Living in Vegas is great, and the vegan food options in Vegas are great, plus always growing! But anytime I go to Southern California, I am always impressed with the abundance and availability of vegan offerings. Not that there aren’t the same options in Vegas, but I think the difference is the servers/restaurant employees are more familiar with what being vegan means. In Vegas, I’ve had plenty of folks assume vegans eat dairy, eggs or fish…or that there are different “levels” of veganism (lolz). But I’m not worried- the more people educate themselves about food and the more these types of stories come out, the more demand will go up for plant-based meals, and it’ll just become the norm.
That being said, here are some highlights from my recent CA trip!
Anandamide is a vegan, gluten-free psychedelicatessen in Long Beach, CA.
The nut butter-filled dark chocolates were my fav!
The carrot cake pastry was to die for.
After Long Beach, we had brunch another day at Café Gratitude– a 100% organic vegan restaurant in Venice, CA.
What is a brunch without mimosas, amirite?
The “AWESOME” – eggplant parmesan sandwich.
The “BONITA” – Mexican style bowl with nacho cheese & corn tortillas.
The “MAGICAL” – homemade veggie burger.
This Creamy Pea Salad is actually a family recipe, making it near & dear to my heart. I grew up eating this with regular mayo, but when we recently tried substituting vegenaise, it still tasted just as great! Hope you enjoy.
Creamy Pea Salad
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes
Refrigeration time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 16 oz frozen sweet peas
- 1/4 cup vegenaise
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt
- Poppy seeds
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil, add frozen peas, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 3 min.
- Drain peas, transfer to a large mixing bowl and refrigerate until slightly cool (about 30 min).
- Once the peas are cooled, add the vegenaise and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Add salt and poppy seeds, taste and add more vegenaise or salt, if desired. Serve chilled!
The Vegas Vegan 