Vegetables are an important part of a vegan diet.
A vegan refrains from eating animal products including meat, dairy, eggs and, in some cases, honey. Some vegans may also avoid using or wearing items made from leather, down, fur or wool, as well as products that were tested on laboratory animals, such as cosmetics. Several restaurants near south suburban Chicago cater to vegans.
East
Soul Vegetarian East is in South Chicago and serves vegan soul and southern-style food. The restaurant's owners also own Eternity Juice Bar, which is next door and sells vegan grocery items. Vegan versions of soul food are on the menu, including dishes such as barbecued roast platters or sandwiches made with textured vegetable protein, kale or collard greens and grits. Burgers made with ground lentils and spices are available, as are fries and onion rings. The restaurant offers several stir fry dishes such as stir fried tofu, vegetables and textured vegetable protein made into vegan steak. Dessert options include soy ice cream and vegan cakes and pies. Breakfast is served on weekends and, in addition to grits, includes pancakes, scrambled tofu and hash browns. Soul Vegetarian East opens Monday through Friday at 11 a.m and at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The restaurant closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Yah's Cuisine
Yah's Cuisine is located in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood, just north of South Chicago, and serves vegan soul food. Each day of the week has a different menu, rotating through vegan versions of classic soul dishes, such as macaroni and cheese, honey-cured ham, black-eyed pea stew and red beans and rice. The restaurant also has vegan pizza, lasagna and burgers made with garbanzo beans, lentils or black-eyed peas. Live food options include couscous salad, hummus and guacamole. Six kinds of pie are on the dessert menu, including apple, blueberry and sweet potato, as well as seven flavors of tarts and cheesecake. Customers can also order shakes in flavors such as mint chip and banana and six kinds of fruit smoothies. Yah's Cuisine is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Karyn's on Green
Karyn's on Green is in Greektown, a Chicago neighborhood about 10 miles north of South Chicago, and features raw and vegan interpretations of contemporary American cuisine. The restaurant has a full-service bar with an upstairs lounge and serves organic red and white wines, microbrewed beer and cocktails like the Chicago River Run made with gin, orange and elderflower liqueurs, and orange bitters. Entrees include marinated portobello mushroom steak, raw pasta made from zucchini and topped with cashew basil pesto and gumbo with quinoa, okra and collard greens in a tomato broth. Dessert options include bananas foster, peach cobbler with vegan vanilla ice cream and imported dessert wines. The Sunday brunch menu has choices such as French toast, banana pancakes and raw granola with nut milk. Karyn's on the Green is open from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Sunday, 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Tags: made with, dishes such, Friday Saturday, , Karyn Green, options include, Soul Vegetarian