A Vegan Oasis: Mustard Seed Cafe

An oasis in what is now, since the closing of Akron's first and only 100% vegan restaurant, Vegiterranean, a proverbial vegan desert, Mustard Seed Market and Cafe is one of the best little spots to grab a nice, healthy vegan meal. There are some other little gems lurking around the Rubber City, yet Mustard Seed has been a consistent provider of nourishing meals to local vegheads.

A lovely bed of lettuce topped with cucumbers, tomatoes, in-house-made vegan parm (walnuts and nooch), raw flax crackers, and a very nice dressing made from cashews and apple cider vinegar. I will most definitely try to replicate the dressing and will share!

Oh, yes... we each ordered the classic tempeh reuben, complete with sauerkraut, Italian-style Daiya, and vegan thousand island dressing. One of the best reubens I've ever had; the tempeh is cooked perfectly so it is nutty and chewy and not the least bit bitter.

Could we resist the chocolate raspberry torte? Hell to the no.

Mustard Seed Cafe also offers soy milkshakes, veggie sushi, stir fry, a Middle Eastern plate, macrobiotic meals, and an assortment of other healthy veg fare. Also, you can overlook the market while you dine, scoping out what treats you'll undoubtedly take home with you. For example, Mustard Seed is the only health food store in the area in which I have found Dandies, Ricemellow (just the one time...), gluten free Chreese sauce, and the new Good Karma flax milk! They are also going to be building a location right down the street from me, in my 'hood, in the next year or so. It's wonderful to have a locally owned, dedicated spot which provides water to often-quenched NE Ohio vegans.

Stop back for more reviews of local vegan gems, as well as sure-to-please recipes from cookbooks I dusted off and dog-eared for this week's meal planning. It's time to get this blog back in gear! Who's with me?!