Best Fast Food Ever – VegHeads Drive Thru

Normally going to a fast food restaurant is not an option for my family.  There really are days though that I would just love to be able to go to a drive thru for a quick meal that I don’t have to cook.  I found the perfect place in Asheville, NC.  It is VegHeads Drive Thru.  The food was amazing and the prices were reasonable.  It is probably good that we live over and hour away or I amy go there more than I should.

VegHeads drive thru 1

This is the mountain Burger that my husband had.  It was delicious!  He had seaweed cucumber salad on the side.  Kind of a weird combo, but he was happy.

 

drive thru

My daughter has the mini mountain burger from the kids menu.  It was really cute.

VegHeads Drive Thru 3

I had a baked falafel wrap, which was unbelievable, with tabbouleh on the side.  The falafel was baked instead of fried, so it wasn’t greasy at all.

VegHeads Drive Thru 4

This is the Veggie Stack that my Mom had.  It is not actually vegan because of the feta cheese and the bread, but my Mom said it was delicious.

 

Sweet Potato Falafel with Tahini Sauce

vegan sweet potato falafel 2

vegan sweet potato falafel

 

Falafel is one of my favorite foods.  This variation on the regular falafel turned out to be equally delicious.  The sweet potatoes give the falafel a completely different texture then the original and they add great flavor.  The outside gets nice and crispy and the middle is very creamy.  Serve it with warm pita and tahini sauce.

Celebrate Earth Day

earth day

Earth Day is April 22nd and it is a great time to think about ways we can be kind to our planet.  My kids decided that they want to pick up all the trash around our house for Earth Day.  Even though we live in the mountains, there is an unbelievable amount of trash left on the roads near our home.   Here are a few things that you can do on a daily basis to help conserve our resources.

Following a plant based diet makes a huge positive impact on the environment.  Raising livestock creates a lot of pollution and meat production uses a huge amount of water.  It takes about 2500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat.  Eating plants uses only a fraction of the water.

Recycle what ever you can.  Most of us are really good about recycling our trash, but try to find ways to recycle or upcycle all your unwanted items.  Donate all your old clothes, electronics, sports equipment and other useable household items.  Reuse as much as you can.  Also, try to buy products that contain recycled materials.

Buy used whenever you can.  Buying something used saves resources and saves you a lot of money as well.  There are tons of great consignment shops and thrift stores everywhere now.

All the little things we do each day really add up, so just making small changes makes a big impact and creates hope for our future!

 

 

Stuffed Zucchini

zucchini

I stuffed this zucchini with tofu ricotta and Daiya Mozzarella, then baked it over tomato sauce.  It was served over whole wheat spaghetti.  The zucchini gets really tender while it’s baking and goes great with the flavor of the ricotta and tomato sauce.  It also makes a very nice presentation, so it would be great for serving to company.

 

 

Split Pea Soup

soup

Split pea is one of my families favorite soup.  It also happens to be really easy to make and really inexpensive.  Split peas are only about $1.00 per bag.  I usually double the recipe so I have lots of leftovers for lunch the next day.  You can leave the soup chunky or blend it to make it creamy.  This soup can also be made in the crock pot.  Just throw in all the ingredients and let it cook on low all day.

 

Broiled Asian Tofu

Vegan Broiled Asian Tofu

I just have to say that tofu is not something that I usually like, in fact I really dislike it.  If something tastes like tofu, I don’t eat it.  This does not taste like tofu.  My kids share my feeling about tofu and they gobbled this up.  It has a sweet and salty flavor to it and it gets a little crisp under the broiler.   I served it with sautéed kale and brown rice, but it would be great on a salad as well.  Just make sure you let your tofu drain really well.  You want as much water out of it as you can get, so it can absorb more of the marinade.   I put my tofu in a strainer and then put a small plate on top of it, then put a heavy jar on the plate to help press out the water.

 

Phyllo Cups with Cashew Ricotta and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Vegan phyllo cups with cashew ricotta and sun dried tomato sauce

This is what I served for our Easter dinner, but it would be great for any special occasion or holiday.  The phyllo cups make a very elegant presentation, but really are not difficult to make.  Phyllo can be a little tricky the first time you use it.  Just remember to keep the phyllo covered with a damp towel and you should have no problems.  The filling is mostly raw so there is not a lot of cooking time and a lot of it can be made ahead.  The cashews and the sun dried tomatoes need to be soaked for a few hours at least, or overnight, before you start to prepare them though.   After all the treats we had around Easter, it was nice to enjoy a nice light dinner.  I had a lot of the fillings left over, so I blended the ricotta and the tomato sauce together and served it over whole wheat pasta the next day.

 

Vegetable Coconut Curry

Vegan Vegetable Coconut Curry

After weeks of warm weather we have had a few cold days here in North Carolina, so I wanted something warm and filling.  I also have been craving curry, so this dish was perfect.  Curry is one of my favorite things to eat.  I love all the bold flavors and the spice.  For this curry, I roasted the veggies, put in some chick peas and I served it over brown rice.

 

Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup

soup

The kids the call this monster soup because of the green color the broccoli gives it.  The cauliflower makes this soup very creamy and potatoes give it some richness.  It is a great way to get lots of veggies in kids without them realizing it.  This recipe makes a really big pot of soup, but you can always freeze the leftovers or have it for a quick lunch during the week.