Vegan Crunk

Hearty But Healthy

2012-02-02T23:25:00.005-06:00

Just days before I was set to start my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet last month, Joni Newman sent me an email asking if I'd review her and Celine Steen's latest tome — Hearty Meals for Monster Appetites. Of course I would!! But sadly, the cleanse meant waiting three weeks before I could crack it open. After all, the cleanse was about eating smaller meals, not monster ones.

But I knew, as soon as the cleanse was over, I'd be looking for a monster meal in a big way. And boy have I?! I feel like Celine and Joni wrote this book just for me! It's packed with everything I love to eat — five-cheese baked vegan macaroni, a patty melt, fried mac & cheese balls, tator tot casserole, vegan "Haute Pockets,"and maple bacon-freakin'-donuts. I love all of Celine and Joni's work (500 Vegan Recipes, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, Joni's blog Just the Food, and Celine's Have Cake, Will Travel), but this book takes the banana cream pie cake (yep, that recipe is included in there too).

I plan to cook several dishes from this book over the next few days, but I started with this Waldorf Salad Wrap:

Granted, this isn't the most sinful recipe in the book, but it just sounded really tasty. Romaine, green apples, celery, red onion, pecans, and raisins are mixed with a creamy homemade poppyseed dressing. Not only was the wrap delicious, but I also learned the proper way to roll a super-stuffed, deli-style wrap without making a mess. It's all about the parchment paper, y'all!

On the side, I made my Almond-Miso Soup, a recipe I've been making for ages:

I'd post it here, but I'm saving it for an upcoming piece I'm writing for VegNews.com. So I'll be sure and link to the recipe as soon as it goes up their site.

As for Hearty Meals, expect to see several more posts about this book in the coming days. On my to-make-from-the-book wish list: PB & OM Muffins with Ricemallow Cream, Broccotato Soup with Bacon Chickpeas, BBQ Slaw Tacos, Crispy Pepperoni Bites, Garlic Truffle Fries, and Celine and Joni's best gift to the vegan world, the Double Take (a veganized version of KFC's "Double Down" sandwich featuring chicken as bread).

Good Belly 12-Day Challenge

2012-02-01T22:18:00.004-06:00

In December, I posted a review of Good Belly probiotic juice drinks. They sent me coupons and I tried a couple of flavors of their family-sized quarts and some strawberry Good Belly Plus (probiotics plus vitamins and minerals). Everything I tried from them was delicious! It's thicker than regular fruit juice, and it has a creamy yogurt-like consistency. But it's totally vegan.

Well, after my review was posted, the company contacted me to ask if I'd try their 12-Day Challenge: Drink Good Belly for 12 days in a row, and notice a change in what's going on with your digestion. If you go to their website, they'll send you coupons to get started. Plus, Good Belly offers a money-back guarantee for anyone who doesn't love the stuff in 12 days.

Good Belly sent me some vouchers, and I chose three four-packs of these cute little Good Belly Plus shots in mango, blueberry-acai, and pomegranate-blackberry. They're only 50 calories each!

I started the challenge yesterday, and I couldn't have picked a better time. After ending my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse two weeks ago, my tummy's been a little pissed off. I went from eating lots of raw food and whole foods to more cake, wine, and fried stuff than I'd eaten in awhile. I didn't mean to go off the deep end, but I don't do well with deprivation. When I can't have something, I want it ten times worse. So last week was my relapse week.

I'm on better track this week to sticking with my post-cleanse health goals. But I could use a probiotic boost to help my digestive tract get back in line. Over the next 10 days of the Good Belly challenge, I'll post updates on how the stuff is helping (or not helping) my digestion. And then at the end of the challenge, Good Belly said I could host a giveaway for free vouchers for one lucky reader. Stay tuned!

My Love Letter to Earth Balance

2012-01-31T22:10:00.003-06:00

Dear Earth Balance Coconut Spread, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways ...

1) You're delectable schmeared on toast and sprinkled with a little nooch.

2) You taste like coconut, but not in an overpowering way.

3) You make bomb-ass Handmade Coconut Samosas with Lemon-Curry Dipping Sauce:

Yes, these samosas look more like fried dumplings. But I promise they're stuffed with curried mashed potatoes and peas seasoned with a little Earth Balance Coconut Spread. Oh, and there's shredded coconut mixed in there too. The dipping sauce is made with Vegenaise mixed with curry powder and lemon juice.

The soft, fried samosa dough is made with eight tablespoons of Earth Balance Coconut Spread too. I served my samosas with extra curried potato filling and steamed kale seasoned with sriracha, soy sauce, and garlic.

The recipe for these tropical-inspired samosas came from a little recipe booklet from Earth Balance called "Cooking with Coconut." It was included in our schwag bags at Vida Vegan Con last August, and this is the first time I've made anything from it. It's a pretty awesome book filled with EB-based recipes for everything from Vegan Pho with Coconut Ginger Broth to Coconutty Chickpeas & Kale to Coconut Cream Pie.

Have you tried Earth Balance Coconut Spread? If so, how do you like to use it?

Pancakes!

2012-01-31T00:08:00.003-06:00

I'm in the process of editing my cookbook again. In this second round of edits, I'm trying to get my manuscript in line with the Farm Book Publishing Company's current author guidelines. And there was a missing detail in my recipe for Cinnamon-Pecan Waffles.

So I made them again, measuring the amount of batter used in the waffle iron and the amount used for the variation recipe for Cinnamon-Pecan Pancakes. Only I super-varied and used walnuts instead of pecans. That's all I had!

I only made one waffle to test the measurements. But I made five pancakes! I ate one for breakfast this morning, but instead of smothering it with maple syrup, I schmeared it with peanut butter. Peanut butter trumps maple syrup every time. Am I right?

By the way, the cookbook is due out in late spring or early summer!! Finally! But I'll keep y'all posted.

Happy 31st Birthday, Poopie Bitch!

2012-01-29T21:11:00.007-06:00

If you're on the PPK, you've probably seen my friend Poopie Bitch (real name: Stephanie) dishing out baking tips or witty smart-ass comments. She used to be a blogger too, but then she had a kid and started using him as an excuse not to blog. Lame-o! But I'll forgive her because she feeds me delicious homemade vegan cake.

Stephanie celebrated her 31st birthday on Friday, even though her real birthday was on Saturday. Here's the birthday girl showing off the Vegan S'mores Basket I gave her:

It contained two bars of chocolate (one 54% and the other 70%), Sweet 'n' Sara Coconut Marshmallows, and homemade Graham Crackers from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar:

She had her birthday dinner at our fave Vietnamese joint — Pho Hoa Bihn. I ordered the Lemongrass Tofu with added broccoli (it typically comes without veggies, but they'll add them on request):

And Stephanie ordered the Green Beans with Tofu. Then we shared each others food:

But the real highlight of the night was dessert. Stephanie made Fauxstess Cupcakes from Vegan with a Vengeance:

These may be my favorite cupcakes of the moment (Mama, if you're reading this, remember this for my birthday this year). They're stuffed with cream, just like the real Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes. So delicious!

Bringin' Flaxy Back

2012-01-26T23:13:00.005-06:00

You like my cheesy Justin Timberlake reference there? No? Anyway, I'm not fond of doing two review posts in a row, but I promised I'd do a post soon on flax milk after mentioning that I used it earlier this week to make some bomb-ass hot chocolate.

One commenter asked if I made the flax milk myself? I only wish I were that talented (or patient). I actually used Good Karma Unsweetened Flax Milk. When the fine folks at Good Karma offered to send me flax milk samples, I had no idea they'd send this much!

Three huge half-gallons of their original, unsweetened, and vanilla flavored milks made from flax seed. I must admit that I assumed the milks would have a flaxy taste. Not that that would be a bad thing. I love the taste of flax seeds. But I was highly surprised when I took my first swig and realized the milk tasted as neutral as soymilk. I've been using this stuff in my coffee, and it has no flax seed aftertaste.

Since the milk is made from omega-rich flax seed, each cup has 1,200 mg of omega-3's, plus 30 percent of your daily calcium. Score! And the unsweetened flavor, which is what I would buy, is only 25 calories per cup. Most unsweetened soy and almond milk ranges from 50 to 70 calories per cup. This stuff is pretty awesome.

I haven't seen it sold in Whole Foods here yet, but when I do, I'll start buying this instead of soy, almond, or coconut milk. Every morning, I down a tablespoon of ground flax dissolved in water to make sure I'm getting my omega-3's, but as you probably know, flax seed doesn't actually dissolve in water. It just makes a thick, slimy paste. So I drink it fast. This milk is a way more appetizing way to get my omegas.

Quorn Goes Vegan!

2012-01-25T22:59:00.004-06:00

Until today, I'd never tried a Quorn product. The U.K.-based vegetarian meat company makes all sorts of faux fare, from burgers and turk'y roasts to chick'n cutlets and chick'n nuggets, made out of mycoprotein (an edible fungi like truffles, morels and mushrooms). Unfortunately, their products have all contained eggs for years.

But thanks to Compassion Over Killing, Quorn agreed to release a new vegan burger! While I was on my cleanse, a sample box of frozen Quorn Vegan Burgers arrived in the mail. But since I was avoiding processed food throughout the cleanse, that meant no packaged veggie burgers. But three days after my Crazy Sexy Cleanse was over, I ripped right into that frozen package to give them a try:

Wow! That is a burger. I like my pre-made patties meaty and toothsome, and that's exactly what this is. It reminds me of some of the non-vegan, pre-made patties that I loved as a vegetarian kid, like Morningstar Farms Grillers. For some reason, many of the commercially available vegan versions of burgers (like from Boca and Morningstar Farms) just aren't as tasty as their egg-y counterparts. But the Quorn burger is right up there with the best. The burger is also similar in texture to the Soy Boy Okara Courage Burgers. Those are a little harder to come by, but they boast the same hearty texture.

Since the Quorn burgers are made from mycoprotein, they're actually soy-free. So these would be a good choice for vegans with soy allergies (bless their hearts).

Besides releasing a vegan burger, the Compassion Over Killing website says Quorn has also vowed to reduce its use of eggs overall. Yea for Quorn!!!

Sugar, Sugar

2012-01-24T22:26:00.003-06:00

If you saw yesterday's post, you might have noticed that, although I enjoyed most of the foods I wasn't supposed to eat during my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse, something was missing. Sugar!!! I did have oats sweetened with Ricemallow Cream for breakfast yesterday, but that hardly counts as dessert.

But I made up for that today with this steamy mug of Hot Chocolate from the Happy Herbivore 2012 calendar:

Seeing as how this is a Happy Herbivore recipe, it's still pretty healthy. But it does contain some melted chocolate chips along with soymilk (I used flax milk, more on that in a later post), cocoa powder (I used raw cacao powder), agave, cinnamon, and a pinch of cayenne for a spicy Mexican flair. I topped it with a few Dandies vegan marshmallows. My office is freezing all the time (even when it's 60 degrees outside like today), so this hot chocolate was the perfect late afternoon warm-up.

My dad ordered me the Happy Herbivore calendar for Christmas. In the past couple of years, I've had Sarah Kramer's wall calendar, and I've made every recipe of the month. I intend to do the same with the HH calendar. So stay tuned for monthly pictures of Lindsay Nixon's mouthwatering, healthy recipes.

Back to Reality

2012-01-23T23:25:00.007-06:00

After 21 days with no coffee (actually a few days longer because I started weaning myself off on the weekend before my cleanse), this morning was a magical one. I took a long, deep, appreciative inhale as I opened my bag of Starbucks Dark Caffeé Verona. I lovingly ground the beans and brewed the perfect cup in my beloved stainless steel coffee press. I sweetened my cup with a touch of agave and lightened it with a splash of So Delicious coconut milk. Mmmmm.....

But before that, I started this morning with another Green Juice:

Yes, the cleanse is officially over today. But I'm not giving up on green juice. This combo of kale, cucumber, apple, and celery gives me a burst of pure energy like nothing else. It doesn't last as long as coffee, but it feels great starting the day with an alkaline boost.

After juicing, I prepared one of my favorite breakfasts — Fluffer Nutter Oats in a Jar:

In case you missed the "oats in a jar" blogger craze a few years back, it's exactly what it sounds like. Oats served in an almost-empty peanut butter jar. The hot steel cut oats melt the nut butter remnants, and it's just amazing. I sweeten mine with Ricemallow Cream. Since this marshmallow cream substitute is made with brown rice syrup and soy protein, I figure it's a little better than refined sugar. And this was my only sweet treat today.

Peanut butter and oats are both rather acidic though, and I'm trying to stay balanced. Thankfully, this Aztec Salad from Crazy Sexy Diet was more alkaline:

Chipotle barbecue tempeh, toasted chili pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of roasted tomato vinaigrette tops a quinoa and black bean salad flecked with red peppers, red onions, and corn. The chipotle barbecue sauce and the roasted tomato vinaigrette are both homemade. On this plate, the tempeh, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, red peppers, and lettuce are all alkaline. Only the black beans and corn are acidic. This is the perfect example of a 60/40 plate.

Around 4:30 p.m., I snacked on some carrot sticks and homemade white bean dip, another favorite holdover snack from my cleanse. I should eat more raw veggies as snacks instead of always reaching for nuts or energy bars, especially on days like today when I skipped the gym.

Why would I skip the gym on the first day after my cleanse, you ask. Well, my friend Stephanie and I had a date to celebrate the end of my cleanse with a large Mega Veggie Pizza with Daiya at Mellow Mushroom!

I can't think of a better way to bring gluten back into my life! I didn't miss it all that much compared with my longing for coffee and sugar. But I couldn't have made it without pizza for too much longer. I'm like a Ninja Turtle.

Of course, you can't enjoy a slice of pizza without beer. I ordered my second favorite choice on Mellow Mushroom's menu — Sierra Nevada Porter. I really wanted the Yazoo Sue, a Nashville-brewed smoked porter, but they were sold out. Honestly, the Sierra Nevada was more delicious than I remember it being, probably because I've been deprived of good beer for too long. Cheers!

Crazy, Sexy, and Done!!

2012-01-22T21:14:00.006-06:00

I made it! I finished the 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse. Today was the last day, and you know what that means? It means I can have coffee again on Monday morning and gluten for dinner. And even sugar for dessert! Oh, and booze too.

Actually, I sorta cheated last night and had a glass of organic red wine. It was my friend's birthday, and I was so close to being done. It seemed silly to totally teetotal. And even though it's not midnight yet, I'm about to have another glass to celebrate. After all, I can't let this nice bottle of Bonterra organic cab sav go bad. Right?

I cooked (or uncooked) a few more Crazy Sexy Diet dishes over the weekend, like this Prana Marinara Sauce Over Raw Zucchini Fettuccine:

The sauce is made with blended cherry tomatoes, yellow pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. I enjoyed this with a big ole salad with raw ranch and a slice of gluten-free toast spread with white bean dip.

I also made the Aztec Salad, a quinoa/black bean salad topped chipotle barbeque tempeh and pumpkin seeds, from Crazy Sexy Diet tonight. But I forgot to top mine with the pumpkin seeds until I was halfway through eating. So I'll wait and share pictures of leftovers (pumpkin seeds included) tomorrow.

Even though I'm glad to welcome back my old habits, like coffee, booze, and gluten, I do plan to keep a little of what I've learned on this cleanse:

* I will continue to drink green juice every morning, but rather than have a 16-ounce juice, I'll make smaller 8-ounce glasses to drink with breakfast. Juicing is expensive, and I can't afford to keep up the 16-ounce habit.

* I will try to maintain a 60/40 alkaline/acid diet that's heavier on veggies and alkaline foods like tempeh and tofu and lighter on acidic foods like pastas, grains, faux meats, and oils. The ideal plate for me should be 60% alkaline and 40% acid.

* I will try to limit my sugar consumption by checking products for added sugars and opting for unsweetened versions when available (like unsweetened soy or almond milk).

* I will try to limit desserts to no more than two per week, not counting dark chocolate.

* I will continue to dry brush my skin every morning and use the neti pot at night.

That being said, you'll still see vegan junk food, my beloved faux meat, and treats on the blog. I'm just hoping to incorporate more raw stuff to balance everything out. I've become quite the junk food vegan over the past few months, and I basically spent from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve living on fake meat, chips, and sweets. Before the holidays, I was already eating pretty healthy, so I'm really just going back to that.

And that brings me to one final point. I had an anonymous comment from someone who said he or she couldn't support the idea of a vegan going on a more restricted diet. This comment came from a new vegan, and that's totally understandable. When you're transitioning from the Standard American Diet or even a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, it's hard to imagine why an already diet-restricted vegan would restrict themselves further. The commenter asked, "Is eating at all an enjoyable part of life for you or just another means to execute control and 'routine'?"

Of course, eating is enjoyable! Anyone who knows me will tell you that food is THE most important thing in my life. I live to eat. When I'm not eating, I'm dreaming about what I'll eat next. But that sometimes means that I gorge on too many treats, like I did over the holidays. Every year in January, I do some sort of cleanse to get myself back in line and re-adopt healthy eating goals that may have fallen by the wayside. Besides, healthy raw food is delicious!

It is a means to execute control, of course. But sometimes, a girl's gotta execute a little control to get herself back on track. Just because you're vegan doesn't mean you're healthy. Not by a long shot. I applaud the the commenter for trying to go vegan in the new year. But it's important for new vegans to realize that not all things vegan are good for you. Vegan cupcakes, donuts, and fried foods should be occasional treats, not everyday indulgences. And that's really all I'm trying to accomplish with this cleanse. More veggies, less indulgences.

Crazy Sexy Day Eighteen

2012-01-19T22:41:00.002-06:00

Jesus. These last few days have been the hardest stretch of my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet detox. In the beginning, I was all fired up and ready to do this thing. But despite how clean and light and healthy I feel 18 days in, I'm growing weary of restrictions.

A few of my friends and I get together once a week for Girl's TV Show night, and we're currently working our way through the Twin Peaks series. Every time Agent Cooper gazes lovingly into his cup of coffee at the R&R and says "This is some damn fine coffee," I swoon. I know I've been whiny about coffee over the last few days, but I really NEED it!

Anyway, only a few more days. I can do this. The food I can have is delicious. That's not the problem. This morning started with another Green Guru Smoothie with more Sprouted Grain Cereal for a mid-morning snack. Lunch was the last of my Olive Quesadillas with Guacamole and another Salad with Raw Ranch.

But dinner was something new — Southwest Black Bean & Roasted Sweet Potato Burgers from Crazy Sexy Diet:

Black beans and roasted sweet taters are mashed together with brown rice, cumin, onion, and garlic and then dredged in cornmeal. I served my burger atop a slice of Food for Life Gluten-Free Pecan Rice Bread. And of course, there was more avocado on top. I've eaten an entire avocado today! Notice I only used one slice of bread. That's because these tiny gluten-free slices are 130 calories a piece!

My side dish was Steamed Cauliflower with Nooch. You can't beat that. I plan to continue focusing on whole foods like this after the cleanse, but I'll most certainly be adding back my coffee, booze, and a little sugar. I don't like feeling deprived.

Crazy Sexy Day Seventeen

2012-01-18T23:28:00.007-06:00

This morning started with another 16-ounce glass of Urban Zen green juice made with cucumbers, Granny Smith and Fuji apples, fennel, yellow peppers, spinach, ginger, romaine, and celery. But green juice looks like, well, green juice. And you've seen plenty over the past 16 days, so I'll spare ya.

Mid-morning, I snacked on another bowl of Food for Life Sprouted Grain Cereal with unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk. I've shown several bowls of this cereal already, but here's the box in case anyone is wondering what it looks like. Yes, this contains wheat and the cleanse is gluten-free. But sprouted grain is supposed to be easier to digest so I'm allowing it:

Lunch was more Olive Quesadillas from Crazy Sexy Diet. They're made with kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, caramelized onions, Daiya, and gluten-free tortillas. This time, I topped them with quick cheater guacamole (avocado mixed with lime juice and some garlic powder):

I also had another Salad with Raw Ranch Dressing from Crazy Sexy Diet:

Before hitting the gym, I snacked on more Tomato-Basil Flatbread and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, but no picture. Sorry!

And I need to apologize in advance for my crappy dinner photos. My friends and I went to Imagine Vegan Cafe tonight, and I forgot my Nikon. So I used my iPhone camera's flash because it was dark in there. I love the iPhone camera in good lighting, but the flash sucks.

Anyway, I ordered the Eggless Egg Salad without a bun, so they served it on lettuce. And my sides were Steamed Broccoli with Imagine's homemade vegan cheese sauce:

And another Salad with Vegan Ranch. This ranch is one of my favorite things at Imagine. They make it in-house, and it's delicious!

Only four more days left on the Crazy Sexy Diet! I feel great. Light. Clean. And when I have energy, it feels like real food-fueled energy. But I'm still getting tired very early, and I know it's got something to do with the lack of sufficient caffeine. I need one big cup of coffee in the morning, and that gets me through the entire day. I'm ready to have that back. And a slice of pie would be nice too.

Crazy Sexy Day Sixteen

2012-01-17T23:30:00.009-06:00

Only five more days left in the Crazy Sexy cleanse! It's hard to believe it's almost over, but I am really jonesin' for a cupcake. Or a glass of wine. And oh, a cup of coffee! I could really use a cup of coffee.

But enough about what I can't have. Here's what I could have today. I started my morning with another Green Guru Smoothie from Crazy Sexy Diet. It's made with avocado, romaine, banana, agave, and probiotic powder:

Mid-morning, I snacked on some more of the Forgiveness Trail Mix that I made yesterday. There's raw almonds, cashews, and pepitas mixed with goji berries, goldenberries, mulberries, and cacao nibs:

Lunch was another Olive Quesadilla made with Daiya cheese, kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, and caramelized onions on a gluten-free tortilla. The recipe is included in Crazy Sexy Diet:

And more Salad with Raw Ranch Dressing:

My grandpa passed over the weekend after a long battle with Alzheimer's. His memorial was tonight, so there was no time for dinner since I had to make the hour drive to my hometown. So I packed some Cauliflower and Carrots with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and White Bean Dip for the car:

And I packed a few slices of raw Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Pure Pleasures:

Since I wasn't eating a proper sit-down dinner, I felt like I needed a special treat to make myself feel better about the change in my routine (yes, I'm crazy weird about my routines!). So I packed a slice of raw Chai Cheesecake from Pure Pleasures leftover from my friends' weekend vegan potluck:

I also ate an orange in the car, but I didn't get a picture. But you know what an orange looks like so ...

Crazy Sexy Day Fifteen

2012-01-16T22:31:00.009-06:00

I was off work for Martin Luther King Day! So I enjoyed all kinds of Crazy Sexy Diet-approved recipes from home. Breakfast was another green juice, the Urban Zen Juice from Crazy Sexy Diet. It's made with cucumbers, Granny Smith and Fuji apples, fennel, yellow peppers, spinach, ginger, romaine, and celery:

About an hour after juicing, I had a bowl of Food for Life Sprouted Grain Almond Cereal with Sol sunflower seed milk. But Maynard, our rescued puppy and the newest addition to our furry brood, hoped to score a bite before I could get one. And Gelfling, our mischievous black kitty, is contemplating pouncing on Maynard's head:

Lunch was leftovers of Kristen Suzanne's Harvest Soup from Crazy Sexy Diet and some Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Pure Pleasures. I made the soup last night to come out of my juice fast. It's made from blended raw zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, celery, dates, onion powder, and coriander. You can also find that recipe here on Kristen's Raw.

For each day of my 21-day cleanse, the Crazy Sexy Diet book has an assigned reading with a daily focus, prayers, affirmations, and tips for the day. Today's focus was forgiveness, and Kris Carr suggests making a trail mix and calling it Forgiveness Mix. You're supposed to think about letting go of grudges while you eat it. Mine has goji berries, cacao nibs, goldenberries, mulberries, cashews, almonds, and pepitas!

I also snacked on a Brown Rice Cake with White Bean Dip from Colleen Patrick Goudreau's Vegan's Daily Companion. It's made with cannelini beans, cilantro, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Creamy and delicious!

I went to the gym for a box aerobics class at 6 p.m. and then came home to this Salad with Raw Ranch Dressing. The recipe, made from cashews and fresh herbs, is included in Crazy Sexy Diet, but since it's from the lovely Gena Hamshaw, you can also find it here on her blog, Choosing Raw.

I also had one of the most sinful recipes in Crazy Sexy Diet — Olive Quesadillas. I say they're sinful because they're made with Daiya Cheese, and even though I'm guessing that counts as a processed food, Kris Carr recommends this recipe on the cleanse. And if it's good enough for Kris, it's definitely good enough for me. God, I've missed Daiya these past two weeks.

I used a gluten-free Food for Life Brown Rice Tortilla. Besides Daiya, the quesadilla is stuffed with kalamata olives, caramelized onions (made without sugar), and roasted red pepper. This is definitely a recipe I'll make over and over, and that's not something I say often.

Crazy Sexy Weekend: Potluck!

2012-01-15T23:30:00.015-06:00

I just finished my second Sunday juice fast on the 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse, but since I blogged about fasting last weekend, I won't bore you with those details. Instead, I want to show you all the deliciousness I ate on Saturday during our monthly vegan potluck. Yes, you can eat potluck food on the Crazy Sexy diet! At least, you can if you're at a potluck with my awesome veg friends ...

But before I get to the potluck food, I want tell y'all about my awesome morning meal. I woke up early on Saturday, and instead of juicing at home, I drove out to Cosmic Coconut, a totally vegan juice and smoothie shop in East Memphis. I ordered the Beetnik, a juice made from beets, wheatgrass, carrots, kale, and apples:

I also ordered a Good Vibrations Smoothie to hold me over for a few hours. This is made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, coconut meat, and stevia. Both were so delicious. Somehow, juices and smoothies taste better when someone else makes them for you!

Lunch was the last of my leftover Tofu Eggless Salad and a Green Salad. That kept me satisfied until dinnertime, when I headed to my friend Shay's house for our monthly vegan potluck. My friends and I have been hosting potlucks each month, each at a different house. The last two were sinful gorge fests, so I figured I wouldn't be able to eat much of what people brought and stay within my cleanse rules of no sugar, no processed food, and no gluten.

I also knew everyone would be drinking wine and beer, and since I'm alcohol-free until the 23rd, I brought my special drinky treat — KeVita Sparkling Probiotic Drink in coconut:

For my savory item, I brought along some raw Tomato-Basil Flatbread from Natalia KW's Pure Pleasures. I met Natalia at Vida Vegan Con and bought both of her raw books, but this was the first time I'd made anything from them. These dehydrated flatbreads were made with flaxseed, hemp seed, fresh tomato and basil, and sunflower seeds. They were delicious, and I have a ton left since the recipe makes lots:

I was afraid I'd only be able to eat what I brought and maybe a few crudites. But I was shocked to find so many cleanse-friendly foods. Lara made Roasted Asparagus:

Vaughan and Barbara brought a Quinoa Salad with raisins, celery, cilantro, and some other yummies:

Greg made his Famous Pinto Bean Dip. I can have beans on the cleanse, but I couldn't have the chips he brought for dipping. So I used the dip to top my raw flatbread:

Shay made a Roasted Red Pepper Dip that also had a bean base, and it was perfect atop my flatbread too!

Another girl at the potluck was totally raw, and she brought this amazing Raw Pepper Jack Cheese from Journey to Bliss, a regional company that makes raw cheeses and desserts to sell at our local Whole Foods:

Leslie brought a creamy Butternut Squash Soup that was perfect for the cold weather:

Look how packed my plate is!! And to think I thought I'd only be able to eat what I brought. Also pictured on my plate is a small scoop of Lara's Laotion Rice. It's one of my favorite things she makes, so I had to have a little even though it contains faux chicken (I'm supposed to be avoiding processed foods):

I knew I'd surely be tempted by all the sugary desserts, so I had to bring some sort of Crazy Sexy Diet-approved raw dessert. I've always wanted to make a raw cheesecake, so I picked Natalia's Chai Cheesecake from Pure Pleasures. It's topped with her CinnaVanilla Syrup:

Here's my little slice. This stuff is made with raw cashews, coconut butter, agave, and chai spices, and it has a pecan crust. It was so decadent and yet way healthy! Plus, after eating a slice of this, I was no longer tempted by the delicious cakes and cupcakes on the dessert table:

Crazy Sexy Day Eleven: The Non-Food

2012-01-12T23:01:00.005-06:00

I'm halfway finished with my 21-day Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse! Yea! I ate the same leftovers again today that I had yesterday and on Tuesday. Another Apple Sprout Smoothie for breakfast, Tofu Eggless Salad and a Green Salad with Agave-Mustard Dressing for lunch, and Mexican Pilaf with a Salad with Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette for dinner.

So I won't bore you with more leftovers pictures. Instead, I'd like to talk about the non-food parts of this cleanse. In addition to eating an alkaline-based diet, I'm also supposed to meditate daily, work out five times a week, dry brush in the mornings, and use a neti pot for my sinuses.

The working out part is easy since I've been doing some form of exercise, either at the gym or at home, for five days a week for years. And the meditation? Well, sitting still isn't really my thing. But I'm trying it. I'm sitting at an altar with candles and incense each morning before my shower, closing my eyes, and trying to forget the world for five minutes. It's tough.

Dry brushing is a habit I'll surely carry on after the cleanse. You just rub your skin with a loofah-like brush every morning before hopping in the shower. It brushes away dead skin cells and gets the circulation moving. Plus, it feels great on my itchy, dry winter skin:

And then there's the neti pot. I've always been scared of these weird plastic teapots that you stick up your nose. Something about pouring water into one nostril and seeing it come out the other side totally weirds me out. I know my nostrils are somehow connected, but I'd prefer not to think about it.

And then there's this article about a couple of people in Louisiana whose brains were eaten by zombie amoebas when they used unfiltered tap water in their neti pots! Oh yea, that gave me quite a scare. But I have the world's worst sinuses, and I thought I'd take Kris Carr's suggestion and give this all-natural cure a try. Of course, I'm boiling my water first so as not to be eaten by zombies:

Weird, huh? But it really works. Since I've been using the neti pot for the past week and a half, I can actually breathe through my nose at night when I'm sleeping. Before, I'd wake up every morning with a completely stopped-up nose, whether I was sick or not. Thanks, neti pot!

Crazy Sexy Day Ten: Dining Out

2012-01-11T22:46:00.007-06:00

So I've had a pretty easy time eating at home on the Crazy Sexy Diet. Lots of raw food and cooked food made with no sugar, no processed food, and no gluten. Since I'm eating leftovers, the prep schedule isn't much different from what I do in real life (and no, this cleanse is not real life). But what about dining out?

Every Wednesday, my friends and I eat at Imagine Vegan Cafe. Though most of their delicious comfort food fare is gluten-based, there are a few dishes I know are cleanse-friendly. Last week, I ordered the Veggie Plate with steamed broccoli, brown rice, black beans, and a salad. But the owners of Imagine are out of town this week, and since it's a totally family-run business, they've closed Imagine for the week.

Yet my friends still wanted to eat somewhere, and the place they picked was Al-Rayan, our favorite Middle Eastern joint. I didn't want to pass up the socialization and delicious food, so I decided to see what I could find on the menu that meets my cleanse requirements. I ended up ordering my favorite dish — Ful!

This is a fava bean (they're more alkaline than some other beans) spread topped with olive oil, fresh tomatoes, jalepenos, and raw onions. It's served with pita bread, but I can't eat gluten right now. So I ordered a side of brown basmati rice and mixed it all together:

That alone, however, doesn't really fit the 60% alkaline/40% acid requirements of the Crazy Sexy Diet. So I ordered a Side Salad filled with alkaline romaine, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers (all the veggies fell to the bottom, but they're in there):

Granted, the meal was much heavier than what I've been eating, and my tummy can tell. I'm a little bloated, but I'm sure my appetite has shrunk a tad since I began this adventure 10 days ago. But despite a smaller appetite, I totally cleaned my ful and salad plates!

Crazy Sexy Day Nine

2012-01-10T21:32:00.009-06:00

Lots of new food on the Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse today! I started my morning with an Apple Sprout Smoothie made with apples, sprouts (duh), cucumber, coconut oil, and agave. I used Artisana coconut oil, which has a nice coconut flavor. Some coconut oils have a neutral flavor, but I wanted to taste the tropics in my glass. Plus, it had just enough healthy fat to keep me full until about 10:30 a.m., when I snacked on a grapefruit:

Lunch was Tofu Eggless Salad from Crazy Sexy Diet on Gluten-Free Food for Life Pecan Rice Bread. I can't tell you how happy I was when I saw that both tofu and Vegenaise were allowed on this cleanse in moderate amounts!

On the side, I had more Shaved Kale Avocado Salad. You might remember this picture from yesterday. Since the kale is massaged with avocado, and it tends to brown, I mixed the salad right before serving:

For Xmas, my dad ordered me a box of goodies from Vegan Essentials, and in that box were these raw food snacks from Audrey's Pleasure. They're nut-based raw crackers, and they're sooooo delicious. These Vegan Chick flavored crackers taste sorta like chicken:

Here's an extreme close-up! The Vegan Chick flavor is made with walnuts, cashews, fresh tomatoes, garlic, coconut, red onion, spices, and sea salt. But there are three other flavors. You can order them on Vegan Essentials here.

In addition to snacking on the Vegan Chick bites, I also had Carrot Sticks with Whole Foods Red Pepper Hummus. A friend introduced me to Whole Foods brand hummus on New Year's Day, and I'll never look back. The Whole Foods deli makes the BEST packaged hummus ever!

Dinner was Mexican Pilaf from Crazy Sexy Diet. The recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked or sprouted wild rice, but straight-up wild rice is crazy expensive here. So I bought Lundberg's Wild Blend from the Whole Foods bulk bins. It's a mix of wild and brown rice. The pilaf is coated in this amazing homemade sundried tomato paste that's totally to die for:

And in keeping with the 60/40 aspect (60% alkaline and 40% acid) of the Crazy Sexy Diet, I had a bigger salad than my serving of rice. This salad is topped with the Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette from the Crazy Sexy Diet:

For the dressing, I roasted four Roma tomatoes and then blended them with garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and spices. The book suggest adding a chipotle pepper for a southwestern style dressing, and since I was eating my salad with Mexican Pilaf, that seemed appropriate. The result was a hot, smoky dressing that's perfect for a spice lover like me.

Crazy Sexy Day Eight

2012-01-09T23:03:00.006-06:00

I had lots of solid food today! That was a welcome change from yesterday's partial juice fast. But I did start my day with another 16-ounce green juice made with cucumber, zucchini, apple, kale, celery, and ginger. Of course, you've seen enough of my juice pictures by now, so I didn't snap a photo.

I decided to start eating larger mid-morning snacks on juice mornings because I've found that only juice or juice with a small snack leaves me feeling hungry at work during a time when I need to be the most focused. In Crazy Sexy Diet, Kris Carr suggests adding a sprouted grain cereal with nut or seed milk an hour or so after juicing. So I bought Food for Life Ezekial 4:9 Whole Wheat Sprouted Grain Cereal and Sol Sunflower Seed Milk:

Now, you may be thinking, "But I thought this cleanse was supposed to be gluten-free?" It is. And I didn't even think about that when I purchased this cereal, but it was the only sprouted grain cereal at Whole Foods. And Kris did say to try a "sprouted grain cereal." After I realized the problem, I went to Food for Life's website to see if sprouted grains are magically considered gluten-free. Here's what I found:

"Any product that contains wheat (including semolina, durum, spelt, triticale, and kamut) rye, barley, or oats cannot be considered Gluten-Free. What is important is the sprouting process, through enzymatic activity, changes gluten to a more digestible or tolerable state. Many individuals with mild gluten sensitivities use sprouted products with no adverse side affects or allergic reactions. However, each person’s individual constitution is different."

So I'm gonna say it's okay for me to have this on the cleanse. I know I don't have a gluten sensitivity because I've tried gluten-free cleanses before and had no adverse effects adding gluten back into my diet (thank goddess).

As for the rest of the day, I had leftover Raw Goddess Soup from Crazy Sexy Diet for lunch. It's made with red bell pepper, lettuce, kale, garlic, cayenne, dulse, and flax oil:

And I paired that with Shaved Kale Avocado Salad, also from Crazy Sex Diet:

This simple raw kale salad is massaged with both olive oil and avocado for lots of fun, healthy fat. I shredded the kale in my food processor to get the shaved effect. The recipe doesn't explain how to shave kale, and that sounds difficult. But the food processor made it easy.

My afternoon snack was an orange and Food for Life Gluten-Free Pecan Rice Bread with Raw Almond Butter:

After work, I hit the gym for some elliptical time and weight lifting. And then dinner was more leftover Teriyaki Tofu, Millet, and Cabbage Hemp Salad. I didn't take a picture since I've already posted it, but you can see it here. That's it for my leftovers though. Tomorrow is a brand new food day!

Crazy Sexy Weekend

2012-01-08T21:48:00.007-06:00

Days five, six, and seven of my Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse have gone much smoother than I expected. Last time I did the cleanse, I remembered the weekends being the most difficult. My usual weekends involve going to parties or clubs or neighborhood bars with friends. It's hard to avoid booze on the weekends, but booze isn't allowed on this cleanse.

Luckily, it was much easier this time. I went to a house party on Friday night and drank Synergy Kombucha with Chia Seeds instead of beer. On Saturday, my boyfriend and I went out briefly to a bar, but I sipped on water. And I was okay with that since we didn't stay long. As for food, I had leftovers from other dishes I've shown here so far — Teriyaki Tofu Over Millet, Cabbage Hemp Salad, I Am Loved Nori Rolls, and Ginger-Lemongrass Miso Soup.

The hardest day for me this weekend was actually Sunday. You see, Crazy Sexy Diet author Kris Carr recommends doing a juice fast every Sunday of the 21-day cleanse. Last time I did this cleanse, I said hell no. I like solid food way too much to give it up for even 24 hours. Plus, I tried a 3-day juice fast a few years back and didn't make it past 2 p.m. on day one. But I'm trying to take things to the next level of awesomeness. So I decided to give fasting try.

I started my fast by sleeping in until 10:30 a.m. I figured the least amount of time I was awake, the easier it would be to go without food. After downing a large glass of warm water with lemon and cayenne this morning, I filled my sink with what would be my sustenance for the majority of the day — five apples, one bunch of kale, one bunch of spinach, six carrots, four cucumbers, seven stalks of celery, one bunch of parsley, and some ginger root:

Every hour or two between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., I downed a 16-ounce glass of green juice made from various combinations of the above veggies. Altogether, I drank five 16-ounces juices:

I knew fasting for a whole 24 hours was too much for me though. So I followed Kris Carr's advice for newbie fasters and chose to come out of the fast at dinner time with a raw soup and some steammed veggies. I made the Raw Goddess Soup from Crazy Sexy Diet:

It looks like more green juice, but this was made in the blender using whole veggies so I got the fiber and juice. This soup contains red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, kale, flax oil, dulse flakes, garlic, cayenne, and fresh dill.

I also ate a TON of Steamed Broccoli with Nooch. There's three cups of broccoli on that plate!

After that hearty meal, I was finally satisfied. I stayed pretty hungry all day as I juiced, even though I drank lots of water and herbal teas. I tried to forget my hunger by reading The Neverending Story and watching old episodes of Seaquest DSV and Weeds, but it was hard to ignore the rumbling in my food-loving tummy. Even though my semi-solid dinner filled me up, I'm looking forward to Monday when I can eat solid foods all day.

Crazy Sexy Day Four

2012-01-05T23:46:00.009-06:00

Day four of my Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse went quite smoothly. It started with another Green Guru Smoothie made with avocado, banana, romaine, probiotic powder, water and cucumber. That recipe and all recipes from today are in Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet book:

My smoothie held me over until about 10:30 a.m., and then I snacked on this grapefruit. Although grapefruit is acidic, it has an alkalizing effect on the body. And since I'm trying to boost my alkalinity, I think this was a good snack choice:

Lunch was more I Am Loved Nori Rolls from Crazy Sexy Diet. I made enough rice and chopped enough veggies to eat these for four days, but I'm making fresh rolls each day because I'm not fond of leftover rolled sushi:

Also for lunch was more Ginger-Lemongrass Miso Soup. For this, I made the lemongrass-infused ginger/onion broth in advance. But I left out the miso. Each day, I'm re-heating a portion of the broth on the stove and adding in miso after removing from the heat:

Around 3:30 p.m., my lunch started to wear off, so I snacked on some Living Intentions White Chocolate "Gone Nuts!" These are sprouted, raw cashews and almonds seasoned with cacao butter and cacao nibs. You can order these in all sorts of flavors on Vegan Essentials:

And then around 4-ish, I had another snack — Carrot Sticks, Red Pepper, and Garlic Hummus:

Dinner was a new dish tonight — Teriyaki Tofu over Millet:

And Cabbage Hemp Slaw:

The tofu was marinated in a mixture of oil, garlic, agave, and vinegar, and that made it taste like teriyaki sauce. But unlike the teriyaki in the bottle, this stuff was free of refined sugar. The Cabbage Hemp Slaw was delicious and fresh — shredded cabbage mixed with hemp seeds, cilantro, and oils.

I haven't experienced any real detox symptoms yet, but I have noticed that without caffeine, I start to get sleepy around 7 p.m. But I can't go to bed then. I have too much to do every night. It's midnight, and I'm fighting sleep. So goodnight!

Crazy Sexy Day Three

2012-01-04T23:25:00.007-06:00

In the Crazy Sexy Diet book, Kris Carr warns that day three might be tough. She said some people start to feel detox symptoms by now and others may get a little discouraged by the lack of sweets and coffee. But day three was pretty easy for me, especially since I got to dine out at my favorite restaurant, Imagine Vegan Cafe.

Breakfast was another glass of Make Juice, Not War — kale, celery, cucumber, pear, romaine, ginger, and zucchini (substituted for the broccoli stems) — juiced in my Jack LaLanne juicer:

By around 10:30 a.m., I was starving. So I had a slice of gluten-free Food for Life Pecan Bread with Avocado. Avocado on toast is one of my favorite snacks, but this xgfx toast is so tiny! I could have eaten three of these:

Lunch was I Am Loved Nori Rolls from Crazy Sexy Diet — veggie sushi with avocado, sprouts, cucumber, carrot, and tahini:

And a side of Ginger-Lemongrass Soup, a miso broth infused with lemongrass and topped with enoki mushrooms and scallions. This is also from Crazy Sexy Diet:

I had a gym class at 5:30 p.m., so I got a little energy boost from two Lundberg Brown Rice Cakes with Garlic Hummus and Carrot Sticks. Don't mind my messy desk in the background:

I also had a teensy square of Sweetriot 85% Dark Chocolate in the mid-afternoon. Carr warns not to eat chocolate everyday on the cleanse since it does contain sugar. But she recommends people choose dark chocolate over other sweet indulgences.

On every Wednesday night since May, my friends and I have dined at Imagine Vegan Cafe, Memphis' only vegan restaurant. They specialize in comfort food, and nearly every menu item is gluten-based. But I didn't want to take a break from our tradition for my cleanse. So I went to Imagine and ordered the Veggie Plate with Broccoli, Brown Rice, and Black Beans:

And a Salad with their homemade Vegan Ranch:

Normally, I'd be ordering vegan chicken fried steak or fried eggplant parm. But as plain as my veggie plate was in comparison, it was actually very satisfying.

Bonus: While at Imagine, we ran into a sweet couple from Belgium. They were in town for Elvis Week (the King's birthday is this week, and people flock to Memphis from all over the world), and they found Imagine through my Vegan Memphis Dining Guide. How cool!

Crazy Sexy Day Two

2012-01-03T23:33:00.007-06:00

Two days down, nineteen more to go. Day two on the Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse was much, much easier than day one. I started the day with a green smoothie rather than a green juice, and that filled me up much longer. This Green Guru Smoothie was made with avocado, banana, romaine, agave, cucumber, and probiotic powder:

I'm trying to stick to recipes from Crazy Sexy Diet throughout the cleanse, although any juice, green smoothie, or raw recipe would probably be fine. But I know I'm sticking with the most alkaline foods if I simply follow Kris Carr's suggested recipes.

Around 10:30 a.m., I snacked on a gala apple. And then at lunch, I had some leftover Buddha Bowl — brown rice, broccoli, chickpeas, carrots, onion, hemp seeds, ground flax, and soy sauce. Of course, I just noticed that my soy sauce has gluten and sugar, so I bought some gluten-free soy sauce to use for the rest of the cleanse:

Also for lunch, I had a Woodstock Peace Salad, which is really just a big ole garden salad with a homemade tahini-garlic dressing:

My afternoon snack was Celery Sticks with Raw Almond Butter:

Dinner was more leftovers of the Choosing Raw "Peanut" Noodles from yesterday:

And I baked a Sweet Potato and topped it with Artisana Raw Coconut Butter, salt, and pepper:

If you read yesterday's post, you'll see that I ate pretty much the same stuff for lunch and dinner. Since juicing is way expensive, I'm trying to off-set the cost of the cleanse by making enough food to eat the leftovers for a few days. That's how I manage in real life too (i.e. when I'm not cleansing), so it makes sense.

The Crazy Sexy Adventure Begins...

2012-01-02T22:43:00.009-06:00

I first tried the Crazy Sexy Diet Adventure Cleanse in January 2010, and although I finished successfully (for the most part), I swore I'd never do it again. But here I am in 2012 embarking on cancer survivor/author/unicorn goddess Kris Carr's 21-day cleanse once again. No caffeine. No alcohol. No gluten. No sugar. No processed food. And of course, no meat or dairy (but that's the easy part). Instead, I'm drinking loads of green juice and eating as much alkaline plants as possible.

Unlike last time, I understand why I'm doing this cleanse. So I think I'll take it more seriously. This time, I read all of Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet book before starting. Since the book wasn't out yet in 2010, I first read about the cleanse on Carr's Crazy Sexy Life website. But in doing so, I skipped all the boring stuff, like all that talk about ph balancing the body. Well, now I realize that balancing the ph is sort of the whole point of temporarily giving up all the good stuff, like booze and sugar.

I've been testing my pee on little ph litmus strips for a few weeks now, and my body is way out of whack. I'm, like, pure acid ... probably because I've been living on caffeine, fried food, and sugar all throughout December.

Anyway, I think the cleanse will be easier this time since I know why I'm doing it. You can read more about ph here, but I won't bore you with the deets. Instead, I'll show you what I ate on day one today. All recipes are from the Crazy Sexy Diet cookbook.

My morning started with this tall glass of Make Juice, Not War — kale, romaine, broccoli stems, ginger, pear, and cucumber — served in my favorite beer glass:

By mid-morning, I was FAMISHED!! But Carr suggests trying to make it until noon on green juice alone, if possible. So I thought I'd give it my best shot. I made it until 11 a.m., and I had to eat this Green Apple:

The apple helped, but it didn't really satisfy. However, I waited until noon to chow down on this massive veggie plate — Choosing Raw "Peanut" Noodles made with zucchini, carrots, pepper, and cucumber and Steamed Broccoli with Nooch:

I needed some protein by about 2 p.m., so I snacked on an ounce of White Chocolate Sprouted Nuts from Living Intentions Gone Nuts. My dad ordered these for me (along with other goodies from Vegan Essentials) for Christmas:

Before hitting the gym, I snacked on two brown rice cakes with garlic hummus, but I forgot to photograph them. Those kept me pretty satisfied until dinner, which was by far the most delicious meal of the day. I had this Buddha Bowl with brown rice, chickpeas, broccoli, carrot, olives, onion, hemp seeds, flaxseed, avocado, and cayenne:

And this big ole salad, which I'm calling the Kris Carr Salad:

The salad isn't from a recipe in the book, but it's mentioned in the daily readings Carr provides throughout the cleanse. She says this salad of romaine, olives, tomatoes, snap peas, hemp seeds, and agave-mustard dressing is a standard in her house, so I gave it a try. Delicious!

Well, day one was a success. Even though I was hungry for most of the morning, my lunch, snacks, and dinner kept me satisfied. Carr suggests adding a heartier mid-morning snack or smoothie if you can't survive on juice alone, so I'll probably be doing that for the rest of the cleanse.

The Last Supper

2012-01-01T23:09:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year! On Monday, I'll be embarking on the Crazy Sexy Diet Adventure Cleanse once again. No caffeine (except I'm allowing a little green tea). No alcohol. No sugar. No gluten. No processed food or additives. I'll be eating mostly plants with some gluten-free grains. Oh, and lots and lots of fresh green juice. I did it a couple years ago, and I survived. So I know I can get through it again.

But before my 21-day cleanse begins, I made one last non-CSD recipe — Tortilla Soup from Appetite for Reduction:

Actually, if I'd made this the Isa way, this soup would probably pass for the Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse, but I substituted regular tortilla chips for the baked ones she calls for in the recipe. And man was it good! I love the way the crunchy chips break down and get all soggy in the soup. The next day, this soup was super thick and even better.

You can't have soup without a grilled cheese! So I made a Grilled Daiya Cheese Sandwich on my panini press:

This wasn't actually my last meal, but it was the last new thing I've tried from a cookbook. Tonight, I made the traditional Southern black-eyed peas and cabbage for New Year's Day, and this morning I soaked up my post New Year's Eve hangover with a greasy tofu omelet from Pho Saigon. I'll be doing a full review post of this delicious Memphis vegan restaurant find after the cleanse. But tune in tomorrow for a report from day one!

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Slider Inn

2011-12-29T23:24:00.003-06:00

Heh heh, I said "slider inn." Get it? That's the clever name of a fairly new Memphis slider joint. They offer a menu filled with various types of sliders, including a pretty tasty Vegan Slider:

My parents and I ate there on the night after Xmas, and though I'd tried the vegan sliders at a charity event where Slider Inn had catered, I'd never ordered them in the restaurant.

For around $10, you get three large sliders and a large serving of some of the best damn fries in town. The vegan patty is made from brown rice, black beans, beets, jalapeno, and onions, and the burger is topped with sprouts and avocado. They hold together well, and the patty is a nice size for the fluffy slider roll. The avocado is a perfect touch (y'all know how vegans love their avocado!), and the sprouts make me feel all healthy-like.

As for the flavor, I think the patty could use a touch more salt. I brought two of my three patties home, and when I re-heated them, I spritzed them with a little Bragg's. And then they were perfect!

As for the fries, well, I've tried a lot of French fries in this town, and I think I'm qualified to say these are in the top five best in Memphis. I love skinny fries, and these are seasoned with a hint of sugar, which really complements the saltiness.

If you're in the mood for a tiny burger, Slider Inn is probably the only place in Memphis offering vegan sliders. And like I said, add a few sprinkles of salt and you've yourself one fine little patty.

Slider Inn is located at 2117 Peabody Ave. Call 901-725-1155.

Goodbye, Sarah Kramer Calendar

2011-12-28T21:47:00.004-06:00

It's with great sadness that I share tonight's meal – the December recipe in Sarah Kramer's 2011 Go Vegan wall calendar. I've made every recipe in this year's calendar and last year's calendar, but it looks as though there is no 2012 Go Vegan wall calendar. It'll be kinda lonely in my kitchen without Sarah's tattoos and adorable kitschery staring out at me from the wall beside my fridge. After two years of calendars, she feels like an old friend.

Thankfully, the December recipe was one of my favorites so far! Sloppy Janes!

These tofu-based sloppy joes were unlike any I've ever had before. And you wanna know why? They have pickles in 'em! Chopped pickles are added to a cooked base of tofu, basmati rice, green peppers, onion, tomato sauce, mustard, and vegan Worcestershire. I've never had pickles in my sloppy joe, but now I won't have them any other way.

I served my messy sandwich with Baked Salt & Pepper Kettle Chips with Green Onion Dip:

The dip is such a naughty cheater snack! It's Tofutti Sour Cream mixed with a packet of Kroger brand Green Onion Dip Mix. The mix is accidentally vegan, but it's still loaded with sinfully delicious nastiness, like partially hydrogenated oils and MSG. It's soooo bad, but it tastes soooo good. I'm starting the Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse on Sunday, so I'm just going all out with junk food for now.

All I Got For Xmas...

2011-12-27T21:31:00.004-06:00

So Xmas has come and gone once again, and like most years, this one went pretty well. I started the holiday on Xmas Eve in Arkansas at my parents' house. We open presents on Xmas Eve, so my mama, daddy, and I took turns opening gifts. Oh, and my doggy Datsun and one of my kitties Akasha were there too, and they got a few gifts.

My biggest gift was actually monetary. My parents offered to help me pay Datsun's medical bills after his recent stomach surgery. They also gave me lots of clothes, two seasons of Seaquest DSV on DVD (yes, I'm a super nerd), Vegan Pie in the Sky, a new copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (my old one was falling apart from overuse), the Happy Herbivore 2012 calendar, and this awesome Mio Active Heart Rate Monitor:

This monitor not only measures active heart rate, but it also acts as a pedometer and measures calories intake and output. I've been wearing the monitor since Xmas Eve. I've only been taking it off to shower. I've even worn it while sleeping, and I've actually been burning calories in my sleep! I burned 33 calories last night, and according to the pedometer function, I took 803 steps in my sleep. I've been told that I kick in my sleep, and now there's proof.

After we exchanged presents, I met up with my BFF Sheridan (she blogs at Vegan In Arkansas ... check it out), whose family also lives in Jonesboro. She gave me Vegan Diner (yea!), salt and pepper shaker wands (magical!), and framed pictures of us from her wedding. I gave her a jar of my green tomato chutney, the Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, and Vegan Pie in the Sky:

On Xmas morning, my family always has a big ole breakfast. It's usually at Granny's house, but my Pa was in the hospital over Xmas. So mama took on the cooking duties this year. Here's my plate — Tofu Scramble, Veggie Bacon, Biscuits & Gravy, and a Hash Brown:

After breakfast, I made the five-hour drive to Lewisburg, Tennessee where my partner Paul's parents live ... only it took me seven hours to get there because I got way lost. I completely forgot to photograph dinner, but I had Field Roast Smoked Tomato Quarter Loaf (which I brought with me from Memphis) with sweet potatoes, a baked white potato, and green beans. Paul's mom cooks everything with meat juice, but she always pulls me out a few veggies before the animal fat is added.

I got two pairs of PJ pants, some iTunes gifts cards, and some much-needed bath towels from Paul's family. I didn't take very many pictures there, but here's one of me and Paul in front of the Xmas tree.

What was your favorite Xmas gift this year?

Gobi Man-what?

2011-12-23T00:27:00.003-06:00

Happy Solstice! I'll share pictures from our Solstice Celebration with the pets next week. I'm too tired to sort through them tonight. So instead, I'll leave y'all with this post about my favorite Indian dish — Gobi Manchurian:

It's actually considered Indo-Chinese. But it's served in Indian restaurants, so I feel like it's okay to call it my fave Indian dish.

I first tried these fried cauliflower florets in spicy tomato sauce at Woodlands, a now-defunct totally-vegetarian Indian restaurant on Hacks Cross in Memphis. Y'all know I love fried food, and there's really no better vegetable than cauliflower (well, except for carrots). Plus, the spicy sauce really makes this dish special. When I saw that Robin Robertson had published her Gobi Manchurian recipe in last month's VegNews, I knew I must make it!

The batter is made from chickpea flour, and the cauliflower is breaded and fried in oil. Then you make a spicy tomato sauce using tomato puree, scallions, garlic, ginger, and spices. Oh, and there's sriracha in there. Gotta have sriracha in there. This stuff was amazing, even the next day when the fried cauliflower was kinda soggy.

On the side, I made the Savory Chutney Muffins from the Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions:

I used my homemade green tomato chutney instead of the mango chutney called for in the recipe, and I think that may have affected the texture. My chutney isn't very wet, so these muffins were a little dry. Delicious, but kinda dry. Besides chutney, these are made with tahini, whole wheat pastry flour, sesame oil, coriander, and cumin. They were tasty and the perfect accompaniment to spicy gobi manchurian. But next time, I'm adding extra liquid or fat for a moist muffin.

Happy Holidays! I'll resume posting on Monday night...

Imagine Family Xmas

2011-12-21T22:53:00.014-06:00

When Imagine Vegan Cafe opened in April, I knew I'd be dining there often. It's Memphis' only vegan restaurant, and they specialize in my favorite thing — completely unpretenious comfort food. But I had no idea I'd be eating there twice a week, nor did I realize I'd gain a whole new set of friends out of the deal. But that's exactly what happened.

A few friends and I made a plan to eat there one Wednesday night back in May, and those friends invited their friends and so on. We had about 10 people there that first night, and we decided to do it again the next week. And the next week. And the next week. You get the idea. When Imagine started serving brunch, the same group (we call ourselves the Imagine Supper Club) decided to meet up weekly for that meal too. In the process, I've made some new close friends and we've all gotten really tight with Adam and Kristie, the amazing couple who owns the restaurant.

Last Sunday, they hosted the first annual Imagine Holiday Party, and many from the supper club went. There was a $15 cover for all-you-eat appetizers and desserts, plus fun holiday music performed by Adam and his local musician dad Terry Mike Jeffrey. Adam's the one in the back playing drums:

And here's Kristie – mother of three and extraordinary vegan cook!

Earlier this year, she popped her third baby out and went straight back to working in the restaurant. She's a pro. Besides all of their human babies, they also have a pet pig, a donkey, and somewhere around 17 dogs (some of whom are fosters) on their land in Mississippi:

The holiday party featured a buffet line that Kristie and her sister Kimberly kept stocked all night. There was spinach dip, vegan buffalo wings, chili and chips, veggies and homemade vegan ranch, sausage balls, hush puppies, pigs in blankets, and little crackers topped with eggless egg salad:

Here's my friend Mike's plate #1 with crackers with "egg" salad, sausage balls, and hush puppies:

And my plate #2 (I had three plates of appetizers!) with a pig in a blanket, chips and chili, a hush puppy, an "egg" salad cracker, and carrots with ranch:

The all-you-can-eat desserts were prepared by Karina Khan, a Nashville-based vegan baker who delivers fresh treats to Imagine once a week (for my Nashville readers, Karina also prepares desserts for Wild Cow):

She made tiny Chocolate Pomegranate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Banana Cupcakes:

And tiny Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes and Vanilla Almond Cupcakes:

Plus, this awesome "Happy Holidays" Chocolate Sheet Cake:

And if that wasn't enough sugar, there were also Chocolate Chip Cookies:

I'm not ashamed to admit that tried nearly one of everything. I may have skipped a few cupcakes when I realized I was going into a sugar coma.

After everyone was stuffed, Terry Mike Jeffrey asked the audience to participate in a "Twelve Days of Christmas" sing-a-long:

Isn't that just adorable? I'm tellin' y'all, I really felt like I was at Adam and Kristie's family Xmas party since so many in attendance were their family members and long-time fans of Adam's dad. I can't think of a better way to spend the holidays than with delicious vegan food, friends, and the Imagine family.

My Favorite Breakfast

2011-12-20T23:39:00.004-06:00

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day for me. I always wake up famished, and I must eat within an hour of waking or I feel like I'm going to die. So I prefer a hearty breakfast over a light one. Savory, warm morning meals are the way to go.

And while I love tofu scrambles and hash browns and the occasional bowl of peanut butter oats, nothing beats Biscuits & Sausage Gravy:

I used my recipes for Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage-Sage Gravy, both from my upcoming Southern vegan cookbook (due out in April). Simple, hearty, delicious. The sausage bits in the gravy are made from crumbled Gimme Lean, by the way. To make this breakfast easier, I make a batch of biscuits and a pot of gravy on Sunday night and re-heat each weekday morning. Since the gravy thickens in the fridge, I add a little soymilk or almond milk when I re-heat individual portions in the microwave.

At Imagine Vegan Cafe, Memphis' only vegan restaurant, they serve something called the Memphis Slam at brunch — biscuits topped with gravy, tofu scramble, sausage, and their homemade vegan cheese sauce. Nothing beats that breakfast.

What's your favorite breakfast?

Xmas at Me-Maw's

2011-12-19T23:40:00.009-06:00

Every year on the weekend before Xmas, my mom's side of the family gathers at my Me-Maw's for an early holiday celebration. Although my Granny (my dad's mom) is famous on my blog for veganizing everything, my Me-Maw doesn't carry nearly as much for cooking and isn't so interested in learning to veganize.

But that's okay because my mom always makes me special vegan dishes to eat at Me-Maw's. This year, she made me an Asparagus, Rice, & Cheese Casserole using Daiya cheese. It was like a broccoli rice casserole, but with asparagus instead:

And she made another Hash Brown Casserole, which was my favorite dish this past Thanksgiving. Hash browns, mama's homemade cream of celery soup, Daiya cheese, and soy butter all baked together. Yum! It's topped with potato chips rather than the traditional cornflakes because we like it better that way:

Every year, my mama makes me a special batch of Vegan Dressin', the same stuff we eat at Thanksgiving. I only get her famous cornbread dressin' twice a year, and even though the two holidays are close together, I don't mind. Mama's dressin' is the best on the planet:

And there was Corn and Peppers with Earth Balance:

Mama also made a vegan cherry pie for dessert, but I scarfed my slice down before I remembered to take a photograph.

After lunch, we opened gifts. Me-Maw gave me a cute blue cardigan, which I wore today. And then we started a new tradition. I was desperately in need of a haircut, so I asked my cousin Melissa to bring along her hair supplies. After she trimmed my hair, my cousin's girlfriend Anna asked Melissa for a cut. And then Me-Maw said she needed one too:

And finally my cousin Kile got in line:

By the end of the evening, we all had full bellies and fabulous new haircuts. I see a new tradition in the works. From this year on, Xmas haircuts all around ... well, so long as Melissa agrees to it.

Low-Fat Tempeh Wings

2011-12-18T21:54:00.004-06:00

I've eaten a lot of vegan wings in my day. Whether they're made from tofu, tempeh, seitan, or Gardein, they're always amazing. I love that rich, hot, buttery sauce that sticks to your fingers (and sometimes your chin). When I make homemade wing sauces, I always use equal parts hot sauce and soy margarine. And I use a LOT of margarine.

But little did I know that you don't really need all that fat to make delicious wings. Sure, it adds to the flavor, and maybe it's best to stick to full fat versions when serving a crowd. But the low-fat Buffalo Tempeh in Appetite for Reduction is perfect for everyday eatin':

The sauce on these tempeh wings substitutes vegetable broth for the soy margarine. It doesn't make for a thick coating like the margarine does, but that's okay because you marinate the tempeh in the sauce. And then while the tempeh is pan-frying, you pour any remaining marinade into the skillet and it absorbs into the tempeh.

I served my guilt-free wings with Leahey Gardens vegan macaroni & cheese and a hearty scoop of slow-simmered collard greens and turnips.

Cacao Riot!!

2011-12-15T22:37:00.005-06:00

I like my chocolate like I like my beer: Dark. Really dark. So imagine my excitement when a surprise package arrived in the mail from Sweetriot, a New York-based chocolate maker that specializes in organic, fair-trade dark chocolate.

They sent me six of their new riotBars! Two each of their 60% Dark Chocolate with Crunchy Cacao Nibs, their 70% Dark Chocolate, and their 85% Dark Chocolate:

The first thing I noticed about these bars is the little "21 calories per square" printed on each label. As a calorie counter, I usually have to count the squares in each bar and do math to figure out how many calories are in a tiny square. And as much as I love calorie counting, I sorta hate doing math. Sweetriot did the work for me! At 21 calories, I can indulge in several squares with no guilt. Plus, dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants, so I like to think of it as medicine.

I opened one of each bar, and after sampling a few squares for myself, I shared the rest with my co-workers. The office fave was probably the 60% Dark with Nibs. Some of my co-workers weren't fans of the dark, dark stuff, but this had enough sweetness to please most all palettes. Plus, the crunchy nibs were fun. I always love chocolate bars with chunks of stuff in them, and these satisfied that desire.

The second office fave was the 70% Dark. I really loved this one too. It still has enough sweetness to please omni milk chocolate eaters, but it has that slight bitter edge that comes with quality dark chocolate.

The few dark chocolate connoisseurs in the office (I consider myself among that group) really loved the 85% Dark too. I love slightly bitter, earthy flavors, like those in spicy red wines, stout beers, and dark roasted coffee. This chocolate tastes like pure cacao. One co-worker who said he wasn't typically fond of the very dark chocolate said this one was much more smooth than he expected. A few were put off by the bitter edge, but super dark chocolate isn't for everyone.

These bars would make an excellent Xmas gift if you're still trying to figure out what to buy your friends. Whole Foods carries these, as well as many indie health food shops. Or you can order here. You can be sure your money is going to a good place because this small company uses recyclable packaging decorated with artwork by emerging artists. Plus, they're the first and only chocolate company to offset all of its carbon emissions.

In another news, our blogger friend Aimee of the Global Vegan is trying to win a yoga teaching scholarship. But she needs your vote! Click here to read about Aimee's journey with yoga and to learn how to vote.

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Ciao Bella

2011-12-14T22:03:00.011-06:00

Italian restaurants are pretty hit or miss for vegans. Usually miss. Many use egg-based, fresh pastas, and that rules out pretty much everything except a bland platter of marinara-topped penne pasta (because penne pasta isn't usually made from fresh egg pasta). But there's one Italian restaurant in Memphis looking to change that stereotype.

Ciao Bella, a dimly-lit romantic restaurant hidden away inside a shopping center in East Memphis, is looking to increase their offerings for people with special diets, namely vegans, vegetarians, and the gluten-free crowd. They generously offered to provide me samples of their new vegan offerings last night, and I was more than impressed.

For starters, we were served Vegan Grilled Mozzarella Over a Fresh Tomato with Balsamic Sauce and a Tomato Broth:

This large hunk of vegan cheese (I'm guessing it was Follow Your Heart) was lightly grilled, so it had a slight hint of char-grilled taste. But somehow Chef Jonathan Steenerson kept the cheese from melting. It was drizzled with a tangy-sweet balsamic reduction. That tomato under the cheese came from a Woodson Ridge Farms, a local farm where Ciao Bella sources most of its vegetables. The chef told us all the vegetables we were served were hand-picked that very morning!

The next course was Spinach Fettucine with Roasted Almond & Chickpea Pesto in an Acorn Squash:

Wow! I'd never in a million years think to serve pasta in a squash, but what a good idea! With each bite of pasta, we scooped up a little squash flesh. The pesto was delectable. I'm so impressed that an Italian restaurant that serves meat would create a vegan pesto. Chef Steenerson really knows what he's doing with vegan food.

Next we were served Broiled Tofu with Brussels Sprout Puree and Purple Carrots:

Now, let me say this. I love tofu, and there's nothing I appreciate more than a chef who knows that the simple, clean flavors of fresh tofu deserve to shine. This tofu was done just right. It wasn't marinated, as far as I can tell. It was simply broiled to perfection, and the texture was spot on. With each bite of tofu, I scooped up a little of the uber-flavorful Brussels puree. Oh, and the purple carrots?! Magnificent.

By this point, we were stuffed. But there was yet another entree course — Vegan Pizza with Pine Nuts, Onion, Tomato, and Garlic with Olive Oil and a Balsamic Reduction:

This is the kind of pizza that needs no fake cheese. Y'all know I love the vegan cheese, but this pizza was better without it. The crust was light, airy, and somewhat reminiscent of puff pastry, and the basic toppings really stayed true to the light crust. Lucky for me, I still have some leftover since we were too stuffed to eat the whole pie.

Though we barely had room for dessert, we quickly devoured all of our Limoncello Sorbet:

Unlike most lemon sorbets I've tried, this one had a coconut base so it was thick and creamy like a dairy-based gelato. But the crisp lemon flavors stood out. I wanted about five more bowls of this. Ciao Bella is fortunately located next to Memphis' most popular local yogurt joint, Yolo. So they use Yolo's equipment to make their signature sorbets and gelatos.

Y'all know I tend to stick to comfort fare when dining out, but this food just might convert me into a gourmand. I'm always blown away when a non-vegan chef knows how to prepare stellar vegan food.

If you're planning a romantic vegan date or family dinner, Ciao Bella is definitely the most vegan-friendly Italian option in town. Chef Steenerson said he can create most of these dishes on any night. They're not on the menu yet, but if you tell your server you're vegan, he'll whip up something special. If you have a chance to call ahead, that might help too. For my gluten-free friends: Chef Steenerson said his first shipment of gluten-free pasta arrives today, so he can accommodate you too!

Ciao Bella is located at 565 Erin Drive. Call 901-205-2500.

Peppermint Patty Shots!

2011-12-13T22:57:00.002-06:00

No party is complete without shots!! Even an innocent little vegan potluck can turn into a throwdown ho-down with a healthy dose of liquor. So in the final installment of my weekend holiday potluck series (see yesterday's post for a full recap of Saturday's vegan potluck at my house), I'll focus on the after-party.

Once our dinner and dessert plates were cleared, it was time to break out the peppermint schnapps. My co-worker Hannah couldn't make the potluck, but she did offer a fun suggestion for post-dinner libations — Peppermint Patty Shots!

These are so simple, and they really do taste like a peppermint patty ... well, an alcoholic peppermint patty.

Simply combine one to two ounces of peppermint schnapps with a little chocolate syrup in a shot glass. Mix well, and top with vegan whipped topping. I used Soy Whip, and we added the Christmas sprinkles for that special festive look. Cheers!

Vegan Holiday Potluck

2011-12-12T23:09:00.016-06:00

On Saturday night, I hosted a vegan holiday potluck at my house. It's hopefully the second in a monthly series of vegan potlucks that my friends and I will take turns hosting. I made three recipes from Dynise Balcavage's Celebrate Vegan — Brown Rice Christmas Maki, Peppermint Bark, and a French Hanukkah bread called Rue de Rosier Pain D'Epices. You can see pictures of those dishes in last night's review post of Dynise's new cookbook. But this post will focus on what everybody else brought to the party.

We started the evening with a few libations. I made Peppermint Martinis using vodka and Stirrings Peppermint Martini Mix. And yes, I'm wearing my Xmas apron:

And here's a close-up of my martini. I was afraid the mix would be too minty, like drinking mouthwash. But it was the perfect blend of minty and sweet. The candy rimming sugar is also from Stirrings:

Leslie brought homemade Whiskey Wassail, a spiked cider made with apples, cloves, and a whole orange!

Stephanie (Poopie Bitch on the PPK) brought the Broccoli Quiche from Vegan Brunch. Oh my was this good! Plus, Steph is an expert crust maker. Look at those perfect little indentations!

Greg made Vegan Cheese Balls in Puff Pastry. These may have been ugly as hell, but they were actually delicious. Greg made a homemade tofu-based cheese, sprinkled in some bacon bits, and wrapped the balls in puff pastry. He also stuffed a few potatoes with the cheese mix.

Shay knows I love her Vegan Pizza, so she brought one of her famous pies topped with homemade tomato-shallot sauce, kalamata olives, vegan cheese, and spinach:

And because she's awesome, Shay also made Ratatouille!

Lara didn't have time to cook, but she stopped by Whole Foods and picked up a few dishes that might as well have been homemade. This Asian Noodle Salad had a sesame dressing and shredded carrots:

Lara also picked up some Roasted Acorn Squash with Garlic from the Whole Foods deli:

Mike never comes to a party without his prized Chex Mix, which is always chock full of nuts. I like picking out the macadamia nuts:

Most of my guests were vegan or vegetarian, but our friend Steve is actually on the paleo diet, which is pretty much the opposite of a vegan. He eats like a caveman, but he "cheated" at the potluck and ate a few of his no-no's: grains and sugar. We'll corrupt him one of these days ...

Steve brought a paleo-friendly platter of Raw Date Balls! These little balls were made with chopped dates, nuts, coconut, and cocoa powder. Shay quickly named them Shreddy Balls since some contain shredded coconut:

Besides bringing that awesome broccoli quiche, Stephanie also made tiny Vegan Egg Nog Cupcakes!

And Mike veganized his recipe for Snickerdoodles. Mike is a pescatarian, so he usually makes these with butter and eggs. But he went out to Whole Foods and bought Ener-G Egg Replacer and Earth Balance just for these!

As you can imagine, we were all stuffed after this massive meal. It's a good thing I'm going on Kris Carr's "Crazy Sexy Diet" in January. I'll need some detoxing after all of this!

Celebrate Vegan!

2011-12-11T20:14:00.006-06:00

I had the pleasure of meeting long-time blogger crush, Dynise Balcavage, at Vida Vegan Con this year, and I must admit, I was a little giddy to meet someone whose blog I've been drooling over for years. Dynise led a workshop on how to spice up our food writing by using more descriptive terms for food, rather than easy fallbacks like "yummy" or "delicious." And even though I'm a news writer by day, I still have problems over-using those generic terms. Although I'm still guilty, at least now I always hear a tiny Dynise voice encouraging me to be more descriptive every time I post.

I bought her first cookbook, Urban Vegan (which shares a title with her blog), as soon as it came out, and I've been eagerly awaiting her second book, Celebrate Vegan: 200 Life-Affirming Recipes for Occasions Big and Small. When she offered me a copy for review, I jumped at the chance. I love seasonal cookbooks, especially ones that focus on holidays. I'm a bit of a holiday whore, who puts way too much emphasis on celebrating every little special day.

This book features recipes for, not just the big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, but all the tiny ones in between. There's recipes to make on World Vegetarian Day, Memorial Day, MLK Day, as well international days, like the Buddhist holiday Vesak, the Ethiopian celebration of Timkat (mini injeras!!!), and the Hindu Diwali. There's even recipes for generic occasions like grown-up birthdays, funerals, and girl's nights in.

I hosted a holiday potluck at my house on Saturday, and I chose three dishes from the section on winter religious holidays. I made the Brown Rice Christmas Maki from the Christmas Eve chapter:

This sushi is made with green avocado and red sun-dried tomatoes for that special Christmas effect, but my tomatoes looked a little more brown than red. All of Dynise's Christmas Eve entree recipes are grain-based as a vegan-friendly spin on the European Christmas tradition of the "feast of the seven fishes." Rather than serving seven fish-based meals, Dynise suggests serving seven grain-based ones. This sushi was one of the seven.

I also made some Peppermint Bark, using vegan white and dark chocolate:

This was also in the Christmas Eve chapter, and it was so easy! I just melted chocolate, stirred in a little peppermint extract, spread it onto a cookie sheet, and sprinkled on crushed candy canes. The result was a melt-in-your-mouth minty fresh sweet treat.

Since it was a holiday potluck, I also wanted to make something from Jewish tradition. So I chose this Rue des Rosiers Pain D'Epices from the Hanukkah section:

This spiced gingerbread is traditionally sold in bakeries throughout France during the holiday season, and Dynise said it's especially popular in Paris's Jewish neighborhoods. I served this with homemade orange marmalade (a gift from my friend Stephanie) and Earth Balance. The bread was moist and perfectly spiced with hints of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

I'll post pictures from the rest of the potluck tomorrow. We had quite a spread! But I wanted to focus solely on the dishes from Dynise's book in this review.

I'll certainly be referring to Celebrate Vegan for every tiny holiday that comes around. The Chilled Pea Soup with Mint and Garlic Scapes will be the perfect way to celebrate Earth Day. Cinco de Mayo won't be complete without one of Dynise's Easy Watermelon Daiquiris, and before this holiday season is over, I might just make Prismatic Wild Rice Salad and Noochy Broccoli for Festivus, the anti-consumerist holiday celebration invented on Seinfeld.

DIY Vegan Mozzarella

2011-12-08T23:03:00.003-06:00

Yesterday's pumpkin soup called for MimicCream, so I opened the one carton I'd been hoarding for months. But the soup only called for 3/4 of a cup, so there was plenty of leftover. Not one to waste a hard-to-find vegan commodity, I decided to use another cup of the nut-based heavy cream to make the DIY Vegan Mozzarella That Melts from Veganize This!

Many of Jenn Shagrin's recipes call for MimicCream, so I knew I'd find something in her book to put my extra cream to good use. Since it's not widely available across the country, she also provides suggestions for making MimicCream alternatives at home.

But I used the real stuff to make her creamy mozzarella. This silken tofu and MimicCream-based cheese firms up like a block cheese, thanks to agar powder. It's similar in texture to many of the cheeses in The Uncheese Cookbook. And the stuff actually tastes very much like Follow Your Heart Mozzarella! Plus, it actually melts! I grated some onto my Personal Pan Pizza with Mushrooms and Olives:

I used a fourth of the cheese on this little single-serving pizza, and since the cheese recipe doesn't call for any added fat, I didn't feel guilty about piling it on. Look how melty!

I used Isa's recipe for Pizza Dough from Vegan with a Vengeance for the crust, but I divided the recipe into fourths so I'd have enough for four tiny pizzas. I baked one pizza and froze the other three balls of dough for use later in the week. Yum!

I've Gone Pumpkin Crazy

2011-12-07T22:13:00.006-06:00

I'm always a few weeks behind whatever's cool. You can blame Memphis for that. They (whoever "they" is) say this city is about 10 years behind. So don't hold it against me that I'm just now eating lots and lots of pumpkin. I meant to get into pumpkin before Thanksgiving this year, but it didn't happen. Now it's coming on with a vengeance.

After yesterday's pumpkin cookie teff porridge, I was still hungry for the mushy orange stuff. So I made this Pumpkin Soup with Tarragon & Sherry from Veganize This!

I love this book because Jenn Shagrin is one of the funniest people on Earth. But she's also a gourmet chef, and many of her recipes initimidate me because they have long, fancy-sounding names. You know the recipe names that list off most of the recipe's ingredients? Upon reading them, some are genuinely difficult or time-consuming. But most are actually pretty easy and quite innovative. Jenn's a genius, for reals.

She's been going through some really hard times lately after having her identity stolen. She wrote about it on her blog Veganize It ... Don't Criticize It, but there's been no update since August. I hope she's doing okay. Jenn's an awesome lady and one of my favorite bloggers.

This recipe was one of the simpler ones in the book, and I even cheated on it. I used canned pumpkin instead of fresh. I skipped the toasted pumpkin seed garnish (because I didn't have any) and I used dried tarragon instead of fresh herbs because I'm cheap. But this soup was still amazing, even without the fancy flair. It's made with MimicCream, but you could substitute almond milk. I just happened to have a carton of MimicCream I'd been hoarding for the right recipe.

How have you been eating pumpkin this fall (and yes, it's technically still fall even though it FREAKIN' snowed here in Memphis today)?

Pumpkin Cookie Teff Porridge

2011-12-06T21:02:00.004-06:00

Not to bore y'all with more breakfast bowls, but I'm really loving teff right now. A few weeks ago, I posted my recipe for Holiday Teff Porridge, a steamy oat-like bowl of cooked teff, vegan nog, cinnamon, and dried cranberries.

But this morning, I came up with another yummy way to use this ancient grain as a hot breakfast cereal — Pumpkin Cookie Teff Porridge!

That's a scoop of sweetened pumpkin and a scoop of Biscoff cookie spread on top of my bowl. Biscoff is the secret to making anything taste like cookies. It's a spread made from ground up Biscoff (also called Speculoos) cookies, and it's probably the best tasting stuff on earth. We go through a jar every few weeks in my house, mostly because my boyfriend eats it straight from the jar with a spoon.

Here's the recipe. Note: I used pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened, because I had some that I accidentally bought, thinking it was plain pumpkin. But you can use unsweetened pumpkin puree and maple syrup instead, if you'd rather.

Pumpkin Cookie Teff Porridge
------------------------------------
1 cup water
1/4 cup teff grains
2 Tbsp. Silk pumpkin spice milk (or vanilla soymilk)
1/3 cup pumpkin pie filling (the kind that's already sweetened)
1 Tbsp. Biscoff cookie spread

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk in dry teff to ensure no lumps form. Lower heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until porridge is thick and teff is soft.

Stir in the milk and pumpkin, and remove from heat. Top with a dollop of Biscoff spread.

Twice Baked Sweet Taters

2011-12-05T20:58:00.006-06:00

I know I've said it before, but I'm saying it again. If you haven't downloaded the free Vegan Cuts Holiday Gift Guide, you need to fix that, stat. This zine-like coupon guide is too cool for school, y'all. There's discounts on all sorts of vegan goodies, plus ideas for homemade gifts and holiday recipes submitted by awesome vegan companies, like Earth Balance, Uncle Eddie's, and Mary's Gone Crackers! Click here to download your copy.

Last night, I cracked open my gift guide to make the Earth Balance-submitted recipe for Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ginger-Lime Peanut Sauce:

Dude. These taters rule. They're stuffed with mashed sweet potato mixed with sauteed kale and shiitake mushrooms and a sauce made of peanut butter, coconut aminos (or tamari), lime juice, and fresh ginger. I managed to slice off a giant chunk of skin while grating the ginger on my microplane, but these potatoes are so good, I don't even care that I'm missing part of my pinky finger.

I figured this meal needed some protein, so I also made the Broiled Blackened Tofu from Appetite for Reduction:

I pressed the tofu overnight in my Tofu Xpress, so it got super-firm. The tofu is rubbed with a mixture of smoked paprika and other spices and herbs. Then it's broiled until blacked. For the photo, I cut the tofu into strips so you could see the white inside contrasting with the dark outside. I really don't understand why people eat meat when they could eat like this instead.

What to Do with 10 Pounds of Green Tomatoes

2011-12-05T00:13:00.006-06:00

This past spring, my boyfriend and I planted a tomato plant in the front yard. We don't know the first thing about gardening. The plant was so small and adorable when we bought it at Home Depot, so we just planted it in a landscaped area in our front yard next to a few patches of monkey grass and some sticker bushes.

I was amazed this summer when the plant started to grow. It produced three whole red tomatoes! That's more produce than I've ever grown before. But then the plant turned kinda yellow, and I was pretty sure it was dying. I never water my plants. It's just not a priority for me, and when they die, I just shrug it off. But for some reason, I didn't want to see this tomato plant die, so I started watering it regularly, along with the habanero plant we planted beside it.

By September, the tomato plant still wasn't doing anything. No more tomatoes. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, it just started growing. It got so big that it outgrew it's stake and turned into a giant tentacled tomato monster, producing green tomatoes like crazy. But as the weather turned colder in early November, I knew the green tomatoes didn't stand a chance at turning red. So I harvested them, all 10 pounds of 'em.

Now, I love me some fried green tomatoes, but 10 pounds?! That's too many tomatoes to fry. So I decided to make Green Tomato Chutney!

I used this recipe from Shockingly Delicious. Diced green tomatoes are cooked down with golden raisins, brown sugar, allspice, ginger, onion, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar. I canned nine jars of this stuff! A few of my friends will definitely be getting jars for Christmas, but I'm keeping a few for myself.

I cracked open my first jar last week for an unconventional Indian breakfast — Onion Paranthas with Green Tomato Chutney:

The onion parantha recipe came from Happy Face Vegan. I've made them before, so I knew these onion-stuffed flatbreads would be perfect for topping with the savory-sweet chutney. Each day last week at breakfast, I had a couple of paranthas with chutney and a slice of veggie bacon.

Sure, it would have been nice to get more red tomatoes from the plant. But I'm really just happy I managed to grow anything at all. Maybe I'll even try again next year.

Good Belly

2011-12-01T23:33:00.005-06:00

Probiotics are pretty awesome. These little living micro-organisms are good bacteria, and they balance out the body. They can help improve core digestive health, and they're believed to support the immune system.

I eat vegan yogurts on occasion, but probably not often enough to really get the benefits of probiotics. I used to take a daily probiotic supplement, but it got a little pricey. But when Good Belly, the vegan probiotic juice company, offered to send me coupons for their products to review, I knew that was an offer I couldn't refuse. I'd seen the stuff in stores, but I was always too cheap to buy it. The $3 to $4 price tag seemed a little steep on my shoestring budget.

But now that I've tried them, I'll certainly be buying more. Good Belly's fruit juices are packed with probiotics, as well as the usual vitamins you get with real fruit juice. And since I'd much rather drink fruit than eat it (I'm not a huge fruit fan), these juices were a great way for me to squeeze in my much-neglected fruit group.

First I tried the Good Belly Blueberry Acai juice:

Wow! Out of all three Good Belly products I tried, this was my favorite. The blueberry flavor was so natural-tasting. And it had a fancy exotic kick from the acai berries. Since the juice is filled with probiotics, it's much creamier than regular fruit juice. Almost like yogurt you can drink.

I also loved the Good Belly Cranberry Watermelon juice:

I expected more of a watermelon flavor, but the cranberry juice overpowered that. Of course, that's totally fine. Cranberry juice is awesome.

Good Belly also comes in tiny portable shots, like this Strawberry Good Belly Plus:

These little juice cups are only 50 calories per serving rather than the 100 or so calories for a cup of the juice. But they're still packed with probiotics. These would be best taken as a supplement rather than a juicy treat since there's only a swallow in there. But how cute are those happy face holes?!

Now that I know how delicious and healthy this stuff is, I don't think I'll have an issue shelling out the cash for these juices on occasion. They cost about the same as a pint of vegan ice cream, and I certainly don't feel nearly as good about myself after eating ice cream.

French Dip & Broccoli Love

2011-11-30T22:25:00.003-06:00

When I was a kid, I lived on roast beef sandwiches from Rax, an Arby's-esque roast beef chain that once operated a few stores in the South. Rax is still around, but not in these parts. In fact, when I went vegetarian at age 14 in 1994, I missed French dip subs the most.

Since 1994, I've only had two vegan French dip subs. One is on the menu at Imagine Vegan Cafe, and it's so perfect with its seitan steak filling and savory "beef" broth dip. But I recently ran across some Yves Roast Beef Slices on sale, and I knew just how I wanted to use them. I made a French Dip Sub at home!

It's so simple that I can't believe I'd not done it earlier. For the broth, I heated a little water seasoned with soy sauce, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and onion powder. The sandwich was just the slices and a little Miso Mayo on a steak roll.

Another childhood comfort food I've missed for years is Broccoli Cheese Soup. And I recently found an easy recipe for a vegan version on Pixiepine's blog!

I served this with my sub. It's basically like a vegan noochy sauce with broccoli — just nutritional yeast, flour, water, garlic powder, Earth Balance, onions, and broccoli. This was perfect on this ridiculously cold night.

What non-vegan foods do you miss the most?

Beauty on the Inside

2011-11-29T23:23:00.006-06:00

Before I get to tonight's post, I have a quick announcement: If you haven't already downloaded the Vegan Cuts Holiday Shopping Guide, you need to do so, pronto. This free guide is more like a Xmas zine than a coupon book. Besides tons of sweet discounts for vegan online shopping (like Back to the Roots mushroom kits, Ecolissa clothing, etc.), there's holiday recipes, homemade gift ideas, and more. Do it!

Enchiladas may be the ugliest food to plate. The soft corn tortillas fall apart when lifted from the casserole dish and the stuffing falls out the sides, resulting in a big ole mess pile of sauce and crap. But we all know that it's what's inside that enchilada that counts, right? That being said, I know you'll all forgive my ugly photo of last night's Fire-Roasted "Beef" & Kale Enchiladas:

This was a clean-out-the-pantry-and-freezer dish that I didn't have to buy a single ingredient for. Turns out, all the stuff needed to make these had been right under my nose for days (and in the case of a few ingredients, months). I always buy close-out food and items on super-sale, so I already had the Gardein Beefless Tips and the fire-roasted enchilada sauce.

The Daiya and Tofutti sour cream were actually leftover from Thanksgiving. The kale and carrots were just hanging out in my crisper, begging to be used.

I created the recipe on the fly, but I'll definitely be making these again.

Fire-Roasted "Beef" & Kale Enchiladas
----------------------------------------------
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 package Gardein Beefless Tips
2 cups chopped kale
1 large carrot, shredded
Chili powder, to taste
Cumin, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Onion powder, to taste
Seasoning salt, to taste
6-8 corn tortillas
1 16-ounce jar fire-roasted red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded vegan cheese
Vegan sour cream, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the frozen Gardein tips and saute for a few minutes until the tips begin to brown. Add the kale, carrots, and spices, and saute for another 5 to 7 minutes or until kale begins to wilt and carrots are soft.

Fill each tortilla with a few tablespoons of the beef mixture and roll up. Place in the casserole dish folded side down. Pour the entire jar of sauce over the tortillas and top with the cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and tortillas are heated through. Serve with sour cream

Vegan Holiday Kitchen

2011-11-28T21:29:00.005-06:00

Before Thanksgiving, I was given a copy of Vegan Holiday Kitchen to review. But I couldn't really give it a proper review until I'd tried a few of the holiday recipes, right? Nava Atlas' gorgeous new hardcover book conveniently opens with a chapter of Thanksgiving recipes, but it also contains chapters on Christmas, Jewish Holidays, Easter, Summer Entertaining, and Brunches, Appetizers, and Potlucks.

I put a few Thanksgiving recipes to the test this past week. Last Tuesday, my office had a catered Thanksgiving lunch. Portabella burgers were provided for the vegans and vegetarians, but since the omnis had turkey and all the fixins, a few of us herbivores decided to bring our own vegan Thanksgiving dishes. Hannah brought a Tofurky with gravy and sweet potatoes. Susan brought pumpkin pie brownies from the PPK. And I made a couple of dishes from Vegan Holiday Kitchen. I brought these Agave & Mustard-Glazed Brussels Sprouts:

These were so simple to prepare, just steamed sprouts glazed with a "honey mustard"-like dressing. The natural flavor of the Brussels shone, but they were accented by the tangy, sweet mustard. This may become my new go-to recipe for brussels any time of year.

I also brought this Massaged Kale Salad with Cranberries and Pecans:

It's just a basic raw kale salad massaged with a mixture of olive oil and vegan mayo. I used a mixture of Craisins and raisins because I didn't have enough cranberries. And I substituted the pecans for the cashews called for in the recipe. Both the kale salad and the Brussels went over well with the vegetarians and the omnis on our staff.

A few days later, at my family Thanksgiving, I made these Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes:

Growing up, we never had any sweet potatoes or pumpkin at Thanksgiving dinner. My parents didn't think they liked either, but turns out, they've slowly learned to love sweet potatoes (we're still working on their pumpkin problem). My other relatives do like sweet potatoes, and these simple, sweet roasted potatoes met their approval. But most importantly, my sweet tater-phobic parents liked them too.

Vegan Holiday Kitchen is filled with simple, vegetable-based dishes based on seasonal ingredients. And from the looks of most of these recipes, they would please vegans and omnis alike, which is pretty important when we're celebrating the holidays with our non-vegan families. The full-color book is filled with stunning photos from one of my favorite bloggers, Susan Voisin of Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen. I was so excited when I saw her name on the cover because I've been following her blog for years! Plus, she lives just down the road in Mississippi.

I can't wait until Christmas so I can try the Vegg Nog, the Creamy Cracked Pepper Cheez, and the Skinny Figgy Bars. And even though I'm not Jewish, you can bet I'll be celebrating Passover with the Simple Vegetable Soup with Vegan Matzoh Balls and Hanukkah with the Traditional Latkes, Vegan-Style. Hell, I'll even celebrate Easter this year just so I can eat the Spring Vegetable Tart and the Citrus-Roasted Tofu.

How I Spent My Veganaversary

2011-11-27T22:11:00.010-06:00

Friday was my 7-year veganaversary (and my 17-year vegetarian-aversary)! I went vegan in 2004 on Black Friday as a way to celebrate what was then ten years of vegetarianism. I went vegetarian in 1994 on the day after Thanksgiving, after realizing that I just couldn't bear to eat any more food that once had a face.

Each year, I celebrate my veganaversary in much the same way: Brunch with my mom at Brother Juniper's, Black Friday shopping, and a dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers. That's been the routine for at least four years now, and this one was no exception. But this time, I documented the day with my iPhone camera.

Since I knew my mom and I were planning to pig out on tofu scramble at brunch, I only had a small slice of Coconut Pie at breakfast. It's Granny's pie leftover from Thanksgiving:

My parents live an hour away, and I'd made the drive back to Memphis after Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night. But on Friday morning, my mom made the drive to me for brunch and shopping. When she arrived at my house, we took her car to Brother Juniper's, our favorite brunch spot. We both always order the same thing — Fahim's Special, a delicious tofu scramble with kalamata olives and a balsamic sauce, the world's greatest home fries, and 2 slices of whole grain toast with homemade fruit preserves:

You probably can't tell from the picture, but this is a ton of food. I'd say there's a half-pound of tofu on each plate, plus nearly a whole potato's worth of greasy home fries. I'm not ashamed to say that I polished off all my tofu and potatoes. But I did leave a slice and a half of bread on my plate.

After brunch, we headed to the Wolfchase Galleria mall so I could pick out my Xmas presents. My favorite store — Delia's — has great deals on Black Friday, so I try on a few things I like, and my mom buys them. Then she hauls the stuff back home to wrap up for my Xmas presents. Yes, this means I know what I'm getting for Xmas. But at least I know I'll love everything! I'm not too fond of surprises. Here we are goofing off with my iPhone photo booth:

After we shopped until we nearly dropped, my mom headed back to Arkansas. And I went to pick up my doggy, Datsun, from the vet:

He had emergency surgery on Tuesday night to remove a giant wad of cat litter from his tummy. You see, Datsun has recently developed a nasty cat poop eating habit. But I couldn't catch him in the act, and I didn't know how to block him off from the cat boxes (I've since figured out that a baby gate works, but not before it was too late).

Anyway, turns out the litter was piling up in his tummy! It had to be surgically removed, and he had to spend Thanksgiving day at the vet's office in recovery. I was super worried about him healing okay. But he's doing great now! If it weren't for the stitches on his belly, you'd never know he'd had surgery less than a week ago. All he wants to do now is play ball, but doctor's orders say no ball for at least two weeks!

If you have a dog with a cat poop habit, please find a way to keep your pup out of the litter box! I had no idea the litter could stay in his belly like that. The vet said parasites from poop eating aren't a huge concern for dogs on worm prevention (and Datsun is), but even the vet seemed surprised by how much litter was built up in Datsun's tummy. We do have six cats, so that's a lot of poop.

After I got Datsun home, my tofu scramble breakfast was starting to wear off. My mom sent me home with a ton of leftovers, and I'm of the belief that Thanksgiving leftovers are even better than the real meal. So I made a plate with Field Roast and gravy, dressin', cranberry sauce, hash brown casserole, green beans, and ramen noodle slaw:

Another awesome veganaversary has come and gone, but I'm still working on those leftovers.

Happy Field Roast Day!

2011-11-24T18:08:00.014-06:00

Some years, I celebrate Tofurky Day. Last year, I had a Gardein Stuffed "Turkey" Day. But this year, I tried the new Field Roast Hazelnut Cranberry Roast. It's a Field Roast loaf stuffed with a hazelnut-cranberry-candied-ginger stuffing and wrapped in flaky, puff pastry. What?! Yes, girl. Yes:

Everything is better wrapped in puff pastry. Everything. So of course, this was no exception. The meaty part was pretty much on par with Field Roast's Celebration Roast, which is exceptional anyway. But it's so much better wrapped in pastry:

I smothered my Field Roast with gravy, and some of my Mama's yummy homemade Cranberry Sauce:

My Mama always makes vegan versions of everything for me, including her famous Cornbread Dressin'. Nobody makes better dressin' than my Mama! I've included her recipe in my cookbook, so when it comes out in April, you can all see your yourself:

She also made me a tiny vegan version of her Hash Brown Casserole (recipe is also in my cookbook). This has hash browns, vegan cream of celery soup, Tofutti sour cream, and lots of Daiya vegan cheddar. She usually tops it with cornflakes, but we were out. So we substituted crumbled potato chips!

Last year, we discovered this recipe for Asian Ramen Slaw, and we made it again this year. It's definitely a new tradition:

Granny brought over some Green Beans & Carrots:

And she also brought Corn with Bell Peppers. That buttery stuff is Earth Balance. My family uses Earth Balance in all the veggie dishes so I can eat them too:

Granny also brought her delicious Rape Greens with Turnips. Granny makes the very best greens, and she uses fresh greens that she picks herself:

Here's my plate loaded up with Thanksgiving goodness! And yes, I ate every bite. And yes, I was miserably full:

After about a 30 minute break from eating, I went for the dessert — a hefty slice of Granny's vegan Coconut Pie (the recipe for this will also be in my cookbook):

And my Mama made Caramel Pecan Bars from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. These were so much better than any pecan pie I've ever had. We heated them up in the microwave for a few seconds and then topped with vanilla ice cream:

Tomorrow, I celebrate my 7th veganaversary and 17-year vegetarian anniversary! My mom and I are going to brunch at Brother Juniper's, and I'll most certainly be eating leftovers for dinner.

Eat Your Peas

2011-11-22T21:23:00.003-06:00

My mama never had to make me clean my plate. I always ate everything on my plate, licked it clean (for real, I did that ... even in public, much to the embarassment of my parents), and asked for seconds. I'm a girl who likes to eat, always have. And peas are one of my favorite veggies.

Nothing satisfies when the weather is less than perfect than a steamy bowl of split pea soup. That's probably why cookbook author Sarah Kramer included her recipe for Green Split Pea Soup in her 2011 Go Vegan Wall Calendar and La Dolce Vegan:

This hearty bowl contains not only peas, but turnips, potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. The recipe only called for a half-cup of dried peas, but I used a full cup because that didn't seem like enough. The result was a hearty pea stew, since the extra peas soaked up most of the liquid. But I think that made it even better.

I can't have soup without bread, so I threw together a loaf of Kramer's Sassy Simple Soda Bread from La Dolce Vegan:

As you see, it's a little undercooked. But I baked the loaf 25 minutes longer than the 50 minute cooking time, and it still wasn't totally done. Still, it's not so bad. There's sesame seeds peppered throughout the loaf, and it has a great taste. Plus, I kinda like doughy bread. I toasted a slice in the oven and spread with a little Earth Balance Coconut Spread and Marmite.

I probably won't be blogging tomorrow night because I'll be in my hometown hanging with my BFF Sheridan before the big Tofurky Day. But have a happy, happy Thanksgiving!

DIY MacNoCheeto Wrap!

2011-11-21T23:20:00.005-06:00

Everything I ate in Portland during Vida Vegan Con was magical, and I wish I could recreate every dish. But the moment I bit into my MacNoCheeto Wrap from Homegrown Smoker, I knew this was a dish I'd be making over and over when I got back home.

We're talkin' BBQ Soy Curls, vegan mac & cheese, baked beans, and sauteed green bell peppers all wrapped up in a giant tortilla. That's, like, my dream meal. Plus, it's so easy to recreate. I finally got around to it this week. Here's my DIY MacNoCheeto Wrap:

I really don't have a recipe because it's so darn easy. I just rehydrated some Soy Curls for a few minutes in boiling water and then drained the water off. Then I sauteed a thinly sliced bell pepper in a teaspoon of olive oil for a few minutes, and then added the Soy Curls and a few tablespoons of my homemade barbecue sauce. I heated that until the sauce was absorbed and the peppers were soft.

For the macaroni, I totally cheated and used a package of Leahey Gardens vegan macaroni and cheese. But you could just as easily make your own basic nutritional yeast cheese sauce and pour it over some elbow macaroni. The baked beans were Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans from a can. And the tortilla was Cedar's whole wheat Mountain Bread.

To assemble, I placed a half-cup of the Soy Curl mixture, a half-cup of the macaroni, and a quarter-cup of the baked beans onto the wrap and rolled up. Voila! Just as tasty as what I remember from Homegrown Smoker, but not quite as monstrously big.

By the way, JL of JL Goes Vegan has also recreated the MacNoCheeto since she's returned home from Portland. Her's is slightly different and includes a recipe for homemade Mac 'n' Rice!

What dish from a restaurant have you recreated or would like to try and recreate?

Perfect Potato Wedges

2011-11-20T23:17:00.002-06:00

I grew up on those battered, deep-fried jo-jo potatoes from gas stations. When I was just knee-high to a grasshopper, my Me-maw and I would walk down to the convenience store by her house, get a couple of "snack packs" (fried chicken, jo-jo taters, and a biscuit), and walk to a nearby park for a picnic. She watched me during the summer while my parents worked, and we did this little picnic ritual a few times a month.

I don't miss the fried chicken one bit, but I could still go for a jo-jo tater. I'm not too picky about the oil my food is cooked in, so I could still eat them if I wanted to. But I'm certain one tater is, like, five million calories. I even feel guilty when I fry potatoes at home, knowing that I have a perfectly good oven that makes taters way healthier. But oven-roasted potatoes never quite had the same crispy magic ... until now.

I've discovered the best recipe for roasted potatoes — the Smoky Potato Wedges from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions:

Look at the crispiness on those taters! I won't give away all the secrets of the recipe because you need to buy Celine and Joni's awesome book for yourself, but I will tell you that coating the wedges in starch before baking is the key to a crispy crust. They call for potato starch in the book, but I've never seen that around here, so I substituted cornstarch with beautiful results. I'll never need another recipe for roasted potatoes.

Best Tofu Burger Ever!

2011-11-17T22:12:00.005-06:00

I was surprised to see so many comments from fellow calorie counters in my last post! I just kinda figured I was some rare OCD crazy person since most all of my friends tease me about my obsessive calorie counting. But so many of you do it too (or have done it in the past)!

There were a few questions from commenters about how I handle restaurant food calories or tabulating recipes, as well as how many calories I'm allotted daily. So before we get to the BEST TOFU BURGER EVER, I'll address those questions.

According to my Lose It app, I can have 1,659 calories each day to maintain my current weight. You just put your current weight, ideal weight (mine is the same as current), and height into the app, and it gives a calorie count. Other counting programs have similar systems. I always go over on the weekends (sometimes by a whole lot!), and that's okay since I generally stay a few calories under each day on week days. I figure it balances out. When I do go over on week days, I don't stress about it. I just try to do better the next day. And I never count calories while I'm on vacation or on eating holidays (like Thanksgiving, Xmas, or my birthday ... yes, my birthday counts as an eating holiday).

I do the math for every recipe I make and program it into my app. It only takes a few seconds since I know most calories in common ingredients by heart. I measure everything I put on my plate. But if I'm dining out, I just estimate. The app has lots of programmed meals, including many vegan specialty items, so it's fairly easy to guess. And I can eyeball a measurement on my plate like a pro.

I hope that answers all your questions 'cause now it's time for the most important part of this post: THE BEST TOFU BURGER EVER! Yes, all caps are needed to show just how good this is. It's the Tofu Chard Burger from Vegan's Daily Companion:

I knew the recipe sounded good when I saw it, but I had no idea it would turn out this ridiculously amazing. I prefer tofu burgers over other ingredients bases because I love that firm-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture. These had that, plus hearty Asian flavors since they're seasoned with soy sauce, ginger, and sesame oil. The mashed tofu is mixed with sauteed Swiss chard, and it's held together with ground walnuts and breadcrumbs. I served these with sriracha-mayo (that's the orange stuff) and homemade sweet pickles.

On the side, I made Food Network Chef Mario Batali's Roasted Turnips:

I found the recipe while googling for fresh ideas on how to cook turnips. Although the name says they're "roasted," they're actually sauteed in Earth Balance on the stovetop until soft. Then they're seasoned with poppy seeds, paprika, and red wine vinegar. I had to cook them way longer than the recipe suggested to get them soft enough. But once they were cooked through, they were delicious. I dipped mine in ketchup and pretended like they were roasted potatoes ... just for fun.

On a final note, I've been asked my friends at VegNews to pimp their Holiday Cookie Contest. They're currently taking submissions of holiday cookie recipes, and their staff will be baking their favorites to determine a winner. The grand prize is a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, second prize is a vegan cupcake kit, and the third place winner will receive a dozen Allison's Gourmet cookies. Submissions are due by December 10th. Click here for more information.

Countin' Calories

2011-11-16T23:25:00.003-06:00

I have a confession to make. I count calories. Every single teensy, little calorie. And I've done so for years.

I'm not trying to lose weight (well, maybe a pound or two gained in Portland this past August ... damn Voodoo Donut binges), but I am trying not to gain weight. I'd like to stay this size for the rest of my life, so I work hard to keep my calories within the amount allotted by the Lose It app on my iPhone.

It's also a control issue. I'm a bit of a food addict, and this keeps me from overindulging. When I'm not counting (say, on vacation or a holiday), I eat until I'm miserable. Plus, I'm type A to the max, and I've probably got a hint of OCD. Nearly every hour of my life is planned. I don't do spontaneity. Counting calories falls into my overall anal retentiveness. And this is gonna sound super-nerdy, but I think counting calories is fun! Especially when I get to erase consumed calories by recording my daily workouts.

But as y'all know, this Southern girl loves her junk food and fried goodness. I just portion it out and enjoy it in moderation. However, sometimes, it's really nice to have a naturally low-cal meal so I can eat more of it (and save those extra calories for a beer or two later in the day). That was the case with this French Country Stew from Dr. Neal Barnard's Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook:

At only 212 calories for a two-cup serving, this dish is filling and guilt-free. It's got butternut squash for some seasonal goodness, plus cabbage, diced tomatoes, and white beans. I enjoyed it with a slice of Harvest Grain bread from Kroger schmeared with a little Earth Balance and Marmite.

This is the first recipe I've made from Dr. Neal's cookbook, but as you would expect from the good doctor, all of his recipes are based on whole foods. Calorie counts are included, and most meals are less than 300 calories per serving. I love it when cookbooks include calories so I don't have to do the math myself. Anyway, I'll be exploring this book more soon. I've got my eyes on the All-American Scramble Bagel, the Italian Chickpea Nibbles, the Tempeh Burgers, and the Hummus Pizza.

Do you count calories? Or do you have another method of regulating your food intake?

Ancient Porridge

2011-11-15T23:17:00.003-06:00

I love injera bread! That spongy, slighty sour flatbread is the very best part about eating at our local Ethiopian joint, Abyssinia. And even though there's an injera recipe in Papa Tofu Love Ethiopian Food, I'm still a little intimidated about making the fermented bread with ancient teff grains. So when my friend Katie gave me a bag of Bob's Red Mill Teff, I wasn't sure what to do with it.

Someday, I'll use some to make injera. But I found a quicker way to put the teff to use on the back of the Bob's Red Mill bag — Teff Porridge! Teff makes an excellent and protein-rich stand-in for oats or other breakfast grains. It has a nutty taste that some say has chocolate notes, but I didn't notice much chocolate taste. Just nuttiness.

Since I had still had some So Delicious Coconut Nog, I decided to make a Holiday Teff Porridge:

That's slow-cooked teff mixed with nog and dried cranberries. It made for a hearty breakfast on this cold, rainy morning. And even though I hate all things Xmas until after Thanksgiving, this actually got me in the holiday spirit a little early.

Holiday Teff Porridge
---------------------------
1 cup water
1/4 cup teff
1/2 cup vegan nog
1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. sweetened dried cranberries

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Whisk in dry teff to ensure no lumps form. Lower heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until porridge is thick and teff is soft.

Stir in the nog and continue to simmer for a few more minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Whisk in the maple syrup and cinnamon. Top with dried cranberries. Serves one.

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Al-Rayan

2011-11-14T22:47:00.006-06:00

I feel a little ashamed to say I'd not been to Al-Rayan in nearly six years, and that long-ago visit was my only one until this past Friday. You see, this quaint Middle Eastern eatery is in walking distance from my house. I've lived in this neighborhood for three years, and Al-Rayan just so happens to have the best Middle Eastern fare in town. What have I been waiting for?

Honestly, I'd forgotten how delicious the food was or I'd have been back a long time ago. Thankfully, I had my reminder this Friday at a dinner meet-up with my vegetarian/vegan besties.

The place is tiny and tucked into a rundown shopping center strip, the same strip that houses an H&R Block, a ghetto corner store, and a not-so-impressive Vietnamese joint. The sign is faded, and you can barely make out the name "Al-Rayan." You kind of just have to know where it is. Inside, a large television plays a station from Yemen, and traditional decor hangs on the walls. There are a few small tables and this adorable seating arrangement on the floor:

I wasn't going to order anything but water to drink, but when my friend Steve's cute little cup of Arabic Coffee arrived, I knew I had to have my own:

This teensy cup of thick, black coffee was unlike any coffee I'd ever had. I've tried other ethnic coffees, and I'm used to the thick, almost-sludgy consistency. But this coffee had a slight floral aftertaste. It was amazing! I wish I knew their secret and I'd make Arabic coffee every morning. Or I guess I could just walk down to Al-Rayan and buy some.

The server brought us a basket of fried pita strips as an appetizer, but I forgot to photograph those. For my entree, I went the traditional route and ordered the #7, a platter of falafel, hummus, salad, pita bread, tahini sauce, and chili sauce:

Besides the usual ground chickpeas, their falafel is also made with ground vegetables. I couldn't tell what vegetables, and the menu just says "vegetables". They definitely had a heartier, more satisfying bite than most falafel I've had. I stuffed the falafel and salad into pita bread spread with hummus, tahini, and chili sauce.

The hummus was also perfection. It was creamy and garlicky in all the right ways. Plus, look at that generous pool of olive oil and the olive garnish!

My friend Lara, who suggested the restaurant, knew a secret about the menu that I wasn't privy too. Al-Rayan also serves a few Ethiopian/Etrian dishes like Ful (mashed fava beans with olive oil, lemon juice, onion, and garlic). It's served with raw tomatoes, onions, and pita bread:

I took a bite, and her dish was phenomenal. I'll definitely be ordering that next time. It's listed on the menu, but it's tucked on the backside and written in smaller letters. There's also a Vegetable Sandwich and a Falafel Sandwich, both wrapped up in a massive pita wrap. Needless to say, there's plenty for vegans at Al-Rayan. Plus, the ladies who work in the place are the nicest people ever. And I got my falafel spread (enough for two meals) and coffee for only $8!

Al-Rayan is located at 288 N. Cleveland. Call 901-272-0227.

Sushi for One

2011-11-13T22:49:00.004-06:00

Sushi is so easy to make at home, but for some reason, I've never made sushi in small quantities. I've only made it at home for parties, and I always make a ton.

But one night last week, I decided to make sushi just for little ol' me. I had a half-used tub of Tofutti Cream Cheese that needed to be used, and I'd run across the recipe for Orange County Rolls in The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions:

These are simple veggie rolls with a touch of vegan cream cheese and a sriracha-mayo sauce for dippin'. Y'all know how I love sriracha, and when I saw that ingredient and the cream cheese, I knew I must make this, stat. The rolls were yummy, and dipping them in a mayo sauce rather than the usual wasabi and soy sauce was a nice change.

The recipe makes four rolls, and since I don't like to eat leftover sushi, I rolled a fresh one each day for four days. I made the rice in one batch and refrigerated it. Then each day, a few minutes before rolling, I heated a small amount of rice with a few tablespoons of water in the microwave. Then I let it cool a bit before rolling. Microwaving with water re-stickifies the sticky rice, which works much better for rolling than dry, cold white rice.

On the side, I had a garden salad with a homemade Sesame Salad Dressing from Vegan's Daily Companion:

The dressing only has four ingredients — sesame oil, ume plum vinegar, agave nectar, and water. I'd never used ume plum vinegar, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It's really salty on it's own, but it was perfect when mixed with the sesame oil and sweet agave.

What's your favorite vegan sushi roll?

Vegan Slab o' Bacon

2011-11-10T22:27:00.003-06:00

I've seen shirts for sale online that read, "Bacon Makes Everything Better." And it does, so long as your talkin' vegan bacon. It's the smokiness that gives bacon it's magic, and luckily for vegans, we can have that taste with storebought vegan bacon, imitation bacon bits, Liquid Smoke, and even bacon salt (yes, it's vegan!).

I usually buy the Lightlife Smart Bacon. It's tasty, and it's vegan. But it also costs about $5 a package. This week, I went all super-saver-girl and made my own bacon! I used the Black Forest Bacon recipe in The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions:

Look at that peppery slab! I knew this was a must-make when I read the word "slab" in Celine and Joni's awesome guide to veganizing anything. All I could think of is that line from "Sweet Transvestite" in Rocky Horror that's all, "Come up to the lab, and see what's on the slab."

Anyway, this spicy, smoky bacon is awesome. It's a seitan-based dough that's coated in a maple-smoky-black pepper sauce. Then it's baked to perfection. Once baked, a slab will give you about 20 thin slices. I fried these up for breakfast as a side dish for my granola with hempmilk and dried strawberries:

After a week of eatin' off the slab, I still have a ton of bacon left. Looks like somebody's havin' BLTs soon!

Of Coloring Books & Coconuts

2011-11-09T23:14:00.009-06:00

Can you freakin' believe the holidays are almost here?! Geez. Where'd the year go? Is this what happens when you get old? Does time really move faster? By the time I'm 40, a year will be, like, a month. Damn.

Even though it arrived too soon, I do love this time of year. I mean, I detest the cold. But I love Thanksgiving and Christmas because I love food and presents. And, oh yea, family too. Since the holidays are on their way, I have two reviews in this post aimed at this special time of year.

First up is Nashville vegan children's book author Nathalie VanBalen's new "Happy Thanksliving!" coloring zine!

Her first book, Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice, is a full-color work of art. In fact, you can order it here (I bet it'd make an awesome Xmas gift for some little kid in your life). But now Nathalie's come out with a seasonal coloring zine that shares the story of why vegans don't have turkeys on their tables. Here's a cute page from the zine:

And here's one that I colored tonight!

I haven't colored in ages, and it was so much fun. Even if you don't know a kid to order this zine for, you should get one for yourself and embrace your inner kid. Nathalie's rhymes and illustrations are adorbs! Order your copy here on Nathalie's website. It's only $5!

If you're like me, the day after ThanksLiving is the day you put up the Xmas tree. We go immediately from pumpkins, sweet taters, and pecan pie to holiday cookies, peppermint, and nog. Well, there's a new vegan nog on the market that trumps all others — So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog:

I've never had non-vegan egg nog because that sounds disgusting. But I've seen it, and it always looks really thick and creamy. Other vegan nogs taste great, but this one captures the thick, almost pudding-like consistency. Plus, it's even better spiked with a little brandy.

Also new this season is So Delicious Mint Chocolate Coconut Milk:

I'd say this is pretty on par with the other vegan mint chocolate milks on the market, but if you're anti-soy or soy-sensitive, this one has the added advantage of being made from coconut milk. It's delicious cold, but I made cheater hot chocolate with Dandies marshmallows on top ... just because I can.

Punky Pasta

2011-11-08T20:49:00.004-06:00

Remember Punky Brewster? Yea, I wanted to be her when I was, like, five years old. I think she and later, Blossom and Clarissa from Clarissa Explains It All, shaped who I am today. I've always gravitated toward all things quirky, funky, and just plain weird. As a young kid, I embraced the weirdo girls and grew into a proud weirdo girl myself.

Corny as it sounds, this pasta dish totally brings out that little weirdo girl. Well, I guess I'm a big weirdo girl now. Whatevs. I make this dish every fall, so this isn't my first post on it. It's Sarah Kramer's Punk-kin Pasta from La Dolce Vegan:

Pureed pumpkin, sauteed onions, and vegan sausage coat whole wheat rotini pasta topped with Daiya mozzarella. It's so simple, and yet so, well, funky. I'd never have thought to use straight canned pumpkin as a pasta sauce without Kramer's guidance. Nor would I have thought to top a pumpkin dish with vegan cheese. But it works! It's actually one of the very few dishes I repeat. I rarely ever make the same thing twice, and when I do, you know it's something that I find absolutely delectable.

On the side, I made the Dark Leafy Greens with Sesame Miso Dressing from The Vegan Table:

The greens are kale from the Memphis Farmers Market, but any green will do. They're steamed and tossed with sesame seeds and a warm dressing made from sesame oil, miso, and mirin. Yum!

What pop culture icons shaped who you are today?

Heathen Housewarming

2011-11-07T22:52:00.010-06:00

My friend Leslie just moved back to Midtown after spending the last few months in Somerville, Tennessee, a tiny town on the outskirts of Memphis. It's so tiny, I don't even know where in the hell it is. Here's an old picture of Leslie from earlier this year.

Now that she's back in the city, she's been welcomed in true Memphis ghetto fashion. Just after she moved in, her next-door neighbor was arrested for having meth lab materials. And you wanna know how the police found him? They were responding to a complaint that meth dude's brother was grilling a raccoon carcass in the apartment building's parking lot. Yep, welcome back to Memphis, Leslie.

Of course, that was no proper welcome. So Leslie hosted a Heathen Housewarming Potluck with her friends to celebrate her new digs, which are actually really cute despite her crazy white trash neighbors.

We started the veggie potluck with some of Leslie's homebrew. She made Pumpkin Ale (a.k.a. Witches' Brew):

And hard apple cider, or Swamp Cider as we like to call it:

Leslie made a giant salad and provided yummy bottled dressings, including my fave — Amy's Goddess Dressing:

I made the Two-Tone Shepard's Pie from Party Vegan by Robin Robertson:

This hearty casserole is made with seitan, green beans, carrots, corn, and peas topped with a layer of gravy and then topped with mashed white potatoes on one side and mashed sweet potatoes on the other. It was the first dish I've made from Party Vegan, and it was quite a success. I found it in the potlucks chapter.

Here's my plate with Lentil Soup, Salad, Bread with Earth Balance, and Shepard's Pie. Not pictured is the Lemongrass Tofu that arrived after I'd fixed my plate:

We also had Leslie's yummy Nettle Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Orange Frosting:

Leslie's kind of a hippie, so she's always using weird herb-y things like nettle. I'm not even sure what that is, but it tasted awesome in these moist cakes. Almost like a pumpkin pie cupcake.

Welcome back to Midtown, Leslie! And sorry about that meth-raccoon situation!

Rocky Road!

2011-11-06T22:50:00.004-06:00

My friend Misti had a baby shower over the weekend, and though none of the hosts were vegan, they were all so concerned that I found something to eat at the snack table. I told them all I needed was hummus with pita chips and a cocktail (yes, this was a fun baby shower ... the kind with liquor). That's plenty to make me happy.

But I knew the fancy, two-tiered, fondant-covered cake wouldn't be vegan, so I brought along some vegan cookies to share — Rocky Road Cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar:

These cocoa cookies were flecked with semi-sweet and white chocolate chips and roasted almonds. I'd been hoarding a few bags of vegan white chocolate chips that Panda Cookie had given me at a Nashville vegan potluck last year, and this was a great way to use some.

The cookies were soft and super-chocolatey. And the almond extract in the recipe gave them a really unique taste. But they didn't hold together so well. If not picked up gently, the cookies would fall apart.

But none of the omnivores at the party seemed to care if their cookies fell apart. One guy even proclaimed, after sampling a few, that he would go vegan if all vegan food tasted like those cookies! Score.

Last Harvest

2011-11-03T21:39:00.004-05:00

The Gaelic festival of Samhain (a.k.a. Halloween) traditionally marked the last harvest of the season and the beginning of our descent into the dark half of the year. And this year, it just so happened that I was gifted a massive bag of red and green tomatoes right before the weather turned cold last week.

My Granny gave me what was likely my last bag of fresh tomatoes until next summer, as I try to avoid winter tomatoes as much as possible (yuck!). I do have a tomato plant in my front yard filled with green ones, but I doubt they'll ever ripen. But Granny gave me more tomatoes than I knew what to do with before they turned bad. I fried a bunch of the green tomatoes in John P's Fried Okra, Tomatoes, and Tofu recipe last week. And I ate some red ones sliced with a little seasoned salt. A few went into salads, and I still had quite a haul.

So I found the last fresh tomato recipe I'll make this season to use 'em up — Sweet Garlic & Tomatoes with Pasta from Vegan's Daily Companion:

This simple, slow-simmered tomato sauce is made with lots of fresh garlic (2 whole heads!), about 10 diced tomatoes, olive oil, scallions, salt, and pepper. That's it. The recipe actually suggests serving it with farfelle (bowtie pasta), but I couldn't find that in whole wheat at Kroger. So I opted for whole wheat penne pasta instead. I loved this garlicky sauce, but it was a breath killer later.

On the side, I used some other fresh-from-the-garden produce. Granny had also given me a giant bag of fresh greens. And I mean, GIANT. I filled two soup pots with greens and slow-cooked 'em down crunk-style with turnips and my special seasonings (my recipe for Mess O' Greens with Turnips will be in my cookbook that's due out in April):

I'm not sure what type of greens these were (rape? mustard?), but they were delicious. And my greens recipe works with any type of leafy green, like collards, kale, turnip, mustard, or rape greens.

What have been your last harvest meals lately?

Nom-nom-nomelet

2011-11-02T23:12:00.003-05:00

For years after going vegan, there were two things I missed the most: egg-y omelets and melty cheese. Thankfully, I discovered Susan V's vegan omelet from Fat-Free Vegan Kitchen, followed shortly by the omelet from Vegan Brunch. And by then, there was Teese and Daiya to stuff into my omelets, so my vegan prayers were answered. I even dedicated a post a few years back to my trials and successes in cooking pretty omelets.

But then I got Happy Herbivore, which contained yet another tofu omelet recipe — the Nomelet:

Although the concept is the same, the omelet is baked in a cake pan rather than cooked on the stove in a skillet. The baking method results in a thicker, heartier omelet. Look how thick that sucker is!

After it came out of the oven, I stuffed half the omelet with Pepperjack Daiya Cheese Shreds and sauteed peppers and red onions. Then I heated it in a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray to melt the cheese. Served with a slice of toast with blueberry jam, this was the ultimate breakfast.

Day of the Dead

2011-11-01T22:42:00.005-05:00

Today was Dio de Los Muertos, the Mexican holiday honoring those who have passed. As a lover of all things skull-ish, I've always adored the traditional Day of the Dead skeleton decor.

But in my tradition, I honor the dead on Halloween, when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest. But since I went to Me-maw's on Halloween night (see last night's post), I held my annual feast honoring my dead friends and family on Sunday night.

Every year, I make the same delicious stew for this occasion — Smoky South American Seitan Stew from Grub by Bryant Terry and Anna Lappe:

I sat a place at the table for all my deceased, and this year, I had to add three extra plates to the table since that many friends have passed since last Halloween. There were plates for Xander, Daniel, Smoky, David Ray, Alexeis (my kitty that died of feline leukemia years ago), Patches (my kitty from childhood), my Grandpa Haas, my Aunt Ruth, and the newly deceased friends Trudy, Tammy, and Adam.

I enjoyed the hearty stew of homemade seitan, chipotle peppers, red potatoes, and fried plantains in silence as I honored their memories.

On the side, I made my Pear Salad (a recipe from my cookbook) made with fresh farmer's market pears from Jones Orchard, walnuts, green onions, and a homemade pear vinaigrette:

And not pictured is the slice of walnut-scallion bread from Memphis-based Shoaf's Loaf. For dessert, I enjoyed a Maple Spice Cupcake purchased from Imagine Vegan Cafe:

It was a nice meal to enjoy with friends and family who have passed. We will remember.

Halloween Hot Dog Party!

2011-10-31T23:49:00.008-05:00

This is my Me-maw:

She loves Halloween more than any other holiday, and that's saying a lot because this is a woman who loves her holidays. She completely redecorates her house in holiday-themed knick-knacks and wall hangings (even themed toilet seat covers and shower curtains!) for every major holiday. But her Halloween collection is out of this world. Me-maw's house is filled with motion-activated singing mummies and witches, fiber optic pumpkins, harvest wreaths, and even a Halloween tree (like a Christmas tree, but with spooky ornaments).

Every year on Halloween, our family gets together at her house in Arkansas for a little chili dog party! My mom always brings veggie dogs and vegan chili for me. And I usually make the hour drive to Me-maw's house with a small portion of vegan cheese to melt atop my dog. This time, I used some Cheddar Style Sheese:

My mom brought her re-created version of Pancho's Salsa:

If you grew up anywhere in the Mid-South, you've probably had Pancho's dip. It's the house salsa served at the Pancho's chain of Mexican restaurants that once peppered this region. Only a handful of the restaurants are left, but the grocery store dip sales are still a booming business. Years ago, my mom found one of those restaurant food re-creation recipes. She claims she made it a lot when I was a kid, but I don't remember. Anyway, this stuff is amazing!! It's pureed fresh tomatoes, onions, and other stuff spiked with cumin and seasoned with a little oil.

My mom also brought a couple dozen Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Fudgey Frosting (and yes, they were vegan!):

She used the basic chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and I think she improvised on the creamy chocolate frosting because my mom is awesome like that. Yummy!

And although I didn't dress up tonight, I'll leave y'all with a picture of my Halloween costume from Saturday night, which I wore to several parties.

If you can't tell, I was a Mexican wrestler, and I used my new fairy wings (a recent birthday gift) as my cape. My wrestler name was Hada del infierno, Spanish for "Hell Fairy."

How did you spend your Halloween?

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Casablanca

2011-10-31T00:09:00.007-05:00

Happy Halloween! Expect several Halloween food-related posts in the coming days, but on the last day of Vegan Mofo, I've got a review for my Bluff City Vegan Eats Series.

For the most part, all Middle Eastern joints in Memphis seem about the same to me. Casablanca, a casual sit-down style Middle Eastern restaurant in East Memphis, is pretty stand-out though. Not my fave, but certainly up there. Maybe my second fave.

The food is amazing, especially their Baba Ganoush. In fact, Casablanca may serve the best creamy, roasted eggplant dip in town:

Their Hummus is good too. Creamy, tahini-y, chickpea-ish. The olive oil drizzled on top actually comes from the owner's dad's olive oil business in Jerusalem. It's also sold at Casablanca by the bottle:

There's really only one vegan entree, but you could certainly make a meal out of the vegan appetizers too (the aforementioned spreads, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, tabouli, the usual stuff). I usually stick with the Big Mac of the Middle East:

That's what they call this monster falafel-filled pita (and no, I couldn't wait to take a bite before I snapped this picture). Their falafel is warm, with a crispy exterior and a soft, savory interior, and it's stuffed into a pita with lettuce, carrots, and onions. Unfortunately, Casblanca's signature tahini sauce isn't vegan. It contains yogurt. And for some crazy reason, the Big Mac doesn't come with hummus spread inside. So I always order a side of hummus for spreadin'.

Other "vegetarian" entrees at Casablanca contain eggs or cheese. Ugh. Thank god falafel is vegan. The most charming thing about this place isn't really the tasty food though. The owner, Aimer, is usually at the restaurant visiting tables, and he's always so chipper and grateful for his customers' business. He'll stop by a table and ask everyone how their food is, crack jokes, and make people laugh. A visit to Casablanca is 50 percent food and 50 percent experience.

Casablanca is located at 5030 Poplar, Suite 7. Call 901-725-8557 or go to the website here.

Food I Didn't Make

2011-10-27T22:14:00.009-05:00

I have this friend named Cindy, and she's always selling something. First, there was Arbonne makeup, and now she's selling Premier Designs Jewelry. I hosted her first party a few months back when she was just launching her business, and if three guests at my party signed up to host their own show, I got so much jewelry free. So my friend Shay signed up because she's awesome.

Look! It's Shay being awesome!

Her party was tonight, and since I knew she was making yummy vegan snacks, I skipped dinner. The star of the show was this Homemade Vegan Pizza with Spinach, Kalamata Olives, Pesto, and Vegan Rella:

Shay even made her own crust, pesto, and tomato sauce! Her sauce, which was just the right balance of sweet and savory, was made with fresh tomatoes, shallots (omg, I forgot how much I LOVE shallots!), and marsala wine.

She also made a fine batch of Hummus! You can never go wrong with hummus. Never.

And some ultra-awesome Banana Bread. I might have been mistaken, but I think there were chocolate chips sprinkled in. I swear I found one or two. The texture of this bread was just amazing. Soft, squishy, fresh.

Our friend Mike also contributed a massive batch of his Homemade Chex Mix:

This giant bowl was only a portion of what he brought. Of course, that meant I got to take some home (I scored some leftover pizza too!). The Chex Mix was flecked with Cheerios, mixed nuts, and pretzels. Yummy!

I scored a whole free dinner out of this jewelry party, plus at the risk of sounding cheesy, a few hours with some awesome friends. Oh, and some jewelry!

Southern Comfort

2011-10-26T23:20:00.002-05:00

Rarely ever do I rush home from work to make a recipe I saw on a blog that same day. I'm a crazy planner, and few things in my life are ever spontaneous. In fact, spontaneity gives me anxiety. I plan my meals two weeks in advance to prevent "oh my god, what am I going to eat next Thursday?" freakouts.

But sometimes rush decisions are just meant to be. Over the weekend, my Granny gave me a big ole bag of red and green tomatoes and some fresh okra from her neighbor's garden. Since my meals were already planned out, I knew I'd have to make some adjustments to work these fresh veggies in, and I was sort of prepared to do that yesterday when I stumbled onto John P's blog post on The I-40 Kitchen about Fried Okra, Green Tomatoes, and Tofu:

See, I was MEANT to make this! I had all the ingredients at home, so no after-work trips to the grocery store were necessary. Thanks John P, for being there when I needed you.

The dish is similar to how my Mama makes fried green tomatoes (diced and coated with cornmeal and flour), but with added okra and cubed tofu. It's all tossed with a little flour, cornmeal, chickpea flour, salt, and Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning, and then fried in oil until crispy.

John P doesn't provide measurements for his recipe because he just throws everything together. So I guessed at everything and it turned out just fine — 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup cornmeal, and 1/4 cup chickpea flour, salt and Cajun seasoning liberally. Oh, and about three tablespoons of oil. I served the dish with my Mama's leftover dumplins and greens.

Are you a meal planner? Or a spontaneous cook?

Ramen Cheesy Noodles

2011-10-25T22:37:00.003-05:00

Before I get today's food porn, I need to announce the winner of the Eat Vegan on $4 a Day giveaway! Congrats to Kim from Vegan Conversion Challenge! And thanks to all else who participated.

And now ... on to the ramen. Who says everybody's favorite curly, fried noodle has to be flavored with those little silver packets? I mean, those are delicious and all. But sometimes a girl needs some variety in her life. In Ramen to the Rescue, which I reviewed here a few weeks back, there are all kinds of non-traditional uses for ramen. Case in point — Kale Cheddar Noodle Casserole:

Wh-wh-what?! That's all my favorite foods – kale, Daiya, and ramen — wrapped up into one cute little lasagna-esque square. The only fave foods missing are French fries and popcorn, but that would be gross.

The recipe wasn't vegan since Ramen to the Rescue isn't a vegan (or even vegetarian) cookbook. But it was easily veganized since this dish was already meatless. I used Daiya Cheddar for the cup of cheese in the recipe, and it melted perfectly in the oven. I also subbed out coconut milk (the drinking kind) for dairy milk and Earth Balance for the butter.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the cooked, baked ramen and kale casserole is topped with chopped, uncooked ramen mixed with vegan butter, salt, and garlic powder. I can think of no better thing to top ramen with than more ramen. Yep, that's pretty much my fantasy meal. But it was totally real.

Super Immunity!

2011-10-24T21:08:00.005-05:00

Though I've never read his best-seller, Eat to Live, I'm somewhat familiar with Dr. Joel Fuhrman's work. To be honest, I've always shied away from reading his nutritional tome because I figured it'd be filled with accurate information about healthy eating that I really didn't want to hear. I'm no health food vegan, as you probably know by now.

And though I tend to stick to whole wheat pastry flour for baking, unrefined sugar or agave for sweeteners, and I avoid high-fructose corn syrup (most of the time), I still don't like to be told how to eat. I eat food because it tastes good. And while it feels good to eat healthy, I don't want to feel guilty every time I pig out on Daiya-covered pizza or make a rare run to Taco Bell for a "5-Layer" vegan burrito.

But the publisher of Fuhrman's new book, Super Immunity, offered to send me a free copy for review. And I can't turn down a free vegan cookbook. Plus, I figured the healthy info might come in handy after the holidays when I always go on my yearly cleanse to undo the fat damage of Xmas.

Super Immunity is Fuhrman's new guide to boosting the body's defenses against sickness through healthy eating, and he includes testimonies from patients who have literally turned cancer around through following his rules of eating a diet heavy on the raw and cooked veggies (especially greens), fruits, beans, and legumes. Whole grains and potatoes play a smaller role, and he says folks should rarely, if ever, eat eggs, oil, fish, dairy, beef, sweets, cheese, and processed foods.

I figure, as a vegan, I'm already doing pretty good with this. I was surprised to see that I'm kind of already following Fuhrman's plan, which he claims can prevent colds, flus, and cancers. My only weak spots are not eating as many veggies (he says veggies should make up 30 to 60 % of one's daily calories), eating too many grains, and enjoying the occasional processed food and/or sugar-laden dessert a few times a week.

I've already got a leg up on a lot of Fuhrman's intended SAD diet-following audience though. I can definitely start working in more veggies and, though I won't give up fake meat, oil, or desserts, I can try to reduce those things a tad bit. I'm gonna have to cool it on sweets for a bit anyway if I want to knock off the three pounds I gained in Portland in August.

In the back of Super Immunity, Fuhrman includes some delicious-sounding healthy recipes. I chose to try this Thai Longevity Stew:

It's a silky peanut stew with a crap-ton of veggies, like mushrooms, leeks, carrots, cabbage, and snow peas. I subbed a habanero pepper from my garden for the jalepeno in the recipe. So creamy and delicious. And I didn't miss the oil at all since the peanut butter adds fat and tastiness.

On the side, I made his Apple Bok Choy Salad:

Now, Fuhrman is no fan of oil, and though I don't totally agree with him on that one (he says it's just empty calories, I say it makes food taste better and isn't all that bad for you), I appreciate an oil-free dressing from time to time. That just means I can eat more calories somewhere else in the day. This dressing is made from raw cashews blended with balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and plant milk (I used coconut). The salad is chopped bok choy, shredded apples, carrots, and onions.

Will I eat the Joel Fuhrman way everyday? Probably not. Okay, definitely not. But I'll try to work some of his principles in (especially that part about more veggies) where I can. And I'm thinking I might do a whole Eat to Live cleanse in January, but only for 30 days. I can't live without Gardein for THAT long, after all. If I had cancer or some life-threatening disease or if I was overweight, I might consider adopting this diet for real-real. But I'm pretty healthy just the way I am now. But it's nice to know I won't have to make too many changes to adopt a healthier diet.

My 31st Birthday ... Again

2011-10-24T00:31:00.007-05:00

Every year, I try to drag my birthday out as long as possible. I'm not one of those don't-tell-anyone-it's-my-birthday-and-hope-they'll-remember kinda girls. I let everybody know my special day is on the way a month in advance. And then I schedule as many celebrations as possible. This year, my "birthday forever" plan worked out especially well since my parents were out of town on my real birthday (Oct. 16th).

Tonight, we celebrated at their house in Arkansas, and I asked my mom to prepare me the ultimate Southern Dinner — Vegan Dumplins, Fried Okra, Fried Squash, Butter Beans and Cornbread, Slow-cooked Rape Greens, and Corn:

Now, just to be clear, this was our lunchtime meal. In the South, "dinner" means "lunch," and the evening meal is called "supper." Here's a close-up of my fave part of the meal, the Fried Okra and Squash:

My mama's vegan dumplins were also quite amazing. I don't know what that woman does to get her dumplins so tender, but they are out of this world. Instead of cooking mine in chicken broth, she uses veggie broth with a little added Earth Balance.

Here's the chef, my Mama:

She also made me a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar:

Now, you can see that my mama's no pro cake decorator. But who cares? The homemade chocolate buttercream was amazing, and I thought she did a cute little job trying to fit my name onto the cake. Before I snapped this shot, she said, "Now, you better not put a picture of my decoratin' job on the internet." Oops. Too late!

Anyway, the day was fabulous. I hung out with my parents, my granny and pa, and my me-maw. We stuffed ourselves and then I opened my presents. Birthdays are the best!

$4 a Day Giveaway!

2011-10-20T22:21:00.005-05:00

Remember my post from last night? I posted a picture of a Chorizo-Flavored Scramble from Ellen Jaffe Jones' new cookbook, Eat Vegan on $4 a Day. And while I admitted that yesterday's scramble wasn't exactly inexpensive to make, most of her recipes are. I just naturally gravitated to the one recipe in the book made with fake meat ... because I like the fake meat.

But tonight, I made a much more affordable recipe from Jones' book, as its name implies — Checkbook-Saving Bean Salad (seriously, that's it's name):

It's basically like my summer tomato salad, but with added chickpeas for protein. Just tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, oil, vinegar, and chickpeas. I used a pear balsamic vinegar and a blood orange-infused olive oil because I had those in the pantry, but the recipe could be made with plain ole vinegar or lemon juice and regular olive oil. Jones even suggests skipping the olive oil for a lower fat salad, but why would I do that?!

You can have your very own copy of Eat Vegan on $4 a Day since the publisher is allowing me to give one away to a lucky reader. The contest is limited to readers in the U.S. and Canada (sorry, their rules!). But leave me a comment here on your favorite inexpensive vegan meal for a chance to win.

For an extra entry, link to the contest on Facebook and leave a separate comment letting me know you did. Ditto for Twitter. That's a total of three comment entries per reader. Be sure and leave your email in your comment if yours isn't listed on Blogger. I'll randomly choose one comment next Tuesday night.

Vegan on $4 a Day

2011-10-19T23:37:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, I received a copy of Ellen Jaffe Jones' new book, Eat Vegan on $4 a Day. The slim book features simple recipes designed to save you a buck or two. And most of the recipes do look pretty cheap to make. But naturally, I was drawn to perhaps the most costly recipe in the book — Chorizo-Flavored Scramble:

The recipe supposedly makes 10 servings, but I only got five servings from it. Maybe I eat a lot, but honestly, the recipe calls for one package of tofu and one 12-ounce package of frozen veggie burger crumbles to beef up the dish's volume. And that's not a lot of food.

Although the recipe claims to cost only 75 cents per serving, I'd say it cost me more like $3 per serving or $15 total since I had to buy vegan bacon, vegan burger crumbles, tofu, and raisins. I already had the rest of the ingredients, like Mexican spices, agave, and soy sauce, in my pantry.

But don't let that turn you away from this book. This recipe, which was super tasty served with corn tortillas, seems to be the expensive exception. Many of the other recipes are so simple, they cost only pennies per serving. The Hearty Potato Soup is made with veggies and soymilk and costs 50 cents per serving, and the easy Billfold Saver Black Bean Burgers (made with beans, oats, nutritional yeast, and veggies) are only 50 cents for eight burgers. Unlike the Chorizo Scramble, most of Ellen's recipes don't call for costly fake meat.

Now, the point of this book is to be a cost-saver, so don't expect gourmet stuff. These are simple "idea" recipes that most experienced vegan cooks could make without a recipe. But I appreciate ideas ... especially ideas that might save me money.

Check back tomorrow for another photo from Eat Vegan on $4 a Day, one that I promise was far cheaper to create than today's scramble.

My Secret Sauce Revealed!

2011-10-18T22:23:00.004-05:00

I've blogged several times about how my omni boyfriend and I only have one meal we ever eat together (unless we're dining out). Mostly, we don't eat together because we work different schedules, but we also don't really like the same foods. He likes meat. I like fake meat. And truthfully, I don't like to share.

But every now and again, when the stars align, we cook spaghetti together. We have a secret sauce recipe that's been perfected over the years. It's a pinch of this, a pinch of that. We never measure, so the recipe I'm sharing with you is based on my best guess. The sauce is adapted from a cookbook I bought back in college (that was almost 10 years ago!!! Jesus Christ) called Vegetarian Comfort Food.

Last night, we made Paul and Bianca's Special Spaghetti with Sauteed Mushrooms and Cheatballs:

Paul didn't eat the cheatballs (Yves Veggie Meatballs), but I did, and they were DEELICIOUS! But I don't usually add fake meat. I just happened to have some in the fridge that needed usin'. The mushrooms, however, are a must. And they have to prepared separately from the sauce if you ask us.

Here's the recipe for the sauce and mushrooms separately. It's enough to top a pound of pasta.

Bianca's Not-So-Secret Spaghetti Sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
7 cloves minced garlic
1 minced habanero pepper (optional)
3 28-oz. cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. maple syrup
1 splash red wine
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic (and habanero, if using) and cook and stir for 1 minute. Use your hands to break up the tomatoes from the can, and add them to the saucepan.

If the sauce seems too dry, add a little liquid from a can of the tomatoes. You won't need all of the tomato liquid though. Just a splash from one can is plenty. Stir in the dried herbs and maple syrup and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the splash of red wine (a couple of tablespoons) and the salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
--------------------------------

Paul's Magic Mushrooms
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance
1 8-oz. package whole mushrooms, sliced
Seasoning salt, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
Soy sauce, to taste
Sriracha, to taste

Melt the Earth Balance in a large skillet and add the mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms begin to release their juices (haha, that sounds dirty!). Season to taste and continue to cook until mushrooms are tender and slightly browned.

Top pasta with tomato sauce and then mushroom. Eat. Enjoy.

Happy 31st Birthday to Me!

2011-10-17T23:19:00.016-05:00

Yea, yea, I'm a bad mofo-er. I didn't blog last night, but I had a good damn reason. It was my birthday!!! And I was off enjoying free drinks and vegan snacks at the cast party for opening night of Broadway show, Memphis the Musical. But before that, on Saturday night, I had a Big Gay Birthday Vegan Wine & Cheese Party!!!

My birthday party night fell on Memphis' Gay Pride Day, and since I was a parade float judge this year, I decided to keep the gay theme going all night. That's why my birthday outfit is screaming rainbows! And check out these bad-ass fairy wings. They were a gift from my friend Autumn:

A few weeks ago, my daddy ordered me a selection of vegan cheeses to serve at the party. There's Cheezly Edam and Blue Cheese, Sheese Medium Cheddar and Mexican Style spread, We Can't Say It's Cheese Spread in Hickory Cheddar and Mexi-Cheddar, Teese Mozzarella, and Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheese in Aged Cashew & Brazil Nut:

I also made a few vegan cheeses at home. Here's most of the food spread and some of the wines:

I used the Teese Mozzarella to make Caprese Salad Stacks — tomato drizzled in olive oil and balsamic vingear, Teese, and a fresh basil leaf:

I used some Daiya Cheddar Shreds and salsa to make little Quesadilla Bites. These disappeared pretty quickly:

And I made this yummy Sundried Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Pub Cheese from Scissors & Spice! It was excellent spread on crackers!

I also made the famous Pepper-Crusted Cashew Goat Cheese from Vegetarian Times. I've made this before, and it's so tasty. Sadly, there were no leftovers of this:

I sliced up some Sheese and Cheezly for folks to try with crackers. I'd never had Cheezly before, and it was delicious! Thankfully, the blue cheese flavor didn't have any weird blue moldy stuff. That always kept me away from blue cheese in my dairy days. (Speaking of mold, that little white bit on a slice of the Sheese in the middle is some Cheezly Blue Cheese that rubbed off from the knife ... not mold).

And I cubed some Follow Your Heart Monterey Jack. I know FYH is pretty easy to come by, but it really is tasty stuff. I rarely buy it anymore now that Daiya is sold in Memphis, but these cubes reminded me that FYH is still delicious!

I placed the We Can't Say It's Not Cheese Spreads and the Sheese Mexican Style spread out with crackers for spreadin':

But we all know that vegan wine and cheese alone does not a birthday party make. There must be cake!!! Luckily, I happen to be friends with Memphis' best vegan baker, Stephanie Roy (a.k.a. Poopie Bitch on the PPK). She made me, not one, but TWO vegan birthday cakes! This one was Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. Eating this was JUST LIKE eating a Reese's peanut butter cup ... but better:

And then there was this Orange Creamsicle Cake. The sophiscated gold and silver frosting is very vegan-wine-and-cheese-party, no?

But Steph promised there was more to this giant cake than fancy gold frosting. Everyone gathered around for the big reveal as Stephanie cut the cake:

Surprise!!!!!!! It's a GAY CAKE!

Pretty awesome, huh? I still have cake leftover, and every time I look at the rainbow colors, I get all giddy inside.

Convenience Food!

2011-10-13T22:34:00.007-05:00

I love to cook, but I'm no Martha Stewart. I don't have time to make EVERYTHING from scratch. Some days, I need something quick and easy. So when Vegetarian Plus offered to send me samples of their frozen vegan meats, I said, hell yes.

As far I know, our Whole Foods doesn't carry this brand. But I'd read about it in VegNews and was quite anxious to try the soy-based fake meats. A cooler arrived at my office a few weeks ago, and I ripped it open to find four boxes: two packages of frozen Vegan Kung Pao Chicken and two packages of Vegetarian Ginger Chicken.

Now, the vegetarian chicken had whey protein in it, so I couldn't eat that. But I gave it to my vegetarian managing editor Susan, who also edits our newspaper's food section and maintains the Hungry Memphis food blog. She generously offered to write a review, which you can find later in this post.

I didn't inspect the packages closely, and I assumed they were all single-serving frozen dinners. Imagine my surprise when I was ready to eat the Kung Pao Chicken, only to find that it makes four servings! You're supposed to mix the meat with veggies and such to make a meal. So earlier this week, I stir-fried the thawed "chicken" with some bok choy in one pan and steamed some squash and broccoli in another. Then I served it all over brown rice:

Wow! The "chicken" has a super meaty texture that's way more realistic than any seitan I could make from scratch. The kung pao sauce was the perfect blend of spicy, sweet, and slightly oily (but oily in a good way!). The only complaint I have are the chili peppers. I loved the spicy flavor they lent the dish, but the pepper pieces were really tough to chew. Maybe it was the freezing that made the texture weird, but I ended up picking them out.

In case you're wondering, the "chicken" is made with soybean fiber, soybean protein, and lots of spices. Yet it has more of a gluten-like texture. Similar to Gardein, but maybe a little meatier.

If I can ever find this stuff around here, I'll surely buy it again. It made a quick week night stir-fry so much easier.

Now, here's Susan's review of the Vegetarian Ginger Chicken:

As Bianca can attest, every day around lunch time, there’s generally a line to use the microwave, and it’s usually something like: Frozen Meal, Frozen Meal, Bianca’s Lunch, Frozen Meal, Frozen Meal, etc.

In my early 20s, I subsisted on frozen meals (that and Diet Coke and Dentyne) but pretty much haven’t had them at all for about 15 years. Then, recently I bought a whole bunch in a 10-for-$10-fueled frenzy. And ... I didn’t think they tasted all that good. Bianca says her issue with most frozen meals is that they aren’t filling.

So that Vegetarian Ginger Chicken Bianca gave me to try? Good and filling.

The ginger-basil sauce, covering the large bits of soy chicken, is excellent. There are generous bits of real ginger in the sauce, and I’ve never encountered a processed meal that dared be so bold with its spiciness. Delicious all around.

Now about that filling part. I turned over the box to check out the nutritional info and saw that each serving is a mere 190 calories. Then I notice that there are 5 servings per 10-ounce box. In the movies, this is the part where they cue the sound effect of the needle being dragged across a record.

I suggest splitting it in two for dinner and lunch. The box suggests serving it with a salad, but I think some steamed broccoli would be just the thing.

Post Punk Kitchen Cookbook Challenge: Week Four

2011-10-12T22:00:00.004-05:00

Week four in the Post Punk Kitchen Cookbook Challenge makes use of another book I wish I'd pull down from the shelf more often — Vegan Soul Kitchen! Although author Bryant Terry has since moved away, he has Memphis roots and it shows in his down-home, comfort fare.

I had no idea today was National Gumbo Day when I made his Gumbo Z earlier this week! But the timing worked out perfectly!

This hearty stew is a vegan spin on gumbo z'herbes (also called gumbo zav), a meatless gumbo made with a mixture of fresh greens. It was traditionally eaten by Catholics who were abstaining from eating meat during Lent. This gumbo has collard greens, mustard greens, and spinach.

The recipe also called for kale, but the ghetto-ass Kroger by my house doesn't carry kale because I live in a food desert. I have to drive at least five blocks to find kale (and yes, this shows that I'm a spoiled urban gal who feels like any place I have to drive to is too far). But I digress ...

Anyway, this was an amazing gumbo! I've only ever had traditional gumbos made with okra and some form of meatless protein. But this stew was all veggie-based, and I'm certain I got my daily allowance for greens (and probably calcium) in one bowl.

On the side, I made the Quinoa-Quinoa Cornbread from Vegan Soul Kitchen:

You're supposed to use quinoa flour and cornmeal, but I didn't want to spend the big bucks on a bag of quinoa flour that I'd never use again. So I subbed 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for the 1/2 cup quinoa flour. However, the cornbread was still super quinoa-y, thanks to the toasted quinoa grains. You don't cook them. You just toast them, and they impact a magical, nutty flavor. Also, agave nectar makes the cornbread pretty sweet, and it reminded me a little of Jiffy. But a super-healthy Jiffy! I prefer sweet cornbread.

What'd you eat on National Gumbo Day (it's okay if it wasn't gumbo ...)?

Farm Vegan Retreat, Part Three

2011-10-11T21:45:00.008-05:00

Over the past couple of days, I've been sharing pictures from my weekend Vegan Retreat on the Farm in Summertown, Tennessee. The retreat began Friday night with a dinner and went all day Saturday with cooking demonstrations, yoga, and a Farm tour.

On Saturday night, the retreat attendees attended the wedding reception of Rick and Rose at the Farm Community Center.

Rick is a part-time Farm resident, and he used to work for the Book Publishing Company. In fact, he was the first person I met at BPC when he would send me books to review on this blog. Now, the Book Publishing Company is publishing my cookbook, and if it wasn't for me forming a friendship with Rick, I might have never decided to send them a proposal. Rose, his awesome new wife, is a ball of positive energy. I had the pleasure of meeting her at my last vegan retreat in February, and she's just as fun as can be.

The two spontaneously got hitched on a recent vacation to Hawaii, but they held their reception with all their Farm friends back home. To celebrate, there was a lovely vegan spread prepared by the Farm's fantabulous cook, Roberta. Here's the Spinach Dip:

And an ADORABLE heart-shaped block of Uncheese!! Not sure what recipe this is, but I feel certain it's from Joanne Stepaniak's The Uncheese Cookbook:

And check out these perfectly roasted Sweet Potatoes:

When I was at the Farm last February, I demonstrated how to make my BBQ Tempeh and Carrot Sliders. Rick and Rose requested the recipe to serve at their reception!! Here's a slider stuffed onto my plate of veggie sushi (made by the retreat class), crackers, uncheese, and dip:

The night before the reception, Rick and Rose made a Vegan Wedding Cake using one of Fran Costigan's recipes from More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts. Sadly, Paul and I had to leave for Memphis before the cake was cut since we had a 3 1/2 hour drive home. I'm sure it was delectable!

Just as we were headed out the door, a few of the Farm's musicians formed a little jam session! Cute!

Anyway, that's all for my Farm Vegan Retreat recap. Back to regularly scheduled Mofo-ing tomorrow!

Farm Vegan Retreat, Part Two

2011-10-10T22:12:00.012-05:00

Yesterday, I filled y'all in on the happenings and food sampling on Friday night and Saturday morning at the Farm's second Vegan Retreat. Now I'll go into what happened after lunch.

When we returned from the Farm tour, I got to work on my cooking demos. I showed attendees how to make my Creole Steamed Sausages, Vegan Pimento Cheese, and Tomato Salad, all recipes from my vegan Southern cookbook. Here I am stirring the tomato salad:

Here's my Creole Steamed Sausages, all fried up, cut up, and ready to serve:

And a tiny Vegan Pimento Cheese Sandwich:

And a small scoop of my Tomato Salad. Somehow I managed not to get many tomatoes on my plate, but I assure you they were in there. Also, you may be wondering why I'd make such a summer-y salad in the fall. Well, it's still in the 80s here, and our tomato plants are booming. My home plant has nearly 30 little tomatoes on it, and I hope it stays warm long enough for them to ripen. By the way, you can find the recipe for this salad here on the Jazzy Vegetarian website, but you have to scroll down the page to see it.

After my demos, Douglas showed us how to make his Raw Crackers. Douglas is, by far, the BEST raw cracker maker in the world. I've had a lot of raw crackers in my day, and his are just phenomenal. He uses a mixture of nuts and seeds, ground up in the food processor, and mixed with cumin, salt, and tomatoes.

Douglas also showed us the old-school Farm way to make seitan, or gluten as they call it there. Basically, it's old high gluten flour method where you knead and rinse the dough in water over and over until it runs clear. That's the way I always did it when I first went vegan. It might seem to be pain in the ass these days, when seitan can easily be made from vital wheat gluten flour or purchased pre-made in the store. But this stuff is so much more tender and delicious. It's worth the work:

Then Douglas made the Indian street snack, Bhel Puri. I'd never tried this before, and it was unlike anything I'd had before — crumbled Ramen (you KNOW I loved that), spicy mint chutney, unsweetened puffed rice, garam masala, tomatoes, and some other spices. I'll certainly be making this again!

And finally, Douglas showed us how to make his simple Raw Raspberry Truffles. These are just made with freeze-dried raspberry powder, dates, raw cacao powder, and a little agave. And then they're rolled into coconut:

After dessert, we all made Veggie Sushi to take to a party on Saturday night at the Farm. Farm resident Rick was in town with his new married partner Rose, and they were having a tropical wedding reception in the Farm's Community Center. Here's Ebony, our class's master sushi roller, cutting the sushi:

And here's our Veggie Sushi, all plated and ready to go. Inside each roll is avocado, carrot, bell pepper, and cucumber!

I'll be back tomorrow with one final Farm Vegan Retreat post on the delicious eats at Rick and Rose's wedding party!