On my trips to LA, I always eat at the Veggie Grill because there hasn’t been one in San Diego. Love that place. It’s nirvana for vegetarian types – like me. And pretty damn tasty – even for carnivores.
But now I don’t have to drive through hideous LA traffic to get my favorite All Hail Kale salad from the Veggie Grill – one opened at University Town Center La Jolla, just about 20 minutes from me! Woot!
I had the privilege of hearing their CEO speak about the restaurant recently and then I was invited to be a guest at their pre-opening VIP day. Truth: this meal was entirely on Veggie Grill’s tab – thank you!
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What makes the Veggie Grill rock is that they serve amazing-tasting, American comfort food like soup, salad and burgers – but it’s all PLANT BASED. Vegan power, baby! And they have lots of options for gluten-free
This is not necessarily a low-calorie, weight loss kind of place though. Some of the items are fried and dressed in lots of creamy sauce, so (just like with everywhere else) you need to be mindful of choices. Here’s their nutritional info.The Veggie Grill is quick serve - you order at the counter and they bring your food out to you. There are tables both inside and outside.
My favorite thing on the menu? The All Hail Kale salad! The kale has been marinated and it’s downright magical. I can’t shovel this in my mouth fast enough. I make a copy-cat version of this at home and I’ll include the recipe at the bottom of the blog. BTW – I didn’t add that sauce. There’s already a yummy dressing on it. This time I ordered the Papa’s Portobello which was a nice grilled mushroom burger – with delish toppings like caramelized onions and pesto! Oh and some sweetheart (sweet potato) fries.
Veggie Grill has a spectacular carrot cake and I had a couple tiny bites of it. Sooooo yummy! While you may want to, you probably want to avoid snarking down the whole piece as it’s 550 calories.The first bite (or two) is always the best anyway!
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Meat doesn’t appeal to me at all, so I’m not really into the things like the Buffalo Wings or the fake fish, steak or chicken in some of the dishes. But for someone who is into meat, these can be good choices. I’m not a huge fan of processed anything and the idea of creating fake meat pretty much turns me off. Garden makes all the faux meat and they do a pretty good job of creating it with ingredients that you can at least pronounce. It’s just not my thing because I don’t like meat and try to avoid processed foods.
Again, while Veggie Grill isn’t the first place I’d send you to eat when you’re trying to lose weight, it’s an awesome plant-based option with good choices on the menu if you’re mindful. Gotta love that!
This is a huge batch, so cook for a party or for leftovers or scale it back. This salad keeps beautifully for a few days because the kale is so hearty, so I say make a huge batch and enjoy it for a few days. That’s what I do!
6 bunches kale
2 cups quinoa, cooked
2 cups red cabbage
8 oz walnuts
Ginger Papaya Vinaigrette:
1 oz fresh ginger root
1/2 cup lime juice
1 1⁄2 cups fresh papaya (I use mango or just leave this out)
1⁄2 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbs. sea salt
1 cup olive oil
1⁄4 cup honey or agave
Corn Salsa:
8 cups Roma tomatoes
1 cup red onion
1⁄2 cup cilantro
1 cup roasted corn
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 oz. lime juice
Kale: Remove spines from kale and chop into 1″ squares. Rinse kale in cold water and dry. Place kale in a container add dressing and Quinoa, toss thoroughly, make sure all kale is coated. Refrigerate overnight.
Ginger Papaya Vinaigrette: Peel ginger root and papaya, combine with all ingredients to blender (except oil) blend until smooth. Slowly drizzle oil while continuing to blend until dressing emulsifies, add to container and refrigerate.
Corn Salsa: Chop cilantro, in large bowl combine all ingredients and mix well.
Finished Kale Salad Procedure: To prepare salad, add marinated kale to plate, sprinkle raw chopped cabbage around kale, topped with corn salsa and walnuts, drizzle dressing and top with shredded carrot.
