Bianca Phillips's Blog, page 27

Vegan Block Party on Mud Island

On Saturday, Cynthia Daniels & Co. hosted a free Vegan Block Party on Mud Island. Cynthia organizes Memphis Black Restaurant, an annual week-long highlight of Black-owned restaurants, and that's always a great event. And she's put on a few other vegan events over the years. So I knew this would be great! Plus, the location — inside the Mud Island River Park overlooking the Mississippi River — is such a cool spot. I didn't know what time I'd be finishing my long run on Saturday, so I wasn't sure when I could go to the fest. Otherwise, I would have made plans with friends. But instead, I just went alone after my run.

There were about 20 vegan food vendors — some were food trucks and others had booths. The food truck lines were pretty long when I got there, so I just made my way through the park to the booths. When I saw the Loaded Vegan Nachos on The Vegan Goddess' menu, I knew had to have have that. These had the best jackfruit steak and chicken ever! When I make jackfruit at home, it's always kind of liquidy, but this jackfruit was dry and really had a great texture.

Many of the booth vendors were run by local vegan meal prep services, rather than restaurants. So this was a rare chance to try some food I might not otherwise get to try. I'd probably never subscribe to a meal prep service since I love to cook at home, but the food I tried was stellar. Also, I'm pretty sure all of the vendors were Black-owned, which is awesome. 

I ran into a friend while in line for nachos, so I hung out with him for a bit while I ate. And then I decided to get back in a line to grab something for dinner. Loc'd and Vegan's line seemed to be moving pretty quickly, and I saw they had Pad Thai, which would heat up well. So I got that. This was a tasty pad Thai loaded with fresh veggies (lots of red cabbage) and full of flavor. 

After I got my food, I wasn't quite ready to leave yet. So I got in yet another line, this time at the Rich Health booth, for a slice of their Sweet Potato Cake. I'd tried a bite of my friend's cake earlier, and it was SO GOOD. Such a moist cake and not too sweet. I needed more. I saw on the hill overlooking the river and enjoyed my cake in the sunshine. 

What a perfect day! I hope this becomes a regular event!

Lentil Soup, Tofu Tacos, & Tofu Spaghetti!

Last week, I made Fiona's Feast from The Plant-Based Athlete. It's a lentil soup with potatoes and carrots from Fiona Oakes, a world record-setting marathoner. Very simple recipe and very filling. The instructions said to puree all of the soup, but I like texture so I only pureed half of it.

Last Friday, for pre-run pasta night, I used some leftover baked tofu so I added it to my spaghetti, along with some kale, for Tofu Spaghetti. It wasn't your traditional pasta protein, but it was very tasty! Served with some sprouted grain garlic toast.

Speaking of tofu, I had a free coupon for any Hodo product, but the only Hodo product my Sprouts carries are the Hodo Adobo Mexican Crumbles. So I picked some up and made Adobo Tofu Tacos with vegan cheddar, avocado, and my dad's homemade salsa (which he sent home with me this weekend ... it's so good!).

And finally, here's a not-so-sexy bowl of Savory Cheesy Oats with nooch, broccoli, spinach, toasted walnuts, hemp seeds, and Wicked Foods sriracha (which I got on sale at Kroger!). 

My Dad's 68th Birthday Weekend!

My dad turned 68 on Sunday! So I drove up to my parents' house in north Arkansas to celebrate on Friday. Here's Papa Crunk blowing out his candle. My mom didn't have a 6 or an 8, but she had a 0 leftover from my 40th, so we used that. Mama made the most delicious Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake. I love a simple sheet cake.

She also made a yummy dinner of my dad's favorite Southern foods — Vegan Chicken Dressin (she did a meat version for them and vegan for me), Fried Potatoes with Chow Chow, Collard Greens, and Corn.

And she made a Crock Pot full of Beer Beans, which we ate with Vegan Cornbread.

After dinner, my dad opened his presents, which were basically all whiskey. He's easy to buy for!

Family photo time!

My parents recently moved into a new house, and they have a jacuzzi. My mom wanted me to try it out, so she ran me a bubble bath and poured me some champagne. She also added a vegan cherry chocolate bar to the bath tray! Such a luxurious bath!

I spent the night at their house on Friday and then got up early on Saturday to get a 10-miler in before breakfast. Their neighborhood has LOTS of hills and lots of lakes. 

After my run, my mom had breakfast ready. We had Vegan Beignets! I haven't had these since our New Orleans trip years ago when my mom packed homemade vegan beignets for me to enjoy at Cafe Du Monde so I wouldn't feel left out. She's really the best!

She also made Vegan Breakfast Casserole with Just Egg, Beyond Sausage, vegan cheddar, biscuits, and gravy, plus Hash Browns. Sometimes my mom will make a vegan thing for me and a non-vegan version for her and my dad. But this time, we all ate the vegan casserole, and my dad said he couldn't tell the difference. 

Happy birthday, daddy! I love hanging out with my parents!

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Tonica

Last week, I made plans to catch up with some former coworkers, and we decided to check out Tonica — a new Spanish tapas place in the Evergreen neighborhood. I'd just made tapas — potatoes bravas and espinacas con garbanzos — at home last week, and so I guess I've been on a bit of a tapas kick. I just love a snacky meal that pairs well with wine or cocktails. 

Tonica, as the name implies, specializes in gin and tonics, and they have several variations. But I went with the Ginraw, their classic gin and tonic. A friend of mine on Facebook asked why there were raisins in my drink! Ha! Those are juniper berries! This was a fine gin and tonic, by the way.

I scanned the menu at Tonica before we went and saw several options that looked vegan. And I double checked with my server before ordering the Pan con Tomate. My server said it was "100% vegan." Yay! This traditional dish features baguette toasted with olive oil and topped with tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was garlicky and delicious.

I should point out that, after posting this on IG, one commenter said she'd also inquired about this dish and was told it contains eggs. But I cannot imagine where the eggs would factor in. So I'll certainly double check before ordering it again, but I'm very certain, after eating this, that it was indeed vegan.

Another dish my server confirmed to be vegan was the Espinacas con Garbanzos, or chickpeas and spinach. This is another simple dish made with chickpeas, spinach, and garlic. I'd recently made this at home, but theirs was better. 

I spied several other potentially vegan dishes on the menu, so I can't wait to go back and try those!

Product Review: Nutpods Barista Oatmilk

Since I started limiting my daily sugar intake, I've been exclusively buying Nutpods creamers for my coffees. Their unsweetened almond-coconut creamers are the best on the market, and I especially love their stevia-sweetened flavored creamers (cookie butter, I'm looking at you). And now they've just released two Barista Oatmilks, and I AM HERE FOR IT.

They sent me two cartons — plus a cute Nutpods frother — to review, but I actually already had a carton of the Cinnamon Dolce blend in my fridge when they arrived. I spied it at Sprouts and couldn't wait for my review shipment, so I bought it. That said, I did not own a frother until the Nutpods review package arrived, so I had just been adding the oatmilk straight to my coffee. And that was good. But frothing makes it next level. 

I mean, look at that foam! I've never seen plant milk do that, outside of a fancy coffee shop.

The Cinnamon Dolce Barista Oatmilk is stevia-sweetened, and the Original is unsweetened (but it has some natural sweetness, thanks to the oatmilk). I've been frothing and adding a bit of monkfruit sweetener to create some very tasty lattes. 

I feel certain these blends would make some beautiful latte art, but having never worked in a coffee shop, that's a skill I just don't have. But latte art or no, these barista milks are my new favorite coffee addition! If only they'd make a cookie butter flavored one next ...

Spanish Tapas, Quinoa, & Bitchin' Snacks

Yesterday, I posted about last Saturday's Big Buffalo 50 relay race. I was on a 50K relay team and ran a 6.2-mile loop, along with four others (completing a total of 31-ish miles). My friends Peter and Laura provided the snacks for our booth, and they made salted, boiled potatoes. I snacked on plenty of those during the event, but we had leftovers, and they were going to toss them. But I said, "No! Give those to me!" You can do so much with a salted potato!

The next day, I used those salted potatoes to make Potatoes Bravas, the Spanish tapas dish with smoky tomato sauce. I wish I could share the recipe, but I can't remember where I found it. Somewhere on the Google. On the side, I made Espinacas con Garbanzos, another Spanish dish of smoky chickpeas and spinach. All that smokiness came from smoked paprika, by the way. This weekend was also National Make Up a Holiday Weekend (or something like that, according to my calendar), so I declared March 27 to be National Boiled Potato Day!

In non-potato news, I had this Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl from Raw Girls for lunch on Monday. I stopped by there, as usual, on my way to work Monday and selected this bowl because it looked good and filling. And it was! Lots of tomatoes, kalamata olives, and parsley.

On my last trip to Sprouts, I spied this cute little Bitchin' Sauce snack pack! It had a cup of the Bitchin' almond dip with tiny tortilla chips. I love that sauce, but it's a little spendy so I never buy it. But the snack packs were only $2. 

Big Buffalo 50K Relay!

Last Saturday, I was on a 50K relay team for the Big Buffalo 50 in Shelby Farms. This is the same race that I ran for my second 50K last fall, and it was too soon to run another 50K. But I love this party race and wanted to be involved, so I convinced my friend Peter (who owns a running coach/race directing company) to put a relay team together. And so did. Here we are — the Motivated Trail Misfits. 

But let's back up to the night before. I always have pasta the night before a long run or race, so I made Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Beyond Sausage, Spinach, Mushrooms & Marinara. Perfect!

Each of us had to run 6.2 miles of a looped course that was mostly trail (and a little pavement), and since there were five of us, that totals a 50K distance. They changed the route a bit from last year when I did the 50K on my own, and it was much better. I was fourth in line to run, so I spent a lot of the day hanging at the tent and waiting around to run. While I waited, I snacked on peanut butter pretzels, salted potatoes and dates. Carbs!!

Here I am ready for my loop!

My leg of the run went great, and I made pretty good time for a trail race. I'm typically a slower runner, and I was worried about holding up my team. But luckily, we had a good mix of all paces in our group, and we weren't worried about winning any awards.

After my loop, it was finally time for beer and tacos! El Mero Taco truck was there, and when I went to order, I noticed they were out of veggie tacos. But before I had time to be sad, my vegan pal Ranise (who works on the truck) popped her head out and said, "hey, I know we're out of veggie tacos, but I can whip you up something." YAY! Vegans look out each other! Here's what she made me — Sweet Potato Tacos with Avocado Slaw. These hit the spot.

What a fun day! The Motivated Trail Misfits are already talking about what kind of team events we want to get into next. Stay tuned!

Granola, Ramen, and a Mashed Potato Pile

I've been working my way through the snacks I was sent from Bite Society, and the Kiyami's Granola has been a favorite breakfast lately. I'll slice up a banana and throw in some berries, then top with granola and soymilk. Since I've been limiting sugar, the granola is a little sweeter than what I'm used to for breakfast. But on the days I eat this for breakfast, I'm just counting that as my dessert for the day too.

On Sunday, I brought back an old tradition — ramen in my PJs! I used to always have ramen for breakfast on Sundays, while watching Netflix in my PJs, but I fell out of the habit while I was 50K training (since I had to run every Sunday morning). But yesterday, I slept in and made this bowl of Vite Sichuan Ramen to enjoy while watching Maid. 

Here's some more ramen that I had last week. I had some BOGO coupons for Halo products, so I got some of these bowls. The Vegan Beef Ramen was really good! It has a big portion of noodles and a dried veggie packet. Surprisingly filling for an instant bowl. I had this for lunch at my desk one day with a small side salad. 

And finally, here's what I did with some St. Patrick's Day leftovers. I had leftover mashed potatoes, peas, cabbage, and onion gravy, so I piled it all up and added some chickpeas for protein. Not pretty at all but very tasty. 

Burgers, Pasta, & Bubble Tea!

Imagine Vegan Cafe's dining room has FINALLY reopened. It closed during the early days of the pandemic, and they've been doing takeout only for two years now. But Covid case numbers in Memphis are super-low, so they finally reopened. I met my friends Melissa and Anthony there for dinner on Saturday and ordered their new Impossible Burger with Fries. Imagine now has three burger options; you can choose between Impossible, Beyond, or Gardein. 

I've been picking up baked tofu on every grocery trip lately. I typically cube it and use it as a bowl topper, but one day last week, I made a Tofu & Cheese Sandwich with Sriracha Baked Tofu, Follow Your Heart provolone, spinach, and some Bite Society Pepperish. 

Here's last Friday's pasta night dinner. Every Friday, I eat pasta, because every Saturday, I have a long run. This whole wheat pasta was topped with sauteed garlic chickpeas, kale, and homemade tomato sauce. I served it with toasted sourdough topped with Boursin Garlic-Herb non-dairy cheese. Y'all, this is THE BEST fancy vegan cheese I've had. 

And finally, here's some Strawberry Bubble Tea! I met a friend at Sugar Ghost for a bubble tea happy hour last Wednesday. I LOVE BUBBLE TEA SO MUCH. I need to make bubble tea happy hour a regular thing.

Some Whole Foods I've Been Eating

I'm in a pretty good place right now with my balance of whole foods and indulgent meals. I go through times when I'm a little too heavy on the junk food, but here lately, I've been following a mostly 80% whole and 20% indulgent formula. Here are a few of the whole food meals I've enjoyed. 

I made this awesome Avocado Kale Salad for lunch one day this week. The kale was massaged with avocado and lemon juice, and I added some bacon-y air-fried chickpeas, bell pepper, carrots, raisins, hemp seeds, and nooch. On the side, I had some Raw Turmeric Flax Crackers that I picked up from the Raw Girls downtown location on Monday.

Speaking of Monday, here's my weekly Raw Girls lunch! I go into the office on Mondays, so I've made it a tradition to stop into Raw Girls on the way to work to grab something for lunch. This week, I had their Baked Falafel and Quinoa Bowl with romaine, marinated beets, homemade pickles, olives, and tahini. This may be my fave Raw Girls dish to date.

Not something I made, but look!!! There's a new Larabar flavor!!! I go through about fifty 'leven Larabars a month. Ha! So this was a big deal.

And finally, here's some Sloppy Vegan Chili I made last night from The Plant-Based Athlete. The recipe came from vegan bikini athlete Natalie Matthews, and it's basically a mash-up of chili and sloppy Joe mix with black beans and TVP. Man, I always forget about how awesome plain ole TVP is, but it's just perfect in chili. I had some frozen corn muffins that I thawed out and plopped on top, plus a green salad because I'm trying to eat salad every day.