MÄNI'S BAKERY CAFÉ

03.31.06

Get Fresh. Go Green. Drink a Matcha Latte.

We first featured the Match Latte last summer in our Newsletter. The article was titled Mucho Mas…Matcha, and detailed at length the amazing benefits of this green tea drink.

Ahh the wonders of matcha. Little caffeine, and lots of benefits. The nutrients available in matcha cause brain wave activities, which help with relaxation, focus and concentration! Antioxidants & polyphenols also prevent cancer.

Drink hot or cold with skim, whole, soy or vanilla soy milk. It’s wonderfully refreshing!

03.29.06

Your Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Sandwich Cookie

Just come in to Mäni’s on Fairfax and tell the counterperson your name and comment number and he/she will give you your free chocolate chip pecan sandwich cookie, provided we’re not sold out.  If we are sold out you can get it the next time you come in.

03.28.06

Get Fresh, Beet It! Go Green With Mäni’s.

I know a lot of people grew up despising beets.  Why, I can’t really understand.  Maybe it was the way our parents and grandparents prepared them: straight from the can. 

Well, Chefs grow up in order to avoid this type of situation, canned vegetables that is.  Admittedly, I have been to some nice restaurants, and their beets are nothing to talk twice about.  Maybe their chefs still use canned beets?

Not to beet a dead horse, but Mäni’s doesn’t use canned beets, or really any other vegetable, except for tomatoes when we make roasted salsa.  Canning vegetables involves high heat and long cooking times.  These two elements can destroy the nutritional value in foods. 

So, needless to say, we are making a fresh beet salad.  The beets are lightly cooked, then shredded and marinated in a balsamic goat cheese marinade.  We then take this awesome beet mixture, and put it on a round 9-grain crouton, layered with goat cheese.  The goat cheese, crouton and beet are placed on a bed of arugula with a Mexican papaya, mango, and pineapple salsa and drizzled with red beet vinaigrette. 

Beets are reported to have cancer protecting elements.  How does it do it?  The purple pigment in beets, betacyanin, is a powerful cancer fighting agent.  Other elements also increase anti-oxidant enzymes in the liver, which is where most free radicals (see our glossary on greenage) are generated.  These enzymes are what protects us from the effects of free radicals. 

And, as if the beets aren’t enough already, the arugula is an excellent source of greens that aids in digestion, prevention of certain cancers, and is high in vitamin c and calcium.  It’s already become one of our most popular salads.

Get Fresh! Beet It! Go Green With Mäni’s. 

03.24.06

The Cousin To The Truffle Heart Cookie

Well here’s a photo of the new cookie.  Looks like it will be available next week.  If you like the chocolate dipped chocolate chip cookie or the truffle heart cookie, I think you’ll really like this one alot!

03.23.06

Soup Schedule

Soups for March 27th - April 10th

Monday - CHICKEN NOODLE
Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles
Tuesday - CREAM OF BROCCOLI
Vegetable Stock, Celery, Onions, potatoes, Broccoli, Spinach, Cashew Cream, Sea Sal,  Black Pepper, Tamari
Wednesday - TOMATO LENTIL
Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola oil, Sea, Salt, Black pepper

Thursday - MINESTRONE
Vegetable stock, carrots, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, parsley, basil, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato paste, sea salt, black pepper, garlic, cumin, olive oil, red beans, pasta

Friday - YELLOW SPLIT & BLACK EYED PEA SOUP
Vegetable Stock, Yellow Split, Black Eyed Peas, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Parsley, Dill, Sea salt, Black pepper

Saturday - SPICY TORTILLA SOUP
Vegetable Stock, Onions, Celery, Jalapeño Peppers, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Corn Tortillas, Tamari, Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika
Sunday - BLACK BEAN SOUP
Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Chili Powder, Cilantro

03.23.06

Just met a customer….

For those who appreciate our barley malt sweetened chocolate and our chocolate chip cookies, stay tuned! 

And as an added benefit to our blog subscribers, just add your name to comments below and you’ll be on our new “free cookie sample” list.  That means if you are one of the first 50 people to sign up below, you get a free cookie as soon as it comes out. But, your name has to be in the comment section of this blog story.  Just click on the Comments link below.

And if Jude, the guy I just met reads this, make sure you add your name to this list!

03.22.06

Mäni’s Now

Well here’s the deal.  Mäni’s now has a second active partner. Carl Avery came to Mäni’s from Crate & Barrel just two years ago.  Since that time he has learned most of Mäni’s secrets and working directly with me, the co-founder of Mäni’s, he’s taken it to the next level.  And the company is stronger, doing more to satisfy what customers want and look for at LA’s premier healthy bakery/restaurant.  Just check out our latest menu featuring great tasting healthier greens, energy drinks, salads, sandwiches and of course our ever popular breakfasts and famous baked goods.
So stay tuned and expect more from your favorite bakery/cafe.  Carl, myself our chef Jose, all have lots of good food and drinks in store for you this year.
And if you have any requests, we’d love to hear from you too.  Just use the comment section below or send us an email.  Say hi when you stop by, we love to hear from you!

Larry

03.21.06

Are You Green Yet?

Have you gone a little green at Mäni’s yet?  We put out our new menu on Friday, and so far its going great.  If you haven’t noticed, green is our theme!

And it isn’t green like the color of a crayon, it’s green like the color of Wheat grass, and Matcha, and Spinach, and every other edible green you can think of. 

The point of all of this is, greens are an opportunity to be healthy in a way many don’t realize.  If you haven’t had the chance yet, check out our Glossary on Greenage to find out more of the benefits on eating green. 

So, take a little time to sample what we have.  Try the Steamed Greens (mostly Kale, although this will change every few weeks to another great leafy green).  And definitely give one of our green smoothies, like the Total Green, a try.  It’s packed with 25 different sources of greens, including Wheat grass, Barley grass, and Spirulina.  We have the ingredients if you want to see them all! 

From where I am standing, my intention is that everyone gets to know the benefits of eating green.  If there is anything we can do better to assist your green-ness, please let me know! 

03.17.06

Diet-Friendly Green Foods

Hungry Girl has a St. Patrick’s Day special edition today with diet-friendly green food.

Pay particular attention to these two points:

Of course we also love the following super-healthy green foods: artichokes, sugar snap peas, granny smith apples, romaine lettuce, spinach & broccoli. Eat at least SOME of those today.

Leafy green vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, minerals, folate, and flavonoids. These all work to prevent free radicals from damaging cells. Eat your greens!

03.14.06

Rewarding Our Blog Subscribers

available to our valued blog subscribers.  So subscribe right now by clicking here and signing up.  The first freebie will be sent this Friday to all our subscribers as of Thursday, March 16, 2006.  It just takes a minute to sign up(you will have to confirm your subscription to make sure it’s really you who wants to get the updates).  It’s free and we never sell our confidential list to anyone.

03.13.06

Balanced Living 1.3

Balanced Living 1.3

Exercising your right to exercise.  If you say it a couple of times, the word exercise begins to seem slightly alien.  It wasn’t until this very moment I decided to see what the word really means.  Hold on…”An act of employing or putting into play” is the first to pop up, and this somewhere during history, came to define an ”active bodily exertion performed to develop or maintain fitness”. 

So, we are putting into play an act of exertion.  And this act of exertion will provide more benefits than you can imagine. 

Lets get started.  The first thing I want to talk about are the most subconscious benefits.  For me, exercising charges the batteries in my brain.  Exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins are said to make you feel good (although this is still debated), similar to the “runner’s high”.  Plain and simple, a little exercise makes me feel pretty good emotionally. 

The second issue are the health benefits.  Recent research from the Annals of Internal Medicine reports less risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia related diseases when we exercise (1).  Research will continue to speak on the benefits of exercise for our bodies. 

To me, the chain of benefits also includes the following: exercise builds muscles, muscles help keep your body strong, keeping your body strong prevents accidents and strains.  Exercise, I believe, prevents illness in many ways.  Leading a holistic approach to life means involving exercise, and of course eating well and building success and happiness. 

And it also gives you the right to eat things like French toast.  I mention this because French toast isn’t traditionally the healthiest breakfast.  But when you want to splurge, I highly suggest you try our’s at Mäni’s.  Until the 17th, we are offering a more balanced option.  Our French toast is made with a fresh strawberry banana cream cheese filling, and we will be adding on a side of protein (tofu, turkey bacon, or egg) at no charge. 

Good luck with the exercise.  I have said it before, but the beginning is the first challenge, and then comes the commitment.  Find ways to make exercise more enticing, and find a way to commit.  Use an IPod or other listening device and you might find yourself working out faster to the music! 

(1) Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, March 2006

03.10.06

New Soup Schedule - March 13th thru the 27th

Monday / Chicken Noodle
Vegetable Stock, Onions, Carrots, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Egg Noodles, Chicken Breast, Canola Oil, Salt, Black Pepper

Tuesday / Coriander Chickpea new
Vegetable Stock, Canola oil, Onions, Chickpeas, Cilantro, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Tamari

Wednesday / Zucchini and Spinach Bisque new
Vegetable Stock, Canola Oil, Potatoes, Zucchini, Spinach, Cashew Cream, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Tamari

Thursday / Tomato Lentil
Vegetable stock, Green Lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola Oil, Sea, Salt, Black Pepper

Friday / Minestrone
Vegetable stock, Carrots, Celery, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Parsley, Basil, Mushrooms, Tomato, Tomato Paste, Pasta, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Oregano, Garlic, Cumin, Olive Oil, Red Beans

Saturday / Cream of Mushrooms
Vegetable Stock, Canola Oil, Shiitake Mushrooms, Crimmini Mushrooms, White Mushrooms, Yellow Onions, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Cashew Cream

Sunday / Spicy Tortilla Soup
Vegetable Stock, Onions, Celery, Jalapeño Peppers, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Corn Tortillas, Tamari, Garlic, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika

03.09.06

A Breakfast Insight

We started looking deeper into what’s working for our customers and what’s not.

Curiously we discovered, well, a secret. Something that for some strange reason we weren’t even aware of.  I know you’re at the edge of your seats now….

It’s our FRENCH TOAST!  You must try our French Toast, it’s amazing, but you be the judge.

So here’s the challenge, try the French Toast. As an incentive and to keep within our well-balanced meals, just ask your server for a complimentary side of turkey bacon, veggie sausage, two eggs or tofu, to keep your protein intake up. This offer is good until March 17th, so come in and let us know if this is not the best French Toast you’ve had in a long time or maybe ever.

03.06.06

Mäni’s Oscar Contest Results Are In

There was a stunning upset at the Academy Awards presentations last night.  Crash was the upset winner of Best Picture, beating the favorite to win, Brokeback Mountain. Regardless of how you feel about either movie, most people predicted that Brokeback would take the prize.

Where does that leave the Mäni’s Oscar contest?

We had 49 voters.  No one got a clean sweep.

11 voters missed only one…they voted for Brokeback Mountain as the Best Picture.  In every other category they predicted the winners correctly.  There’s an article in today’s L.A. Times by Kenneth Turan, explaining why he thinks Crash beat Brokeback Mountain.

03.02.06

Have you Voted?!?

Time is running out! The Academy Awards will air this Sunday, March 5th. Be sure to participate in our contest before the winners are announced & if you pick 8 winners out of 8 categories, you win too! Win win win! Simply post a “comment” with your selections to the entry entitled Oscar Night at Mäni’s: Vote and Win!. Anyone can be a WINNER if you guess correctly. What are you waiting for?!?

And whether you’re planning to attend an Oscar party, or simply stay at home, let Mäni’s help you. Show up to your friend’s house with a healthy delicious starter, like our Hummus & Pita w/Veggies or Chili Nachos. If your plan is to catch the Awards in the comfort of your own home, stop by for some of our bakery goods, like an assortment of cookies, or our Tiramiwho Torte. Yummy!

Enjoy!

03.01.06

Only Four Days Left….

This Sunday we’re set to take your advance orders for food and desserts.  Call or download our menu and we’ll make sure your order is ready for delivery or pick-up on Sunday afternoon/evening. 

Why you should order in advance from Mäni’s:

•This is the first time we’re taking advance orders for Oscar parties.  So even if you’re staying home and don’t want to see your friends, just pick up the phone and call us at 323 938-8800 and we’ll take your specific order. 
•Just think of all that great food that’s waiting for you!  And don’t forget to order your favorite desserts, like our Banana Black Bottom Tart or our famous Chocolate Truffle Cake or Truffle Heart Cake.  Can you tell I like chocolate??
•Your friends will realize you’re interested in food and desserts that’s good and good for you
•Everyone will be impressed and thank you for ordering from Mäni’s on Fairfax