Saturday, August 14, 2010

Asheville: Dinners in Review


Asheville, NC was amazing!

Enjoyed the art, the mountains, the bookstores, and of course, the food!

As you all know, I'm a sandwich girl at heart. If it wasn't painstakingly obvious before, picture this: I ordered a sandwich for EVERY DINNER on vacation. Yep, I pretty much have no shame. In my defense, we were fortunate enough to find several restaurants that only serve vegetarian food, making the options creative, scrumptious, and plentiful.

And, adding to my shameless sandwich streak, I was certain to enjoy dessert every night--can you imagine a city that is crawling with pastry chefs that specialize in vegan desserts only? Heaven...sweet, sweet heaven.

Enough rambling though. Tonight, in lieu of a recipe, I'm posting a sampling of my vacation dinner specialties and their ingredients. Which one sounds best to you?


Sandwich #1
Vegetarian Havana Cuban

My mind = Blown.

This loaded sammie is designed for someone who is hungry (and when am I not?) Herb and spice battered organic tempeh, crispy house-made pickles, black bean spread, tomatoes, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, mustard, and grilled Cuban bread.

I can't lie: I ate the whole thing :)

Do you like Adam's hungry eyes peering over the top?


Sandwich #2
House Veggie Burger

When I read that this baby was voted the best veggie burger in the city of Asheville, I knew I had to weigh in. It came with lettuce, tomato, white cheddar, and sliced avocado on a house-made whole wheat bun. The light, crumbly texture was a nice change from the traditional density of a bean burger, and the avocado added a creaminess that just can't be beat.



Sandwich #3
Spicy Peanut Wrap

Honestly, I ordered a vegetarian reuben at the Green Light, which closely mirrored the Havana Cuban from the night before (What can I say? I'm a sucker for anything with swiss cheese and homemade sauerkraut). But, since Adam and I shared every meal, I thought you should feast your eyes on his vege-head feast for the night.

Marinated tempeh, sauteed onions, bell peppers, lettuce, and a house-made peanut sauce. Organic tortilla chips complete the meal :)

Heaven #1
(yes, this is really the bakery's name!)

Do yourself a favor and drive to Asheville, NC to have a piece of this cake. Seriously. Now.

They make every carrot cake daily, by hand, using a family recipe and all organic ingredients.

Decadence doesn't describe this cake, and pictures don't do it justice. I've pictured our piece of chocolate carrot cake here, but (oops!) we also decided to split a piece of the vegan citrus carrot cake. No regrets :)

Heaven #2
Coconut Cream Tart with Blueberry Compote (vegan)

Creamy, vegan buttery, crunchy, nutty, sweet....the list goes on. When our sweet waitress at the Laughing Seed saw me taking pictures of the food (I'm sure she was thinking, "Weirdo alert!"), I let her know that I'd be posting them on the blog. She immediately suggested we try the house specialty dessert: A heavenly vegan coconut cream tart (don't be deceived: even vegan food in this rare form can be sinful).



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