A Vegan Sandwich With Tofurky, Daiya, And JUST Mayo

Dave's Killer Bread, JUST Mayo, Daiya cheddar slices, and hickory smoked Tofurky. If this had hydroponic lettuce and non-GMO tomato slices on it this would be a perfect sandwich!

Resources For Plant-based Living

Here's a list of documentaries you may want to see if you're thinking about trying a healthy plant-based lifestyle. I will warn you. The last ones on the list are very disturbing, disgusting, and sad. I almost wish I never saw them, but these do need to be seen. Just to be fair, I will mention that parts of some documentaries seem to use debatable information or include opinions presented as facts. Overall, I believe this list offers a great introduction to the lifestyle, can help people see why people like me eat they way we do, and offers reasons to be more mindful about food and the systems that create it.

Food, Inc.
Veducated
Eating You Alive
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
What The Health
Secret Ingredients
Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of Our Lives
In Defense of Food
Supersize Me
Forks Over Knives
Fed Up
Food Choices
Hungry For Change
Sugar Coated
Cowspiracy
Speciesism
Meet Your Meat
Earthlings

Vegan Cheese Grits And Gimme Lean Vegan Sausage

I found some Bob's Red Mill organic grits. I cooked that and added Daiya cheddar shreds to make vegan cheese grits. I added two fried slices of Gimme Lean vegan sausage to make this tasty breakfast.

Vegan Rob's Tumeric Chips

Vegan. Gluten-free. Non-GMO. Very crunchy and tasty. A perfect snack!

Lance Toasty Crackers Are Not Vegan

Here's why vegans should always read ingredients lists every time a familiar product will be consumed, even if the product is known to be plant-based or vegan.

The ingredients list on Lance Toasty crackers has changed. In the recent past, these crackers were labeled as being manufactured in a shared facility with milk products, but the list never actually included a milk ingredient. Today I received this bag of non-food from a vending machine. I can't eat this, but my 65 cents will not be a waste. I'll just share these with my canine friends. They love peanut butter.

This is really sad. I know of only 2 other Lance products I can eat. I know this vending machine garbage shouldn't be eaten anyway, but I was in the middle of a hard day of work. I really needed a snack. This is a major disappointment. But look at the other nasty stuff in that ingredients list. I'm better off without it.

Homemade Soyrizo Enchiladas

I used El Burrito Soyrizo, left-over enchilada sauce, Sprouts corn tortillas, Daiya vegan "cheddar", and dehydrated green onions from my garden to make this comfort meal. This was good!

Home-made Bhindi Masala

I used leftovers to make this Bhindi Masala, and I poured it onto Basmati rice. I don't even remember everything I put in this. It did include home-grown okra. I went mild on the heat, heavy on the spice, and light on the sweetness. This was pretty good for leftovers!

Home-made Fried Batter

Back when I was living in poverty in my non-vegan days, one thing I could order from Captain D's was the cracklin. For 25 cents I could get a whole box of fried batter. Yes. Fried batter. That's all it is. It's not healthy, I know. But it's good and it's cheap! So I tried to make some at home. Mine is not nearly as good because it's just flour and water poured into hot oil. My texture and shapes are not right either. I'm sure Captain D's has a nice blend of non-vegan ingredients.

Avocado Sandwich Combo at Which Wich

Which Wich is a very vegan friendly restaurant. They have vegan and vegetarian menu items clearly labeled. The website has plenty of in-your-face vegan information. They have 3 vegan sandwich choices and plenty of vegan toppings and sauces. And the food is great!

This time I got the Avocado Sandwich on white bread (remember, the wheat bread contains honey). I ordered it with lettuce tomato, roasted red peppers, red onions, black olives, spinach, spicy mustard, salt, black pepper, oregano, and of course avocado. I made it a combo with a drink and Which Wich House Chips. This was excellent!

More Hummus And Veggies At Mellow Mushroom

The hummus plates have changed a few times over the last few years at Mellow Mushroom. This is what it looked like last time I ordered it, and it was awesome, as usual.

They now have a fixed set of veggies that come with it unless you request something different. In the past I'd have to ask for veggies instead of pita (because the pita had milk in it). Now the pita is vegan, and the veggies option is on the menu. I like the improvements! 

Click here to see the Mellow Mushroom website

Wild Reuben at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

The Wild Reuben Sandwich is another awesome lunch choice at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant!

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Cinnamon Twists At Taco Bell

Yes, they are vegan!

  Click here to see the Taco Bell website

Safie's Sweet Pickled Beets

Ben & Jerry's Non-dairy Peanut Butter Half Baked

This is a wonderful vegan ice cream treat. Ben & Jerry's has another winner here!

Click here to see the Ben & Jerry's website

Cinco de Mayo 2019 at Chuy's Tex-Mex in Huntsville AL

To celebrate this Cinco de Mayo I went to Chuy's Tex-Mex. This was my first time at Chuy's. The restaurant was bright, clean, loud, and decorated with an abundance of dog photography and weird dog themed art. There was a slight 1950's vibe created by the nacho bar built from a 1957 Chevy trunk, retro space-age Chuy's logo, mid-century styled seating, and Elvis painting.

I spoke with a very knowledgeable server about vegan options. I will present to you my meal and what I was told about the vegan foods available. First, let's admire this beautiful plate full of plant-based foods.

Veggie Enchiladas at Chuy's Tex-Mex in Huntsville AL

This Veggie Enchilada meal included 2 roasted veggie enchiladas with refried beans and green chile rice with a small garnish of spinach, lettuce, pico de gallo, and jalapeno slices. I made it vegan by ordering it without cheese. This food was excellent in every possible way, except for the price. This was the best Tex-Mex food I've had in a while. The enchiladas were flavorful with a nice variety of textures. The ranchero sauce was rich and smooth. The veggies were fresh and slightly firm. The corn tortillas were soft with a slight stretch when pulled. Here's a detail of the enchilada with the top pulled off.

Veggie Enchiladas at Chuy's Tex-Mex in Huntsville AL

The mostly blended beans tasted very fresh and clean. The rice was fresh with a nice chile flavor, a hint of lime, and a mild amount of heat.

Refried beans at Chuy's Tex-Mex in Huntsville AL

Mexican rice at Chuy's in Huntsville AL

I added a side of salsa just to try it. The salsa tasted very fresh and natural. It was a bit watery with crisp chunks. The serrano pepper made it very hot! But the taste was excellent.

Salsa at Chuy's Tex-Mex in Huntsville AL

Of course, I had to get a margarita for Cinco de Mayo. I chose the blackberry frozen margarita. It tasted great with a real fruit taste, but I didn't taste any alcohol in it, and the price was over $9! It was a refreshing drink, but anyone who wanted to get happy on this would only get a smile and would need to spend $30 more to even get a giggle.

Blackberry frozen margarita at Chuy's Tex-Mex in Huntsville AL

Now for the vegan details starting with the bad news. The server told me that all fried foods share the same frying oil. So all crunchy fried items are contaminated with fish, chicken, shrimp, etc. Also, the flour tortillas are made in-house with whey, which is a milk derivative. So burritos, soft tacos on flour tortillas, and fajitas are not vegan.

Here's the really good news. The roasted veggies are vegan because they're cooked with a soy-based margarine, the soft blue and yellow corn tortillas are both vegan, both refried and charro beans are vegan, and both Mexican and Green Chile rices are vegan. That's a pretty good selection of vegan items!

Here's the meal recommendations for a vegan at Chuy's Tex-Mex:

• Vegetarian Soft Taco meal (yellow or blue corn tortillas) without cheese, plus your choice of any beans and any rice
• Veggie Enchilada meal (yellow or blue corn tortillas) without cheese, plus your choice of any beans and any rice
• Soft yellow or blue corn tortillas with salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole as an appetizer

The quality of this meal was greater than expected. The number of vegan options impressed me, especially with the beans and rice, but I was disappointed that the chips were not something I would want to eat as a strict vegan. This meal did cost more than I would normally want to pay, but the freshness and quality of the food made it worth the price. Next time I'll skip the overpriced slushy and get tea. And there will be a next time. This meal was great!

Foodstirs Snickerdoodle Blondie Mix

This box of Foodstirs Snickerdoodle Blondie Mix was in the clearance area of the grocery store. I didn't even know what a snickerdoodle was, but I was glad to see this because it was clearly labeled as vegan. However the instructions say to add eggs and butter. That doesn't make a bit of sense to me, but whatever. I just used a vegan egg replacement powder and Earth Balance vegan butter alternative.

This turned out to be very good, and it was easy to make. This was very sweet so I cut it into bite-sized pieces. The flavor and texture was great! I should have purchased more boxes while they were discounted. I believe these are worth the full price though. Now I know to look for them when I have a craving.

I really liked this product. The only issue I have with it is the instructions telling me to put disgusting things in my vegan food. This was a nice treat with vegan ingredients!

Bama Q Tamales at Delta Blues Hot Tamales in Birmingham AL

Because my last visit was more than satisfactory, I returned to Delta Blues Hot Tamales in Birmingham AL. This time I got the Bama Q tamales. This was excellent! It was so good it made me wish I had grown an extra stomach.

The Bama Q tamales are vegan if ordered with black bean filling. My black bean tamales were topped with spicy barbecue sauce, tangy slaw, and pickle slices, and they were served on corn husks. My choice of side was the slaw. This was all vegan! While Delta Blues Hot Tamales is not a vegetarian restaurant, they do have some vegan and vegetarian foods. I believe two more visits will conclude my exploration of the vegan options available at Delta Blues. So I'll be back!

Click here to see the Delta Blues Hot Tamales menu

Gas Station Snack; Ritz and Milo's Tea

I was in Huntland TN, which is an old rural town. The only places to find food there is a gas station and a dollar store. I found this at the gas station.

Vegans, you may not like Huntland. This gas station was decorated with animal heads and photos of hunters posing their victims.

A Large Bowl Of Beans And Rice At Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill

I ordered a bowl of beans and rice as usual. But this time they gave me the big bowl. That's much more food for the same price. Nice!

Click here to see the Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill website

Carolina Style Vegan Hot Dog

In the Carolinas, the hot dog often comes with chili and slaw. I made a vegan version. This was really good!

To make this I used Lightlife plant-based hot dogs, some home-made chili, home-made slaw, and a vegan bun. Search my blog if you want details about my home-made chili and slaw. I've posted about those in the past.