hey everyone! coachella is officially over, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna shut up about the awesome vegan food that was available to festival goers last weekend. today we bring you our third and final field report from our 2011 coachella correspondent, the sexy vegan. he did a great job eating his way through the indio polo fields, and his food experiences alone have convinced me i need to hit up the fest next year. screw the lineup—i want curry!

Coachella – Day 3: Here it is…the last post of the festival. The post that really doesn’t do you any good, since you won’t be reading it until Coachella is over. But that’s ok…I’ve got
some poorly lit pictures to share with you. Yay!

Dinner happened late, so there was not ample light to get a good shot of my Indian combo plate. I’m not sure if it would’ve really been all that pretty anyway, but it does prove one thing…I’m definitely NOT using non-vegan stock photography.

This was the Indian combo plate from the only Indian stand at the festival. I was a little aprehensive about having Indian food in such an environment, as itt can go wrong in so many ways: in addition to the fact that you’re already sweating, and you don’t want to be burping up curry all day, it can also be too oily or too spicy, and cause multiple, unpleasant trips to the port-a-john tent.

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hey everyone! time for a vegan round up of coachella day #2 from the sexy vegan. this food looks amazing, so be sure to check it out if you are in the desert today. i don’t know what i’m more jealous of…the insane vegan cuisine or the bands!

Coachella – Day 2: Ahhh…started Saturday off rested and refreshed. Slept in…slept WAY in..all the way to 7:45! My aging bladder usually wakes me up at 6:15 so this really was a treat.

When lunchtime arrived, we ventured into the food/ferris wheel/giant steel praying mantis area, and weighed our options: Indian? It’s 100 degrees, I’m sweating enough, thank you…maybe when the sun goes down. Raw? I ate healthy yesterday, I’m looking to get down n’ dirty today. Stir fry over pad Thai noodles with egg roll? Now we’re talkin’! How ’bout some garlic fries to go along with that? Sounds like a match made in music festival heaven!

The Stir Fry: This all vegan stand was brought to us by The Egg Roll People. The stir fry was decent. It was served up from a steam table, and while the big hunks of broccoli were a bit over cooked, there’s really no need to hold it against them, since they certainly can’t be expected to stir fry veggies to order. The rice noodles were cooked right, the peanut sauce was tasty, and there were little fried tofu cubes tossed in. This was fairly solid.

The egg roll was, however, was the run-away winner on the plate. Browned and crispy with perfect cabbage that had a nice gingery kick. If you’re trying to sample everything, and your belly space is becoming prime real estate, skip the stir fry and get an order of egg rolls. They are the EGG ROLL PEOPLE after all.

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hey everyone! the sexy vegan is on the ground at coachella, and he just sent us this awesome vegan field report! if you are in the desert this weekend, take note!

Coachella – Day 1: the first day of coahella is always a tough one…for me anyway. It’s a day of adjustmnet. Departing L.A. at 6 a.m. leaves me somewhat sleep deprived, the amount of direct sunlight my body sees in a week is octupled in one day, and my “trying not to step on sprawled out hipsters” reflex is a bit rusty. Not to mention, my first beer was at noon. Anyway, by dinner time, I needed some serious nutrition! I spotted this sign from like a mile away, and thought they deserved a try, if for no other reason than their advertising was very effective.

They had salads, fresh fruit, and a wrap with a choice of tofu or marinated tempeh. I didn’t feel like balancing a salad on my knee and fiddling with a fork, so I had to go with something hand-held. Alright let me be honest…I just didn’t want a friggin’ salad. Since I always like to see how people handle the tempeh, I went with the tempeh wrap. Enclosed in a soft lavash, were crisp, fresh greens, shredded carrots, and some very well prepared tempeh, tossed with a tasty peanut/ginger sauce.

Tempeh is a tricky thing. It’s got a bitter taste, and kind of an unpleasant texture when it’s fresh out of the package. It needs lots of love. The key is to steam it for at least 30-40 minutes before you do anything else. This softens it up and makes it very welcoming to any marinades you throw at it. This stand nailed it. The tempeh was tender and flavorful, and the whole thing was overall delicious. If you’re at Coachella and want something crisp and healthy, they are to the right of the Outdoor Stage, go eat there.

hey everyone! with coachella just one week away, it’s time to do a post about some of the great vegan food you can find inside and around the festival. here is a look at some vendors we know are gonna be there for sure.

vegan tofu naanwich from cowboys and turbans. $7

quarrygirl favorite cowboys and turbans will have a booth on coachella grounds, and they will be serving up their delicious indian/mexican fusion with a plethora of vegan offerings. we’ve had their food before at the festival, and it was excellent. according to their head chef, they’ll be serving up food between the outdoor stage and the gobi tent. be sure to check this place out, it’s our #1 pick.

cowboys and turbans

our first sweet-tooth choice at coachella would of course be luscious organic desserts…

luscious organic desserts espresso cupcake

the company wowed us last year with their high quality vegan cupcakes, and we are happy to report that they’ll be back in 2010 in both the main section AND the VIP area.

luscious organic desserts

even if you are doing the raw thing, there will be food for you at coachella. check out the booth by 118 degrees…

raw pizza and pasta salad from jenny's raw and organic

last year we had their raw pizza, pasta salad, and tacos. i’m pretty sure they will be in the main section and VIP area this year, and they will be either under the name “118 degrees” or “jenny’s raw & organic.”

jenny's raw organic

here are some more places that have been inside the festival in the past, and i’m hoping they’ll be back this year….

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the title of that book is right, vegan cupcakes really are taking over the world. vegan bakers all over the place are trying their hand at the classic dessert and some of the results are better than others. one line of vegan cupcakes i can definitely vouch for is luscious organic desserts. the orange county based company was recently selling their goods at coachella and i got to try 3 different flavors, all of which were superb.

luscious organic desserts oreo cupcake

of the 3 i tried, the oreo cupcake was probably my favorite. slathered in creamy cookie-flavored frosting, the chocolate cake was incredibly moist. i’ve decided luscious is the perfect name for this company, because their desserts definitely are.

luscious organic desserts espresso cupcake

i also tried the espresso cupcake and the chocolate cupcake. both types of frosting were extremely rich and packed with flavor. i don’t know how they got the coffee taste down so perfectly in the espresso frosting, but it was unbelievable. these cupcakes were decadent in every sense of the word. they didn’t taste dry, bland, or have any kind of weird vegan-y texture…instead they were creamy frosting and juicy cake goodness.

luscious organic desserts chocolate cupcake

since i don’t find myself in orange county very often, i am super glad i got to try luscious cupcakes at coachella. currently you can find luscious cupcakes at native foods in costa mesa, mothers market in santa ana, and vegi wokery in cerritos. they also make tons of other mouth-watering desserts that you can order through their website. these are definitely vegan desserts i could get used to.

luscious organic desserts
949-378-7102

i am jealous of people who live in orange county. not just because they are all rich and shit, but because they have some great vegan dining options that i covet. in addition to that’s amore (awesome vegan pizza/italian food), they also have a swanky all-raw/vegan bar and lounge called 118 degrees.

i have never been to the actual restaurant, but i am dying to hit it up after trying their food at coachella. they were at the festival selling their packaged foods under the name jenny’s raw and organic. we ordered the raw taco and pizza with a pasta side salad, both of which were refreshingly delicious.

raw taco from jenny's raw and organic

while the taco was tasty, it was more like a salad than a taco…you know, the kind where they use lettuce instead of a tortilla. i preferred the pizza and pasta, which tasted extremely light and were covered in fresh vegetables.

raw pizza and pasta salad from jenny's raw and organic

after checking out 118’s menu online, i am anxious to get over there asap. they have stuff like raw tamales, enchiladas and nachos, not to mention an array of high quality beers and mixed drinks. maybe they could open up a los angeles location soon…that would be rad.

118 degrees
2981 Bristol
Suite B5
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-754-0718
Monday through Saturday
9am to 10pm (last seating at 9pm)
Sundays
10am to 9pm (last seating at 8pm)
Sunday Brunch 10am to 3pm

unfortunately, in the past, i have been guilty of giving the vegan restaurant native foods mixed reviews. the westwood outlet can be hit-or-miss, with it’s long wait times and inconsistent food. although i have had lots of great meals at the west side eatery in the past, after a couple bad experiences i found myself not returning for months. well, lemme say i am ready to give them another chance after some recent lunches that were nothing short of amazing at the palm desert location. over the weekend i ate there twice and had the opportunity to sample 4 different dishes, all of which blew my mind.

as you probably know, from friday to monday i was trapped in palm desert attending coachella. the only eating options were pre-made grocery store meals, over-priced festival fare, and dining at native foods, palm desert’s most popular (and maybe only?) vegan restaurant. we found ourselves eating at native foods 2 of the 3 days it was open during our stay…and we couldn’t believe how refreshingly delicious everything was.

mina's macro: brown rice, quinoa, tempeh, steamed veggies, sea greens, sauerkraut green onions & sesame salt. Served with lemon miso sauce. $13.95

on both visits to native foods, i ordered mina’s macro, a hot bowl filled right up with fresh warm vegetables, tangy sauerkraut, sesame salt and crispy tempeh. it also came with a side of lemony miso sauce that tasted just brilliant drizzled over the crisp broccoli and cauliflower. from the quality produce, to the perfectly-grilled tempeh, to the flavorful creamy sauce, everything about this bowl was perfect. i wanted to order something different on my second visit, but i just couldn’t bring myself to. mina’s macro FTW!

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hey everyone, just another quick vegan update from coachella. if you are an adult (or a cool kid with a fake ID) attending the festival today, be sure to get over to the beer garden across from the sahara tent and try some of the vegan pizza from slices…it’s amazing. that’s right, VEGAN NY-STYLE PIZZA at coachella.

vegan pesto pizza at coachella. $6/slice

i would have never thought to go to the sahara beer garden in search of vegan food, but luckily a quarrygirl.com reader named nick read my last post about coachella and told me i needed to try this place. i guess slices has been selling vegan pizza in the beer garden for years…i don’t know how i missed this place. seriously, the pizza was incredible. enormous thin slices you can fold in half with a light and crispy crust, all topped with a flavorful pesto sauce and huge chunks of vegetables.

slices even advertises one of their pizzas as vegan (you don’t have to modify it or anything)…and the vegan stuff goes really fast. when we got our pizza, they were just taking a new pie out of the oven and it was all sold within about 5 minutes.

there are tons of places to get pizza at coachella, but so far this is the only vegan-friendly place i’ve seen. it kind of sucks that it’s in the beer garden, so it’s off limits to people under 21. and the only other decent vegan food at coachella is in the VIP section. what fucking gives? i guess you have to be either old or rich to eat amimal-free at this festival.

sunday coachella goers, have a great time out there today. hope you check out tons of awesome bands and get some vegan pizza. thanks to reader nick for finding this place.

hey vegans, quarrygirl here reporting from coachella. yesterday in between drinking $7 beers, watching morrissey, and waiting in line for the bathroom, i was running around snapping vegan options all over the festival with my iphone. i wrote a quick post from my phone but had to delete it upon finding out that some of the stuff i suggested contained honey. so here is the updated info on vegan coachella 2009:

the best spot for vegan food is definitely inside the vip area. there you have luscious organic desserts selling a kick-ass selection of vegan cupcakes, plus a raw vegan stand called jenny’s. i had a cupcake from luscious and it totally blew my mind. more to come on that later.

luscious organic desserts

jenny's raw organic

if you don’t have vip access, never fear…you can get food in the dining area across from the dance tents. over there they have sweet leaf, an almost all vegan organic stand…except there is honey in all their dressings. so grab a wrap or salad at sweet leaf…just get it with no sauce or dressing. there is also a mexican stand called leno’s that uses no lard and a curry/mex stand called cowboys and turbans that sells vegan tofu masala. there’s also a middle eastern stand where you can get a falafel sandwich and some garlic fries.

sweet leaf

leno's lard free mexican

cowboys and turbans

so that’s it for now. if you are at coachella this weekend, i hope you enjoy the festival and that this helps you find somewhere to eat!

UPDATE: just found out the dressings listed in the sweet leaf section of this post contain HONEY. if you order food from sweet leaf, get it with no sauce/dressing!

we vegans have it pretty rough sometimes. it feels like more often than not we find ourselves in places or social situations at meal times where there is almost nothing we can eat, and even then we live in fear that our salad, fries, or bread roll may be contaminated with traces of dairy. lemme assure you, coachella is not one of those places.

coachella is fucking annoying for loads of other reasons, don’t get me wrong. it’s hot as hell, it’s pretentious, it’s expensive and it’s inconvenient….but all those things aside, coachella is definitely VEGAN-FRIENDLY. this year i hear they are even going to be carrying VEGAN CUPCAKES in the vip section made by luscious organic desserts. so be sure to score a wristband if you haven’t already…you need to grab a vegan cupcake before morrissey and paul mccartney eat them all.

i went to coachella last year and took myself on a vegan tour of the festival…here is some of the stuff you can look forward to if you are headed to the desert next week.

sweet leaf organics at coachella

sweet leaf organics is a solar powered kitchen that shows up at music festivals and serves organic vegan food. kick ass. they were at coachella last year near the main stage, and if their website schedule is accurate, they will make an appearance this year as well. i didn’t spot this place until sunday last year, and i was pretty disappointed…my husband and i only got to enjoy one meal at sweet leaf, and it was easily the best food at the festival.

marinated tofu wrap with vegetables and peanut sauce. $9

the menu at sweet leaf is simple, but very appetizing. they have grilled tofu or tempeh wraps and burgers, as well as salads, stir-fry dishes and fresh smoothies. we ordered the marinated tofu wrap and tempeh burger, and were very happy with both.

marinated tempeh burger. $9

they also had vegan items in the vip section, although nothing as awesome as sweet leaf. we found a sushi stand that had vegan vegetable rolls and inari. while it was a total ripoff at 12 bucks, at least it tasted good and didn’t contain animals.

vegan sushi with a side of inari. $12

for a map of sweet leaf and the vegan sushi place, click here. and for a full review of those places, click here.

combination plate: coconut rice with dal and tomato pea curry

if you are more of a dance tent kinda person, don’t worry. there will be vegan food for you too. last year there was an entirely vegan place called bombay station near the gobi serving up a ridiculously good curry combination. anywhere serves 100% vegan food is a winner in my book, so i definitely hope this place returns. oh, and if you like to waste money, there is also a place that sells artichokes for $7.

ridiculously expensive artichoke. $7

for a map to the bombay station and artichoke place, click here. for a full review of these stands, click here.

vegan tofu naanwich. $7

if you want more indian-style food and get sick of the bombay station, there was also another place close by selling a tasty tofu naanwich. i don’t remember the name of this stand, but it had the words “vegan-friendly” posted on signs all over it. for a map to this place click here, for full review click here.

so i think it’s pretty safe to say that vegans won’t go hungry at coachella. you will probably go broke…but definitely not hungry. last year i was there with my husband for 3 days, and between the two of us we didn’t even get to try all the vegan food.

i will keep you posted on this year’s offerings as well. if you are going to attend the festival, follow me on twitter. i will tweet every time i run across vegan food. that is if i can tear myself away from the VEGAN CUPCAKES.

as you may or may not know, i’m a huge fan of native foods. it’s a westwood vegan establishment with several original options whose ingredients i completely trust. imagine how delighted i was on my coachella vacation last weekend when i looked up the nearest vegan restaurant to my hotel in palm springs and found a native foods just 2 MILES AWAY!
…bliss!

latino lover pizza: mexican marinara, soy taco meat, salsa fresca, corn, avocado, cilantro, and vegan sour cream. he cha-cha! $13.95

yes, luckily my parents happened to be in town, and i definitely owed them lunch for saving my ass. so what better place to treat them to a meal at, than the quarrygirl.com approved native foods?

now, while i LOVE native foods, my only problem with this restaurant is the ubiquitous unadvertised bell peppers which DRIVE ME MAD and are sprinkled all over most dishes. no matter what i do, i can’t seem to remember to ask for my meals without them. i digress. back to the wonderful food!

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coachella saturday was the day of technical difficulties. the screens went out during death cab for cutie‘s set, when M.I.A. took the stage the lights broke, and the biggest technical difficulty of all made us several hours late for the festival, causing us to miss the beloved MGMT.

luckily, the food was even better than it was on friday! god bless vegan rockers—at coachella, i reap the benefits of their dietary choices.

combination plate: coconut rice with dal and tomato pea curry $8

taking veganism one step further than the night prior, on saturday we decided to eat dinner at the bombay station, a stand that proclaimed to be ENTIRELY vegan.
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friday morning we packed up our bags and headed to the desert for 3 days of festival madness. i must admit, i was looking forward to the music, but not much else. i figured the entire event would be a huge pain in the ass that i’d ultimately regret.

luckily, the food at coachella turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. it was definitely a highlight and one of the main things making me look forward to coachella 2009 (bear in mind, i have no idea who is on the line up yet, so that isn’t saying much!).

vegan tofu naanwich: curry sauce, vegetables and tofu served on a piece of naan. $7

friday night at around 9pm we were completely spent. we’d spent hours in the car, an eternity in the parking lot, and had walked miles around the polo field in hundred-degree-heat from band to band. when it came time to look for dinner options, i would have been satisfied with just a basket of fries or potato chips.
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