Guest Post by Susan McKellar

Susan is a sweet, caring, fun, silly, creative, talented, compassionate vegan yogi!  Oh and did I mention an extradrodinary VEGAN BAKER!  This woman can make any yummy treat vegan for everyone to enjoy!  So she definately knows some good vegan food when she tastes it!  This blog is about her visit to 17 North in Mount Pleasant.  They host VEGAN NIGHTS with all vegan menus.  Check out their website here and read Susan's post for the details of this lovely dinner!

17 North Roadside Kitchen

By: Susan McKellar

Nobody puts us vegans in the corner!

When I first became vegan going out to eat in Charleston usually meant a salad and french fries.  Despite the lack of dining out variety, I knew being vegan was the only choice for me and hoped for a brighter day in Charleston’s restaurant scene.  A lot has changed since then- thank goodness!  These days vegan cuisine can be found at almost every restaurant, and most kitchens lacking items on their menu are happy to accommodate you with advance notice. Now vegan dining has reached a new height in Charleston with a monthly vegan dinner series at 17 North Roadside Kitchen.  

On Sunday March 22, I was fortunate enough to attend the second dinner in this series.  I was immediately intrigued by the radical Chef Brett McKee who decided tackle all vegan dinners after receiving encouragement from several yogi friends.  Chef McKee is incredibly charismatic and truly makes you feel at home on his amazing backyard patio.  He admits he enjoys the challenge of learning to cook vegan, and he also sees this as wonderful opportunity to educate his staff on how to do so.   60 people attended this wonderful celebration of compassion, and Chef McKee hopes to see 100 people at the next event on May 8.  I believe we can make it happen Charleston!  Let’s show our support for this amazing forward-thinking chef.  You certainly don’t have to be vegan to come and enjoy this evening of smiling faces, great food and live music.  Just come and see what vegans are all about.  We already love you no matter what your food choices are and would simply be thrilled to share our way of life with you.  You never know what will happen.  You might learn something new about yourself or maybe you’ll be part of building the foundation for Charleston’s first all vegan restaurant!  Can you imagine it?  I can!

First Course: Vegan Spring Roll served with White Truffle Ponzu Sauce.  These vibrant rolls were light and full of flavor.  Filled with julianne cut yellow squash, zucchini, red onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, mung bean sprouts, avocado, red bean soba noodles, mint, cilantro, basil

rolled in a Japanese rice paper.  The sauce was a gluten-free soy sauce with the zests and juices of lemons , limes and oranges, grapefruit juice, sesame oil, truffle oil, pickled ginger and juice with a touch rice wine vinegar.  It had an incredible citrus taste.

Second Course:  Baby Spinach Salad with Fresh Strawberries, Mango, Candied Pecans and Raspberry Vinaigrette.  This was the perfect sweet summer salad.  The slightly sweet taste of fresh baby spinach was perfectly paired with the fresh fruit and candied pecans.  I also enjoyed the color contrast of the deep green leaves and the bright pink raspberry vinaigrette.

Third Course: Wild Mushroom Ratatouille served with a Creamy Basil Pesto & Smoked Tomato Polenta.  This was good but could have had more spice for me.  The polenta overpowered the flavor of the wild mushrooms, pesto and smoked tomato leaving the dish a bit on the bland side for my taste.  Nutritional yeast would have been a nice addition to the polenta.

Fourth Course: Vegan Chocolate Cake prepared by Andrea Boyd, co-founder of Jivamukti Yoga Charleston.  Wow!!!  Purely decadent but not sinful since it’s vegan!  This delicious cake is rich and moist- pure chocolate heaven.  You can taste the love and care in which Andrea makes it.

A special thank you to Chef Brett McKee for being willing to try something new.  I humbly offer my gratitude to you. Om Shantih- Susan



Megan, Chef Brett McKee and Susan



Happy Vegans!



Guest Post by Joy Erickson

Five Guys Burgers and Fries may sound pretty scary for a vegan or vegetarian.  My friend Joy is here to tell you otherwise.  She has been vegetarian for many years.  She is an avid runner, animal activist and blogger.



This is Joy



  You can read her blog called "Yes Charleston...there is a blog" by clicking here.  En-JOY her vegetarian find at Five Guys!...

Five Guys:  By Joy Erickson

After being completely convinced that this place was completely focused on providing meat products and such, I went in with much hesitation. I only had intentions on purchasing fries. However, after walking in and learning of the cheese vegetable sandwich (and also just vegetable sandwich), I quickly learned they had the pleasure of serving all kinds of eaters.

 The sandwich was spectacular. Grilled mushrooms (separately from the cow), lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and onions mixed with a nice cheddar cheese sqooshed in between the nice sesame seed bun...it was truly heaven in my mouth. In addition, the potatoes used to make the homemade fries were nicely labeled on a blackboard in the restaurant. Needless, to say..I was very pleased and will frequent five guys over and over.

Five Guys:  http://www.fiveguys.com/index.aspx

Mellow Mushroom

Mega Veggie with Daiya Cheese AND my recycled napkin!

Mellow Mushroom has VEGAN CHEESE!  End of story..done...go there!  :)

Mellow Mushroom has very yummy pizza.  They have the best crust and a huge variety of toppings.  To "top" it off, he he, they have Daiya Vegan Cheese as an option at no extra charge!

Daiya cheese is tapioca based and completely made out of plant based ingredients.  It melts and taste just like mozzarella and can be found in any health food store...and at your local Mellow Mushroom!

http://www.daiyafoods.com/

Try any veggie topped pizza with some yummy vegan cheese! 

Check out Mellow Mushroom of Charleston



ROTI ROLLS

Roti Rolls is an international food truck!  They came by our office park today and fed us some amazing food!  Find them on facebook here  and Twitter here.

They are a local company that uses only the freshest and local foods they can get their hands on.  They have a different menu all the time depending on what they have available.  A "roti roll" is an Indian or Pakistani flat bread made from stoneground flour. This is the base of Roti Rolls dishes!

Today they had two options on the menu; one meat option and one veggie option. 

The veggie option was called the funky farmer and it was very yummy.  You must love spices to eat at Roti Rolls because it was HOTTTT! 

The Funky Farmer had - Beer braised Collards, Curried Turnip & Potato and Pickled J Fields Veggies!

Be on the lookout for Roti Rolls to come to your neighborhood.  Make sure you follow them on Facebook or Twitter.  It is always great to have vegan food delivered to your place of business!! 

To be extra eco friendly, bring your own plate and reusable napkin so that your meal is waste free!! 

Guest Post by Jennifer Knowles!

The beautiful yogi, Jen Knowles has written a blog about her most recent meal at the restaurant BLU.  Jen and her husband, Mark are joyful vegans and know all the great spots to eat in Charleston!  Jen is a  massage therapist in the area and Mark is a Jivamukti Yoga teacher.  They are one talented couple!  Enjoy her blog about their amazing vegan dinner!

BLU  By: Jennifer Knowles



Blu is a beachfront restaurant located within the newly remodeled Holiday Inn on Folly Beach.  You'll have a great meal no matter what time of year you go, but the outside Tiki bar is definitely worth checking out in the warmer months.  The menu has almost nothing vegan, but when you call ahead Chef Jon Cropf will amaze you with what he can come up with.  And word to the wise, they get their veggie shipment on Fridays and almost everything you eat on that day is from Kennerdy Farm, local and delicious! 

Salad

We started with an heirloom tomato soup with micro basil.  The salad entree was baby beets (red and golden), arugula, macadamia nuts, truffled baby peaches, with an olive oil and sea salt dressing.  Between salad and main entree they gave us a "snack" of pickled baby peach drizzled with a fig vincotto on grilled baguette. 



"Snack"





Entree



The entree was cracked barley with N.C. apples, fennel, peanuts with a cider foam finish.  We ALSO were treated with a dessert of peanut butter and oat cookies and fresh berries.  Every dish is a piece of art and incredibly delish.  Another great thing about this meal is the price.  For this entire dinner, a starter, 3 courses and dessert, we paid only $30.00 a person.

 
Go see Chef Jon at Blu anytime of the year for a spectacular meal and Thank You Mary for letting me share and keeping Charleston eating healthy!!

Below is Jennifer Knowles Contact information for much needed massage therapy!

Jennifer Knowles
Licensed Massage Therapist
Certified Thai Massage Therapist
JKnowles.massage@gmail.com
http://www.jenspa.net/
843.345.7370

Please also check out her husband Mark's website for yummy vegan recipes, restaurants, yoga classes, cooking classes and more.  Click on Bahama Yogi

Taco Spot

Dear Charlestonians,

If you are looking for the best vegetarian tacos and burritos, I have found the place...

TACO SPOT in West Ashley on Ashley River Road!

Taco Spot is a cool little restaurant tucked away in the Carriage Lane Shops.  When you walk in, you are greeted by friendly staff and a huge menu!  There are many options on the menu that are vegetarian and vegan!  Not only is the food great, they are very Eco friendly.  Each dish is served on a reusable plate, they use real silverware AND they recycle!

I ordered the VEG BURRITO (sans cheese).  It came with black beans, Spanish rice, lettuce and the kicker...tomato-cucumber pico!!  The last ingredient is what made the burrito.  It tasted fresh with just the right amount of spice!  They have many sauces to choose from on the bar.  I used the banana curry sauce which was amazing with the burrito.

Sauces

Me enjoying my burrito!

Next time I go, I am told to try the Spicy Ginger Wrap!  This includes warm green tomato chow-chow, Spanish rice, green peas, pico and lettuce.  This is tossed in a spicy ginger cucumber dressing..And guess what...?  The chef said the dressing is vegan!  Yuuummm!

Definitely check out Taco Spot for a yummy, fresh, healthy and affordable breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack! 

Moe's

"WELCOME TO MOE'S"- VEGAN STYLE!

Moe's is a fast, fresh and veg friendly place to eat.  Since you can make your own dish, you can customize to meet your needs.

I order the Art Vandalay which is a vegetarian dish.  Then I build it myself. 

First I start with a whole wheat tortilla.  Then I add rice, black beans and peppers and onions.  Next I slop on the guacamole and salsa and call it a wrap!  :)

It is filling, satisfying and tasty without the meat, cheese and sour cream! 

The VEGAN ART VANADALY contains 600 calories and 13 grams of fat. It also brings 18 grams of protein and 29 grams of fiber!!

Compare that to a "Homewrecker" with meat, cheese, queso, sour cream, guacamole and salsa:  1051 calories and 49 grams of fat.  46 grams of protein and only 20 grams of fiber.

For less calories, order the compassionate choice with no meat or animal products!