Hot Stuff

On Saturday, a few of my friends and I saw disco diva Donna Summer at an outdoor show at the Memphis Botanic Garden. She may be gettin' on in age, but Donna still has it. Girl had at least four fabulous costume changes, a posse of high-energy dancers, and flashy, animated backgrounds that made the whole stage look it was on fire.

The Botanic Gardens hosts these outdoor shows once a month on their lush, sprawling grounds. My friends and I go to most of the shows, and we always pack a picnic and a bottle of vino. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my Nikon into the show because there was a 30 percent chance of rain, so all I had was my iPhone camera. It takes good shots sometimes, but not when it's getting dark ... as it was in this shot of Nathan's plate:

In the center are my Butter Bean Bruschetta, a recipe going in my cookbook. On the upper left corner of the plate, you can barely see the vegan ranch dip underneath those carrots. That recipe is also going in my book. Greg's tahini-less hummus is in the bottom right. And not pictured is Nathan's creamy avocado dip. We scooped up all those dips with crudite and tortilla chips while we sipped on blush wine.

Just for fun, we took pictures of each other with my Hipstamatic app for the iPhone. This app makes photos look like they were taken in the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s (this may be my favorite app!). Here's hipstamatic Nathan with a mouth full of food:

And hipstamatic Greg, also in the act of chewing (not sure why I took everyone's photo while they were eating):

And here I am with my plate, about to stuff my face as usual:

Cheater Tamales

Full disclosure: I've never actually made a tamale from scratch. I keep meaning to give it a try, but I always hear about how time-consuming and arduous the tamale-makin' process can be. Though I typically love spending hours in the kitchen, I just haven't blocked out time in my busy schedule for a tamale day. I will. Soon. Promise.

Until then, I present you with my quickie version of the savory stuffed treat — my Hot Tamale Pie:

It's yet another recipe I'm testing for my cookbook (told y'all I was steppin' up this cookbook game, right?). I've made it once before, but I made too much filling for a 9-inch pie pan. This time, I used a 10-inch pan and lessened the ratios of ingredients. It's not as fancy as a tamale, but it satisfies when you don't have all day to spend in the kitchen.

Though tamales originated in Latin America, they also have strong Southern roots. The Mississippi Delta (the area along the river from Memphis down to Vicksburg, Miss.) is often referred to as the Tamale Trail, thanks to an abundance of tamale stands and diners serving up the Southern version of the traditional Latin treat. Why is this? There are several theories. Some say migrant workers who worked the cotton fields with African American slaves back in the day shared their foodways. Other theorize that U.S. soldiers from Mississippi brought back tamale recipes after traveling to Mexico during the U.S.-Mexican War.

While Mexican tamales are made with masa, most Southern folks make theirs with cornmeal, which lends the tamale a grittier, polenta-like texture. In keeping with Southern tradition, my pie features a cornmeal-based, polenta-like crust and topping. I gotta keep it real.

Sriracha-cha!

Some like it hot and I'm one of them. Ever since I started using sriracha (that's the spicy Thai hot sauce with the rooster on the bottle for the unintiated), I've developed an insane craving for spicier and spicier foods. I think spicy food is a little like tattoos. Once you get a taste, you want more, more, more. And bigger, bigger, bigger.

Long ago, I developed my Some Like It Hot 'n' Spicy T.L.T. Sandwich for my upcoming cookbook, but in testing it again tonight, the amount of heat called for sounded too mild for a "spicy" sandwich. So I upped with the sriracha measurements in the tofu marinade a little, but it can still be prepared as mild as you'd like if you can't take the heat:

As you can see, the "T' in my "T.L.T." is tofu. I know tempeh bacon makes a great sandwich, but everybody does that. I like fat, smoky, marinated, sauteed slices of tofu instead. Oh, and I add avocado, Vegenaise, and extra sriracha because that's just how you do.

Because I can't get enough of the spicy-spicy, I served my sammich with Jalepeno Tortilla Chips made by Food Should Taste Good:

Despite the name and bright-red color, the chips weren't really all that spicy, so I dipped them in Frog Ranch Chipotle Salsa. Needless to say, my nose was running throughout the entire meal ... but it was so, so worth it.

Stirfryday (on Wednesday)

Last Friday, my friend Greg and I took part in an old Memphis vegan tradition — Stirfryday! This monthly stir-fry party used to take place once a month at the Sanssouci Collective House on Tucker Street. Though we didn't go every time back then, Greg and I used to stop through for $5 tofu stir-fry every once in awhile.

But the Sanssouci house (a cooperative house of hippie vegans) is no more, and the monthly stir-fry party has moved to the DeCleyre Cooperative, another collective of grassroots activist hippie kids. The DeCleyre house (located in the University District) has been around since 1998 and was founded as a vegetarian/anarchist household. They have an awesome collection of zines and progressive books, and the place was named after Voltarine DeCleyre, one of the most badass anarchist ladies of all time (except for Emma Goldman, of course!).

Anyway, DeCleyre hosted a Stirfryday event/rock show this past weekend. Here's the menu:

You get one of four choices of tofu and a choice of curry paste. That's sauteed with fresh veggies and served over sticky white rice. Matt Kime, a former Sanssouci resident, did the cookin' on Friday night:

Look how sweaty?! You see, DeCleyre doesn't have A/C, and it was about 100 degrees on Friday night. Though I don't typically approve of shirtless dudes cookin' my food, I can understand when it's a million degrees out.

Here's my finished plate:

I chose sesame tofu and massaman curry paste, and I washed it all down with an ice-cold pint of Magic Hat #9. We couldn't stay for the rock show though. It was just too darn hot!

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Deja Vu Creole Soul Food & Vegetarian Restaurant

I get plenty of e-mails from blog readers planning trips to Memphis or phone calls from out-of-town friends who'll be stopping through, and they always want to know the best place to find vegan food. My first suggestion is always Deja Vu Creole Soul Food & Vegetarian Restaurant. I would have blogged about the place much sooner, but they just opened a second location, and I wanted to check it out before doing a post.

Deja Vu has hands-down the largest selection of vegan options on any menu in the city. Although they do serve meat, the soul food joint offers about 15 vegan entrees and all the traditional Southern sides are vegan. You won't find any ham hocks in these collard greens and the candied yams are delightfully marshmallow-free. The vegan entrees range from soul food stuff like barbecue tofu cubes to pasta dishes and fried veggie-filled "egg" rolls. BTW, I love this place so much that my profile pic (the one on the right) was taken at Deja Vu over a plate of barbecue tofu.

This Portabella and Sundried Tomato Pasta is one of my faves:

The savory sundried tomatoes and meaty mushrooms give the dish a crazy-hearty flavor. It's a little difficult to stop eating when you're full because it's that freakin' good. I snapped this photo a few months ago at Deja Vu's downtown location.

Deja Vu's humble original location has been open for over a year on Florida Street in downtown Memphis. It's a teensy little place with only six or seven tables. Folks crowd in for lunch and typically have to wait for an available seat. But the second sprawling Hickory Hill location is HUGE with a private room for meetings. I believe the place used to house an O'Charley's. I finally had a chance to check out the new digs at our Food Awareness (the local vegetarian club) monthly meeting on Saturday.

I ordered this delicious Spinach and Mushroom Quesadilla:

It's a newer menu item and I was so surprised to see that it contains vegan cheese! It's especially difficult to find restaurant food in Memphis with vegan cheese. I'm not sure what they used, but it's a toss-up between Tofutti Mozzerella or Follow Your Heart Monterey Jack (don't you love playing "guess-the-vegan-cheese"?). Also stuffed inside the grilled tortilla are spinach, portabella mushrooms, and some Creole-style spices.

Almost everyone else at my table (Stephanie, Lindsey, and Jordan) ordered the Veggie Tacos:

These are stuffed with TVP and taco sauce and served with lettuce, tomato, and salsa. I was actually way too engrossed in my yummy quesadilla to ask how these were.

Other Deja Vu favorites include the Mock Chicken Salad Sandwich (which I first blogged about here), made with TVP and vegan mayo:

And I LOVE the curry tofu cubes! Not all the vegan entrees come with sides (the quesadilla does not), but when I get to choose sides, I typically spring for the grilled cabbage, navy beans, smothered okra, or green beans and carrots. I noticed on the new menu that they also offer fried plantains as a side dish too! When I have room for dessert (which is pretty much never), I opt for the vegan banana nut bread. But someday I plan to try the vegan chocolate cake with strawberry sauce.

Deja Vu Creole Soul Food & Vegetarian Restaurant has two locations: 936 S. Florida St. (901-942-1400) and 3557 Ridgeway Rd. (901-590-2221).

Happy Belated 30th Birthday, Sheridan!

It's official. My best friend Sheridan is a real grown-up now. That's what happens when you hit 30 (and I'm only a couple months behind her ... scary!). Technically, Sheridan's been 30 for a week now, but she went out of town with her boyfriend on her actual birthday. So all her friends gathered in Little Rock, Arkansas this weekend for a fancy birthday dinner at Ciao Baci, a sophisticated Italian joint located in a converted old house. Here's Sheridan making her birthday wish on some Strawberry Daquari Cupcakes that I made (more on that in a second):

Ciao Baci served this amazing bread before our food arrived. It's thinly-sliced Italian bread doused in olive oil and black pepper. And I do mean doused. I had to lick the olive oil off my fingers when I was done. It was so, so delicious.

As for entrees, Ciao Baci didn't have any vegan options on the menu aside from a salad or two. But they were more than happy to make me this Vegan Pizza:

The crust was out of this world. It was cracker-thin and hand-tossed. It had an olive oil base with eggplant, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes. Yum!

After dinner, I broke out the Strawberry Daquari Cupcakes, a recipe I tried from Claire Gosse's Are You Sure That's Vegan? — an lovely little vegan dessert cookbook:

Aren't they adorable? I shot these guys at my house before I left for Little Rock. I really wanted to capture the pinkness of the cake in good lighting. These little guys are made with real strawberry daquari mix and they're topped with coconut-buttercream. You can order Claire's book here.

As for presents, Sheridan got TWO awesome aprons. She actually asked our friend Brittany for an apron, and I also bought her one on a whim. I had no idea she'd asked for one from someone else. But a girl can't have too many aprons, right?

Brittany gave her this Kiss the Cook apron:

And I gave her this vintage number that I purchased at Muddy's Bake Shop in Memphis:

Muddy's — an adorable vegan-friendly bakery (I'll do a full post on this place soon!) — sells aprons that are handcrafted by local folks. A percent of the proceeds from this apron benefits birds in the Gulf.

Does this chick look 30? No way. I think we're aging pretty well. I love you, Sheridan! Happy birthday!

Don't Fear the Fried-ness

Check your diet at the door. Fried food is where its at when it comes to pleasing the soul. And a little bit a grease never hurt anybody. It's the lotta bit that'll pile on the pounds. I allow myself to eat deep fried foods a few days every month, though it's typically in a restaurant where I don't have to do the fryin' myself.

But tonight, I broke out the canola oil and a deep saucepan. I had to test my Fried Squash for the cookbook:

Now, as I've stated before, most of my recipes aren't fried, and the ones that are typically come with alternative baking instructions. But not this one. Fried squash cannot be faux-fried in the oven. Nope. That's just silly. You gotta batter it and drop it, slice by slice, into super-hot oil. The hotter the oil, the less likely your food will absorb too much fat.

I served my squash with a big side salad and some bean balls that I'm also testing for the book. More on those later. They still need work. But the highlight of the meal was definitely the squash. Now I've had my fill of fried foods for at least a week.