Stogo vegan ice-cream

I can't believe it's vegan! Seriously though, Stogo's ice-cream is great, * * * * * (out of 5). Plus their vegan ice-cream has half the calories and fat of milk based ice-cream.

My friend, who's a meat eating foodie, recommended them. You know a vegan place is good when non-vegans love it. So after eating a delicious slice of vegan pizza we walked 2 minutes to Stogo. My fiancee and I split a 3-scoop cup for $7.50 (yes, it's expensive alas)

Layers top to bottom:

• Key Lime Pie -> I didn't like it, but my fiancee did
• Strawberry ->I'm in love, with real pieces of strawberry mixed in, it's gourmet ice-cream at its best
• Chocolate, made with coconut milk -> The coconut milk makes it really creamy, mmm

We also test tried some others:

• Mexican spiced chocolate -> Really spicy, we were not fans
• Chocolate, made with hemp -> The hemp makes it dry, the opposite of creamy. However the flavor is great like a bar of dark chocolate.

Stogo, Gourmet Organic Dairy-Free Ice cream

159 2nd Avenue @ 10th Street, NYC 10003

212-677-2301

Viva Herbal Pizzeria

I love being a vegan in NYC. Yesterday my fiancee and I went to 'Viva Herbal Pizzeria' in the lower east side. It was lovely another * * * * * (out of 5).

I had vegan meatball on whole wheat crust slice. The tomato sauce and sautéed onions tasted so good and the meatballs had a pleasant smokey flavor. I actually prefer vegan pizza -> I often took off most of the cheese for non-vegan pizza thinking it too fattening, plus after eating non-vegan pizza I would feel heavy and tired.

My fiancee tried the vegetarian options. He had the Picante (soy sausage, red peppers and mozzarella cheese on whole wheat crust) and the Vegetale (Grilled veggies, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese).

Viva Herbal Pizzeria

179 2nd Ave (between 11th and 12th), NYC 10003

212-420-8801

vegan scones

The lovely creators of 'Vegan cupcakes take over the world' also have a cookbook called 'Vegan with a Vengeance' which I happily own. I tried out their vegan scone recipe. I didn't have soy cream, so I substituted with soy milk like they suggested.

I give it * * * * * (out of 5). They taste so good still warm with raspberry fruit spread. I can't wait to try the suggested variations like fresh berry scones or chocolate chip scones. Mmmm.

I heart vegan baked goods.

Recipe (makes 16 scones):

3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tbs baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar (plus extra to sprinkle on the top), 1/4 tsp salt, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup soy cream (or use rice/soy milk), 3/4 cup rice/soy milk plus 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat over 400*F, grease cookie sheet
2. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt
3. Add oil, soy cream and rice milk
4. Mix until just combined, the dough should be clumpy
5. drop 1/4 cupfuls onto greased cookie sheet and pat the tops a little to round out
6. Sprinkle sugar on top
7. Bake 12 - 15 minutes or until slightly browned on the bottom and firm on the top

WholeSoy & Co -> The Best Vegan yogurt

I've been searching for weeks now, trying to find a good vegan yogurt. My friend suggested WholeSoy & Co. and thank goodness she did. Their yogurt is the BEST, * * * * * (out of 5). The texture and taste are perfect. I tried both their strawberry and their vanilla flavors and I'm very happy with them. Mmm.

I no longer have to miss out on yogurt. :)

Next, the quest for vegan ice-cream..........

Happy Naw-Ruz! Vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes

Happy Naw-Ruz, first day of Spring and the end of my 19-day fast :)

To celebrate I made vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes. Another recipe from the best cupcake book ever, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The texture is more moist than the chocolate cupcakes, almost spongy but in a good way. The spiciness of the cinnamon, cloves and ginger took me awhile to get used to. Plus, I tend to like super sweet things. However my fiancee LOVED them. He also likes the fact that no icing is called for, just sift powdered sugar mixed with cocoa powder. These cupcakes go well with a warm cup of tea or coffee. As a couple we give them * * * * * (out of 5).

Recipe for vegan Chai Latte Cupcakes

Growing Wheat Grass for Naw-Ruz

19 days ago I started growing wheat grass. The goal was to watch the grass grow in anticipation for the first day of spring/Naw-Ruz and to remind myself as I fasted during the day the quote by Baha'u'llah:

"Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of thy heart, and water them with the water of certitude."

It was relatively easy to grow. I tried two ways: one worked incredibly fast and beautifully, the other was slow and ugly. I haven't eaten/juiced the wheat grass yet. I might just use it for decoration. However, I do love wheat grass shots and the nutritional benefits.

Method 1 (aka the best method): Soak the seeds in water, washing 2-3x daily for about 30 - 48 hours. Spread a thin layer of soil on a round bowl. Pour a thick layer of seeds on top of the soil. Cover them with something so that it stays dark. Water daily. Keep covered until green blades start to shoot up. Then uncover them. Keep watering them. This whole process takes about 14 days.

Method 2 (aka the sucky method): Soak the seeds in water, washing 2-3x daily for about 30 - 48 hours. Put several layers of paper towel in a round bowl. Pour a thick layer of seeds on top of the paper towel. Rinse the seeds daily. After they start growing green blades, water them daily. This whole process takes longer and the grasses are 1/2 the height of method 1.

Rice milk and getting in my servings of fruit

I finally tried rice milk yesterday. I think I'll give it * * * (out of 5 stars). The taste is okay, sort of bland. I was expecting it to taste like one of my favorite drinks Horchata, a Hispanic drink made with rice milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. So with those high expectations I was slightly disappointed. However, I could always add some flavor to it. Plus one serving only has 1 gram of protein. Sometimes I worry about consuming too much soy. However, rice milk will definitely not replace my love of vanilla soy milk.

On a side note, I have an obsession with making fruit smoothies. Seriously, I make at least 5 smoothies a week. I think it's the best way to ensure I get enough fruit in my diet. Plus buying frozen fruit at whole foods, adding a banana and some soy/rice milk keeps the cost way down. One bag of organic frozen mangoes for $3 can last me week.