Stuff I Ate In Middle Tennessee

I spent three days last week in Middle Tennessee for my cookbook's photo shoot, which went down at the Farm in Summertown. Since the Farm is inhabited by mostly vegetarians and vegans, it's always easy to find delicious vegan food there.

But Paul and I actually stayed at his parents' house in nearby Chapel Hill throughout the three days of shooting and cooking. It's about an hour away from Summertown and not so vegan-friendly. But thanks to stocking up at the Farm while I was there and a fun Thursday night trip to Nashville, I found plenty to eat.

On Wednesday after we wrapped up shooting, I stopped by the Farm Store, a super-adorable general store stocked with all kinds of goodness — homemade Farm Soy tofu and soy yogurt, TVP in all shapes and sizes, nutritional yeast, vegan canned goods and pantry staples, and dairy-free ice cream treats. I picked up some homemade chili they'd served at the store for lunch that day and this Amy's Burger (complete with bun and fixin's) and Kettle Chips to eat for dinner at Paul's mom's house that night:

I ate the chili for lunch on Thursday, but I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture!! Sorry. It was black bean chili, and it was delicious!

On Thursday, we didn't have any shooting, but I did have to bake cupcakes and biscuits for Friday's shoot. Afterward, Paul and I drove an hour to Nashville to meet up with his sister Sheila at vegetarian/vegan restaurant, The Wild Cow. Here's me and Sheila:

I LOVE The Wild Cow! I've eaten there a handful of times, and it never disappoints. Paul and his sister aren't even vegan, and they enjoyed their food. Paul ordered the Fajita Nachos, which were covered with Mexican-spiced seitan:

Sheila ordered the Far Eastland Bowl, which was loaded with garlicky kale, tofu, sesame seeds, and peanut sauce. It also comes with carrot-daikon slaw, but she asked for that on the side because she was unfamiliar with daikon:

I ordered the French Quarter Dip, a delightfully messy French dip sub stuffed with seitan and grilled onions and mushrooms. On the side are the Grilled Vegetables topped with the best Garlic Aioli Sauce I've ever put in my mouth:

I knew I'd be waking up early on Friday to head back to Summertown for the wrap-up photo shoot, so I ordered the Wild Cow's Buffalo Style Beans & Greens Bowl to go. I ate it for breakfast on Friday morning:

This is hands-down my favorite dish from The Wild Cow so far. I usually opt for faux meats over healthy bowls, but this bowl was AMAZING! Pinto beans, kale, brown rice, buffalo tofu, carrots, and the most delicious vegan homemade ranch. Oh. My. God. I'll definitely be trying to recreate this at home.