Baked Polenta with Marinara Sauce

I sliced and baked some pre-made polenta and dumped left-over marinara sauce on top then sprinkled it with Bragg's Nutritional Yeast. This was very good, but I had trouble getting the polenta to become brown and cripsy on the edges.

Vegan Lunch Box Ideas Part 2

For this series of blog posts, I want to present an accurate view of regular vegan lunches for regular people. This series includes the following requirements:

• Foods must be inexpensive
• Foods must keep well for up to 6 hours without heating or refrigeration
• Foods must not require more than a few minutes of preparation
• Foods must be vegan  
  

 

Member's Mark Applesauce

This was a good light snack. The serving size was a bit small though. It would be good as one part of a larger lunch.

 

 

Fresh Almond Butter with Crackers

I used the nut grinder at my local supermarket to make fresh almond butter. I scooped the almond butter with vegan crackers. This was so fresh and tasty!

 

 

 

Cedar's Garlic Hommus Snack Pack

Another tasty Mediterranean lunch idea. This garlic flavor is just one of several flavors available.

Home-made Vegan Corn Dogs

Here's another one of my home-made vegan experiments. What I did for this meal is use my cornbread ingredients to wrap LightLife vegan hot dogs, but I had to use less corn meal, more water, and more sugar. I baked them in the oven after coating them with oil. This was a nasty mess to make but it came out better than expected.

Hot Chick'n Sandwich Combo at Vujee Vegan in Huntsville AL

I made my way back to Vugee Vegan in Huntsville AL today. I've been wanting to visit again for a while. I had a craving for a chick'n sandwich. 

This is Vujee Vegan's version of the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. This is a delicious hand-breaded fried chick'n "breast", deep fried and tossed in house-made spicy seasonings. This is served on a toasted vegan Hawaiian roll with sweet creamy slaw, spicy pickle slices, and vegan ranch sauce. This combo is served with a choice of waffle fries or Mesquite BBQ Kettle Chips. I always get the waffle fries.

Hot Chick'n Sandwich Combo at Vujee Vegan in Huntsville AL

Hot Chick'n Sandwich at Vujee Vegan in Huntsville AL

Everything about this meal was excellent! I loved the crunch of the large slab of vegan chick'n. It was crispy but still soft in the middle. The Nashville hot sauce was thick and spicy with a good amount of heat, but it was still mild enough for adventurous kids. The soothing vegan ranch, slaw, and pickles were all perfect with the hot sauce. More slaw would have made this great sandwich even better, but that's just a personal preference.

The perfectly cooked waffle fries were as good as the ones I get at Chick-Fil-A, maybe better since these were slightly crispier and not as oily.

Allergens are clearly listed on the Vujee Vegan menu and marked on each wrapped food item with a nice Vujee Vegan label. The use of labels is good marketing and also ensures that we all know what we have in our hands before we eat it.

The ordering process was very easy on the Vujee Vegan website. Call in and walk in orders are also taken. Walk in orders do require a wait of about 10-15 minutes. I've been using the website because it's so easy, and it shows options available, such as ingredient subtractions or extra sauces.

I've been visiting this place frequently over the last month. Every meal has been a real treat, and the people are very kind and friendly. The kitchen looks clean, and there's a peaceful place to sit and enjoy the calming music. This has become my new favorite place for vegan food in Huntsville. I will surely return very soon!

Click here to see the Vujee Vegan Website

My First Visit to Slutty Vegan in Birmingham AL

After years of waiting for the right time, today I finally had the opportunity to try Slutty Vegan. This is my documentation and first impression of my experience.

Finding Slutty Vegan is pretty easy. Just find Sloss Furnaces and go east on 1st Ave a couple miles to 55th Pl and look for the brightly colored signs. 55th St is one block away from 55th Pl, so be sure you're on the correct 55th.

Slutty Vegan in Birmingham AL

Upon entry, the crew playfully welcomed us by announcing loudly that sluts have entered the building. The interior was bright and clean with bold graphic design and text all over the place. Slutty Vegan is known for its slightly vulgar corporate identity and advertising. It was so fun being part of Slutty Vegan's naughty world.

Slutty Vegan has a take-out counter for ordering food, but there is no seating area or drink station. It's very similar to a Pizza Hut or Dominos take out location. The kitchen appeared to be very clean. The crew was friendly. At the time of my visit, one of my favorite jams, No Ordinary Love by Sade, was the smooth groove bumping loudly on the apparently high-quality sound system, giving the place a cool nightclub vibe. I was dancing at the counter as the bass riff and Sade's smooth voice distracted me from the menu.

I had a travel companion during this visit, so we both ordered multiple items to share. We had to eat in the car.

Here's what we ordered:

Super Slut

A plant-based burger patty with vegan cheese, onions, tomato, lettuce, guacamole, and jalapeños on a vegan Hawaiian bun.

Super Slut at Slutty Vegan

This was scary. This burger tasted just like the real thing. It had the grilled flavor and chunky texture of a real beef patty. Even omnivores would never know this is a plant-based burger. And the creamy melted cheese was just like real cheese too. This burger was a bit messy. It had guacamole and sauce oozing out. The jalapeños gave it just a little bit of heat. The advertising shows burgers with more toppings, so the amount of real veggies was just slightly disappointing because of my personal preferences. This was one of the best vegan burgers I've had. I just prefer more veggies.

Personally, I'm nervous about vegan food that tastes like real meat. I really could not say for sure they didn't accidentally feed me real beef. While this was very good, I'm still afraid of this. I must trust them. Based on the taste and texture, I'd say it was beef.

Slutty Fries

Thick crinkle cut fries tossed in Slutty dust seasoning.

Slutty Fries at Slutty Vegan

These thick fries were excellent with a crispy exterior, soft interior, and a perfect amount of seasoning. These are some of the best fries I've had lately. I was given a good amount of ketchup to go with them. The portion size was good. This could be a satisfying smaller meal by itself, however it would be difficult to visit this place and stop with the fries. I saved some of these fries for later. They held up well and did not get soggy.

Side Heaux

New Orleans style crispy vegan shrimp tossed in buffalo sauce with a side of Slutty Fries and sweet and spicy coleslaw with house made ranch dipping sauce.

Side Heaux at Slutty Vegan

This was my first time trying vegan shrimp. Decades ago, as an omnivore, I was never a big fan of seafood, with the exception of an occasional flounder dinner. The last time I ate shrimp was when I was a small child, so my ability to compare this to real shrimp is limited. The batter was mostly crispy. As expected, the bold buffalo sauce was slightly hot and tangy. The interior texture was unexpected and really odd for me. I imagine this was similar to the texture of real shrimp; slightly rubbery, but soft, juicy, and delicate. There was a mild hint of funk to make it taste like seafood. The flavor was good, especially with the ranch dipping sauce added. This is just not my kind of thing with the weird texture, but it was good enough that I can imagine possibly wanting to order this again in the future. The side of sweet slaw makes this a more complete meal.

Hawt Toddy

A bowl of vegan chili.

Hawt Toddy at Slutty Vegan

This was a fine bowl of chunky, tomato-based chili with whole kidney beans and an oily finish. The heat level was mild, but the taste was completely satisfying. This can be a meal by itself. I also used this as a dip for my Slutty Fries, and it was a great combination.

One Night Stand

Plant-based patty loaded with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, and slut sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun.

One Night Stand at Slutty Vegan

My travel companion had this one and said it was good. But as you can see, it was very messy because of the Slut Sauce. Things get really nasty at Slutty Vegan, but that's part of the fun. I may try this one next time I visit. That vegan bacon looked good.

My over-all opinion of Slutty Vegan is that it's as good as all the hype. I really enjoyed every bite of the food. Every city should have a Slutty Vegan, and with the recent growth, I can see that possibly happening. This was a really fun experience.

The only slight disappointments I have is that I would prefer a self serve drink station in the lobby with free refills, and I didn't have a place to sit and eat. I had to order a single can of expensive root beer, which was really great, but I really needed a big cup of sweet iced tea. I didn't see a way to order that. Also, I don't like eating in my car, so having a place to sit would be better. But take-out only locations just are the way they are. No big deal. This was still one of the best meals I've had in a while. I plan to return ASAP.

Click here to see the Slutty Vegan website

Vegan Thanksgiving 2023

If you wonder what a vegan Thanksgiving in the southeastern United States looks like, I have photographic documentation to share with you. The following foods were created for a small family gathering. At first glance, this looks like a typical Thanksgiving meal. But there are a few odd details.

Vegan Thanksgiving 2023

This homemade meal included:

Portobello mushroom steaks with homemade chimichurri sauce
I made this one by marinading large portobello caps in soy sauce with fresh minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. I tried to char them in the skillet, but they were just too moist with the time I had. This was good but needed more time in the skillet.

Sliced root casserole
This was made with slices of rutabaga, sweet potato, onion, cassava, cashew milk, and seasonings.

Stuffing
I believe this is Pepperidge Farm stuffing with extra spices and small tomatoes added. I'm not sure, but it was very good.

Collard greens with Indian spices
I cut what's left of the fresh collard greens from the garden. I let those simmer on medium heat in salt water while I cooked sliced onion in the skillet with avocado oil and a small amount of cardamom, curry spice, cumin, and garam masala. After the greens darkened, I drained most of the water and tossed the onions into the greens. This blend of spices really added interesting layers of flavor to one of my favorite foods. Excellent!

Mashed potatoes
I have no idea how these vegan mashed potatoes were made, but I heard they included Follow Your Heart Vegenaisse. I thought that sounded a bit nasty, but I open-mindedly ate them. The Vegenaisse gave it a fuller home-made flavor. I prefer more basic mashed potatoes, but these were good.

Corn of the cob
I didn't get a photo of this one. I just melted vegan margarine on it. Excellent!

Pumpkin pie
This amazing vegan pumpkin pie was made with a premade graham cracker pie crust, a can of pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar, corn starch, nutmeg, cinnamon, garam masala, cloves, and salt. I topped it with crushed almonds and baked it for an hour. This was the best pie I have ever made! The flavor was so unexpectedly wonderful. Perfect!

Vegan Pumpkin Pie with almonds

Thanksgiving 2023 included some pleasant surprises. Two of my contributions were surprising successes thanks to my recent experimentation with Indian flavors. This is just further evidence that I'm the weirdo of the family. Check out my other Thanksgiving posts to see more "creative" Thanksgiving foods.

One Table Huntsville 2023 Vegan Option

One again I had the pleasure of sharing a good meal with hundreds of people at the One Table event in Huntsville, AL. The event is designed to bring people together for a shared meal. Everyone met new people in a very positive setting with kindnesses and generosity all around. They had free food for all, and a good amount of us were eating from the vegan line. We were all very appreciative to have a vegan option again. The plant-based lifestyle is alive and well in Huntsville. 

One Table Huntsville 2023

This meal included a plant-based steak patty, a cornbread muffin, southern-style green beans, smokey vegan mac and cheese, dressing, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.

New Vegan Options at Taco Bell; Vegan Nacho Cheese

In October of 2023, Taco Bell started offering the new vegan nacho cheese. It's a very big move for a fast food chain. This new vegan nacho cheese opens up the menu for vegan weirdos like me. I had to try this and see if this was something I'd include in my life. After the fresco thing left me a bit disappointed, I had low expectations when I heard about the vegan nacho cheese.

To avoid any misinterpretation, I went inside to the kiosk to place my order. That way I would know the order was placed correctly. Here's what I ordered: Chips with Vegan Nacho Cheese, a side of Black Beans, a side of Vegan Nach Cheese.

Vegan Nachos With Cheese at Taco Bell

The extra side of vegan nacho cheese was for the beans. I also added salsa, but the photo of that looked very unappetizing.

Black Beans with Vegan Nacho Cheese at Taco Bell

The vegan cheese tasted much like Daiya cheddar cheeze sauce but with a little bit of heat, so this did have a nacho cheese flavor. It was creamy and thick, like nacho cheese should be. It was close enough to real cheese to pass convincingly as the real thing. From a vegan perspective and considering this is inexpensive fast food, this Vegan Nacho Cheese is great. Taco Bell really impressed me this time. I hope it can stay on the menu. If so, I will return more frequently. Good job Taco Bell!

Chao Creamy Mac 'n Chao

Here's another good vegan product to find in the supermarket. I really enjoyed this Chao Creamy Mac 'n Chao. This was very creamy.

Vegan Liquid Part 3

Liquid Vegan Part 2

This blog entry highlights some of the many vegan beverage options. I just picked some of my own favorites. These drinks do not contain blood, pus, or bee vomit. Drink up!

This is Pepsi the way it was years ago, with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I hope this product stays around. This is hard to find in my current area. This has a cleaner finish than regular Pepsi. Go get some now to experience the refreshing, bubbly drink that made PepsiCo one of the largest companies in the U.S.

Pepsi made with cane sugar

I got this kombucha flight at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC. This is a nice sample from the Buchi brand kombucha.

Buchi Kombucha flight at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC.

Sioux City Birch Beer is another excellent cane sugar sweetened drink. This one is fresh and crisp with a clean finish. This tastes very much like root beer. Very flavorful!

Sioux City Birch Beer

This coffee was made with natural cane sugar and almond milk. These Biscoff cookies are vegan too. What a great snack!

coffee with almond milk, sugar, and Biscoff cookies

For those who like adult beverages, vegans can have those too! This screwdriver is just orange juice and vodka. Vegans need to watch out for liquors that are processed with bone char and fish bladder. Also make sure drinks made at the bar do not contain milk or raw eggs. Keep it simple.

screwdriver

This is another sugar cane soft drink. Every one of the Boylan products I've tried is very good; better than the more popular brands. Some people, including myself, prefer real sugar cane in soft drinks because it tastes much better than corn syrup, and sugar cane is usually non-GMO.

Shirley Temple by Boylan Bottling Co

Stumptown Original Cold Brew Coffee has a bold, unsweetened flavor, and the aftertaste is not as bitter as other coffees. This is another good vegan drink!

Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee

Vegan Options on a Carnival Valor Cruise in 2023

This post is provided as photographic documentation of my own experience as an herbivore aboard the Carnival Valor cruise ship in 2023 so that potential vegan and vegetarian Carnival cruisers will have more information about the plentiful availability of plant-based foods onboard.

DAY 1

BlueIguana Cantina

Before my cruise, I found information stating that BlueIguana Cantina was the place to go for vegan and vegetarian burritos and tacos. This was my first stop and first cruise meal once I boarded the ship.

Apparently the information I found online about BlueIguana Cantina was incorrect. I personally was told that the beans have chicken fat in them and the rice has butter in it. I was told the only vegan options are corn tortillas, the vegetable toppings, and the many salsas at the toppings bar. So my first meal was 2 corn tortillas with pico de gallo, lettuce, cilantro, and salsa. While this was a good snack to enjoy as I waited for the cruise to start, it was a bit disappointing considering that I thought this would be my main dining spot during the 5 day cruise. I became very concerned that this may be as good as it would get for me. Vegans, don't stop reading. It gets much better than this.

The Washington Dining Room

Before the cruise, I read that I should contact the dining room staff or maître d' to request meal options ahead of time. The ship is huge, and I had no idea where to go to do that. I was able to find the dining rooms, but the large multi-leveled dining rooms were empty at the time of my arrival. I decided I'd just go with the flow, wait for dinner time, and optimistically go from there.

At dinner, I saw vegetarian options for each course and each meal. I asked the waitress if those items are or could be altered to be vegan. She said my selections were vegan. This is my first serving; Mixed Greens salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The main course was called Featured Indian Vegetarian and included lentils, basmati rice, papadam, chutney, and raita. The waitress was incorrect about this being vegan. The raita was made with milk, and I could not eat that. The rest of the meal appeared to be safe. It was excellent. This was loaded with the bold flavors experienced at a good Indian restaurant.

After this first satisfying meal I was able to request the vegan meal options for the entire cruise. From that point on, the dining room staff knew to prepare the vegan "Chef's Special" options for each of my meals. They know ahead of time to prepare something special. If you get this meal plan you need to be there each evening or let them know when you will not be there. But you will want to be there. The dinners are awesome! 

 

Rosie's Restaurant

There's drink stations with unlimited coffee, tea, water, and lemonade located in several places around Rosie's Restaurant, which is the buffet service area on the lido deck. These drinks seem to be available at all times. Fruit juices are also available for breakfast service. I had evening tea and took it to the Serenity deck for a peaceful moment.

DAY 2

Rosie's Restaurant

I started the day early at the buffet in Rosie's Restaurant. Vegan items found include plain grits (yay, no butter in them), several kinds of fresh fruit, several breads and toasts, and toppings such as peanut butter and jam. I enjoyed mine with coffee, and then orange juice.

Everything about this breakfast was great. I had plenty to eat, and my worries of starving on this cruise were completely gone. Vegans can eat well on Carnival Valor!

 

I returned for lunch, this time enjoying a plain baked potato sprinkled with cracked black pepper, a side of onions and peppers, and some hot sauce.

 

The buffet has a large salad area with anything you may want on a salad. It's one of the best salad bars I've seen. Even omnivores will enjoy this buffet. The vegan dressings seem to be limited to oil and vinegar, but that's my first choice anyway. Check out this massive serving of plant foods!

 

I was very pleased with this salad bar. And the line was short. Most of the cruisers were trying to hoard the meats and sweets.

 

And here's the lemonade, clearly made with real lemons. Notice the pulp. This is available around the clock, day and night.

 

 

Coffee Bar 

Carnival Valor has a fancy coffee shop! Vegans, they have almond milk, but they didn't have my first choice, oat milk. Don't miss this tasty treat on deck 5 near the casino. This is an extra cost item, but the prices are not too bad.

 

The Washington Dining Room

My second dinner started with a slice of baguette. It came with butter, but I set that aside and used olive oil and pepper as a dip.

That was followed by Baby Spinach Salad. It would normally come with walnuts and blue cheese dressing. My vegan option may have been misinterpreted to omit nuts. This was just a plate of spinach. I put balsamic vinegar on it. It was good, but it left me wanting something more.

This is where things really got good. The chef made a vegan version of the Root Vegetables In A Pie Crust. This was amazing! It tasted like the best Thanksgiving dressing mixed with potatoes, carrots, and corn in a pot pie crust, and there was what seemed to be a tapioca sauce on top. This was so good in so many ways. This was among the best plant-based food I've ever had.

 

DAY 3

Rosie's Restaurant

Here's another good breakfast at Rosie's. There's nothing new here, just more grits and a bagel. Perfect!

The Rosie's buffet had tofu. Can you believe that? I asked buffet cook (with a red tie, possible a leader) if the tofu was vegan and what else may be vegan. He said if I'm vegan he could make me a plate with all the vegan items. Completely surprised, and partially doubtful, I said sure. I'll try that. He said he'd send it to my table. A few minutes later I was served this beautifully dressed plate of tofu and fried rice with veggies and sauce.

The food and service was fantastic! I didn't even expect anyone to know the V word. I was surrounded by hundreds of vicious carnivores hoarding mountains of dead flesh, and here was this miracle meal that happened as if I wished it into being. I hope this buffet cook got rewarded by the positive comments I sent to Carnival. This was more than I ever expected. 

And since the food is almost always there, why not have another bagel with peanut butter and banana with coffee?

DAY 4

The Washington Dining Room

This meal started with bread and salad as the others did. Both were great but my photos were not so great. So let's move on. The main dish was the vegan Chef's Special again. This time it was a stuffed tomato with veggie patties in a tomato sauce. This tomato was stuffed with quinoa and veggie chunks. Just as the last main dish from the dining room, this was excellent in every way. This was real food from a chef. With food this good, I didn't want to leave the ship. I was eating like royalty.

DAY 5

Rosie's Restaurant

I couldn't resist. I had to have even more of this for my last breakfast aboard the Valor.

 

BlueIguana Cantina

I ended this cruise where it started, BlueIguana Cantina. This time the toppings bar was completely raided, and I was forced to get my taco toppings from the Guy's Burger Joint toppings bar on the other side of the deck. But it worked out. This was my last sad snack as we cruised back to New Orleans and floated back to reality.

Vegans, vegetarians, herbivores, do not think for a moment that you will starve on Carnival Valor. You can eat almost all day long, non-stop, like a grazing cow, on real plant-based foods, even raw vegan foods! There's so much food it's unbelievable. Most of it is for the omnivores. It's slightly limited, mostly for breakfast, but plant-based food is there for us. 

The Deli can make a very simple vegan sandwich with sourdough bread, lettuce, pickle, tomato, and onion. Just be very clear that you want it uncooked and with no cheese or dressing.

I read that Guy's Burger Joint has a vegan burger option, but I wasn't confident in that information after seeing the kitchen and the food. It was crowded and it looked like there would be a cross-contamination issue, so I didn't bother asking about it. The bun looked glossy like it was an egg bun grilled with bacon grease. They also had seasoned fries for vegetarians, but it's unclear if those are vegan.

Other options for lacto-vegetarians are all over the place. The Deli has french fries and a veggie patty sandwich that looked good. Pizza Pirate has cheese and margherita pizza. An abundance of foods like cookies, pasta, grilled veggies, casseroles, mac and cheese, breakfast cereal, and hash browns can be found at Rosie's Restaurant. Those who are more relaxed about cross-contamination can enjoy the Mongolian Wok's vegetarian stir fry.

Tips For Vegan Valor Cruisers

• Do not miss the opportunity to eat every dinner in the dining room. Make a request for vegan options for each dinner on your cruise. The chef will probably not disappoint you.
  
• Get to know Rosie's Restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Some buffet areas remain the same each day, and other areas have new foods each day. Just ask a red tie leader what is vegan.
• You can skip room service. It's not for us. Take bananas from the buffet back to your stateroom for late night snacks.
• Don't expect to find any ingredients lists online or at the restaurants. It's all a mystery. Go with what you know is safe. Assume the food is not vegan until you have reason to trust that it is.
  
• Be creative. Vegan food is not on any menu. Use the menus to find out what vegan items are in the kitchen, then carefully make special requests, such as the cold veggie sandwich at The Deli.
  
• Servers may not know what's vegan, but the team leaders will.
• Many of the Carnival Valor vegan food suggestions floating around online are just daydreams. Some people are wishing those foods were vegan, and they want to enjoy themselves, so they decide to just eat what they want. That's fine for them, but they're sharing false information. I saw no evidence of vegan burritos, vegan burgers, vegan sushi, or vegan pizza. Vegans will not starve on the Valor, but it's still a bit of a challenge to eat anything other than salad, fruit, and bread during the day.
  
• Relax. Don't worry too much about the food on Carnival Valor. Eat whatever you can onboard. You can save your worries for Mexico. Good luck finding food there.
  

I had an amazing, life-changing experience on my first cruise with Carnival. It feels like it was all just a dream now. If you'd like to have a great time on the water you should go to www.carnival.com

A Vegan Meal at Cenote Ik-Kil near Chichen Itza

I visited Cenote Ik-Kil on the way to Chichen Itza in Yucatán, Mexico. A buffet style lunch was included in my excursion. There was plenty of meats, cakes, pies, and other choices. I was pleased to see some vegan options for me. 

I enjoyed white rice, pico de gallo, a salad made with lettuce, tomato, and onion, and slices of lime. At the table we also had warm corn tortillas, bread, and a hot salsa. This was really good! I used the delicious tortillas to make small rice and pico de gallo tacos, and I put the hot salsa on everything. ¡Muy Bien!

A Vegan Lunch at Cenote Ik-Kil

I added a Mexican Coca-Cola for $60 (pesos). This was my first Mexican Coca-Cola enjoyed in Mexico. It was perfecto. I should have gotten another one to take with me. You can also see my desert which was mixed fruit.

Mexican Coca-Cola and Fruit at Cenote Ik-Kil

The service was very good with full service at the table. There was a bar for those wanting adult beverages. The dining area was clean and beautiful. This was in a spacious structure with a tall thatched roof and exposed wooden beams. The cenote was a short walk away.

This place was a tropical paradise. I highly recommend a visit based on my experience. ¡Excelente!