Looking for summer food that’s light and refreshing, yet substantial and scrumptious? Look no further. This year’s annual banquet menu has it all, thanks to Seed Café. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing their food, you are in for a treat on August 15.

Seed Café, located west of Uptown, is an entirely plant-based vegan café. They offer two delicious cold wraps, in addition to many other lovely food items. The cold wraps are the Smashed Chickpea Wrap and the Golden Curry Wrap. The cold and refreshing wraps are hearty, flavorful, complex, nutritious, delicious, and loaded with protein.

The Smashed Chickpea Wrap is made with chickpeas, vegan mayo, diced veggies, and a secret ingredient that makes it pop, nori seaweed flake. The result is a fresh blend of familiar flavors in a new combination and a then you what-is-that-flavor? The smashed chickpea salad is so popular at the Seed Café that it is featured in three dishes. 

The Golden Curry Wrap can be eaten warmed or cold. The cubed tofu is mixed with a light curried vegan mayo and wrapped with greens in a traditional tortilla wrap. The result is a completely fresh tofu flavor and texture experience. Not a curry person? Have no fear, there are other amazing offerings.

A hearty salad treat: Kale Caesar Salad. Raw kale, you say? Wait, this kale is well-cared for. The house-made vegan Caesar dressing is massaged into each bite of kale to make it tender and to make sure you get that delicious dressing on every morsel. The combination is enhanced by a special little addition: capers. What? And that is not even the best part, in my humble opinion. The extra-special part of this salad is the freshly toasted fresh-cubes of bread made into croutons! Made with Baker’s Field bread, seasoned with a signature blend of herbs, you may want to order an extra side of croutons. The croutons can also be whipped up from gluten-free bread so all can enjoy.

And speaking of gluten-free, they also have a Quinoa Power Bowl that is completely gluten-free. With a base of chilled, seasoned quinoa, arcadian power greens, shredded carrot, and pepitas tossed in a light vinaigrette dressing, it is a hearty yet refreshing salad for a hot summer day.

Now to the important part, dessert. Save the best for last. The Seed Café could be famous for many things. And it is hard to choose. The Chocolate Chip Tahini cookie is a strong contender for first place. A lovely thin crispy-chewy cookie made with wheat flour, tahini, and the most delicious vegan Callebaut chocolate that they chip up themselves. This is not a vegan-baseball-shaped cookie. This a cookie that no-one-would-ever-guess is vegan. 

And for those who do not eat gluten there is a gluten-free specialty, the oatmeal cookie. This another cookie that is keeping the vegan part a secret. The perfect sweetness, the perfect balance of cinnamon. And a delicate chewiness. You won’t feel left out or getting second-best.

You won’t want to miss this delicious food, the speakers, opportunities for winning auction prizes, and fun at “Spreading Our Wings,” our 2020 annual banquet. Still need to get your tickets? You can get yours at exploreveg.org/banquet. Celebrate with us!