Bianca Phillips's Blog, page 186

Gourmet Popcorn!

A couple weeks back, I blogged about UncommonGoods, an online gift shop with a mission of selling "handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people." That last bit is from their website.

It's a good veg-friendly company (they do sell some cheese items, but most things are vegan), and they pay even their lowest paid seasonal workers 50 percent above the minimum wage. About half of what they sell is handmade, including the item I'm featuring tonight. UncommonGoods sent me this box of joy to review on my blog.


I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm a popcorn fiend. It's seriously like a drug to me. Once I start eating popcorn, there is no stopping until every kernel is devoured and I've licked the salt or seasonings from the bowl. Yes, I have no shame. I'm a popcorn junkie.

This gift box from Dell Cove Spice Company contains four tins of gourmet kernels —Black Pearl, Baby White, Midnight Blue, and Red Diamond Valley. And there are also four tins of savory seasoning — Butt Kickin' BBQ, Sweet Onion, Spicy Cajun, and Sweet Ginger.


As much as I adore popcorn, I love it most when the timing is just right: It's a Friday or Saturday night. I've eaten a light dinner and have room left for popcorn. And I'm in the rare mood to stay home and watch a movie rather than go out with friends. The stars have to align for all of that to happen, and when it does, popcorn makes it all the more special. That happened this past Friday night.

I have one of those fancy movie-style popcorn makers, a hand-me-down from my parents. They bought a bigger popcorn maker because they also have a popcorn addiction, and I got their old one. I heated some vegan butter-flavored olive oil (from the fancy olive oil shop) in the machine and added the tin of red kernels.


These were so light and airy. Like little crunchy pillows of heaven. I quickly sampled all of the seasonings and finally settled on Spicy Cajun, a blend of smoked paprika, organic garlic salt, sea salt, organic onion, cayenne, and black pepper. Just the right hint of spice and salt. Perfection. I ate the whole bowl myself while Paul and I watched A Million Ways To Die in the West and Chef. I don't share popcorn.


Dell Cove's hand-crafted popcorn seasonings and gourmet kernels would make an awesome holiday gift for a popcorn lover like me! The popcorn is GMO-free and grown in the Midwest. And the spices are organic. Score! They also sell a sweet popcorn kit with seasonings in flavors like pumpkin pie, dark chocolate, key lime pie, and cinnamon.

By the way, UncommonGoods has tons of great gifts, so check it out for your holiday gift shopping. To make it easier on you, they have a gifts for women and gifts for men page, but if you're like me, you're friends are all pretty androgynous in their tastes.

Vegan Drinks: BBQ Tofu Nacho Edition

Long before Memphis was the vegan-friendly city it is today, there was just Tracks. Beloved old R.P. Tracks, home of vegan BBQ nachos and discounted shooters when trains roll by. It was one of the few places offering vegan options back in the mid-2000s, and I made a habit out of regular trips there for nacho gorge fests.

But these days, with Imagine Vegan Cafe in my weekly meal rotation and abundant vegan options at food trucks and various other restaurants, my favorite nacho joint has fallen by the wayside. It's been almost a year since I've been to R.P. Tracks! It was high time we held another Vegan Drinks event there. So tonight, we gathered at R.P. Tracks for our monthly vegan cocktail meetup!


That was most of the table. And here's Stephanie and Pam. They wouldn't fit in the first pic.


I wasn't in the mood for a sweet drink. Thankfully, my favorite seasonal local beer was on draft — Ghost River Black Magic! It's a porter with a hints of coffee and chocolate. I had two.


In fact, most people ordered beer, so I don't have lots of fun cocktail pics to share. Except Pam had to be the oddball and order something weird. Her cocktail was called Sex With An Alligator — Midori Melon and Jager.


R.P. Tracks has a wealth of vegan options, but since it had been so long, I just had to go with the classic BBQ Tofu Nachos. I always order my chips on the side for dipping. Also, Tracks doesn't serve guacamole anymore, and they don't have vegan sour cream. So Stephanie and I typically tag-team and bring our own. I supplied the guac, and she brought the Tofutti.


Stephanie and Pam ordered nachos too, but Pam doesn't like the black beans that come on the nachos. So she ate all of her BBQ tofu really fast. And then she just ordered a side of tofu.


Melissa ordered my second-favorite menu item — BBQ Tofu Burrito. It's basically like the nachos but in a burrito.


Nathan got the BBQ Tofu Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries. By the way, I'm pretty sure the coleslaw here is not vegan, but Nathan isn't vegan, so he didn't care. But if you are and you eat here, maybe ask them to leave that off the plate.


Both Susan and Nicole got orders of the Buffalo Tofu Wings. They are served with ranch that is not vegan, but they'll leave it off the plate by request. This was Nicole's daughter's plate, and the kid eats dairy. But Susan had her ranch left off.


And Nicole also got a Tofu Club Sandwich with Steak Fries.

 
It was a delicious night! And it reminded me of all the menu items I haven't had in far too long. I'll be back to Tracks very soon. There are wings in my future. And burritos. And club sandwiches. Mmmmmm.....

Crunk for the Holidays: A Very Crunk Thanks-living!

My first (and only, so far) cookbook, Cookin' Crunk: Eatin' Vegan in the Dirty South, has been out for a couple years now. And I'm sure many of you have it. But does your mom have it? Your sister? Your cousin? Your mom's sister's best friend's cousin? I figure the holidays are as good a time as any to launch a little cookbook push. Plus, new readers come along all the time. So each week from now until the solstice holiday, I'll devote one post a week to Cookin' Crunk fun. And a couple of those posts will include giveaways of signed copies! Yay!

Right, I know we're all planning our Thankgiving (or better yet, Thanks-living, because we're not eating animals) menus. Maybe you're having a totally vegan holiday at home, or maybe you have to sit through a meat-in-every-vegetable, turkey-carcass-on-the-table meal with your in-laws. Either way, you've gotta eat something. So I've put together a list of Thanksgiving-appropriate dishes to share (or horde for yourself). For those that have recipes online, I'll link. But some are only available in my book. Should you need to buy a copy, you can get them on Amazon! Or there's a link to Paypal on the right side of this blog for signed copies!

In the South, family dinners start with deviled eggs. In fact, most of them probably get eaten before the meal even begins, as everyone sneaks in the kitchen to grab one from the fridge. Swap out those chicken embryos for my Vegan Deviled Eggy Bites. Recipe is listed here.


And then you'd better get some greens in your body before fill yourself up sugar and Tofurky. Try this simple and elegant Seitan & Red Pear Salad. There's tender homemade seitan, crunchy red pears, omega-rich walnuts, and a white pear-balsamic vinaigrette. Of course, you can always cheat and buy pre-made seitan! Recipe is in the book.


If you're the type to serve a soup at Thanksgiving (my family never does), my Harvest Crowder Peas are light and soul-warming. Just crowder peas (or black-eyed peas if you can't find crowders), onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and fresh basil. Recipe is in the book.


Now for the main dish, I'm a plant roast kind of girl. And I generally always buy a pre-made roast, like a Tofurky or a Field Roast Celebration Roast. This year, I'm trying the Gardein Holiday Roast! But if you'd rather go homemade, you could whip up a batch of my Dijon-Pecan Seitan with Maple-Mustard Glaze. Tender nuggets of seitan are coated in a sweet and tangy mustard sauce, rolled in chopped pecans, and then baked in the oven. Recipe is in the book.


It's not Thanksgiving without dressin'!!! And my mama makes the best Vegan Cornbread Dressin' in all the world! Lucky for you, her recipe is in my cookbook. It's a little labor-intensive since it involves making your own vegan cream of celery soup to go in the casserole, but maybe one of these days, some awesome vegan company will develop a condensed casserole-friendly cream soup to make it simpler.


My mama also always makes a Hash Brown Casserole on Thanksgiving! Her vegan version — recipe is in the book — is so simple! You can use your leftover cream of celery soup from the dressing and then just mix in frozen hash browns, vegan cheddar shreds (we use Daiya), vegan sour cream, and sauteed onion. Top with corn flakes, bake, and boom. Deliciousness.


You'll be needing some veggie sides with all that brown food, of course! One little salad just isn't gonna cut it. Try my Mess O' Greens with Turnips. These are smoky, slow-simmered collards with a hint of sweetness, just like my Granny makes 'em. Recipe is here.


And then be sure and try my Smoky Stewed Okra & Tomatoes to add some fun African flair to your Thanksgiving table! Okra is slow-simmered with smoky flavors, tomatoes, and a hint of agave. Yes, we put a little sugar in everything down here. Cuts the acidity and brings out the natural flavor. Recipe is in the book.


Finally, if you have room left in your eatin' pants, it's time for dessert! You could go classic and make my Tipsy Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie. It's a creamy chocolate pie with roasted pecans and a smidge of dark rum! Recipe is here listed on the Earth Balance website.


Or there's always cupcakes! It may feel like winter already, but technically it's still fall. And that means, it's still pumpkin season. How about some Vanilla Spice Cupcakes with Pumpkin Buttercream? You'll need the book for that recipe!


And finally, we've got to work some sweet taters in here! Check out my recipe for Sweet Potato Bread! This makes a nice, light Thanksgiving dessert or a great breakfast the morning after the big meal. Enjoy with a cup of coffee!


Hope your Thanksgiving is super-crunk!!

Vietnamese Bake Sale at Quan Am Monastery!

I'm not Buddhist, but I definitely like to work some Buddhist principles into my hodge-podge of spiritual beliefs. Not to mention that Quan Am (or Kwan Yin, as I typically call her) is my favorite boddhisattva of compassion. As an ethical vegan, compassion is numero uno.

All that is to say, I love to get out and support my local Buddhist monastery whenever I can. Quan Am Monastery has a lovely Sunday service (all in Vietnamese) and a free vegetarian lunch, and Cassi and I have gone to that before. In fact, Cassi is Buddhist-ish, so she attends quite frequently. But I'm more of an eater than a meditator, so my favorite time to visit Quan Am is when they're having a "bake sale" fund-raiser for the monastery.

I blogged about my first visit to a Quan Am bake sale back in 2012, but they have them quite frequently. In fact, they had one today, and I scooped up all sorts of delicious goodies on the cheap. By the way, even though it's called a "bake sale," it's more of a "prepared Vietnamese meals" sale. There's not much in the way of baked goods, but there is a ton of savory treats. And everything is vegetarian (and generally vegan).

It was a nasty, cold, and rainy day, so I didn't take any photos of the beautiful grounds. But here's an older sunny day pic of the massive Quan Am statue surrounded by foo dogs. She greets you as you pull into the parking lot.


The bake sales are held in the back building on the property. And when I arrived around 12:15 p.m., it was kickin'. My friend Wai directed me to the hot soup table. A woman was building noodle bowls with all sorts of add-ins. I chose one with rice noodles, tofu, seitan, carrots, lettuce, and bean sprouts. Oh, and there were tiny Vietnamese apples that looked like black olives!


I sat down and enjoyed my soup at a table with a few other friends. And then I grabbed Cassi and we made our way around to buy grab-and-go items to feed us for the week. I got Banh Xeo with dipping sauce for tomorrow's dinner. Banh Xeo is basically like a vegan omelette-crepe thing made with rice flour and coconut milk. It's stuffed with tofu and bean sprouts!


And then I found some "Beef" Seitan and Green Bean Stir-Fry. I'll make at least two meals out of this by adding brown rice. And that seitan beef is insanely awesome.


Last time, I attended the service at Quan Am, I stuck around for lunch. And for dessert, I was served Che Bap, a Vietnamese sweet corn pudding made with tapioca, sugar, and coconut cream. So good! I had to buy some at today's bake sale. Only $2 for all this!


And there was one actual baked good! That's because Cassi made Vegan Green Tea & Almond Cupcakes to sell! I grabbed one for the road. My icing got a little smooshed, but it was delicious.


I'm not sure yet of the next bake sale date, but if I find out soon, I'll add it to this post. If you're local, you should definitely come check it out.

Sprouts!

I've long been a fan of sprouting. In fact, I haven't purchased sprouts in years. Our Kroger stores don't carry them because of some sort of food safety issue (whatevs). And why drive out to Whole Foods when I can grow my own sprouts for pennies?

I've always used the old jar method. Put some legumes or seeds in a mason jar and soak with water overnight. Drain. Cover the jar with a wash rag or cheesecloth and rinse the seeds twice daily until sprouts are fully grown. Simple. But I always lost so many sprouts in the rinsing process. Either they'd slip through my colander or they'd get stuck to the sides of the colander.

But my friends Sheridan and Drew got me the coolest new kitchen toy for my birthday. Meet the Victorio 4-Tray Seed Sprouter.



You soak your seeds overnight and then spread one tablespoon of seeds in each of the four trays. Here are some alfalfa seeds right after soaking and draining.


Then each morning and each night, you pour two cups of water into the top tray. Each tray has tiny holes, so the water slowly drains from one tray to the next, rinsing the sprouts as it goes. It solves that whole losing-sprouts-down-the-sink-drain problem. The water is collected in the base tray, and you just dump it after it's full.


Within a few days, each tray produces fluffy sprouts! Look how cute?


I love this thing, and I think I'll keep something sprouting all the time now. I love using sprouts in salads, soups, stir-fries, and sandwiches. Yum! Next up — mung bean (my fave)!

I Love My Vitamix!!!!!

I got a Vitamix for my birthday! And it's basically the best thing ever.

I've been blending the crap out of everything. I'm most excited about my Vitamix's Hot Soups setting. I mean, my blender cooks soup, y'all!!! I know so many of you have one too, but it's all new to me. And it is blowing my mind. Tonight, I made the Thai Pumpkin Soup from the Savor cookbook that came with the Vitamix. Most of the recipes in the Vitamix book are vegan or vegetarian (or at least easily veganizable).


Isn't it pretty? I just sauteed the onions in a pot and simmered the coconut milk, pumpkin, tomato paste, garlic, and veggie broth on the stovetop for, like, two minutes. And then I transferred it to the Vitamix and set it on "Hot Soup." It runs for 6 1/2 minutes, and it gets so hot that steam comes out of the top. In fact, I burned my thumb pretty bad with steam when I opened the Vitamix lid.

But it was worth it! I topped this delicious, creamy soup with unsweetened soy yogurt, peanuts, parsley, and (after the photo) sriracha.

Mostly, though, I've been using the Vitamix to make drinks. I drink protein smoothies four days a week after my training runs, and on other non-running days, I juice. This week, I've been enjoying the Perfect Protein Power smoothie from The Blender Girl cookbook, which I purchased as a birthday gift to myself to complement my new blender.


Here's what's inside.



Pears, spinach, ginger, banana, lime juice, almond butter, hemp seeds, and vanilla protein powder. Yum! The Vitamix just pulverized those greens!

I typically use my Breville for juicing, but there were a few Vitamix juice recipes in The Blender Girl cookbook, so I thought I'd try them. I made this Green Alkalaid this week — lemons, spinach, apple, ginger, cucumber. It was tasty, though a bit more fibrous than I like my juice to be. I'll probably stick to my juicer for juice-making.


Just to give an idea of how powerful this is, check out my water to solids ratio here. Only one cup of water! My old Oster blender would have just completely given up and died if I'd tried that.


Paul has been working on getting a bad cold for days now, and I've got my first half-marathon in three weeks. I don't have time to get sick. So, last night, I made us both the Beat the Cold and Flus Blues juice from The Blender Girl.


This has immune-boosting ginger, carrots, lemon, apples, cinnamon, and cayenne. It was super-yummy, and it made me feel like maybe I was staving off the sickies. So far, so good. Fingers crossed.

Field Roast Vegan Chao Cheese Slices! OMG!

Those folks at Field Roast are damn geniuses. Every last one of them. Seriously, have you ever had a Field Roast product that wasn't freaking amazing? No, didn't think so. They make the best vegan sausages, the best vegan hot dogs, the best vegan burgers (but I STILL can't get them here, sigh), and now THE BEST VEGAN CHEESE!!!!

Yes, I said it. I really didn't think Daiya could be topped, and it's still number-one for me in terms of shreds. But the Daiya slices, though delicious, were still missing a little something for me. I couldn't put my finger on it though. It was a texture thing, but I wasn't sure how to define it. Until I tasted Field Roast Vegan Chao Slices . These are made with fermented tofu and coconut oil, and they have the EXACT SAME TEXTURE as good quality dairy cheese slices.


They hold together well and don't stick to the other slices in the package. They have a toothsome bite, yet they melt beautifully when exposed to heat. Think of the Chao Creamy Original slices as fancy deli-style gouda slices. That's what it reminds me of. They also make Chao Coconut Cracker Pepper Slices and Chao Tomato Cayenne Slices, but my Whole Foods doesn't carry those yet. We do have the Creamy Original Slices, and Sheridan and I may have bought every package they had on our last trip there. I hear they've since re-stocked, thank goddess. I can never be without this cheese. Never.

So far, I've mostly been eating it raw, straight out of the package. This may be the first vegan non-nut cheese that tastes just as good cold as it does melted. But it also makes for a perfect Vegan Grilled Cheese. Here, I melted it between two slices of vegan-buttered Alvarado St. Bakery Sprouted Barley Bread.


Because it's great cold, it's also wonderful on cold sammies. This sandwich was basically the best sandwich I've ever made using pre-made products — Field Roast Smoked Tomato Deli Slices (!!!!!!!!!), Field Roast Vegan Chao Creamy Original Slice, spinach, and Wildwood Garlic Aioli.


Those smoked tomato slices are also fan-freakin-tastic. Sheridan brought me those from the Little Rock Whole Foods since ours doesn't carry it. Mmmmmmm.

Anyway, run (don't walk!) to your nearest health food store and STOCK UP ON CHAO. You won't regret it. Swear.

Stuff I Ate

Man, it's been a long time since I've done one of these random meal photo dumps. I was looking through my phone for unblogged pictures, and they stretched all the way back to early October! Let's just start with dessert first.

At some point in October, Stephanie baked some Pumpkin Insanity Bars to sell at Imagine Vegan Cafe, but she brought me one for free! There's a layer of butterscotch cookie topped with a layer of Pumpkin Spice Oreos topped with a layer of blondies. Dude. There's a reason these are called "insanity bars." I may have scarfed down this entire treat in my car, before making it home from wherever Stephanie gifted me this.

 
The new-ish Meetup.com Vegan Dine-Outs and Potlucks group had a gathering at Abyssinia, my favorite Ethiopian joint. They have a daily lunch buffet that is mostly all vegan. Nothing is better than injera loaded with various Ethiopian dishes.

Crazy Noodle, home of vegan ramen bowls, also has a great selection of non-ramen dishes. I recently tried their Tofu Salad with Wasabi Dressing. Good stuff, but they weren't skimpy on the wasabi. Damn. My sinuses were clear after this salad!

Also on that same visit to Crazy Noodle, I had the Korean sushi. It's called Kimbap, and it typically has beef. But Crazy Noodle is happy to veganize just about anything. I left the beef out, and these were fantastic. Best sushi in town if you ask me.

In mid-October, I went Summerland Grove's annual Festival of Souls, a Samhain fest at Meeman-Shelby State Park in Memphis. I go to this every year, and every year, the vegan food gets better and better. I remember a time 12 years ago when I was lucky to get a salad there. Now they go out of their way to provide vegan and gluten-free meals for folks with special dietary needs. I arrived just in time for lunch Saturday, when they were serving Lentil & Kale Soup with Gluten-Free Dumplings.

And that was paired with Vegan Grilled Cheese! They use Follow Your Heart block cheese and slice it into thick slices. Then it's melted between vegan-buttered Texas toast. Man, white bread is the business! I don't buy it at home, but it's such a treat when I get to eat it out.

For dinner that night, they made Gluten-Free Vegan Savory Tarts with Lentil-Veggie Filling, Carrots, Corn, and Broccoli. They have to make the meals stretch, so they're a little skimpy on the veggie sides here. I could have eaten about three times that amount of broccoli and carrots. But oh well. The tarts were great! This picture came out very yellow, thanks to the bright yellow tablecloth in the background.

Not every meal can be a winner. Such was the case with this Veggie Wrap with White Bean Soup and Homemade Chips at Evelyn & Olive. You see, the menu said the wrap had black beans, Jamaican rice & peas, corn relish, lettuce, tomato, cheddar, and mango BBQ sauce. I asked them to leave the cheese off, and they did. But they took the liberty to add bits of crumbled chipotle Morningstar Farms veggie burger. I know what kind of patty they use because I've accidentally ordered it before. Not vegan! I hate it when places go off-menu. Of course, I ate it anyway and didn't say anything. I hate being the whiny vegan who complains, especially when I'm at a table of non-vegans (I was). I'd say something if it contained meat or something, but I'm not whining about a few bites of veggie burger. I'll just know not to order that again. I typically get the Black Bean Tacos at Evelyn & Olive, and those are always a sure winner.

One place I know can never screw up my order is Imagine Vegan Cafe ! Last week, I had the Vegan Turkey Cutlets with Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, White "Cheddar" Mac, and Green Beans.

And yesterday, at Imagine's brunch, I went off the breakfast menu in favor of a Vegan BLT with Avocado and Garlicky Kale.

2nd Annual Great Vegan Pumpkin Potluck!

Last year, my friend Leslie decided that we should start an annual pumpkin potluck tradition. No rules on when exactly the potluck had to be held, just sometime in the late fall. And everyone must bring a pumpkin dish —sweet or savory. Our first event last year was at Leslie's old place, but she's since moved off to the 'burbs, which is simply unsuitable for hosting a party for mostly Midtowners.

So I volunteered my house this year! We had a pumpkin-y good time. Of course, Leslie went with an Indian-themed dish (her specialty) of Pumpkin Samosas with Cranberry Chutney and Tamarind Sauce. These were stuffed with pumpkin puree, pepitas, and cranberries, but they were savory and delicious.


Here's Leslie (on the right) and her friend. And a photo-bomb from Jordan & Andy!


We had a nice turnout with lots of new vegan friends! Here's Steven, Greg, Susan & her boyfriend, and Karen.


Karen made an insanely delicious Pumpkin Stuffing. Underneath the crumbly cornbread topping are white beans, cranberries, and savory spices. Lucky for me, she left the leftovers here!


Susan made a Pumpkin Quinoa Risotto, and (not pictured), she brought pomegranate seeds to sprinkle over the top. Really creamy and yummy!


Nico made a fantastic Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, & Apple Roast. Sweet and savory at the same time!


Nico also brought tubs of Lilly's Pumpkin Pie Hummus and (not pictured) Chocolate Hummus! I didn't even know these existed, but now I'm so glad I do! And I'm so glad she left me some too. The pumpkin pie hummus sounds like it'd be sweet, but it's not at all. It's savory and amazing. The chocolate hummus is slightly sweet but still more hummus-y than chocolately. It could go either way — dessert or dinner.


A adorable (new to me) couple that I just met at the potluck (and whose names I cannot remember!) brought over a creamy Pumpkin & Cauliflower Dip. IT WAS SO GOOD! I wish I'd gotten the recipe (and remembered their names!).


Now Greg doesn't know how to play by rules, of course. So he went all rogue and brought Cauliflower Fritters. They definitely look kinda weird, but trust me, they were ridiculously delicious. Like little fried cauliflower & carrot pancakes.


I made the Pumpkin Chili from Thug Kitchen! It's the first thing I've tried since I got the book, and man was it good. There's a whole can of pumpkin puree in the chili, and that makes it extra creamy. I didn't get a good shot of the chili in the Crock Pot, but here's a small bowl on my entree plate. It was loaded with veggies (carrots, peppers, onions) and beans (black, pinto, great northern).


It's not a pumpkin potluck without pumpkin pie, right? Both Nic (making the cool guy face or whatever that is) and Erica (in the rainbow wig and tiara!) brought variations on pumpkin pie!


Erica made THREE traditional Vegan Pumpkin Pies!! She left me half of a pie, so I had the leftovers today topped with Rice Whip. I really enjoyed having some pumpkin pie because my family doesn't have it for Thanksgiving, so most years, I go through all of fall without pumpkin pie. I'm the only one in my family who likes pumpkin. Crazy!


Nic made a Butternut Squash Ice Cream Pie with a Raw Nut Crust. This frozen pie was creamy on the inside with a chewy, nutty pecan crust. So good!


Speaking of raw, Steven made Raw Pumpkin Brownies. He used pureed pumpkin and a pecan crust. These were chewy and creamy and super-healthy!


And finally, every potluck must end with cake, right? Cassi brought Chocolate Pumpkin Coffee Cupcakes with Pumpkin Buttercream. She just got a Kitchen-aid, and she's been going a little baking crazy. And that's good news for us. These were delicious.

Vegan Without Borders Giveaway!

Oh, Robin Robertson! What a cookbook force you are!

One of my first vegan cookbooks, Vegan Planet, was an epic tome by Robin, and it has 400 recipes! And yet, she has still managed to put out book after book after book with hundreds more recipes. Hell, in the past few months, I've received three Robin books to review. I don't know how she does it, but I'm glad she does.

Her latest work, Vegan Without Borders, is a full-color collection of recipes from across the globe. There are chapters on Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Asia. And many of those are broken further down by country — Italy, France, Spain, the U.S., China, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. I can't afford to travel outside of the U.S., but I feel like this book can at least help me pretend. The best part about traveling is the eating part anyway.

So many recipes called my name — chickpea salad-stuffed Fattoush Wraps from the Middle East, Pissaladiere (caramelized onion tart) from France, Baked Eggplant Fries from Greece, Butternut Mac & Cheese from the U.S., Chimichurri-Grilled Vegetables from South America, and Kofta Meatballs from India.

After much deliberation, I finally settled on Africa and Robin's recipe for Vegetable Tagine.


Isn't it beautiful? Tagine is a traditional Moroccan stew made in a clay pot. But this recipe requires no special pot. It's loaded with sweet potatoes, chickpeas, kale, bell pepper, onion, carrot, tomatoes, and (my personal fave) green olives. There's a touch of sweetness from the dried dates and apricots, and there's a ton of flavor, thanks to ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, and cayenne.

I also attempted to make Robin's recipe for Injera, that awesome African spongy bread. It's notoriously difficult to make. The teff flour mixture has to ferment for several days. I'd always been too intimidated to even try making it, but Robin's recipe looked simple enough. Sadly, I believe either my yeast had gone bad or my hot water wasn't hot enough. And my injera was a fail. I don't blame the recipe though. There's some magic to injera-making, and I just didn't have it.

But the tagine came together in a breeze. And Robin's publisher has generously allowed me to reprint her recipe here. But first, a giveaway! Leave a comment at the end of this post letting me know which country's cuisine you favor the most. Be sure and leave an email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll close out the giveaway on Tuesday night (November 11th). Good luck!

Here's the gorgeous picture of Vegetable Tagine and Injera from the book.
Vegetable Tagine
Serves 4 to 6

Fragrant spices and dried fruits are key to this Moroccan stew traditionally made in a pot by the same name. Tagine pots are typically made of clay, often painted or glazed. It has a flat circular base and a large cone-shaped cover that is designed to circulate the condensation. A Dutch oven or other large covered pot may be used instead. Serve the tagine over couscous or rice accompanied by a smal bowl of Harissa Sauce for those who like it spicy hot.

1 tablespoon olive oil or ¼ cup water
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
6 cups chopped kale (thick stems removed and discarded)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups vegetable broth
⅓ cup dried apricots, halved or quartered
3 pitted dates, halved
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
⅓ cup pitted green olives, halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat the oil or water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, sweet potato, bell pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to bring out the flavors. Add the kale, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juice, and broth. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the tagine is cooking, soak the apricots for 30 minutes in hot water. Drain, cut in half, and add to the pot, along with the dates, peas, olives, and lemon zest. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro, then taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

From Robin Robertson's Vegan Without Borders: Easy Everyday Meals from Around the World,
by Robin Robertson/Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC.