The Much Awaited Vegan Tamale

I recently crossed something off of my Vegan Bucket List. (And no, I don't have the actual Vegan Bucket List to share with you. Gosh, wouldn't it be great if I were really that organized?!) Alas, it is but a mental list (currently), which is risky, because my memory comes and goes.

Anyway, I've been in beautiful Tampa Bay for a year and a half now. I've been to the infamous Taco Bus on Hillsborough Ave a handful of times. SOMEHOW, in the last 18 months, I've NEVER been there on a Saturday or Sunday, which is when they serve VEGAN TAMALES. (And I'm pretty sure that every single time I was at Taco Bus on one of those Monday-Friday days, I'd be sure to state, "Dammit! Why isn't it Saturday or Sunday right now?!")

Considering the only vegan tamale (or any tamale, for that matter) I've ever had was the frozen Amy's Kitchen kind, I was pretty stoked about trying an "authentic" one at Taco Bus, "one of these days."

Well, 547.5 days later (give or take), I finally had one of those days.

And sadly, it was not all I had hoped it would be.

As I mentioned, the only tamale I've ever had before was the frozen Amy's kind, of which there are two vegan varieties: roasted vegetables, and black bean. I tried the roasted vegetable one once and thought it was weird. The black bean I've had at least a dozen times. It ain't half bad! So, at Taco Bus, I was expecting something with beans, maybe tempeh (since they have pretty rockin' tempeh there), and anything else would have been a surprise. I also expected TB's tamales to be about the same size as an Amy's, so I ordered two of them. This is incredibly far from factual, as these tamales are really damn big.

BAM! Check that beast!

So there I was, outside Taco Bus, with two behemoth vegan tamales before me, a moment that I had been awaiting for over a year. What would be inside? All the menu said was "vegan." No ingredients listed, no description. No point in asking anyone inside the Bus what's in it because, hell, they couldn't even understand me when I said, "Two vegan tamales."

I peeled back the corn husky layer and...



and...










AND...




This.

Corn meal. A corn husk packed solid with corn meal. And some corn, and peas, and spices, but mostly corn meal. No beans, no tempeh, no nada. Looooots and lots of corn meal.

I have to admit, I was disappointed. It's not that I hate corn meal, but I don't LOVE it, which is who this tamale is designed for: someone who really freaking loves corn meal.

The two omnivores who were with me seemed to like it (or maybe they were just humoring me), and this isn't an AWFUL tamale. It's just... not as exciting as I had dreamed it would be. The next day, I chopped up the leftovers (hoo boy, that stuff firms up in the fridge!) and simmered 'em in seasoned black beans and salsa, and that was pretty alright.

Closing thoughts: Skip the vegan tamale. Get the butternut squash tostada, which is available any day of the week.

Recent-ish Eats

A week ago, my veg-blogger-buddy Jen was in Florida! (You may recall her guest post from last year.) This was actually the first time we'd met in person and, as I suspected, she's a hoot! We strolled around Eureka Springs (pics to come) and then had lunch at Taco Bus, a must-visit if you're only in the Tampa area for a short while.

I got a tempeh taco and the butternut squash tostada. I forgot to photograph the tempeh taco, but here's the oh-so-pretty tostada. I know I shared a picture of this about a year ago, but who cares. It's beautiful!

After last Friday's photoshoot, I went out to dinner with two friends at Lemon Grass Thai Kitchen.

I ordered the tofu & veggie saute' with cashews.

Goodness, I love fried tofu. And all vegetables!

Also on the table was a dish of tofu & veggie saute' with extra-hot garlic sauce

and pumpkin curry (with tofu & veggies).

Yums all around.

After Saturday's Save 90 conference in Tampa, a group of us descended upon the nearby Rollin' Oats health food store to clear out the vegan dishes in their cafe. I had never been to Rollin' Oats before, but I have had their kale salad a number of times at get-togethers and potlucks. The store itself is adorable and they have a lot of products that I've never seen sold in any other health food store, including Whole Foods. Their prices seem to have no rhyme or reason to them, but there were a few good deals to be had.

I was excited to find that a little over half of their chilled case in the cafe was vegan! I went with...

[clockwise from the top] kale salad (with tomatoes and avocado), eggplant rolletini (divine!), sesame green bean salad (needed more green beans, less cabbage), and curry tempeh salad (very good!).

One of the products at Rollin' Oats that I'd never seen anywhere else before were these tarts from Hail Merry. I remember when Amber at Almost Vegan would gush about Hail Mary on a near-daily basis, so naturally I was intrigued when I finally spotted Hail Merry-anything in the Sunshine State. It was hard to choose flavors, but I went with the chocolate-almond butter (because I'm a sucker for anything resembling a peanut butter cup) and Persian Lime (because it reminds me of key lime and I like Florida).

The coconut flavor is almost overwhelming in this little tart. I could handle it, but if you're kind of on the fence about coconut (or you just don't care for it), you might want to bypass this little treat. I also felt that it could have used more almond butter to better balance the extreme decadence of the raw chocolate, but it was still a fabulous indulgence.

I ended up liking the Persian Lime tart more than the raw chocolate almond butter (which is surprising because of my deep, deep love for chocolate). The coconut flavor is clearly evident in this, but nearly as overpowering as in the chocolate one. The lime center was smooth and delicious.

What good eats have you had recently?

Late Night Taco Bus Stop

Earlier this year, I blogged about my visit to Taco Bus, a well-known and much-loved taco establishment in the Tampa Bay area. (Click that link for pictures and my story of barely crossing the language barrier.) This past July, I was helping a friend/former co-worker clean and pack up for her big move out West. At 4am, tired and hot and sweaty, we found ourselves hungry as well. 4am is a wonderful time for a ride to the Taco Bus!

The first time I ate at Taco Bus, I had my hands full with a giant, filling tofu burrito. I hadn’t been to Taco Bus for several months at this point, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a big sign on the bus, declaring that they now offered tempeh. I had to try something tempeh-esque, so I went with a tempeh tostada and their butternut squash tostada.

The tempeh was crumbled, where I was expecting strips (much like tempeh bacon or something similar). I was hoping it would be saucier, but this was still a fun option. The butternut squash tostada was a beautiful specimen. Look at the colors! It tasted colorful, too – nice and light and flavorful. It was like a taste of autumn in the summertime.

Taco Bus will be at the 2nd Annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest, THIS SATURDAY!

Me Gusta Taco Bus

Maybe it's my love of public transportation, but food just tastes better coming out of a large multi-passenger vehicle. My first piece of evidence: Taco Bus.


Despite hearing and reading about Taco Bus when I first got to Tampa, I didn't visit them until a couple of weeks ago. I was pleased to find a decent crowd gathered around the bus's window on a week night. That's always a good sign.

Taco Bus has a small vegetarian menu and accommodates vegan diets, as well.


Since this was my first visit, I figured I'd start simple and go with the tofu fajitas. When I shouted my order up to the bus window (I'm short), the man said, "Tofu burrito?"
Me: "Tofu fajitas."
Man: "Tofu burrito."
Me: "Tofu fajitas?" and pointed at its listing on the menu.
Man: (incomprehensible explanation of something)... "Tofu burrito."
Me: "Yeah, burrito. Okay."

They do have a warning message painted near the window for such reasons.


It was a lovely, breezy evening and I sat in the outdoor eating area in front of the bus. Another option is eating in the small restaurant, built next to the bus. But honestly, if you had a choice of receiving a taco from a building or a school bus, which would you choose?!

Alright, let's cut to the burrito chase here.


Perfectly grilled tofu, too many onions (I'm an onion-hater, for the most part), classic pico de gallo, and crisp shredded cabbage with just enough cilantro to please my taste buds (I love cilantro!). I added some green salsa for extra sauciness (we are what we eat, after all) and thought the burrito could have been greatly improved with some avocado and grilled red pepper.

Still, how could I complain? I had a big vegan burrito that was given to me out of a BUS. (I love novelties, don't you?)

And if you feel weird about eating food prepared and served out of a bus, don't think for a moment that cleanliness is not of utmost importance here.

Cleanliness next to godliness... godliness next to burritos... that's how the saying goes, right?

Anyway, I think Taco Bus is awesome and adorable and I look forward to returning, especially on the weekends, for the following reason (and I don't mean the stomach soup).


PS. Taco Bus is open 24/7! Another thing to love about this bus!