Stuff I Ate

Man, it's been a long time since I've done one of these random meal photo dumps. I was looking through my phone for unblogged pictures, and they stretched all the way back to early October! Let's just start with dessert first.

At some point in October, Stephanie baked some Pumpkin Insanity Bars to sell at Imagine Vegan Cafe, but she brought me one for free! There's a layer of butterscotch cookie topped with a layer of Pumpkin Spice Oreos topped with a layer of blondies. Dude. There's a reason these are called "insanity bars." I may have scarfed down this entire treat in my car, before making it home from wherever Stephanie gifted me this.

 

The new-ish Meetup.com Vegan Dine-Outs and Potlucks group had a gathering at Abyssinia, my favorite Ethiopian joint. They have a daily lunch buffet that is mostly all vegan. Nothing is better than injera loaded with various Ethiopian dishes.

Crazy Noodle, home of vegan ramen bowls, also has a great selection of non-ramen dishes. I recently tried their Tofu Salad with Wasabi Dressing. Good stuff, but they weren't skimpy on the wasabi. Damn. My sinuses were clear after this salad!

Also on that same visit to Crazy Noodle, I had the Korean sushi. It's called Kimbap, and it typically has beef. But Crazy Noodle is happy to veganize just about anything. I left the beef out, and these were fantastic. Best sushi in town if you ask me.

In mid-October, I went Summerland Grove's annual Festival of Souls, a Samhain fest at Meeman-Shelby State Park in Memphis. I go to this every year, and every year, the vegan food gets better and better. I remember a time 12 years ago when I was lucky to get a salad there. Now they go out of their way to provide vegan and gluten-free meals for folks with special dietary needs. I arrived just in time for lunch Saturday, when they were serving Lentil & Kale Soup with Gluten-Free Dumplings.

And that was paired with Vegan Grilled Cheese! They use Follow Your Heart block cheese and slice it into thick slices. Then it's melted between vegan-buttered Texas toast. Man, white bread is the business! I don't buy it at home, but it's such a treat when I get to eat it out.

For dinner that night, they made Gluten-Free Vegan Savory Tarts with Lentil-Veggie Filling, Carrots, Corn, and Broccoli. They have to make the meals stretch, so they're a little skimpy on the veggie sides here. I could have eaten about three times that amount of broccoli and carrots. But oh well. The tarts were great! This picture came out very yellow, thanks to the bright yellow tablecloth in the background.

Not every meal can be a winner. Such was the case with this Veggie Wrap with White Bean Soup and Homemade Chips at Evelyn & Olive. You see, the menu said the wrap had black beans, Jamaican rice & peas, corn relish, lettuce, tomato, cheddar, and mango BBQ sauce. I asked them to leave the cheese off, and they did. But they took the liberty to add bits of crumbled chipotle Morningstar Farms veggie burger. I know what kind of patty they use because I've accidentally ordered it before. Not vegan! I hate it when places go off-menu. Of course, I ate it anyway and didn't say anything. I hate being the whiny vegan who complains, especially when I'm at a table of non-vegans (I was). I'd say something if it contained meat or something, but I'm not whining about a few bites of veggie burger. I'll just know not to order that again. I typically get the Black Bean Tacos at Evelyn & Olive, and those are always a sure winner.

One place I know can never screw up my order is Imagine Vegan Cafe! Last week, I had the Vegan Turkey Cutlets with Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, White "Cheddar" Mac, and Green Beans.

And yesterday, at Imagine's brunch, I went off the breakfast menu in favor of a Vegan BLT with Avocado and Garlicky Kale.

2nd Annual Great Vegan Pumpkin Potluck!

Last year, my friend Leslie decided that we should start an annual pumpkin potluck tradition. No rules on when exactly the potluck had to be held, just sometime in the late fall. And everyone must bring a pumpkin dish —sweet or savory. Our first event last year was at Leslie's old place, but she's since moved off to the 'burbs, which is simply unsuitable for hosting a party for mostly Midtowners.

So I volunteered my house this year! We had a pumpkin-y good time. Of course, Leslie went with an Indian-themed dish (her specialty) of Pumpkin Samosas with Cranberry Chutney and Tamarind Sauce. These were stuffed with pumpkin puree, pepitas, and cranberries, but they were savory and delicious.

Here's Leslie (on the right) and her friend Megan (a.k.a. Mango). And a photo-bomb from Jordan & Andy!

We had a nice turnout with lots of new vegan friends! Here's Steven, Greg, Susan & her boyfriend, and Karen.

Karen made an insanely delicious Pumpkin Stuffing. Underneath the crumbly cornbread topping are white beans, cranberries, and savory spices. Lucky for me, she left the leftovers here!

Susan made a Pumpkin Quinoa Risotto, and (not pictured), she brought pomegranate seeds to sprinkle over the top. Really creamy and yummy!

Nico made a fantastic Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, & Apple Roast. Sweet and savory at the same time!

Nico also brought tubs of Lilly's Pumpkin Pie Hummus and (not pictured) Chocolate Hummus! I didn't even know these existed, but now I'm so glad I do! And I'm so glad she left me some too. The pumpkin pie hummus sounds like it'd be sweet, but it's not at all. It's savory and amazing. The chocolate hummus is slightly sweet but still more hummus-y than chocolately. It could go either way — dessert or dinner.

A adorable (new to me) couple that I just met at the potluck (and whose names I cannot remember!) brought over a creamy Pumpkin & Cauliflower Dip. IT WAS SO GOOD! I wish I'd gotten the recipe (and remembered their names!).

Now Greg doesn't know how to play by rules, of course. So he went all rogue and brought Cauliflower Fritters. They definitely look kinda weird, but trust me, they were ridiculously delicious. Like little fried cauliflower & carrot pancakes.

I made the Pumpkin Chili from Thug Kitchen! It's the first thing I've tried since I got the book, and man was it good. There's a whole can of pumpkin puree in the chili, and that makes it extra creamy. I didn't get a good shot of the chili in the Crock Pot, but here's a small bowl on my entree plate. It was loaded with veggies (carrots, peppers, onions) and beans (black, pinto, great northern).

It's not a pumpkin potluck without pumpkin pie, right? Both Nic (making the cool guy face or whatever that is) and Erica (in the rainbow wig and tiara!) brought variations on pumpkin pie!

Erica made THREE traditional Vegan Pumpkin Pies!! She left me half of a pie, so I had the leftovers today topped with Rice Whip. I really enjoyed having some pumpkin pie because my family doesn't have it for Thanksgiving, so most years, I go through all of fall without pumpkin pie. I'm the only one in my family who likes pumpkin. Crazy!

Nic made a Butternut Squash Ice Cream Pie with a Raw Nut Crust. This frozen pie was creamy on the inside with a chewy, nutty pecan crust. So good!

Speaking of raw, Steven made Raw Pumpkin Brownies. He used pureed pumpkin and a pecan crust. These were chewy and creamy and super-healthy!

And finally, every potluck must end with cake, right? Cassi brought Chocolate Pumpkin Coffee Cupcakes with Pumpkin Buttercream. She just got a Kitchen-aid, and she's been going a little baking crazy. And that's good news for us. These were delicious.

Vegan Without Borders Giveaway!

Oh, Robin Robertson! What a cookbook force you are!

One of my first vegan cookbooks, Vegan Planet, was an epic tome by Robin, and it has 400 recipes! And yet, she has still managed to put out book after book after book with hundreds more recipes. Hell, in the past few months, I've received three Robin books to review. I don't know how she does it, but I'm glad she does.

Her latest work, Vegan Without Borders, is a full-color collection of recipes from across the globe. There are chapters on Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Asia. And many of those are broken further down by country — Italy, France, Spain, the U.S., China, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. I can't afford to travel outside of the U.S., but I feel like this book can at least help me pretend. The best part about traveling is the eating part anyway.

So many recipes called my name — chickpea salad-stuffed Fattoush Wraps from the Middle East, Pissaladiere (caramelized onion tart) from France, Baked Eggplant Fries from Greece, Butternut Mac & Cheese from the U.S., Chimichurri-Grilled Vegetables from South America, and Kofta Meatballs from India.

After much deliberation, I finally settled on Africa and Robin's recipe for Vegetable Tagine.

Isn't it beautiful? Tagine is a traditional Moroccan stew made in a clay pot. But this recipe requires no special pot. It's loaded with sweet potatoes, chickpeas, kale, bell pepper, onion, carrot, tomatoes, and (my personal fave) green olives. There's a touch of sweetness from the dried dates and apricots, and there's a ton of flavor, thanks to ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, and cayenne.

I also attempted to make Robin's recipe for Injera, that awesome African spongy bread. It's notoriously difficult to make. The teff flour mixture has to ferment for several days. I'd always been too intimidated to even try making it, but Robin's recipe looked simple enough. Sadly, I believe either my yeast had gone bad or my hot water wasn't hot enough. And my injera was a fail. I don't blame the recipe though. There's some magic to injera-making, and I just didn't have it.

But the tagine came together in a breeze. And Robin's publisher has generously allowed me to reprint her recipe here. But first, a giveaway! Leave a comment at the end of this post letting me know which country's cuisine you favor the most. Be sure and leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll close out the giveaway on Tuesday night (November 11th). Good luck!

Here's the gorgeous picture of Vegetable Tagine and Injera from the book.

Vegetable Tagine
Serves 4 to 6

Fragrant spices and dried fruits are key to this Moroccan stew traditionally made in a pot by the same name. Tagine pots are typically made of clay, often painted or glazed. It has a flat circular base and a large cone-shaped cover that is designed to circulate the condensation. A Dutch oven or other large covered pot may be used instead. Serve the tagine over couscous or rice accompanied by a smal bowl of Harissa Sauce for those who like it spicy hot.

1 tablespoon olive oil or ¼ cup water
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
6 cups chopped kale (thick stems removed and discarded)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups vegetable broth
⅓ cup dried apricots, halved or quartered
3 pitted dates, halved
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
⅓ cup pitted green olives, halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat the oil or water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, sweet potato, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to bring out the flavors. Add the kale, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juice, and broth. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the tagine is cooking, soak the apricots for 30 minutes in hot water. Drain, cut in half, and add to the pot, along with the dates, peas, olives, and lemon zest. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

From Robin Robertson's Vegan Without Borders: Easy Everyday Meals from Around the World,
by Robin Robertson/Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC.

My Favorite Massaged Kale Salad

I was in Walgreens the other day with my friends Sheridan and Drew. We were in line to buy temporary red hair color spray to cover my pink hair for Halloween. The cashier made some joke about early voting, which doesn't sound like a funny topic. But it was funny. Trust me. And the guy behind me saw my "Only Kale Can Save Us Now" bag from Herbivore.

Hey look! Herbivore no longer carries the tote, but the poster (above) is on sale!

"You votin' for Kal-ee?" he said, mistaking "kale" for someone's name.
"Um, that says kale," I replied. "Like the vegetable. But it's awesome. I'd vote for it."
"Aw yea. That's like couscous, right?" he replied.

Um ... yea. Just like couscous, dude. Anyway, all that is to say that even though kale has taken the world by storm, some folks still don't know what it is. And they'd probably never dream that you can eat it raw and have it taste delicious. It's all about the massage — how long you caress your greens and what you caress them with.

Marukan, makers of my favorite rice vinegars, sent me some samples recently of their Seasoned Gourmet Rice Vinegar, Genuine Rice Vinegar, and Yuzu Ponzu. And I used a couple bottles to massage the perfect kale salad. But more on that (picture and recipe) in a few.

Let's talk vinegar first. My favorite is the seasoned vinegar. It's sweet and salty, perfect for sushi rice. And unlike some other seasoned rice vinegars, it contains no nasty high-fructose corn syrup. The genuine, unseasoned vinegar is great too. It's pure rice vinegar, no sweet stuff, making it great for dressings and other savory applications. Cassi recently borrowed some to use in her famous Vegan Dumplings.

As for the ponzu, well, this stuff is AWESOME! I love this citrus-flavored soy sauce, but most traditional ponzu isn't vegan since it's made with katsuobushi (tuna) flakes. Yuck! But Marukan's Yuzu Ponzu is totally vegan!

Okay, now for the Simple Massaged Kale Salad. You can use any old rice vinegar and ponzu (or even soy sauce) for this recipe, but I recommend Marukan because they're the best!

Simple Massaged Kale Salad
Makes about 10 cups (5 servings)

2 bunches curly kale, washed, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-sized bits
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Marukan Seasoned Gourmet Rice Vinegar
2 Tbsp. Marukan Yuzu Ponzu
1/2 cup diced tomato 
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put the kale leaves and onion in a big bowl. Add the olive oil. Using your bare hands, gently massage the oil into the kale leaves for about 3-5 minutes. The kale should reduce by about half and the onions should get very soft, almost like cooked onions.

Add the rice vinegar and ponzu and continue massaging until well-combined. Stir in the tomato, season to taste, and serve.

UncommonGoods

I try to keep my posts food or animal rights-related, so when I was contacted by UncommonGoods (an online retail store) about reviewing some of their products, I wasn't sure what to do. But then I saw this: "Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, UncommonGoods is an privately-owned retailer that endeavors to feature unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people."

That last line got me. And then I found out the company's founder is vegan, and they have lots of food-related gifts. So it seemed like a good fit. I was asked to pick out a couple of items from their vast online store to review. But there were so many things I wanted! Rainbow unicorn mug! Musical wine glasses! Beer jelly! It was hard to narrow down a couple items, but I finally did. I'll be reviewing two of those items tonight, and I'm saving the third item for it's own post because I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

I settled on this Tea To Go travel infuser.

Here it is out of the package.

It's a glass tube, and you stuff tea bags or loose tea on one end. Then you pour hot or cold water over the tea, and it infuses. Then you can have your tea on the go. Now, I've said before on here that I'm not a hot tea drinker. But I live for iced tea! I am a Southern girl, you know. I like my tea unsweetened and cold, so this is perfect. I've been taking it to work everyday. Sometimes, I stuff it with tea bags, like these Jasmine Green Tea Bags.

Other times, I opt for loose tea, like this Rose Petal Tea.

And I've even used the infuser to make Citrus Water. Just stick an orange or lemon slice in one end and fill with cold water.

I absolutely love this thing! I will say that, if it's hot tea you're after, the Tea To Go doesn't work quite as well. I tried making hot tea with it once, and I found that the glass gets so hot from the hot water that it burns your lips a bit. But this is ideal for iced tea drinkers. When I bring this to work, I leave the tea in all day and keep pouring cold water from the office cooler in, so I get about 9 cups of tea off of a couple of bags or a tablespoon of loose tea. Click here to see the infuser on their site.

Next up, I tried this Soup and Sandwich Ceramic Tray Duo.

How cute is this? It's made of a heavy, quality ceramic, and there's just enough room for a bowl of soup and a hearty sandwich (or a bowl of ice cream and a slice of cake!). Since we're entering soup season, this is just perfect for those warming fall meals. I broke this set in with a bowl of my Granny's home-canned vegetable soup and a vegan grilled cheese made with Field Roast's Chao Cheese (have y'all had this? OMG, full post coming soon!). Click here to see the soup/sandwich tray on their site.

Anyway, I think UncommonGoods would be an excellent source for some early holiday gift shopping. To make it easier on you, they have a gifts for women and gifts for men page, but if you're like me, you're friends are all pretty androgynous in their tastes. It's a good veg-friendly company (they do sell some cheese items, but most things are vegan), and they pay even their lowest paid seasonal workers 50 percent above the minimum wage. About half of what they sell is handmade, and the next review I've got planned will feature one of those handmade products (hint: it's edible!).

Vegan Casseroles Giveaway!!

Julie Hasson has gone and done it again! The woman who gave us steamed vegan sausages, the first-ever vegan pizza cookbook, and vegan pot roast has written the first (and best!) tome about the ultimate comfort food — casseroles!

Y'all know this is right up my little Southern cookin' alley. I roll my eyes at pretentious, overly garnished meals that are more about plating than pleasing the palette. Fancy just isn't my style. But casseroles?! Yea, that's my language. That's the kind of good eatin' I grew up on. Needless to say, I was thrilled when Julie's Vegan Casseroles arrived in my mail.

Now the casseroles I grew up eating were the sort of throw-it-together meals made from condensed globs of mushroom soup and processed cheese food. And those things make for delicious casseroles, don't get me wrong. But Velvetta ain't vegan.

Because so many vegan convenience foods like that just don't exist (and wouldn't be healthy if they did), Julie makes her bases and sauces from scratch. There are recipes in the book for homemade Cream of Vegan Chicken  Soup, several gravies, and a cashew-nooch cheese sauce. And those are stirred into casseroles and baked in the oven. I had my little heart set on trying some casserole that called for her Almost Alfredo Sauce made with white wine. So I picked this Creamy Rice & Dill Casserole.

Sure, it's not so pretty. But are casseroles ever pretty? A pretty casserole probably doesn't taste very good. But this one tasted fantastic! A generous amount of cashew-white wine cheese sauce is mixed with brown rice, vegan chicken (I used Beyond Meat), fresh dill, and spinach. And then it's baked in the oven for a bit. The best part of any casserole are the crusty edges!

This casserole is so creamy, and I love that it's so full of healthy green goodness. I enjoyed this with a side of collard greens for extra alkaline fun.

Anyway, this is just the tip of the casserole iceberg. There are so many recipes I want to try! Nacho Mac Casserole (macaroni, nacho "cheese," tortilla chips!), Nacho Tots Casserole (yea, so I really like nachos), Baked Penne with Pumpkin Cream Sauce, Truffled Cauliflower Mac, Veggies & Dumplings, Pale Ale Stew (potatoes, beer, gravy).

And there are so many recipes that you'll want to try too! And you just might have a chance at winning one of five copies of Vegan Casseroles! The publisher is hosting a giveaway using Rafflecopter. The grand prize winner will receive a Breville Smart Oven, and five other winners will get Julie's book. The contest is being hosted by all the blogs on Julie's blog tour, rather than just on my blog alone. But your chances are still good! Give it a shot. The giveaway ends on November 12th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Indian Eats & Dia de los Muertos Treats!

Each year around this time, when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest, I like to spend some time honoring friends and family members who have passed. Halloween/Samhain is ideal, but that rarely works since I'm typically going to some sort of Halloween party that night. So my Feast of the Dead tradition typically gets pushed to Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the day following Halloween.

I had a big traditional feast planned for Saturday night, but first, I had some serious Indian food eatin' to do. Saturday was also Memphis' annual India Fest. Most years, I go with a group of friends, and we sample our way through all the countries of India since the cuisine of most every country is represented. But this year, my only India Fest date, Stephanie, bailed at the last minute (yes, Stephanie, I'm calling you out). So I was cruising solo, which was actually quite nice.

First I stopped at Spicy Chat Corner for my very favorite Indian street food — Bhel Puri! This is made with puffed rice, tomatoes, onion, and lots of spice. Dude asked me if I wanted mild or spicy. Of course I said spicy! But I forgot how spicy Indian food can be. He loaded this bowl with hot peppers, and by the end of it, I was sweatin'. But it was so good!

I can never leave India Fest without a samosa or two. The Bombay House booth was selling two Samosas with Chana for just $3! I added a little tamarind sauce too.

I was just about to head for dosa when I spied the menu at the Telugu Association of Memphis' booth. Gobi Manchurian! Yes! These Indo-Chinese cauliflower fritters are basically my favorite thing ever. Sadly, all the food at this booth was a bit cold. Still very tasty. But the gobi is best enjoyed hot.

Also at that booth, I picked up some Mirchi Bajji (battered and potato-stuffed chili pepper) and a Vada (savory doughnut made with lentil, dal, or gram flour). Both would have been much better hot. And that vada was unlike any vada I've ever had, but it was good.

By this time, I was stuffed! And I knew I had to get home and start preparing for my next meal — my annual Feast of the Dead. I got to work in the kitchen on this Spicy South American Seitan Stew from Bryant Terry's Grub.

I have made this recipe for my annual Samhain feast every year since as far back as I can remember (with the exception of last year because I decided to try something different). The stew is loaded with homemade seitan, fried plantains, red potatoes, chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro. I love this recipe so much, but I only make it once a year so it maintains it's special-ness. I served the stew with pain au levain from the Whole Foods bakery, some Italian bread dipping oil, and a hearty pint of locally crafted Wiseacre Oktoberfest.

I set my table with photos and mementos from all the people I've lost over the years. I lit a candle for each person and enjoyed my meal in silence.

And then I broke out dessert — a Pumpkin Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream from Imagine Vegan Cafe!

Happy belated Samhain/Dia de los Muertos!