hot for food

I haven’t been posting much because I have a full time job as a TV Host at MuchMusic, and when I was cooking and posting on my blog a lot I happened to be unemployed. But change is good and I am SO happy to be working on TV again. It allows me to go to fun places like Los Angeles! I have never been before and while it was a short work trip, there was one place I had to go.

Kind Kreme is a gourmet, raw, vegan and organic ice cream shop. I thought this was just something I dreamed about on a weekly basis, but as it turns out this dessert haven actually exists. And I just happened to be staying at a hotel right beside it!

This place is no joke. They have well over 30 flavors and a deliciously velvety salted caramel sauce as a topping. There’s also other menu items like shakes, smoothies, and lunch fare. I am in love and I NEED to bring this place to Canada. Its not fair! I swear to the earth that if you weren’t told that this was vegan ice cream you would never able to tell the difference. It’s rich, creamy, smooth, sweet, and even better than the real creamery ice cream I remember eating as a kid. But I don’t have any of the pain and guilt afterward, like I did when i was a kid!

This is me mowing down on the Superfood flavor which is a raw cacao base with chia seeds, goji berries, cacao nibs, and pieces of some other crunchy things I can’t remember. You could eat this shizz for breakfast it’s that good for you! So if you go to L.A. you have to make sure you drop into Kind Kreme a couple of times. You will love yourself for it!

Last Sunday I went to S.C.E.N.E in St.Catherines. Fun… yes! Food…no! Tell me St. Catherines, why would you hold a music festival throughout your downtown and keep all the businesses closed?! This is a tourism no, no… isn’t it? With only a Tim Horton’s and a Pita Pit in sight, what’s a vegan to do! I was not a happy scenester after eating a sandwich from said open vendor of lettuce and tomatoes, oh ya, and some yellow mustard… geez! Well here’s where the point of this blog entry comes in. I was elated to see The Niagara Vegan Baking Militia set up in the merch marketplace with a huge spread of yummy vegan treats!

That guy there is Dylan Powell of The Vegan Police. Thanks for saving the day! I love what these guys (and one gal) are doing and since I don’t live anywhere near the Niagara region I NEED to find something like this in Toronto… or perhaps I will have to start my own militia!!

Whoever made that vegan black & white cookie is a genius! And in case you’re wondering… I did not eat all those treats myself. They were shared with the peeps at the S4C tent.

Apparently I am a total weirdo for being so blown away by seeing Orange and Grapefruit trees LIVE IN PERSON! Not only that, the neighbourhood I stayed in recently in Sarasota, FL had a ton of citrus trees… at least one on every property. So I went out picking (err stealing) a couple nights. I don’t personally think of it as stealing though because no one was picking their own fruit! WTF. It would have all gone to waste! Waste not, want not…whatever that means! Aren’t they magnificent!

A little dark, I know. But I couldn’t exactly go stealing/picking other people’s citrus in broad day light!

Here’s some other food related highlights of my time spent in FL.

1.) The REAL looking strawbs and GIGANTIC locally grown avocados at the Sarasota Farmers Market

2.) The fresh, delicious and local seafood consumed nearly everyday…I’m on seafood detox now. Missing pics of all the seafood I ate. But tried a Po’Boy Sandwich for the first time at The Ol’ Salty Dog. This one has shrimp and oysters. Also a grilled Mahi Mahi (Dolphin Fish) Sandwich. Here’s a Dolphin Fish… not a Porpoise as I feared for 10 minutes after consuming it!

3.) An excellent Cuban Sandwich (my first) consumed at a waterfront sandwich shop just steps from the Salvador Dali Museum, where I was that morning. Now I thought an authentic Cuban would have pulled pork, but I guess I was mistaken. The spicy mustard was delish and that pickle was to die for! There’s nothing so simple and tasty as a good crisp pickle that isn’t pickled to shit… BICKS!

4.) And of course a trip to Florida wouldn’t be complete without Key Lime Pie. I tried a few different kinds. This one from Barnacle Bills in Sarasota was the best out of the 3, EXCEPT for the fact that they used fake whipped cream. Ugh! I mean if you’re going to go to the trouble of making homemade Key Lime Pie why wouldn’t you just whip up some real cream for god sakes. Anyway I’m sure there are better ones at more fancy places which I will try another time, or maybe I’ll just make my own! FYI: Key Lime Pie should never be green. That means its dyed and key lime juice is actually more yellow.