Vegan Dining Through Encinitas, CA

A few days ago, Anna & I set out for what started out as a drive up the coast for a quick bite & a visit to the Self Realization Fellowship in Encinitas, but it turned into a full fledged eat-a-thon!

First stop: “The Greenery Raw Food Cafe”

I’d been curious to try this place for quite sometime. They offer a sit down menu for dinner, but for lunch they offer ready-made raw vegan goodies from their refridgerated case. Here is what we shared:

“Seaweed Salad” - Wakame with Mini Peppers, Leeks, & Heirloom Tomatoes

“Creamy Stir Fry” - Veggies with Creamy Pinenut Sauce

“Pesto Pasta” - Zucchini “Noodles” with Pinenut Pesto

Everything was really fresh & delicious, but our favorite was the “pasta,” which was actually very thinly sliced zucchini in the place of noodles. It was amazing how hearty & similar in texture it was to semolina pasta. The portions were small & a bit on the pricey side, but with everything raw, local, vegan & prepared with such love & care, I don’t mind spending a little more. Would love to come back again for dinner & their monthly “Friday Night Nachos!”

Back on the road & on our way down to SRF, I remembered that my cousin had picked up some amazing vegan cupcakes for my last birthday from the “Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar,” which was on the way, so we made a quick stop to pick one up…

Anna outside the “Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar”

“Ganesh”

After looking at their AMAZING menu full of mostly veggie & vegan items, we realized that we were actually still quite hungry! I am a sucker for veggie chili dogs, so when I saw this on the menu & had to give theirs a try. It was good, but Anna & I agreed that mine are better!

Veggie Chili Dog with Soy Cheese

And of course, couldn’t leave without what we originally came for….

Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcake

Seriously, the most moist, decadent & delicious vegan cupcake - EVER! This was Anna’s first time trying a vegan cupcake & said she would’ve never known the difference! I need to figure out what their secret is….

Finally, with tummies full of vegan delights, we made our way to the Self Realization Fellowship’s Meditation Garden, which is free & open to the public. This is one of the most peaceful & beautiful gems in San Diego County….