Bianca Phillips's Blog, page 191

Vegan Mofo Day 4 — Ladies & Tomatoes

In keeping with my Mofo Pantry Raid theme, tonight I'm sharing a meal idea and a recipe made with things you probably have in your pantry. I know I had all this stuff in mine! But I'm a food hoarder, so ...

The only thing I had to buy for these two dishes was fresh produce, most of it from the Memphis Farmers Market. Market season is almost over for the big downtown market, and even though we have a year-round market in Cooper-Young, the selection of fresh produce over the cold months is just sad. Winter blows. I really ought to live in some tropical place, where the temp never dips below 80. But I digress.

Last weekend, I picked up some fresh lady peas from the market. If you're not familiar, lady peas are kind of like black-eyed peas, but they're tiny and tender and oh-so-delicate, just like a proper lady. I mean, not like me, but I'm no proper lady. More like a white-gloved Victorian lady who gets the vapors and hosts fancy dinner parties with name place-cards. Anyway, they're melt-in-your-mouth soft, and the flavor sings of summer. I made these Lady Peas with Pearled Barley.


I combined my peas with carrots, shallots, onion, garlic, pearled barley, fresh basil and oregano, and veggie broth (all ingredients already lurking in my pantry, herb garden, and veggie drawer). It was so good that I've decided to use the recipe in my next cookbook project.

But I will share this next recipe. On the side, I wanted something summery and fried, so I picked up some green tomatoes. Tomato season is almost over, and I want to consume as many red and green ones as I can before we enter the dreaded season of the lackluster winter tomato. I sliced the tomatoes into thin French fry shapes and made Fried Green Tomato Fries!


These were so good! I used the same recipe I use for my fried green tomato slices, but somehow, they're better in fry shapes. Maybe it's because they're more dippable, and everything tastes better when dipped in ketchup. By the way, the following recipe is a tweaked version of the one you'll find in Cookin' Crunk.


----------------------------------------------------------
Fried Green Tomato Fries
Serves 4

2 large green tomatoes, sliced into French fry shapes
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 cup canola oil, plus more if needed

Cut the tomatoes into thick slices. Sprinkle each slice with salt.

Put the cornstarch in a wide, shallow bowl. Pour the almond milk in another wide, shallow bowl. Put the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and pepper in a third shallow bowl and mix well.

Line a plate with several layers of paper towels.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. The oil should generously coat the bottom of the skillet; if it doesn’t, add more oil as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time. Sprinkle a pinch of flour over the oil to test for hotness. If the oil sizzles, it’s ready.

Dip a slice of tomato in the cornstarch, coating both sides, then dip it in the almond milk. Dredge it in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides evenly. Carefully lower it into the skillet. Repeat until the skillet is full but not overcrowded; the slices shouldn’t touch or overlap. You may have to cook the tomatoes in two batches.

Fry the tomatoes until brown on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Using metal tongs, flip and fry until the other side is brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the lined plate to drain.

Vegan Mofo, Day 3 - Stuff I Ate

My Mofo theme is Pantry Raid, which means I'm trying to base my meals around items I already have in my pantry and freezer for the entire month of September. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop dining out, so you'll still see my usual "stuff I ate" round-ups with meals from Imagine Vegan Cafe and other places (ha, like I eat anywhere else?!).

Also, as a disclaimer, many of the meals you're about to see were eaten before Mofo began since I tend to save these random shots for a couple weeks. Let's just go ahead and get Imagine meals out of the way first because you knew that was coming.

Last Saturday, Dana from Vanishing Veggie was in town shopping for a wedding dress. She lives (and blogs) in Little Rock, and I've seen her the past couple times I've driven down to visit Sheridan. But we'd never had a Memphis meet-up. She and her friends and mom were super-excited to try Imagine. Selfie!


I'd been eating pretty badly for about a week prior to our meeting, so I opted for one of Imagine's healthier veggie-based dishes — Stuffed Bell Peppers with Vegan Beef, Rice, and Vegan Cheese, served with a side of Garlic Toast.


That was a nice healthy change from what I'd eaten at Imagine the Monday prior, when I attended a meet-up for a new vegan social group. It was the first meeting, but they plan to move it around to various vegan-friendly places each month. If you want more info on that group, check out the Meetup page. Anyway, that night, I ordered Imagine's Vegan Chicken and Cheese Nachos. Yum!


And the Sunday before that, I got this giant Waffle with Vegan Sausage at Imagine's brunch.


And I washed it down with a Mimosa! Imagine doesn't serve liquor, but on Sundays, they sell mixers and will spike them for free.


As for breakfasts at home, I've been having lots of smoothies and the occasional plate of Tofu Scramble with Toast and Pepper Jelly.


I eat much healthier at home, I swear. This week, I made two dishes from Paleo Vegan by Ellen Jaffe Jones and Alan Roettinger. Paleo Vegan is an uber-healthy book filled with veggie-based whole food dishes. It's all about balance, folks. Anyway, I made these Black Beans with Red Swiss Chard, a smoky dish accented by chipotle and smoked paprika.


And I made the Quinoa with Leeks and White Truffle Oil from Paleo Vegan too. By the way, I've posted a full review of Paleo Vegan over on the Memphis Flyer Hungry Memphis blog.


I went home this past weekend to visit my parents and let them meet their grand-squirrel Herman. My mom fixed some Boca Burgers with Sriracha Mayo and Pasta Salad with Avocado and Mango. Yum! By the way, my mom makes Boca burgers taste gourmet. For serious. I don't know what she does, but they're so much better when she makes 'em.


Speaking of my parents, my daddy surprised me with another order from Vegan Essentials. He loves to shop for vegan snacks and have them shipped to my office. And now, he's started to order a few things for himself too. He puts them all in one order, and I just give him his part when I see him. This time, he ordered Gone Nuts in Spicy Chipotle, Louisville Jerky Co. Sriracha Maple Jerky, Phoney Baloney Coconut Bacon, Dry Roasted Edamame, Sunbiotics Probiotics Cheesy Almonds, and a spicy Spacebar "meat" stick!


And that's not all! He also ordered Dang Toasted Coconut Chips in regular and sea salt caramel and Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares! The plain Dangs and one of the edamames were for him.


So I've been doing lots of snacking, mostly at my desk at work. Well, that's all for now. By the way, don't forget to check out my giveaway post for John Schlimm's Ultimate Beer Lover's Happy Hour Cookbook!

Ultimate Beer Lover's Happy Hour! Review and Giveaway!

It's Day 2 of Vegan Mofo, and I have my first mofo giveaway, thanks to boozy, cheesy vegan cookbook author John Schlimm's awesome publisher. I'll be giving away John's new book, The Ultimate Beer Lover's Happy Hour: 325 Recipes for Your Favorite Bar Snacks and Beer Cocktails, at the end of this post with a special social media contest. (Hint: You have to make salsa to enter).


But first, I want to post a little review of the book. First of all, I might be a little biased because I already super-love John Schlimm. He's the author of a ton of cookbooks, but most have something to do with one of my two favorites things — boozin' and cheezin'. The Tipsy Vegan and The Cheesy Vegan are among some of my fave kitchen tomes, so I knew this new beer book would not disappoint. Plus, I'm kind of a beer snob. I like a fine beer like some folks like a fine wine. 

Unlike The Tipsy Vegan, where most of the recipes contain booze, The Ultimate Beer Lover's Happy Hour doesn't feature beer in every recipe. Rather, it's a combination of foods you would pair with beer and some recipes for cocktails featuring beer. As for the food section, there's a chapter on bar snacks (think spicy nuts, popcorn, and homemade potato chips), one on small bites (deep-fried veggies, fries, jerky), one on dips and sauces (salsas, hummus, spicy mustard dip), one on pub grub (potato skins, salad with beer dressing, slaws, kabobs, grilled cheeses), and one on pizzas and burgers.

Now, I'm not typically a portabella burger kinda girl. I'd rather have a hearty bean burger or something with tofu or seitan. But I had most everything on-hand to make John's Grilled Portabella Burger, and my Mofo theme is Pantry Raid, so I'm trying to eat meals that I don't need to buy much to make. Plus, this mushroom burger just sounded fantastic.


And it was! The mushroom cap is marinated in all sorts of stuff (oil, balsamic vinegar, Old Bay, vermouth, minced jalepenos, garlic and onion powder, etc.) and then it's grilled. You also grill fresh chile peppers. The recipe called for Anaheim chiles, but I had hot banana peppers in my garden. And in keeping with my Pantry Raid theme, it made the most sense to sub out. There's a tarragon vegan mayo spread that I made using my stash of Vegenaise (courtesy of Follow Your Heart for review!). Plus, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. And it's all stacked in between an Ezekiel sprouted grain bun. Yummy!

For my side, I scoped out my pantry and fridge and found a half-tub of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese that needed to be used. That made the perfect base for these Bar Top Poppers.


The cream cheese is mixed with minced red onion and chipotle to create a smoky, spicy stuffing for fresh jalapenos. Then it's baked and topped with walnuts (had some in my pantry!) and pimiento peppers (had to purchase those). These were a healthier change from the old battered and deep-fried cream cheese-stuffed poppers I used to eat in my pregan days.

One of my favorite things about John's book is that he offers three beer pairings for each recipe. The only style of beer that these two had in common for pairings was American Wheat Ale, which is basically the American twist on a German hefeweizen with less banana and clove and more citrus accents. I asked Midtown's best beer guy Taylor at the Cash Saver which American Wheat he'd suggest, and he picked the Sweetwater Waterkeeper Hefeweizen (Atlanta beer, represent!). I'm not typically the biggest hefeweizen fan, but this paired PERFECTLY! Because both dishes contained hot peppers, it was a fiery dinner, and the light, citrusy hefeweizen offered a nice relief.


John's book also includes a ton of recipes for beer cocktails (Dive Bar Mimosa, Buzzy Navel, Brewdriver, etc.), beer chuggers (beer with shots ... think Irish Car Bomb but way more inventive), and beer party punches. I figured it wouldn't be fair to review the book and not try a drink, right? So I chose one that I already had the ingredients for — The Big O.


Okay, well, I had almost everything for this. The one thing that's missing is the orange slice garnish, and that would have made this green beer look more like it tasted. Despite its green hue, the drink tasted like fresh oranges, thanks to curacao (mine was blue!), fresh OJ, and citrusy hefeweizen. This was a refreshing summer cocktail, and it really took the hefeweizen to the next level.

Now for that giveaway: John's publisher is hosting a social media contest and blog tour, and Vegan Crunk has been selected as one of the stops on the tour. One Crunk reader will receive a free copy, but unlike my usual "just leave a comment" giveaway, this one requires a little more work.

Here's how it works: I've listed John's Party Salsa Bar recipes from his book below. Pick one, make it, take a photo, and then post it to the social media outlet of your choice (Instagram or Twitter) and tag the pic using the hashtag, #BeerLoversHH and tag me @biancaphillips. I'll select one winner from those tagged. You have until Saturday night to post, so get to makin' some salsa!

-------------------------------------------------------------
The Party Salsa Bar
From The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour
All you really need for tailgating season, or your next get-together, is a tableful of these five salsas, some homemade tortilla chips, and a giant cooler filled to the top with brewskies.

Tomato & Hot Pepper Salsa
The basic, everyday tomato salsa gets a flavor boost here from jalapeños and and chile peppers,
Sriracha, cilantro, oregano, and toasted cumin seeds. With all that going on, it’s best to pair this fiery
salsa with a very cold go-to Pale Lager, American Wheat Ale, or Amber Lager. Pair with: Pale Lager, American Wheat Ale, Amber Lager

1 to 1 2/3 pounds (2 to 3 medium-size) fresh tomatoes, finely diced
1⁄2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced
1 serrano chile peppers, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced, or more to taste
Freshly squeezed juiced of 1 lime

Combine all the ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings according to personal
preference. Let the mixture sit for 1 hour before serving.


Black Bean & Corn Salsa
Earthy, sweet, and with a little sizzle, this black bean and corn salsa with bell peppers, red onion, and
jalapeño is as eye-catching as it is full-on yummy. Add to that a pairing of Amber Lager, Maibock, or – to be really adventurous – Rauchbier, and you’ve got yourself a tasty conversation piece that will keep the party going all night long! Pair with: Amber Lager, Maibock, Rauchbier

2 (16-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (12-ounce) can white corn, drained and rinsed, or 1 (14-ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3⁄4 cup finely diced red, yellow, and/or green bell peppers

Combine the black beans, corn, cilantro, peppers, onion, tomatoes, and jalapeño in a large bowl, mixing well. Drizzle the oil and lime juice over top, then add the salt and garlic powder. Stir. Refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours to overnight.


Fruit Salad Salsa
The beauty of this chunky fruit salad salsa is that it can be a totally new dish every time you make it if you mix up the fruit you use or choose fruit that is in season and available at your local farmers market or roadside stand. The fruity sweetness is balanced with a fresh jalapeno and green onions, and topped off with a complementary Fruit Beer, Kölsch, or American Wheat Ale. Pair with: Fruit Beer, Kölsch , American Wheat Ale

2 to 3 cups fruit mixture of your choice, such as mango, peach, pineapple, clementine, orange, nectarine, strawberries, or papaya, chopped into 1⁄2 - inch pieces
1⁄2 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only, finely chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to use (the sooner, the better).

Yields about 2 1⁄2 cups

Vegan Mofo! Vida Vegan Con 3! And a Baby Squirrel!

If I didn't have you at mofo or VVC, I bet I had you at "baby squirrel." And there will be a baby squirrel in this post, but you'll have to wait for a few announcements.


1. It's Vegan Mofo 2014, y'all!
It's hard to believe that the Vegan Month of Food (MOFO) is here again. Didn't we just do that? Time really flies when you're gettin' old. But in case you're new to the vegan blogosphere, Mofo is the month when every vegan blogger comes out of the woodworks and vows to blog more often and typically with a fun theme for the month. Some of us, like myself, have been blogging all year, and Mofo is just business as usual.

But some of my favorite bloggers only get super-serious about blogging around this time, so I love catching up on what they've been doing all year. You can find round-ups everyday on the Vegan Mofo website.

And after years and years of participating in Mofo without a theme, I've finally decided to commit to one this year. My theme is Pantry Raid! (Get it, like "panty raid" but with "pantry." Ahem.) My pantry (and freezer) are out of control again because I'm a food hoarder who can't turn down a Kroger Manager's Special. So every dish I make at home this month will be centered around ingredients I already have. I'm allowed to buy fresh produce and the occasional supplemental ingredients, but the base of the recipe must come from things I already have.

2. I'm speaking at Vida Vegan Con 3!
I'm super thrilled and honored to have been chosen to speak at VVC again this year. Somehow, I've been lucky enough to speak at the past two cons, and I figured they'd be sick of me by now. But nope! I guess not! Yay! I was gonna go anyway because I wouldn't miss it for the world, but I'm so excited to be speaking.


I'll be leading a talk (or maybe a panel?) on the Ethics of Vegan Dining and Boozing. We'll be discussing how we each handle sticky situations in non-vegan restaurants. Do you ask lots of questions? Are you more concerned about being an easy-going vegan and not asking questions? Do you worry about whether or not your wine is vegan? Do you tell someone at the table when they accidentally order something not vegan?

The conference is in Austin from May 29th-31st. And I'm super excited that my BFF Sheridan and her partner Drew are coming this year! Vegan breakfast tacos, here we come! If you need tickets for VVC, go here. 

3. And now the moment you've all been waiting for.


That, my friends, is Baby Herman. A few weeks ago, Paul let the dogs out in the backyard and heard a loud screaming sound. He went outside and Maynard, our pittie, was playing with a tiny baby squirrel and most likely about to make that baby a snack. The baby was screaming for help! Paul scooped him up and took him inside. We never saw a nest or a mama squirrel, so we took the little guy in. I googled "how to take care of an orphaned baby squirrel" and got some good tips. He loves puppy formula. Here he is in the first week or so. Look how tiny and wrinkly!


It's been about 4 weeks now. Herman's eyes are open, and he's getting way more active. He's such a crazy little guy! This morning, he discovered that my pants are basically the same as trees.


We plan to release him when the time is right (websites say between 12-16 weeks), but for now, he's still on formula. Hoping to introduce solids this week since he just got in his baby teeth! I'll certainly keep y'all posted.

Vegan Lunch at Quan Am Monastery

This morning, Cassi and I went to a Buddhist monastery for chanting and meditation, followed by a lovely vegan lunch. About a week ago, I got an email from the monastery asking if I'd like to check out their service. They're trying to increase their outreach to "Westerners" since most attendees are Vietnamese. Cassi is very interested in learning more about Buddhism, and I'm super into Quan Yin (or Quan Am as she's called in Vietnamese). Plus, I just love experiencing other cultures and religions.

I'd visited the monastery back in 2012 for a bake sale fundraiser they had, but on that visit, I didn't have a chance to go inside the temple or experience a service.

When you arrive at Quan Am Monastery, you're greeted by a larger-than-life statue of Quan Am, the bodhisattva of compassion. She's my favorite goddess, and standing in front of this statue was a very special experience for me.


There are guardian foo dogs all over the grounds. By the way, I accidentally had my iPhone camera filter on black-and-white for these two pics, but I kinda like 'em like that.


Most monks, nuns, and members at Quan Am are Vietnamese speakers, but when we arrived, we were greeted by Mason, a pierced and tattooed Westerner who lives on the grounds and tends to the gardens. He took us on a little tour and introduced us to the dogs (and puppies!!) who live at the monastery. Then we took our shoes off and headed inside for the Sunday chanting service. It was all in Vietnamese, so we didn't understand a word. We just bowed and stood and kneeled when everyone else did. I wish I could have taken pictures inside the temple, but I wasn't sure if that was allowed. There was a massive gold Buddha statue with LED lights radiating from his head. It was magical.

After the service each week, they serve a free vegetarian lunch. And it was all vegan! We started with this fantastic Vegetable Rice Noodle Soup. There were mushroom, carrots, turnips, and wheat gluten meat in the soup and fresh basil and sprouts on top.


After we finished our soup, we were given Che Bap for dessert. Yes, corn for dessert!


This is a Vietnamese sweet corn pudding made with tapioca, sugar, and coconut cream. It's not overly sweet, but it has just enough sweetness to qualify as dessert. The tapioca makes it pudding-like, and coconut cream on top is buttery and rich.

We finished out our meal with cups of some of the best green tea I've ever tasted.


Wai, the Western member who sent me the initial email invite, took us on another tour of the grounds, taking us around the back side of the building to the stuff we missed before. We saw the doves who live on the grounds pecking in the grass in front of a reclining Buddha statue.


And she took us to see the on-site gardens. They grow all sorts of veggies, but we were super-impressed by all this watercress!


And this was one of my favorite Buddha statues because it not only depicts human followers but animal ones too. Look at the deer coming to see the Buddha.


Locals (and Memphis visitors), the Sunday service (and lunch!) is open to all. Here are the details:

WHAT:  OPEN SERVICE on SUNDAY MORNINGS, with Chanting and Meditation (WEEKLY)
LANGUAGE:  In Vietnamese.  Service led by:  Ven. Nguyen Tanh, Buddhist Monk
WHEN:  11am,  Every Sunday, Weekly
WHERE:  in the TEMPLE (the Big Yellow Building facing Goodlett Rd.)
DONATION:  Love Offering Basis

If you'd rather experience something in English, check out the Friday night meditation and dharma talk.

WHAT:  WEEKLY MEDITATION & DHARMA TALK
LANGUAGE:  in English  (and some of the Prayers have Sanskrit Language)
WHO:  Meditation and Dharma Talks led by:  Ven. Nguyen Tanh, Buddhist Monk
WHEN:  6:00 p.m. - 7:00p.m. Every Friday Evening (Starting June 27th)
WHERE:  in the TEMPLE (the Big Yellow Building facing Goodlett Rd.)
DONATION:  Love Offering Basis

The Quan Am Monastery is located at 3500 Goodlett Road. Here's their website.

Kiss Me, I'm Green!

My first taste of matcha powder came as most Americans' probably did — in a Starbucks Green Tea Soy Latte. God, those things are good. Of course, they squirt lots of flavored syrup in them, and they're loaded with calories. But a Starbucks tea latte is a nice treat every once in awhile.

When I decided I wanted to start making matcha at home a few years ago (to save on those calories), I couldn't find matcha powder anywhere in Memphis! Not even at Whole Foods (our WF may carry it now but not back then). I finally stumbled on a bag at an Asian market way, way out in the 'burbs. It was a big bag, but that was okay. I needed it to make Isa and Terry's Green Tea Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Anyway, the remnants of that bag have been lurking in my pantry ever since. I'd say for at least four years.

And then Kiss Me Organics offered to send me a free bag of their Matcha Powder to review here. I was blown away by how fresh this powder is! Maybe I just haven't had matcha that hasn't been lurking in a pantry in awhile, but damn. The first thing I did was google "matcha smoothies" and this recipe from Gena's Choosing Raw blog popped up. This is a Vanilla Avocado Matcha Smoothie.


It's (mostly) fruit-free, which is nice sometimes when you're tired of banana in every smoothie. It just had avocado, matcha, and vanilla protein powder. I added some dates and agave because it wasn't sweet enough for me. The avocado made the smoothie thick and creamy, and the lack of lots of sweetener meant I could really taste the matcha.

Of course, I had to try a homemade Green Tea Latte.


I may or may not have covered this in rice whip after this shot was taken. But still yet, it's far less caloric than Starbucks with only 60 calories per cup! And it simply contains matcha powder, almond milk, water, and bee-free honee. I used a simple formula from the Kiss Me Organics recipe book, a PDF file that they send every customer.

By the way, that book is filled with all sorts of crazy ways to use matcha – everything from cocktails to French toast to pizza dough to tiramisu. I wish I'd had time to make something more exciting, but for some reason, I just wanted to drink my matcha. I also tried a smoothie recipe from the Kiss Me Organics ebook — Berry Good Morning Smoothie.


This had orange juice, strawberries, blueberries, banana, and matcha. And then I added a scoop of Vega One berry protein powder to make it a complete meal. This was my breakfast this morning, and it was so good. I love the combo of berries and OJ. And the matcha gave it a special wake-me-up kick.

Kiss Me Organics is offering a 15 percent discount on purchases of their matcha powder on Amazon through September 30th. Enter the code "3HTOZAIU" on either the American or Canadian Amazon site to save! And they'll also send you that awesome recipe guide.

I Heart Pearl Couscous

Would you believe that I tried pearl (or Israeli) couscous for the first time this year? Yep, true story. I've long known about these fat little pasta balls, but for some reason, I just never cook with couscous. I'm not sure why. I've long loved couscous, and when I first learned about the bigger pearl version after going vegan, I remember thinking that I'd like that.

But it wasn't until last month, when I was visiting Nashville and had the Israeli Couscous Salad at the Wild Cow Vegetarian Restaurant that I finally tried it! And guess what? My instincts were right. Loved it! The little balls are more chewy than the fine-ground traditional couscous. I needed more! Lucky for me, Pereg Gourmet Natural Foods included a package of their dried Pearl Couscous in a box of sample items they shipped for me to try.

I could have come up with my own recipe, but since it was my second time ever eating it, I figured I'd stick to the pros. I remembered seeing an Israeli couscous recipe in the Veganomicon long ago, probably around the time I first got the book. We're talking 2007 here, people! In fact, reading that recipe title in the Veganomicon may have been the first time I'd ever heard of Israeli couscous.

Anyway, I found that recipe again, and I whipped it up with the Pereg Pearl Couscous. Here's my Israeli Couscous with Apricots and Pistachios.


It may just look like grains with some mint and nuts. But don't let the natural couscous color of the dish fool you. This recipe is loaded with spices — cinnamon stick, cumin, cardamom — that complement the sweet, chopped apricots and salty, nutty pistachios. And it's all topped with fresh organic mint. Ah, such simplicity can be so delicious.

As for the Pereg Pearl Couscous, it was perfectly chewy and soft at the same time. And it cooked up quickly, which was a nice change from slow-cooking brown rice.

Vegan Drinks Pizza Party!

Warning: This post contains graphic images of pizza and booze. 

Tonight was Vegan Drinks night again! In honor of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie (which I still haven't seen yet), I figured we should have a pizza party, so I scheduled us for Mellow Mushroom. Memphis has a number of places offering vegan cheese pizza, but Mellow Mushroom is the only one with a full bar. And they have plenty of room for crowds.

Most of us started with beers, because, well, pizza just isn't pizza without a cold beer. I started with Sweetwater 420 Pale Ale (on the right) and Greg got a Curious Traveler Shandy (on the left). I took one drink of his lemony summer beer and decided that's what I'd be ordering next.


Of course, Autumn got a frilly cocktail, like she always does. This was the Elderflower Palmer (Maker's Mark bourbon, St. Germain, elderflower liqueur, sour mix, and a splash of tea).


Pam got girly with a margarita.


And then Greg and Stephanie had to have margaritas too. They opted for the Fiery Margaritas, served with a slice of jalapeno. The margs at Mellow Mushroom contain honey, and Greg never reads anything, so he accidentally got honey in his, but he drank it anyway. Stephanie, however, ordered hers with agave in place of honey, and she raved on and on about how good it was.


Susan ordered a Hendricks Refresher (Hendricks gin, cucumber, basil, agave sour, and maybe something else, but the notes I took in my phone didn't make sense).


Autumn went in for seconds with a Frozen Margarita. As you can see, she really liked it. And there's Stephanie in the background, all photobomb-vogue-ing for the camera.


We had a nice turnout this month. Here's an action table shot.


A couple people ordered salads and sandwiches, but sadly, I failed to photograph those meals. I did, however, take way too many pictures of pizza. I went with the Thai Dye Curry Pizza with curry tofu, cucumbers, tomato, basil, Daiya vegan cheese, and an olive oil/garlic base. I had the Thai chili sauce that typically comes drizzled over the pizza served on the side so my leftovers wouldn't get soggy. That's why you only see sauce on one slice.


I had planned to eat the whole 10-inch pie tonight, but I only made it through two slices. Pizza and beer are filling.


Pam went with the Holy Shiitake Pie with shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, portabellas, caramelized onions, Daiya vegan cheese, and an olive oil/garlic base.


Greg opted for the Mega Veggie with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, black olives, Roma tomatoes, broccoli, banana peppers, artichoke hearts, tofu, Daiya vegan cheese, and a red sauce base.


Stephanie was feeding her whole family, so she got a large pie. I'm not sure what all was on this, but definitely Daiya vegan cheese. Peter doesn't look too happy about pizza for some reason.


Mellow Mushroom has Tuesday night trivia, and just as we were wrapping up our meals, the trivia guy came by and asked if we wanted to play. Sure! Our team name was awesome — Better Late Than Pregnant. Ha! I'm horrible at trivia, and I was busy running my mouth and being chatty, so I didn't end up participating. But Ken, Susan, Nathan, and Pam were great at it. And guess what? They won! They got a $30 gift certificate!

We All Scream for Ice Cream Sundaes! And Hot Nails!

I'm starting a new tradition — Friday night ice cream sundae night.


Yep, that was my dinner on Friday. No real food. Just vegan ice cream topped with candy, cookie bits, fudge, rice whip, and a cherry on top. Hey, I'm a grown-up. I can do whatever I want.

What's even better is I didn't have to leave home to go buy all this stuff. Everything in this sundae was included in the Vegan Cuts Ice Cream Sundae Kit. Earlier this month, I saw this in an email newsletter from Vegan Cuts, and I just had to have it.


For $24.95, I got all this — coupon for Free Coconut Bliss ice cream, Rice Whip, No No's (candy-coated, chocolate-covered marshmallows), Lush Coffee Peanuts, Goody Good Stuff gummy colas, Home Free gluten-free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, Love Bean Superfood Coconut Fudge, and Cherry Man Maraschino Cherries!

God, I love Vegan Cuts! I had the pleasure of meeting (and karaoke-ing with) Jill and John at the first Vida Vegan Con in 2011, and that was the first I'd heard of the vegan discount website. Basically, it's like Groupon for vegans. They offer sweet deals on hard-to-find vegan products. But in the past couple years, the box side of their business has really taken off! They have snack boxes and beauty boxes and vegan family kits and ice cream sundae kits and all manner of fun vegan items curated into boxed gift sets.

I also ordered the Vegan Cuts Nail Box . I grabbed one for me and one for my friend Sheridan for her birthday.


For $24.95, I got Arrowhead Nail Wraps by So Gloss!, Black Sheep Lacquer in Cloudy Skies (turquoise), Adorn polish in Vive Le Coquette (a rosy color), Elysian Nail Lacquer in Queen of the Amazons (orange) and Night with No Moon (blue), and Lip Glosserie Cuticle Balm in Champagne Sugar. Oh, and a Vegan Cuts nail file and a La Fresh Acetone-Free Nail Wipe that smelled like blood oranges!!!!

I've not had a chance to try everything yet. But I immediately tried out the Elysian Night with No Moon polish.


And then, just last night, I applied the nail wraps. It was my first experience with wraps, but they're fun! And I have a feeling these will last longer than polish usually does.


Both kits are still available from Vegan Cuts, by the way. Here's the link for the ice cream kit and here's the link for the nail kit. You too can have ice cream for dinner! And hot nails!

3rd Annual Memphis Plant-Based Food Fest!!!

Hey y'all! This past weekend was the third annual Memphis Plant-Based Food Fest! This year, it was held in Audubon Park and it stretched over two days (Saturday and Sunday). But I only went Saturday because I didn't have time today. On Saturday, I lead a cooking demo in the morning. I made the Cheesy Tofu Scramble and the Sweet Potato Hash from Cookin' Crunk.



And Ms. Cassi lead her first cooking demo!!! She was so worked up about it before, but it went very smoothly. She did awesome. She made this Avocado Kale Salad that went over great with the crowd, and she got a chance to talk about her plans for Memphis' next vegan restaurant, The Pink Noodle.


One of the highlights of the fest for me actually happened after all of my friends had left! It was 100 degrees outside, so, one by one, my friends snuck away. But I wanted to stay for Melanie Lacey's demo. She's a Little Rock vegan who came down for the fest, and she makes legendary Raw Carrot "Tuna" Salad using the carrot pulp left over from juicing. She sells the spice mix she uses, and she had some for sale there. I watched her make carrot salad and went up for seconds on my samples. And then I just had to buy some spice mix! Here's Melanie with the demo tent/speaker organizer Katherine.


People come to vegan food fests to eat, right? Well, there was no shortage of delicious vegan food. Unlike some fests I've been to where major vegan companies come from all over the country to pass out samples, our fest is more about local vegan food vendors and artisans. So of course Imagine Vegan Cafe had a booth there. Here are Imagine's owners Kristie and Adam.


They were selling vegan hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, and most importantly, VEGAN PIZZA BY THE SLICE!!! I scooped up this slice of Vegan Sausage Pizza before it was all gone.


And they had a ton of desserts for sale, all baked by my friend Stephanie.


I opted for a Cinnamon Roll because those are my favorite thing she makes. And since I arrived early, I got first pick of an ooey-gooey center piece.


Later on, Nigel, who cooks at Imagine by day but also hosts random vegan food events around town, set up his own booth with lots of fresh, hot meals. Cassi ordered his Sesame Ginger Seitan with Brown Rice. I took one bite and had to get some to take home for dinner. Nigel makes the best homemade seitan. I failed to get a close-up of the dish, but here is Cassi eating it.


Besides food vendors, there were also booths peddling homemade jewelry, incense, supplements, herbs, watermelon juice, and more. My friends Thrasher and Emily were there selling Thrasher's homemade copper bracelets. Even though there were shade trees for the vendors to set up under, Thrasher chose this sunny spot because he needed to "charge his crystals." Yep, these are the kind of weirdo friends I have!


My herbalist friend Monica was there too, selling her homemade teas, tinctures, and syrups at her Little Red Oak Herbs booth.


I bought some of her Nourish Tea made with raspberry leaf, oat straw, nettles, rose hips, and rose petals. I don't really drink much hot tea, but I've started making awesome iced tea and tisanes using dried herbs.


Since it was sooooo hot outside, by the end of the day, I was in serious need of hydration. Thankfully, the Deez Coconuts booth was selling Young Thai Coconut Water.


As usual, the fest was a great time. Thanks to Bastet and Katherine for organizing the whole thing again this year!! Those ladies rock. There were so many more great demos, speakers, and events that I just couldn't catch — yoga demos, meditation, juicing demos, Monica's herbology talk, Kristie from Imagine's food demo. But hopefully, I'll be able to see more next year!