Tag Archive: Providence
Eat Your Feelings
I have the internet to thank for letting me know this past weekend was Labor Day, and all of the tweets and Facebook statuses about having a day off from work. My mind was pretty occupied because it was moving weekend for me. For the third time I moved back to Providence to start another school year. But first was a day of packing, loading, driving, unloading, unpacking and organizing, and for someone who hates change like me that’s pretty much Hell on Earth.
I should say the day wasn’t all bad; what definitely helped was the trip to Wildflour for a smoothie and raw ganache torte to take home for later. Some people like to unwind with a cold beer on a Friday night, or a glass of wine paired with dinner. I am without question a chocolate man. At the end of the day I just want to sit down with something rich, sweet, and—most importantly—chocolaty, and this was one hell of a day.
I thought I might stop after half. This thing is after all pretty much a block of coconut oil, cocoa powder, cocoa butter(?), sugar, and nuts, and I’ve still got a ways to go before I’ll be in the shape I want to be in for the Philadelphia Marathon. But with each bite I remembered the surprise trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond, the frantic trip through Whole Foods to restock an empty fridge, the plate of raw vegetables, hummus, and plain tempeh that became dinner because I had no energy to cook, and the chocolate made all of that feel better.
There’s been something going around on Pinterest to the effect of,
“Don’t reward yourself with food. You’re not a dog.”
Excuse me? But I love food, especially the ones that are bad for me. And I love dogs, too. I don’t see the problem here.
Food has a way of affecting your mood, both good and bad. There are things you can’t control, like a long day at work, or other people’s attitude, or stressful move. But you can control what you put in your body. And sometimes the best thing for your body is filled with sugar, fat, and—of course—chocolate.
We all saw where that was going, right?
Go ahead; eat your feelings once and a while. You’ll feel better for it.
When In Providence…
Time has really flown by lately. Yesterday I went to spend the day in Providence with a friend leaving soon and realized it’s been about a month since I was on campus.
A month since I walked across the main green.
A month since I last drank a GTS Kombucha from the bookstore café.
And a month since I last made a trip to Wildflour Bakery.
I really can’t resist this place. There’s no where like it in New England. They have the greatest selection of raw and vegan food with a bakery selection equally as fantastic. My friend suggested we go there(probably because I went through a phase when that’s all I would suggest we do) and I was no one to say no.
I’ve heard a lot about Wildflour’s raw lasagna and even though it was mid afternoon a filling, savory meal sounded great to me.
This reminded me how much I love raw food when it’s well prepared. Their lasagna is made up with layers of zucchini, tomato paste, and a herbed nut cheese. Even though none of it’s cooked, the flavors are complex and developed and the whole dish was rather filling.
To wash it down I grabbed one of their seasonal juices.
This was refreshing, but had a little too much lime juice for me. I would have liked a softer lime flavor and a touch of salt. I could never get enough of watermelon and salt.
Of course no trip to Wildflour is complete without grabbing something from their bakery. They have a huge selection of vegan baked goods. They have a good selection of gluten-free things, too, though I can’t say I’m not jealous of the chocolate peanut butter cup cupcakes and peanut butter brownies.
Since I’m probably not going to be back for at least another month, I got a trio of desserts: Chocolate coconut rum ball, raw coconut macaroon, and raw chocolate ganache(aka the best dessert money can buy). So far I’ve only had half of the raw chocolate ganache; it’s as good as I remember and blows the pants off of my version. But I think I’m one step closer to figuring out the recipe.
So when in Rome, do as the Romans do, minus the public urination and slave-driven gladiatorial games because they don’t like those so much anymore. And when in Providence, go to Wildflour Bakery. They won’t do you wrong.
Wildflour Bakery In Providence
When I first arrived back in Providence, one of the very first things I did was stop by the newly opened Wildflour bakery which specializes in vegan and gluten-free pastries. Clearly, I have my priorities.
The bakery had a really friendly atmosphere. The staff were more than helpful with any and all questions we had on their baked goods. And there were a lot. Everything in the showcase(pictured above) was vegan, and on the shelf above that sat out the vegan/gluten-free baked good. The choices was almost mind blowing considering I feel lucky to be able to order 1 or 2 things off of a menu usually.
We finally settled on a gluten-free brownie and raw cheesecake to split between 3 people. One of the workers told me that the gluten-free brownie was better than their “regular” brownie, so it certainly seemed promising. The cheesecake was on the pricier side but considering the size of it and the work that goes into raw cheesecake I knew we had to try it.
Ultimately, the brownie paled comparison to the cheesecake. It tasted a little starchy and overly sweet without that deep richness that a good brownie has. I thought that some of my brownies tasted better than that and my parents agreed(and not just because they’re my parents I hope).
I really enjoyed the cheesecake. My guess at the recipe would be a thin almond/date crust with a filling made of soaked cashews, coconut cream, lemon juice, and agave, covered with coconut flakes and raw chocolate syrup, kind of similar to my recipe. But aren’t things always so much better when someone else makes them for you?
In short, I will definitely be back; there are too many desserts I haven’t tried yet, and I could always use a break from baking. Oh, they also serve raw juices, but who wants that when you have cheesecake staring you in the face? That’s what I thought.
