Don't Judge a Dish By Its Color

Breakfast today was very brown.

I know, I know. It doesn't look very appetizing. But it was delicious, I swear. This is the Matzoh Brei from Veganize This! by Jenn Shagrin.

Since I'm not Jewish, I didn't grow up eating this traditional Passover dish of scrambled eggs and matzoh crackers. I'd never even heard of matzoh brei until seeing (and trying) the recipe for a vegan tofu version in Vegan Brunch. I liked that one a lot too.

But Jenn's version is way different than Isa's. And that's because Jenn's tofu scramble is unlike any other I've had before. It's made with silken tofu processed with her vegan egg mix (a mixture of finely ground nuts, seeds, and nutritional yeast). That's spread into a skillet and fried and scrambled until solid pieces are formed. If you've ever made a tofu omelet, it's a bit like that. But scrambled.

I've made this scramble (without the matzoh) once before, and I had extra vegan egg mix leftover in my fridge. And I had a box of organic Manischewitz matzoh in the pantry that's been there for months (but had not yet expired!). So this was an official Pantry Clean-out Month meal!

Anyway, it's made by scrambling tofu and then adding rehydrated matzoh at the end. You let the scramble fry a bit longer so the matzoh can brown slightly. It's hard to explain the texture, but imagine a tofu scramble with saltine crackers mixed in. It's really good, but as you're eating it, you're really not sure why.

On the side, I had some Food For Life Sesame Bread with homemade pumpkin butter, a gift from a friend that had been lingering in my pantry since November 2011!  I know because the jar was dated. Oops! Anyway, it was still okay since the jar was sealed. And it just right for this time of year.

An Indian Feast!

December is "Pantry Clean-Out" Month around the Crunk House. My goal is to only buy fresh veggies, fruits, tofu, and other perishables to complement the wealth of crap I've been hoarding in my pantry.

Heck, this past weekend, Memphis (and much of the Mid-South) was hit by an ice storm. And as with every icy-snowy weather event in these parts, people lose their damn minds and make a crazy run to the grocery store to stock up on enough food to get them through a week or more of being trapped in their homes. Keep in mind that, when it does snow here, it's rarely more than an inch if we're lucky. But people FREAK OUT. Anyway, when we got word the storm was coming, I didn't even consider stopping at the grocery store to join the hordes because, even if were really iced in for more than a few hours (we weren't), I have enough food to last months anyway.

This weekend, I attempted to use up some of my massive stash of toor dal. I bought a big bag of these Indian pigeon peas for a recipe awhile back, and the remainder have been taking up room on my pantry's bean shelf. I found a recipe for Masoor Dal from my friend Justin P. Moore's awesome self-published cookbook, The Lotus & the Artichoke.

This recipe originally called for red lentils, but I subbed out the toor dal and it worked just great! It also has tomatoes, mustard seeds and lots of other Indian spices, and shallot. For garnish, I added some of my home-canned green tomato chutney that was also taking up residence in my pantry.

I did actually have to purchase the side dish though. I really wanted Papadum, and I'd seen some on the international aisle at Kroger. I love these crispy Indian wafers! But I'd never made them or even seen them in their uncooked form. Straight from the box, these are just flat, uncooked discs.

But you fry them in oil and heat in the microwave (I chose the latter to cut back on fat), and they magically crisp up!

These were crunchy and perfect for scooping up bites of masoor dal. If only I had had some coconut chutney to eat with the papadum, this meal would have been perfect!

Tofutti Pizza Pizzaz

I mentioned yesterday that I'm working on cleaning out my freezer and pantry for the month of December. And there is nothing more awesome in my freezer right now than Tofutti Pizza Pizzaz!

Tofutti offered me samples of their Classic Original pizza and their new Four Cheese pizza a few weeks back. My freezer was already packed to the gills, but how could I say no to vegan cheese pizza?

A few things you should know about me:
1) Tofutti was the first vegan cheese I tried when I went vegan in 2004. Some early vegan cheeses, which shall remain nameless, weren't so tasty back then. But Tofutti's American cheese slices never let me down. I can't find them in stores anywhere these days, but if I could, I'd still buy them.

2) Tofutti also makes my favorite vegan ice cream. The other brands are all great. Seriously, never met a vegan ice cream I didn't like. But Tofutti tastes, to me, the most like dairy ice cream. Plus, they make Tofutti Cuties!

3) I live for frozen pizza. Homemade or pizza parlor stuff is great and all, but nothing beats a frozen pizza. Maybe it's the college kid in me (who LIVED on $1 store-brand frozen pizzas), but frozen beats fresh anyday.

Now about this pizza. The Classic Original has been out for some years, I believe.

It's just Tofutti's mozzarella melted over a crust of medium thickness. Not too thick. Not too thin. One bite took me back y'all — back to those days of living in a party house and working a bullshit minimum wage job while I somehow aced my way through journalism school. Good times (that description may not sound like good times, but I swear they were a blast!).

But as delicious as the Classic Original was, it didn't come close to the awesomeness of the Four Cheese pizza.

This is made with Tofutti's mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta, and feta. It was so freakin' cheesy! Remember how those cheap frozen pizzas would totally skimp on the cheese? And you used to add extra shredded cheese from a bag? Or was that just me? Anyway, this pizza did not have that problem. It had just the right amount of each creamy, melty vegan cheese.

Pantry/Freezer Clean-Out Month!

I hereby declare December to be "Bianca Cleans Out Her Pantry and Freezer" Month. I have so much plant meat in my freezer and a ton of dry beans, grains, and other goodies in my pantry. Yet every couple weeks, I make a grocery list filled with all sorts of other foods that I "need" to get through the week. Honestly, I could live out of my pantry for several months without ever hitting up a store. But I can't seem to stop buying more stuff to cram in there.

It's time for a clean-out. So this month, I'll be making simple meals using the foods I already have with the addition of fresh veggies, fruits, and a couple perishables like tofu and almond milk. It'll be nice to clear some of the plant meats out before I launch my usual 28-day January cleanse, which is mostly raw and unprocessed.

To launch pantry/freezer clean-out month, I organized my pantry, fridge, and freezer this weekend. You wouldn't believe all the old expired crap I found in that pantry! Anyway, I threw a bunch of stuff out and organized the shelves.

Disclaimer: Any non-vegan items you see belong to my boyfriend Paul.

Anyway, to kick off the week, I made veggie dogs two ways. I had several packs of Lightlife Smart Dogs in the freezer that I got on manager's special sale at Kroger months ago. I thawed them out and added spicy kraut (leftover from a meal pre-Thanksgiving) and Slawsa (a mustard relish-slaw blend that's been hanging out in my fridge).

And then today, I used those same veggie dogs and some frozen chili that has been lurking in my freezer for nearly a year to make chili dogs! I added some canned jalapeno corn and some leftover vegan queso.

Stay tuned throughout the month for more pantry creations. Some will be junky comfort foods like these, but since my pantry is filled with grains and beans, I'll have some healthy stuff in here too.

Vegan for Her!

So I'm reading Vegan for Her, the new vegan nutrition book for ladies by Virginia Messina and JL Fields. I ordered a signed copy from JL's blog, JL Goes Vegan. To be honest, I just ordered a copy to support JL. We're long-time blogger friends, and I was so excited to have a cookbook with her recipes. I've read a ton of vegan health books, and I thought, "I'm sure the recipes will be cool, but do I really need to read more about vegan nutrition?"

Oh my god, yes. I did! When the book arrived a few weeks ago, I just casually flipped through the nutrition section, which is most of the book. JL's recipes comprise the last chapter. And I saw a vegan "food pyramid" illustration called "The Plate Plate." I've long wondered exactly how many servings of each food group I really needed as a vegan, and I even use an app to track my servings. And this Plant Plate illustration was EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED.

Plus, there's all kinds of info about nutrition for vegan female athletes, which I try to be when I don't have a stupid stress fracture. And there's info on exactly how much omega-3 rich foods a vegan needs to eat to meet the daily needs (5 walnut halves, 1 Tbsp. flaxseed, etc.). It's very specific information, and I feel like that's exactly what is missing from most vegan health books.

Oh, and the best part? Ginny Messina doesn't say you should never have processed foods or plant meat or wine or beer. She says you can have those things in moderation. She recognizes the importance fats play in our diet (no oil-free diets here!). And most importantly, she debunks the soy myth. If I hear one more person say they don't eat soy because it gives you man boobs, I swear to god ... anyway, I knew that stuff wasn't true. But Ginny provides science and studies to back that up. Soy (especially in whole forms) is not bad for you. That is a lie. And those studies that claim soy is bad? Guess who funds them? Yep, the meat/dairy industry.

Vegan for Her is the best vegan health book out there. Sorry dudes. Maybe someone will write a Vegan for Him.

As for those recipes, JL did an outstanding job of compiling plant-based recipes that are simple and approachable for new vegans and seasoned pros. The first thing I've tried is her Oat-Amaranth-Carrot Porridge.

This is a breakfast dish, and it's really everything I need in a breakfast — savory, whole grain-y, and full of veggies (carrots and onions). Plus, it's helping me use up some of my amaranth stash. I love that stuff, but I never know what to do with it.

And there are plenty more recipes that look awesome — the Vegan Seven-Layer Salad (sounds like the one my mama used to make!), the Quinoa Daiya Burger, Soy Curl Cacciatore, and Tempeh Tostadas to name a few.

My 9-Year Veganaversary (or Why I Love Black Friday)

Black Friday probably isn't on the top of your "fave holidays" list. But it's right up there with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Solstice for me. No, I don't wake up at the crack of dawn to indulge in senseless corporate consumerism and material lust. That's not why I love Black Friday.

I love Black Friday because it doubles as my veganaversary and vegetarian-aversary, and I always get to spend it with my mama! I went vegetarian in 1994 on the day after Thanksgiving, and I went vegan in 2004 on that same holiday shopping day. Technically, the date for Black Friday is different each year, so it's not really my anniversary. But it's easier for me to keep up with this way.

Every Black Friday starts out the same. I'm always off work on this day, so I wake up around 9 a.m. and fix a small plate of leftover Thanksgiving dessert. This year, I had a serving of my mama's Vegan Dump Cake — cherry pie filling, crushed pineapple, vegan cake mix, coconut, and pecans.

Then my mama comes over from Jonesboro, about an hour's drive for her, so we can have Black Friday brunch at Brother Juniper's, a vegan-friendly breakfast cafe in the U of M area. We started with coffee.

We always order the same thing — Fahim's Special with Home Fries and Whole Grain Toast.

Fahim's Special is the tofu scramble, and it's one of the best I've ever had. They use portabello mushrooms and red bell peppers and some sort of delicious seasoning. The dish used to have kalamata olives too, and that really made it special. But Brother Juniper's recently stopped carrying olives. In fact, they took the Fahim's Special off the menu altogether because they aren't carrying olives. But they'll still make it without olives if you ask. Next time, mama and I decided that we're bringing our own olives.

After breakfast, we stopped to see my pup Maynard at the vet.

He had two surgeries last week after ingesting a piece of an "indestructible" Extreme Kong ball. Poor guy! He actually got to come home on Saturday, and he's doing better now. But on Friday, when we stopped by, he was still feeling kinda icky. Lesson learned: Kongs are not indestructible, and this guy will try to eat them. No more Kongs for Maynard. (Also, note that I'm wearing a giant walking boot on my right foot here for my stress fracture, which I've had now for over three months!)

Then we went shopping like we always do on Black Friday! But it's not the crazy Black Friday madness of 6 a.m. We usually get started around noon or 1 p.m., when most of the insane stood-in-line-all-night shoppers have gone back to bed. My mama lets me try on the clothes that I want her to buy me for the holiday, and she picks out a couple items that she wants me to buy her. We try things on, make our decisions, and then wrap each others gifts to hold for later in the month. I won't get this sweater from my mama until Xmas, but I can't wait!

After shopping, mama dropped me off at home, and she headed back to Jonesboro. I'd worked up an appetite at the mall, so I fixed a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers and caught up on the latest issue of Rolling Stone. My veganaversary always ends with a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, which is pretty much my favorite meal on Earth.

Happy veganaversary to me!

Thanksgiving Recap (Or Tale of an Unturkey Butt)

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It's one of my favorite holidays because I can eat with reckless abandon and not feel even the slightest twinge of food guilt. Any day that equates eating my mama's famous vegan dressin' with showing how grateful we are for all the good stuff in our lives is fine by me.

Most years, we have a very small family gathering at my parents' house in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It's usually just me and Paul, my mama and daddy, my me-maw, and my granny. But this year, we had some extra company. I invited my vegan friend Cassi, who lives down the street from me in Memphis, and my vegan cousin Tiffaney, my vegan aunt Nancy, my not-vegan uncle Mike, and Tiffaney's not-vegan friend Tim joined us. Read Cassi's recap of Thanksgiving on her blog, The Pretty in Pink Vegan.

So it was a very vegan Thanksgiving! Of course, even when I'm the only vegan, my mama still makes all the sides vegan, and we have both a dead bird and a vegan turkey alternative. But it was nice this year not being the only herbivore at the table.

Cassi ordered the Vegetarian Plus Vegan Whole Turkey, which comes with stuffing and gravy, from Imagine Vegan Cafe. They were taking orders a few weeks back, and she placed hers. It was our first time trying this brand. The turkey is made from textured soy protein, and it looks like a whole turkey — drumsticks, wings, and all. And the best part? There's a hole in its butt where you put the stuffing! Here we are stuffing our un-turkey.

And here's the finished product, fresh out of the oven. Taste-wise, the "meat" didn't have as much flavor as, say, Tofurky or Field Roast, but the gravy fixed that. And the texture was a little more moist than those brands too. But it was really fibrous, and I'd imagine this is close to what turkey tastes like. The skin gets nice and crispy in the oven.

The turkey came with a bag of Stuffing mix, and there was a little extra after stuffing its butt.

We don't typically have stuffing at Thanksgiving 'cause that's not really how we do down south. But I like stuffing, and I ate a good bit of this. But down here, a Thanksgiving isn't a Thanksgiving without Cornbread Dressin', and my mama makes the best dressin' in the world. In case you don't know the difference, dressin' is cornbread-based and tends to be moist and creamy. Stuffing is made from torn-up bits of bread and has a drier consistency.

My favorite Thanksgiving dish, though, is my mama's Hash Brown Casserole — hash browns, Earth Balance, vegan cream of celery soup, sour cream, Daiya cheese, and cornflakes. (This recipe and my mama's dressin' recipe are in Cookin' Crunk).

Mama made homemade Cranberry Sauce.

And she made Dilled Carrots.

And mama made some Spicy Sweet Potatoes with sriracha and cilantro.

We had a Salad with Asian Pears, Pecans, and Vinaigrette.

Granny brought Turnip Greens, Turnips, and Green Beans.

And some Corn on the Cob.

Vegan rolls with Earth Balance. 

For dessert, mama made a Vegan Dump Cake, which could use a better name. It's cherry pie filling, pineapple, vegan cake mix, coconut, and pecans. So good! You just dump all that stuff (hence the name) in a baking dish and bake without stirring.

Cassi and I made the Classic Pecan Pie from Pies and Tarts with Heart. It was really tasty, but some of the sugar somehow seeped through the crust while it was baking, making it nearly impossible to lift the slices out of the pie pan. The sugar was like glue! But once we got our slices out, they were excellent with vegan ice cream.

That's it! I was stuffed after that meal, and I've been having leftovers for days!