Teese Test

As if to taunt me at the start of my local eating project, my shipment of Teese arrived just as I was beginning my week-long challenge. Though I was super-elated to see those long, round tubes of supposedly melty vegan mozzerella, I knew it was hands off until my locavore week was complete.

But now that I'm back on regular eats (food miles and all), I've ripped open the Teese and put it to the test. I'm probably the last vegan blogger to try this new "cheese" product, so bare with me. Inspired by Melisser's (of The Urban Housewife) Teese tests, I started with a Grilled Teese Sandwich:


Now, I recall her Teese being a little meltier than this, but she made hers in a sandwich press. I used a plain old skillet. As you can see, the sliced Teese has retained its original shape, though it did begin to soften as though it was starting to melt. While frying the grilled cheese, I topped the skillet with a lid to trap in moisture.

I seem to remember someone on some blog (maybe Jess of Get Sconed) saying that Teese melts best when shredded or cut into tiny bits. And that's probably where I messed up here, since I sliced mine pretty thick.

But regardless of its melty factor, Teese is delicious! Way better than Vegan Rella, and similar in taste to Follow Your Heart mozzerella. But it's flavor is a tad bit more buttery, and that was an excellent complement to the melted Earth Balance on my grilled Teese sandwich. Next I will try the famed Teese Pizza.

By the way, I need to thank my Daddy for ordering the Teese. He placed an order with Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe several weeks ago. Here's the whole stash:


My dad actually picked all this stuff out by himself. I have the best dad in the world! He's not even close to being vegan, but he knows what I like — Tings, two tubes of Teese, two Cashew Pecan Nut Butter Balls, one Almond Nut Butter Ball, Stonewall's Mild Veggie Jerquee, Primal Strips Shitake Mushroom Hot & Spicy Jerky, Primal Strips Soy Hickory Smoked Jerky, Larabar Jocalat Chocolate Coffee Bar, and two bumper stickers for my new car (pictured below).

In tribute to the SHAC7:


Because it's true:

Mission Accomplished

Unlike our stupid president, I actually mean "Mission Accomplished" when I say it. The local food project has ended ... um, a little ahead of schedule. I was going to eat local through Friday afternoon since I started last Friday. But when I came home from walking my dog, this was in my oven:


It's fried hominy, and I did not cook it. My wonderful neighbor Wes did. While I was out, he texted me to say he'd cooked me a dinner of hominy, corn, and white beans, and he placed the plate in the oven to stay warm. He has a key to my apartment, so he must have snuck in while Datsun (my dog) and I were out on our walk.

I LOVE Wes's hominy. I never liked hominy until I met him, but I guess it's because I'd never had it prepared right. So I wasn't about to turn down a free meal of one of my favorite foods! Even if that did mean ending my local eating project ahead of schedule. I just love Wes! He's the best neighbor ever! He pets sits and keeps my babies stocked in dog and cat treats! And he makes delicious food!

Along with the hominy were hearty white beans:


And sweet corn:


I also steamed some local broccoli to go along with the meal because I'm leaving for Nashville tomorrow to visit the Dutchman. I didn't want the broccoli to go bad over the weekend:


And well, since I'd already broken my local rules, I decided to go ahead and quell my chocolate lust with this Liz Lovely Mochadamia Mountain Cookie!


I only had a small bite because half the cookie is 10 grams of fat. But wow! I think this is my favorite cookie ever! It's so soft and chocolate-y with a hint of coffee flavor. I only found one small macadamia nut in the bite I took, but it was flavorful and crunchy...just like a macadamia nut should be.

Kohlrabi Krazy!

I picked up a batch of kohlrabi at the farmer's market on Saturday, and though I'd heard of it, I'd never eaten it ... until tonight. Kohlrabi's not much in the looks department with it's weird tentacle-ish leaves and bulbous root. It's like some kind of bizarre alien crop. See for yourself:


I sliced the bulb and chopped up the leaves for my Local Kohlrabi and Bok Choy Stir-Fry tonight:


And it's actually pretty tasty. Well, at least the bulb is tasty...a little like cabbage with a hint of turnip flavor. But the leaves are very bitter. Probably the most bitter green I've ever eaten.

Once seasoned with soy sauce (and yes, I know that's not local, but I consider soy sauce a seasoning ... and I'm making exceptions for seasonings), the bitter taste was masked. I also tossed in local baby bok choy, squash, carrots, Farm Soy tofu, and garlic (from Granny's garden). Served with Riceland brown rice, it really fulfilled my Chinese food cravings....now if I only could find some local chocolate...

Southern Charm

I hate a lot of things about the South — racism, poverty, stupid white trash people at Wal-Mart with no shoes and too many babies. But there's so much more to love — warm temperatures all winter, Southern accents, mint juleps, fans on the porch, polite strangers, and well, the food.

Tonight's local fare was about as Southern as it gets (sans the fried chicken and barbecue of course). For starters, I had a heaping portion of purple hull peas:


At the start of my local eating project, my Granny gave me several freezer bags of peas that she froze last season. In case you don't know, purple hull peas taste and look similar to black-eyed peas.

On the side, I steamed kale and turnips from the farmer's market:


And I baked a sweet potato (also from Granny) and topped it with Farm Soy yogurt and onions from the farmer's market:


Here's the whole plate:


For lunch, I made Local Tomato-Basil Rice Soup:


I used a jar of local tomatoes that Granny canned last season and pureed them with about four giant basil leaves (if using a smaller leaf, I'd suggest using five or six) and some garlic. Then, I added brown Riceland rice (grown in the Southern region). Not pictured is the salad I had on the side. I figure ya'll are tired of looking at my salad pictures.

By the way, I've been tagged by the lovely Romina to name five things about myself. It'll be my third time doing this, so hopefully, I can think of some new stuff.

1. As much as I love the food and culture of the South now, I used to despise it. As a young child, I thought growing up in Arkansas made me a hick, and I so wished I'd been born somewhere cool like California or New York. I got rid of my accent at a very early age. Now I let it slip through sometimes though.

2. I use Arbonne cosmetics and Lush bath and face products. I'm sooo in love with Lush, and Memphis has one of the few stores nationwide. All Arbonne products are vegan and most Lush ones are. The ones that aren't contain honey and are clearly marked.

3. My dad just built me a new computer desk, completely from scratch and all by himself! I'm sitting at it right now, and it's beautiful. It looks like something you'd buy in a furniture store, but it's way better because it was made with love!

4. I'm kind of a bad vegan when I eat out at restaurants. Not always, but if I'm somewhere where the options are slim, I'm willing to overlook margarine. Also, I never ask if veggie items are cooked in the same grease/pan/grill as the meat items. Honestly, I don't want to know. And I think being too anal about these things make veganism unappealing and unattainable for any non-vegans I may be dining with. My goal is to change everyone!

5. I work out at the gym at least 4 times a week. Some nights, I do spinning classes. Other nights, it's yoga or Latin dance class. Tonight, it was boxing. I can do a mean knockout punch.

And I'm tagging:
Kate at The Federal Vegan
Marisa at The True and Tall Tales of My Fantastic and Brilliant Life
Jessy at Happy Vegan Face

Happy Memorial Day!

Well, I guess Memorial Day is actually almost over, but hope you guys had a happy one! My friend Greg and I grilled some local squash from the farmer's market today. Here's Greg hard at work:


You might notice two veggie burgers in the background. I couldn't help it. I know they're not local, but it's a freakin' holiday and the official beginning of the summer grilling season. But I gotta say, the local squash was the highlight of the meal. See how much I'm enjoying it here:


I did stick to my local food rules for lunch when I made this giant garden salad:


It's a mixture of baby lettuces, arugala, snap peas, French Breakfast radishes, organic cucumbers, carrots, green onion, toasted pecans, and tofu. Very satisfying! And though it's not pictured, I had a big ol' bowl of peaches and strawberries for a mid-afternoon snack.

Eat Fresh

I think it's funny that Subway's motto is "Eat Fresh." I mean, granted, Subway's options are way fresher than, say, McDonald's. But seriously, who knows where their produce comes from? Who know how many chemicals are sprayed all over that stuff? Ick. Then again, I'm not going to stop eating at Subway, so...but for this week of local eating, I'm experiencing food at its freshest. Take my breakfast this morning, for example:


It doesn't get much fresher than organic, local strawberries served over Farm Soy soygurt (produced on The Farm, which is 3 hours from Memphis). Though the soybeans used for the yogurt come from Missouri, that's still pretty darn close (it is outside my 300 mile limit, but I figured I could make an exception for soy products ... a girl's gotta have her protein, you know).

Speaking of local breakfasts, I started my local food week with fried grit sticks using Delta Grind grits (produced and grown in Oxford, Mississippi):


Also on Friday, I made a Sweet Potato Saute with Squash and Fresh Basil and served with Riceland brown rice (also one my stretch items ... but it's grown within a small region in the South including Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi). I tossed toasted pecans from my Uncle Dale's pecan farm into the rice:


After hitting the market on Saturday morning, I threw together this delicious Strawberry Arugala and Baby Spring Salad with Toasted Pecans and Radishes:


And last night, I baked some Farm Soy tofu and tossed it with Swiss Chard:


In case you're wondering, I am allowing for spices, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to allow for salad dressings, cooking oil, and seasoning.

The Locavore Project

A "locavore," the New Oxford American Dictionary's word of year for 2007, is someone who eats food grown as close to their home as possible. Some locavores grow their own food. Other shop at farmer's market or hit up pick-your-own patches. Eating local reduces the miles from food to plate, and produce tends to be more nutritious when eaten soon after picking. Though I try to eat as much local food as possible during the growing season, I'm far from the strict mileage standards put in place by many locavores. Until now.

Beginning yesterday, I'm trying out a locavore diet for one week. I'll be writing about the experience in the newspaper I work for, The Memphis Flyer. So I'll save the pitfalls and details for the printed edition (hint: This means NO chocolate!). And I'll share the link with you guys when the story hits the web. But of course, I can't resist sharing the pics right away.

This morning, I stocked up at the Memphis Farmer's Market. I'm sticking to foods grown in a 300-mile radius, but I want to get as much from as close to home as possible. I was worried that would mean living on salad greens and sweet potatoes since it's so early in the season. But I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of produce available at market this morning:


From left to right: Arugala, Baby Lettuce, Japanese Turnips, Snap Peas, Carrots (the sweetest, most delicious carrots I've ever eaten), Squash, and French Breakfast Radishes.


L to R: Kale, Baby Bok Choy, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Wild Vidalia Onions, and Kohlrabi.


L to R: Cabbage, Organic Cucumber, Broccoli.


L to R: Organic Strawberries, Peaches.