Sunday, February 9, 2020

Original Bitchin' Sauce

I saw this at Whole Foods, and the name got my attention. I wasn't even sure what this was. The ingredients indicates that it is an almond-based product that also contains nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, and Bragg Liquid Amino. What a strange combination. I had to try it.


I like strange foods. And I liked this dip very much. I will admit the first taste was confusing. It took a few seconds to see where it was going. The liquid amino gave this a flavor similar to soy sauce. The almond, garlic and lemon juice provided a tangy creaminess similar to ranch dressing. This is a really weird product, but I kept going back to it. By the end of the day I had eaten the entire contents of the tub. This was good!

I would recommend using this product as a dip for raw vegetables such as celery, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. If you think hummus and ranch are a bit boring as dips, this product is a good way to add some excitement.

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Patty Melt At The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant In Nashville TN

The Patty Melt is made with a black bean patty, grilled onions, vegan cheddar, spicy mustard, thousand island dressing, and sourdough bread. It came with a choice of sides. I went with the Lentil Stew. This sandwich would have been better with pickle slices, but this was still a great lunch.


This was my first visit to The Wild Cow since they moved to Five Points. The new location has an open-air seating area, but overall it doesn't seem to be bigger. The sound doesn't echo so much at the new location, but it is still uncomfortably loud.

The Wild Cow is a great place to eat some of the best vegan food you will find and meet very creative and interesting people. If you've never been, be prepared to see friendly people with tattoos, face paint, brightly colored hair, and fashion choices that simultaneously amaze, confuse, and inspire. Anything goes in the east side of Nashville.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

Super Bowl From Hippea Camper In Huntsville AL

The Hippea Camper's Super Bowl is made with roasted potatoes, black beans, quinoa, spinach, and "cheese". At first I thought this combination was a bit strange, but it was very good!

Mongolian Veggies at MeiWei in Huntsville AL

From the perspective of an herbivore, the Hippea Camper is Huntsville's best food truck, except it's really a camper. The menu is all plant-based. They also sell tea, juices, and lemonade. I usually get one of the teas. Excellent!

Click here to see the Hippea Camper website

Friday, January 31, 2020

Home-made Collard Green Wrap

Another vegan in the family shared this home-made plant-based creation with me. This was really good. This collard green wrap was made with collard greens, pine nut couscous, seasoned artichoke hearts, green olives, minced garlic, Adobo seasoning, and basil.


Monday, January 27, 2020

Gas Station Snack: Lay's Limon Potato Chips And Tea

Lay's Limon Potato Chips are similar to the dill flavor. This bold product is pleasantly tangy and acidic. I enjoyed mine with a large sweet tea.


This surprisingly does not contain milk. Most flavored potato chips do contain milk.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Blue Plate at Laughing Seed Cafe In Asheville NC

I went back to Laughing Seed in Asheville for another fantastic vegan meal. And here's it is.


The Blue Plate was on the Sunday brunch menu. This plate included organic scrambled tofu, a vegan gravy biscuit, smoky potatoes, seitan “sausage” and a kale pickled onion salad". Every bite was perfect. The gravy biscuit and potatoes were the highlights of this meal.

If you order this, be sure to ask for the vegan version. Laughing Seed Cafe does offer this as a vegetarian meal with eggs. This meal was priced at $14 and did throw my budget off quite a bit. But this was real food made from scratch by professionals. It was worth the price, but I must save this kind of eating for special occasions.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Amy's Vegan Tortilla Casserole With Cheeze

This new item from Amy's really filled the air with a pleasant aroma. This smelled like a real Mexican feast when it was cooking.


The flavor was equally pleasing. Although this was not a cheap meal, the serving size, quality of ingredients, and satisfactory taste made this a much better value than a trip to Taco Bell.


This is one of the best Amy's products I've tried. I will definitely be included on future shopping lists. 

 
Click here to see the Amy's Kitchen website

 

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

So Delicious Strawberry Dairy Free Yogurt Alternative

I found this at Kroger for 99 cents. So Delicious Strawberry Dairy Free Yogurt Alternative is a strange product. The flavor is like a strawberry pudding. It's lightly sweet and refreshing with a strange tangy, smokey aftertaste.


I've never had real yogurt. I assume all yogurt has a texture like thick pus. The taste is good, but I don't understand the obsession with yogurt. I didn't grow up with it. I may buy this again. Maybe I can use it as a fruit dip next time.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Fish Fillet

I've discovered a product good for herbivores who once enjoyed eating fish. Sophie's Kitchen Vegan Fish Fillet tastes much like a mild fish, maybe flounder. The texture is almost the same too.


The outside crust gets crispy and a bit flaky when cooked. The inside is soft, slightly stretchy, and moist. This stuff is great! Notice that it's also non-GMO. I will surely buy this again. Excellent product!


Tribe Lemon Rosemary Hummus

Here's another good hummus. The lemon rosemary flavor is good on veggie sandwiches.



Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Upton's Naturals Bar-B-Que Jackfruit

Here's another Upton's plant-based product that all vegans should try. This stuff is like pulled pork but without the death and disease.


Checkout the texture. It's not as heavy, dirty, and offensive as I remember pork to be. This is a lighter, good karma version of pork. I ate mine on French bread with spicy mustard and Follow Your Heart Vegenaise.

Click here to see the Upton's Naturals website

Breakfast Beans


Sunday, January 5, 2020

Amy's Tofu Scramble

Amy's Tofu Scramble has been one of my almost-regular meals for years. I usually grab a couple of these when they go on sale. This is quick and easy to make, and it tastes good. The serving size is perfect for breakfast. Non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan!


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Click here to see the Amy's Kitchen website

Monday, December 30, 2019

Farmwise Veggie Rings

Here's another plant-based winner. Farmwise Veggie Rings are vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, and free of the top 8 allergens. But they taste great!


Check this out. These look just like the picture!



Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Vegan Style Broccoli "Cheese" Baked Potato

I made myself a vegan style broccoli and "cheese" baked potato. This was as awesome as it looks!


This was a simple and inexpensive meal. I bought fresh stalks of broccoli. A bag of potatoes, and some Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds. I baked a potato in aluminum foil, chopped and steamed the broccoli, and melted the "cheese" on top with the microwave oven.

Of all the foods on this blog, this is one of my favorite home-made foods. I've been wanting to share this one with you for a while.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Vegan Christmas Dinner 2019

I shared a vegan meal with family for Christmas Eve. This meal included Gardein Turk'y Cutlets with gravy, biscuits, steamed green beans, and Daiya Deluxe White Cheddar Style Cheezy Mac. This is a merry Christmas. I have leftovers!


Sunday, December 22, 2019

A Vegan Lunch At Fern in Charlotte NC

Just south of Uptown Charlotte in the Dilworth neighborhood there's an awesome mostly-vegan cafe called Fern. It's at the corner of a small shopping village with limited parking. Fern is where I enjoyed the best cauliflower that has ever entered my mouth.

Check out this heavenly mound of plant material! This is the Buffalo Cauliflower.

Buffalo Cauliflower at Fern in Charlotte NC


This cauliflower was battered and fried like regular chicken wings and seasoned with a tangy Buffalo sauce. It was topped with dill dressing and diced celery and carrots.

Before eating the food shown here, I had almost no experience with Buffalo Cauliflower. I knew it was a thing with some people, but I had never tried it. During this visit to Fern, I wanted to try something new. And when I asked the server to name the most popular dishes on the menu, this was one she recommended.

Even with this being served in a small skillet, the serving size was large. I could have shared this with 1 or 2 other people. The flavor was out of this world good. This was comfort food for the soul. I had no idea cauliflower could be so good.

Another mouth watering menu item from Fern is the Herbed Potatoes This skillet full of bliss is priced at $6. The portion size will feed 2 or 3 people. Again. this was a perfect comfort food with an awesome flavor and presentation.

Herbed Potatoes at Fern in Charlotte NC

During this visit to Fern, the service was very friendly. The servers even seemed to enjoy their jobs and get along with each other like friends. I felt like a guest and not just another customer. The servers offer a large jug of cold fresh water, so refills are not a problem at all. I drink plenty during my meals, so this was great. The dining area is a light-filled room with rustic and modern accents. The environment was calm and peaceful at the time of my visit. The only thing that would be a downside to this visit is the parking. I had to drive around Dilworth 3 times waiting to get a spot. But it was worth the trouble.


Click here to see the Fern Website

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Marie Callender's Blueberry Pie

Marie Callender's Blueberry Pie is a plant-based product that will satisfy anyone. This is a really good pie. The filling is smooth and sweet but not too sweet. The blueberries are whole, not mushed up. So it's like a real home-made pie. The crust is flaky but solid enough to hold itself together. This pie is made with real ingredients, and it's not that nasty stuff either. Many other pies contain lard, butter, milk, eggs, or even beef fat, but this one is safe for the plant-based community.


The instructions say to let this pie cool for 3 hours before serving. I believe I know why. If the pie is cut before it cools the filling will be very fluid. Once the pie is cool the filling becomes thicker. If you like warm pie, grab a spoon. If you like cool pie, there's no worries. Personally, I like pie any way it comes.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Lentil-Walnut Burger at Avo in Nashville TN

I finally found my way over to Avo in Nashville. I had the Lentil-Walnut Burger with Mac N Cheese and a pickle spear. Check out this beautiful plateful of plant material!


The Lentil-Walnut Burger is coconut muenster, lettuce, tomato, red onion, beet ketchup, chickpea mayo, sweet potato bun, and a lentil-walnut patty. This burger was amazing! This is one of the best plant-based burgers I've had. Perfect! The Mac N Cheese was good too, but the burger will be what brings me back.


Avo is a modern, 100% plant-based restaurant located in a small complex that appears to be built from cargo containers. The interior is stylish. The prices are a bit high. The food is absolutely awesome! They make real food! You should go there now. Now!

Click here to see the Avo website

Monday, December 16, 2019

Mellow Mushroom Vegan Garlic Cheese Bread

Here's another plant-based option at Mellow Mushroom. Order the Garlic Cheese Bread with vegan cheese instead of the regular cheese and without butter. Ask for a side of red sauce without the cheese that's usually sprinkled on top.


I actually wanted the garlic as it would usually have, but for some reason they thought I wanted it without garlic. No problem. I asked for a side of minced garlic and it was great.

Click here to see the Mellow Mushroom website

 

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Monday, December 9, 2019

Boca Burrito at Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill

Salsarita's has Boca! I ordered this Boca Burrito and made it a combo. Very good!

Boca Burrito Combo at Salsarita's Fresh Mexican Grill

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

Quorn Fishless Sticks

This is one of the only products I've found by Quorn that is currently vegan. I hope to see more products like this. These Fishless Sticks tasted enough like the real thing that most people will like them, especially kids. I really like them. The fishiness isn't nearly as potent as the real thing. These are a milder version of real fish sticks. But they still had plenty of flavor. I enjoyed this product and will buy them again when I can.



Also, this product is completely free of all that nasty, sticky, silvery, veiny garbage that a dead fish has in it. This product is clean.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Home-made Vegan Sushi Bowl

After making vegan sushi rolls, I had leftover ingredients that I did not want to waste. I made a sushi bowl that consisted of sushi rice with vinegar, chopped avocado, the leftover scraps of my seaweed sheets, and couple packs of Taco Bell hot sauce. This was a good vegan poverty meal.


Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Another Vegan Pizza at Pieology

I've been pleased with my first few visits to Pieology. Here's another picture of my food. I chose the red sauce with light vegan cheese this time.


While eating at my table, I saw an advertisement for their vegan "meats". I'm so glad to see that they have those! I'll try one of those next time.


Click here to see the Pieology website

Follow Your Heart Cheddar Shreds

I finally got around to trying Follow Your Heart cheddar shreds. This tastes and feels like real cheese, almost.


This product seems to melt a higher temperature than real cheese. I microwaved this and watched for it to start melting. This will start bubbling up quickly once it melts, so it's best to keep a close eye on it. As you can see here, it really needed a few more seconds to get it all to melt completely.


I added sriracha sauce to make it spicy.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup

I found another good noodle soup. This is a generous portion of noodles in a cup. Just add water and microwave for a quick lunch. This has a nice ramen flavor. I'll be buying this again!


Thursday, November 28, 2019

Vegan Thanksgiving 2019

This year I made vegan green bean casserole, vegan dressing, vegan mashed potatoes, and vegan pumpkin pie to share at a family gathering. Other vegan items were also available. I mainly ate what I brought. This year's meal, for me at least, was heavy on the carbohydrates. 


For desert my pumpkin pie was topped with So Delicious Coco Whip. This was some awesome home-made pie!  I'm not sharing the recipe. Sorry. Something this good needs to be a secret.


This is my first time trying the non-dairy Coco Whip. I had no idea it even existed until recently. It was a perfect addition to my amazingly delicious pumpkin pie. If you want to look for this whipped topping in stores, here's what the package looks like. This stuff is great!


Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Ener-G Stuffing Gluten-free Traditional Stuffing

I found this vegan stuffing in the discount section of the supermarket. It was worth much more than what I paid. This meal was really good!


I made it mostly as directed. I went heavy on the seasonings. This was so good I forgot it was gluten-free. Most gluten-free products have a weird texture. This was just like the home-made stuffing Granny makes for Thanksgiving. And yes, this is all there was for this meal. No turkey for vegans.


Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Another Veggie Delight at Subway

This time I wanted to do something completely different. So I asked for all the veggies. I don't usually get the peppers and cucumbers. I was feeling adventurous.


Saturday, November 23, 2019

A Snack at Gadsden Variety and Cafe in Gadsden AL

Gadsden Variety is an antique mall and cafe in historic downtown. The store is loaded with interesting things from the past mixed with crafts and furniture. They have a cafe inside and plenty of snacks at the front desk. Herbivores can eat the popcorn, but almost everything else there is for omnivores. If I remember correctly, this popcorn was less than a dollar.


Monday, November 18, 2019

Bagel & Lox From Hippea Camper In Huntsville AL

The Bagel & Lox at Hippea Camper is a bagel with vegan cream cheese, carrots, and capers. The carrots have an unexpected slightly sweet smokey flavor. All the textures and flavors melt together in the mouth. This is earthy, smokey, creamy, and slightly messy. Hippea Camper has seemingly created a simple food product that is a representation of the camping experience with vegans. Very good!

Bagel & Lox from Hippea Camper in Huntsville AL

Click here to see the Hippea Camper website

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Kombucha Flight at Rosetta's Kitchen in Asheville NC

At Rosetta's Kitchen, the grumpy couple at the table beside me were uncool, impatient, and rude. They complained out loud for a few minutes, then got up and left before their flight of draught Buchi kombucha was ready. That's fine. Rosetta's Kitchen is not for uptight people like them. When the kind server came to the empty table, my travel companion and I offered to buy it. We later noticed there was no charge for it.


Every one of these were excellent with very noticeable individual differences. Kombucha isn't for everyone, but I like it. If you've never tried it, you should. But be prepared. It can be intense.


It pays to be kind and patient with each other. Don't be like those grumpy people. If you're in a bad mood, don't spread it around. We are all one big family. Just be nice to people. Fake a smile until it's real. Have a kombucha and chill out a while.



Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Tacos At Rosetta's Kitchen In Asheville NC

The tacos at Rosetta's Kitchen are made with a vegan chorizo. This is a simple plate of food, but don't let it fool you. That veggie chorizo is really good. It doesn't taste like meat, but this is so good it could make carnivores forget who they are. The size of this plate was good because it goes well with a side item, appetizer, or dessert.