Chicago French Market: Chicago Raw

For our Monday lunch tradition, we decided to venture to the Chicago French Market in Ogilvie Transportation Center to try out Chicago Raw! The second we entered the French Market, we were both in complete heaven. The setup of the market is absolutely adorable and includes so many restaurants that we have been meaning to try, such as Da Lobsta and Little Goat Bread. It was overwhelming (in a good way!) taking in all the aromas and deciding where to stop for samples! Luckily, we went in with a game plan to go to Chicago Raw so we didn't have the sheer agony of deciding where to eat. Chicago Raw is known for its entirely vegan, entirely raw menu made of fresh ingredients. You might remember Caitlin's blog post about their yummy hummus!

Fresh Spinach Lasagna ($12)

I ordered the Fresh Spinach Lasagna which is describe as, "aromatic lasagna colored like the Italian flag with thin green strips of zucchini, white cashew cheese and red marinara." The dish comes with slices of tomato and sides of a delicious pesto and olives. I was completely blown away by the flavors in this dish. I have never tasted so many delicious and robust flavors in a dish, especially one that is completely vegan and raw. The side of pesto was bursting with flavors of basil and perfect for spreading on the olives and using as a complement to the lasagna. The lasagna itself was divine. Each bite was exploding with sweet strips of zucchini, creamy white cashew "cheese," and some of the best marinara sauce I have ever tasted. If you are craving lasagna but not in the mood for the traditional belt-busting experience, definitely give Chicago Raw's rendition a try. The portion size is generous and filling without making you feel overstuffed, and the ingredients are extremely fresh.

Kale Salad ($12) 

red peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, kale, 

red onion, avocado, roasted pumpkin seeds, and acai berries. 

A customer favorite at Chicago raw is their Kale salad. Consisting of the above list of ingredients, and dressed in a tangy acidic dressing of lemon and extra virgin olive oil, this is a great healthy lunch option. Even though, there no meat is in this salad, the protein from the pumpkin seeds, is not only filling, but is a great added crunchy texture! Likewise the freshly cut, slices of avocado create a creamy consistency when mixed in with the rest of the salad. I can see why it is a big seller come lunch and dinner hours at the French Market for this raw food stand. I highly recommend it! Being the prefect size, it leaves you feeling full, but nourished and ready to get through the rest of the day! 

Lunch at Native Foods Cafe

In order to start the week off right and cure our Monday blues, Caitlin and I decided to try out Native Foods Cafe for lunch on Monday! Native Foods is an all-vegan restaurant that serves everything from wraps to burgers to salads to desserts to beer! We went to the loop location on Clark Street, but there are a couple different Native Foods Cafe locations around Chicago as well as other cities. We went right during the lunch rush, so it was very crowded but it was definitely worth the wait!

Caribbean Jerk Kale Salad ($9.95)

For my entree, I ordered the Caribbean Jerk Kale Salad. The menu's description is a "Jerk seasoned Native Tempeh, avocado, chopped mango, red peppers and onion tossed with crunchy kale in a creamy jalapeño cilantro dressing. Garnished with green onion and shredded coconut." This salad was absolutely DELICIOUS. I'm not normally a fan of imitation meats, but the Native Tempeh was absolutely delightful. It was perfectly seasoned and even though it sits atop the salad almost like croutons, it had the consistency of a crumbly cheese. The salad was also wonderfully dressed. The dressing was creamy but not too overpowering. I happen to like cilantro, but I know a lot of people who don't and I can honestly say that there was not an overpowering taste of cilantro in the dressing. The chopped bits of mango were a little underripe, but that is actually how I prefer mango. They had a wonderful crunch and added a fruity flavor to the dish. I'm generally not the biggest fan of coconut, but surprisingly I didn't really taste the shredded coconut on top. It might have just blended in with the tempeh, but if you're a big coconut fan you might be disappointed here. The portion was enormous but I still managed to completely polish off my entire bowl. I also had an unsweetened blueberry hibiscus iced tea which was extremely refreshing.

Carrot Cream Cheese Cupcake ($2.95)

I was craving dessert and had heard that their cupcakes were to-die-for, so I decided to order the carrot cake cupcake. Despite being an all vegan cupcake, the cupcake was surprisingly moist! This was a pleasant surprise because in my experience, vegan desserts can have a tendency to be rather dry. The cake was quite delicious and had a nice citrus flavor to it alongside the carrot. The "cream cheese" frosting was plentiful but not overly sweet, as I was able to eat some of it on its own without the cake. It tasted very much like real cream cheese and I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference if I didn't know this was a vegan cupcake! My only complaint is that the entire dessert was extremely cold when it was served to me. This made the frosting stiffer and I feel like it may have muted some of the flavors in the cupcake, making it slightly bland. It might have been better if the cupcake were kept at room temperature and served with slightly less frosting on top. All in all, a nice treat! 

Our trip to Native Foods Cafe was extremely enjoyable and we definitely plan on going back. I'm dying to try some of their wraps and get a little more adventurous with their vegan chicken, and I know Caitlin was eyeing their sweet potato fries! I definitely recommend the Caribbean Jerk Salad if you are looking for something healthy and light. As a whole the restaurant is a little on the pricier side for a quick lunch, but can you really put a price on fresh, natural, vegan ingredients? ;)

Sunday Grocery Segment: Soul Foods Mac and Cheese

Being college students who are constantly on the lookout for the healthiest, cheapest, and (most importantly) yummiest groceries, Caitlin and I thought it would be a good idea to do a segment on Sundays about our favorite grocery finds! This week I've decided to tell you guys about Soul Vegan Macaroni and Cheese. About a week ago, my parents and I were at Whole Foods and were offered samples of this scrumptious mac and cheese. It was one of those fateful grocery store samples where as soon as you get the tiniest taste, you are immediately grabbing armfuls of boxes and putting them in your cart to buy. This mac and cheese is 100% vegan and 100% delicious. 

It comes from a sustainable Chicago-based company that makes all vegan dishes known as Soul Vegan. Whole Foods is currently offering their BBQ Delights rib tips, macaroni and cheese, and lasagna. These dishes all contain no animal products and a list of ingredients that you can actually read in one breath and understand! This is a company that I am proud to support.

The other night I made my macaroni and cheese in the oven with some steamed butternut squash on the side that I had on hand. The macaroni and cheese holds together like a casserole and smells absolutely delicious. When I took the first bite I was completely intoxicated. The macaroni was perfectly tender, and the "cheese" was creamy and flavorful. If you blind-folded me and force fed me this dish, I would not in a MILLION years be able to tell that there is no cheese present in this dish whatsoever. Being a non-vegan, I love cheese as much as the next person but it is always very exciting to find healthy, environmentally conscious dishes that don't sacrifice their deliciousness!

Here you can see just how gooey and hearty this entree is! It is extremely healthy with 9 g of protein per serving and no cholesterol! After this I am definitely going to be trying the BBQ Delights (which my mom says are equally as delicious) and the lasagna dish. If you are interested in checking out Soul Vegan products, stop at your local Whole Foods store and definitely do not pass up the samples if they have them! You can also visit their website here to learn more about their products and values. Stay tuned for more Sunday grocery articles and be sure to comment with all of your thoughts and suggestions for other yummy foods! -Megan