Vegan Weekend Extravaganza, Washington DC

Ok, so I had quite the weekend…

It all started with a trip to MOM’s Organic Market at their new location at Mosaic. What I came back home with is this – a bounty of plenty and abundant living greens:

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Lots of Kombucha Brooklyn (and I could do a whole post about how awesome they are!), collards, kale, chard, sprouts, raw food collard wrap (from Zia’s), cucumbers and celery for juicing… also a bottle of motto (sparkling matcha), strawberries etc..

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This Friday evening, a friend and I devoured an evening meal from Raouche (legit, family-owned, super delicious Lebanese food in Falls Church, VA..). Here a picture of the results of devastation:

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Raouche Cafe

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So you may – or may not – ask.. What exactly do you do in the morning.. Well, thing is.. I love to cook. So, first thing I do, yes even in my bathrobe – is turn on the stove top and cook something… #SaturdayMorning. This happens to be authentic, whole-spices, black tea vegan chai – in coconut milk, with coconut sugar. (spices include cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, etc..). DELICIOUS. Look at photos of me executing the process. Note: straining is required because of infusion of whole spices and loose leaf tea :)…

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Saturday afternoon a friend and I took a big bike ride from Rosslyn (cycling down the Mall past the Washington Monument) to Big Bear Cafe, coffeeshop in Bloomingdale, Washington DC.

At Big Bear, I had the most legit espresso ever. The coffee was so deep, dark and delicious – yum yum yum! Then a storm was brewing… Good thing we were in Big Bear, because otherwise we would have been caught in the rain – a downpour.

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By the way, Big Bear Cafe has a nice outdoor patio in the summertime, awesome place to enjoy a coffee surrounded by foliage on days when it’s not raining!…

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Big Bear Cafe

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When we got home (we dodged the rain, by chilling in Big Bear) a meal to satisfy tired bike bodies was prepared. Seriously though.. I put this together in a matter of seconds. NO JOKE. Get home, and 90 seconds later, – poof! – THIS:

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Baba ghanoush and quinoa tabbouleh (gluten-free!). Both of these were prepackaged, that I bought at MOMs, all natural – no preservatives, etc..   Served with raw, dehydrated sunflower bread (from Lydia’s).

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And a little bit later, whenb night had fallen over Rosslyn, Virginia (were I live)…
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…the fridge was still full of greens.
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So I turned on some music…

…put my green juice hat on… and cut, cut, cut!
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When green juicing: choose the perfect quantity of each vegetable (in general for green juice: 80% celery and cucumber, 20% dark leafy greens – in this case kale, collards, chard, etc..)
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Get your juicer out (mine is an OMEGA VRT400 HD masticating juicer) and JUICE!!! 😀

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Green Juice. 100% organic.

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On Sunday I made health-promoting vegan burritos.. made with ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas (no flour, just sprouted grains!), sprouts (alliteratively substitute for spinach), and sauteed enokitake mushrooms + chard (in vegetable broth and tamari). #Vegan

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And… finally, when I woke up and was home again this (Monday) morning, I made a couple of foodthings before going to work.

CHAI:

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I made chai this morning.. damn that looks like coffee! (almond milk, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, black tea)

RAW COLLARD GREENS, TRI-COLOR QUINOA, WILD CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS:
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Whoa! What a weekend! 🙂
What a lot of fun! A snapshot of good food 🙂

Thanks for checking out my food blog.

Until next time…

SiTea Spice, the Enchanted Tea Shop

If you’re ever in the mood for a sexy place to relax and have tea (by yourself or with a lover!), SiTea Spice in the Takoma area of Washington DC is your place! It’s right by the Takoma metro stop on the red line (so you don’t have worry about parking).

At SiTea you’ll find a cosmopolitan living room style layout of couches and comfortable chairs. The color scheme is warm, the space feels sexy and the food/drink is refined. Wherever you’re from, you’ll feel at home at SiTea.

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More than a tea shop, this places feels like a spiritual haven.

But, there’s no messing around when it comes to their tea. Quality, hand-blended, and seved to you with the utmost care and dedication (in a cast iron tea service with candle warmer)… You’ll revere these teas; they are amazing!

There are so many to choose from:
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(You can find chai blends, herbals, ancient-functional healing-elixirs, greens, and blacks: over 75 blends to choose from!! And don’t worry coffee drinkers, there’s Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee here too!)
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Yes, they have food. Samosas, chili, soups, vegan muffins and treats… A place where vegans will find food options. 😉

The owner’s family knows their spices. The spiced chai recipe (made with whole spices, not a pre-ground and pre-packaged chai mix) is their Grandmother’s.. They’ve been in the spice trade for generations, and the chai recipe is still a family secret! There are over 10 spiced chais to choose from and they are all made with almond milk (while soy and rice milks also available, you won’t find cow’s milk anywhere near this place. Vegan all the way!).

*Tip: If you’re in the mood for something out-of-this-world, ask for the “Love Potion #10“. I’m sure you’ll be feeling the Love and Appreciation when you indulge in this special treat!

Overall, this tea shop is a gem. With teas that are organic, natural and fairtrade, the focus of this tea shop is health, healing, and rejuvenation. I really recommend this place to you.
You can also buy their tea and spice blends online at: www.siteaspice.com

SiTea Spice
6902 4th St NW, Washington, DC
(202) 525-5386
http://www.siteaspice.com
Hours OPEN: Mon-Fri 12-8pm, Sat 11-8, Sun 11-6
(Tea shop has free WiFi and lots of power outlets!)