Bianca Phillips's Blog, page 21

Cuban Platter, Miso Noodles, and Pumpkin Everything!

We had a house guest on Saturday night, and we took him out for brunch at the Liquor Store on Broad (not an actual liquor store but a diner in an old liquor store) before he left town. I'm still doing the Fiber Fueled 4-week plan from Dr. Will B's book. But I'm not being super strict about it. So eating out is fine! And I opted for the healthiest thing — the Cuban Platter! This has black beans, rice, sauteed veggies, and fried plantains, and I ordered a scoop of avocado as well. This has long been my favorite thing at the Liquor Store, and it's been awhile since I've ordered it. 

Here's a tasty plate of Miso Mushroom Noodles from The Fiber Fueled 4 weeks that I had for dinner on Saturday. The noodles are buckwheat soba, and they have a miso sauce. Plus, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, edamame, red cabbage, and tofu. So good! Especially with a carafe of sake on the side.

It's not exactly pumpkin season yet, but there are a few pumpkin recipes in Fiber Fueled, so I made them. One was a Pumpkin Pie Smoothie made with pumpkin puree, banana, maple, and — the best part — canned coconut milk. I added protein powder as well because it was for post-run. I'm realizing now that this looks like cheese dip. 

And here's some Pumpkin Hummus from the book, with my homemade Sourdough Cheese-its (those are from Dr. B's second book, The Fiber Fueled Cookbook, and they're now a staple in our house!). 

Lentil Tacos, Red Curry, and Muhammara Snax

Okay, it's now day 10 of the Fiber Fueled 4 weeks (from Dr. Will B's Fiber Fueled book), and Paul has officially fallen off the wagon and has no desire to get back on. He's back to living on cheese pizza and lasagna and chips, and that's his choice. He just really doesn't like vegetables, and that's on him. That said, I'm carrying on! Even though I already ate a ton of fiber and probably didn't need a fiber-fueled refresh, I am loving these recipes! And I'm not being super-strict or anything, so I can still have plant meat or vegan cheese if I want.

Here are a few meals from the book I've enjoyed lately. This Red Lentil Curry with my homemade sourdough was so tasty. It's definitely more of a fall/winter dish, but I can eat this way all year.

On Tuesday, I made the Lentil-Walnut Tacos, which I had on whole wheat tortillas with cilantro sauce from the book. Really yummy! I rarely make sauces like this, and I don't know why. It really takes food to the next level. I also added my homemade kraut because it's seasoned with cumin, which goes well with tacos.

On Wednesday, I had the same taco filling in a baked sweet potato, topped with lots of lettuce, tomato, olives, and cilantro sauce. 

And here's a quick pre-workout snack. I had some of the Muhammara Dip (made with roasted red peppers and walnuts) from the book on sourdough with Roasted Roots (also from the book, with roasted potatoes, parsnips, and radishes). 

Mushroom Risotto, Pancakes, and Bibimbap!

I'm on day 9 of the Fiber Fueled 4 weeks but rather than recap the day's eats, I'll just share a few images of things I've been eating (because day to day, there are a lot of leftovers). Last Friday night, I made Mushroom Risotto from the book. This was my first time making risotto in the traditional way (rather than a cheat version, which is what I usually do), and it took FOREVER. But it was super-tasty, and Paul liked this one. I had sauteed Swiss chard on the side.

Backing up to earlier in the day on Friday: I spent the day at Crosstown Arts training my replacement for the job I left back in February, so that meant I needed to grab a quick lunch inside Crosstown Concourse. Global Cafe has a new Korean menu, so I got their Tofu Bibimbap with no egg, and it was delicious!

On Sunday, we had Sourdough Pancakes from the Fiber Fueled Cookbook (not on the Fiber Fueled 4 weeks plan). I had some frozen pancakes that were left over from a few weeks ago, and though there is a recipe for pancakes in the 4 weeks, it was easier to reheat these. I made a chia blueberry compote for mine, and Paul covered his liberally in Earth Balance and syrup. Of course.

Fiber Fueled Breakfast and Noodles!

We're on day 8 of the Fiber Fueled 4 weeks, from the meal plan in Dr. Will B's first book, Fiber Fueled. It's going great for me, but Paul is still eating cheese pizza, chips, and other foods not on the plan. That said, he's also eating some of the meals from the plan. I'm just going to have to be okay with his progress. You can lead the horse to water, right?

One day last week, I had this Superfood Smoothie Bowl from the book with a base of banana, strawberry kiwi, hemp seed, and peanut butter and topped with almond butter, fresh berries, and more hemp seeds. I loved all that nut butter!

Here's another week day breakfast from last week — Chia Coconut Pineapple Pudding with dates, lots of chia seeds, and chopped pineapple and mango. Light and refreshing on a hot morning!

And here's a really delicious meal (my fave so far!) of Nourishing Tomato Noodle Soup made with rice noodles and tofu in a tomato-ginger broth. A really tasty spin on traditional ramen. I would have never thought to make a broth like this with tomatoes, but it was perfection. 

Potluck Fun!

Paul and I are on day four of the Fiber Fueled 4 Weeks, and it's going great for me. Paul is still snacking on non-vegan junk, but he's working in the healthier meals so "progress, not perfection," right? Yesterday, we ate leftovers from the prior three days, so I wanted to back-track today and share some food pics from a recent birthday potluck at my friend Jenny's house.

First of all, I'm thrilled that potlucks are back! Now if we can just get buffets back (specifically, my favorite tofu buffet at Pho Binh, which has been gone since the pandemic started). For this party, I made Vegetable Ceviche from the Fiber Fueled Cookbook (not the same as the book we're using for our current meal plan; that's the original Fiber Fueled book, but same author).

This secret ingredient in the ceviche is hominy! I LOVE hominy and always forget about it. So it was fun to use both golden and white hominy in this tasty salad, which was awesome served with tortilla chips.

Here's my savory plate. My friend Caitlin brought flatbread with za'atar (SO GOOD), and someone else brought a tasty Indian-spiced eggplant dish. Plus, there was guac!

Amy brought the BEST vegan peach tart. I don't know what all was in this, but it was fantastic. That crust was everything!

Lammas Feast!

Okay, I know I JUST posted about starting a meal plan for August yesterday, and we are sticking to it as much as we can. But Aug. 2 is the pagan celebration of Lammas (or Lughnasadh), so I made a little feast from the Sabbats Almanac last night. But it was still very whole foods-y! The Sabbats Almanac isn't vegan, and for most sabbats, I have to veganize the recipes. But for this one, the recipes were mostly vegan! That's because Lammas is a celebration of the harvest, and summer produce is everywhere.

I made Grateful Grain Burgers with black beans, quinoa, brown rice, carrots, and coconut butter (an interesting twist!), and they were awesome. The recipe called for buckwheat and wheat berries as well, but I could find neither in the Sprouts bulk bins. And I didn't want to buy whole bags of those because the recipe only called for a small amount. I topped mine with Tofutti American slices (a blast from the past, thanks to some free samples from my pal Gerry at Tofutti!), tomato, onion, and lentil sprouts.

The Fiber Fueled 4 Weeks plan Paul and I are doing for August is low-FODMAP because it's designed to help people with gut issues (like Paul has). So week one on that plan is onion- and garlic-free, but I'm not trying to stick to low-FODMAP since I don't have gut issues, so raw onions for me, baby!

On the side, I made the Summer Veggie Medley with zucchini, squash, bell pepper, and lemon. This also called for honey, but I just left that out and didn't sub anything because sweet veggies sounded weird. I also sauteed some fresh chard from my neighbor Dennis, who gifted me some from his garden yesterday.

Dessert (also from the Sabbats Almanac book) was Grilled Peaches, which I served with Cocowhip. The peaches were marinated in lemon, maple, and ginger, and they were AMAZING.

And finally, you've gotta have beer on Lammas! Because grains! I enjoyed this Beale Street Brewing Co. Hush Mane Peach Lemonade Ale because it's very summer-y.

Fiber Fueled 4 Weeks!

Y'all know I love Dr. Will B and his new Fiber Fueled Cookbook. But before I read that (a few months ago), I read the original Fiber Fueled book (last year). I actually got the book because Paul was having serious GI issues, and I was hoping to learn how to fix before it got too bad. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, and Paul had surgery last year for perforated diverticulitis. But I knew, once he was well, we'd eventually try the Fiber Fueled four-week meal plan. We finally decided to do it for the month of August.

We started the plan yesterday. I'm not following it as is, but rather writing my own plan using Dr. Will B's recipes (and adding in a few other whole food, plant-based snacks). I'm also going to be having some meals in restaurants along the way, not being super strict. And Paul can't seem to give up dairy, so he'll still have some cheese and ranch dressing.

Day one started with Super Seedy Porridge with oats, hemp, chia, almond butter, vanilla, maple, and berries.

Plus, some Lemon-Ginger Tea after breakfast! Dr. Will B is big on digestive teas.

My morning snack wasn't on the plan, but I had some Miyoko's Smoked Farmhouse Cheddar with Apples. I bought some Miyoko's cheese about a week ago and need to finish it up!

Lunch was The Daily Salad with broccoli sprouts, chickpeas, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, tofu, pickled beets, and (not on the plan) Kelly's croutons (cause they are life). I also had some homemade sourdough on the side. Dr. B is all about the sourdough!

Before hitting the gym, I had two Coconut Oat Balls with peanut butter and dark chocolate. These were FIRE!

And dinner was Curry Tofu Bok Choy with brown rice. This was a tasty Thai-style coconut curry, and I could literally drink the sauce. Glad I have leftovers!

I'll be posting our meals throughout the week, but I also have some older food images that need to be posted. So I'll intersperse those in as well! Looking forward to these next four weeks!

Sheridan's Birthday Fun!

My BFF Sheridan's birthday is August 8, so she and her husband Drew came to Memphis over the weekend to celebrate. They arrived on Friday in time for lunch (they live in Little Rock, about two hours away), and we'd already placed a pre-order for vegan meals from Shroomlicious (an awesome vegan ghost kitchen pop-up!). Shroomlicious doesn't have a place to eat, so we took our food to Grind City Brewing to enjoy with beers. Here's Sheridan and Drew.

Here I am with my sandwich!

I had the Philly Cheesesteak with mushrooms, onions, and vegan cheese. So good!

I thought I wanted to eat lightly because I knew we had fun dinner plans too. And I didn't want to get super full at lunch. But turns out I was still hungry after just a sandwich (should have gotten fries). Luckily, they shared some of their tasty Vegan Eel Wings with me. These were made with fried oyster mushrooms, and they were perfect!

After lunch, we explored the Crystal Shrine Grotto (an awesome crystal cave at Memorial Park Cemetery), and then we went to Soul and Spirits Brewing to drink more beer and play darts. 

Paul joined us when he got off work!

We had dinner plans at Good Fortune Co., but Paul was tired from work, so he went home after the brewery while we went on to dinner. Good Fortune has, hands down, the best vegan food in Memphis!

I ordered some Charred Edamame as an appetizer. This stuff is amazing. It's served with chili salt for dipping, and I can never get enough.

For my entree, I ordered the Coco Curry Ramen with extra tofu. They have three vegan ramen bowls (all with handmade noodles), and I've now tried all three. I think this one is my fave so far. I loved that curry broth!

To drink, I had Sake Masu, which is served in a wooden box. There's a whole ritual around it that's pretty cool.

We ended the night with pinball at Flip Side. And then the next day, we got up super early to grab breakfast at Brother Juniper's before they had to leave.

We all ordered the Spicy Tofu, which is served atop home fries (with more on the side) and is loaded with jalapenos! Nice and spicy!

I love my best friend! We only see each other a few times a year, and we always have so much fun!

A Love Letter to Bread

Dear bread,

You're the best. I want to eat you every day. And I pretty much do, because I have to bake every week with my sourdough starter. Let's never break up, okay? Sorry you have to deal with gluten-haters. I'll never turn my back on you.

Your biggest fan,
Bianca

This is yet another post dedicated to bread. If you don't eat gluten, I'm sorry. But I eat a lot of it because I'm always baking bread these days. Here's some very tasty Eggy Avocado Toast from The Fiber-Fueled Cookbook. Homemade sourdough, eggy tofu, everything bagel seasoning, and homemade pink kraut.

I tried two sandwiches with sourdough from Plant You. The Tempeh TLT has smoky tempeh bacon with hints of cumin. A really solid tempeh bacon recipe! Plus, cashew mayo!

And the Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich from Plant You was equally tasty. Rather than a typical mayo-based chickpea salad, this one has a tahini sauce and lots of onions, plus my homegrown broccoli sprouts.

And here's a tasty breakfast from The Fiber-Fueled Cookbook — Veggie Scramble with Sourdough. The veggie scramble is really a tofu scram with local zucchini and spinach. Dr. B recommends eating this with sourdough, and he didn't have to tell me twice. I had some homemade kraut on the side.

Banana Blossom "Fish"

A few months ago, I got a bunch of free product coupons from vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke's care packages (he sends out the BEST boxes, check him out). Several were for Upton's Naturals, so I used one to get these Banana Blossoms. 

I had no idea what to do with banana blossoms, but the back of the box had a vegan fish recipe that involved battering and deep-frying the blossoms. I don't deep fry much anymore, but I figured what the heck? The blossoms come packed in brine and look like this. Not terribly appetizing looking.

For the recipe, you marinate the blossoms in lemon and kelp (I used dulce because I didn't have kelp), coat the blossoms in flour and then coat them in a wet batter before dropping into hot oil. Now, I should clarify that, back when I was writing Cookin' Crunk, I used to deep fry quite often. It's very Southern, and let's be honest, nothing tastes as good as deep-fried. But I must have lost those skills when I cut back on oil because my blossoms didn't get super crispy. I don't think my oil was hot enough.

Anyway, I blotted out some oil and tried them. And well, they weren't terrible. But also not great. The texture reminded me a lot of jackfruit, which I'm not crazy about. I've had some really good jackfruit that was super dry, but most jackfruit is too moist and briny for me. And this was quite similar. They also would have been better if I'd fried in hotter oil for maybe a longer time. On the side, I had coleslaw, "chips" (aka fries) with malt vinegar and ketchup, and homemade tartar sauce.