We have family in the San Antonio area, so we have been traveling there for years.  For a while, there wasn't much to get excited about, until we found Vegeria.  But this trip was even better!  Vegan and vegetarian restaurants aplenty!

The first place we hit was Señor Veggie.  They serve a mix of Tex-Mex and Mediterranean favorites, which makes it really hard to choose.  We started with the nachos, which are big enough to share.  They had a great mix of tempeh and black beans, and no faux cheese!  Instead, there was this swirl of cashew créma that was just right.  After that, we followed up with the jackfruit veggie street tacos with the chile carrots on the side.  Oh, my!  So good.  Not pictured are the huge chocolate chip cookies and strawberry oreo donuts we took to the hotel for dessert.  Everything there was fresh, homemade, and great!

The next morning, we knew we wanted to eat at Green.  We had been to the Houston location on our way to our cruise, so it was a no-brainer that we had to try this location.  This vegetarian restaurant makes it easy to eat vegan with substitutions and a clearly marked menu.  We ate breakfast at the Pearl restaurant, then went back later that afternoon to get cupcakes.  Which are ALL vegan, and there is a separate case for GF.  And who can resist that sweet little almond-winged honey bee on a honey-free treat?  The other thing we love about Green is the chalkboard art.  Go and check it out.  See if you don't just adore this place!  *note* They are closed on Saturdays.

The newest vegan place in town - literally - is La Botánica.  This one reminds me of Denton the most.  They have a big outdoor space with lots of picnic tables and serve their food with style.  All of the alcoholic beverages at the bar are vegan.  For non-drinkers, there are other options as well.  I had the limeade with chia seeds.  Pictured at left: Sugarbomb's Strawberry Calas (fried goodness with strawberry filling), Ms. Bella's Fried Red Beans and Rice Balls, the daily salad #1, and the fish-less street tacos made with oyster mushrooms.  It was all super delicious!

So there you go!  Time to take a road trip and sample the vegan wonderland that is San Antonio!

Can you have a lovely vegan experience on a Royal Caribbean cruise?  Absolutely!  We've done it several times.  

We recently took a cruise from Galveston that visited Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan, Honduras.  I made sure to document most of our meals for those of you who are considering this type of vacation.  Here are our pointers for the most successful experience:

1. When you reserve the cruise, mention your dietary preference.

2. Sign up for a specific dining time and stick to it. Things will go more smoothly if you sit at the same table with the same servers every evening. They will know what to do and you will save lots of time explaining things to multiple servers.

3. Tell your head waiter when you show up for dinner the first night. They will communicate to your server as necessary.

4. Be patient. Servers have to travel farther and stand in line for your special food, so enjoy the time with your companions. We bring small toys or art supplies to keep our kids busy.

5. Expect to preorder your food for the next evening. This makes life easier for the chefs. We were given a paper menu and were asked to circle our choices. Sometimes we got a surprise anyway, but generally they were very flexible. One time we wrote, "Tofu?" and it appeared the next night.

6. Ask kindly for what you'd like, such as for margarine and soy milk (they have it). Once the assistant server figures out what you prefer, it will magically appear every night thereafter.

7. Ask for dessert. They will rock it!

8. The Starbucks has soy milk for lattes. We get the nonalcoholic drink package and enjoy good coffee all week long!

9. If you don't know, ask a chef. I eyed the baked beans at breakfast in the Windjammer for days before I asked. Yep, vegan!

10. Tip well for good service. I don't just mean the required tips at the end of the cruise. Hand them some extra cash for their excellent work. Also, mention it in your survey after the trip. This helps them advance within the company.

11. If you're worried about it, bring your own snacks. But really, we only used these for excursions once or twice. We like to grab an extra box of dry cereal at breakfast to throw in a backpack for later.

So we generally eat at the Windjammer buffet for breakfast and lunch. There is always salad at lunch, and oftentimes a spicy curry with rice, fresh vegetables, and always fruit. FYI, the pasta has eggs in it, so save that for a dinner request if you crave it. They will make you vegan pasta then, but it's a lot to ask at the buffet.

Some items on the dinner menu were so good that we were questioning their vegan-ness! They had excellent soy meatballs and soy sweet and sour chicken. And these things were straight off the menu. Meatless meals are really getting more available!

Check out this slideshow for a look at what we ate. If you have any questions or comments, just let us know! Bon voyage!

By some wonderful stroke of luck, we discovered this amazing place in San Antonio. I don't know how we ever missed it on prior trips! Vegan and GF Amazingness!

This is a photo of my enchiladas. The kale salad alone was worth the trip. They have a good mix of raw items on the menu, too. Next time you're in that area, check them out!

http://www.myvegeria.com/home.html

http://instagram.com/p/rcprNbTaOk/

When in Dallas or Ft. Worth, be sure to stop by Spiral Diner for their amazing all vegan menu. This is just a sample of the deliciousness served there. I have this daydream that they will open a Denton location. Maybe if we all say, "Pretty please?"

For special occasions, sometimes we like to spend a night in Dallas.  It's not too far to drive, but it feels so far away to be in the downtown area with so much in walking distance.  We typically choose the Fairmont.  It's just a few blocks from the Dallas Museum of Art, has a lovely pool with amazing views, and has this cozy restaurant called Pyramid.

Pyramid has been one of our go-to places because of their healthy lifestyle sub-menu that has options for all kinds of special diets.  You can find macrobiotic, diabetic, heart healthy, and, yes, vegan.  We were so disappointed to find out that the company is discontinuing this special menu.  However, the chef assured us that gourmet vegan food can be had at any time.  So here is what we were treated to recently, pictured above:

top left: roasted beet salad with white balsamic vinaigrette

bottom left: herb crusted tofu on a bed of quinoa and vegetables, including baby artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, etc. with a blueberry sauce on one side of the plate and balsamic glaze on the other

bottom right: chocolate avocado mousse with fresh berries and edible flowers

top right: breakfast in the Gold Lounge (purchased with room) of oatmeal with nuts and fresh berries, espresso with soy milk and grapefruit juice

Yes, it will cost more to stay and eat here.  It was worth it.  We had the kids with us and the restaurant was even so thoughtful to bring out smaller salads for them.  When traveling and looking for vegan options with no avail, I find it's helpful to call a restaurant with a trained chef.  They have prepared for this kind of thing in culinary school and can put some amazing dishes together with advance notice.  The chef at Pyramid did just that and made our celebration so special.  Our compliments and thanks!

For more on amazing vegan food in Dallas, check out DallasVegan.com

Eating vegan is easy in Austin, Texas.  It's a little trickier on a Sunday, around 11:00 am.  I had eaten at the amazing Mr. Natural once before and was sad to see that it's closed on Sundays.  I should say, USUALLY closed on Sundays!  We lucked out and got there for the  first Sunday Vegan Brunch Buffet!  Even luckier was our arrival time.  Because buddy, if you get there late enough, you will be standing in line.

Vegan travels prove to be a source of excitement in this family.  It's fun to stumble across a place that has a good meal in a place you've never been before.  I found this little gem listed here on VegGuide and was so happy I did!This is the Dynasty Chinese Restaurant.  Pictured is the appropriately named Vegetarian Paradise.  It really was!  Little did we know it would be enough to feed the family.  We had to skip the complementary soup, though, because they only had options with egg.  I also couldn't stop eating the Buddhist Delight dish.  Thanks, Temple, Texas!