VegaDeli. Vegan, Cooked, Raw, and Gluten Free (options) Eats St. Louis. Big Men Eat Plants. Michael Clarke Duncan.

FYI:  VegaDeli is now closed :((((((((((  

But maybe someday it will reopen? 

So this is just a memoir at this point.

"RawFredo" from:
 Vega-Deli 
177 Hilltown Village Center  Chesterfield, MO 63017
(636) 536-6938

Tues - Sat 11:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday  11:00am - 5:00pm
CLOSED MONDAYS

Hours are from May 2012.  Always check their website and/or call to see if open.  
Dishes from menu listed are just some of the things VegaDeli has.  Of course they are always trying new things out & dishes may change with the seasons.  However, it gives an idea of what types of food they have.  Burgers, Wraps, Sandwiches, Juices, Smoothies, Raw Dishes, Gluten Free & Kidz Menu! Truly something for everyone from Vegan Comfort Food to Uber Green Raw Vegan Eco Warrior CleanseMonster.  So you can take your crazy friends doing 90 day juice cleanses too, and STILL eat Vegan Mac & Cheeze or Vegan Lasanga! (Cooked OR Raw!)

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VegaDeli is one of Two Vegan places in St. Louis.  PuraVegan (PuraVegan Post and Other PuraVegan Post) is the other.  Both were originally owned by the same couple, but this PowerVeganCouple just "built" it, got them to come, and sold both of these places!  Now VegaDeli (like PuraVegan) has a new owner, new hours, and some new dishes.  Several of these photos are from the "old" deli, however, much of the menu is the same.  But there are also always new additions and gobs of gluten free eats.

Hubby got "Falafel Salad". Gluten Free so I could taste too!

VegaDeli is super clean & bright.  The food comes fast but it's a place that invites you to linger.

Salads

Kalifornia Salad Kale, Avocado, Almonds, Red Cabbage, Carrots & Tomato Served with a Sesame Lemon Dressing

Corn Bread Salad

Spinach, Tomato, Cabbage, Red Pepper,

Carrots, Corn Bread Crumbles

Served with a Sesame Lemon Dressing

 Autumn SaladMixed Greens, Carrots, Apple Slices, 

Raisins & WalnutsServed with a Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

$7.99 per Entree

Add Soup $ 2.00 Additional

Always art on the walls.

Nachos

Corn Tortilla Chips, Cajun Black Beans & Rice,Lettuce, Tomato &

Nacho "Cheez"

$9.99[Add Avocado for $1.00 Extra]

Hummus Plate

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Carrots,Cucumber, Broccoli

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

$9.99 each entree

Veggie Lasagna

Lasagna Noodles, Tomato Sauce, Onions, Spinach,

Zucchini, Cashew Cheez Sauce

  $10.99 per slice

Iced Green Tea.

"Burgers"

The HumBurger
(Original Flavor, BBQ Cheddar, or Chipotle) Hailed as the Healthiest "Burger" in town
This Soy Free Patty is also Gluten Free & Nut Free 
Made Fresh Daily w/ our Homemade Hummus,
Rice, Veggies
Served On a Whole Wheat Flat Bun
  (Gluten Free Served on Lettuce) [Add Avocado for $1.00 Extra]

[Add "Cheddar Cheez" for $1.00 Extra]

The Black Bean "Burger" 

*Gluten Free w/o Bun!

 Black Beans, Veggies & Spices

Served with our Delicious Mango Sauce (Always Homemade)

The Portabello
Marinated Portabello Mushroom, 
Peppers, Tomatoes, Onion, Lettuce 
Served with our always 
Homemade Sundried Tomato Spread
[Add Avocado for $1.00 Extra]
[Add "Cheddar Cheez" for $1.00 Extra]

W R A P S 

Sun-Set Wrap

Sun Dried Tomato Spread, Mixed Greens,

Red Peppers, Carrots, Cucumber, Onion

$7.99

Greek Wrap

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Spinach,

Kalimari Olives, Tomato, Onion

$7.99

Kale Wrap

Cashew Cheez Spread, Kale, Red Cabbage, 

Avocado

$7.99

Portobello Wrap

Mixed Greens, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion

Marinated Portobello Mushroom, Garlic Sauce

8.99

Tex-Mex Wrap

Seasoned Brown Rice

Black Beans

Mixed Greens

Tomato, Onions, Salsa

Wrapped in a 100% Whole Wheat Wrap

$7.99

* Make it a Tex-Mex Bowl - Gluten Free!!

Add Avocado $1.00 Extra

Whole Wheat Wraps Served with 

Corn Tortilla Chips

Add a Side of Soup for $2.00

Vegan Mac & Cheeze.  Gluten Free and Oh, so amazing.  Hubby ordered this but rest assured, I did my fair share of digging.  You must understand, I eat fairly healthy only because we don't always have "vegan cheezes" in the house.  I just don't want anyone to think I am actually discliplined.  I am always vegan, but I indulge at any given chance, on raw cheezecakes and vegan mac & cheeze.  Grilled cheeze is another, but all must be Gluten Free now.  I am working on becoming a truly high maintenance woman.

Hubby got a homemade burger.  Love VegaDeli for it's homemade everything.  Don't think you will ever find Boca or other Premade Burgers on the menu.

7 layer Raw Vegan Lasanga.  Beautiful, eh??  

Raw Tacos
Made from Raw Walnuts, 
Carrots & Spices
Served on Red Cabbage or Greens

*Can Also be Served on Whole Wheat Wrap - Not Raw

$10.99

Raw Pad Thai (Mild) 
Zucchini "Pasta" with Carrots, Black Olives, Cilantro, 

Peppers, Herbs & Thai Almond Sauce

$10.99

Raw "Pasta" Alfredo

Zucchini "Pasta", Bell Peppers, Spinach & Mushrooms

Served with our Homemade

Raw Cashew Fredo Sauce

$10.99

Raw Marinara

Zucchini "Pasta", Mushrooms, Spinach, 

Raw Marinara Sauce

$10.99

Raw Lasagna   

       Thinly Sliced Zucchini "Pasta"

Alternately Layered with Spinach Leaves, Raw Marinara Sauce, Raw White Sauce

$10.99 for Lasagna

Some lucious nut cheese.  So I liked this dish, but at the time was having next to no oil and not much salt.  This raw dish had a little too much of both for me.  And that is personal preference only, as Raw Gourmet food generally is liberal with both some healthy fats & some sort of "healthy" salt like miso, celtic, coconut aminos, tamari.  The dish was tasty though, and I think most peeps would appreciate the salt & oil factor.

There is is.

Raw Vegan Cheezecake.  Strawberry.  And Yum.  So the oil thing?  It goes down the tubes if I am ingesting it in coconut oil form in a cheezecake.  I am not "wasting" my oil on olive oil, no.  Bring me a fat filled Raw Vegan Cheezecake and you have brought me my form of "Food Therapy".  Okay, so it's not the healthiest habit, but it's not, well, something worse!

Stuffed Cornbread (We had a buy one get one free coupon).
Yummy, but not Gluten-Free.

Warm Pasta

Sesame Lemon Pasta
A Light Refreshing Dish of Warm Pasta, Tossed with Spinach, Carrots, ZucchiniLemon Juice & Sesame Oil
$8.99

Penne Power Pasta
Warm Pasta Tossed with Marinara Sauce,
Fresh Spinach 
Topped with our Homemade Tofu "Ricotta" 
& Chopped Walnuts 
$8.99

You gotta love Zucchini Pasta!  Think the Raw Vegan Pasta is usually a staple.

Luscious Sauce base is from Cashews!

And from "Taste of St. Louis"

Recently we went to Taste of St. Louis, which we would never go to prior, but we knew of at least a couple places serving some vegan eats this year. The only all Vegan place was VegaDeli  which is one of only TWO vegan places in St. Louis.  

The Crowd.

Lots of folks trying vegan food today!

Raw Pad Thai (Zucchini Noodles), Vegan Burger.

Raw Tacos.  (For the "Taste" the shell was not raw)

Vegan Sweets.  Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pumpkin Bites.  

This looked great be we refrained!

The Raw Vegan Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles.  Yum!

Pumpkin Bite.  The Pumpkin Balls were divine.  I went home and made butternut squash smoothies for an entire week because I craved Pumpkin after that!

S I D E S

Mac & "Cheez" 

Macaroni Noodles, Cheddar Soy "Cheez"

Small $3.29       Large $4.59

*-Rice Pasta, Cheddar Soy "Cheez"

*GLUTEN FREE!!

Corn Bread- Vegan Cornbread 

Infused with Carrots, Red Bell Peppers & Spinach  $2.50/Slice

Soup of the Day

Varies DailyCup $3.29        Bowl $4.99

Herb Roasted Potatoes

- Roasted Russet & Sweet Potatoes

with 100% Virgin Olive Oil, Herbs & Spices

Small $3.29             Large $4.59

Add Avocado or Cheddar "Cheez"
to Anything - $1.00 Additional Charge

Vegan Chilli 

Kidney Beans, Tomato, Loaded w/ Veggies

Served with a Small Slice of our Veggie Infused Corn Bread

Cup $3.29                   Bowl $4.99

The Raw Tacos had a regular Tortilla, which was delicious.  Some sort of nut pate with avocado, tomato, & cabbage.  Yummy and not oily at all.  No guilt there. 

Good Ol' St. Louis

Kidz Menu

Sloppy "Tempeh" Joe's

BBQ Tempeh Served in a Thin Whole Wheat Bun

Served with Roasted Russet & Sweet Potatoes

$5.99

Veggie Roll 'Em Ups

Hummus with Carrots, Cucumber & Spinach

Rolled in a 100% Whole Wheat Wrap

Served with Corn Tortilla Chips & Salsa

$5.99

Fruit Roll Up

Banana Slices & Apple Slices

Spread with Peanut Butter & Rolled up in a 100% Whole Wheat Wrap

Served with Corn Tortilla Chips & Salsa

$5.99

Pita Veggie Pizza

100% Whole Wheat Pita

Spread w/ our Homemade Marinara Sauce

Hummus and Veggies

$5.99

So important to support our Vegan Businesses!  While I do truly appreciate that more & more folks are adding Vegan Eats to their Mainstream Menus, I really enjoy that I don't have to worry about MeatJuice in a Vegan Place, or act like Meg Ryan when making an Order.  Plus, when the economy has tanked, I feel even more passionate about supporting the Vegan Peeps (when given a choice) because we want them to stay in business!  Plus Vegan Peeps tend to put their time, money, & love back into the Vegan Community & also buy Vegan Products and so we are "Voting with our Dollar".   I prefer this over a place that might server one or two Vegan Meals, but the rest of the menu is Fois Gras & Lamb.  Ick.

Remember the Gentle Giant in "The Green Mile"??

He is eating plants.  Very short & endearing video about the change.

Also, enter to win a Green Smoothie Recipe book.....Contest is on the Gateway Pet Guardians site and but you can enter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Vegan Taste of St. Louis. VegaDeli, Meskerem & Mayuri. Corporate Food Guidelines. Bill Clinton on David Letterman talking about his near vegan diet.

Recently we went to Taste of St. Louis, which we would never go to prior, but we knew of at least a couple places serving some vegan eats this year. The only all Vegan place was VegaDeli  which is one of only TWO vegan places in St. Louis.  It is under new ownership (the other owners have PuraVegan now!) and so they have different hours.  I think the hours may be more accommodating but Chesterfield is still a little far for us unless we are out that way.  Their food is pretty healthy and you can get comfort food like mac & cheeze (which is GLUTEN FREE!!!!)  or fresh juices and raw dishes.  It's close to the Whole Foods out that way.  You will love it!!  Also chock full of Gluten Free options.

The Crowd.

Lots of folks trying vegan food today!

Raw Pad Thai (Zucchini Noodles), Vegan Burger.

Raw Tacos.  (For the "Taste" the shell was not raw)

Vegan Sweets.  Chocolate Chip Cookies and Pumpkin Bites.

This looked great be we refrained!

The Raw Vegan Pad Thai with Zucchini Noodles.  Yum!

Pumpkin Bite.  The Pumpkin Balls were divine.  I went home and made butternut squash smoothies for an entire week because I craved Pumpkin after that!

The Raw Tacos had a regular Tortilla, which was delicious.  Some sort of nut pate with avocado, tomato, & cabbage.  Yummy and not oily at all.  No guilt there. 

Good Ol' St. Louis

Meskerem Ethiopian Food.  Rumor had it that they have Gluten Free Injera (made with only Teff) upon request.  Problem was I requested to the gal who took the order but she just nodded her head yes and put regular injera on the plate. We had some miscommunication.  But.....I did ask another girl because I wasn't feeling 100% about it (that I ended up with GF bread) and she actually got a gluten free injera that was not out with the main bread.  So yes, they do offer GF but you must really make sure that is what you are getting!  The GF Injera was much darker than the normal injera.  

Cabbage.  Good but everything has a little too much oil for me (at nearly every restaurant!).  This dish is mild.

Now we are talking.....Wats.......Spicy Lentils.

Collard Greens.

The Veggie Ethiopian food tends to be Vegan. I have been told that during certain times of the year dairy is not used at all.  And who doesn't love to eat with their hands!

And Mayuri.  And Indian Joint that we have never actually been to-and with Raj's and Gokul's, there is no need.  I prefer to eat at Veggie Only places, if it is possible.  Mayuri had some Chana Masala.  My take was a nada.  Tasted like canned tomatoes and too red and watery and oily.  Hubby's take was yes, he liked it.  It was different than some other Chanas, but he was fine with it.  The flavor itself was actually okay, as it was heavily spiced.  But I am so spoiled with being able to make my own Chana Now (with "The Indian Slow Cooker" Book) that it was hard for me to accept this! 

But as I said, Hubby liked it.  So taste is purely subjective.  It wasn't his favorite though.  He LOVES Anupy's Chana!  Plus I make it oil free which fits in his super clean eating right now.

Why should you eat plants??  The video below is just one of the example of how what the government tells you to eat or what they subsidize may not be coming from their concern for your health.

From Dr. G's NutritionFacts.Org site.  Sign up for daily videos!

And a recent clip of Bill Clinton talking about his nearly vegan diet on David Letterman.

Also stay tuned for Dr. Oz this week as he will be having Julieanna Hever, author of Plant-Based Nutrition (Idiot's Guide) on his show this Friday, October 28, 2010.  Set your DVR's!

 

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition