Stuff I Ate

I've got a BUNCH of random meal pics to share tonight, so let's get started! Perhaps my favorite thing I've eaten lately was the Vegan Steakhouse Burger from Imagine Vegan Cafe! It's a new menu item — two veggie burger patties, veggie bacon, onion rings, and BBQ sauce. But y'all, two patties seems a little insane to me, so I ordered it with just one patty and a side of seasoned collard greens for good measure. DELICIOUS!

As I waited on my burger, owner Kristie came out of the kitchen to hand me a free bowl of their soup of the week! She wanted my opinion on this Greens & Potato Chowder. I told her it was delicious and had my seal of approval.

Another treat from Imagine! I dropped by on Saturday for a Vegan Soft Serve Cone. I LOVE that I have constant access to vegan soft serve now. I'm a lucky girl.

Here's another burger — one that was way healthier. I made this Hilary's Eat Well Veggie Burger at home. Topped with Daiya vegan cheddar, Sabra sea salt & black pepper hummus spread, lettuce, and tomato. Enjoyed with a side of potato-carrot soup leftover from last week. The Hilary's patties are loaded with greens, whole grains, and other veggies.

I got two new tattoos on Saturday — a women's liberation symbol on my left forearm and a 26.2 marathon tattoo on my right foot. My appointment fell right around dinner time, so I picked up some Raw Hummus Toast from the Raw Girls food truck to snack on during the tattoo process. Real talk though — the foot tattoo was so painful that I couldn't eat while it was happening. But I ate a fair amount of this before the process began, and I finished the rest when I got home. Sprouted hummus, sriracha, mustard, pickles, and raw sundried tomato "bread." It's one of my favorite menu items from the Raw Girls.

I had a meeting at Midtown Crossing Grill last week around dinner time, so I ordered my namesake sandwich, the Bianca Banh Mi — tofu banh mi with hummus and pickled veggies, salad with wasabi vinaigrette on the side.

For lunch today, I met my friend Susan at Pho Binh, home of the best tofu in town. They have a small lunch buffet that's mostly all tofu. I usually pile my plate high with lemongrass tofu, green bean tofu, curry tofu, and white rice. But today, I attempted to make a salad to help me not eat too much fried tofu. Sadly, Pho Binh is not known for their salad bar. It's a combo of strange things like olives, lettuce, pickles, jalapenos, and maraschino cherries. I did the best I could. Cabbage-tomato soup on the side.

Some random breakfasts — a V Raw B Energized Peanut Butter Protein Bar and Banana after a run.

A B Free (what's with all the companies just using the letter "B" instead of spelling it out?? "Be" is just two letters, y'all!) Gluten-Free Bagel with Vegan Chive & Garlic Cream Cheese.

A FitQuick Pizza Protein Waffle stuffed with Daiya mozzarella, spinach, and kalamata olives and topped with marinara. I recently re-upped my FitQuick stash. My, how I missed my pizza waffles!

A Valentine's-inspired breakfast of Love Grown Chocolate & Strawberry Hearts Cereal (made with beans) and cashew milk! I made some quick Tempeh Bacon in the air fryer, and I'll share that recipe soon. Needs some work. Texture was great, but my quick marinade/baste wasn't as flavorful as I'd hoped. Also had a banana on the side.

Here's a Fresh Greens Juice I picked up from Juice Bar earlier this week — celery, kale, spinach, cucumber, parsley, and lemon.

One morning last week, I suddenly got an urge to make energy balls. Strange since it was a work day, and I was already running behind. But I wanted them for morning snacks at my desk, so I googled and found this recipe from the Healthy Maven for No-Bake Oatmeal Protein Energy Balls. I subbed Vega One for the whey powder (hence the green color) and maple syrup for the honey. They also have oats, peanut butter, chia seeds, and raisins. Yummy snacks.

And finally — BBQ Tofu Nachos!! I had leftover tortillas, cashew queso, and pico from the BBQ Nachos from The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook that I made for the Super Bowl. But I didn't have any extra BBQ lentils, so I just crumbled some frozen (and thawed) tofu and mixed it with some Trader Joe's Sriracha Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce. Instant BBQ Tofu Nachos! With air-fried corn tortilla chips!

As you can see, I'm doing okay with my efforts to find balance post-cleanse. I'm definitely eating some indulgent stuff (looking at you, onion ring burger and fried tofu), but I'm balancing that with green juice, raw cracker breads, veggies, and air-fried versions of otherwise fatty things.

February Goddess Box!

I'm taking a break from food today to show y'all the contents of my February Goddess Provisions box. I'm subscribed to this monthly box of crystals, teas, vegan snacks, beauty products, and more — all curated to unleash your inner goddess. Goddess Provisions is run by Jill and John, the same awesome vegan duo who run Vegan Cuts. 

Anyway, here's my box this month! The theme was Flower Power!

There's a floral essential oil blend by Flora Remedia, 1Hour Break oral spray, crystal-infused lip gloss by Modern Minerals, a raw dark chocolate bar with dried lavender by Chocolita, a floral tea blend by Bad Girl Good Tea, a polychrome jasper stone, and a couple of mandala stickers from Technician of the Sacred.

As always, the crystals are my favorite. And I was immediately drawn to this big hunk of polychrome jasper. Despite its size, it feels light in my palm, and when clutching it, I feel very grounded — something an Air Sign like myself could use a lot of. This may quickly become my favorite stone. I love the unique markings! It's like a weird little bug.

The essential oil blend is made with willow, honeysuckle, and star of bethleham floral essences. The honeysuckle is very prominent, and it makes me yearn for spring! We've had some spring-like temps lately, but everything is still so dead and ugly. So ready for flowers! The Modern Minerals gloss has a very floral scent too, and it tastes amazing on my lips. Plus, it's infused with pink tourmaline. 

The 1Hour Break spray is really cool! It's a minty mouth spray that's infused with various herbs that are said to induce relaxation and calm anxiety and stress. I sprayed some under my tongue after a work meeting yesterday (it wasn't a stressful meeting — I was just eager to try it), and a wave of calm seriously washed over me. I used it again tonight before yoga class, and it was great for getting me in the right state of mind.

Floral, fruity teas are my fave! And I absolutely love this blend of green, white, and oolong teas with mango, pineapple, marigold blossoms, rosebuds, and blue cornflower petals. It's like drinking flowers! I've been having it at my desk at work in the afternoons for a little pick-me-up.

The box also included a fun treat that's quite the opposite of a pick-me-up. This Chocolita Lavender Dreamtime Bar is great for snacking on before bed. I had some last night with a glass of pinot grigio, and I drifted right to sleep. The combo of lavender and dark chocolate is lovely.

Finally, I'm loving these mandala stickers! The package came with two, and I already slapped one onto my laptop. Still not sure where the other will go. I actually belong to the Memphis Mandala Makers Club, and I'm really into sacred circles and sacred geometry and such. 

By the way, I'm a Goddess Provisions ambassador, which means I make a couple bucks if anyone signs up using this link. I don't get my boxes free though, just to be clear. I subscribe and pay the $33 a month, and it's totally worth it. It's a great deal, and the boxes are so much fun!

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls with Toasted Quinoa!

At the end of this post, I'll share my recipe for this!

But first, let's talk about quinoa. I love quinoa! It's one of those foods that, at the time I went vegan in 2004, was completely foreign to me, and I was so excited to discover it, like so many other "new" foods that entered my diet around that time. I probably even pronounced it "quin-noah" like so many quinoa newbies still do (I'm looking at you, mom!). But now, nearly 13 years later, quinoa is kind of an old hat. It's a standard staple in my pantry that gets used in dishes several times a month.

But I've just discovered a new style of quinoa, and it's quite possibly life-changing. Toasted Quinoa! I Heart Keenwah recently sent me a couple bags of their Toasted Quinoa to sample and review, and wow — what a difference a little toasting makes!

The sample bags came with a small bag of untoasted quinoa with the instructions to sniff it first and then smell the toasted version. The untoasted, raw quinoa has that green, seedy smell. It's not bad, but it's not exactly appetizing either. Just the smell of untoasted seeds. But when I opened the bag of toasted quinoa, I was blown away by the nutty scent. It smells like peanut butter! Y'all know how I feel about my nut butters, right?

Here's what I Heart Keenwah says about their product:

Our toasted quinoa is made from organic Bolivian Royal Quinoa, a single-origin heirloom seed sourced exclusively from the shores of the Salt Flat region of Bolivia. Toasted quinoa also boasts a nuttier flavor and fluffier texture than all other boil-and-cook quinoas on the market. The product is a nod to the traditional way of preparing quinoa in Bolivia (phisara) – pre-toasting the seeds before cooking them to bring out the richest flavor. Once cooked, the quinoa retains its toasted, nutty flavor (with flavor notes similar to toasted sesame and nut butter).

To prepare, you simply cook toasted quinoa just like you would an untoasted variety. No extra steps necessary. No rinsing, no toasting. Just boiling. By the way, I've never been a quinoa rinser, but some folks swear by it. If you're one of them, this stuff saves you a step.

Besides the awesome nutty flavor of toasted quinoa, it also has a much fluffier texture. I cooked 1 cup of dry quinoa (so I could double the recipe below), and the quinoa cooked up into 4 cups! I feel like I usually only get about 2 cups of cooked quinoa from 1 cup of untoasted seed.

I used some of the Tri-Color Toasted Quinoa to create a Mexican-inspired burrito bowl using sweet potatoes and black beans. I recently listened to a No Meat Athlete podcast where producer Doug was sharing his go-to black bean and sweet potato burrito recipe. That combo is one of my faves, and it'd been years since I'd had a black bean and sweet potato burrito. I couldn't stop thinking of them after that episode! That's what inspired this bowl! The toasted quinoa adds a complex layer that's likely much more nutritious than a standard white flour burrito wrap.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl with Toasted Quinoa

Yields 2 bowls

1 medium sweet potato

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 cup I Heart Keenwah Toasted Quinoa (tri-color or white)

1 cup water

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/2 avocado, sliced or mashed (your choice)

1/4 cup pico de gallo or salsa (OR BOTH!)

Sriracha, to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cube the sweet potato (I don't peel mine, but you can if you want) and, in a medium mixing bowl, toss cubes with oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, cumin, and paprika. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the cubes out in an even layer and roast for about 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned and fork-tender.

Combine the toasted quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it's boiling, cover and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let it sit for 15 minutes, covered. Fluff with a fork.

Place the black beans in a small pan and season with 1/2 tsp. salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper to taste, and just a splash of water (a couple tablespoons is fine). Heat on low for about 5-7 minutes or until heated through.

To assemble, place half of the quinoa, potatoes, black beans, and corn in a bowl. Top with avocado, pico or salsa (I used both!), and sriracha. Repeat with in another bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

I Believe I Can (Air) Fry!

Y'ALL. There's a new love in my life, and it lives on my kitchen counter. My mom got an air fryer for Christmas, and my parents love it so much that, less than a month later, they decided that it was a must-have appliance for me as well. A few weeks ago, I got a text from my dad — "I got you an air fryer." YES!

And here it is! Meet the NuWave 3-Qt. Brio Air Fyer.  I didn't think I had enough counter space for another appliance, but with a little creative rearranging, I found a spot between the Breville juicer and the food processor.

The air fryer was one of those appliances I didn't know that I needed until I had one. But it's life-changing. I'll admit that I didn't really understand how they worked or why anyone would want one. I love deep-fried foods, and I do prepare them at home from time to time. But I don't really crave fried things that often, and when I do, I usually just go buy them somewhere else (I'm looking at you, Imagine Vegan Cafe). I thought an air fryer was just a healthier way to fry things, and it is. But it is SO. MUCH. MORE. It's also a really fast oven and even a food dehydrator!

Perhaps my favorite use for the air fryer so far is for making perfect, chewy, crispy "fried" tofu! I love the fried tofu served in Asian restaurants, but when I'm cooking at home, I'd rather avoid deep-frying. Now I can get that amazing textured tofu at home without the fat! Check out this Air-Fried Tofu I made last week to have with sauteed broccoli.

For this, I cubed some extra-firm tofu and then microwaved those cubes for about six minutes to zap out all of the water. No pressing necessary. Then I sprayed the cubes with a little olive oil in a Misto (a non-stick cooking spray would also work), added some salt, and put them in the air fryer on about 390 degrees for five minutes. After that, I opened the fryer drawer, shook the cubes around and put them back in for another five minutes. And one more round of shaking and cooking for five minutes, and they were done. PERFECTION. You could marinate this first for extra flavor, but I just used salt. And then I sprayed the tofu with Bragg's on my plate.

I've also made Tortilla Chips using corn tortillas. I made these last night for my Super Bowl nachos. I simply cut tortillas into eight wedges, sprayed with olive oil and salt, and air-fried for seven minutes, stopping once to shake the fryer basket. This made very crunchy tortilla chips that stood up well to all my nacho toppings. And since they were just corn tortillas, they were so wholesome!

Remember when I said it was like an oven? Yep, well, you can also roast and toast things. I've been using the fryer, rather than my oven, to toast vegan-buttered bread because it takes about four minutes in the air fryer versus 10 or so in the oven. And with the air fryer, there's no need to pre-heat.

I've also made Roasted Cauliflower. I simply tossed cauliflower with a teensy bit of oil so my salt would stick and then I air-fried it on 350 until it was just beginning to brown. It only took about 6 minutes! It would have taken 30 to 40 in the oven.

My parents bought me a Camilla Saulsberry's 175 Best Air Fryer Recipes book to go with my air fryer. It's not all vegan, but many recipes are. Camilla has several vegan cookbooks as well as non-vegan ones, so she's pretty good about including recipes that are vegan-friendly. Well, the very first recipe I made from that book was the Kale Chips!

I have an Excalibur dehydrator, and it makes fantastic kale chips and raw crackers and such. But kale chips in the Excalibur take about 24 hours, and sometimes, you need kale chips right away. Am I right? Camilla's air fryer recipe was so simple and quick! Just 6 minutes. Her recipe called for spraying the kale with olive oil and salt, but I added a sprinkle of nooch too. These were simple, crunchy, and quick. Just what I needed as a side to my sandwich.

But I would like to eventually try some more complex kale chips, maybe with a cashew-red bell pepper cheesy coating. I'll let you know how those turn out.

My parents have been using their air fryer to cook frozen fries, onion rings, and tots! I don't buy those things often, but I do love them. We made some Crispy Tater Tots at their house a couple weeks ago. You seriously can't even tell these aren't deep-fried. They get so much crunchier in the air fryer than in the oven, which is probably how I'd typically prepare them at home.

I'm still learning all of the things my air fryer can do. Apparently, you can even bake in it! I'll have to try that and report back.

If you have an air fryer (or are thinking of getting one) and want to see what other people are experimenting with, there's a Facebook group called Vegan Air Frying Enthusiasts. It's maintained by the great JL Fields, who is currently working on a vegan air frying book (due out this June!).

Super Bowl Nachos!

Wow. That was a CRAZY game, y'all. I was rooting for Atlanta, and I was certain we had the game locked up. And then there was that historic overtime. And then that amazing touchdown by New England. Just wow.

But even more mind-boggling than all of that was Lady Gaga's Cirque Du Soleil-inspired halftime show. THE DRONE LIGHTS! THE ACROBATICS! I didn't think anyone could top Beyonce's performance last year (because Queen Bey), but I think Gaga came pretty close.

During the first half of the game, I streamed the game on my laptop since I was busy in the kitchen, whipping up a recipe from the Super Bowl chapter in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook. I made a 2017 resolution to cook something from every chapter of the book throughout the year, and so far, so good. I made the Ginger Chocolate Banana Muffins for New Year's and the Cold Sesame Noodle Bundles for Chinese New Year.

I had a hard time selecting something from the Super Bowl chapter since dips and chips and snacky meals are my favorite. Everything looked so good! But I finally settled on these BBQ Nachos.

These are probably the most whole foodiest nachos I've ever had. The "meat" is made with a mixture of lentils and diced bell pepper coated in barbecue sauce. The queso is made from cashews. And the pico is made from scratch. The recipe calls for restaurant-style tortilla chips, but instead, I used my air fryer to make my own chips using corn tortillas.

I just sliced tortillas into wedges, misted with a little olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, and then I air-fried them for 7 minutes. They came out perfectly crispy! And since they were practically oil-free, I ate about twice as many chips as I would have if I were using regular chips.

The Falcons may have lost the Super Bowl. But I won on this meal! Thanks again, Isa!

Imbolc Eats

Most people know February 2nd as Groundhog Day, but did you know the day has roots in an ancient Gaelic festival celebrating the impending arrival of spring? It does! Today is Imbolc (also called Candlemas), and it's the midway point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equiox. It means winter is halfway done! Spring is coming!

It's actually one of my favorite holidays since it adds a little brightness to the dark, cold days of winter. It hasn't been terribly cold here this winter, but we've had a lot of back and forth — a sunny 70-degree day followed 3 or 4 dreary, cloudy 40-degree days. Those cold days feel so much colder when you were in short sleeves the day before.

Imbolc is traditionally celebrated with dairy products and seeds. Dairy was popular because, back in the day in Ireland and Scotland — where the festival originated — this was the time of year when baby sheep were being born, and ewe's milk was plentiful. The seeds symbolize rebirth and renewal. Of course, I don't consume dairy ever (and it's just not right to take milk meant for baby animals anyway!) Instead, I substitute with vegan milks and dairy-like products, like cashew cheese, vegan sour cream, and coconut yogurts.

There's also a lot of emphasis on the colors green and red — green is the color of the coming spring and red is the color the Celtic goddess Brigid's fiery red hair! I had a 3-mile run planned, so I started my day with a post-run ABC Green Smoothie from the Vega website.

Look at that beautiful spring-y smoothie! This has green apple, banana, and carrot (hence the ABC in the name), as well as spinach, flaxmilk, and Vega One French Vanilla protein powder.

My morning snack wasn't really themed — just smoky artichoke hummus and crackers. But my lunch ended up being just perfect for Imbolc! And I didn't even plan it that way. I had some leftover Vegan Swedish Meatballs from last weekend's meatball party at Susan's. I served those alongside Sauteed Garlic-Lemon Spinach, Lingonberry Sauce, and Dry Toast. The white sauce on the meatballs (these are IKEA vegan meatballs in a homemade cream sauce!) symbolized snowy winter, while the green spinach was like fresh, green grass. And the lingonberry jam was red like Brigid's hair!

Because dairy is so big on Imbolc, milk teas are common. And I love to have afternoon tea every day at my desk. Before work, I simmered some flaxmilk with a couple teaspoons of maple syrup, a little dried lavender, and some cinnamon, and then I strained out the herbs. Lavender and cinnamon are both commonly associated with Imbolc. I took the milk to work and stashed it in the fridge until tea time (3 p.m.!). Then I heated the milk, added a little hot water, and simmered a bag of Tazo English Breakfast Awake Tea. This was amazing and so perfect with a little square of vegan hazelnut chocolate.

I don't always theme my entire day's meals around Imbolc, but I'm such a nerd for a theme. And eating seasonally all day was such fun! I do, however, always make a traditional Imbolc feast for dinner. This year, I picked a Potato & Carrot Soup from Cooking By the Seasons. 

Potatoes are great at Imbolc because they harken back to the festival's Irish roots, and this soup is loaded with both chunky and pureed carrots and cabbage. This soup also contains plant milk for a super-creamy texture. On the side, I had some seeded bread (because seeds!) with Viana onion butter (that's the reason it looks a little brown — roasted onions!). I also had a simple side salad with green leaf lettuce, balsamic vinaigrette, and hemp, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds.

Happy Imbolc, y'all!

Stuff I Ate

It's time for a random meal round-up! I haven't done one of these in awhile. As you'll see, I've been doing a pretty decent job of finding a balance between healthy meals and indulgent treats.

As always, I'm still having protein smoothies after most runs, and this Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie was fantastic after a morning run last week. This had Vega One Berry protein powder, almond milk, frozen mixed berries, frozen banana, PB2, and kale.

Another breakfast last week — Pudla with Hummus & Sauteed Squash. I used Lacy's recipe from Reset & Restore. This was one of my favorite breakfasts on the reset, and I know I'll be making this again and again.

This morning's breakfast was an Ozery Bakery Cranberry Orange Morning Round with Earth Balance Coconut & Peanut Spread & IKEA Lingonberry Jam! So good! Like a fancy adult version of PB&J. Banana on the side.

Looks like I have lots of breakfast pics for some reason. Here's another post-run meal — locally made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Protein Bar and Banana. I got this bar by V Raw B Energized at City Silo. It was made with peanut butter, protein powder, and chocolate chips. Had a soft, chewy texture. Very good!

And last breakfast pic — Peanut Butter Mocha Protein Smoothie with Vega Sport Mocha protein, frozen banana, PB2, almond milk, and maca. Enjoyed after my 16-mile Saturday long run. Basically, I just want to eat all peanut butter, all the time.

But hey, here's a non-breakfast/non-peanut butter pic! It's a giant salad, which has been a standard go-to lunch lately. I think this had toasted quinoa, romaine, peas, corn, shoestring beets, tomato, carrot, onion, vegan bacon bits, and Hampton Creek Just Caesar Dressing.

All of the above is pretty healthy, but I had a nice splurge on Tuesday night at Vegan Drinks at RP Tracks. I ordered a High Cotton Scottish Ale and some Buffalo Tofu. Love these crispy fried tofu sticks! I only wish RP Tracks would carry vegan ranch for dipping. Next time, I'll BYOR (bring your own ranch).

On the side, I ordered RP Tracks' Chips and Salsa. They use this amazing seasoned salt on their chips, and their salsa is the best in town. I ate all my tofu, but I shared this big ole plate of chips.

Finally, I dropped by City Silo after a lunch meeting today for a to-go Chagalate Wellness Latte — a steamed drink with chaga mushroom powder, cacao, carob, coconut cream, maple, vanilla, pink salt, and almond milk. Yay for superfoods!