Taco Sampler at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

I wanted to try as many items as possible at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN, so I ordered the Taco Sampler, which comes with three very unique tacos and a side of chips and salsa.

But first, here's my appetizer, Hummus & Pita. It was a good standard hummus and pita plate with a little bit of extra attention given to detail. Very good.

And here's the plate for which I came to enjoy! Three beautiful tacos, each with a completely  different flavor was presented to me. Each one was carefully crafted with fine ingredients, just for me. They were all excellent in every way. Here's a description of each from top to bottom.

Chipotle Seitan Taco.
Spinach, carrots, tomatoes, vegan ranch dressing, and chipotle seitan.

Peanut Tempeh Taco.
Sauteed kale, peanut sauce, avocado, carrot-daikon slaw, sesame seeds, and peanut tempeh.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Taco.
Mashed sweet potatoes, black beans, lime slaw, jerk sauce, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

If I had to pick a favorite of the three I'd choose the Chipotle Seitan Taco. They were all so interesting with very odd combinations of toppings, but The Wild Cow always seems to get it right every time! Every one of these would make a fantastic three-taco plate. There's no doubt I will be ordering more tacos from The Wild Cow.


Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

P.F. Chang's Dinner (Vegan Style)

I went back to P.F.Chang for another feast with the family. Here's what I ordered.

Hot Tea
My beverage of choice was the hot tea. They have several flavors. I chose the Ginger Peach flavor.

Wok-Seared Spinach with Garlic
This was a really good starter.  It was cooked just enough to bring out the flavors. It was lightly salted and just a bit oily.

Steamed Buddha's Feast (with extra broccoli, minus mushrooms)
My steamed Buddha's Feast was also good. I don't care for mushrooms, so I got extra broccoli instead. I usually get the steamed version to avoid cross-contamination. I really do not enjoy finding tiny bits of meat in my food, and steaming it really helps reduce the chances of that happening. I added brown rice and soy sauce. I had a craving for hot mustard so I requested the sauces and mixed the three together to get a good hot sauce.

Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Here's another great Amy's vegan product. I get these when they're on sale.

Click here to see the Amy's Kitchen website

Vegan Breakfast at Chick-fil-a

The hash browns at Chick-fil-a are vegan.

Click here for the Chick-fil-a website

Orange Mandarin at Mei Wei Asian Bistro in Huntsville AL

The Orange Mandarin with tofu is another great vegan option at Mei Wei Asian Bistro in Huntsville AL. This time I was asked "fried or steamed?" so I went with steamed.This is just tofu, pea pods, and orange slices in a sweet and tangy sauce. It comes with rice. I also had some Black Berry Tea.

Orange Mandarin at Mei Wei Asian Bistro in Huntsville AL

Click here to see the Mei Wei website

Beast Mode Food Truck in Huntsville AL

There's a food truck called Beast Mode that operates in Huntsville AL, and they have some vegan options on the menu. I met with other plant eaters and we all ordered the vegan versions of the Veggie Burger. The regular Veggie Burger is not vegan, and we had to pay extra for the vegan options.

Vegan Veggie Burger from Beast Mode in Huntsville AL

This beautiful pile of plant material was carefully crafted with quality ingredients. It included toasted vegan bread, hand-made vegan patty, vegan cheese, guacamole, vegan pesto sauce, spring mix greens, and tomatoes. Everything about this was excellent. It was crunchy, soft, fresh, creamy, juicy, and savory. The veggie patty was softer than I prefer, but the taste made up for it. Every ingredient was fresh and delicious. Beast Mode offers a nice selection of sauces at the service counter. I chose sriracha sauce and ketchup (not pictured).

This meal came with one side item. The vegan options were chips (the popular brands), vegan hash browns with vegan cheese, and chickpea veggie crisps. I chose the vegan hash browns.

Vegan Hash Browns from Beast Mode in Huntsville AL

This was also an excellent product, however it was a bit oily, and the vegan cheese wasn't melted (vegan cheese takes longer to melt). Again, the taste made up for it, and this was still excellent. This was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I did add a sprinkle of salt and pepper just to perfect it for my own personal experience.

Beast Mode makes real food by hand with quality ingredients. Based on the menu, the food seems to be composed of delightful layers of flavor and texture. They must have a real chef in there! Most of the food is non-vegan. The service was excellent, and they know how to make vegan food. That's quite rare in the food truck world. We did need to request vegan options on each item because the vegetarian foods normally come with non-vegan toppings. But it's great to know they can do it and do it very well.

This was expensive (I paid about $13 plus a tip), but it was nice to try something new. It was a satisfying experience, and I would gladly order the same thing again if I could afford it. I would recommend Beast Mode to anyone.

Celery with Daiya Ranch Dressing

Singapore Noodles Minus Chicken Seasoning at Mei Wei Asian Bistro in Huntsville AL

I went back to Mei Wei in Huntsville AL. This time I went to the newer location near downtown and I ordered the Singapore Noodles with tofu minus the chicken seasoning. The noodles have a curry sauce on them that's very flavorful. It's spicy enough to tickle the tongue, but it's not hot. There's carrots, onions, cabbage, and chunks of tofu mixed in there. The portion size was enough for 2 meals, and I spent just under $8.

Vegan Singapore Noodles at Mei Wei Asian Bistro in Huntsville AL

It looks like they're still in the process of perfecting the vegan menu. They've edited it a few times over the last couple of years. I know they're trying to get it right. I'll give them credit for that. I'm still nervous about the vegan status of the foods. The editing on the vegan menu gives me reason to be slightly concerned. I really like this place though. The food is great. The new location is really clean and modern. The service is always friendly.

UPDATE: I ordered this again and found greasy crusty particles in my food. It looked like it could have been chicken or egg. I believe they used a dirty wok. Vegans, beware! They may not even know what "vegan" means.

Click here to see the Mei Wei website

Southwest Burger and Nachos at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

Here's another awesome meal at Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant. This visit was great, as always!

Nachos
How could I go to one of my favorite restaurants and not buy my favorite dish? I usually can't. So here's the best nachos in Nashville as my appetizer. Absolutely heavenly!

Southwest Burger

This was a rare opportunity to carelessly order a Daily Special without being nervous about ingredients and quality. I KNEW this was going to be excellent!

This veggie burger patty was made with black beans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and some other delicious plants. The bun was whole wheat. The topping included mixed greens, tomatoes, avocado slices, pickled jalapenos, onions, and cheesy vegan chipotle aioli. It came with a pickle spear and one side dish. My side of choice was the Grilled Tempeh with organic BBQ sauce.

This burger was very flavorful with a little kick to it. It wasn't too hot, but it had enough peppers to surprise my mouth. The combination of flavors worked very well together. This burger was HUGE! I had to carefully plan how to eat it because it was so full of beautiful plant-based toppings. Although I prefer a firm or even crunchy patty, this soft one was really good with small chucks hidden within, and it was perfectly cooked. The other ingredients gave it some textural variety. The grilled tempeh was also excellent and perfectly cooked. I forgot how good barbecue sauce is (because barbecue sauce is usually on meat!).

Everything I ordered was great. The service was very friendly and helpful. I would recommend The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant and all the food above to anyone with a mouth.


Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

No Evil Chorizo

I occasionally buy No Evil Chorizo to make vegan tacos. It's a spicy sausage-like plant-based product that can be used just like meat. It is expensive, but it goes a long way because it's spicy.

Here's what I like to do with No Evil Chorizo. I put it in flour tortillas with Daiya vegan cheddar, some roasted onions, and red peppers, then I toast it in the oven. I add fresh lettuce when possible.

Home-made Dill Mashed Potatoes

I used 2 large potatoes, a tablespoon of Earth Balance, salt, pepper, and dill. This was a good cheap meal, and it was easy to make. This tasted great, but the stringy dill made it feel strange in my mouth. I'll chop it into small pieces next time.

Breakfast at Whole Foods

This plant-based breakfast includes kale, seasoned potatoes, and tofu scramble. I sprinkled a tiny bit of Ninja Squirrel sriracha sauce on it. Whole Foods isn't cheap. This meal was about $7. I'm just grateful to have a place to eat a real breakfast around here. I usually go heavier on the kale because they charge by weight.

Tasty Bite Spinach Dal and Jasmine Rice

Here's another great non-GMO meal. Tasty Bite makes several excellent vegan products.

Click here to see the Tasty Bite website

Lenny & Larry's White Chocolaty Macadamia Cookie

This is vegan and non-GMO!

  Click here to see the Lenny And Larry's Website

Chili with Chips and Mac n Cheese at Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe in Chattanooga TN

Here's a meal made by choosing two side items at Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe in Chattanooga TN. The Mac n Cheese is really interesting. It's taste and texture is fantastic. It's crisp on the top and creamy on the inside. It tastes more like an Au Gratin dish. The chili tastes better than home-made with a good balance of liquid and firm chunks of beans, tomatoes, and onions. It tastes great with the chips. This meal was a about $7.

Click here for the Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe website

Don Lee Farms Veggie Bowl

This is something I found at Costco a while back. It was so good I had to go back and buy more. Even non-vegans will love this veggie bowl! This is another non-GMO meal.

Vegan Valley Nacho "Cheddar" Cheeze Sauce

Vegan Valley Nacho "Cheddar" Cheeze Sauce is the best vegan cheese I've found in the grocery stores. This stuff is excellent! It tastes as good as real nacho cheese. I like to use this as a cheese dip for tortilla chips. This is expensive, but it's worth the price. I love Vegan Valley Nacho Cheeze!

Home-made Raw Vegan Lettuce Wrap

I got some green leaf lettuce and put guacamole on it, then I topped it with mixed sprouts, red bell pepper, and red onion slices. I curled it up like a taco and enjoyed every bite.

Flourless Black Bean Avocado Brownie from Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe in Chattanooga TN

This was as good as it looks. Most vegan brownies are crumbly, but this one was nice and solid. The flavor was rich with a heavy cocoa flavor. And this was vegan!

Click here for the Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe website

Betty Lou's Nuts About Energy Balls

I found this at the register at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Jerk Tofu Wrap at Happy Tummy in Huntsville AL

The Jerk Tofu Wrap at Happy Tummy is very spicy and hot. This is Jamaican jerk spiced tofu, spinach, tomatoes, and onions wrapped in a flour tortilla and lightly toasted. I'm not sure what spices are in it, but it tastes almost like Indian food. There's something exotic in there. It's very good, but watch out. It will wake you up! The serving size is good for a light lunch. It comes with chips. The price was $5.50. They also have a few other vegan options. Happy Tummy has a new location, and the place looks very clean (They also have a 100% heath inspection score). Service was friendly and fast.

Jerk Tofu Wrap at Happy Tummy in Huntsville AL

Click here to see the Happy Tummy website

Another Lunch at Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe In Chattanooga TN

I made my way back to Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe. My first visit was very good. This visit was even better! Let me tell you how good it was. I ordered the nachos which includes tortillas chips, chili, cashew cheese, romaine lettuce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, black olives, jalapenos, cilantro, and green onion. The nachos plate is huge, and it costs $10.

This was fantastic! Every part of this was excellent! I could taste each ingredient, and each one was fresh, clean, and delicious. This is probably the best nachos plate I've ever eaten, including the ones that were non-vegan! The cashew cheese was amazing! The vegan chili was awesome! This plate was loaded with so many good things in one place that it was almost too much. Just the chili and cheese together would make anyone lick the plate clean. I'm so glad I returned to Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe in Chattanooga, TN. I will be back!


Click here for the Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe website

Tandoor Chef Masala Dosa

These things are really good. They're delicate, flaky, crunchy, chunky, and spicy. The layers of flavor really tickle all parts of the tongue. The chutney cools the spicy heat. Very good!

Ben & Jerry's Non-Dairy Coffee Caramel Fudge

One of the hardest parts about going vegan is not having ice cream. Fortunately, we now have Ben & Jerry's Non-Dairy Coffee Caramel Fudge! It's probably the best ice cream I've ever had, and it's vegan!

Click here to see the Ben & Jerry's website

Uncle Maddio's in Huntsville AL

I ordered a medium wheat crust pizza with red sauce, red onions, black olives, seasoned tofu, and vegan cheese. I had to get the medium because the individual size was sold out. I figured I'd just make two meals of it. I had to ask the cook to avoid the chunks of cheese in the red sauce. They had cheese scattered all over the place. I almost walked out because of the mess. I inspected the toppings before ordering and chose the ones that looked clean. It turned out okay. The pizza was good.

Jason's Deli Blue Chips And Guacamole

Munchos

Home-made Mashed Cauliflower

To make this meal I mixed up some boiled and mashed cauliflower, roasted onions and garlic, Earth Balance vegan margarine, Bragg's Nutritional Yeast, salt, crushed black pepper, and a sprinkle of dill. This was really good! Next time I'll go heavier on the garlic and nutritional yeast.

Home-made Raw Vegan Spring Rolls

Ingredients: rice paper, green leaf lettuce, Wholey Guacamole, carrots, red bell peppers, mixed sprouts, home-made peanut soy dipping paste (Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter, soy sauce, Bragg's Liquid Aminos) This was very good. Fresh and clean with plenty of flavor.

Sliced Red Pepper with Daiya Homestyle Ranch Dressing

Daiya Homestyle Ranch Dressing is vegan. It has a very strong flavor, so dip lightly.

Vegan Chili Cheese Nachos

This was a great treat at a party with vegans. Very good! And it was all vegan! The chips were non-GMO corn tortilla chips. The chili was made with Amy's chili. The nacho cheese was made from Daiya cheese.

Daiya Key Lime Cheezecake

Wow! I forgot what cheesecake tasted like. I never had much money for dessert as a non-vegan, and after I went vegan I couldn't eat cheesecake. Now Daiya has this really good Key Lime Cheezecake. It's very rich in flavor. One big slice was enough for me. It was so rich that I would enjoy it more if the crust was thicker or if two layers of "cheeze" were separated by more crust. This was tangy and refreshing with a very smooth texture. Very nice! Vegans can have the good stuff too!

Ramen With Peanut Sauce

I made plain Ramen noodles. In a separate bowl, I mixed peanut butter, soy sauce, and coconut oil. I mixed it all together over heat and gave it a sprinkle of black pepper. Delicious! Cheap! Easy!

Soba Noodle Broth Bowl with Edamame at Panera Bread

This is my first time trying the Soba Noodle Broth Bowl with edamame at Panera Bread. It's really good, and it's vegan! It has smokey roasted veggies in a slightly salty broth with hints of mushroom and soy sauce. I got chips instead of French baguette, but the baguette would have been a better choice. I could have dipped the bread in the sauce. I'll know next time. And there will be a next time!

Click here for Panera Bread's vegan menu

Earth And Stone Wood Fired Pizza in Huntsville AL

During my visit to Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza in Huntsville AL, I ordered The Greene Street pizza minus cheese. Another vegan option is pretzels that can be dipped in pizza sauce. During my visits to this place a few years ago they had pita chips and hummus. I thought those where very good, but they have been discontinued. The Greene Street pizza minus cheese was a great choice. Here's what it looked like.

This tasted like it could be the freshest pizza in town. The sauce tasted like real whole Roma tomatoes. They don't have thick sweet pizza paste here. This is real food! Everything on this pizza was very good. The kalamata olives took center stage on my tongue. I'm not a big mushroom fan, but these mushrooms were mild and tasted great with the spinach, red bell peppers, and onions. This crust appeared to be under-cooked at first glance, but it was fully cooked and even crispy, especially on the bottom. This wasn't bland at all, but I do prefer more herbs and spices on pizza. I topped it with crushed red pepper flakes. Overall, this was great. This tasted like real food made from real ingredients. While this was probably the freshest pizza in town, I still think this was a $10 pizza meal. This was over $15, and I didn't have left-overs.

Earth and Stone shares a building with Yellowhammer Brewing. The large shared seating areas for both places are separated only at closing time. For those who want beer and pizza, the location is excellent. I would recommend Yellowhammer Belgian White Ale (4.8% AVB) for "beginners" or Yellowhammer Bride Of Frankenhammer (10.5 % AVB) for "professionals". They frequently have live music, and it gets very crowded at night, even on weekdays. The building is new and clean with an industrial warehouse aesthetic. Outside seating is available in both the Earth and Stone and Yellowhammer areas.

Click here to see the Earth And Stone Wood Fired Pizza website

Cape Cod Waffle Cut Potato Chips

 This is a crunchy vegan gas station snack. Check it out. These are non-GMO!