Imperfect Foods Subscription Box Review

After moving to Seattle, one of the first things I did was re-start my Imperfect Foods subscription box! I had been without it for a few months while in the middle of the move, and I missed it so much! I originally started my subscription in 2017 (read my then review of the box HERE), loved it and been a big supporter of Imperfect ever since! Not only am I getting fresh produce and pantry staples straight to my door, but with every box I am helping to fight food waste.

You see, Imperfect sources produce with minor cosmetic imperfections that would otherwise be discarded by grocery stores as well as other groceries that are short-coded, have a label change, or some other reason they aren't able to be stocked in stores. In providing what most would consider "unusable," Imperfect helps support farmers by helping them sell more of what they grow, helps save product, water, land, and labor from going to waste, advocates that fresh fruit and veggies be affordable and accessible for everyone, and embraces beauty in all shapes, sizes, and colors!

Vegan Beyond Famous Star Burger at Carl's Jr.

Whoa, vegan burger and fries at Carl's Jr.!

This past weekend I finally got around to trying the new Beyond Famous Star burger at Carl's Jr. This plant-based burger featuring a Beyond Meat vegan patty debuted at over 1,000 Carl's Jr. locations at the beginning of January and seems to be a big hit with vegans and carnivores alike! I recently tried the vegan Beyond Avocado Tacos at Del Taco that are being tested in certain markets in SoCal, and I was stoked to try this new option at Carl's Jr., especially since it would be the first time in a long time that I would be able to order a vegan burger at a traditional fast food joint (though the vegetarian fast food restaurant Amy's up in the Bay Area will always have my heart!).

Vegan Beyond Avocado Taco from Del Taco

Beyond Avocado Taco and fries at Del Taco

This past December, Del Taco unveiled Beyond Meat at a select few of their locations in Southern California to test out the plant-based meat alternative before hopefully expanding nationwide. This is a HUGE deal and if it is successful, would give so many people access to try vegan food. It means that people want more vegan options and that companies are listening to them. It also means that more people will be exposed to vegan options, and that vegan food is becoming more and more mainstream! I am so, so stoked on this, and couldn't be more excited about Beyond Meat being available at select Del Taco fast food restaurants. Check out my review of their Beyond Avocado Taco below...

The Curious Confectionery's Pumpkin Spice Popcorn Balls

Popcorn balls are a timeless treat that we don't see enough of nowadays! They always remind me of autumn and Halloween, so I was extremely excited when The Curious Confectionery released their limited-edition Pumpkin Spice flavor this year. I was lucky enough to receive this flavor for review, and I couldn't be more pumped! First, a little more about the delightful duo who run The Curious Confectionery...

Food Review: The Curious Confectionery Popcorn Balls

The Curious Confectionery creates handcrafted artisan popcorn balls to tickle your tastebuds and satisfy your sweet tooth. All of their creations are crafted without animal products and made with incredible ingredients. The company was started by its founder when she realized there was no tasty treat that was both sweet, crunchy and salty. That's when she realized that old-fashioned popcorn balls were what she craved! She started making these for her friends, who urged her to start selling them. Thus, The Curious Confectionery was born!

The Cauldron Spirits and Brews in Buena Park, CA

After checking out Spook Show a few weekends ago, I realized I was close to The Cauldron Spirits and Brews, a new witch-themed restaurant and bar that opened up in Buena Park right across from Knott's Berry Farm. I couldn't turn down grabbing a few drinks in a spooky bar and I was stoked at the opportunity to finally check it out!

The bar and restaurant is described on their website as: "...a dark fairy tale witch-themed sanctuary for the ultimate sensory experience with unpretentious sophistication through a variety of fresh quality cocktails, local craft brews and familiar yet unexpected tastes presented with impeccable service in a comfortable, social atmosphere." 

Take a peek inside of this bewitching bar below:

Daiya Pumpkin Spice Cheezecake

Daiya Pumpkin Spice Cheezecake! 

This past March at the Natural Foods Expo I had a chance to try Daiya's Pumpkin Spice Cheezecake, and I've been dreaming about it ever since (it was one of my top 10 picks from Expo!). Fall is finally here, and I was so ecstatic to finally find the seasonal cheezecake at Sprouts Farmers Market (along with a lot of other seasonal pumpkin food items - see more in my roundup)! Check out what I thought of it below!

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte at Peet's Coffee

Vegan PSL from Peet's! Don't mind my lipstick stain on the cup, I couldn't

wait to try it!

I don't believe I've had a pumpkin spice latte from a coffee shop since going vegan nearly 10 years ago! I love pumpkin spice everything, so when September rolled around and everyone was posting PSL selfies, I usually made my own or relied on store-bought items like Califia Farms' Pumpkin Spice Latte Cold Brew Coffee (read my review). However, this year I was delighted to hear that Peet's Coffee has a non-dairy pumpkin spice latte, so even vegans can enjoy this delicious treat! 

Now, you're probably wondering if another big coffee chain's PSL is vegan, since that is the one that gets the most attention this time of year. Sadly, the Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte is NOT vegan, nor can it be made vegan even when requesting non-dairy milk. The PSL sauce itself contains condensed milk (ick), so until it is removed from the formula, the Starbucks PSL will not be vegan. I hope they take a clue from Peet's soon and start offering a vegan PSL. Keep reading below for how to order the drink at Peet's so that it is vegan!

Imperfect Produce Box Review

I recently signed up for my first ever Imperfect Produce box after deciding I wanted to try a produce subscription box to save money and trips to the grocery store. I researched several services offering subscription or CSA boxes in my area, and decided upon Imperfect Produce because they are fighting food waste and supporting a more sustainable industry by offering "ugly" food at a discounted price. This "ugly" food is simply produce that would usually be discarded due to having too much of it or due to imperfections. Rather than just tossing it, Imperfect rescues it from farms and offers it to the public at discounted prices. This way less food is wasted, and people can get nutritious, delicious produce directly from farms in a subscription box for less! How could I not get behind that?

Imperfect Produce offers several sizes and varieties of boxes. You can get organic boxes, veggie-only or fruit-only boxes, or a mix of both, and a variety of sizes is offered for each category of subscription box. You can adjust your box preferences at any time, and with every box you have the option to customize the box and decide the frequency you want to receive it (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly). For my very first box I ordered the small organic box to be delivered weekly, which runs approximately $14 to $19. I was lucky enough to receive a referral discount code from a friend, so I saved money on my first box (if you want to save money, too, here is my referral link which will score you $10 off your first order!).

Bakery on Main Ancient Grain Instant Oatmeal

Is there anything more comforting and nourishing than a big bowl of oatmeal? There is just something so cozy and relaxing about enjoying a hot bowl of oats, whether it's a cold, drizzly winter day or a bright, sunshine-filled summer day. Plus, oatmeal is so nutritious and filling that it really puts a pep in your step to help you conquer your day!

Recap: Vegan Street Fair 2017

This past Sunday I attended Vegan Street Fair 2017, which was bigger and better than ever! Vegan Street Fair started in 2015 (read my past coverage HERE and HERE!), and every year since then they have grown and improved so much that it has become my favorite vegan festival of the year! This year the street fair took over more streets, had more vendors and longer hours, and featuring fun carnival-style games, lots of seating, and even a beer garden!

The event was completely free, but VIP passes were also available for about $40. If you can swing it, I highly recommend VIP tickets, as they allow you access to special VIP front of line windows at nearly every food booth, plus you can also spring for a little extra to get a swag bag that is packed with all sorts of vegan goodies! The food lines at each booth are looooong, so a VIP pass will save you valuable time and ensure you can eat all the vegan things!

This year they eliminated their food tickets as well, so attendees could just pay vendors directly. Thank goodness, since this meant you didn't have to stand in line twice (once to purchase food tickets, and again to exchange those tickets for food), which made everything faster, less confusing, and more streamlined!

I really had a great time, but let's get to what you REALLY want to see - the vegan food (psssst - check out my list of 10 must-try vendors at Vegan Street Fair and see how many I was able to hit below)!

Top 10 Vegan Finds at Natural Products Expo West 2017

This was my fourth year at the Natural Products Expo West (past years' coverage - 2014, 2015, 2016), a convention held every year at the Anaheim Convention Center where companies showcase their new natural foods and products to retailers, restaurants, industry folk, and press. Many companies launch new products at this convention, including many vegan and vegan-friendly products. Each year it is so exciting to see so many more vegan options at the Expo! This year was no different, and there were so many new vegan finds I can't wait to share with you!

I was only able to go one day this year, but I still managed to cover lots of ground and hit most of the booths I was interested in checking out. I'm ecstatic that veganism keeps getting bigger and bigger at Expo, and I even overheard a buyer from a HUGE grocery chain (that was checking out a vegan cheese line no less!) exclaim that veganism seems to be everywhere this year (she's right, and it's just gonna keep getting bigger and bigger)! There was so much vegan stuff to check out and I stuffed my face with so much vegan food, but there were ten vegan finds that really stood out. Check them out below:

5 Girl Scout Cookies You Won't Believe Are Vegan

Girl Scout cookies are such a treat this time of year and the good news is that they offer more vegan options now more than ever. In fact, there are now a total of five Girl Scout cookie varieties that you won't believe are vegan! Read more about these vegan varieties and where to find them below!

The New Beyond Burger from Beyond Meat

I have been intrigued with the new Beyond Burger (the vegan burger that the media has dubbed "the burger that bleeds" due to its juiciness and use of beet juice as food coloring) ever since I first heard about it earlier this year. It is an all-vegan burger that is very close in appearance, texture and taste to the "real" thing. To be honest, the concept freaked me out a little and I wondered if I would be able to handle such a "meaty" vegan burger! This vegan burger REALLY blends into the meat section of the grocery store, and without its packaging in a side by side comparison I bet most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Beyond Burger and a beef burger.

Hangar Bar at Whole Foods Market in Tustin, CA

Hangar Bar's vegan Cauliflower Nachos and Beast Burger with fries!

Whole Foods Market at The District in Tustin, California just got a major overhaul that included the additions of a brand new Mendocino Farms and Hangar Bar inside the store! This is the Whole Foods I frequent the most, so I am ecstatic to have two new restaurants inside the store that offer lots of vegan options! Now I can grab a bite before shopping, because we all know shopping hungry at Whole Foods just leads to trouble.

I've already had Mendocino Farms, so I decided to try some of the vegan options at Hangar Bar, which of course also has a full bar serving lots of beer on tap as well as specialty drinks. Since I'm not much of a drinker, I went straight for the food! I was surprised at how many vegan options they did offer, each of which was clearly marked with a green circle with the world "vegan" inside it (just be careful since the vegetarian options are also marked with a green circle - the only difference is that they say "veg").

Boulder Organic Garden Minestrone Soup

Boulder Organic Garden Minestrone Soup

At the beginning of summer, Boulder Organic was kind enough to send me some coupons to try their pre-prepared soups, of which they have a few hearty vegan options. However, since it was summertime and hot I was in no mood for soup (unless it was ice cream soup, had a lot of that over the summer!). Luckily, the weather FINALLY seems to have cooled down here in SoCal and I excitedly busted out these coupons when I felt the chill in the air.

Hugo's Tacos in Los Angeles, CA

Churros and crispy soy chorizo tacos

Hugo's Tacos is a small walk-up taco stand in the Atwater Village area of Los Angeles (they have other locations as well) with clearly marked vegan options. I have been dying to check this place out, and since I spent a weekend not to far from this location in October I was able to visit twice! Cuz we all know you can never have enough tacos, right?!

Their menu is pretty big, and most of their items are veganizable (or already vegan). They have tacos, burritos, nachos, burgers, tamales, tortas, breakfast burritos, and even churros and soft serve, all of which can be made vegan! Everything on their menu is clearly marked as vegan or items which can be made vegan. They also have clear distinctions for items that are or can be made gluten-free and vegetarian. I really appreciated how easy their menu was to read and how easy they make it to order vegan items!

Crossroads Kitchen in Los Angeles, CA

Crossroads Kitchen is an upscale vegan dining establishment on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles that serves up small plates of decadent food from Chef Tal Ronnen. It has a romantic, sexy atmosphere, with twinkling candles on every table and dim lighting throughout the restaurant. Some people find it a bit pretentious, but I have been wanting to try it for a long time and was finally able to go in October!

I was excited to try out their comforting Italian classics (veganized, of course), like all their pastas, which I had been drooling over on their menu for months! I am Italian, and usually I don't trust any restaurants with pastas, but I was willing to give Crossroads a try. I choose to dine there early on a Sunday night, not only for decent lighting to take photos of food but also since we were going to see Delusion, an immersive horror play (I wrote about that HERE if you are interested!), right after dinner.

Vegetable in Studio City, CA

There are so many vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants in Southern California that I have a running wish list of those I haven't been able to get to yet. There are SO MANY I haven't visited yet, and Vegetable used to be one of them, despite rave reviews I've heard about it.

The restaurant is tucked away in Studio City, right below Universal Studios. It is located where SunCafe used to be, and I have to say I love what they have done with the space! The ambiance is cozy, even though I feel like they were able to squeeze more tables in. I also love the black chalkboard wall on one side and a brick wall on the other side. It feels modern and retro at the same time, if that makes sense.

Ike's Love and Sandwiches in Newport Beach, CA

Vegan Pilgrim at the new Ike's in Newport Beach!

Ike's Place is a fast-casual restaurant that started in Northern California, but is starting to expand due to their popularity and awesome sandwiches. They now have locations all over the Bay Area, a few in Arizona, and several in SoCal, including the newly opened Newport Beach location in Orange County, which is called Ike's Love and Sandwiches. It's located off of MacArthur Boulevard close to John Wayne Airport in a small strip mall. The new location is spacious and clean, with plenty of seating inside and a few patio seats outside.