MÄNI'S BLOG CAFÉ
Your café on the web for current information about delicious, healthier versions of traditional foods for the health conscious connisseur.
Get MÄNI'S Blog updates by email. Subscribe here.
10.25.07
Last month we were very happy to announce that our pies are back and better than ever. The ever popular Apple Maple Streusel pie is a perfect way to get your “apple a day.” The new crust is tender and flaky. It is also wheat-free and vegan! The Apple Maple Streusel Pie is full of tangy Granny Smith apples and piled high with a maple pecan streusel. The pie is sweetened with our fruit juice reduction, making this pie “Good and Good For You.”
10.23.07
A quick update to let you know the current soup menu continues through November 4. It may not feel like soup weather today, but we know it will be again soon!
10.20.07
We’ve had several requests for this recipe. These cookies are egg-free and fruit juice sweetened.
Enjoy! Double Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 c. Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 1/4 c. Fruit Juice Reduction
1 1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
2 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 c. Cocoa Powder
1/4 t. Salt
1/4 t. Baking Soda
12 oz. Barley Malt Sweetened Chocolate Chips 1. Combine the dry ingredients and whisk. Set aside.
2. Cream the butter and fruit juice reduction in the bowl of an electric mixer. This will take 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Scoop cookie dough onto parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 325 degrees for approx. 12 minutes.
10.18.07
We are very aware that many of you out there are patiently awaiting the return of Mäni’s Famous Pumpkin Yam Pies.
Well, the holidays are around the corner and we’re bringing it back just in time.
Our amazing Pumpkin Yam Pies are wheat-free, vegan, and fruit juice sweetened making them a very healthy alternative to the usual sugary holiday treats. Every year we sell hundreds of these pies. So if you need to order one for your holiday table, make sure to get your order in early. If pumpkin is not your thing, we have Pecan, Antique Cherry, and Apple Maple Streusel pies too.
All of our pies feature our new and improved organic wheat-free pie crust, and most are vegan (the Pecan pie contains eggs). So come on in to Mäni’s on Fairfax for a slice of pie, or order a whole one for your next holiday gathering.
10.18.07
In September we introduced our organic juice bar. Our most popular juice is apple. The juice is squeezed from fresh organic red delicious apples. You can drink it straight or mix with carrot. Or, why not try Carrot Beet Apple or Apple Parsley Pear? They’re all great, and really good for you, loaded with natural vitamins, antioxidants and flavor.
10.17.07
Mani’s has two delicious VEGAN turnovers: Apple and Apple Cherry. Both are popular during our morning breakfast rush. The turnovers are a simple combination of our fruit juice sweetened apples (and cherries) in an organic whole wheat and oat flour crust. Our turnovers are a balanced, healthy, and quick breakfast.
10.16.07
As many of you know I wrote a story entitled: Organic Sugar OR Fruit Juice Sweeetened Desserts...Or Both? a few weeks ago.
Lots of you commented on the story, actually there were 44 comments posted!
And it’s important you know what all your input means to us. First we are assured that our customers enjoy our desserts made with alternative sweeteners as much as ever. Then we see that people like choices, and we have choices, as we mentioned previously, many choices in sweeteners and products. So we will continue to offer quality products made with several different sweeteners, like we’ve been doing for years and years. 18 of them to be exact. Thanks for all your input. And in case you haven’t tried everything we make yet, please ask for a sample tasting of any product we have in our bakery cases. Or even the soup of the day for that matter!
10.12.07
Today’s featured Apple product is our Morning Glory Muffin, a sweet vegan muffin that makes a perfect breakfast treat. The vegan Morning Glory Muffin is the perfect muffin to start your day with. It’s filled with apples, carrots, raisins, and pecans. Fruit juice sweetened with a hint of cinnamon. Related Posts
National Apple Month
An Apple A Day: Apple Spice Cake
10.11.07
Today’s featured apple is Mani’s Apple Spice Cake, a fixture in the bakery case for many years. The Apple Spice Cake is sweet and homey. It has Granny Smith apples inside a moist mini bundt cake with cinnamon, pecan streusel on top. Sweetened with granulated maple syrup and barley malt. Perfect with your morning latte! Related Post
National Apple Month
10.10.07
A few days ago I wrote to you about the competition one of our customers entered us in at FoxLA TV, online.  Thanks to you we’ve now moved up to 3rd place. So please keep voting! We really want to show L.A. we’re number ONE! Click here to vote for us: MyFoxLA T H A N K S ! ! ! Related Post
Will You Vote For Mäni’s on Fairfax?
10.09.07
When we say we can do any cake design for you, that includes those fancy fondant covered cakes you see in all the magazines.  We like to offer choice, let us know what yours is. Fondant is a sugar dough that we can use to cover cakes and make all kinds of decorations like flowers and pearls. There really is no limit to what we can do with it. Mecca brought in a picture that she found, and we were able to make her 16th birthday cake exactly like she wanted it.
So if you have seen a picture of a cake that you would like to have for your own birthday or special occasion, call Kristina at 323.964.0840 ext. 19 or the picture and you will get exactly the look you want.
10.09.07
October is National Apple Month and since Mäni’s loves a celebration, we’re celebrating the amazing apple by featuring the items we make with apples, with a series of Apple a Day posts. But first, what’s the big deal about apples? Remember the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Well, apparently it is true. According to Jonny Bowdon, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, men who eat one apple a day lower their risk of heart attack by 32%. A study at Cornell University showed that phytochemicals in the skin of an apple inhibited the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43%. Plus, studies have linked the consumption of apples with reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. We use granny smith apples in our bakery products and organic red delicious apples in our fresh squeezed juices. Stay tuned for An Apple A Day to learn about Mani’s amazing apple treats.
10.08.07
FoxTV in LA is running a competition for Best Bakeries. Will you vote for us? We sure hope so, because we want to win!
Just click: MyFox LA I’m not sure how many votes we need, but we’ll keep you posted as we move up the list. With your support we can win. Tell your friends to vote and/or try us! Thanks!!
10.08.07
I don’t know about you, but the chill in the air makes me hunger for hot soup. The soup menu changes today and we have a new one on the menu. Visit us on Thursdays to try our new Divine Corn Chowder. Soups October 8 to 21 Monday: Chicken Noodle
Ingredients: Chicken broth, Chicken Breast, Onions, Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Chives, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Egg Noodles Tuesday: Butternut Bisque
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Onions, Celery, Butternut Squash, Garnet Yams, Sea Salt, Anis, Cinnamon, Soy Milk Wednesday: Potato Leek
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Potatoes, Leeks, Canola Oil, Onions, Oregano, Thyme, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black pepper, Roll Oats Thursday: Divine Corn Chowder (NEW)
Ingredients: Vegetable Stock, Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Yellow Corn, Potatoes, Celery, Carrots, Onions Friday: Minestrone
Ingredients: 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: Black Bean
Ingredients: Vegetable Sock, Canola Oil, Tomatoes, Black Beans, Carrots, Celery, Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Chili Powder, Cilantro Sunday: Tomato Lentil
Ingredients: Vegetable stock, Green lentils, Cilantro, Celery, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Onions, Tomatoes, Garlic, Canola oil, Sea, Salt, Black pepper
10.05.07
At Your Birthday Party the best at your 4th birthday party
For more information on your custom cake, call or email 323 964-0840 ext: 19
10.04.07
With the weather cooling down (slightly), we just had to bring back the ultimate homey dessert -
chewy, fudgy chocolate brownies!
 Choose either Chocolate Brownies topped with a layer of barley malt sweetened chocolate ganache, or Chocolate Walnut Brownies, filled and topped with lots of toasted walnuts.
Our famous chocolate brownies are sweetened with granulated maple syrup and honey so they are soooooooooooooo sweet and moist. Many of you asked for products with sweeteners that are best for the product. These brownies fit those requests. Come by and get a brownie (don’t forget the milk) or get two and take one home to enjoy on a (slightly) cold and blustery night.
10.02.07
One of America’s favorite homey desserts gets updated with a low-fat cobbler topping. This is a perfect choice for those on restricted fat diets. You can use fresh or frozen cherries. The cobbler has no-added fat and serves 6. Apple-Cherry Cobbler
Makes 6 servings INGREDIENTS Apple-Cherry Filling 1 cup liquid fruit juice concentrate or Fruit Juice Reduction
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 medium-size tart apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 cups (1 pound) bing cherries, pitted, or 12 ounces unthawed frozen sweet cherries Cobbler 3 large egg whites
1/2 cup liquid fruit juice concentrate or Fruit Juice Reduction
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1/3 cup rolled old-fashioned oats 1. Position a rack in the oven adn preheat the over to 425 degrees F. 2. To make the filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk the fruit juice concentrate, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and ginger until the flour is dissolved. Place the apples in an 8 x 11 inch baking dish, pour in the fruit juice concentrate mixture and toss. Bake until the apples are crisp-tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the cherries. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. 3. To make the cobbler:
In a grease-free medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer set at high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the fruit juice concentrate adn beat until stiff peaks form. 4. In another medium bowl, combine the flour, dry milk and oats. Add the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, fold together gently to form a batter. it will deflate, but do not over mix. Using a large spoon, drop 6 portions of the batter evenly over the fruit mixture. 5. Return the cobbler to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the cobbler warm. Sweet and Natural Baking: Sugar-Free, Flavorful Recipes from Mani’s Bakery
Mani Niall, Chronicle Books, (c) 1996; page 108.
| 
