Oh, life. A beautiful, magical thing that I constantly remind myself to never take for granted and always show gratitude for, even on the days I’m feeling blah, frustrated or less than enthused.
Oh, LYFE (as in LYFE Kitchen). A beautiful, magical place that I constantly remind myself to take full advantage of on pretty much any day (but especially the days I’m feeling blah, frustrated and less than enthused about cooking).
If you don’t know about LYFE Kitchen, let me tell you…it is an amazing, casual restaurant (with one of the corporate executive chefs being Chef Art Smith) and is currently in 6 states, with a new outlet opening soon in NYC. Clearly, the concept is a huge hit and people love it. Myself included.
LYFE is all about supporting local farms, promoting sustainability, rewarding environmentally sound businesses and giving back to the community all while serving healthy, nutritious food. What I love most about LYFE is that there are so many vegetarian and vegan options (with an entire separate menu) and all the nutritional information is clearly listed for you. No guesswork needed here.
I’m not really sure where to start on my favorites. When I was invited to dinner at LYFE’s River North location here in Chicago, I was fortunate to have the chance to try out quite a few appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks (my best friend Sonia was visiting from Seattle that day so it was great to have her as my plus one to the dinner).
Here were some of our favorites:
Quinoa Crunch Wrap– Quinoa tabbouleh, fresh crunchy vegetables, avocado, arugula, edamame hummus, chipotle vinaigrette, fireman’s hot sauce. What a fresh, delicious and tasty wrap! We both loved the flavor from the edamame hummus and definitely the hot sauce. Don’t eat without it! But, we also loved how light and fresh this wrap was. It was filling without being heavy.
Vegan Art’s Unfried Gardein Chick’n– Served with roasted brussels sprouts, butternut squash, dried cranberries, cashew cream and dijon vinaigrette. I was shocked that I loved this so much. While the Gardein patty was what I expected, the roasted brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cranberries and mustard sauce were such an awesome combo. This dish is definitely on my rotating “must-have” entrees.
Chocolate Budino Dessert and Chocolate Chip Cookie– The chocolate budino has pomegranate chia seeds and toasted almonds, while the cookie is the best freakin’ cookie EVER. Here’s the kick on both of them though…they are both vegan. I nearly died when I found that out. I seriously could not believe it cause I am usually not a fan of vegan desserts and can spot them a mile away. These were two desserts that are actually “healthy” and taste amazing. Do not miss these!!!
So, if you couldn’t tell, I’m a huge fan of LYFE Kitchen. And Life. I am grateful for both.
Please Note: I was invited to a private dinner at LYFE Kitchen, all opinions are my own.
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