Independently owned, organic grocery store. Our Annex serves prepared foods and offers a selection of wine and beer. Our florists are here to help you with fresh local cuts and dried bouquets.
Full of protein and dressed with a creamy homemade Caesar dressing, this salad is quick and satisfying. Don’t skimp on all the extras! We love the textures and flavors that the toppings bring, from rich avocado to tangy pickled red onion and crunchy tortilla chips. Romaine lettuce holds up well to the warm beans and taco filling, but feel free to substitute your favorite hearty green.
Taco Caesar Salad
Serves 2-3
Total Time: 40 minutes
Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
3.4-ounce package taco seasoned plant-based crumbles
½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
½ head romaine lettuce, chopped
½ cup pickled red onion, drained
1 avocado, chopped
½ cup cilantro leaves
½ cup shaved parmesan
3 ounces corn tortilla chips
Dressing:
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Wednesday, May 17, 2023, 6-8:30pm will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito – “The Annex Sessions”
Ruben Blanco Hurtado Trio
Ruben Blanco Hurtado ~ piano & flute
Carlitos Medrano ~ percussion
Steve Senft-Herrera ~ bass
Guest Musician: Sandra Poindextor ~ violin
Cuban Music including Cuban Classics, Cha Cha Chas, Boleros & Latin Jazz
Ruben Blanco Hurtado, in the early 90s worked in house bands in San Jose California playing what was called tropical music. Beginning in the 2000s, he worked
with Fito Reynoso for a number of years playing Cuban music. Then he joined Tito Gonzales y Su Son playing more traditional Cuban dance music. Also around this time he started his own project playing Cuban classics, dance songs , cha cha chas , boleros, and some Latin jazz.
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.
There have been odd food celebrations and holidays long before social media. Some of them are fun while others seem a bit unnecessary. There’s a beverage day! We recommend you consume beverages every day. This agua fresca is a great recipe that shouldn’t be confined to ‘beverage day’–it should be on your rotation all summer long. Fresh, bubbly, and complex, it’s the mocktail you never knew you needed. Ready in minutes, it’s perfect for unexpected guests.
Lime Ginger Cucumber Mint Agua Fresca
Serves 6
Total Time: 5 minutes
2 cans Lime Ginger Nixie Sparkling Water
3 cucumbers, blended
1 cup water
Ice
4-5 sprigs mint
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 6-8:30pm will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito – “The Annex Sessions”
Soji Sai
Nigerian guitar master and singer Adesoji “Soji” Odukogbe has the distinction of being amember of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Egypt 80 band during the 1980’s. As Fela Kuti’s lead guitarist, Soji draws on an extensive background in Nigerian Afrobeat, highlife, and spiritual music, bringing a unique sensibility to his West African guitar interpretations. Since settling down in the SF Bay Area, Soji has been active in the African music scene, and is a founding member of The Afrobeat Connexion and The Nigerian Brothers, as well as being a supporting musician for various acts such as The West African Highlife Band and Kotoja. He has recorded and played with Femi Kuti, Babatunde Olatunji and Orlando Julius Ekemode, among others.
Jerry Kennedy Bassist, vocalist, bandleader educator. Jerry Kennedy has opened for and toured with the likes of James Brown, George Clinton and many others in the old school funk world. He has worked in the Bay Area as a bass player, bandleader and singer for the past 20 years and continues to be a force on the scene.
Tosin Aribisala An international rhythm master with infectious groove sensibility, the Nigerian-born drummer, composer, vocalist – Tosin Aribisala – extends his deep roots in the colorful polyrhythms of Africa to other global rhythmic spectrum, from jazz to gospel, from rock to funk. Tosin’s recent single “The Big Illusion” demonstrates the possible cross-cultural musical exchange between Africa and Latin America, featuring Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Furthermore, Tosin’s “Drum Monologue” compositions continue to inspire drummers across demographic and cultural lines. Tosin’s talent has been shared with artists like Femi Kuti, Taj Mahal, Fatoumata Diawara, Spyro Gyra, and many more.
Kim Agnew is a multi-disciplined percussionist, dancer, choreographer, visual artist and educator. Kim has a degree in Fine Arts, combined with decades of dance studies and performance guided by master teachers from around the world.
Soji Sai Afrobeat & Highlife is Soji’s solo project, featuring a ferocious 10-piece plus
band playing pure Afrobeat a la Fela Kuti – including a smoking horn section, intricate vocal harmonies, and a dance inducing rhythm section, as well as Highlife and Palm Wine Music. Soji and the band sets the dance floors afire with a churning, polyrhythmic style that Soji simply calls, “authentic original Afrobeat like Fela’s type of music, the traditional Afrobeat that nobody does” in a world of endless Afro-fusions. Mixing in his own originals as well as some covers of Fela Kuti’s visionary music, Soji Sai Afrobeat & Highlife provides a pure Nigerian Dance Party – guaranteed to get your feet and hips moving!
Please join us for this more intimate quartet experience!
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.
Check out the super easy, super tasty recipe for Nacho’ Normal Nachos below! ‘Cause sometimes, you just don’t feel like doing the “norm.” A base of crunchy plantain chips is the perfect spin on your traditional nachos. Thick enough to withstand a heap of toppings and more flavorful than your average corn chip! Also, don’t sleep on the special sauce. It’s the perfect savory, creamy addition to a zesty plate of nachos. Plus, these nachos are so quick, you’ll be ready to go when the next craving strikes! We love that Barnana Plantain Chips are made from upcycled plantains which help keep food out of the waste stream and gives you delicious, sustainable treats!
Nacho’ Normal Nachos
Serves
Total Time:
One 5 oz bag (any flavor) Barnana Organic Plantain Chips
1 cup cheese (swap for a plant-based option if you are vegan)
1/2 cup organic black beans
1/2 cup organic corn
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup salsa
1 sliced avocado
Sliced jalapeño, optional
Plant Based “Special Sauce”
1/2 cup vegan mayo
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of smoked paprika
These chai spiced chocolate covered dates are the perfect sweet treat! They’re so easy, and you can keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them. If you can’t find a chai spiced chocolate bar, you can always mix a personalized batch of your own chai spices. You can use a scalable recipe to make as much or as little as you’d like and add it to all sorts of baked goods and desserts. We don’t recommend using the spice blend for actual chai tea, as you’d want to use whole spices for that application. Filling dates with almond butter, or the nut butter of your choice, adds a bit of protein and fat to make this a perfect little bite-sized snack.
Chai Spiced Chocolate Covered Dates
Makes 24
Total Time: 20 minutes
Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
24 Medjool dates
½ cup almond butter
12 ounces chai spiced chocolate, chopped
½ teaspoon avocado oil
If you can’t find a chai spiced chocolate bar, you can add a blend of spices to the chocolate in step 3. Start with:
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
A pinch of ground cloves
A pinch of ground nutmeg
A pinch of ground allspice
Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 6-8:30pm will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) – “The Annex Sessions”
Bululú: Sabor Tropical Latino!
Lali Mejia – Band Leader/Percussion
Sofia Magdalena – Vocalist
Ayla Davila – Muscial Director/Bass
Kai Lyons – Strings
Jose Gregorio Kansau – Vocalist
A dynamic Latin music band showcasing a live and flavorful repertoire deeply rooted in Venezuelan and Caribbean influences. Get ready for an evening of calypsos, salsa, sones, porros, boleros and beyond!
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.
Colorful, flavorful, and oh so simple, this shredded carrot salad could be your next lunch. Pick up a rotisserie chicken for dinner tonight and use the rest of the pulled chicken to take this salad to the next level! Crunchy shredded veggies like carrots and cabbage give coleslaw vibes, but the sesame tamari dressing keeps things light. With a hearty base, this riot of fiber is perfect for meal prepping. It won’t get soggy in the fridge or over the course of a barbecue or potluck. You may have lots of carrots for the easter bunny or just to celebrate spring. This is the perfect recipe to make use of that bounty.
Shredded Carrot Salad
Serves 4
Total Time: 15 minutes
Gluten-Free
1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded
1 pound red cabbage, finely shredded
2 cups pulled Rotisserie chicken
¾ cup frozen corn, thawed
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
¼ cup currants or raisins
Dressing:
1/3 cup toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons tamari
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper