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.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Fermented Rose Bean Curd
I put some on rice crackers thinking I would make a nice snack of it. I was in for a big surprise!
The amount of flavor in the small chunk would flavor an entire pot of food! The texture was very smooth and soft like thick cake icing. The flavor was out of this world. I got an overwhelming alcohol flavor with a salty soy sauce flavor and rich hints of what almost tasted like coffee and chocolate. The flavor was good, but there was just too much of it. Once my mouth understood what was going on, it was strangely addictive in tiny amounts.
I then tried this product with a pot of noodles. This was it! Putting it in noodles is the way to go. This was really good!
Friday, March 29, 2019
Blackened Portabella Plate By Chef Will The Palate In Huntsville AL
Blackened Portabella Plate by Chef Will The Palate in Huntsville AL |
Homemade Vegan Cheese Burger
I added Just Mayo chipotle flavored mayonnaise alternative, fresh red onion, hydroponic lettuce, and cracked black pepper. Here's what the final product looked like.
This was great! The "meat" tasted real enough to satisfy but no so real that it was scary. The cheese was pretty close to being the same as real cheese. It took longer to melt. The buns were vegan, but no one would know the difference. This was a nice treat that did cost more than my average home-made meal, but was worth the price and effort.
Veggie Chili Bread Bowl at McAlister's Deli
McAlister's Deli has all the ingredients of the foods online. Go check it out for yourself!
Thursday, March 28, 2019
Lantana Beet Hummus
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Starlite Cuisine Vegan Bean & Cheese Enchiladas de Queso
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
All American With Sides At Sunflower Cafe In Nashville TN
Sunflower Cafe is at the southern end of a small, strange neighborhood of 1940s houses that have all been converted into businesses with parking in the front and back yards. They still look like cozy little houses, but the familiar feeling of home in the suburbs is slightly disturbed as if visiting an alternate reality. Sunflower Cafe is one of those converted houses. The entire house appears to have been gutted and opened up into large kitchen and dining areas. The exterior remains mostly in the form of a house with added rooms and decks. The photo below was taken from the back yard parking area. The entrance is at the back porch.
I was welcomed with a large menu board which was clearly marked for those with specific dietary needs. The buffet style line presented guests with an abundance of beautiful plant-based foods, each with a label for easy ordering. The menu is almost all vegan. They do have real cheese add-ons for those who are lacto-vegetarian.
I ordered the All American veggie burger. This plant-based high-rise included a house-made veggie patty with dill pickles, red onions, field greens, tomato, and Dusseldorf mustard spread.
Instead of being an imitation beef substitute, the veggie patty was a real veggie patty with what seemed to be carrots, beets, and other garden favorites. It was thick and soft with slightly crunchy edges. The taste was pleasant and mild. The bold pickles and spicy mustard spread offered contrast and balance. The fresh spinach leaves were noticeably thick and tasty. The flavorful pickles had spice and snap. The pressed bun was warm and solid. When eaten together, it all made a really nice meal. This sandwich was larger and more beautiful than I expected.
I wanted to try some good side items, so I told the nice lady it was my first visit, and I asked what sides she would recommend. She said the mashed potatoes "are phenomenal!". They don't usually have them, but it was a special veggie of the day. I will agree with her. Phenomenal! The potatoes were both creamy and chunky with potato peel and grilled onions scattered throughout. The warmth of this dish was pleasing. This was a real comfort food.
The guy behind me in line suggested the Pad Thai Salad. So I tried that too.
The Pad Thai Salad was served cold. The creamy sauce had delicate hints of peanut, soy sauce, and coffee. Coffee? That's what I tasted. But just a hint. The red and green peppers were raw, fresh, and crisp. This was some of the best Pad Thai noodles I've had.
The last item I got was a piece of jalapeno cornbread, a treat for later. It was also very good.
This visit was great! The food was some of the best plant-based foods I've found. The service was very fast and friendly. The vegan options were more than enough. The portion sizes were generous. The atmosphere was casual and relaxed. The dining area did seem a bit rough and well-used, but that's probably because the delicious food attracts so many people. The price for this meal was very high for my budget, but this was real food. Real food has a price.
I plan to return soon. I can see how this could become my new favorite restaurant. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to finally try Sunflower Cafe!
Click here to see the Sunflower Cafe website
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Vegan Pizza at Earth Fare
The tastes and textures were great. The vegan cheese looked and tasted like Follow Your Heart Mozzarella shreds. This can make 4 meals, which makes it $2.50 per meal. I ate part of this in the Earth Fare cafe and washed it down with the complimentary iced tea. Very good deal!
Miyoko's Vegan Cream Cheese
Monday, March 11, 2019
Hummus Pinwheels With Capers
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Vegan Jerk Tacos From Ale's Kitchen In Straight To Ale Brewery In Huntsville AL
Vegan Jerk Tacos from Ale's Kitchen in Straight To Ale Brewery in Huntsville AL |
Click here to see the Straight To Ale website
Vegan Black Bean Wrap At Chef Will The Palate In Huntsville AL
Vegan Black Bean Wrap at Chef Will The Palate in Huntsville AL |
Friday, March 8, 2019
Beanitos Restaurant Style
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Amy's Teriyaki Bowl
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
2019 Vegan Girl Scout Cookies, Thin Mints
BEWARE! The Tagalongs appear to be exactly the same as the Peanut Butter Patties but they are NOT VEGAN. They are made at the other bakery and contain milk. Also, don't get the Do-si-dos confused with the vegan Peanut Butter Patties. Do-si-dos are peanut butter sandwiches and are NOT VEGAN because they contain milk. And don't get the S'mores sandwich cookies confused with the vegan S'mores cookies. The S'mores sandwich cookies are NOT VEGAN because they contain milk.
Thin Mints are the only vegan ones I can find for sale in my area. I've had the others in the past. They're all very good. Thin Mints were always my second favorites after Samoas.
I got this information from the Girl Scouts Website.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Tempeh with Enchilada Sauce
Sunday, March 3, 2019
Gyro Pita Sandwich at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN
The Gyro Pita Sandwich is described on the menu as "Greek seasoned BE Hive seitan with grilled peppers and onions, tofu feta, cucumber, tomato, onion, lettuce, and our house cucumber yogurt dressing in a pita". A pleasant surprise was a generous number of kalamata olives hidden inside. This was great!
My side item was the Lentil Stew. It's a really good standard. I get it very often. The stew was as good as usual, but after eating the stew I noticed the bowl looked dirty. At first I thought it was just stained from black beans, but I was able to scratch the coating off with my finger nail. Like I said, I get this often, and I have never seen a coating under my stew anytime in the past. This was not residue from my bowl of stew. So this makes my first not-so-amazing experience at The Wild Cow.
I've been going to The Wild Cow for several years now, and this is the first time anything like this has happened. I would not want to scare anyone away from such a great vegan restaurant. I do hope this is not a new trend. I'm sure a little bit of vinegar would clean these bowls. I will return soon with the expectation that this freak accident will not be repeated.
Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website
Nori Bowl at I Love Juice Bar
Click here to see the I Love Juice Bar website
Devine Cocoa Smoothie from Graze in Nashville TN
Click here to see the Graze website