Stuff I Ate

Some random meals! A couple Wednesdays ago, I met my friends Mike and Andy for dinner at Imagine Vegan Cafe. I got the Spinach Florentine Ravioli with Garlic Bread. Such a classic. This meal always make me feel like a kid again.

I met Pam for lunch at Next Door in Crosstown Concourse one day last week, and I got the Hummus & Flatbread appetizer for my meal. Next Door's awesome creamy hummus is served with the softest, awesomest flatbread, crunchy veggies, and a cold, spicy chickpea dish. I love snacky plates as meals.

I also ordered a cup of Next Door's Thai Butternut Squash Soup because I wanted to try it. This soup is SO GOOD. I can't wait to eat this all the time as we're entering soup season.

We have a catered staff lunch at work once a month, and there's always a vegan option (thanks for making that happen, Stacy!). This past month, we had Vegan Potato Skins (with Daiya and mushrooms!) and Salad from Midtown Crossing Grill. LOVED these potato skins, and I'll definitely be ordering these in the restaurant soon.

As always, I'm eating plenty of FitQuick protein waffles after my runs. Here's a Chocolate Raspberry Protein Waffle with Maple PB and Strawberries.

And here's a weird breakfast that I make every once in awhile. The idea came from Sarah Kramer and Tonya Bernard's How It All Vegan (my first vegan cookbook!) — Brown Rice Tofu Toast. You cook brown rice, crumble plain tofu into it, and serve atop toast. Then you spray that toast with Bragg's, drizzle with flax oil, and top with ketchup. Weird, but delicious.

More random meals coming at ya tomorrow!

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Sabor Caribe

Several years ago, there was a Venezuelan restaurant on Madison Avenue in Memphis called Arepa & Salsa. I met a friend there for lunch one day and was introduced to the arepa — the Venezuelan corn patty. The fried or grilled patties are typically stuffed with meat, but Arepa & Salsa offered a black bean option. I ate there a number of times before it closed.

Though I was super-sad about its closing, I was happy to see a new Venezuelan restaurant open in its place. Sabor Caribe opened at 662 Madison not long after Arepa & Salsa closed. That was a couple years back, and I don't know how on earth it's taken me so long to try it, but I FINALLY ate at Sabor Caribe last week. They have a black bean option for their arepa sandwich! YAY! I ordered the Veggie Arepa (minus the mozzarella) with a side of Yucca Fries.

The vegan version of the Veggie Arepa is stuffed with black beans, tomato, and avocado. You can order the arepa patty grilled or fried. I went grilled since I knew I'd be having a side of fries. Balance, right? The patty is soft and warm on the inside and lightly crisp on the outside, and it's flavor is somewhere between a corn tortilla and cornbread.

The yucca fries were amazing as well. Though I don't get to eat it often, yucca is among my favorite foods. I think it's WAY better than a potato (especially when it's deep-fried) due to yucca's high starch content. If you're not familiar with yucca, it's the starchy root of the yucca plant. It's also called cassava, which is one of the main ingredients in Daiya vegan cheese.

Sabor Caribe also has fried plantains as a side. And I'd imagine you could order the traditional Venezuelan plate Pabellon vegan-style. It normally comes with black beans, rice, plantains, and shredded beef, but they're super-nice, and I'm sure they'd leave the beef off if asked.

Sabor Caribe is located at 662 Madison. Call 901-425-5889.

Enchanted Forest Goddess Box!

My September Goddess Provisions box arrived last week! The theme this month is "Enchanted Forest," so my subscription box was packed with items to help me connect to my wild roots. Every month, the Goddess Provisions boxes have a theme, and the crystals, oils, snacks, incenses, and other items tie into that theme.

Here's what was inside (Buddha not included!).

There's a Crescent Moon wall hanging, a wooden mandala keychain, cedar eucalyptus body polish, eucalyptus essential oil, incense cones, a moss agate crystal, a smudge bundle, and a smudge bundle pin.

My favorite item this month is probably the Brie McKay Good Vibes smudge bundle pin because how cute is this?! I really need to get a demin jacket for fall for all of my awesome pins and iron-on patches that I've been getting in these boxes. I was also glad to have the Blue Sage Smudge Bundle because one can't have too many smudge sticks. I burn these often around the house to clear negativity.

I always love the crystals, and this moss agate makes me very happy. It's the loveliest piece of moss agate I own (I have several stones), and I can't wait to work this into a crystal grid. Moss agate is a stone of new beginnings and abundance — great for the upcoming season change!

The Trillium Organics Cedar Eucalyptus Body Polish smells like a forest! I've been using this in the shower for the last couple days. It makes my skin feel so soft!

I'm glad to have more eucalyptus essential oil! This oil by Plantlife is 100% pure, and it's just what I need as we move into cold and flu season. I don't get sick often, but when I do, eucalyptus oil is crucial. It's also just great for helping me breathe when I wake up all stuffy every morning. I always wake up with a stuffy nose (it's probably all the cat hair I'm breathing in all day). 

I've been burning the Element Botanicals Incense Cones, and they have a nice, crisp, woodsy scent thanks to palo santo and pine resin. 

I have a thing for mandalas. I'm actually part of the Memphis Mandala Makers Club, which gets together occasionally to draw and color mandalas. So I love this Laser Trees keychain! It's made from cherry wood, which promotes stability and enhances focus.

The Wanderluxe crescent moon wall hanging is awesome! It's made from poplar tree wood, and it's supposed to bring balance and abundance to your home. I hung this in the kitchen since it's the room I spend most of my time in.

That's it! I was a little bummed this box didn't come with some kind of consumable item. Usually, there's a snack or a tea. But that's okay. I love everything in the box! 

Just FYI — this isn't a sponsored post. I subscribe and pay the $33 a month for Goddess Provisions boxes, but I am an ambassador for the company, so I always share this link in case anyone wants to subscribe. 

Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking

When I was a kid, my mom would let me help her cook, and when she wasn't looking, I'd dig through the spice drawer and dump all manner of herbs and seasoning salts and powders into whatever dish she had simmering on the stove. Garlic powder, all-purpose seasoning salts, Mrs. Dash, Accent, onion powder, chili powder, you name it. I've always been big on flavor — sometimes a little TOO big on flavor.

I'm sure the dishes I was helping with were quickly rendered inedible after I added my "secret ingredients." Thankfully, I eventually learned how to use all of those flavor boosters in moderation. But still yet, I could always use some tips on how to really step up my flavor game. After all, it's not just spices that add depth; it's also things like miso, mushrooms, chili pastes, and the like. Those elements are the star in Celine Steen's new cookbook, Bold Flavored Vegan Cooking.

This book is all about increasing flavor in dishes by using a handful of umami or spicy ingredients. The chapters are divided into Savory (using sundried tomatoes, miso, matcha, nutritional yeast, mushrooms, and more), Spicy (think fiery peppers and curry pastes), Sweet (using traditional dessert ingredients like citrus and pomegranate, as well as not-so-traditional things like sumac and yeast extract), and Staples (for the homemade sauces and spice blends you'll be using in other recipes in the book).

I made a recipe from each chapter! Starting with Savory, I opted for the Summer Pinto Burritos because I've been craving a homemade bean and rice burrito for a good six months or more. No idea why I haven't done anything about this until now.

These were not your average bean and rice burritos though! Pinto beans were sauteed with bell pepper and onion (plus, I added mushrooms even though the recipe didn't call for them), cumin, coriander, maca, and beer! I love the depth of flavor beer adds to a dish.

Paul and I love spicy food, so we added a chopped habanero pepper as well. That's spooned over brown rice and topped with avocado and a spicy citrus aioli made using the recipes for Spicy Citrus Sauce (a garlicky orange sauce) and Simplest Nut-Free Cream (sour cream made with coconut cream) from the Staples chapter. These burritos were omni-approved by Paul.

From the Spicy chapter, I went with the Five-Spice Teriyaki Bowl.

Tofu is stir-fried with broccoli, bell pepper, onion, carrots, and garlic and seasoned with thick teriyaki sauce. That sauce has a base of Mushroom Dashi (basically just dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in hot water for hours) and Easy as 2,2,2, Broth Mix (a nooch-based, powdered veggie broth) from the Staples chapter. The dish is finished with Chinese five-spice powder and served atop noodles. We used a thick rice vermicelli, and this was soooooo good. Again, omni-approved by Paul.

Finally, from the Sweets chapter, I made the Miso Sweet Cookies.

Y'all MISO IN A COOKIE! Who would have thought, right? The recipe has 1/4 cup of miso, so it sounds like they'd be super-salty, but they're not at all. There's just a hint of salt that really brings out the sweetness. These are super-chewy oatmeal cookies with nuts and seeds (your choice — I used almonds, walnuts, pepitas, and sunflower seeds). They remind me of an energy bar in cookie form. I brought some of these to work, and the co-workers devoured them (and no one could guess the secret ingredient was miso!).

This gorgeous book is filled with recipes I want to try — Very Tahini Teffballs and Dressing, Indonesian Inspired Rice Pancakes, Citrusy Pepper Chili, Tikka Masala Popcorn, Gochujang Kimchi Sausages, Miso Caramel, and Triple C Truffles (made with coffee, chipotle, and cinnamon) to name a few. It's a must-have for any flavor addict! If only baby Bianca had owned this back in the day!

Air-Fried BBQ Tofu Nachos

These nachos, they mine.

Sorry. I can't resist a nacho joke. But these BBQ Tofu Nachos CAN be yours. The recipe is at the bottom of this post.

I love my air fryer, and I tend to use it most often to roast potatoes or quickly cook french fries, tots, or Gardein plant meats. But my very favorite use for the air fryer is for creating perfect, chewy "fried" tofu. I'm a fan of tofu prepared all kinds of ways — baked, scrambled, even raw atop salads. But nothing beats cubes of chewy, sauce-coated fried tofu.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post though, I just don't deep-fry at home that often. So when I want Asian restaurant-quality fried tofu at home, I bust out the air fryer. After it's fried, add a sauce or stir-fry with veggies or add to soups. For these nachos, I tossed the tofu with BBQ sauce and served atop tortilla chips with vegan cheese, black beans, corn, vegan sour cream, cherry tomato, romaine, guacamole, jalapenos, and salsa.

Here's the super-simple recipe!

BBQ Tofu Nachos

Yields 4 servings

1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Non-stick cooking spray

2 Tbsp. BBQ sauce

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 clove garlic

1/2 Tbsp. chili powder

Salt to taste

6 oz. tortilla chips

1 cup vegan cheddar shreds (I used So Delicious Vegan Cheddar)

2 cups chopped romaine

14 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1/2 cup guacamole (homemade or storebought)

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup vegan sour cream

Pickeld jalapenos to taste

Cut the tofu into bite-size cubes and toss with soy sauce. Spritz with non-stick cooking spray. Place in air fryer basket, and cook on 390 for 5 minutes. Shake the basket and cook again for 5 minutes. And then shake it one more time and cook for 5 more minutes. Tofu should be browned and appear to have a chewy texture. Toss cubes with BBQ sauce.

While the tofu is cooking, combine the black beans with garlic, chili powder, and salt to taste. Heat for about 5-7 minutes or until heated through.

To assemble, divide chips onto four plates. Top with 1/2 cup black beans, 1/4 cup vegan shreds, 1/4 of the recipe of tofu, 1/2 cup romaine, 6 chopped cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup corn, 2 Tbsp. guac, 2 Tbsp. salsa, and 2 Tbsp. sour cream. Add jalapenos to taste.

My Mama's Vegan Chicken & Dumplins Recipe

This past Saturday, my mama cooked a big ole family supper. Just because. She invited my grandmas and my aunts Mary and Dorothy, and we had a proper Southern summer meal of fried veggies, fruit cobbler, and sweet tea.

She made fried squash, fried okra, mashed potatoes, fried corn, cucumber-tomato salad, and chicken & dumplins. She made vegan dumplins for me and a meat version for everyone else. Check out the bottom of this post for her vegan dumplins recipe!

Plus, there were brown beans and cornbread.

And, of course, cherry cobbler for dessert.

Nothing beats a Southern fried supper, especially when it's prepared by my mama. I haven't had fried squash or fried okra in at least a year. I just don't fry foods at home very often, and besides, my mama does it better anyway. I'd rather just let her feed me those things.

After dinner, we took a family photo with the grandmas and aunts.

I had the leftover dumplins for lunch yesterday. So perfect with a side salad.

Someone on Facebook asked my mama for her vegan dumplins recipe, and she posted it in a comment. So I'm sharing here with y'all! She makes perfect dumplins. They're not sticky or gooey like some dumplins tend to be. She uses Gardein for the chicken. The Gardein scallopini could work well here, but they're a little harder to find these days, so she went with the Gardein Mandarin Chicken but just didn't use the mandarin sauce that comes with it. She doesn't specify how much chicken to use, but I'd say just chop up as much as you think you want!

Mama's Vegan Chicken & Dumplins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. Earth Balance butter

3/4 cup soy milk

1 1/2 qts. vegetable broth (plus 2 Tbsp. Earth Balance added to the boiling broth) 

Vegan Chicken (I used Gardein mandarin orange chicken without the sauce)

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork. Stir in the soy milk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball. 

Bring the broth to a boil in a Dutch oven pan (or a big pot) on top of the stove. Roll out the dumplings on a floured board. Roll thin. Cut in to strips and then squares. 

Drop in the hot broth, stirring while you add them. Add vegan chicken. Cook them for about 15 minutes in boiling broth. Turn broth down to a slower simmer until done, about 20 to 30 more minutes.

Meet the New Baby Squirrels!

Hi!!!!!!!! I have some exciting news to share. For the FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW, the Universe has dropped baby squirrels into my life. Meet Kevin and Kathy.

Seriously, y'all. This is getting weird. If you've followed the blog (or my Instagram account) for a few years, you know that, somehow, every year around this time, I end up raising orphaned baby squirrels. The first two — Herman and Mabel — fell from their nests in my backyard. In both cases, my pit bull Maynard found them when we let him out to pee in the wee morning hours. The third one, Gertrude, was discovered in Overton Park by my neighbor, and he showed up on my doorstep one night and just handed me a baby squirrel wrapped in a towel. He said, "You're the only person I know who knows what to do."

This always happens in late August, and so when August passed, Paul and I were certain we'd escaped "baby squirrel season." And then Saturday night, after we returned from the gay bar with some friends, we let Maynard out to pee, and we heard that tell-tale baby squirrel screech. Paul walked around to where Maynard was sniffing, and he found FOUR BABIES just laying on the concrete in our backyard. They'd clearly fallen from our tree, but there was no sign of a mama squirrel. We had a big storm on Thursday as Hurricane Harvey moved through, and we're thinking maybe they fell then.

Sadly, two of the four babies were already dead. Paul buried them in our backyard. But two — a boy and a girl — were doing okay. They had bloody noses and were very dehydrated, but a wet washcloth and some Pedialyte fixed them right up. Now Kevin and Kathy are doing great!

I'm guessing they're a little over four weeks old at this point. As you can see, one of Kathy's eyes are just starting to open, which tends to happen at five weeks.

They're strong little boogers, and Kevin especially has a very firm grip. He loves to crawl around on arm!

So I guess Bianca and Paul's Home for Orphaned Baby Squirrels is back in business! We'll raise these two indoors until they're ready for release at 12 weeks. Just FYI — if anyone else needs a good resource for how to raise baby squirrels, here's the website we use. It's helped us successfully raise three babies, and hopefully it'll get us through raising two more.

I'll be sure and share more squirrel pics as they grow!