The Marin Double

Since I'm off to live in Whistler soon i've been trying to hit all my favorite Marin spots. Cafe Gratitude is a must!

 I convinced my sister to get the BLT i've been meaning to taste and a milkshake. Coconut Maple Bacon is quite delicious. Definitely equal to some of the best tempeh versions.  I will definitely order this in the future, except on a gluten free bun option.  The Mint Chocolate Shake was even better! Their home-made coconut/hemp/chia/cashew ice cream definitely makes it and the cacao-mint-vanilla bean-vitamineralgreen combo tastes exactly the way mint chocolate chip should.

Of course I got my standard I Am Whole Bowl.

As usual, the slightly sweet Teriyaki Almonds balance the Garlic Tahini Sauce perfectly and I love the Sea Kelp, Kale, and Kim Chee (which I stock in my fridge from Whole Foods!).

After the epic mint chip shake  and wanting to try their cacao smoothie (figs and dates sound too good) I had to make one at home for breakfast. Especially b/c I had figs which I went out of my way to get b/c they are so good!

Raw Cacao Breakfast Smoothie

It turned out like an amazing chocolatey creamy smoothie with a hint of berry and pushing the boundaries of smoothie-milkshake without adding ice cream or any dedicated sweetener! A little like pudding and perfectly accompanied by a Bungalow Muncher (think of it like a breakfast muffin, or a dessert cookie, or a granola snack, so versatile!).  I chose one with less carob chips for a more breakfast like cookie and some Herbal Chai as well.

• 1-2T Chia seeds
• Glass of Almond milk
• 1-2T Cacao cacao powder
• 2 Scoops Tera's Bourbon Vanilla Whey
• 2 Fresh Figs
• Handful of Blueberries
• 1 Date
• 1t Vanilla 

I also added a little extra Bungalow Munch on top of the smoothie for some more yummy crunch factor.

It's a little bit expensive and fancy for lunch but I had to do it before I leave. Another Michelin starred restaurant.

Insalatas

 Mediterranean cuisine wins. The Vegetarian Middle Eastern Platter comes with so many goodies.  There's literally so many different epic flavors and spices in each portion it's unbelievable.  Lemony lentils, pistachio in the roasted tomatoes, curry in the sautéed veggies, and possibly paprika in the couscous? I love it. Enough said.

Syrian Fattoush Salad

This isn't just a normal fattoush. It's the best you can buy. The lemon and cumin in the dressing and the mint/cilantro are insane. I did mine sans-pita croutons/feta cheese, so normally it looks like this:

You can sub salmon for chicken and I bet that could be even better. I haven't attempted to make it because I don't think I can do it justice, but the recipe is online. My family has the cookbook as well so I could potentially make the other dish but have the same apprehensiveness. One day...

Is there a cafe gratitude in your area? If so what's your favorite thing?