Soy Curls, How Do I Love Thee?

My Whole Foods doesn't sell Soy Curls, and since WF is the only health food store we have in Memphis, I have to order these chicken-like dehydrated soy protein strips. Thankfully, I placed an order for Soy Curls on Vegan Essentials last month (thanks Papa Crunk!).




If you've never had them, Soy Curls are basically just chicken-strip-shaped hunks of textured veggie protein (also known as TVP). They don't have a flavor on their own, but after re-hydrating in boiling water, Soy Curls soak up whatever spices and seasonings they're cooked with. They're awesome in stir-fries, mixed with barbecue sauce on whole wheat buns, and tossed with vegan alfredo and pasta. And they were delicious in these Cheezy Un-Chicken Quesadillas:

The recipe is actually an appetizer in my cookbook. Since Soy Curls aren't readily available everywhere (including Memphis), folks can use Morningstar Farms faux chicken strips, flavored seitan, or plain ole tofu in this recipe.

Besides the Soy Curls, my quesadilla contains some other stuff that I'd tell you about ... but then I'd have to kill you because it's going in the book. Sorry to be such a tease, but here's an inside shot:

I served mine with Tofutti sour cream and Newman's Own all-natural Bandito Salsa. And I steamed some kobocha squash for a hearty winter side dish.

Would You Like a Spot of Tea?

I felt like I should have been sippin' on some hot Earl Grey with this hearty Traditional English Breakfast platter:

How traditional and English is it? I have no idea. It's from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. She says she grew up eating this dish with her English parents. And my good pal Poopie Bitch is married to a British dude, and he loves beans on toast. So it sounds pretty English to me.

Though the recipe is easy and delicious, there are quite a few steps to undertake in the morning. A slice of sourdough bread is broiled with Tofutti American cheese (not English, I know ... but hey, it's what I had and it melts beautifully). That's topped with steamed spinach, Eden Organics baked beans (no sugar added!), sauteed mushrooms, and a broiled tomato half.

Unfortunately, my January no-coffee cleanse burned me out on hot tea. I'm just plain sick of it. So I sipped on some iced agave-sweetened green tea with my brekkie instead.

More Fat Tuesday Goodies!

In my Fat Tuesday post on Tuesday night, I mentioned a couple of cookbook testers I'd eaten for dinner. But since my photo studios are, um, my back porch and my window-lit kitchen counter, it's hard to get a good shot after the sun goes down. I'm not a fan of using the flash unless it's absolutely necessary, so in the winter, I often shoot dinner photos using the next day's leftovers.

So, without further ado, here's what I had for dinner last night and lunch today — Cajun-Roasted Cauliflower:

I've been tweaking this main and/or side dish for some time, and I think I've finally gotten it right. I don't want to reveal too much about the recipe since it's for my cookbook, but you can see that it's roasted cauliflower florets tossed with a spicy tomato-based sauce. I love vegetable-based main dishes!

On the side, I had a protein-packed portion of Nutty Mushroom Quinoa:

This pecan-flecked, mushroom quinoa has a savory, stuffing-like flavor that would lend itself to wonderful side dish on Thanksgiving or some other harvest-themed celebration. And it even did the job of filling me up on a cold-ass February night.

Laissez le bon temps rouler, y'all!

In case you didn't know, that's French for "let the good times roll." Today's Fat Tuesday, the last day of debauchery before Lent begins. I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore, but I'm a sucker for tradition and ritual ... and a good party. I began my Fat Tuesday with a slice of sugar-licious King Cake:

I used Kittee Kake's recipe, since she is the Queen of Vegan King Cakes. I was fresh out of plastic babies, so I took Kittee's suggestion and used a white bean instead. I took the cake to work and my co-worker Mary had the first slice, and lo and behold, she got the bean baby. That means she's supposed to bring the king cake to work next year, but I suspect I'll have to do it anyway.

I used a very basic cinnamon-sugar-Earth Balance filling, so it tasted a little like a big ole cinnamon roll:

After my king cake breakfast, I had a work-related meeting at Republic Coffee, a fun little Midtown coffeehouse, and they were offering a Praline Latte for Fat Tuesday. Of course, I had one ... with soy, no whip.

Dinner was a cookbook tester with a Cajun theme, but I'll share those pictures tomorrow. It was too dark to get a good shot at dinnertime. Now my boyfriend and I are about to wrap up the evening with a couple of Abita beers, the local beer of New Orleans.

Happy Fat Tuesday ... or what's left of it!

I Hate Snow, But I Like Soup

I know I've complained a little excessively about the weather this season. But it's cold, y'all. I don't do well when temperatures fall below 70 degrees, and thankfully most Memphis winters are fairly mild. But it snowed AGAIN today ... for like the 4th or 5th time this year. Everybody knows that the South isn't supposed to get more than two snows per winter. This is whack.

Now I know some of y'all have seen a crap ton of snow, and I probably sound like a wussy. It's true that we never get more than an inch. But folks down South don't know how to handle snow, and the roads get all icey and people freak out.

Thankfully, I had this steamy bowl of Black Bean Soup from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook to warm me up:

This might look like any old black bean soup, but it's not. It is a Lauren Ulm recipe, after all. The soup contains a small amount of coconut milk, in addition to the red bell pepper, celery, carrots, and black beans. The coconut milk gives the soup a creaminess that trumps all other black bean soups. I doubt I'll ever make anyone else's black bean soup recipe again.

I served my soup with a slice of Sourdough Bread with Kenzoil and a side salad (not pictured because you know what a salad looks like):

About a year ago, I vowed to stop eating white bread, but after reading Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, I've decided an occasional loaf of fresh-baked sourdough is okay. Several of her recipes call for sourdough, and she's like a beacon of healthy eating. So she can't be wrong, right? Anyway, I bought this loaf at Cafe Eclectic, a cute little vegan-friendly Midtown coffeehouse/bakery. Even if white bread is bad for me, I feel better knowing that I supported an awesome small business by purchasing it. Besides, they were out of whole wheat bread. I can justify anything.

Oh, and the green stuff is Kenzoil, which I reviewed here. It's an olive oil dressing made with fresh basil and garlic. Best bread topping ever. Unfortunately, this was the last teaspoon-full in my bottle, and it's not available for sale in Memphis. I'll have to order some on their website.

Happy Valentine's Day/Chinese New Year!

My boyfriend Paul had to work on Valentine's night, so we decided to go out for a casual V-day lunch. Since today was the Chinese New Year, we "fed two birds with one seed" by dining at a Chinese restaurant. We chose A-Tan Restaurant, a veg-friendly Chinese joint, sushi bar, and hibachi grill. Of course, we opted for Chinese entrees instead of sushi. And we started our meal with a Flaming Volcano cocktail:

This drink is literally on fire. The moat around the volcano contains a tropical cocktail made with rum, brandy, pineapple juice, and orange juice. A shot of Bacardi 151 is poured into the volcano's crater and the bartender sets it on fire at your table. See for yourself:

After tearing through a veggie spring roll, I helped myself to a plate of Family Style Bean Curd with sticky white rice:

The tofu is cut into triangles and lightly fried to perfection, and the veggie mix contains all my faves — bamboo shoots, baby corn, mushrooms, water chesnuts, snow peas, and carrots.

While we were eating, we noticed a crew of young guys outside who appeared to be suiting up for some kind of performance. A few minutes later, we saw this happy Buddha guy walking toward our table:

And he was followed by this crazy tiger:

A yellow tiger was on the trail the of the red one, and they paraded through the restaurant performing dances and tricks while a drummer pounded a tribal beat. Here they are making their way through the hibachi area:

We had no idea the restaurant organized an annual Chinese New Year parade. It was quite a fun Valentine's Day surprise!

Speaking of A-Tan Restaurant, I've added a comprehensive Memphis vegan dining guide on the right sidebar of this page (underneath my profile info). A-Tan's contact info is included, as well as a number of other vegetarian and veg-friendly restaurants in Memphis. Hopefully, it'll be of use to local readers and any vegans planning a trip to Memphis.

You Mochi Me Crazy!

First things first — we have a winner in the Vegan Essentials gift certificate giveaway! A random number generator picked Jeni Treehugger of Heathen Vegan! Wooo! Thank you all for participating. I think I got more comments on that contest than any other in the past. Folks love 'em some Vegan Essentials.

Secondly, I must share this week's amazing breakfast — Mochi Waffles with Lemon-Walnut-Rice Syrup from The Kind Diet:

I love, love, love me some mochi. I'm a sucker for chewy foods, and food doesn't really get chewier than mochi. This microbiotic recipe from Alicia Silverstone calls for only four ingredients — mochi, fresh lemon juice, chopped walnuts, and brown rice syrup.

In case you don't know, mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into a paste and molded into a large flat square. I buy mine at Whole Foods in the cold section. You can do all sorts of stuff with it — bake it into puffy squares, fry it, or in this case, place strips in your waffle maker for the world's chewiest (and most satisfying) waffles.

The syrup is simply brown rice syrup mixed with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and toasted, chopped walnuts. It tastes sinful, but it's actually so, so healthy.

I served the waffles with two slices of my own recipe Tempeh Bacon:

This is another cookbook recipe, and I promise it's a little different from other tempeh bacon recipes out there. A secret, surprise ingredient really sets this bacon apart.

Finally, I need to mention an important fund-raising campaign for an awesome vegan small business. Last year, I reviewed Intention Cookies from Bountiful Vegan, a line of lick-your-lips, oversized vegan cookies. These cookies come in four flavors — Choco-Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Orange, Lemon Snickerdoodle, and Coconut Pineapple — and each is said to contain a little mojo magic. Depending on the flavor, the cookies are said to bring about love, prosperity, harmony, and well-being.

The cookies were launched last year, and now the company (a small business run by two awesome people — Mary and Terry — who only make vegan cookies) is embarking on its next stage of growth. They hope to increase production, and they're trying to raise $10,000 to do so. If you'd like to donate, go here. No amount is too small.

Have a great weekend. And if you have The Kind Diet, please try the mochi waffles. Perfect Valentine's Day breakfast!