Eating to Live on the Outside: Cru

Posted on December 19, 2008 by Gerald Pugliese

It snowed in New Jersey this week. Making me desperate for nice weather! That’s why Eating to Live on the Outside is taking a mental trip to Cru, in sunny Los Angeles, California.

And Cru serves up a lot of good stuff. So, after going through the menu, here’s a list of stuff I’d consider stuffing my face with. Take a look:

Mezze Platter

  • Cucumber tzatziki, beet, apple salad, fig pate, cashew cheese, flax crackers and garlicky kale; provided the tzatziki is dairy-free, it’s very cool!

Deep Green Salad

  • Marinated kale, avocado, tomatoes, sprouts, sunflower seeds and chili lime dressing; sounds great, but I’d order the dressing on the side.

House Salad

  • Field greens, avocado, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, sunflower seeds and chili lime dressing; same deal, dressing on the side.

Strawberry Cucumber Mint Salad

  • Field greens, strawberry, cucumber, mint and lemon poppy seed dressing; again with the dressing.

Yellow Thai Curry

  • Creamy coconut curry and julienned veggies; just as long as there is no dairy.

Pesto Wrap

  • Cashew cheese, pesto, cabbage, field greens, onions, cucumber, sprouts and Caesar dressing wrapped in a collard leaf with sweet potato chips; the pesto might have oil, but I can deal with it and I’d ditch the chips and order dressing on the side.

Greek Wrap

  • Avocado, cucumber, tzatziki, alfalfa, field greens, olives, mint and red onions wrapped in a collard leaf with sweet potato chips; I’d pass on the chips and olives.

Channa Masala

  • Indian chickpea stew over quinoa; hard to beat that combination.

Pumpkinseed Walnut Chorizo Wrap

  • Sautéed bell peppers, pumpkinseed, zucchini, onions and chorizo, wrapped with field greens, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro in a collard leaf; certainly a lot of cool stuff, veggie chorizo sounds interesting, I might order this.

Sweet Potato Curry

  • Chickpeas, spinach, sweet potato, curry and tomatoes served with quinoa; sounds good, but it could be salty, I’d ask first.

Pan-Seared Kabocha Squash

  • Beets, walnuts, kabocha squash and basil over quinoa; I love beets!

Okay, Cru’s got some good mojo! But gun to my head, I’d order either the Deep Green Salad or the Pesto Wrap and I’d swap in a side of quinoa or daily greens instead of the chips.

Alright, I think Cru is Fuhrman-friendly, but what about you? Check out Cru’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Until then, eat powerfully! Peace.
 

Tags: , , , , ,

Eating to Live on the Outside: Lush

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Gerald Pugliese

After another busy week of blogging, it’s finally Friday. Time to eat! And today, Eating to Live on the Outside we’re heading to Lush in Atlanta, Georgia. Not literally.

Looking at the menu, I dig it! It’s not perfect, but there are enough Fuhrman-friendly options to experiment. So, here’s what I might order:

Quinoa Tabouleh Salad

  • Quinoa, fresh mint, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes and black olive oil; okay, quinoa rocks, but the olive oil might annoy you. I’m cool.

Roasted Red Beet Carpaccio

  • Red beets, baby arugula, red onion, fried capers and champagne vinaigrette; I’d nix the capers.

Steamed Butternut Squash Shuimai

  • Butternut squash, garlic herb butter, toasted pumpkin seeds and balsamic reduction; I like the squash, but I’d pass on the butter.

Wehani Wild Rice Salad

  • Wild rice, walnuts, dried cranberries, apples, celery, carrots and organic apple cider vinaigrette; the wild rice is a little iffy, but I’m okay with it.

Pan-Roasted Exotic Mushrooms

  • Mushrooms, asparagus, sweet corn, roasted garlic risotto, fried leeks and truffle oil; if the risotto is dairy-free I can handle it, but the fried leeks do give me pause.

Fire-Grilled Herb-Marinated Portabella Caps

  • Portabella mushrooms, roasted root vegetable farro, baby arugula, crispy salsify and thyme-infused garlic cream reduction; sounds free intriguing, hopefully they can ditch the cream.

Spicy Creole Vegetable Gumbo

  • Vegetables, basmati rice, golden crisped okra and warm corn bread; I’d skip the corn bread and the rice doesn’t bother me too much.

Szechwan Glazed Tofu

  • Tofu, red peppers, Vidalia onions and shitake mushrooms; pretty simple, sounds good.

Baby Argula, Endive, Melon and Stone Fruits

  • All that stuff and vanilla bean vinaigrette; quite an enticing combination.

Not a landside of food, but there’s plenty of good stuff! If had to pick, I’d go for Roasted Red Beet Carpaccio or the Steamed Butternut Squash Shuimai. I’m a sucker for roasted beets.

Okay, your turn! Check out Lush’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. It’s easy, just send an email or make a comment. Until then, eat mightily! Peace.

Tags: , , , , ,