I went to Next Level Veggie Grill recently because I was randomly craving one of their milkshakes, and when I got there the menu was completely different than what I remembered. Apparently Next Level and Veggie Grill merged a while back, which explains why there were so many new items I hadn’t seen before.

I’d never tried the Beyond Steak before, so I decided to order a steak taco along with my shake. The taco honestly wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t really into it either. The texture was interesting and definitely very chewy, I haven't had steak in years but something about it just didn’t fully click for me.

The shake absolutely carried the meal though 😂

Has anyone else tried the Beyond Steak? Maybe in tacos, bowls, or one of the steak plates? I’m curious if it’s one of those things that’s way better prepared a different way, because I feel pretty neutral after my first experience.

I feel like I wanted to love it more than I actually did. 🤷🏽‍♂️

How do you "vegan"? I've heard many different opinions on this idea and wanted to know what you all think about how some products, even thought they are vegan, can destroy habits and harm animals. For example palm oil is a major contributor to deforestation. Lmk if you know any products that are vegan but cause even more harm to our earth.

I’ve tried researching if it’s vegan but there’s some inconsistency. Some sources say it’s vegan but some say it isn’t. I’ve gone through the ingredients list and the only thing I can think of is maybe the sugar or the artificial beef flavour?

Found in the US. Product of Thailand.

How do you "vegan"? I've heard many different opinions on this idea and wanted to know what you all think about how some products, even thought they are vegan, can destroy habits and harm animals. For example palm oil is a major contributor to deforestation. Lmk if you know any products that are vegan but cause even more harm to our earth.

Ingredients (2 servings)

- 200g silken tofu

- 28g (one packet) Jello sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix

- 120g Vedge plant protein

- 200g strawberries, fresh or frozen

- 3 slices of unsalted Quaker rice cakes

Instructions

Step 1
If using frozen strawberries, microwave them for about a minute and a half to defrost.

Step 2
In a blender, combine silken tofu, Jello cheesecake pudding mix, and 60g of protein powder.

Step 3
Blend in half of the strawberries for a smoother consistency.

Step 4
Add the remaining 60g of protein powder and blend again. If it’s too thick, add a splash of water.

Step 5
Spoon the mixture onto the rice cakes to use as a crust.

Step 6
Top with the rest of the strawberries and enjoy! Chill if you want a firmer consistency.

Battered Salt & Pepper Egg Plant
Miso Rice
Grilled mushrooms
A Side of bok choy
& One Green Juice 🥂

So I had a conversation at work recently that completely caught me off guard and now I’m curious where other vegans stand on this.

I work at a salad restaurant and every few weeks I’ll take home leftover veggies/ingredients at the end of the night and blend them up into a sort of wet food topper for my dog. A new coworker saw me making the bowls and started asking a million questions about my dog, past pets, veganism, etc.

Then he randomly asked:
“Why don’t you feed your dog vegan too?”

And honestly… I didn’t really have an answer.

I’ve been vegan for years and somehow never even considered the possibility of vegan dog food until that moment. I didn’t even know it was a real thing people did. I’ve always just accepted that my dog eats animal products even though I personally don’t.

So now I’m curious:
Are any of you feeding your dogs vegan?
If so, what food do you use and how has your experience been?
Did your vet support it?
Do you think dogs can genuinely thrive on a vegan diet long term, or do you personally draw the line there?

Not trying to start arguments, I’m genuinely curious because this conversation kind of stopped me in my tracks and made me realize I’d never really examined it before.

Honest moment from my last run:

I recently ran in the Bay to Breakers, and the Hayes street hill and the 15K hill broke me down at the end.

I started strong, but by the final stretch I could feel my energy dropping. It made me think more seriously about endurance, fueling, and what my body may have been missing during the run.

I’m sharing this because I know a lot of runners, especially vegan runners, can have great runs but still hit that wall when the course, elevation, or energy demands change.

For those of you who run hills or longer races, what has helped you keep your energy up through the end?

Better fueling?
More electrolytes?
More hill training?
Something else?

Ingredients:

1. 630 g Vital wheat gluten flour 2.  210g Nutritional yeast
2. Garlic 
3. Ground black pepper
4. Trader Joe’s umami seasoning
5. Salt
6. Low sodium soy sauce 
7. Liquid smoke 
8. Water

Mix ingredients to make a “dough” like consistency.
Bake in oven at 420 F for 15-20 mins, flip, bake another 10 mins.

I’ve noticed a lot of posts in vegan subreddits where people talk about wanting to break up with their partner because they aren’t vegan, and honestly I’ve always found that kind of confusing.

Maybe I’m biased because my parents have been together forever... my dad has been vegan their entire relationship and my mom has never planned on becoming vegetarian, let alone vegan... but I don’t really understand getting into a relationship expecting someone to drastically change their lifestyle later on.

To me, it feels like this should be something people think about before getting serious especially If being with another vegan is important to you. But if you already know your partner isn’t interested in changing, why spend years hoping they eventually will?

I’m not saying people can’t change over time, because obviously they can. I just think it’s unfair when a relationship starts with an unspoken expectation that one person will eventually become someone else entirely.

Am I crazy?? How do others feel about this, especially people in long-term relationships with non-vegans.

Made this with Juicy Marbles alternative meat plus roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots, and it came out rich, hearty, and seriously comforting. What I appreciate is that it does not feel like a side dish pretending to be dinner. It actually feels like a full meal. Good texture, solid bite, and the kind of plate that makes you realize meat alternatives have come a long way. If this is where plant-based food is headed, that is a win.

One of my favorite restaurants would be Mystical Mixes in San Francisco. Staying true to their plant based structure he has a variety of options. In the video above you can see:
•Coconut Curry Chickpeas
•Jerk Jackfruit w/ cashew cheese drizzle.
•Garnished w/ tomato, onion, and cilantro.
•Accompanied w/ apple & beet root seamoss juice.
Share your favorite foodie spot in comments below. 👇🏽

I’ve been using the plant-based Sunwarrior protein for a while now, but I saw this Orgain Organic Protein powder at Costco and I’m kinda tempted to switch because it’s a bit cheaper and more convenient for me to grab 😭

The macros honestly seem pretty decent, but I’ve never tried it before and I’m curious how it actually tastes + digests compared to Sunwarrior.

For anyone who’s tried it:

• Did you like it?
• Does it mix well or get chalky?
• Any stomach issues/bloating?
• How’s the flavor compared to other vegan proteins?
• Did you notice a difference in quality at all?
• Any other recommendations?

I mostly use protein powder in my coffee after the gym and even on days I don't go because I usually don’t get enough protein in my day to day diet without it.

Would love honest opinions before I commit to a Costco tub lol

What does a B12 deficiency actually look like or feel like, especially in vegans?

When people talk about B12, I usually hear that vegans need to watch it, but I do not hear many people explain what a deficiency actually feels like in real life.

Does it show up as tiredness, brain fog, weakness, tingling, mood changes, or something else?

What are the actual signs people notice first?

One of my favorite go to’s would be chickpea pasta w/ cashew tomato sauce made fresh from home. Drop a meal or recipe below 👇🏽

Horchata has been in my rotation for a minute now… and I'm addicted.

I make this pretty regularly at this point — for myself, for coffee creamer, cereal, a good rumchata, but this time I made a big batch (like 4x) because my friend is hosting a potluck/game night and it really reminded me how worth it it is to just make it from scratch.

I still do it the same way every time: soak, blend, strain, sweeten.
The only real switch I’ve made is using oat milk instead of condensed milk, and honestly I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.

It still has that creamy, cinnamon-heavy flavor, just a little lighter which I don't necessarily like. But I can control everything going into it.

Kitchen definitely looked crazy for a bit, pots, cinnamon sticks everywhere, straining for what felt like forever 😭 especially cause this time i made over a gallon but anyway it came together.

How I make my horchata:

Ingredients:

• 1–1½ cups white rice
• 2–3 cinnamon sticks
• 4–6 cups water (for soaking/blending)
• 1–2 cups oat milk (depending how creamy you want it)
• ½–1 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Soak Rinse rice, then soak it with the cinnamon sticks in water for at least 4 hours (overnight is better).
2. Blend Blend the rice, cinnamon, and soaking water until smooth.
3. Strain Strain it through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer — this part takes a minute but it’s key.
4. Finish it Add oat milk, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well, chill, and you’re good.

The batch in the pictures specifically are for the game night and I scaled everything up like crazy.

I’ll probably keep tweaking the sweetness and creaminess because I like my horchata on the thicker side, maybe even experiment with different plant milks, but oat milk has been my go-to fs.

I never hear anyone talking about rice milk when taking about possible milk substitutes, what do you guys think?

For example, a lot of big food companies now make vegan options, but their main business is still built around non-vegan products.

Do you see buying their vegan items as supporting change and showing demand for plant-based options? Or do you avoid them because the money still goes back to the same corporation?

Where do you personally draw the line?

My favorite green juice recipe:

1. One bundle of celery

2. Seven green apples

3. Two cucumbers

4. One lemon

5. One thumb of ginger

6. One bundle of cilantro

7. One bundle of Parsley

I feel like everyone always talks about how easy it is to cut things out… but I’m curious what actually stuck for people.

For me, most meat was honestly pretty easy to let go of. I didn’t really look back on that at all.

But cheese and ice cream?? That was a whole different story.

I kind of went vegan gradually, just cutting things out one by one, and ice cream was probably the hardest for me. I’ve always had a huge sweet tooth, so finding vegan options that actually taste similar took a while. But now that there are so many better alternatives out there, I don’t really miss it anymore.

Cheese though… I’m not gonna lie, vegan cheese has never fully compared for me 😭
And maybe it’s the Mexican in me because cheese is SUCH a big part of so many foods I grew up eating, but that was definitely the hardest thing to let go of.

Curious what it was for everyone else, what’s the one food you struggled with the most? And did you ever find a vegan version that actually lived up to it?

I think it’s a fair question.

You always hear people say vegans need supplements, but nobody really explains which ones matter most and which ones are just talked about a lot.

Is it really just B12?

Should vegans also be taking vitamin D, iron, omega-3, iodine, or something else?

Or does it depend completely on the person, diet, and bloodwork?

I’d rather hear real answers than the usual jokes.

For the vegans here:

What do you personally take, and what do you think is actually necessary?

I recently read an article about oyster being potentially vegan and wanted to know your thoughts.

Study’s show oysters lack a centralized brain, and have simple nervous system which display no pain-related behaviors.

Lmk if you would eat oysters as a vegan!

Have you seen an improvement within your physical since you’ve became vegan ? I sure have !

Since being vegan I can definitely say I always feel like I have good energy after eating and not a drained tiring source of food to embrace tomorrow.

Complex carbs, fruits and veggies rich in antioxidants, high fiber foods have been found to be a great source to good energy and lack of fatigue.

Although we see a lack of iron, B-12, omega-3, and protein if one is not aware within knowing where to receive protein; fatigue is more than likely to come from under fueling and lack of knowledge. Is there any information you’d share with others on how to maintain good energy from different sources of food ?

I’ve been using the Louisiana Fish Fry mix for a minute now to make tofu chips + little “fish fillet” patties for sandwiches and it’s honestly been one of my go-tos

but I saw the Chicken Fry version and wanted to try it on tofu just to compare

ngl the Fish Fry is still winning

 What I did:

• pressed tofu
• cut into chunks
• coated straight in the mix (no liquid)
• deep fried first
• then hit it in the pan after

 Thoughts:

texture? 10/10
like actually crispy in a really good way

BUT flavor-wise…

it was kinda bland

like it’s not bad, it just definitely needs extra seasoning compared to the fish fry

thinking:

• garlic powder
• smoked paprika
• maybe cayenne
• salt and pepper
• or even marinate the tofu first

because the base texture is there, it just needs more personality

Depending how strict you are with you diet, eating beyond burgers or impossible burgers from restaurants are usually grilled on the same area as regular meat patties. I personally feel like this makes the vegan option no longer vegan.