You guys. We really went HAM on food this year. We criss-crossed the country to stuff our fat faces with everything delicious and picked our favorites for you. IT WAS REALLY REALLY REALLY HARD and we left out some super fucking amazing food and for that, I’m pouring out some almond nog for all my forgotten meals. I miss you, b.
Laura Beck:
1. I went to Ojai for my friend Minty’s birthday and we waffled a cinnamon roll and now I see in more vivid colors AMA (I used the ones in the cold case at Trader Joe’s! They’re vegan!)
2. This Boston Cream Pie donut from Moncai Vegan in San Diego is probably the best thing I’ve eaten in five years. It was just insane and everything from this place is worth crossing oceans to eat. Next level.
3. Everything from Blue Window in Los Angeles. All of their food is available vegan and it’s HEART IN EYES EMOJI FOREVER.
4. This INSANE strawberry and red bean mochi at Su Shian Yuang in Montreal, Canada. (Montreal in general was SO VEGAN FRIENDLY and I want to move there – lots of pics on our Instagram!)
5. The Southern Belle from Organix in L.A. Or, honestly, any of the food from their deli. Just ridiculous.
6. (BUT REALLY #1) My wedding cake!!! The genius Miel at Bramble Bakeshop made me the Bananas Foster wedding cake of my dreams and it was just so, so, so, so, so good and will forever remind me of one of the most wonderful days of my life <333333.
Megan Rascal:
1. This challah grilled cheese with homemade vegan muenster cheese from Miss Rachel’s Pantry in Philly was BANGIN’. Like, life-changingly BANGIN’.
2. 2015 also turned out to be Year of the Savory Vegan Danish thanks to Clementine Bakery in Brooklyn. I Postmated the eff outta that place this year.
3. My trip to LA was an edible rollercoaster of delicious emotions (what?) but my fave thing, and one of the best meals I had all year, was Laura and Jonas’s post-wedding brunch at Crossroads! Flaky croissants+gooey frittata…kill me now, for I shall never love again.
4. This year I scored the Vegan Treats Valentine’s chocolate box and it was both ridiculously tasty and tragically adorable. It almost warmed my cold cold heart.
And this is the year Jay Astafa’s Three Brothers Vegan Cafe opened. I totally housed the vegan capresé salad because that mofo was fantasmic! I said it before and I’ll say it again: this place is next level.
Abby Bean:
1. I’m a diehard Vegan Treats fan through and through, but even so I was blown away by the decadence of the speculoos soft serve. [Ed.: THOSE CARAMEL APPLES THO!??!!]
2. I know I sound like a broken record, but Sweet Maresa’s rainbow cookies are probably my favorite dessert ever. It’s cake and chocolate all rolled into one so you can eat two desserts at once!
I eat real food too, though… [ed. note: LIES]
3. The tofu tacos from Rockaway Beach Surf Club (add guac, hold the cilantro) are seriously better than they have any right to be.
4. I can’t stop gushing over by Chloe in general, but their spicy Thai salad is the stuff of dreams are made of: fresh and healthy salad generously topped with so much savory goodness.
5. AND everything I’ve made from Teff Love, still my fave food and cookbook almost a year later.
Meave:
1. Before the Snail left the streets in February, the Thanksgiving over greens was my go-to and I can’t wait to have it again when they open at penn plaza next month.
2. Momofuku Hozon ramen.
3. The Caprese salad at Jay Astafa’s Three Brothers Vegan Cafe [ed. note: THIS WAS SO GOOD. ]
4. And the Blue Mountain Cheese from Cheezehound.
Get ready, 2016! Your ass has a lot to live up to!!
All photos from Instagram: Vegansaurus, Laura Beck, Megan Rascal, Meave, and Abby Bean!