Stuff I Ate/Stuff I Did

I typically just post some random meals I've eaten lately in my "stuff I ate" posts, but I wanted to start this one with a couple pics of something I did recently. I was invited to teach a vegan cooking class at Whole Foods in early October.

It was a two-hour class on Southern vegan cookin'! Here I am with Sue (the guru of the Salud cooking school) and our volunteers.

And here's what I made (except the Toasted Pineapple Cream Pie dessert isn't pictured) — Red Beans & Quinoa, Creamy Potato Soup with Veggie Bacon, Stewed Okra & Tomatoes, and Vegan Deviled Eggs.

I took a vacation day from work that day and went into Whole Foods in the early afternoon to help Sue with prep. We had a little time after prep before the class was set to begin, so I grabbed some dinner from the Whole Foods Flex Venue (which changes it's menu concept every month or so). For October, they were serving bratwurst. I got a Vegan Beer Brat (you can't see it but it's a Tofurky one, and it's buried under my toppings) with Daiya cheddar, grilled peppers & onions, spicy mustard, sauerkraut, and pickles. 

My friend Jordan's birthday was in early October, and we had a low-key game night at his house to celebrate. His boyfriend bought a grocery store cake, which wasn't vegan. But he kindly stopped at Muddy's Bake Shop and picked up a Vegan Almond Cherry Cupcake for me. My friends are the best!

I went to a neighborhood watch meeting at Midtown Crossing Grill, the pizza joint across from my house. As I've mentioned before on this blog, they have a banh mi sandwich named after me. The Bianca Banh Mi has tofu, hummus, pickled carrots and onions, jalapenos, and cucumber slices. Comes with salad or chips, but I opted for the salad this time. The non-vegan guy next to me ordered one too, just because he's been trying to eat healthier. He liked it. That made me happy.

After my runs this week, I've been enjoying these Pineapple Strawberry Smoothies made with Vega One Natural protein powder and lemon juice.

This was a weird but tasty breakfast — hot barley cereal with hummus, tempeh bacon, and cherry tomatoes from my garden.

Speaking of weird meals, here's one that wasn't that great. I had some Gardein Fishless Filets and some corn tortillas, so one day when I didn't have leftovers to eat for lunch, I thought "I'll make fish tacos!" But I didn't have any cabbage for slaw, so I made some Raw Carrot Tuna Salad using carrot pulp from my juicer. And then I put peach salsa on the tacos, which was weird. Just an odd combo. Okay I guess, but wouldn't try that again. On the side, though, I'd picked up some of the Fried Avocado Wontons from Pink Diva Cupcakery, and those were delicious. They're wontons stuffed with guacamole and they're served with a sour cream sauce.

Another quick meal, but this one was tasty — Amy's Split Pea Soup (from a can) with homemade garlic croutons.

I mentioned on Sunday night that my mom made burgers for my birthday. Had a leftover burger — Light Life Black Bean Burger — at my desk one day this week. With Daiya cheddar, sriracha mustard, lettuce, and tomato. On a white bun. Mmmmm. I love that special occasions mean getting to eat white bread.

Something that definitely wasn't on white bread was this BLT that I had for lunch one day this week. Made with Sweet Earth Benevolent Bacon (the best vegan bacon out there!), sriracha mayo, tomato, and lettuce on sprouted grain.

Our vegan meetup group met up at Two Vegan Sistas on Tuesday night. Two Vegan Sistas is an awesome high-raw cafe that I don't get to often enough. It's way out in Bartlett, but their food is amazing. I had this Live Meatloaf (made with nuts, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms) and Sweet Potato Fries (not raw, but baked instead of fried).

For dessert, I got an Almond Butter Cup to go. Mmmm. It's made with carob and chopped almonds. So good. I love carob so much.