Wellness Weekend Eats

This past Saturday, my BFF Sheridan and her co-workers at Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts in Little Rock, Arkansas organized a weekend yoga and wellness retreat. There were numerous yoga workshops but also lessons in tai chi, qigong, crystal healing, essential oils, hypnosis, and other new age-y stuff. And Sheridan asked me to come down and do a vegan cooking demo!

I drove to Little Rock — about 2 1/2 hours from Memphis — on Friday just in time for the Wellness Weekend meet-and-greet. Here's Sheridan and me! We sipped on red wine and munched on flatbread crackers with hummus:

But hummus and crackers can only take you so far. By the time the meet-and-greet was over, we were ready for a big meal. Sheridan, her partner Drew, and I went to Seigon for some Vietnamese and Thai food. I can't remember the name of this dish because it was written in Vietnamese, but it was made with sauteed tofu, curry, coconut milk, and lemongrass. So good!

Wellness Weekend workshops started bright and early at 9 a.m. on Saturday, and since Sheridan was working the event, she had to be there at 7 a.m. I slept in at Sher's house, and Drew made me the most delicious Breakfast Sandwich — Simple Truth Organic Meatless Breakfast Patty, Daiya cheese, Vegenaise, and a tofu egg on an English muffin.

Dude, these breakfast patties were the shiz. They're made by Simple Truth Organic, the generic Kroger organic brand. I'd never had them and haven't even seen them in Memphis Kroger stores, but I'm going to have to seek them out. This beats the pants off of Lightlife sausage! It seriously tastes JUST LIKE meat sausage. It was so good that I forgot to snap this picture until the sandwich was almost gone.

After breakfast, I drove to the park for Wellness Weekend and attended a tai chi workshop followed by a lesson in crystal healing and a qigong session before lunch. Lunch was prepared by Little Rock chef Travis Meyer. His selections were pretty meaty though, except for this Cuban Black Bean & Rice Puree Sandwich with Sun Chips:

The warm, spicy black bean and rice puree almost melted into the soft, white bread. It was delicious. But it was very small, like slider size. I could have eaten at least four of these! But it's probably best that I didn't eat four, because I needed to save some room in my belly (more on that in a few).

After lunch, I held my cooking demo. I made the Vegan Pimiento Cheese and the Eggless Tofu Olive Salad from Cookin' Crunk:

After the demo, I sold a few books. Then I snuck away from the event for a very special treat. You see, inside the Green Corner Store (an eco-friendly gift shop in Little Rock), there's an ice cream and soda fountain called Loblolly (named for the Loblolly pines that grow all over Arkansas). Loblolly always has a couple of vegan flavors and several vegan toppings. Plus, they have homemade kombucha on draft!

So I snuck out of Wellness Weekend and made the 20-minute drive to the Green Corner Store. That's where I enjoyed this delicious (and adorable vintage) bowl of Chocolate Sorbet with Waffle Cone Pieces and Toasted Almonds:

I followed that with a glass of iced kombucha flavored with Loblolly's homemade Earl Gray simple syrup! So good!

I arrived back at Wellness Weekend just in time to meet Sheridan and Drew as they were cleaning up. Afterward, we went to the Town Pump for veggie burgers and fries (which I forgot to photograph) before I hit the highway back to Memphis.

Fun weekend!

Happy Herbivore Goes Global

I've long been a fan of Lindsay Nixon's Happy Herbivore empire. We go way back. When I first started Vegan Crunk in 2007, Lindsay was also getting her blog off the ground. We often traded comments, and when I learned that she was publishing her first cookbook, I reached out to her for advice on publishing my own. It's so cool to see what an amazing brand she's built now with three cookbooks, a very active website, and a devoted legion of "herbies" who follow her plant-based, low-fat lifestyle.

Of course, I jumped at the chance to review Lindsay's new cookbook, Happy Herbivore Abroad. Like her last two books, this one is filled with simple, low-fat vegan comfort fare. But this time, the girl's gone global.

You see, Lindsay has done a TON of traveling, so she's using this book to share dishes that she's sampled along the way, and she's also included little short stories and photos from her trips to Paris, Brussels, Croatia, Spain, the list goes on. It's like you're traveling right along with her. For someone like me who has only crossed the border into Mexico once, it's fun to live vicariously through the travels of others.

As for the recipes, most are very easy dishes that can be thrown together on a week night after a busy day at work. Take, for example, this Pasta e fagioli:

It's just pasta, white beans, and marinara sauce from a jar. Sure, once doesn't necessarily need a recipe for that, but you know what? I've never even heard of Pasta e fagioli because I'm not very sophisticated. So I'd never think to add white beans to my pasta. But it's damn delicious. Also, I used gluten-free quinoa elbow noodles in this, because I actually prefer their texture over wheat-based noodles. Is that weird?

Of course, not every recipe is three-ingredient simple. There are plenty of recipes made from fresh veggies, like "Cheater" African Green Beans (an Ethiopian dish made with berbere and peanut butter), Thai Mango Curry (fresh mango and peppers simmered in a chili-coconut sauce and served over rice), and Moroccan Vegetables (yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, raisins, and spices). And the dishes come from all over — Germany, England, Mexico, Japan, the Dominican Republic, Spain, Africa, Iraq, France, the list goes on.

The book only includes a handful of dessert recipes, but like all of Lindsay's recipes, even the sweet treats are oil-free. But that doesn't mean they're dry or flavorless. I made this Blueberry Bundt Cake a few nights ago, and I can't stay out of it:

The bundt cake comes from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and this one is just delicious. It's only mildly sweet since the cake only contains a half-cup of raw sugar and a little powdered sugar for the glaze. And although the cake is oil-free, it's still super-moist thanks to applesauce.

Now y'all know I love my good fats and occasional fried foods, but a girl can't eat fatty foods at every meal. So I'll reach for Lindsay's book when I'm looking for a little balance. It's also a great book for anyone looking to shed a few pounds or for those hoping to travel around the world without ever leaving their kitchen.

30-Day Vegan Challenge Online!

A couple of years ago, I reviewed Colleen Patrick Goudreau's 30-Day Vegan Challenge book, which was filled with articles on the baby steps of going plant-based. But sadly, that book is no longer in print.

But you know what? That's okay! Because now the whole thing is online, and there's even more content! I wanted to take a few moments to tell y'all about Colleen's awesome 30-Day Vegan Challenge website, because if you know someone who is veg-curious, this is the perfect gift for them.

For a $20 subscription (and yes, you can buy gift subscriptions), which is about the same price you'd pay for the old book version, the recipient gets daily emails, podcasts, videos, recipes, and more on 30 topics relating to going vegan.

This is what the home-screen looks like once you create an account.

Colleen gifted me a subscription so I could browse around the site and tell y'all all about it. And I have to say, after poking around on the site, I kind of wish I was a new vegan and had this guide at my fingertips. Transitioning was fairly easy for me back in 2004, but it would have been so much easier with a 30-Day Vegan Challenge subscription.

Take, for example, the daily lesson topics. Here's a handful: Stocking a Healthful Vegan Kitchen, Trying New Foods, Making Time to Cook, Eating Out and Speaking Up, Packing Lunches, Discovering There Is Life After Cheese, and Baking Without Eggs.

Through the 30 days, Colleen hits all the concerns in the newbie vegan's typical FAQ. With each lesson are videos by Colleen, audio podcasts, meal plans, and recipes. And the recipes are simple dishes that will help ease new vegans into the lifestyle. No weird (but delicious) vegan ingredients (I'm talkin' to you, nutritional yeast and shirataki noodles). Just easy meals made from common ingredients. There's Tofu Scramble, Simple Bean Burritos, Spicy Red Bell Pepper Soup, Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, and No-Bake Apple Crumble to name a few.

Anyway, I'm sure I've carried on long enough. But this is a really great program. If you're thinking of going vegan or know someone who is, the 30-Day Vegan Challenge is a nice way to start.

Flashback to the 90s!

I'm fairly certain Taco Bell still offers Mexican pizzas on their menu. But I haven't had one since the 1990s, so for me, this is a very 90s recipe. I used to order Mexican pizzas with no meat — just beans, cheese, the fried tortillas, olives, tomatoes, and green onions. That was my favorite menu item.

Now, as you probably know, Taco Bell has a number of veganizable items on the menu these days. The Black Bean Burrito is vegan when ordered fresca style (they even use vegetarian chicken flavor in the beans!), and the good ole refried Bean Burrito Fresca is vegan. The Seven-Layer Burrito (minus the cheese and sour cream) is vegan. Plus, they have those fancy new Cantina Bowls (the black bean flavor is vegan if you leave off the cilantro dressing).

Anyway, all that is to say, you won't starve as a vegan at Taco Bell. But the Mexican pizza ordered vegan-style would just be beans on a tortilla with some sad veggies falling off the top because there'd be no melted cheese to hold them on. Enter the vegan Mexican Pizza:

I created this for my latest cookbook project, Vintage Vegan (which highlights veganized versions of trendy foods from the past century). I don't know when Taco Bell began offering Mexican pizzas, but I do know that fusion cuisine was hot, hot, hot in the 90s. So I'll include this in the 1990s chapter.

It's a simple concept — two multi-grain tortillas stuffed with refried beans and enchilada sauce, then topped with more enchilada sauce, Daiya pepperjack cheese, olives, tomatoes, and green onions. The only thing homemade is the enchilada sauce, which I'll include a recipe for in the book. But if you're feelin' lazy or pressed for time, a jarred enchilada sauce would do just fine.

On the side, I made some Jalapeno Hominy from Cookin' Crunk:

It's also very simple. Canned hominy is fried up in Earth Balance with some fresh, chopped jalapeno. I added a habanero for extra spice though.

On a side note, my blogger friend Rick, formerly at the Health Sleuth, is now blogging at the Health Sensei. Rick is all about uber-healthy eating and investigating health claims (his recent posts have tackled the agave controversy and whether or not synthetic or natural vitamin sources are best). Check it out!

Cookin' Crunk Aprons!!

Remember when I hosted the Keep On Crunkin' campaign in February? I posted recipes and Southern tips all week long and held daily giveaways for cookbooks and Cookin' Crunk aprons. Well, the aprons were printed by Zazzle, and they sent the three winners' aprons to my publisher for distribution.

And then they sent my publisher ANOTHER additional three aprons to my publisher. Oops. But rather than send them back, my publisher has asked me to try and sell them on my blog. We're not making a profit, just making up the extra charge from Zazzle to the Book Publishing Company. So I have three crisp, white Cookin' Crunk aprons for sale!

During the Keep On Crunkin' promotion, my daddy ordered aprons for myself, my mama, my Granny, and my Me-maw. Ours are yellow because that's the color I requested my dad order from Zazzle. Here's my Me-maw modeling her apron.

Unlike my crunk cookin' Granny, my Me-maw doesn't really like to cook. But she LOVES to eat. She wore her apron at daddy's birthday dinner in place of a bib. You see, Me-maw is a messy eater, and she always, always spills something down her shirt at family dinners. This apron kept her sweater clean (and yes, she spilled cheese dip on it as soon as we started eating).

So whether you're a cook or a messy eater, you can find a good use for a Cookin' Crunk apron. Keep in mind, the ones that are for sale are WHITE, not yellow. But they look quite snazzy.

They're $21 plus $5.60 flat-rate shipping. So that's a total of $26.60. If you're interested in an apron, shoot me an email at phillipsbianca[at]gmail[dot]com, and I can send along a Paypal invoice. First come, first served.

In other vegan news, the folks at Vegan Cuts have launched an Indie GoGo campaign to raise $10,000 to start a special edition care package series, through which you can have a box of vegan products from different spots all over the world shipped right to your door. The first such package is the Taste of Oregon care package, which includes fun Oregon-based products like Missionary Chocolates Salted Vanilla Caramel Truffles, Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce, Blue Lotus Chai Masala Chai Tea, and so much more. Head over to their fund-raising page to learn how you can get a Taste of Oregon box or simply support their new project.

Happy 59th Birthday, Papa Crunk!

I thought my daddy was turning 60 this year. But no, he's only 59. My mom always adds a year to my age when telling people how old I am, so I think it's starting to rub off. Anyway, Papa Crunk turned 59 last Wednesday, April 3rd, and he let me know that he was still a year away from the big 6-0.

Daddy's friends had a big party for him on his actual birthday, but I came down to visit this weekend to do the family celebration. Every year, for my daddy's birthday, he requests that my mom make French Fry Po'Boys. It's a bit of a tradition now, ever since my daddy and I fell in love with these carbolicious sandwiches in New Orleans years ago.

Yes, that is French fries on a sandwich, folks. It just doesn't get better than that. Mine is dressed with Daiya cheddar (it's melted to the underside of the bun, so you can't see it here, but it's definitely there), tomatoes, lettuce, and Nayonaise. My mama stocks up on vegan sandwich fixins for me!

On the side, the rest of my family had my mama's recreation of Pancho's cheese dip. If you grew up in the Mid-South, you grew up loving Pancho's cheese dip (the dip served at a regional chain of Mexican restaurants and is also sold in stores here). It's like no other cheese dip on the planet. But you know what? The secret is cumin. And my mom makes an at-home version that supposedly tastes just like the dip at Pancho's. Well, this year, she made that dip, but she also made a vegan version of Pancho's Cheese Dip for me!

She combined melted Tofutti cream cheese and Daiya cheddar with canned Ro-Tel tomatoes, cumin, and some other stuff. And wow, it tastes just like the Pancho's dip that I remember! My mama is a genius.

She also made Guacamole:

And we had salads for good measure. We had to get something green into this carbo-loaded meal!

After our dinner settled, it was time for birthday cake and pie! I made Peanut Butter Bombs!

My friend Stephanie makes these by combining three recipes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World  — basic chocolate cake, peanut buttercream, and rich chocolately ganache. I decided to try making them too! Mine weren't as pretty as hers. But they tasted great! Underneath that thick layer of ganache is a creamy peanut buttercream. It's like biting into a Reese's peanut buttercup on top of a cake!

My Granny brought her delicious Old-Fashioned Coconut Pie:

This recipe is included in my cookbook, Cookin' Crunk. So if you have a copy, you can make this at home! It's so good. Like pretty much my favorite pie on the planet. And when Granny makes it, it's always better than when I do. Buttery, coconutty goodness.

Anyway, we had a lovely day. And I'm stuffed and exhausted. Happy birthday, Papa Crunk!!

Secret Supper Club

I've always wished someone around here would start a vegan secret supper club. It couldn't be me, as I have far too many critters in my house to actually cook for any strangers who may show up ("Hey, why is there cat hair in this soup?" I can just hear it now). But you know, I wish someone else would host one and I could just show up and eat.

There is (or at least there was ... not sure if it's still going on) a non-vegan supper club in Memphis, and they did have one vegan dinner night with a menu prepared by my friend/co-worker/fellow blogger/cookbook author Justin Fox Burks of The Chubby Vegetarian. That was awesome. But I want that every month!

Until then, at least I can dream with my copy of the new Vegan Secret Suppers: Bold & Elegant Menus from a Rogue Kitchen by Merida Anderson. Merida has been hosting vegan secret suppers since 2008 in East Vancouver, Montreal, and Brooklyn, and these are her collected recipes from her time in the rogue kitchen (a.k.a. her walk-in closet-sized kitchen in her tiny East Vancouver attic apartment).

She doesn't have any fancy culinary training. I like that. I get a little annoyed when people are all, "I trained at Le Cordon Bleu" or whatever. Cooking is an art, and you don't need schoolin' to tap into that creative power. I'm sure you learn fancy tricks in cooking school, and I bet it's a load of fun. But it's not necessary to create delicious, gourmet meals. Merida proves that.

Now y'all know "gourmet" isn't really my bag. I'm a home-cookin' kind of girl with a penchant for deep-fried tofu, cornbread in cast iron, and simple slow-cooked collards. But sometimes, a girl needs to impress. And this is the book to pull of the shelf when you've got to put on your good dress and clean up a little. Dishes like Blue Corn Empanadas with Pecans, Black Beans, Mole Pipan, Red Cabbage, & Avocado or Yam & Walnut Croquettes with Coconut Sour Cream, Ancho Balsamic Beet Reduction & Wilted Pea Shoots are sure to impress.

Guests are always more impressed when a recipe has a long name with all the ingredients in the title, right? That's always how you can tell a gourmet recipe from an everyday one. Many of the recipes have multiple steps, as you might expect. And since I wasn't cooking for anyone but little old me tonight, I went with one with a shorter name that sounded easier — Caramelized Onion Bisque with Roasted Garlic Toast:

Despite the shorter name, this recipe still took lots of love and care. The onions are caramelized in vinegar, white wine, Dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, and thyme for a good 20 minutes before adding the roasted garlic (which you roast yourself beforehand) and stock. But it was well worth the effort. The onions are so sweet and delicious, and the stock is delightfully spicy (I added extra red pepper flakes).

The toast was what really drew me to this recipe though. That yellow stuff on top is Merida's Coconut Melting Cheese. It's a homemade cheese paste that is like no other vegan cheese I've ever made (and I've made LOTS of homemade cheese). Coconut oil and almond milks are blended with tomato paste, nutritional yeast, roasted garlic, and some other spices. It's liquidy right out of the blender, but when you refrigerate it overnight, it gets thick and spreadable (probably due to the cornstarch thickening and the coconut oil solidifying). It's spread over crostini and baked until bubbly. Perfect complement to the soup.

I can't wait to explore the dessert chapter. There's a Peanut Butter, White Chocolate, & Brownie Cheesecake! And Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze & Avocado Mint Ice Cream! Oh, and that reminds me, there's an entire chapter on homemade ice cream! And there's a chapter on tea and soda with a recipe for homemade Ginger Beer Syrup and Lavender Lime Soda Concentrate!

Now if only someone around here would take this book and start a vegan supper club. Anyone?