One of the things I’m thankful for this year is all the vegan choices we now have in Charlotte!
Once upon a time in Charlotte, if a vegan didn’t feel like cooking on Thanksgiving, the options were limited to roasting an acorn squash or getting your hands on a Tofurky (blechh). And in the days before Earthfare, that was nigh near impossible.
NOW – you can order your vegan Thanksgiving dinner through a major supermarket chain like Earthfare or Whole Foods, local shops like Eco-Licious, or pick up your dinner from a vegetarian or vegan restaurant like Zizi’s Awesome Vegan-To-Go or Fern, Flavors From The Garden.
I’ll be reviewing your holiday options over the next week or two.
Today, I’ll share how Bean Vegan Cuisine can make you a little more thankful for Thanksgiving.
(Note: Bean Vegan Cuisine is 100% vegan. They will make references to cheese, cheesecake, sausage, etc., without cutesy spellings or “quotation” marks. But they are one of the safest and most personally committed restaurants in Charlotte for vegans!)
Bean offers two options for Thanksgiving – either preorder as late as 7:00 PM on November 25th (Tuesday) and pick up as late as 4:00 PM November 27th (Wednesday), OR dine in at Bean on Thanksgiving Day!
The dine in option is available between 1:00 – 6:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day, and I’d suggest making a reservation. They offer a fixed plate for $25, which includes:
- Your choice of beverage – regular or decaf coffee, sweet or unsweet tea, Pepsi products. They do offer vegan-friendly wines and beers, but it’s extra.
- Starters – including Acorn Squash Curry Soup and Olive Walnut Dip
- Holiday Loaf with Dressing (serves 4 hungry people, per Bean!)
- Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
- Roasted Vegetables with Rosemary
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Cranberry Sauce
- Biscuits and Cornbread
- Choice of Dessert
Bean’s Fixed Plate Holiday Dinner from 2012. Soup and dessert not shown. Photo Credit: Bean Vegan Cuisine
Bean’s other option is the preorder/takeout. This year, they are offering:
Housemade Artisan Cheese. Don’t worry, this cheese tastes NOTHING like Daiya! Choice of Chipotle Cheddar, Brie with Truffle, Smoked Gouda, or Pepper Jack. A quarter round is $10. I’ve tried the Pepper Jack and it was awesome. These days I’m all about chipotle peppers (just ya’ll wait till I post my chipotle hummus recipe), so Bean’s Chipotle Cheddar will be the next cheese I’ll try.
Bean’s Chipotle Cheddar “Cheese”. Photo Credit: Bean Vegan Cuisine
Bean’s Signature Holiday Loaf – $25
Sides are $10 each, and choices include Tater Tot Casserole (a Bean classic); Dressing with Cranberries, Raisins, and Pecans; Roasted Sweet Potatoes; Roasted Vegetables; and Collard Greens.
Bean’s famous Tater Tot Casserole, a comfort food classic from Wisconsin. Photo Credit: Bean Vegan Cuisine
Add-ons include Gravy and Acorn Squash Curry Soup ($8.00) and Pineapple Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip ($12.00).
Raspberry Zinger Layer Cake. Photo Credit: Bean Vegan Cuisine
And, of course, this being Bean, there are NINE whole vegan pies and cheesecakes to choose from:
Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, Pecan Pie, Derby Pie, and Coconut Cream Pie – $25.
Chocolate Double Layer Cake: $35
Raspberry Zinger Layer Cake: $40
Cranberry or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheesecake: $45
As Chef Charlie would say, “It’s good, ya’ll.”
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. Photo Credit: Bean Vegan Cuisine.
Bean’s best-selling Derby Pie. Photo Credit: Bean Vegan Cuisine.
VegCharlotte 
So cool – I wish we had something like thus in North Dakota!
You might soon! Bean’s only been around about a year and a half! 🙂
Looks yummy! Great to have so many options!
It is great! It seems like a miracle to have Bean and all the other vegan-friendly places in Charlotte now because when I first went veg there was NOTHING! We didn’t even have many ethnic restaurants – I think we had one Indian restaurant and one Thai in those days.