Chef Brooke’s… If you could have Heaven on earth..it would be here!

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I always love when I get to spend some time with one of my favorite people Chef Brooke! Along with getting to eat my *favorite* food Chef Brooke’s Natural Cafe.  A perfect day for me would consist of a relaxing lunch at Brooke’s- that’s why every time I get time to go back to Ft. Myers for a break – I spend everyday there for lunch- not only for the spectacular food but for the lovely company as well! The cafe is quaint, peaceful, and just an all around wonderful environment. Each time I go away and come back it seems that the menu gets better, and better. More creative and delicious then the time before ( which is always a surprise because it was already the best food ever made!) With a diverse menu of organic, healthy homemade salads, soups, wraps, sandwiches, daily specials, pizzas, mexican dishes, and some incredible desserts where else would I ever choose to eat??! Just the thought of Chef Brooke’s puts a smile on my face and a bit of hunger in my belly! My parents had lunch their the other day and sent me a lovely picture- SO jealous! Now onto some goodies at Chef Brooke’s! Every dining experience here is great and Chef Brooke’s ALWAYS adds a little somethin somethin to make it even better. She brought my mom and I a bowl of her “Veggie Chili” ($5.99/bowl) Piping hot Chili with Fresh Vegetables, Squash, Tofu, and flavorful ingredients. I cannot tell you every ingredient that is used in this because their are SO many yummy things going on, it just works, thats what I can say. Generally Veggie Chili is crumbled soy and veggies..which is good but like I said Chef Brooke always adds a little something to make it that much better! This is now my new favorite chili, hands down!!! Next up is something I didn’t have as my menu item ( but I have eaten this at Chef Brooke’s before)  but just had to snap a picture of a review! “Tempeh Pizza” ($11.99) This thick Crusted Pizza, with Fresh Tomato Sauce,Fresh Vegetables, Crumbled Tempeh, and Spices will normally be served with a lovely Green Side Salad. Fabulous taste! I dare you to bring your non vegan friend here to eat this, and say they don’t like it!! Crispy, homemade and amazing!! Another one of the best dishes ( something my momma loves!) is the “Tempeh Reuben“ ($8.99) Fresh Strips of Tempeh, Vegetables, Reuben Sauce, served with Potato Salad, and Cole Slaw. This sandwich is just heavenly! I don’t even know where to begin!! I will say though- the sauce on this sandwich is the *BEST* sauce I have ever eaten- I order it with *EVERY* dish I get at Brooke’s! The tempeh is seasoned to perfection, and every vegetable Brooke uses always tastes like it was just taken from a fresh garden! YUMM! My normal at Brooke’s is one of her MANY daily specials plates – She makes it kind of “special” for me and puts a bit of everything on there! “Special me plate” ($11.99) Fresh Tamari Tofu, Baked Falafel, Tempeh, served with a side of Beans, a Side Salad, Rice, and Baked Veggies. Where do I begin?!! EVERYTHING on this plate is my favorite- I LOVE that she always makes it with a bit of everything for me to taste- because honestly I can NEVER decide ( but can you blame me???) I would def. recommend getting one of her delicious, creative specials when you go in!! Im going to have to say that the baked goods at Chef Brooke’s will not only entice your eyes but leave your stomach happy forever! Chef Brooke makes delicious Vegan Cookies, Muffins, Faerie Cakes, Gluten Free Muffins, Dream Bars, Vegan Cakes and Crazy Specials like Strawberry Pudding. The Cookies/Muffins/Faerie Cakes/and Dream Bars are around $2.99 each.  ( I put them along in the slide) The “Vegan Dream Bar” Layers of Fresh Vegan Batter, Chocolate, Coconut, and other secret goodies baked to the most amazing bar I’ve ever eaten. This thing will blow your mind- it is THAT good. seriously. wow.  Next up is the “Chocolate Pineapple Muffin” Fresh Batter, with chunks of Pineapple and Chocolate Chips. This muffin is like a pineapple chocolatey pie that just melts in your mouth- leaves you wanting 10 more! MHM. Chef Brooke is also very popular for her “Faeriecakes“ Fruit Flavored Batter with a Creamy Vegan Icing with fresh Nuts, and Pomegranate Seeds. My mom is in love with these faeriecakes, and for good reason- everything about them is perfection- maybe she will start to sell the icing in a bucket for me;)?? One day she made “Strawberry Pudding” Made with Tofu, and fresh Strawberries. I have to admit, Im not a huge fruit pudding person- but this stuff was really, really yummy! Cool and fruity, perfect for a hot day! ( you would never guess it was made with tofu). As I mention Chef Brooke also caters to you Gluten Free folks out there ( although I LOVE the GF food) “Banana Chocolate GF Muffin” ( Fresh Banana made with GF Batter topped with a warm Chocolate Sauce, served with Acai Berries, and Cacao. WOWZERS! The muffin is killer on its own- but putting that chocolate sauce and THEN adding Acai Berries AND Cacao Chips- my word, can it get any better?! Not any better than Chef Brooke’s!! I know that was a lot of reviewing but my blog seemed to delete posts of this food before and it simple has to be known how out of this planet killer Chef Brooke’s and Brooke herself is. You simple HAVE to head there for some grub! Eat Clean!

Peace, Love, and Vegan Food,

Kris

Chef Brooke’s Natural Cafe:

1850 Boyscout Drive

Fort Myers, FL.

239.332.2433

The Jones Eastside: Gainesville!

The Jones Eastside

This summer I was fortunate enough to spend the majority of my time in New Orleans with my family. We ended up driving to Florida towards the end of my stay so I was all over finding some vegan and good on the road trip! The Jones Eastside is a small quaint restaurant in Gainesville serving up regular breakfast items, lunch, dinner, different beverages, but also a lot of vegan choices! One thing that got my attention was the grits! I LOVE LOVE LOVE grits,

:)

honestly I would be satisfied with a nice giant tub of fresh homemade grits :p. Unfortunately “tub of grits” wasn’t a menu option so I decided to try something else;) The “Tempeh Scramble” ($8.95) Wonderfully seasoned Marinated Tempeh Sauteed with Fresh Veggies and drizzled with Toasted Sesame Oil. Served with Grits, Toast, and a side of Fresh Fruit.. What I adore about this dish is that its a tempeh scramble, awesome right? It’s normally a tofu

Tempeh Scramble!

scramble (which they do have) but the tempeh was so great mixed with the fresh vegetables- nothin better!! I don’t even have to tell you how amazing the grits were do I? Fresh, hot, soft fabulous grits! YUM YUM.! This place also had some great vegan desserts but I wasn’t that hungry so I will have to try it next time were driving through Gainesville!:) Great meal, great time with the family ! <3 Eat Clean!

Peace, Love, and Vegan Food,

Kris

The Jones Eastside:

 

401 NE 23rd Ave.

Gainesville, FL.

(352) 373.6777

Pasta for Breakfast? why not!

Pasta !

I think people have the connotation that ‘vegans’ aren’t very adventurous when it comes to our food choices. In my opinion it’s quite the contrary. With so many fresh food options, and different “vegan versions” of food we have plenty of crazy dishes to try and Im honestly never bored with my food:) I always love when I give something vegan to a ‘non vegan’ and they adore it, just proves my above point:). Hugo’sis one of the *best* places in Hollywood to grab breakfast served most of the day, a great lunch or something a little different that

MHM

surprises the palate. When my mom is in LA, we go to Hugo’s at least twice a week. This particular morning we both decided to try a little something different for breakfast. My mom went for the “Pasta Emilia”($12.50) Fresh Pasta scrambled with Tofu, Garlic, Parsley, Avocado, Tomato, Cilantro, and Hugo’s  Special Seasoning. Seriously, how creative are they?! Im not really an ‘in the box’ person when it comes to what I will eat (vegan wise mind you) for breakfast. I meanif breakfast for dinner why not dinner for

Stir Fry!

breakfast? This dish was really good- I really enjoyed it, my mom is more of a “pancakes or oatmeal for breakfast type” so while she thought the dish was yummy she would have probably enjoyed it better for lunch. I however thought it was great! Totally something if your willing to step out of the box for breakfast:) I decided to try one of their main Entree dishes “Asian Stir Fry” ($14.00) Marinated Organic Tofu, Snow Peas, Fresh Tomatoes, Broccolini, Mushrooms, Jicama, Green Onions, Cilantro, and  a Mild Sesame-Chili Sauce Served over Quinoa. The thing I love about Hugo’s is that they are so detailed with each ingredient. You can taste every flavor they incorporate in the dish and it just brings it to that perfect food level. The stir fry was full of flavors and fresh veggies cushioned with fluffy quinoa. What a fabulous out of box breakfast experience at Hugo’s.  You know i’ll be back;) . Eat Clean and out of the box!

Peace, Love, and Vegan Food,

Kris

Hugo’s:

8401 Santa Monica Blvd.

Hollywood, CA 90069

(323) 654-3993