Indian Without the Effort

I just love Indian food. Hell, I went vegetarian in 1994 after my first exposure to Hindu culture and Indian food. But I rarely ever make it at home. So many spices, so much effort. But a local Germantown woman, Sharon Fernandes, has taken the hard work out of Indian cooking with her new line of Indian meal starters, Stonehouse 27.

My editor Susan Ellis wrote a great article in our paper, the Memphis Flyer, about Fernandes' line. You can read that here. Plus, Susan sent me home with a jar of Stonehouse 27 Cilantro & Coconut Sauce to try for myself.

Four of the six flavors are vegan, and all are made with agave nectar rather than refined sugar. They're gluten-free, low-sodium, and all-natural. And even though Fernandes lives in Germantown, a suburb of Memphis, her sauces are now available in 1,400 stores in six states. In Memphis, it's sold at Whole Foods, Miss Cordelia's, and Fresh Market.

I decided to try my Cilantro & Coconut Sauce mixed with Fried Tofu, Cauliflower, and English Peas:

The jar is labeled "mild," and it's not lying. I like a lot of spice in my Indian food (well, in my every food), so I quickly beefed this up with a generous amount of crushed red pepper and sriracha. The low-sodium part also wasn't lying. But that was easily remedied with a couple of teaspoons of sea salt.

Once the sauce was seasoned to my liking, it was quite delicious. Mixed with the tofu and veggies, it tasted as though I'd been simmering my own sauce for hours. It's no wonder considering the ingredients — real onions, tomatoes, and cilantro, coconut milk, GMO-free canola oil, green chilies, ginger, and Fernandes' secret blend of 27 spices (hence the name).

Would I buy it? Probably, if I felt like splurging. It rings up at $5.49 a jar, which is a bit out of my price range for one item. The price would be better off at, say, $3.99. I could deal with that. But I am itching to try the other vegan flavors — Tamarind & Garlic, Tomato & Chilies, and, Dates & Tamarind — so I may have to shell out the big bucks.

Just An Average Tuesday: A Food Diary

I typically post pictures of one or two dishes from one meal of the day, whether that was a hearty breakfast, a yummy lunch, or a decadent dinner. But I don't cook everyday. Some days, I just eat leftovers and convenience foods. Today was just an average Tuesday. No cooking, just easy food. Here's a recap.

As all Tuesdays go, this one began with my alarm going off at 7 a.m. I woke up, took a shower, and stumbled into the kitchen to dine on Whole Wheat Bagels with Tofutti Cream Cheeze, Strawberry Preserves, and Zucchini Marmalade (from local Dodson's Farm):

I also had a sliced Anjou Pear since I'm really trying to stop neglecting the fruit group:

By 9 a.m., I was pulling into my office at the Memphis Flyer, the alt-weeky paper where I work as a reporter and an associate editor. Tuesdays are deadline days for us since our weekly hits the stands every Wednesday. I spent the morning editing copy, and by lunch I was famished. As always on Tuesdays, deadlines forced me to enjoy my lunch at my desk. I heated a bowl of Annie Chun's Udon Soup:

And some leftover Spicy Greens from Happy Herbivore:

Remember that big ole conversation heart cake I got for Valentine's? I packed a generous slice in my lunchbag to enjoy in the afternoon. I ate this while I wrapped up my duties for the Wednesday paper:

After we finished the issue, I headed home to hop on Falcor (that's what I've named my new bike, a sweet-ass Electra ladies' cruiser) for a quick ride to Overton Park before losing daylight. It was 64 degrees out today! Goodbye stupid winter! When I returned, I took my doggie Datsun and my friend's doggie Bayli for a quick walk through the 'hood.

Then I whipped up a quick dinner of a Veggie Dog with Sauerkraut and Dijon and some of the baked Chili-Lime Corn Chips from Happy Herbivore:

Today was "Trubie Tuesday" (that's "True Blood Tuesday" for the uninitiated), so I had to hurry. Every week, the bitches gather at our friend Shara's house to watch Sookie, Vampire Bill, Eggs, and all those crazy vampires and fangbangers. I typically munch on food at Shara's too, as there's always snacks. But I avoided the munchies tonight because I figured I had all the extra calories I needed in that cake earlier.

Anyway, now I'm at home blogging. When I'm done, I'll prep lunch and dinner for tomorrow night (packing my lunch bag, chopping dinner veggies, etc.). Then I'll go to bed and start all over. Goodnight, y'all.

Vegan Mofo: Thanksgiving at the Office

Almost every year, my company hosts a Thanksgiving lunch a few days before we get off for the actual holiday. Some years, we do a potluck. But this year, the company ordered a catered lunch from Corky's, a local barbecue joint (for the record, the 'cue joint served traditional Thanksgiving food). We have at least six vegetarians at the office, two of whom are vegan (including me!). In case you're wondering, I write for an alt-weekly, The Memphis Flyer.

Corky's doesn't offer any vegan food. Thankfully, I was lookin' for an excuse to cook up my Tofurky Vegetarian Feast, which Turtle Island Foods offered me for free in exchange for a blog review. So I spent last night and this morning cooking up the contents of the feast box — one Tofurky roast (now 20% larger!), one package of Tofurky Giblet Gravy, and an Amy's Chocolate Cake. I also whipped up an extra side dish and dessert.

Now I've had Tofurky plenty of Thanksgiving's before, but in recent years I've switched to Field Roast's Celebration Roast (nothing against Tofurky ... I was just trying to switch things up from year to year). I was excited to give the Tofurky roast another try, cooked up with an olive oil/soy sauce/sage baste and some chopped white potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots and onions:

I've always loved Tofurky, but I swear it was tastier than it used to be. The texture seemed more tender, and the taste was more, um, turkey-like. Another co-worker commented that it tasted better than she remembered too. If you haven't had a Tofurky in awhile, try it again and see what you think. I think they've changed the recipe for the better. Several of my omni co-workers tried (and liked) the Tofurky as well, and my boss even called it "passable."

Though I didn't photograph the "giblet" gravy, it was also included in the feast box. I'd never it tried before, and it was pretty darn delicious for a frozen heat-and-serve gravy. Tasted homemade.

The box also included an Amy's Organic Chocolate Cake:

Now I've seen these advertised in VegNews, and I've noticed the frozen loaf-size cakes in Whole Foods. But I rarely ever buy pre-made desserts. I figure if I'm gonna splurge on sugar calories, they better be from something homemade. But y'all, this cake is fan-freakin-tastic. OMG. You just take it out of the freezer, thaw for a few hours, and voila. No baking involved. The cake is so, so moist. You could even eat this stuff with a spoon. It reminded me of cake batter, but in solid form. I ate one piece at work and finished off another two pieces later. I wish I had more right now. Thankfully, the feast box comes with coupons for more cake.

I asked other vegetarians in the office to contribute a dish to our alternative feast if they wanted and Hannah (the other vegan) brought a yummy veggie pot pie with phyllo crust. Very fancy. She was worried that it would taste like poop, but it was delicious! Sheryl brought some savory wild rice that really hit the spot. I wish I'd snapped a photo of both dishes, but by the time I saw their food, I was more concerned with eating than taking pictures. I did snap a plate shot, but it came out blurry. Boo.

To make sure we had enough food, I also brought my Hungry Jill Casserole — a baked bean and biscuit dish topped with Daiya:

And I made some Chocolate Pecan Tarts:

The tarts aren't quite where I want them yet, but they're almost there. I figure if I tweak the recipe one more time, I'll have a winner. Both the casserole and tarts will be included in my cookbook.

Several of us herbivores sat together at the company lunch. Here's Susan and Mark, enjoying their cruelty-free fare:

After lunch, Hannah and I fought over the Tofurky Jurky Wishstix:

This cute jerky "wishbone" was also included in the feast box. I'm not sure who won, but Hannah managed to score the bigger half. I think that means she won. Cheater. :-) By the way, check out my festive and seasonally-appropriate "Save a Turkey, Eat Tofu" shirt.

What do you serve as your Thanksgiving centerpiece?