I'm in Veggie Heaven

Veggie Heaven is a vegan restaurant with three locations in northern New Jersey: Teaneck, Denville, and Montclair.  There's also a New City, N.Y., location.

I frequent the Teaneck location on a monthly basis. Reviewers on Yelp give all the restaurants a solid 4-star rating, with many more 5-star reviews than 4-star.

I was "forced" to try the Teaneck Veggie Heaven a couple years ago by my curious sister. The menu is entirely vegan and about 90 percent of the dishes are based off items you'd find at a Chinese restaurant:

• Hot and Sour Soup; Dumplings, and Scallion Pancakes
• General Tso's Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, Happy Family
• Singapore Noodles and Lo Mein and Fried Rice dishes

All the above items are magnificent. The food is prepared well, served piping hot (when applicable), and is bursting with flavor. The mock meats served at the restaurant replicate the texture and flavor of the meat from chicken, beef, pork, and seafood to perfection.

It's odd that a vegan would want to eat foods that taste like animal flesh, but I try to look at it another way. Take my father, for example. While my dad loves the Indian dishes my mom prepares, he equally embraces highly processed foods. I got him to go to Veggie Heaven by showing him on the menu that they do indeed serve meat and he doesn't have to eat only tofu and broccoli. My dad only cleans his plate when he really likes what he's eating, and the fact that only a few pieces of rice remained at the end of our meal must have meant he loved the General Tso's Chicken (a favorite by many diners). And whenever he visits me, he actually requests food from Veggie Heaven...it's a miracle! So, I think restaurants like Veggie Heaven help carnivores realize that they can live without meat.

Plus, the restaurant serves many dishes that don't feature mock meats but instead include crispy tofu and/or mushrooms and other sturdy veggies that can stand up to various sauces.

Another reason why I think these types of restaurants are good is because many people like me grew up eating meat. I wish I became a vegan sooner, but I can't go back in time. As I mentioned in my previous post, foods that you grew up eating or enjoyed during special occasions are hard to give up. And instead of having people "cheat" and eat those meals, they can veganize the recipe easily with fake meats. And, as they expand their ingredient list, they may learn to lean less on fake meats.

Now back to Veggie Heaven ...

My weakness at the restaurant used to be the desserts. I absolutely loved the Coconut Blueberry cake and Red Velvet Cake. Both items were light, airy, and had a slightly nutty flavor in the cake portion and a buttery, sweet flavor in the thick frosting. My sister always ordered the Green Tea Cake, which had a distinctive tea flavor that went well with the thin layer of not-so-sweet frosting.

The slightly nutty and not-so-sweet Red Velvet Cake ($4.50) at Veggie Heaven in Teaneck.

The delicious Green Tea Cake ($4.25) at Veggie Heaven in Teaneck.

Over this past year, my taste for sweets has diminished a bit, so I rarely order dessert now. My weakness at Veggie Heaven is now their sushi items. OMG, I'm in heaven. I don't know how they do it, but the rolls rival anything you'd find at a high-end Japanese restaurant.

Pictured, from left, is the Rainbow Roll (savory, $8.95), Fireball Roll (sweet and spicy, $6.95), and Coconut Shrimp Roll (more sweet than savory, $7.50) from Veggie Heaven in Teaneck.

I have nearly all the rolls and none have been a disappointment; although, the expensive rolls feature more components and are much fancier than a simple Avocado Roll. Other rolls that I recommend (besides the ones pictured above) include any of the chicken rolls (Roast or Teriyaki), Spicy Tuna Roll (which has a tuna-fish-spread texture in the middle, the Philadelphia Roll and the Dragon Roll.

My other absolute favorite dish is the Vege Chicken Cutlet in Organic Whole Wheat Pita ($10.95). It seems pricey, but it's loaded with perfectly breaded chicken strips, shredded greens, and onions. Then a slightly runny, yet perfectly sweet and tangy vegan mayo is poured over the top of both halves of the sliced pita. My sister couldn't understand why I always order this item until she finally got it for herself.

If you're fortunate enough to live near one of these Veggie Heaven establishments, do yourself a favor and give the place a try. Every table is served a small bowl of pickled cabbage and served a big pot of tea for free. Definitely come for the lunch specials, which are plentiful and cost anywhere from $5.95 to $6.95, plus the items come with soup or a spring roll.

See, eating healthy doesn't have to be costly!