Fun Times with Miyoko's New Liquid Pizza Cheeze!

I found the new Miyoko's Creamy Liquid Vegan Pizza Mozzarella at Sprouts, and it was on sale for $4.99! So I had to try it! I'm one of those vegans who is quite content with the vegan cheeses we have on the market, and I love a good Daiya-covered pizza. But there's something very appealing about pizza cheese that just pours from a bottle. Maybe it's a nostalgia for liquid nacho cheese from gas stations and stadiums. Or maybe it's because Miyoko is a goddess, and everything she makes it gold. But whatever the case, I was very excited about this!

And it did not let me down! I made Mark Bittman's pizza dough recipe from The New York Times with instant yeast and let it rise for a couple of hours. Then I divided the dough into two balls, so I could make my own pizza and Paul could make his. He wanted dairy cheese, which was fine with me because that means I have enough liquid cheese for another pizza next weekend!

This cultured cashew cheese pours out thick (but not too thick), and you just swirl it on. Before you bake the pizza, it looks like you just poured soup on your pizza. But never fear: After 10 minutes or so in a 500-degree oven, the liquid cooks up into a solid, melty cheese. And it tastes more like dairy mozz than any vegan cheese I've ever tasted!

I ate about half the pizza on Sunday night, and I put up four slices for leftovers. In the fridge, the cheese firms up just like any melted mozzarella, and it re-melts when it's heated. This stuff is awesome, and it will be my new go-to pizza cheese. And of course, I'm sure you're wondering if I drank any straight from the bottle? The answer is yes, my friends. Of course I did! And it was delicious!

Vegan Sushi, Tempeh Chili, & More!

When my friend Greg was in town last week, we had a vegan sushi night! Back in the day, we had vegan sushi and fondue parties (together! in one party!) all the time. So I thought it'd be fun for us to make some sushi for old times' sake. Of course, I'm old now and prefer brown rice over white rice for health reasons. So I made some brown rice sushi, while Greg stuck to the traditional white rice sushi. I did end up eating both though! Served with a Wiseacre Irusu Rice Lager, which paired perfectly with sushi.

We also made some Veggie Tempura with fried tofu (double-fried!!!), foraged oyster mushrooms (that I found in Overton Park), bell pepper, and green beans. For the batter, we just used a mix that I found at the Viet Hoa Vietnamese market.

After my long run last Saturday, I was craving tacos. So I made some Black Bean & Rice Tacos with some leftover black beans and the leftover brown sushi rice!

Here's a mid-week Green Bean & Tofu Stir-fry with air-fried tofu. I tossed the tofu in Trader Joe's mushroom salt and dried lemongrass before air frying for 15 minutes. The sauce was just Bragg's, garlic powder, and onion powder thickened with some cornstarch.

And finally, here's the most awesome bowl of chili! I made Robert Cheeke's 3-Bean Tempeh Chili from The Plant-Based Athlete and used the toppings he recommended: lettuce, tomato, avocado, and black olives. Served with a slice of sourdough bread from Lucy J's Bakery. I love meals like this when the weather gets cooler!

Donuts, Tiny Burgers, & Cocktails!

My friend Lily's vegan donut business, Darling Donuts, has exploded! She's been doing once-a-month orders on her Instagram for special holiday boxes, and they're selling out so fast. For Halloween, the special boxes were sold out by Oct. 3! I tried to get one, but it was too late. So when Lily finally got caught up, she left a surprise box of random donuts on my doorstep. She is an amazing human! This box was actually my reward for getting to 900 points in my point tracking system (where I give myself a point for healthy actions like running, yoga, foam rolling, etc.). I started this in January, and I get a cool treat for every 100 points. 

These were amazing! I saved one apple fritter for the freezer, but the rest are long gone!

Here are some Gardein Beefless Sliders that I had for a quick dinner on Saturday night. My mom bought these while she was house-sitting a while back, and she left them in my freezer. Such a fun meal!

One day last week, I had a lunch meeting, so I grabbed a quick avocado toast from French Truck Coffee (no photo, sorry!). But I was still hungry afterward, so then I picked up a very non-photogenic cup of Chickpea-Lentil Soup from Juice Bar in Crosstown Concourse. It's nice to have so many dining options where I work!

And finally, speaking of where I work, our bar — Art Bar at Crosstown Arts — is open to the public again (after a long pandemic closure), and they're back to making beautiful cocktails. This one is called I'd Smoke That and it was very similar to a margarita (it has Dr. Stoner's tequila).

This one is called Stiff As a Board and has bourbon, reishi, and lotus bitters. Very lovely!

Lots of Takeout!

My friend Greg was in town last week, and we did lots of eating out! Way more than usual for me. One of our stops was at the new Plant-Based Heat, a totally vegan restaurant that's really knocking it out of the park with their delicious food! I tried the Agave Gold Vings (vegan wings) with fries. These wings were super crispy and coated with a tangy-sweet BBQ sauce. They offer Vings in so many different flavors. I can't wait to try more.

Greg is a big fan of Vietnamese food, and we have lots of that here in Memphis! When he arrived in town on Saturday, we went straight to Pho Binh and ordered Green Bean Tofu and Mushroom Tofu takeout. Unfortunately, Pho Binh is doing takeout only. I soooo miss their amazing tofu buffet. But the bonus to takeout is that they give you so much food that it lasts for days.

Paul loves Pho Binh's Tofu Pho, so he ordered some of that. But he never finishes an order, and I always end up with his leftovers, as seen here! Again, they give you enough for at least two meals!

We also stopped at Pho Saigon so Greg could order Bahn Xeo, which is what I would typically order as well. But I really wanted to try the Bahn Out (rice pancake) this time. These chewy white rice pancakes are topped with fried onions, fried tofu, fresh carrot and daikon, fresh basil, and cucumber. They serve this with fish sauce, but I asked to have that left off and then used soy sauce for seasoning.

And finally, here's a LuLu's Wake Up Wednesday breakfast of a Tofu Breakfast Sando with sauteed oyster mushrooms (that Don foraged locally!!) with a coffee from Boycott Coffee.

Brats, Pizza, & Baked Potatoes!

A couple weeks ago, when we were solidly in mid-October, I got into the fall spirit with an Oktoberfest-themed meal of Vegan Beer Brats and German Potato Salad, served with a Crosstoberfest beer from Crosstown Brewing. I used Simple Truth Kielbasa for the sausage, and I simmered them in Crosstoberfest beer. The potato salad was made with veggie bacon and cooked onions in the traditional German way (with a touch of added mayo, which is not traditional but delicious).

Paul and I love to go to the Wiseacre Brewing taproom downtown because Paul loves the pizza at their in-house eatery, Little Bettie. Typically, he orders pizza, and I just get beer. But they do have a vegan pie on the menu, so I finally tried The Slightly (that's the name of the pizza). It's a very simple thin crust pizza with tomato sauce, shaved garlic, olive oil, and chili oil. No cheese. I was a little skeptical of a cheese-less vegan pizza with very few veggies, but it was a good. More a flatbread with sauce on it. But good! I did add vegan cheese to my leftovers the next day. 

Here's a recent Baked Loaded Sweet Potato with chickpeas, kale, and tahini sauce. I love a simple and healthy meal like this!

I recently made the Don't Waste the Good Stuff Squash Soup from the No Meat Athlete Cookbook, which uses all bits of the squash (including seeds and stringy bits). It was really yummy, and you couldn't even tell the seeds were blended into the soup. I served this with some toasted sourdough from Lucy J's Bakery.

And finally, here's some Purple Hull Pea Soup made with fresh, local peas and tomatoes (the last red ones for the year!). I made this in the Instant Pot and served with some frozen cornbread that I'd put up after baking a batch a while back.

Goodbye Pancho's!

Pancho's, a chain of Memphis Mexican restaurants, is a local institution, and they're closing for good in about a week. My friend Andy and I had to make one last stop at the iconic West Memphis Pancho's (which is actually in West Memphis, Arkansas — just over the bridge). 

When I was a kid, growing up in Jonesboro, Arkansas, trips to Memphis for Pancho's were a big deal. My parents used to go on dates to Pancho's when they were young, and they continued the tradition with me after I was born. Pancho's is best-known for their cheese dip, which is served with free chips and salsa before every meal. Here's my chips and salsa (without the cheese dip) from last week's visit. They have excellent salsa!

I used to LOVE Pancho's cheese dip, and it was probably the hardest thing to give up when I went vegan in 2004. Seriously. If I could eat one dairy product again, it would be Pancho's cheese dip.

After I went vegan, I still met my parents at Pancho's for dinner a few times a year. They'd drive over from Jonesboro, and I'd make the 15-minute drive from my house in Memphis to Arkansas. My mom figured out how to make a vegan version of Pancho's famous dip, so she started sneaking in vegan cheese dip in her purse so I could enjoy "Pancho's dip" at the restaurant. 

I even discovered a vegan menu item around that time! Pancho's had a Spinach Mexican Pizza on the menu that can be ordered without cheese, so it's just a fried tostada with steamed spinach, olives, and scallions. I usually topped that with guac and Pancho's dressing (a mustard-y sweet dressing that is just about as awesome as the cheese dip! But it's vegan!). 

Last week, when Andy and I made our last Pancho's trip, I ordered one last Mexican pizza. They were out of guac that night because they've been slammed since the closure was announced. Everyone is sad about losing our beloved Pancho's. Luckily, they did have plenty of Pancho's dressing, so I drizzled that all over my pizza, and it was perfection.

Thankfully, they weren't out of margaritas! We had to have one last drink!

For those locals who still eat cheese, never fear. Pancho's is closing to focus on the dip business, and I've heard the dressing will still be sold in stores too. I'll have to make sure I stock up on the dressing to always have a little Pancho's in my house. 

Samhain Feast!

I had a fun Halloween/Samhain weekend! I started my celebration on Friday night with my annual Feast of the Dead, when I enjoy a meal surrounded my photos and mementos from friends, family, and pets who have passed. Pot roast is a traditional Samhain meal, so I made a Seitan Pot Roast using Julie Hasson's recipe from Vegan Diner. But I added sliced apples to the veggies mix (which also had red potatoes, celery, onion, and carrots) and some apple butter and cloves for a super fall flavor. On the side, I had some slow-simmered local turnip greens. 

On Saturday morning, I went for a nice run and attended a yoga class downtown and then came back home to carve my pumpkin. I'm never great at this, but I think this year's pumpkin was my best yet!

Later that night, my friend Greg arrived in Memphis! He lives in Kentucky, but he came down to spend a few days at my house for the holiday. We had plans to go to a drag show at the Hitone for Halloween (and later to a Halloween party at the Pumping Station). I dressed as Moira Rose from Schitt's Creek this year. There's an episode where she wears a trash bag dress, so I attempted to make one myself. It turned out okay, I think!

And Greg also went as Moira! He opted for Moira from The Crowening!

Paul was Deadpool (AGAIN! Ha! He wears this costume every year). Here we are the drag show!

On Halloween night (Sunday), Greg and I went to the HauntedWeb of Horrors haunted house, and it was fantastic. Best haunted house I've been to yet! It was super-long, and there were lots of spooky things to get the heart racing!