The Lines We Draw and Hen Press!

I'm such an Our Hen House fangirl. If you're not familiar, Our Hen House is a weekly podcast with the dynamic duo of vegan wives Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan. I listen to their show every Saturday morning while cleaning my house. I hate cleaning, but I'm obsessed with cleanliness. Jasmin and Mariann's witty banter, interviews with vegan superstars, animal rights headlines, and product reviews make my hours spent deep-cleaning almost enjoyable.

Well, now the Our Hen House ladies have launched Hen Press, their ebook publishing arm. On last week's episode, Jasmin and Mariann interviewed civil engineer Sangamithra Iyer, the author of their first release, The Lines We Draw. I listened with great interest, and then just a few days later, I was asked to review the ebook.

The Lines We Draw is a short essay at only 12 pages, but it packs in so much in an eloquently composed package. It's the tale of Sangu's meeting with the late Dr. Alfred Prince, a hepatitus researcher who experimented on chimps in Liberia in the 1970s. An animal rights advocate, Sangu met with Prince in an attempt to understand the mind of someone who experiments on animals. What their conversation reveals is fascinating. I won't give too much away, but let's just say that their meeting reveals the true complexity of human nature, the boundaries we draw, and the justifications we use to help us accept the cruelest of circumstances.

The Lines We Draw is only $2.99 on Amazon, and it's well worth it.

Some Stuff I've Put In My Mouth

Photo dump time! I photograph almost everything I eat, but not every picture warrants its own post. Here are a few pics I've been saving up.

A couple weeks back, I made a delicious minestrone for my friend Cindy's full moon celebration. Since February/March is the Storm Moon, I picked this Storm Moon Minestrone from Cooking By the Seasons, a vegetarian cookbook with seasonal recipes for pagan holidays. This had all sorts of veggies and stuff — zucchini, green beans, carrots, onions, tomatoes, white beans, rotini pasta. I served it with Whole Foods Peasant Bread spread with Viana Onion Butter (an amazing oniony vegan butter!).

I'm still eating as alkaline as possible, especially in the mornings. Most days this week and last week started with a fresh Green-o Peno Juice from Crazy Sexy Juices & Succulent Smoothies. Here's what I juiced to make it — romaine (or kale), green apple, lemon, grapes, cilantro, jalapeno, and cucumber.

Juice alone does not a breakfast make. So I try to have something light and satisfying on the side, like this Avocado Toast — avocado, sea salt, and hot sauce on Ezekial bread. I always enjoy my breakfast while reading the news online.

On days that I don't juice, I have smoothies instead. This week, I've been digging Cacao-Banana-Almond Butter-Chia Smoothies.

Healthy snacks are great too! I absolutely LOVE these date rolls from Whole Foods! You can find them in the bulk bins.

 

Last night, when I had a late-night blog post to write for work, I snacked on some Low-Fat Ants on a Log (celery stuffed with PB2 and sprinkled with Zante currants).

I'm also loving that my gym — Envision Memphis — now sells vegan prepared meals by the Get Fresh Memphis ladies. I picked up a container of their Quinoa Arugula Salad a couple weeks back. I don't even like arugula, but it sounded like it would be okay with the red quinoa and kalamata olives. And it was! I guess I'm okay with arugula now, but it has to be done right. And it has to be chopped into very tiny pieces.

But don't worry! I'm still having fun and eating naughty stuff too. It's all about balance. A couple Fridays ago, my co-worker Susan and I went to lunch at Pho Binh, a very vegan-friendly Vietnamese joint with a tofu-heavy buffet. I loaded up my plate with all sorts of fried tofu (and just a teensy bit of veggies).

Vegan Vanilla Almond Milk Yogurt at TCBY!

I've had a late night at work and just now finished up a news story on some school board issues after a grueling three-hour meeting. And that means I worked 13 hours today! So quick post before I down a much-needed glass of wine and hit the hay.

I mean, all I really need to show you is this!

And I think it speaks for itself. If you haven't heard, TCBY has introduced a vanilla Silk almond milk yogurt. And you can put Oreos on it!!! Vegan soft-serve heaven. I enjoyed this little treat on Saturday afternoon.

Last fall, TCBY introduced its first vegan yogurt — a chocolate Silk almond milk yogurt. That flavor is on hiatus while vanilla makes its debut. But honestly, vanilla beats chocolate in my book any day. However, I am anxiously awaiting the day when they have both flavors on tap, and I can get a chocolate-vanilla swirl!

I was doing a little internet research on the new flavor, and I came across this article on the Dallas Culture Map website. They interviewed Dustin Finkel, VP at TCBY's parent company, Famous Brands. And he had this to say about the popularity of the Silk almond milk flavors:

"We underestimated the response we were going to get. One of the areas that I completely missed the mark on in terms of expectation was the vegan audience. I expected a response from health-based and lactose-intolerant consumers. But the greatest response has been from the vegan market, and it's been one of the key drivers in the launch of the vanilla flavor."

Let that be a lesson to you, corporate America. Never underestimate the power of the vegan market. We may only make up a small portion of the population, but we're loyal as hell. And we buy lots of food because we love food in a way that no omni can understand. Make vegan stuff, and we'll come. Thanks TCBY for takin' a chance on us.

Engine 2 White Bean Bruschetta

If you haven't heard about the Engine 2 diet, it's a "plant-strong," no-oil diet created by vegan firefighter Rip Esselstyn. You've no doubt seen Rip's line of Engine 2 brand cereals, crackers, hummus, almond milk, and more. And of course, there's a book all about the diet, appropriately titled The Engine 2 Diet.

Well, we all know I'm not oil-free. But I understand that some people who have been on a Standard American Diet for years can benefit from taking on a super-healthy diet free of oils, added salt, sugar, and refined grains. Whole Foods asked me to come back this year and do a cooking demo for their Engine 2 class. Last year, I made an oil-free version of my Chipotle Chickpea Chili for the class.

We have a brand new Whole Foods that's about three times the size of the old store, which was demolished this week. It's pretty amazing. Everything is so spread out and shiny and new. But they don't have their Salud! Cooking School built yet, so cooking classes are held in a small area at the back of the cafe. Check out the cool folk art on the cafe walls!

And there isn't a stove or anything. So I went with something super-simple this year — White Bean Bruschetta.

This is a variation on the Butter Bean Bruschetta from Cookin' Crunk. That recipe has two tablespoons of oil, but I modified it a bit and added some new ingredients to beef up the flavor since we weren't using oil. A baguette slice is schmeared with a white bean spread (butter beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans will do), and then that is topped with a tomato-basil-onion-avoado mixture.

The above picture is from when I tested the oil-free version of my recipe using one of the Everything Baguettes from the Whole Foods bakery. But tonight, at the class, I learned that Engine 2 students can only have whole grain or sprouted grain breads. Whole Foods didn't have a whole grain baguette, so we subbed halves of toasted Ezekial sprouted grain English muffin. If you can find a whole wheat baguette though, it'd be perfect for this. Here's the oil-free recipe.


-----------------------------------------------

White Bean Bruschetta
Yields 16 to 20 servings

Bruschetta
1 whole-grain baguette
1 large tomato, chopped
1 avocado, diced (you’ll want one that’s ripe, but still a little firm)
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
 
White Bean Spread
1 (14-ounce) can butter beans (or any white bean), drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white miso
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the bruschetta, slice the baguette on the diagonal into 16 to 20 slices, each about 1 inch thick. Put the baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for until lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. The time will vary depending on how toasty you like the bread.

Put the tomato, avocado, onion, basil, vinegar, and salt in a large bowl. Season with pepper to taste.

To make the spread, put the beans, lemon juice, miso, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Process until creamy, stopping occasionally to scrap down the sides of the work bowl as needed. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Process again until very creamy.

To assemble, spread each baguette slice with a rounded tablespoon of the bean spread. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture using a slotted spoon and put it atop the bean spread. Serve immediately.

Vegan Gumbo!

This was the second year I entered the Tennessee Equality Project Gumbo Contest, which went down at Bridges on Sunday afternoon. TEP is the statewide lobbying group that fights for pro-LGBT equality legislation and against anti-gay bills (and trust me, we have to fight off a lot of anti-gay bills here in Tennessee). This annual Mardi Gras party and gumbo contest is a fund-raiser for TEP. Teams pay to enter, and attendees pay to sample and vote for their favorite gumbos in the People's Choice Awards.

All of the gumbo teams except mine served meat gumbo, but I put my vegan gumbo up against theirs. I didn't win, but I did get lots of compliments from meat eaters. It's not about winning for me. It's about spreading the news that vegan food is delicious.

My team is "Who Dat Crunk Vegan?" And this year, it was made up of my friends Greg (on the left) and Andy. They didn't help cook, but they were handy for running errands. I totally forgot to bring a ladle, but they ran home and got me one just in time to serve the judges.

 Here are my friends! Greg, Diane, Andy, and Jabonn.

This year, I made Bryant Terry's Gumbo Z from Vegan Soul Kitchen. But I added my Creole Steamed Seitan Sausages from Cookin' Crunk. Here's a sample sized bowl, like the ones we gave out to the judges and attendees.

Gumbo Z is Bryant's take on gumbo z'herbes, a traditional vegetarian gumbo that was served to Catholics who couldn't eat meat during Lent. It has kale, collards, mustard greens, and spinach. Plus, there's celery, onion, and bell pepper. It's so good! I made Bryant's recipe once a couple years ago and loved it, so I knew this would be the type of gumbo I'd make this time around. Last year, I made my own recipe for Tempeh Gumbo from Cookin' Crunk, but I like to mix things up every year.

Overall, we had a great time. My entire weekend was consumed by gumbo though. Shopping on Friday, six hours of prep and cooking on Saturday (I had to make two gallons for the contest!!), and the competition today. Kinda glad it's over, and I'm even more glad that I saved myself a bowl at home to eat for lunch tomorrow since I didn't get to eat any gumbo at the contest today.

A Fusion Food Surprise!

Earlier this week, I finally got a chance to try recipe in Joni Marie Newman's new book Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen.

 I'd had my eye on this Sloppy Joe Pho for some time (more on that in a few).

In fact, I've been eating Sloppy Joe Pho leftovers all week with plans to do a little Fusion Food post tonight. And then today, I stopped by Imagine Vegan Cafe to grab some lunch takeout to bring back to the office. I parked my car, and I was talking on my cell to a co-worker. A black car pulled up behind me to park in the next available spot on the little neighborhood street that runs beside Imagine. I glanced in my rearview, more out of habit than curiosity. And who should I see? Joni Marie Newman!

Joni lives in California, and she's on a cross-country book tour for Fusion Food. And she just happened to be passing through Memphis on her way to her next signing in Pennsylvania. She'd actually Facebook messaged me a few days ago to let me know she'd be in town if we wanted to meet up for drinks, but I never saw the message. Yet there we were in the same place at the same time. Strange, right? And totally rad!

Of course, I had to stay and have lunch with her rather than getting takeout. We caught up over Imagine's gooey vegan cheesesticks. Joni and I have been on several panels together at Vida Vegan Con, and I just love her to death.

It also just so happens that her books are among the most cherished on my cookbook shelf. Joni likes to eat the stuff that I like to eat. Her new book Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen is filled with so many amazing recipes that it was really hard to pick one to try first. The Sloppy Joe Pho was just what it sounds like — vegan sloppy joe filling (made from TVP, ketchup, and seasonings) served in a noodle bowl with homemade vegan pho broth. It's topped with cilantro, scallions, jalapenos, and sriracha. Such a fun twist on a noodle bowl!

There are so many more inventive recipes to choose from. I have a long wish list for things to make from this book: Thai Peanut Chicken & Waffles, Tamale Shepherd's Pie, Indian-Spiced Pumpkin & Jackfruit Chili, Bean Ball Bahn Mi Sandwiches, Aji Potato Samosas. And of course, there's dessert: Mexicannoli (a sweet Mexican twist on cannoli with cinnamon and cardamom), Red Bean Modak (Chinese red bean paste meets the Indian rice flour dessert), and Sesame Pine Nut Brittle to name a few.

There's also a recipe for Ya Ka Mein, also known as "Old Man Sober" because it's said to be the perfect hangover food. The Ya Ka Mein is actually on the cover of the book, but I made it last year when Joni published the recipe on her blog, Just the Food. It's a ramen bowl with seitan chicken and a vegan tofu egg!

If you're on the East Coast, Joni might be coming your way soon! She's hitting up a few more cities before she ends at New York City Vegetarian Food Festival. Here's a list of her upcoming stops.

Vegan Drinks at Evelyn & Olive

Before I get into tonight's post, I have an announcement! I'll be competing with a vegan gumbo z'herbes in the annual Tennessee Equality Project Mardi Gras Party & Gumbo Contest again this year. It's Sunday, February 23rd at 4:30 p.m. at Bridges. And it's a fund-raiser for TEP, which lobbies against anti-LGBT legislation and promotes equality in Tennessee. I will likely be the only vegan gumbo competing with lots of meat, as was the case last year. So if you're local, come on down and support TEP. And most importantly, vote for my gumbo!

Last month, I blogged about how, due to scheduling conflicts, our January Vegan Drinks event had low attendance. About four of us gathered at Jamaican restaurant Evelyn & Olive last month, but their food and cocktails are so good that I just had to hold it there again in February. I wanted more people to have a chance to try this place.

So we met at Evelyn & Olive again last night for our monthly Vegan Drinks meetup. I started with an Island Lemonade (vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and Jamaican lemonade). I usually choose red wine or beer over fruity cocktails, but the sweet drinks at this restaurant are so good and some are very strong. This is one of the strongest, so you're sure to get a nice buzz off one drink. Plus, this tastes like a margarita made with lemonade!

I ordered the Chipotle Black Bean Burger with Mango BBQ Sauce and chips for dinner. It was delicious, especially that sauce! But I'm afraid it may not have been vegan. Morningstar Farms makes a chipotle black bean patty that looks a lot like this one, and it contains eggs. I'd assumed it was homemade, and the server thought it was vegan. So I'm not sure. But just sayin', in case you go in there and order it, you might wanna double-check.

I don't worry too much when I make slip-ups in restaurants though. You live and you learn, right? And Evelyn & Olive has lots of other definitely vegan options! I always get the Black Bean Tacos, and those are most certainly vegan.

Cassi got the Marley Meal —rice and pigeon peas, Kingston cabbage, and tomato-cucumber salad. Definitely vegan.

And Paul (Nathan's partner, not my Paul) ordered this Veggie Wrap — black beans, rice & peas, tomato, lettuce, mango BBQ sauce — which is vegan if ordered without cheese.

And those cocktails are vegan too! Cassi got the Rum Ting Tini and Nathan got the Jamaican Rum Punch.

Pam, who had I the pleasure of meeting in person for the first time (we've been Facebook friends for awhile now), showed up a little late, and she had the Mango Rum Punch.

And since I wanted to stay and chat with Pam awhile (and I'd thought I was done drinking), she bought me a beer. I went with a Sam Adams Boston Lager because you really can't go wrong there.

If you're local, please join us next time! We haven't picked a March location yet, but join our Memphis Vegan Drinks Facebook page and you'll be the first to know!

Valentine's Day Recap

Guess what arrived in the mail today?!

My Vegan Cuts Candy Grams!! Paul ordered me one for Valentine's Day by the deadline, and it was supposed to arrive before last Friday. But somehow that didn't happen. Also, I ordered one for myself because who doesn't order themselves Valentine's? Am I right?

There were five or six possible candy treats that Vegan Cuts would randomly send with each order, and I was hoping I'd end up with two different treats to try. But wouldn't it just be my luck that I ended up with two of the same thing? Oh well. It sounds delicious. This Bixby Bar is made with dark chocolate, almonds, strawberries, and ceylon cinnamon.

I can't wait to rip into one tomorrow. I'm making myself wait because we had Vegan Drinks tonight, and I consumed a lot of calories in the form of cocktails and potato chips.

On Valentine's Day, I gave my pups treats too! They each got a rainbow heart treat from Hollywood Feed, a local pet shop. And the cats got a new pack of catnip-flavored Feline Greenies.

Paul and I went to Skewer for Valentine's dinner. It's a new ramen/skewer/sushi restaurant that I had high hopes for (more on that in a few). Here's a blurry picture of us!

They don't have a liquor license yet, so we brought our own wine. I ordered this Boy Meets Girl Pinot Grigio online, and it seemed perfect for the occasion. I'm not sure of its vegan-ness though. I'm not the best vegan when it comes to selecting wine. If I don't know, I don't usually ask.

We got edamame to start because Paul LOVES edamame.

Before arriving at Skewer, I checked the menu online. And it seemed as though their Dofu Ramen was vegan. It had tofu, veggies, and a clear broth. But when I asked our server, I was informed that it was made with chicken broth! Sadness ... I ended up going with the veggie combo platter of avocado sushi, mushroom and asparagus nigiri, and tofu and veggie skewers.

The tofu skewers — miso tofu and peanut tofu — were really good! But they were so very tiny. I wanted more for the money. Each of these sets of two are $3, so that's $6 worth of skewers but not much tofu.

The veggie skewers were just okay. I thought the veggies needed a tad more flavor. And you only get three or four veggie cuts per skewer. The avocado roll was really yummy though. And the nigiri was probably my fave. These were made with mushrooms!

I was told by a manager that they have been getting requests for a veggie ramen option, so hopefully they'll add one. If they do, I'll be sure to go back.

Vegg Egg-Free Baking Mix!

I've long been a huge fan of The Vegg, the vegan egg-free powder that you can mix with water to simulate the taste and texture of eggs. I use it to make quick tofu "fried eggs," to add a certain egginess to tofu scrambles, and for dipping French toast. But now the makers of the Vegg have a new product, and it's just as awesome as the original Vegg.

It's The Vegg Baking Mix! While the original Vegg is perfect for seasoning a frittata or adding that special touch to carbonara pasta, the new baking mix is designed just for baking. Think Ener-G Egg Replacer or Bob's Red Mill Vegetarian Egg Replacer. But The Vegg Baking Mix actually tastes like eggs, thanks to a smidge of black salt.

I'll admit that I was a little worried when I saw black salt in the ingredient list. I didn't want my cake to taste super-eggy. But the flavor is so subtle, just like the flavor of real eggs in baking. It's pretty genius. I made two recipes with this, both of which I got off the back of the Vegg Baking Mix container.

This morning, I had a slice of Quick Spinach Quiche made with Vegg Baking Mix.

Isn't that pretty? I've made vegan quiches with tofu before, but they're always a little too soft. This one is tofu-free. It's just Vegg Baking Mix blended with almond milk and mixed with flour (I used whole wheat pastry), spinach, onions, salt, and pepper. The flour and egg mix really firm up in the oven.

But quiches are supposed to taste eggy, so I knew I'd also have to test this stuff in a sweet recipe to see how the egg flavor worked there. I already showed y'all this Vanilla Cupcake that I made for my co-workers for Valentine's Day, but I didn't talk much about it in last week's post.

I used the Vanilla Cake recipe from the Vegg Baking Mix bottle, but I made the recipe into cupcakes instead (mainly because I was too lazy to properly decorate a layer cake). The batter was thicker than the cupcake batter I'm used to, and it seemed to hold together better. It was as if real eggs were in this batter! And the finished product was a very moist but firm cupcake that seemed more like the old egg-containing cakes that I used to eat in my pre-vegan days. You couldn't taste the black salt, but there was just a hint of egginess that made the cupcake taste almost indistinguishable from a non-vegan cake. If you've ever thought Ener-G egg replacer has too much of a chemical-ish off-taste (I've noticed it before), then Vegg Baking Mix is the answer.

I can't wait to try this with other recipes! One teaspoon of mix combined with 1/4 cup water makes one egg, so this is perfect for veganizing old recipes. Plus, there are 48 "eggs" per container! This stuff will last forever!

By the way, I hope to do a Valentine's Day wrap-up post tomorrow. I'm still waiting on my Candy Grams from Vegan Cuts! They were supposed to have shipped last Monday, but they never made it to my mailbox. I hope they didn't get lost in the mail!

Also, it's your last chance to enter the Beyond Meat swag giveaway. I'll pick a winner tomorrow.

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza

There's yet another place in Memphis to score a vegan cheese pizza! Pyro's Fire Fresh Pizza is the fifth restaurant here to offer vegan cheese on their pies. It's practically a requirement these days for new pizza places to offer dairy-free options in Memphis.

But at the other restaurants offering vegan cheese pizza, you pretty much have to order a whole pie. There's no single-serve, by-the-slice options because they don't sell as much vegan pizza and don't want to waste any pie that doesn't get eaten. Totally understandable. And sometimes you need a whole giant pizza for yourself. Am I right?

For those times you just want a single-serve pizza though, Pyro's offers single-serve, 11-inch pies, and each one is made fresh just for you. It's a build-your-own place (think Chipotle but with pizzas instead of burritos). You get a crust and then pick a sauce, a cheese, and as many toppings as you want for the set price of $8.30 (plus an extra $1.80 for vegan cheese). Then they fire your pizza in a wood-fired grill. It's a total bargain! I finally checked out Pyro's on Saturday when we had our Food Awareness meeting there.

And I made this!

It's a cracker-thin crist (love that!) topped with spicy marinara, Daiya mozzarella, black and green olives, roasted garlic, zucchini, jalapenos, artichokes, broccoli, red onions, pineapple, fresh basil, and olive oil. There were so many more veggie toppings to choose from, but I decided to stop there before the slices got too heavy to pick up.

This is the 11-inch pizza, and it's perfect for a single meal. I ate all of this and felt just right. But if you're not quite as hungry, they offer a smaller snack-size pizza too.

And they have build-you-own salads as well. Vaughan and Nicole got one to split as a side to their pizza, and I snapped a picture. One big salad is definitely a meal for one though.

Pizza just isn't right without delicious craft beer, and Pyro's has several local brews on tap. I got a Wiseacre Ananda IPA, brewed right here in Memphis on Broad Avenue.

Pyro's is totally local, but they have two locations — 1199 Ridgeway in East Memphis (379-8294) and 2035 Union in Midtown (208-8857).

Everyday Is Like Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's, loves! Here's a happy Vday cupcake for you. I made these to share with my co-workers and to try the new Vegg Baking Mix, but I'll save one for you too. (By the way, expect a full review of the Vegg Baking Mix next week ... I've got another recipe to try first).

And I have a very special Valentine's Day announcement that should send sheer delight into the hearts of all Mid-South vegans — Morrissey is coming to Memphis!!! For the first time ever!!! The show is set for May 27th at the Orpheum Theatre. Tickets go on sale February 21st at 11 a.m. on Ticketmaster and at the Orpheum. (Did you like my clever Moz reference in the title of this post?)

This blog post was a little delayed because I wasn't allowed to tell the world until exactly 11 a.m. on Friday, when the announcement was scheduled. But I'm working with Green Machine Concerts to get the word out here, on social media, and in an article in the alt-weekly I write for, The Memphis Flyer. Anyway, if you live anywhere around these parts, you need to go. Morrissey is basically the God of That Is Vegan. After all, he and The Smiths gave us "Meat Is Murder." When he played at the Staples Center in L.A. last year, they agreed to make all the concessions vegan because when Moz asks you to do something for the animals, you do it.

Anyway, I've got one more Valentine to share. My mom and dad both mailed me Valentine's gifts this year. Mama sent money, and you know what that looks like. And daddy ordered a delicious vegan treat from Allison's Gourmet. I knew he was going to order something from Allison's line of delicious, handmade, cruelty-free chocolates, but I didn't know what. The surprise arrived in the mail yesterday.

I ripped off the purple paper to find this! Salted Mac Daddy Bark!

This is dark chocolate bark with sea salt and macadamia nuts (my favorite nuts), and it's perfectly delectable.

I'll share more Valentine's Day fun after the weekend. Happy Valentine's Day! I'll leave you with this...

Beyond Meat Swag Giveaway!

I recently became a Beyond Meat Ambassador. What that means is I'll create some recipes using Beyond Meat from time to time. It's not a paid gig, just a little partnership with a company I totally believe in. If you've not tried Beyond Meat, get your hands on some if you can.

Their vegan chicken is eerily realistic, and if you're into plant meat that looks and tastes like meat-meat, that's a huge win. I didn't go vegan because I hated meat. I loved the taste of meat. I went vegan because I believe eating animals is morally wrong (and when you think about it, pretty sick). You wouldn't eat your friends. Or your dog. So why would you eat a pig? Or a chicken? Or a cow? It just doesn't make sense.

Speaking of cows, Beyond Meat just came out with new Beef-Free Crumbles. I haven't seen them sold around here yet, but I'll definitely be blogging about those when I can find them. In the meantime, Beyond Meat sent me some sweet swag — tees, a cap, stickers, butttons. But problem is, I don't wear caps. And the tees are unisex sizes in small and medium, both of which are too big for me. I'm really picky with my tees — ladies' fit only.

So I wanna share my swag! There's one small unisex tee. (By the way, my favorite thing about these tees are the very well-placed commas. God, I love a good comma).

And one medium unisex tee.

Both would fit dudes very well. Or they'd also be great for ladies with boobs! (I have no boobs ... ) And the cap is an adjustable trucker's cap, so it'll fit anyone who likes to wear caps.

I'll throw in some stickers and buttons too!

Leave a comment letting me know which item (small tee, medium tee, or hat) you're interested in winning, and I'll randomly select three winners. Please leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you!

Oh, and by the way, if you're wondering who won the Comfortably Yum e-cookbook giveaway, that would be Christina Tyrakowski! Congrats!