Wine and Vegan Apple Pie

I found some vegan apple pie in the bakery of Whole Foods. I ate it with a glass of Woodbridge Chardonnay. This is a great way to celebrate the coming of a new year!

Home-made Vegan Mushroom Gravy

Back in my omnivore days, I always loved gravy on mashed potatoes or biscuits. But as you may know by now, I only eat plant-based foods. Gravy is traditionally made with meat juices, milk, and butter. I will share with you how I make gravy using only the vegan ingredients in the photo below, plus water.

Keep in mind, I will not give you a recipe. I don't write recipes. I'm not a chef. I just cook, mix, and taste until it's right. This is probably the most complicated food item I will include on this blog. I prefer to keep things simple. I just wanted to share this with you because it is really good!

To make my vegan gravy, I used the following ingredients:

• Mushrooms (dried or fresh, several kinds mixed together works best)
• Onion (white or yellow)
• Marmite
• Miso Paste (the darker miso pastes are better than what's in the photo)
• Earth Balance butter alternative (olive oil also works well)
• Black Pepper
• Salt
• Water
• All Purpose Flour (optional)

 Instructions:

1. Make a chunky broth by boiling the mushrooms and onion in water. Cook until its mushy. For smoother gravy, cook it longer.
2. Using a food processor or blender, make the broth as smooth as desired. I don't mind chunks.
3. Add Marmite, Miso Paste, Black Pepper, Salt, and Earth Balance in small increments, tasting often to get an idea of what more is needed to perfect the flavor
4. Sprinkle in tiny pinches of flour to thicken it if needed. It doesn't take much. Just a few pinches. Stir it up. Don't let the flour turn into lumps.

That's it! Here's my gravy with a home-made vegan rosemary biscuit. This time it was a bit chunky. It can be smoother with longer cooking time and more blending. This was very good!

Home-made Onion Soup with Biscuits

This home-made soup was made with water, white onions, green onions, parsley, black pepper, and salt. The biscuits were made with all-purpose flour, water, baking soda, and salt. This Great Depression style meal tasted great and was almost free.

Just Mayo

Just Mayo is a vegan, non-GMO mayonnaise alternative. It comes in several different flavors: Original, Sriracha, Garlic, Truffle, and Awesome Sauce (a tartar sauce style with dill and capers). This is my first time trying this product. I got the original flavor.

It tastes exactly like real mayonnaise to me. The texture is also identical. I have no idea why anyone would buy real mayonnaise. I put it on my home-made blackened tofu sandwich. It was delicious!

I imagine this product is really good on veggie burgers or on Tofurky deli sandwiches. This should be good on a tomato, cucumber, and sprout sandwich. I bet the Awesome Sauce flavor would be excellent as a dip for my Gardein Fishless Filets. I'm sold on this product. I now want to try the other flavors. Just Mayo is a great! I will be buying this again!

Whole Foods Vegan Blueberry Muffin

Spring Rolls at I Love Juice Bar

Here's a perfect lunch from I Love Juice Bar! Food this good makes it a great pleasure to be alive!

Click here to see the I Love Juice Bar website

Mexican Coca-Cola and Golden Flake Salsa Verde Chips

Another vegan gas station snack!

Tabouli

Most store bought tabouli is vegan. It has a refreshing taste. It's made with parsley, tomato, bulgar wheat, onion, mint, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. It's great as a side item with pasta or mixed with salad greens. Because it's very flavorful and chewy, it may not be so good as a main dish.

Whole Foods Salad

I went to the Whole Foods salad bar and loaded up of all kinds of goodies. This salad is mostly mixed greens. I then added an assortment of beans, seeds, and other veggies. I topped it with Bragg Nutritional Yeast. I sprayed it with Bragg Liquid Aminos instead of using a traditional salad dressing. This was good!

Liquid Aminos tastes similar to soy sauce, but it's not as salty. The smaller bottle has a spray pump top for misting veggies with liquid deliciousness.

Vegan Chili Made With Carroll Shelby's Chili Kit

I made vegan chili using a Carroll Shelby's Chili Kit. I just used pinto beans and tofu instead of beef. The kit is vegan. It's just spices. This was some of the best chili I've made.

Vegan Nachos at Hi-Fi Clyde's in Chattanooga TN

Hi-Fi Clyde's has a secret vegan menu! During my first visit to Hi-Fi- Clyde's I chose the vegan nachos.

The nachos were served on a pan with the chips spread out and evenly coated with each topping. The "cheese whiz" had an unusual pumpkin pie taste. The carrots provided an earthy flavor. the vegan mozzarella was creamy and light. The pickled onions provided a pleasantly sour hint. The white chili had a nice hearty bean flavor. The medium tortilla chips were thick enough to hold the toppings but thin enough to be crisp. The salsa was light with a generous amount of cilantro. This was a really good, andvery unique, serving of nachos!

Hi-Fi Clyde's is a restaurant and sports bar with a stage for live bands and ping pong tables. It is not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant, but they do have several vegan options such as Vegan Nachos, Falafel Wrap, the A.L.T Sandwich, and Buffalo Cauliflower Po Boy Sandwich. The fried foods probably get fried in shared oil, so that needs to be considered when ordering. The interior looks like a rough bar with stickers and signs all over the walls but they've mixed in some surprisingly classy sitting areas with large couches, black chandeliers, and lit up pinball machine tables. And the place is cleaner than it looks upon first glance. I visited during the afternoon and crowd was light, but it I can tell it really comes alive at night. It looks like a great place to party for omnivores and herbivores. I'll try to return again in the future.


Click here to see the Hi-Fi Clyde's website

Green Chili Burrito at Graze in Nashville TN

Here's another excellent meal at Graze in Nashville! Everything at Graze is vegan. Close your eyes, put your finger on the menu, open your eyes, and order whatever your finger is on. There's no doubt it will be an excellent plant-based choice.

Click here to see the Graze website

Cholula Tofu

I battered some tofu chunks in Panko, baked them until crispy, then coated them in Cholula hot sauce.

Marie Callender's Lattice Apple Pie

I'm almost afraid to say this is vegan. It's really so good it doesn't seem like it should be true. I read the ingredients. It does have high-fructose corn syrup and other no-so-great things in it. But it does appear to be vegan. It's very sweet, chunky, and smooth inside with a crunchy, crumbly lattice outside.This is an excellent product!

Another Vegan Earth Fare Salad

Earth Fare has a great salad bar. The bean sprouts were fantastic! I believe they may be mung bean sprouts. This salad was very crunchy, fresh, and earthy. I used a light splash of red wine vinegar as the dressing. This is real food right here! I should eat like this everyday.

A Vegan Snack at Auntie Anne's

To get a vegan snack at Auntie Anne's, order the original pretzel without butter and get a dipping cup of marinara sauce. They have mustard and ketchup too. Don't expect this to be ready and waiting for you. The pre-made products in the heat rack already have butter on them. They will cook a fresh one for you while you wait, which will take about 8-10 minutes. It's a great snack that's worth the wait.

Click here to see the Auntie Anne's website

A Vegan Indian Feast

I went to a small Indian restaurant that has a lunch buffet. They clearly mark each vegan dish with a "V". This meal included Bhindi Masala, Gobi Matar, Basmati Rice with peas and cashews, and roti. This was a great meal.

And I also enjoyed a bowl of Sambar, also with Roti. This was the best part of the meal!

Indian foods can be a very nice way for herbivores to experience bold and interesting flavors. India has a larger vegan and vegetarian population, and they know how to make it right. This type of food tickles all parts of the tongue and offers a good variety of textures. It also can add some spicy heat or sour tang to a mild vegan diet.

Vegans should be very careful about butter, ghee, and yogurt in the Indian foods. India really loves the milk products. If it looks creamy or light in color, it probably has milk in it. If it has a rich buttery flavor, that's butter or ghee. Also, chutney can have yogurt in it to make it rich and creamy. Some restaurant staff may not exactly know the difference between vegan and vegetarian, or they may not know about the cooking processes and ingredients. That's why I like to research the different recipes for dishes before I try them. Some recipes always call for a milk product. I know not to even try those. If most recipes for an Indian dish are typically vegan I will hope the dish is vegan at the restaurant. But I'm always suspicious of it. I nibble and feel for any sign of milk or butter before I really dig in.

Poverty Green Beans

You know how you get green beans and they go bad and get bad spots on them? And all you can save from them is tiny little pieces? Well, here's what I do with those pieces instead of wastefully throwing them all away. Once I cut the good pieces out, I dust the tiny pieces in flour and fry them just like okra. Not bad.

Vegan Chili Cheese Baked Potato

I used Amy's Spicy Organic Chili and Daiya Cheddar to top this home-cooked baked potato. This is a great vegan version of an old favorite meal!

Veggie Enchiladas at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

I found out the North Shore Mexiville had $7 vegan plates today, so I stopped by to try something. My choice was the Veggie Enchiladas. It came with chips and salsa.

These beautiful veggie enchiladas were filled with grilled onions, spinach, and mushrooms. The corn tortillas were covered in a tasty ranchero sauce. This was very flavorful, inside and out. The tortillas had a very nice authentic Mexican flavor. This was a very good meal at a good price!

But I do have mixed feelings about this meal. My concerns include the fact that the grilled veggies could have been grilled on a shared grill. Also the veggies may have been seasoned with butter. Vegan foods aren't usually this rich in flavor. Maybe I'm just too cautious. While it may seem a bit mistrustful, I do need to confirm that the food is 100% vegan before I order again. If I know the veggies are grilled separately in a vegan oil, I may become a regular at Mexiville.

Mexiville is a regular Mexican restaurant that actually has a vegan section on the menu. That's impressive. But each one of the vegan items include grilled foods. Like I said, that makes me nervous. But don't let me scare you away. The food was excellent, the service was friendly and fast, and the restaurant was clean. Mexiville is a great place for omnivores and herbivores to get together around good food. They have excellent daily specials like the 75 cent tacos and $2 beers.

Vegan Holiday Party 2018

I went to a holiday gathering of like-minded people. We shared and ate plant-based foods, shared a few gifts, and socialized. I will share with you photographic documentation of some foods that were available. I'll end it with the home-made Vegan Key Lime Tarts I made myself just for this event.

When I arrived, there was already a table set up with Sabra Hummus, tortilla chips, fruit, and a wonderful plate of vegan cream cheese and crackers. Wine, beer, and vegan holiday nog were the drinks available.

You can see that the crackers and vegan cream cheese were a huge hit with the crowd. Treeline makes excellent vegan cream cheese products. I believe this was the Herb and Garlic and Scallion flavors. And the Milton's Multigrain crackers are some of the best I've tried.

Milton's Crackers With Treeline Vegan Cream Cheese

One guest brought what appeared to be some kind of "meat" pie. It was vegan and tasted like taco meat. Taco shells were also available. This was very good and tasted just like real taco meat, but I was a bit confused by this presentation. I wasn't sure if I should eat it as a slice of pie or ruin potential pie slices and scoop from the filling.

Taco Flavored Vegan "Meat" Pie

One guest brought garlic kale with pecans. That guest took an empty plate home, because we ate every scrap of the contents. This was a simple but very tasty plate of food.

Garlic Kale with Pecans

One guest brought "chicken" and dumplings. It's been so long since I've had real chicken and dumplings that I have no idea if it tasted like the real thing. This reminded me of my home-made biscuits and gravy but with less salt and pepper.

Vegan Chicken and Dumplings

My drink of choice was this awesome coconut milk holiday nog by So Delicious. I wanted to drink much more, but there was only one carton. I had to be nice and save some for other people. This product was excellent!

So Delicious Holiday Nog

This vegan chocolate cake was a crowd favorite too. The taste and texture was as good as any non-vegan cake. The strawberries were a nice touch.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Strawberries

Not pictured was a vegan chili made with Amy's chili and other canned beans. I coordinated with the chili maker and made some vegan queso with Daiya cheddar, pimientos, and leftover packs of Taco Bell taco sauce. We poured the vegan chili and cheese over the tortilla chips. It was a huge hit, but my photos didn't turn out very well. I have that same combination posted HERE at an earlier party if you're interested.

And near the end of the party I brought out my home-made Vegan Key Lime Tarts. I made these with lime juice, tofu, cashews, agave nectar, lime zest, and vegan graham crackers.

Vegan Key Lime Tarts

Home-made Loaded Cornbread

I'm getting really good at making cornbread. This is my Loaded Cornbread. It has vegan treasures hidden inside.

I mixed a batter using non-GMO corn meal, white flour, non-GMO corn starch, baking powder, salt, olive oil, a small amount of sugar to cut the bitterness, diced white onion, diced green bell pepper, a little bit of frozen non-GMO corn kernels, pimientos, and water. Then I baked it in a casserole dish until brown on the edges.

The texture is fantastic! The crunchy edges contrast with the soft and fluffy interior. The nuggets of veggies inside lets the mouth discover new tastes with each nibble.

Peanut Butter Cookie at Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe in Chattanooga TN

This was a very good standard peanut butter cookie. Like everything at Cashew, it was vegan!

Click here for the Cashew Plant Based Vegan Cafe website

Home-made Vegan Baked Spaghetti

I made baked spaghetti by making spaghetti in a pot as usual. Then I put it in a small skillet with Daiya Mozzarella on top. The final touch was a sprinkle of Italian seasonings. I put it under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the Daiya. This is a nice way to upgrade a cheap meal.

Vegan Christmas Hors d'oeuvres

I put Miyoko's Vegan Cream Cheese on Sprouts Multigrain Wheat Crackers. Then I carefully topped them with diced green and red bell pepper. This was very good.

Veggie Bowl at Chipotle Mexican Grill During a Lettuce Shortage

There's a lettuce shortage because of an E. Coli outbreak, probably caused by unclean farming practices. So my veggie bowl looks a bit different this time. I got white rice, pinto beans, grilled veggies, pico de gallo, and guacamole. This was good, but I sure did miss the lettuce.

 Click here for the Chipotle website

Sprouts Southwest Black Bean Veggie Burgers

These veggie burger patties taste much better than they look. The firm, chunky texture is nice. I like this product, but it doesn't appear to be organic or non-GMO. It is clearly marked as vegan. I ate my patty "naked" style because I didn't have any vegan buns.

Lemon Pepper Vegetables at Mei Wei in Huntsville AL

The Lemon Pepper Vegetables at Mei Wei is good. It's very simple. I believe this is just steamed veggies with lemon pepper seasoning. I wanted to keep my meal very simple because of some problems I've had with the vegan menu at Mei Wei. You can read my other posts on that subject. This meal was great!

Lemon Pepper Vegetables at Mei Wei in Huntsville AL

Click here to see the Mei Wei website

You've Really Got A Hold On Me at Happy Tummy in Huntsville AL

The name of this sandwich is You've Really Got A Hold On Me. It comes with artichoke, roasted red pepper, olive tapenade, onion, tomato, spinach, and smoked gouda cheese. To make it vegan, I just ordered it without the cheese.

You've Really Got A Hold On Me at Happy Tummy in Huntsville AL

Most Happy Tummy meals are good standard lunches served on paper plates. The prices are low enough. The location at Lowe Mill is part of the value. I expected the same quality and experience with this lunch at $6.50. This sandwich surprised me. It tasted like something a fancier restaurant would serve at $10. This was a really good sandwich! It was too good for a paper plate.

The layers of bold flavor worked very well together. Even the mild, crunchy bread was an important part of the composition and helped balance it all out. The ingredients tasted fresh. The portion size was perfect. This meal was excellent!

While Happy Tummy is mostly for omnivores, they are very vegetarian and vegan friendly. I would recommend it to anyone. And I would recommend trying the You've Really Got A Hold On Me. I'm sure it's even better with cheese.

 Click here to see the Happy Tummy website

Tasty Bite Spinach Dal with Sprouts Original Tandoori Naan

This quick meal tastes as good as restaurant food! It took me 5 minutes to prepare this, and it was reasonably inexpensive. I used Tasty Bite Spinach Dal with Sprouts Original Tandoori Naan and some leftover green onion.

The Spinach Dal is slightly spicy with a smooth and chunky texture. I've posted on that before, and it's still one of my favorites. The naan is a rare vegan find. It's the first time I've found naan without milk, so this is my first time trying naan! It's like other flatbreads. It has a slightly spongy texture much like a pancake or thick pita bread. It has a nice mild flavor that goes very well with the Spinach Dal. I will be eating this combination of foods again! Excellent!

Click here to see the Tasty Bite website

Amy's Roasted Vegetable Tamale

Another winner from Amy's! I licked the plate clean. This is vegan and non-GMO!

Click here to see the Amy's Kitchen website

Hummus and Salad Plate at Zoe's Kitchen

To make the Hummus and Salad Plate vegan I ordered it with no feta. I substituted the tzatziki sauce for the Israeli skhug sauce. I added falafel to make this meal more complete. I also substituted the pita for cucumber slices just to make it a bit healthier, but the pita is also vegan. This was a very good meal. I may do this again in the near future.

Click here to see Zoe's Kitchen website

Red Lentil Soup at I Love Juice Bar

This vegan soup from I Love Juice Bar was very thick. It was like eating refried beans. Calling it soup is stretching the truth. But the flavor was great. It tasted very natural and fresh with nice seasoning. It was cold outside, so this was just what I needed to stay warm.

Click here to see the I Love Juice Bar website

Jimmy John's Jimmy Chips

We had another catered gathering at work. It was a Jimmy John's lunch with no vegan sandwiches available. The only thing I could eat was the kettle style potato chips with mustard. I washed it down with cold tea. They were really good chips with a very firm crunch and a very hearty potato flavor. Check out the ingredients list on the front. That's a good list of simple ingredients: potatoes, peanut oil, salt. They're so proud of it they put it on the front. Very good!

Vegan Garlic Avocado Toast

This was surprisingly delicious! I started with my favorite Ezekiel sprouted bread. I used vegan Earth Balance butter alternative to butter it very well on top. Then I sprinkled it with Adobo seasoning and put it under the broiler. Just before the bread was toasted, I added Daiya cheddar cheese alternative and let that melt. When the "cheese" was melted and the bread was toasted I took it out and added chunks of avocado and tiny slices of a Peppadew sweet piquante pepper. This was and excellent vegan snack!