Hi Friends! The Holiday season is already here. If you are feeling the bustle, and needing some ideas for how to solve hunger in a pinch, or while you are on the go, read on. We have put together a few of our favorites here.
While these are not the healthiest choices, these places offer vegan options, and will fill you up if your shopping takes longer than expected, or you are delayed in getting started with dinner and need a quick meal.
World Cuisine
Global foods: indian, thai, japanese, chinese, ethiopian, mexican, italian, cambodian, vietnamese, serbian, german, french, (there are SO MANY options!!) are some of the most flavorful foods around, and there are so many that are vegan or have easy vegan options.
Pick your favorite local restaurant (preferably a small business to support in these lean times)! I personally have a local favorite Mexican restaurant (Ranchero’s Mexican Restaurant in Longmont) and Wonderful Dragon is my favorite Chinese restaurant. They are both small, family-owned businesses that I love to support! Still looking for a family owned/small business of the italian persuasion. Mostly we have chain restaurants in this food type in our area.
There aren’t a whole lot of options in my neck of the woods. Hopefully you have more adventurous food options where you live. If you live in a larger city, you may have many options available, and you may even find a new favorite food!
Chain Restaurants
Mad Greens: The salads they offer are fantastic, and I’ve found if I choose a salad with some berries, mangoes, or other “juicy” fruit, I don’t even need a salad dressing. As those juicy fruits burst, they release their juices, which makes a fantastic “salad dressing” without need for any added oils or sugars/salt.
Native Foods: This is a vegan restaurant in a nearby city, about 30 minutes from my home. Every order I’ve placed has tasted fantastic. They have a few “burgers” and “chick’n” sandwiches, salads, cauliflower “wings”, and so many other appetizers. I tend to try something new each time I go, and their offerings change on a regular basis. It’s always been a good experience.
Panera Bread: They update their menu regularly as the demand for vegetarian options has grown. But the vegan “choices” will require you to ask that an ingredient be left out. This has never been a problem for me. This chain tends to make seasonal changes to their menu, but the few options I choose remain constants. You can try the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich, which I always order without the feta cheese. You can also get it with an apple, rather than a bag of chips or a hunk of baguette. Panera also has a good Ten Vegetable soup which requires no requested changes for the hungry vegan. They offer a Greek salad and a Mediterranean Bowl, both of which require that the feta cheese be omitted. They are still really tasty and healthier than the available choices from so many other restaurants.
Mod Pizza: This pizza joint has a few options for us plant-based eaters. A bonus when you are wanting variety! Whether you opt for a pizza or a salad, you will choose from the same list of ingredients. For me, that is the individual thick crust with my choice of toppings. For me, that begins with the Spicy Calabrian Chili Red Sauce, with no cheese or meats, and gives me the perfect palate to add up to twenty veggies on my pie. I finally found the combo that I like best and will be sticking with that in the future when I really need a good pizza stat!
Tokyo Joe’s: My new favorite for takeout now is Tokyo Joe’s. Options there are the Veggie Tofu Roll, or the Tofu or Veggie Bowls. You could build your own Tofu Poke Bowl or personalize another option, without the animal protein. I like that there is a wider variety of options on the menu than at other take-out restaurants. I especially enjoy the amount and variety of vegetables I am able to load onto whatever option I choose.
Chipotle and Qdoba: the bean and rice burritos or salads are so tasty! Love the corn salsa, and loading up on the greens! This can be a fairly healthy choice and has a lot of variety, from the sofritas at Chipotle (tofu-based “meat” substitute), to the potatoes available if you go early in the day at Qdoba!
Red Robin: YUUMM! Ha ha! Red Robin has a delicious vegan burger patty that is divine with their Banzai burger. There is just something magical about having this burger (hold the cheese and mayo of course!) that I absolutely crave! I will admit, since that has become my favorite, I’ve had nothing else as my entree for the past 10+ years, and it just never gets old. If you try this, please let me know if you love it as much as I do!
So these are the ways we get through the busy times of the year, when life gets hectic and we need a little help getting a meal together. Or when we just need a break from the kitchen. Sometimes the cook needs a night off 😉
Please let us know, what are your favorites? Anything that others absolutely must try? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
