I Heart Cafe Gratitude

March 3, 2010 at 2:01 am 13 comments

When we were in San Francisco, we HAD to go back to Cafe Gratitude! Definitely my favorite raw restaurant. We went over a busy lunch hour at their location in the Mission District. This location is really small…but somehow, they make it work. I love looking at all of the fun cards, clothing, and gifts they have available. Most of them are available on their website as well.

I dream about this dish. It’s SO good. Here is what it has in it:

Steamed Bhutanese red rice tossed w/ kale, avocado, cucumber, nori, scallions, & herbs in sesame-ginger sauce.

If anyone has the exact recipe for the “I am Accepting” Sushi Bowl, I will love you forever. I’m sure I could figure it out, it appears to be a simple sesame-ginger sauce and “herbs”. But there must be something secret and magical in it as well 🙂

Matt had the “I am Passionate” marinara pizza with buckwheat sunflower seed flatbread crust, topped with hearty sauces, sliced tomatoes & cashew ricotta, sprinkled with Brazil nut Parmesan. Yum.

Bella had the “I am a Winner” cheesy rice…wish cashew mozzarella and Brazilian nut parmesan.

You would think that I would have taken a photo of their food. But I was a little obsessed with my sushi bowl and I totally forgot!

The Abounding River board game cards.

Fun stuff to buy.

I LOVE the water bottles that they put on your table.
Each one has a different word etched on the glass. We had “familia”.
Perfect 🙂 Can’t wait to go back again someday!

Entry filed under: Raw, Raw Restaurants.

Happy Janssens Blog! W.I.S.H. Summit

13 Comments Add your own

1. Ashley | March 3, 2010 at 8:41 am

LOVE places like this!
thanks for sharing!
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2. Tyrah | March 3, 2010 at 9:30 am

the I am accepting sushi bowl sounds and looks amazing! Totally loving all of your blogs girl =)
Was the fabulous Thai restaurant in Vegas Pin Kaow? We’re back home in MI now and miss that place like crazy.
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3. leslie | March 3, 2010 at 9:51 am

Lovely!
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4. greensgirl | March 3, 2010 at 11:30 pm

This brings back memories! We went here and sat at the exact same table on vacation two years ago with my family and parents. We walked block after block to find this place after taking the bus system all over San Francisco. My dad was hilarious…very protective military type who said they had quite an experience vacationing with us:-) We met lots of interesting and friendly people on the bus system and one of my kids still say it was their favorite part of the whole vacation! The BEST cup of coffee I have ever had in my life was here! And, I loved their milkshakes!! We got a bunch of stuff and just shared it all.
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5. Jen Baker | March 4, 2010 at 1:22 pm

Cafe Gratitude sounds lovely – I especially like the names of their dishes! Can’t wait to hear about your experiences at Tree of Life!
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6. Heather Hannon | March 4, 2010 at 1:24 pm

I’ve always wanted to try this place. Looks and sounds yummy.
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7. Natacha | March 11, 2010 at 11:40 am

Sara I have searched this on for you 🙂 Hope it helps, what do you think?

Sushi Bowl Recipe
I’ve included the instructions for cooking brown rice here, but when I’m pinched for time I just grab for frozen, pre-cooked brown rice (freeze it yourself, or look for it in the freezer section at Whole Foods).

2 cups short-grain brown rice
3 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
2 (4-inch) square sheets nori seaweed
6 ounces extra-firm tofu
grated zest and juice of one orange
grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons (raw) brown sugar (reg. sugar is ok too)
2 tablespoons shoyu sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons (brown) rice vinegar
4 green onions, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Rinse and drain the rice two or three times. Combine the rice, water, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Toast the nori in a preheated 300F degree oven or a medium-hot skillet for a few minutes. Crumble or chop coarsely.
Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise through the middle to make four 1/4-to 1/2-inch thick sheets of tofu. Two at a time, cook in a dry skillet or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high for a few minutes until browned on one side. Flip gently, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Let cool, enough to handle, then cute crosswise into matchsticks (see photo). Repeat with the remaining sheets.

To make the dressing, set the sheets aside. Combine the orange juice lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 1 or 2 minute, the add the shoyu and vinegar. Return to a gentle boil and cook another 1 or 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the zests.

When the rice is done, stir in 1/3 cup of the dressing and add more to taste. Scoop the rice into individual bowls and top with the toasted nori, green onions, tofu, avocado slices, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Makes 4-6 servings.
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- 8. Chea | May 14, 2011 at 12:43 pm
  
  This recipe sounds lovely, and I was very excited to see it initially as I LOVE the “I am Accepting” bowl at Cafe Gratitude as well. Sadly though, your recipe is not it. The Cafe Gratitude sauce is a sesame-ginger base without soy and there isn’t fried tofu as your recipe calls for. I believe it has kale, cucumber, scallions, basil and cilantro. So I guess my search for the recipe will have to continue
  Reply
9. livelightly | March 11, 2010 at 12:01 pm

Thanks so much Natacha! Can’t wait to try it out!! xxoo
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10. Tom Scholfield | March 18, 2010 at 8:33 am

My wife and I love Cafe Gratitude, we went to San Francisco on our honeymoon. Our meal there was our introduction to “raw foods” and it was one of the best meals i’ve ever had.
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- 11. Elise | August 19, 2012 at 5:06 pm
  
  I was searching for the recipe recently and happened upon your blog. I just experienced the “I am Accepting” dish at the cafe in Berkeley, and had to know how to make myself that magical dish as well. …One blogger called up Cafe Gratitude, and they looked up for her the components in the dressing! Passing this along: http://inmybox.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/a-bowl-of-gratitude/
  Reply
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13. My Copycat Rice Bowl - Happy foody | February 2, 2017 at 10:24 pm

[…] back, I posted about our trip to Cafe Gratitude and my obsession with their “I am Accepting” rice bowl. I never did try to make it at […]
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