Eatin' Vegan in Wisconsin

Happy Monday!  I just got home from spending a few days in Wisconsin, visiting Tim's family.  We had a fantastic time and were surrounded by an abundance of delicious vegan & raw food. 

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As soon as we landed in Milwaukee we went straight to Beans and Barley, a natural market, deli and cafe with vegan options.  I had the tempeh reuben and Tim had the portobello sandwich.  Both were very tasty.  The cafe is bright and open with lots of natural light, the service is friendly, and it seems to be a popular place.  Another couple that was on our flight showed up there too.  It's definitely a first stop for good, healthy food in Milwaukee.

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The eating out highlight of our trip happened when we took a day trip to Madison.  The Green Owl Cafe is the only vegetarian, vegan and raw food restaurant in town, but even if it wasn't the only all-veggie choice you'd still find me there every chance I get.  We pre-stalked the menu before arriving so we knew exactly what we wanted:  the bbq jackfruit sandwiches with a side of kale crisps.

I tweeted that this was the best sandwich I have ever had.  In my life.  Really.  The jackfruit was light and the perfect companion to the tangy bbq sauce, crisp cabbage slaw, dill pickle slices and ciabatta roll.  The kale crisps were simply baked with olive oil, salt and slightly spicy seasoning.  Our server was super sweet and spent some time talking with us about raw food and making kale chips.  If you find yourself in Madison, Wisconsin, please visit the Green Owl cafe. 

Another must-stop in Madison is the Willy Street Co-op.  The entire place is wonderful, but my favorite department was the juice, smoothie, coffee bar and bakery.  We had Green Zinger: wheatgrass, apple, lemon, and ginger.  YUM.

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On Friday night there was a family get together and Tim & I made two big vegan pizzas.  We showcased our stuffed crust, Tim's pistachio pesto, and daiya cheese.  Even though we were the only vegans there, everyone seemed to enjoy the pizza. We also had some amazing sweet potato curry soup made by Tim's aunt as well as roasted vegetables, green salad, fresh fruit and vegan cupcakes from a local bakery.  It was a feast!

We also enjoyed a pasta & bean salad, veggie and split pea soups, banana oatmeal and  cherry and apple pie (!! all vegan and all soooo gooood !!) made by Tim's mom.  Tim made some kale chips and a vegan gnocchi dish.  I made some vegan pancakes.  We felt so spoiled while we were there and couldn't get through all of the good vegan food before we left.

There were several other vegan places, included a new vegan cake shop, that we read about but just didn't have time to visit.  The Milwaukee area seems to be very vegan friendly and I'm looking forward to our next visit and more exploring.