Cornbread Pizza

I've been wanting to create a Southern-style veggie pizza for my cookbook, loaded high with greens, summer squash, peppers, and Vidalia onions. And I'd planned on using a traditional pizza crust, but one night last week, inspiration struck. Why not create a cornbread crust? What's more Southern than cornbread? So ladies and gentlemen, I give you Southern Veggie Cornbread Pizza:

For the crust, I halved my recipe for cast-iron cornbread (also in the cookbook). I didn't want to use the whole amount because it would be way too thick. I topped the uncooked crust with homemade pizza sauce, some TVP that I rehydrated in a "beefy" broth, and sauteed turnip greens, squash, red bell pepper, and Vidalia onions. Then I baked it all in my cast-iron skillet.


Wow! I'm proud of this creation. It was super good! The crust was just the right thickness, about the size of a deep dish pizza crust, and the combination of TVP "beef," sauce, and veggies was both hearty and healthy.

I will probably use kale next time though, instead of turnip greens. Turnip greens really need to be cooked down for about 45 minutes to get rid of their bitter taste, so the milder taste of kale works better when sauteéd. Since the turnip greens were sauteéd and then baked, they weren't terribly bitter on the pizza. But I think kale would be the best green for this recipe.

Downhome Dough

I've always been a fan of fusion cuisine. When I was a little kid, I dreamed of opening up a Mexican-Chinese restaurant that would serve refried bean egg rolls and fried rice-stuffed burritos. That dream is long dead, but I'm still experimenting with mixing the cuisines of various cultures. Take for example, tonight's Veggie Lovers Cornbread Pizza:

This is another recipe for my cookbook. I actually developed it in August of last year. Here's the original post. But the measurements needed testing, and it tastes so good ... so it was high time to make it again.

The crust is made using my own recipe for cornbread, but it's halved to allow room for the toppins'. Of course, I baked it in my trusty cast iron pan. But it didn't finish cooking until well after dark, so excuse the bad flash shot:

Atop the crust is a homemade pizza sauce, some "beefy" flavored TVP crumbles, sauteed kale, squash, red pepper, and onion. The traditional sauce gives this recipe an Italian pizza-y taste, but the cornbread certainly makes it Southern tried and true.

Brats, Pizza, & Baked Potatoes!

A couple weeks ago, when we were solidly in mid-October, I got into the fall spirit with an Oktoberfest-themed meal of Vegan Beer Brats and German Potato Salad, served with a Crosstoberfest beer from Crosstown Brewing. I used Simple Truth Kielbasa for the sausage, and I simmered them in Crosstoberfest beer. The potato salad was made with veggie bacon and cooked onions in the traditional German way (with a touch of added mayo, which is not traditional but delicious).

Paul and I love to go to the Wiseacre Brewing taproom downtown because Paul loves the pizza at their in-house eatery, Little Bettie. Typically, he orders pizza, and I just get beer. But they do have a vegan pie on the menu, so I finally tried The Slightly (that's the name of the pizza). It's a very simple thin crust pizza with tomato sauce, shaved garlic, olive oil, and chili oil. No cheese. I was a little skeptical of a cheese-less vegan pizza with very few veggies, but it was a good. More a flatbread with sauce on it. But good! I did add vegan cheese to my leftovers the next day. 

Here's a recent Baked Loaded Sweet Potato with chickpeas, kale, and tahini sauce. I love a simple and healthy meal like this!

I recently made the Don't Waste the Good Stuff Squash Soup from the No Meat Athlete Cookbook, which uses all bits of the squash (including seeds and stringy bits). It was really yummy, and you couldn't even tell the seeds were blended into the soup. I served this with some toasted sourdough from Lucy J's Bakery.

And finally, here's some Purple Hull Pea Soup made with fresh, local peas and tomatoes (the last red ones for the year!). I made this in the Instant Pot and served with some frozen cornbread that I'd put up after baking a batch a while back.

Cookbook Review: Epic Vegan

My internet friend Dustin Harder — aka The Vegan Roadie — has a new cookbook, and IT. IS. EPIC. Literally!!

Epic Vegan: Wild & Over-the-Top Vegan Recipes is probably the craziest vegan cookbook I've ever owned. Crazy good, of course. We're talking vegan burgers served on cinnamon roll buns with peanut butter and bacon. Or Disco Pretzel Bites (imagine vegan poutine but with soft pretzels in place of fries, topped with mushroom gravy, vegan mozz, and scallions). This is the stuff my food dreams are made of.

I wanted to make everything, but I tried to limit myself to a couple recipes that shared a common ingredient — Dustin's Cheesiest Cheese Sauce. The cheese recipe made a ton, and I didn't want it to go to waste. So first, I made this Bless Your Heart Bowl. Of course I did! It spoke to my little Southern heart.

This has a base of chili (Dustin's mom's recipe with vegan beef and kidney beans) topped with Easy Creamy Shells & Cheese (I used penne!), sauteed collards. A perfect meal! The cornbread was sweet and soft like Jiffy, and it reminded me of the cornbread I grew up eating.

One thing about this book: It's not a quick, make-it-in-30-minutes-or-less kind of cookbook. The recipes are more like "food projects," which may not be convenient for everyday cooking. Most recipes call for several other recipes. But thankfully, they make plenty for leftovers, so you can do your prep on a slow night and have food for days.

For example, the Cheesiest Cheese Sauce, which is the base for the mac & cheese, is made with cooked butternut squash and potatoes and blended with all sorts of things, like kraut, tahini, and bell pepper. I made this the night before to save a step. It makes a ton, and it can be used for any recipe that calls for cheese sauce.

The cheese sauce was also called for in these Breakfast Nachos! I made these for dinner last night, and I'm so stoked to have leftovers for the week.

Blue corn tortilla chips are topped with Dustin's Eggscellent Eggs (a tofu scramble made with both crumbled and blended tofu, lending it a very eggy texture — will be making this often!!), the cheese sauce, sauteed vegan sausage and peppers, and a homemade sour cream made with avocados and coconut milk! I love that, other than the sausage and chips, the recipe is based on whole foods, so you can feel pretty great about eating nachos.

Dustin does offer you the option of using store-bought items in place of some of the recipes within recipes, but for full epic effect, I recommend making everything from scratch!

The book is divided into chapters on basics, sauces, breads, appetizers, handhelds (like tacos, sandwiches, etc.), pasta, pizza, bowls, drinks, and desserts. There's a freaking PIZZA BURRITO SUPREME (shown here in this pic with Dustin)!!!

Other notable recipes: Crispy Cream Doughnuts (a vegan replica of Krispy Kreme), a Waffle Tot Grilled Cheese (just like it sounds!), Noritos Los Tacos (tacos with nooch-coated shells similar to the Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell), Buffalo "Chicken" Lasagna, and Crab Rangoon Pizza. There's even a Cookie Dough Cake with layers of cookies where buttercream would typically go!

I've bookmarked the Birthday Cake Shake to enjoy on my birthday in October! With its buttercream frosting, cake batter, and ice cream, it's too decadent for everyday eats. But I'm counting down the days until I turn 39 so I can drink that.

Keep On Crunkin': What "Crunk" Means to Me

This is the first in a series of blog posts for my cookbook's social media campaign, cleverly titled "Keep On Crunkin'." My publisher, Book Publishing Company, and Vegan Mainstream have joined forces for this seven-day promotion filled with giveaways, contests, etc. I'm inviting you to get crunk with me! Every day, I'll share recipes, giveaways, and tips, and there will be a social media action that you can take on the 7-day Vegan Crunk Challenge for a chance to win a copy of my cookbook, other vegan cookbooks from BPC, or a Cookin' Crunk apron!

All taking the challenge means is that you'll read along and cook along with me. If you don't have my cookbook yet, pick one up! You can even buy one right here on my site using the Paypal button on the right side of the blog.

To kick off the "Keep On Crunkin'" campaign, I thought it'd be helpful to share with y'all just what "crunk" means to me. Or hell, just what "crunk" means at all. Since my book has come out in September, I've heard "What does crunk mean?" about as often as most vegans hear the ubiquitous "Where do you get your protein?" question.

Memphis folks know what crunk means. The Dirty South knows what crunk means. But for everyone else, here's a fun crunk tutorial.

Here's the official Merriam-Webster definition (yes, "crunk" is in the dictionary!):

A style of Southern rap music featuring repetitive chants and rapid dance rhythms

And that scratches the surface. It is, indeed, a style of rap music that originated in Memphis (think Triple 6 Mafia). But crunk is so much more. It's about passion. It's about excitement. It's about getting wild and crazy. When a party gets crunk, well, that's where you want to be.

I love a good ole crunk party, but I also manage to keep it pretty crunk up in my kitchen. I get excited about Southern soul food. I'm passionate about peas (black-eyed ones, of course). I'm wild about watermelon. I get crunk over cornbread and collard greens. I infuse soul and love and fun into everything I cook. It's like a party in my pantry every day.

And like so many good Southern women (and men!), I got my fervor for cookin' from my mama and my granny. I grew up watching them delicately layer casseroles and pull together pies like nobody's business. Over the next seven days, I'll be sharing a few recipes and Southern kitchen tricks, many of which I learned from those ladies. Just for fun (and inspiration), here are a few of my favorite dishes from Cookin' Crunk.

Country Fried Tempeh Steak with Soymilk Gravy

BBQ Black-eyed Pea Burger 

Veggie Lovers Cornbread Pizza

Old Fashioned Coconut Pie

Speaking of crunk, my pal Tami of Vegan Appetite has "crunked" one of her own recipes to help me get the word out about this campaign. Basically, that just means she put a Southern spin on her dish. What'd she make? Tofu Scramble with Tomato Thyme Gravy, y'all!!! And she posted the recipe for her mouth-watering gravy. You can find pics and the recipe on her blog.

Now on to the giveaway. Each day of this 7-day blitz will include an action you can take for a chance to win a Cookin' Crunk cookbook, another BPC vegan cookbook, or a Cookin' Crunk apron. If you already have my book, no worries. We're also giving away copies of Artisan Vegan Cheese, Raw Food Made Easy, Enlightened Eating, and Vegan for the Holidays!

Today's action: Let everyone know that you are taking the Vegan Crunk Challenge! Post "I'm going Vegan Crunk For 7 Days!" on Twitter and use the hashtag #keeponcrunkin. I'll randomly select a winner for a cookbook at the end of the day. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. CST.

I'll be swapping out the social media networks throughout the week. Some days with Twitter, some with Facebook, and some with Pinterest. That gives everyone who uses most social media a chance to win. But if you use Pinterest and plan to use it for some of the actions later this week (including one today, see below), there is one teensy thing I'll need you to do. Vegan Mainstream set up a group board for Keep On Crunkin'. To join, just click here and follow the directions at the top. It will instruct you to email Vegan Mainstream, and they'll get you approved, pronto. No need to do this if you don't plan to try some of the Pinterest giveaways later this week, but if you want to join in, it'll only take a second.

Extra credit: For a chance to win a Cookin' Crunk apron, you can post any recipe that you've made from Cookin' Crunk in the past or "crunk" your own recipe (just put a Southern spin on it ... there's no right or wrong way to get crunk) and put a picture on the group Pinterest board. We'll have two giveaways today! You can enter both!

And now, in case you need a little crunk musical inspiration, here's one of my favorite aristo-crunk videos from Memphis rappers Lord T & Eloise:



Or for something a little more traditional, here's some classic Triple 6 Mafia:

Vegan Meetup's First Potluck!

We have a newish vegan group in Memphis — Vegan Dineouts & Potlucks —that's organized through meetup.com (here's our page!). Memphis vegan Susan Stern started the group when she moved to Memphis last year, right around the time our decade-old meetup group, Food Awareness, was going on an indefinite hiatus (Food Awareness is officially retired now btw). The Universe has a strange way of working like that.

Since Memphis Vegan Dineouts & Potlucks launched, we've been on a ton of dinner, lunch, and brunch outings. But the group held its first potluck this past weekend. Vaughan (the lead organizer of the now-defunct Food Awareness group) and Nicole opened up their lovely Midtown home for the party. When Paul and I arrived, we were greeted by this cute sign in the yard!

I made Spanakopita using the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance (tofu, spinach, scallions, walnuts, and nooch). I'd made it once years ago, and I remember thinking that it was easier than it sounded like it'd be. But on Saturday afternoon, before the potluck, I was cursing my decision. It's not hard to make, but filo dough is a pain to work with. And my oven crapped out on me, so I had to bake these in Cassi's oven down the street.

I had leftover filo after I ran out of the tofu filling, so I opened up a can my Granny's homemade pear pie filling and made some Pear Fruit Pies with cinnamon and agave.

There was sooooo much delicious food at this potluck! So much! I can't remember who brought everything, but I'll do my best. This Veggie Wild Rice came from a girl I hadn't met before, but it was so good.

Somebody made a Garden Salad, which was probably a good call considering all the madness we ate.

Pam's Asian Cabbage Slaw with Tofu and Shiitakes was off the chain. I could have eaten this whole dish full.

Nicole's mom — Beverly — made a really unique and delicious dish with Lima Beans, Tomato, and Vegan Chicken.

Dinesh and his wife, whose name I did not catch, brought some amazing Indian food — Basmati Rice and a Red Bean Curry. Paul probably ate two bowlfuls of this alone.

Steven brought a tasty Kale & Sweet Potato Salad. Sorry for the blurry pic though! The sweet potatoes were mashed and mixed in with the kale.

Vivian's Macaroni Salad so colorful and delicious. I LOVE a good macaroni salad. This got me in the mood for picnic season!

Vivian also brought some soft and sweet Cornbread! Vivian and I share a taste for good country cookin'. YUM!

Susan made this fun White Bean & Quinoa Salad with tomatoes and greens. I love dishes like this at a potluck because I can eat lots and feel good about eating something healthy and tasty.

Susan also brought Potato Salad. It tasted like summer with lots of lemon and dill!

Adam and Emily showed up just in time with this Roasted Vegetable Pizza. The crust was just perfect! I really need to invest in a pizza stone.

A new fellow whose name I cannot remember (was it John?) brought this colorful Potato & Kale Curry with Rice Noodles.

Nic showed up super late with Roasted Veggie Lasagna. By then, I was stuffed, so I packed a slice to take home. I had that for dinner tonight, and it was fan-freaking-tastic.

Wai also showed up late with this Chickpea & Cabbage Saute. I also packed a bit of this to go. Perfect healthy side to my lasagna!

Here's my plate! Well, my first plate. There was a second plate with pizza and curry noodles. And a third plate with dessert (but more on that in a few).

After we ate the main course, we all sat around and chatted, waiting to find room to stuff down dessert. Here's Paul and I.

A posse in this kitchen with our hosts Nicole (in the foreground) and Vaughan (with the eye patch).

Some grown folks and a baby in the living room. That's Adam — the pizza guy — with the baby and Emily is in the floor. Dinesh and his wife are on the couches.

Max, Beverly, and Rita stayed close to the food table. I don't blame them.

And Cassi has a policy now that she'll only make weird faces in pictures. So there ya go.

Speaking of Cassi, of course the vegan cupcake diva brought cupcakes from her bakery, Pink Diva Cupcakery. She brought Sweet Potato Mango, Fruity Pebbles (flecked with Fruity Pebbles, of course), and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I tried the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and it was delicious. She uses fancy cinnamon, and it makes a big difference.

Susan brought these yummy Raw Truffles! I can't remember what all was in them, but they tasted just like an Almond Joy, so there was definitely coconut in there.

And Karen brought a delightful Maple Brown Sugar Cake. I'm such a sucker for maple everything. I only had room for a sliver of this, but I wish I could have fit in a whole slice.

Well, that's it! We ate sooooo much. And of course there was wine to wash it all down. Memphis vegans knows how to party.

I Only Have Nine Fingers

Okay, well I really have all ten digits, but only nine are in use right now. My right index finger is swollen twice its intended size and it won't straighten out. On Friday night, my boyfriend discovered a cat that had apparently been hit by a car lying in our road. It wasn't bleeding, but its back legs were paralyzed. He gently scooped it up and brought it home. While he called the emergency vet, I attempted to calm the cat by petting it.

Bad idea. Obviously, a stray isn't going to be happy about human interaction, especially after being hit by a car. But the cat didn't complain until my nosy dog walked into the room. The cat freaked out and chomped into my hand. It bled, but I didn't think much of it. We surrendered the injured cat to the emergency vet, where they promised to either end the cat's suffering or save it if possible.

The next day, I woke up with a massively swollen index finger. It was bright red and hot to the touch. So I went to the doctor and he confirmed that my finger was infected. It's excruciatingly painful, especially since I'm right-handed. I'm having to learn to use my left for day to day activities until my finger heals. Right now, typing is no easy task.

But I couldn't let a day go by without a post. Here's a few meals I made last week — both testers from my cookbook. There's this Cornbread Pizza topped with TVP, kale, peppers, and squash:

And this Daiya-covered Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Pepper with a simple side of Steamed Sweet Potatoes:

Alright, that's enough typing for tonight. I'm off to soak my hand in epsom salts and then to bed. The moral to this story - don't pet stray, hurt animals. Try to save them, sure. But don't pet them.

Stuff I Ate (and Stuff I Did)

So September 1st begins Vegan Mofo!! For those who don't know, "Vegan Mofo" stands for "Vegan Month of Food," and for the whole month, vegan bloggers, Instagrammers, tweeters, Facebookers, and users of whatever other social media is out there will be blowing up the internet with pictures of delicious vegan food.

It's been going on for years, and I've participated every year (I think). But I'll be honest — I've never been all that excited about Mofo, at least not for my own blogging. I love reading everyone else's posts, especially my blogger friends who don't blog as often the rest of the year. But for me, since I already blog five days a week, it's always been kind of the same thing I always do. And some bloggers choose a theme, but I could never commit to one for a whole month. But this year, I'm going ALL THE WAY. And I'm very excited. I'll be following the official Mofo daily prompts, which are new this year. But more on that tomorrow! Tonight is a pre-Mofo photo dump.

But before we get to the stuff I ate, I wanted to share with y'all what I've been doing for the past couple weekends. Memphis held its first-ever Ren Faire — the Mid-South Renaissance Faire — at Shelby Farms Park, and I went both weekends. The first weekend, I went with a traditional dress and long wig. And it was SO HOT and SO HUMID! My wig hair was all sticking to me. But I looked pretty cool.

Here I am with my friend Pam and her kid Lily. 

The Ren Faire had a Fairy Grove, so that first weekend, as I was sweating my ass off, I decided that the following weekend (which was this past weekend), I would go for a much more minimal look as a faery! It was still very hot, but I was much more comfortable.

But you're here for the food, not my nerdiness! I've been eating lots of good stuff, as usual. I've been doing a ton of eating out, so I haven't had much in the way of leftovers for lunches since I've not cooked much. And that means lunches of Amy's soups and frozen burritos. One day last week, I had this Amy's Vegetable Barley Soup with Hummus Toast.

Speaking of eating out, I'm making it a point to visit Cassi's new place, Pink Diva Cupcakery, once a week for lunch. She was doing themed daily menu specials, but now she's got a small menu so people can choose. Last Wednesday, my co-workers and I stopped in for big ole plates of BBQ Tofu Nachos!! So good!!

My friends and I have been brunching almost every Sunday at Imagine Vegan Cafe for years (since they relaunched brunch a year ago and during the original brunch run several years ago). We brunch so much that I've started ordering off the regular, non-brunch menu to mix it up. Yesterday, I got the Southern Staple — brown rice, black beans, collard greens, garlic sauce and cornbread on the side. Love all that garlic sauce! Plus, I added sriracha, like I do.

The Sunday before last, I went with a more traditional brunch of Vegan Sausage & Cheese Quiche with Salad and a side of Mac & Cheese. Stephanie makes the quiche, and it's to die for. Our friend Pam orders it EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

Last Tuesday was Vegan Drinks night! And we met at Memphis' newest Ethiopian joint, The Blue Nile. Mmmm ... injera bread. I ordered the Vegetarian Platter and a Lagunitas IPA, and I'm proud to report that I cleaned my plate. No leftovers here. 

Y'all remember that vegan pizza special I mentioned last week? My neighborhood pizza joint, Midtown Crossing Grill, was offering a vegan cheese pizza called The Goodman as a test item last week. Of course, I had to stop in and get one! This has two kinds of vegan cheese — mozzarella and cream cheese — and potatoes, spinach, and mushrooms. Ridiculously good!

That's it! See y'all tomorrow for Mofo!