Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Cajun Fries at Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Yes. Five Guys Cajun Fries are vegan! I like mine with malt vinegar and ketchup, sometimes mustard. They have free peanuts to snack on. I often fill my empty fry cup with peanuts for later. One thing to remember is that a "Little" order of fries at Five Guys is about the size of a large order at other fast food restaurants.


Spicy Eggplant at P.F. Chang's

Spicy Eggplant as a main dish. It came with rice.

Bagel with Marmite and Avocado

Marmite is an English yeast extract product and is similar to the Australian Vegemite. Both are very good if used correctly. I mixed a tiny bit with melted Smart Balance, put it on a toasted bagel, and topped it with avocado. Remember, this stuff is strong! It's not like peanut butter! You can't slop a bunch of this stuff on there or you'll regret it.



If you've never seen Marmite before, you can find it in larger supermarkets near the peanut butter or in the International section. Marmite and Vegemite both have a strong, salty, soy sauce and vitamin flavor, but Vegemite is a bit smokier. The taste can be offensive at first, especially if tasted by itself. But after a first taste, it becomes strangely addictive.

McAlister's Deli Veggie Chili

I asked to see the ingredients of this veggie chili, and the lady at the counter went and pulled the label from the box. It's vegan. And it's really good with a side of tortilla chips.


Vegetarian Vegetable Soup at Jason's Deli

This is the organic Vegetarian Vegetable Soup. I asked to see the ingredients, and a crew member pulled a label from the box it came in and gave it to me. It's vegan. And it's the best soup I can remember eating.



I also ordered the organic blue tortilla chips with salsa.




Click here to see the Jason's Deli website

Monday, September 30, 2013

Kimchi with Rice


Casa Salad at Phil Sandoval's Mexican Restaurante in Huntsville AL

This is another visit at Phil Sandoval's in Huntsville AL. I had a Casa Salad with no cheese. It came with free chips and salsa.

Casa Salad at Phil Sandoval's Mexican Restaurante in Huntsville AL



Vegan Spud Ole at McAlister's Deli in Concord NC

During this visit to my favorite McAlister's Deli, I ordered a Spud Ole with veggie chill with no cheese and no sour cream. I also ordered a sweet tea. Everything was perfect. This McAlisters Deli always gets my food right. They give me plenty of veggie chili, and the food always looks nice. This restaurant is right beside Concord Mills Mall and down the road from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

SpringHill Suites Breakfast Buffet

SpringHill Suites has plant-based food options for breakfast! It's nothing fancy, but it works for me. They have little packages of grits. I used the hot water from the coffee maker and mixed it up with a little bit of salt and pepper. Not bad. 





 I toasted a plain bagel and found some peanut butter and jelly.





I took a bowl of dry Special K cereal to snack on during my drive.



During my visit, I took some bananas up to my room for a late night snack. There was a coffee maker in the room, so I made some of that each morning. I was very pleased.

Qdoba in Charlotte NC

Qdoba has very good food! This is a burrito made just the way I wanted with a side of chips and salsa. At Qdoba, you can watch them make the food. These burritos are very big. I ate all of this, but it was enough for 2 meals. It costs about $8. This  Qdoba meal was enjoyed at the location on W.T. Harris Blvd. near the UNC-Charlotte campus.


Vegan Sides at Zoe's Kitchen

I went to Zoe's Kitchen and ordered the braised white beans with rosemary, potato salad, roasted fresh vegetables, and pita with hummus. These four items are marked as vegan on the menu.

This looks really good! But there's a big problem with this meal. Can you spot it? Look very carefully. Lets inspect this vegan food before eating it.



Well, this sure does look just like a big chunk of nasty meat in the roasted veggies.



I sent the veggies back and got another order of beans. The pita and hummus is also vegan.
 

Amy's Kitchen Rice Macaroni

This is some seriously good macaroni and cheese. Warning: People in the break room will think it smells nasty (like real cheese!). You may want to enjoy this at home.




Home-made lettuce wrap


This is just blended pinto beans on a lettuce leaf with fresh pico de gallo. I prepared this myself in just a few minutes, and this was very inexpensive.

Thai Garden in Huntsville AL

I got the steamed mixed vegetables with a side of tofu and a side of rice. This is not really on the menu. I just tell them what I want. The servers are usually unsure of what I'm ordering because it seems strange to order such a simple meal from a restaurant that specializes in very flavorful foods. But they always get it right, and it's very good just like this. I just add soy sauce. Another option is to get this with miso sauce which is a mushroom seaweed sauce.




Thai Garden is a small restaurant in Five Points near downtown Huntsville. It's usually quiet and mostly clean. It does get busy, so the service can be slow at times. I try to go after the lunch rush. There's not really anything else at Thai Garden I know a vegan could eat. Thai peanut sauce would be nice, but I heard they make it with fish sauce as a base. I do like this place for the peaceful environment and wonderful smells, but I must get this same thing each time.

Tofurky Pepperoni Pizza

This is the first time I tried Tofurky. I'm not really into fake meat, but it was pretty good.


McAlister's Deli Choose Two

I got a half taco salad with veggie chili and a half Spud Ole with veggie chili, both without cheese and sour cream.

Lime Fresh Mexican Grill

This is a Nudie Bowl. I get it with no sour cream and no cheese. I grabbed some extras from the salsa bar and hot sauce collection.


Bruegger's Bagels

This is a toasted sesame bagel with hummus, tomato, and lettuce. I always ask them not to cut it in half to avoid cross-contamination. Tuna salad or scrambled egg flavors on a dirty knife can ruin a good vegan bagel sandwich. This time it was perfect.

Moe's Southwest Grill in Dothan AL

I found a Moe's Southwest Grill in Dothan AL. This is the Art Vandalay (veggie burrito). It's made to order. I ordered mine vegan style with rice, black beans, lettuce, and fresh jalapenos. I also got a few samples from the salsa bar. All of this was about $8, and the burrito was really big. Moe's gives free refills on the chips.


The Crab Trap, Ft Walton Beach and Destin Florida

The gulf coast of Florida is beautiful, but a strict vegan will have a very tough time finding a good meal, especially if eating with non-vegans who want seafood. Most seafood restaurants don't even have a good side salad. I was so happy to see the menu at The Crab Trap. I've been to the Ft. Walton Beach and Destin locations.

The Crab Trap is a real seafood restaurant with an outside dining room with nets, wood, ropes, all kinds of seafood, a beach bar, and a fantastic view of the Gulf of Mexico. They also have vegan food. Check it out!




They have a side salad too. I ordered it with no dressing, no cheese, and no croutons. I asked for bottles of oil and vinegar on the side. I used lemons to make it taste fresh and zesty!




And they have new potatoes! They're plain potatoes with nothing on them. I put cocktail sauce on them just because it was there on the table, and it was vegan too. This was very good!




I recommend this place to all people, vegan or not. Everyone will enjoy it. The environment was awesome. The food was fresh and perfectly prepared. They have good sweet tea and friendly servers. The price was good. I drive extra miles to get to The Crab Trap when I'm in the area. It's worth it.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Fusion Spring Rolls

I got these at Wal-Mart, and they're very good.

Veggie Burrito at Chipotle

This is another of the many vegan options at Chipotle. Look at that huge burrito! It's big enough to save half for later and it costs just over $8 with a regular drink.




Click here for the Chipotle website

Chocolate Candy

I found this at the European Market. It's dark chocolate and it's full of brandy! So good!


Chung's Potstickers


Grilled Sauerkraut Sandwich

Grilled sauerkraut sandwich with spicy mustard on pumpernickel bread. This was not bad, but it could have been better with Field Roast vegan sausages.


McAlister's Deli Taco Salad

At McAlister's Deli, the Taco Salad with veggie chili is vegan if ordered without sour cream and cheese. It usually comes with meat chili, so don't forget to request the veggie chili. This is really good, and their sweet tea is the best in town.

Spaghetti Noodles With Spinach

This is home-cooked spaghetti noodles with spinach, sprinkled with red pepper. So easy. So inexpensive. To make this even better, I could have sprinkled Bragg's Nutritional Yeast on it.


Ruby Tuesdays Salad Bar


Ramen Noodles

Most ramen noodles aren't vegan because the flavor packs usually have chicken fat or fish. This one is vegan.


Taco Bell for lunch

I found a Taco Bell in middle Tennessee that has Tostadas on the menu. I ordered one fresco style. Most of my local Taco Bells don't offer them. This is a hard corn tortilla shell with beans, lettuce, and fresco toppings. I topped it with Fire Sauce. This is vegan, however, vegans must be cautious. I almost always dig around to check for unwanted ingredients that sometimes get mixed in, like cheese or nasty bits of beef. This tostada was perfect.



UPDATE. Taco Bell now sell something called a Spicy Tostada. It's exactly the same as the old tostada but with a chipotle sauce on it. The chipotle sauce is not vegan! So a vegan tostada is now "a Spicy Tostada minus chipotle sauce and minus cheese".

ANOTHER UPDATE. Taco Bell no longer has Tostadas on the menu. 
 

Prepackaged Vegetable Sushi

This vegetable sushi was made in the supermarket deli. It's made with rice, seaweed, carrots, cucumbers, avocados, and sesame seeds and comes with a side of ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce.



Here's another one.  These do not have avocado or sesame seeds.



Vegans may want to be careful. The sushi food prep area could be contaminated. I have found non-vegan particles on my sushi.

McDonald's early morning

What can a vegan get at 2am? I went to the 24 hr McDonald's and got coffee served black.


P.F. Chang Tofu Lettuce Wraps, Buddah Feast, Asparagus, and Spinach

P.F. Chang's has many vegetarian and vegan options. This is the tofu lettuce wrap appetizer. I get this if I don't get the edamame. The lettuce wraps are always vegan.



My favorite dish at P.F. Chang is the steamed Buddha's Feast. It's vegan straight from the menu as long as it's the steamed version. It also comes in a stir-fried version with vegetarian sauce. It's vegan too. The stir-fried version may be cooked in the same dish as other foods unless a special request is made. I ordered this Buddha's Feast with no mushrooms and extra tofu. It comes with rice on the side. I like this with chili oil, hot mustard, and soy sauce.



 P.F. Chang has a few good vegan side dishes. Here's the asparagus and spinach.



Click here to see P.F.Chang's website