What happened if you flubbed? Would the Priest Man scold you and send you away?  Would he tell you that God said "Go Home and practice your hand signals??".  It was SO confusing to me!!  And then the books.....there were so many books and you had to go from one to the other and sing and then "repeat after me".

 My parents ended up into Eastern Philosophy on different levels.  They have just about every "Sounds True" Audio Cd ever made and listen to Pema Chodron, Alan Watts, Ram Das, Georg Feurstein, Jack Kornfield, Stephen Levine....and countless others.  My dad still goes to "Meeting". My Mom is really into "Yoga Nidra" which she learned from Richard Miller.  We give her s*it because I tell her she needs to do more exercise and she says, but I do yoga and Dad says "But laying down on the floor for an hour isn't really burning many calories". Yes, it may burn a whole lot of Karma, but Calories for the Physical Body, in this lifetime.....?  Maybe not so much  :)

Note the Card!
Sarah Palin holding a Rifle.
This is my Easter Card from my parents!

Inside of the Card.

My Dad's mom started attending Quaker Meeting because it was some type of "religious" upbringing that meshed with her thoughts and didn't inherently undermine her values.  I think of Quakerism as almost being a progressive political  party or something.  All the peeps seemed to be educated, worldly, and active.  It was about getting out in the world and changing it with a huge emphasis on human/equal rights.  My grandmother wasn't buying bananas or grapes because of the conditions of the farm workers.  She shopped at the co-op and I lamented that when I stayed with her I only got date sweetened carob treats and granola (before it was yuppie!).   She knitted gloves for lepers.  Both her & my grandad taught English to Spanish folks on Texas/Mexico border.  It's too funny, because now I am the one eating the carob & the dates!

Our alternative Easter Basket from my folks.

Easter Basket.

The thought that there was only one correct religion was never ever taught to me.  Of course I grew up in a small, all white town and I believe that everyone was Christian, the the broad sense of the word, meaning they believed in one God (the Christian one, duh-not the idea that Christ and Krishna may be the same idea) , and the Bible was their "go-to" guide.   Somehow I was attracted to Eastern philosophy, thought, in a very broad sense.  Just the idea that we were actually "all together" in this thing, and that the idea was not to turn everyone into the same religion.  Also, everything seemed so much more abstract, so much more colorful, and much more well-adjusted.  Meaning, that it is easier for all the peoples in the world to co-exist if one religious group isn't raising funds and fervently trying to change another group's beliefs.  Needless to say, I don't know a lot about the Bible.  So when I have a question, I have to ask my husband (whose mother enrolled him in some Bible Class type of stuff, I think primarily so she could get some "alone" time!!).  I won't go into detail now about his translations, but they are quite entertaining and modernized for the sake of me being able to understand them.

Seeds, Seed Starters, Vegan Dark Chocolate, Smith & Hawken Gardening Knee Pad, Hand Salve, Mother Earth Zine, and Big Green Pail to harvest all of my veggies!!  Kale, Brussel Sprout and Broccoli Plants, already started!!

One of our Square Foot Gardens that my amazing hubby put together after I began driving around looking at any homes, any price, anywhere, for just a little bit of green space.  One day I got "busted" when I had to call after the car broke down!  I had just gone to the Post Office and was in a weird part of town and the damn thing conked out.  I had to call and tell him where I was and that then was forced to confess that I was driving to house (more like yard)  I saw advertised in paper.  A few weeks later, these Square Foot Garden Boxes Mysteriously showed up at our house!!

Heard some great tunes this morning also from a duo called "Devil's Dream".  Lots of Gary Harrison tunes played by a Roger Netherton, a great young fiddler and Alice Sanvito, a power pickin' guitarist.  Take a listen!!  Roger Netherton is only 15 or 16!  Black Bear always has great old time, folksy, and bluegrass type of music going on!  Check out Black Bear Bakery's Facebook Page  for who and what is happening next for all of your hippy, yippy, yappy, yuppie, anarchy cravings.  Oh & for music & food menus too!  And they are supporters of SLOUP, which is an artistic micro-grant group that meets monthly for soup, bread, conversations and voting on grant proposals to better the community.  Very Cool. Apparently tonight it's at Black Bear and in addition to Vegan Soups, Booze (for a small donation), Black Bear Bread, there is even an ACCORDION player!! How can you resist?  I think we would all be happier if there was just a little more Accordion music in our lives.  It works for the French, Germans, and the Czech's (it's that Bohemian Bloodline talking).

Did anyone else out there grow up with less "defined" religious beliefs?  Are you the same religion today as the one in which you were rasied?  Do you attend religious services all the time or just on holidays?  How has your relationship to God/and or religion changed over the years?