Vegan Liquid Part 3

Liquid Vegan Part 2

This blog entry highlights some of the many vegan beverage options. I just picked some of my own favorites. These drinks do not contain blood, pus, or bee vomit. Drink up!

This is Pepsi the way it was years ago, with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I hope this product stays around. This is hard to find in my current area. This has a cleaner finish than regular Pepsi. Go get some now to experience the refreshing, bubbly drink that made PepsiCo one of the largest companies in the U.S.

Pepsi made with cane sugar

I got this kombucha flight at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC. This is a nice sample from the Buchi brand kombucha.

Buchi Kombucha flight at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC.

Sioux City Birch Beer is another excellent cane sugar sweetened drink. This one is fresh and crisp with a clean finish. This tastes very much like root beer. Very flavorful!

Sioux City Birch Beer

This coffee was made with natural cane sugar and almond milk. These Biscoff cookies are vegan too. What a great snack!

coffee with almond milk, sugar, and Biscoff cookies

For those who like adult beverages, vegans can have those too! This screwdriver is just orange juice and vodka. Vegans need to watch out for liquors that are processed with bone char and fish bladder. Also make sure drinks made at the bar do not contain milk or raw eggs. Keep it simple.

screwdriver

This is another sugar cane soft drink. Every one of the Boylan products I've tried is very good; better than the more popular brands. Some people, including myself, prefer real sugar cane in soft drinks because it tastes much better than corn syrup, and sugar cane is usually non-GMO.

Shirley Temple by Boylan Bottling Co

Stumptown Original Cold Brew Coffee has a bold, unsweetened flavor, and the aftertaste is not as bitter as other coffees. This is another good vegan drink!

Stumptown Cold Brew Coffee

Vegan Options on a Carnival Valor Cruise in 2023

This post is provided as photographic documentation of my own experience as an herbivore aboard the Carnival Valor cruise ship in 2023 so that potential vegan and vegetarian Carnival cruisers will have more information about the plentiful availability of plant-based foods onboard.

DAY 1

BlueIguana Cantina

Before my cruise, I found information stating that BlueIguana Cantina was the place to go for vegan and vegetarian burritos and tacos. This was my first stop and first cruise meal once I boarded the ship.

Apparently the information I found online about BlueIguana Cantina was incorrect. I personally was told that the beans have chicken fat in them and the rice has butter in it. I was told the only vegan options are corn tortillas, the vegetable toppings, and the many salsas at the toppings bar. So my first meal was 2 corn tortillas with pico de gallo, lettuce, cilantro, and salsa. While this was a good snack to enjoy as I waited for the cruise to start, it was a bit disappointing considering that I thought this would be my main dining spot during the 5 day cruise. I became very concerned that this may be as good as it would get for me. Vegans, don't stop reading. It gets much better than this.

The Washington Dining Room

Before the cruise, I read that I should contact the dining room staff or maître d' to request meal options ahead of time. The ship is huge, and I had no idea where to go to do that. I was able to find the dining rooms, but the large multi-leveled dining rooms were empty at the time of my arrival. I decided I'd just go with the flow, wait for dinner time, and optimistically go from there.

At dinner, I saw vegetarian options for each course and each meal. I asked the waitress if those items are or could be altered to be vegan. She said my selections were vegan. This is my first serving; Mixed Greens salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

The main course was called Featured Indian Vegetarian and included lentils, basmati rice, papadam, chutney, and raita. The waitress was incorrect about this being vegan. The raita was made with milk, and I could not eat that. The rest of the meal appeared to be safe. It was excellent. This was loaded with the bold flavors experienced at a good Indian restaurant.

After this first satisfying meal I was able to request the vegan meal options for the entire cruise. From that point on, the dining room staff knew to prepare the vegan "Chef's Special" options for each of my meals. They know ahead of time to prepare something special. If you get this meal plan you need to be there each evening or let them know when you will not be there. But you will want to be there. The dinners are awesome! 

 

Rosie's Restaurant

There's drink stations with unlimited coffee, tea, water, and lemonade located in several places around Rosie's Restaurant, which is the buffet service area on the lido deck. These drinks seem to be available at all times. Fruit juices are also available for breakfast service. I had evening tea and took it to the Serenity deck for a peaceful moment.

DAY 2

Rosie's Restaurant

I started the day early at the buffet in Rosie's Restaurant. Vegan items found include plain grits (yay, no butter in them), several kinds of fresh fruit, several breads and toasts, and toppings such as peanut butter and jam. I enjoyed mine with coffee, and then orange juice.

Everything about this breakfast was great. I had plenty to eat, and my worries of starving on this cruise were completely gone. Vegans can eat well on Carnival Valor!

 

I returned for lunch, this time enjoying a plain baked potato sprinkled with cracked black pepper, a side of onions and peppers, and some hot sauce.

 

The buffet has a large salad area with anything you may want on a salad. It's one of the best salad bars I've seen. Even omnivores will enjoy this buffet. The vegan dressings seem to be limited to oil and vinegar, but that's my first choice anyway. Check out this massive serving of plant foods!

 

I was very pleased with this salad bar. And the line was short. Most of the cruisers were trying to hoard the meats and sweets.

 

And here's the lemonade, clearly made with real lemons. Notice the pulp. This is available around the clock, day and night.

 

 

Coffee Bar 

Carnival Valor has a fancy coffee shop! Vegans, they have almond milk, but they didn't have my first choice, oat milk. Don't miss this tasty treat on deck 5 near the casino. This is an extra cost item, but the prices are not too bad.

 

The Washington Dining Room

My second dinner started with a slice of baguette. It came with butter, but I set that aside and used olive oil and pepper as a dip.

That was followed by Baby Spinach Salad. It would normally come with walnuts and blue cheese dressing. My vegan option may have been misinterpreted to omit nuts. This was just a plate of spinach. I put balsamic vinegar on it. It was good, but it left me wanting something more.

This is where things really got good. The chef made a vegan version of the Root Vegetables In A Pie Crust. This was amazing! It tasted like the best Thanksgiving dressing mixed with potatoes, carrots, and corn in a pot pie crust, and there was what seemed to be a tapioca sauce on top. This was so good in so many ways. This was among the best plant-based food I've ever had.

 

DAY 3

Rosie's Restaurant

Here's another good breakfast at Rosie's. There's nothing new here, just more grits and a bagel. Perfect!

The Rosie's buffet had tofu. Can you believe that? I asked buffet cook (with a red tie, possible a leader) if the tofu was vegan and what else may be vegan. He said if I'm vegan he could make me a plate with all the vegan items. Completely surprised, and partially doubtful, I said sure. I'll try that. He said he'd send it to my table. A few minutes later I was served this beautifully dressed plate of tofu and fried rice with veggies and sauce.

The food and service was fantastic! I didn't even expect anyone to know the V word. I was surrounded by hundreds of vicious carnivores hoarding mountains of dead flesh, and here was this miracle meal that happened as if I wished it into being. I hope this buffet cook got rewarded by the positive comments I sent to Carnival. This was more than I ever expected. 

And since the food is almost always there, why not have another bagel with peanut butter and banana with coffee?

DAY 4

The Washington Dining Room

This meal started with bread and salad as the others did. Both were great but my photos were not so great. So let's move on. The main dish was the vegan Chef's Special again. This time it was a stuffed tomato with veggie patties in a tomato sauce. This tomato was stuffed with quinoa and veggie chunks. Just as the last main dish from the dining room, this was excellent in every way. This was real food from a chef. With food this good, I didn't want to leave the ship. I was eating like royalty.

DAY 5

Rosie's Restaurant

I couldn't resist. I had to have even more of this for my last breakfast aboard the Valor.

 

BlueIguana Cantina

I ended this cruise where it started, BlueIguana Cantina. This time the toppings bar was completely raided, and I was forced to get my taco toppings from the Guy's Burger Joint toppings bar on the other side of the deck. But it worked out. This was my last sad snack as we cruised back to New Orleans and floated back to reality.

Vegans, vegetarians, herbivores, do not think for a moment that you will starve on Carnival Valor. You can eat almost all day long, non-stop, like a grazing cow, on real plant-based foods, even raw vegan foods! There's so much food it's unbelievable. Most of it is for the omnivores. It's slightly limited, mostly for breakfast, but plant-based food is there for us. 

The Deli can make a very simple vegan sandwich with sourdough bread, lettuce, pickle, tomato, and onion. Just be very clear that you want it uncooked and with no cheese or dressing.

I read that Guy's Burger Joint has a vegan burger option, but I wasn't confident in that information after seeing the kitchen and the food. It was crowded and it looked like there would be a cross-contamination issue, so I didn't bother asking about it. The bun looked glossy like it was an egg bun grilled with bacon grease. They also had seasoned fries for vegetarians, but it's unclear if those are vegan.

Other options for lacto-vegetarians are all over the place. The Deli has french fries and a veggie patty sandwich that looked good. Pizza Pirate has cheese and margherita pizza. An abundance of foods like cookies, pasta, grilled veggies, casseroles, mac and cheese, breakfast cereal, and hash browns can be found at Rosie's Restaurant. Those who are more relaxed about cross-contamination can enjoy the Mongolian Wok's vegetarian stir fry.

Tips For Vegan Valor Cruisers

• Do not miss the opportunity to eat every dinner in the dining room. Make a request for vegan options for each dinner on your cruise. The chef will probably not disappoint you.
  
• Get to know Rosie's Restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Some buffet areas remain the same each day, and other areas have new foods each day. Just ask a red tie leader what is vegan.
• You can skip room service. It's not for us. Take bananas from the buffet back to your stateroom for late night snacks.
• Don't expect to find any ingredients lists online or at the restaurants. It's all a mystery. Go with what you know is safe. Assume the food is not vegan until you have reason to trust that it is.
  
• Be creative. Vegan food is not on any menu. Use the menus to find out what vegan items are in the kitchen, then carefully make special requests, such as the cold veggie sandwich at The Deli.
  
• Servers may not know what's vegan, but the team leaders will.
• Many of the Carnival Valor vegan food suggestions floating around online are just daydreams. Some people are wishing those foods were vegan, and they want to enjoy themselves, so they decide to just eat what they want. That's fine for them, but they're sharing false information. I saw no evidence of vegan burritos, vegan burgers, vegan sushi, or vegan pizza. Vegans will not starve on the Valor, but it's still a bit of a challenge to eat anything other than salad, fruit, and bread during the day.
  
• Relax. Don't worry too much about the food on Carnival Valor. Eat whatever you can onboard. You can save your worries for Mexico. Good luck finding food there.
  

I had an amazing, life-changing experience on my first cruise with Carnival. It feels like it was all just a dream now. If you'd like to have a great time on the water you should go to www.carnival.com

A Vegan Meal at Cenote Ik-Kil near Chichen Itza

I visited Cenote Ik-Kil on the way to Chichen Itza in Yucatán, Mexico. A buffet style lunch was included in my excursion. There was plenty of meats, cakes, pies, and other choices. I was pleased to see some vegan options for me. 

I enjoyed white rice, pico de gallo, a salad made with lettuce, tomato, and onion, and slices of lime. At the table we also had warm corn tortillas, bread, and a hot salsa. This was really good! I used the delicious tortillas to make small rice and pico de gallo tacos, and I put the hot salsa on everything. ¡Muy Bien!

A Vegan Lunch at Cenote Ik-Kil

I added a Mexican Coca-Cola for $60 (pesos). This was my first Mexican Coca-Cola enjoyed in Mexico. It was perfecto. I should have gotten another one to take with me. You can also see my desert which was mixed fruit.

Mexican Coca-Cola and Fruit at Cenote Ik-Kil

The service was very good with full service at the table. There was a bar for those wanting adult beverages. The dining area was clean and beautiful. This was in a spacious structure with a tall thatched roof and exposed wooden beams. The cenote was a short walk away.

This place was a tropical paradise. I highly recommend a visit based on my experience. ¡Excelente!

Marmite Toast with Tea

This light meal included Dave's Killer Bread toasted and topped with Earth Balance and Marmite. I enjoyed it with a cup of tea with oat milk.

Marmite Toast

Vegan Coffee at Starbucks

Starbucks is usually very vegan friendly. They have milk substitutes for coffee and a few vegan food options like potato chips and snack packs. Some locations have more vegan options than others. This is my usual drink. I order a hot coffee, sweet, with soy milk. This simple drink is priced lower than the other drinks, but it tastes great.

Starbucks Hot Coffee with Soy Milk

Vegan Cocktail; A Margarita at El Olmeca in Huntsville AL

El Olmeca doesn't have much for vegans. To keep things safe and simple I just got this awesome margarita. Oooooh. This was good!

Margarita at El Olmeca in Huntsville AL

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.

 

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.

Piper & Leaf Tea Co. in Huntsville AL

I visited the Piper & Leaf Tea Co. shop in downtown Huntsville AL and decided to document it. I've tried several flavors over the years at their local shops and at events, but the Front Porch iced tea remains my favorite. In my opinion, this is the best tea anywhere in town. I'm a tea snob, so you can trust me. Piper & Leaf is the place to go for real tea in Huntsville, hot or cold. But it the price is really out of my range with the exception of rare events, random cravings, and special occasions. The reusable jar does save some money at the register, and they do currently have a loyalty card.

Front Porch Iced Tea at Piper & Leaf in Huntsville AL

A Vegan Brunch At Gold Sprint Coffee In Huntsville AL

I stopped in at Gold Sprint Coffee to try something new. This coffee house has a mild cycling theme, and it's located just steps from Lowe Mill. I was told they had a few vegan options.

Upon arrival I told them I'd like to try something vegan. I was given several options, and the most interesting coffee option was the El Camino. I chose the Garden Flatbread Sandwich. They hooked me up with the good stuff!

El Camino
This is described as "our take on a Mexican mocha, the El Camino is a double shot of espresso, house-made mocha and house-made habanero syrup, steamed milk and topped with cinnamon". I had mine with oat milk to make it vegan. It was absolutely beautiful and delicious all the way to the end. The habanero syrup gave my tongue a slight tingle. Excellent in every way! I may not ever try the other drinks. This is my drink!

Garden Flatbread Sandwich
This sandwich was not on the menu. I was told about it. It must be a secret sandwich. This seemed to be made with flatbread, hydroponic lettuce, hummus, and tomato. They said it was vegan. It came with a side of grapes. This was a harmonious blend of flavors and textures. The grapes went very well with the sandwich. Everything was clean and fresh. It was perfect in every way. The serving size was perfect for a brunch.

 

My first visit to Gold Sprint Coffee was great. I really enjoyed everything I ordered. The service was friendly and helpful. The interior was clean and decorated with slightly industrial furniture. Large glass windows provided a good view of the changing neighborhood. The dishes looked like Grandma's good dishes. The atmosphere seemed youthful, professional, casual, and slightly weird.

 

UPDATE: I returned later for another amazing El Camino, this time to-go. Again, the coffee was great. The service on my second visit was not at all friendly. I was barely greeted and was not thanked. I don't remember seeing a single smile. A crowd of bitter-faced posers inside created a pretentious vibe that just wasn't for me. Maybe it's just different on the weekends. I don't know. The perceived value was greatly diminished by my second experience. I do plan to return with the hopes that a more positive and enlightened crowd will be there.

Click here to see the Gold Sprint website 

A Vegan Publix Garlic And Herb Tofu Sub At Publix Deli

I noticed a new vegan sandwich on the Publix Deli menu, so I had to try it. I now present to you my Publix Deli Garlic and Herb Tofu sandwich as it looked when I unwrapped it in my car.

The awesome new Publix Deli Garlic and Herb Tofu sandwich is made fresh in the deli and includes avocado, vegan ranch dressing, garlic and herb tofu crumbles, and a choice of veggies. I chose to add lettuce, tomato, and onion, and I went with the standard white sub roll. The price was $4.99 for a half sandwich and $6.49 for a whole sandwich.

I got the impression this sandwich is not a big hit at my local Publix Deli. The deli clerk had to gather the necessary ingredients from the store and needed to go out front to read the menu to know what to put on it. This did end up with guacamole instead of avocado just because that was more convenient for everyone. I bet this sandwich would be more popular if people would just try it, because this was awesome! It was worth the wait.

The tofu crumbles were semi-firm bite-sized cubes, and they were covered in flavorful herbs. It looked like they used Nasoya Toss'ables Garlic and Herb tofu. The veggies were fresh and crisp. The vegan ranch dressing was a pleasant surprise, because I never thought I'd see Publix Deli go this far to be vegan friendly. The bread was fresh as always. The deli clerk was friendly. The deli was very clean as usual.

I got a bag of Dirty Potato Chips and a Publix Deli tea to go with the sandwich. Both were perfect.

 

Once again, I got a great plant-based meal from the Publix Deli. From a vegan perspective, this is a big step in the right direction for Publix.  This is the best sandwich I've received from the Publix Deli. I would recommend this to all people. Even omnivores will love this sandwich.

If you'd like to see another vegan sub option at Publix Deli, check out the Publix Veggie Sub I posted about a while back.

Dollar Store Snack: Peanuts and Coca-Cola

I needed a snack, and the only place around was a Dollar General. They don't have as many good vegan options as I would like, but I did find something good.

They had several types of peanuts. I liked the ingredients on this jar. It said "Peanuts, dry roasted". That's all. No nasty additives or anything. I would have liked some salt though. The Coca-Cola was the most appropriate choice of drink since I am in the deep south. Down here, peanuts and Coca-Cola are known as a perfect pair, similar to RC Cola and Moon Pies. It's too bad Moon Pies aren't vegan. During my omnivorous childhood, I did enjoy a few Moon Pies.

Some people put their peanuts in their Coca-Cola. I tried that and didn't care for it. I'd rather alternate between the two and fully appreciate the flavors individually.

 

Garden Fresh Gourmet Mango Peach Salsa

One of my favorite salsas is Garden Fresh Gourmet Mango Peach Salsa. Garden Fresh has several other excellent salsas, but this is the best. It's refreshing and slightly sweet. I enjoyed mine with 365 Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Rounds and a Pepsi along the Tennessee River. This was a perfect vegan picnic!

Sioux City Sarsaparilla

This is another excellent cane sugar sweetened drink. This one is fresh and crisp with a clean finish. There's no need to depend on nasty, slimy, GMO high fructose corn sweetener when there's delicious cane sugar drinks like this.

Rhythm Organic Carrot Sticks With Milo's Tea

I tried Rhythm Organic Carrot Sticks, ranch flavor, for the first time today. The natural carrot flavor is preserved with the hint of ranch flavor. These are very crunchy and tasty. I'm not a big fan of regular raw carrots, but these things are very good. I just wish there was more in each bag. I enjoyed mine with a Milo's sweet tea.

Click here to see the Rhythm Superfoods website

A Classic Poverty Payday Dinner, Vegan Style

Let's take a break from this privileged lifestyle to remember some classic foods of poverty. This is a dinner of the overworked underpaid people in the 1980s, but this is not just a regular dinner. It's a payday dinner! This is dinner after going to the check cashing guy at the liquor store and getting groceries at the Piggly Wiggly or Circle C.

Being payday, there's no need to shamefully tear out several of those food stamps while everyone in line watches and criticizes what we're buying with their tax money. We have cash in our pockets. The car will not get repossessed this month. The rent will get paid. The electricity will stay on. We may even have enough money to get cable TV this month. It's time to celebrate!

1. Beanee Weenees (made vegan style)

Being payday, we don't want to settle for just any tasteless can of beans. We can enjoy our meal with Van Camp's Beanee Weenee which includes real hotdog slices and sweet baked beans. It's chunky and flavorful like real food. And it has meat in it, so we don't feel poor.

To make this vegan I used 365 Everyday Value Organic Traditional Baked Beans and Lightlife Jumbo Smart Dogs with a tiny bit of maple syrup


2. Macaroni and Cheese (made vegan style)

No celebratory meal is complete without Velveeta Shells and Cheese. It's payday, so we can skip the cheap powdery stuff and go straight to the premium choices that have the creamy flavorful cheese package inside the box. This heavenly food makes everyone feel wealthy.

To make this vegan I chose Daiya Cheddar Style Deluxe Cheezy Mac and added salt.

3. Sweet Tea

The standard drink of choice in the south is sweet tea. It's usually home-brewed using tea bags, Dixie Crystals, and cloudy polluted tap water. The sugar is probably added to cut the bitter metallic taste of the lead pipes. Then it's chilled in the refrigerator, unless the electricity has been cut because of nonpayment. It's served cold in previously acquired peanut butter or jelly jars or old Mason jars.

The tea pictured here is Milo's Sweet Tea. I'm an uppity snob now, and I can afford to have other people make my tea for me. The jar was intentionally left unfilled in remembrance of the days when having something good to drink was a luxury.

Live Apple Cider Vinegar

I like to drink vinegar for good digestive health. This is one I enjoyed.

Dr Pepper with Real Sugar

Dr Pepper with real sugar is available if you know where to get it. It has a cleaner mouthfeel which makes it much more refreshing. And it tastes as good as it did in the 1970s. Look for this in specialty soda pop shops.

People in Texas may be familiar with "Dublin Dr Pepper", which was the original recipe sugar-based Dr Pepper made by The Dublin Dr Pepper Bottling Company in Dublin TX. It was exported long enough for me to try it at Jason's Deli, but legal issues forced its discontinuation. The product shown here is not Dublin Dr Pepper but is said to be made with the same original recipe.

If this is made with the original recipe, it contains Imperial Sugar. Imperial Sugar is listed by PETA as a vegan sugar. Therefore, the original recipe Dr Pepper is assumed to be a vegan product.

Corona Extra

Here's a special blog feature for the current corona virus outbreak. Like many other beers, Corona Extra is vegan. If the COVID-19 outbreak and all the shut-downs get to you, take it easy with a Corona, and try your best to stay safe.