Peanut Butter, Meet Marmite

About two summers ago, I had the pleasure of meeting one awesome PPK-er, Panda Cookie, at Veganstock 2009. You can see her little monster crafts (and her new zine Baggin' and Ballin') on her blog. I have a wee blue monster and one of her tofu pirate tote bags, and I think about how swell Panda is every time I look at them. By the way, I really wish someone would buy me Panda's Tofu Scramble Plush Pirate Set! OMG!! Just look at it!! An asparagus, a mushroom, and a tofu pirate!!!

But scramble plush set or not, there's at least one other time that I think back to hanging out with Panda at Veganstock in Asheville, North Carolina. That would be every time I eat Peanut Butter with Marmite:

All-natural, salted chunky PB swirled with smidgen of yeasty, salty Marmite. It may be the second best Marmite combo on earth. The first would be my fave tofu cottage cheeze with Marmite, but I've blogged about that before.

But one night (or was it a day?) at Veganstock, we got on the topic of things to do with Marmite, as all vegans do from time to time. Panda mentioned combining it with peanut butter, and though the combination sounded strange at first, I had to try it when I returned home. So glad I did! Thanks Panda!

How do you eat your Marmite?

Be An Oatmeal Star!

Got a crazy awesome oatmeal recipe? I do! I give to you, Savory Marmite Oats:

Don't knock it until you've tried it, folks. I know it sounds weird, but if you're a fan of savory oats, you're gonna love this. One morning, I was out of breakfast options (except for oats), and I was craving something savory. Rather than make my usual noochy oats, I decided to stir in some Marmite. Here's the recipe.

Savory Marmite Oats
Serves 1
--------------------------
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
1 tsp. Marmite
1 tsp. flax oil
1 Tbsp. Parma or nutritional yeast

Prepare the oats according to the package directions. I prefer to cook mine in the microwave. I just mix the oats and water together in a big ol' measuring cup and heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until thick.
Stir in the Marmite and flax oil. Top with Parma or nutritional yeast. Eat.

See how easy!! Now, my recipe might not win contests or anything, but it's pretty damn good. Speaking of oatmeal contests, Bob's Red Mill is giving you a chance to become an oatmeal star in its second annual "Spar for the Spurtle" contest.

Home cooks and pro chefs alike are invited to submit videos of themselves demonstrating a unique oatmeal recipe using Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats. Three finalists will be flown to Portland for a live cook-off in August! The winner of that cook-off will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Scotland and $2,500 cash to help rep the Bob's Red Mill team in the 19th Annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Contest. Think you have what it takes? Check out the Spar for the Spurtle website for details. The deadline to submit your video is July 20th.

My Mate Marmite

I have a new favorite thing! Marmite and tofu "cottage cheese" on toast. That's what I had for breakfast on Friday and Saturday morning.



A while back, Steph from Poopie Bitch blogged about Marmite, the yeast extract spread popular in England. In her comment section, I asked where to find it in the States. She didn't know, but since her husband is British, she apparantly has a surplus. So she brought me a jar at Thursday's Food Awareness meeting.

She warned that I may not like it and that it was really salty. I eat bouillion cubes and seasoning salt straight from the bottle (I know, I know, that's a lot of sodium), so I was sure I'd love it. And I do! It tastes like yeasty veggie stock seasoning. The key is spreading it really thin.

Marmite is a great source of B vitmins, especially riboflavin and B12 (which vegans need to be certain to get). The jar suggests spreading it on toast with cottage cheese. So I googled "tofu cottage cheese" and found a recipe that called for tofu, Veganaise, and a pinch of sugar.

I didn't measure anything out because I only made enough to spread on a couple slices of toast. But I used about a fourth block of tofu, about a tablespoon of Veganaise, a tiny pour of soymilk (to give it that liquidy consistancy that cottage cheese has), and just a teensy pinch of sugar. It tasted JUST LIKE cottage cheese ... or at least what I remember it tasting like.

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Eater

Look, I know this photo of Broccoli Marmite Pie is far from flattering:

But man, it sure was beautiful when it went into my mouth. Flaky puff pastry meets savory broccoli florets in a thick Marmite tomato gravy. Pure comfort food.

The pie wasn't done cooking until after sunset, so I had to use a flash for this shot. And as you can see, plating was also a challenge. I probably could have done a better job on presentation, but I was hungry. Check out that puffy, flaky crust:

You can find the recipe here at Cooking the Vegan Books. Unfortunately, the recipe doesn't have measurements or cooking times, so you kinda have to wing it. I used one bunch of broccoli, about 2 cups water, one tablespoon Marmite, 1/4 cup tomato puree, 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, and most of a Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheet. I baked it at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. For the rest of the directions though, check out Liz's blog.

On the side, I had a large salad with all kinds of goodness — romaine, radishes, carrots, tomato, marinated olives, pickles, raisins, and Amy's French Dressing.

Spreads for Breads

Somehow, I've acquired a buttload of spreads lately. And it just so happens that one of my favorite go-to breakfasts is bread schmeared with nut butter and other yummies. Here are a few of my current spreadables.

There's this homemade White Chocolate Peanut Butter that I purchased from Amber of Almost Vegan at Vida Vegan Con. She lugged, like, 30-something jars with her from Kansas City so her partner Matt could peddle them while she attended the conference. Paul and I both bought a jar, so we have plenty ... for now. But Amber, I'm gonna need your recipe. ;-)

Then, there's this cute ass jar of Maple Cream that I received last week in a care package from Rick of the Health Sleuth and his partner Sabrina. Imagine maple syrup that's thick like butter. Oh yes, it's delicious.

And my buddy Stephanie brought me back this GIANT jar of Marmite from her recent trip to the U.K. Any long-time readers have certainly read my gushings about Marmite in the past. I love this yeasty spread, and although our Whole Foods sells it, it's way overpriced there.

Last week, Whole Foods did have at least one thing seriously underpriced though. Ricemellow Creme! It was only 94 cents a tub, and this stuff usually runs around $4 per tub. There were only two left, so I grabbed both. Not sure why they were marked down so low. They're nowhere near expiration. Hope they're not phasing it out. There is no greater pleasure that a fluffer-nutter sandwich made with peanut butter and Ricemellow Creme. Take that, marshmallow fluff. Nobody needs you and your dumb old melted-down animal skin and bones. Ick! How can people eat gelatin knowing what's in it?

Paul and I each got a squeeze pack of nut butter in our Vida Vegan Con dorm room gift bags. Mine was Artisana Raw Almond Butter!

And lastly, this isn't new, but it is delicious. I'm still working on this jar of homemade Blueberry Jam from Megan of Vegan Whore. She sent it to me in a care package swap last year, but I already had so many jams open at the time that I opted to hoard the jar for later. Well, now it's later, and I am tearing this stuff up! Yum!

I bought a Italian Country Loaf from Shoaf's Loaf at the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturday, and I've been spreading a couple slices with spreads each morning this week. Monday, I had a Fluffer Nutter slice (Ricemellow Creme and White Chocolate Wonderful PB) and a Maple PB slice (Maple Cream and crunchy plain PB):

And this morning, I had a taste of sweet and savory. One slice was spread with the raw almond butter and blueberry jam and the other with crunchy plain PB and Marmite (best combo ever, by the way):

What do you like to spread on your bread?

Vegan Mofo: Weird Food Combo

For Vegan Mofo Day 4, we're supposed to write about a weird food combo we love. I'm actually pretty sure I love lots of weird food combos. But as I was reading through the daily Mofo prompts and came across this one, my mind immediately jumped to peanut butter, Marmite, and chili sauce.

I love this combo on toast! In fact, I had it for breakfast yesterday!

I'd have probably never discovered this combo had it not been for Lisa of Panda with Cookie. We were on a PPK vegan group camping trip called VeganStock in Asheville, North Carolina in 2009. And we were sitting around the campsite chatting about vegan food — as vegans do ALL THE TIME — when the topic of Marmite came up. At that time, I'd already developed a love for this British yeasty spread. But when Lisa said she liked to combine Marmite with peanut butter, it blew my mind.

I had to try it as soon as I got home. And I loved it! But something was missing. It had that creamy, fatty saltiness, but it needed something. Something spicy! So I added sriracha. The result is almost like a Thai peanut satay sauce on toast.

These days, I prefer Yellowbird Jalapeno Sauce over sriracha. It's all-natural and mostly organic, and it contains sneaky veggies, like carrots. I'm also LOVING this Everland Chia Peanut Spread that I found at T.J. Maxx, which means I'll probably never find it again. Oh well.

Tofu + Marmite = True Love

While in New Orleans last weekend, I stumbled onto this amazing tub of Cottage Tofu Salad at their gigantuan Whole Foods (theirs puts Memphis' Whole Foods to shame):

I always love, love, loved cottage cheese in my dairy-eatin' days, and I often try to recreate it with crumbled firm tofu, vegan mayo, and a pinch of sugar. But there was something really appealing about buying tofu cottage cheeze already prepared in a convenient little tub. I stashed a tub in our cooler and it made the 7-hour drive home to Memphis with me. Now, hold that thought.

When I arrived home and began unpacking, I opened my pantry door to see this adorable little guy waiting with open arms. Yep, my big ass jar of Champagne Marmite has a crush on me ... it's written all over his sophisticated European label. See ...

My buddy John P from Nashville (of The I-40 Kitchen blog fame) gifted me this huge jar of special edition champagne-flavored Marmite a few months ago. And what's my favorite thing to do with it? Spread it on whole wheat toast with faux cottage cheeze. Only this time, I didn't even have to make the cheeze myself:

Yep, this open-faced sandwich was pure bliss. I've been eating this meal everyday since I returned from my trip. But sadly, I finished that tub of cottage cheeze off at lunch. And our Memphis Whole Foods doesn't carry this stuff. Oh well ... guess I'm back to makin' it myself.

V is for Vegan

Sometimes a cookbook is so beautiful that you just want to read it from front to back, just so you can admire every page of glossy, full-color food porn, perfectly placed type, and expert layout and design. Oh, and then maybe, when you're done admiring the book as a work of art, you might want to cook from it, too. But only if you're careful not to get splashes of olive oil and sprinkles of smoked paprika on the pages.

That's how I feel about V is for Vegan, the new hardcover cookbook by British underground supper club pioneer (and blogger at MsMarmiteLover) Kerstin Rodgers. It's as much work of art as it is cookbook. The book features a unique zine-style layout and a punk rock aesthetic. The recipes range from simple dishes, like a watermelon-veggie stir-fry or a homemade miso soup, to complex, gourmet meals that are equally impressive and intimidating. Think Artichoke, Potato, Spinach & Tofu B'stilla with Poppy Seeds and Rose Petals (b'stilla is described as "an exotic filled pastry pie" and is created with phyllo pastry). And some pages feature magazine-style photo spreads with various easy ideas for spreads and dips, ramen noodle hacks, or things to spread on toast.

As a toast lover, I was immediately drawn to the 13 Things on Toast spread. Just look at this gorgeous layout!

Of course, I had to try a few of these ideas first! I actually shared a picture of the first toast I tried — Marmite, Tahini, & Alfalfa Sprouts — in my St. Pat's Day post last Thursday. But here it is again. I went with a big chunk of whole-wheat bread (from the Whole Foods Bakery), and it's topped with creamy tahini, salty Marmite, and sprouts. The yeasty Marmite is such a good marriage with the tahini! 

I tried the Dark Chocolate Spread with Hazelnuts on Saturday morning before my long run. For this, I used the Endangered Species Cocoa Spread, chopped hazelnuts, and chunky sea salt. I would never have thought to add the sea salt on my own, but it really stepped this toast up a notch. Perfectly gourmet!

Today was the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox! Also known as Ostara. And on this day, it's common to eat eggs as symbols of the Earth's fertility. But since eggs are out of the question for me, I typically make some sort of vegan "eggy" dish to celebrate. I settled on the Scrambled Tofu on Truffled Sourdough Bruschetta. It looks like this would also be from the toast page, but it's actually listed in the breakfast chapter (though I had it for dinner!). 

This was unlike most tofu scrambles I've made in that it didn't really mimic eggs, and it was made with silken rather than firm tofu. But it was delicious nonetheless! The tofu was cooked on high for quite a while with mushrooms, scallions, and herbs until all the water cooked out of the tofu. Then, it was served on toast that was spread with garlic and truffle oil. Anything with truffle oil is alright by me. I actually added a little black salt at the end just to make it eggier, but it would also be good without that.

On the side, I made another one of the simple recipes from the book — Roast Potatoes in Coconut Oil. This is just what it sounds like! Potatoes are roasted in coconut oil. And she offers several flavor variations. I went with the Italian variation, which meant adding one can of tomatoes and some herbs. So amazing! I used expeller pressed oil, which has a heavy coconut flavor, and I really loved how that paired with the Yukon potatoes.

Here's my Spring Equinox celebration plate! The kale was just steamed and tossed with soy sauce and vinegar (not a recipe from the book).

There are far more complex recipes in this book as well. But I like to keep things simple (and I'm a little lazy sometimes), so I steered away from those. But dishes such as Beet Pelmeni with Herb & Walnut Filling (like little raviolis made with — gasp! — homemade pasta), Lettuce Cups with "Ceviche" & Sweet Potato (the ceviche is made with hearts of palm), or Wilted Day Lilies with Mustard Greens (who knew you could eat lilies?!) would certainly be impressive for guests. 

Thankfully, the book offers enough easier, more pedestrian dishes for lazy cooks like me! And even if I'll never make the Orange Flower Water, Cardamom, & Coconut Rice Pudding, a girl can dream.

Fave Breakfast + New Plates

Quick post tonight: I have to get to bed pronto because I have to be at the WREG Channel 3 studio bright 'n' early for my live cooking segment. I'll be cooking BBQ Tempeh & Carrot Sandwiches topped Creamy Poppyseed Coleslaw from Cookin' Crunk on the Live @9 morning show. If you're local, tune in! Hopefully, they'll post the segment on their site later in the day and I can share here.

This morning, I had one of my favorite breakfasts from Cookin' Crunk. It's not explicitly Southern, but I just had to include it in the book because it's so easy and delicious. It's Tofu Cottage Cheese served on whole wheat toast with Marmite:

Before going vegan, I always loved cottage cheese sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. The crumbled tofu mimics the curds in cottage cheese and a tad bit of vegan mayo and vegan yogurt give it the creamy texture. I love serving this with Marmite because the saltiness and the creaminess are the perfect complement to crispy toast.

Check out my new plates! My friends Andy and Jordan got me two new sets of plates and a new set of bowls for my housewarming party. I just love these! Most all of my plates are vintage from the 70s, 80s, or 90s. And while I love my retro stuff, its nice to live in the now sometimes with modern dishes.

Vida Vegan Con, Part 1

I spent last week hanging out with some of my favorite vegan food bloggers and speaking on panels at Vida Vegan Con II in Portland. I took about 600 pictures, so I've combed through and selected my faves to share in two posts today and tomorrow. I mean, I'm sure you'd love to see every single one of my 600 photos, but .... jk! I know you don't care about all that! Here are my highlights from Thursday night and Friday.

Vida Vegan Con didn't officially start until Friday around noon, but there was an unofficial meet 'n' greet at the White Owl Social Club on Thursday afternoon. I arrived early because I was on foot and got there sooner than I'd planned. Lucky for me, they had Vegan Bloody Marys!!! Jesus, Portland is a magical place. This Bloody Mary was the best I've ever had because it was super spicy and made with beet juice!

Also arriving early were Lydia and Mauro from From A to Vegan! I'd never met them before, and they were so fun!

We chatted for a bit, and then my old pals from Vida Vegan Con I arrived — Brit of Vegans Don't Bite, Dawn of Vegan Moxie, and Katie of Vegan Noms. We spent so much time together at the 2011 conference, and this year was no different. I was so excited to see my girls again!

I spotted Jojo from Vegan In Brighton right away! How can anybody miss this adorableness?

And I was thrilled to meet Dan of The Gay Vegans (and Dan was thrilled with this Cock and Bull beer!). He was such a sweetheart. We'd been Twitter friends for some time, but now we are real life friends.

On the way to the ladies' room, I ran into Sayward of Bonzai Aphrodite and Gena of Choosing Raw.

Of course, Erika of Sews Before Bros and Amey of Vegan Eats & Treats were up for some silly fun.

After all that socializing, I'd worked up quite an appetite. And it was happy hour at the White Owl, which meant the Fried Mac & Cheese Burgers were half-off. This burger was RIDICULOUS! Mac & cheese all pattied up and deep-fried. Glorious.

I mean, look at this. Come on.

The meet 'n' greet ended at 6:30 p.m., but Dawn, Brit, Helen, and I found a few minutes for a fun photobooth shot.

The next stop was the People's Co-op, a natural grocery, where we watched The Intrepid Herivores vegan travel show pilot. It was all about eating and ordering vegan food in Thailand. Then we were off to the Sweet Hereafter — a totally vegan bar — for more vegan drinks. I had a Vegan White Russian!

On Friday morning, I awoke to a couple of Voodoo Doughnuts, and then I left Joel's apartment to register for the conference at the Portland Art Museum. After registration, I had a few minutes to seek out lunch at a nearby food cart pod. I stumbled on this vegan-friendly cart called Savor.

They were offering Vegan Grilled Cheese and Vegan Split Pea Soup with Croutons. You can add all kinds of stuff to your grilled cheese, so I picked Marmite and tomatoes. Wow! I will always add Marmite to my grilled cheeses from here on out.

After lunch, it was time for the VVC panels and workshops to begin. I spoke on a panel about spirituality and veganism (with freelance blogger Gabrielle Pope and Nicole from Upton's Naturals), followed by a panel called "Path to Cookbook Author" with author goddesses Joni Marie Newman and Julie Hasson. So honored to be on panels with such amazing women!

After the panels were over on Friday, there was a VVC Veggie Grill reception in the conference ballroom. There was Watermelon Juice (delicious, but it would have been better with vodka).

And Vegan Chicken Wraps and Buffalo Wings.

And just to make sure we got some veggies in, they also served up a Kale Salad with Mango Dressing. Mind you, this was the most greens I got all weekend!

Just after the reception, I tagged along with Dan (from New York), Amber Shea Crawley, and her husband Matt for a ride to the Vegan Mini Mall, where a gorditas and s'mores pop-up shop was underway. Upton's Naturals was serving Gorditas inside Food Fight Grocery. Remember gorditas from Taco Bell? With the hard and soft shell combined? That was the business.

 

And for dessert, Herbivore Clothing Company and the folks from Dandies were roasting s'mores near the register.

The best part about these s'mores? They were made with Biscoff cookies instead of graham crackers! Glorious.

Here's a shot of vegans loitering outside the mini-mall with their gorditas and s'mores.

After the pop-up, a group of us went for local craft beers at Hungry Tiger Too. And then we headed to Lovecraft, a goth bar. Look at the ceiling!

And here's a group shot (of course, the lovely Miss Amber Shea "Goth Girl" Crawley was there!).

Well, that was all for Thursday and Friday. I'll be back tomorrow with pictures from the rest of the conference.