The Last Pig

Last Thursday, our local pig sanctuary — Pigtopia — hosted a screening of The Last Pig, a documentary that follows one pig farmer's journey to give up animal farming, at Crosstown Arts (where I work).

I had the chance to visit Pigtopia, which is currently home to 25 rescued pigs, earlier this year for a freelance story I wrote for Edible Memphis. You can read that piece (and learn more about Pigtopia) here. I'm always down to support anything they do, and I wouldn't miss have missed this film for the world!

I met up with a few friends there — Jen & Simon and Nicole & Vaughan. And of course, the house was packed with the who's who of the Memphis vegan community! Pretty sure I knew most people there!

Also, Imagine Vegan Cafe was there with free food! They've been so supportive of Pigtopia from the start.

I loaded up a plate with a little of everything — Vegan Rotel Cheese Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip with Crostini, Vegan Chicken Salad Sliders, Vegan Mac & Cheese Rolls (like pigs in blankets but with mac inside!!), and Mini Cupcakes!

Pigtopia had a little benefit art sale going on as well, plus they were selling buttons and stickers. Attendees could sign up to sponsor a pig for $15 a month.

As for the film, it was heart-breaking but very tastefully done. The film follows farmer Bob Comis, who had been farming pigs on a small free-range farm in upstate New York for years. At the beginning of the documentary, Bob seems pretty okay with what he's doing (and he's doing way better than factory farms). But by the end, he's evolved to understand that the pigs he slaughters are no different than his faithful dog, who follows him around the farm. He eventually gives up pig farming in favor of vegetable farming, so there's a happy ending.

But viewer be warned: There are some very sad scenes from the slaughterhouse. You don't see graphic violence, but the violence is implied when you see the stressed-out pigs in the corral, waiting for slaughter, or the blood on the floor of the kill room. In one scene, Bob leads each pig, one by one, into the kill room. The camera focuses on the last pig waiting to be led to his death, and he's visibly stressed out, his tongue wagging in a pant. 

How anyone can kill a sentient being for the fleeting pleasure of a meal is truly beyond me. I'm so grateful for farmers like Bob Comis, who after killing 2,000 pigs finally realized he was murdering sentient, intelligent beings. And I'm grateful for Memphis' own Pigtopia!

Cookbook Review: Epic Vegan

My internet friend Dustin Harder — aka The Vegan Roadie — has a new cookbook, and IT. IS. EPIC. Literally!!

Epic Vegan: Wild & Over-the-Top Vegan Recipes is probably the craziest vegan cookbook I've ever owned. Crazy good, of course. We're talking vegan burgers served on cinnamon roll buns with peanut butter and bacon. Or Disco Pretzel Bites (imagine vegan poutine but with soft pretzels in place of fries, topped with mushroom gravy, vegan mozz, and scallions). This is the stuff my food dreams are made of.

I wanted to make everything, but I tried to limit myself to a couple recipes that shared a common ingredient — Dustin's Cheesiest Cheese Sauce. The cheese recipe made a ton, and I didn't want it to go to waste. So first, I made this Bless Your Heart Bowl. Of course I did! It spoke to my little Southern heart.

This has a base of chili (Dustin's mom's recipe with vegan beef and kidney beans) topped with Easy Creamy Shells & Cheese (I used penne!), sauteed collards. A perfect meal! The cornbread was sweet and soft like Jiffy, and it reminded me of the cornbread I grew up eating.

One thing about this book: It's not a quick, make-it-in-30-minutes-or-less kind of cookbook. The recipes are more like "food projects," which may not be convenient for everyday cooking. Most recipes call for several other recipes. But thankfully, they make plenty for leftovers, so you can do your prep on a slow night and have food for days.

For example, the Cheesiest Cheese Sauce, which is the base for the mac & cheese, is made with cooked butternut squash and potatoes and blended with all sorts of things, like kraut, tahini, and bell pepper. I made this the night before to save a step. It makes a ton, and it can be used for any recipe that calls for cheese sauce.

The cheese sauce was also called for in these Breakfast Nachos! I made these for dinner last night, and I'm so stoked to have leftovers for the week.

Blue corn tortilla chips are topped with Dustin's Eggscellent Eggs (a tofu scramble made with both crumbled and blended tofu, lending it a very eggy texture — will be making this often!!), the cheese sauce, sauteed vegan sausage and peppers, and a homemade sour cream made with avocados and coconut milk! I love that, other than the sausage and chips, the recipe is based on whole foods, so you can feel pretty great about eating nachos.

Dustin does offer you the option of using store-bought items in place of some of the recipes within recipes, but for full epic effect, I recommend making everything from scratch!

The book is divided into chapters on basics, sauces, breads, appetizers, handhelds (like tacos, sandwiches, etc.), pasta, pizza, bowls, drinks, and desserts. There's a freaking PIZZA BURRITO SUPREME (shown here in this pic with Dustin)!!!

Other notable recipes: Crispy Cream Doughnuts (a vegan replica of Krispy Kreme), a Waffle Tot Grilled Cheese (just like it sounds!), Noritos Los Tacos (tacos with nooch-coated shells similar to the Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell), Buffalo "Chicken" Lasagna, and Crab Rangoon Pizza. There's even a Cookie Dough Cake with layers of cookies where buttercream would typically go!

I've bookmarked the Birthday Cake Shake to enjoy on my birthday in October! With its buttercream frosting, cake batter, and ice cream, it's too decadent for everyday eats. But I'm counting down the days until I turn 39 so I can drink that.

Vegan Skincare Review: Pai

My skincare routine has never really been super-consistent. I typically get facial products, like serums and face oils, in my monthly Goddess Provisions subscription box, so I just use whatever I get in the box! Before I subscribed to the Goddess box, I subscribed to the Vegan Cuts Beauty Box, and my skincare consisted of whatever was in that box.

The one thing I do know about my skin is that it tends to be super-dry, and I cannot do oil-free anything on my face. In the winter, my skin cracks and flakes, and it gets pretty gnarly if I don't oil up! The bonus: I rarely get breakouts. When Pai, a vegan skincare line, asked me to review their products, I looked them up and saw they base some of their line on botanical oils. I was in!

My review package arrived last week and included the Lightwork Rosehip Cleansing Oil, the Lotus & Orange Blossom Bio-Affinity Tonic, and the Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil.

All of Pai's products are vegan and organic, and they come in recyclable glass bottles and cardboard boxes. I'm trying to be a better steward of the earth these days, so I appreciate when things come in recyclable packaging. In Memphis, our recycling center only accepts a couple kinds of plastics, so I love the low amount of plastic (just the lids) on these bottles.

The Lightwork Rosehip Cleansing Oil is an oil-based makeup remover that's safe for taking off eye makeup too! I've been using cocoa butter to remove my eye makeup for years, and it's great, but sometimes the solid butter gets stuck in my lashes. This oil rubs right in and doesn't leave my eyes feeling too oily. Plus, it moisturizes as it cleans.

The Lotus & Orange Blossom Bio-Affinity Tonic is made with botanical waters, and leaves my skin feeling all fresh and clean. They say it's safe for eczema-prone skin, and while I've never been diagnosed with eczema, my patchy dry skin certainly resembles it. I've never fully understood the purpose of toner, but I use it because I like the way it feels on my face.

But my very favorite product is this Rosehip Bioregenerate Oil, which is supposed to repair and regenerate unpredictable and sensitive skin. I certainly have that! You're supposed to use a few drops on your face in the evenings 2-3 times a week, and for an extra moisture boost, they recommend mixing it with your moisturizer. I've tried it straight and mixed with the Pacifica Sleepover Mask moisturizer I've using. Both ways leave my skin feeling so soft, and the rosehips smell amazing.

I've only been using Pai for a week, but my skin is currently not patchy and dry! So that's a win in my book. I would definitely buy this stuff again!

Canoe Trip Eats! Mabon Stew! & More!

On Sunday, Paul and I, along with our friends Misti and Kevin, went on an 8-mile canoe trip down the Wolf River (including the beautiful, cypress-filled Ghost River section). The Wolf is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and it runs through pure wilderness. It was, hands-down, one of the hardest things I've ever done, not so much physically as mentally. It took waaaaay more mental toughness than any marathon I've run!

The Ghost section is filled with cypress nubs, and the trees growing in the river are very close together. We got stuck so many times. Misti and Kevin flipped their canoe once, and Misti lost a paddle (and her shoes!). We saw a poisonous copperhead snake resting on a tree (one of the few trees we didn't run into in our canoe). We got rained on — hard! And to make it all worse, I had to pee for hours (but there's a stretch of the Ghost where there's no bank to safely dock on for miles and miles). All that said, we had a blast. It's a perfect example of second-degree fun — the kind of fun that doesn't seem fun when you're having it, but when you look back, you're like, "hey, that was fun!"

Before the bank-less stretch, there's a popular picnic spot along a wide bank. We stopped there a couple hours into our trip to snack on sandwiches and chips I'd packed. These had Tofurky Peppered deli slices, Follow Your Heart provolone, Vegenaise, avocado, and tomato. Plus, Sprouts brand Olive Oil Kettle Chips on the side.

On Saturday morning, I biked downtown to my gym for bootcamp, and after class, I biked along the Big River Crossing to Pancho's in West Memphis (not for drinks, just to see how far it was — Paul and I are planning a big Pancho's ride together soon!). To fuel that workout and bike trip, I had a pre-workout Dave's Killer Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with Vanilla Almond Butter and Coconut Butter. Cold brew on the side.

On Thursday, I celebrated Mabon — a traditional harvest holiday — with Barley Mushroom Soup and Rosemary Bread with vegan butter. Wheat and other grains are highlighted at this mid-season holiday, so this was a perfect meal. I toasted to the sunset with a glass of cab sauv. After dinner, I harvested some elderberries from my backyard bush, so my dad and I can use them to make wine!

And here's my breakfast today! I made the Crazy Mixed-Up Nut Butter from The No Meat Athlete Cookbook. You take a jar of peanut butter and mix in chopped mixed nuts (I used a mix with brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, and peanuts), chia, flax, and pumpkin seeds. This was a really yummy breakfast!

Breakfast Tacos! Vegan Chili Bowls!

I've had some BE-Hive seitan chorizo (made in Nashville) in my deep freezer forever that I was hoarding for the right moment. And that moment came last week when I decided to make Breakfast Tacos for dinner! With scrambled tofu, chorizo, salsa, and avocado. I made some Air-fried Home Fries on the side.

I had some of the leftover tofu scramble on toast for breakfast one day!

On Monday night, I had to go to a public meeting on a new Crosstown neighborhood project, so I couldn't eat dinner until fairly late. That's when Daiya's frozen Spinach & Mushroom Pizza with white sauce comes in handy. Salad on the side for good measure. I always keep a frozen pizza in the freezer for moments like these.

I picked up a savory Tomato, Basil & Cashew Parm Hand Pie and a Blueberry Chocolate Chunk Cookie at Lulu's booth at the CY Farmers Market on Saturday, and both were as amazing as they looked. That blueberry chocolate chip cookie is my new Lulu's fave!

And here's a beautiful Vegan Chili Bowl from the cafe at Crosstown Arts yesterday. This daily special was awesome, and I hope they offer it again. Black bean chili with vegan cheese, avocado, pickled okra, and the fluffiest vegan cornbread muffin.

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Railgarten

When Railgarten — an outdoor/indoor bar and recreation center — opened a couple years ago, they were not very vegan-friendly ("Duck Fat Fries" was an actual menu item!). As much as I loved hanging out at this sprawling bar with its bonfires, lawn chairs, ping pong tables, and volleyball courts, I'd given up any hope that I'd ever be able to consume anything besides alcohol there.

And then a vegan miracle happened! Railgarten released a new menu that was loaded with vegan items! Even the fries are safe now! Last night, our Memphis Vegan Drinks group had our monthly meetup there, and I was able to collect pics of several new menu items.

I ordered the Korean BBQ Tofu Tacos — three street taco-sized gems are stuffed with fried tofu coated in tangy Korean BBQ sauce, cabbage slaw, and fresh radish. These were every bit as tasty as they looked, and the tofu texture was just perfect (and not at all greasy). I was sad when they were gone.

Jennifer ordered the Korean BBQ Tofu Salad, which was similar to the tacos but with salad fixins, like spring mix, red onion, tomato, and a citrus lime vinaigrette.

The Korean BBQ can also be ordered as skewers. They can be ordered as a snack (2 skewers) or a meal (4 skewers).

Or you can opt for Buffalo Tofu Skewers! These are served with ranch, but it's not vegan, so I'd recommend bringing your own vegan ranch (yes, I'm the kind of girl who travels with condiments in my purse).

Melissa ordered the Veggie & Hummus Pita (to make this vegan, leave off the tzatziki), which has hummus, portabellas, tomato, broccoli slaw, red onion, and cucumber. Served with homemade chips, unless you sub fries (which Melissa did).

There's also an Impossible burger on the menu, but like so many mom-and-pop places right now, they're experiencing a shortage. They offered a black bean burger last night as a substitute, but I cannot confirm its vegan-ness.

So excited that Railgarten has so many vegan options now! Now I can hang out at this adult playground and enjoy some food with my booze.

Vegan Sleep Vitamins!

I used to be a GREAT sleeper. I could sleep through a tornado. Heck, I actually did sleep through a hurricane once. Technically, it was a wind storm (we don't have hurricanes in Memphis), but the 2003 wind storm did so much damage to the city of Memphis, it was dubbed Hurricane Elvis. I slept through winds of 100 miles an hour that knocked down trees all over the city and left 70% of Memphis (including my apartment at the time) without power for two weeks.

These days, I wake with every rumble of thunder. And even on clear nights without storms, I wake to pee 3-4 times a night and often struggle to fall back to sleep. I try to get 7 hours of sleep each night, but I often naturally wake up at 6.5 hours and cannot fall back to sleep. I hear this is what happens when you get old.

I've tried lots of things and have had some success with CBD, but it's not perfect. I still struggle to stay asleep. But last week, I received a shipment of Sugarbear Sleep Vitamins to review, and I'm happy to report that they're really working!

These gummies have a great berry flavor and contain melatonin, magnesium, theanine (L-theanine), and vitamin B6, plus lemon balm leaf, passion flower, valerian root, and 5-HTP. They're vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free.

You're supposed to take two 30 minutes before bed, but I can feel myself getting drowsy within 15 minutes of taking them. The first night was a little rough, and they didn't seem to work for me. I was still awake several times throughout the night, and I was still drowsy the next day. But I've taken them for about a week since then, and they've magically started working (and are helping me stay asleep). I suspect my body had to get used them, maybe?

They're non-addictive, and I've skipped taking them on nights when I was so sleepy that I didn't feel like I needed any help sleeping. But they're nice to have on those evenings when you're all wound up and not ready for bed at bedtime. Would definitely recommend these!