Keep On Crunkin': The Southern Vegan Pantry

This is the fourth 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, another BPC cookbook, 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.

At its heart, Southern food is really just comfort food. No matter where you grew up, you've no doubt had biscuits and gravy or tofu fried chicken or a heaping bowl of steamy macaroni and vegan cheese. You can make traditional Southern fare with some of the same common pantry staples you would use for, say, Midwestern cooking or New England dishes.

But there are a few items that you can use to make dishes uniquely Southern. Here's my list. As part of the Keep On Crunkin' challenge, I'll be "challenging" my readers to go out and buy something on this list if you don't already stock it in your pantry. Try something new!

1. Liquid Smoke
If I had to name one thing that should be in every Southern pantry, that would be Liquid Smoke. Southern cooks are known for sneaking bacon fat into just about everything, and that's because it adds a smoky flavor. But ain't no need for that! A drop or two of Liquid Smoke is all you need, folks. (Tomorrow, I'll be posting an ode to this lovely condiment, and I'll include my favorite recipe that uses Liquid Smoke).

2. Sorghum Syrup
Often confused with molasses, sorghum is uniquely Southern and it's not molasses. It's made from the sweet sorghum plant, while molasses is a by-product of the sugar cane industry. Both are packed with minerals and they can be switched out for one another in a pinch. But sorghum has a lighter flavor than molasses. It's perfect for drizzlin' over hot buttered biscuits. Hot damn.

Here's my Sweet Sorghum Cake from Cookin' Crunk

3. Cajun Seasoning
Every brand is different, but this seasoning salt is typically made with a mix of garlic and onion powders, celery seed, dry mustard, black pepper, and maybe a touch of cayenne. I prefer Tony Chachere's, and I sprinkle it over everything.

My Red Beans & Quinoa from Cookin' Crunk is loaded with Cajun seasoning!

4. Pecans
Pecans are native to the South, and you'll find little old men in pickup trucks selling big ole bags of pecans when they're in season. And that's not just a rural side-of-the-road phenom. I even see pecan farmers peddling their product at busy Memphis intersections. Eat them plain, add them to pies, toss some in a sweet bread, or chop and use as a coating for baked tofu or seitan.

The Dark Chocolate Tipsy Pecan Pie from Cookin' Crunk is LOADED with pecans! And booze!

There's a full Southern pantry section in my cookbook, Cookin' Crunk. But the above-mentioned items are my top faves.

Today's social media giveaway action: Have one or several of these items in your pantry? Take a picture and add it to the Keep On Crunkin' group board on Pinterest! (If you need access to the board, click here and email Vegan Mainstream). OR, if you don't do Pinterest, you can also get your name in the hat by adding a photo of one of these ingredients to Instagram using the hashtag #keeponcrunkin.

We'll combine the entries from Pinterest and Instagram and randomly select a winner later this evening for either a cookbook from those who pinned their item. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. CST.

In case you're wondering, day two's cookbook winner (from the Facebook contest) was Jess Feneeh! Congrats Jess!

Keep On Crunkin': My 5 Fave Southern Foods

This is the third 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, another BPC cookbook, 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.

Like folks from anywhere else, Southern folks eat just about everything. We love spaghetti and cheatballs, tofu stir-fries, and masala dosa. But just like with the people who connect with those dishes through their individual cultures and family blood lines, we Southern folks tend to feel some primal sense of comfort when we chow down on collard greens, butter beans, and sweet, syrupy pecan pie (and that's pronounced pah-con, thank you very much ... no pee-cans around these parts).

Now you can't really go into a most soul food joints around here and order vegan food (unless you're at Deja Vu in Memphis or Soul Vegetarian in Atlanta). Traditional soul fare is seasoned with ham hocks and bacon fat. Gross! But that's exactly where Cookin' Crunk comes in — classic country cookin' without the nasty old animal products. Tonight, I'll tell you about five of my favorite vegan soul food dishes, and I'll include a recipe at the end.

1. Soup Beans
"Soup beans" is just fancy Southern speak for beans with a lot of seasoned broth (you know, for soppin' up with your cornbread). Any old bean will work, but my favorite soups are made with creamy, soft Great Northern Beans (which now that I think about it, sounds pretty un-Southern, but whatevs). My White Bean & Collard Green Soup from Cookin' Crunk is seasoned with a broth of tomatoes, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and ground ginger and nutmeg.

2. Fried Squash
You knew something fried just had to make this list, right? Although I try to eat healthy-ish whenever possible, my soul NEEDS fried food sometimes. And nothing beats a thinly sliced piece of yellow summer squash, breaded and fried and lightly salted. If you're feeling frisky, you can make your own Fried Squash from Cookin' Crunk.

3. Cornbread
This one is another "duh," but it simply has to be on the list! One cannot have soup beans (or chili or stew or anything in bowl) without crumbly, sweet cornbread. Now they say (whoever "they" is) that Southern style cornbread is sugar-less, but I grew up eating slightly sweet cornbread. So my recipe for Jalapeno-Corn Cornbread from Cookin' Crunk might a little on the Yankee side, but that's okay.

4. Dumplins
When you're eating those steamed pockets of cabbage and carrot in an Asian restaurant, they're called "dumplings" with a "g." But when you're eating the tender biscuity strips of soft boiled dough mixed with vegan chicken and veggies, those are "dumplins." My mom actually makes the best vegan dumplins in the world, and I used her recipe to create my own version for my cookbook. My Seitan & Dumplins recipe from Cookin' Crunk takes a little more time to prepare than most of my recipes. But damn are these comforting on a cold winter day.

5. Mississippi Mud Cookies
I believe the rest of the world refers to these as "chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no-bakes." But where I live, on the muddy banks of the Mississippi, we named these after the very dirt that sustains our crops. I'm certain, however, that these cookies taste much better than actual Mississippi mud.

I could really go on all day about my favorite Southern foods, but I'll spare you a novel-long post. I do want to know what YOUR favorite Southern foods are though, which brings me to today's social media action for a chance to win a cookbook.

Today's Giveway Action: Tell the world (or at least your friends) about your favorite Southern food on Twitter and use the hashtag #keeponcrunkin. We'll randomly select a winner for a cookbook from those who have tweeted later this evening. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. CST.

If case you're wondering who has won giveaways from day one, that would be Holly Gruver, who won the cookbook Twitter giveaway, and April Novak, who won the Pinterest apron giveaway!! Congrats!!

Now, for that recipe I promised. Try your own hand at Mississippi Mud Cookies.

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Mississippi Mud Cookies
Yields about 30 cookies

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup soy margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line two large cookie sheets with waxed paper.

Stir together the sugar, soymilk, peanut butter, margarine, and cocoa powder in a large saucepan. Turn on medium heat and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture begins boiling, set a timer for 1 1/2 minutes. Allow to the mixture boil undisturbed (do not stir) until the timer goes off. Turn off heat and stir in oats and vanilla extract.

Scoop tablespoons of cookie batter onto the waxed paper-covered cookie sheet. Allow cookies to cool. The cookies will be soft at first, but they should set within a few hours.

Note: When it’s extremely humid outside (as it often is during Southern summers), these cookies may not set up properly. If that happens, never fear. Just eat ‘em with a spoon!

Keep On Crunkin': Vegan Life in the Dirty Mid-South

This is the second 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, another BPC cookbook, 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.

As vegans, the number one question we get asked is "Where do you get your protein?" followed closely by "How can you live without cheese?" But as a Southern vegan, I hear another question even more often — "How hard is it to be vegan in the land of fried chicken and BBQ?"

My answer: "It's not hard at all!" I'm lucky that I live in a city — Memphis — with three totally vegan restaurants (and a fourth vegan restaurant, a drive-through, called Loveshack, opening soon!). Plus, numerous Memphis restaurants have vegan selections or even separate vegan menus (see my dining guide for more on Memphis vegan options).

But Memphis hasn't always been so vegan-friendly. When I gave up dairy and eggs in 2004, there were no vegan restaurants and only a handful of places that had decent options (Taco Bell and Subway were, like, my best friends back then). So I had to learn to cook for myself.

Now, if you've read Cookin' Crunk, you might remember that I grew up in my mama and Granny's kitchens. A love of the culinary arts was instilled in me early on. But cooking vegan food was a whole new animal (Is that a vegan-appropriate phrase? Oh well). I learned some basics for substituting vegan cheese and how to bake without eggs. I learned how to make my Granny's coconut cake. My mama and I figured out how to veganize her famous Thanksgiving dressin' (both the pie and the dressin' recipes are in my book!).

Suddenly, life as a vegan in the Dirty South wasn't so hard after all. And I think that just goes to show that, no matter where you live in the U.S., going vegan can be easy. As long as you have access to beans, tofu, grains, veggies, and fruits, the switch won't be too hard. I know many of you are already vegan, so such encouragement isn't necessary. But for those readers who aren't vegan, well, I'd like to invite you on the 7-day Vegan Crunk Challenge too!

Part of the challenge is cooking along with me. So I'll be sharing some recipes from my book a few times this week. Below is one those recipes that I learned to veganize before Memphis was the vegan-embracing city that it is today. This is a variation on the Yella' Cake recipe in my cookbook. But first, a few actions for the day!

Today's cookbook giveaway action: Encourage someone to take the Vegan Crunk Challenge with you!! Tag them in a Facebook post and be sure and tag @Vegan Crunk (so I can count your entry) as well. Later this evening, we'll randomly select a winner for a cookbook — either Cookin' Crunk, Artisan Vegan Cheese, Vegan for the Holidays, Raw Food Made Easy, or Enlightened Eating — from those people who have tagged me. Contest closes at 11:59 p.m. CST.

Coconut Icebox Cake
Yields one two-layer cake (about 16 servings)
Believe it or not, this coconut-covered yellow cake tastes better and becomes moister after a night of refrigeration. Of course, you don’t have to wait to dig in, but if you can tame your coconut cravings for a few hours, it’s certainly worth the wait.

Cake
Non-stick cooking spray
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup soy margarine
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1 cup soymilk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting
1 12-ounce container vegan sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and turmeric in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Beat together the sugar and the margarine using a stand mixer or a handheld mixer. Add the yogurt, soymilk, and vanilla and continue to beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two alternating batches, beating each time until just combined. Do not overmix. A few little lumps are okay.

Spread the half the batter into one cake pan and the other half into the other cake pan. Place into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake pans to cool for about 15 minutes. Then carefully turn each pan upside down on top of a wire cooling rack. Gently the pat the bottom of the pan to loosen the cake. If necessary, you may need to run a butter knife around the edges of the cake to loosen the sides from the pan. Once the cakes are removed, allow them to cool completely on the wire racks.

To make the frosting, stir together vegan sour cream, sugar, and coconut in a medium mixing bowl.

When the cakes have cooled, place one cake right-side-up on a serving plate. If the top is rounded, you may need to scrape part of the cake off with a knife to make a flat surface. Spread about 1/4th of the frosting on the top of that cake.

Place the other cake right-side-up on top of the bottom layer. Spread the rest of the frosting on top of the cake and around the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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:

Crunk Fundraiser Dinner

First things first, I need to announce the winner of the Thrive book giveaway. That would be Audrey of Just Audrey! Congrats.

On Friday night, Gen Q, Memphis' club for college-age LGBT kids, held a fundraiser dinner so they could raise money for an upcoming trip to "Advancing Equality on the Hill" in Nashville. "Advancing Equality on the Hill" is an annual day of LGBT advocacy at the Tennessee state capital. Members of the Tennessee Equality Project meet with politicians and talk about bills that benefit LGBT rights, as well as those that take away rights or are harmful to their goal of equality for all.

To my surprise, Gen Q member Kal informed me last weekend that they would be making all the food for the dinner from my cookbook! The Mom Corps, a group of Gen Q members' moms, cooked several dishes from my book to serve that night at the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

Of course, I just HAD to attend the dinner! I've never had someone else serve me my own recipes. The moms did a fantastic job! Everything tasted just like I'd made it, and, honestly, I think they made things taste even better than when I make them at home.

Here's what was on the menu. First, we had Bread and Olive Oil (not from the book):

The entrees were a choice of Spaghetti with Raid-the-Garden Marinara Sauce from Cookin' Crunk:

Or Red Beans and Quinoa:

I had both! Every got a platter of Spaghetti Squash with Tofu and Tomatoes as a side dish:

My very meaty friend Andy really liked this. He said he might even make it home sometime.

The moms made three desserts from my book — Coconut Icebox Cake, Mandarin Orange Cobbler, and Peanut Butter and Banana "Elvis" Cupcakes:

I swear the frosting on that cupcake was way better than any frosting I've ever made. So creamy and peanutty.

Anyway, I was honored to have Gen Q serve my recipes at their dinner. They made $200 for their trip!

On a related note, I'm launching a social media campaign — called Keep On Crunkin' — this week for Cookin' Crunk with the help of my publisher, Book Publishing Company, and Vegan Mainstream. Beginning Tuesday, I'll be posting a series of seven blog posts related to my cookbook (and most have recipes!). Each one will have a "social media action" that you can take on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest for a chance to win a copy of my book or another BPC cookbook or a (gasp!) Cookin' Crunk apron (I don't even have one yet, but I can't wait to get my own!).

Valentine's Day Giveaway!!

Wow! I've been gettin' a lot of love on the internetz this Valentine's Day! Annie and Dan Shannon featured me (and my omni bf Paul) in their Vegans On Valentine's round-up, and Amber of Generation Cake interviewed me for her "Wild Women" series (cause I'm TOTALLY wild and cray!).

Now I want to give y'all some love. You see, yesterday I received the BESTEST package in the mail! It was the prize pack that I won from the Thrive Forward website during my January cleanse. Each day of the cleanse, I shared Thrive videos on Twitter for a chance to win. And I won!! I got lots of awesome stuff, but there was one item that I already have! So at the end of this post, I'll be giving it away to one lucky reader.

But first, check out this haul! They sent me four giant tubs of Vega!! I was most excited about this. I became a little addicted to Vega smoothies during the cleanse, but the stuff is a little out of my price range. These containers should last me about 7 months if I did my math right (I drink 3 Vega smoothies each week):

I also received a 24-pack of CoCos Pure coconut water, another addiction I took away from my cleanse:

And that's not all! Check out this sweet Full Circle Kitchen Composter! I've never had a composter, but I've always wanted one. I can't wait to start throwing veggie scraps and coffee grounds and cat hair in this!

And I also received a Full Circle glass lemon water bottle (it has a juicer on top for squeezing your lemon in!!), a Zon resistance band, a Thrive Fitness workout DVD (with workouts led by Brendan!), and a copy of Thrive (the book):

But I already have Thrive (the book). That's how I got inspired to do the January cleanse. So I'll mail that copy to one lucky reader. Just leave me a comment about your favorite way to workout. I'll randomly select a winner on Sunday evening. Please include an email address if there's no other way to contact you included in your comment (like if your commenting profile doesn't link back to a page with an email or a blog).

Happy Valentine's Day! Now, Paul and I are off to the "Must Love Cats" Internet Cat Video Festival at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, followed by a weekend V-Day dinner at Ciao Bella.

Raw Soup and Good Bread

Two reviews tonight, one post.

During my Thrive Forward cleanse in January, I received a copy of Raw Food for Dummies by Cherie Soria and Dan Ladermann to review. And although all the recipes in the book meet Thrive standards, I wanted to be a total nerd on my cleanse and only make Brendan Brazier's recipes. So I didn't get around to trying anything from the book until this week.

I went with this Creamy Red Bell Pepper-Chipotle Soup:

It's a blended soup made with soaked cashews, red bell pepper, chipotle pepper, chopped tomatoes, miso, nutritional yeast, and a lot of spices. The cashews gave the soup a creamy quality similar to that of a soup made with almond milk or soy milk. I added the avocados just for fun. Avocados are SO MUCH FUN!

Anyway, this soup was delicious. And plenty of other recipes look equally yummy. There's a Massaged Kale Salad with raisins and cashew mayo, a homemade Sweet Almond Butter, Zucchini-Pepper Wraps, and Corn Tortillas (made with raw corn in a dehydrator!!!!).

Like most books in the Dummies cookbook series, this one is about one-third info on raw food and two-thirds recipes. The info section is pretty useful. There's an ode to the Vitamix, a guide on growing a "kitchen garden," a section on fasting, and sample menus for 31 days of raw eating.

About those sample menus: They actually account for leftovers! The menus suggest eating the same meal every other day, so you don't waste. I always hate how sample menus in most books don't account for leftovers. Also, the menus include food prep instructions for the next day's meals, so you can be prepared. And the menus are more high raw, so they include some cooked grains and steamed veggies. I can't say enough awesome things about these sample menus!!

But I need to say some awesome stuff about my other review product — Ezekiel 4:9 Flax Bread. Food for Life sent me two loaves to test out, and I couldn't be more thrilled with them. One of the long-term adjustments I'm making post-cleanse is to stick with sprouted grain breads as often as possible. That doesn't mean I won't eat some white bread in a restaurant or even a whole grain baguette at home. But when I'm making sandwiches, burgers, burritos, or toast, it'll be sprouted grain for me.

I've tried the flax bread on Tofurky sandwiches and spread with some awesome vegan cashew cheese that I'll be posting about very soon. But when I had the raw bell pepper soup above, I had a slice of Avocado Toast with Hot Sauce on Sprouted Flax Toast:

The taste is very similar to that of the regular Ezekiel 4:9 bread, but it's loaded with omega-rich flax seed. I'm always looking for new ways to work more flax in!