Trader Joe's Vegan Enchilada Casserole

I just tried Trader Joe's Vegan Enchilada Casserole. This was very good! It was in a family-sized container, so it was too much for one normal meal. This was loaded with veggies. The flavors were a bit on the mild side, so this is a great choice for younger and older vegans. The texture was a bit soft too. I do prefer a crunchy top layer. No big deal though. Overall this was completely satisfying, except for the plastic cooking bowl. This is a good choice for vegan families with limited time. Single eaters, you'll have good leftovers for later. This is now on all of my Trader Joe's shopping lists.

 

Vegan Lunch Box Ideas Part 1

For this series of blog posts, I want to present an accurate view of regular vegan lunches for regular people. This series includes the following requirements:

• Foods must be inexpensive
• Foods must keep well for up to 6 hours without heating or refrigeration
• Foods must not require more than a few minutes of preparation
• Foods must be vegan 
  

 

Publix Lightly Salted Peanuts 

These are great. Of course, I did not eat the entire contents of this jar during one lunch break. These are very satisfying.

 

 

Two Raw Apples

This is a great raw lunch. I prefer mine peeled, so I put a paring knife in the pouch of my lunchbox.

 

Snyder's Mini Pretzels and a Powerbar Plant Protein Snack Bar

with dark chocolate, salted caramel, and cashew! This lunch is non-GMO!

 

 

A Mediterranean-style Vegan Lunch

Dolmas from the Kroger olive bar and a Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Pretzels snack pack!

 

 

Sweet Earth Kung Pao Chik'n

Sweet Earth has another great vegan product. This Kung Pao Chik'n was cooked in the microwave but tasted as good as some restaurant food. The sauce and veggies were fresh and flavorful. The rice was perfectly cooked. The chik'n had a slightly weird texture at first, but my mouth wanted more after the first bite. I will be buying this again! Very good!

Sweet Earth Kung Pao Chik'n

Margaret Holmes Tomatoes and Okra

Margaret Holmes makes the kind of foods you might eat at Granny's house. And like Granny, Margaret Holmes has no problem putting old fashioned ingredients like chicken fat, bacon, and other "natural flavors" in the veggies. I noticed that the Tomatoes and Okra are safe for vegetarians and vegans! I had to try this.

Margaret Holmes Tomatoes and Okra

I enjoyed my tomatoes and okra with boiled potatoes with plenty of crushed black pepper. This was really good! This simple plant based meal had plenty of flavor.

Tomatoes and Okra with boiled potatoes

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

Season's Choice Gourmet Onion Rings

These delicious onion rings were found at Aldi for an unbelievably low price. Most packaged onion rings are made with non-vegan ingredients. These looked safe, so I had to buy them. I'm glad I did. The taste and texture was very good!

 

 I ate this with some leftover Heinz ketchup from Burger King.

A Simple Home-made Vegan Dinner; The Original Veggie Patty with Peas and Greens

What you see here is a simple vegan dinner with The Original Veggie Patty by Big Mountain Foods. I splashed some home-made sriracha aioli on top of the patty. Black eyed peas and collard greens made this a complete meal.

This veggie patty is so good it doesn't need a bun. In fact, a bun could reduce the enjoyment of the patty. At first, The Original Veggie Patty is a bit mild, then the mouth starts to recognize all the earthy vegetable flavors within. It's packed full of real veggies with chia seed and sunflower seed surprises in each bite. It says on the box that it's made with ingredients you can pronounce unless your mouth is full. The texture is mostly soft and delicate as it cooks in a skillet. It gets crispy and firm on the outside as it cooks to well-done. This is not a meat replacement product. If you want your veggie patties to look and taste like meat, this one may not be right for you. This is veggies all the way! This patty celebrates vegetables. I like this patty! This will be on future shopping lists. I'm already thinking of ways to use this in future meals.

Home-made Vegan Vegetable Echiladas with Black Beans and Seasoned Rice

Take a look at this cheap home-made vegan meal. I wanted a classic meal often found in Mexican or Te-Mex restaurants but I didn't want to spend $18 plus a tip. I made this myself for a fraction of the price, and I had left over ingredients to repeat this meal again.

Vegan Vegetable Enchiladas

These included flour tortillas with roasted potatoes, garden-grown poblano peppers, and white onion. Fontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce. Daiya Mexican 4 Cheeze Style Blend Vegan Cheese Shreds was added to hold it all together.

Black Beans 

This was canned Simple Truth black beans, mashed and cooked dry with a bit of olive oil

Seasoned Rice

This was simply white rice, 3 packs of left-over Taco Bell hot sauce, chili powder, and a small amount of olive oil

 

I topped it all with more Daiya shreds and put it in the oven to melt it together, then garnished it with a quarter of an avocado

Vegan Lasagna at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

I went back to Sunflower Cafe to enjoy one of my favorite foods, lasagna. Vegan lasagna is not so easy to find or make. It's a time-consuming food to prepare, and finding the right vegan ingredients is a challenge. But Sunflower Cafe never lets me down. 

Lasagna at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

This was a really good vegan lasagna all the way to the end! It had the expected layers and flavor. But omnivores would recognize differences in flavor and texture from the traditional lasagna. This was a lighter, milder version, but the flavor would satisfy almost anyone. I personally prefer a crunchier toasted top layer and outer edges to give more variety of texture. This was consistently soft throughout. Maybe it sat covered for a while. But that's just a minor issue that I mention just to prove that I'm being fair. Overall, this was excellent! I hope it remains available. Just looking at the photo makes me want more.

My meal didn't end there. I could not stop myself. I also had the Asian Slaw and Potato Salad, both of which were excellent!

Asian Slaw at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

Potato Salad at Sunflower Cafe in Nashville TN

 

It's difficult to avoid becoming gluttonous at Sunflower Cafe. The food is right there behind the glass. It all looks so tasty, and it's all vegan. There are so many great options for vegans!

Click here to see the Sunflower Cafe website

Home-made Fried Jalapeno Peppers

This simple snack was made with only a few ingredient; jalapeno peppers, water, flour, olive oil, and salt. I washed and sliced jalapeno peppers, rinsed them in water, tossed them in flour, fried them in a skillet with olive oil, and sprinkle them with salt. Very tasty!

If you want to get fancy with this, try using beer instead of water, and repeat the beer-flour dipping process a couple extra times to add more batter.

Home-made Vegan Pozole Rojo

Pozole is an old dish from the Aztecs. I wanted to make a vegan version. I am very pleased with my creation. 

This pozole rojo was slow cooked and included hominy, chile peppers, pinto beans, sliced pieces of Field Roast Spicy Mexican Chipotle vegan sausage, roasted onions, garlic and tomato. I garnished it with sliced avocado.

Home-made vegan Pozole Rojo

This was fantastic! This was like my regular chili but with many more layers of flavor. The hominy really made a difference. I'm so sorry for not sharing the recipe. I was freestyling this one and did not take notes.

Vegan Thanksgiving 2021

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.

 

Chunky Vegan Mashed Potatoes

This is simply boiled and mashed potatoes with salt, oat milk, and Earth Balance buttery spread. A home-cooked meal is not complete without mashed potatoes. Always good.

Vegan Onion and Mushroom Gravy

I cooked diced onions and mushrooms in the skillet with soy sauce, then cooked them in water with spices. After it cooked down I blended it until mostly smooth and added oat milk. It tasted very much like beef gravy. 

Fried Tempeh With Gravy 

I lightly browned some Lightlife tempeh in the skillet and poured the vegan gravy over it. Excellent!

Green Beans with Potatoes

The green beans were cooked southern style with olive oil and potato chunks.

 

Seasoned Rice

I used white rice and added olive oil, red and yellow pepper, celery, garlic powder, spices, and salt.

Steamed Broccoli

At the last minute I threw a steamer bag of broccoli into the microwave. Steamed broccoli is great!

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.

 

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.

Click here to see the Hippea Camper website

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

Sauteed broccoli, zucchini, onions, carrots. Served with rice, beans, guacamole salad, and corn tortillas.

Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

Veggie Fajitas Lite at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

 

This fajita meal was very good! All the old veggie favorites were in there. They went heavy on the onions, but I would never complain about having too much of that. The broccoli and carrots really gave this the garden flavor that I hoped for. This had a nice skillet char flavor. The serving size was very large, enough for 2 people to share. I do prefer a less oil, but over all this was great. I loved it!

 

Side of Beans, Rice, and Guacamole Salad at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

 

The beans, rice, and guacamole salad came in a separate plate and was also a generous portion. The rice had a nice mild flavor and light texture. The beans were very blended and mild with a light heat after taste. The smell made me nervous and reminded me of Vienna Sausages. I went easy on those just in case. I was hoping to be completely convinced that they were vegan. The guacamole salad was standard with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole. The guacamole was smooth and had a nice sting from jalapeno peppers.

 

Unfortunately, this guacamole salad came with stray pieces of cheese in the diced tomatoes.

 

 

Over all, this meal was very good. I do wish I could be more confident in the vegan status of the food. I like the vegan menu and the fact that the vegan menu seems to only have vegan foods listed. It appears that they know what vegan means. The smell and flavor of the beans did concern me. The server said they use soy based butter for grilling the veggies. From my experience in the food industry, I know that's the cheaper more common option for restaurants, so that does make sense. At this time, with what I do know, I can recommend this place to vegetarians and casual vegans. Very strict vegans and those with specific allergies may want to be very cautious and ask plenty of annoying questions. Check your tomatoes for cheese. But don't worry about the flavor of the food. So far, I can say it's really good.

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.

 

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.

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

To start the meal, I warmed up with a huge bowl of steaming hot Black Bean Soup. They seem to have been perfectly seasoned with mild chili spices and onion with a drizzle of olive oil. This was the best black bean soup I can remember eating. I know black bean soup is usually good, but the flavor was absolutely perfect.

Black Bean Soup at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

 

Sweet Potato Biscuit with Vegan Sausage 

The Black Bean Soup came with a sweet potato biscuit and vegan sausage. The biscuit was softer but tastier than expected. The vegan sausage was mildly spicy and slightly crisp. The flavor and texture was enough like real sausage to please any vegan, but meat eaters would notice the difference. This was very good for such a simple side item. I would have wanted another, but I knew more delicious plant-based foods were about to come out of the kitchen.

Sweet Potato Biscuit with Sausage at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

Double Decker Chicken Sandwich

The main dish for my day was the Double Decker Chicken Sandwich with Fries. The two "chicken" fillets were actually triple battered, hand-crafted seitan. They were double stacked on a bun and covered in three hand-made sauces with tomato and lettuce on the side.

 

Double Decker Chicken Sandwich at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

This was fantastic! The textures and flavors were all so varied and harmonious. The consumption of this dish was joyous. Vegan food this good is a very rare treat in this part of the country. I highly recommend this plate of heavenly food as a guaranteed winning starting point for new visitors to Staff of Life Vegan Cafe. This will please any person with a normal, functioning sense of taste.

Butter Pecan Cake

The meal ended with this slice of vegan Butter Pecan Cake. This was also made from scratch. The flavor and texture of this cake was more like a traditional cake than any other vegan cake I've ever had. This was perfectly sweetened, very sweet but not as sweet as normal cake. This cake was loaded with pecans. I'm no longer a huge fan of sweets, but this cake was amazing!

Butter Pecan Cake at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe in Cherokee AL

 

I shared this meal with a member of my family. We were able to split each part of the meal. During the last half of the meal, the chef came out to meet us. Talking with her was like being with family. She was very kind, friendly, relaxed, and welcoming. After the meal we were able to walk around the mansion, study the art and antiques, and chat again in the lounge near another warm fireplace. 

Everything was very clean and neat, which is not always possible in places of this age. I inspected the dishes, bathroom, and most of the public rooms. The mansion does show its age in places, but it's very clean.

 

The price for this meal was much more than I would usually pay. But this was all hand-made food from scratch, prepared by a real chef with decades of vegan cooking experience. And the environment was unforgettable. There is a fair expectation to pay more for real food, especially food this good. There are a few lower priced items on the menu, such as chili dogs and soups. I'm not sure why the talented chef is not more regionally known. I'm hoping to help spread the word.

 

Vegans, vegetarians, and herbivores have dozens of menu options at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe. While eating at this quality level may not be financially possible for some people, I do recommend a visit. Save up some money and have a special day, or spend the night there and wake up to the smell of vegan sausage and gravy.

My lunch at Staff of Life Vegan Cafe was excellent. I hope to return soon.

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.

Vegan Halloween 2021

Happy Halloween to all. Once again, I have created home-made vegan Halloween foods to share with you. I enjoyed these tasty treats at my own spooky party, this year including only me and the dead.

I started with Avocado Monster Toast. It's simple enough to see how this was created. Even a zombie could make this.

I bought some vegan Halloween candy, not for the kids, because there are no kids, but for me to enjoy with my fortunately unseen dead companions watching. I did not share. They no longer can enjoy such pleasures, so no hard feelings exist on my part.

The big finale for the evening included the enjoyment of home-made vegan pumpkin muffins with vanilla icing. I added spooky lighting to get the mood right. A party for one complete with decorative lighting sounds quite sad, doesn't it? But what a perfect holiday for creative melancholy.

I cheated. My home-made muffins were made with Simple Mills Pumpkin Muffin & Bread mix and icing. Both are vegan. I made this just as instructed, except I replaced the eggs with a vegan egg substitute. This ended up being a good choice. The icing is a bit too sweet though.

Flea Market Vegan Foods

I found a few good vegan items at Mountain Top Flea Market just outside of Gadsden AL. These all came from Mexico. I got 2 poblano peppers, 2 bags of spicy nuts, and a nut bar. Excellent!

Sabra Snackers Guacamole & Tortilla Chips

Check out the great deal I found on this vegan snack!

Gina's Stovetop Vegan Mac and Cheese

Kroger sends a coupon book with recipes to those on their mailing list. I found a great vegan recipe in there. It says Gina F. submitted the recipe for this delicious vegan mac and cheese. It's also found on Instagram at @HealthyLittleVittles. When I saw the recipe I knew I needed to try it. Here's what mine looked like.

Gina's Stovetop Vegan Mac and Cheese

Surprisingly, it doesn't have that much vegan cheese in the recipe. It includes 1/4 cup vegan parmesan, but I didn't even have that, and it still tasted like real cheesy mac and cheese. The cheesy flavor and creamy texture comes from nutritional yeast, tapioca flour, pimientos, and coconut milk. Even without the cheese listed in the recipe, this was better than most vegan mac and cheese I've tasted in vegan restaurants. 

This did have a very subtle sweetness. Next time I make this I'll go heavier on the pimientos to balance it out. This would be even better as a baked dish with Panko bread crumbs on top.

Because this was so good, I may try some other recipes found at @HealthyLittleVittles.
 

Home-made Fried Rice With Barbecue Tofu Nuggets

I made another home-made Asian style meal. This was mostly made with things I already had sitting around.

Fried Rice

To make fried rice I used Minute Rice as a base. Once the plain rice was done, I added half a can of peas and carrots, some leftover fermented tofu in sauce, diced green onion, soy sauce, sriracha sauce, chili oil, and leftover mushrooms. Because my wok is in storage, I put it in a hot skillet with avocado oil to give it that toasty fried rice flavor. It still had a sticky rice texture but the flavor was right on. This was excellent! I'm proud of myself for this one.

Barbecue Tofu Nuggets

I got the tofu from a small neighborhood store, and all they had was silken tofu. So I just went with that. I cut it into chunks, breaded it lightly with flour, baked it a while, then added the barbecue sauce and baked it again. This was not bad, but I need to work on this one. The the flavor was weak. I probably needed to batter it more and deep fry it.

Garden Of Eatin Chips And Garden Fresh Gourmet Salsa

I found a great deal with these Garden Of  Eatin' chips. I ate them with Garden Fresh Gourmet Sweet Onion Salsa. Both of these vegan products are some of my favorites.