Doughnuts! Fried Tofu! Burritos!

The cafe at Crosstown Arts, where I work in communications, isn't 100% vegan. They do serve a few dishes with eggs or cheese, but most everything is veganizable (and honestly, about 90% of the dishes are vegan anyway). A couple weeks ago, I saw the Spicy Fried Tofu was back on the TODAY menu (the daily specials), but it was served with a smoked gouda mac & cheese. So I asked if they could veganize the plate for me. I was served Spicy Fried Tofu with Marinara Pasta and Salad. PERFECT!


The spicy fried tofu used to be a fixture on the ALWAYS menu (the stuff they have every day), but it was rotated off since that menu changes by the season. I was so sad to see it go, but I'm thrilled that it comes back sometimes as a special. Chef Raymond is a master at fried tofu.

The cafe serves fresh-baked vegan pastries daily, and it's always a surprise what they'll have. Yesterday, I passed by the counter and saw these Strawberry Basil Danishes with cashew cream cheese. I had to get one! I split this with a co-worker so bonus points for me for sharing.


One day last week, I walked by the cafe and saw FREAKING Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts. Holy hell. Y'all know how I feel about doughnuts, and this one was just perfect.

Speaking of doughnuts, I grabbed a couple of Cinnamon Glazed Doughnuts at Five Daughters Bakery in Nashville when I was there for the marathon a few weekends back. No trip to Nashville is complete without a stop by Five Daughters for vegan doughnuts.

Five Daughters is located next door to Graze, my favorite vegan brunch spot in Nashville. On this visit, I got the Roasted Root Veggie Burrito with roasted sweet and white potatoes, carrots, and (maybe parsnip????), plus cashew cheese and quinoa. Guac salad on the side.

And finally, here's a treat from Lulu's Baked last weekend — Asparagus Cashew Cheddar Tart. So excited to eat it that I forgot to take a pic until after I'd bitten into it.