Product Review: Barvecue Pulled BVQ

This post is very topical this week since it's World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest week in Memphis. Of course, that event is very un-vegan-friendly. But I recently got to sample some Barvecue Pulled BVQ, and I wanted to tell y'all about it. A fellow vegan friend who owns the local Grind City Grocer sent me home with a free package to try. Grind City Grocer is a boutique grocer that mostly sells made-in-Memphis products, but they also carry a few vegan items that aren't local (but aren't sold anywhere else in Memphis).

The Pulled BVQ is soy protein-based, and the texture reminded me a lot of Soy Curls (which I adore!). The chewy protein strips are wood-smoked and then coated in a tangy barbecue sauce that tastes a lot like a classic Memphis 'cue sauce. Barbecue sauce varies by region, but ours is vinegar-y with a touch of sweetness. 

To serve, I whipped up some coleslaw with savoy cabbage and vegan mayo (that's it!) and served on a whole wheat bun. The package said it had six servings, but I made it into three. I like big portions. I made a couple of sandwiches, and I had the last of of the BVQ on a salad with vegan ranch. 

Happy Birthday & Mother's Day to My Mama!

My mom's birthday was May 4, and Mother's Day was Sunday, so I drove to my parents' house on Friday for a belated birthday and early Mother's Day celebration. When I arrived, my dad was putting the finishing touches on his famous Baked Nachos! He made me a tray with Beyond meat and vegan cheddar, and then I added every possible topping.

Of course. we had margaritas too!

So good! After dinner, my mom got to open her combined birthday and Mother's Day gifts. I got her a new stock pot and a bunch of Memphis-made snacks and beer, and Paul got her a bottle of nice tequila.

Once our dinner settled, my mom brought out a Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake that she made with Miyoko's cream cheese and vegan condensed milk. It was monkfruit-sweetened, which is awesome since I'm limiting sugar these days.

The next morning, I got up super-early for a 12-mile training run. Their neighborhood is so hilly, so runs there are always tough. But fun! After my run, my mom whipped up some awesome vegan breakfast with Biscuits and Gravy, Just Egg, Beyond Sausage, and Hash Browns. Hit the spot!

My parents moved to a lake house last fall, but it got cold shortly after they moved, so they haven't had a chance to explore the lake yet. But my dad just got a canoe, and my mom and I took it for a spin. I love being on boats more than just about anything.

I love my mama! She is the best!

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Flip Side

Memphis has a new pinball pub — Flip Side — and they have vegan options! But you wouldn't know it by looking at the menu. A couple friends and I made plans to meet there for happy hour one day a couple weeks ago, and I looked over their menu, which is sort of Mexican-inspired, but didn't see anything obviously vegan. They did have a number of dishes with fried avocado, but sometimes avo fries are coated with an egg batter. 

So I reached out to Flip Side on Instagram, and their social media person got back with me right away. They said they'd check with the chef, and a bit later, they responded with some vegan options. Turns out the avo fries are made without eggs, and so many dishes that have those can be made vegan so long as you request no cheese and no Flipsauce (their spicy aioli). 

So I went with the Rice Bowl with Avocado Fries (for the bowls, you get your choice of meat or avocado fries). This had cilantro lime rice, black beans, fajita veggies, pico, and corn salsa, plus those awesome avo fries.

It was so good! But I did wish the portion was much bigger. The bowl size was very small. A friend of mind has since gone there and ordered the same ingredients on a burrito with a side of chips and salsa and that was a more filling meal. So next time, I'll try that! You can also get the avo fries on tacos or served over rice as an appetizer. The Calbacitas (with zucchini, squash, peppers, beans, rice, and salad) would also be vegan without the cheese. 

We didn't play pinball on this trip since it was early in the evening, but I can't wait to come back later at night and play a few games. 

Product Review: Mmmly Cookies

Last January, after reading by Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, I decided to cut way back on sugar. According to the Sherzais, sugar is a major contributor to Alzheimer's disease, and since dementia runs in my family, I figured there was no time like the present to start watching my sugar consumption. I haven't quit sugar completely (I like vegan donuts too much!), but I try not to take in more than 25 grams a day. And most days, I try to avoid it completely. I've mostly switched to monkfruit as a replacement.

But sometimes, I get a sweets craving and don't feel like blowing my sugar budget. Enter Mmmly Cookies! They sent me a few packs to review as a suggested Mother's Day post (because mom needs healthy cookies!). These cookies are plant-based, grain-free, keto and paleo-friendly, and sweetened with apples. So basically, everyone can eat them!

I first opened the Blueberry Shortbread, and I was immediately impressed by the chewy texture. I love a crunchy cookie sometimes, but I also can't resist a chewy one. The texture was somewhere between a cookie and a protein bar, but they didn't taste so healthy that you'd feel like you were eating a protein bar.

My favorite flavor was the Dark Chocolate Chip though. The chocolate chips in the Mmmly Cookies are sweetened with stevia, so they're healthier too! These were perfect as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea, but they're truly healthy enough to eat for breakfast or before bed if you get a craving.

Korean Mushroom Bowl & a Taco Bell Crunch Wrap!

I had a few coupons for Wicked Foods items, which are kinda pricy, so I figured I should use them before they expired. I got the Korean Style M'shroom Shreds, which are pre-seasoned mushroom shreds that you can use however you want. The package suggested serving with sauteed cabbage and peas over rice, so that's what I did! I sauteed some savoy cabbage with the mushrooms, which had a nice sweet and savory flavor, and then I added peas at the end. I used white rice for this because it just sounded better than brown in this dish. So good! The only thing I didn't like about the Wicked Foods meal kit was that it only made one serving, so I didn't have leftovers. 

My mom picked me up some Upton's Naturals Hot Dogs recently. I love Upton's but hadn't seen their hot dogs for sale anywhere yet. These were really good! I topped mine with mustard and pepperish relish and served with some potato salad on the side.

I follow vegan bodybuilder Nick Squires on Twitter, and the other day, he posted his dinner, which was a stack of Taco Bell Black Bean Crunch Wraps. He famously eats a LOT since he's a bodybuilder, and I love seeing his giant meals. The post got me to craving Crunch Wraps, so one day after a long run, I headed to my neighborhood Taco Bell for a Black Bean Crunch Wrap with no cheese and no sour cream, add guacamole and potatoes. So good. I love how vegan-friendly Taco Bell is! By the way, there's no good way to take a photo of a Crunch Wrap. 

Beltane Eats!

Sunday (May 1) was Beltane, but since I was at Beale Street Music Fest all day, I didn't have much time to celebrate. So I pushed my celebration to May 2 (Monday). I started my day with a bowl of Tropical Chia Pudding from the Llewelyn's Sabbats Almanac. This book has recipes for all the Sabbats, and for Beltane, they suggest this chia pudding that's made with coconut milk, chia seeds, cardamom, and vanilla and topped with crushed pineapple, coconut flakes, and banana. It's very spring/summer-y, perfect for Beltane!

For lunch, I grabbed some Raw Zucchini Pasta with pesto from Raw Girls on my way into the office. After a weekend with lots of junk food and beer, this fresh, healthy meal was exactly what I needed. I also got some of their Raw Crackers to eat on the side.

Dinner was a Beltane snack plate with sliced Beyond Sausage, vegan Babybel cheese, oat cakes (a traditional Beltane food), veggies and hummus, and fresh strawberries (another Beltane food). I love snacky dinners like this, especially when accompanied by a glass of red wine. After dinner, I left a few strawberries and some biscotti out for the faeries!

Vegan Food and Fun at Beale Street Music Fest!

After a two-year pandemic break, Memphis in May's Beale Street Music Festival was back this year! We used to go to Music Fest every year, but I skipped the last couple before COVID because the line-up wasn't really impressive to me. But this year, most of the bands were from the 90s, and that's my era. My friend Misti, who lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, made the drive to Memphis, and we saw Memphis rappers Al Kapone and Three 6 Mafia on Friday. Three 6 was definitely one of the highlights for both of us! There are few things I love more than Memphis crunk.

I didn't eat at the fest on Friday since we got there after I'd eaten dinner. But on Saturday, I found some food shortly after we arrived. In years past, the vegan options were few and far between, but this year, they had a few totally vegan vendors. One was Rich Health, where I ordered this Mushroom Madness — waffle fries topped with fried mushrooms, coleslaw, and BBQ sauce. So good!

On Saturday, we saw Toad the Wet Sprocket, Memphis rapper Project Pat and 90s rockers Soul Asylum!

We listened to the Stone Temple Pilots while waiting in a very long beer line (but I didn't mind that we couldn't see them from there; they're not the same without Scott Weiland). Later, we saw part of Death Cab's set before a storm came through and forced an evacuation of the park. The Smashing Pumpkins and Megan the Stallion were scheduled to play at the end, and their sets got pushed back to 1 a.m. By then, we'd already given up and gone home. Oh well.

On Sunday, we got there in time to see the Indigo Girls, and then we headed to the blues tent for a while. Paul was hungry, and there was a burger stand next to the tent. I'd planned to seek out another totally vegan vendor for dinner that night, but I was also hungry and Bubba's Burgers had a Vegan Black Bean and Quinoa Burger, so I went with that because it was easiest. And you know what? It was pretty good. They had a burger fixings bar, and it was fun to add my own toppings. Plus, I like to support non-vegan vendors who have vegan options.

Later, we passed the Rich Health booth again. I wasn't hungry, but I wanted to support them. So I bought their Vegan Peach Cobbler.

We met up with my friend Shara later to see Modest Mouse, and then we headed over to see The Counting Crows. Y'all. This show was so magical. I was most excited about seeing them because I'd never seen them live, and Adam Duritz and the band put on such a good show. I missed most of Weezer to see the Counting Crows, and that was kind of a bummer (who decided to schedule those two at the same time?), but I've seen Weezer several times.

We had a great weekend! I'm running on fumes today after a weekend with lots of fun and not enough sleep, but it was worth it.