by Christina | Jul 11, 2016 | Recipes, Wellness
GUYS. I’m so excited about this recipe, I can’t even handle it. I’m honestly really surprised about how in love I am with a lunch/dinner recipe.
Let me back up. Usually I spend all of my time toying with dessert recipes because I’m obsessed with desserts, and I feel like the creative possibilities are endless. I loooove to healthify my favorite sweet treats, and it’s SO satisfying when it comes out right. My main meals of the day aren’t usually very exciting in my opinion because I tend to stick to the same types of meals week after week. I love ’em, so I never really bother switching anything up.
Last week, my sister asked me where she could find my healthy dinner recipes. I was like, ummm… I don’t really do dinner recipes? I’m too preoccupied with dessert! But that got me thinking, and I realized that it would probably be helpful if I start posting about some of the things I like to eat for actual meals. Just to give people who aren’t quite sure how to get started with healthy eating some basic ideas. Even if it seems super simple to me because I’m so used to making it, doesn’t mean it’s an obvious dish to somebody else.
So I told her I’d post a healthy dinner recipe, and my brain immediately went to ZOODLES. I’m obsessed with zoodles. All you need is a spiralizer and some zucchini, and BAM! You’ve got yourself a healthified pasta. Zoodles are a GF girl’s dream. I love them because they take hardly any time to prep, and having a pasta-like dish just makes me feel fancy.
Anyways, I wanted to spice things up for this post and deviate from my everyday zoodle routine. Instead of going for my regular red sauce, I decided to create a creamy dreamy fabulous ALFREDO! My go-to red sauce is super easy and quick (and I can totally do another post on it if you want), but I have it all the time. I’m getting kind of bored with it.
GF/Vegan alfredo is kind of hard to come by. And when I have had it before, it ends up being too heavy and not sitting well with my stomach. When you get zoodles at restaurants, they usually top ’em with a marinara or a pesto sauce, which is delicious, but overdone. SO LET’S SWITCH IT UP, and get a lil’ fancy. (It’s still super easy, I swear.)
I cannot explain to you how obsessed I am with this alfredo sauce. It’s so creamy and delicious without feeling “heavy” (you know what I mean?), and you would literally never guess it’s dairy-free. HA! After I ate my zoodles I ended up just dipping some other veggies I had in the sauce at the bottom of my bowl to see what it tasted like…It was epic. Then I licked my bowl clean. (I’m not kidding.)
I paired this dish with shrimp, basil, and mushrooms, but you could easily sub out any of those for whatever you want! If you don’t like shrimp, chicken would also taste phenomenal. If you don’t do animal products, then top it off with some more walnuts or even some cashews! If you don’t like mushrooms, broccoli is another veggie that would be amazing in this dish.
This meal is super quick (like, under ten minutes), very simple, and SO DELICIOUS. I’m in loooove.
Sidenote: If you want this to taste extra cheesy, add in a little nutritional yeast. I didn’t add it in because I didn’t think it needed it. Also, nutritional yeast is kind of an obscure ingredient for most people so I didn’t want to overcomplicate anything!
Shrimp Zoodles with V/GF Walnut Alfredo Sauce
Serves: 1 (With some extra sauce…lucky you!)
Ingredients:
Veggies/Protein
- 2-3 zucchinis, depending on size
- 1 yellow squash
- 1/2 cup mushrooms
- Wild caught shrimp (I used 6 Jumbo shrimp, but have as many/as few as you want!)
- 1-2 tbsp coconut oil
Walnut Alfredo Sauce (GF/Vegan)
- 1.5 cups cauliflower
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts (You can also sub with another nut if you don’t have walnuts. Pecans and cashews are great, too!)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- dash of pepper
- 1/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/3 cup filtered water
- Extra water to thin, if desired
Instructions:
- If you have time, soak your walnuts in a cup of filtered water for 1-2 hours, and then drain. This is not completely necessary, but it will make the blending process easier.
- Spiralize your zucchinis and squash, and then press a paper towel on top to soak out the excess moisture. (Use the “Thick” end of the spiralizer.) Let the zoodles sit with the paper towel on top while you make the sauce and the rest of the veggies.
- Steam your cauliflower.
- Set your skillet to medium heat and add in the coconut oil. Toss in your shrimp and mushrooms. Leave on the skillet for 3-4 minutes, then flip everything. Leave them on for another 3-4 minutes, or until they’re cooked to your liking.
- Add your soaked walnuts, coconut milk, and water into a blender/Nutribullet/food processor and blend until you reach a creamy consistency. Add in your salt, pepper, and steamed cauliflower. Then blend again until everything is thick and creamy! The sauce will already be warm from the steamed cauliflower.
When your shrimp and mushrooms are almost done, toss your zoodles into the skillet. Throw in a bit of sea salt and extra basil (if desired), mix it all up, and leave on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Zoodles need hardly any cooking, so keep an eye on them!- After the zoodles have been cooked for 2-3 minutes, toss everything in your skillet into a bowl. Top it off with as much of your Alfredo sauce as you want, mix it all together, and enjoy!
If you guys try this out, be sure to let me know how it goes! And tag me if you take a picture! How do you like to dress YOUR zoodles? I’m always looking for new ideas!
by Christina | Jul 1, 2016 | Wellness
There’s a rumor running around that salt is bad for you.
I hate rumors! So I think it’s time to set the record straight.
Let me start with this: the question of whether salt is good or bad is, like most things, not black and white.
A lot of my friends make comments about the fact that I put salt on my food. “You’re so healthy,” they say, “Why are you putting so much salt on your food?”
Ugh. SO MUCH MISINFORMATION!
I love salt. It makes food taste waaaaay better. But I only like REAL SALT.
First, let me explain why we need salt.
Salt is critical for a lot of our body’s functions. I could get really sciencey right now, but I don’t want to make anything too complicated. Basically, it’s an important part of keeping our cells functioning correctly, and it is especially important when it comes to cardiovascular health.
In fact, a lot of our organs need salt to work properly. For example, your thyroid needs the iodine found in salt to function properly, which includes creating hormones and regulating your metabolism.
Salt’s components, sodium and chloride, help us to digest our food, maintain the right balance of fluids in our bodies, and keep our nervous system running efficiently.
There are a lot of negative side effects of avoiding salt. I love this article by Chris Kesser, where he lays it alllll out on the table. He’s a genius. But if you’re too lazy to read that, I’ll summarize.
First of all, there’s a strong link between low sodium consumption and strokes, heart attacks, and death. YIKES! Low sodium levels have also been linked to insulin resistance, which is a problem especially for those who suffer from Type 2 diabetes.
Salt is also extra important if you’re an athlete. It’s easy to accidentally develop hyponatremia, which I talked about in my post about overtraining, if you engage in a lot of physical exercise and don’t have enough sodium in your diet. Hyponatremia is SCARY. It can cause nausea, fatigue, coma, and even death. Think about it – we all know that we lose salt when we sweat. So if you work out hard, be SURE you replenish the salt that was lost. Also, if you suffer from muscle cramps while working out, low sodium could be your problem. (It was mine!)
When I first changed my diet and started eating real, whole foods instead of processed products, I never thought about salt. I didn’t bother to add it to my meals, and I noticed a lot of strange symptoms that made me feel like crap. I felt off. As soon as I started adding salt to my food (and started drinking NORMAL amounts of water), I noticed a huge improvement in my health. Symptoms from my insulin resistance greatly decreased with higher sodium levels in my diet, and the nausea and lethargy I felt after working out went away. It was like salt totally rebalanced my system and let my body function properly again.
So, we know salt is important. Then why are we so often told to limit our sodium intake and to avoid salt?
The thing is, if you’re truly eating a healthy diet, you don’t need to avoid (real) salt. In fact, you might need to actually go out of your way to add salt to your foods, like me. This is because most whole foods have a naturally low sodium content. A lot of people who eat a whole-foods diet accidentally don’t eat enough sodium, and they don’t realize how much better they would feel if they just added a little salt to their meals.
If you’re eating the typical SAD diet, that’s another story. There’s already way too much salt in processed foods, so there’s definitely no need to add anymore sodium to your life.
Additionally, the type of salt is very important.
Here’s the deal with salt. Table salt = no good. Salt used in 99% of restaurants = table salt = no good. Avoid that crap! It’s highly-refined, which I’m not into. Because it’s highly-refined, it’s not giving your body iodine alongside other nutrients that your body needs paired with that iodine in order to do all the stuff it needs to do. Refined salt has all of the goodie goodness stripped out of it, and the gross man-made stuff put into it.
Pink Himalayan salt? That’s the good stuff. Celtic sea salt? Yes, please. But WATCH OUT when buying salts. There are a lot of salts labeled “sea salt” that are still refined. Make sure you are buying something that is labeled “Himalayan Pink Sea Salt” or “Celtic Sea Salt,” and you’re good to go.
So, if you want to improve the electrolyte balance in your body, balance your pH, help your metabolism function properly, and support the functioning of your organs, DON’T FEAR THE SALT.
Plus, pink salt is pretty. <3
by Christina | Jun 28, 2016 | Business
GUYS.
I am SO SO SO EXCITED. Like, I can’t stop smiling.
I’ve been droppin’ hints recently that I’ve been working on a secret project, and it’s finally time to announce what it is!
…..
Two of my closest friends and I are starting a podcast! GET PUMPED.
It’s been in the works for a few weeks now, and today it FINALLY went up on iTunes. I’ve been dying to tell everyone, so I’m pretty proud of myself for keeping it a secret for this long.
SO. Here’s the little backstory.
Basically, I became obsessed with podcasts about a year ago. I listen to them 24/7 – when I’m getting dressed in the morning, when I’m cooking, when I’m driving, when I’m walking to class… just ALL the time. I love listening to people talk. There are so many people in this universe that are way smarter than me, and podcasts are the most convenient and efficient way for me to learn from those people. I loooove to read as well (knowledge is power, right?!), but podcasts are even better because they allow me to multitask. If I tried to read a book while I walked to class, I’d run into a pole. If I tried to read while driving, I’d get into an accident. (REMINDER: DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE! Seriously, though.)
Same with YouTube. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a YouTube addict. Buuuut the problem with YouTube is that you have to be paying attention and actually watching the screen, which is sometimes super inconvenient. I JUST WANT THE WORDS. When I discovered the podcasting world, I felt like I had just unearthed the city of gold. SO MUCH INFO AND SO MANY GREAT OPINIONS AT MY FINGERTIPS.
I know a lot of my friends think that podcasts are for old people or people who just want to talk about sports. I am neither of those people. I love listening to podcasts about pop culture, nutrition, fitness, self-care, lifestyle, and any other random topics that seem interesting. And I learn so much. If you’ve never perused the podcast section of the iTunes store, prepare to be amazed.
And can we just talk about the fact that podcasts are totally FREE?! Like, you have to pay for music (Well, you should pay for your music! I know you’re probably not actually.). And you have to pay for books. But podcasts are totally free. All you gotta do is press that pretty little subscribe button and YOU’RE IN.
I’m someone who reallllly likes to talk about the things I’m passionate about, which means I also like to listen to people talk about the things I’m passionate about. The problem is, I realized there weren’t really any podcasts targeted toward people my age. There are so many interesting issues that are relevant to young adults in their late teens and early 20s, but the podcast world is mainly targeted toward older age groups. Like, mid to late twenties and beyond. Ya feel?
I decided that the gap needed to be filled in, and I was going to do it.
I pitched the idea to two of my dearest friends, Kailyn Glass & Janina Lamoglia, and they were in. YAAAAS!
So we spent the last few weeks figuring out logistics, coming up with a plan, organizing the equipment, planning out our topics, and so on. AND TODAY WE FINALLY LAUNCHED. We’re having so much fun with it already, and I cannot WAIT to see what the future has in store. You guys are going to fall in love with Nina & Kailyn very quickly. They’re sassy, intelligent, independent, and just total girl bosses.
The thing is, I want this podcast to be a conversation. I really want to hear from everyone listening. I want to talk about the things that interest YOU. I want to get the perspectives of other people my age, from other states, cities, and walks of life. It’s not just about the three of us sitting down and spewing out our ideas and advice. It’s about all of us young adults figuring out this adulting thing together.
The podcast is going to be a mix of a bit of everything. Lotsa fun for everyone! We’ll have some episodes where we answer listener’s questions, some episodes where we just rant about random topics, and some where we bring guests on the show and either interview them or just have them join in on the conversation. And by guests, I basically just mean anyone we think is interesting. So that could be you, if your heart desires.
If you want to hear us talk about something, let us know! If you have a question or need advice, send it in! If you just want to tell us a story about something or give us your reaction to something we said, tell us! I’m serious. The more voices we have, the more interesting this will be!
To do any and all of the above, you can fill out our “Submit a Topic” form on our website, actuallyadultish.com, or email us at actuallyadultish@gmail.com, or tweet us (@actuallyadult). And remember, it can always be anonymous!
In episode 1, we’re talking COLLEGE RELATIONSHIPS. We talk about going into college in a relationship, leaving college in a relationship, what the college dating scene is really like, and how to approach touchy topics with your significant other.
In episode 2, we basically just go off on a tangent about The Bachelorette, ANTM, American Idol, and the Spice Girls. You know, all the good stuff.
Next time, we’re talking BODY IMAGE. I’m extremely excited for this one, because we all know I have veeeeery strong opinions about that topic. If you want to hear us talk about something specific related to body image or have a question you want answered, please please please send it in! Contact us via email, our website, or Twitter. And of course, you can always contact me personally through my blog, my email, my Twitter, or Instagram!
I cannot believe the podcast has finally launched, and I can’t wait to hear what you guys think! All feedback is appreciated. And if you’re into it, go ahead and leave us a (5 star) rating and review on iTunes! It will really help us out to see what everyone likes / doesn’t like! More importantly, SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBE! Your support would mean the world to us.
Are you guys into podcasts, too?! If so, comment your favorites below! I’m always looking for new ones!
by Christina | Jun 20, 2016 | Recipes, Wellness
Happy Father’s Day! I hope you are all having a lovely Sunday and showin’ your dad all the love he deserves!
In celebration, I’m back with another recipe! A recipe that I am truly madly deeply 100% in love with.
Growing up, my dad and I had a tradition we called Pizza Fridays. Basically, we made a pizza for dinner every Friday. I was OBSESSED with Costco pizzas – the frozen ones that you just pop in the oven. (I wasn’t much of an actual cook back then – things have definitely changed.) I’m not sure what made them so delicious, but Costco pizzas were better than any other pizza I had ever tasted. I lived for Pizza Fridays. We’d get a plain cheese pizza and load it up with whatever toppings we wanted. Usually, my dad plopped every single leftover in the fridge on top of his side of the pizza, and I usually left mine plain or put some chicken on it. I was one of those kids who only ate plain cheese pizza. Veeeeeeery picky eater.
Anyways, fast forward to 2016. I pretty much never eat pizza because I can’t eat gluten or dairy. I honestly haven’t really missed it that much, but for some reason I had a strong pizza craving last week that I could not push aside.
Lots of restaurants nowadays serve gluten-free pizza, but just because it’s GF doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Sorry to burst your bubble, but usually they throw a ton of nasty shit into the gluten-free pizza crusts that make my stomach feel just as bad as if I actually ate gluten. Same with vegan cheese. YES, it’s available, but have you looked at the ingredients in most vegan cheeses? They’re normally not that great. (Except Kite Hill, which is BOMB.)
Enter: CAULIFLOWER PIZZA. Everyone and their mom has heard about it by now. Since diving into the cauliflower pizza world, I actually like the taste of cauliflower pizza crust better than regular pizza crust. It doesn’t make me feel gross and heavy after eating it, and if you put in the right spices, it has incredible flavor.
I decided to top this pizza off with some homemade pesto, but I still wanted cheese. If I’m gonna go out of my way to make a pizza, I’m going to add cheese! I have a not-so-secret obsession with cashew cheese. I cannot get over the fact that I like it better than regular cheese, and I love how you can easily customize it to create different flavors! For this pizza, though, I went with my basic, go-to cashew cheese recipe. It did not disappoint.
The best part of a pizza is the toppings, right?! It’s where you get to be creative! I put mushrooms, arugula, spinach, and cherry tomatoes on this one, but you can switch those out for whatever you want! You can bulk the pizza up with a protein like chicken, add more veggies like zucchini or broccoli, or you could even pop some pineapple on there for a sweet zing! YOU DO YOU.
This pizza requires making a few different “parts” (crust, cashew cheese, pesto, toppings), but it is so worth it. Everything came together beautifully, and the final result was infinitely satisfying. I INHALED this bad boy.
This is the perfect recipe to make with friends because everyone can work on a different part of the recipe, and each person can customize part of the pizza with unique toppings. There’s something so satisfying about a group effort. Perf for a family night, a girls’ night in, or a random party of 1!
Without further ado, HERE’S THE RECIPE!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust (GF)
Total time: about 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/8 cup fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 1/8 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Dash of salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400* F.
- Cut your cauliflower into small florets. Make cauliflower rice by processing the florets in a food processor. It’s easiest to do this in small batches.
- Fill a pot with about an inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the riced cauliflower and steam for about 5 minutes. Strain the cauliflower and let cool.
- Once the cauliflower has strained, grab a dishtowel, pour the cauliflower on top, wrap it up, and squeeze all of the moisture out. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. You want to get as much of the moisture out of the cauliflower as possible – this is what will help the crust stay in tact after it has cooked.
- Add the cauliflower, eggs, almond flour, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into a large bowl. Mix everything together thoroughly to create the dough.
- Spread the dough onto a greased pizza pan in a circle. Leave the crust about 1/2 inch thick.
- Put the dough in the oven for about 20 minutes. While you’re waiting, get the rest of your toppings ready. I made the pesto and cashew cheese at this time and got my other toppings ready to go.
- After about 20 minutes, take the pizza out of the oven. Add your toppings, and bake for another 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and EAT!
Basic Cashew Cheese (Vegan / GF)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup soaked cashews (they don’t have to be soaked, but it’s preferable)
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- dash of salt
- 1 clove fresh garlic
Instructions:
- Soak the cashews in filtered water for a few hours or overnight. Strain the cashews and get rid of the water.
- Add all ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until the desired consistency is reached. Add more water if you want a thinner cheese, or a few more cashews if you want it thicker.
- Feel free to add other ingredients to flavor your cheese if you want!
- The cheese will last in the fridge for about 5 days.
Basic Pesto Recipe (Vegan / GF)
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup basil
- 1/3 + 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 large avocado or 1/2 small avocado
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Dash of salt
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until everything is blended. Add some filtered water if a thinner consistency is desired. Enjoy!
Pizza Toppings Prep
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup mushrooms
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup spinach
Instructions:
- Add the coconut oil to a pan and sauté the mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- After the pizza crust has been cooked for the first 20 minutes, spread the pesto on top. Add the cashew cheese. Place the spinach, arugula, sautéed mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes on top. Put back in the oven until it’s ready to eat!
What’s your favorite kind of pizza?! Let me know if you try out this recipe! If you do, take a picture and TAG ME (@addicted_to_lovely)! Enjoy! XO
by Christina | Jun 16, 2016 | Wellness
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! It’s time for me to hop back into restaurant reviewing after a loooooong hiatus. I love love love to hunt for the most DELISH restaurants in town (and take food pics, obviously), but I paused on writing reviews for awhile. I couldn’t eat out for a few months while I was on a very annoying diet for my stomach, per my doctor’s orders, and continuing to write restaurant reviews during that time was too torturous. Thankfully, that diet is now DONE and I’m back to chowin’ down on whatever yummy food my heart desires.
I want to kick things off with one of my favorite new L.A. restaurants – The Butcher’s Daughter! The first time I went to the Butcher’s Daughter, I was in New York botout a year ago. I practically died from how delicious the food was. My mother and I got a juice, the spaghetti squash carbonara, the zucchini lasagna, and the best damn artichoke dip I’ve ever tried. It was divine.
Then I was blessed with what, to this day, is the BEST dessert I have ever had in my life. I’m serious. (This is a BIG deal.) The picture makes it look really basic, but it was not. The photo does not do it justice. Two gluten-free chocolate chip scones with banana-walnut ice cream in between, with a side of fresh fruit and house-made preserves. Um…NOM! It was an explosion of perfection in my mouth. I scarfed it down like a crazy person, even though it was the size of my head, and I couldn’t stop talking about it afterwards.
When I found out that The Butcher’s Daughter was opening in Venice, my socks flew off in excitement. I was desperate to get some more of that oh-so-delicious grub back in my life.
To begin, let’s talk location. The Butcher’s Daughter Venice is obviously, in Venice. Duh. But specifically, it’s on Abbot Kinney, which we all know is one of the most happenin’ streets in Los Angeles. Abbot Kinney has a ton of adorable coffee shops, stores, and great eats in general. All the cool kids are there. So many good vibes.
The Butcher’s Daughter Venice is all that I dreamed it would be. The decor is ON POINT. It’s what you imagine when you daydream about the ideal Venice restaurant. Hipster, trendy vibes, twinkly lights, and an adorable outdoor patio. Lush greenery and enchanting lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The service is always phenomenal, and the waiters look like they’re out of a mag. Even though it has that trendy L.A. vibe, it is not intimidating. Everyone is extremely friendly, and you get a homey, welcoming feeling. This isn’t a place that you need to wear a bodycon dress and heels to, but it’s also not the place to rock your sweats at either. You wanna look cute but not too overdone. It’s the perfect in-between, and it’s my go-to place if I’m in the mood for that classic “Venice” feeling.
Now let’s discuss what is most important: FOOD. First of all, HIGH QUALITY. I don’t like to eat at restaurants where I feel like the chefs might be adding hidden, questionable ingredients into my food behind the scenes. This place is anything but that. The Butcher’s Daughter buys their produce from local farms, which helps support the community and ensures the food is the absolute best quality possible. The menu is vegetarian, but most options are vegan and gluten-free. Even though the restaurant is vegetarian, I truly think anyone would enjoy the food. I like a lot of vegan restaurants in L.A., but I wouldn’t necessarily take just anyone along with me to those restaurants because I know not everyone is into that kind of food. However, I would totally suggest the Butcher’s Daughter to anybody with functioning taste buds. My roommate’s boyfriend is a classic Southern fried-chicken lover, and he loved this place.
The prices are also very reasonable, in my opinion. It’s not a cheap restaurant, obviously, but it’s not very expensive either. For how delicious and fresh the food is, I think everything is perfectly priced.
The one thing that’s tricky about The Butcher’s Daughter is the changing menu. The menu has been different every time I’ve eaten there, which means sometimes they’re not serving what I was planning on ordering. (Gossip: one waitress told me they rotate through five menus.) So if you have your heart set on a particular dish, be aware that it might not be there the day you go if the menu has switched. I’m not sure if they’re going to keep rotating the menus until they figure out what’s most popular or if they’re always going to switch up the food selection, but we’ll see.
My FAVORITE thing to get for breakfast is the Cauliflower ‘Grits.’ I’m obsessed. If you love eggs & cauli like I do, then you will not be disappointed. It’s my dream breakfast. And I’m also super into their Coconut Cardamom Chai latte. It is SO creamy and smooth. Warms my soul.
They also have AMAZING cold-pressed juices. I would highly recommend getting a juice flight so you can sample four different juices. Some of my favorites are Stalks & Leaves, Rubies in the Dust, and Golden Hour. Yummy yummy 🙂
I’ve only tried one smoothie from the Butcher’s Daughter – 7 Minutes in Heaven. And let me tell you… it was 7 minutes in Heaven (more like 2 minutes because I chugged.) All of the smoothies look amaaaazing though, so I’m determined to eventually try them all. Only prob is they currently don’t serve smoothies at dinner (for dessert), which kinda bums me out. #Dreams
When it comes to the sides and appetizers, you actually can’t go wrong. Their market vegetables are always incredible, and I especially love the roasted rainbow carrots. If they happen to be serving brussel sprouts when you go, GET THEM!!!! You will not regret it.
Their drink menu looks pretty on-point to me, but I basically never drink alcohol so I can’t tell you anything from experience. I literally just ordered the drink with the flower in it to take a cute picture for my birthday. No shame. What I can tell you is that the alcoholic beverages are damn beautiful. And the rose mint tea is FABULOUS.
My faves for dinner are the Raw Pesto Linguine, the Cauliflower T-Bone, and the Carbonara. The Raw Pesto Linguine is like the king of zoodle dishes. It has this divine cashew cheese plopped on top that makes me want to faint of happiness. The Cauliflower T-Bone recipe mysteriously changes every time I order it, but I’ve liked it every way they’ve made it so far. Veeeerrrryyyy impressive!
Lastly, my favorite part. DESSERT! I went to The Butcher’s Daughter for my 21st birthday this year, and I literally ordered every dessert on the menu. Did I get sick after? Yes. Did I regret it? NOT AT ALL. All of the desserts are vegan and gluten-free, so I was like…YAAAAAS!
The Hummingbird Cake was def my favorite. Coconut & banana in one dessert? It’s like heaven on a plate. It’s the perfect combination of textures and flavors, and I’ve literally never tasted anything like it before. I’ve actually never even seen Hummingbird Cake on another dessert menu before. I always have a soft spot for unique dishes!
The chocolate torte is veeeerrrrrryyyy RICH. The raspberry paired with the dark chocolate is honestly incredible, but don’t underestimate how sweet this is. I was talking a big game and saying that nothing is too chocolatey for me…. I was wrong. It’s mouthwatering. I would highly recommend this if you’re a chocoholic.
I don’t like tiramisu, but the tiramisu here is the best I have ever had. One bite turned me into a tiramisu lover, but only a Butcher’s Daughter tiramisu lover. Ya feel? (Sorry I don’t have a pic, but it looked like fluffy heaven.)
The rhubarb cobbler was warm and inviting and cozy. If you like a fruity dessert, this is perfect. It’s not too sweet, which is what I look for in a cobbler. The crumble on top isn’t too hard, but also not too soft. Basically, ON POINT. Also, when do you ever get to eat rhubarb cobbler?! It’s also served with some strawberry ice cream that’s nice and light, so the two pair together flawlessly!
The warm ice cream cookie sandwich. I have mixed feelings about this. I’m pretty sure it would have been my favorite dessert if I got the chocolate chip cookies with it. Sadly, the chocolate chip cookies aren’t gluten-free, so I could only get peanut butter. Unfortunately, I don’t like peanut butter cookies, so this dessert wasn’t for me. The ice cream was BOMB, though. Super creamy and out of this world. I would definitely be down to just order the ice cream without the cookies. (Also want to start a petition for GF choco chip cookies.)
There you have it – my complete review of The Butcher’s Daughter Venice! If you’ve been there, I would love to hear what your favorite dishes are! And as always, any restaurant recommendations AT ALL are always welcome! XO
