Thursday, May 29, 2014

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Crazy Noodle

Why, oh why, have I never done a post on Crazy Noodle? I've known about the vegan-friendliness of this Midtown noodle house for ages, but for some reason, I rarely eat there. It's my omni partner Paul's favorite restaurant. He gets noodle takeout at least once a week, but my weekly dining budget (one to two meals per week) typically goes Imagine Vegan Cafe. So I just don't get the chance to eat here often enough.

Crazy Noodle has — you guessed it — noodles! But unlike some places in town, they offer the option of vegetable broth. There are a number of vegan soups on their menu, but my very fave is actually not on the menu. If you request it though, they know exactly what you're talking about — Vegan Mandou-Guk.


The non-vegan mandou-guk is on the menu, but the cook there knows how to veganize it without any explanation. And that's nice. Mandou are Korean vegetable dumplings, and they're typically cooked in a chicken broth and topped with eggs.

But the vegan version uses a veggie stock and no eggs. The dumplings are tender and quite large. I get two bites out of each one. But the best part of this soup (to me, anyway) are the Korean rice cakes. They're chewy ovals of rice noodle, and I just love them. You can see lots of them floating in my soup pictured above. I'd never tried Korean rice cakes until having them in this soup, and now I buy them at my local Asian market to use in soups at home.

Also excellent is the Spinach Daen-Jang-Guk.


This one is on the menu. It's a spicy rice noodle soup cooked in a veggie broth with spinach and tofu. I love all things spicy, and this one does not disappoint. I had some house guests last weekend, and they're not as big into spice as I am. I didn't know that when they ordered this soup, but I'd say, if you're a spice-aphobe, you might want to avoid this one.

There are a number of other veggie soups, and veggie broth can be subbed in many that aren't vegetarian on the menu. There's also vegan Jap-Chae (sweet potato noodles with veggies, sesame oil, and soy sauce). And for those who like their noodles cold, there are noodle salads as well. The cold Bibam Vegetable Noodle (veggies, noodles, soy or spicy sauce) is perfect for cooling off on a hot day. Noodle picnic anyone?

Crazy Noodle is located at 2015 Madison. Call 901-272-0928.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Cheesiest Gluten-Free Vegan Lasagna!

Alright, I'll admit. This is a total cheater meal. I made absolutely nothing from scratch. But sometimes, a little convenience food is what a girl needs. A few weeks back, Follow Your Heart sent me samples of their Vegan Gourmet Shreds. I'd tried them before, but these are made using a new formula.

I made vegan waffle tacos with the cheddar, and I'm still sittin' on the fiesta blend. But that mozzarella simply HAD to go in a lasagna. It's been so long since I've made lasagna at home! I typically make a homemade tofu ricotta, and sometimes when I'm feeling really crazy, I'll make a homemade sauce. But not this time.

Despite the fact that I used all cheater ingredients, I think this is the best lasagna I've ever made.


The Follow Your Heart Mozzarella was so damn melty. Just look at it all oozing out. I made a huge batch, and I tried to take pics of multiple slices but this is the best I could do. There's no nice way to photograph a lasagna. In fact, if your vegan lasagna actually looks pretty in a pic, you're not using the right cheese. It needs to look like melty goodness.

Also inside is Tofutti Ricotta Cheese! My dad ordered this for me from Vegan Essentials. It was my first time trying this instead of tofu ricotta, and wow. Just wow. When sampled straight out of the tub, it's a little dry and weird-tasting. But that's because this stuff is better cooked. Way better. It melts too, so that plus the FYH made for one very cheesy, dairy-free lasagna.

I used a jarred sauce (Whole Foods 365 Organic Eggplant Marinara) and gluten-free lasagna (Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna) and fresh spinach as well. Everything — the noodles, the cheeses, the sauce — are gluten-free. Now I have no problem with gluten, but I like to avoid white pasta. And the only non-white lasagna noodles at Whole Foods were the brown rice kind. Plus, I love the texture of brown rice pasta! It's kinda chewy. These cheeses were just accidentally gluten-free.

Anyway, though I've long been a diehard Daiya advocate, I'd say FYH is really catching up and giving Daiya a run for their money. The earlier version of the FYH shreds were a little chalky, but this new formula seems more on par with the FYH block cheese, which has always been quite tasty. I still think the shreds taste better melted than eaten straight from the bag. But they're definitely tastier and meltier than before.

By the way, I'm not posting a recipe because it's so simple, that'd be silly. But here are the basics: Boil your lasagna noodles. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Pour a little marinara in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Add a layer of noodles, a layer of ricotta, a layer of mozzarella, a layer of sauce, and a layer of spinach. Repeat and finish with a layer of noodles. Top with more sauce and more mozzarella. Bake for about 45 minutes, adding foil over the top during the last 15 minutes of cooking. That helps the top layer of mozzarella melt.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Omg, Morrissey!

I'd planned a vegan product review post for tonight. But that will have to wait because I've had a life-affirming (yet brilliantly horrific) experience. Morrissey played in Memphis for the first time ever tonight, and I had the pleasure (and the privilege) of seeing the show.


I'll admit — I'm not some old-school Smiths fan who has loved Morrissey forever and ever. When The Smiths were big, I was blasting Tiffany on my little pink boombox on the playground (hey, I was, like six or seven). I fell into Morrissey through my veganism and my animal activism years later. I heard "Meat Is Murder" by The Smiths after going vegan in 2004 and well after seeing the slogan on PETA leaflets.

But just like with nooch, if you're a vegan, you probably love Morrissey. He is, after all, the god of all things vegan. All of his stuff (new and old) is great, and over the past couple years, I've begun amassing a little Morrissey/Smiths collection in my iPod. I even love his new stuff — "World Peace Is None of Your Business" and "The Bullfighter Dies" from his soon-to-be-released new album.

The show tonight was absolutely brilliant. Stephanie and I swayed along to "Every Day Is Like Sunday" and "First of the Gang to Die" and plenty of other songs, old and new. But near the end of the show, there was a purely magical moment that basically affirmed why Morrissey is the greatest vegan on the planet. If you've seen him play live before, you've likely seen this. But it was new to me and many people in the room since Moz has never played here.

As the opening notes — and those horrific screams of cows and other "farm" animals — of "Meat Is Murder" played, scenes of cows having their necks slit, chickens' beaks being chopped off, and pigs being brutally castrated flashed onto the screen behind the band. And it went on and on and on. For at least 10 minutes, with the guitar noise and thrashing sounds making the heinous scenes seem all the more traumatic and brutal.

People in front of us held their hands over their eyes. I watched as one girl squirmed, averting her gaze as often as she could. They were a captive audience, and I can almost guarantee that the majority of the people at the Orpheum tonight were not vegan when they walked in. They may be now. Or a few weeks from now, however long it takes that seed to sprout. Screening that footage to that many people who paid good money for their tickets and were trapped in the theater was basically an animal rights activists' dream come true. If only we'd had that kind of audience back in the day when we were leafleting every weekend at KFC and the circuses that came through town.

I watched the entire video, never once moving my eyes from the screen. I hate watching that stuff but it's real, and it's awful, and there's no sense in turning away from the truth. I could only handle it by continually reminding myself that I am not a part of that violence and that, by being vegan and writing this blog and pushing vegan recipes, I'm doing everything I can to end that disgusting violence against animals.

Our Food Awareness members, Vaughan and Nicole, were asked my PETA to hand out "Go Vegan" leaflets and stickers in the Orpheum lobby. I truly hope some people picked up a few Vegetarian Starter Kits and made a change tonight. Thank you, Morrissey for all that you do for the animals.

(And to the asshole who yelled, "Wooo, let's go get some ribs!" after the show, you're a sad, insensitive soul masking your own guilt behind immaturity. No one thinks you're funny.)

Monday, May 26, 2014

Memorial Day Cookout at Cassi's

Most of our friends had the day off today, and since Cassi has the best grill (and a new crib), we partied at her house. Cassi threw some yummy tofu & veggie kabobs, veggie burgers, veggie dogs, and corn on the grill. By the way, Cassi has a vegan blog too, The Pretty in Pink Vegan.


And she filled a kiddie pool with beer, water, and ice. (Okay, well, ice was added after this shot).


And she made Watermelon Margaritas using tequila and fresh watermelon juice that she made in her juicer. These were so refreshing on this hot, hot afternoon!


Here's Paul and I waiting for the food to come off the grill.


Here's my first plate — Tofu & Veggie Kabob, Veggie Dog, Vegan Macaroni Salad (that's what I brought!), and Veggie Stir-fry (that's what Greg brought).


And here's plate number two — Cassi's Lime & Sea Salt Corn, Chips and Dale's Homemade Pico, Guacamole, and Salsa.


Megan and Joey were a little late to the party.


But they brought Imagine Vegan Cafe's Spinach-Artichoke Dip and Chips (Megan works at Imagine!). So yes, I had plate number three.


And Stephanie was there, so you know that means dessert.


So I had to have plate number four — Dale's Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake (so good!), Stephanie's Chocolate Eclair Cake and her Rhubarb Crumb Cake, and Neopolitan So Delicious Ice Cream (from Rhiannon and Forrest). Sadly, my desserts don't look as pretty on the plate as they tasted in my mouth.


Needless to say, I'm stuffed now. But I think we got summer grillin' season off to a fine start!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Vegan Finger Foods

I love hosting little house parties. They give me a chance to play Vegan Martha Stewart and make hors d'oeuvres and decorate my house. Throw in a box of wine or a pitcher of cocktails, and it's party time. But honestly, deciding what to make is always a challenge. Sometimes, I get into party planning ruts and make the same ole nooch fondue or vegan pigs in blankets.

But a new book — Vegan Finger Foods — will certainly help get me out of those "same old, same old" ruts. It's by Celine Steen and Tamasin Noyes, two of my very favorite blogger friends from way, way back. We've all been blogging for years, and I remember when they were just starting out and working on their first cookbooks. Now they've both produced several books, some on their own and some with other authors. They even have one previous book together, Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day. 

But Vegan Finger Foods may be one of their best works to date. The subtitle is "More Than 100 Crowd-pleasing Recipes for Bite-size Eats Everyone Will Love." And that's exactly what it is. This book is loaded with ideas for vegan party food. There are chapters on finger food, things you eat with your hands, bread-based bites, foods that are stuffed or dipped, and bite-size sweets.

You may remember from my post on Paul's 34th birthday party back in April that I made the Portobello BLTs from Vegan Finger Foods.


These are so good, and they were such a huge hit at Paul's party. The "B" is homemade mushroom bacon that is so smoky and delicious, and that's placed atop lettuce, tomato, and guacamole on bruschetta. Many of Paul's friends are not vegan, yet everyone absolutely loved these.

I haven't hosted a party since April, but one can enjoy party foods without having folks over. This week, I made the Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Onions as a side dish to a vegan lasagna. 


This is more of a small plate than a finger food, but this would be perfect to serve at a casual dinner party. The Brussels are sauteed until lightly charred and then they're topped with onions that have been coated in flour and fried. A vegan mayo/Dijon/lemon sauce goes on top. I've always been a Brussels sprouts fan, but this is by far my favorite way to enjoy them. This will certainly go into heavy rotation in my kitchen.

There are so many more dishes I want to try! Twisted Bread Sticks, Antipasta Tofu-Stuffed Shells, Mean Bean Taco Cups, Baked Frittata Minis, Baked Buffalo Tofu Bites. There's even a recipe for Sweet Nachos (apple and pear slices topped with almond butter, brown rice syrup, chocolate, pom seeds, almonds, and coconut). Before you plan you're next party, you need this book.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

I Ate All This Stuff

Time for another meal round-up. I've been eating tons of awesome snacks lately thanks to my daddy. Regular readers probably remember past posts about the stuff my dad randomly orders for me from Vegan Essentials. He gets bored, and he likes to go internet shopping for snacks for me! He's on the Vegan Essentials email list, and when they run specials on shipping, he likes to take advantage of the savings. This time, he surprised me with all this!


There's Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Kettle Chips (these are so good!), Kettle Brand Maple Bacon Chips (like breakfast in a chip!), Smofu tofu jerky (delightfully chewy and smoky), Wild Garden All-Natural Hummus Dip (five to-go hummus packs!), Dang Toasted Coconut Chips (AMAZING!), and (drumroll, please!) Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares. Yes, vegan-freakin'-cheez-its! These fill the long-empty hole in my heart that was left there when I went vegan and could no longer have dairy Cheez-Its. Isn't my dad the best at picking out vegan snacks?

Those Dang Toasted Coconut Chips were the perfect topping for my Whole Soy & Co. Vanilla Soy Yogurt and Whole Foods Supernatural Granola. Before you go thinking these coconut chips just taste like coconut flakes, think again. These are toasted, so they're buttery and crunchy in all the right ways. I could eat the whole bag in one sitting. But I'm savoring them instead.


In my last meal round-up, I accidentally left out an old picture from when my editor Susan and I had lunch one day at Mulan, an Asian place in Cooper-Young. We both got the Tofu Pad Thai (hold the fish sauce) with White Rice and a Veggie Spring Roll.


But enough with the brown food. I eat lots of veggies too! Last Friday was Bike to Work Day in Memphis, so I and five other co-workers biked to the office. And then a few of us went to the lunchtime Bike Expo in Court Square. The Millie's Garden food truck was there. They have a few veganizable options, including the salad/side combo. I got a Veggie Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette and Southwestern Rice.


And I'm still juicing several days a week! This week, I've been making Italian Feast Juice from Crazy Sexy Juices and Succulent Smoothies before my morning workouts (usually yoga, calisthenics, or hula-hooping until I can run again). This is made with tomatoes, kale, celery, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, snap peas, and basil.


I'm also still Superfood Cleansing a couple days every two weeks. If you missed my post about the Superfood Cleanse, it's basically a vegan version of the 5:2 diet — only 600 calories two days a week and then eat whatever you want on the other days. I can't handle it every week, so I'm doing it every two weeks. Today was a Superfood Cleanse day, and I ate much of the same stuff I had last time. But I did add a new dish from Robin Westen's The 2-Day Superfood Cleanse book — Non-Dairy Coleslaw with Black Currants. It also has apples, carrots, onions, and flax oil.


I picked up Bluff City Bakery's Vegan White Loaf at the Memphis Farmer's Market last Saturday. It's a fluffy white loaf that makes excellent Artisan Toast! I spread mine with Earth Balance and the homemade Orange Marmalade that Stephanie gave me for Christmas. Just opened the jar this week!


And when I eat toast for breakfast, I like to pair it with a bowl of fruit. This week, that's been Fresh Strawberries with Strawberry Balsamic Glaze.


Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Four New Flavors of Bee-Free Honee!

For years, I've been perfectly happy using agave as a vegan substitute for honey. I'm certainly not one of those agave haters. Hell, even if agave is unhealthy as some "health vegans" claim, it's practically kale compared to some of the other crap I eat (Oreos, chips, beer, that giant slice of Stephanie's amazing vegan Snickers cake that I ate earlier). But let's face it — agave does not taste like honey. Kind of. But not really.

Enter Bee-Free Honee. This stuff actually tastes like honey, and it's pretty much replaced my agave! And, unlike honey, this stuff is not made from bee vomit. Instead, it's made from apples, and that's so much more humane and appealing. I tried the original bee-free honee and reviewed it long ago. And ever since, I've been hooked. I order this stuff from Vegan Essentials whenever I run out. I'd recently ordered a bottle of the original flavor when I got an email from Katie at Bee-Free Honee asking I'd review her four new flavors.

From left to right, there's Mint, Slippery Elm, Ancho Chili, and Chocolate. 


You can use Honee all kinds of ways, but each bottle of the flavored honees has suggestions. I used those to guide me. The Mint Honee bottle suggests using it in tea, as a glaze or vinaigrette, or over ice cream or yogurt. I went the simple route and added a little to some hot tea, but I failed to take a picture! Out of all the new flavored honees, I think the mint one has the most pronounced flavor but it's not over-powering.

The Slippery Elm Honee isn't just flavored, it also promotes wellness. Slippery elm is a Native American tree, and the inner bark is believed to have curative properties. The makers of Bee-Free Honee suggest using the Slippery Elm Honee in hot tea or over oatmeal to soothe a sore throat. It can also help with tummy trouble or nausea. I occasionally get a little hoarse, even when I'm not sick. So a few weeks ago, I put it to the test in this cold Slippery Elm Green Tea. It really helped! And it tasted great!



I was really excited to try the Ancho Chili Honee because I love all things spicy. But after tasting it, I discovered that it really isn't all that spicy-hot. It does have a warming effect though, and you can taste the flavor of the chili. The bottle suggests trying it over plain yogurt, ice cream, or on top of sopapillas, biscuits, crackers, or cheese (vegan, of course!). I tried it over plain Soy Yogurt with Granola and Strawberries. May seem like a strange combo, but man was it good! Just the right amount of sweetness for the tart berries with a slight warming effect.


But of course my very fave was the Chocolate Honee! As soon as I opened the package, I knew exactly what I'd do with it. One of my all-time fave breakfasts is nut butter on toast, but I usually buy the natural, unsweetened nut butter. So it needs a little somethin'. This Toast with Almond Butter and Chocolate Bee-Free Honee was the perfect breakfast.


Bee-Free Honee is sold in select stores around the country, but we don't have it in Memphis. But you can order it from Vegan Essentials or Pangea. Even Amazon sells it but only in packs of four. Of course, you'll need four bottles anyway so ...

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Memphis Vegan Drinks: Patio Edition

We started our Memphis Vegan Drinks chapter in July of last year at Chiwawa, a vegan-friendly gourmet hot dog and taco shop in Overton Square. In the 10 months we've been holding these after-work cocktail gatherings, we've only repeated one bar — Evelyn & Olive (and that was because we had a low turnout one month, so we had a do-over). But though we're still a few months shy of a year, I figured the wonderful spring weather warranted a second Vegan Drinks visit to the Chiwawa patio.

About 11 people gathered on the sunny patio. You can't see Nathan in this pic because he was taking it, and I think Cassi's kid is hiding.


I started with a Grapefruit Margarita, a sweet 'n' sour marg with a bitter grapefruit kick.


And before happy hour ($1 off cocktails, beer, and wine) ended at 6 p.m., I also ordered a Sangria. Nothing beats a chilled sangria on a warm afternoon.


Cassi (of Pretty In Pink Vegan) had the Prickly Pear Margarita, which had a sweet, almost floral taste with a tart bite. And it was pink, which means Cassi liked it.


Others ordered margaritas and beer, which looked similar to our drinks. So I didn't snap any more cocktail shots.

Chiwawa typically fries their chips in animal fat, BUT if you call ahead and let them know you're vegan, they'll make you chips fried in veggie oil. So we let them know in advance. I had Chips and Salsa.


And Pam had Chips and Guacamole. They make the BEST guac!


For my entree, of course I had to go with my namesake hot dog, the Bianca Dog. Yes, they named their vegan hot dog after me! Such an honor. Plus, I get to tell people to eat my wiener.


Anyway, it's a spicy vegan brat topped with black bean hummus and spicy slaw. It's typically served on a pretzel bun, but they're in between bakeries, so tonight, it was served on a white bun. Not as awesome as the pretzel bun. But still very good.

Cassi ordered a trio of tacos. Since today was Taco Tuesday, you can get three tacos for $9. This is the Chubby Vegetarian Taco (fried avocado, named for my friend/co-worker/fellow cookbook author Justin's blog) and the Aftershroom Delight Taco (mushroom, charred corn relish, refried beans).


Most everyone else had tacos so I that's all for pictures. But we had a lovely time, and we met a few new faces tonight. Vegan Drinks is so much fun!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Memphis Has a Vegan Food Truck!!!

Yes, that's right. Not only does Memphis have two totally vegan restaurants — Imagine Vegan Cafe and Two Vegan Sistas — and loads of places with vegan options, we now have our very own vegan food truck.

It's called Something Healthy, and I found it a couple weeks back at Tennessee Brewery Untapped, a pop-up beer garden set up in the courtyard of the long-vacant Tennessee Brewery. I'm lucky enough to work right across the street from Untapped, but sadly, there are only two weeks left before the pop-up garden, well, pops away.


But don't worry, Memphis vegans. The Something Healthy truck shows up at events all over town. And they post where they'll be on their Facebook page.

So what do they have? The menu is small, and it's very omni-friendly. There are hummus & veggie sandwiches, chickpea tacos, guacamole, black bean soup, lentil chili, and peanut butter hemp balls (made with hemp hearts, peanut butter, dark chocolate, and crunchy cereal). And they have lots of smoothies (made with almond or coconut milk)!

Here's what I got. I ordered the Veggie Panini.


Inside, there's hummus, tomato, bell pepper, red onion, and spinach. This was hearty and delicious. Like most vegans, I love hummus more than I love just about anything in the world. And one cannot go wrong with a hummus sandwich.


On the side, I ordered the Guacamole and Chips.


For $4, they were super-generous with the fresh guac and blue corn tortilla chips. And the guac was chunky and well-seasoned. One can also not go wrong with guac and chips.

I wish I'd ordered some Peanut Butter Hemp Balls too. I didn't get to try those that day, but I guess now I've got another reason to look forward to visiting the Something Healthy truck again.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Terrapin Ridge Farms

Terrapin Ridge Farms — makers of gourmets sauces, spreads, dips, and dressings — recently sent me a few sample bottles of their new vegan vinaigrettes and one of their sauces. Although Terrapin Ridge Farms is not a totally vegan company, they offer a number of vegan sauce and dressing options. And they proudly display the word "vegan" on the bottles of their animal-free products.


The new line of vegan vinaigrettes are agave-sweetened and low-calorie. There's Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette, Toasted Sesame & Ginger Vinaigrette, and Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette. And they also threw in a Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce!

The Garlic & Herb Vinaigrette has big chunks of garlic floating in it, and as garlic lover, that made me very happy. But even if you're not the kind of person who likes chunks of garlic in your dressing, you'll still like this because the garlic isn't overpowering. It's almost tastes pickled, probably from the vinegar in the dressing, making it very mild. And the rest of the ingredients are so simple —apple cider vinegar, water, agave nectar, fresh garlic, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, xanthan gum, spice. That's it! Plus, it's only five calories per tablespoon since it's oil-free. I tried it on a Romaine Salad with Carrots, Fresh Corn, and Wayfare Bacony Bits.



The Toasted Sesame & Ginger is probably my favorite dressing of the three. There are sesame seeds in the dressing, and it's very gingery. It's also oil-free and low-cal. And it's perfect for side salads served with Asian-inspired dinners. I tried it on a Romaine Salad with Carrots, Green Onion, and Toasted Sesame Seeds.



Of course, you can use the vinaigrettes for things besides salads! The Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette is similar to a honey mustard dressing, but it is sweetened with agave instead. It's great on salad, but I really enjoyed using it as a dipping sauce too. I mixed a bit of the vinaigrette with vegan Just Mayo and used it as a dip for Simple Truth Organic Meatless Chicken Tenders.



The Roasted Pineapple & Habanero Sauce is AMAZING! It's a sweet and sour sauce with a kick of spice. I love all things spicy, especially habaneros. They're a perfect complement to the sweet, sticky pineapple puree. But don't worry, spice-a-phobes. It's not super hot. Just mildly spicy. Anyway, the bottle suggests pouring it over cream cheese. And that sounded like a great idea. So I poured the sauce over Daiya Chive & Onion Cream Cheese spread over Wasa Crisp 'n' Light Crackers. Just perfect! Later, I did the same thing over bagels. I've always been a fan of pepper jelly and cream cheese, and this has that same sweet/spicy/creamy quality. I think this sauce would also be a good dip for tortilla chips.



Terrapin Ridge Farms sells their sauces online, and they run anywhere from $5 to $12 depending on the sauce. There are plenty of other vegan options, including their own version of Sriracha, Key Lime Margarita Dip Mix, Sweet Beet & Horseradish Mustard, Garam Masala Stoneground Mustard, Balsamic Garlic & Herb Jam, Roasted Garlic & Poblano Salsa, and more!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Millie's Savory Tea Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I posted about my newfound love for savory tea. I discovered Millie's Savory Teas — green tea combined with veggies, herbs, and spices in a tea bag — at Seattle VegFest in March. And then I immediately ordered the Five Flavor Snack Pack from their website when I returned home.


This stuff is great for when you're between meals and just can't justify eating another snack. Since I work at a desk all day, I tend to want something to drink or nibble on throughout the day, and this stuff keeps me from eating too many nuts, crackers, or other higher calorie snacks.

And it comes in great flavors! There's curry-infused Indian Spice, tangy Tomato Basil, Mexican-inspired Spicy Tortilla, crisp Thai Lemongrass, and Smoky Facon (vegan bacon flavor!). After I posted my review in April, the makers of Millie's Savory Tea asked me if I'd like to host a giveaway for my readers. And of course I said yes!


They want to give way five 15-tea snack packs. Leave a comment here letting me know your favorite afternoon pick-me-up. I'll randomly choose five winners on Monday! Be sure to include your email address (unless you know I have another way to contact you, like through your blog or Blogger profile). Also, I'd like to keep the giveaway in the U.S. only since Millie's will mailing out the teas.