Welcome to Monk Island, a food blog with a new perspective. This blog documents my experiences as a roaming vegan with limited time, money, and resources. I search the land for simple, plant-based meals for one person, and I share those here with you. This blog is for herbivores on the go who don't live in the kitchen, don't have a kitchen, or don't have a home. No politics or extremist rants. Just peace, respect, and veggies.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Vegan Party Pinwheels
365 Everyday Value Organic Vegan Lasagna
This product was very soupy. The noodles seemed very thick and chewy. This food was not visually attractive. Something about the cooking process must have gone wrong. The plastic wrapper was difficult to remove in one piece. Overall, this seemed like institutional food. The positive is that it really tasted pretty good. It's as good as any other cheap microwave dinner, but this one's organic and vegan. I would buy this again because of the taste and reasonable price.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Red Velvet Doughnut from Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe in Chattanooga TN
Click here for the Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe website
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Home-made Vegan Southwestern Cornbread with Refried Beans and Enchilada Sauce
If you're interested in my loaded cornbread, I have the ingredients here, but you'll need to make up your own recipe:
non-GMO corn meal, water, all-purpose flour, salt, non-GMO corn starch, baking powder, olive oil, crushed black pepper, a generous amount of diced onions, diced orange bell pepper, diced jalapeno pepper, a small amount of Kickin Chicken Seasoning, a very small amount of sugar, a very small amount of vegan egg replacement
I loaded it up with peppers and onions. It had chunks in every bite. Also, I made it crispy by oiling the edges during the cooking process.
Couscous With Peas
Friday, August 24, 2018
Paw Paw
Garlic Flavored Sesame Sticks
The Farm Oven Fried Tofu
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Home-made Miniature Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Home-made Vegan Pesto Lo Mein
Making the pesto is very easy with a food processor. I couldn't afford pine nuts so I used sunflower seeds. Here's the ingredients I used: olive oil, a big handful of fresh basil, 2 garlic cloves, a handful of sunflower seeds, a good splash of lemon juice, salt, and crushed black pepper
Here's something to think about. This vegan pesto is also raw. Mix it with some zucchini noodles or add it to chopped cauliflower for a really flavorful raw vegan meal!
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
A Vegan Snack at the Publix Deli
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Amy's Non-Dairy Vegetable Pot Pie
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Friday, August 10, 2018
Beet Burger at Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe in Chattanooga TN
This time I tried the Beet Burger. It comes with chips, but there's no way I would ever go to Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe and not get some form of their out-of-this-world fantastic cashew cheese. So I added the queso for an additional charge.
This plateful of plant-based heaven arrived with the burger open-faced to honestly reveal all the delightful colors, textures, and shapes. I was entranced by its presence, not knowing if it would be as heavenly as I imagined. Once the top half was added to the bottom, this was a massive pile of plant material. The bun was slightly firm. The beet patty was crunchy and slightly chewy with a mild earthy flavor. The thick slices of tomato were amazingly fresh and juicy. The sprouts were crisp and delicate. The pickles were firm and tasty with a nice hint of vinegar. The light sauces tasted like a tangy ranch dressing. Every ingredient of this burger was equally flavorful and worked together like it was designed by an evil genius with a plan to take over the world with vegan food. This was insanely good.
That was just the burger review. I absolutely love that vegan queso with the chips. I already wrote a review on that. Look it up. I actually did lick that little bowl clean.
So, back to the expansion and remodel. They have the place looking great. The dining room is twice the size it was. The new furniture and paint gives the place a cleaner, more modern appearance. The place does get loud with music and people talking, and the sounds echo on the hard surfaces. The food is still amazing. Even the water is good. I'm so glad I returned to at Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe! This was a great lunch.
Click here for the Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe website
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Black Beans and Quinoa
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Home-made Vegan Potato Soup
Ingredients: potatoes, water, onion, salt, pepper
This soup is so cheap it's almost free. It takes about half an hour to cook it, but letting it cook longer on low heat is worth the wait.
Monday, August 6, 2018
Another Visit to Blue Coast Burrito in Florence AL
Veggie Burrito Combo at Blue Coast Burrito in Florence AL |
This time the restaurant was very crowded. Church had just let out and Blue Coast Burrito was filled with well-dressed, well-behaved groups of friendly people. I was able to confirm that the rice is vegan. I figured it was, but some places use butter. This was a great meal. The burrito was large and delicious, the salsa was excellent, and I received a generous amount of chips. The restaurant was clean and free of flies. Florence AL is a vegan desert, but this place is a small oasis with at least 3 vegan meal options. This was a good visit!
Click here to see the Blue Coast Burrito website
Sunday, August 5, 2018
A Vegan Snack on the Silver Comet & Chief Ladiga Trail
The Silver Comet & Chief Ladiga Trial is an old railroad bed that goes roughly from Atlanta GA to Anniston AL. Based on the segment I rode, I'll say it's an easy trail. The GA side (Silver Comet) is paved with brushed concrete, and the AL side (Chief Ladiga) is asphalt. Overall, the AL side is smoother. The slopes are so mild even the young and old could ride with ease. However this trail goes DEEP into the mountainous wilderness for dozens of miles at a time. Cell phone signals go out. There's no water fountains. Other riders disappear. The scenery goes from picturesque farm, swamp, stream, and mountain views to scary backwoods hillbilly/redneck slums with rebel flags and mean dogs, abandoned railroad warehouses, and dusty vagrants on bikes. The best part of the trail is coming into each small town just as the train did decades ago. Those towns really haven't changed much because they're historic districts. Each town seems to highlight the trail as a main attraction, and the trail is really well-maintained like a clean city park. The towns have small cafes and rest stops, but vegan food is nearly impossible out there.
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Majans Bhuja Snacks, Original Mix
Friday, August 3, 2018
A Vegan Meal at Mater's Pizza & Pasta Emporium in Gadsden, AL
The service was friendly, but I had weird questions like "are the noodles made fresh or are they dry" [fresh noodles always contain eggs] and "is the pizza sauce just a tomato-based sauce or is it seasoned with meat" [some small town places have a "marinara sauce" with meatballs already in it but serve just the sauce without meatballs if ordered without meatballs] and the lady who took our order was acting impatient with such questions during what is probably their busiest hours of the month. I totally understand. So I tried to keep it very friendly and simple. The male server who came by later was a bit friendlier, but the service was slow and disorganized. It's First Friday. I totally understand. No problem. The restaurant was grimy and looked like it needed a deep cleaning. This is in a building that's over 100 years old, like most of downtown Gadsden, so I expected that and ordered with that in mind.
This is what I came up with based on the information the lady was willing to give me. I ordered the Spaghetti Marinara with no cheese. It came with a tossed salad. I ordered a side of oil and vinegar instead of dressing
Tossed Salad
Tossed Salad at Mater's Pizza in Gadsden AL |
This was a generic salad blend with cherry tomatoes and cucumber. They gave me more oil and vinegar than I would ever need. Those came in take-out cups, so I took some home for later. This salad was actually very good. It was all pretty fresh. Nothing special, but very good. Better than I expected.
Spaghetti Marinara Without Cheese
Spaghetti Marinara without cheese at Mater's Pizza in Gadsden AL |
This was also pretty good. The sauce tasted fresh with ripe tomatoes and light spices. It was chunky and slightly sweet. I didn't taste any meat flavoring. I didn't find meat in it. I'm sure this would have been excellent with the cheese. Mater's Pizza is generous with the cheese. I didn't know but it came with a garlic butter hoagie bun. I couldn't eat that because it was probably real butter, and the bread looked like it was made with eggs.. I gave it away.
Overall, this was good food. I do believe it was overpriced for what I got, but that's because I ordered it with no cheese. I do prefer cleaner establishments, but the grime didn't surprise me because it's Gadsden, and most of Gadsden is a bit rough. Mater's is really made for omnivores, and I believe omnivores will enjoy this place very much. It's not great for a plant-eater, but I would return if invited to join others for a meal. It's good that they do have something a vegan can eat. And what I had was pretty good.
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Treeline Treenut Vegan Cheese, Scallion Flavor
The original price was over $7, but you can see I got it for a good discount at $3.69. Woohoo! This is actually worth the original price! This has a tangy funk like real cheese but with a lighter, healthier mouthfeel. It's very creamy and smooth. This is an excellent choice for crackers or toasted bread. I haven't decided if it's my new favorite vegan cheese, but it is currently in my top three for sure. You need to try this! It's vegan, non-GMO, probiotic, gluten-free, and soy-free. I wish they paid me to say this stuff, but they don't. There's another discounted one on the shelf at Kroger. I'm thinking about getting it before someone else does.
UPDATE: I went to Kroger to get the other one. It was gone. I bought the Herb Garlic flavor at regular price.
Gardein Chick'n Sliders
You may know I'm not a big fan of meat replacements. But I don't think of this product as a replacement since I've been a vegan since 2009 and have
absolutely no desire to eat animals. This is just another plant food for
me. This makes a great transitioning food for those who are
struggling to stay on a plant-based diet. I'm not sure if these really
taste like dead chicken muscles, but I will say these tiny sandwiches are
delicious! And they're vegan!
Click here to see the Gardein website