Another Great Home-made Vegan Southern Plate

Here's more vegan soul food. I don't usually brag, but I'm getting pretty good at this. All of this was very good. I just went too light on the salt and had to add it after I put it on the plate. Here's what I made.

Spicy Breaded Tofu Nuggets
I made tofu cubes and left them in the water. I used a zipper sandwich bag and filled it halfway with non-GMO corn meal, white flour, salt, and creole seasoning. I removed the tofu cubes from the water and placed them in the bag, then I shook it all up until the tofu was coated. I baked the tofu until slightly brown.

Seasoned Black-eyed Peas
I soaked and slow-cooked dried peas, covered. When almost done, I added a little bit of cumin, chili powder, diced onion, diced jalapeno pepper, and salt.

Collard Greens
I slow-cooked fresh collard greens in water until the green color became brighter. Then I drained most of the water and added olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper and a bit of salt. I cooked a little bit longer until the green got slightly darker.

Corn Bread
I mixed a batter using non-GMO corn meal, white flour, non-GMO corn starch, baking powder, salt, olive oil, a small amount of sugar, diced yellow onion, diced red pepper, diced jalapeno pepper, a little bit of frozen non-GMO corn kernels, and water. Then I baked it in a casserole dish until brown on the edges.

Spinach with Potatoes 
I boiled potatoes with onion chunks and drained it, then added some frozen spinach and salt and slow-cooked it covered until the spinach was bright green.

Southern Plate by Chef Will The Palate in Huntsville AL

I always have trouble catching Chef Will when he's open. He's almost never open! But I finally caught him, and I got the Vegan Southern Plate. Here's what that looked like.

Southern Plate by Chef Will The Palate in Huntsville AL

Chef Will specializes in plant-based foods. This meal was very good except the rice was a bit cold. This plate included beans, rice, avocado slices, salsa, collard greens, cabbage, spinach, and fried plantains. This plate occasionally comes with really good vegan cornbread, but he didn't have any. Chef Will cooks real food from scratch. There are many layers of flavor, and it all tastes clean and natural. His presentation is usually better than this. The southern plate seems to be slopped together, but southern food is like that.

Chef Will The Palate was open during Lowe Mill's Concert On The Dock (that's a band playing on the dock under the lights). His trailer is really looking rough, but don't let that fool you. There's a real chef inside, and the food is so good people come back up after eating and tell him how amazing the food was. This time I overheard a lady telling Chef Will's assistant her husband thought the portabella over rice was the best he's ever had. Vegans and vegetarians need to check out Chef Will the Palate.

Vegan Biscuits and Gravy at Graze in Nashville TN

This was some of the best biscuits and gravy I've ever had, and this was vegan! Graze describes this as "house made biscuits smothered in gravy and house chorizo topped with green onions and fennel fronds".

The biscuits tasted great and had the texture of old-fashioned buttermilk biscuits. They were soft in the middle and slightly crispy on the outside. The gravy was smooth and tasty. I expected it to have a mushroom flavor, but it had a meaty flavor. The chorizo chunks were chewy and spicy like sausage. The cracked pepper and green onions made this dish perfect! Even meat eaters would love this for breakfast!

Click here to see the Graze website

Hippie Nachos at Blackstone Pub & Eatery in Gadsden AL

This is the Hippie Nachos at Blackstone Pub & Eatery in Gadsden AL. To make it vegan I ordered it with no melted white cheese and no sour cream. This is corn tortilla chips topped with black beans, mushrooms, fresh cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, black olives, a single peperoncino pepper, and a side of salsa. I also had a Blue Moon Belgian White with an orange slice. This is all vegan!

Hippie Nachos minus cheese and sour cream at Blackstone Pub & Eatery in Gadsden AL

Blackstone Hippie Nachos is a generous pile of comfort food. They usually go heavy on the cilantro, which is why I like them so much. This time they went a bit easy on that and went heavy on the beans. That's great too! The beans were slightly dry and very flavorful, so they may be house-made from dry beans. In fact everything tasted very fresh. The salsa is very good and has a slight Tabasco sauce flavor. Without cheese, the Hippie Nachos basket does need extra salsa. The jalapenos were so hot this time I almost couldn't think straight (or maybe it was the beer getting to me). This was a great meal!

Blackstone Pub & Eatery is usually dark, loud, and crowded. They have frequent live music events in the evening. The building is very old, maybe over 100 years old, so it's rough and grimy inside, but it's very comfortable. Some recent improvements really helped minimize the biker bar feel it had. I'm no longer afraid to use their restroom. They have outdoor seating available for smokers and those with canine drinking partners. The beer selection is huge. The menu is mostly pizza, salad, and quesadillas. I discovered Blackstone during a visit to Gadsden's First Friday street festival. Now I stop by anytime I'm in town.


Click here to see the Blackstone Pub & Eatery website

Mason Dixon Bakery in Huntsville AL

Ultimate Veggie Burger

I started with this amazing pile of delicious, gluten-free vegetable material. This is described as a house made black bean, sweet potato and black rice patty with vegan “bacon”, black pepper “aioli” and Daiya cheese on vegan bun. This was very good!

Ultimate Veggie Burger at Mason Dixon Bakery in Huntsville AL

The veggie patty was spicy. I'm not saying it was hot and spicy. I'm saying it had plenty of flavor from spices. And the texture was mostly soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. Chunks of veggies were mixed throughout the patty. The bun was clearly a gluten-free house-made bun. It was good, but most gluten-free bread has a texture that gives it away.  It had the texture and flavor almost like a soft southern biscuit. The vegan "bacon" had the tough, crunchy texture of real bacon but the flavor of grilled mushrooms. The "cheese" and  creamy "aioli" were excellent. It all came together to make a really nice sandwich. The spice made this one taste unlike any other veggie burger I've had. The size is generous and satisfying. The vegan "bacon" could have been a little bit saltier to make it taste more like real bacon, and the bread could have been just a bit sweeter, but those are very minor issues. This was an excellent veggie burger!


Smoked Jicama Slaw 
The meal came with one side option, so I chose the vegan slaw. This was served cold. It was crisp, tangy, and peppery. It seemed to be cauliflower with carrot, red pepper, and a creamy sauce. This was also excellent!

Smoked Jicama Slaw at Mason Dixon Bakery in Huntsville AL

Cloud 9 Cupcake
Mason Dixon Bakery makes vegan sweets too! Here's the Cloud 9 cupcake. The bottom part tasted like mild chocolate cake, and the top was very rich and sweet. This was excellent but very sweet.

Cloud 9 cupcake at Mason Dixon Bakery in Huntsville AL

Mason Dixon Bakery in Huntsville AL is a cozy little place that's vegan-friendly and specializes in gluten-free foods. The vegan items are clearly marked, and they identify all foods (GF, DF, EF, V, SF, rice free, corn free, potato free) to help people with special dietary needs. This is a rare and greatly appreciated treasure of prepared specialty foods in the south.

Mason Dixon Bakery appears to be in an old 1930s cottage-style house. It has a familiar smell of an old house, almost like Grandma's house with cookies in the oven. The floor echoes when people walk. The surfaces are worn but clean. The front door is clunky and loud. The rooms are small. They do offer outdoor seating on the large deck for those who need more space. During my visit, I received friendly southern service with smiles. I felt like a guest in someone's home. I usually prefer modern restaurants, but this was really nice. I would recommend this place to anyone, especially those with food restrictions.

Click here to see the Mason Dixon Bakery website

Chargrill Portobello from Ale's Kitchen at Straight To Ale Brewery in Huntsville AL

Huntsville AL has a brewery call Straight To Ale. Inside the bar area they have Ale's Kitchen. They serve a great selection of really impressive dishes, mostly non-vegetarian. But they do have this vegan mushroom burger! Check this out. This is some awesome bar food!

Chargrill Portobello from Ale's Kitchen at Straight To Ale Brewery in Huntsville AL

They describe this as "balsamic marinated portobello mushroom, chargrilled then topped with grilled onion, lettuce, tomato, and smooth avocado sauce -Vegan!". I chose the side salad minus cheese with balsamic vinaigrette dressing as my side option. I had this with Straight To Ale's Brother Joseph's Belgian Style Dubbel (8% ABV). That grilled portobello mushroom was huge! Although it says it's chargrilled and has grilled onions on it, the grilling process is NOT done with the meats (that's what I was told by someone who went to the kitchen to ask). I was told they cook this in the same place they toast the quesadillas. There's a slight chance cheese may get on it, but I didn't find any on my food. Every part of this meal was fantastic!


Click here to see the Straight To Ale website

Vegan Camp Potatoes

I made some potatoes at my camp site up in the mountains. These were seasoned with rosemary, black pepper, and olive oil. It's easier to prepare this before the camping trip and keep it in the cooler until it's time to cook.

Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Franklin TN

Here's a vegan version of the Mediterranean Salad and a vegan pizza at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Franklin TN. To make the salad vegan, just leave off the feta cheese and substitute the dressing for balsamic vinaigrette. The pizza has Daiya vegan cheese instead of mozzarella with kalamata olives, roasted garlic, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts. It's very similar to the Rustica pizza. Brixx is vegan friendly.

Click here to see the Brixx Wood Fired Pizza website

Five Guys Peanuts and Tea

The peanuts are free at Five Guys. This is a cheap vegan lunch!

Beast Mode Food Truck in Huntsville AL

There's a food truck called Beast Mode that operates in Huntsville AL, and they have some vegan options on the menu. I met with other plant eaters and we all ordered the vegan versions of the Veggie Burger. The regular Veggie Burger is not vegan, and we had to pay extra for the vegan options.

Vegan Veggie Burger from Beast Mode in Huntsville AL

This beautiful pile of plant material was carefully crafted with quality ingredients. It included toasted vegan bread, hand-made vegan patty, vegan cheese, guacamole, vegan pesto sauce, spring mix greens, and tomatoes. Everything about this was excellent. It was crunchy, soft, fresh, creamy, juicy, and savory. The veggie patty was softer than I prefer, but the taste made up for it. Every ingredient was fresh and delicious. Beast Mode offers a nice selection of sauces at the service counter. I chose sriracha sauce and ketchup (not pictured).

This meal came with one side item. The vegan options were chips (the popular brands), vegan hash browns with vegan cheese, and chickpea veggie crisps. I chose the vegan hash browns.

Vegan Hash Browns from Beast Mode in Huntsville AL

This was also an excellent product, however it was a bit oily, and the vegan cheese wasn't melted (vegan cheese takes longer to melt). Again, the taste made up for it, and this was still excellent. This was cooked and seasoned perfectly. I did add a sprinkle of salt and pepper just to perfect it for my own personal experience.

Beast Mode makes real food by hand with quality ingredients. Based on the menu, the food seems to be composed of delightful layers of flavor and texture. They must have a real chef in there! Most of the food is non-vegan. The service was excellent, and they know how to make vegan food. That's quite rare in the food truck world. We did need to request vegan options on each item because the vegetarian foods normally come with non-vegan toppings. But it's great to know they can do it and do it very well.

This was expensive (I paid about $13 plus a tip), but it was nice to try something new. It was a satisfying experience, and I would gladly order the same thing again if I could afford it. I would recommend Beast Mode to anyone.

Don Lee Farms Veggie Bowl

This is something I found at Costco a while back. It was so good I had to go back and buy more. Even non-vegans will love this veggie bowl! This is another non-GMO meal.

Vegan Valley Nacho "Cheddar" Cheeze Sauce

Vegan Valley Nacho "Cheddar" Cheeze Sauce is the best vegan cheese I've found in the grocery stores. This stuff is excellent! It tastes as good as real nacho cheese. I like to use this as a cheese dip for tortilla chips. This is expensive, but it's worth the price. I love Vegan Valley Nacho Cheeze!

UPDATE: I've been having trouble finding this product in my local stores. It was at Whole Foods, then it was gone. Later, I found it at Food City. Now it's gone again. Too bad for me.

The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant in Nashville TN

Here's another meal at The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant. This is not on the menu. It's a daily special plate. This is Jerk Fried Seitan with Jamaican gravy, black beans over organic brown rice, carrot jalapeño slaw, ginger roasted squash and zucchini topped with vegan sour cream, and tomato slices.

Click here for The Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant website

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