Vegan Lifestyle
The Emerald Coast is most famous for sugar sand beaches and breath-taking sunsets but one of its best kept secrets is the area’s culinary excellence. With innovative, eclectic menus featuring healthy and delicious foods, your taste buds will keep drawing you back for more. After years of vacationing here, I began to crave the food almost as much as the sun, sand and surf.
Once we retired and moved full-time to Panama City Beach, breaking our nightly habit of eating out was hard to do because the food was simply so divine. Six months into retirement my husband of thirty-plus years adopted a new vegan lifestyle. This meant that he would eat no animal products of any kind, not even cheese and eggs, when we went out to a restaurant.
[box type=”shadow” align=”aligncenter” ]Black Bean Hummus - 1 16-oz can black beans
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1½ tbsp Tahini
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Fresh cilantro – about 1/8 cup (you don’t need to measure)
Drain and rinse black beans (buy organic if available). Combine all ingredients in food processor. Blend 3–5 minutes. If it seems a little thick, add a tablespoon of water. Serve with fresh carrots & celery or pita bread.[/box]
Of course my first thought was “no thank you!”. But when half of a couple adopts a major lifestyle change, like it or not, the spouse always ends up coming along for the ride. My book Married to a Vegan gives an insight about my reluctant, often funny journey into living with a vegan.It will make you laugh and at the same time you will evaluate your own relationship to food. It also includes recipes so delicious that I promise no one will even suspect they are vegan.
Eating out in restaurants posed one of the biggest challenges for us. Grilling every server about which dish might or might not contain animal products made me wish I could have stayed home. Along the way, I discovered several local restaurants in the Panama City Beach area where guests can enjoy feasting on healthy food and delicious vegan options. No grilling required!
Zen Garden serves one of the healthiest lunches on the beach that will wow every vegan. At Raw & Juicy in Seaside, all the food is healthy, delicious, and vegan. If you’re going out with friends, Carrabba’s Italian Restaurant serves an amazing vegan minestrone soup, a couple of pasta dishes can be vegan adapted and pizza with sauce and veggies (no cheese) always makes a great vegan
meal and is surprisingly good. Mellow Mushroom offers many innovative vegan items on their menu. Tempeh subs, pizza topped with a nondairy cheese, and plenty of non-vegan items to please everyone. If Mexican sounds good, Muy Wayneo’s Tex-Mex Restaurant features an entree of freshly grilled vegetables called The Sloppy Vegan. For a special treat, try The Terrace Restaurant for yummy vegan tapas.
After writing the book I discovered even more healthy options. Bridge Span 14, located in Carillon Beach, open for breakfast/brunch and lunch is a real winner offering organic, vegan food.
Even if you’re lucky enough not to be married to a vegan, we all look for ways to improve our health. Isn’t it nice to know that being on vacation in Panama City Beach doesn’t mean you have to leave your healthy lifestyle at home?
By Caren Albers