Taste of Chicago 2015

Yesterday my family, my best friends, my boyfriend, and I all went to one of my favorite events of the summer, The Taste of Chicago. My family has been going to the Taste for multiple years but this year was a little more special for me. I was so thrilled by the amount of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options this year it made my day and allowed me to feel guilt free about all the delicious food I grubbed out on!

 
The first stop was the Farmer's Fridge, which was personally one of my favorite stands of the whole day. From the salad vending machine, to all the healthy plant based options, this vendor was a true stand out to me.
I ordered the taste of the avocado toast which was pumpernickel bread topped with mashed avocados, pickled jicama, and garnished with black sesame seeds. This dish was refreshing, innovative, and appealing to the eye. The creaminess of the avocados against the salty, spicy crunch of the jicama were the perfect compliment to each other.

Next up was the taste order of sweet potato fries from OBrien's. I order these puppies every year because they are THE BEST sweet potato fries out there. The perfect sized cut so you bite into that sweet tender potato, but fried to the nines so you get that nice greasy crunch. Flawless.

After that was a stop at Jin Ju, a pop up restaurant that was only there for that day. I ordered the chap chae, which was glass noodles sauteed with carrots, spinach, and onions, topped off with some sesame seeds. These noodles were refreshing, sweet, savory, nutty, and delicious!

You'd think I'd be stuffed by then, but once I saw the black bean and corn tamale from Dia De Los Tamales I had to try it. This tamale was vegan and tasted nothing like it. It was creamy, dense, and savory. Topped with a spicy red tomatillo salsa, I was in heaven.

 
I finished off my crazy day of eats with the veggie empanada from the Beat Kitchen. This empanada was deliciously fried and crunchy, filled with assorted peppers, onion, and green salsa; I dipped it in sriracha sauce to crank up the heat. I loved the bright orange color of the empanada and the
"BEAT" embroidery on the outside. This empanada was the perfect way to end my food filled day!