Charlotte Vegfest 2019

I had a fun day at Vegfest in Charlotte NC. They had plenty of food, free samples, coupons, food trucks, and vegan products. The event was packed full of people, but it was mostly well-organized for an event this size. The huge room was loud with excited people. Everyone seemed to be very friendly and patient. Getting around was still a challenge. Maybe because everyone is going vegan! The vegans are taking over!

I knew I'd better find food fast before the vendors sold out of tasty herbivore foods. I found Ve-go Vegan To Go and ordered some nachos. They were amazing! The vegan queso was great, the pico de gallo was fresh, the beans were smooth and had a nice home-made taste. The chips were crispy, and the peppers tasted like they were just picked from the garden.

Nachos by Ve-go To Go

My travel companion had the tostadas, said they were excellent, and pointed out that the beans were especially good.

Tostadas by Ve-go To Go

I also shared the Fried Veggie Rolls by Vietgrill Vietnamese Vegan Cuisine. It's been a while since I've had one of these. It was excellent!

Fried Veggie Rolls by Vietgrill Vietnamese Vegan Cuisine

A friendly stranger sharing my table allowed me to photograph her awesome choice of lunch. Here's the Loaded Pineapple Bowl by Lotus Land. It's served in a pineapple!

Loaded Pineapple Bowl by Lotus Land

I enjoyed chatting with vendors and trying some free samples. The Barvecue is a great alternative to jerky. They had another flavor but I tried the original. It was great! It tastes like beef jerky, almost. If I see it in stores I'll buy it.

Barvecue Original Vegan Jerky

No Evil Foods is usually at these events. Here's a free sample they were offering. It looks like No Evil Pit Boss vegan barbecue. I could be wrong. All of their products are excellent.

Free samples of No Evil

Whole Foods had a really good vegan chicken salad sample but my photo was blurry. It was one of the best samples at the event.

To end the visit I had vegan Mac and Cheese by Fern, a local vegan cafe. I knew their foods are excellent from personal experience, but I never tried their Mac and Cheese until this moment. It was heavenly! Some of the best vegan mac and cheese I've had! But I found a hair in the bottom of the bowl. I really wish that didn't happen. I couldn't eat that last part. I went from being in bliss to being grossed out.

Mac and Cheese by Fern

On the way out I bought a shirt. That's all I have for you about Vegfest in Charlotte. It was fun. Maybe I'll be back next time.

Vegan Doughnuts From Mason Dixon Bakery In Huntsville AL

These were really good! The texture of these vegan, gluten-free doughnuts was a bit soft like cake, and they were very sweet and sticky like real sweets should be. Foods like this make me wonder why people are so afraid of going plant-based. We can eat the good stuff too. Vegans aren't missing out on anything! Look at this pile of heavenly halos!

Click here to see the Mason Dixon Bakery website

Home-made Fried Plantain with Beans and Seasoned Rice

I bought plantains and chili peppers at the flea market. I used them with canned beans and white rice to create this satisfying meal. The plantain was fried in olive oil with Adobo seasoning.

Taco Bell Fresco Bean Burrito

The Fresco Bean Burrito is a good vegan option at Taco Bell. Fresco style means you get pico de gallo instead of cheese. The taco sauces are also vegan.

I usually don't order Fresco style. I just order the bean burrito with no cheese. When ordering Fresco items I almost always find cheese in the pic de gallo. I knew this would happen, and I had my camera ready. Surprisingly, my first burrito was great. But my second one was basically dog food because it had two kinds of cheese in it.

Vegans, please remember that Taco Bell is notoriously sloppy. They rarely have time to care about making food correctly. There's no need to argue over finding garbage in the food. Getting sloppily made food that contains bits of garbage is just part of the Taco Bell experience. If you can't deal with finding garbage in your food, don't go to Taco Bell. However, they do have several vegan options at reasonable prices if you're willing to risk it. And it tastes good if made correctly.

Click here to see the Taco Bell website

Lenny & Larry's Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Excellent vegan cookie!

Click here to see the Lenny And Larry's Website

Simply Nuts Boiled Peanuts in Asheville NC

I got some really good boiled peanuts from this vendor in Asheville NC. He gave me a free sample of the Cajun and plain. Cajun was the one for me. I bought a large serving for $6. I had enough for two days of snacking.

The friendly peanut vendor said he slow cooks the nuts for almost 24 hours. They were flavorful and perfectly softened. As with any boiled peanuts these were a bit messy to eat, but the mess is worth it. I would suggest finding this peanut cart if you're in town. These were some good nuts!

Home-made Vegan Nacho Cheese

Vegan nacho cheese is quick and easy to make. Just heat up some Daiya cheese sauce and mix in some green chiles and pemientos. If needed, add a very small amount of water or milk alternative to thin it out a bit.

Cuban Style Vegan Meal at Whole Foods

Whole Foods had a Cuban themed food bar. I loaded up on the veggies.

This meal included Cuban black beans, pineapple fried rice, fried plantain, rosemary sweet potato wedge, caraway cabbage, steamed broccoli, and maple glazed carrots. Everything was excellent except the rice. I don't know why but it had a fishy flavor and it freaked me out. The food at Whole Foods has the ingredients on the label. I saw nothing on the list that would be a fish derivative. Maybe they used a dirty pan.

Home-made Vegan Stroganoff

Shroom overdose! I made this using a recipe I found on the Forks Over Knives website, but I went heavier on the mushrooms and I used bow tie pasta instead of fettuccine. Also I used a mushroom blend instead of just two types. This was really good! Next time I will go lighter on the noodles. That creamy white wine sauce was excellent!

Raw Coconut

This was my first time eating raw coconut. I bought this one from a vendor at Mountain Top Flea Market in Attalla AL.

I was able to pour the fresh coconut water from a hole I made in the shell. Once the water was removed I cracked it in half and ate some of the coconut flesh. It was very mild in flavor with a rubbery texture. It wasn't what I expected, probably because the coconut I'm most familiar with is mechanically processed and sweetened. Once I adjusted to the mild flavor I did enjoy this snack. I had plenty, so I cut up the flesh and soaked it in rum.

A Vegan Bowl at Fresko Grille in Huntsville AL

I heard there was a new Greek restaurant in Huntsville's Stovehouse complex that had some vegan foods. I had to check it out. Once there I was pleased to see a very nice variety of vegan items. Look what I found.

A vegan bowl at Fresko Grille in Huntsville AL

Fresko Grille lets people pick several items from the bar. Here's how I chose from the menu:

PICK ONE BASE: Basmati Rice
PICK ONE PROTEIN: Falafel
PICK ONE SALAD: tabouli
SPREAD: Cilantro Hummus, Red pepper hummus
PICK AS MANY AS YOU LIKE VEGGIES: Spiced Chickpeas, pickled turnips, olives, carrots
SAUCE: tahini

This was awesome! There was so much freshness and flavor! This tasted like real classic Greek food. It's been so long since I've had this type of food. I forgot how good this stuff is.

I was a bit concerned about the way the falafel was prepared. Is it deep fried with something nasty and gross like chicken or lamb? I don't know. I was very trusting when I ordered it. It looked like the meats are cooked on the grill, and I did not see any other deep fried foods. I enjoyed everything about this bowl and hope to enjoy another one very soon.

My first impression was pretty good. I didn't spot the place right off because it's in a corner of the building and the sign was not as visible as I expected. I was confused about where to go to order the food. The restaurant is just a long narrow hallway with a kitchen on one side. Everything was very clean and new. I love that. The service was friendly. The price was higher than I expected. I almost chose to leave when I saw the prices because I wasn't really that hungry, but I'm glad I didn't leave. The food was worth the price. Like I said, the food was awesome. I will be back as soon as I can!

Click here to see the Fresko Grille website

A Vegan Lunch at Whiskey Trail BBQ & Steakhouse in Tullahoma TN

Once again I'm presenting a meal from a small town with limited vegan options. Tullahoma TN is not a vegan friendly town, but I did find this nice place that has a good salad bar and baked potato. I bought this meal at Whiskey Trail BBQ & Steakhouse. If you're familiar with Tullahoma, this is in the building where Crockett's Roadhouse was.

I made myself a good salad at the all-you-can-eat salad bar. I put every vegan item on here for you to see. It's really a pretty good selection of items. The only big disappointment was they had no vegan dressing, not even oil and vinegar. I ate it dry with a sprinkle of black pepper. 

The salad bar option comes with "the soup of the day" which will never be vegan. It's the same price whether you get it or not. You can tell the server you'll skip the soup completely or you can share the soup with a non-vegan lunch partner if you have one.

As I finished up the bowl of salad, my hot baked potato arrived. The server said the potatoes are cooked separately, so no there's no meat juices on the potatoes. I had to order this one "with nothing on it, just a plain potato, not even butter". It was perfectly prepared and it tasted great with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Also, the sweet iced tea was better than average. I paid $11.82 plus a good tip for this meal. I thought it was over-priced for what I ordered, but it was pretty good. I did eat well with this meal, and this was much better than the fast food vegan options in town.

The service was friendly and fast. The food was fresh. The restaurant was clean. The atmosphere was relaxed and casual. The only vegan options at Whiskey trail are right here on this page, but it's good to know an herbivore can eat well in Tullahoma. This place has plenty of great choices for omnivores. If the family needs a good meal before spending the afternoon at Splash Island, Whiskey Trail is a good choice. It's just around the corner on Wilson Ave.

Vegan Rob's Beet Puffs

These Beet Puffs are really good! The flavor is mild. The texture is very much like regular cheesy puffs. They're light and crunchy. I like these enough to buy them frequently.

Engine 2 Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I scooped some Engine 2 roasted red pepper hummus with Food Should Taste This Good multigrain tortilla chips. This hummus was really good!

Beer at New Belgium Brewing in Asheville NC

I made my way to the New Belgium Brewing Company in Asheville NC. I was there to share fun times with another vegan. Here you see our drinks; Fat Tire Belgian White on the left and 1554 on the right. Vegans can drink beer too! Just be careful. Check with the brewery about the vegan status of the beer. Some beers are filtered with fish bladder or bone ash. And others such as milk stout do contain milk. These two are safe!

Smashed Potatoes, Granny's Gravy, Sautéed Kale, and Pinto Beans at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC

I returned to one of my very favorite vegan restaurants, Rosetta's Kitchen, in the weird and beautiful city of Asheville NC. Here's a smaller meal that included three a la carte items. If you want to eat like the vegan angels in heaven, go to Rosetta's and order this!

This amazing plate of food included:

• Smashed Potatoes with Granny's Gravy made with olive oil and nutritional yeast
  

• Sautéed Kale with onions, garlic, and Braggs

• Pinto Beans Savory organic beans with onion s and garlic

This was all fantastic! It was a perfect meal! I will daydream about this until I return!

A Vegan Breakfast at Comfort Inn

I had this perfectly acceptable vegan breakfast at Comfort Inn near Asheville NC. The other guests had plenty of non-vegan items from which to choose. So we were all satisfied!

First, I opened a paper envelop containing plain grits, not bacon, not buttered. I used the coffee maker to add the hot water. I stirred well and added salt.

I toasted a plain bagel, then got one of those little single serving containers of peanut butter for my topping. They also had grape jam, but I was in a peanut butter mood. I also made a cup of black coffee with sugar.

They had fruit, so on the way back up to the room I grabbed a banana and made another cup of coffee. I was happy to see ripe bananas that were ready to eat. I do not like hard green bananas. This one was perfect.

This was all pretty good. It sure beats eating peanuts from the vending machine. Everything was fresh. The breakfast bar was clean. The attendant was friendly.

Home-made Potato Chip Sandwich

Here's another vegan poverty favorite. Potato chip sandwiches helped get me through some really hard times. This is a really good meal for a starving herbivore. Potato chip sandwiches actually taste better than they look. This sandwich had a variety of textures and flavors. Even people with money will love this tasty meal, especially kids.

To make my sandwich I included the following ingredients. I was generous with the mustard and chips since I now live above the poverty level.

I know what it's like to go without meals. Even before going vegetarian I had months and even years of wondering if I would be able to eat each day. Going vegetarian made that even more difficult because of the limitations I seemingly put on myself. To make it worse, vegetarians and vegans can't really ask for handouts. Donated food is very rarely vegetarian, vegan, healthy, and properly labeled with ingredients lists. People who get free food usually have only one choice; eat it or don't eat it.

I went to Walmart and spent $7.60 on the ingredients to make my potato chip sandwich. If my estimation is correct I should get about 6 sandwiches from this, more if I slice the bread more thinly. That's $1.27 per sandwich. I can eat 6 meals for the price of one 6 inch Subway combo meal. And I'll have left-over mustard. Not too bad.

I will not say this is a healthy way to eat, but vegans sometimes find themselves in a situation where this is the best choice. I've have many potato chips sandwiches at company cookouts and family reunions. With poverty food this good, I sometimes eat them just because I learned to like them.

Nachos with Chipotle Chorizo at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

This may be the best thing on the menu at The Wild Cow. I got the Nachos and added Chipotle Chorizo. Can you believe this is all vegan! And this tastes better than almost all non-vegan foods I've ever had!

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Gas Station Snack; Late July Jalapeno Lime Chips and a Pepsi

Salad Bar At Ingles

West Ashevillle has a new Ingles down near the interstate. It's huge. Anything related to food can be found in there. I went to the salad bar to discover all kinds of goodies. Vegans can eat very well at this Ingles salad bar.

I didn't even have room for all the vegan items. See how many different items you can spot. I tried to get some of each, but this was about 75% of the vegan items available. This Ingles store reminded me of my old favorite, Hannaford. They had a good salad bar too.

Vegan Chili Cheese Fries at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC

This was a massive plate of food. To make it vegan, just get it with the vegan queso. They also have real cheddar jack cheese, maybe for people with nut allergies. The vegan queso was excellent. The chili was filled with chunks of veggies. It was not spicy and hot but it did have a nice flavor. The fries were perfectly cooked. I took half with me. Even as soggy left-overs this was still very good. Rosetta's Kitchen never disappoints.

 

I've posted about Rosetta's Kitchen before. Please see those posts for more excellent food. Rosetta's Kitchen is in the north part of downtown Asheville on Lexington Ave. near the painted overpass. They serve vegan food with some real cheese options. The food is mostly comfort food and Southern favorites.

Click here to see the Rosetta's Kitchen website

Jalapeno Business from The Juicery in Huntsville AL

This is intense! It's is made with pineapple, apple, cucumber, organic kale, spinach, lemon, and jalapeno. I like to sip this throughout the day. It' keeps me from being hungry.

Greene Street Market in Huntsville AL

On Thursday afternoons good people gather for a street market on Greene Street in downtown Huntsville. This gathering is known as a hot spot for local vegans. The fresh produce is probably the reason. Food trucks and other vendors with healthy options are also there. This market is where I found those awesome Cherokee Purple Heirloom tomatoes a couple weeks ago. Also at this market people sell things like hand made wooden items and tie-dyed clothing. Some vendors have canned items like slaw and pickles. And others sell cupcakes and bread.

This time I enjoyed a lunch from Hippea Camper, a plant-based food truck. Here's the Beats Meatball Sub. I also bought a tea from them (not pictured, because I only have 2 arms).

Beats Meatball Sub from Hippea Camper in Huntsville AL

This meal was fantastic! I've reported on the Beats Meatball Sub before, so I'll skip the details. Trust me. It's good! The tea was equally satisfying. I took this over to the live music area so I could sit and eat this delicious but messy food while the guitar man played a classic Johnny Cash song.

After looking at everything, I went back to Suzy's Pops, a local popsicle vendor. I chose the Peach Basil pop.

Peach Basil Pop from Suzy's Pops in Huntsville AL

Suzy's Pops has many vegan flavors. Just don't get anything listed in the "Creamy" category of the menu. Everything else is vegan. These are hand-made pops with real fruit chunks inside. They even have alcoholic pops for those who want to get drunk and brain freeze simultaneously. This Peach Basil flavor is so good I keep going back to it. I should probably try the other flavors.

That's all for this visit. I will return!

Panko Battered Tofu with Dale's Seasoning Sauce

I battered some tofu chunks with Panko, baked them until crispy, then coated them with Dale's Seasoning sauce.

Veggie Pineapple at Mexiville in Chattanooga TN

Vegan Key Lime Tarts

I made these vegan Key Lime Tarts using a combination of two recipes I found online. These were mostly made of tofu, soaked cashews, lime juice, lime zest, agave nectar, and graham crackers.

Real Roots Cafe in Fort Oglethorpe GA

Real Roots Cafe in Fort Oglethorpe GA has vegan smoothies, juices, and snack foods. This was my first time eating at Real Roots. It appears to be the only place in town to get vegan foods other than the typical fast food side items.

I bought an Epic Nacho Plate. It normally comes with barbecue jackfruit, but they were sold out of that. So this included chips, lentil chili, vegan cheese, slaw, lettuce, and avocado. This was a large serving. I had to share this one with my travel companion. This was a beautiful plate of nutritious food. The slaw was excellent. The chili and cheese worked well together.

I also tried the Pizza Panini which included in-house mozzarella, fire roasted red bell pepper, black olives, capers, red onion, and vegan mayo. The filling was creamy with a slight saltiness from the capers and olives. This has a good amount of vegan cheese. The bread was nice and crunchy. It came with a side of chips. This was very flavorful.

The prices were higher than I expected, but the serving sizes were generous. The dining area was clean with a minimalist modern rustic styling. It was nice and peaceful until the loud blender came on. The service was friendly and fast enough. Overall, the food was good but did have a "health food" quality that reminded me of vitamins. Some textures were weird, probably because of the gluten-free ingredients. But don't let that scare you away. It's just a minor thing I noticed.

It seems that they specialize in jackfruit barbecue meals, smoothies, and juices, so I'll need to try some of those before I develop a fair opinion of Real Roots Cafe. I'll try to go back soon and get some jackfruit barbecue. I was excited to try that. What I ordered this time was good, but I suspect the missing jackfruit would make the nachos really come alive.

If you're traveling on I-75 and want some vegan food, check out Real Roots Cafe. It's just south of Chattanooga.

Vegan Fourth of July Cookout 2019

If you were looking for some good vegan options for your Fourth of July cookout, you can try what my family had. We made veggie kabobs. I also roasted some Brussels sprouts and shared a bowl of pre-sliced watermelon from Publix.

The kabobs included baby portabella mushrooms, onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, basil leaves, and home-grown cherry tomatoes. If you do this on the grill remember you should leave the lid off the grill when cooking veggies. You want the heat but not so much of the smoke. It's very easy to overdo the smoke on veggies.

My favorite part was the Brussels sprouts. I made these by quartering large raw sprouts and roasting them in hemp oil with a light sprinkle of Adobo seasoning. Excellent! The outer leaves got crunchy and delicious. This was as tasty as eating a bowl of potato chips! I almost ate all of them while the others where cooking.

Later I had some watermelon chunks. I kept these cool in the refrigerator. This is a really refreshing way to cool off in the summer heat.

The Stallion Italian Sausage by No Evil

No Evil Stallion Italian Sausage is very flavorful and spicy. This tastes great sliced up in vegan spaghetti or as a hot dog. I ate mine with spicy mustard on a vegan hot dog bun this time.

Chili Garlic Green Beans and Stir-fried Eggplant at P.F.Chang's

The Chili Garlic Green Beans at P.F. Chang's is an excellent side item, and it's enough food for a whole meal. This has red peppers, ginger, onion, and garlic mixed in a light sauce. It's vegan!

The Stir-fried Eggplant is another great herbivore option. It comes with rice, and it's really good with a touch of hot mustard! This is too much food for one person. It makes a good breakfast though.

Click here to see P.F.Chang's website