Camping in Nashville: Part 1!

As I mentioned at the end of my last post last week, our plans to attend Bonnaroo were crushed when Hurricane Ida decimated the Roo campsite, forcing festival organizers to cancel two days before the fest was supposed to begin. The campsite holds 80,000-ish people, and it's located on a giant open farm that turned into a mud pit as Ida moved through. The vendors and workers who were already on-site were getting their cars stuck in the mud, and it was just getting worse, so they made the tough decision to cancel lest 80,000 cars get stuck in the mud! We were bummed, but if this pandemic has taught us anything, it's how to go with the flow and understand that some things are just out of our control.

Paul and I pivoted Tuesday night, after the cancellation announcement and came up with a new plan to camp at Fall Creek Falls State Park. We got online and booked what we thought was the last campsite available on Labor Day Weekend. And then Wednesday morning, we were off! Headed to Paul's parents' house, where our RV was stored in the driveway. Look at us so happy with our new plan!

When we arrived, Paul's brother Donnie lit up the grill and cooked us some Impossible Burgers with corn and French fries. So cool of him to make sure we had vegan options (Paul isn't vegan, but he's been eating vegetarian most of the time lately).

Then we tucked in for bed since we had what we thought was another two hour drive to Fall Creek Falls in the morning. The next day, I got up super early and got in a 5-mile run in Paul's parents' hilly neighborhood in Hendersonville (a suburb of Nashville).

Then I had some instant oats and instant coffee (his parents only drink decaf so I always bring my own).

We loaded up the camper and took off for Fall Creek Falls. But first, we stopped at Kroger for a few last-minute things. Paul stayed in the car while I ran inside, and while I was shopping, he called our campsite to confirm. When I got back to the car, he had some bad news. We accidentally booked our campsite for NEXT weekend! And they were totally booked. 

We had to quickly re-group, so I started looking at KOA sites in Middle and East Tennessee. After checking sites around Chattanooga and even Asheville, NC, I was striking out. They were all full! But I finally found a few spots in the North Nashville KOA (about 15 minutes from the Kroger lot we were sitting in). So we headed there! Not the vacation we were expecting, but we made the best of it! I'll share more in posts tomorrow and Thursday!

Tacos & Bean Bowls!

Last week, we made one of my favorite go-to quick weeknight dinners — BBQ Tempeh Tacos! You just saute tempeh, coat with BBQ sauce, and spoon into tortillas with chopped pineapple and red cabbage. Plus, I added some microgreens and sprouts for good measure. 

I'm still working my way through all the recipes in The Plant-Based Athlete book, so I recently made the Engine 2 Black Beans & Rice, a contribution from Rip Esselstyn. This has brown rice, seasoned black beans, corn, bell pepper, water chesnuts (a strange but yummy addition!), and salsa. Plus, I added microgreens and sprouts. I'm growing broccoli sprouts now, and I'm trying to eat them daily! And the microgreens were in my CSA.

I also got purple hull peas in my CSA, so I made Bryant Terry's Stewed Tomatoes & Blackeyed Peas with Cornbread Croutons from Afro Vegan. This was SO GOOD. The cornbread croutons are made with chopped, baked cornbread. I made mine in the air fryer. Definitely stepped up this already-awesome bowl of legumes.

I was supposed to be going to Bonnaroo this weekend, but it's been canceled due to Hurricane Ida. BUMMER! So we're probably going somewhere else instead! I won't be blogging for the rest of the week, so I'll be back with photos of something (who knows?!) next week!

Avocado Kraut Toast, Spaghetti, & Overnight Oats!

This morning, I had to get up early and finish writing a freelance story before work, so I made some Avocado Toast to enjoy as I wrote. I recently made my own kraut, letting it ferment for two weeks, and I added some of that to my toast. Next level!

Last Saturday, I ran my last long run before my September 19 50K. It was 22 miles, which I haven't done in a long time, so I made sure to carb-load the night before with my favorite pre-long run Spaghetti with Mushrooms & Sourdough Garlic Bread! I felt pretty strong through those 22 miles, despite the 104 degree heat index, so I think the carbs helped.

On Friday, I brought this little Brekki Vanilla Cinnamon Overnight Oats cup to work to enjoy as my second breakfast (first breakfast was a smoothie enjoyed at home). I wouldn't normally pay for something like this when I can make my own overnight oats from scratch much cheaper, but this was on sale at Sprouts for 99 cents. And it was really good! I loved the chewy oats.

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Lucchesi's Beer Garden

I've been needing a new falafel joint for a while now, and I've finally found a place with excellent falafel and several delicious vegan options. Plus beer! Lots and lots of beer! Lucchesi's Beer Garden offers 540 crafts beers (WHAT?!) and some of the best falafel I've had!

Paul and I stopped in there on Sunday, and I ordered the Lettuce Turnip the Beet pita sandwich. This has crispy falafel, creamy hummus, lettuce, and a mixture of pickled turnips, beets, and cauliflower. I loved the tangy pickles paired with the falafel. And the pita bread was SO SOFT. Few things make me happier than soft, fluffy pita.

They offer sides of tabbouli, baba ganoush, hummus, or chips. I went with tabbouli, and it did not disappoint. Lots of parsley and a nice lemony tang. They served extra pita for scooping up the tabbouli.

Paul and I split an order of Devil'd Mash, a spicy avocado dip that I could not stop eating. I'm now convinced that avocado and pita bread beats guac and chips. 

I washed it all down with a locally brewed Beale Street Brewing Co. Rookie of the Year Hazy IPA, brewed right here in Memphis by my friend Kelvin.

If you're looking for one of the the biggest beer selections in Memphis and some awesome vegan options, this laidback neighborhood bar is the place to be!

Pizza, Mashed Potatoes, & Monkey Bread!

A couple weeks ago, a coworker gave me a bag of pizza dough mix that she'd made using Mark Bittman's pizza dough recipe from the New York Times. It had the yeast and salt already mixed in, so all I needed to do was add olive oil and water. Last Friday, I mixed it up on my lunch break and let it rise during the afternoon. And then, when I got home, Paul and I each made our own pizzas. I used vegan mozzerella for mine, and Paul used dairy cheese. But we both used vegan salami by Renegade Foods, bell pepper, spinach, basil, and spicy mushrooms that Paul sauteed. Oh, and mine had black olives. 

Paul had never made his own pizza, and he had so much fun. And he said his pizza was better than any pizza he'd ever gotten in a restaurant!

We had some leftover mashed potatoes last week that I repurposed for lunch. I topped these with steamed frozen veggies (peas, green beans, broccoli) and lots of gravy!

Curb Market at Crosstown Concourse now carries Vevan products, and they sent me home with some Vevan Antipasti to try. It has little bits of vegan mozz marinated in olive oil with kalamata olives, banana peppers, and these cute little red peppers. I've been eating it with fresh sourdough baguette from Lulu's.

Also from LuLu's: I picked up this cute Monkey Bread Muffin this weekend from the Cooper Young Farmers Market. They made these with the leftover sourdough biscuit scraps and a brown sugar glaze. Sooooo good.

Stir-frys, Gumbo, & Chick'n Nuggets!

I've been on a bit of a stir-fry kick lately because they're easy and Paul will eat them. Here's a Thai-inspired Panang Curry Tofu stir-fry I made with panang paste, broccoli, and bell peppers. I used coconut milk in the sauce, and this was very tasty.

Here's a super-quick weeknight stir-fry with tofu, a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, some CSA okra that was about to go bad, and basic sauce made from soy sauce, veggie broth, and cornstarch. On the side, we had some air-fried pre-made spring rolls that I found in the freezer case at Sprouts. We were hoping they'd be as good as the Trader Joe's veggie spring rolls, but they weren't. They were good though. But those TJ's ones are fire!

One night last week, Paul and I went out for dinner at Mulan Asian Bistro. We decided to split the Drunken Noodles with tofu. But he didn't care for the sauce, so he only ate a few bites. And I took home the leftovers for lunch the next day. It was definitely saucier than the drunken noodle dishes I've had elsewhere, but I still thought it was super-tasty.

I made Vegan Sausage Gumbo last week using some okra from my CSA. I used my tempeh gumbo from Cookin' Crunk, but I subbed Simple Truth kielbasa for the tempeh. Really tasty! And it made enough for us to eat for lunches for a couple days.

Here's a recent toddler-inspired meal! I made some Morningstar Farms Vegan Chicken Nuggets in the air fryer, plus some Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Broccoli. Oh, and the gravy was Road's End Organics. I love those gravy packets!

Minestrone! Omelets! Vegan Wings!

I'm still slowly working my way through every No Meat Athlete recipe in existence! I'm trying to make every recipe in the two No Meat Athlete books (the cookbook and the fitness book) and in The Plant-Based Athlete (the newest book from Matt Frazier and Robert Cheeke). Last week, I made the Minestrone from The Plant-Based Athlete, and it was a winner! Paul loved it too! I enjoyed mine with a vegan grilled cheese.

After my recent visit with my parents in Jonesboro, my mom sent me home with half a bottle of Just Egg that was leftover from our breakfast. I used it to make a veggie-stuffed Vegan Omelet with fresh berries on the side. 

I've been making lots of stir-fry lately because Paul is easing into eating vegan meals with me (YAY!), and he always likes a good stir-fry. Plus, it's super-easy! For this one, I used Gardein Teriyaki Chicken and some local squash. I also had some local eggplant in my CSA, and I used it to make the Eggplant Dengaku from Appetite for Destruction. It's a traditional Japanese dish with a miso glaze. Paul doesn't like eggplant, so I made this as a side for just me!

Last Tuesday, my friend Misti was visiting from Fayetteville, Arkansas, so we met up for a five-mile run through Overton Park after work. And then Paul joined us for post-run food at Slider Inn. I got the Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower and Tofu Wings (my fave!). The food pic below is terrible since it was dark out! Sorry! It tasted great though.