Another vegan Thanksgiving is here. It's a day to be grateful and appreciative for the simple things in life. I prefer to focus on things like silent moments, gentle breezes, my favorite jacket, memories of life on the beach in the winter, the good people who are part of my amazing life story, and good plant-based foods. I shared my food with the family. Here is my part of the celebratory meal.
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.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Vegan Thanksgiving 2021
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Vegan Avocado Hors d'oeuvres
These Simple Truth crackers are topped with Treeline Herb Garlic plant-based spread and chucks of avocado. This tasty vegan snack is a very easy way to get the party started. Your non-vegan guests will think you've fallen off the vegan wagon, because Treeline plant-based spread tastes very much like the real thing.
Monday, November 22, 2021
Hippea Pot Pie from Hippea Camper in Huntsville AL
Hippea Camper in Huntsville AL had a new menu item, and I just had to try it. Take a look at this vegan pot pie!
Hippea Pot Pie from Hippea Camper in Huntsville AL |
Upon first receiving this perfectly sized plant based meal, I glanced down at what was in my hand. Quickly I walked away like a shoplifting thief, knowing that I had just acquired something very good and that I would have no intentions of sharing. I wanted to inspect this in privacy, so I sat on a brightly painted bench away from others.
The crusty layered top coating of this pie reduced in size during the cooking process, allowing the creamy veggie-filled interior to peek out and tease me. I wasted no time with it. I went straight for the filling.
The guts of this pie included a thick gravy-like filling with chunks of vegan chick'n and all the veggies anyone would want in a pot pie. It was fantastic! I went for the crust. Also excellent! It looked like a blanket of lasagna noodles with some type of savory sauce on it. I'm really not sure. All of this was so good I didn't take the time to study it. I was just blissfully entranced and shamelessly gobbled it up like a B-movie zombie eating fresh human brains.
A conclusion is probably unnecessary. I clearly enjoyed this pot pie. The price was a bit high at $12, but it was worth it.
Just a reminder. Everything at Hippea Camper is vegan, and the food is always great.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN
I decided to try the Mexiville restaurant on Market St in Chattanooga. I already posted about the Cherokee Blvd location. Mexiville is one of the very rare Mexican restaurants with a vegan menu. The server at the Cherokee Blvd location was confident that the vegan food was actually completely vegan. I assumed the visit to this location would be similar.
This location is easy to find, but the small Mexiville sign is not. Go to the intersection of Market St and W. 8th St, then look in a southwestern direction. Find the attractive building with Art Deco detailing. There it is!
The first thing I saw inside was a full bar. The ceiling is very high with highly decorative antique ceiling panels. The other areas were simple with plenty of wood furnishings. There's a bench running along the left side. I assumed that's used as seating at night when the tables are pushed away and the dancing starts. Mexiville looks like it's just as much a bar as it is a restaurant.
When visiting non-vegan restaurants I often ask about what is vegan even when there's a vegan menu because many people think vegan and vegetarian are synonymous. At Mexican restaurants I must ask about the use of butter in fried foods and rice, lard in the beans and chips, chicken fat in the rice, real cheese as a garnish, etc. The server was unsure about what was and was not vegan. After asking the server to check on some things, I was told the following meal was vegan. But the server was not as confident and convincing as I would prefer.
I enjoyed the good sweet tea, chips, and salsa as I waited. I forgot to ask if the chips were vegan, but the other location told me they are, and I didn't taste anything that would make me think they were cooked in lard. The salsa was mild with mostly tomatoes. It was good.
Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN |
Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN |
Side of Beans, Rice, and Guacamole Salad at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN |
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Home-made Vegan Crumpet with Tea
I made home-made vegan crumpets from a recipe I found online. This was very spongy with a crisp ring on the edge. Very good! I used an egg ring to make it look nice and pretty. I topped this crumpet with 100% real maple syrup and a small scoop of Earth Balance Buttery Spread.
My tea was Tetley British Blend with raw cane sugar and almond milk.
Saturday, November 6, 2021
Vegan Nachos at Moe's Southwest Grill in Cullman AL
Moe's Southwest Grill was celebrating Nation Nacho Day with $4.99 nachos. I stumbled onto this deal by accident. I didn't know there was a Nation Nacho Day. I had no plans to be in Cullman AL or at Moe's, but good things happen when you relax and go with the flow of the universe.
The ladies at Moe's let me choose whatever I wanted as toppings. I chose black beans, pinto beans, seasoned rice, onions, tofu, lettuce, and cilantro. I got some salsa on the side from the salsa bar.
According to my research and past experience, everything presented here is vegan and absolutely delicious. The serving size was more than enough for one meal. The service was great.
This was another positive experience at Moe's. The people of Cullman AL are always so nice.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Staff of Life Vegan Cafe / Kara's Kitchen and Bed and Breakfast in Cherokee AL
This entry is photographic documentation of my first visit to Staff of Life Vegan Cafe, also know as Kara's Kitchen. In the small town of Cherokee AL, hidden inside this early twentieth century mansion called the Easterwood House, amazing vegan foods are carefully crafted and served by kind and welcoming people.
The Easterwood House in Cherokee AL was originally built in about 1905 on a 12 acre lot as a wedding gift from Dr and Mrs William Cross to their daughter and son-in law Mannie and Herbert Harris. Now it is a bed and breakfast with most of the first floor being used as dining rooms and kitchen for Staff of Life Vegan Cafe. The house is amazing with large rooms, tall ceilings, and wood detailing everywhere.
The smokey smell of fireplace and home-cooked foods made the old mansion feel like home. The air was a bit chilly in some areas, but the fireplaces were alive and warm in the two front rooms.
Soothing jazz guitar music played as I appreciated the beautiful mansion and the view of the pond through the window. There was a wait time of about 20-30 minutes. Hand-crafted food made from scratch takes some time. Everything at Staff of Life is vegan. The chef is talented and experienced with knowledge of not just vegan food but also nutrition.
Black Bean Soup at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL |
Sweet Potato Biscuit with Sausage at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL |
Double Decker Chicken Sandwich at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL |
Butter Pecan Cake at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL |
Monday, November 1, 2021
A Vegan Breakfast at Dunkin Donuts
Because my body is most balanced and satisfied with plant material as fuel, I don't often eat popular breakfast foods. Typical breakfast food in the US consists almost entirely of fried dead animals and various other concoctions involving body fluids or reproductive tissues. If I have breakfast at all it is usually something like peanut butter on saltines or just black coffee.
I wanted to try something new for breakfast. Dunkin added vegan items to the menu, so I figured I'd give them a visit.
My vegan breakfast order included:
1. A large coffee with oat milk
2. Avocado Toast
3. A plain English muffin with strawberry jam
This was a really good meal. I was very impressed by the flavor of the coffee with oat milk. It's the best coffee I've had in a while. It seems that Dunkin knows coffee. The avocado toast was very good. The tangy, lemon-garlic avocado spread was a treat. The sourdough bread had a really nice yeasty flavor. It was chewy around the edge, as it should be. The English muffin was bland. I guess its placement on the menu is mainly to support the heavier, non-vegan toppings. The strawberry jam made it worth the price as a secondary item.
Overall, this was all much better than expected. Dunkin is becoming more inviting to vegans with these breakfast options. I plan to return for more, whenever they aren't so crowded.