Rockin' Raw

Rockin'n Raw is a raw vegan restaurant at 178 North 8th Street, Brooklyn, NY. It specializes in organic, Peruvian, New Orleans, Creole style, living cuisine. The atmosphere is calm and welcoming. Defiantly the sort of place you need time to enjoy, unless you're ordering food in advance to go. Though the restaurant was almost empty, service was slow.

I ordered Tallarines ala Huancaina. A spicy zucchini pasta in Peruvian aji/nut cheese sauce, choclo, mushrooms and peppers (as shown above). They weren't kidding about the spicy description either. This dish has bite, in the most positive way imaginable. If you love spicy food, this cheesy pasta dish is a definite recommendation. Perfectul portioned to fill you up and reasonably priced for the size and quality at $14. I scraped my plate clean which is always a good sign.

For dessert, I ordered the Lucuma Cheesecake (as seen below) and a piece of Banana Bread to go. The cheesecake was a good texture. No overwhelming flavor so probably best for classic cheesecake lovers, though they have a classic cheesecake option as well. They had a crusted cacao layer on the top and bottom which didn't seem necessary and could have been far more chocolatey for my taste. However, I enjoyed it and couldn't complain about the $9 price for NY raw vegan cheesecake. The banana bread was too sweet for my taste and the cinnamon cream filling (which I was really looking forward to) was more flaky than anything and didn't really add much to the dessert at all. As far as desserts go this restaurant has one of the best selections I've seen though. It would be a great place to go, even for a treat. All desserts are visible in a glass display case so you can let your eyes do the choosing for you.

On top of their vast food variety, Rockin' Raw also has a wide array of smoothies, milkshakes, fresh juices, tea, coffee, cocktails, wine and beer. No shortage of choice anywhere here, which I love. It's places like this that keep me coming back so I can try everything. It all just looks and sounds amazing.

Rating: 9.5/10
http://www.rockinraw.com/

Pumpkin Recipes

I bought a pumpkin this Halloween and am still coming up with creative ways to use the leftovers. Here are just a few of the recipes I came up with that turned out absolutely delicious.

-Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie-

Crust:
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pecans
pinch of sea salt
10 deglet dates or 5 medjool dates

Filling:
2 cups of raw pumpkin
1/2 a can of coconut milk
1 medium carrot (washed and unpeeled)
1/2 cup soaked raisins (30m or so)
4 deglet dates or 2 medjool dates
pinch of sea salt
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp of cinnamon
6 tbsp soy lecithin

Instructions:

In a food processor, blend up all the nuts and sea salt for the crust until they're just a bit crumbly. Then add the dates and blend until it forms a ball or gets pasty enough to hold together if you press it with your fingers. Press it into a glass pie dish and place in the fridge or freezer.

For the filling, first blend the pumpkin and coconut milk in a high speed blender until smooth. Then add chopped up carrot, raisins, dates and spices, blending again till smooth. Finally, add the lecithin and give it a good blend until it's thoroughly disputed throughout the mixture.

Remove crust from the freezer and fill with the pumpkin filling. Place in the fridge over night so it can set. The next day it should be ready to serve.

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-Pumpkin Pie Smoothie-

Having not much in my fridge one day, i resorted back to my frozen pumpkin for breakfast ideas. This was the result.

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup frozen pumpkin
2 medjool dates
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp hemp seeds
3 tbsp plain goats yogurt (soy or coconut would work if you're vegan)
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cardamom pods (seeds)
a pinch of sea salt
5 ice cubes

Blend it all together in a high speed blender and you're all set. Pumpkin pie filling in a glass. This smoothie is pretty thick and filling so it makes a great breakfast.

The Juice Press NYC

The Juice Press is take out/delivery juice cleanse and raw vegan establishment. All their juices are cold-pressed and organic. Everything on the menu is 100% organic as a mater of fact. With several locations around Manhattan, this place makes it simple to get easily absorbable nutrition, fast. After being here many times, I have never had a complaint aside from the odd time that the person in front of me decides to buy out the item I had come for. This is a pretty good indicator though of their popularity, nutrition and superior creations.

I've tried -

Juices and Smoothies:

(A) Complete Source - Formula: carrot, celery, parsley, spinach. according to norman walker this formula is the most assimilable source of protein. vegetation is the prime source of all nutrition, including protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, & salts.

Thoughts: Simple a great green juice complete with all the essentials.

(C) Sweet Potato Pie - Formula: carrot, sweet potato, 1/4 apple, flax, peruvian maca extract. sweet potato is a beta carotene gold mine! carrot is known to be a great liver detoxer. the sugars in carrots convert easily to a useable source of energy. sweet potato is a great source of vitamin c. you want that. trust me.

Thoughts: Though totally delicious, this is very sweet. With the maca extract and flax, along with apple and sweet potato, I think I prefer the taste to straight up carrot juice though it's still pretty similar. No shortage of carotenoids going on in this juice.

(E) Drink Your Salad -Formula: ripe tomato, carrot, celery, beet, parsley, kale, spinach, lemon, pinch of the following: cayenne, onion, garlic, sea salt. spicy! yes this has got some of the spicy but not overly spicy kick to it. people love it! it’s a hearty filling drink with great detox properties from all of the produce and spices used.

Thoughts: When they say 'spicy!' they're not kidding around. This one defiantly has a kick to it. I think I'd rather eat my salad unjuiced but if you're doing a cleanse, I don't see why not.

(H) Simple Green - Formula: cucumber, celery, lemon, aloe, kale, blue mana, pinch of sea salt.

Thoughts: My favorite green juice here. Very salty in flavor. Great for balancing your electrolytes.

(I) Doctor Green - Formula: pineapple, apple, lemon, ginger, kale. highly manufactured foods from which as much as possible of the nutritious matter has been removed is advocated, generally by those interested in its sale. such food would be advantageous only if it were possible to remove or surgically modify a great part of our digestive canal. drink as much as you can!

Thoughts: This flavor is tropical and fresh. Super easy to digest and a good way to get the nutrients from kale if you're not a big fan of green juice. I'd highly recommend it.

(M) Green Giant - Formula: blended spinach, kale, apple, coconut water, coconut flesh, raw cacao powder, spirulina, 1 date, squeeze of lemon, pinch of cayenne and sea salt. wow! this super blended green smoothie slash juice is what we like to call a smuice. this hits the spot for everything from a meal replacement to detoxing the blood, recovering from a hangover, or just keeping your digestive system healthy, this drink has it all.

Thoughts: If you're not a green smoothie person, prepared for the texture of plant fibers in your mix, this one might not be for you. The flavor is mostly of sweetness and spirulina. I think I prefer my smoothies freshly made than pre-bottled.

Cardamom Milk - Formula: organic unpasteurized coconut milk, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and coconut oil.

Thoughts: Wonderful. This blend of creamy texture and spices is even better than a soy chai latte, and the coconut fat would actually keep your blood sugar stable.

Raw Food:

Coconut Seviche - organic coconut meat, cucumber, red onion, tomato and jalapeno pepper marinated in cilantro and lemon dressing.

Thoughts: Interesting flavor. Having never tried the cooked version, it's difficult to asses the true comparison.

Ravioli - raw sliced turnip filled with cashew cheese, garnished with black sesame seeds and served with home made raw pesto.

Thoughts: Great raw vegan pasta. I love the use of turnip which doesn't seem to get too much attention in the raw food circuit. I suggest accompanying it by a salad if you want a full belly.

Acai Bowl - acai, banana, coconut, dates etc.

Thoughts: This raw food bowl can substitute as a healthy dessert or a morning meal instead of cereal. The natural way fruit can sweeten something to the point it can be this scrumptious is amazing to me.

Raw Oatmeal - raw oats, cashew milk, dates, spices and topped with coconut flakes.

Thoughts: Sweet and easily digestible with only whole fruit as sweetener, this deliciously fibrous treat is full of wonderful flavor with it's blend of spices and is completely satisfying.

Rating 10/10

http://thejuicepressonline.com/

Bonobo's

Bonobo's is a vegetarian restaurant located at 18 E 23rd st near Madison Square Park and Gramercy theater. Their whole menu is of the raw variety. All enzymes fully intact. Set up a bit like a deli, you select you meal and bring the tray to your table.

They have a wide variety of nut pates and house made dressing which were what I found unique and most impressive. The menu is pretty standard for a raw vegan style restaurant otherwise and reasonably priced for the good quality you're getting. I tried the salad with nut pate, in which you get to choose your ingredients and pate flavour, with their lemon garlic tahini dressing. I left feeling full and satisfied. Great place for a quick and nutritious meal.

Rating: 8/10

One Lucky Duck

One Lucky Duck is the take out companion of Pure Food and Wine. They prepare small batch, take-out, raw vegan sweets, juices, smoothies and ice cream. There is a small amount of seating where you can also get an array of salads and savory dishes. Walls are covered in nuts, truffles, cookies, coconut oil, sweeteners, dog treats an supplements. The vibe is cozy but busy.

This is one of my favorite vegan establishments in NYC so far. Needless to say, the list of things I've tried has been over several visits:

Smoothies:
cacao or carob latte – $9
banana, cashew milk, cacao or carob, vanilla

Thoughts: This is by far my favorite thing I've tried here so far. I get mine with carob and no sweetener. It's satisfying, thick and creamy.

green mango – $9
mango, cucumber, cilantro, coconut water, lime

Thoughts: Marvelous! If you love the taste of coconut water and want a good way to get in some cleansing greens, this is where it's at. The taste of cilantro is not overpowering so with the combination of cucumber, mango and lime, this makes for a deliciously fresh taste.

Sweets:
mallomar – $6
chocolate coated pecan cookie with vanilla cream GF

Thoughts: With a thick dollop cashew based cream on the top as its marshmallow and a crunchy chocolate dipped base, I'd say they're better than their mass produced counterparts by far. Trouble is, I could easily eat more than one, and if you want to be satisfied, two is a little overkill financially speaking.

moon pie – $9
chocolate brownie vanilla cream sandwich GF

Thoughts: If you're really looking for something raw vegan that seems to mimic its original texture, this is pretty close. I still have no idea how they got the cake portion to have the fluffiness of real wheat flour cake and still have it raw and gluten free. Not really for me though the flavor was great.

lemon bar – $8
almond coconut crust, tart lemon custard GF

Thoughts: I tried these as some free samples. While I'm not a huge fan of lemon desserts, these tasted much like a traditional lemon bar, but with better texture. I was pleasantly surprised.

chocolate caramel bar – $5
chocolate dipped pecan caramel bar O

Thoughts: I was a little underwhelmed by these. Felt there was a bit too much of the bar base and not enough of the caramel filling. **I wouldn't chance this one if you're gluten sensitive.

chocolate ganache tart – $12
chocolate ganache filling, chocolate crust GF

Thoughts: Coming from a self proclaimed chocoholic, this is an obvious favorite. Served with cashew cream, it is absolutely addictive. That being said, it's very sweet and may have you bouncing off the walls after if your blood sugar is out of wack or you haven't eaten enough solid food ahead of time to balance your nerves from the caffeine in the cacao. Also, the price for this seems a little steep for raw vegan tarts since I'm used to the $5-$7 slices in Canada but for NY the average seems to be $12-$14 though outrageous, it's in the ballpark for the city as I see it.

orreo cookie – $3.5
vanilla cream filled chocolate cookie GF

Thoughts: I don't know why but I tend to love raw desserts generally because of their moist texture due to fresh ingredients. This one just tries too hard to be like a real oreo. It's dehydrated to the point of a packaged cookie. Still tasty and one of the cheaper options if you're just looking for a sweet snack.

linzer cookie – $5
spiced hazelnut and almond cookie sandwich, raspberry jam GF

Thoughts: This is my favorite raw vegan cookie I've ever tried. The flavor is spicy and outstanding. The raspberry jam layer in the center is just perfect; not too sweet. Coupled with a smoothie, it's my breakfast made in heaven.

Rating: 9.5/10

Lula's Sweet Apothecary

Lula's Sweet Apothecary is a tiny vegan ice cream shop in the east village of New York. The vibe is vintage and inviting along with the bar style stools and counter which make for an authentic ice cream eating experience if I've ever had one.

Flavor selection was fair enough. About 10 to choose from, covering all the basics. This shop adds to intrigue with its various topping and sauces, which totally make up for any flavor you might have been wishing they had. All vegan as well, though subject to availability depending on the day. Needles to say I had been hoping to try their peanut butter sauce. Taste testing was encouraged, so I sampled their peanut butter fudge and espresso flavors.

The peanut butter fudge flavor was rich and delicious. Just like sticking a spoon into a jar of creamy peanut butter but with the soft and smooth texture of ice cream. Seeing as how I had been craving peanut butter, I probably should have gone for this option.

I, on the other hand went with the espresso flavor which was much more subtle and had the slight texture of bean grinds blended throughout. On it's own it was light and flavorful. I topped it with some of their vegan caramel which, though delicious in its own right, was a bit overkill. If you don't have a sweet tooth (which I luckily do), this sauce it pure sugar.

I left feeling jacked. Espresso and caramel. What was I expecting right? Also re-realizing that I'm not really an ice cream person as far as primary dessert choices. That all being said, the quality was pure and for being made on the premises, you get what you pay for.

Check out the menu for yourself: http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com/lsamenu.pdf

Rating: 7/10*

*This rating is bias, due to my preference for none ice cream related desserts.

Caravan of Dreams

Caravan of Dreams is a quaint, atmospheric vegan restaurant on the lower east side of Manhattan. The lighting inside is dim, coupled with light and airy music selections for the perfect vibe of comfort and relaxation. I must admit, the menu was a bit overwhelming. So much selection that if you're one who finds it hard to make decisions, maybe have a look at the choices before hand online. Including brunch, dinner, dessert and smoothie options, there is no shortage of delicious organic, kosher food descriptions to make you salivate.

Dinning with a friend here is probably your best bet if you're looking to try as many things as possible seeing and the prices are a bit steep. Understandably so due to the standards they keep, yet still on the hefty side for this type of restaurant in my opinion.

I tried:

Pizzetta, one of their raw vegan options. The veggies were fresh and the nut cheese was the perfect texture but this pizza left allot to be desired. The sauce had no tang to mingle with the rest of the toppings. Its flavor was practically obsolete. The crust was probably the most disappointing aspect. If it were analyzed by food scientists, I'm sure they'd agree that that cracker was no longer LIVE. It was too thick and over dehydrated for my liking. It's flavor was also lacking, possible due to over dehydration but none the less, it could have used some more salty flavors such as sun dried tomatoes or celery. For $19, I was disappointed.

The Coco-Mango Pie was my savior. One layer of coconut cream, then a layer of mango cream, drizzled in strawberry sauce and a thin nutty crust. This gluten free dessert was to die for. Allot lighter than most raw vegan pies which was a delightful surprise and didn't give me the feeling of being weighed down later, due to my body processing to much fat.

Over all, I think I'll have to go back to try one of their superfood smoothies or coconut keifer drinks to satisfy my curiosity with their unique flavor combinations.

Rating: 6.5/10

Rawvolution NYC

Rawvolution is a restaurant transplant from Los Angeles, CA. Knowing this going in and my general love for all that is raw vegan cuisine, needless to say, I was expecting allot. Upon first glance, they had a great selection of take out meals or parts there of. Mock tuna and egg filling, sandwiches and and an assortment of dessert balls full of nutritious superfoods. As far as other dessert options go, the other pickings were pretty slim. One type of cake, being pumpkin which I could really appreciate for its seasonal conscious instead of focusing on more imported products as well as a few different cookies.

I went in with a humongous smoothie craving and seeing as I was not particularly hungry, I figured I'd go for that and a dessert. Since they were out of ingredients for the smoothie I initially chose, I settled on a simple strawberry smoothie with a maca add in. No ingredients listed for the smoothies on their menu so I was going into this a bit blind. With this I was fairly disappointed. Being the average $8 smoothie price for NY, plus the additional charge for the maca, what I received was something I could have put together at home if I were running out of ingredients in the fridge. It literally tasted like straight up strawberries and nut milk which, don't get me wrong, is tasty enough but when I go out and spend $10 over all on a drink, I'm expecting something a little more elaborate and flavorful. At least a date or something to sweeten it. On top of the basic taste, it was pre-made. The texture was thick but it didn't have the satisfying icy texture to satisfy my craving. I tried to legitimized that perhaps their raw vegan values system is so stringent that they also refuse to freeze fruit due to nutrient loss or they don't want to add ice because it would make it less easily digested. I would never order a smoothie here again. You know you're dissatisfied when 1/3 of the way through something you think 'I'll just take this home and mix it with something else later.'

My desserts of choice were the raw cookie dough balls. These were spectacular. Not like a regular cookie dough ball but probably as close as you'll ever get in the raw vegan world. The texture of the dough was extremely smooth in contrast to the crunchy cacao nibs. The taste was slightly like coconut but not so overpowering to make them a coconut dessert. If anything, I'd go back for these.

The Staff was absolutely lovely. I'm salivating just thinking about their take-out selection so despite my disappointment, I think I'll be back for lunch at some point.

Rating: 6.5/10