Alive Juices Review

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Image Courtesy of Alive Juices

 
A few weeks ago, Alive Juices reached out to us to see if we'd be interested in sampling a variety of their fresh pressed juices. As an avid juicer myself, I jumped at the opportunity. Each day, I make a fresh juice in my Vitamix; this juice is rich in fiber and does not lose any of the content of the fruit or veggie. Alive Juices, in comparison, are made with a masticating juicer which presses the fruit and vegetables to release the liquid from them. The theory is that the the grinding of the Vitamix causes the fruit/veggies to lose their vitamins and minerals, whereas the masticating juices allows them to retain the nutrients.




I was excited to compare and contrast the experiences. The juices were delivered fresh to my door in adorable mason jars. A word to the wise: make sure you have the juices delivered to a location where you will be present to promptly refrigerate them.  Alive delivers to residences and companies in the DC area.

Now for the flavor reviews. Each Alive Juice is made with a base of the 'Big 4': apples, ginger, garlic, and lemon. Some of the juices tasted more similar to one another than others as the Big 4 flavors were particularly dominant.

The first juice (Big 4, cucumber, celery, spinach, cilantro) actually tasted as if I was drinking a Thai dinner that had been pureed and juiced. In a good way! It was crisp and clean with a good hint of cilantro. This juice was one of my favorites. 

Juice flavors #2 & #4

The second juice (Big 4, carrots, mint) was surprisingly very sweet. Though it was delicious, I couldn't really taste the mint. But, the ginger came through especially strong in this juice.

Juice flavor #3

The third juice (Big 4, romaine lettuce, celery, parsley) was still sweet but had an herby undertone. The color on this juice was less appetizing compared to the other juices. This might not matter to some, but I find that if I like the color of my juice, it's more appealing to drink. The flavor of this was similar to the others, but again it had a more savory than sweet flavor.

The fourth juice (Big 4, carrots, beets, kale, cilantro) had a fantastic deep red color. It sported a tanginess that I found refreshing and different than the other juices. I often find that when I juice with kale in the Vitamix, the flavor is very overwhelming and the consistency is much thicker than normal. With the pressed juice I didn't find that and this juice masked the strong kale flavor.

Juice flavors #5 & #7

The fifth juice (Big 4, romaine lettuce, bokchoy, collards, fennel) was the toughest to swallow, literally. This one was very strong and bitter. It was more challenging to drink in the morning and I think would be better off in the evening.



The sixth juice (Big 4, cucumber, swiss chard, mint) was 'earthy' and had an almost dirt-like taste. Though this might sound off putting, I didn't mind this juice. It was actually a welcome change to the super sweet offerings of the other options.

The seventh juice (Big 4, red cabbage, parsley, watermelon) was sweet with a strong watermelon flavor on the front-end with a hint of parsley on the back. Best way to describe this one is a watermelon jolly rancher.



The eighth juice (Big 4, squash, cilantro, pineapple) was fairly tart. I also found that this juice had the most unique flavor of all 8 juices and the Big 4 flavors came through the least. I'm not convinced pineapple was used in this juice--it tasted more like grapefruit!

If you're looking to get started with juicing or do a cleanse, I would recommend Alive Juices. Not only are they a local company, but they also provide a great product at an excellent value. If you're looking for juices with minimal sugar, Alive Juices now also makes all of their juices available with no fruit.

 

True Food Kitchen

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Image Courtesy of True Food Kitchen

First off, thanks for being patient with us while we took an extended summer break! A great friend of ours who works for C.Fox Communications, Sara, invited us to a preview dinner at True Food Kitchen. We paused to ponder why we hadn't heard about this place, and after a quick Google search, we realized why. It's in the Mosaic District. A new up-and-coming area in Merrifield, Virginia. We liked that True Food Kitchen tries to make regular dishes healthier by using all natural ingredients. We decided to pony up the car trip for Sara, hopped in my Jetta, and headed out to VA.


When we arrived to True Food Kitchen, we were immediately attracted to the great outdoor seating options, and the huge industrial/rustic space. Nothing like the tiny DC restaurants we are accustomed to.  Thank you, suburbia!  The event was packed, and we were told that we'd have to wait 45 minutes for a table even though we had an 8:30 reservation.  Frustrated, we decided to just take a spot at one of the long high top tables near the bar.  It ended up being serendipitous, as we sat next to True Food Kitchen marketing moguls and learned a ton about the restaurant concept and had details on each dish we sampled.  We learned that True Food Kitchen will cater any dish to different dining restrictions. They can make any dish gluten free or dairy free.   This will be a blessing for families in NOVA who are looking for a place to take kids with different food allergies! (FYI: We also learned that True Food Kitchen doesn't normally take reservations, so we'll let this one slip.).  
 

On to the good stuff.  The drinks.  Wow, the drinks.  We, of course, were immediately attracted to the many ginger-inspired drinks. I ordered the "Spontaneous Happiness," a cross between a St. Germain Cocktail and a Moscow Mule.  It appeared and disappeared as I sucked it down in under 10 minutes.  Liz decided to go with the ginger margarita and thought it was a flavorful twist on the classic.  TFK has a ton of hand crafted cocktails and we watched all throughout dinner as juices were created for each beverage.

We sampled three appetizers. First, the edamame dumplings. These were a light twist on a classic dish. Better than the original, I thought. They had an ultradelicate wonton-wrapper and filled with a creamy edamame filling. They were topped with a very light savory sauce that perfectly complemted the dumplings.

Next up, we had the caramelized onion "tart", with black fig and Gorgonzola. The title was a bit misleading though, as this dish turned out to be more of a flatbread than anything. It was very good, but nothing that we couldn't get elsewhere.

We definitely saved the best for last. The kale and avocado dip was phenomenal. Like guacamole but with shredded bits of kale mixed in for that hidden health kick. Served with crispy pitas and cotija cheese, we devoured it, agreeing that we need to start making this for our next party in lieu of traditional guac.

The list of entrees was seafood heavy, a great thing in our book. I went with the red chili shrimp pasta. It reminded me of a healthy lo mein and was a plentiful serving. I loved it and took the leftovers home to my boyfriend, who also agreed it was delicious.

Liz sampled the miso-glazed black cod. It was served in a bowl with bok choy and was swimming in a soy sauce based broth, but she found the broth to overwhelm the fish. Basically, she was jealous of my amazing shrimp pasta.

For dessert, we tried the banana chia seed pudding and flour-less chocolate tart. At this point we were so stuffed, but both were a delicious way to end the meal.
The pudding was reminiscent of rice pudding, but the chia seeds added an additional textural element. It was heavy on the banana flavoring and topped with banana chips. I wasn't so sure about this one when Liz ordered it, but actually enjoyed it. 

 

The chocolate tart was decadent and delicious.  Topped with a generous heaping of vanilla ice cream, it only would have been improved only if served warmer.

Overall, we really enjoyed True Food Kitchen. We think it will be a great option for VA residents and know it will do well in the popular Mosaic District.  We can't wait until one opens in DC....fingers crossed....

*Please note that while we did receive this meal for free, the opinions expressed here are our own. And, though the meal was free, we always tip our server.

Avocado, Feta, and Citrus Salad

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Well it looks like spring is FINALLY here. I don't know about you, but as soon as it gets warm I just want avocados all the time. This year winter seemed to last forever, and I started dreaming up summertime salads while watching the snow fall in late March. This salad is amazingly simple, refreshing, and healthy.  
 
The flavor combination is the perfect balance of acid from the light citrus dressing, creaminess from the avocados, salt from the feta cheese, and crunch from toasted almonds.  

The ingredients for a salad for two are:

1 bag of washed spinach or arugula (or mix it up by adding in some kale)
1 avocado
1 lemon
1 naval or blood orange 
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
cracked black pepper 

On a hot summer day, the last thing I want to do is spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  This recipe will take 5-10 minutes max.  First, peel and slice the orange horizontally into round discs. 

Split the avocado in half and pull out the pit.
Slice the avocado into thin wedges and sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt. Next, take the slivered almonds and toss them into a dry pan over low to medium heat.Watch these closely because they will toast in just a minute.  Take them off the heat when they start to turn brown.  Next, make the citrus vinaigrette.  In a small bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the juice from one of the orange slices, the juice from one lemon, a squeeze from a lime wedge, and a pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Lastly, assemble your salad! I started with a bed of spinach, then topped it with the sliced naval oranges, avocado, a sprinkle of feta cheese, a couple of toasted almonds, and finally a drizzle of the dressing.

Steak Salad with Healthy Creamy Vinaigrette Dressing

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Guys, I've been holding out on you.  You'll forgive me when I share this recipe with you, I hope.  A few months ago, I came across a steak salad recipe on my friend Mary's blog.  Normally I make salads with chicken as the protein, but this salad recipe inspired me to venture out a bit. 

For this Salad recipe you will need:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Strawberries
• Blue Cheese
• 1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

For the dressing you will need:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablesppons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tabelspoon extra-virgin olive oil

To prepare the steak, lightly coat with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper on all sides.  Set the oven to broil.  


My oven has a high and low broil setting, so I usually start it on high.  Put the two oven racks on the bottom racks.  Cover a cookie sheet with tinfoil and place on the bottom rack.  Then, put the steaks directly on the rack above.  



Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side depending on thickness of the meat.  I cook my meat medium rare, so if you prefer it more well done, adjust cooking time accordingly.  After five minutes, flip the steak.  Cook for another 4-5 minutes. 

Move the oven racks to the top two racks, putting the cookie sheet between the two racks.  Change the oven temperature to low broil.  Put the steak directly on the top rack.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.  Turn the steak one more time and cook for a final 3-4 minutes. 

 

When the steak is done, remove from the oven and set on a cutting board to cool for about 15-30 minutes.   



Once the steak has rested, slice it into small pieces.  Try not to be too amazed at how wonderfully it has cooked.


Slice your lettuce and strawberries.  Don't forget to wash them!

Let's move on to the dressing.  It's really easy.  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or Tupperware that you will use for storage using a whisk.  Voila!  Simple and healthy.  I haven't used store bought dressing in years!



Lastly, tossed the sliced steak with the lettuce, strawberries and blue cheese.  Add dressing to taste.  I've made this salad probably five or six times since August.  I am in love with it.  It is extremely fresh and satisfying.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Glen's Garden Market

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Liz and I checked out Glen's Garden Market, located on 20th Street and S Street NW, this past weekend.  After reading an article on DCist, I was excited at the thought of a small speciality grocery store focusing on local food.  In order for Glen's to sell a product, it must be made in one of the states bordering the Chesapeake (DC, VA, MD, WV, NY, PA).   

Grocery stores are a pretty standard fare in this city.  From Harris Teeter, to Safeway, the food available is good enough, but really doesn't inspire. Whole Foods definitely provides a bit better quality food as well as more unique and global offerings. That being said, when I heard that a new small market was coming to the space previously occupied by the Secret Safeway in Dupont Circle, I was thrilled.  

As far as looks go, the space has been completely updated and the effort shows.  From the minute you walk in, you have the option to grab coffee, beer or wine at the bar.  There's even space to enjoy a sandwich that you can purchase from the in-house kitchen (all sandwiches are around $10)!

The gleaming showcases display a wide variety of products. 

We especially loved how all the produce and meats were labeled with where they came from!

Cheese...so much cheese! Definitely wanted to sample all of it.  Great offerings, at good price points.  

Glen's also had a wide variety of meats.  While some were frozen, don't let this detract you from giving them a try.  I've sampled a lot of 'fresh frozen' (as I like to call it) meat products, and the quality is not lost.  Shown below are the fresh meat offerings used for deli sandwiches! 

There is also a large selection of store-made pickled and preserved products. We've never seen anything like this before!

They also have home made soup stocks!

We spent a lot of time looking at all the sauces and seasonings.  

I also really liked this wall of local grains and legumes. 

There were so many options at Glen's that we could probably have dinner inspiration for months before trying everything!  I actually brought home a vodka sauce with home made garlic parsley pasta.  They were both delicious, although the vodka sauce didn't ring true to me--it was more along the lines of a jazzed up tomato sauce.  It lacked the creaminess that vodka sauce is known for.  Still yummy, just slightly mislabeled, in my opinion!  The pasta was SO good.  It's going to be hard to go back to Barilla after eating it.

The other aspect of Glen's that was so great to experience was the staff.  You could tell just how excited each staff member was to be working in the new market, and their mood was contagious. This guy even greeted us at the front door! 

We will definitely be back to Glen's in the near future!