365 Project Day 304: Happy Halloween!!

Enjoy your Smarties - they're vegan!!

What vegan candy do you have for trick-or-treaters tonight??

365 Project Day 303: Cakelet!

Single-serving chocolate raspberry cake at Louisiana Pizza Kitchen in the French Quarter

365 Project Day 302: Hot!

You love hot sauce. You love to buy local. Therefore, Sweet Jonesin hot sauce made right here in town by Owen Jones is your new favorite thing!

365 Project Day 301: The lady with the dragon... fruit.

365 Project Day 300: Fall is here! Kinda!

At least it's not getting into the 90s anymore?  Halloween is practically here?  Anyway, don't forget that the Nola Food Co-Op can satisfy all of your pumpkin, gourd, and trick-or-treating needs!

365 Project Day 299: There's Noplace like Brunch.

The Costa Rican served vegan style at the Ruby Slipper Mid-City
Please note: there is no dedicated fryer for the plantains.

365 Project Day 298: Blueberry Morning

Flaxberry smoothie and pancakes with blueberries at Seed

365 Project Day 297: New Noodle Nosh

Vegan Sissig with Tofu and Veggies at Milkfish - ask for the veg menu!

365 Project Day 296: It's a bird... It's a plane... it's... THE SUPER V!

Super V sandwich at HiVolt

365 Project Day 295: For when you're just feeling *that* lazy...

Vegan ready-made Eat Pastry cookie dough, available at area Whole Foods markets

365 Project Day 294: Beignet Bliss

Every now and then, Breads on Oak makes beignets. They make traditional beignets, along with cream filled donuts and candied donuts... and it is a thing of true glory.

Dough cut and ready for frying

The magic happening

The finished product: a vegan Pecan Praline Beignet!

365 Project Day 293: Hooray for Hibiscus!

Hibiscus tea at Hey! Cafe

365 Project Day 292: Pain-Free Pate

Mushroom Pate at Bhava

365 Project Day 291: Hotter than Orange

Chocolate Habaneros at the Crescent City Farmer's Market

365 Project Day 290: The Quintessential Quiche

Vegan Veggie Quiche at Breads on Oak

365 Project Day 289: Sandwich Smorgasbord

Word on the street is that Hey! Cafe is now serving sandwiches made by Breads on Oak. What could be better?! Whether it's these older sandwiches or a new bunch from Breads, what's certain is that you can have a great lunch at this hip coffee joint.

An array of sandwiches at Hey! Cafe: Sunshine burger, Marinated tofu, and Grilled cheese

365 Project Day 288: Peanut Butter Beauties

These ultra-rich treats are one of Laurel Street's vegan offerings, and are a decadent treat for anyone who's not allergic.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Ganache Bars from Laurel Street Bakery

365 Project Day 287: Stickballs Without the Stick

Ever wonder what Stickball's vegan meat balls are made of? Here's a hint: they're falafel. Here they are all dressed up and not even on sticks at a popup at Milkfish. (Find them dressed down at Pal's Lounge.)

365 Project Day 286: Wherein I'm feeling sarcastic.

Being vegan is such a sacrifice, especially here in New Orleans. It's soooo hard to give up cheese, and ice cream. What am I supposed to do when I crave a burger?  And what about chicken n waffles? I'll never know what they taste like!!

Oh, wait.

(Vegan) (gluten-free) waffle and (tofu) nuggets at Seed

365 Project Day 285: The Date's the Thing

When winter is on the horizon, I find my tastes turning toward nuts and dried fruits. These "cakes" are just the thing!

Almond Fig cake (left) and Walnut Date cake (right) at Whole Foods Broad Street

365 Project Day 284: Hummus for Health and Halitosis

If you're looking for some really fresh hummus, scope out Nana's Raw Hummus at Hollygrove Market and Farm. This spread is locally made and has a serious garlic kick! (Note: I have not confirmed that the probiotic cultures used in this product are entirely vegan.)

365 Project Day 283: Breakfast of (Pumpkin) Champions

I'm not so much for "pumpkin in all the things." But in the instance of this particular biscuit, the pumpkin not only gives the pastry a lovely color but also helps create a wonderfully dense, rich wrapper for this perfect breakfast sandwich.

Pumpkin biscuit sandwich with tofu, sliced vegan sausage, and greens at Breads on Oak

365 Project Day 282: Long for Oolong

Oolong tea has always been my favorite, and a lovely teacup makes it all the more pleasing. I don't particularly suggest the veggie pho here, but the tea will warm your bones when days get cold.

Oolong tea at Mint Modern Bistro on Freret

365 Project Day 281: Noodle Comfort

Noodles never fail to do the trick for me... and a nice cocktail doesn't hurt either.

Drunken Noodles with Tofu and Veggies at La Thai on Magazine

365 Project Day 280: Nola gone Global Gourmet

Of course there are artisanal vegan cheese boards.  But they're all in Europe or New York City or Lost Angeles, right?  Sure they are... except for this one, which you can get right here in New Orleans.

Artisanal Cheese Board at Bhava

365 Project Day 279: A New Nog

Seed, Nola's fanciest full-time vegan restaurant, features frequently on this blog. When you visit, note that its juices and smoothies are at least as exciting as the food on the menu! It's not quite time for the more traditional nogs of the winter season, but this carrot nog has just the right spice blend for crisper October weather. 

Carrot Nog at Seed

365 Project Day 278: Sweet Tart

Persimmons are an unusual fruit that have an extremely short season here in Louisiana.  The proprietors of Breads on Oak grow persimmons, if you can believe it.  Even better, they share the literal fruits of their labor with us in the most beautiful fashion.

Vegan persimmon cream tart at Breads on Oak

365 Project Day 277: Lantern Lovely

Yesterday evening, I attended a dinner at one of New Orleans' newest pop-ups, The Pepper Lantern Backyard Cafe Speakeasy.  Having held three vegetarian dinners with friends and curious acquaintances in recent months, Friday's dinner marked the spot's first effort at an all-vegan menu - at which they succeeded splendidly.

The event's home, affectionately known as The Looking Glass, is tucked inconspicuously in an untamed lower Seventh Ward backyard strung with Christmas lights and dotted with dripping candles.  The dining area is pleasantly haphazard, a collection of secondhand chairs and tables alongside the odd milk crate.  Last night a charming band and vintage movie projection rounded out the bohemian ambiance.

The menu had a clear seasonal theme and provided variety while remaining simple. 

The full menu

Enjoying the first truly cool evening of fall, I dined on three courses alongside some of my favorite Nola vegans:

Sweet potato hummus

Autumn salad

Polenta cake with roasted vegetables

Rouxchambeaux, the lovely band which melded perfectly into the garden's atmosphere

I hope that New Orleans vegans can look forward to many innovative dinners at The Pepper Lantern.

365 Project Day 276: Baton Rouge Bound, Part 3

Today we take a final look at the day I spent scouting out vegan treats in Baton Rouge.  I wasn't able to perform an exhaustive study of all of BR's grocery shopping options, which are in fact extensive and include a much-coveted Trader Joe's.  However, I did spend some time at Alexander's Highland Market, an establishment I first learned about at January's Vegan Village at the Louisiana Marathon.  While they didn't have every single thing I would have hoped for, I do think that folks shopping here can keep a pretty great vegan pantry for home food prep.  Some of my favorite items:

The Orange Juicer - it's my new favorite thing in life

Some house-made lentil soup with clearly posted ingredients

One lonely can of soy whip

Vegan pizza options including Tofurky and Amy's (Signs like this are all over the store - really makes a vegan feel welcome!

Why yes, tofu is my go-to.

Making pesto is quite easy... but this stuff is even easier!  Bonus: quite tasty as well.

I've never seen Oogave in a store before, only on tap at Seed!

Anybody know what the story is on Frostie?  Is it Baton Rouge's answer to Big Shot?

They've got ice cream!

And more ice cream!

And MORE ice cream!

And blood orange sorbet!

And, confusingly, snoballs in a container.  Fascinating at least.

I also stopped by the Fresh Pickin's Produce Market on Coursey. There wasn't much in the way of local produce there, but I did find these:

Fresh persimmons

Local rice

Seasonal mirlitons

And that's that! I only spent one day in Baton Rouge; obviously there is much yet for me to discover. Please feel free to comment, email, or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter if you know of other great places to find vegan eats in Baton Rouge!

Don't miss days one and two of my Baton Rouge adventure: Real Food and Desserts.