For over a year I’ve been trying to follow a super strict diet, the vegan diet. Coming from a meat-eating family is very hard to stay away from foods that are common in my culture. In Mexican delicacies, there’s meat everywhere. It is on our tacos, tortas, soups, tamales, mole and chiles en nogada. There is even dairy products on most Mexican desserts, like flan, arroz con leche, churros, and conchas. All of these foods are dear to my heart and my culture, but I refuse to not eat them on family celebrations or holidays. Even though I am a vegan food fanatic I believe I would never be able to be a 100% vegan. But I still love learning about the infinite possibilities that plant-based products bring. I’ve visited three vegan restaurants in the Rio Grande Valley and I compared them to food that is not plant-based.
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Green Owl Deli
The food is very healthy and creative. I never thought I would ever hear someone say “vegan enchiladas”. At first, I was skeptical of how they were going to taste because I didn’t know how the restaurant was going to make something plant-based taste like good old enchiladas. After I took my first bite it really tasted like the real thing, since they also added salsa which is 100% vegan. Instead of meat, they used tofu and they added a Mexican seasoning and other spices to give it the right flavor. I was impressed by the flavor, but was sad that I wasn’t able to have sour cream with them, which takes the enchilada thing to a whole new level. At Green Owl Deli, there are many vegan and healthy recipes like jackfruit burgers and chiles rellenos.
2. Cosmos Kitchen
Vegan tacos are actually very tasty and nutritious. They have what is called “soyrizo” instead of chorizo, which is a pork sausage very common in Mexican cuisine. They have different tacos, from “Tacos al pastor” to “Tacos de bistec”. Even though they are all filled with soy they taste very different. Definitely the drink was my favorite, it was an agua fresca or fresh water made out of the hibiscus flower.
3. Earth Born
Even though this is more of a place to get a dessert, it is healthy and sweet. I really like that there are so many options: from smoothies, to plant-based milk to a fruit bowl. I ordered a peanut butter acai bowl. It was so delicious and packed with flavor. At first, I thought it wasn’t going to satisfy my sweet tooth, but it really did. I would definitely go back and try different flavors. They also sell healthy snacks and organic products, like all natural juices and other drinks.