Ozery Bakery Bread!

The fine folks at Ozery Bakery shipped me samples to review back in January, and they arrived THE VERY DAY my raw food cleanse ended. After three weeks without bread (except for sprouted grain), this shipment was like manna from heaven. And they sent so much!

There were four packages of Morning Rounds — pillowy soft flatbreads about the size of my hand that are flecked with healthy grains and fruit.

And three packs of their Snacking Rounds — smaller, palm-sized versions of the same bun. Great for quick snacks.

Of course, I can't eat all that bread before it goes bad. So I cleared out some room in my freezer to store my new stash. These rounds freeze and thaw beautifully. In fact, Ozery Bakery recommends freezing the bread if you don't plan to eat it quickly because there are no preservatives. All the rounds are vegan of course, and they're all-natural and multi-grain.

On my first full day off the cleanse, I enjoyed this Muesli Morning Round with Go Veggie! vegan strawberry cream cheese for breakfast (and a little vegan sausage on the side). The bun was flecked mixed grains, dried apples, raisins, sunflower seed, and flax seeds. It was like eating muesli but in bread form.

I was really blown away by how soft this bread is. I just took a round straight from the freezer, popped it in the toaster, and boom — instant warm, bakery-fresh bread.

A couple days later, I discovered that a Morning Round with nut butter was the perfect food to fuel my long Saturday runs. Before short runs, I eat low-cal bars, but before longer runs, I need more sustenance. This Date & Chia Morning Round with Justin's Vanilla Almond Butter did the trick. And I didn't get the weird tummy issues I get when I eat sprouted grain bread before runs. (Does anyone else have trouble digesting sprouted grain before runs?). I think these buns are my favorite because they have giant chunks of dates!

I tried the Cranberry & Orange Morning Round with more of that strawberry cream cheese, but I also added a scoop of raw cranberry sauce leftover from my raw cleanse. These buns have a comforting citrus-y and tangy flavor from the dried cranberries and orange bits.

I finally tried the Apple & Cinnamon Morning Rounds this morning! And I topped these sweet buns, which were loaded with dried apple, with homemade Maple Cinnamon Walnut Butter that I made using a recipe from last month's Runner's World magazine.

The Snacking Rounds they sent are the same flavors, but they're about half the size of the Morning Rounds. I'm snacking more in the New Year (that was one of my resolutions), and these have been perfect for that mid-morning hunger. Been eating these with a little vegan cream cheese on week days around 11 a.m.

Stuff I Ate

I haven't done a round-up of random meals since before my January cleanse! Since that ended in late January, I actually haven't eaten all that much that I haven't already blogged about. But I did manage to scrounge up a few pics on my phone.

For one thing, I've been eating my breakfasts in bowls these days. Loving the Earnest Eats American Blend Hot 'n' Fit Cereal that came in my Vegan Cuts December snack box! The oat mix has pepitas, almonds, sunflower seeds, cranberries, brown sugar, and lots of other goodies already mixed in. I added Bee-Free Honee and blackberries. And on the side, there's Amy's Meatless Veggie Sausages.

Those oats were delicious. But these pictured below were not. I've been reading online about folks putting protein powder in their oatmeal. So I tried it. Yuck! I'll never do this again. It was way too thick and weird. I'll keep my protein powder for my smoothies, thanks.

Also loving Kashi Indigo Morning Gluten-Free Cornflakes! I'm not gluten-free, but I prefer some cereals and pastas to be gluten-free because I think they have a better texture. Cornflakes are one of those things. On the side, there's a Simple Truth Organic Meatless Breakfast Patty and a banana.

For quick dinners, I've been enjoying Simple Truth Organic Meatless Crispy Patties with Terrapin Ridge Pineapple Habanero Sauce and Sriracha, Steamed Kale, and Vegan Mac & Cheese.

And Field Roast Hand-Formed Burgers with Tomato Cayenne Chao Cheese on Ezekiel buns. Omg. If you haven't had the Field Roast burgers or cheese, go to Whole Foods right now and STOCK UP! BEST THING EVER.

I've been eating out a little, too. One day, after teaching an Engine 2 class at Whole Foods, I got this Tofu Peanut Bowl with Veggies and Brown Rice from the Wok Street kiosk.

Last Friday, I met up with some folks from the Memphis Vegan Dineouts & Potlucks Meetup group at Deja Vu Creole & Vegetarian Restaurant. Ordered my favorite Mock Chicken Salad Sandwich.

And sides of Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Grilled Cabbage.

I also dined at 3 Angels on Broad last week with my friend Pat. They're under new ownership, and they've revamped their menu. It seems to be a tad less vegan-friendly than before, but they do have these delicious Tofu Angel Wraps now (panko tofu with carrot slaw and soy sauce).

Zion Health Beauty Review

Being vegan isn't just about eating delicious, cruelty-free meals. I mean, that's a big part. And probably the most fun part. Get a room of vegans together for more than five minutes, and I guarantee the conversation will turn to food.

But what we put onto our bodies is just as important as what we put into them. And recently, a vegan company called Zion Health asked me to review a few of their Adama line of beauty and body products. I got my choice of a few of their products — shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, soaps, etc. And since we're smack in the middle of nasty dry winter skin season, I opted for a lotion and a soap designed to heal skin wounds.

First up, the lotion. This is Zion Health's Adama Mineral Moisture Daily Lotion.

It's made with chamomile, yarrow, almond oil, and shea butter. Yarrow is said to absorb toxins and promote healing, which sounds a little hocus pocus-y, but my airy-fairy self is sort of into all that. Plus, shea butter. Am I right? Nothing does winter skin better than shea butter. And the lotion is scented with grapefruit peel extract, so it leaves you smelling all citrus-y.

So how did it work? I applied this lotion all over after showering every day for a month. Usually, by mid-winter, I get itchy, dry spots on my legs. Specifically my left shin. There's one patch of skin that breaks out into a desert every winter. And since I've been using this for most of the winter, I haven't had any dry skin on my legs! None! I honestly didn't believe it could work that well because I've tried everything in the past. But this works.

Next up, the Blue Sky Ancient Clay Natural Soap.

Here's what the bar looks like.

This soap is made with Montmorillonite Clay and pineapple essential oils. This type of mineral clay was supposedly used by ancient cultures to heal wounds and skin ailments. Again, sounds a little new age-y. But it couldn't hurt to try. I don't have wounds, but I figured if this stuff could heal, it could also be good for dry skin. I've been using this for the same amount of time as the lotion, and like I said, no dry skin. Also, I love that the soap has bits of coconut in it that act as a body scrub.

Zion Health also sent me a few samples of their Claybrite Natural Toothpaste.

This is also made with Montmorillonite Clay, and it has a similar brown color to the soap. Definitely not the usual Tom's white toothpaste I'm used to. But this stuff is awesome. It has a natural mint flavor, and my teeth just felt super-clean after using it. They say that calcium in the clay helps prevent cavities, whitens teeth, and helps to heal early stages of gum disease. I do have receding gums due to years of brushing too hard, so I should probably order a big tube of this and give it a try!

It's Gumbo Time!

For the third consecutive year, I entered a vegan gumbo in the Tennessee Equality Project Mardi Gras Party & Gumbo Contest! TEP is the statewide lobbying group that fights for pro-LGBT equality legislation and against anti-gay bills. The gumbo event, which raises money for TEP, was this past Sunday. I made a new sign this year!

My friend Greg and I were on a gumbo team together, even though I did all the cooking. But Greg helped unload stuff, and he helped dole out the rice. And he manned the table all by himself when I made beer and bathroom runs.

The event isn't a vegan one. In fact, I've had the only vegan gumbo entered every year that I've been there. Each year, I make a different recipe, and this year, I went with the Okra Gumbo with Chickpeas and Kidney Beans from the Post Punk Kitchen.

It's an Isa recipe, so of course it went over super-well! I didn't count, but I'm almost certain I got more People's Choice Award votes this year than I ever have. We still didn't place in the judge's awards or People's Choice Awards, but I'm thinking that a bean gumbo may be the way to go when feeding omnis.

In my first year, I made the Tempeh Gumbo from Cookin' Crunk, and people liked it. But I had explain what tempeh was, and I think it freaked some people out a little. Last year, I made Bryant Terry's Gumbo Z'herbes from Vegan Soul Kitchen, but I added some sliced, homemade seitan sausage. And a few people said that, even though they liked it, they'd rather not have "fake meat." Now, I tried to explain that seitan isn't fake and that my sausages were homemade from real ingredients. But sigh ... some people just didn't get it.

But everyone understands beans! The not-using-weird-vegan-ingredients approach might be the best one! Also, we noticed that more people approached our booth this year who were either vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or allergic to shellfish. For some at the event, we had the only gumbo they could eat!

The event is so festive and fun! There was a New Orleans-style jazz bands, lots of beads, and Mardi Gras colors everywhere. Just look at my friend Nathan!

Cassi's Cupcake Pop-Up Shop!

I mentioned last week that my friend Cassi has officially launched her vegan cupcake catering business. You may recall that, at one time, Cassi had dreams of opening a vegan restaurant called The Pink Noodle. But the Universe wanted Cassi to make cupcakes instead. Now the Pink Diva Cupcakery is officially in business.

Cassi launched her online shop last week, so if you're in the area and have a need for vegan cupcakes, hit her up. And today, she held a cupcake pop-up shop to spread the cake love. It was at Co-Motion Studio, the studio where I take hula hooping lessons. And that's only a block from my house in Crosstown. Vegan cupcakes were literally right around the corner.

Cassi had a colorful spread of her various flavors. And when I arrived just a few minutes after the 2:30 p.m. start time, she already had a line. Our friend Susan was there loading up on cake.

There were Crosstown Unicorn Patrol Cupcakes with edible glitter, rainbow frosting, and champagne cake! Just FYI: Crosstown is our neighborhood, and we kind of have a thing for unicorns over here, hence the name.

And there were my personal fave — Cookies 'n' Cream! Cassi's cookies 'n' cream frosting is so light and fluffy.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes! These taste like cinnamon rolls, but they're cupcakes. Wicked.

Peach Bellini Cupcakes! These have peach vodka in them, and those little plastic squirter things are filled with extra vodka to infuse a special bite of cake. Also, the inside of the cake is stuffed with fresh peach filling.

And Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes! This was one of the few flavors I'd not yet tried, so I grabbed one for tomorrow's dessert. The insides are stuffed with strawberries!

For today's dessert, I got one of Cassi's new cakes, The Diva Delight. It's a chocolate coffee cupcake with a tofu mousse filling, whipped topping, and a ganache drizzle. She's decided this one will be her signature cupcake, and I can see why. It's so good! The cake is moist and chocolatey. The tofu mousse in the center is a tasty surprise. And that whipped topping! As much as I love traditional buttercream, I think I love whipped cream frostings even more.

Cassi's cupcakes and mini layer cakes are available on her online store for now, but soon, she'll be setting up shop inside Midtown Crossing Grill. The Crosstown bar and pizza joint will be selling Cassi's cakes regularly!

Isa Live!

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is about as vegan-famous as vegan-famous can get. I mean, she (and partner in crime Terry Hope Romero) practically invented vegan-famous with the Post Punk Kitchen and a million or so amazing vegan cookbooks. They co-wrote Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Pie in the Sky, and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. And on her own, Isa wrote Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Brunch, Appetite for Reduction, and Isa Does It.

I don't know about you, but all of the above are among the most used books on my cookbook shelf (okay, more like shelves ... nine to be exact). They're practically required reading for all vegans. Isa's books taught me how to make chickpea cutlets, tofu omelets, never-fail cupcakes, flaky pie crusts, and vegan matzoh balls that don't fall apart. Oh, and perfect pizza crust! The crust recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance is my go-to for homemade pizza.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Isa a number of times at vegan cons and vegfests. And I'd seen her demo (and sampled what she made) before. But since I'm hours away from Isa's Omaha restaurant Modern Love, I'd never eaten a full meal prepared by Isa. Until last night! I learned months ago that Isa would be doing a four-course meal and live demo at City Winery in Nashville (thanks Lesley!), and I scooped up tickets for myself, Pam, and Cassi immediately.

Yesterday, we made the 3 1/2-hour car trip to Nashville. We got there early enough for lunch at Wild Cow and a shopping trip to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (because Nashville's WF store carries Field Roast burgers and ours doesn't). And then we headed downtown to City Winery for a little pre-gaming before dinner.

At 8 p.m., it was time for dinner! Each course was served with a wine pairing, and then Isa demonstrated how to make each dish. Here she is on stage in her Misfits tee (of course!) talking about grilling tofu.

The first course was a Caesar Salad with Brussels Sprouts, Grilled Tofu, Tahini Caper Dressing, Toasted Pine Nuts, Red Quinoa, and Arugala.

Okay, if you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know how I feel about arugala. Not a fan. But dude, I don't know what Isa (and her band of chef helpers) did with this arugala, but it was actually tasty. Like really tasty. I guess I just have to have it paired with the right flavors. It worked here. But the stars of this dish were the smoky grilled tofu and the grilled romaine. I mean, grilled romaine!! I've never even heard of such a thing. I'm definitely gonna start grilling romaine at home.

The second course was a Tamale with Lentil Chorizo, Mole Rojo, and Guacamole.

Definitely my fave course of the night! I love tamales, and if there's a tamale on my plate, I can guarantee it'll be my favorite thing. But this tamale was extra special. It was stuffed with lentil chorizo and served with a smoky guacamole and some of the best mole sauce I've ever tasted.

The third course was Chickpeas & Biscuits, a creamy chickpea stew with rosemary biscuits.

Another winner. Drop a biscuit in some stew, and I'm in love. The carrots added a nice sweetness, and the cashew cream made it thick and comforting. And the biscuit had a fluffy but firm texture that managed to hold up to the stew without getting too soggy.

Finally, it was time for dessert — Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream.

A cupcake made by the cupcake queen herself! And since Isa doesn't do artificial anything anymore, she now uses tofu mousse atop cupcakes instead of shortening-based frosting. The result was fluffy and light without feeling fatty. The chocolately cake paired perfectly with the whipped coconut cream, the tangy raspberry coulis, and the ganache. And the wine pairing here — a port — was practically made for this dish. Each bite and sip together were pure bliss.

My only complaint —and it nothing to do with Isa! — would be that City Winery was a little skimpy on the wine servings with each pairing. I'd say we got about two ounces per course. Maybe that's how all wine pairing dinners go, but I was expecting full glasses with each course. Am I just a lush? Probably. Anyway, Pam and I had to go to the bar and order extra full glasses of wine mid-way through dinner.

We left with our bellies full (I had to roll my leggings down to my waist so my tummy could bulge out a little) and made our way home. I wish we could have spent the night, but Pam and I had to work today. We didn't get back to Memphis until 2:30 a.m., and I had to get up for work at 7 a.m. But the lack of sleep was totally worth it!

Lululemon Speed Tights!

Okay, so I know this is a food blog. But I'm also an avid runner. And every once in awhile, I'd like to touch on running stuff — what I eat before and after I run, my races, and as in tonight's post, what I wear.

I'd never been all that picky about running clothes until recently. I used to run in old tees and sweat pants. But Paul had given me a gift card to Breakaway Running for my birthday, and I used most of it on a nice, long-sleeved moisture-wicking shirt. And then I was hooked. I wanted proper running shirts and pants and ear warmers and various other accessories. I've learned that T.J. Maxx is a great resource for affordable, name-brand running gear. But sometimes, a girl needs something special.

So I was THRILLED when Lululemon Athletica offered me a pair of their speed tights! The Memphis store in Regalia Shopping Center is doing a feature on me and my cookbook, Cookin' Crunk, and this blog on their Facebook page this week. And just because, they offered me a pair of tights. I figured it'd be a great opportunity to review them!

Here I am in my new Lululemon Speed Tights last Saturday, after running 10 miles! Oh, and yea, I'm totally rocking that Vega shirt too. Represent!

That may be the only pic I'll ever post of me with absolutely no makeup, btw. I swear I looked better before I ran 10 miles! Anyway, enough about my old face. Check out these pants! I love the disco print!

They're super-soft and super-snug, and they work like compression socks for your whole leg! Plus, there are pockets! Pockets on the side ...

Pockets on the butt ...

In my first half-marathon back in December, I wore a pair of yoga tights, and they had a teensy pocket in the waistband. It was big enough to hold my car key but not big enough to hold my energy gels. So I stuffed them in my sports bra, and when it was time to eat them, they were all sweaty and gross. I mean, I totally ate them anyway. But for my next half in Little Rock this March, I'll have pockets to hold my snacks!

Lululemon Athletica Regalia will post that feature on me soon on their Facebook page. Here's the link.

And unrelated, but I'm actually in Nashville right now watching Isa Live! Isa Chandra Moskowitz is doing a cooking demo and multi-course dinner at City Winery. I scheduled this pants post ahead of time, but when I come back on Thursday, I'll share pics from the Isa event.