Dove Vivi- damn good pizza

Yeah, i've been a bad blogger but i'm not sure how many people are even looking at this(i'm not very computer savvy....i don't even know how to do that thing where you post a link but don't use the actual URL....). anyways, so today i will do a post on......hmm....i didn't plan.....
so i'm going to talk about Dove Vivi, which i don't think i've talked about before. if i have, so be it. Now my blog is supposed to be more about things you buy from your local grocer, but occasionally i can't help myself and i have to talk about some restuarant or some such thing. Dove Vivi opened up a block away from my work and thank God because Kustom Pizza was not doing anything for me. They have cute decor, cute employees, Mason jars filled with water in a mini fridge for easy serve-yourself access. Dove Vivi's "thing" is they serve their pizza on a crust made of cornmeal and it's freakin' divine! They offer it by the slice and have many different choices. there's one called "vegan" so of course i got that. the first time i got the slice as is and actually didn't end up eating it right away because i had gotten the combo that comes with a salad and by the time i finished eating the bigass thing i had to go back to work. the salad wasn't great. i didn't dig the steamed chilled broccoli or the large chunks of button mushrooms. but they do give a large serving. anyways, so i ate the slice when it was room temperature and was impressed. i normally don't like tomato pieces on my pizza, but their tomato sauce(which has pieces of tomato in it) is good. they put it towards the top of the pizza, not as the first layer. the next time i went i had them exchange eggplant for corn(my favorite pizza topping) and the nice woman (who may be co-owner or something, she's always there and always very friendly and helpful) asked if i wanted some vegan riccotta stuff and i said something to the affect of "hell yes!". it was a great addition to the vegan pie. it's the kind of pizza you eat with a fork and knife. the crust is thick and not floppy like a regular crust. it's got bits of corn in it. i tell everyone about this place. my friend corinn started teasing me about it all the time. she seems to have shut up since trying it herself. i tell patients (i work at a doctor's office) about it all the time. since there's not a lot of quick eateries around my work they don't have too much competition.
now go get you some!

oh, prices...i think it's $3.75 per slice. tell them the vegan-sub-corn-for-eggplant girl sent you!
ok, no don't....

one reviewer said this:
"They are charting new waters. Corn filled waters."

PROBAR...it's good!

Last year around this time i went to a Vegan Holiday Festival and had a great time eating lots of samples of good and not so good things. At the fest i signed up to join NW Veg club (honestly, mostly get the free subscription for VegNews) and also with joining you got a bag of goodies. Most of those i still have at my house b/c for some reason i left them in the bag and put it in the corner, therefore forgetting about it and all the goodies it contained.
So while cleaning a couple weeks ago i found it and came across the PROBAR i had gotten. They're pretty new, i believe. I tried some of them at the fest but not much since i wasn't in the mood for a bar. In my bag i got the Apple Cinnamon Crunch flavor, which actually kinda made me sad since it's not the flavor i would pick. So for awhile i've been carrying it around in my purses in case i got hungry. I was finally hungry on Tuesday and opened it. It was delicious! I really enjoyed it. Not sure how many of you have had Bumble Bars (which in spite of the name doesn't actually have honey in them.....right? someone can correct me if i'm wrong), but that's what this bar reminded me of, but way better. It was thicker than a Clif bar, kinda the size of a Ritter Sport. And it was seedy deliciousness. It had great texture and it wasn't like a normal bar that has some kind of protein powder type taste to it. I like Clif bars, but it's not the same kind of thing. I look forward to tasting the other flavors.

Field Roast- just ok....

This is a review of something that i'm actually not totally in love with, a first here at Shizzle....
My friend Jess at Let's Get Sconed(yeah, i don't know how to do those underlined links so just look to the right for the link) recently got 3 things to sample from the Field Roast folks(www.fieldroast.com). She got the Lentil Sage Quarter Roast, Celebration Roast, and -not sold directly to customers- White Truffle Pate. Jess invited me over to help her eat it. I first ate a slice of the Celebration Roast. I don't think i've ever had this before. I'm quite a fan of the Tofurkey even though i know it's not a huge hit with other vegetarians. The first couple times i had it i didn't really care for it, but i think it's when i realized how much damn protein is in it, i just really started liking it. I find the stuffing quite tasty(which there's only a very small amount of inside the roast).....Anyway, back to the Celebration....I found the roast to be quite delicious. I really liked the texture and they put a lot more stuffing in their roast than Tofurkey does. Then we cut into the Pate. At first bite, this herby "spread"(not really spreadable) was good. However, the aftertaste kinda left me disappointed. Me and Jess ate it on a Wasa-style cracker. Jess thought it would be more suited on a piece of baguette or something. The pate is something i would eat again, but i wouldn't buy it and i'm not sure how easily it is to obtain and i'm guessing the price is kinda high(Jess thinks they probably sell it in the Whole Foods deli section).
The last item we tried was the Lentil Sage Quarter Roast. Jess was quite disturbed when she had to cut off the stretchy netting around the roast. She gets grossed out by anything too real-like. It was pretty weird....So we ate a piece by itself first and i wasn't that impressed, but then we tried it again as the Field Roast people suggust: adding a dollop of dijon mustard. This really made all the difference, it was really tasty! I think a sandwich with these slices and the mustard would be hella good (yes, i said "hella").
I'm not sure i would buy any of these items unless they were on sale. I think i am just a Tofurkey girl (love love love the Smoked Torkey slices) at heart.
For pictures go to Jess's blog....
P.s. i also have tried the Unturkey (i think that's the one with "skin" on it). The price isn't worth it, though i've heard a lot of people praise it and say it's the best. So maybe it's just me. I don't think they sell it anymore.....

What's better in cold weather than ice cream?

Nothing! Which is why this post is to express the love i have for Purely Decadent Coconut Craze. I was going to title this post "Coconut Craze-y!!" but thought that was too much. Right?
So anyways, i took some pictures of it myself to prove that i'm actually eating this stuff......because...y'all probably think i lie that i actually eat what i'm posting about? i don't know....anyways, my sister and i were shopping at New Seasons (also known as cute boy central...for realz) the other day and she had a $1 off coupon and Purely Decadent was 2 for $5, so yes i got a whole pint for $1.50...sa-weet! I usually go for Cookies Avalanche but decided instead to try something new. Sister helped me pick out Coconut Craze, which i was only mildly excited about. That night i popped the pint open and had a bite: Oh-my-stars, so good! Not sure how many of you have gone to Pix Pattiserie here in Portland and had their Coconut Chocolate Chip Sorbet, but that is what this stuff tastes like, except it has the added bonus of roasted almonds. In the probable words of one Britney Spears "It was a party in my mouth, y'all!" With how many calories are per 1/2 cup(240) it has to be good, right?

Vegan sausage lovers rejoice!

Yesterday Jess (of Get Sconed!) and i were shopping at Whole Foods and we came across the new brand of Whole Foods foods called Whole Kitchen. They have vegan sausage patties in the freezer section. Jess encouraged me to get them, not that it took a lot of encouragement, i love sausage. I was so sad when i went vegan and could no longer buy Morningstar's sausage patties. (by the way, though these were very good, they still don't beat out Morningstar's patties.)
Last night i came home from going out with some friends. I hadn't eaten dinner and had gotten quite buzzed off a strongly made Kamikaze on the rocks. Since i just got back yesterday from a week long vacation i didn't have much (i didn't do any real grocery shopping at Whole Foods), my fridge was pretty lackluster in the food department. So i took out the new sausages. What i first liked about them was that they come in their own ziplock bag. So none of that weird trying to close up the bag to keep out freezer burn or whatever. I heated them up in a nongreased pan and ate them plain. The taste was good and so was the texture. They had the fake bits in them to make them look like real sausage. They compare with Gardenburger's sausage patties, but are better. This morning i made them again. This time i heated in the microwave and then finished them off in the toaster oven to give them a crisp outside. I dipped in ketchup and they were just lovely. This morning i really thought they were much better than the Gardenburger ones.

Cost: $2.49(i think) for 6 patties.

I looked for a picture of the box, but i couldn't find one. So just try using your imagination. I was going to take a picture of me eating them this morning, but was like, enh, too much work for this lazy girl.

Give me some Chocolove!

So there's a few people I've met that don't like chocolate, which is weird by the way, but, for the most part, everyone likes a good piece of chocolate. Since this is my second post about chocolate you may have figured out that I am of the latter group. I love me some chocolate!
So here we have Chocolove Cherries & Almonds in 55% Dark Chocolate. I've had some bars that mix dark chocolate with cherries and they just don't seem to compare. The cherries always tend to be too sour. And it doesn't have almonds in it. It's surprising how many dark chocolate manufacturers totally ignore this wonderful combination that I fell in love with as young girl eating her Hershey's with Almonds bar. The chocolate is just dark enough to hold me back from eating the whole bar in one go. I had that problem with milk chocolate. It's one of the reasons I gained 15 pounds while living in Germany....
I don't believe I have tried any of their other flavors, but they also sell Crystalized Ginger, Orange Peel, Raspberries and the brand new Chilies & Cherries in Dark Chocolate, which sounds kinda good. All of their chocolate bars come with a love poem on the inside. Their website is www.chocolove.com.

Nature's Path Hemp Plus Waffles

I didn't grow up eating breakfast. My mother wasn't much of a breakfast eater herself so i guess she just assumed we weren't either. I was rarely hungry first thing in the morning, but when i was at my grandma's house for the night i would wake up and she would make my favorite breakfast: Dunk egg and toast. I'm from a mennonite background and my grandma is ex-amish and speaks Pennsylvania Dutch(it's pretty much a mix of german and english) so when we say "dunk" we pronounced it "doonk." Some people may know dunk eggs as Sunnyside Up.
This is all to say that i do eat breakfast more these days, especially if it's at a restaurant. At home i sometimes just go for a piece of toast and earth balance. If i'm feeling like eating something a bit more substantial i go for one of Nature's Path Hamp Plus waffles with peanut butter and maple syrup. Sometimes they taste less than perfect and i'm not sure if it's my 30 year old toaster oven's fault or the waffle itself, but when it's perfect, it's just damn tasty! Almost chewy, that yummy healthy taste.....
They're almost always on sale at New Seasons for about $2.50 for 8 waffles.

Vegan Milk Chocolate!

Apologies for the time lapse. I'm one of those bloggers i don't like, you know, the kind that doesn't add to their blog every other day.....Now i realize how hard it is to keep up with something like that. Especially since i don't have internet at home...

So for today i am talking about Ricemilk Choco:

Dark chocolate is lovely, but it's not my favorite and when i lived in Germany for a year (i wasn't vegan) i ate their delicious inexpensive milk chocolate like it was going out of style. My favorite being Milka Sahne Creme. I was really skeptical when i first saw Terra Nostra's Ricemilk Choco. I just didn't think rice milk would make it as creamy delicious as the real thing. Ricemilk Choco is similar to the Sahne Creme bar in that it's got a center that's more creamier than the outside. Make sense? It's just freakin' delicious and I brought a bar to share with my friends, Joanna and Matt, for out America's Next Top Model Premiere party. i had 3 "lines" and was wanting more....
So, when dark chocolate just won't do it for you, try one of these. They sell for about $3-3.50.

Tofutti Kids!

I was never a fan of Orange Creamsicles growing up. I know, I know, you are shocked and dismayed, don't hate me. But i had one of these Kids bars about a year ago and fell in love. Maybe it's because they come in a red flavor (listed as Strawberry), not just orange. They also have a green flavor, also known as Lime. I'm not sure what the center is made of, but it's freakin' delicious! Kinda chewy and creamy at the same time. The best part is that The Daily Grind, here in Portland, sell them in singles for 49 cents so if you only like one of the flavors that come in the multi-pack or don't want them staring at you every time you open the freezer, you can just buy one whenever you're at Daily Grind (you know, along with one of their delicious vegan bakery items)....

Red & Black's Fundraiser Vegan Dinners

I should be doing a new entry soon, i don't have the internet at home so i use the computer pretty willy nilly.

This is more like a reminder. Saturday August 18th is the second vegan dinner that Aaron Adams (the guy who did the Vegan Dinners at Junior's) is doing to raise funds for Red & Black's inevitable move. if you want to check out what they had last time, check out StumptownVegans.com, which is a great blog about Portland eats.

Here's the official message:
Next week is another fabuloso vegano dinner-o at the Red and Black. That's SATURDAY, August 18th at 7:00 pm... food will start rollin' out the kitchen 'round 7:30. We're servin' some yummy fixin's, including red onion n' corn mashed taters, garlicky green beans, summery vegetable salad, and PEACH PIE! Could you let the masses know about this upcoming dinner? They will get their bellies full of yummy vegan fare AND help the Red and Black raise money for their upcoming move. If you're in town and don't come to this dinner...we will hate you.

When: Saturday the 18th at 7:00 pm
Where: The Red and Black on SE 22nd and Division
How Much: $9 to $20 per person (Sliding Scale)

The per person doesn't include drinks, though.

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! WE LOVE YOU!

Aaron and R&B Crew

Dave's Killer Bread

www.daveskillerbread.com
If you live in Portland and you've never had Dave's Killer Bread you must be living under a rock. It's made by a guy named Dave, who's a (everyone say it with me!) 4 time loser. His dad is the one that started NatureBake here in Portland. You can find Dave's Killer breads everywhere here, from Fred Meyers to the Farmer's Markets. It's also sold in Eugene, Canby, Vancouver(u.s.), Klamath Falls, Corvallis, and some other towns nearby. They ship 4 loaves for $24, includes shipping.



The 2 pictured here are my favorites. Good Seed and Good Seed Spelt. Spelt is an ancient grain that some people who can't have wheat or gluten can eat without any reactions. If you have Celiac disease, I think you can try it but be careful. I think i heard that it's not good for you to eat if you are Celiac.

All Dave's breads are vegan and use molasses and organic evaporated cane juice as the sweetener. The bread isn't as dense as the German bread i experienced during my year in Germany. It's almost kinda like it was given an American makeover. It's like Wonderbread and German bread had a lovechild. A really delicious lovechild.......

They're about $4-5 a loaf and if you go to the Farmer's Markets you can give them all a try before picking one. There's really nothing better than a Tofurkey Smoked Turkey sandwich with avocados and Vegenaise on some Good Seed bread...yum! When toasting i prefer the spelt version because it's more compact/dense and just has a wonderful taste when toasted and covered with Earth Balance.

I also want to give a shout out to Dave for donating his delightful bread to the Post Punk Kitchen gathering this past weekend. It was enjoyed by us all.

Blossoming Lotus Ice Cream

It must be summer, i'm doing another post about ice cream. This isn't something you can buy anywhere. This is pretty much a restaurant review, but i don't care. Blossoming Lotus is a all vegan organic restuarant here in Portland (though the original restaurant is in hawaii somewheres). It's inside a yoga studio in the Pearl district and they serve vegan soft serve. my gosh, it's a delight! They only have one flavor at a time and it's not surprising when you get there and they're out or the machine's not working. It's $1 for 2 oz which is just right in terms of size. It's unbelievably rich and creamy for vegan ice cream. The flavors they've had:

Chai- i haven't had this but i want to hella bad (yes, i used the word "hella"...)
UPDATE 8-11-07: i tried their Chai today(this is what is pictured above). there was some flavor in it i was totally not liking. kinda like anise or black licorce. my sister disagreed with that assessment and really liked it and said that it tasted like real Chai tea (as in not like Oregon Chai).

Chocolate- yum

Vanilla Bean- at events they usually serve this with chocolate chips and hazelnut pieces and it's so good!

Orangesicle- they called it something else, i normally don't like this flavor but it really grew on me when i had it the second day in a row

Raspberry- i don't like this flavor in anything i eat, but i tried my friends in it was more like a *hint* of raspberry and it wasn't so bad, tasted more like vanilla ice cream with taste of berry

Strawberry-Kiwi- or something, i don't know, it was a mix of fruit and it was weird and i didn't care for it...i don't really like when they have berry flavors b/c really i could go to any gelato place around here and have one of their vegan flavors, which is always fruit.

Banana Nut- tasted like Banana Bread and it was delicious.

Chocolate Cherry- chocolate, which is always good, with a hint of cherry.

Vanilla Almond- good, but i prefer the pure Vanilla Bean


My sister and i really wish they would do 2 things:
1. open an only soft serve place in the SE
2. get a machine that can do 2 flavors, with chocolate all the time (also so you could swirl!)

if you're in Portland, go get you some!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and it tastes good!

This blog is just all about vegan items that are out there. Keep eating wholesome fruits and veggies, etc, but don't ignore all the yummy stuff now available to us vegans or near-vegans. I will be "reviewing" everything and will give my opinion on it. Feel free to give your own opinion. Also let me know if you have any suggestions.



First up, Good Karma Carrot Cake Rice Dream. I was really surprised when i first tasted this. Gluten free usually = not tasty in the past (and present). This actually tastes like pumpkin pie ice cream with little bites of carrot cake mixed in. I'm not someone that has to eat gluten free, but i know some people that do and i really feel for them. Their choices are slim and they usually taste blah and/or gritty.

Good Karma comes in some other flavors such as Mudd Pie, Coconut Mango, Very Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Swirl, Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl, and Banana Fudge. Mudd Pie is the only other one i've tried. It was pretty good, but i like the Carrot Cake better.