Blog – Page 3

Cookies and Cream Dirt Dessert with Gummy Worms Recipe

April 3, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

Early bird gets the worm! Or should we say… cake? 😋

Check out this delicious plant-based cookies and cream cake. It’s lots of fun for kids and adults alike!

Cookies and Cream Dirt Dessert w/ Gummy Worms (makes 12 servings)

DIETARY: Vegetarian

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 (3.4 oz) packages vanilla instant pudding mix

3 cups cold milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

8 oz cream cheese, softened

⅔ cup powdered sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

10.5 oz chocolate vanilla sandwich crème cookies

Gummy worms

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk for 1–2 minutes until fully combined. Place in the fridge to chill while you proceed.
In a separate bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until smooth and uniform.
In another bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
Combine cream cheese mixture with the chilled pudding mixture until fully combined. Then, gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture until smooth and fluffy.
Crush cookies with a rolling pin until a coarse crumb forms or pulse briefly in a food processor.
Spoon half of the cookie crumbs into the bottom of 12 serving dishes or a 9×13-inch pan. Top with the pudding mixture—if making individual cups, aim for a scant ½ cup of pudding per cup. Top with remaining cookie crumbs.
Decorate with gummy worms and serve promptly.

The Annex Sessions: Azure McCall – Wednesday, April 8, 2026

April 1, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, April 8, 2026, 6-8:30pm at The Annex (El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex) 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito with

Azure McCall

Azure McCall – vocals

Sheldon Alexander – drums

John Burr – piano

Ollie Dudek – bass

Yishaia Hoffman – guitar

Azure McCall…

Is a master vocalist and consummate artist. She is a keeper of the flame of past jazz giants Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughn. Her attack is elegant and she is an assassin of flow…if you’ve never heard her sing, you’re in for a great listening experience that will surely move your body and spirit.

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

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 Productions 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.

Easter 2026 Specials at The Annex

March 31, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

Crispy Sheet Pan Ramen Recipe

March 31, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

Weeknight ramen… but make it crispy. This sheet pan twist turns your favorite noodles into a crunchy, crave-worthy meal!

Simply cook your instant ramen by following the package instructions, add your favorite veg and protein, and put it in the oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Crispy Sheet Pan Ramen (serves 4)

DIETARY: Traditional

TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

2/3 cup teriyaki sauce or your favorite stir fry sauce

2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, optional

6 tablespoons avocado oil

4 packages ramen noodles

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into ¼” thick pieces and halved

½ pound broccoli, cut into ½” pieces

6 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed

¼ pound carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8” slices

4 scallions, cut into 1” pieces

Preheat oven to 450° F. Whisk together teriyaki sauce, sriracha, optional chicken bouillon, and oil until smooth.
Cook ramen noodles based on the package instructions. Drain and rinse.
Place chicken, broccoli, snap peas, carrots, scallions, cooked noodles and half of the sauce mixture in a mixing bowl and toss to combine.
Evenly spread mixture on one or two unlined sheet pans. Rearrange chicken pieces so they are on the top of the noodles and veggies.
Bake for 15 minutes then turn the broiler on high and continue to cook until chicken has cooked through, approximately 3-5 minutes, and to desired crispness.
Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining sauce as needed.

*Chicken can be substitute for another protein of choice. Proteins should be cut into ¼” slices for fast cooking.

Japanese Style Guacamole Recipe

March 30, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

This asian-inspired guac recipe is a delightful twist on the original—creamy avocado blended with rice vinegar, white miso, and sesame oil. 🥑

Consider topping with furikake for added umami!

Japanese Style Guacamole (makes ~2 ½ cups)

DIETARY: Plant Based

TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes

4 ripe avocados

2 scallions, thinly sliced

3-4 tablespoons rice vinegar or lemon juice

1 tablespoon white miso

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Cut avocados in half, discard pit and scoop flesh into a mixing bowl.
Add scallions, rice vinegar, miso, and sesame oil. Mash until desired consistency.
Taste with the dipper of your choice, such as veggie sticks or tortilla chips. If additional seasoning is required, add additional miso paste or salt to taste.

The Annex Sessions: Los Bahianatos – Wednesday, April 1, 2026

March 25, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 6-8:30pm at The Annex (El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex) 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito with

Los Bahianatos

Jose Rivera – vocals, guacharaca

Chris Reid – vocals, accordion

Brax Chamako – electric guitar

Giovanni Ramirez – electric bass

Dave Eagle – caja vallenata, conga, campana and tambora

“Colombian Cumbia and Vallenato”

Los Bahianatos (by * ya * NAH * tos) specialize in Colombian dance music featuring the button accordion including cumbia, vallenato, and everything in between. It’s a blend of early Colombian roots music and popular hits by some of Colombia’s most influential artists of the 20th century. Founded in Oakland, California, during the early months of the pandemic, Los Bahianatos remain the premier cumbia and vallenato group in ‘La Bahia’ de San Francisco. Featuring Jose Rivera (vocals and guacharaca), Chris Reid (vocals and accordion), Brax Chamako (electric guitar), Giovanni Ramirez (electric bass) and Dave Eagle (caja vallenata, conga, campana and tambora).

Instagram:
www.instagram.com/bahianatos

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/bahianatos

Youtube:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF34S_5GuEo5EXjW9V2I1HRysUywNR4XB

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

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.

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.

April 2026 Sales Flyer A (3/25-4/14)

March 25, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

April 2026 Sales Flyer A (3/25-4/14) (larger print)

The Annex Sessions: Silvestre Martinez Quartet – Wednesday, March 25, 2026

March 18, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 6-8:30pm at The Annex (El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex) 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito with the

Silvestre Martinez Quartet

Alex Aspinall: Drums

Erick Peralta: Keyboard

Sam Bevan: Bass

Silvestre Martinez: Percussion, Vocals

Silvestre Martinez

Silvestre Martinez was born in Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, Mexico. He grew up in a large family of musicians, who played chilena, merequetengue and charanga music, which is Afro-Mexican music from the coast.

When Silvestre was very young, he would often attend concerts with his father, who played congas in the band, Los Angeles del Puerto. Silvestre would sit backstage and absorb the rhythms of the coast, and by age 10, he began performing and recording with his father’s band. At age 15, Silvestre moved to Oaxaca City to study percussion. One of his first teachers, a Latin percussionist exposed Silvestre to the world of Latin Jazz. There he discovered the recordings and was inspired by musicians such as Giovanni Hildalgo, Poncho Sanchez, Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barreto. He developed a reputation in Oaxaca for being an excellent percussionist, and worked with many salsa bands.

In 1999, Silvestre was invited to live and perform in Bali, Indonesia, where he played salsa, Latin jazz and world music. Silvestre continued to travel and perform in various countries in Europe and Asia. Once Silvestre returned to Mexico, he traveled to Cuba to deepen his understanding of the roots of Afro-Cuban music.

Silvestre’s ultimate dream was to play percussion in the United States, and his dream became realized with he moved to the Bay Area in 2002 and began performing with legendary Latin jazz musicians such as Louie Romero (percussionist, Fania All Stars and Mazacote), Jerry Gonzalez (the fort apache band,. los comandos de la clave), larry Harlow (el Judio Maravilloso). Eddie Santiago, Paquito D’ Rivera, Oscar Stagnaro, Karl Perazzo (percussionist, Santana), Orestes Vilato (Fania All Stars)(Cachao)(John Santos), Coto Pincheira (Modern Sound Project) and Jorge Santana (Malo), as well as many other bands who played various types of music from Latin America.

About the CD, Heritage:

Silvestre Martinez debuts his new Latin jazz project with his album, Heritage. The rhythms of the coast of Oaxaca, combined with Afro-Cuban rhythms and Silvestre’s unique, modern Latin jazz sound makes Heritage a truly an exciting new sound.

Heritage features seasoned Latin Jazz musicians including Grammy nominated pianist Hector Martignon and three time Grammy Award winner, drummer Antonio Sanchez. Silvestre also teamed up with Bay Area Latin Jazz musicians, including Sam Bevan (bass), Sheldon Brown (saxophone), Erik Jekabson (trumpet), Eric Crystal (saxophone), Coto Pincheira (piano), Alan Hall (drum) and Colin Douglas (drums).

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

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.

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.

The Annex Sessions: Modupue Wednesday with the Berkeley High Latin Jazz Trio – Wednesday, March 18, 2026

March 12, 2026 by The Natural Grocery Company

On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, 6-8:30pm “The Annex Sessions” will continue our music series held at The Annex (El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex), 10387 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito with

The Annex Sessions “Modupue Wednesday”

Berkeley High Latin Jazz Trio!

with Special Guests, Raul and Javier Navarrette

Highlighting the talents of the next generation

accompanied by seasoned artists

Berkeley Trio:

– Mario Barragan – congas

– Fletcher Piper – guitar

– Levi Freedman- bass

Guests:

-Javier Navarrette- percussion,vocal

-Raul Navarrette- Trombone

Javier Navarrette curates shows with various artists from different cultures in the Bay Area, as well as presenting his own global music projects at “Modupue Wednesdays”

Modupue- Thank you

The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.

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.

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.