HAPPY COW APP
If you are at all serious about doing this, stop what you are doing and download this free app now. This app is a lifesaver and a game changer. It's crowd-sourced in nature and will let you know where there are vegan and vegetarian options around your geographical location. I use it all the time when I'm traveling and sometimes I just check it out to see if someone has discovered something I haven't seen yet. If you are shy about downloading an app, you can search their data base on your desktop.
ORGANIKA KITCHEN
3546 Post Rd, Southport, CT 06890
This is a newer plant based mostly take-out restaurant on the Westport/Southport Border. My husband and kids, love, love, love this place. The owners are super friendly too. I'm very thankful it's here. They are very relatable to most palates. I enjoy the juices and the Mediterranean bowl and the nourish bowl although I always ask for more greens because they area little too heavy for my tastes.
CATCH A HEALTHY HABIT
39 Unquowa Rd Fairfield
Hands down my favorite. It's all raw so you might want to start with the smoothies and the desserts if you are new to this or order their salads. The owner Glen has been very helpful to me. At one point this year he leant me 3 cookbooks and showed me which kind of dehydrator to by. They really know what they are doing over there. I would order anything on the menu there.
TRANSITION FOODS
These are meat and cheese substitutes for the most part and the ones I really like. I refer to Wholefoods here and in Fairfield County, CT there is one Wholefoods that tends to always fail with their selection. It's the Westport one. I only depend on produce and bulk items when I walk into that store. The specialty vegan section is frustratingly lacking. It's worth your while to venture out to Wholefoods in Fairfield, Danbury or Darien. Sorry they aren't as convenient for some of my local friends but worth the extra 10 minutes of drive time.
Gardein products- In Fairfield County, CT I find that frozen section of Wholefoods and Stop & Shop keep the best selection. Two product winners are the crispy tenders (think chicken mcnuggets) and the turkey cutlets with gravy. I use the crispy tenders with Engine 2 wraps (sold at Wholefoods) with shredded lettuce, tomato, cucumber and honey mustard dressing. It's really yummy and I haven't seen a kid not like it yet. The turkey cutlets are pretty much larger crispy tenders. I use them instead of chicken and prepare a chicken parmesan. Actually, my husband made it last time and I handed him a can or red sauce a slices of vegan cheese and said put it together. He did a great job! You really just need to follow the directions on the back and then bake it for a little while with the red sauce and cheese. DO NOT use the gravy. I just bought them because I needed the correct size.
Beyond Meat- We like the beefy crumble for a Sunday dinner cheat day. I have used them to make a chili using a tomato base and then pour them over fries that I make in an air fryer with cheese on top. See I can be bad too :) and also as a substitute for ground beef in organic hardshell tacos. My kids and husband love the Beast Burger. I'm personally not a fan but so what. 3 out of 4 like it in our house like them. They also sell a burger that looks like ground up burger in the tofu section at Wholefoods. This one tastes too much like the real thing for me, but who knows this might be the burger that allows you to get your cholesterol in check. So it's all good.
Field Roast- this company is one of my favorites. I love the the field burger! Although I do feel not so healthy after eating it. It's seitan based but it's kind of worth it some times. This one is also a crowd pleaser. They also make the best cheese for burgers, grilled "cheese" and chili cheese fries. It's called Chao Slices the original tastes similar to American. The other flavors are awesome too. You will find these items in the tofu refrigerated section too along with vegan mayos and lots of other fun stuff.
Veganessentials.com They sell everything including harder to find specialty refrigerated grocery items!
If you are looking for more inspiration check out the documentaries, What the Health and Conspiracy. There are a lot more, but I think these are the most important given our current political situation. Both of my kids loved the What the Health documentary. My youngest daughter (11) who had been a flexitarian for the past few years committed and has stayed a vegan after watching that film. :)
Did you ever wonder why humans love animals but still eat them? I just finished reading Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows: An introduction to Carnism and absolutely love it!
Check back soon, I will be updating often.