Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge 2020
During all of August, you can visit several local eateries, try a special dish, then vote on it as part of the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge. This is the second year the challenge has taken place here, though it originally started elsewhere in 2011.
The lovely humans at Compassionate Action for Animals are the driving force behind the Twin Cities challenge, and you can find all the details at exploreveg.org/tcvcc
The following list is in no particular order, but I'll update with my thoughts on each dish as I make my way through them, as well as include my own photos.
ROOT TO RISE KITCHEN: Jackfruit Wings
Find them at the Northeast Farmers Market August 8 from 9am-1pm. They're serving up Jackfruit Wings (pictured above) with a side of sweet coconut sticky rice, mango pineapple salsa and spicy blanched broccolini, and green beans. The jackfruit wings are delicious! The sauce is a barbecue base with some heat, and the textures of the breading and jackfruit are perfect together. Keep an eye out on social media for other opportunities to try it this month.
REVERIE: Rev Burger and Market Hash
The Rev Burger includes their housemade Rev burger patty, rooibos tomato jam, arugula, smoked onions, and kimchi aioli on an Hambasha bun. The jam adds a sweetness to the burger that I'm not a fan off, but it's easy enough to leave it off. And I know several people who love it with the jam. I've had the Market Hash before, and it's a beautiful, fresh dish.
THE WIENERY: Deville Deluxe & Steaming Pile
The Wienery has been part of the West Bank for 20 years but I just visited for the first time. They're very vegan-friendly with mock duck, and vegan hot dogs and brats. The garlicky mock duck on the Deville Deluxe is drool-worthy, and they use Follow Your Heart mayo as the base of the coleslaw. The Steaming Pile is basically the Deville but with fries as a base topped with mock duck, veggies, and coleslaw. Note that they use shared fryers.
PARKWAY PIZZA: Farmer Pizza and Artichoke Dip
I'm a big fan of Parkway Pizza, and they just opened a new location in Roseville that's super close to me! Their vegan Artichoke Dip is the stuff dreams are made of. The base is Follow Your Heart cheese, and the jalapeños add a good kick that I never knew I needed in an artichoke dip. They also have the Vegan Farmer Pizza: oil & garlic base, fresh basil, Follow your Heart cheese, and fresh cherry tomatoes and zucchini from the local farmers market. I haven't tried the pizza yet but will update when I do.
AVOCADISH: Sweet 'n Spicy Bowl
A post shared by AVOCADISH (@avocadishofficial) on Aug 3, 2020 at 4:51pm PDT
The Sweet n' Spicy Bowl comes with brown rice & spinach, roasted sweet potato, paprika chickpeas, black beans, and red and green onion with a sliced avocado filled with avocado hummus, almonds, paprika, and house vinaigrette. Can't wait to try it!
HEATHER'S: Buddha Bowl
A post shared by Heather’s (@heathers_mpls) on Jul 22, 2020 at 12:06pm PDT
The Buddha Bowl includes coconut jasmine rice, roasted sweet potatoes, cauliflower, red peppers, pickled red onion, fried curry tofu, and cilantro chutney. This is the only vegan dish marked on their menu besides guacamole.
THE NAUGHTY GREEK: Favalafel Gyro
The Favalafel Pita comes with three favalafels, an eggplant spread, cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, and fries, along with a Greek side salad that comes with a super creamy vegan feta cheese. The favalafel has a little bit of sweetness to it, and the whole dish is full of flavor. I could do without the fries as part of the pita, but I'd take a bucket full of fries on their own.
SHISH: Falafel Burger
A post shared by Ian (@theplantbasedbeard) on Aug 5, 2020 at 3:54pm PDT
My friend Ian over at The Plant-Based Beard will be visiting some of the challenge spots, and he's already hit up Shish. The Falafel Burgers looks so good!
RED WAGON PIZZA COMPANY: Chique Pea Pizza
A post shared by Red Wagon Pizza Company (@redwagonpizza) on Jul 30, 2020 at 9:10am PDT
The Chique Pea Pizza includes hummus, spiced chickpeas, red onion, olive tapenade, harissa-marinated Roma tomatoes, and citrus-dressed arugula. I'm sure it tastes as good as it looks!
PLNT BSD: Paradise Bowl
A post shared by PLNT BSD ™ (@plnt_bsd) on Aug 2, 2020 at 4:30am PDT
The PLNT BSD Paradise Bowl includes a banana, almond milk, strawberry, and blueberry base topped with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, pineapple, gluten-free crunch, coconut, chia seeds, and edible glitter, served in a frozen pineapple bowl. At the very least, do it for the Gram.
NAMASTE CAFE: Jackfruit Curry Special
A post shared by Mistress Ginger (@mistress.ginger) on Aug 2, 2020 at 4:30pm PDT
It's been a minute since I've visited Namaste Cafe, but I'm checking my schedule because their challenge dishes have me itching to go. Their Chiya Chili Potatoes appetizer looks especially ah-may-zing. Make sure to swipe through Mistress Ginger's photos to see all of the options.
Are you drooling yet? What are you going to try first?? I'd love to hear about your challenge experiences in the comments!
And don't forget to vote: exploreveg.org/tcvcc