It may be freezing cold outside, but that didn’t stop me from making a summer picnic favorite, Potato Salad.

I’ve decided I want to make a vegan cookbook, zine, or something, so I figured I’d try my hand at making some traditional comfort-food favorites, vegan style. First I decided to try and conquer the Salad Trifecta: Tater Salad, Pasta Salad, and Egg Salad.

I started with Tater Salad, so here you go. Any red- or white-skinned potato should work. I used white fingerling potatoes, as it saves some chopping time. Fancy blue or red potatoes should work, too. Try not to freeze to death while you’re eating it.

Tater Salad

4 cups diced red or white skinned potatoes 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 2-3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley pinch paprika

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender but not soggy (about 8-10 minutes, but check periodically). Drain and rinse and let the potatoes cool completely. Mix with remaining ingredients until well-incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Best made the night before serving.

Make it fancy by adding some crumbled vegan bacon or bacon bits immediately before serving.

We took a trip over the holidays to Austin, and we’ll be sharing some vegan eats from ATX interspersed with our usual Fort Worth posts. Today, here’s Bouldin Creek Cafe.

Bouldin Creek Cafe is on South 1st, not too many blocks over from South Congress. We walked from our downtown hotel to the stuff on South Congress, then over to 1st for breakfast. Bouldin Creek Cafe’s a long-running favorite for Austonians, and this was our first time to visit. They offer quite a lot of veg fare, at breakfast and other times of day. Any egg dish can be ordered instead with tofu scramble, and they also offer everything from veggie burgers to vegan chorizo tacos to collared greens & vegan cornbread.

For breakfast, we opted for a couple of different dishes. Steph had the tofu scramble migas, seen above. Bouldin Creek boasts about their tofu scramble, and after enjoying it more than once I can’t say they’re lying. It’s not quite like any tofu scramble I usually have. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a bit drier and more textured. It’s really quite delicious. Steph’s migas also came with refried black beans and warm tortillas.

For my breakfast, I had the tofu scramble with vegan griddle cakes. These are classic griddle cakes, fluffy and thick. They’re served with a small cup of agave nectar instead of syrup, and the agave really works well with the griddle cakes and tofu scramble to make this a flavorful plate. Really loved it – one of the tastiest breakfasts I’ve had in a veg-friendly restaurant.

Bouldin Creek’s got a great atmosphere – the sort of chaotic-but-friendly neighborhood cafe vibe that fits in perfectly with their surroundings. They’ve also got a sizable outdoor dining area, and tons of bike racks. If you prefer, you can also sit at a bar that wraps around the coffee area as you come in.

We can’t help but miss Bouldin Creek back here in Fort Worth, especially those breakfasts. If you find yourself in Austin, it’s a vegan-friendly destination you should check out. View their web site for the full menu.

Time for another Field Trip to a non-Fort Worth restaurant. Today, it’s Dream Cafe in Uptown Dallas.

We stopped by Dream Cafe on a Saturday, and ordered from the brunch menu. They offer a few vegan options, so we each got something different to share with you. Above is the You’re So Vegan, featuring scrambled tofu and red corn tortilla strips sauteed with salsa and melted soy cheese, served with whole wheat tortillas. It’s a really flavorful Mexican-inspired dish that satisfies. Don’t be put off by the “scrambled” tofu being in cubes – whatever their loose definition of “scrambled,” it’s still really tasty.

We also tried the veganized Strap Hanger. Substitute scrambled tofu instead of eggs, and you’ll get hash browns (avoid the cheese grits for obvious reasons) and whole-wheat toast (also avoid the strawberry butter, of course). For a little extra in the experience, we added veggie sausage.

The veganized Strap Hangar takes the classic American diner breakfast style and makes it vegan. It’s quite delicious and filling. The two dishes showcase the kinds of variety offered up at Dream Cafe, whose mission is serving “Global Cuisine prepared from the freshest ingredients.”

Dream Cafe’s a funky and laid-back place in Uptown, just off Routh in the Quadrangle development (near McKinney Avenue and its streetcar – an easy walk off the line). We really enjoyed our experience there. As a bonus, it’s a pleasant walk down Routh across McKinney into the State Thomas neighborhood, where you’ll find the Crooked Tree Coffeehouse, which serves up great coffee as well as vegan treats (more on them in another post).

The Dream Cafe 2800 Routh St. (behind the Quadrangle) Dallas, TX 75201

Not a whole lot to say here – just a favorite breakfast for the VegFortWorthians. Old Neighborhood Grill isn’t what you’d think of as especially veg-friendly, but roll in for breakfast and get a nice big bowl of simple oatmeal – tasty and healthy. Add some brown sugar, and some raisins or blueberries, and you’ve got a great breakfast treat.

I had the tasty Simpleton sandwich, which has avocado, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, vegan mayo, and fresh cracked pepper on spelt quinoa bread.

Steph had the Bryan’s Brutal Tacos, another fav, featuring seitan, corn, red bell peppers, onions, lettuce, spicy taco sauce, guacamole, vegan sour cream, and black beans.

Delicious!

We can’t run a Fort Worth vegan blog without talking about Spiral Diner at some point. It’s a little hard, though – what can we say that hasn’t been said already? Spiral Diner, Fort Worth’s 100% vegan restaurant on Magnolia Avenue in the Near Southside, is the promised land for Fort Worth vegans. It’s a landmark, one that’s beloved by vegans and non-vegans alike. It has a wide-ranging menu full of variety and flavor, a cool staff, a fantastic location in a hip indie neighborhood, and tons of character. We realize most long-time FW vegans know about Spiral, but since we’re hoping this blog also encourages new vegans in Fort Worth, we need to post about Spiral.

Virtually everything we’ve tried at Spiral has been delicious. It’s some of the most flavorful vegan food you’ll find anywhere, let alone in Texas. There are incredible sandwiches, like the legendary Jamaican Jerk BBQ…

Or the Chopped BBQ…

Awesome salads like the Taco Salad…

Or the BBQ Salad…

Tasty Mexican dishes like the nachos…

And the quesadillas…

There’s the chili…

The smoothies…

And the frighteningly tasty desserts.

Even the appetizers are engaging, like the flavorful nacho cheese sauce (seen here with corn tortillas).

On Sundays, there’s even Biscuits & Gravy and an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast!

Seriously – just go and take a look at the menu. Whatever your taste, it’s likely that Spiral will have ten things that satisfy you.

What’s more, they even do custom cakes:

(That’s actually the cake from our own wedding party – we had a 100% vegan wedding party catered by Spiral – check the spread in the pic below.)

One could go on and on about Spiral, but you get the idea. It’s ridiculously tasty 100% vegan food – in Fort Worth! The presence of Spiral serves to dispel the “Cowtown” stereotypes of this city, and has blazed a path for ever-increasing vegan dining options in Fort Worth. We salute you, Spiral Diner – you’ve made being a vegan in Fort Worth downright pleasant.

Spiral Diner 1314 W. Magnolia 817-3-EatVeg spiraldiner.com