Ginger cookie ice cream with organic banana, cacao and maca.
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Yum!
Tag Archives: dessert
Kombucha, Green Juice and Vegan Food in NYC
I finally made it back to New York.
Arriving in Manhattan
*****
Albeit a very short trip, the 36 hours I spent in the city were jam-packed and mega-fun, healthy-vegan-style. 😉 The trip was full of green juice, kombucha, raw food and LOTS of walking!!
The highlight of this trip was Kombucha. It seemed to be just about everywhere in New York these days. The trick is to find fresh, potent, and refined kombucha. The best Kombuchas I found in New York were: Kombucha Brooklyn and Beyond Kombucha (both sold at Organic Planet in Brooklyn), Kejiwa Kombucha (retails at 3 ROOTS in Greenpoint), and One Lucky Duck kombucha selection (at Gramercy location).
I visited a whole array of vegan restaurants in the short time I had in the city.
But, the focus of the trip remained on kombucha, green juice, raw food, superfoods, and health-promoting vegan food experiences in New York City.
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The first place I visited was called 3 ROOTS. It is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
(3 ROOTS facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/3-ROOTS/443420302381345)
3 ROOTS is a juice bar, but also veritable superfood laboratory. There’s some great alchemy going on here. They sell green juice, smoothies and superfood shots (mushroom/goji, Vitamin B, etc. See the menu below) and Kejiwa Kombucha. (What’s so special about Kejiwa? See Kejiwa facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kejiwa).
3 ROOTS, Greenpoint
Entrance to 3 ROOTS, view from the street. New Green Juice on the board outside features Spirulina
3 ROOTS Menu (Superfood shots, smoothies, juicess)
Display Case at 3 ROOTS
Kejiwa Kombucha (!!!) and Raw Cold-Pressed Juice at 3 ROOTS in Brooklyn (Greenpoint), NYC
Superfood Alchemy Laboratory at 3 ROOTS Juice Bar in NYC
Window seating area. 3 ROOTS, Greenpoint NY
*****
After 3 ROOTS, my friend and I also visited Tiny Empire, One Lucky Duck, Quintessence (AWESOME raw food restaurant. Check out the raw food pizza photos below), and Juice Press on that first day in New York.
Tiny Empire Juice Bar in Williamsburg Brooklyn NY
*One Lucky Duck*
One Lucky Duck entrance (@ Pure Food & Wine), Gramercy NYC
Wall of Packaged Raw Food Snacks for Sale at the tiny One Lucky Duck location at Pure Food & Wine, Gramercy NYC
(Raw Food) Dessert display case at One Lucky Duck, Gramercy. Hungry? No bad cholesterol in here!
Before Lunch Snack? Raw Vegan Lemon Bar from One Lucky Duck, Gramercy NYC
* LUNCH at Quintessence *
Raw Pizza at Quintessence raw food restaurant in East Village NYC
Salad and Raw Food Pizza from Quintessence NYC (LifeFood in East Village). FYI: BEST SALAD DRESSING EVER. I would make a trip to NYC JUST FOR THIS DRESSING.
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Amazing day? Yes. Lots of running around. The green juice in New York is so good. While last trip I focused on Green Juice exclusively, this trip I noticed more and more kombucha (Everywhere! Is it because we attract what we focus on?)
*
I stayed at the Standard High Line in the Meatpacking District. I was able to get a good rate by booking last minute with Hotel Tonight. We got upgraded which was awesome! Here’s room tour from the room I was on the hotel’s 16th floor:
The Standard High Line hotel has an amazing Greenwhich Village location, and it is walking distance from everything. I stocked the minibar with many bottles of kombucha and up to 5 green juices at a time.
In the evening, I went to a healing, spiritual didgeridoo concert by One Tribe didgeridoo group with friends near Union Square at Jivamukti yoga studio. The experience was transformative and grounding. Amazing, in the center of Manhattan, to find a space of peace, in one of the busiest cities in the world.
Dinner was at Caravan of Dreams. While I did not like the food (too unrefined), I impressed by beverage menu selections (which included superfood smoothies, CHO-WA tea, coconut water kefir…) and inspired by the food ideas (raw vegan ravioli made from pear… interesting!).
Kejiwa Kombucha (from 3 ROOTS), Beyond Kombucha and Kombucha Brooklyn fueled the night (I took a trip to Organic Planet in Brooklyn on the L train at night, specifically to buy kombucha at Organic Planet; LOVE that place)…
Organic Planet Brooklyn grocery (Williamsburg). Open until 1am on weekends and opens at 7am on Weekdays. They make fresh pressed organic juice, too. Reasonably priced.
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The next morning, after waking up early (and opening the blinds of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Standard High Line overlooking Downtown from the 16th floor!), serveral stops were due: Juice Press flagship location (for a breakfast of smoothies or green juice – take your pick), Organic Avenue (more green juice), and One Lucky Duck at Chelsea Market, for lunch ($25 for a salad + juice:: wow, expensive.. but it turned out to be so refined that it may win my heart for favorite food from this trip.. although a close call with Quintessence raw food pizza from the day before still on my mind… hehehe).
Display Case at Juice Press NYC, flagship location (1 Jackson Square, Greenwich Avenue)
Organic Avenue Green Juice, NYC
* LUNCH at One Lucky Duck *
One Lucky Duck Green Juice takeaway at Chelsea Market NYC
One Lucky Duck (Raw Vegan Food) at Chelsea Market NYC
***
All in all, all I can say is: Whoa!! What a jam-packed and super fun 36 hours in NYC!! #VeganStyle
Before hitting the road back to DC, a quick stop back to 3 ROOTS was once again necessary for more kombucha, green juice, raw cacao truffles, and goji berries for the drive home.
Vegan Cookies (oatmeal raisin chocolate chip)
100% organic, vegan whole food chocolate chip raisin oatmeal cookies.
*
Make flour from Buckwheat groats, rolled oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, Himalayan salt, dates, 70% cacao (stone ground) dark chocolate, maple sugar. (For lower glycemic use cocoa nibs and a little xylitol)
Save 20% of flour.
Blend the rest with soaked raw cashews, vanilla extract, and a little almond milk. Fold back into the remaining oat/date flour. Add raisins (I used golden raisins).
Spray baking sheet with coconut oil.
Form balls with batter and coat with coconut shreds. Insert chocolate chips.
Bake at 330 Fahrenheit for 25 minutes (would be good dehydrated, too.. for a raw food version).
Serve with a glass of (unsweetened) almond milk.
More Raw Chocolate! (with Blueberry)
Simply blended and spread out flat in the freezer to solidify:
Himalayan salt, dates, raw organic honey, Host Defense MyCommunity mushroom extract, Raw cacao nibs, blueberries, cinnamon, raw walnut oil, pecans.
I call it: Nutty blueberry chocolate chip tablet OR Nutty blueberry (raw) chocolate tablet w/ (medicinal) immunity mushrooms!
The formula would be good to make into little cocoa bites, too (like macaroons!) 🙂
Highly-Energetic, Profound, Delicious and Deluxe Rich Chocolate
I started by making a chocolate tablet from cocoa powder, stevia, Brazil nut butter, cinnamon and coconut oil.
This concoction hardened in the freezer overnight.
Next, I boiled chaga mushroom powder with cocoa. I reduced it and turned off the heat. Next, I added coconut oil, cocoa paste, Jing Herbs’ ‘Awaken the Shen’, and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I melted pieces of the stevia-cinnamon chocolate tablet into this concoction. I added olive oil and salt.
I poured this mixture into a mold, and placed it in the freezer for two hours for the fats to solidify.
At the end, I coated the chocolate with Shaman Shack’s ‘Shapeshifter’ powder. I plated the delicacy and made a jus with the remaining Shapeshifter powder. Wowy zowy! (Everything is organic.)
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Jing Herbs’ ‘Awaken the Shen’: Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) fruiting body, Albizia julibrissin flower, Asparagus cochinchinensis (Chinese Asparagus) root, Polygala tenuifolia root, Margarita (Pearl) powder, Euphoria longan fruit, Poria cocos paradicis (Spirit Poria) sclerotium, Eclipta prostrata herb, Salvia miltiorrhiza (Chinese Salvia) root, Polygonum multiflorum stem, Bupleurum chinense root, Chinese White Peony root, Schisandra sinensis fruit (http://www.jingherbs.com/Awaken-the-Shen-extract-powder-50-grams-p/348.htm)
Shaman Shack’s Shapeshifter: Rehmannia (Prep), Astragalus, White Atractylodes, Poria, Jujube, Codonopsis, White Peony, Citrus Peel + Mesquite, Lucuma (http://www.shop.shamanshackherbs.com/Shape-Shifter-111333.htm)
Delicious Treat!
(notice the primary ingredient: Love)
Dessert and Tea at Cafe Gratitude, LA
I went for dessert at Cafe Gratitude. I really like the place. The vibe is fun and the people are all Hollywood. I get there around 2 pm and stay for a while enjoying the food, people and scene. I got some sort of mushroom tea (with reishi) and raw cocoa. It was delicious and tasted like hot chocolate. Amazing! I also got a simple jasmine green tea which was very enjoyable.. And for the luscious desert(s) I got a Chocolate mouse cake (raw, vegan!) with coconut and date crust; wow! And, a small raw chocolate ball with almond butter and jerusalem artichoke syrup. Enjoy the feast with your eyes. I will go back for a proper main course, etc.
($31, including tax and tip; I ate for two)
Cafe Gratitude
639 North Larchmont Boulevard
Los Angeles CA 90004
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