Vegan Guide to Bonnaroo 2014

For the fifth consecutive year, I'm heading to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee to shoot photos for the newspaper I work for, The Memphis Flyer. We'll be camping in the media area and spending time in the photo pits, getting up close to Elton John, Skrillex, Die Antwoord, Bouncing Souls, Janelle Monae, Zedd, and so many others!

My first year, I worried that I wouldn't find much to eat since the smaller fests I'd been to in the past hadn't been very kind to vegans. But Bonnaroo plays host to 90,000 people, many of whom are hippie folks from across the country. So I was relieved to find TONS of vegan options that year! Since then, I've blogged about my vegan finds at 'Roo here, here, here, and here. And here's a little collage I made with a sampling of vegan food from Bonnaroos past.

If you happen to be headed to Bonnaroo too, I've scoured this year's vendor menus to help you locate the vegan grub. Here's what I've found (and this is by no means an exhaustive list) that I plan to check out this year. By the way, everything vegan is clearly marked with a VN on Bonnaroo's vendor menu list.

* Feel Good Foods (Centeroo east) - BBQ soy curls, curried coconut tofu, tofu vindaloo, tofu scramble plate, kung pao tofu!!!
* Swagruha Indian Restaurant (Centeroo east) - vegetable samosa, channa masala bowl, tikka masala fries
* Dia De Los Tamales (north vendor row) - vegan spicy black bean & corn tamales!!
* Street Provisions (main venue north row) - vegan tamales!
* 2Sisters Foods (main venue north row) - portabella mushroom pita
* Pancho's Mexican Cafe (main venue north row) - vegan bean & rice burritos
* Bull's BBQ (food truck oasis) - smoked sweet potatoes!!!!!
* Grazing Here Food Truck (food truck oasis) - farmhouse vegan burger
* Phat Daddy's Cajun (Which stage) - red beans & rice
* Alpine (main venue carts) - vegan arepas
* Solar Cafe (campground pod 6) - vegan french toast
* Solar Cafe (campground pod 3) - tofu scramble wrap
* South Meets East Food Truck (campground pod 2) - teriyaki tofu burrito
* Goatocado (general store west) - quinoa bowls

Okay folks! See y'all again on Monday or Tuesday. I'm not sure if I'll blog as soon as I get back since the whole trip is always a little exhausting.

Random Stuff That Ended Up In My Belly

It's another photo dump night! Apparently, I've been dining out a lot lately because most of the pics I have to share tonight are from restaurant meals. Plus, I've already shown you what I've been making at home in recent cookbook review posts (stuff from Miyam's Vegan Kitchen and Everyday Vegan!).

Imagine Vegan Cafe, Memphis' totally vegan comfort food restaurant, just revamped their menu. Not only is the design way cuter, they've also introduced some new dishes. One of those is this Fire-Roasted Veggie Pasta with Garlic Bread that I ordered last week.

The tender spirals are coated in a garlicky white sauce and packed with all sorts of veggies (broccoli, pepper, carrots, kale, squash, whatever). Hopefully, this will please those folks who come to Imagine looking for more veggie-based dishes. Imagine focuses more on transition foods and plant meats, mostly because 1) those foods are the BESTEST and 2) many of their regulars are veg-curious and need transition foods. Even though I love Imagine's plant-meaty menu, I'm also a huge fan of this new pasta dish. The sauce is insanely good.

Also new on the menu is the Sheila Dog, a veggie dog topped with coleslaw, relish, onions, and vegan cheese. This is a variation on their Messy Dog, which has all that stuff plus chili. I had this last week with a side of Collard Greens.

There are some more new dishes that I've either eaten and failed to photograph or haven't had yet. But one of those is vegan chicken and waffles! What?! I'm sure I'll be eating that tomorrow night and a pic will be coming to this blog in the next photo dump!

From April through the first of June, there was a lovely pop-up beer garden at the old Tennessee Brewery across the street from my office. It's a gorgeous abandoned building that may be torn down at the end of the summer, and some folks brought craft beer and food trucks to the brewery's courtyard to celebrate the space. I often walked over there at lunch to grab vegan food during the work day. The Truck Stop food truck did wonders with avocado. One day, they had Rice with Veggies, Black Beans, and Avocado.

And another day, they were serving Loaded Avocados — one avocado split in two and topped with black beans, mushrooms, and strawberry-jalapeno salsa. I'm not sure why I've never thought of doing this at home, but I will start.

Speaking of Untapped, I've been using the plastic cups I collected from the beer garden for my morning smoothies. Yesterday for breakfast, I had the BEST smoothie of all time — almond milk, Justin's Maple Almond Butter, banana, and French Vanilla Vega One powder.

And while we're on drinks, I had this crazy soda on Sunday afternoon. It really tasted like PB&J!!!

On days that I don't run, I have a real sit-down breakfast with fresh juice. Lately, that's been Brown Rice Breakfast from Garden of Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tonya Bernard. I've been making this for years, and it's really a staple in my life — sprouted grain toast, crumbled tofu, cooked brown rice, flax oil, shoyu, and ketchup. This time, I used curry ketchup just for fun!

Tonight, I met my mama for dinner at my favorite vegan-friendly fast food joint — Tropical Smoothie Cafe. In case ya didn't know, Tropical Smoothie carries Beyond Meat chicken, and they will sub it in any menu item that contains chicken. I got the Thai Chicken Salad (Beyond Meat, wonton strips, peanut dressing) and a Blue Lagoon Smoothie (blueberry, banana, strawberry). This salad is one of the lowest-calorie (281) menu items they have, and it is so good!

New Vega Bars!

I don't think it's any secret that I love all things Vega. I run three days a week (Yes, I'm back again! My foot isn't bothering me for now), and I immediately follow those runs with Vega Electrolyte Hydrator mixed with water. And then 30 minutes or so after my run, I have a protein-packed smoothie using fresh fruit, almond milk, and Vega One All-in-One Nutritional Shake. This morning, I mixed Vega French Vanilla powder with a banana, almond milk, and Justin's Maple Almond Butter. Yum!

I don't eat Vega bars as often as I use the smoothie powders. But I do love them! Bars are so versatile. They're great for a between-meal snack, a pre-workout energizer, a post-workout protein boost, or even a mid-run snack. And now Vega has a bar specifically designed for just about any use you would need. I got to try their new bars (and some reformulated old faves) recently.

They sent me two new Vega Snack Bars ...

... two reformulated Vega One Bars ...

... and two Vega Sport Protein Bars and two Vega Sport Energy Bars.

The Snack Bars are totally new! These are low-calorie (between 180 and 220), low-protein (between 3 and 5 grams) bars specifically designed for snacking. But they're snacks you can feel good about because they're made with healthy, all-natural vegan ingredients and good-for-you stuff like chia, hemp seeds, and other "superfoods." My fave Snack Bar was the Dark Chocolate Mixed Nuts & Sea Salt Bar because, um, dark chocolate and sea salt. I enjoyed this at my desk one day when I knew lunch would be late.

I love the granola-like texture of the Snack Bars. They're crunchy and chewy in all the right ways. The Cranberry Almond Bar was just right before my lunch time yoga class. I don't need lots of protein and fuel for yoga since it's low-impact. But I needed a little something to keep me from starving since lunch was after class. This one had whole almonds and chewy dried cranberries!

Vega One Bars have been around for awhile, but they've been reformulated. I'm honestly not sure what is different because it's been awhile since I've had the old Vega One bars. But I can tell you the new ones are fantastic. Vega One Bars are designed as meal replacers, and they contain 12 to 13 grams of protein, antioxidants, greens, Omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals. These can be enjoyed after a workout, just like one would drink a Vega One smoothie.

I'm pretty sure I had the Chocolate Peanut Butter one first because there's really no better combination. I had this instead of a smoothie one morning after a run. Since it's coated in dark chocolate, it tastes just like a candy bar!

Last week, after a particularly un-vegan-friendly work luncheon at which I could only eat a salad that I picked the cheese off of (yuck!), I devoured this Vega One Chocolate Cherry Almond Bar in my car on the way back to the office. You cannot know the joy of a vegan bar until you've starved through a crappy catered lunch. I loved the combo of dried cherries, crispy almonds, and chocolate.

Vega Sport Bars are also reformulated. The Vega Sport Energy Bars are designed for endurance athletes looking for a carb boost before or during a workout. They have low protein (4 grams) since you don't need much protein until AFTER your workout. Each bar has between 27 and 30 grams of carbs from dates, cherries, and apples. I actually cut this Chocolate Coconut Almond Bar into four pieces to eat as small energy bites on my runs. I do get hungry mid-run, especially when I'm running late in the day on a weekend. But a full bar would have been too much. One-fourth was a perfect pick-me-up.

I love how the bars are made with dried fruit. They remind me of Larabars but with special ingredients designed for athletes. The Apple Cherry Bar was simply fruit-sweetened, so it tasted naturally sweet, rather than sickly sweet. Honestly, I can't remember when I ate this bar, likely before a workout. But I remember the taste being awesome.

Vega Sport Protein Bars are designed to enjoy after a workout. In case you don't know, you should always have lots of protein after a tough workout to help with muscle recovery. Unlike the Energy Bars, which are made with fruit and no chocolate, the Protein Bars are chocolate-covered like Vega One Bars are. So basically, they're healthy dessert. Each bar contains 15 grams of whole grain and brown rice protein!

I was sent samples of the Chocolate Mint Bar and the Chocolate Coconut Bar, and sadly, I'm missing my picture of the mint bar. But both were excellent as post-run smoothie replacers. The mint bar tasted like Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!! And I could tell a difference the next day — my muscles really weren't sore! My usual Vega One scoop has less protein than these bars, so the extra protein definitely helped.

So there you have it — a Vega Bar for every occasion. I'll certainly be stocking up on the Protein and Vega One bars to mix up my mornings between smoothies and bars. And the Snack Bars will definitely become my new favorite desk snack!

Vegan: A How-To Guide

Gosh, I wish Elizabeth Castoria's new book How To Be Vegan had been out when I went veg in 2004. Back then, there weren't many books focusing on all aspects of the vegan lifestyle. There were cookbooks, sure. And there were a few good zines that spelled things out (The now-defunct Cheap Vegan zine saved my life!).

But until a few months ago when Elizabeth's guide hit the stands, there wasn't really anything quite like this. You probably know her best as the former editorial director of VegNews (which as far as I can tell is out of print these days yet it retains on online presence). But once this book gets around, Elizabeth may be better known as the author who literally wrote the book on veganism.

How To Be Vegan is filled with tips and tricks for everything from cooking and traveling to decorating, house cleaning, and even dating. There's a chapter on the basics (vegans vs. vegetarians vs. pescatarian, etc., a history of veganism, and more), what to eat (nutrition basics, supplements, vegan staple foods), clean living (what not to wear, how to find vegan shoes, hygiene, green cleaning), and travel (what to eat in airports, a rundown of the top vegan restaurants, vegan foods in other countries). Much of this is illustrated through quizzes, adorable flow charts, and cute graphics. There's even a tongue-in-cheek flow chart to help you decide whether or not you should get a burrito at the airport.

But perhaps my favorite chapter is one on manners. It's titled "Don't Be a Jerk," and it covers the basics of vegan etiquette: how to answer the protein question, how to be a good vegan host, vegan dating, dealing with the holidays, etc. New vegans need advice on those topics just as much as they do what to eat. Nothing is worse than a new vegan who suddenly feels self-righteous and starts goin' all vegan police on everybody.

Of course Elizabeth also includes recipes! The final chapter contains 50 simple plant-based recipes to help new vegans (or old vegans!) get started in the kitchen. All the dishes fall into the comfort category, and there's nothing gourmet or difficult. Breakfast recipes include tofu scramble and banana-nut muffins, and lunches are salads (kale salad, quinoa & black bean salad) and sandwiches (curried tofu salad pitas, sloppy janes made with pinto beans and mushrooms).

There are quick snacks such as roasted chickpeas and cheesy kale chips and basic desserts like oatmeal cookies, fudgy brownies, and old-fashioned apple crisp.

I chose to try a recipe from the dinner chapter — Rice with Beans and Greens.

I probably don't need a recipe for a bean and grain bowl, but honestly, I'd never made one like this. It's a one-pot meal so the brown rice, beans of your choice (I went with cannellini), and greens of your choice (I picked local Swiss chard) are all cooked together. Then Elizabeth suggests add-ins that you can stir in at the end. I picked sundried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, basil, and parsley. This was so good, and it felt so wholesome going down.

If you know a new vegan or someone you wish would make the switch, this is the perfect book. I really think this would answer every question a newbie could have.

Everyday Vegan Eats!

I have so many cookbooks! I'm becoming my mom. She's been collecting for years, and her cookbook library contains literally thousands of books. I'm not quite there yet, but I could cook one dish from one book for probably every day of the year and never repeat a book. I've filled up one bookcase, and I'm well on the way to filling up a second.

All that is to say, some books get used once or twice and then never again. Not because they're not good. I love most all of them! But there are just SO MANY. But every once in awhile, I come across a book that I know will enter that coveted spot in the "books I use I lot" pile. You know, the ones with spaghetti stains and powdered sugar all over them. Isa's books fall into that category, as do Terry's and several others. But I think I've found a new one — Everyday Vegan Eats by Zsu Denver.

I have to say, I'd never even heard of Zsu before Vegan Heritage Press sent me this book to review. But it's one of those books that, when you flip though, you're overwhelmed with things you need to make. Zsu's book is full-color and loaded with pics, so that definitely helps. But it's not just that. I love this book because every single dish is a simple, comfort food staple. There's nothing fancy or gourmet about it. It's just family favorites, the stuff we all grew up eating and now want to veganize.

There's Country-Fried Seitan (yes!!!), No-Fish Filet Sandwiches (with breaded tofu fish!), Irish Corned Cabbage, Vegan Meatloaf with Herbed Gravy, Chili Mac, Baked Macaroni & Cheese (made creamy with vegan cream cheese!), Green Bean Casserole, Fried Vegan Omelet, Southern Biscuits & Gravy (with Soy Curls!), Apple Crumble, and Fudge Brownies. Anyway, you get the idea.

I made the Creamy Macaroni Salad a few weeks back for Cassi's Memorial Day potluck.

This was so simple — pasta, Vegenaise, chopped pickles, peppers, and onions. Voila! This was the perfect side to our grilled burgers and hot dogs. And I made it gluten-free using rice pasta, just because. I have no problem with gluten, but sometimes, I use gluten-free pasta for fun.

Earlier this week, I made the dish I've had my eye on since the book arrived — Tater Tot Casserole!

Holy hell yes. This was so damn good. I love tots more than just about any other food (except for ramen, pizza, and mac & cheeze), and when you bake 'em atop Soy Curls and peas in a creamy sauce, well, that's how you reach food nirvana, my friends. I'm so glad I have some of this left for lunch tomorrow.

On the side, I made Zsu's Sauteed Pesto Veggies.

Her recipe calls for broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, but the pre-cut broccoli/carrot mix at Kroger was on manager's special. So that's what I got. The veggies are steamed and then tossed with a warm, fresh, homemade pesto. Great for summer when the basil is out of control. I have a habit of steaming veggies and then tossing with nooch or shoyu, so this was a nice change. I'd never think to toss veggies with pesto, but it makes so much sense.

Anyway, LOVE this book. And I can't wait to work my way through it!

Ramen Noodles From Japan!

My friend Cassi of the Pretty in Pink Vegan went to Japan last month. All by herself! She didn't speak a lick of Japanese, but she just decided that she wanted to see the world unaccompanied. So she did. I was quite proud of her. As much as I love traveling the states alone when I can, I don't think I'd ever have the balls to travel to a foreign land on my own.

I only know a few things about Japan, and one of those is that it's home to the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum. Yes, a museum devoted to my favorite food — ramen! If I were to ever visit Japan, that'd pretty much be the highlight of my trip. Well, turns out there's more than one ramen museum. Cassi found the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum! Even better. Nothing — and I do mean NOTHING — beats an instant cup o noodles. It's hard to find vegan ones, but the local Asian market and the kosher Kroger has some.

But what if you could make your own instant ramen? Visitors to the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum can customize their own cup! So that's what Cassi brought me back as a souvenir. It came in this crazy inflatable bag. Oh, Japan, you're so cute and weird!

I kept the encapsulated noodle cup in my kitchen for a few weeks, just so I could look at it. But finally, this week, I decided to eat my noodles for lunch. My co-worker Michael helped me pop the bag with his pocket knife. Inside was my customized cup.

Cassi even wrote "Bianca' Cookin' Crunk Noodles" on the side.

I opened the lid to reveal the dried crunchy noodles, dehydrated veggies, and spices. Cassi chose a tomato-based seasoning powder and dried corn, carrots, and green onions.

I boiled some water in the office microwave and poured into the cup. Then I patiently waited for the noodles to rehydrate. After a few minutes, I had this!

Oh. My. God. Best instant ramen I've ever had! Seriously. The tomato-y broth was so savory, and this had more veggies than your average cup o ramen. The corn rehydrated to taste just like fresh corn. And all the flavors combined to create the perfect cup of soup. I wish I could eat this all over again! Thanks Cassi!

Vegan TV Dinners!

When I was kid, frozen TV dinners were such a treat! My mama cooked dinners at night, but in the summer, when my me-maw would watch me, I'd heat up frozen meals for lunch. I always loved helping my mama pick them out at the grocery store. Kid Cuisines had just hit the market, and I loved the ones with the little brownie for dessert. Also loved twice-baked cheesy potatoes, frozen cheese pizzas, anything by Lean Cuisine. That was as good as homemade to me and twice as much fun.

Before I went vegan in 2004, I was still living on frozen meals — cheese pizzas, frozen alfredo noodles, cheese lasagna. Right after going vegan, I tried living off Amy's vegan meals for a time, but I soon realized it was way cheaper to cook from scratch. And I'd always loved to cook anyway.

But truth be told, I still find such pleasure in a good frozen meal. Something about unwrapping that steamy plastic to uncover hot food tucked into separated trays is just as fun as opening a gift. When Veestro, a frozen plant-based meal delivery service, asked if I'd review their meals, I jumped at the chance. They sent me six meals to try!

First up was the Red Curry with Tofu and Vegetables. 

After one bite, I knew all these meals were going to be winners. It was perfect. The curry sauce was flavorful. The tofu had that delightful frozen-and-then-thawed, spongy texture. Even the brown rice tasted as if it had just come off the stove. If you've plated this up all pretty, I'd have no idea it was a frozen meal.

A couple days later, I baked the Enchilada Casserole in the oven.

The casserole came dry with a separate packet of sauce. So I baked the casserole, and I heated the sauce in the microwave. Then in the last few minutes of baking, I poured the tomato-y sauce on top. Again, you'd never know this was frozen. It had layers of tortilla, peppers, and a cheese-like crumbled tofu mixture. Freezing didn't alter the texture one bit.

The Kale & Quinoa Salad with Tempeh Bits didn't even require heating!

The instructions said to let this thaw for a few hours. Since it's a salad, it's supposed to be served cold. There's a tahini dressing in a separate pouch, and you're supposed to pour that over the quinoa, kale, and tempeh salad. Honestly, there was about twice as much dressing as I needed. So I used half and saved the rest for another salad. I loved the tempeh bits! They had a smoky bacon flavor. And believe it or not, kale freezes very well. You couldn't tell this had been frozen.

The Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale was pretty good.

Out of all the meals, this one may have been my least fave. But it was still delicious. The risotto came out a little liquid-y, but the flavor was spot-on. It even came with a little walnut garnish. The squash was yummy, but the kale wasn't really seasoned much. I added some sriracha after I snapped this picture.

The Savory Croquettes with Veggie Hash was probably my favorite of them all.

These are like tofu crab cakes, but they don't have a faux fishy taste. I like my vegan crab cakes to look like crab cakes but not actually taste like crab since I never was a seafood fan. They are breaded and fried, and the tofu has a great crumbly texture. There was a red dipping sauce on the side and a sweet potato/potato veggie hash that was wonderful!

Finally, I tried the Beefless Beef with Broccoli Stir-fry.

Wow! I've never had faux beef quite like this. The texture was something between Soy Curls and the wheat meat sold at some Asian restaurants. It was very tender and beefy. Could probably fool an omni or two. Very well-seasoned and great with the brown rice.

These were all entrees, but Veestro also sells frozen breakfasts, desserts, soups, and appetizers. And they sell fresh juices. You can order individual meals, and they range from around $6 to $12. Honestly, for my budget, that's a little out of my price range. But let's face it — I'm a reporter, so I fall on the low end of the income bracket. You can also order a pack of 30 meals for $250, which would be great for someone who doesn't want to shop or cook (and has a little expendable income).