The Cutting Board Bakery & Cafe, Mesa, AZ

The Cutting Board Bakery & Café Sign

Southeast Mesa welcomes new vegetarian/vegan joint, The Cutting Board Bakery & Café!

The veg café is tucked into a new strip mall in Kiowa Village, just south of Baseline on Power Rd. The Cutting Board Café is open now, but the grand opening is on October 12th. They currently have just a banner sign up, and there's an old sign from the former tenant above their doors, so don't let that confuse you.

This past weekend, I made a last minute stop to check them out and found a very promising place to eat. I can't wait to see them grow into their potential.

I visited right between breakfast and lunch, and so I ordered breakfast, which is very hard for me to resist.

The Cutting Board Service Counter

Right from the start, the Tamari Tofu English Muffin called to me, which is a toasted English muffin with macademia pesto spread, baked tofu, avocado, and tomato slices. It came with a side of fresh melon, I'm not sure what kind. Simple, healthy, and yet still quite tasty. I'd definitely order it again.

Tamari Tofu English Muffin, side of Fresh Melon, Mr. Marley Smoothie

I'm not a coffee person, but I did note they had fancy gourmet coffees, plus things like soy, almond, hemp, and coconut milks, agave nectar and raw cane sugar; and perhaps most importantly, chai lattes, which is what I order when I am not ordering smoothies. This trip I picked a smoothie, and they had tons to choose from, so I tried the Mr. Marley, with pineapple, banana, coconut water, and hemp seed. Very refreshing, and a nice breakfasty choice.

I do wish they had some kind of almond/peanut/nut butter smoothie, but maybe in the future. ::hint, hint!::

Some of the things I'd like to try on return trips: the Santa Monica (kinda like a bread pudding French toast?), Lentil Cabbage Wrap, Olive Tapas, Tacos Duo (with "nutty meat"), Cheesy Mac, and the Seasonal Veggie appetizer with the walnut dill dip (I'm a sucker for dill!). That'll keep me busy.

The Cutting Board Dining Area

Follow them on Facebook for daily lunch specials and regular events, and check out their website, it's got everything you need including the full menu.


The Cutting Board Bakery & Cafe
Ranking: ****

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cutting Board Bakery & Café
2235 S Power Road, Suite 116
Mesa, AZ 85209
(480) 654-8081
http://cuttingboardcafe.com

Hours
Tuesday - Sunday 7am to 3pm
Closed Mondays




The Cutting Board Front Façade (main doors to the left)



The Cutting Board Bakery & Café (behind the palm tree)

Earth Day Phoenix 2013

It's Earth Day! One of my favorite days of the year. And today, I'm at Earth Day Phoenix with Cult of Kale and other friends, and we're handing out food samples, vegan information brochures, and smiles to all the attendees that come by our booth between 11am and 1:30pm. Come say hi!

[Maybe you were there? Thanks for stopping by!]

Here are the store-bought products we are sampling at our vegan info booth as well as tips for locating them.

Vegan Meats

Field Roast:

Mexican Chipotle Sausage (chorizo-like)

Italian Sausage

Smoked Apple Sage
Frankfurters
 

Found at Whole Foods, Luci's Healthy Marketplace, Phoenix Public Market, and New Frontiers Marketplace (Sedona & Flagstaff). Ask your local grocer to stock these!



Gardein:

Beefless Tips

Found at Whole Foods, Safeway, Bashas, Fry's Marketplace....and possibly others.

 

***

 

Non-dairy Milks

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze

Sweetened Chocolate Almond Milk

Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Found at Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts, and possibly others.

 

 

Silk

Vanilla Soy Milk
Chocoloate Soy Milk

Found at Sprouts, Whole Foods, Frys Marketplace, Walmart, and many other grocers.

  

 

 

So Delicious

Vanilla Coconut Milk
Chocolate Coconut Milk (shelf stable)

Found at Sprouts, Whole Foods, and others.

 

Rice Dream

Horchata (shelf stable)

Found at Sprouts and Whole Foods.

The stores mentioned are not a comprehensive list of locations where these products are sold, just where I know they are. Check your local grocers, especially Fry's Marketplace, Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc. If you cannot find the products you are looking for at a grocer near you, ask them about ordering some in. The more requests they get, the more likely they carry those items.

If you are open to shopping online, you can also buy many of these products from Pangea, Food Fight Vegan Grocery, and Vegan Essentials.

***

Cookies

The cookies sampled were from the Whole Foods Bakery as supplied to them by Aphrodite Bakery according to the label. Whole Foods sells these cookies regularly, and they are quite delish!

If you'd like to make your own vegan chocolate chip cookies from scratch, here is the best recipe ever, from the Post Punk Kitchen and Isa Chandra Moskowitz. You should be familiar with all of the ingredients, except maybe tapioca flour and the almond milk, but that's not so strange nor hard to find. I get Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour from Sprouts and Whole Foods, but I know other grocer's carry it and other brands. Also, make sure you get the semi-sweet chocolate chips without any dairy (check the ingredients list).

Post Punk Kitchen's Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe


Thanks for your interest in veganism!  Feel free to browse the yellow-orange tool bar items at the top, they have the most information for new veg*ns. And please do not hesitate to leave your questions in the comments, tweet, post on facebook, or just plain email.

Sweet Leaf Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea

I adore Sweet Leaf's Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea. It takes two things I don't really care for alone and combines them into something great! Lemonade is too tangy, and tea is too bland. But together, this is the perfect pick me up for the afternoon daze.

YUM!

They have lots of other flavors of tea, sweet tea, lemonade, and diet versions as well that you can try. The diet sweet tea isn't bad, but I'll always choose the Half & Half.



Sweet Leaf Organic Half & Half Lemonade Tea
Rating: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find Sweet Leaf beverages at just about any grocer or convenience store.]

Taste Test: Mint Chocolate Non-Dairy Beverages!

So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate vs. Silk Mint Chocolate

Another So Delicious / Silk face-off. Let's dive in.
The So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate really isn't any thicker than the Silk Mint Chocolate, though that was the case with the Nogs. And the color is quite similar. In fact, there wasn't much difference between these two drinks, except the So Delicious does have a slight coconut taste.

Overall, I'm not really a fan of either. This is definitely a taste preference on my part. I pretty much figured this would be the case going in, as I have had the Silk in the past. I've never much liked chocolate milks (except for chocolate almond milk), and I definitely don't care for the mint added to chocolate 'milk' beverages. I'll drink them, but I won't buy them. This is the case for just about anything mint chocolate, I'll eat it...because...but it's not something I put in my "Like Column".

That said, I DO think people who like mint chocolate flavors would enjoy these drinks. In fact, I know quite a few people that like the Silk Mint Chocolate (they tried it in years past, but have not yet tried the So Delicious brand to determine a preference).

If I were to purchase one for guests, it would be the Silk, only because that slight coconut taste is distracting from the mint chocolate. But ultimately, I rated them the same.



So Delicious Coconut Milk Mint Chocolate
Rating: **

Silk Mint Chocolate
Rating: **

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[You can find both of these Mint Chocolate beverages at Whole Foods. The So Delicious is a new product so I'm not sure who else will be carrying it, but the Silk is usually found at Sprouts and some of the supermarkets that carry Silk regularly.]

Nog Taste Test!

The Nog Taste Test!

Earth Balance Soy Nog vs. So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog vs. Silk Nog

What a rumble!

First a few words about each.

The Earth Balance Soy Nog has the typical nog flavoring of nutmegy cinnamon... at first. Then the aftertaste is like a weird return to bland, plain soy milk. It's kinda strange, actually.

The So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog is the creamiest and thickest of the three by far which was kind of nice. You can see the actual spices speckling the Nog, which you don't see in the others. But there is a slight coconut taste that distracts from the nog.

The Silk Nog is rather thin, and you can't tell in this photo so much, but's rather a yellow looking milk. Other than this, it has the requisite nog spices. (You can see my past review of all the Silk seasonal beverages here.)

Overall, I like the Silk best and would pick this one out of the bunch. But I would drink any of the others if they were available. Now I'd like some Nog pancakes. And suddenly, the word "nog" is the strangest word ever.

Ok, now for the ratings.

Earth Balance Soy Nog
Rating: **1/2

So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog
Rating: ***

Silk Nog
Rating: ****


***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.


[You can find all of these Nogs at Whole Foods. The Earth Balance and the So Delicious are new products so I'm not sure who else will be carrying them, but the Silk is also usually found at Sprouts and some of the supermarkets that carry Silk regularly.]

Coming Soon: So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog and Mint Chocolate

I am super excited to try these new seasonal coconut milks from So Delicious! I might even do a face-off between Silk and So Delicious Nogs. I love the Silk Nog, as you may remember.

I think they should have called the nog, Coconog. And Cocomint for the other, too match.

I can't wait to get my filthy paws on them. Let me know if/where you see them locally! Thanks for the heads up, Vegan MoFo.

Recipe Round-Up: Mesquite Flour

As promised, vegan (or veganizable) recipes that use mesquite flour. Gotta say, raw foodists are really representing with the mesquite flour recipes. I'm gonna make some cookies and the raw caramel apple dip to start,  what about you?

Raw Vegan
~Hungry Vegan's Carob-Mesquite Dream Smoothie
~Raw Food Recipes' Bring on the Heat Raw Vegan Chili

~Raw Sacramento's Tahitian Vanilla Crème Parfait with Tropical Fruit Compote, Candied Walnuts, and Sweet Ginger Corn Cakes

~Jamie Abrams' Ginger Mesquite'en Me Crazy Balls and Sunny Ice Cream

~Marisa's Healthy Kitchen- Butterscotch Smoothie, Banana and Avocado Sweet Snack, Banana Ice Cream Love, Superfood Smoothie

~Durian Coconut Delite via Recipe Puppy

~Raw Beets' Sweet and Creamy Caramel Apple Dip (video below)



Vegan
~Free Range Cookies' Mesquite Date Muffins

~Tusconivore's Mesquite Flour Tortillas

~Peace Love Bagels' Vegan Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies

~Aprovechar's Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan=non-ghee)

~Affairs of Living's Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie Recipe with Crunchy Crust and Cashew Whipped Cream

~No Knead Mesquite Bread via Craftzine

~Mohave Mesquite Bread

~Mesquite Bean Jelly- requires vegan gelling agent like agar maybe?

~Jack Keller's Mesquite Bean Wine

~Desert Harvesters' Simple Mesquite Drink, Pinole, Mesquite Margaritas, Mesquite Carob Tortillas, Hearty Mesquite Bread . The Neighborhood Mesquite Holiday Bars just require using agave nectar and vegan margarine, the Basic Yellow Mesquite Cake just needs non-dairy milk and vegan margarine, and the Mesquite Shortbread and Kukukadoo Solar Cookies just need vegan margarine. All of the pancake recipes require egg replacement egg replacement and non-dairy milks.

~Mighty Foods' Mesquite Cornbread- This one requires some veganizing, but it looks fairly easy. First, replace the butter with vegan margarine (like Earth Balance). Then sub the egg with egg replacer (like Ener-G Egg Replacer or the flaxseed/water combo). Change the honey to agave nectar. And finally, replace the buttermilk with 1 cup of non-dairy milk plus 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (mix those two in a small bowl and let sit for a couple of minutes before adding.)

~Mesquite Margarine: Mix half a stick of softened vegan margarine with 1/2 teaspoon of mesquite flour to create a smokey, nutty, slightly sweet spread.

Jorge Garcia, Actor, Chihuahua Rescuer

Jorge Garcia

Jorge Garcia, of Lost fame, has been a vegetarian for some time and this summer he announced he went vegan. Hopefully it's working out for him, though I haven't seen a lot about it since. And about a year ago he rescued two super cute chihuahuas named, Pip and Smidge, from a rescue organization in California, Cuddly Canines. So much awesomeness!

I've been missing Lost recently, but I'm excited for Jorge's new show, Alcatraz, which looks like it could be just as myserious, and with an island. I think it's coming mid-season sometime, and will likely air on Mondays 8pm, Arizona time. Here's the trailer. Will you be watching?

Wait, this is Vegan Mofo. I'm supposed to talk about vegan food. Ok, Jorge makes his own almond milk and has step-by-step instructions on his blog, check it out. And I am completely jealous he got to visit VooDoo Doughnut in Portland; they have a complete line of vegan donuts. Oh, Portland, one of these days!

Sneak Peek: Nami, Downtown Phoenix

Nami, Interior



Nami hasn't had the grand opening yet, but it is open. I had a quick visit and snapped a couple of photos of the interior. A real post will come at a later date, I suspect, when they've settled in.

Nami is small, it's basically a little hut next door to the downtown Phoenix Green that offers coffees, tsoynami tsoft tserve desserts, and baked goods. For off-peak hours it'll be grand, but it could get crowded in a hurry.

Nami Baked Goods

The Menu:

Nami Menu...the top half is all tosynami flavors. Click on image to make bigger.

They had muffins, scones, mini cupcakes, cookies, and regular size cupcakes for sale. Plus various coffees. And they had the full, identical menu of Tsoynamis that Green has. No special flavors when I was there, but I am sure it is just a matter of time.

Nami, Seating

I did snap a photo of the Green building next door with a view of the signage, but it's not a very good angle. Still, maybe it gives you an idea of what the buildings look like. There is more parking, and the parking lot has been fixed since it was That's a Wrap...and boy did it need it!




Green Phoenix, right next door to Nami (offscreen to the right)



 Anyway, both the new Green and Nami are both open as of this posting, and they are next door neighbors, so go check them out.

Nami

Tsoft Tserve and Cofeee

2014 N. 7th St

Phoenix, AZ 85006

(602) 258-NAMI

http://www.tsoynami.com/

Hours

Monday - Sunday 7am to 9:30pm

The Latest

Things I've made or eaten recently.

My sister made this Blueberry Pie. It was pretty tasty, oozing fresh (well, cooked) blueberries.

The innards recipe.
And the crust was from Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Blueberry Pie

Mmm. Mango Pineapple Sorbet. My sister made this too. Her recipe: "I used whatever canned pineapple was left after making pita pizzas. Then I cut up some mango that we had. Pureed it with a petite can of coconut milk and put in ice cream maker. Voila."

Mango Pineapple Sorbet

My Minty Watermelon Seltzer Float is nowhere near as pretty as the creator's. Loved the creamed banana floating in the watermelon seltzer. Inspired.

Recipe.

The Seaside-stuffed Mirlitons were okay. I needed to up their cajun/creole spice though. I took the extra filling and cooked it in a casserole dish with the panko topping. It was pretty good. I didn't add any hot sauce or anything, but next time I will. They sure look pretty.

Recipe.

Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons



Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons with a side of grilled veggies.

Fruit Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce from Whole Foods. (greens, avocado, mango, carrots, cabbage, and cucumber in a rice wrap)

Fruit Rolls from Whole Foods

I had a cupcake from Whole Foods Scottsdale as well. Research for an upcoming baby shower I am co-planning. I tried the peach colored one in the photo below, though it was really vanilla cake with a regular frosting. I suppose it wouldn't have been a bad cupcake if it hadn't been so dried out. But I make better cupcakes in my sleep. Unless the cupcakes are fresh, I say, don't bother.

Whole Foods Scottsdale Cupcakes

Luckily, you don't have to worry much about vegan truffles being fresh. Whole Foods Scottsdale has a whole glass case row of vegan candies! I've tried the turtles and a few of the jewel shaped goodies, and everything has been delicious. Highly recommended.

Whole Foods Scottsdale Vegan Truffles and Candies

 

Stuff I've Been Eating

I finally started making some of the recipes in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction (AfR) cookbook, which is full of healthy recipes. Very few meat analogue recipes, low fat, light on calories, and no sugary desserts. She has a great selection of interesting salads which are filling meals, not just sides. That Irish Stew I made came from this book too.

Here's the Sushi Roll Edamame Salad from Appetite for Reduction. I thought this was fantastic.

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad

In the photo below you can see the OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings also from Appetite for Reduction. Delicious! So what I needed. Also, the Prospect Park Potato Salad from Veganomicon, and a Tofurky Kielbasa. The potato salad was only ok, but I know I am picky, and I haven't found a recipe I like yet. Loving the Kielbasa.

Link to Onion Rings recipe.

OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings, Prospect Park Potato Salad, Tofurky Kielbasa

My sister made this cherry peach pie with fresh peaches from Schnepf Farms Peach Festival. Not sure where she got the recipe, but the peaches in it were especially yummy!

Cherry Peach Pie

Some friends had me over for dinner and made this Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca. I know my friends really like it, and I thought it was good, just not something I would make often. The Tropical Avocado Salasa Fresca would be great to use on tacos or other things too.

Spaghetti Squash Mexicana with Tropical Avocado Salsa Fresca

My sister made me some Rosemary Infused Olive Oil so that I could make Giada de Laurentis' special popcorn. It was quite tasty, and I started wondering why so many people use microwave popcorn when cooking it in a pot is just as easy.

Rosemary Popcorn

Rosemary Popcorn

I made this Apricot Cardamom East Coast Coffee Cake from Isa's Vegan Brunch cookbook for a birthday brunch. I think it turned out pretty well. I used St. Dalfour's Thick Apricot Spreadable Fruit instead of chopping up dried apricots. I would recommend my method for sure.

Apricot Cardamom East Coast Coffee Cake

More food from the brunch. Mmmmm.

Buckwheat Pancakes, Maple Syrup, & Strawberries; Hash Browns, Fakin' Bacon Tempeh Bacon, Fried Platanos, Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes/Crumbles,  Apricot Cardamom Coffee Cake

I made the Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes (vegan crabcakes)  in Vegan Brunch. They were ok, but a bit strong in tangy flavor and I inadvertently messed them up so they were more crumbles than cakes. I stared at them as crumbles trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers. I finally decided I was going to use the crumbles as pizza toppings. Best idea ever. As tempeh cakes on their own, they were just ok, but as pizza topping, they were sooooo good! I used Enrico's pizza sauce, Daiya mozzarella-flavor, and the Chesapeake Tempeh Cake crumbles on pita bread.

Link to Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes recipe.

Vegan Crab Cake Pizza

And last, but not least, I made the Lasagne Marinara with Spinach from Isa's Veganomicon. Oh, my delicioso! I served this to omnivores in my extended family and they approved. You must make it with the Cashew Ricotta and the Pine Nut Cream. The pine nut cream really elevates the lasagne to outstanding in my book. I also sprinkled in some bread crumbs, just for the heck of it. I recommend using the noodles where you do not cook them first.

Lasagne Marinara with Spinach

Bonus: Fancy [virgin] drinks from True Foods at the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix. I had the Medicine Man which features olivello juice, an extract from sea buckthorn berries. Olivello is reportedly full of powerful natural anti-oxidants and other protective phytonutrients. True Foods claims they are the only restaurant in the nation to offer olivello juice. If you want to try it, I recommend Andy's Elixir. I think I like that one better than the Medicine Man, plus you'll get a better idea of taste with that one. True Foods offers clearly labeled gluten-free and vegan menu items, including desserts. One of these days I will get around to reviewing the food there.

True Foods - Red Moon and Medicine Man

Vegan Chai Tea Latte

I am not a coffee drinker, nor tea. Not usually. But friends often ask me to coffee places, and well, I like to drink something I don't usually get. And I hate hot beverages, so whatever I drink has to be really cold and usually on ice. Luckily, a vegan Iced Chai Tea Latte (with soymilk) is often on the menu. And they are pretty dang tasty.

I recently went to one rinky dinky coffee shop, not a chain or anything, and ordered a vegan Chai Latte. And then I proceeded to watch as the 'barista' poured my chai tea and soymilk out of tetra containers over a cupful of ice.

My thoughts went a little like this: WAIT. That's not some mystical tea brewing process. I don't need any skills! This is something I can do at home in 10 seconds. Why the hell am I paying her $4? What brand is that chai?....oh...Oregon Chai, I've seen that. That's it... next stop, Whole Foods.

And so began my recent beverage addiction.

Oregon Chai makes a vegan concentrate and you just pour it half and half with your non-dairy milk of choice. Ice is optional- though required in my book. I need instant gratification with beverages and I have no sense of good tea  (I'm not even sure it exists).  Tea tends to taste the same to me to matter what flavor is listed on the box. But, make it a latte with the extra spices and added creaminess, and it's a winner in my book. And this is perfect for the hot summer days coming up when water is just not enough for the taste buds.


Oregon Chai Vegan Original Chai Tea Latte Concentrate

Ranking: ****
***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

[Oregon Chai can be found at Sprouts and Whole Foods. And maybe Sunflower Market. Other stores might carry it too, I'm just not used to shopping in the tea section to have noticed.]