The rain held out on Saturday and we got to enjoy the festival free from boots and umbrellas!  The weather was still ridiculously muggy, but when we arrived around 1:30 it was packed.  It was great to see so many people come out, but it was kind of hard to get around the quad.

Our first stop was the Vegan Treats tent.  As expected, it had the longest line in the place.

I heard last year they sold out on the early side, so we wanted to get our treats while they were still well stocked.  Once we got up to the table, I was overwhelmed with options.  Cookies, cakes, whoopie pies, DONUTS – there were so many things to choose from, I think I changed my mind about 4 times before deciding to go for the peanut butter bomb.

It was amazing!  The peanut butter mousse was perfect.  A few of us shared it and everyone was in agreement that no one would ever know it was vegan.

Gina selected the cinnamon bun and seemed to be super happy with her choice.

After indulging in dessert first, we focused our attention on more substantial eats.  You know, like vegan nachos.  Bread and Brew was serving up this plate of nachos on a frisbee.

I’m a sucker for vegan nachos.  After we polished them off it was time to look for some samples.  I really liked this lime pudding from Soyummi, but Gina wasn’t a fan.  Both of us agreed the flavor was great, but she had an issue with the texture of the pudding.  It reminded me more of jello than pudding, but I still liked it.  The company sells a few other flavors and a rice pudding I want to try.

We also snagged a taste of Earth Balance chocolate soy milk.

It was kind of hard to get around and sample from the vendors because it was so crowded (but again, that’s a good thing!), so we decided to just buy some more food from the vendors.

We picked up these basil wontons from Sunflower Vegetarian.  A friend in VA has been telling me about this place for a while, but I haven’t had a chance to go to the restaurant yet. I was excited to see them at VegFest and based on how good these wontons were, I hope I make it out there sooner than later.

And for the finale, we selected a ‘small’ plate from the Everlasting Life Cafe stand.

I wish we had started here!  The restaurant specializes in 100% vegan comfort food.  A small plate came with three selections, and we both ordered mac ‘n cheese, collards and fried ‘chicken’.

The texture of the cheese on the macaroni reminded me of ricotta and they used a good amount of it.  Neither one of us could figure out exactly what was supposed to be the ‘chicken’ in the patty, but it was still pretty tasty.  That’s the whole point of frying things, right? They were even giving out 25% off coupons for a visit to the restaurant, so I can’t wait to go again and try something else.

In the time we were there, we didn’t get to hear any speakers, but it was still great talking to some of the knowledgable vendors one on one.  A very nice gentleman from Mom’s Organic Market was telling us how they are looking to expand the chain over the next few years and that the location of future stores depends on what customers want. So if you’re also a fan of Mom’s, take a minute to email them and let them know we need a DC location!

We also spoke to a representative for Green Menu, a non-profit that helps diner’s make healthier and environmentally conscious choices when looking for a place to eat.  Restaurants can join the program for free, while members pay a yearly fee to receive discounts at participating locations.  The online directory makes it easy to find participating restaurants that are vegan, vegetarian or veggie-friendly.  Overall it’s a great idea and they are looking to expand in the DC area.

I had a great time this year at DC VegFest this year and can’t wait to see it get even bigger and better in the years to come!