Chicago Veggie Fest

This weekend, I did a couple of food demos and booksignings at Chicago Veggie Fest. It's about a nine-hour drive (ten hours with pee stops), so Paul and I road-tripped it up there. This was, by far, the largest VegFest I've ever attended. There were soooo many people.

Since it was hosted by the Science of Spirituality Center (a meditation center), the fest had a bit of a spiritual bent to it, which was quite unlike other festivals I've attended. There was a meditation tent, and the keynote speaker was His Holiness Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj. Also, the fest wasn't totally vegan. Some vegetarian food was offered in the food court area, but vegan food was more prevalent. Chicago has a more vegan culture-centric VegFest in September called VeganMania.

Look how crowded it was when we first arrived! And yes, that's Paul in the right foreground. 

On Saturday, I had the first demo. I made my Eggless Tofu Olive Salad from Cookin' Crunk. Here I am mashing the tofu up with my hands. I wish those Porta-Pottys didn't show up in the background!!

Here's a slightly out-of-focus shot of me passing out samples.

After my demo, I met Warren from the Book Publishing Company (my publisher) and he sold books while I signed. I met some awesome dedicated blog readers! And I made some new friends.

Once that was over, I was famished! Paul and I hit up the food court for lunch. There were so many options, but I was craving carbs. So I went for the Soy Chicken, Veggie Noodle, and Rice dish from the China Palace booth.

This was really yummy. The "chicken" was really textured and meaty, and it was swimming in a sweet-and-sour chili sauce. The noodles reminded of the not-so-vegan lo mein that I still miss, but these were marked as a vegan item. Also, carbs for the win.

Paul got the Cajun Carribean Chicken from another booth. It was deep-fried and amazing! Also very meaty. I was little jealous, so I proposed that we share (and by share, I mean, let me half of yours but you can only have a few bites of mine).

I signed books again for awhile at the Book Publishing Company's tent, and I spent a little time wandering around and sampling all the freebies. Teese was there with Dandies samples. And Follow Your Heart was making quesadilla samples with their new shredded cheese. We were especially impressed with the samples of Phood protein powder. Paul even bought a $40 tub of the stuff to take home!

On Sunday, it was time to do it all over! My demo was at 3 p.m. on Sunday, so I hit up the food court before my demo. I found a vendor selling Vegan Sausage Pizza. Wow! This was really good. The crust was chewy and tender at the same time, and they were very generous with the cheesy toppings (they used Daiya). My slice was hot and fresh out of the oven.

For my demo, I made Creole Steamed Sausages from Cookin' Crunk. Here I am talking about my favorite Cajun seasoning — Slap Ya Mama.

I signed books outside the demo tent again afterward. And then I moved to the Book Publishing Company tent to sign more. Other BPC authors presented and signed at the fest too. Jennifer Cornbleet (Raw Food Made Easy), Caroline Marie Dupont (Enlightened Eating), and Miyoko Schinner (Artisan Vegan Cheese) were there. Miyoko was in the tent Sunday afternoon when I was, so we snapped pics together. She is pretty much the goddess of vegan cheese!!

Since we were driving home Sunday night, we had to leave the fest around 5 p.m. in order to make it back to Memphis at a decent time. But before we hit the road, I had to eat one more meal from the food court — Masala Dosa! This crispy dosa was served with sambar, masala filling, and a coconut chutney.

Chicago Veggie Fest was such fun! I'm so thankful my publisher invited me. Check back in tomorrow because I'll be posting about the vegan and vegan-friendly places we visited when we weren't at the fest.

Match Meat Burger Review

I've been hearing about MATCH Meats for a few years now. And when I saw they were featured in a number of recipes in Betty Goes Vegan, I got super sad that MATCH isn't sold in Memphis. I'd heard it was an amazingly realistic plant meat, and I'm a vegan-meat-and-potatoes kind of gal. I like my plant meat to taste like, well, meat.

But then MATCH emailed me a few weeks ago to ask if I'd review some samples of their products. Hell yeah! When they said "samples," I had no idea I'd get all of this!!!

Look at all this fake meat (I know some vegans don't like the phrase "fake meat," but I'm owning it)! I'm set for months!

I'll be breaking reviews of these meats into multiple posts as I try things. But of course, I tried the burgers first because these aren't just any old vegan burger. These are stuffed burgers!

Out of the whole "sample" haul, I was probably most excited for the Vegan Stuffed Pimiento Burger. In my cheese-eating days, I loved pimiento cheese, and I've created a tasty (and healthier) vegan version for my cookbook. This MATCH burger is freakin' stuffed with pimiento cheese.

I'd never had a stuffed burger (meaty or vegan) in my life, so this was a new concept. But I'm a sucker for anything with surprise center. The creamiest vegan pimiento cheese mushed out of these little guys, and I was scared to push my bun down for fear of losing my cheese. It's made from Tofutti vegan sour cream, Daiya, and some other stuff, and it really tastes like pimiento cheese. Oh, and the meaty part was delicious too. It was very realistic. I'd say this plant protein rivals Gardein for the meatiest, most realistic vegan burger.

Next I tried the Vegan Stuffed Mushroom Burger.

Also wonderful! Same great burger meat but stuffed with a creamy mix of porcini mushrooms in a vegan cream cheese sauce. It really has that wild mushroom taste. I topped mine with avocado and a slice of Daiya Swiss.

These are the only two MATCH products I've tried so far, but judging by how perfect these were, I'm certain MATCH will become my new favorite plant meat. I wish I could buy this stuff in Memphis, but it looks like it is sold on Pangea and Vegan Essentials.

Stay tuned for future MATCH meat reviews. And just FYI: I'm heading to Chicago Veggie Fest this weekend, where I'll be signing books and doing a couple of food demos on Saturday and Sunday, along with Miyoko Schinner, Jennifer Cornbleet, and lots of other vegan authors and chefs. Come see me if you're in the area. And if not, I'll be posting plenty of Veggie Fest pics when I return on Monday.

Endless Crunk Summer

Summer is filled with potlucks, picnics, and bountiful trips to the farmer's markets. Even though we're trying to stay in shape for our bathing suits, we're also indulging in delicious summer fare.

Many of the recipes in Cookin' Crunk are perfect for summer! I have lots of recipes that call for seasonal summer produce and others that are meant to be served at picnics and summer potlucks. I've made two of those dishes this week!

Today my office held our annual summer party. Work let out at noon, and we headed downstairs for a cookout on the loading dock, where we typically load newspapers into delivery trucks. There were coolers of beer, burgers (and yes, they grilled some vegan Boca burgers), grilled veggies, and lots of potluck-style sides. I brought the Dillweed Potato Salad from Cookin' Crunk:

This cool, vegan, mayo-based salad is loaded with tender red potatoes (I recommend cooking them a little al dente so they don't get mushy), fresh dill, celery, red onion, and green olives.

Also this week, I made the Harvest Crowder Pea Soup from Cookin' Crunk:

Every year about this time, our farmer's markets are stocked with all sorts of fresh peas — black-eyed peas, purple-hull peas, lady peas, and my fave, crowder peas. Crowders are like bigger, not-as-mushy black-eyed peas. They're perfect in this soup made with fresh basil, carrots, celery, onions, and veggie broth.

I hate to think that summer is almost over. So I won't. I'll just keep living it up with summery meals for as long as possible and pretend like fall and winter will never come.

Magical Coconut Cookie Bars

Tonight was National Night Out, when neighborhoods across the country hold block parties to get to know one another and their local police officers in an effort to combat crime. For the past couple years, my neighbor Randy has been holding a National Night Out event for my little street at his place. We gather on his porch and driveway, drink beer, snack, and gossip. The cops usually stop by and say hi.
This year, I brought a plate of Magical Coconut Cookie Bars from Vegan Cookies Take Over the World. There are layers of graham cracker crumbs, coconut-caramel, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, and walnuts.

None of my neighbors are vegan, but everyone who tried one raved. And as always happens when you feed omnis delicious vegan desserts, conversations about veganism are sparked. I've noticed a shift in the last several years in the way omnis react to vegans. People don't think it's all that weird anymore. You tell someone you're vegan or that the cookie in their mouth is cruelty-free and they say, "I'm trying to eat less meat." or "I use soymilk in my cereal." or "I'd like to be vegan, but ..."

I love that! I love that veganism is mainstream and even impressive to folks. That means we're one step closer to world veganization. That means we're one step closer to saving more and more precious animal lives.

Anyway, the bars were delicious. I made 'em at my mama's house last night, and she measured out all of the ingredients for me and put them in baggies. Oh, and she did the dishes while I stirred and baked. I felt like I was on a cooking show. Baking is way better when someone else does most of the work. Thanks Mama Crunk!

This Beer Tastes Like Doughnuts

Remember when I went to Portland in May for Vida Vegan Con and bought a box of 13 Voodoo Doughnuts to enjoy over the course of five days — all by myself? And I failed. I probably left four doughnuts in the box at my friend Joel's house when I left for my flight at 5 a.m. on the last day.

I let myself down with that failure to eat 13 doughnuts in five days. I love doughnuts more than just about any other food on earth (okay, I probably love ramen and pizza just a little more). I'm still mad that I wasted those last remaining doughnuts, especially since goddess only knows how long it will be before I can have Voodoo Doughnuts again.

But there is hope, my friends. Hope for a brighter jelly-stuffed, doughnut-filled future. Why is that? Well, my favorite dessert and my favorite beverage (beer) just had a baby, and the Memphis Cash Saver (home of the best/cheapest craft beer selection in Midtown) has plenty in stock. Introducing Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Beer!

Yes, you read that right. It's Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Ale! And Cash Saver has a whole cooler devoted to it. It's almost Elvis Week in Memphis, and Elvis loved his PB & 'Nanner Sandwiches.

The beer doesn't taste exactly like a doughnut. You'll need 360 Glazed Doughnuts Vodka for that (and yes, that stuff tastes EXACTLY like the fried sugary pastries). But the notes of chocolate and banana shine in this stout. The peanut butter flavor is more subtle, but it's there. I found that I tasted the peanut butter more in the aftertaste. And it also smells lightly of PB.

Like all Rogue beer, this stuff is damn delicious. It's no Voodoo Doughnut, but it's the closest thing I can get to one in Memphis. Maybe if I drink enough of this, I can stop feeling like a doughnut failure.

Vegan Food for Your Next Kegger

You know how there are some cookbook authors you just wanna be besties with? You read their recipe intros, titles, and snarky instructions and you think, "We were meant to be friends." That's how I feel about Alex Brown and Evan George, authors of the Hot Knives food blog and the bros behind the new full-color, photo-heavy party food book, Lust for Leaf: Veggie Crowd-Pleasers To Fuel Your Picnics, Potlucks, and Ragers.

I've always been one of those girls who'd rather hang out with the dudes and drink beer than do some girly stuff like shopping or pedicures. And I'm fairly certain Alex and George can throw a hell of a party. Kegstand anyone? Their new cookbook Lust for Leaf is filled with vegan party foods that will impress the shit out of your guests. Now, I should tell y'all now that this is a vegetarian cookbook, not a vegan one. So there are some cheesy recipes. But all vegan recipes are labeled with a big ole "V," and there are many, many mouthwatering vegan recipes. So many, in fact, that I had a hard time deciding what to try first.

But being the Dirty South girl that I am, I finally settled on these Oyster Po'Boys:

These are beer-battered, double-fried oyster mushrooms on a bed of shredded cabbage, topped with Radish Remoulade, hot sauce, and tucked into a two slices of soft French bread. This was amazing! You don't just fry the oyster mushrooms once, but TWICE! And there's a little note on the side of the recipe that says this: "Do you really need to saute AND fry these fuckers twice? Oh yes you do." So on that note, I did. And it was worth it. Frying twice made these little mushrooms so crispy. I've never had real oysters, but I'd imagine they'd be similar to this.

Oh, and that remoulade is homemade! The recipe is in the book. But it's basically Vegenaise, radishes, and chives, and it has an awesome pink hue.

Also, each recipe comes with a suggested adult beverage and a suggested song. This one should be served with Brewdog's "Tokyo" (an aged oak stout) while you listen to "Rebel, Rebel" by David Bowie.

Since this was a fairly fatty sandwich, I opted for a really healthy side. I made the Summer Sweater salad dressing:

Paul and I grow our own habaneros, and this salad dressing calls for two. Plus, it also has garlic, scallions, fresh oregano, orange zest, and oil. The habaneros are toasted, which takes some of the intense heat away. But it's still a tad spicy. Quite possibly the best salad dressing ever.

Lust for Leaf makes me want to throw a wild and crazy party. I can just see the menu now: Kaleslaw (kale salad with a lemon verbana-Dijon dressing), Awesome Blossoms (vegan potato-stuffed squash blossoms with a creamy sauce), Backpack Banh Mi (seitan banh mi sandwiches with homemade pickles), Kill Your Idols Cornbread, Falafel Salad, Artichoke Hummus, and HK Hot Dogs (homemade vegan hot dogs!).

There are plenty of vegan desserts in here too — Strawberry Hibiscus Sorbet, HK Vanilla Wafers, Spiced Pecan Pie. And my personal fave — Booze Holes!!!!!! Yep, vegan doughnut holes made with nuts and alcohol. I'll definitely make these for my next potluck!

Bowls Are Better Than Plates

Who doesn't love protein, grains, veggies, and sauce layered in a bowl? The same meal on a plate just isn't the same. Maybe that's a vegan thing. I don't know. But vegans love bowls.

There are endless combination possibilities — black beans and rice, tofu and quinoa, tempeh and farro. You can totally go crazy! Since I tend to hoard dry beans and grains, bowls are perfect for those nights when I really need to save some money and use up the food in my overflowing pantry. That's how I dreamed up this Chickpea-Amaranth-Squash Bowl with Tahini Sauce and Avocado:

I had some dried chickpeas in the pantry, so I soaked and cooked those. I had a brand new bag of Bob's Red Mill Amaranth that came in my swag bag at Vida Vegan Con. I found the summer squash and 8-ball zucchini at the Memphis Farmers Market. And my pantry is never without tahini, so I made the Creamy Tahini Sauce from Cookin' Crunk (the recipe for that is at the end of this post in case you don't have my book).

Here's the recipe!

Chickpea-Amaranth-Squash Bowl with Tahini Sauce and Avocado
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1/2 cup cooked amaranth (cooked according to package instructions)
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup steamed summer squash or zucchini
2 Tbsp. Creamy Tahini Sauce from Cookin' Crunk (recipe below)
Soy sauce, to taste
1/2 avocado, sliced
Sriracha, to taste

In a deep bowl, layer the amaranth, chickpeas, and squash. Top with tahini sauce and as much soy sauce as desired. Top with avocado slices. Season liberally with sriracha.



Creamy Tahini Sauce (from Cookin' Crunk)
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1/3 cup roasted sesame tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Water, to thin

Place the tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, and garlic powder into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir well to incorporate. If the tahini seems too thick, you might want to mix the ingredients in a food processor or blender. If using this as a creamy topping, you may want to thin it out with a little water. Add a few tablespoons at a time to the blender or bowl and incorporate until desired consistency is reached.