The Froh burrito at Frisch Compassionate Eatery in Salt Lake City

The Froh burrito at Frisch Compassionate Eatery in Salt Lake City

I'm halfway home from Denver and stopped in Salt Lake City for dinner. A quick look on Happy Cow sent me over to Frisch Compassionate Eatery which serves an all vegan, plant-based healthy menu.

I tried the Froh which is their smothered verde burrito (brown rice, pinto beans, chick'n, and vegan sour cream) with grilled peppers and onions. It's served along with chips and salsa. Excellent!

The super helpful person at the counter suggested the blueberry Palmer and it was just the thing for a hot afternoon in Salt Lake City.

Check out the Frisch Compassionate Eatery web site for their hours and menu

Dino tracks, Red rocks, and Buffalo Bill on the Lariat Loop in Denver

Right outside of Denver is the Lariat Loop scenic byway with plenty to see. It's to the west of Denver in the foothills to the Rocky Mountains and makes a great day trip (or half a day) of driving and light hiking. Perfect for kids, too. And everything is free.

I found the Lariat Loop national scenic byway in my handy road trip book that's always in my car; you never know when you'll have time for a scenic drive.

I stopped at the Dinosaur Ridge visitor center where you can park. Then you walk up the road that is closed to traffic. Or you can pay for a ticket to ride the tour bus. You quickly climb up the side of the hill and get a nice view. There are sites marked along the route showing fossilized dinosaur tracks, plants, and geologic formations. What a great way to get some fresh air, exercise, and learn a little.

Next stop is the Red Rocks Amphitheater and park. You can park and walk around this outdoor theater. The red rock outcroppings are dramatic, and the steep seating makes for a good urban hike. And the views down into the valley are nice. 

I had time for one last stop before the rain started so I drove up the winding road to the Buffalo Bill museum. Park for free then take the short walk to his gravesite. You also get a great view of downtown Denver.

The Lariat Loop scenic byway ends up in Golden, Colorado where you can stop for a drink or snack before taking the short drive back into Denver.

Make-your-own bowl at Grabbagreen in Denver

Make-your-own bowl at Grabbagreen in Denver

It's my last day in Denver and I had to keep looking for the healthy food joints. Grabbagreen is a national chain serving up fast, healthy breakfasts and lunches using mostly organic and local fresh ingredients. Choose one of their bowl recipes, or make one of your own. Either way, it's prepared fresh for you, and the staff takes the time to walk you through all your choices.

I went the make-it-your-own route. I had a bowl with quinoa, black beans, cilantro, and chimichurri sauce. Then you add five super nutrients; I picked corn, beets, tomatoes, carrots, and onions.

I hardly had time to sit down and they called my name to pick it up. The food was warm, the ingredients were very fresh, and it tasted great. I would eat here all the time if there was a location near by house.

Grabbagreen also serves coffee, smoothies, and juices.

Find a Grabbagreen location near you

Where to Eat in Denver  >>

Chilaquiles brunch at Cochino Taco in Englewood, Colorado (Denver)

Chilaquiles brunch at Cochino Taco in Englewood, Colorado (Denver)

My plan was to walk from the light rail over to a taco joint recommended to me and check out their tofu taco. But as it turned out, I arrived for the Sunday brunch which serves a different menu. I ended up with the chilaquiles which were very good and I'll return later to check out those tofu tacos.

Cochino Taco has a lively brunch. Plenty of patio seating and a nice menu of drinks. Why did I skip that Bloody Mary??

Where to Eat in Denver  >>

Herb Veggie Burger at Mellow Mushroom in Denver

Herb Veggie Burger at Mellow Mushroom in Denver

Mellow Mushroom serves pizza, burgers, and salads (and brews) in a funky, festive environment. Mellow Mushroom has locations all over the country, and a couple in Denver. I stopped by the one in Centennial. 

What sets Mellow Mushroom apart from other pizza joints (other than the decor) is that they can make any menu item into a vegan meal. They will swap in a soy-based product and vegan cheese if you ask. My server was super helpful in explaining all this to me. I've read plenty of reviews for the other locations and knowledgable staff seems to be the norm.

The Herb veggie burger patty is made with quinoa, kale, brown rice, and roasted mushrooms then seasoned with roasted garlic and shallots. It's juicy and delicious. The burger is finished with avocado, cheddar cheese, garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Wow this burger was great! (Remember you can ask to swap out the dairy cheese for vegan cheese.)

Super fresh veggies in the salad

You get a side of roasted potatoes which were also very tasty

Great food, great service, and plenty to look at Mellow Mushroom. Check it out!

Find a Mellow Mushroom location on their web site.

Where to eat in Denver  >>

Native Scorpion Burger at Native Foods Cafe in Denver

Native Scorpion Burger at Native Foods Cafe in Denver

Native Foods Cafe is a small chain of restaurants serving burgers and salads made from 100% plant-based mostly organic ingredients. They started in Palm Springs but now have locations all over the country. I stopped by the location in Glendale, Colorado which is in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver.

The Native Scorpion Burger is blackened tempeh, chipotle sauce, romaine, carrots, red onions and avocado. It's served on a whole wheat bun. The tempeh is made from non-GMO organic soybean and millet.

Don't forget to add a salad

There's a selection of juices. I had the watermelon fresca.

Don't skip a little hand grenade sriracha. It's very tasty and not super hot.

Find a Native Foods Cafe location at their web site.

Where to eat in Denver  >>

Veggie Burger at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Aurora, Colorado (near Denver)

Veggie Burger at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Aurora, Colorado (near Denver)

I tried the veggie burger at Burger King the other day so when I got to Denver I checked to see if Freddy's also had one. (Check out my review of the green chile cheeseburger at Freddy's in Albuquerque.) 

Yep, they sure do. Unlike the green veggies in the BK one, Freddy's uses black beans and it's delicious. OK so maybe black beans are my favorite burger, but even so this one is really good. You get the standard Freddy's burger with onions, tomato, onion, cheese, and Freddy's fry sauce. This tastes as good as the black bean burgers I make at home. And it's juicy which is not always easy to do in a veggie burger.

Had to get some fried pickles while I was there. This is the first time I tried Freddy's jalapeno fry sauce which is spicy without blowing your head off. It's great on the fried pickles.

What's a visit to Freddy's without some concrete? I had the turtle sundae. I like how Freddy's serves your dessert before your burger arrives. Don't want it to melt, right??

There's plenty of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers locations -- check out their web site for locations.

Read more about Freddy's veggie burger at their web site.

Where to eat in Denver  >>

Big V tofu burrito at NOTO Burrito in Topeka, Kansas

Big V tofu burrito at NOTO Burrito in Topeka, Kansas

It can be a little tricky to find vegetarian food on a midwest road trip, so I was glad to discover NOTO Burrito in Topeka which serves a tofu burrito with black beans and cilantro rice along with sour cream and a triple cheese blend.

Usually a "vegetarian Mexican burrito" is simply a bean burrito, but NOTO is serving a legit meal here. The tofu blends with the black beans and rice to make a big, hearty, and delicious burrito.

There's a salsa bar where you can find homemade salsas including jalapeno pineapple. You can taste how fresh they are. Am I really in Kansas??

You can also get coffee at NOTO Burrito. Sort of reminds me of the burritos and donuts combo at Bo Sa Donuts in Las Cruces.

Oh, and NOTO Burritos serves meat, too, so be sure to bring along your non-vegetarian friends.

Veggie Burger at Burger King in St. Louis

Veggie Burger at Burger King in St. Louis

It can be tough to find vegetarian grub on the road, and on this trip I discovered that Burger King serves a veggie burger.

As luck (and my hunger) would have it, I ended up at the BK next to the Steak N Shake I went to the last time I was in St. Louis (my review of Steak 'N Shake's burger is here.)

Burger King uses the Morningstar veggie patty. It tastes great. And it's juicy. I'm not sure how BK is preparing it. Are they running the patty through their burger grill (probably not)? So they are heating it in the microwave? But how do they get it so juicy? I'm not sure but it tastes great.

This is the Whopper with just the hamburger swapped out for the veggie patty. So you get the full BK burger flavor without the meat. This makes a great choice for vegetarians and people looking to save on the calories (the veggie patty is about half of the calories and fat of the hamburger).

Grab the Garden Salad while you're at Burger King to keep going with the veggies. It's a good size and the lettuce, tomatoes, and cabbage are fresh. And it's sprinkled with cheese. You get your pick of dressing.

More info about BK's veggie burger is on the Burger King web site.

Looking for more fast food veggie burgers? Check out Freddy's, Habit Burger, and Smashburger.

Do you know of any other fast food veggie burgers? Let me know in the comments below!

Lots and lots of Burger King locations. Check out their app or web site to find one.

Where to eat in St. Louis  >>

Sidecar at Baby Blues BBQ in Philadelphia

Sidecar at Baby Blues BBQ in Philadelphia

All that graduating made us hungry so we stopped for lunch at Baby Blues BBQ in University City. You might think that's not a great pick for a vegetarian, but my daughter pointed out the sidecar which is your choice of four appetizers and cornbread. It's like getting an appetizer and the cornbread for free compared to buying them a la carte, and I was really stuffed when I left so this makes a great lunch for a vegetarian. (There might have been some meat in the stock of one or two of these, so this is me saying they are vegetarian and not a claim by Baby Blues BBQ.) My choices were the beans, sweet potatoes, collard greens, and cream spinach. They all tasted great and so did the cornbread.

Check out the revolving bookcase door that shuts off the banquet room down in the basement. It felt like we were hanging out in a speakeasy and made for a great private place for us to celebrate.

Where to Eat in Philadelphia  >>

H Mart food court in Philadelphia

The sunny weather held up so my daughter and I continued to enjoy the food in Philadelphia. One of her favorite spots is the food court above the H Mart in Upper Darby. There's a bakery, smoothies, and several Asian spots serving sushi and soups. 

We grabbed some red and green bean goodies from the bakery while our soup was being cooked. 

The soups are very tasty and spicy, and we were really stuffed when we left. This is a great stop for Asian food if you are in the area.

 

There are H Marts all over the country. They don't all have a food court as big as this one, but be sure to check them out for their fresh food and market.

Where to Eat in Philadelphia  >>