Mäni’s Blog Café

Potato Month

February is Potato Month!  Bet you didn't know the humble potato had a month all of its own.  Check out The Healthy Potato for nutrition info and potato recipes. 

Better yet, stop by Mäni’s on Fairfax and order a side of our fabulous organic roasted Yukon Gold potatoes with your breakfast, lunch or dinner.

News & Soups at Mäni’s on Fairfax

We’re excited to introduce our new and improved website, scheduled to launch before Valentine’s Day. The site will feature our Blog Café, Morsel Newsletter, Menu, FAQ, and much more. Stay tuned!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s never too soon to start thinking about sharing a dessert from Mäni’s with someone special - Truffle Heart Cookies & Cakes, Mandle Heart Cakes & Raspberry Cakes. YUM!

Our Soup Menu is scheduled to change next week. From January 30th until February 12th, 
the restaurant will be serving the following soups (made fresh daily):

Monday CHICKEN NOODLE
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles.

Tuesday LAST WINTER MARBLE SOUP
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Butternut Squash, Onions, Celery, Sweet Potatoes, Sea Salt, Black pepper, Yams, Fruit Reduction, Balsamic Vinegar, Red Beets.

Wednesday TOMATO LENTIL DELUX
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, garlic, Canola Oil, Sea salt, Black Pepper, Baby Spinach.

Thursday POTATO LEEK
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Potatoes, Leeks, Canola Oil, Onions, Oregano, Thyme, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black pepper, Roll Oats.

Friday THREE BEAN SOUP
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Small Navy, Green Split Pea, Black Eyed, Carrots, Celery, Butternut Squash, Parsley, Basil, Garlic, Dill, Sea Salt, Black pepper.

Saturday JULIO’S ENCHILADA SOUP
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Garlic, Pinto Beans, Onions, Kalamata Olives, Peeled Tomatoes, Organic Yellow Corn Tortillas, Enchilada Sauce, Cilantro, Sea Salt Black pepper, Organic Tofu.

Sunday BLACK BEAN SOUP
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cilantro, Cayenne Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Chili  Pepper, Chili Powder.

All of our soups with the exception of Chicken Noodle are Vegan.

Soups for the New Year

Soup Schedule: January 2 to January 15

Monday:  CHICKEN NOODLE
Ingredients: chicken broth, chicken breast, onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, chives, sea salt, black pepper, egg noodles.

Tuesday: GREEN  SPLIT PEA
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, carrots, butternut squash, onions, green peas, celery, cumin, sea salt, black pepper.

Wednesday: TOMATO LENTIL
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, cilantro, celery, cauliflower, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, garlic, canola oil, sea, salt, black pepper.

Thursday: CARROT  &  GINGER
Ingredients:  Vegetable stock, carrots, celery, yams, ginger, sea salt, tamari

Friday: POTATO  LEEK
Ingredients:  Vegetable stock, potatoes, leeks, onions, celery, basil, oregano, thyme, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper.

Saturday: TAMALE  SOUP
Ingredients:  Vegetable stock, pinto beans, onions, green &red peppers, celery, chives, celery, garlic,  cayenne pepper, cumin, canola oil, yellow corn meal.

Sunday: BLACK BEAN
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Garlic, Olive Oil, Cilantro, sea salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, onions.

Healing Power of Chocolate

Check out this story on NPR about flavanols and the potential healing power of chocolate.

Mäni's Soup Schedule: November 21 - December 4

Make a date to try the new soups at Mäni's, effective November 21...

Monday:  CHICKEN NOODLE

Ingredients:
Chicken Broth, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes. Canola oil, salt, black pepper, egg noodles, chicken breast.

Tuesday: PAUL’S MACARONI & CHEESE

Ingredients:
Vegetable stock, Green squash, green cabbage, onions, carrots, green peppers, garlic, cashew cream, vegan cheddar cheese. Macaroni.

Wednesday:  SQUASH AND LENTIL

Ingredients:
Vegetable Stock, green  lentils, Olive Oil, onions, tamari, chili powder, cumin, Kabocha squash, butternut squash, salt, black pepper.

Thursday: HOLIDAY SQUASH BISQUE

Ingredients:
Vegetable stock, onions, yams, butternut squash, anise star, salt, nutmeg.

Friday: JULIO’S ENCHILADA SOUP

Ingredients:
Vegetable stock, Pinto beans, organic yellow corn tortillas, onions, kalamata olives, peeled tomatoes, enchilada sauce, garlic, vegan cheddar cheese.

Saturday:  JUDI’S SWEET & SOUR ORIENTAL SOUP

Ingredients:
Sesame oil, celery, organic brow rice, pineapples, ginger, garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, almonds, Chinese tofu tamari.

Sunday: BROCCOLI  & TAHINI

Ingredients:
Vegetable sock, onions, celery, broccoli, potatoes, tahini, tamari, black pepper, salt.

Pumpkins Really Are Good For U!

I have a subscription to RealAge.  Often they have some good health info.  So I couldn't help but passing this along, since it's about the great healthy properties in pumpkin!  It's actually good for our joints, check it out at their daily tip of the day.

Love those pumpkins!

Larry

National Dessert Day

I don't know who makes this stuff up, but we'll take it.  October is National Dessert Month and today, October 14 is National Dessert Day.  So, in honor of this very special day, we invite you to visit Mäni's and celebrate with your favorite dessert!

Our New Chef: Introducing Chef Jose

Mäni's on Fairfax is quite pleased to announce our new Chef Jose in the cafe.  Jose comes to Mäni's with many years of experience in the natural and vegetarian foods arena.  Jose himself is vegetarian and is an excellent kitchen manager in all areas of food preparation.

Many changes will happen behind the scenes.  Some will be noticeable and eventually you'll see a better run restaurant with more options.  As the team learns from the Pro, service will improve and the kitchen will become better organized.

Next month you'll see a new menu, with some new items.  Some of our slower items will be replaced with new creations in the Mäni's style of healthier foods made with premium quality, healthier ingredients.

If you have a request for a new item, now's the time to let us know.  Send me an email and we'll consider your suggestion.  As always we look to you, our customers, to help steer the company's future.  So thanks in advance for your input, loyalty and passions!

Oh, and by the way, if you're in the cafe and would like to meet Jose, just ask your server.  He values your ideas and would love to meet you too!

Larry

Hershey Acquires Specialty Chocolatier

Just a little tid bit that sort of goes with todays Morsel: History of Chocolate Part III...

I read in todays LA Times that Hershey Co. has plans to acquire the Berkeley-based Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker Inc. Scharffen Berger, maker of premium dark chocolate bars and baking products, has stores in San Francisco and Berkeley as well as one in New York. It's products can also be found in some specialty shops...like Wholefoods.