Food My Parents Made Me!

Last weekend was one of those weekends with only a few plans, so I decided it'd be fun to visit my parents in Arkansas. They didn't have Saturday night plans either, and they love to cook. So I asked if my dad would cook his famous (thanks to my mom's frequent Facebook posts) Oven Chicken Fajitas. 

He typically makes these with meat chicken, but since I was coming, he veganized the recipe using Gardein crispy tenders. He'd planned to use Beyond Meat strips, but their health food store was out. So instead, he chopped the breading off the Gardein strips and sliced into smaller bits. That's a lot of work, but I'm so grateful he was willing to do that so I could try his amazing fajitas.

The fajita mix is baked in the oven with bell peppers, onions, and spices. It was just as good as my mom had previously bragged on Facebook! On the side, my mom made Spanish Rice-a-Roni (yes, it's vegan!) and some Refried Beans with Daiya. Plus, she whipped up her Vegan Pancho's Dip and some guac.'

If you're from Memphis or Northeast Arkansas, you know about Pancho's Cheese Dip. It's the food of the gods around these parts. Pancho's Cheese Dip — the staple dip you're served at Memphis/West Memphis Pancho's restaurants — is a creamy nacho cheese dip with a hint of cumin, always served cold. If I could go back on my veganism for any one food, it would be Pancho's Cheese Dip, so I am thrilled that my mom created a vegan version. She uses vegan cream cheese, vegan cheddar, Rotel, and spices (definitely cumin). It's SO GOOD.

After dinner, we enjoyed some homemade Fried Strawberry Pies that my mom made with fresh berries that she cooked down into a pie filling. These glazed fried pies were so tender and lightly sweet. All they were missing was a glass of iced tea (which they always keep in the fridge, but I tend to avoid to keep my sugar intake down). Me eating a fried pie!

My dad got a smoker around Christmas time, and when I stop by, my dad smokes me a couple pounds of tofu to take back home with me. This time, he made a "chicken" smoked tofu and an Asian-spiced smoked tofu. I had some of the chicken-y tofu atop some Savory Oats for breakfast yesterday! The oats were seasoned with nooch and salt. I mixed in some steamed broccoli and carrots.

Seems like I should go home more often!