I Am Playful

For kids (or those who are young at heart), Cafe Gratitude LA has a fun children's menu. I Am Playful is a black bean and cashew cheese quesadilla served on sprouted grain tortillas with salsa fresca. It's delicious and perfect for a mild palate and small appetite.

Today's Cafe Gratitude Question of the Day: What aspect of community are you inspired by?

I Am Comforted

For those mourning the removal of I Am Grounded from the Cafe Gratitude LA menu, rest assured that it's been replaced with the sweet, earthy goodness of I Am Comforted. I Am Comforted combines roasted rosemary yams with a choice of the I Am Grounded chipotle cashew cheese or a sweet tamarind sauce (also seen on I Am Humble) for dipping. It's the autumnal sister dish of my previous favorite.

Today's Cafe Gratitude Question of the Day: What lights you up?

I Am Terrific

The new Cafe Gratitude LA menu introduced two kelp noodle dishes to the raw section. I Am Terrific is a raw Pad Thai with kelp noodles, red bell peppers, carrots, shredded kale, cilantro, basil, mint and scallions topped with crumbled teriyaki almonds and sunflower sprouts (description from the menu; I ordered mine without scallions). This dish is a game-changer for me; light kelp noodles tossed with what I believe is the Thai almond sauce, one of my favorite CGLA sauces. It has all my favorite flavors from I Am Fortified, but without the heaviness of the quinoa, so it's a fantastic choice for when I'm not quite as hungry.

Today's Cafe Gratitude Question of the Day: What do you believe in?

I Am Fortified

A grain bowl (choice of quinoa, brown rice, or both) full of seasonal vegetables and kale and with an option of four different delicious sauces (sesame-ginger, garlic-tahini, Thai almond, and the newly added coconut curry), I Am Fortified is healthful comfort food. It has fortified me more times than I can count (usually with the Thai almond sauce, but they're all perfect) and I can't wait to try it with the coconut curry sauce.

Today's Cafe Gratitude Question of the Day: What calms you?

I Am Dazzling

I Am Dazzling was a garlicky caesar salad topped with avocado and brazil nut parmesan from the previous Cafe Gratitude LA menu (I believe this is the last item I'll be featuring that's not currently available). As much as I know many people will miss the dishes that have been retired (at least for the fall and winter), the new menu is superb!

Today's Cafe Gratitude Question of the Day: What do you love about your family?

Thank you to everyone who has answered the Question of the Day in the comments. I love reading your responses; please keep it up!

I Am Complete

I Am Complete was another favorite from the previous Cafe Gratitude LA menu. A raw mezze platter, it featured dehydrated falafel, garlicky hummus, kalamata olive tapenade, and a salad dressed with tzatziki.

Today's Cafe Gratitude Question of the Day (this one is from the main Cafe Gratitude daily e-mail, not Cafe Gratitude LA): What is your greatest accomplishment?

Ode to Cafe Gratitude LA

This year, the first day of October brings VeganMoFo and, more importantly, the debut of Cafe Gratitude LA's new menu. In honor of the latter, I dedicate VeganMoFo 2011 exclusively to Cafe Gratitude LA's delectable offerings. Some of what I'll feature this month will be from the previous menu, but I will try to stick to what is currently available.

I make it a practice to dine at CGLA at the very least once per week (generally more) and I see that only a few of my former go-to dishes have been retired (two of them are seen in this post). I'm hoping they will return in the spring, but that being said, the new menu is simply divine.



At top is I Am Grounded, the most delicious roasted potatoes served with spicy nacho cashew cheese, which I always paired with I Am Vibrant, greens (usually kale) perfectly sauteed with garlic and topped with pepitas.

Today's Cafe Gratitude LA Question of the Day: When do you feel liberated?