Vegan BBQ Without a Grill

School may have started back already, but we've still got more than a month of summer left (and down South, our summer temps last well into October!). And that means we've got plenty of time to fit in a few more BBQ nights before we start moving into soups, chilis, and roasted veggie bowls. That's great news if you have a grill. But what if you don't own one?

No problem! There's a new vegan cookbook dedicated to BBQ-ing without a grill. And it's aptly named Vegan BBQ Without a Grill. It's authored by the mother-daughter team of Linda and Alex Meyer.

I actually do own a cheap charcoal grill (it was probably like $30 at the dollar store, no shame), but it's a pain to light charcoal and wait for the grill to be ready. I'd much rather just make some easy BBQ recipes using my oven, stovetop, and/or a grill pan (which I don't own — hey, dad, great Christmas gift idea!!!). All of those methods are used in this book.

There are chapters on Meat-Free BBQ to Satisfy Meat Eaters, Burgers and Sandwiches, Stick Food, Stuffed/Foiled/Smothered, Sides and Salads, BBQ Dips, and Sauces/Rubs. Of course, I had to try something from the Meat-Free BBQ chapter and chose this recipe for Beer Braised Pulled Pork.

It looks like pork, but it's not pork at all (of course!). It's jackfruit that's been slow-simmered on the stove with beer, vinegar, tomato paste, and chili seasonings. It has a vinegar kick and a malty flavor that satisfied my BBQ-loving soul. Served on a wheat bun with red onion and mixed baby greens. Perfect dinner tonight!

I also made a few sides — way back on July 4 — to take to my friend Andy's house. We grilled that night on a real outdoor grill, but these sides really completed the meal. I had a ton of cucumbers in my CSA back then, so I made Mom's Creamy Cucumber Salad with vegan mayo, onion, and dill. So refreshing!

And I also made their Tennessee Caviar — a black-eyed pea salad with sweet corn, red bell pepper, tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, and a vinegar/oil dressing. This was excellent as a salad, but I preferred it as a dip for tortilla chips.

There are so many recipes I want to try before summer ends (and real talk, even after summer ends because BBQ is always in season down here in Memphis). There's Pulled New Orleans BBQ Seitan, Honey BBQ Ribz (the recipe calls for bee-free honee!), Grilled Eggplant Sausage, Cheddar Stuffed Veggie Burgers (with vegan cheese tucked inside!), Pulled Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle BBQ Sauce, Smoky Tofu Bacon with Pineapple Kabobs, and even (omg!) Grilled Potato Steaks!

Every single recipe sounds absolutely amazing. But I do have one teensy complaint — while the book pays homage to BBQ styles from across the US (they've got NOLA, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, and more), there's no Memphis-Style BBQ! But the recipes look so good, I can probably overlook that. ;-)

More Stuff I Ate

Yesterday, I grabbed some lunch from Mama Gaia inside Crosstown Concourse, the building where I work. I brought a book — North by Scott Jurek — and sat outside to read while I enjoyed this Asia Pita (sesame-crusted tofu, asian slaw, and vegan aioli sauce) with a side of Hummus & Veggies and a Raw Chocolate Brownie (saved for later!). Our office is SO COLD, and it feels nice to sit out on the dock and soak up some warmth before going back in for round two!

One of my all-time fave breakfasts — Brown Rice & Crumbled Tofu on Toast (with flax oil, Bragg's, and ketchup). Sounds weird, I know. But it's a recipe from Sarah Kramer/Tonya Barnard's How It All Vegan, and I've always loved it.

A sandwich for lunch one day at home — BE-Hive seitan apple-herb deli slices, avocado, Field Roast Chao Cheese, tomato, lettuce, and homemade pickles. Side of veggies and hummus.

This next pic makes me sad. It's the last pre-long run bagel I'll be eating for awhile. I had this Cinnamon Apple Bagel with Almond Butter last Saturday morning before what was supposed to be a 20-mile trail run. But I had to cut the run short at mile 9 when I started experiencing foot pain again. It seems that I may have re-fractured my foot. Not confirmed yet. But I've put myself back in the walking boot and I'm taking a forced break from running. My 50K in September might not be happening for me now. 

I was pretty bummed after that run so I drowned my sorrows in a homemade French Bread Pizza with Miyoko's Vegan Mozz, Tofurky sausage, kalamata olives, and bell pepper.

Today, I took the day off work to finish up a freelance writing assignment (I have plenty of vacation days left to use up this year!). I could have worked on it at home, but that's boring! So I went to Otherlands to work over an Iced Soy Latte and Everything Bagel with Vegan Cream Cheese & Vegan Butter.

Stuff I Ate

Some random meals! Last Tuesday, the Crosstown Memphis CDC — of which I sit on the board — hosted a National Night Out event at Crosstown Brewing Co. These events happen all over the country and give community members a chance to meet the police officers who serve their neighborhood.

Ours was potluck, and the CDC provided some free beers. I love that we invited the cops over to the brewery. Ha! Of course they didn't drink since they were on duty, but it's so very Memphis to invite cops over for beer. Anyway, the potluck wasn't very vegan-friendly, but I made a Black Bean Quinoa Mango Salad from Veganomicon and my vegan co-worker Madelyn made a Lentil Salad, so we managed to fill up on our dishes. And the non-vegans there gobbled up our vegan offerings! Pictured here with Crosstown Brewing's Peligo Mexican Imperial Chocolate Stout.

Here's a random salad I ate — with all the veggies in my fridge, plus Miyoko's Vegan Mozz and a balsamic-olive oil vinaigrette. Low oil though!

And a Tempeh-Black Bean Veggie Bowl with tempeh, kale, mushrooms, squash, broccoli, and quinoa served over rice. The veggies and tempeh were stir-fried with fermented black bean garlic paste. So good!

My friend Susan and I were invited to the grand opening of Hopdoddy's new location in East Memphis. I went with the La Bandita Burger — black bean & corn patty with vegan smoked gouda & vegan mayo.

Plus Sweet Potato Fries! And a beer and an Old Fashioned. Fun night!

Lulu's Pop-Up Vegan Brunch

My friends Don and Kenzie hosted a pop-up vegan brunch this weekend at Fuel Cafe (where Don is employed as a pizza chef). Fuel hasn't been open for regular brunch in a couple years, but they used to have a stellar vegan brunch. So it was awesome getting to spend my sacred Sunday Funday meal there this week.

Don handled the food, while Kenzie waited tables (and juiced a very large, very tasty watermelon). Don used to run a booth — called Lulu's Baked — at the Cooper Young Farmers Market, where he sold handcrafted breads, cookies, and cashew cheeses. Everything Don makes is amazing, and he's a master of all things sourdough. So we were pleased to see plenty of sourdough selections on the menu. Every single item offered was handmade and artisan AF.

I met Pam, Jen & Simon, and Melissa & Anthony there at 11 am, and our fellow Vegan Drinker Steven showed up and grabbed a seat at our table. Most of us started with Kenzie's Fresh Watermelon Juice. I brought my own vodka to spike drinks since they weren't serving booze at the pop-up, but I was the only one who actually spiked my drink. Weird, I know. Wasn't brunch invented as an excuse to drink at breakfast?

For my meal, I chose the Brekky Sandwich — two slices of Don's sourdough with tofu egg, blackeyed pea sausage, crispy potatoes, cashew cheddar, and plum jam. Delightfully brown and full of flavor! I loved the massive slabs of soft sourdough, and the herbed pea sausage. So good! Steven got one too.

Simon, who is British, ordered the Full English, of course! Pam and Anthony ordered that as well.  Blackeyed Pea Sausage, Tofu Scramble, Hash Browns, Mushroom Bacon, and Roasted Tomato & Mushrooms. Not pictured: the big slab of sourdough and jam on the side.

And Jen and Melissa both opted for the Sourdough Pancakes with Fresh Peaches.

I wish someone had ordered the French toast (also made from sourdough) so I could have shared pics! Everything was so amazing, and if Don/Kenzie (aka Lulu's) hosts another pop-up, I'm so there.

Puffed Quinoa By I Heart Keenwah!

I Heart Keenwah — my very favorite quinoa brand — has a new product that's so versatile and delicious! Meet Quinoa Crisps! They sent me some to review, and I've been experimenting with using it in different ways.

This is puffed quinoa, and it can be used all kinds of ways — as a cereal, in desserts, even as a topping on savory foods (because it's unsweetened). The texture is crispy and light, and it adds a pop of texture and a little crunch to every bite. The Quinoa Crisps also happen to be the secret ingredient in I Heart Keenwah's Quinoa Clusters (which are like little sweet granola bites with nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate).

The new puffed quinoa comes in two colors — the one pictured above and this lighter color. They taste the same to me.

So far, I've tried it as a topping for smoothie bowls, like this one from yesterday. It has a base of banana and vanilla protein powder, topped with Quinoa Crisps, pistachio-mulberry granola, fresh Arkansas peaches, and tahini. Yum!! Loved the crispy texture this added. It's very similar to rice crispies.

Speaking of rice crispies, I used some Quinoa Crisps to make Vegan Quinoa Crispy Treats!

These have the crisps, plus a little uncooked quinoa for extra crunch and some of I Heart Keenwah's quinoa flakes (packaged as their Hot Cereal). Plus, Dandies vegan marshmallows, coconut oil, Earth Balance, and a topping of melted semi-sweet chocolate. These were like rice crispy treats but way better thanks to that crunchy quinoa. I took most of the batch to work and they were gone within an hour. The non-vegans loved them!

Here's that recipe for Vegan Quinoa Crispy Treats from the I Heart Keenwah website. Next up, I want to try these in their Avocado Chocolate Truffles!

More Stuff I Ate

Mama Gaia — the vegetarian restaurant in Crosstown Concourse — has a few new menu items, so I popped in for lunch yesterday to try a couple. This is the Memphia Burger — housemade veggie patty with BBQ sauce & slaw — and Potato Tokens. They previously had potato wedges, but these are better. They're crisper. So good! Also, just FYI Memphis friends, Mama Gaia's Concourse location has new hours. They're now open for lunch only, 10:30 am-3 pm Monday-Friday and 11 am-3 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Have we talked about how much I love tahini? Well, I do. I love it on bowls, like this one with quinoa, Tofurky sausage, okra, squash, bell pepper, and mushrooms. I made a tahini sauce by mixing tahini with a little Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic paste.

I got heirloom tomatoes and basil in a recent CSA, so you know what that means? Caprese Salad! Only problem — there's nowhere in Memphis to buy Miyoko's Creamery Vegan Mozz. Thankfully, I found some at the Little Rock Whole Foods this past weekend. I've been enjoying these yummy salads all week.

I also grabbed some of Whole Foods' Vegan Buffalo Chicken Salad in Little Rock. I love this stuff, and their deli sells it. But our Memphis Whole Foods doesn't have it. I always grab some when I'm there. It's made with soy chicken, and it's fantastic. Perfect atop fresh CSA salad greens with CSA cucumber and Just For All Vegan Ranch.

Stuff I Ate

Tofu scramble is seriously one of my all-time favorite breakfasts and yet I so rarely make it. WHYYY???? IT'S SO EASY. Anyway, I fixed that last week with a batch of the Cheesy Tofu Scramble from Cookin' Crunk (which isn't really cheesy, but more noochy). I added mushrooms, bell pepper, and carrots. Served with flax & chia toast with Crofter's Superfruit Jam & Earth Balance. Side of local white peach.

My co-worker Madelyn and I had lunch at Irie Vegan Kitchen last week. That's my friends Nigel and Andrea's vegan lunch club. They cook in their home and serve lunch. She got a Philly crepe, and I went with the BBQ Smoked Sausage Sandwich and Garlic Kale. Mmmmm mmmm!

Here's a random bowl that I brought to work for lunch one day when I knew I wouldn't have time to walk home for lunch. Quinoa, Soy Curls, squash, okra, and tahini sauce. I seasoned the Soy Curls and veggies with a yummy mushroom salt that my friend Susan gave me. The lighting in our breakroom is terrible for food photos because the walls are HOT PINK.

I made that big batch of veggie soup last week, and I had some one day with a fresh Heirloom Tomato & Mayo Sandwich. I got heirlooms in my CSA, and the best way to enjoy these is as simply as possible. Anyone else love tomato & mayo sandwiches?

I tried Low Fi Coffee on South Main for the first time last week. Ordered a Matcha Cappuccino and WOW! Amazing. They're a sweetener-free coffee shop, so this was unadorned and just perfect. Plus, they use a super-creamy oat milk base.

I got okra in my CSA last week (and every week for the past several weeks!) so I made some Air-Fried Okra to go with a frozen veggie burger (made with lentils and walnuts). In the past, I've breaded my air-fried okra, but this time, I just lightly oiled and salted the whole pods. I loved the texture! It made the okra soft and crisp at the same time without all the sliminess you get from boiling.