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).

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

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. =)

Homemade Goat Cheese Veggie Lavash Bread "Pizza"

This is no ordinary pizza with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. It's kind of like a pizza and it's kind of like really dressed up bread. This pizza bread is someone else's creation after eating at a restaurant and I loved what they made! So I of course had to figure out how to make it (I asked them) so that I could make it at home too.

Veggie Lavash Bread Pizza

For the bread, you can purchase any kind of flat bread you like. This was made with wheat lavash bread from Trader Joe's. It's really soft like a flour tortilla, so you first bake it (or toast it) a little to dry it out and harden it. Then you can pile on the toppings. Well, not exactly pile since the bread is thin and too much stuff will make it soggy and fall apart. (Yep, I've piled on too much before.)

Toppings are thin layers of:

Sauteed sliced onions

Sauteed sliced mushrooms

Shredded carrots

Shredded zucchini

Chopped basil

Chopped tomatoes

Goat cheese crumble

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Salt to flavor

Veggie Lavash Bread Pizza

You will want to pre-cook your onions and mushrooms and let them cool. You can refrigerate these and use for another pizza at a later time (but not too long). Layer very sparsely the onions and mushrooms as the bottom-most layer. Then the shredded carrots and zucchini. You can also substitute zucchini with something else green like cucumbers. This third layers is where I kind of forgot what goes first. But I don't think it's a big deal as the flavors are similar. The tomatoes and basil go next, but I put the basil underneath the tomatoes so that it doesn't burn and dry out. Not sure if goat cheese goes next or the balsamic vinegar and olive oil drizzle...but I put goat cheese first and then drizzle last so as not to give it too much time to become moist. (Yep, I've drizzled too much before such that certain portions are sour while other areas are not so flavorful.) Then I put a little salt on top for flavor because I don't put too much salt in my mushrooms and onions. If you want, you can flavor those more heavily and lighter on top.. I don't have exact measurements because well, I didn't measure anything. It's just sort of how much/little flavor you like. Then you bake in your preheated oven for a few minutes and take it out. Hopefully the bottom is crisp and the cheese just lightly melted. I set the oven to about 400 degrees. Bake for just a few minutes and then take it right out. I like the crispy bread and the slightly raw slightly warm veggies. The goat cheese and balsamic vinegar go well together. I didn't really like goat cheese until this and now I've grown accustomed to the taste. It's quite good. =)

Organic Donut Peaches at UCI Farmer's Market

Certified Organic Donut Peaches

After tasting all the goodies at this stand I think the donut peaches are the best right now. They're also a pretty darn cute shape! The other peaches and nectarines are still a bit sour. These donut peaches, even when hard, are not sour...or maybe I just got lucky and didn't get any sour ones. You have to look for redder colors along the centers, and I haven't had a sour one yet. These are certified organic from Sweet Tree Farms and are $2.50 per pound. They always have samples for you to try. Their pluots are also pretty good.

Mentatsu Ramen 麵逹 - Costa Mesa, CA : Veggie Eats

Around the corner and down the street from Mitsuwa is Mentatsu. Apparently their ramen is quite good, just not vegetarian friendly. They use a meat based broth, and fry their rice with lard. The only purely vegetarian items they had were salad and chilled tofu.

Salad and Tofu

So of course I chose both items. I do have to eat you know. While the Meat-Eater had some ramen, I had the above salad and tofu. It was really not too bad. The items were fresh and clean and it's quite healthy. Just that it's kind of the same everywhere, you know? So we didn't go back due to the lack of choices for the vegetarian. But you won't starve as you are able to eat something while the others feast on their ramen.

Mentatsu Ramen
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mentatsu-ramen-costa-mesa
688 Baker Street Ste7
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-979-2755

Irvine Farmers Market at University Town Center

For the past two weekends I've been visiting the Irvine Farmers Market at University Town Center. It's located on the corner of Campus and Bridge and runs from about 8am to noon...but usually goes past noon since there's tons of people.

Irvine Farmers Market on Saturdays

I'm hooked! I'm going back every week for my goodies! There's lots to choose from and most items are fresh. Now you do have to look around and ask around. Not everything is organic. Others don't spray pesticides or chemicals, but their fertilizer isn't organic...so you don't know what's in that. The certified organic products are definitely organic though, so those are a safe choice. Prices are comparable to Whole Foods...or less...but these items are generally fresher. Here are some pics of my haul.

Organic Baby Chinese Veggie

These were from a stand with lots of Taiwanese veggies...all organic! I think they're the only ones I've found. They don't have this stuff anywhere! Now, the price isn't cheap, but they usually count downwards. For example, if it comes out to $2.15, they say it's $2 even.

Brussels Sprouts

These are not organic...just no pesticides or chemicals. Their fertilizer isn't organic. They're quite tasty though...slightly sweet.

Organic Snow Peas

These are sweet too..yum. Plus, I can't find these organic in the markets either!

Organic Strawberries

I kept smelling sweet strawberries and I had to have some. Though they're not as sweet as anticipated...I think I'll wait a few weeks to get another batch since they're just coming into season.

There were many items I purchased not listed above...so many things to get. I'll have to update when I get them again since I didn't snap pictures of it all. Also, many stands I've been to discount the items. When they weigh the goodies, they'll round it down to the closest dollar. Pretty cool! Can't do that at a conventional market.

Irvine Farmers Market at University Town Center

Campus & Bridge

(Next to the the In & Out)

Saturdays from 8am to noon.

Get there early because parking gets tough!

Boiling Point 沸點 - Irvine, CA : Veggie Pot

Happy Lunar New Year! It's the year of the dragon...the most auspicious of all the signs. So for New Year's Eve dinner...we were too lazy to cook and went out to have some hot pot at Boiling Point in Irvine. It just opened up last year around Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure about going at first because I had heard about the bad service...but I think that was just because they had just opened and were ironing out their kinks. The service was pretty much fine. The waiters were all so busy bringing out the pots of soup with fire. The place was busy, but not so much that there was a looong wait. Well, we went closer to 8pm on a Sunday night, so maybe the crowd cleared out.

Tomato & Veggie Hot Soup

So for a veggie eater like myself, there is the Tomato & Veggie Hot Soup. It's not hot like spicy or anything. But, you do have to ask for the all veggie...including broth. Apparently there's a non-vegetarian broth they also use for people that just want to eat light...so don't forget to mention veggie broth too! I didn't know this...apparently it's written in Chinese. Good thing someone else can read it! Haha. I forgot all the veggies they include, but they have tofu, enoki, cabbage, beancurd roll (腐皮 fupi). tomato, corn, green beans, lots of chopped veggie on top (I probably forgot some), and vermicelli on the bottom. They also ask you if you want noodles  (vermicelli) or rice....but I didn't know it came with vermicelli on the bottom. That's plenty of food in the pot and I didn't eat my extra noodles.

Soup on Fire

The fire burns on the bottom...like a flambe...and it runs out eventually. So you can ask for them to light it up again...but I think it's enough to eat all the way through with just one lighting (they have to take it away). The soup cools, but it's still warm as you finish up. So it depends how hot you like it. Also, mine took the longest to come out...they say it takes the longest to prepare. Probably because not a lot of people get this and they have to chop the stuff pretty fresh. So it's worth it not to have brown ends on your veggies.

I liked their garlic sauce...yum. Everything went with it in my soup. The other sauces looked kind of spicy, so I didn't try those out. All in all...good food!!

Boiling Point 沸點
http://bpgroupusa.com/index.html
14140 Culver Drive
Irvine, CA 92606
(949)733-2211

Juicing at Home - Part 2

Here's another brew of fresh goodies from juicing. This one tastes pretty good too.

Fresh veggies and some fruit

This juice includes spinach, kale, carrots, apples, pears, and beets. I love beets because they really help in cleansing. You feel energized afterwards. Beets are the best! They're naturally sweet too so your juice tastes yummy. Although the carrots, pears, and apples are also sweet so it all helps make this juice taste good. It's a good way to hide the green taste from the spinach and kale.

Amount of Juice

From juicing the above veggies and fruits, it comes out to about 28 ounces plus a bunch of foam.

Color of Concoction

The color is very red because of the beets. Also a warning to those that haven't had a bunch of raw beets before...it changes the color of your urine. So no you're not sick or have an infection, you just ingested a bunch of raw beets! Enjoy!

Juicing At Home - Part 1

So a while back I watched the movie Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead and it made me want to juice too! It was so inspiring. I went online to their website to look for recipes and tips. I didn't do the prep work before the juicing. I just started juicing because I pretty much ate what they want you to eat beforehand anyway. So I didn't have any sick period or after effects from cleansing or any of that. My head did feel a bit weird at first but I was just fine and it made me feel pretty good. I liked it!

Fruits for my yummy juice

Here is just one of the mixes of juice I made. This fruity one was for breakfast. Yum! I liked sweet juices better than the green sour ones. Although mixing it up is always good. I've added raspberries, blueberries, plums, kiwi, pear, and nectarines.

Amount of juice made

The above fruit made approximately 26 ounces of juice. That sure fills you up!

Concoction color

It came out to a nice peachy color. There's always foam from my juicer though. =P The drawback is that you have to clean the juicer afterwards. =P Also you get hungrier faster...which is why they want you to drink a lot of water and juice. So you can't be far from a bathroom either...all that liquid. Other than that...I really enjoyed it and it made me feel good! =)

Le Pain Quotidien - Newport Beach, CA

Wanting to eat healthy, I am always on the lookout for these types of restaurants/cafes to open. Luckily Le Pain Quotidien opened up in Fashion Island not too long ago. They source organic ingredients whenever they can and their breads are all organic. You can see them making bread sometimes in the kitchen too.

Mushroom, Kale, and Parmesan Frittata

A seasonal special, the Mushroom, Kale, and Parmesan Frittata was pretty good. It's made with organic eggs and includes organic mesclun salad with two pieces of bread. They also offer three types of jams to put on your bread. Get the jam, they're all good...and one of them isn't jam...it's more like a Nutella type spread. All so good.

Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Omelette

From the breakfast section, the Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Omelette also comes with a salad and two pieces of bread. This was gobbled  up pretty quickly...or someone was very hungry. =)

Prosciutto and Mozzarella di Bufala

For the meat eaters that like prosciutto, this was also very delicious (not from my experience of course). It's from their tartine section...which I guess is basically an open faced sandwich.

Baguette

Lastly, we had to get one of their baguettes to go. Usually it is a long roll as baguettes usually are, but maybe this was for the holidays? Very pretty...and I definitely like that you can yank your own bite sized piece this way. More crust is also gooood. Now this place can be a tad on the pricier side....pricier than a Corner Bakery, but if you can taste the difference (like we can) you will notice the food is definitely of a better quality.

Le Pain Quotidien

http://www.lepainquotidien.us/

#1103 Fashion Island

401 Newport Center Drive,

Newport Beach, CA 92660

(949)287-5592

Hours:

Mon-Sat: 8:00AM - 9:00PM

Sun: 8:00AM - 8:00PM

Rutabegorz - Tustin, CA : Soup and Salad

Did some Yelp research for veggie food and found that this place received four stars after 200+ reviews. So I wanted to try it out. This place offers all kinds of foods and is vegetarian friendly. The decor is very homey and cozy. We sat in a booth, but let me tell you...it's not very comfortable because it's hard, straight, and small. Felt like the bench was pointed downward and gravity kept pulling me. (At least gravity works.)

Soup and Salad

After perusing the menu of many veggie items, I decided to just go with the soup and salad. I know, you can eat this anywhere...but it's just what I felt like that day. They have a veggie soup of the day...which I already forgot what it was...some type of minestrone. The salad is lettuce, cucumber, tomato, carrots, celery, and sunflower seeds. It was all very light and healthy. Not overly salty or oily. Plain and simple...and I like plain and simple.

This place, however, is self seating. Which meant that the waitress didn't get to us right away, while they got to others who sat after us first. So if you're unlucky, like we were, you will get skipped over. Not liking that system so much. I guess if you want good service, you should go when it's not busy. But that's kind of a pain, isn't it? So just because of the uncertain service, I don't think I'll be going back there anytime soon again. (And I normally don't mention service...but when it's not so good...I do.)

Rutabegorz
http://www.rutabegorz.com/site/index.php
158 West Main St.
Tustin, CA 92780

Persimmons 柿子 : Where to Buy (Prices) and How to Eat Them

Persimmons are in season now and they are one of my many favorite fruits to eat. They are usually ripe in November and December and many of the Asian markets have them on sale. I wanted to write about these because I saw some at Whole Foods for $1.99. I didn't look to see if it was $1.99 each or $1.99 per pound. Either way those prices are way more expensive than what you can get at an Asian market.

 Fuyu Persimmons

The persimmons pictured above were purchased at Zion Market in Irvine on sale at 2 pounds for 99 cents. That's about 50 cents per pound! I've heard sometimes they're 3 pounds for 99 cents. That's 33 cents per pound! At the 99 Ranch Market they are 59 cents per pound this week (although quality may be different). So if you're daring and don't mind picking your fruit among the many older Asian ladies wanting a good deal, you should try to pick these up at Asian markets. You get a much better deal! I usually get most of my fruits on sale because that means they're in season. Being in season means they're also sweeter. Have you ever purchased fruit out of season? They're more expensive and they're not as delicious. I'm a fruit monger...I love fruit...and from my experience of buying/eating fruit...in season fruits are definitely better.

There are two main kinds in the markets: Hachiya and Fuyu. While I don't know the technical differences between them, here's what I know. Hachiya are the bigger looking ones that are kind of acorn shaped. I don't like these because while they are larger, have seeds in them. The Fuyu kind of look like a flat bottom mini-smooth pumpkin (pictured above). I prefer these because they are usually seedless. Sometimes you do get a seed in it...but you can tell when you bite into one because it's brown and large. Usually it's completely orange inside. I think I have only bitten into a handful of seeds in my time of eating Fuyu.

Also another thing I noticed about persimmons at Whole Foods was their description on how to eat them. They said to eat them hard like an apple. While you can eat it that way, you can also eat them soft. Not mushy soft, but soft like a tomato. For me, the softer it is, the sweeter and juicier it is. While it's also sweet when it's hard and crunchy, I feel like it's not as sweet and juicy as a softer, more ripe persimmon. This obviously depends on your eating preferences. Mangoes and pears are a good example of this. I like softer mangoes and softer pears, while others may like to eat hard mangoes and pears. If you like to eat crunchy things, then you'll probably prefer to eat it hard. In any case, all I'm saying is you can try it both ways and see which way you prefer.

The skin is also a subject of debate. Some people eat the skin while others peel it. I am one who always peels the skin. So it's up to you, but both ways are fine. So cut into one and try it out since they're in season and pretty sweet. (I think the deeper orange colored ones are sweeter than the more yellow colored ones.)

Native Foods Cafe - OC Raw Chopper

Whenever I feel sluggish from eating too much...not so healthy food...I like to grab an OC Raw Chopper from Native Foods. It is my usual go-to super healthy meal when eating out.

OC Raw Chopper

The OC Raw Chopper consists of chopped mixed veggies such as broccoli, carrots, squash, cucumber, and tomatoes (from what I can tell from the picture), seasonal mixed greens, chopped tomato/onion...kind of tastes like pico de gallo (so sometimes there's a bite of spiciness), avocado, almonds, angel hair beets, and sprouts. It is served with lemon garlic oil dressing on the side. So if you don't like sour foods, then you won't like the dressing at all. You can add red or black beans for $1 more. There is plenty of food here so I have not added beans and don't know what that tastes like. This salad is very refreshing. I guess some may say bland, but I like that it's light and healthy. I always feel good after I eat this salad! It's like a good cleanser for your body...and it makes your body happy! =)

Native Foods Cafe

http://nativefoods.com/

Panera Bread

For a quick, easy, and pretty healthy lunch, I like to have a soup and salad sometimes. Panera, similar to Corner Bakery and Boudin type places, offers such combos.

Vegetarian CreamyTomato Soup and Classic Salad

I love a tomato soup, so ordered their Vegetarian Creamy Tomato soup. They also have a couple of other vegetarian friendly soups...the Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto and Low-Fat Vegetarian Black Bean soup. I like that this tomato soup is creamier tasting rather than sour tasting as with many tomato soups. I like both types...so both are tasty to me. The Classic Salad has mixed greens, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions tosseded with their reduced fat balsamic vinaigrette. I like that this is simple, not overly processed, and therefore pretty good for you. It comes with white bread...which is the not so healthy part...but I give that to someone else to eat and now I've got a pretty healthy meal. =)

Panera Bread

http://www.panerabread.com

Daphne's California Greek - Classic Greek Salad w/ Gardenburger

Is Daphne's considered fast food? It does say it's a fast food chain...but I think it's better than the typical fast food. It's kind of like a Chipotle where they use fresh ingredients...but it's just a bit slower (because they don't make it in front of you)...especially if there's a long line.

Classic Greek Salad w/ Gardenburger

I usually order the Classic Greek Salad with a Gardenburger instead of meat. This used to be a choice on their menu, but after the logo/menu change earlier this year...it's no longer there. But I still ask for it and they can still make it. It is served with pita and Tzatziki sauce. You can ask for whole wheat pita here. I don't usually eat the pita so it didn't matter to me. =p

The salad comes with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olives, onions, cucumbers, feta cheese, and topped off with their Classic Greek dressing and the Gardenburger. Their website says a bed of mixed greens...but it's just romaine lettuce if you look closely at the picture. Maybe there's some other kind of green, but it's mostly romaine. The dressing makes the salad a bit sour...kind of like an Italian dressing, and the feta makes the dressing less sour. It all goes well together and I like these kind of flavors. The ingredients are all really fresh as you can see in the close-up...no wilted greens (that's a plus)! I've eaten here several times and I haven't gotten wilted greens. There was one time I got less green and more...white parts of the green...but that's it. So if you want something better quality than "regular" fast food, but quicker and less expensive than a sit down restaurant, try a Daphne's...and it's pretty healthy too!

Daphne's California Greek
http://www.daphnesgreekcafe.com/
Location this was devoured:
13250 Jamboree Rd. Suite 113
Irvine, CA 92620
(714) 832-5855

Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill - Tustin, CA : Naked Tofu Tostada Salad

Sharky's is a good place to eat if you want to be a little healthier. They have whole wheat tortillas, organic Poblano brown rice, organic veggies, and for vegetarians you can substitute (when possible) with organic tofu. Their website says they use "the freshest, most natural and organic ingredients available in the marketplace."

Naked Tofu Tostada Salad

The dish I selected is actually the Naked Chicken Tostada Salad. I just substituted the chicken with tofu. It comes with organic baby greens, steamed vegetables, organic Poblano brown rice, Organic black beans (made without lard), non-fat cheese, guacamole, non-fat sour cream, and Pico de Gallo on a stone fired low-fat whole wheat tortilla. (I got that info from their web.) Their tofu is rubbed with seasoning and grilled...so there's a mild flavor to it. You get everything in this salad. There is a lot of food, is very filling and quite tasty. You don't have to get the wheat tortilla or the brown rice...they have regular flour tortillas and white rice too. But if you want the option of a healthier version of Mexican food...I would recommend Sharky's. It's very vegetarian friendly.

Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill
http://www.sharkys.com/index.html
Location this was eaten at:
"The District" Shopping Center
2463 Park Ave.
Tustin, CA 92606
(714)258-2255

Jazz Cat Fusion Shabu - City of Industry, CA

This weekend we went to try another shabu shabu hot pot place near Rowland Heights. This place just opened in May. The original restaurant is in San Gabriel. We went a bit early…around 6PM on Saturday so that we didn’t have to wait in line.

Wall Art

A jazzy cat greets you upon entry.

Jazz Cat Interior

There are tall booths so you get a sense of privacy. The cooking ranges are not gas but electric. Notice the black ornamental decorations over stainless steel above your head?  Those are range hoods that suck up moisture, smell, and everything emitted from cooking after you’ve completed your meal.

Veggie Plate

So of course I got the veggie plate. It includes tofu, broccoli, three types of mushrooms, baby corn, carrots, squash, enoki (also a mushroom), baby bok choy, celery, napa cabbage, and there are a ton of cellophane noodles on the bottom. You pick your broth and it also comes with a bowl of rice and your choice of sauce which are not pictured. There was a lot of food…more so than at Ayame Shabu Shabu in Irvine and it’s less expensive too. But I thought the quality of veggies of Ayame was better. You can notice some browning on the squash and some of the mushrooms. Sorry, the lighting affected the colors of the veggies in this picture…it was a bit on the dim side.

Simmering Veggies

The pots used here are a wider shallower type. They can add broth/water for you if you’re getting low. Notice I still have a tons of veggies…I just eat really really slow. =)  You have more choices of broths and sauces here if you’re a meat eater. Yes the meat-eater liked this place too…so you can all go together and not worry about mixing your veggies with the meat. There was so much food though…I could not finish every single thing…and I didn’t even touch my rice. 

Jazz Cat Exterior

When we left at around 7:15PM or so…there were people waiting to be seated. So if you don’t wanna wait…get there earlier! All in all it’s a pretty good place. Can’t really go wrong when you cook your own food and add your own flavors and the boiling of food is also healthier. Eating hot pot/shabu shabu is fun (to me)!

Jazz Cat Fusion Shabu

18588 Gale Ave.

City of Industry, CA 91748

(626)581-8588

Couldn’t find a website for them, but they’re on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/jazzcatshabu?sk=info

Ayame Shabu Shabu Hot Pot - Irvine, CA

Ayame Shabu Shabu used to be Ayame Sushi in the Orchard Hills area of Irvine. It's the sister restaurant to Zipangu at The Lab / Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa, CA. Decided to go try this place out as we heard it was not too bad. There is a vegetable hot pot option for vegetarians. They also have spring salad, edamame, and tofu appetizers too...but I didn't get those. The hot pot alone fills you up. If you are still hungry and want to add additional ingredients you can order them separately. They also have sushi too if you want to order some. Each person gets their own individual pot so you don't have to worry about sharing with meat eaters.

Veggies Only

Started throwing stuff in the pot before I realized I didn't take a picture of the plate full of food they bring you. Already threw in the mushrooms, tofu, Japanese pumpkin, and carrots.

Veggie Plate

The plate is full of napa cabbage, green cabbage, baby bok choy, broccoli, tofu, mushrooms, carrots, Japanese pumpkin, and a couple of rice cakes. This picture is missing the stuff I already threw in the pot. The greens were all fresh and clean. I like the bamboo plate they put the food on.

Dipping Setup

There is sesame sauce on the far left and ponzu (citrus) sauce to the right. I chose brown rice over white of course. The brown rice was good. Some places the brown rice is either too dry or too soggy. This was just right. You can see a couple of cubes of tofu ready for dipping and eating.

Simmering Hot Pot

My veggie pot is simmering and ready to be eaten. This is how you get fresh food right off the stove. Use the wooden ladle to spoon out your goodies, dip, and enjoy. Careful...it is super hot!

My Setup

This is how my little area was sort of set up. Eating on the left, uncooked veggies on the right, hot pot a bit further away on the top portion of the picture. You can't complain about the food because you flavor it as strongly or as lightly as you like it. So the other things I look for are the quality of the ingredients they provide and it was all very good. Boiling your food makes this meal healthy and light.

Assorted Mochi Ice Cream

Now comes the not so healthy part....mochi ice cream for dessert! The green color is green tea flavor, the yellow is mango, the pink is strawberry, and the white is vanilla. They were all very tasty but oh so tiny. The picture makes it look bigger than it actually is. Or perhaps just having two bites makes you want  more so you think it's tastier?

If you are in the area and want to check this place out it's:

Ayame Shabu Shabu Hot Pot

at Orchard Hills Village Center

3923 Portola Parkway

Irvine, CA 92620

714-544-2800

The Veggie Grill - Irvine, CA : Thai Chickin' Salad & Chipotle BBQ & Sweetheart Fries

This place is vegan...I think (or is it vegetarian?). I'm not sure but either way I can eat at this place all the time.  It's kind of like Native Foods....just different flavors. Both places are very healthy and have very fresh ingredients. These are my top two vegetarian places to eat at.

Thai Chickin' Salad

The Thai Chikin' Salad includes their "Chillin' Chickin'", romaine, red & green cabbage, roasted corn salsa, green onion, mandarin oranges, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and wontons. It usually comes with spicy Thai dressing, but I switched it out with their ginger papaya vinaigrette (cuz you know...me no likie spicy). All their salads also have quinoa in it. And for those of you who don't know (cuz I didn't for the longest time)....it's pronounced "keen-wa". The salad was really good!

Chipotle BBQ Wrap-style with Sweetheart Fries

The Chipotle BBQ is normally a burger on a wheat bun but you can make it wrap-style or kale-style (on a bed of kale). It was The Meat-eater's choice to make his meal wrap-style and to substitute the cabbage slaw or chili side with Sweetheart Fries.

Chipotle BBQ close-up

The Chipotle BBQ includes BBQ sauce marinated shredded veggie-steak, chipotle ranch, caramelized onion, lettuce, and tomato.

Sweetheart Fries

Sweet potato fries are my favorite. I like them better than French fries. I like French fries too though cuz all fried foods seem to taste pretty darn good...but I've really cut down on my fried foods and only eat it once in a while. All that grease doesn't seem to sit too well in my tummy and if I eat too many I will feel sick. But I did have a few of these yummy Sweetheart fries. So I highly recommend this place. Incredibly (or not) The Meat-eater liked his meal too! So veggie eaters and meat eaters can come try this out. The flavors are good!

The Veggie Grill

http://www.veggiegrill.com/

Location this was eaten at:

Irvine Spectrum Center

81 Fortune Drive

Irvine, CA 92618

949-727-9900