Lenny & Larry's Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Excellent vegan cookie!

Click here to see the Lenny And Larry's Website

Simply Nuts Boiled Peanuts in Asheville NC

I got some really good boiled peanuts from this vendor in Asheville NC. He gave me a free sample of the Cajun and plain. Cajun was the one for me. I bought a large serving for $6. I had enough for two days of snacking.

The friendly peanut vendor said he slow cooks the nuts for almost 24 hours. They were flavorful and perfectly softened. As with any boiled peanuts these were a bit messy to eat, but the mess is worth it. I would suggest finding this peanut cart if you're in town. These were some good nuts!

Home-made Vegan Nacho Cheese

Vegan nacho cheese is quick and easy to make. Just heat up some Daiya cheese sauce and mix in some green chiles and pemientos. If needed, add a very small amount of water or milk alternative to thin it out a bit.

Cuban Style Vegan Meal at Whole Foods

Whole Foods had a Cuban themed food bar. I loaded up on the veggies.

This meal included Cuban black beans, pineapple fried rice, fried plantain, rosemary sweet potato wedge, caraway cabbage, steamed broccoli, and maple glazed carrots. Everything was excellent except the rice. I don't know why but it had a fishy flavor and it freaked me out. The food at Whole Foods has the ingredients on the label. I saw nothing on the list that would be a fish derivative. Maybe they used a dirty pan.

Home-made Vegan Stroganoff

Shroom overdose! I made this using a recipe I found on the Forks Over Knives website, but I went heavier on the mushrooms and I used bow tie pasta instead of fettuccine. Also I used a mushroom blend instead of just two types. This was really good! Next time I will go lighter on the noodles. That creamy white wine sauce was excellent!

Raw Coconut

This was my first time eating raw coconut. I bought this one from a vendor at Mountain Top Flea Market in Attalla AL.

I was able to pour the fresh coconut water from a hole I made in the shell. Once the water was removed I cracked it in half and ate some of the coconut flesh. It was very mild in flavor with a rubbery texture. It wasn't what I expected, probably because the coconut I'm most familiar with is mechanically processed and sweetened. Once I adjusted to the mild flavor I did enjoy this snack. I had plenty, so I cut up the flesh and soaked it in rum.

A Vegan Bowl at Fresko Grille in Huntsville AL

I heard there was a new Greek restaurant in Huntsville's Stovehouse complex that had some vegan foods. I had to check it out. Once there I was pleased to see a very nice variety of vegan items. Look what I found.

A vegan bowl at Fresko Grille in Huntsville AL

Fresko Grille lets people pick several items from the bar. Here's how I chose from the menu:

PICK ONE BASE: Basmati Rice
PICK ONE PROTEIN: Falafel
PICK ONE SALAD: tabouli
SPREAD: Cilantro Hummus, Red pepper hummus
PICK AS MANY AS YOU LIKE VEGGIES: Spiced Chickpeas, pickled turnips, olives, carrots
SAUCE: tahini

This was awesome! There was so much freshness and flavor! This tasted like real classic Greek food. It's been so long since I've had this type of food. I forgot how good this stuff is.

I was a bit concerned about the way the falafel was prepared. Is it deep fried with something nasty and gross like chicken or lamb? I don't know. I was very trusting when I ordered it. It looked like the meats are cooked on the grill, and I did not see any other deep fried foods. I enjoyed everything about this bowl and hope to enjoy another one very soon.

My first impression was pretty good. I didn't spot the place right off because it's in a corner of the building and the sign was not as visible as I expected. I was confused about where to go to order the food. The restaurant is just a long narrow hallway with a kitchen on one side. Everything was very clean and new. I love that. The service was friendly. The price was higher than I expected. I almost chose to leave when I saw the prices because I wasn't really that hungry, but I'm glad I didn't leave. The food was worth the price. Like I said, the food was awesome. I will be back as soon as I can!

Click here to see the Fresko Grille website

A Vegan Lunch at Whiskey Trail BBQ & Steakhouse in Tullahoma TN

Once again I'm presenting a meal from a small town with limited vegan options. Tullahoma TN is not a vegan friendly town, but I did find this nice place that has a good salad bar and baked potato. I bought this meal at Whiskey Trail BBQ & Steakhouse. If you're familiar with Tullahoma, this is in the building where Crockett's Roadhouse was.

I made myself a good salad at the all-you-can-eat salad bar. I put every vegan item on here for you to see. It's really a pretty good selection of items. The only big disappointment was they had no vegan dressing, not even oil and vinegar. I ate it dry with a sprinkle of black pepper. 

The salad bar option comes with "the soup of the day" which will never be vegan. It's the same price whether you get it or not. You can tell the server you'll skip the soup completely or you can share the soup with a non-vegan lunch partner if you have one.

As I finished up the bowl of salad, my hot baked potato arrived. The server said the potatoes are cooked separately, so no there's no meat juices on the potatoes. I had to order this one "with nothing on it, just a plain potato, not even butter". It was perfectly prepared and it tasted great with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Also, the sweet iced tea was better than average. I paid $11.82 plus a good tip for this meal. I thought it was over-priced for what I ordered, but it was pretty good. I did eat well with this meal, and this was much better than the fast food vegan options in town.

The service was friendly and fast. The food was fresh. The restaurant was clean. The atmosphere was relaxed and casual. The only vegan options at Whiskey trail are right here on this page, but it's good to know an herbivore can eat well in Tullahoma. This place has plenty of great choices for omnivores. If the family needs a good meal before spending the afternoon at Splash Island, Whiskey Trail is a good choice. It's just around the corner on Wilson Ave.

Vegan Rob's Beet Puffs

These Beet Puffs are really good! The flavor is mild. The texture is very much like regular cheesy puffs. They're light and crunchy. I like these enough to buy them frequently.

Engine 2 Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I scooped some Engine 2 roasted red pepper hummus with Food Should Taste This Good multigrain tortilla chips. This hummus was really good!

Beer at New Belgium Brewing in Asheville NC

I made my way to the New Belgium Brewing Company in Asheville NC. I was there to share fun times with another vegan. Here you see our drinks; Fat Tire Belgian White on the left and 1554 on the right. Vegans can drink beer too! Just be careful. Check with the brewery about the vegan status of the beer. Some beers are filtered with fish bladder or bone ash. And others such as milk stout do contain milk. These two are safe!

Smashed Potatoes, Granny's Gravy, Sautéed Kale, and Pinto Beans at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC

I returned to one of my very favorite vegan restaurants, Rosetta's Kitchen, in the weird and beautiful city of Asheville NC. Here's a smaller meal that included three a la carte items. If you want to eat like the vegan angels in heaven, go to Rosetta's and order this!

This amazing plate of food included:

• Smashed Potatoes with Granny's Gravy made with olive oil and nutritional yeast
  

• Sautéed Kale with onions, garlic, and Braggs

• Pinto Beans Savory organic beans with onion s and garlic

This was all fantastic! It was a perfect meal! I will daydream about this until I return!

A Vegan Breakfast at Comfort Inn

I had this perfectly acceptable vegan breakfast at Comfort Inn near Asheville NC. The other guests had plenty of non-vegan items from which to choose. So we were all satisfied!

First, I opened a paper envelop containing plain grits, not bacon, not buttered. I used the coffee maker to add the hot water. I stirred well and added salt.

I toasted a plain bagel, then got one of those little single serving containers of peanut butter for my topping. They also had grape jam, but I was in a peanut butter mood. I also made a cup of black coffee with sugar.

They had fruit, so on the way back up to the room I grabbed a banana and made another cup of coffee. I was happy to see ripe bananas that were ready to eat. I do not like hard green bananas. This one was perfect.

This was all pretty good. It sure beats eating peanuts from the vending machine. Everything was fresh. The breakfast bar was clean. The attendant was friendly.