After some struggles with avoiding white and wheat flours, I thoroughly enjoyed a gluten-free lunch at zpizza the other day! The casual restaurant can be found in many states across the U.S. and has several options that can be veganized by replacing the cheese with the beloved Daiya Cheese. Tapioca, potato and rice flours create a great gluten-free crust. For people not worried about gluten, they use soy and wheat-based veggie crumbles as a meat substitute. Extreme Pizza, a franchise also found in California and some other states, also has some tasty gluten-free and veggie-friendly options.

Within days of that fine zpizza meal, I came across this article by Healthy Voyager that Domino’s Pizza has come out with a gluten-free pizza as well! Life is definitely on the upswing for people wanting the deliciousness of pizza without the heaviness or possible allergic reactions of certain ingredients.

After months (years?) of anticipation, the beloved Native Foods Cafe that San Diegan vegheads have been feasting at in L.A., Orange County, or Palm Springs, has set up shop in Encinitas, in North County San Diego. The restaurant is in the midst of some wonderful pre-opening events, and a friend and I splurged on starters, salads, hot herbal tea, and dessert. Kale, tempeh, coconut, avocado and other popular vegan ingredients were featured in some of our dishes. My favorites were the Roasted Corn and Basil Polenta Bites with homemade “Native cheese” and the spicy Tortilla Soup.

They officially open on Jan. 29. Customer service was amazing at the event, and I have no doubt it will remain that way.

Photo Credit- Headquarters Cafe

If you are looking for somewhere to enjoy live music or an open mike, study, or hang out while eating veggie food in San Diego, Headquarters Cafe is the place. The staff allowed my group of eight, including young children, to take up a few tables for almost three hours, as if it were our home. They also asked our music preferences and were quite baby-friendly. The cafe has organic and fair trade coffee and tea, and flavorful meals like a Marley Wrap burrito with mango, bell peppers, and red onion, among other ingredients. Check out their oodles of other burrito and panini choices, fresh soups and salads. Hopefully they’ll create a few more eggless and dairyless choices for breakfast, which is served all day.

To top it off,  this comfortable place near San Diego State University is open daily until the wee hours, and has free parking, a big plus compared to some cafes in San Diego. It truly is a community space and is well-located to cater to the college crowd. Others from the City Heights, North Park and surrounding areas can easily travel to the restaurant as well. Don’t wait as long as I did to get to Headquarters Cafe!

Araya's Place

For me, a trip to Seattle would not be complete without stopping at Araya’s Place, where silver buffet trays spill over with vegan versions of pad thai, phad woon sen, and numerous other delicious dishes. If you are not a buffet person, don’t forget the full menu. My friend and I tried the seriously unique avocado curry and the drunken mushroom, which were both amazing. Many of the desserts are gluten-free or soy-free and yummy. The owner Araya is a sweet lady I had the fortune of meeting years ago and always visit when in the Northwest. The restaurant will relocate to a different part of the University district soon, and will also keep the second location in Bellevue.

More from Araya's Place

On Bainbridge Island, Emmy’s Vege House has been serving up great Asian food for years. A small stand as opposed to a restaurant, they only have a few tables for outside seating, which was not ideal for a wintery day. We took some of their dishes to go, however, and were very happy campers. They have mock meats, tofu spring rolls, and other treats for usually under $10 per meal.

Unfortunately I did not make it to any new places on this trip, but for those wanting to try veggie dining around Seattle, this website may help.

BMW i8

With the high price of gas and the worsening state of the environment, it’s hard to not be jazzed about buying an eco-friendly car.

I liked this fun video by Eco-Vegan Gal, who joined Jason Wrobel at the L.A. Auto Show and did an informal review of the newest eco-conscious vehicles.

The Ford Fusion was one they liked for its comfort, and the Chevrolet Volt was favored for its many incentives and roomy cargo space.

Toyota Priuses are everywhere, especially in Santa Monica. But the other lesser-known cars are ready for some of the limelight and take the prize for being more attractive, such as the BMW i8 (pictured).

ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.

ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY

ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION

On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 2.14.13, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence.

ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbers, our solidarity across borders. Join V-Day and ONE BILLION RISING today and SAY NO to violence against women and girls.

Join us for One Billion Rising San Diego
Please rise with us on 2.14.13 to help end violence against women and girls. Click here for info on San Diego events.

Sign up to volunteer before or on the day of the event
Click here to give us your info. and join a committee.

Post a Photo or Video to our #reasontorise page
Click here for details on how you can show your support.

Come to our Video Shoot

We are shooting a video to promote this event.  Click here for details.

Thank you!!!

With the stress and high emotions that can crop up around the holidays, in addition to the economic woes many are facing, why not put away the chocolate cookies and try something inexpensive that helps you stay healthy and balanced? Meditate and levitate! Hopefully you will enjoy this info from GreenYatra, an NGO in India.

The medical benefits of meditation can result in healing for the three main areas of health: physical, mental and spiritual.

Mental disorders that can benefit through meditation are vast. Some conditions in which meditation can help are:

Marvelous Macaroons - photo by Hail Merry

One of the best parts of being a blogger is the diversity of foods we are lucky enough to sample. Somehow Hail Merry got in touch, and within a few weeks I was part of the research and development team, munching on delicious macaroons in creative flavors like strawberry almond and caramel sea salt! The rich and tasty macaroons are certified gluten-free, vegan, kosher and non-GMO. They would make great holiday gifts.

This below clip from San Diego CityBeat is sure to entice, too!

If you have a big-brand chocolate bar handy, bring it on down to any Chuao Chocolatier location and trade up for their newest flavor, Ravishing Rocky Road, during the local company’s anniversary celebration happening this weekend. On Saturday, Nov. 17, the first 1,000 visitors can hand over their unwanted chocolate, which will end up at the San Diego Food Bank, for a dose of the gourmet stuff. The folks at Chuao have been slingin’ sweets for a decade now, and their latest flavor combines creamy milk chocolate, vegan marshmallows and caramelized, salted almonds. Besides the Chocolate Makeover, as it’s being called, there will be prizes raffled off, samples of holiday treats and deals on bonbons and other rich goodies at the University Towne Centre, Encinitas Lumberyard and Del Mar Highlands Shopping Center locations.

"Eggs Benedict" at Vegan Sunday Brunch

My penchant for blogging has not been as strong as a few years ago when I was zipping around to more events, interviewing health and other experts by email and phone, and jazzed about writing regularly. But I want to keep motivating others to eat nutritious meals, interact with new people, and attend some of the wonderful yearlong events held in sunny San Diego. It is inspiring to see all the goings-on popping up in our lovely city. This weekend two first-time events appeared for vegheads and those interested in going in that direction. The World Beat Center held the San Diego Vegetarian Festival, full of speakers and booths with products and food for sale. My friend excitedly bought some grow-at-home oyster mushrooms, and we scored samples of protein powders, vegan lasagna, and new “nacho” chips.

This morning Sea Rocket Bistro held a Vegan Sunday Brunch by True Kitchen Creatives that packed the restaurant with herbivorous and veg-curious people sipping on coffee horchata while chowing on “eggs” benedict, fake chicken and waffles, sliders, and more. The food was delicious, and people are already hoping they do the event again, with hopefully some lower priced items. I am loving the veggie momentum in Southern California!

This weekend in San Diego was eventful with a global flavor. African Restaurant Week kicked off on Friday night at the World Beat Center — people of all ages eagerly lined up for delicious food from San Diego’s finest African restaurants and enjoyed entertainment by musicians from Senegal, Ethiopia and beyond. The event continues through the 28th with African restaurants around San Diego receiving the well-deserved spotlight- some of the restaurants made the KUSI news!

Project Concern International event

Art, clothing and other beautiful items from India, Africa, Latin America and additional parts of the world were featured at the auction at Project Concern International’s Hands Across Borders event at the La Costa Center on Oct. 21. William Kamkwamba was honored as a young leader (who unfortunately could not attend). Music from the Overtones from South Africa and a few more groups made for a lovely evening, along with cocktails, dinner and the ubiquitous candy spread out on the tables in the entrance area.