fall is here :: warm up at the caboose!

Fall is here!  Welcome to the fading light, the beautiful changing colours, darkness in the early mornings and earlier in the evenings, crisp coolness in the air, warm woolies around the neck and feet.

In just two short weeks, the Juice Caboose will be closing up for the season.  It has been an incredible summer that it's been a little hard to let go of.  I've been hoping to keep riding along the wave of success that came crashing down on my beach.  But like I said, fall is here and I love fall.  As much as I'm not quite ready to let go of the summer, a great part of me is ready to embrace the cooler season and start my winter hibernation.

But before that, I want to ensure that you all know about the Juice Caboose's warming menu.  It did not make very many appearances this summer, with much gratitude to the beautiful and hot weather we had.  It is now out every day, there for you to cozy up your insides and enjoy some delicious and healthy while you are walking the markets and other events that we are at.

The most enjoyable of these drinks that I recommend you all try before we are closed up is the Fresh Pressed Lemon, Ginger and Apple with Agave and Hot Water.  It is a raw vegan take on the popular Hot Tottie, minus the alcohol (fortunately or unfortunately!).  I have heard nothing but rave reviews on this delicious, fresh and warming drink.  Enjoy a 12 oz drink of it for only $4.

If you are looking to check out the Juice Caboose schedule so that you can schedule a hot drink into your day, go to the Street Food App for Vancouver at www.streetfoodapp.com.  You can access it as a free app on your smart phone or tablet or just look it up old skool on your computer.

We also feature a small selection of Pukka Herb teas.  Check out their beauty on the outside and inside here.  These are incredible, delicious, organic and healing combinations that will hopefully warm all palates.  A 12 oz tea is only $2.

If you are looking to check out the Juice Caboose schedule so that you can schedule a hot drink into your day, go to the Street Food App for Vancouver at www.streetfoodapp.com.  You can access it as a free app on your smart phone or tablet or just look it up old skool on your computer.

Last Royal City Farmer's Market for the Caboose is tomorrow - Thursday September 27th 3-7 in New West as well as the last Main Street and Kerrisdale Wednesday October 2nd 3-7 and Saturday October 6th 10-2.  We have 3 more North Vancouver Night Markets at the Shipbuilders Plaza on Friday's 5-10.

And finally we leave with a bang:

Saturday October 13th Juice Caboose will be at the SEED Event at the PNE Forum featuring Deepak Chopra and David Wolfe to name a small few.  We are honoured to be a part of this incredible event.  For ticket info please check out SEED Event here.

Our last day is Sunday October 14th at the UBC Apple Festival.  We will be juicing up an incredible blend of original apple juices again this year featuring dozens of apples picked from all over BC as well as our regular menu.

I certainly hope to see you at the Juice Caboose before its winter hibernation!  But make sure to keep checking in here over the fall and winter months.  Juice Caboose will be bringing some delicious recipes to keep you busy and a few items you may want to stuff some stockings with for Xmas!  Yes, I said Xmas!

Juicy Suzy  

living naturally fair 2012 :: recipes

I had an incredible time doing smoothie demos at the Whole Foods Market Living Naturally Fair 2012 this past Sunday.  I was thrilled to be a part of such a great event, and more specifically, to take Juice Caboose to the next level - education!  This was my first time on stage, so I was a little nervous, but it turned out better than I expected and I'm looking forward to more opportunities like this to share my passion for raw vegan smoothies and foods.

As promised to all those that made it to the demo, I'm posting my smoothie recipes from the demo here for replication and assimilation into your own blenders!  I did two smoothies, one Green Smoothie and one Gourmet Smoothie.

Sunshine :: Green Smoothie Recipe
~ Makes 2 Servings

2 C Fresh OJ
1 Large Kale Leaf or 5-6 Small Kale Leafs (remove from stem)
1/2 Lemon, juiced
2 t Ginger
1/4 C Unpasteurized Honey
1 C Ice

Load all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

A Few Pointers for Green Smoothies:

1.  Green Smoothies are composed of liquids, fruits, and green leafy vegetables.
2.  Drink Green Smoothies first thing in the morning.  Wait 1/2 an hour before eating anything else if you are still hungry.
3.  Keep them RAW!  You don't have to be a raw foodist to reap the benefits of pure raw food nutrition.  No canned coconut, pasteurized juices, protein powders or pasteurized nuts masking as raw nuts that will compromise the integrity of the raw minerals and nutrients.  Let the smoothie do what it is known to do.  Heal from the inside out.  This smoothie will take less than 30 minutes to go through your digestive tract.  Anything else in it, will compromise that and slow digestion and lead to improper food combining and take away from the healing benefits.
4.  Keep out starches like broccoli, carrots and cabbage and make sure to take your green leaves off their stems which can also cause gas.
5.  If you have a regular blender as opposed to a Vitamix, put the liquid and greens in first and blend until smooth before adding the rest of your ingredients.

Black Forest ::  Gourmet Smoothie Recipe
~  Makes 2 Servings

1 Thai Coconut, Water and Meat scooped out
1 C Cherries, pitted
1/2 C Blueberries
1 Nectarine
2 t Vanilla Bean Powder
2 T Raw Cacao Nibs
2 T Sesame Seeds
1/4 C Agave Nectar
Pinch Sea Salt
1 C Ice

Load all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

A Few Pointers for Gourmet Smoothies:

1.  When Vanilla Bean Powder isn't available to me I use Pure Vanilla Bean Extract that doesn't have alcohol in it.  You can use the same amount.  Although not raw, it is a great substitute and easier on the budget.
2.  All agave nectars are not created equally.  Some are known to be processed at extremely high temperatures rendering them the same as corn syrup in nutritional value.  If you are unsure about agave, substitute with unpasteurized honey or if you are a vegan, use soaked and pitted dates.  If you prefer something low glycemic like agave is supposed to be, substitute with apple or pear juice.  Double up the amount that you put in.
3.  Sesame seeds, hemp seeds and chia seeds are my preferred protein ingredients in a smoothie.  They are easy to digest and don't require soaking.  If you would like to use nuts, try to find real raw almonds or cashews and soak them before.
4.  Thai Coconut is high in electrolytes making it a great food to consume after a workout.
5.  Raw cacao nibs or cacao powder is pure chocolate straight from the cacao bean.  It does contain caffeine and therefore is energizing.  I keep raw cacao out of my sons smoothies if it is past a certain time of day to ensure it doesn't keep him energized all night! It also contains antioxidants.

I hope you all enjoyed the fair as much as I did.  There was just so much goodness to sample not to mention all the money raised for Kidsafe.  Congrats to all the chefs, musicians, vendors and team members of Whole Foods that contributed to such a successful event!  Thanks to all that attended and supported this fantastic event!

Juicy Suzy

living naturally 2012 at whole foods robson

I'm thrilled to announce that on Sunday September 16th at 12:30 to 1:30 pm, I will be doing a Green Smoothie and a Gourmet Smoothie demo on stage at the Living Naturally Fair, hosted by Whole Foods Robson.  Enjoy all-natural and organic samples from over 50 vendors plus living music, the chef stage and activities for children.

Here's a list of all the other chefs that will be doing demo's:

Saturday September 15th
11 am to noon - Derek Sarno
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm - Lucritia Schanfarber
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm - Eden Macdonald
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm - Tricia Sedgwick

Sunday September 16th
11 am to noon - Andrea Potter
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm - Suzanne Serwatuk, ME!
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm - Lindsay Christianson
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm - Julia Spitale

Hope to see you there!

Juicy Suzy

tasting plates (& cups!) kitsilano september 12

Tantalize your taste buds at 10 Kitsilano restaurants!  This evening tasting extravaganza goes from 6 pm until 9 pm and is presented by Vancouver Foodster.

Each restaurant will be serving up Tasting Plates, and in the Juice Caboose's case - Tasting CUPS! for guests to enjoy.  Guests will have a chance to visit many different restaurants throughout the evening, meet some new food loving friends, meet the chefs and learn about each of the participating restaurants.

::  Vegetarian options will be available at many of the participating restaurants.

::  Bring along a friend or two, your significant other, your family or come solo.

::  A food networking dinner event connecting Vancouver's vibrant food community.

::  Visit each of the participating restaurants at your leisure by bike, moped, car, transit, walking, roller skates, skateboarding or carpooling.

$3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Farm Folk/City Folk.

Registration:  Chocolate Arts, 1620 West 3rd Avenue.  This is where you will show your printed or digital tickets and will pick up your Tasting Plates Cards.

Purchase tickets via Eventbrite HERE.

Participating Restaurants:

Atithi Indian Cuisine, 2445 Burrard Street

The Bibo, 1835 West 4th

Pete's Meat Butcher Shop & Deli, 2817 Arbutus Street

Gramercy Grill, 2685 Arbutus Street

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co., 1876 West 1st Avenue

Thai House, 1766 West 7th Avenue

Chocolate Arts, 1620 West 3rd Avenue

Establishment, 3162 West Broadway

Juice Caboose, Arbutus between 10th and 11th

Vancouver Olive Oil Company, 2571 West Broadway

Tickets are $30 per person before September 7th, $100 for 4 pak of tickets or $125 for a 6 pak.  (Beverages are included at some restaurants which will be noted, you are welcome to purchase additional alcohol or non-alcohol beverages at participating restaurants).  All tickets must be purchased in advance, online.

Hope to see you there!

Juicy Suzy