Schat's Bakery - Mammoth Lakes, CA

Schat's Bakery

Passing through Mammoth Lakes, we stopped by Schat's Bakery. I didn't get a sandwich, but heard it was pretty good. Instead I got a couple of yummy looking cookies.

Oatmeal Raisin and Florentine Cookies

Could not resist the Florentine cookie....looked so delicious. Oh and yes in fact it was delicious. Nutty, sweet, crunchy.....oh and the oatmeal raisin wasn't bad either....but I liked the Florentine better. Goood stuff. Will definitely be stopping by Schat's when passing through Mammoth Lakes. It's not far from the freeway and also heard that their sandwiches are pretty darn good.

Schat's Bakery

3305 Main Street

Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

http://www.yelp.com/biz/schats-bakery-mammoth-lakes-3

Daphne's California Greek - Veggie Pita Burger

Gardenburger Pita Burger

Instead of having my usual classic salad, I tried the Gardenburger Pita Burger. Eh, it was ok. More pita, less greens than a salad, similar thing. I think I'll stick with the salad since I like getting my greens. I did notice they have pizzas now. I'll have to try one of those next time.

Daphne's California Greek
http://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/home.html

Wasa Sushi - Irvine, CA : Veggie Dishes

I know I know, vegetarians eat pretty much the same thing at Japanese restaurants. Assorted vegetable rolls, tamago if you eat egg, maybe some inari. Not very spectacular. Well here goes another Japanese place anyway.

Shiitake "Frites"

Wasa Sushi had something a little different. Shiitake mushrooms! Was excited to try this...but sadly it just tasted burnt to me. Perhaps it was the chef and maybe on other days it's better, but it was just burnt burnt burnt. =P Not so good.

Veggie Roll

Typical vegetable roll with the avocado, asparagus, carrots, sprouts, cucumber. Can't really mess that up right? It was good.

Tamago

I eat eggs, so I had some tamago. This was also not bad. One vegetable roll and a little extra usually fills me up. I remembered Wasa was good when I went before. Perhaps it was the time of day or something where they don't have the good chef, but it was just ok for me this time. (Meat-eater's sushi wasn't spectacular either.)

Wasa Sushi (at The Market Place

http://www.wasasushi.com/

13124 Jamboree Rd.

Irvine, CA 92602

714-665-3338

Macaroni Grill - Irvine, CA : Margherita Pizza

Pizza at Macaroni Grill....hmmm. Yes I love pizza so much that I'm willing to try it almost anywhere. They're better than delivery pizza (like a Domino's or Pizza Hut).

Small Salad

Starting off with some greens...to balance the non-fiber fillled cheese and bread.

Margherita Pizza

The pizza wasn't bad. The crust was nice and thin just like I like. Don't remember anything outstanding about it though. It was just fine. (That doesn't sound that good huh?)

Location this was eaten at:

13652 Jamboree Rd

Irvine, CA 92602

714-508-7990

http://www.macaronigrill.com/

Corner Bakery - Irvine, CA : Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

Corner Bakery is cool because you can easily customize your sandwiches. They're pretty cool about it. Some places are not so cool about it. I mean, they'll do it, but they really don't mind here. Generally speaking, the staff here has been pretty good. =) Yay good staff. (I do frequent this place.)

Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich

This sandwich is usually Tomato Mozzarella on Ciabatta Ficelle. I think it probably tastes better on the ciabatta, but to make it a bit more "healthy" I decided on their whole wheat bread (harvest toast) instead. It comes with mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula, peppers, and basil with some balsamic vinaigrette. I think in this one, I left out the peppers. I usually don't like those too much. Tasted pretty good. I also substituted the side of chips with some salad. Simple and filling meal.


Corner Bakery
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/home.aspx

What To Do With Stale Bread - Homemade Croutons

I usually keep my bread in the fridge so that it lasts longer. But after some time, it becomes stale. So what's the best thing to do with stale bread? Croutons! They're easy to make...just takes a little time.

Croutons

You basically just cut the bread into cubes...any size you want...just be as uniform as possible. Well, I didn't do a great job, but it still came out ok. Smaller ones crunch up faster though. There are basically two ways to do this, heat it up in the oven or in a pan. I've tried both, and while you can walk away from the oven, I prefer to make it in a pan. I use a cast iron pan on pretty low heat so that it doesn't burn too easily. I put a thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan and toss the bread. You continually toss, or flip one by one if you're patient enough to get brown on all sides. If you don't feel there's enough oil, you can also spritz some oil on top. I use Misto so you can put whatever type of oil you want. The oil will make the bread nice and brown instead of burnt. My lazy way of seasoning is with herb salt. This way, I don't need a bunch of different items. There are lots of flavors/spices you can put on your bread to make croutons, so experiment! It's done when it's at a brown/crunch level you desire. Just taste one!

Capital Seafood Restaurant 金都 - Irvine, CA : Vegetarian Hong Kong Style Chow Mein

Although there is no vegetarian noodles on the menu, you can always ask them for the non-meat version at a Chinese restaurant. Chinese restaurants usually have tofu as a substitute. One such example is here at Capital Seafood.

Hong Kong Style Chow Mein

Sometimes I indulge in the Hong Kong style crispy fried noodles. They're usually seafood/meat, but I just ask for the vegetarian version...no meat please. They have always been able to make the dish that way. Although I have not asked to substitute with tofu, so I'm not sure how those would turn out. The veggies you get however, may be a little different each time. Like in this version, I got a bunch of vegetable stems instead of leaves. Phooey! In any case, just mix the veggies on top with the fried noodles below...and yum crunchy chewiness at the same time. =)

Capital Seafood Restaurant
http://www.capital-seafood.com/irvine/
Location this was eaten at:
Diamond Jamboree
2700 Alton Parkway #127
Irvine, CA 92606
(949)252-8188
Hours:
M-F 10:30AM - 10:00PM
Sat-Sun 9:00AM - 10:00PM

Degnan's Deli at Yosemite National Park

Camping at Yosemite with your dog really does limit where you can go. Initially we weren't going to bring the dog, but she got an eye infection so we had to bring her and give her eye-drops regularly. 

Taking in the view of Half Dome

We pretty much just walked the valley floor. They really don't want dogs there and it really is not dog friendly at all. They say you can go to paved areas to walk your dog, but there is no map of all paved areas. And some paved areas do not allow dogs. Phooey! There were a few people with dogs, and you can hang out at your campsite with your dog, but that's about it. No hiking on any trails in National Parks. National Forests are okay though.

Vegetarian Sandwich

During our visit at the valley floor, we stopped by Degnan's Deli for lunch. They had a vegetarian sandwich, so I was good to go.

Veggie Sandwich

It was a huge sandwich! I had it for 2 meals. Tomatoes, cheese, sprouts, greens, carrots on multi-grain bread with pesto mayo spread on it. Pretty darn good. You won't starve at Yosemite at all, since it's such a touristy spot.

Degnan's Deli
http://www.yosemitepark.com/yosemite-village-restaurants.aspx
Yosemite National Park

Jang Soo Jang Korean BBQ Restaurant - Cerritos, CA

We were brought here because of the decent food and cheaper prices. Meat eaters Korean BBQ galore. Yes, it's much cheaper than an Anjin in Costa Mesa. Quality may not be as good as Anjin but it's not bad...and for the price, it's worth it.

BBQ

While the meat eaters ate their BBQ, I ate the various banchan and ordered myself a bibimbap. Lots of little dishes to eat.

Kimchi

Sprout Namul and Japchae

Potato

There were more banchan than this of course, I just took pics of a few.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap...how can you go wrong? You put in as much or as little sesame oil and gochujang sauce as you like and mix it all up. You get a variety of vegetables in your dish too. This place is kind of old and it hasn't been updated, but as long as the food is still good, it's a pretty good value meal for everyone.

Jang Soo Jang Restaurant
http://www.yelp.com/biz/jang-soo-jang-korean-bbq-restaurant-cerritos
19107 Bloomfield Ave.
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562)924-5367

Homemade French Baguettes

Usually I find homemade items are better because you know the ingredients you put in, and it's fresher. Here I've tried a french baguette recipe from artisanbreadbaking.com. 

Ready for the oven

Baguettes may be one of the simplest recipes to put together, but takes a lot of time to make/perfect. I liked this website because of the detailed explanation of everything (great for a beginner like myself). It explains the different methods, poolish, biga, and hydration. Too much information for me to put here.

In the oven with slash marks done

I only used the half recipe because I didn't think we could eat that many baguettes and I didn't want to give them to anyone in case they didn't turn out right.

Done! Cooling on the rack

Lo and behold...done! Not too shabby. Nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. The downside is, you have to eat these right away or they won't taste as good. You can't beat the straight out of the oven taste. Yum.

Recipe from Artisan Bread Baking
http://artisanbreadbaking.com/bread/french_baguettes/

OC Fair 2012 - Costa Mesa, CA : Smoothie Shop

This is a couple of months old, but this is by far my favorite stand for food at the OC Fair.

Terri's Berries

 They have smoothies, strawberry shortcake, chocolate covered fruit...and just plain fruit too.

Lemon Lime Twister & 4 Berry Blend

Lemon Lime Twister and the 4 Berry Blend were both yummy. Nice cool refreshing drink on a warm summer day. Yup, my usual stop at the OC Fair...since everything's expensive anyway, this is worth it for me.

Kean Coffee - Tustin, CA : Honey Vanilla Latte & Italian Cappuccino

Normally I do not have a cup of coffee in the morning, but this was worth it. Heard great things about Kean Coffee and wanted to try it out. The owner created Dietrich Coffee but left the corporate world to create a coffeehouse to his ideals...Kean Coffee. There are only two locations. One in Newport Beach and the other in Tustin.

Honey Vanilla Latte

The Honey Vanilla Latte was not too sweet, not too bitter. I can taste a bit of bitterness in the coffee, but I was glad it was not too sweet. I also had an almond croissant which went really well with the latte. It was smoother than other coffees. I find Starbucks and Coffeebean to be overly sweet to cover up the bitterness. Blegh.

Italian Cappuccino

There are two varieties of cappuccino here. The Italian and American style. The American style is much bigger. Apparently this wasn't too bad either. The Italian Cappuccino, although not the same as Europe, was much closer than any other coffee place we've tried in these United States. So if you're not a fan of Starbucks, go try Kean Coffee....it's a much better alternative.

Kean Coffee

http://www.keancoffee.com/ 

1368 Newport Ave., Suite 14

Tustin, CA 92780

(714) 838-5326

Hamada-ya inside Mitsuwa - Irvine, CA : Green Tea Ice Cream

Green Tea Ice-Cream

If you've walked inside the Mitsuwa in Irvine, you've passed the Hamada-ya bakery along the side. I'm not too interested in the bread, but they do have green tea ice-cream. And on these warm summer days, it sure hits the spot.

Green Tea Ice-Cream with Graham Crackers

They put what appears to be graham crackers on the bottom. Surprising or not surprisingly, it goes pretty well. Kind of like a cone, except it's like Cinnamon Toast Crunch without the cinnamon. Nom nom nom.

Hamada-ya inside Mitsuwa Irvine
14230 Culver Drive
Irvine, CA 92604
(949)551-1778

MaryJanesFarm Organic Freeze Dried Food

MaryJaneFarms Organic Freeze Dried Foods

Going camping in a few weeks and cleaning out the old backpack. Ran across some old freeze dried food and had to write about it. I got these because I wanted to eat organic as much as possible. Freeze dried foods are very convenient while camping/hiking. You just add hot water, let it sit, and voila...instant food. However, after sampling several flavors of this brand, I must admit that I did not like it. There was always a powdery "fake" taste to the food. It was not good at all. I still think the best tasting brand is Mountain House. I must also say that this opinion is based on eating MaryJaneFarms a few years ago. Perhaps they've reformulated and it tastes better? I'm still sticking to Mountain House. Now only if they started an organic food line.

Anepalco's Cafe - Orange, CA :

After typing in "brunch" through Yelp and sorting by highest rated, I came across Anepalco's because of its large quantity of reviews....and it was listed fourth...and it wasn't too far from me. Mexican French cuisine? Let's give it a try!

Go Veggie Crepe w/side of fruit

Crepes seemed like a good French type food. I wondered how they would make this fusion style. I had to try the Go Veggie Crepe. Inside there were tomatoes, spinach, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella, and pesto sauce.

Go Veggie Crepe

The flavors were good. It indeed is yummy. But after several bites, I felt the heaviness of it. It basically was an enchilada with a crepe as the outside instead of a tortilla. I was hoping for some lightness similar to some other savory crepes I've had, but this was a Mexican dominant dish. I personally don't eat too much Mexican food because it's usually too heavy for me. I'm just not used to it. It is very delicious, but it just wasn't suited for my tastes. =( I do like the concept and I do like good hole in the walls. =)

Anepalco's Cafe

http://www.anepalcoscafe.com/

415 S. Main St.
Orange, CA 92868
714-771-2333
M-F 8:00am - 3:00pm
Sat-Sun 8:00am - 2:00pm

Gardening - Okra Flowers

Since the weather's been hot, the okra plant really likes it and has been flowering and growing okra. Yay! We've waited so long with nothing happening. One of the only good things about hotter weather is the plants that love them.

Okra Flower

First come these beautiful flowers. They only last about one day and then shrivel back up.

Growing Okra

Then the okra starts growing. That larger okra only took about two days to grow. Notice the fuzzy brown shriveled up bud on the left. There should be another okra there too. Depending on how you like okra, you can pick/cut them whenever you desire. We don't like large okra because we feel the smaller ones are more tender. So you can grow okra in Southern California...just have to wait for the hotter weather (so the growing season won't be THAT long).

Yogurtland - Hello Kitty Miami cup

Tuxedo Sam spoon

Yogurtland has the new Sanrio Miami cup with Tuxedo Sam as the spoon. There is Hollywood, San Francisco, and on August 21, Honolulu.

Yogurtland Miami cup

Tried one of their newer flavors...Salted Caramel Pecan. The other two were the usual Peanut Butter and Double Cookies & Cream. I liked the Salted Caramel Pecan. Salty and sweet....good combo. Similar to salted caramel ice-cream that I've had at other stores...but much subtler flavors here which I like better. I didn't see the new Strawberry Lemonade Sorbet or else I would've tried it too. Me likes frozen yogurt treats. Nom nom nom.

http://www.yogurt-land.com/

Homemade Sweet Potato Lasagna - recipe from Engine 2

Engine 2 Sweet Potato Lasagna with cheese

This sweet potato lasagna recipe is from Rip Esselstyn. Originally this recipe was all vegan, but since I am not vegan, I added Parmesan cheese on top instead of the cashews. I also used half the recipe instead of the whole thing, and it turned out pretty well. I did leave out the bell peppers and the pan still bubbled over.  I watched The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue and wanted to try this recipe since it looked pretty darn good.

Piece of lasagna with potatoes on the side

Like I said, the outcome was pretty good. Even The Meat-eater liked it. The pdf version of this recipe can be found here, but I will also re-post it below. There seems to be slight variations in the recipes, which is good if you don't have the exact ingredients. For those wanting to venture into something tasty and healthy, you should try half of the recipe. It really does make a lot...unless you have a large party/family. Oh, I did add a bit of seasoning salt to the veggies when sauteing to give them some flavor. Not sure what it tastes like without that. Probably still good since you get flavor from the tomato sauce. Enjoy!

http://engine2diet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Sweet-Potato-Lasagna1.pdf

Rips' Sweet Potato Lasagna

1 onion, chopped

1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 can corn, rinsed and drained

1 package Silken Lite tofu 

½  teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon rosemary

2 jars pasta sauce 

2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles

16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat oven to 400º. Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick 

pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until the onions are limp and the mushrooms give up their liquid. Remove them to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve the mushroom liquid in the pan. 

Sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and 

corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl. Drain the tofu by wrapping in 

paper towels. Break it up directly in the towel and mix into the vegetable bowl. Add spices to the 

vegetable bowl and combine.

To Assemble:

Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover 

the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread 

the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the 

mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping 

of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, 

and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Online version:

http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/engine-2-raise-the-roof-sweet-potato-vegetarian-lasagna-362133

Corner Bakery - Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Regular drink (L), Smoothie (M), Water (r)

While at Corner Bakery, I wanted a fruity drink without going to a juice shop (Laziness ensues). So I decided to try their strawberry banana smoothie. While the taste was ok, the size was not that large. They said it included banana and strawberry puree for flavors. I don't know, I still prefer the juice places for using frozen fruit rather than a puree...seeing how it's not less expensive at Corner Bakery, and you don't get a free boost. This is what laziness gets you. Disappointed.

The Natural Cafe - Westlake Village, CA

The Natural Cafe is not a vegetarian or vegan restaurant but they offer a lot of vegetarian and vegan options. They try to use fresh local ingredients to create healthier dishes.

Interior

Apple Juice

My drink of choice was apple juice. I heart Martinelli's apple juice...yummy. Cute little bottles too.

Veggie Lasagna

The veggie lasagna consists of "spinach covered with ricotta cheese, fresh vegetables, and marinara sauce," as stated on their menu. It also includes the salad and garlic bread pictured above.

Exterior

I would say the food was ok. It depends on your palate. For me, I'm not ready for this "healthier" food and it tasted a little bland to me. I still need some salt even though I think a lot of other food places are super salty. Surprisingly, this place is not salty at all. Actually, a little more salt would be better for me. =) Interesting huh? First place I've been to where I'd like some salt. I prefer slightly bland so you can add some salt rather than most places which are too salty anyway. =) I would definitely go back to try some other foods!

The Natural Cafe

http://www.thenaturalcafe.com/

968-12 Westlake Blvd.

Westlake Village, CA 91362

805-449-0099

Coconut - with coconut water

What's a cool refreshing drink? Coconut water....fresh from the coconut...not from the can/juice box. I must say it was a tad weird to me at first because it's nothing like the coconut water from the can/box. It has its own slight flavor.

Coconut Water

These came individually wrapped at the Asian store. Pssst...if you buy these at the Asian stores, they're a tad cheaper than a health food store. (I started to unwrap it before I took the above picture.)

Coconut Water

The previous coconuts I've had had all the white stuff all over it...so it was much bigger than the picture above. This one seems to be all shaved except for the top.

Coconut Water

So all you do is cut off the pointy top and poke a hole in the "softer" area. I must say, I usually poke it a few times until I find the soft spot. I'm not good at telling where it is. I like to use the bigger end of a metal chopstick since it's similar to the size of the straw. Then I wriggle it around to make the hole bigger.  Insert a straw afterwards and enjoy. I think refrigerated ones tastes a bit better. =)

CrepeMaker - Santa Ana, CA : Tomato, Cheese & Basil Crepe

A simple and delicious...snack? Meal? Not big enough to be a whole meal, but bigger than a snack. If you eat four meals a day, this would be a good small meal. =)

Tomato, Cheese & Basil Crepe

This crepe mostly has tomatoes and cheese with a little bit of basil. You can see the crepes  being made since the stand is behind counters with glass partitions at the Main Place Mall. For a quickie bite...it was pretty good! And you can almost never go wrong with a tomato, basil, & mozzarella combination.

CrepeMaker
http://www.crepemaker.com/
Main Place
(located at food court entrance 2nd level)
2800 N. Main Street, Suite 9100
Santa Ana, CA 92705
714-541-2600

Pizzeria Ortica - Costa Mesa, CA

On the lookout for good Neapolitan pizza, we headed to Pizzeria Ortica before a show at Segerstrom. There's a lot of good places to eat around South Coast Plaza and this is no exception.

High Ceilings

The interior has super high ceilings...me likes. You know, better air circulation and all.

Tricolore

Starting off with the Tricolore salad. There's radicchio, arugula, a little bit of endive, apple slices, Gorgonzola cheese, and candied walnuts. Very good combo! Yum!

Margherita Pizza

My go to pizza is plain cheese. I don't like stuff on my pizza. For me, a true test of good pizza is their plain cheese. Tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. The dough was chewy and crunchy. It was very flavorful. Actually I think these pizzas were made to have toppings because it was really salty for me. So I think if you had toppings, it would probably disperse the salt better.

Margherita Slice

Leftover slice pizza...still good. (Also better lighting.)

Prosciutto di Parma e rucola

So this is not vegetarian, but what the Meat-eater had. Apparently the Prosciutto di Parma e rucola was very good. Also with what I believe about toppings, such as the arugula, the flavor is then just right, which is probably what his pizza did.

In any case, good crust! Maybe try a pizza that's not plain cheese. Too bad since that's my favorite.

Pizzeria Ortica

http://www.pizzeriaortica.com/

650 Anton Boulevard, Unit J

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

714-445-4900