Vegan Cocktail; Tootsie Roll Shot

I made this vegan shot simply by combining Kahlua coffee liqueur and orange juice. It tastes just like a Tootsie Roll candy! Ironically, Tootsie Roll candies are NOT vegan. They contain milk and whey.

After consuming a few of these, the cylindrical glass full of light brown fluid will actually look very much like the unwrapped candy.

Taco Rice Bowl From Hippea Camper In Huntsville AL

This is one of my favorites at Hippea Camper. The Taco Rice bowl includes basmati rice, meatless crumbles, black beans, vegan sour cream, vegan cheddar cheese, lettuce, avocado, and homemade hot salsa. This is probably the best food in town at the moment. I added a Hippea Camper lemonade to make the meal complete.

Taco Rice Bowl From Hippea Camper in Huntsville AL

Click here to see the Hippea Camper website

Gardein Chick'n Sliders With Vegenaise And Lettuce

I've posted about these wonderful little sandwiches before. This time I went with a traditional style and added Follow Your Heart Vegenaise and lettuce. These are so good I could eat the entire box!

 

Click here to see the Gardein website

A Home-made Salad At 1 AM

Late night snacks can be healthy. I just made this raw vegan salad with sliced iceberg lettuce, tomato chunks, diced mushrooms, green onions, cilantro, canned black olives, crushed black pepper, Weber's Kick'n Chicken Seasoning, and Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. All of these ingredients were just leftover from other meal preparations. I just threw in what I could find, and it was great!

Brad's Vampire Killer Crunchy Kale

More good stuff from Brad's! Vampire Killer Kale is non-GMO, organic, and vegan!

Click here to see the Brad's Plant Based Snacks website

Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips and Cashew Queso

This snack consisted of two outstanding Siete products. Both products shown are of course vegan. I've posted before about the flavored Siete tortilla chips. Those left me with a pleasant memory, therefore I was compelled to try two more Siete products.

Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips With Sea Salt
These tortilla chips are grain, soy, dairy, and gluten free. These are non-GMO. They're vegan and paleo. But no one would ever know if they didn't read the bag. These chips are nice and crisp. They're made with cassava flour, and the flavor is a bit lighter than regular corn tortillas. Corn based chips seem a bit harsh to the mouth and digestive system compared to these. There is a slight oil aftertaste, just as other chips usually have. But this seems different, maybe because it's made with avocado oil. These chips just seem to be nicer to the body without sacrificing the pleasure that comes with tortilla chips. I like these.

Siete Cashew Queso
This queso is among the best plant-based cheeses I've tried. This product is grain, soy, dairy, and gluten free. It's also vegan and paleo. This has a cool red pepper flavor with a slightly smokey aftertaste. I sense the presence of the cashews, but almost subconsciously. The texture is smooth, but not silky smooth like the queso made with cattle mammary fluids. This seems more pureed, almost thick. I really like this queso. Together with the grain free chips, this makes a perfect snack.

Click here to see the Siete Foods website

Victoria Vegan Alfredo Arugula Pesto

Victoria Vegan Alfredo Arugula Pesto sauce makes an easy meal. And this stuff is good!

I poured some into a pot of vegan pasta. I had a tasty meal in just a few minutes.

This is one of the better sauces I've tried lately. Victoria Vegan has other sauces too. This was not cheap. I paid over $7 for the jar of sauce. But considering how many servings this will make, it's really not that much. Better sauce is worth that price anyway.

With so many new vegan options out there, there's really no good reason to abuse and murder animals for our meals. Food like this is why I don't miss my omnivorous past life.

Click here to see the Victoria Pasta Sauces website

Home-made Vegan Fish And Chips

I used firm tofu and seaweed along with lemon juice, soy sauce, and light seasoning to create these vegan fish-like fillets. I lightly dusted them with flour and fried them in the skillet with avocado oil.

I cut up 2 small potatoes and seasoned them before baking them on high heat.

The vegan tartar sauce is made with Follow Your Heart Vegenaise, dill weed, lemon juice, and a tiny bit of hotdog relish.

This is really fun to make, and it tastes great. It's inexpensive to make too. It takes about an hour from start to finish to get this meal, but it is worth the effort.

Loma Linda Chipotle Bowl With Black Beans

I tried Loma Linda Chipotle Bowl With Black Beans for the first time. This one caught me by surprise. This was very hot! I enjoyed it completely, but I just didn't expect the heat. This bowl was loaded with tasty veggies. There was also some chewy bits in there. I didn't expect that either. I didn't care for that texture, but the flavor was great. This is a good veggie bowl, but be careful with this one. Have a side of guacamole on hand to tame that heat.

The microwave bag was convenient. I have mixed feelings about the heating of plastics, but this did make cooking easy.

Vegan Cocktail; Screwdriver

Yes! Screwdrivers are vegan! Just put some ice in a glass and pour in some vodka and orange juice. For special occasions, garnish this with a slice of lime or orange. I was drinking alone in a dark house, so I skipped the garnish.

A standard Screwdriver contains 2 oz of vodka, but I used a larger double old fashioned glass. To make the recipe accurate I had no choice but to add more vodka, thus making this a more uplifting drink to consume.

According to what I have read, orange juice is loaded with vitamin C and is good for boosting the immune system, and vodka helps ease stress and anxiety. Personally, I have come to the conclusion that this is a drink that promotes good health and well-being. But you shouldn't trust a drunk blogger. Try it and see the results. Think of it as a scientific experiment. Maybe repeat the experiment several times for maximum accuracy.

Home-made Barbecue Boca Sandwich With Slaw

Boca Original Veggie Crumbles was the base of this sandwich filling. I used a Carolina style barbecue sauce along with diced onions, mushrooms, and peppers. I also added some secret ingredients. The filling rested upon a grilled vegan potato bun. It was topped with dill pickle slices and yellow mustard. A side of heavily peppered slaw was made as a side, but it made an excellent topping for the sandwich. This plant-based meal was the best I've had in a while, and I'm very satisfied with the results.

Boca Veggie Crumbles can be cooked as a ground beef replacement. The texture and taste is similar to beef. When seasoned, meat eaters will not know the difference unless they seek out the cartilage and vein particles found in ground beef. Boca is a great plant-based alternative. This sandwich is just one example of the many ways Boca crumbles can be used.

Annie Chun's Udon Soup Bowl

This udon soup bowl is good. Annie Chun's has several vegan noodle bowls. But be careful. Not all Annie Chun's bowls are vegan.

 

Click here to see the Annie Chun's website

Deep River Kettle Cooked Chips, Rosemary & Olive Oil

Excellent! Very flavorful! Gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO!

Bread Winner From Hippea Camper In Huntsville AL

The Bread Winner is toast with avocado mash, tomato, red pepper flakes, and microgreens. This is another good product from Hippea Camper, the plant-based food truck in Huntsville.

Bread Winner from Hippea Camper in Huntsville AL

Click here to see the Hippea Camper website

Fresh Gourmet Roasted Garlic Focaccia Croutons On A Home-made Salad

This is my first time trying the Fresh Gourmet Roasted Garlic Focaccia Croutons. I put them on a simple home-made salad that consisted of mixed greens, red pepper slices, tomato chunks, alfalfa sprouts, and a vegan dressing.

Some of the crouton pieces are a bit larger than I'd prefer, but that's not a big deal. They had a nice crunch. The taste was fresh with a yeasty garlic aftertaste. I picked up on a hint of rosemary. There's a slightly butter mouthfeel afterward because of the canola and sunflower oil. This really added texture to my salad. These are good!

Fresh Gourmet has other good options for herbivores, but be careful. Many of their products contain milk. Also, the nutritional information label says this product has 30 calories for one serving of 2 table spoons. That's just funny. One piece could be all that will fit on a spoon. I don't want to crush my croutons and use a table spoon to measure my serving size. I just ate half the bag. That made it an easy calculation of 270 calories.

A Take-out Lunch At Ruchi In Huntsville AL

Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, I was required to order take-out only at Ruchi. There's a few picnic tables outside, so that worked out fine. This was my first visit to Ruchi. I ordered Bagara Baingan and Aloo Gobi. Each item came with a side of rice in a separate container.

Bagara Baingan
 
This dish was described as baby eggplant sauteed in a peanut masala sauce. It was clearly marked vegan on the menu. The sauce was surprisingly spicy and hot. That's okay. I loved it! It was full of wonderful flavor layers. The eggplant was soft. The sauce texture was similar to applesauce. The flavors were harmonious. I needed the rice with this one. It was hot! I'll be getting this one again later.

Aloo Gobi

The Aloo Gobi was mild and equally tasty. It was described as potato and cauliflower in a masala sauce. It too was clearly marked vegan on the menu. I got mostly cauliflower in this one. I would have enjoy having more potatoes, but this was completely satisfying just as it was if I had not expected more potatoes. This was another great choice. Very good!


My first visit to Ruchi in Huntsville was great. I wish the COVID-19 pandemic had not robbed me of the pleasure of eating inside and getting drink refills and table service. The restaurant interior appeared to be clean with a good choice of decorations. The service was great. The price was reasonable for the quality of the food. The serving sizes were generous. I especially liked the menu being marked for vegans. I am conscious of the fact that the fried foods listed as vegan may share frying oil with the meats, so very strict vegans should probably avoid those items or at least ask about them before ordering. I enjoyed my lunch at Ruchi and hope to return soon!

Vegan Chili Cheese Dog

I built this delicious vegan meal with a Field Roast Frankfurter on a wheat bun. The plant-based nacho cheese was made by combining Daiya Deluxe Cheddar Cheeze Sauce and a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chilies. The chili was leftover home-made chili made from cans of beans and a chili seasoning mix.

Nacho Platter at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC

Since this came from Rosetta's kitchen, you may assume I thought this was awesome. Because everything at Rosetta's Kitchen is awesome! And everything is vegan too! These nachos are some of the best I've ever had anywhere as an herbivore.

Click here to see the Rosetta's Kitchen website

Tacupeto Chips & Salsa Corn Chips With Tacupeto Hatch Salsa

Here I present to you another vegan snack. I found two Tacupeto products in my local Sprouts store. Both products are unlike my normal chips and salsa selections. I was in the mood to try something different. I'm glad I did. These were both good.

Tacupeto Chips & Salsa Corn Chips

These are thicker and heavier than my usual chips. The flavor is earthy and very corny with a heavier oil finish, similar to homemade tortilla chips. These were fresh, crisp, and lightly salted. If you need or prefer a sturdy chip, this will be perfect. While I usually do prefer a lighter chip, I very much enjoyed consuming these. It was good to try something new. The chips are labeled as non-GMO, so that makes them even better.

Tacupeto Hatch Salsa

This salsa is very flavorful. It tastes like it's fresh from the garden. This thick and chunky salsa has a very bold, earthy, smokey, Hatch chili pepper flavor. It's mild, not really hot at all. I enjoyed this product also. The smokey flavor is not something I usually seek out, but it's nice to have variety.

Both products seem to be of high quality and made with real ingredients that our great-grand parents would recognize. This makes me feel like I'm eating real food made by real people. I do prefer lighter flavors and textures, but these products are good for mixing things up a bit. I'll buy these again.