Vegan Nachos at Blue Coast Burrito in Florence AL

I ordered nachos at Blue Coast Burrito in Florence, AL and grabbed some salsa from the salsa bar. This meal was very good. There's several salsas from which to choose, and all are very good. My favorites were the salsa verde and pineapple salsa. The nachos would normally include queso, but I easily made a vegan meal with fresh veggie options. This place lets customers choose the toppings, so I just got my usual favorites with extra cilantro. This meal was a bit more expensive than other similar places, but it was good enough to make it worth the price.

Vegan Nachos at Blue Coast Burrito in Florence AL

Blue Coast Burrito has a nice southern California surf shack environment. The decor features surf boards, weathered wood, and a third of a rusted Volkswagen Beetle mounted on the wall. During this visit I noticed an abundance of flies, and it was a bit warm, just like eating at a real beach shack. I would prefer a less authentic experience without the flies. The person who took my order and made the nachos didn't really know about the ingredients or preparation of the food. There's probably other vegan toppings there, but I couldn't get much information from them. I did find a couple pieces of cheese on the tomatoes. That's nasty, but it was easy enough to remove the offensive contaminant without ruining the meal.

 

Since this visit was mostly positive and the food tasted very good, I will most likely go back again when I'm in Florence.

Click here to see the Blue Coast Burrito website

Jackfruit Tacos at Laughing Seed Cafe in Asheville NC

This is the Bahn Mi Jackfruit Tacos. It comes with corn tortillas, Korean style marinated jackfruit, kimchee, spicy aioli, cilantro, and avocado with a side of slaw and blue tortilla chips.

Click here for the Laughing Seed Cafe website

Vegan Reuben Sandwich At Laughing Seed Cafe In Asheville NC

This Reuben is made with grilled pastrami-style tempeh, vegan Swiss cheese, grilled onions, purple kraut, and Thousand Island dressing on grilled marble rye and comes with fries. Yummy!

Click here for the Laughing Seed Cafe website

Portobella Tacos at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

Here's the Portobella Tacos at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant. This includes a corn tortilla, portobella mushrooms sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed kale, quinoa, almonds, and Caesar dressing. This meal also has a side of pinto beans and vegan sour cream.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Ajinomoto Vegetable Yakisoba

This is a frozen food I found at Costco. I was nervous about buying such a large amount of one item that I've never tried, but I do not regret it now. This is one of the best frozen meals I've ever tried. Once cooked, it tastes as fresh as restaurant food. The flavor is amazing! It tastes better than restaurant food! Look at the color. Beautiful. It cooks in the microwave in only 3 minutes. And the photograph doesn't even show all the yummy treasures hidden under the noodles. It's made with cabbage, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, pea pods, water chestnuts, edamame, red pepper, and shitake mushrooms. The ingredients list shows no questionable items, just whole food ingredients with corn starch and sugar near the end. I will need to buy more of this. The box was not easy to break apart. That's why it look's like it was mangled by a bear. My next box will look the same because I'll be excited to rip it open and eat some more.

UPDATE: This has become one of my favorite regular meals. I will continue buying this for as long as Costco continues to sell it. It's cheaper than eating out, and the quality is actually better than moat restaurant food now. I even introduced this to family members, and now they buy it too.

Vegan Options at Little Rosie's Taqueria in Huntsville AL

I'll begin with my first documented meal at Little Rosie's Taqueria, the standard go-to for vegans at Mexican restaurants, chips and salsa. Little Rosie's has 3 salsas from which to choose; regular red, green tomatillo, and roasted pepper, all of which are excellent. The chips appear to be fried separately from the other fried foods. I had iced tea with mine, and this meal was perfect.

Chips and Salsa at Little Rosie's Taqueria in Huntsville AL

This snack was easy to order straight from the menu, and it costs less than $5. They can make vegan versions of other menu items, but that gets complicated. I'll get into that next.

My next documented meal at Little Rosie's consisted of a Bean Burrito made with vegetarian refried beans (lard refried beans is the standard), minus cheese (usually melted inside the burrito), with ranchero sauce instead of queso (usually poured on top), chips, salsa, guacamole, and an iced tea. The bean burrito comes with lettuce and tomato on the side, which is a nice touch for a fast serve restaurant.

A vegan burrito meal at Little Rosie's Taqueria in Huntsville AL

Another option for vegetarians is to get the combo, which will include a side of beans and rice in that empty space on the plate. Just remember to get the vegetarian beans as your side of beans. The rice is made with butter. Sorry vegans.  

This meal was perfect! The taste was great, and the portion size was just right. The quality is better than most would expect from a fast serve restaurant.

Eating vegan style at Little Rosie's isn't always easy, but it can be done. And this is good stuff! Just remember to get the veggie beans. If they accidentally give you the regular beans, you'll smell the smokey lard in there. I smell mine first, and give them a little nibble before digging in. Also remember the cheese comes standard, so order the food without that if you are vegan.

After a long, hard day of work, it's good to have an adult beverage. Little Rosie's has margaritas, and they are good! I could feel this one working about a quarter of the way in. I occasionally need to stop by just for these.

Margarita on the rocks at Little Rosie's Taqueria in Huntsville AL

 

Little Rosie's Taqueria is comfortable, fun, and interesting. The interior is made with colorful reclaimed building materials. The music is almost always upbeat with Spanish lyrics, so it's always party time. The staff keeps it clean. There's usually one or two people cleaning up the self serve area and the tables. They do have some vegan and vegetarian options, and they usually get the special orders correct on the first try. Vegetarians can actually order several things straight from the menu. The restaurant does get very crowded and loud, probably because of the good food, service, and environment. Little Rosie's is a great place to hang out with your omnivorous friends. They'll love the food too. Vegans and vegetarians, go try Little Rosie's.

Veggie Bowl Combo at Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill

This is a Veggie Bowl Combo at Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill. It has seasoned rice, pinto beans, fajita veggies, black olives, fresh jalapeno, salsa verde, and cilantro. I also got chips and salsa verde with sweet tea. This was excellent in every way.

Again, I chose not to get the guacamole as desired because Salsarita's now charges another dollar for that.

Click here to see the Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill website

Home-made Potatoes, Onion Gravy, Peas, and Yorkshire Pudding

For this meal I wanted to do something a little bit more traditional. This plate does not really fit the theme of this blog because I did use a kitchen for about 2 hours, but this was very cheap and easy to make.

First, I made onion gravy using onions, garlic, mushrooms, Earth Balance, salt, black pepper, Marmite, soy sauce, miso paste, and flour. I made my own mashed potatoes using only gold potatoes, Earth Balance, salt, and black pepper. I attempted to make vegan Yorkshire Pudding with wheat flour, oil, salt, and corn starch. I added some frozen peas on the side.

This was one of the best home-made plates I've made in a while. And I didn't use any recipes. Maybe I'm just getting good at this. The Yorkshire Pudding was more like Appalachian biscuits, but it's no big deal. This meal was very filling, so I had plenty of leftovers for later.

Lentil Bowl at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

This is the Lentil Bowl. There's an upgrade option to add garlicky kale, tempeh, or tofu. This one has all of those! The bowl itself is organic brown rice, lentil stew, cauliflower, onions, and carrots topped with garlic aioli. This is a heavenly blend of textures and flavors. Adding tempeh and tofu was a great choice. Both were excellent, especially with the garlic aioli.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

The OG Beans & Greens at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

The OG Beans & Greens comes with organic brown rice, pinto beans, and garlicky kale topped with garlic aioli. This was very good! Those beans were beautiful! The garlic aioli was fantastic! The kale was perfect.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Nachos at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

This is probably the best dish I've tried at The Wild Cow. This is non-GMO blue tortilla chips topped with black and pinto beans, organic brown rice, vegan queso, salsa verde, tomatoes, red onions, and vegan sour cream. This is absolutely amazing! I don't know how they do it, but it all comes together so well. I really need to try more dishes at The Wild Cow, but this one is so good I keep getting it. This costs $9 but it's worth it! And this photo makes it look smaller than it is. This is enough food for two people.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Shaggy's Burgers & Tacos in Huntsville AL

Shaggy's small chips and salsa with tea costs less than $5. Watch out! Shaggy's salsa is hot! I wish Shaggy's had other vegan options. I really like this place. This restaurant has a really cool modern California vibe with surfboards on the walls, large plate glass windows, a huge colorful kite, vintage rock music, and interesting textures and lighting. They keep it pretty clean in there too. They have fries and sweet potato fries, but I'm sure those are fried with the chicken and fish.

Chips and Salsa at Shaggy's Burgers & Tacos in Huntsville AL

So this is all there is, vegans. It's a great place to stop and enjoy the music if you like chips and salsa. The chips are thick and crunchy, the salsa is hot, and the tea is very good.

La Choy Chop Suey Vegetables with White Rice and Rice Noodles

This is a good home-made meal that costs only a few dollars to make, and it can be split into 2 meals to make it even cheaper. Just make some rice as usual and heat the Chop Suey vegetables in a pot. Simultaneously, heat the rice noodles in the oven, just long enough to get a slightly darker color. Then throw it all in a bowl and eat like a king. This is one of the best meals you can make for a few dollars. 

Which Wich Black Bean Patty Lettuce Wich Combo

This time I picked the black bean patty with red onions, bell peppers, black olives, spinach, deli mustard, and oregano. I ordered it Lettuce Wich style (big pieces of lettuce instead of bread) and made it a combo.

Woodstock Brunch Plate at Green Sage Cafe in Asheville NC

This is the Woodstock brunch plate at Green Sage Cafe in downtown Asheville NC. This is root hash and a biscuit with strawberry jam and Earth Balance on the side. It also comes with tofu herb scramble (not pictured here).  It's all vegan, but please note that this is not a vegetarian restaurant. Cross-contamination with meat and cheese may be an issue.

Click here to see the Green Sage Cafe website

Van Gogh at Green Sage Cafe in Asheville NC

This is the Van Gogh breakfast burrito at Green Sage Cafe in downtown Asheville NC. It's made with tofu herb scramble, black beans, spinach, root hash, and avocado with avocado salsa. This plate has an extra side of tofu scramble. Please be aware that Green Sage Cafe is not a vegetarian restaurant. They serve pork and other non-vegan breakfast foods.

Click here to see the Green Sage Cafe website

Veggie Lovers Pizza and Breadsticks at Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut Veggie Lovers with no cheese on a thin crust. Very crunchy and delicious. This is one of my favorite pizzas.

Breadsticks with a side of marinara dipping sauce. I order them "with no butter and no sprinkles....just bead". It will come with Parmesan cheese and butter if you don't request it plain. 

Laughing Seed Cafe in Asheville NC

I went to Laughing Seed Cafe two days in a row, because it's that good!

DAY ONE

Pakoras 

This dish is was fantastic! These are Indian-style fritters made with chickpea flour and vegetables served with Punjabi chutney and yogurt. I chose the vegan option, so the regular yogurt was substituted with the vegan style. This was very flavorful. Everything about it was amazing! I will definitely get this again.

 

 

Daily Special Pasta 

This pasta dish was a daily special that isn't a regular menu item. I was lucky enough to catch it while it was available. I told the server "I'm vegan and I'm here to try something new". She suggested something the chef was trying that day. I believe it was a vegan pesto experiment. I ate all of it and nearly licked my plate clean. I don't know why this isn't a menu item. It was very good. I would order this again if I knew what it was. And look how beautifully crafted is was.

 

DAY TWO

Jalapeno-Onion Fries 

Russet potatoes fried with sliced onions and jalapenos seasoned with spices, served with organic ketchup and vegan chipotle ranch. This was also very good. Enjoy them fresh. The left-overs will get very soggy, but the flavor is still good.

 

Harmony Bowl 

Layers of brown rice, black beans, tofu, steamed veggies, and sesame ginger sauce. This has been my standard Laughing Seed lunch since my very first visit way back in the early 1990s. It has everything you need in micro nutrients.

 

Laughing Seed Cafe never lets me down. I always leave completely satisfied. The food is always awesome and the people are friendly. It's on a cozy one-way street, and a public parking garage is just a few feet away. They have a dog-friendly eating area outside. If you're in Asheville, you must try this place! The prices are a bit higher, but the food is worth it.

Click here for the Laughing Seed Cafe website

Which Wich Black Bean Patty Wich with House Chips

The Which Wich Black Bean Patty Wich is not the only vegan wich at Which Wich, but it is my favorite. I get mine topped with deli mustard, spinach, lettuce, green pepper, black olives, red onions, and oregano. I get the white bread because the wheat bread contains honey. This is also available Lettucewich style, which means they use several big pieces of lettuce wrapped around it instead of bread.

Click here for the Which Wich Menu

Another Morning at SpringHill Suites

I made some oat meal and put pecans and raisins in it. This is pretty good for a hotel lobby. A vegan can eat something at SpringHill Suites.

French Quarter Dip Sandwich at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

French Quarter Dip. Portabella mushrooms and seitan in a Creole seasoning served with au jus dipping sauce. Served with a light salad.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Veggie Quinoa Bowl and Lentil Bowl at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant serves only vegan food unless you want yogurt. I tried a few dishes in the past. They've all been great. On this visit I ate what I believe is the Veggie Quinoa Bowl and Lentil Bowl with grilled tempeh.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Home-style Bean Curd at Fulin's Asian Cuisine

This meal was absolutely delicious. This is tofu with vegetables in a vegetarian brown sauce. I've been to Fulin's a few times. The tea was great. The food tasted fresh and clean...... except for the little bit of gristle I found in it. It only happened once. It could have been a piece of chicken batter. I'm not sure. Vegans, beware. I'll definitely order this again if I'm in the area, but I know to watch out.

Domino's Pasta Bowl

I created my own pasta bowl. I ordered it with only noodles, pizza sauce, and veggies. The marinara sauce ingredients have changed a few times and it's not vegan. In the past it had milk and chicken flavoring in it. Vegans, make sure the crew knows you want the "pizza sauce"! The pizza sauce has consistently remained vegan. The noodles do not contain eggs. If you're really friendly with the crew, you can talk them into sprinkling oregano or garlic seasoning on top. Both are also vegan an will make this bowl even better.

Plant in Asheville NC

Plant is a great place to go for special occasions. I'd eat there several times a week if I could afford it, but the prices are higher than other plant-focused restaurants in Asheville. They do use higher quality, organic, local foods, and each dish is a beautiful work of art. One thing I love about Plant is that every item on the menu is 100% vegan.

Masala Uttapam. This is not a stock photo of fancy food. This is the actual food that came to my table!

Lasagna Cruda. This is one of the best raw dishes I've had anywhere. If you're planning a first visit to Plant you may want to start with this one.You will not regret it!

Click here for the Plant website

Another Visit to Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC

This is the Family Favorite. And how could it not be? This time it came with mashed potatoes (excellent!) and gravy (heavenly!), greens, and Peanut Butter Baked Tofu. I wanted to grow another stomach. That's how good this was!

Click here to see Rosetta's Kitchen website

A Delicious Vegan Meal at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC

Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC is an awesome vegetarian/vegan restaurant! The food is fantastic, and the environment is funky and creative. And for those who can't afford to pay much for food, they have a sliding scale price for the small plates. Everyone eats! I had some money, so I paid full price. It was worth every dime!

Vegan Queso Basket. This is so good I get it every time I visit this Rosetta's Kitchen. This is one of my favorite vegan foods anywhere!

Family Favorite. This came with mashed potatoes (excellent!) and gravy (heavenly!), greens, and BBQ tempeh. A side dish of pinto beans is in the background.

Iron Skillet Corn Bread with Earth Balance spread. Another one of my favorites. Nice texture.

Click here to see Rosetta's Kitchen website

Vegan Thanksgiving 2017

Mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, pinto beans, stir fried green beans, cranberry sauce, a biscuit, and Gardein Holiday Roast. All of this is vegan!

VeganThanksgiving 2016

All of this delicious food was made fresh at home. I like to cook vegan soul food, and this includes some of those foods. It's all vegan!

Spicy Japanese Noodles at Nothing But Noodles

I was told by the people at Nothing But Noodles that the Spicy Japanese Noodles bowl is vegan if I substitute the Udon noodles for the rice noodles and request it "allergy style" (cooked in a clean pan). So that's what I did. This is really good, and it's a pretty generous amount of food. Here you see rice noodles, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, and bean sprouts in sugar-lime soy sauce. It comes with bread twigs and a lime. Nothing But Noodles currently has locations in North Carolina and Alabama.

Raw & Juicy in Seaside FL

I ordered Spring Rolls at Raw & Juicy in Seaside FL. This is real food! I should be eating this way everyday. If I lived in Seaside, I would.

Everything served at this food truck is raw, organic, and vegan. Remember, real food does have a price. It costs more because it's better quality food.

Click here for the Raw & Juicy website