Favorite vegan (or vegan friendly) restaurants in the Northern Va, DC area.

Semi-fancy:
Busboys and poets. The bean soup, vegan cheese pizza, TLT
True Foods. TLT etc
Sushi rock
La Pain Quotient. Quinoa patty dish
P.F. Chang's Tofu lettuce wraps (as a meal even)

Informal:
Wich which, Sandwich shop in Ballston
Chipotle
Moes
Noodle company (check special menu)

Vegan/vegetarian:
Loving Hut, asian, 100% vegan
NuVegan comfort food in DC (also MD)
Sunflower (get dressing on the side, usually too much sugar)
Sticky Fingers in DC
Super fancy AND vegan:
Elizabeth's Gone Raw. A 100% vegan dining experience.

Vegan Dessert: 
Sprinkles cupcake
Loving hut desserts

Vegan Sugar-Free Ketogenic Friendly Chocolate Recipe

Recipe for Vegan Chocolate

1. Cacao powder  4 tablespoons
2. Coconut oil 3 tablespoons     (super cheap online! 54oz for like $17!)
3. Cocoa Butter 20 wafers  
4. Cashew Nut butter 3 tablespoons I like the trader joes version. Or any low sugar nut butter (Cashew is 1g sugar per tablespoon)
5. 1-2 tablespoons Non-Sugar sweetener. Monk Fruit with mostly erythritol. I used to use Xylitol. These are rarely if ever at local grocery stores

COOK until all is melted. Pour into 2 or 3 paper plates. Only about 1/4 thick. (too thick wont taste as good, too thin is hard to crack off the paper plate)

Optional in order of preference (helps give it different textures and fillers.)

1. Cocoa Nibs, gives it a chocolaty crunch. Link is for 1 pound, much cheaper as 2 or 3 pounds.
2. Chia seeds. Put 1 tablespoon of chia, and 2 tablespoons of warm water. Let it grow for 10 minutes.
3. Hemp seeds. 1 or 2 tablespoons

Optional after completed.

1. Sprinkle some of the sweetener on top of the final product.

PUT IT IN THE FRIDGE. This is how it keeps from melting, it must always be in the fridge

My Morning Routine and Favorite Vegan things

Here is a list of our favorite vegan things




Bulletproof Coffee
Bulletproof Brain Octane (not cheaper alternatives)
Coconut/Almond cream, no sugar
Stevia drops and/or Erythritol (natural fake sugar)

Cacao powder 
Salt tablets
Apple Cider vinegar
Unsweetened coconut/almond milk
Veganaise
Earth Balance coconut spread
Diaya Cheese
Diaya Cream Cheese
Follow your Heart Mozerella

Liquid coconut oil (no taste)
Coconut oil , super cheap online! 54oz for like $17!

Elevation Burger NOT VEGAN FRIENDLY

I was initially excited to see "Vegan" On The menu at Elevation Burger and how they say they care about ingredients. This is BS marketing. In particular Elevation Burger in Falls Church VA. It is impossible to get a straight answer from them for what is vegan. Even emailing their website. Just to clarify, their caramelized onions are not vegan since they cook them with the meat. (they say they cook the vegan patties on a non meat grill, but I doubt it) Their mushrooms are not vegan. All stuff I find out months later after asking 100 times. What else is not Vegan? Who knows. Hope they listen.

The Great OIL debate. Olive Oil and Coconut Oil Suck?

Most people were brought up thinking that "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" was super healthy.
And more recently Coconut Oil was able to overcome the "Saturated Fat is bad...". A little marketing allowed them to add "except for Coconut Oil".

Sometimes the proof came from tribes in foreign lands that had high amounts of certain oils and no heart problems. A simple google search will explain the other so called benefits.

Coconut oil was even prescribed by our nutritionist to be eat by the spoonful on a daily basis. Yes, a straight spoonful. That never sat right with me. Even if they claim it helps metabolism etc.

The guys over at Engine2Diet and Bill Clinton himself, are 100% anti ANY oils. Even Fish Oil. Kinda makes sense. Will I cut out oils? Probably not, will I eat a spoonful directly, not anymore. I will try and cook with veggies that have juices already in them (onions, peppers etc) and just use that instead of oil.

Here is a video of Bill Clinton and why he went healthy vegan and oil free.


And here is the "proof" that E2D gives: Marketing Junk Food: Don't Go Cuckoo Over Coconut Oil
Not sure what to believe. Based on his assessment, water would be bad for you.

Frank

ICE CREAM!! Vegan Kale & Banana Ice Cream! Loved by Toddlers

I don't really do recipes. I just shove random things in the Vitamix. The Vitamix is a MUST if you want to make it creamy enough to pass as ice cream. Other blenders won't crush the ice. The Blendtec is not ideal since it takes 4x longer since it has no stamper, this melts the ice cream. 

Basic recipe:

- Bunch of Kale. Frozen is better. (fresh, but recently frozen is best)

- 1/2 Banana. Frozen is better. (this fruit specifically counteracts the Kale taste)

- Ice
- Liquid as needed. (cold water, coconut milk, or almond milk).

Beginner recipe:
- Double the Banana and add some blueberries. The more sugar the tastier, but not as healthy, but best to get the toddler hooked on the concept with more fruit at first (no adding straight sugar).

Optional other recipe stuff:
- Dash of Stevia (an all natural, real plant sweetener)
- Cinnamon
- Wyman's wild blueberries (not too many,t hey are very flavorful)
- Capful of Apple Cider Vinegar (only if from Braggs)

Frank

Coconut Oil Chocolate Stevia Cookies. For Toddlers.

Recipe:
• Coconut Oil, slightly melted
• Cacao powder (raw, no sugar)
• Stevia
• Low sugar granola

Mix it up, put it in the fridge too "cook" it. Yep, it hardens in cold temperatures. Then good to eat. Sometimes tends to be heavy on the oil taste (to keep it together), but raw coconut oil is still good for you straight up. Frank