Casa de Luz - Austin, TX

Casa de Luz is a macrobiotic restaurant and health-focused community center. We went for lunch. There is no menu where you select what you want. They make one meal, so you just get whatever is being served that day. There was a serve yourself salad and soup station, but they brought the entrees to the table. We got a black bean enchilada thing with sun cheese, rice, steamed veggies, blanched greens with almond sauce, and pickled radish. This was a really mellow place and they had some great looking desserts in the case. They had a flan, but I didn't get to try it! This meal was well received. Everyone seemed to love it. Interestingly, at the bottom of the daily menu posting, it lists the workers preparing the food. Very cool.

Flagship Whole Foods - Austin, TX

While two of the guys on the road trip stopped for tattoos, the rest of us headed over to the flagship Whole Foods store. We browsed the store, snagging samples of Love Bean spread and picking up items that are hard to find in Houston. One girl bought kale chips because she is obsessed with a certain brand and couldn't walk past them without buying a bag. It set of a frenzy of kale chip chatter. I personally don't really care for kale chips, but several people were curious about the brand she was discussing. I bought some Earth Balance white cheddar crack puffs!, Ricemellow creme (for making rice crispy treats), Sprinkelz (sprinkles), Wizard Worcestershire sauce, and the Love Bean spread we sampled. I bought the Love Bean for the guy I'm seeing. It was the only item he picked out, so I just snuck it onto the conveyer belt with my items.

Bouldin Creek Cafe - Austin, TX

After arriving in Austin, we stopped for brunch at Bouldin Creek Cafe. It's not an exclusively vegan establishment, but the menu is very vegan-friendly. My friend always orders the Tofu Renedict and she said we should all try it. Since several people ordered that, I ordered the tamales. Yum! Both dishes were great. The tofu scramble has sooo much nutritional yeast and little crunchy bits of tofu. Nom nom nom. Now I know why my friend practically demanded that we eat brunch here. Several people ordered coffee and tea, which they seemed to enjoy.

Red Rabbit Bakery Co-op - Austin, TX

Austin is the most vegan-friendly city in Texas and one of the top vegan-friendly cities in the country. It's about 2.5 hours away from Houston. I've only been once for Austin Veg Fest, but one of my friends recently organized a day trip. We had 7 people, mostly vegans, in 2 cars making the trek. We stopped at 6 restaurants, 2 grocery stores, picked up an internet order, and stopped by a tattoo parlor with vegan inks. This was 2 weeks ago, but I'm finally getting the chance to post the pictures. Life has been crazy lately - work, socializing, dating, playing sports, and dealing with the kitties. (Adie's special food gave Mischa bladder crystals!) I'm going to share the pictures of the best thing I ate on the entire trip - vegan donuts! When I lived in Florida, I could get vegan donuts at Whole Foods. I haven't found a single vegan donut in the entire city of Houston, so I made sure to request that the group stop at the Mueller Farmers' Market to get donuts from Red Rabbit Bakery Co-op. I bought the s'mores and raspberry filled donuts, but the guy I'm seeing bought a peach filled donut after having a few bites of my donuts. He went vegan for the month of July and saw his blood pressure drop 20 points! He's sticking with vegetarian for now, since he missed dairy. He eats vegan when we're together, so I think that's a positive sign!

Nit Noi Thai - Midtown, Houston, TX

After the concert, my friend and I headed to Nit Noi Thai in Midtown. It's a popular Thai place and I've been there before on a date. I knew the food would be good and comforting after a day outside in the sun. My friend enjoyed his plate too. I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for a low-key atmosphere, but good food.

Tacos A Go-Go - Midtown, Houston, TX

When I saw Everclear and Live a few weeks ago, I went out to eat in Midtown. I had lunch at Tacos A Go-Go. After asking lots of questions, I got the veggie tamale plate. The fat in the tamales is Crisco, the black beans are vegetarian, and the potatoes are sauteed in oil. I enjoyed having a warm plate of food and a pleasant vibe while having lunch with a friend. :)

Red Beans & Collards

I made another recipe from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. The temperature has been very high lately, plus I'm busy at work and trying to have a life. The crockpot allows me to eat well without working too hard. I did not steam the collards, I washed them and added them to the crockpot. I did add a little balsamic vinegar to the pot, since the recipe said to steam the collards and toss them in oil and balsamic vinegar. I made the quinoa in the rice cooker to simplify things. Can you tell it's summertime and I'm full of daydreams? :)