My Top 6 Plant Based Vegan Restaurants, Fla., Updated

I have been dabbling in the vegan food scene for almost two years now. This year I sought out vegan restaurants in four South Florida counties from Miami to Stuart. I want to share my, "Top 7 Vegan Restaurant list," with you, ranked by location rather than likeability, because I liked all of the ones on this list. You can find more pictures on my Instagram page @helen.a.lockey.

Summer menu special, Coast 'N Reef Burger, Holi Vegan Kitchen
North Miami Beach, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Holi Vegan Kitchen
Established: 2012
Address: 3099 NE 163rd St, North Miami Beach, FL 33160

Phone: (786) 520-3120

Hours: Sun-Thurs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

What I ate: Summer menu item--Coast 'N Reef Burger ($12.95)

Coconut Burger, Green Bar & Kitchen,
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Green Bar & Kitchen 

Established: 2013

Address: 1075 SE 17^thSt, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33316

Phone: (954) 533-7507

Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What I ate: Coconut burger, plant protein battered in coconut shreds ($12)

Vegan Pumpkin Donut, Veg Eats Food,
Delray Beach, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A. Lockey

Veg Eats Foods 

Established: Nov 2018

Address: 335 E Linton Blvd, Suite B12, Delray Beach, FL 33483

Phone: (561) 562-6673

Hours: Closed Tues; Wed-Fri 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sun-Mon 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

What I ate: Pumpkin Donuts ($2.25 each) and Bonh Mi, not pictured ($12)

Vegan Mac & Cheese with Falafel,
The New Vegan Art Cafe, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The New Vegan Art Cafe—West Palm Beach location

Established: Dec 2018

Address: 538 Northwood Rd, West Palm Beach, FL 33407

Phone: (561) 404-5301

Hours: Closed Tues.; Wed-Sun 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

What I ate: Mac & Cheese dinner with falafel ($14)

Raw vegan NYC roll, Christopher's Kitchen,
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Christopher’s Kitchen

Established: 2010

Address: On The Plaza at Midtown, 4783 PGA Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

Phone: (561) 318-6191

Hours: Restaurant Mon-Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Juice Market: Mon-Sun 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What I ate: Raw Vegan NYC roll ($17.25)

Vegan Black Bean Cheeseburger with vegan bacon,
Fruits & Roots Juice Bar & Vegan Cafe, Stuart, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Fruits & Roots, Juice Bar & Vegan Cafe 

Established: 2015

Address: 710 S Colorado Ave, Stuart, FL 34994

Phone: (772) 678-6627

Hours: Closed Sun; Mon-Sat 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

What I ate: Black Bean Cheeseburger with bacon ($10.50 for burger, $1 vegan cheese, $1.75 vegan bacon, made with tempeh)

Anytime is the perfect time to try healthy plant based vegan food. These restaurants will help you on your path to delicious good health. ENJOY.

Updated: Jan 2019

Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit Deliciousness

Orlando, Fla.--Colorful tasty produce abounded at the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit this year. The PMA is a trade organization that helps and represents companies from every sector of the global fresh produce supply chain and floral supply chain. Each year they put on a Fresh Summit to bring together their members and others, for a State of the Industry address, educational workshops, a charity run, and a two-day exposition.

Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

This year's exposition boasted over 1300 booths full of colors and innovations. Here are just a few, of the many companies, I interviewed: Blazeberries from Naturipe Farms Llc, South African Baby Pineapples from Melissa's Produce, and Organic easy opening coconuts from Genuine Coconut.

Blazeberries from Naturipe Farms Llc., Produce Marketing
Association's Fresh Summit, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Naturipe Farms Llc, established in 1917, is a grower-owned berry company that works with a lot of other berry farms. Their produce that stood out for me was Blazeberries. They are a variety of yellow raspberries that are blazed (tanned) by the sun into a mosaic of red, orange, and yellow hues. They have a very short season, said Fernando Aguilar of Naturipe, who added that the berries are grown for flavor.  You can buy their berries at Whole Foods and Costco.

Baby Pineapples from Melissa's Produce, Produce
Marketing Association Fresh Summit, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Melissa's Produce, established 2012, is a large U.S. distributor of specialty produce and foods processed from fresh produce. The California based company had such a colorful, expansive booth of items it was hard to chose just one because they had everything from long shelf life packaged quinoa to blackened garlic to a rainbow of dragon fruit to South African baby pineapples.

The South African baby pineapples were particularly interesting because they were so small, about the size of a large grapefruit. And all parts were edible except the skin and leaves. The booth representative said they were also very tasty and juicy. You can buy Melissa's Produce Baby Pineapples directly from their website, along with many other produce items.

Genuine Coconut's organic pop-top coconut, Produce
Marketing Association, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Genuine Coconut, certified organic raw coconut water from coconuts with a patented easy opening system.  The coconuts are sourced from an organic farm in Thailand. And the pop-top ring, used for opening the coconut, is made from recycled coconut husk fiber and resin. So all you have to do is open the pop-top ring on the coconut like you would a can of soda, and then insert a straw into the whole to drink.

The company has a "How To," YouTube, on their website showing how the whole system works.

Currently, to buy the coconuts directly from the Genuine Coconut's website you have to live in England, Wales and Scotland (not including the Scottish Highlands and islands).  Luckily, Melissa's Produce distributes them, under the title of Organic Drinking Coconuts, in the United States.

Choco Soleil Organic Chocolate Sourced From Ecuador

Miami Beach, Fla.--Choco Soleil organic chocolate sourced from Ecuador is delicious. "We have the plain bar, the 80 percent, very unique because it has a jute bag inside with actual cocoa beans inside, and you can open it and you can have a cocoa bean, and you can feel it, taste it, it's truly unique," Gabriel Carrera, Sales Executive for AOG Foods (the Canadian parent company), said during an interview at the 22nd Americas Food & Beverage Show. 

Choco Soleil Organic Chocolate, AOG Foods, 22 Americas Food & Beverage
Show, Miami Beach, Fla. Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Three styles of Choco Soleil chocolates were on display at the show; all were USDA certified organic, Fair Trade certified, bean-to-bar, single origin, and dark. All the bars had been on the market for just six months and were already being sold in all the major cities across Canada, according to Carrera. AOG Foods came to the Americas show to find Florida and United States distributors. 

Their two plain bars, with the highest percentage of cacao, came from just two specific areas of Ecuador: Esmeraldas and Manabí. "It gives us a really specific flavor to the chocolates," said Carrera.

The Manabí sourced bar, with 70 percent cacao, had more of a fruity flavor whereas the Esmeraldas, 80 percent, had more of a floral flavor. "This is more like the flavor of flowers because of the style of cocoa beans was sourced around flowers. It's truly unique, truly wonderful," said Carrera.

Choco Soleil Organic Chocolate, 65 percentage disc with fruit,
AOG Foods, 22nd Americas Food & Beverage Show,
Miami Beach, Fla., Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The Choco Soleil line also had a 65 percentage chocolate, shaped into multiple wafer-like discs that were combined with exotic ingredients like banana, golden berry, cranberry and cocoa nibs & salt. 

"Everyone likes the products," said Carrera. 

AOG Foods had two other cacao brands: YAAL Ecuador, and GCP Gourmet Cacoa Products. 

They had many reasons for starting their company two years ago including selling dark chocolate for its health benefits but mainly it was about supporting local growers. “We saw we had connections with cocoa plantations and we wanted to do something different, unique, that represents Ecuador,” said Carrera.

To find out more about them you can go to:  www.AOGFoods.ca

Vegan Food, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show 2018

Orlando, Fla.—There were vegan food options at this year’s Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show. The reason why, in part, was because they launched a concurrent show called the Healthy Food Expo which featured vegan food and drink companies, farmers and other green companies. I interviewed six vegan food products companies that were attending the show.

Teese Vegan Cheese Alternative, Florida Restaurant
& Lodging Show, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Teese Vegan Cheese alternative is sold in long log-style packaging, made with pea protein and available in four flavors (mozzarella, cheddar, creamy cheddar and nacho sauce). It is wheat-free, dairy-free, peanut-free, soy-free, palm oil-free, gluten-free and tree nut-free. I had the nacho cheese flavor over corn nachos and it was delicious. Unfortunately it is only available through distribution companies on a wholesale bases. 

Pero Family Farms Organic Snipped Green Beans,
Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Pero Family Farms® established in 1908, grows local sustainable vegetables at their Boynton Beach farm. At the Florida Healthy Food Expo they showcased several produce items including organic Snipped Green Beans™ that had been pollinated and bred, the natural way, with the help of bees, in a field, under the warmth of the sun. You can find their tasty beans at many grocery stores in Florida including Publix.

Oumph! plant-protein, Florida Restaurant &
Lodging Show, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Oumph!™ Is a Lake Worth, Florida, based company. It is a plant-based protein made with soy. It was founded by Chef Anders “The Duck” Linden of Sweden.  Launched several years ago in Europe, vegan Chef Linden wanted to make a versatile vegan protein item that consumers and chefs could use in new, delicious ways. Oumph! is gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, non-GMO, eco-conscious, and vegan. I found it to be very delicious and addictive.

If you live in Europe, you can find Oumph! in several grocery stores. But if you live in North America, you will only find it at local restaurants, as it is only sold wholesale. 

Matcha Love by Ito En Ltd., Florida Restaurant & Lodging
Show, Orlando, Fla. Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Matcha Love™ by Ito En Ltd., a Brooklyn, N.Y., based company sells green tea macha products. Macha is a varietal of Japanese green tea that is most commonly ground up into a powder and used in cooking, baking and beverage making. It has high antioxidant properties.

I tried the culinary grade mocha at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show. It was very bitter and I understood why it is mixed with other ingredients. According to Ryan Glosniak of Ito En, Matcha Love also comes in a first flush ceremonial style that has a lighter, more delicate flavor. Both can be purchased online through Amazon or at Whole Foods Stores. 

The Vegan Knife, gluten-free vegan chocolate
Birthday cake samples, Florida Restaurant &
Lodging Show, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The Vegan Knife , a Naples, Florida, based company makes vegan, gluten-free boxed baking mixes. The founder and owner of the company, Julie Butcher, created this line of vegan products after getting diagnosed with several allergies that stopped her from eating desserts. All her mixes are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and wheat-free. You can buy her tasty treats online directly from The Vegan Knife or at some west coast Florida stores like Lucky's in Naples and Sarasota.

The Ice Cream Club's Coffee Almond Fudge non-dairy dessert,
Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, Orlando, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The Ice Cream Club, a Boynton Beach, Florida, based company, has been making artisan ice cream since 1982. All of their products are kosher and free from artificial colors and flavors. This year, at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show they launched their non-dairy frozen dessert line made with coconut milk. 

My favorite of three flavors offered at the show (coconut almond fudge, coffee almond fudge, and strawberry) was the Coffee Almond Fudge, it was extremely creamy and I couldn't tell it was made with coconut milk. Unfortunately, at this point in time, these non-dairy frozen desserts are only available wholesale to companies.

I look forward to seeing what new vegan food items will be at next year's show.

Wild Beach Peas Plants And Their Culinary Challenges

Cooking with wild foraged produce can be tough but rewarding. Wild beach pea plants and pods look like farm stand (domesticated) bought peas. They have the same flowers, the same leaves, the same pea pods and even the same tiny peas inside. They also smell like domesticated peas when you snap one of the pods in half and take a sniff. But this is where the similarities stop.

Wild Beach Pea plant on northern Maine coastline
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Wild beach pea plants are tough, and I don’t mean their attitude, their stems are more like twigs and their leaves are more like cardboard (even in spring when they are young). And the pea pods are more like little wooden boats than the melt-in-your mouth snow pea style pods you find in grocery stores. 

But I guess they have to be tough because they grow along Northern Maine rocky shorelines that are licked and bashed by frigid ocean waters (even in summer). And they have to endure fog that is a common weather event.

Each night of my vacation, in the wilds of the northern Maine coast, I cooked a vegan dinner with at least one wild foraged ingredient. The hardest and yet tastiest were from the beach pea plant.

I harvested the leaves, stems, and pea pods. I chose not to harvest the flowers because I wanted to leave something for the local bumblebees to forage on (they already had a tough life).

High heat fried wild beach pea leaves and stems,
Northern Maine,
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

My first attempt of cooking with them involved frying, leaves and stems, over high heat. I thought I could break down their cellulose faster if I shocked them with the temperature of the pan. I also fried green bell peppers, celery, garlic, and a premade brown lentils and quinoa mix. 

I was wrong. 

The dish was delicious made with beans and other store bought vegetables but the beach pea portion was a more catch and release style of eating. You caught them in your mouth, chewed for more time than you thought necessary and then released them into a napkin or piece of paper towel. 

Low heat fried wild beach pea leaves with
garlic, Northern Maine.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Not one to give up easily, I tried frying them again, with just the leaves. This time I used a medium temperature pan and slowly cooked them, with garlic, thinking they would soften if I spent an hour gently cooking them down into an edible, succulent side dish. 

I was wrong. 

The leaves were translucent but they were just as tough as in the previous meal and had the same catch-and-release eating experience. Fortunately there were other vegetables like spinach, celery, mushrooms and red onion. 

Vegan soup stock made with wild beach pea pods, leaves
and stems along with kitchen trimmings,
Northern Maine., Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The next, and last time, I used them was to make a vegan soup stock. I used the stem, leaves and inedible pods. I put them in a big pot of water along with kitchen trimmings (I had been collecting for five days) of mushroom stems, onion outer skin, ends of broccoli, carrot heads...etc. I thought that at least this way I could capture the flavor of the beach pea plant.

I kept stock at a low-boil for 3 hours. At the end, I strained out the vegetables and beach peas and was left with a brown colored liquid.

I was right. 

Tiny, wild-foraged beach pea plant peas,
Northern Maine. Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The stock was delicious. And it made such a yummy base that I threw caution to the wind when I made my soup and added some beach pea plant peas thinking they would add a little sweetness.

I was wrong.

They were very starchy and high in tannin, which left my teeth feeling unpleasantly squeaky.

Fortunately the soup had a lot of other delicious ingredients to off set this culinary misstep. I used shredded beets, shredded turnips, shredded carrot, red beans and olive oil to balance out the tastes of the soup. The fragrant, earthiness flavor of the rest of the beach pea plant still came through to turn the soup into a gourmet treat.

Cooking wild beach pea plants is a challenge but making them into a soup stock is the best way to experience their wild delicious flavor. 

And now I know what I know, I would use them again. 

Florida Cocoplum A Yummy Native Fruit

It’s cocoplum season again in South Florida. What are cocoplums you may ask? Well one thing they are not is a new type of coconut or plum. Instead they are a type of Florida native shrub (sometimes tree) often used in landscaping. This time of year they produce a round fruit with a thin outer skin, sticky inner flesh and a huge seed. If you are a slightly adventurous eater and like to consume seasonal, local food then these are the fruit for you. 

Native Florida grown cocoplum bush with edible purple skinned fruit,
West Palm Beach, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A. Lockey

The downside of cocoplums is that they often contain more seed than fruit. This detail might make you reluctant to spend too much time harvesting them but when you find a perfect, sweet, juicy one it makes it worth the hours of searching. 

The outer skin of the fruit can vary in color from pale yellow to red, and even purple. The white interior flesh can have a mouth feel that varies from dry to chewy to juicy to slimy and sometimes very mealy. The shiny leaves of the shrub have an almost oval shape to them and often feel waxy.

If you source the fruit near the beach it might be a bit saltier than ones sourced further inland. The plant like to grow in sandy soil.

And as always with wild foods, make sure you know the source very well, and that the plants have not been sprayed with any chemicals. If you are unsure about the identity of the fruit, check with an expert before eating it because you don't want to end up with a tummy ache or worse.

For those interested the botanical name of this plant it is Chrysobalanus icaco. And a good source of expert plant identifiers can be found through the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach. 

If you find some safe, untreated plants and fruit, pick only what you will consume and leave the rest for the animals in the forest. 

Feed The Birds Vegan Dinner Postponed

FEED THE BIRDS Vegan Dinner

Benefiting Macaw Rescue Inc.

Come join me for a night of good food and good company and a bit of education about a local Macaw parrot rescue, at Ground Floor Farm, in Stuart, on May 6^th, 2018, from 3-7 p.m. There will be raffles, silent auction baskets and a tropical 4-course, gluten-free, locally sourced vegan dinner.

Feed The Birds vegan dinner at Ground Floor Farm, Stuart, Fla.
Helen A Lockey copyright 2018

From 3:30-6 p.m. we invite you to enjoy a delicious 4-course vegan, gluten-free dinner, prepared by Chef Jessica Addams (owner of DeLITEful Kitchen, in Stuart), made with Florida grown “Roberts Produce” vegetables, “Got Sprouts?” certified organic sprouts; "R. Pontano Produce" vegetables and edible flowers, and other ingredients from local growers and businesses where possible.

At 6 p.m., there will be a short talk by Nick Apostle, Executive Director of Macaw Rescue Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and forever home for Macaw parrots in Palm City, Florida. It is the only exclusively macaw-centered rescue in the state of Florida.

Menu: Island Corn Chowder, Tropical Salad with coconut lime dressing, Tropical entree, and for dessert Coconut Milk Frozen Yogurt with fresh citrus, berry sauces and shaved coconut. 

You will have time before and after dinner to buy your raffle tickets and put your bid down on luxurious silent auction baskets and Macaw parrot themed paintings by local artists. All the proceeds from the raffle and silent auction baskets will be going directly to Macaw Rescue Inc., on the night of the dinner.

You can make donations directly to Macaw Rescue Inc online.

After much deliberation I have decided to postpone this dinner until the 2018-2019 Florida growing season later this year.

Updated April 28, 2018

Plant Miami--Delicious Raw Plant-Based Eatery, Fla.

You don't need to travel to Manhattan to eat delicious raw plant-based food. Instead you can go to Plant Miami located in Wynwood Arts District, Florida. This upscale raw plant-based eatery has its origins in New York but its roots in Homestead at Paradise Farms. It is also part of The Sacred Space Miami, a holistic meditation, community fostering, center located right next to the restaurant.

Plant Miami plant-based eatery, Wynwood Arts District, Miami, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The owners bought Paradise Farms last year and use the biodynamically grown vegetables and flowers in their dishes. They also source from several other local farms. This means you are getting the freshest possible raw plant-based food you can. There are no ovens or stoves in the Plant kitchen instead ingredients are sprouted, dehydrated or just served in their untouched nature. This means you get the most living enzymes possible per plate.

Handcrafted Cheese Board, Plant Miami, Wynwood Arts District, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

A friend and I went into eat last December for a Christmas Eve, afternoon meal (Plant Miami was closing early at 4 p.m.). To start we ordered the Handcrafted Cheese Board made up of four sprouted, cultured cashew cheeses.  Their flavors were blue cheese, mixed peppercorn, white truffle and smoked cheddar. The dish also came with pickled vegetables, some fruit, mustard seed spread,  and dehydrated sunflower and pumpkin seed crackers.

I was amazed at how deliciously close the flavors of the nut cheeses came to that of dairy cheeses.  my favorite was the white truffle. The blue cheese, made with spirulina, though missed the mark for me. But I adored the dehydrated crackers and asked for more to finish off the cheese platter.

Harvest Dumplings, Plant Miami, Wynwood Arts District, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Then our next appetizer arrived, it was Harvest Dumplings. These were a type of vegan steamed wonton dumplings although not steamed. They were made with sweet potato, wrapped in a sweet potato-coconut wrapper, and topped with an amazingly ginger foam. The dumplings were a delicious one bite creamy pillow of flavor. My only small dislike was there was too much sesame oil for my tastes.

Moroccan Bowl, Plant Miami, Wynwood Arts District, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Next came our main meals, I ordered the Moroccan Bowl because it contained brown Jasmine rice and lentils. I've never come across a raw plant-based restaurant before that has served either of these items. I was curious to see what the results were like. The dish also came with cumin cauliflower, adobe squash, harissa hazelnut pate, and a mint-cilantro tahini dressing in a bowl at the center of the larger bowl.

I was thrilled with the flavors of this dish and amazed at the tender texture of both the lentils and the rice. This was a hit with my companion as well.

Cauliflower Steak, Plant Miami, Wynwood Arts District, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

My friend got the Cauliflower Steak made through a French cooking method called sous vide. This means the cauliflower was placed in a vacuum sealed bag with seasonings and rested in a warm water bath overnight to infuse it with flavor, at least I think that was what our server said.

The results were a soft tender piece of cauliflower placed onto of smashed golden carrots puree and served with chimichurri sauce.  It was also topped with fresh micro-greens and edible flowers. Actually every course had some form of edible flower in it, all harvested from Paradise Farms.

Chocolate Tahini Tart, Plant Miami, Wynwood Arts District, Fla.
The early Christmas gift dessert
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

Then came dessert, we took so long trying to decide between two desserts that the restaurant gave us one on the house. They said it was an early Christmas gift. Our gift was a Chocolate Tahini Tart made with tahini, chocolate, fresh fruit, ginger cream and an almond crust. It was lovely, earthy, creamy, lightly sweetened dessert.

Lady Apple dessert, Plant Miami, Wynwood Arts District, Fla.
Copyright 2018 by Helen A Lockey

The selection we paid for was called Lady Apple. It came in a bowl with three small, chocolate dipped, cardamon cream filled apples, two bark style pieces of raw chocolate inserted with rose petals and pistachio, two edible dark purple/red tinted hibiscus leaves and a soup of purple corn glaze dotted with pomegranate jewels.

It is hard to find words to describe how delicious this dessert was. The tart flavor of the hibiscus leaves balanced out the sweetness of the cardamon cream filled apples. The raw chocolate melted as soon as it hit our tongues and we drank the purple corn glaze like a soup. It was very yummy.

The drive down to Plant Miami was worth it and I plan to visit them again in the future.

If you want to go there here are their details.
You'll find them listed under The Sacred Space Miami, 105 Northeast 24th Street, Miami, FL 33137
Phone Number: (305) 814-5365

They are open: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.;
Fri. to Sat. 11:30 a.m. to Midnight;
Sun 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.