A Dallas Vegan in Miami

Ok, so , I've been m.i.a. for a little while. Truth be told, me and the significant other just got back from vacay in sunny Miami! Miami is a large city with a wide variety of international cuisine, including a very diverse array of Latin and Carribean foods. After a bit of digging and some great tips from Lauren Reskin over at Meatless Miami, we had no problem finding some great vegan and vegan-friendly options.

Our Dallas Vegan in Miami adventure begins at the European Corner for a special arepa breakfast. These little venezuelan sandwiches were made to order for us with plantains and black beans. Served, of course, with an obligatory colada chaser.







Om Garden was "om"mazing (sorry I couldn't resist). Open just over one year, we found this restaurant's unique mix of raw and cooked vegan items really hit the spot. I mean, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Right?

Raw, chilled carrot coconut curry soup made with fresh carrot, ginger, cashew and coconut milk:

The Om Plate with your choice of 3, 4, or 5 raw appetizers. Pictured here are the Mystical Mushr-Oms, Seven Seas Seaweed Salad, and kale salad with orange peppers, carrot, and lemon dressing:

And, finally, the Rainbow Roll with carrot, beet, avocado, baby greens, cashew pate, mango, figs, and balsalmic syrup:

Pita Spice was falafel perfection. Say no more. 1049 Washington Ave. Miami Beach, FL 33139.

Ready.....

just wait.....

Oh, ya!

That's what I'm talking 'bout! Pita spice has quite possibly the best falafel I've had in my life!

The Cafe at Books & Books on scenic Lincoln Road in Miami Beach:

Not a completely vegan restaurant, extremely vegan friendly, but how would you ever guess?

Yummy avocado salsa, also known as guacamole, but if you stick home made chips like this on it, you can call it whatever you want as far as I'm concerned...

For entrees, one vegan fajita wrap and one vegan platter...

Next up, the United Kingdom's only Michelin-rated Chinese Restaurant -- Hakkasan by Adam Yau.

We ate at Yau's Miami outpost in the Fountainbleu hotel. Here are some highlights:

We started with dim sum appetizer (below), wild mushroom lettuce wraps, followed by hand-pulled noodles with wild mushrooms, tofu hot pot with luffa melon (below), stir-fried lotus root, lilly bud, and asparagus in black pepper sauce (below), and gai-lan with garlic sauce:

Unlike any other asian restaurant I have eaten at in my life, Jasmine rice is served a la carte (but I guess that should be expected from a Michelin-starred restaurant!).

Believe it or not, local Florida chain Pollo Tropical has some cheap vegan items like boiled yucca with garlic sauce, black beans and rice, and plantains! I could live on the stuff...

Lichi, the adorable "Plantain Girl"...

And, finally, I can't forget Jugo's, which has a huge selection of fresh squeezed juices, tropical fruits, and plantain chips fried on location:

5721 W Flagler St. Miami, FL 33144 in South Miami.

We really needed another week to sample all of South Florida's delicious vegan fare, and to lay on the beach and chill. Next time, we plan to visit the renowned Sublime restaurant in Fort Lauderdale (which, according to its website, 100% of its profits go to organizations that promote animal welfare), and Lifefood Gourmet, for gourmet raw food.