Bringing Home the Seitan

Back in the day, around the time I first started blogging (2007-2008), there was so much activity in the vegan blogosphere! We had a super-tight online community, and we'd all comment on one another's blogs. That still exists to some extent (hey, current blogger buds!!!), but so many of my old blogger buds moved on to other pursuits. Some gave up blogging altogether, while others started blogging more sporadically — only posting an update every few months or so. Others, like Kris Holechek Peters (of the Nom! Nom! Nom! blog), got pretty busy writing cookbooks.

But I've long been a Kris fan. I followed her blog back in the day, and I love her Trader Joe's Cookbook (even though we don't have a TJ's in Memphis and I can't access some of the products - we're getting one though!). But now Kris has a new book out, and I think it's her best work yet! Bringing Home the Seitan is packed with 100 wheat meat recipes for tacos, stir-fries, BBQ, and more.

I love, love, love homemade seitan. It's one of the most protein-packed vegan foods you can eat. It's super-versatile, and it's so simple to make it at home. Kris includes basic recipes for making seitan chicken, beef, sausage, ham, burgers, and lunch meat, and then she offers tons of recipes for using the wheat meat in everything from soups and stews, sandwiches and salads, pasta dishes and casseroles, and so much more.

Honestly, everything in this book sounds amazing, but I settled on a few potluck-friendly dishes for our annual Memphis Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck tonight at Vaughan and Nicole's house. I've always wanted to try my hand at making my own vegan turkey, so I chose the Seitan and Mushrooms En Croute.

This is a hearty log of homemade seitan flecked with sauteed portabella and cremini mushrooms. It's baked until firm, and then it's wrapped in puff pastry and baked again. The seitan was tender and delicious, and honestly, I think this was just as good, if not better, than any storebought vegan turkey I've had. It was a big hit at the potluck!

I also wanted to bring some sort of appetizer, so I chose Jellied Crockpot "Meat"-Balls. I grew up in Arkansas, and Crockpot meatballs are a staple at just about every potluck.

These are made using Kris' recipe for Meaty Spheres (seitan meatballs) that are hand-rolled, individually wrapped in foil, and steamed until tender. Wrapping each ball was a little time-consuming but so worth it!

The sauce is just a jar of grape jelly and a bottle of cocktail sauce. Kris recommends serving these balls with bread, and though I've never had them that way, it sounded like a nice idea for soaking up the sauce. Plus, the white bread made this dish even more Arkansas!

These were a hit too! Both dishes were devoured quickly, so no leftovers for me. Guess I'll just have to try some more recipes from the book. Dying to try the Curried Seitan Stew, the Pulled Pork-ish Sandwiches with Creamy Slaw, the Israeli Salad with Chick'n and Tahini, and the Broccoli Cheddar Chick'n Skillet.

By the way, I'll have more pics from the potluck in tomorrow's post!

Everything Else I Ate in Atlanta (and Nashville!)

If you've been following along, you know that I did a cooking demo and booksigning at Atlanta VegFest this past weekend. And I ate an incredible and impressive vegan meal at Herban Fix Vegan Kitchen in Atlanta on Saturday night. Tonight, I'm sharing all of the random meals I ate on the way to (and from) Atlanta and everything else I ate there.

I left Memphis on Friday morning around 8 a.m. because it was imperative that I make it to Nashville before my favorite vegan bakery — Vegan Vee — closed at 1 p.m. Vegan Vee is a gluten-free, vegan bakery with AMAZING doughnuts and other baked goods. I'm not gluten-free, but this stuff could turn me that way. Seriously that good. I grabbed a Lemon Blueberry Muffin for the road.

And a couple of doughnuts to snack on throughout the trip. Lemon Blueberry (I was really in a lemon blueberry mood, I guess) and Snickerdoodle. I enjoyed these as snacks in our hotel room in Atlanta. Note: these doughnuts were much prettier on the day I purchased them, but I failed to photograph them until a couple days later.

Then I met up with Paul, who is currently living in Hendersonville (just outside Nashville) for work. We hit the road for Atlanta!

We arrived just in time to check into the hotel and grab some dinner. We met up with Dave from Book Publishing Company and went to dinner at Bamboo Chinese Bistro. It was near our suburban hotel in Kennesaw, and I saw on Happy Cow that they had a special vegetarian plant meat menu. I started with the Vegetarian Pork BBQ Buns. These steamed buns were stuffed with a vegan shredded BBQ.

For my entree, I went with the Vegetarian Kung Pao Chicken. Very good! The chicken was definitely seitan-based, and the veggies were crisp and fresh.

We were so tired from the drive, and I had a big day ahead with VegFest, so we just went back to the hotel, drank some wine, and crashed out early. The next day, I ate ALL THE FOOD at Atlanta VegFest, and an amazing meal at Herban Fix Vegan Kitchen. You can find those pics here and here.

On Sunday, I woke up super-early and squeezed in a 12-mile run before Paul woke. The scenery in Kennesaw left much to be desired (just big box stores and bland suburban neighborhoods), but I had to get that long run in since my marathon is just a couple weeks away. Afterward, I had a protein shake and my Vegan Vee doughnuts as I got dressed.

Then we checked out of the hotel and headed to Go Vegetarian, where they serve vegan brunch all day on Sunday. This is an awesome mom-and-pop restaurant with some very inventive menu items.

They make their Vegan Omelets using soymilk curds! I got the Down South Omelet with vegan cheese, veggie bacon, collards, tomato, and onion, and a side of grits and home fries. AMAZING.

Paul got the vegan country fried steak, and it was fantastic as well. He loved it, but he packed some up for leftovers since his plate was so huge. I ate those leftovers for dinner that night!

Before leaving Atlanta, we just HAD to stop at Revolution Coffee & Doughnuts, a vegan-friendly doughnut shop. Hey, check out my cool "Vegan for the Animals" sweatshirt from Compassion Clothing! I got it at the VegFest.

Y'all, I've had a lot of vegan doughnuts, and these are the best. Even better than Voodoo. I got the Yeasted Vanilla Glazed and the Almond Cake Doughnut. I wish I could eat about 10 more of each.

Then, we stopped into Ale Yeah! Craft Beer Market next door and grabbed some local souvenir beer. Does anyone else do this? I ALWAYS bring back local beers and wines when I travel. A stop by Whole Foods (for a few items I can't get in Memphis) was next, and then we were headed back to Nashville.

Rather than make the drive from Nashville to Memphis on Sunday night, I opted to stay at Paul's place and drive home Monday afternoon. That meant one final vacay meal in Nashville. We stopped into Wild Cow — an all-veg cafe in East Nashville — for lunch.

I needed something wholesome after all those doughnuts, so I opted for the Lentil Stew Bowl with Tofu and Avocado (lentil stew, brown rice, sauteed tofu, avo, and Wild Cow's mouth-watering garlic aioli).

That's it! So much good food! Such a great time! I'm glad to be back home and back to my routine, but I'm still dreaming of those doughnuts.

Herban Fix Vegan Kitchen in Atlanta

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I spent the weekend in Atlanta for their fifth annual VegFest. It's about a six-hour drive from Memphis, so I don't make it to the ATL often. But man, when I do, I eat so well. Atlanta is only second to Austin when it comes to Southern cities with a massive availability of vegan options.

You can read all about Atlanta VegFest in yesterday's post, but tonight, I want to share with you my experience at Herban Fix Vegan Kitchen. Y'all, this was a FANCY (pronounced fain-cee) vegan meal. Gourmet, date night-style vegan restaurants are few and far between, so it was a pleasure to dine at such a nice place.

Of course, it wasn't a date night for us though! Dave from Book Publishing Company and Paul and I just planned to drop in for a quick bite after the VegFest Saturday night. We knew it was a nicer place, but I had no idea it was a "make a reservation" place. So we didn't. Lucky for us, someone else had dropped their reservation just after we walked in, so we were seated right away.

Herban Fix has an impressive menu of hand-crafted cocktails, but I'm not really a cocktail drinker (unless we're talking Bloody Marys or dirty martinis). Most drinks are too sweet for me. We all opted for beer — me with a local Three Taverns IPA. For an appetizer, Dave ordered the Sweet Pea Ravioli in Curry Jus with Leeks & Assorted Mushrooms, and I tried a bite. The insides were filled with peas and meaty mushrooms that reminded us of vegan chicken.

Paul got the Spicy Tofu Soup with Enoki, Shiitake and King Oyster Mushrooms to start. This was a light broth with a hint of spice (it looks spicer than it was really was) and bits of silken tofu and mushrooms. I helped him eat it. Good stuff and not too heavy before a meal.

Everything on the entree menu sounded amazing, and I was having a very hard time deciding what to order. Our server recommended the Seared Pom Pom Mushroom Steak with Assorted Vegetables, which she said was the most popular item on the menu. When it was placed in front of me, I could see why! Gorgeous presentation!

This was an assortment of mushrooms (oyster mushrooms for sure and maybe some other varieties) pressed together into a steak shape and cooked with a vegan au jus and sauteed bok choy. It was served with wild rice. I was blown away by the flavor and meaty texture. Paul (a meat-eater) and Dave (a vegan) tried bites, and they were equally impressed.

Paul got the Stir-fry Soy Chicken in Citrus Sauce, which was also highly recommended by our server. Paul declared this to be one of the best meals of his life! I tried a bite, and it was truly phenomenal. The soy meat had a very chicken-y texture, and that citrus sauce was just perfect. It was also served with wild rice.

Dave went with his old standard — Pad Thai with Tofu, Vegetables and Peanuts. I took a bite, and I'll say that it was terrific. Probably the best pad thai I've ever had.

After finishing our entrees, we were stuffed. But rather than just asking us if we had saved room for dessert, our server — a super-friendly, energetic woman — brought a platter with a slice of every cake on the menu to our table and asked us which ones we were having. Tricky! But it worked. Who can say no to cake when there's cake in your face? Dave had his sights set on the Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting, so we all agreed to share a slice.

Again, amazing!! Moist cake, lots of frosting. We may have been full, but we had no problem cleaning our plate. I ate that last bite after this photo was taken.

Herban Fix was definitely the food highlight of my trip! No future visit to Atlanta will be complete without a stop there. But next time, I'll remember to make a reservation.

Atlanta VegFest 2016!

I'm back! I spent the weekend in Atlanta for their fifth annual VegFest. I was so honored to have been asked to do a cooking demo and sign books again this year! I presented at the first Atlanta VegFest back in 2012 and again in 2013, and even though my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk: Eatin' Vegan in the Dirty South — has been out for five years now, they still wanted me back!

Paul and I drove down there on Friday, and I returned home Monday night. But the fest itself was only on Saturday. So I'm breaking the food pics from the trip into three posts. Tonight, I'm focusing on the actual fest. This year's event was in the Cobb County Civic Center, and it was two stories. Paul snapped this great panoramic shot from the upstairs floor. So many people!

I wore my new cat leggings for the occasion! I'll take any excuse for cat pants.

For most of the day, I was stationed at my cookbook publisher's table. Dave from Book Publishing Company was there peddling all sorts of vegan cookbooks, and I was on-hand to sign my own.

Paul hung out at the table for most of the day too.

But he also got to wander around and bring me back all kinds of goodies since I was working. Early on, he stopped by the Golda's Small Batch Kombucha table and got us two varieties to try — Blackberry Basil and Apple Ginger Spice. I didn't even realize Paul liked kombucha, but he apparently does. At least, he liked this kombucha, which he declared to be much better than my homemade stuff. He had a good point though. It was amazing.

Paul also procured us some vegan gelato from Revolution Gelato. He got Cappuccino with Bourbon Syrup for me and two scoops — Orange Cream and Mango — for himself. We ended up sharing all of them.

Eventually, I started getting hungry for real food, so I ventured away from the table in search of lunch. I was thrilled when I stumbled across the Soul Vegetarian booth. I love, love, love Soul Veg No. 2, and I typically always stop in there on trips to Atlanta.

I got the BBQ Tofu, Vegan Mac & Cheese, and Collard Greens. Soul food perfection!

And I got a quick photo with my buddies from Soul Vegetarian No. 2. They're the nicest people, and even though I'm only in town once every few years, they always remember me!

I also spent lots of money on vegan message tees and an animal-print infinity scarf from Compassion Clothing. Plus, bumper stickers and buttons from Herbivore and more!

My cooking demo was at 3 p.m., and I made Creamy Cashew Mac & Cheese and Dill Weed Potato Salad — both from Cookin' Crunk. I had a great team of volunteers, provided by Atlanta VegFest (they're so organized!) and an awesome audience.

The fest ended at 6 p.m., and by the time I got upstairs to the sample tables (around 5ish), most of the free stuff was gone. But the vendors were still there to talk about their products, and I met some cool folks with local and regional vegan food companies. Even though I didn't get to try their stuff, the guys at No Evil Foods from Asheville, North Carolina, told me that I could find their homemade vegan meats at Atlanta Whole Foods stores. And Atlanta-based cheese company, Pure Abundance, had a few samples of their amazing cashew cheeses left. I picked up both the meat and cheese at a Whole Foods before I left town! Can't wait to try these.

Overall, great time! Thanks again to Atlanta VegFest for putting on an amazing event.

Stuff I Ate

Hey y'all, I'm about to head to Atlanta VegFest! Come see me if you're in the area. I probably won't blog again until Tuesday, but I'll have lots of pics from the fest.

Before I get into my random collection of Stuff I Ate pics though, I wanted to share with y'all a link to a fund-raiser for A New Hope Sanctuary, an Athens, Georgia-based 501(c)3 non-profit sanctuary for animals rescued from the exotic pet trade, non-releasable wildlife, and farmed animals. The sanctuary's founder passed away this week, and the volunteers and staff are struggling to cope and manage the 25 animal residents in their care. They could use any help you can give! Here's that link.

Now onto the food. When my friend Greg was in town a couple weeks back, we had lunch at New Hong Kong. They have a secret vegan menu with lots of plant meats (ask for the menu at the counter). I went with the Mock Chicken and Vegetables.

Have y'all tried the new Beyond Meat frozen meals yet? They're so good! And they have so much protein! This is the Vegetarian Vietnamese Lemongrass. It's loaded with BM chicken, rice noodles, kale, mushrooms, and snap peas. And it has 20 grams of protein.

We had a four-hour arts programming future planning meeting at work last week, so we ordered in some lunch from Young Avenue Deli. I got the Hummus Wrap with added fried tofu. They have the softest, thickest pita bread.

And a cup of Vegetarian Chili (with okra and green beans!).

This morning, I had a post-run FitQuick Java Chip Protein Waffle Sandwich with maple PB Lean, Endangered Species Cocoa Spread, and banana.

Another breakfast I've been eating a lot — Sprouted Grain English Muffins with Hummus and Toasted Nuts and Seeds. Walnuts, sunflower seed, and hemp hearts.

This Fall Harvest Smoothie Bowl has been such a fun seasonal breakfast. I've had a couple of these this week. The smoothie is made with butternut squash, carrot, apple, macadamia milk, pumpkin spices, and Vega One Vanilla Chai powder, and it's topped with apple, dried cranberries, and Purely Elizabeth Granola.

Imagine Vegan Cafe is moving to a new location across the street from their old location. So Greg and I dropped in for one final meal before they closed for the move. I got the Vegetable Plate with vegan mac, brown sugar carrots, garlic kale, and mashed potatoes (they were out of gravy).

Speaking of mac and cheese, I had some leftover Cashew Mac & Cheese (from testing for my demo for ATL VegFest) and some leftover chili (see above). I made Chili Mac!

And here's a fun snacky meal — Gluten-free Bagel with Avocado Hummus and Olive Bar Snacks!

Okay, well I'll see y'all next week!

Vegan Cuts Coffee Box!

Y'all, I'm a mess today. I'm sure most of you are too. For years, I've wanted to call Hillary Clinton my president (I supported her in the primary when she ran against Obama back in '08), and I really believed we were about to shatter that glass ceiling last night. Never in a million years did I imagine that despicable man actually stood a chance at winning. Like much of the country, I was shocked. And now I am broken. But I'm gearing up for a fight, because we as women have come too far to back down now.

I'd already planned to write a review of my Vegan Cuts Vegan Coffee Box tonight, so I'm going to trudge forward and do just that. If nothing else, writing this post and thinking about coffee will serve as a welcome distraction from reality. So anyway, I ordered the Vegan Coffee Box from Vegan Cuts a few weeks back after seeing it featured in their email newsletter. It arrived last week, and opening it was so exciting!

I love it when Vegan Cuts does these special themed boxes, and I love coffee. So I pretty much had to have this. Here's a list of everything inside the box:

• #WhatVegansDrink Special Edition Coffee Mug
• Brewing Good Coffee Company Honduras Marcala Whole Bean Coffee - 4 oz.
• Nutpods Unsweetened Nature’s Dairy Free Creamer - 11.2 fl oz
• Laughing Giraffe Coffee Bean Snakaroons - 6 oz
• STEEM Caffeinated Peanut Butter - 8 oz
• Soylent Coffiest Drink - 14 oz
• Garden of Life Organic Plant Protein Powder Smooth Marley Coffee - 26 g
• Rebel Kitchen Coffee Mylk - 11 fl oz
• Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee with Cordyceps - .14 oz
• Vitaperk 15 Vitamin & Mineral Coffee Boost - .1 oz
• Kutoa Chocolate Espresso Bean Bar - 48 g
• Javazen Organic Ground Coffee with Matcha Tea and Cacao Brew Bag - 10 g

I was probably most excited about the STEEM caffeinated peanut butter. Because if there's one thing I love as much as caffeine, it's PB. I tried some (with maple syrup) in my pre-long run oats on Saturday morning for an extra boost.

After that 20-mile run, I had the Coffiest Soylent — a meal replacement drink with 20 grams of protein. I'd been wanting to try Soylent for awhile, and I really loved it. It was a thick creamy milk that actually filled me up for about two hours after that run. I had lunch plans at the Ethiopian buffet, so I wanted something filling that wouldn't stick with me too long.

How cute is this mug? I love that it has booch on it. Seen here with a cup of the Brewing Good Coffee Company coffee. They give a portion of their proceeds to animal charities!

The Kutoa Chocolate Espresso Bean Bar made a great pre-run snack yesterday before my 8-miler. It was a chewy, chocolatey bar with chunks of espresso bean and chia and flax.

This morning, I tried the Vita Perk (a vitamin powder with 15 vitamins and minerals) in my coffee. It's flavorless and a nice way to get your vitamins.

The Javazen ground coffee and matcha brew bag was interesting! It also had cacao. You just plop the bag in hot water and brew coffee in the same way you'd brew tea. It was good, but it was a little thinner and more tea-like than a regular cup of coffee.

The Laughing Giraffe Coffee Bean Snakaroons are coconut macaroons flecked with chocolate-covered coffee beans! They literally melt in your mouth, thanks to coconut oil.

That's all I've tried so far. Waiting to open the Nutpods creamer after I use the Silk creamer stuff I already have in my fridge, and I'll probably have the mushroom coffee in the morning! I'll also likely be making some coffee protein smoothies soon with the Marley Coffee Protein Powder. I've purchased that powder before at Whole Foods and love it.