Simply Food April Specials

What's your favorite dish at Simply Food? I love the Friday Special, Thai Curry. It is thick and chunky like a stew, the flavor is rich with the sweetness of pumpkin and coconut milk and mildly savory and spicy. I usually order this without the brown rice, as an order of soup, because I am limiting my starches. However, ordering it with brown rice is very tasty as the brown rice soaks up the curry sauce, and the chewiness of the brown rice allows the tastes to mix and linger very nicely your mouth. Delicious!

Simply Food is offering a new soup this month, Spicy Korean Soup on Tuesdays. Try it with the Tuesday special, Vegetable Wrap with a side of Yellow Rice. All specials are only $6.95, plus $2.75 to add soup or small salad. This is a good portion size for the price at the longest standing vegetarian eatery, and one of the best deals for lunch on Guam.

Five things I love about Simply Food:

• Delicious and affordable vegetarian lunch (ask for vegan)

• Unique frozen or nonperishable vegetarian items in the food store.

• Make new vegan, vegetarian, and health conscious veggie lovers

• A meeting place to run into old friends

• Friendly and helpful staff who are usually vegetarian and vegan

Simply Food is open for lunch Mon-Sat, with lunch ending at 2 pm, and the store closes at 6pm. For more information, call the friendly staff at 472-2382.

Ten Things I Love about Pika's Cafe

You will love Pika's Cafe, Tamuning, and their vegan menu items. The cafe opened only November and is already a big hit on island. Here's what I love about the cafe:

10. They make their own peanut butter.
9. They marinate their own vegetables.
8. They make their own sauces from scratch.
7. They make their own unique soups from scratch (ask if vegan).
6. They have crisp potato, taro, banana, sweet potato, and other tuber chips - all local and all vegan.


5. Amazing and creatives salads like fresh greens, watermelon, kumquats, pickled red onions, and a pika vinaigrette.
4. Owner Lenny has plenty of experience preparing vegan-friendly foods in Guam, California, and other places.
3. Pika's has a vegan lunch item called the "Veganita": Tortilla Wrap Panini with Katson's Soy Chorizo-Black Bean-Guam Tofu Scramble, Red Onions, Tomatoes and Romaine with side salsa.
2. Pika's has a vegan breakfast item called the "Vegan Rancheros": Katson's Soy Chorizo & Guam Tofu Scramble, Black Beans, Cilantro Rice, Ranchero sauce and Tortilla.

De-lish!

1. Their friendly staff prides themselves on using *local* produce like corn and fresh herbs, as well as other local foods like tofu.

Check out their Facebook page for location and hours. You will not be disappointed!

California Pizza Kitchen

The California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) located at the bottom of the Holiday Resort & Spa in Tumon has a vegan friendly menu that's posted on their website. Among the many choices includes my favorite, the Vegetarian with Eggplant Pizza (thin crust, no cheese). Only the thin crust is vegan at CPK and can be ordered with any of their pizzas for an extra $2.50. As for their pizza sauces, their pizza marinara, vegetarian black beans, and spicy marinara sauce are vegan. The vegetarian pizza was a great size, crispy and very satisfying topped with baby broccoli, grilled japanese eggplant, red onions, mushrooms and marinara sauce. I went ahead and had the corn omitted and substituted the sun-dried tomatoes with fresh tomatoes. This is a great change from those oily cheese smothered pizzas that you see. Even other family and friends you eat with at CPK will be asking for a bite of your pizza.

Check out the vegan options on the CPK menu and you can practically turn any pizza, salad, and appetizer vegan. The other two most common vegan eats at CPK are the Tuscan Hummus appetizer (be sure to order it with thin crust bread instead of pita) and the Dakota Smashed Pea and Barley Soup (curry-like texture and delicious!).

Local Lettuce

As of December 10, select Payless stores, including Micronesia Mall, started selling a variety of locally-grown lettuce: Red butter, Lollo bionda, Red oak leaf, Green oak leaf, Lollo rossa, Green butter, Green butter incised leaf, and Red butter incised leaf, each for $3.99/lb. "Tri-head" (Green Oak, Lollo rossa, Lollo bionda) lettuce sells for $4.79. The lettuce is grown hydroponically, or without soil, and comes with the root system intact to supply the lettuce with nutrients after harvest. It is pesticide-free and insecticide-free. I sampled each variety and they were deliciously flavorful and fresh. A representative from the distributor told me all Payless stores would eventually start carrying the lettuce.

Try dressing the lettuce up with Thyme-Mustard Vinaigrette. Whisk the following ingredients until smooth and emulsified:
1 tbls. olive oil
2 tbls. cider vinegar
1 tsp. whole-grain mustard
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
pinch of sea salt
fresh ground pepper, as desired

Healthy Gift Baskets

How to make your own Healthy Gift Sets & Gift Baskets:

You can find these gift sets at Healthy Hearts in Dededo or you can make your own!  You can personalize it to the person or family you are giving it to, and they don't have to be vegan to enjoy it! Here are some ideas:

• Organic sparkling juices with vegan chocolates
• Aubrey body lotion, soaps, fragrance 
•  Healthy snacks like raw tamari nuts, healthy cashew butter, and fruit 

You can buy a used basket from Salvation Army, Hafa Books, or a freshly made basket from Chamorro Village. You can also ask your friends of family if they have any extra baskets they don't mind parting with. Fill the bottom of the basket with a filler like shredded paper or extra gift wrapping paper. Then add your items into the basket. Add a bow, and viola! you are finished!

Not only is your gift basket eco-friendly and reusable, but the healthy vegan products and foods will be enjoyed by your family and friends!

Happy Holidays!

Indian Spices and Rosewater

Where do I find Cardamom and Rose Water on Guam?

You can buy cardamom and rose water at an Indian clothing store called Meena's. The Indian groceries are located in the back of the store. From Marine Drive you turn onto the road that leads you to GPO. Go past GPO, past Cost-u-Less, look for a clothing store on the left called Meena's. Park, enter the clothing store, walk through to the grocery in the back. They have everything from spices, tea, canned goods, frozen naan, etc. Many Indians are vegetarians, so be sure you read the ingredients to see if there are any eggs, dairy, ghee (yak butter), or even meat.

(http://www.kitchenheadquarters.org/scripts/herbs/herbs_07_cardamom.html)

Cardamom is a spice from the ginger family that can be found in Indian sweets and Chai tea. If you buy cardamom, look for green pods. The cardamom seeds are inside and will remain fresh within the pods. Cheaper cardamom is ground and not as fresh or fragrant.

In Ayurveda medicine cardamom is known for it's spicy unique flavor, and medicinally is reported to treat infections of the mouth, throat, eyelids, digestive issues, and relieves congestion of the lungs. It has also been reported to break up kidney stones and gall stones, and some have used it as an antidote for snake and scorpion bites. All that in a cup of chai!
 
An easy cup of chai tea can be made by brewing Indian black tea (or any black tea) with a half a pod of cardamom (squash the pod and seeds). Add soy or nut mylk and your choice of sweetener for a real tea time treat!

(http://go2.wordpress.com)

At Meena's, they will try to sell you everything, if you look like you are just browsing, because the owners are really good at selling! Rest assured, I was very happy with the extra items that I bought, and all the interesting things I saw. It's an interesting culinary adventure and a little slice of India on Guam.

Food Shopping for Guam Vegans

We have several options for stores on island that you can buy dry, fresh, and frozen organic goods.

If you are coming from off island, you already know the prices are higher for organics, but you should expect to pay a little more than usual, because the organics have to be flown here as refrigerated or frozen cargo.

Payless Supermarket at Micronesian Mall in Dededo has a good selection for non-perishables (soups, grains, etc), toiletries, fresh organic salads, frozen organic prepackaged food, frozen organic vegetables. Occasionally, they carry fresh organic produce such as carrots, apples, oranges, and lemons. Payless is the main grocery store on island with many smaller supermarkets elsewhere. They all carry some amount of organic or vegan options, but the one at Micronesian Mall seems to specialize in healthier foods. You can also request they bring in items at the Micronesian Mall branch.

Of course you will not find everything at Payless, so I usually shop at these smaller but great groceries:

Healthy Hearts in Dededo has unique organic items that you won't find elsewhere. Most of the selection is organic dry goods, weekly fresh organic groceries such as kale, salad, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, apples, etc, toiletries, vitamins. They even have an organic cafe (macrobiotic diet) where you can order fresh juices, sandwiches, meals, fresh organic baked goods etc. You can sign up for their weekly specials or news online. The owners are a local family that are committed to a healthier Guam, and it shows in their store and cafe.

Simply Foods in Agana Heights is run by the SDA church, though they do not preach to the Simply Foods customers. They have a well-run cafeteria/cafe with assorted vegetarian/vegan food with daily specials and fresh wheatgrass. The store in the back has a variety of non-perishables, frozen vegetarian/vegan meals, refrigerated items, toiletries, vitamins. They do not specialize in organics, but do carry organic items. Their grocery prices are pretty reasonable and you can order things in bulk from them with a discount, and request items be brought in. Of course they do not carry meats.

Nuts & Grains is located behind Oka Payless near the hospital and has a small selection of non-perishables and a cafe, but I would not recommend this place, because their non-perishables were not fresh (expired items, which is common for Guam, so check labels before buying!), and the cafe did not serve vegan items. That was a few years ago, so you are welcome to check it out and let me know if things have changed.

Farmer's Markets can be found at Chamorro Village in Agana, Saturday mornings in front of Yigo Payless, everyday in Harmon next to Iglesia Ni Christo Church, once in a while outside of the Barrigada Post Office selling sweet island corn, vegetables, tuba, etc. According to the Department of Agriculture, most farmers on Guam do not use too much in terms of herbicides and pesticides, as compared to farmers in the states who are heavily marketed to. Use a good vegetable wash and find the freshest produce on island!

Any other suggestions for where to shop? Please email me!

Healthy Hearts

Don't forget to stop by Healthy Hearts before they close for a week!

Finding Fresh Local Produce

Local produce on Guam can be purchased at grocery stores, farmers' markets, roadside stands or trucks. Many grocery stores, both big and small, carry a small variety of local produce. Depending on the season or availability, tomatoes, okra, green onions, calamansi (local small limes, very fragrant), eggplant (small, purple, and long), chaote (chayote or pear squash), pumpkin, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, white radish (daigo, daikon), and kang kong (morning glory or Chinese spinach) can be found.

The Dededo Flea Market brings together many farmers and sellers of local produce on Saturday mornings for the weekly event. It is located in the parking lot near Dededo Payless. You can browse many items and people-watch on Saturday mornings.

Chamorro Village in Hagatna has farmers' markets open daily, according to the signs posted. Located across from TGIF or Bank of Guam, farmers also sell their produce on Wednesday nights for Chamorro Village Night Market (near the Fisherman's Co-op). I have found boonie peppers, bananas, sweet potatoes, fresh buko (young coconut), and calamansi at this farmers' market.

You can find sweet local corn in Barrigada across from the main Post Office. The farmer has a truck parked outside of the beige National Guard complex. His corn is very sweet and delicious. I usually make a raw corn salad or salsa, and then boil the rest to serve with dinner. Sometimes other vendors show up to sell their tomatoes, sweet tuba (local coconut alcohol, "local beer"), or seafood.

One of my favorite farmers' market is in Harmon next to the Iglesia Ni Christo Church (beautiful, white, grand church with steeple, you can't miss it), east past the Micronesian Mall. There are two vendors, one on each side of the church. The vendor on the west is a local Korean family of farmers. Their produce comes from local farms including their own, and the prices are very good for those watching their budgets. The vegetables are so fresh that they last longer in the refrigerator than produce from grocery stores. Typical vegetables you can find here include tomatoes, watermelon, kang kong, and bananas, to name a few.

On the east side of the church, you will find local Filipino vendors selling different varieties of vegetables that are not from local farms. However, you will find a few seasonal local produce like mangoes or avocados once in awhile.

My favorite thing to get from this vendor is freshly grated mature coconut. It makes me feel like I'm in Southeast Asia, where the vendor cracks open the coconut and grates it on the grinder, right there while you wait, packages it in a plastic bag, and it costs only a few dollars! You can ask the vendor to save the coconut water for you, but there isn't very much, because the coconut is mature. The grated coconut is so fresh and sweet, if you've never had freshly grated coconut, it is unlike any other coconut item you've ever had! I ate it fresh by itself. Amazing! You can also make a fresh coconut crust by dehydrating or baking it in a pan, and then adding a filling of your choice.

Although fresh local produce is not organic, most of it is grown with very little pesticides and herbicides when compared to produce flown in from the States. Some local produce is not grown with pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, but lacks the certified organic label. However, please be warned, produce should always be washed, local or not, with either a homemade or commercially-made vegetable and fruit cleaner to remove pesticides and herbicides.

So whether you want to save a buck, get the freshest produce, or support local agriculture, buying local produce is the way to go!

For more information of how to pick local vegetables, please see this article.
(Since I am currently off island and unable to take my own pictures, the image above borrowed from www.pdn.com)

Kelp Noodles as Pasta, Rice Noodles, and Chow Mein

Kelp Noodles are a great substitute for pasta and noodles in any dish. They are extremely low in calories, high in minerals, and have a great filling factor for your stomach, especially if you are trying to loose weight.  They cost about $5 per bag at Payless at Micronesian Mall in the refrigerated section of the healthy food aisle, where you can find tofu and soymilk behind the fruit and vegetable section.

They are raw and taste crunchy when you eat them right out of the bag. I add them to salads or top them on other dishes where a stringy noodle crunch is desired.

Since they are a raw food item, I try not to cook them so they can retain their best nutritional value. I warm them up by adding them last to a sauce that I heated up on the stove. Once heated, they become soft in texture like rice noodles, chow mein, ramen, and angel hair pasta. They are great to add to miso soup, pasta sauce, stir fried vegetables, and curries.

When you are eating on-the-go or entertaining, you can use it to add volume to a dish for sharing with others.

Shopping for Organic Produce

I was at the grocery store loading my groceries onto the conveyer, waiting for the cashier to check out my groceries, when I notice other people's carts filled with meat, unhealthy starches, and junk foods loaded with addictive chemicals like those found in chips and soft drinks.

What do your groceries look like? Here's a picture of mine below.

From Guam Vegan

I try to buy organic foods as much as possible a few sources. Where can you find organic produce on island?

Healthy Hearts in Dededo recently began offering fresh organic produce. To get on their mailing list for notifications when organic produce would be available, please email Healthy Hearts at  healthyheartsguam@gmail.com
 
I bought organic rainbow kale and oranic portabello mushrooms. They were so fresh and so delicious. I did not wonder what pesticides and herbicides lurked on the surface of my food. I did not wonder what chemicals were inside the food. I did not wonder how much I needed to wash the vegetables. I simply washed, cooked and enjoyed! There is something sweet and wonderful about organic veggies!

Payless at Micronesian Mall has a small organic produce section. The fresh produce availability is sporadic. I have seen organic lemons, apples, pears, bananas, lettuce, carrots, and cauliflower. But they only appear mysteriously, on some unkown schedule. However, you can usually find frozen organic produce like peas, carrots, edemame (soybeans), spinach, green beans, and mushrooms.

Canned organic foods can be found at Payless at Micronesian Mall, Healthy Hearts in Dededo, and Simply Food in Agana Heights. Packaged organic frozen meals can be found at Simply Food and Payless.

Recently I heard of an organic farm in Yigo, Guam, but no one could give me anymore information on this. I will keep you updated if I find out more.

Thanks to everyone that supports the organic produce providers, so we can continue to have fresh organic foods on Guam!

Organic Produce at Healthy Hearts

NOW AVAILABLE

Organic Fresh Produce

Very Limited Quantities while supplies last

Sorry Frequent Buyer Stamps and Discount Not Applicable

Brocolli Florets

Brocolli with Cauliflower

Dark Sweet Cherries

Mandarin Satsuma Oranges

Portabella Cap Mushrooms

White Mushrooms

Yellow Onions 3lb

Bell Peppers (Green, Red, Yellow Combo)

Cherry Tomatoes Mixed Medley

T 633-0886
Dededo, GU
Next to Kay's Party Supply, across from Mobile Gas Station 

Vegan Booze

Is your drink vegan friendly?

Some alcohols contain these following animal products:
isinglass from sturgeon fish bladders
gelatin, an animal derivative (also found in gummy bears)
albumin from eggs, dried blood, or casein/potassium caseinate (from milk products)
glyceryl monostearate, an anti-foaming agent that may be an animal derivative
pepsin, a heading agent that may be derived from pork
sugar, which may whitened using bone char
 
Other additional ingredients may include:
flavorings
caramel
honey
lactose
colorings
preservatives

Some vegan friendly alcohols include:
Captain Morgan's Rum
Absolut Vodka
Blue Moon Beer

Please see Barnivore for a complete list of vegan friendly alcohols.

Coffee Beanery Bombs

There is a shortage of franchised coffee shops on Guam. However, one chain that we have on island is the Coffee Beanery located at Micronesian Mall. They also have two in Tumon (next to Denial's Night Club and across from Ballscratchers; another one in Pacific Breezeway).

Coffee Beanery's success on Guam is bewildering to me. Ok, I get it, they have tasty blended coffee drinks for $5 that could make anyone an addict on the high sugar, fat (cream), and caffeine content.

But they don't offer soymilk as an alternative, nor do they offer ANY organic coffee or teas. After speaking to the owner of this cafe about offering soymilk, he declined, saying that it was not profitable to keep it in stock for the few people that ask for it! He said he would not stock it, leading me to believe he cares little for his customers, and more about the profit he makes selling his addictive drinks to our people, leading the way to increase disease for our islanders.

And what is with using styrofoam cups that NEVER biodegrade? Doesn't the owner and Coffee Beanery corporation care about the environment?  Coffee Beanery on Guam probably sells 100 cups of coffee a day, that leads to 36,500 styrofoam cups a year into our Ordot landfill that will never biodegrade! For shame!

Their food selection is minimal with sugary and fatty pastries, muffins, and cakes. I did not see any fruit. Luckily they offer Minute Maid 100% juice in cans, vitamin water, and bottled water.

The atmosphere is busy, so busy that the uncomfortable and worn furniture pushed agains the walls remains in disarray. The space is set up to allow the herd to feed their addiction.

My conclusion is that Coffee Beanery does not care about the health of our people or the environment. And if they do, they should make some healthy changes to their menu and change their styrofoam into biodegradable options

 As a big slap on the wrist for Coffee Beanery for polluting our environment, I would also ask that a portion of the profit be put into cleaning up our island, encouraging recycling, and supporting healthy alternatives for our people.

I will personally boycott Coffee Beanery as well as encourage others to do so until some positive changes are made that will benefit the our islanders.

C'mon Coffee Beanery, you can go green.

Colors RED Restaurant

Knowing that I would be going to the Colors Red Restaurant for Santy's birthday dinner, I called in advance to ensure that I would be able to eat there. To my surprise, Red has fine dining options for vegans.

Chinese style steamed rice buns were offered instead of the usual bread before dinner. That was soft and sweet, reminding me of dim sum from Honolulu.  For the entree, I had the garlic roasted tofu steak with sauteed enrigi mushrooms.  Steaming soy ginger vegetable broth was added fresh to the dish by our server.  I loved the attention to detail. The tofu steak was divine!

For dessert, there are no vegan options on the menu, but award-winning Pastry Chef Paul Cordero whipped up a coconut tapioca with pineapple sorbet just for me. It was naturally sweet because of the coconut milk and the small chunk of pineapple were very lovely with the tapioca. The pineapple sorbet was softened with the coconut cream and tapioca. It was very enjoyable. Of all the desserts ordered that night, my friends enjoyed my vegan dessert the most!

Executive Chef Eddie Chien (formerly of Roy's Restaurant) will prepare full course vegan dinners if you call in advance. I love a chef who can rock the veg with creativity in a snazzy and upscale way. The contemporary and sophisticated atmosphere is wonderful with exceptional service and live jazz music with local superstar Patrick Palomo & friends.

I would never turn down a chance to eat there again!

 Red is located in Acanta Mall in Tumon. Please call 647-2557 for reservations and visit their website at http://www.colorsred.com/.

Happy Birthday Santy!

VIBRANT LIVING FOOD TASTING VI, “A LIGHTER AFFAIR”

Congratulations to all of you who attended another Vibrant Living raw food event last Sunday! We are extremely fortunate to have Marc and Ruth promoting a better of way of being. And now for the question on everyone's minds... When will they open a restaurant?

We are a big network of individuals committed to promoting health, and I gladly offer whatever help I can give to help them get started. I even have a good location in mind! Until then, please continue supporting Vibrant Living while we wait for the restaurant!

WHEN:        SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2009
TIME:        11AM ~ 2PM
WHERE:        CAFÉ HAVANA (ADJACENT TO THE HYATT HOTEL – OLD TJ’S)
PRICE:        $25 PER PERSON/ $10 KIDS (6-12 YRS OLD).  CASH ONLY PLEASE!!
        TICKETS ARE BEING SOLD IN ADVANCE AT HEALTHY HEARTS IN DEDEDO
CONTACTS:    MARC, MGOTH89@HOTMAIL.COM
        RUTHE, RPAESTE@YAHOO.COM, 686-4279(HAPY)
   

MENU
SALADS
kefir veggies
organic mix greens
local cherry tomatoes
Local cucumber
sprouts
organic dressings

STARTERS
Buko crackers
Pesto
Salsa

BREAKFAST
Local Fruits
Fruit Parfait
Granola w/nut milk
Manna Bread w/breakfast spreads
“Champuladu”
Ginata’an

MAINS
Tacos
Raw Arroz “Caldo”
Long Rice Soup
“Fried” Rice
Nut Meat Patties
DESSERTS
Chia seed pudding
"cheesecake"
raw fudge bars

DESSERT
Latiya
Fudge bars

OUR SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIE MENU WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE!!
~EAT HEALTHY, LIVE VIBRANT!~

UOG Student Vegan

I am not a fan of food in Mangilao. There are not very many choices, even for carnivores! Anything worthwhile is at least a 15 minute drive away, which doesn't sound like much except that it costs time, gas, and did I mention time?

The UOG cafeteria, which is open for lunch in the Student Center, offers a few choices.
1. The cafe offers a Boca burger sandwich on wheat bread. Sounds potentially appealing? The burger is microwaved, the starches will put you asleep during class, and they don't have vegan dressing for the sandwhich... you might as well eat at McD....

2. On Mondays and Fridays, one of the vendors offers Mongolian BBQ. A plate with just veggies costs $4, and adding tofu is an extra charge.  They cook your veggies on a surface that has contacted meat, however that is no different than any other restaurant out there except for Simply Food. The dish is pretty good, if you seasoned it right. The huge negative for me is the thick layer of oil the veggies are swimming in and the two lumps of white rice.

Off campus options:
1. Subway offers a vegetarian sandwhich, which is basically a salad surrounded by a bun. At least they can toast the bread for you!?!

2. I.P. Cafe offers a great atmosphere to kick back between classes, order a drink from the lovely baristas (say hello to Tanya and Erica), browse the internet, and order some vegetarian dishes including a sandwich, wrap, and stir fry. Beware that their dishes may have dairy.  The downside to this cafe is that the food takes a long time to prepare, so don't go there if you don't have the time to wait!

Long Xing Chinese Restaurant, Tumon

There are a few restaurants that are open late into the night as the last stop before heading home. One of these restaurants is Long Xing Chinese Restaurant in Tumon. It is located in a strip mall next to Ban Thai and across from Acanta Mall.

They had a few vegan dishes on the menu. We ordered Chinese brocolli and added fried tofu. It was very delicious with lots of garlic, although a little greasy.

 

 We also ordered an eggplant and mushroom dish. There were two kinds of mushrooms, the typical canned mushrooms and the rare mushroom, which in Hawaiian is called pepeau (ear mushroom).  This dish is definately for the adventurous! It had a soft and wet saucy feel, and very flavorful. Again, it was seasoned with garlic, but it was more on the greasy side.

It was a worthy adventure, a solid 'B.'  Would I try it again? Depends on how hungry I am in the middle of the night after a night of salsa dancing...

Vibrant Living Food Tasting

Vibrant Living Food Tasting

WHEN:               Sunday, March 29, 2009

TIME:                 6:30PM

WHERE:              Cafe Havana (Hyatt Hotel – Old TJ’S)

PRICE:               $25 adults/ $10 children (6-12 years old). 

CONTACTS:        Marc, MGOTH89@HOTMAIL.COM, Ruthe, RPAESTE@YAHOO.COM, 686-4279(HAPY), Erica, ERICATAIJERON@YAHOO.COM 

                          Advanced tickets sold at Healthy Hearts, Dededo; M-F 10am-6pm; healthyhearts@gmail.com; Tel. 633-0886

MENU

SALADS

chop chae, kefir veggies, seaweed salad, local papaya salad, organic mix greens, local cherry tomatoes, local cucumber, sprouts, organic dressing

STARTERS

buko crackers, carrot crackers, manna bread, babaganoush, hummus, pesto, tapanade, salsa

COOKED MAINS

baked local fish, brown rice

MAINS

“cleansing” soup, thai curry, pizza by the slice, raw tacos, “live” chili

DESSERTS

Chia seed pudding, "cheesecake", raw fudge bars

DRINKS/SHAKES FOR SALE $3-$5

cherry soda, ginger spritzer, strawberry kefir shakes, "happy" shakes (cacao & maca), Pau de arco elixir 

Add SUPERFOODS for $1 extra (Goji Powder, Blue Green Algae, Revitiphi-SuperGreens) 

COCONUT WATER KEFIR $7-$15

                                                                                                                                ~EAT HEALTHY, LIVE VIBRANT!~

 

Raw Food Special Event

This past Sunday marked the fourth time that Vibrant Living Food Tasting offered a raw food buffet at Cafe Havanna at the Hyatt Hotel.  Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children, and tickets were purchased from Healthy Hearts in Dededo at 633-0886. 
raw pizza
These occaisonal events are special treats for people to try raw vegan foods. There were at least 25 different items including salads, starters, main courses, and the desserts. My favorites were the raw vegan pizza, sushi, and tacos.  The desserts were also spectacular with local banana crepes, cheesecake, and raw fudge bars.
raw tacos
There were drinks/shakes for sale including cherry soda, ginger sprintzer, stawberry kefir shake, happy shake with cacao and maca, and coconut water kefir, with an option to add superfoods. I tried the happy shake, and it was delicious!
  raw sushi
I was full yet light and energized after the meal. I know that I will be interested in incorporating more raw foods into my diet as a result of this meal.

I hope at the next event, there will be biodegradable plates and utensils or ceramic/glassware instead of paper, styrofoam, or plastic. What we put into our bodies is just as important as our carbon footprint in our environment.
 
I also did not feel that meat of any kind (fish) was necessary at this event. Perhaps I am biased, but one raw and healthy meal could show others that eating raw and healthy is filling, delicious, and isn't as hard as they think it might be!  When my carnivorous friends share a vegan meal that I have prepared, many comment that they could be vegans also, if they could eat/cook like I do. Being healthy is a life style change, one that I'm committed to promoting to others.

I met lots of people who are interested in healthy lifestyles including the organizers and chefs of the event: Erica, Ruth and Mark, who can be contacted at
ERICATAIJERON@YAHOO.COM, MGOTH89@HOTMAIL.COM, RPAESTE@YAHOO.COM 
To get on the mailing list for these events, please write to Sherry at healthyheartsguam@gmail.com

I hope to see you at the next raw food event!