I Heart the 80s

Although I'm busy promoting my current cookbook, Cookin' Crunk, I'm also working hard on the next book, a collection of veganized trendy foods of the past century. So far, I've been focusing on the 50s and 60s because those decades are kinda sexy. But the book will also include dishes from more modern times, like the 80s and 90s.

I was born in 1980. I grew up eating Pop-Tarts, Pop Rocks, and (my personal fave) Franco American macaroni and cheese in a can (anyone remember that stuff? God, I loved that). Anyway, I created a few 80s dishes this week, one of which was Blackened Tofu:

In my 80s research, I've been running across a lot of recipes for blackened fish or blackened chicken, so why not blackened tofu? It's just marinated, baked tofu coated in spices like chili powder, cayenne, and garlic powder. I did learn one lesson though. Cut back the cayenne. I love spicy food, so I used a whole teaspoon of cayenne for one pound of tofu. It was okay for me, but I know it's way to spicy for a normal palette. I'll work on that. Recipes come about by trail and error.

On the side, I made one of my very favorite 80s recipes — Ramen Noodle Slaw:

My mom makes Ramen slaw every Thanksgiving, and I just LOVE THIS STUFF! Mainly because I'm a Ramen addict (and yes, I always capitalize Ramen because it's that glorious). Anyway, it's cabbage, carrots, and green onions mixed with crunchy Ramen noodles, sunflower seeds, and almonds. The dressing is unlike most other Ramen slaw recipes I've seen because I use WAY less oil and butter. And I retain the seasoning packet because why would you want to throw that goodness out?

What 80s foods would you like to see veganized? I'm up for a challenge and I am willing to try to make homemade versions of packaged foods that were popular back then. In the 80s, everything came in a box or a bag.

Sweet Taters for Breakfast

Time for my weekly Cookin' Crunk plug! This week, I made my Sweet Potato Hash from the book for breakfast:

It's a hash made with grated sweet taters, onions, spices, and vegan beef (and you can either use the frozen crumbles or make my homemade TVP beef). By the way, fun fact: My publisher requested that I use "TSP" instead of "TVP" in the book. Apparently, "TVP" (which stands for "textured vegetable protein") is a registered trademark, so "TSP" (for "textured soy protein") is a safer bet.

Anyway, I like to eat my Sweet Tater Hash with toast (this time spread with hot pepper jelly) and orange juice.

Speaking of Cookin' Crunk, Joni Newman's giveaway of the book is still going on at Just the Food. Head over there if you haven't already entered.

Also, my first booksigning is scheduled for Saturday, September 29th from 3 to 6 p.m. at Imagine Vegan Cafe! Yea! Check out the poster! And if you live in Memphis, please plan to be there. We'll get crunk and have a big ole party.

I'm a Vegan Cheese Snob

When I tell omnis that I'm vegan, I get asked one of two questions. The first one goes without saying because, if you're a vegan or vegetarian, you've heard it a million-and-one times. Okay, okay, I'll say it. "How do you get your protein?" A co-worker recently called that question the vegan equivalent of the drunk guy in the bar screaming "Play some Skynyrd!" at the cover band. It's gonna happen. Nothing you can do but grin and bear it.

But the other inevitable query has gotten more and more fun to answer in recent years. When people ask "How do you live without cheese?," my answer is simple: "My cheese is better than yours." Of course that wasn't always the case. Remember the dark ages of Vegan Rella? But in today's Daiya-driven vegan world, the cheesy options are endless, and I really do believe many of them taste better than dairy cheese. VegNews Magazine even coined 2012 "The Year of Vegan Cheese." If vegans are susceptible to foodie trends, cheese would be ours this year.

After all, the hottest new vegan book is one dedicated to making your own cultured, gourmet cheese. Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner takes vegan cheese-making to a whole new level, and it's getting TONS of buzz right now in the vegan world. Gone are the days of processing some cashews and calling it a day. Miyoko shows us how to make our own rejuvelac using sprouted grains and how to culture a nut- or-yogurt-based cheese so that it has that same exact flavor that aged dairy cheese has.

So we can have all the taste of fancy, aged cheese without harming any cute little cows. That's why I think my cheese is better. It tastes as good or better, and I can eat it with a clear conscience. If omnis can be cheese snobs, so can us vegans.

When I first flipped through Miyoko's book, I wanted to make everything — sharp cheddar, brie, boursin, pub cheddar, and air-dried gouda. But I was drawn to the recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo with Gruyere & Mushrooms, which called for Miyoko's Soft Gruyere. But first I had to make the rejuvelac.

Rejuvelac is a probiotic-filled, fermented liquid made from sprouted grains. In Miyoko's recipe, you can use brown rice, millet, oat groats, quinoa, and several other grains. But I went with brown rice since that's what I had on hand. It took about four days before the little grains sprouted these tiny tails. How cute!

Next, the sprouts have to be cultured in water for one to three days. The liquid takes on a pungent odor that smells like stinky cheese:

When the rejuvelac is cultured, you strain out the sprouts. And then the liquid is used in cheese recipes to add that special cheese flavor and texture. This Soft Gruyere was made from rejuvelac, cashews, miso, oil, nooch, and xanthan gum:

Many of Miyoko's recipes are for hard, sliceable cheeses. But since this gruyere would be the basis for a pasta sauce, the hardening step wasn't necessary. Instead, it's a spreadable consistency.

Easy peasy. It just took about a week to make the cheese, and the rest was a piece of cake. The recipe in the book for Fettuccine Alfredo with Gruyere & Mushrooms simply calls for melting down the gruyere with water and serving it over pasta topped with sauteed mushrooms:

Now, I've had a lot of vegan alfredo sauces over the years, and I've loved every single one. But most were tofu-based rather than cashew cheese-based, and none had that distinct tang of cultured cheese. But this did! And the thicker texture of melted cashew cheese was more on par with that of melted Parmesan.

I'm really excited about cheese-making, and I've already planned to make Miyoko's Fresh Mozzarella next week. The rejuvelac recipe makes a ton, so there's plenty for multiple batches of cheese.

I've seen a lot of great cookbooks this year, but for a vegan cheese-lover like me, I know this one has staying power.

Animal Activism!

I know I tend to only share food porn on this blog, but I do more than cook. I try to be an activist for the animals any chance I get. I co-founded a little vegetarian society — Food Awareness — in Memphis nearly nine years ago, and over those years, we have done loads of protests, demos, leafleting, and other activism for our four-legged, feathered, and finned friends.

Our biggest event every year is our booth at the Cooper-Young Festival, a super-popular arts fest in Midtown's hip Cooper-Young Historic District that attracts thousands every year. For the past two years, we've inhabited the space in front of Imagine Vegan Cafe, which seems as appropriate as can be. Hundreds of veg-curious people stop by for info on a plant-based diet, and we direct them to the cafe behind us for delicious vegan eats and cheap beer. Here's our booth:

We hand out all sorts of free brochures on veganism and factory farm cruelty:

Like at most festivals, the beer offered at beer stands is overpriced and crappy (think Bud Light ... ick!). But Imagine offers $3 bottles of craft beer from local and regional breweries (like Ghost River and Yazoo) and national breweries (like Young and Flying Dog). They always post this sign outside our tent, and it draws people of all kinds, veg-curious or not, into their vegan cafe. Come for the beer. Stay for the vegan food:

I arrived at the fest to volunteer my time in the booth around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. And thankfully, my pal Stephanie (who bakes all of Imagine's desserts through her home-based vegan company, Swell Baked Goods) had made 16 new desserts for the occasion. I couldn't resist this soft, icing-drenched cinnamon roll:

Most years, I just talk to passersby and hand out flyers, but this year, I had another mission — sell Cookin' Crunk:

In the few hours that I was there, I sold nine copies, one to my friend Jennifer Spurr Harber, a hardcore local advocate for chickens:

Co-founder Vaughan is our main dude at Food Awareness. Without him, we wouldn't have a vegetarian society in Memphis. Vaughan dedicates endless hours to event organizing and spreading the good word. Here he is with healthy school lunch advocate Laura and a friend's kid:

I don't have a clue how many people we reached on Saturday, but I'm sure there were hundreds. I talked to countless people who stopped by the tent to ask us for info on how to give up meat and where to find vegan friends (we proudly provide friendship!). My favorite was a vegan military guy who lives on the local base. He dubbbed himself the "redneck vegan" and he was looking for like-minded friends. He took a giant stack of our flyers to hand out to his military buds. I also met some sweet ladies who were fans of the blog! Touched my heart.

In other news, my cookbook hero Joni Newman has written a glowing review of the Fried Tofu Chicken Wafflewich from Cookin' Crunk. And now she's giving away a signed copy! Check it out!

Crunk Snacks at Pecha Kucha

Every six weeks, my neighborhood arts org, Crosstown Arts, hosts a Pecha Kucha night. Anyone is given the opportunity to speak for six minutes on any topic of their choosing. But each talk must have 20 slides, and you can't talk for more than 20 seconds on each slide. Last month, I gave a Pecha Kucha presentation on Cookin' Crunk, and a guy in the audience asked if I would cook next time.

I said yes. And well, tonight was "next time." The folks at Crosstown Arts asked me to make enough food for 150 people. So I picked a few easy appetizers from my book and got to work. Each night this week, I made a little bit of food so that tonight would come to together quickly.

The event is usually held in the Crosstown Arts office basement, which is just a block from my house. But tonight, they were expecting a larger crowd since the talk was architecture-themed for Memphis Architecture Month. So it was moved into the rustic ground floor of the 1.4 million square foot, vacant Sears Crosstown building (also a block from my house). Here's a blurry picture of me and my food table:

I made Butter Bean Bruschetta — crostini with a butter bean spread, fresh tomatoes, onions, basil, and avocado:

And mini Vegan Pimento Cheese Sandwiches, which I unfortunately failed to photograph without the plastic:

I also made Sweet Tater Sausage Balls:

And my Garlicky Black-Eyed Pea Hummus:

For dessert, I made Mississippi Mud Cookies (a.k.a. Oatmeal Peanut Butter No-Bakes):

Some of my cookies didn't set properly since the recipe is a tad temperamental. So I put the cookies that didn't set in some little dessert cups and topped those with vegan buttercream. Genius, I know.

After the mingling and food/wine time, Crosstown Arts' Chris Miner opened the show:

The event was a huge success with at least seven speakers (I lost count). The talks ranged from tactical urbanism to public art, and my food was mostly all gone by the time the event was over. Oh, and I sold five cookbooks!

Healthier Energy Drink!

I like energy drinks, but I tend to only drink them when I'm on the road and tired of coffee or late at night spiked with vodka. Since I try to avoid nasty crap like high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, there's really never been a good choice of energy drink. The regular kind are loaded with HFCS and calories, and the sugar-free kind are filled with gross fake sugar.

Enter Scheckter's Organic Energy. This stuff is as close to natural as any energy drink will probably ever get:

Here's a look at what's inside:

Let's see: Raw organic cane sugar, organic pom and elderberry juices, and organic lemon juice. That all sounds way better than what you'd find in say, Red Bull or Monster. The "energy" part is a mix of caffeine sourced from guarana, green tea, and raw green coffee beans.

The taste is, well, energy drink-like. If you secretly love Red Bull (as I do), you'll like this stuff. But it does taste like an energy drink. I'm pretty sure the guarana is what gives energy drinks that trademark bite. I enjoyed it, but like almost all beverages, it would be better with a splash of vodka.

But does it work? Scheckter's sent me several cans, and I tried to save them for when I was the most tired. I drank this tall glass of the berry-colored juice after a nap one day, and I didn't notice much difference in the way I felt afterward:

But mind you, I am still very, very sleepy when I first wake. It takes A LOT to get me going, certainly more than the 135 mg of caffeine that's in this stuff. On the average morning, I down the equivalent of two cups of very strong coffee (all poured into one giant travel mug). That's about 400 mg of caffeine. So don't blame the energy drink. I just have a really high tolerance to stimulants.

I decided to give the drink another chance at a time when I'd been awake for hours but was starting to experience the 3 p.m. slump. I drank a can of Scheckter's at work when a particularly grueling project (transcribing interview tapes) was boring me out of my mind. After I downed the can, I did feel a slight boost similar to what I've felt when I've tried those 5-Hour Energy shots. It got me through the rest of the work day.

Conclusion: If you're a caffeine-aholic like me, save these for mid-day rather than morning. But reaching for a Scheckter's is far preferable to some nasty old chemical-laden energy drink.

Crunkish-ness

Because I got no shame about shameless self-promotion, I plan to make a few dishes from Cookin' Crunk every week or so and blog about them. And if you haven't bought my new cookbook yet, maybe you'll see something on here and be all like, "OMG, I have to buy that book right now!" Or if you're poor like me, you'll at least add it to your Amazon wish list and ask your parents/friends/partner to buy it for you. (There's a PayPal button on the right if you want to buy now!)

Tonight, I made a couple of old faves from the early days of the book's development, such as this classic "Some Like It Hot" TLT Sandwich:

Okay, maybe it's not so classic. It's a tofu bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich (with avocado of course!), but what makes it different is the addition of sriracha both in the tofu marinade and on the sandwich itself, along with homemade tofu mayo. Even though there's a tempeh bacon recipe in my cookbook that makes a fine TLT, I like tofu here because it makes for a heartier, thicker sandwich.

On the side, I had my White Trash Pineapple Salad:

Now I know this one looks weird as hell. And it is. But it's good! My daddy grew up eating pineapple salads topped with cheese and a mayo dressing. So I made one with vegan cheese and vegan mayo. It's creamy and refreshing on a hot Indian summer day. I recommend only using my homemade tofu mayo (also in the book) for this because it's significantly lower in fat that, say, Vegenaise. But if you don't care about fat, I bet Vegenaise would be delicious!

Did you know this is the salad featured on the cover next to the Roasted Veggie Po' Boy? Yea, it's kinda hidden by the title banner. But it's there.

For my Memphis readers: You can sample some food from the Crunk kitchen this Thursday night at Crosstown Arts' Pecha Kucha night. I'm bringing samples of my Garlickly Black-eyed Pea Hummus, Mini Pimento Cheese Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Sausage Balls, Butter Bean Bruschetta, and Mississippi Mud Cookies! I'll have books for sale there too. It starts at 6 p.m. at the Sears Crosstown building.