Last week I got an email from the SF Vegetarian Meetup group announcing a group gathering at Ike’s Place in SF. Awarded “Best Gut Bomb” by SF Weekly and “Best of the Bay: Best Sandwiches” by the Bay Guardian, I’d been dying to check out this quirky little sandwich shop for a while. There was also a book signing that was taking place around the corner at Books, Inc. featuring a couple cookbooks I’d been eyeing on Amazon.

Despite it being a work night and the fact that I pretty much put myself on house arrest during the week, I decided to drag my mom along with me and check it out. I’m so glad I did.

The big cartoon style lettering outside of Ike’s Place make it hard to miss. In one of my favorite districts – the Castro, this place is a must stop if you happen to be wandering around nearby. The actual restaurant part of it, is about as roomy and comfortable as trying to squeeze into a girdle. This is part of the reason why there is a constant line out the door. Because Ike’s sandwiches are made to order (including the super fresh baked bread after you place your order) it takes a while to get it. Thankfully, there is a call in/to-go option which I highly recommended.

The extensive menu with clever sandwich names such as “The Sandwich Formerly Known as Vegan”, “Not Tonight Honey I Have a Headache” & “Hella Fat Bastard” cater not only to vegans and vegetarians but to meat eaters as well. After several minutes of stressful decision making, I ended up ordering the “Sometimes I’m Vegan” sandwich on a sourdough roll and snagging a few of mom’s onion rings. Mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts and soy cheese with all the fixin’s… DE-LISH!!! Not only was the food fantastic but the youthful skater-style staff were absolutely charming. There were about 6 of them flinging condiments between slices of bread cheerfully while cracking jokes and mingling with customers.

Ike’s Place is located at 3506 16th St, SF and are open 7 days a week. Oh, and if you stop in for happy hour, they’ll include a free drink and bag of chips with your order!

After stuffing our faces, we waddled over to Book’s, Inc. A decent sized crowd had gathered leaving no seating room which was encouraging to see.

The two cookbooks that were featured that evening were ‘The Vegan Table‘ by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and ‘Vegan Soul Kitchen‘ by Bryant Terry. Both speakers had very different styles and presentations that were equally as interesting. Bryant’s introduction to “Vegan Soul Kitchen’ included a bit of history about the southern lifestyle and touched on music and poetry. The book itself actually incorporates a good amount of both.

Colleen (also the author of ‘The Joy of Vegan Baking‘) followed with her presentation of ‘The Vegan Table’ which was primarily more focused on entertaining, compassion and transitioning into veganism.

What I thought was particularly awesome was that even though the books were so different, they both seem to have stemmed from the most important topics like family, culture, health and bringing people of all walks of life together for a bigger, better purpose.

Bryant set a deeper, more soulful tone by reading a few poetry excerpts from his book and explained where they came from and how it tied into the making of the book. The recipes alone would make anyone want to become vegan. Colleen’s lighter approach, including jokes about “how humans instincts are not to pull out a fork when we pass a cow on the road” proved a lot of good points on the reasons why we should be vegan.

In fear of my BART train turning into a pumpkin and me feeling not-so-princess-like at work the next day, we packed it up as they finished and opened for questions. Like a stealthy ninja, I swooped up a copy of the books with the quickness, made my purchases and booked it the hell out of there before the rush hit. Unfortunately, leaving early meant that I would have to forego getting my books signed, but I figured my co-workers would thank me and my mood for it the next day.

As soon as I got on my BART train, I flipped through the pages wildly like a little kid on Christmas day. The first recipe that caught my eye? The Pumpkin Curry. Mmmm… even typing it excites me. I’m pretty sure I started salivating once I got to the Roasted Red Potato Salad with Parsley-Pine Nut Pesto. Thankfully, my mom was the only person within drool distance.

You can find a few of the drool-worthy recipes here.

To sum the evening up as one reviewer commented on Ike’s Place…

“The place has awesome sandwiches.
The place is tiny.
The place has long lines.
The place takes phone orders.
The place took over 40 minutes to make a sandwich for me and my other half.
The place is still worth the wait.”

As for the bookstore… super friendly staff, decently priced books, right next to a coffee shop… a perfect week night adventure. At least, for those practically on house arrest.

This 30 day no-baking challenge thing has been a bitch. Last week I figured out the way around it was making raw desserts. I thought to myself, “Not only am I sticking to my guns when it comes to baking, I’m being even healthier consuming only raw ingredients!” In a way, yes. That is, if I would have stopped at one small slice of the amazing Neapolitan cheesecake I made. Created from basically all nuts and sugary fruit, this baby sure isn’t low on the calorie chart (especially after eating half the cake) BUT it’s loaded with tons of other nutritionally beneficial stuff. That cancels out the fat… right?

The nuts alone help to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and raise good cholesterol (HDL). In moderate amounts, nuts have been proven to help shed unwanted pounds (no, a half of a cheesecake isn’t moderate even though I’d like to think it is). Nuts are also a great source of protein, antioxidants and fiber which keep you feeling full, keep your skin glowing and your system…er… regular. They also store in the freezer very well for months at a time. The nuts I used in this recipe were a mixture of unsalted cashews, pecans, walnuts and almonds.

• Cashews at about 157 calories per ounce, have a good source of magnesium & copper which promote healthy bones, lower blood pressure, prevent heart attacks, lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes and gallstones. Cashews contain less fat per serving than most nuts found in grocery stores. They also make a fantastic creamy ‘cheese’ base for many vegan recipes.
• Pecans at around 196 calories per ounce, provide a good source of Vitamin E and may improve prostate health, guard against heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and cataracts.
• Walnuts pack in about 185 calories per ounce. They contain excellent levels of B vitamins. Vitamin B6, Thiamin (B1), Panthothenic Acid, Vitamin E, Niacin (B3) & Riboflavin (B2). Not to mention Zinc and Iron. Walnuts also provide an important source of omega 3-fatty acids.
• Almonds are in fact, a seed. Not a nut. One ounce is around 163 calories. Almonds are higher in calcium than all other nuts. Approximately 20-25 almonds have as much calcium as a 1/4 cup of milk and are WAY better for you. For more facts on milk, go here. The best part is that no animals are harmed by eating almonds as they are during the milking process.

Ok, so I had my fancy lookin’ nut variety ready to go. Next, I grabbed a handful of fruit & some leftover melted chocolate. The chocolate technically kills the raw factor but you can always keep it optional. I added some agave, some spices and started whirling away with my food processor. 3 beautifully colored layers later, I threw it in the fridge to set. Oh, the anticipation…

Raw Neapolitan Freezer Cake

Ingredients

Crust

• 1/3 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 Medjool dates

Filling

• 3 cups raw cashew pieces
• 1/2 cup agave syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (alcohol-free preferably)
• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 1 medium, chopped ripe peach
• 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup melted chocolate (optional)

Topping

• 1 cup raw cashew pieces
• 1/2 cup water (or enough to make a smooth, semi-thick consistency)
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Layer a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Once secured, lightly grease pan with coconut oil or non-stick spray.
• To prepare the crust, pulse nuts, salt and cinnamon in food processor until coarsely ground. Add dates until mix until dough sticks together nicely. Firmly press crust into bottom of the pan. Set aside.
• To prepare the filling, pulse cashews in food processor until crumbly. Add agave, water, lime and vanilla. Puree mixture until very smooth, scraping the sides with a rubber spatula halfway through. Feed the berries, chopped peach and raspberries through the top of the processor until all fruit is incorporated. Stop the processor, add the melted chocolate (if using) and continue to blend until mixture is fully combined.
• Pour the filling into the cake pan. It will be pretty runny but it will set!
• To prepare the topping, pulse the cashews in the food processor until crumbly. Add water, agave, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Gently pour on top of filling.
• Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer to set for about 3 hours.

*Presentation is always an additional tasty option as well. I had a few leftover ‘Almost Raw Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Truffles’ (recipe here) so I threw them on top after it had set. You could drizzle chocolate sauce on a plate or make a strawberry coulis sauce if you’d like. *

3-4 hours later, this is what I came out with.

I noticed that it wouldn’t set properly in the fridge without using coconut oil – which I didn’t have on hand. So, it became a freezer cake which is just fine with me when it’s 100 degrees outside anyway. I would recommend cutting it into individual serving pieces the first day when it’s semi-frozen. I noticed after a few days, it got really hard. After a few minutes of thawing, I dug in. It had a creamy, light, Neapolitan ice cream/milkshake sort of flavor to it. You could taste the fruit, the agave and the chocolate all separately in one bite. Yummmm.

I’ll admit, I impressed myself. 3 layers of nuts & fruit thrown into a food processor made one hell of an awesome cake. I’m kinda diggin’ this whole raw food thing I think. That is, if there is chocolate involved at least. I decided to approach one of my toughest critics, my dad. He loved it! If I can win my parents over, this will win anyone in your family over as well. Promise.

I was recently inspired by a new reality show my friend has been working on, “30 Days Dry“. To sum it up, the show is based on one persons vices and the willpower they posses to overcome them. They follow the person around with a camera for 30 days and document the process of staying abstinent. I asked myself, “what are my vices?” That was simple. Sugar and baking.

I decided to challenge myself for 30 days. No sugar, no baking. The first week was hell. No baking = no blogging either. I realized how much free time I actually have when I’m not baking or blogging. I was a trooper though and I was determined. A few trips to the gym, a couple books and an evening spent organizing my closet helped me make it through my first week like a champ.

The following weekend was when the wheels started turning… “What if I found a raw dessert recipe? Technically, that’s not baking, right?” Call it cheating or whatever, I have no regrets. The recipe I came up with was fantastic! The following recipe was modified from Ani’s Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake recipe.

Almost Raw Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Truffles
Yields 25 truffles

Ingredients

• 3 cups walnuts
• 2/3 cup of unsweetened cacao powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 cup of pitted medjool dates
• 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Instructions

• Combine walnuts, cacao powder, salt & cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely mixed.

• Add the dates and pulse again for about a minute. Mixture should stick together well.

• In a small sauce pan, combine raspberries and non-dairy milk. Stir on medium heat until raspberries form a thick liquid. Sieve or strain the mixture to remove any chunks if preferred (I skipped this step). Return strained mixture to pan and add one cup of chocolate (OK, so I cheated with the sugar here). Stir until mixture becomes smooth. Turn off heat and set aside.

• Form nut & date mixture into golf ball sized truffles.

• Dip in chocolate sauce while still warm and place on a cooling rack in the fridge to firm for an hour or more.

• Voila! Enjoy.

When I originally found this recipe, I thought “Dates? Hmmm… I don’t know.” My great grandmother’s Christmas fruit cake came to mind. I promise you, this is nothing like that.

These are moist with a light nutty texture, have a slight sweetness and that chewy, thick, brownie-like, stick-to-your-teeth, yumminess about them. The raspberry chocolate coating gives your taste buds that tart little bite at the end. While they are rich, they aren’t sickeningly rich.

I’m not gonna lie. I’m not real big into the raw food thing. I fully support raw foodies, I think the concept is awesome and some of the artwork and creativity put into certain recipes absolutely blows my mind though. I feel like raw food is an acquired taste and reserved for more sophisticated palates. Vegan chili fries aren’t exactly what I call sophisticated and that’s definitely more my style. The thing I liked about this recipe is that it doesn’t taste like any of the raw food I’ve tried. Maybe it’s the chocolate? After all, chocolate makes everything better, right? Raw foodie or not, this recipe is a must try considering it only takes a few simple ingredients and very little time. Who knows? Maybe raw desserts may change me into a raw foodie after all…

Probably not.

Happy truffling!

When I think of peaches, I think of the good ol’ southern state of Georgia. Georgia produces about 2 and a half million bushels of peaches a year.

It turns out that China is actually the worlds largest producer of peaches and Italy is the worlds second largest producer. The United States only produces one-quarter of all the peaches in the world. Out of those one quarter, I’m pretty sure I ended up with half of that on my kitchen table. Each year, my family and friends pawn off the fruit from their trees whenever they can. This usually means anywhere from April/May through October, I’m elbow high in peach juice and batter.

Since peaches have no fat and average about 37 calories a piece, I love to cook with them. Anything that is sweet, low in fat and low in calories… I’m all over it. Not only are they nutritious but peaches are known to have chemical compounds called phytochemicals, which act as anti-oxidants. They have been shown to be preventative of certain diseases and ailments, and to help skin stay healthy and “glowing like a peach”. The phytochemicals in peaches also help prevent the clogging of arteries that lead to heart disease and other conditions caused by aging. Also, the phosphorus in peaches help to protect nerve cells. Be careful not to eat the pit though. It’s poisonous! Betcha didn’t know that, huh?

OK, so I have all these peaches… now what the hell am I suppose to do with all of them?

I decided to bust out my favorite gluten-free baking book (BabyCakes NYC) and flip through to see if anything caught my eye. ‘Hmmm… Ginger Peach Muffins sound kinda interesting…’ Unfortunately, I didn’t have all the ingredients it called for so instead of driving to the store, my lazy butt decided to work with what I had. I ended up substituting several ingredients and modifying the recipe quite a bit but I couldn’t imagine it coming out any better than it did.

The first part of the recipe said to slice 4 cups of fresh peaches, coat them with an agave/lemon mixture and bake for 30 minutes. That, I did and OMG. My kitchen smelled incredible!

After the peaches had cooled, I mixed up the gluten-free batter. I decided that I wasn’t really in a muffiny mood so I pulled out my trusty bundt pan. I gently placed the agave marinated peaches in pretty rows along the bottom of the pan Julia Child style. One for the pan… one for me… one for the pan…one for me…

I plopped the batter on top of the peaches and drizzled what was left of the agave syrup mixture on top. Time to throw it in the oven. 30 minutes later, my entire house smelled like a peach orchard.

After it was done, I let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. I flipped it over onto my cake tray, watched the steam rise and immediately got teary eyed (OK, not really) but it was one of the most beautiful gluten-free peach creations I’d ever seen.

“Hmmm… did it taste good though?” I went in for the kill.

It was perfectly soft and moist with a grainy cornbread type texture. There was a tiny hint of sweetness from the agave and a kick of ginger that left a slight aftertaste. I’m really not a ginger person but the amount that the recipe called for was perfect. The best part was the soft, warm, spicy peach chunk with the tart lemon and sticky agave coating on top. I ended up putting a giant dent in the cake and calling it dinner. I brought the leftovers to work today. I’ve had to create blinders with my hands to shelter my eyes every time I scurry past it to avoid eating the whole damn thing.

I’ll be honest, gluten-free anything sounds horrible. I get it. Even the word gluten sounds ridiculous. Trust me though, there is no way anyone would know unless you told them that it was gluten-free. Even my carnivorous-hunter-manly-refinery co-workers were mowin’ down on it and they normally refuse to touch anything that’s labeled vegan.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together the peaches, agave nectar and lemon juice. Spread the peaches evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake on center rack for 20 minutes, rotating the sheet 180 degrees after 12 minutes.
3. Let the peaches cool for 30 minutes.
4. Keep the oven at 325 degrees and grease a bundt pan with non-stick spray or oil.
5. Pour the non-dairy milk into a small bowl and add the vinegar. Do not stir. Set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Add the oil, agave, applesauce and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth. Pour in the non-dairy milk mixture and mix.
7. Lay roasted peaches in neat rows along the bottom of the bundt pan covering the entire bottom. Pour batter on top and smooth out with a spatula.
8. Bake on center rack at 325 for 30 minutes rotating 180 degrees 15 minutes into baking.
9. The cake will be golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
10. Let cake cool for 15 minutes, flip onto serving tray, sprinkle with nutmeg and slice!

*Cake is best kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days*

Next time you have some overly ripe peaches lying around or if your crazy neighbor tries to dump them over the fence into your yard or something, you should definitely give this recipe a try.