The 10th annual New England VegFest was held this weekend in Worcester, MA (about an hour west of Boston). I made sure to get there right when the event started to get the best picks. By the time I got there, the entire event center was already bustling and full of vegans and the vegan-curious.
There were so many food vendors that even with splitting items between me and my boyfriend, I tried less than half of the things I wanted to! Things I bought + samples = almost too full to walk out of the DCU Center. What a successful event-- I can't wait for next year's festivities!
Here's what I ate (and the vendor if I can remember those details--some booths just had better branding than others!):
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Channa and potato masala
Creamy, spicy and packed full of flavor. Exactly what I'm looking for when I have a hankering for South Asian cuisine. Oooh-wee.
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Beef patty
Super crispy with a tasty "meaty" spiced filling, but the ratio of pastry to filling was a little off. Would get again and acquire a dipping sauce to take it up a notch.
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Jackfuit "tuna" on an avocado with hemp hearts from Roots Natural Foods
I honestly got this to try something different from what I usually go for. I tend to not like "fishy" foods. However, this dish exceeded all my expectations--having jackfruit in a different preparation than the usual "pulled pork" really highlighted its versatility as a protein substitute. I loved the crunch of the celery with the creaminess from the veganaise and the avocado. It was a little difficult to eat while standing in line and holding a bunch of things, but that's what festivals are about.
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Broccoli Tempura with maple sriracha sauce from The Broccoli Bar
I wish I could have had everything from this disco-themed Vermont pop-up. But I opted for the tempura. Move over potatoes because nine times out of ten I would choose this over french fries. Ya damn right.
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This truck was the first vendor I literally sprinted to when I got into the event. When I got there, the line was already looong. The masses really do know what's good, cause the wait was well worth it. The seitan was so crispy, like what the KFC colonel is slinging. The sauces took it over the top--pass the bottle, I'm doing shots.
This patty had a nice veggie filling with lotsa peas. I loved the filling, but I wish the pastry was a little crispier. As you can see from the pic, it's a little pale.
The spread at the Miss Vegan table was amazing. They had so many unique flavors of cannoli--I was just amazed. Snaps for this Rhode Island bakery. The lemon white chocolate cannoli is everything I ever wanted (be warned, it is lemony!) in a dessert.
Miss Vegan also had so many mini cakes, that I was crippled with choice. However, I picked up the cactus vanilla cake in homage to my previous home, Texas. Unfortunately, after being jostled the cute decoration toppled over. Still tasted dynamite!
This donut was airy, yet chewy, and was topped with an icing that wasn't that too sweet (I hate when icings are too cloying). I loved it, as I usually do with a yeasted vegan donut. The only drawback was it didn't have a distinctly coffee flavor, I needed more for me to be able to say, yeah that was a coffee donut.
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Time to hydrate-- lemon & lion's mane mushroom kombucha from Fully Rooted |
I have been scared of lion's mane mushrooms ever since I googled it before eating it for the first time and the description of the flavor was liver-like. No thanku. However, this kombucha was more lemon forward, and not actually mushroom-y (to my bf's dismay). I actually liked it!
Straight from the tap booch is the best way to have it. This citrus hibiscus flavor was also way more up my alley than the lion's mane. Not too fizzy, but nice and tart. Lovely!
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