Twisted Fork Huntsville 2018

I will now offer a summary and photographic documentation of my visit to Twisted Fork, a plant-based festival in Huntsville AL. This was a free plant-based food event that was open to the general public. Free samples and plate lunches were offered. Food education and cooking classes were given in smaller rooms. This was my second experience as a guest at Twisted Fork in Huntsville AL.

The focus of this recurring event is plant-based foods and products, but most of the food this time was comfort food, soul food, and cup cakes. There's nothing wrong with that at all. Trust me. I ate and enjoyed those foods more than I should have. But I would have liked to see vegan breads, freshly squeezed juices, and international foods such as kushari, bean tacos, orzo pasta, tabouli, and raw spring rolls with Thai peanut sauce.

The food I saw and enjoyed at the festival was healthier than what normal people eat, but I'd hate to think those foods accurately represent the diets of average vegans. I hope non-vegan guests didn't leave with the impression that vegans live on cupcakes and high-sodium southern home cooking with processed meat replacements. I know this blog doesn't accurately represent what I eat. I can only post so many photos of beans and rice, bananas, ramen, raw veggies, and hummus with bread.

I started my 3 hour adventure of plant-based gluttony with a vegan barbecue sandwich and slaw. I was told the "meat" was made with wheat, vegetable broth, and seasonings. It was very good! This had as much flavor as the real thing, and it was just as messy. This was a great choice for my first meal. I believe this was made by the main sponsor of the event, Elegance on Any Budget, but I could be wrong.

Vegan barbecue sandwich with vegan slaw

After a couple hours of chatting with people, I decided to try a vegetable plate by Heaven's Healthy Kitchen, which was green beans, mac n cheese, cranberry sauce, dressing, and gravy. It looked so good I had to try it. This had a classic home-cooked flavor with a slight smokiness and layers of other flavors. I usually prefer simple, lighter foods with few ingredients, but this was really good. I ate every bite, eventually. After nibbling at each item, I was too full to continue eating!

Vegetable Plate by Heaven's Healthy Kitchen

Sweets were everywhere. I will now present examples of the amazing treats I found. I picked a few cupcakes to take with me. I'll be eating cupcakes for several days!

Vegan carrot cake cupcakes

 I bought one of the Pina Colada cupcakes. Yes. Vegan.

Vegan Pina Colada cupcakes

Vegan Coconut Lemon cupcakes

Vegan chocolate cake

I bought a Lemon Poppy Seed cupcake. Also vegan.

More vegan cupcakes

 I bought a Pumpkin Pie Spiced cupcake, Strawberry cupcake, and Peanut Butter cupcake. All vegan.

More vegan cupcakes

While not as big as the last Twisted Fork in April, the turnout was pretty good for Huntsville AL. Things are slowly changing for Huntsville. The Seventh Day Adventist community is strong and growing. Californians are moving in for the high tech jobs. The artists, hipsters, and weirdos are now socially accepted enough to stay in Huntsville. I heard talk about plans for a vegan food truck and even a vegan restaurant. Watch out Huntsville! The vegans are slowly taking over!