Stuff I Ate, Part 1

I intended on doing one of these random meal round-ups last week, but things were crazy. Only two days before we were set to leave for Bonnaroo, our house was broken into while I was at work. I failed to blog that night and then I took a blogging break while I was at the fest. Now, I've got a ton of pictures saved up, so I'll be doing a two-part Stuff I Ate series.

The first picture actually doubles as an announcement for Memphis vegans. Cafe Eclectic Midtown now has Vegan Granola Bars! You may recall that I blogged about their brunch a few weeks back and mentioned that they had vegan pancakes that were topped with honey granola (which didn't make much sense since honey isn't vegan). Those pancakes can be ordered without granola of course, and they're delicious. But shortly after that post, Cafe Eclectic tweeted at me that they were working on an agave granola, and it was already available there in bar form. I picked one up, and it was fantastic! Loaded with dried fruit and nuts. I enjoyed this in my car one weekend while I ran some errands.

Speaking of healthy snacks from local restaurants, one of the best things I've eaten in a long time was this Raw Hummus Toast from the Raw Girls food truck. There's a raw sundried tomato bread, and it comes packed with a scoop of hummus, mustard, homemade pickles, and hot chili sauce. 

Sounds like a weird combo, but it seriously works so well together. I've been dreaming about this ever since I ate it. I need to go back for more!

A few weeks back, just before my half-marathon, I helped my friend Pam move to a new house. She was super sick, and since I had a race coming up, I was afraid I'd catch her cold and not be able to run. I was careful to wash my hands a lot, and after we were done, I booked it over to Cosmic Coconut for an Immunity Juice (pineapple, orange, lemon, ginger, cilantro, and cayenne). Such a yummy juice.

One day at brunch at Imagine Vegan Cafe, I ordered the Vegan Beef Tips & Rice with a side of Brown Sugar Carrots and Sauteed Spinach. They use the Gardein beefless tips, and they fry 'em up in lots of oil, so it's super-delicious. I actually recreated this meal at home this week, and I plan to share the recipe soon!

Another Imagine meal — enjoyed with my friends Sheridan and Drew from Little Rock. They were passing through Memphis on the way to Disney World, and we met up at Imagine. I got the Stuffed Peppers with Garlic Bread. They're stuffed with vegan beef and rice and topped with their housemade cheese sauce.

The week before last, Imagine ran a brunch special that totally rocked my world. It was a Breakfast Casserole with a layer of diced hash brown potatoes, a layer of tofu scramble, a layer of vegan sausage, some gravy, and tons of vegan cheese. It was served with two biscuits and extra gravy. I ordered some spinach on the side for good measure.

I met Stephanie and Leslie for Ethiopian lunch buffet at Abyssinia one day a few weeks back. Their buffet is about 90 percent vegan, and of course, there's all-you-can-eat injera bread. I could seriously eat that buffet every day and never tire of it. But I'd eat way too much every time because I always do.

Hey, here's something I made at home! But it wasn't homemade — Rising Moon Organics Olive & Artichoke Ravioli, Whole Foods Roasted Garlic Marinara, and FYH Vegan Parm. Simple and satisfying. And just as good (if not better) than homemade.

That's it for tonight! More tomorrow!