Green Seed Vegan was a sight for sore eyes yesterday at lunch after a weekend spent attempting to test my body's upper threshold for meat and milkshake consumption (conclusion: double cheeseburgers and butterscotch milkshakes are definitely harder on my system the older I get). Once a roving food truck, Green Seed Vegan sprouted roots in 2012 and moved into a permanent location at Almeda and Wheeler in 2012. There, owners Matti Merrell and her husband Rodney Perry were able to expand their menu of vegan and raw food favorites and offer accoutrements such as fresh-squeezed juices.

Green Seed Vegan
4320 Almeda Rd.
713-487-8346
greenseedvegan.com

Although I'm normally drawn to Green Seed Vegan for its delicious Dirty Burque burger with house-made buckwheat patty, green chiles, and avocado, a bottle of juice is what I went for first today, grabbing a blend of beets, apples, lemon, and ginger called Beetlejuice to go along with a vegan panini and a side of cauliflower nuggets.

The panini at Green Seed Vegan have a tendency to be too bready, a fact I forgot today when ordering; next time I'll get my Latini Panini (a blend of chipotle-flavored tempeh along with avocado, tomatoes, and chipotle aioli) on a collard green wrap instead, so I can taste of more of the tempeh that Green Seed makes itself with garbanzo beans.

The cauliflower nuggets, dusted with herbs and oven-fried, were as good as ever, though, leading me to wonder why more places don't give the cruciferous vegetable this treatment. They're served with a tangy, vinegar-based sauce that reminds me a bit of a lighter, gentler version of Frank's Red Hot sauce—a sauce that went a long way toward perking up my panini. The juice worked its perky magic too, with spicy ginger brightening up the beet and apple blend. I felt full and energized after my meal, yet somehow lighter, and ready to tackle the week ahead (though still not ready to tackle a weekend full of milkshakes for a very long time).