More Power To Ya!

Long, long ago, before I started blogging (god, has it really been almost 3 years?!) and before my cookbook had it's Southern theme, I invented a little sammich I like to call Power Protein Pockets:

At the time, I knew I wanted to write a cookbook, and though I'm primarily a soul/Southern cook, I hadn't yet realized that I should go with that theme. This sandwich is admittedly more California than Tennessee, but it's so, so tasty that I feel like I must include it in my book.

The premise is simple — baked tofu (marinated in a special mix of tasties, recipe is in the book), avocado, homemade mung bean sprouts, and a little sauce I like to call Dreamy Tahini Sauce. All served inside a whole wheat pita pocket.

The combination of flavors in both the baked tofu and the tahini sauce make this sandwich special. I can't tell you what's in the marinade or sauce before my book comes out because then I'd have to kill you. And that's not very vegan.

Atwitter for Fritters

"Atwitter" is a weird word. I had to Google it to make sure I was spelling it right even though the spelling is phonetically spot on. It just looks weird. Anyway, I'll all atwitter for fritters right now. I've been testing and tweaking my recipe for Black-Eyed Pea Corn Cakes with Roasted Pepper Sauce:

It's for the cookbook. Sorry! But I've set a deadline for myself, and there appears to be an end in sight. I'm now officially in the "testing phase" with most of my focus on my existing recipes. I do still have a few new ideas to develop, most of them desserts. But for the most part, you guys might be seeing more and more repeats on the blog.

But don't worry. Some of the recipes I'll be testing soon were developed before I began blogging, and others were developed in the blog's early days. I actually made the black-eyed pea fritters back in 2008! Here's the original post. The latest version has more peas, more corn, and a boost of roasted red pepper.

Fluffer Nutter Oats in a Jar!

What to do with this sad, almost empty jar of Mighty Maple peanut butter?

Put steel cut oats in it! And stir in a little extra PB and loads of Ricemallow Cream for the bestest Fluffer Nutter oats in a jar!

The whole oats-in-a-jar concept has been floating around the vegan blogosphere for ages, but I think I first caught on after seeing this post on Nora's Pride & Vegudice blog. A quick Google search pulls up a butt-load of posts from a host of awesome bloggers on enjoying oats in a nearly-empty nut butter jar.

In case you've missed all those, it goes like this — When you reach the last smidgeon of peanut butter in your jar (say a couple of tablespoons), leave 'em. And don't toss the jar. Cook you up some oats (I like steel cut the best, but I'll eat whatever's around). Pour the hot oats in your jar, and top with another dab of peanut butter (from a new jar) if you want. Then stir in any extras, like jam, bananas, maple syrup, or my fave Ricemallow Cream.

The magic happens when your spoon scrapes those last little bits of melty peanut butter from the sides of the jar as you scoop up bites of hot oats. I wish I had an almost-empty peanut butter jar everyday....sigh. I should start eating way more peanut butter.

Raw Day Is Baaa-aaack!

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you might remember Raw Food Tuesdays, my once-a-month all-raw, all-day cleanse. I ate raw on the first Tuesday of each month for over a year, but my 26-day mostly-raw detox in January led to major whole foods burnout. After depriving myself of coffee, sugar, and processed food (oh, how I missed you vegan cheese and faux meat!) for so long, I wanted nothing to do with raw food for awhile.

But after four months of skipping out on raw foods (except for daily salads and the occasional raw foods potluck), I'm ready to dive back into my monthly cleanse ... with one major exception. From now on, I will continue to enjoy coffee (black with raw agave) on raw days. I don't care if caffeine is a toxin. I will not go a day without coffee again. Never again.

So for breakfast, I enjoyed my precious black coffee with this tasty bowl of Buckwheat Crispies with Raw Almond Milk and Fresh Strawberries:

The raw buckwheat groats were soaked and dehydrated for about eight hours according to the recipe in Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. The milk recipe came from Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet. I drizzled the bowl with a little raw agave for sweetness.

Mid-morning, I stopped my tummy from rumbling with this assortment of fresh veggies. I snacked on these (and a juicy navel orange) at my desk throughout the day. I got the cute Easy Lunch Boxes brand divided storage container from a giveaway on Cooking for a Vegan Lover:

Strawberries made a repeat performance in my lunch with this Elegant Greens and Strawberry Salad with Orange-Poppy Seed Dressing from Becoming Raw:

Just a simple salad of sweet spring berries, sliced almonds, and romaine mix. But the dressing — olive oil, orange juice, poppy seeds, and dill — really impressed. I'll certainly be making this dressing again for any salad.

Dinner was this lovely plate of Raw Pasta Puttanesca from 30 Minute Vegan:

Isn't that just the prettiest plate of raw pasta you've ever seen? I've tried loads of raw pasta recipes, but this simple tomato/basil/kalamata olive/caper topping is among the tastiest. Technically, this dish isn't totally raw because I used regular (not sun-dried olives) but whatever. It's close enough for me. The raw pasta is made from julienned yellow zucchini.

I had to rush out to my friend Shara's house for O.C. Night (just it like sounds, a bunch of girls watch old episodes of The O.C.) after dinner. I brought along this tub of Live Chocolate Mousse from 30 Minute Vegan for mid-show snacking:

How is that creamy concoction raw, you ask? It's made from avocado (don't worry, you can't taste it), raw cacao powder, raw agave, and raw almond butter — all whipped up in the food processor. Decadent, delicious, and loaded with healthy fat.

Right now, I'm enjoying a late-night cup of plain miso, and then I'm off to bed. Though I enjoyed my raw eats today, I can't say that I'm not excited about my hot peanut butter oatmeal in the morning.

Tofu Is the New Steak

Beef steak is gross. Bloody, nasty, rotting meat. How can anyone cut into a still-pink steak and not make the connection that some precious creature had to die for some selfish human's 15 minutes (or less) of pleasure? I don't understand that.

What I do understand is the sheer awesomeness of tofu. I like my 'fu all kinds of ways — marinated and baked, frozen and thawed, deep-fried, sauteed, and even cold and plain. But my new favorite tofu comes in the form of Helen's Kitchen TofuSteak.

I recently received some coupons for a couple of Helen's Kitchen products, which I'd seen next to the veggie burgers at Whole Foods but passed up buying because I'm cheap. Now that I've had a chance to try the stuff for free, I won't be such a tightwad. I don't know who Helen is, but that lady makes some serious magic in her kitchen.

The square GardenSteak flavor TofuSteaks come four to a box and only consist of a few ingredients, but it must be the mysterious "garden mix" (listed only as yeast extract, natural flavor, and salt) that gives these little guys the best flavor I've ever tasted on a bun. Notes of celery, garlic, onion, and carrots are evident, but there's something else I can't even explain. Since the tofu is frozen, it has that great "meaty" texture. I tried my first TofuSteak on a Rudi's Organics Whole Wheat Bun with Daiya Cheddar Shreds:

Better than a veggie burger, swear to god. The back of the GardenSteak box also suggests using the patties in roasted red pepper & avocado sandwiches, spicy enchiladas, and basil pesto farfelle. I've yet to try those applications, but I'm certain they wouldn't disappoint.

Since the company sent me two coupons for products of my choice, I used the other one to try a Helen's Kitchen frozen TV dinner. The only vegan flavor available at the Memphis Whole Foods is the Thai Yellow Curry, though other vegan entrees are sold elsewhere.

Chopped TofuSteaks, broccoli, and red bell pepper are covered in a creamy coconut curry sauce and served alongside white basmati rice:

The chopped "steak" was so delicious paired with the curry sauce, but like most TV dinners, the serving size was a little too small to satisfy my inner fat ass. I solved the food shortage issue by pairing the frozen meal with a side salad with a homemade sesame-chili vinaigrette.

Conclusion? Nobody has any reason to kill a cute little cow when they can have a Helen's Kitchen TofuSteak instead.

Almost Philly Cheeze Steak

Honestly, I've never had a real Philly cheese steak sandwich. So this Almost Philly Cheese Steak (that's the name of the recipe) from American Vegan Kitchen was more than almost a cheese steak to me:

Tami's tender Savory Seitan steaks are sliced and fried up with bell pepper and mushroom. That's topped with Daiya cheddar shreds, tomato, cucumber, homemade pickles, lettuce, and Vegenaise.

The seitan was leftover from making Tami's Seitan Goulash with Kraut last month. I had half a batch of her yummy baked seitan filets left, so I froze them for another recipe. The seitan is a little labor-intensive, but having a batch in the freezer made these cheese steaks a breeze.

On another note, Chocolate-Covered Katie is having an Artisana Coconut Butter giveaway (and she's including Cacao Bliss and coconut oil!). Go there and find out how to win!

Cruciferous Veggie Love

On Sunday night, dinner featured a cruciferous veggie entree served with a cruciferous veggie side. I didn't really mean to get all crazy with the Brassicacae family of vegetables. It just kinda happened.

My boyfriend rarely eats the vegan food I make because, as I mentioned before, he has horrible taste. However, when I made the Stuffed Cabbage from More Fabulous Beans on New Year's Day this year, he insisted that I make the recipe again and again. I'm just now getting around to that.

These cabbage rolls (from Barb Bloomfield's awesome vegan bean book) are stuffed with a seasoned mix of black-eyed peas and brown rice. They're topped with an Italian-spiced marinara and baked in the oven.

On the side, I served up some fresh steamed broccoli from the Memphis Farmers Market:

That sexy-lookin' cheese sauce is melted Creamy Cheddar Teese (yes, Teese still has a place in this Daiya world we live in!).

Since crucifers tend to be high in vitamin C, soluble fiber, and nutrients with cancer-fighting properties, I felt pretty healthy after downing this meal.

On another note: Commenter Hannah noticed my mistake in yesterday's Starbucks post. I said I had an Extra Coffee Light Frappucino, and then I said light frapps were not vegan. Silly me! I didn't actually have a light frapp. I had the Extra Coffee Caramel Frappucino with soy milk, no whip, and no caramel drizzle. Sorry for any confusion. Good eye, Hannah!