Bianca Phillips's Blog, page 85

Lulu's Baked School Lunch Brunch!

Our friends Don and Kenzie hosted another Lulu's brunch at Fuel Cafe this weekend! They're hosting these amazing pop-up brunches several times a month now!

I had an 8K trail race on Sunday at 2 pm, so I almost skipped it for fear that I'd eat too much and feel gross on my run. But after Don posted the theme/menu, I knew I HAD to be there. They went with a school lunch theme! Square breakfast pizzas (like the shape of the school pizza that fit onto the square lunch tray) and a regional cinnamon roll & chili bowl.

Of course, I got the Breakfast Pizza. Because pizza. Don has access to an amazing pizza oven at Fuel, so I knew this would be a winner. Topped with cashew cheese, tofu scramble, and blackeyed pea sausage. Served with an arugula salad and apple slices. Get it? Like school! Pizza served with salad and fruit.


The pizza was A-MAZING, and it worked wonders as race fuel later in the day. I wasn't too stuffed, and I had lots of energy. Yay carbs! As for arugula, I'm not a fan. But I ate it all because I'm a plate cleaner, and I know it's good for me.

Jennifer ordered the Cinnamon Rolls with Chili, which is something Kenzie ate in school growing up in Missouri. It must be a Missouri thing because I've never heard of this dish! But I was very intrigued and totally would have ordered this if pizza wasn't an option. I love savory and sweet together.


By the way, Jennifer — who hails from Michigan and also hadn't heard of this — immediately pulled the rolls out of the chili and wiped them off, saving them for dessert. Ha! Our friend Anthony ordered this too, and he ate it the right way, taking a bite of cinnamon roll with a bite of chili each time. He said it was delicious.

Susan ordered The Big Brekky. Don typically offers something more standard like this. The dish changes each time, but it usually include tofu scramble and potatoes. This time he added vegan cheese and shiitake toast.


The next Lulu's pop-up brunch is next Sunday at Fuel, beginning at 11 am. If you're local, check it out!

New ALWAYS menu at Crosstown Arts!

I work at Crosstown Arts, a contemporary arts center located inside a massive former Sears headquarters that's been revitalized as Crosstown Concourse into a mixed-use space with arts, education, healthcare, restaurants, retail, and residential apartments. At Crosstown Arts, we host art exhibitions, musical performances, a full-scale artist residency program, youth art workshops, and more. We also have a cocktail bar and a plant-based cafe.

The cafe is based on the concept of TODAY and ALWAYS. We have a TODAY menu of daily specials that change out often, and we have an ALWAYS menu of standards that are always available (at least for several months). But that ALWAYS menu will change with the seasons, and we just released a new version of that menu.

I haven't made it through the full menu yet, but I wanted to share a few of the new dishes. My fave so far is this Grilled Zucchini Squash Sandwich with green tomato chow chow and vegan herb aioli on house-made bread (all of our breads and pastries are baked fresh by our baker, Ali).


I know what you're thinking — a vegetable sandwich can be such a cop-out. But not THIS vegetable sandwich. Chef Raymond must season this with gold because it is A-MAZING. The chow chow makes it tangy and slightly spicy. The veggies are grilled to perfection. I subbed vegan cheese for the Swiss that typically comes on the sandwich, and it was so good.

The new menu also features Chef Raymond's Three-Bean Hummus, served with fresh veggies and warm pita. Best hummus ever.


The Tempeh Chili & Buffalo Cauliflower is to die for. The hearty chili is topped with crispy, spicy cauliflower and vegan cheese toast! The cafe does serve some dairy, but this one is vegan by default. That said, they're happy to sub vegan cheese for any dish that has dairy cheese.


And finally, here's the Tofu & Grits — another fave new dish! Chunks of marinated, baked tofu topped with wilted spinach and sauteed peppers and onions over creamy corn grits. And it's all brought together with redeye gravy. Very Southern! Very good!


There's also a new Fried Oyster Mushroom Faux Boy on the menu that I can't wait to try and Raymond's Caribbean Pepper Pot Soup with acorn squash and sweet potatoes. Check out the full ALWAYS menu here, and see daily specials on the Facebook page.

Lunar New Year Eats

I LOVE a holiday. ANY HOLIDAY! Especially if it involves special foods. Yesterday, I celebrated the Year of the Pig with good luck foods.

For dinner, I whipped up a simple stir-fry with Korean rice cakes (for prosperity!), broccoli, squash, and mushrooms. I used gochujang, ginger, and soy sauce to season. I love, love, love these chewy little rice cakes, but I so often forget to cook with them. I keep a bag in my deep freezer at all times.


On the side, I steamed some Nasoya Thai-Basil Vegetable Dumplings (for success!). These pre-made dumplings are vegan and super-convenient. I also keep these stashed in the deep freezer.

I read that you're also supposed to eat oranges (for good health!) on the Lunar New Year. So my dessert was a naval orange and some orange dark chocolate from Wei Joyful (this amazing chocolate was in my February Goddess Provisions box). Btw, Maynard totally thought this orange was a ball! Silly dog. He was pretty disappointed when I ate it.

Whole Foods & Bread Foods

This post of random meals is a pretty accurate representation of how I'm eating these days — plenty of healthy, whole foods with some decadent breads and treats mixed in. We'll start with this image of a very healthy meal that I made last week — Sauteed Swiss Chard & Chickpeas Over Creamy Grits.


Technically, I used plain ole cornmeal instead of grits because that's what I had. But the only difference is how finely the grain is milled. Cornmeal makes for lovely grits replacement. The Swiss . chard and chickpeas were sauteed with onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and a little bit lemon juice. Simple and delicious.

On Friday night, my friend Megan came over to celebrate the pagan holiday of Imbolc — the midway point between winter and spring. Traditionally, seeded foods were eaten as a symbol of the Earth's fertility. So we made seeded bread! It was a fun activity to do together. We took turns mixing (but she pretty much handled the kneading. I hate kneading!). Very good bread!


The next morning, I stopped by the Lulu's Baked booth at the Cooper-Young Farmers Market for a Morning Bun (and not pictured because I ate it, Snickerdoorle!). Don's vegan morning buns are like a cross between a cinnamon roll and a croissant.


Here's a bowl of Oats with Nectarines & Blueberries that I had for breakfast yesterday. I've had smoothies for breakfast pretty much daily since October, and I'm getting a little bored with it. So I'll be doing oats for awhile (with smoothies mixed in when I'm pressed for time).


And finally, here's a Baked Potato with Chili (made with Beyond beef and beans) & Nooch. Paul and I had this for dinner last night. I put the potatoes in the Crock Pot and let them bake all day. Crock Pot potatoes are the best! Just wrap with foil and put them in the Crock Pot on low for 8 hours.

Vegan Superbowl at RP Tracks

I love Superbowl snacks, and most years, we stay home and eat homemade vegan buffalo wings, chips and dip, and other festive finger foods. But we don't have cable at home, and finding a way to stream the game online is always a hassle. So this year, we opted to watch the Superbowl at RP Tracks — a college sports bar by the University of Memphis. And our friend Misti joined us!


We grabbed a table right by the biggest TV and ordered a couple 22-ounce beers to get started. Paul and I got there early to save the table, but we wanted to wait until game time to order food. So we got an appetizer of Buffalo Tofu to hold us over. These crispy strips are coated in buffalo sauce. They're really good!


That satisfied us over until the game started, but I was pretty hungry by then. Paul and I always split an order of BBQ Tofu Nachos when we go to Tracks. So that's what we did! Here's a terrible photo taken after I'd dug in. As you can see, we brought our own homemade guac because Tracks doesn't serve guac anymore (they used to!).


We get our chips on the side and the toppings — crispy BBQ tofu, black beans, lettuce, tomato, and jalapeno are served in a separate pan. It doesn't make for a very pretty meal that way, but it's much easier to eat. Here's what the nachos look like served as is (this is from an old picture I'd taken before I discovered the "chips on the side" pro tip).


The game itself (and the halftime show) was probably the most boring Superbowl of all time. But at least the food was delicious!

A Running Update!

As some of you may remember, I fractured my foot two times last year! First, while training for the Nashville Rock & Roll Marathon back in April 2018 and again (the same foot) while training for the Stanky Creek 50K back in August 2018. I don't why the original injury happened (possibly related me trying to tape my foot so I could still run with plantar fasciitis), but I'm certain the re-fracture was due to me jumping straight into 50K training after healing from the first fracture.

It was dumb, but like so many other runners, I do lots of dumb things in the name of running. I took a full four months off running after the second fracture, and I finally got back into my sport in time for the St Jude 5K last December. Now that my foot is feeling good, I've decided to make 2019 a do-over year. I've signed up for (or are signing up for) all of the same races as last year, many of which I didn't get to run.

I'm currently training for the Little Rock Half-Marathon (check out this inspirational sidewalk chalk I spotted on last Saturday's 9-miler!).


I declared 2018 the "Year of Trail Running" when I launched the year with the Memphis Runners Track Club Winter Off-Road Series. This set of four trail races — a 3K, 5K, 8K, and 10K — acted as my intro to trail running. I'd long been a road runner, but after spending some time in the woods, I'd found my true love. So I re-registered again this year. We did the Overton Park 3K in early January! My friend Megan and partner Paul also signed up for the WORS series this time, so it's been great to have friends to run with! Last year, I did most of the series by myself.

Btw, I was super-sick during that 3K (two days into a bad cold), but I did it anyway. Not my best race, but it felt good to get outside.


Two weekends ago, we all ran the second race in the series — WC Johnson 5K. It was COLD day (in the 30s!), but we survived.


The next two WORS races — Stanky Creek 8K and the Shelby Farms 10K — are coming up in February, and I can't wait! And this weekend, I'll run the Crosstown 10K in my neighborhood (starting and ending at Crosstown Concourse, where I work). I ran that last year (the first year for that race) as well.

Next up is the Little Rock Half (I ran that last year) in March. And then Paul and I have signed up to run the Nashville Rock & Roll together in April. That's the one I didn't get to run last year because I broke my foot on my last long run before the race. This will be Paul's first marathon, so maybe it's best that I was forced to wait and run it with him.

I also plan to run the Great American River Run Half in downtown Memphis this May (signed up last year but had to downgrade to the 5K as my first injury had just barely healed). And finally, my end goal is the Stanky Creek 50K — a trail race on the Stanky Creek bike trails!! I volunteered at the race last year since I couldn't run it, and I was inspired by all the people out there pushing themselves beyond their limits. Can't wait to make it happen this year!

Supplements for Vegans

Typically when I review products, they're items that were sent to me expressly for the purpose of featuring on my blog (of course I let companies know that I'll offer an honest review, and if I don't like something about a product, I'll include that in my review). But other times, I just love a product I've purchased so much that I want to tell everyone about it. And that's the case with Complement Plus.


If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you might know that I'm a No Meat Athlete fangirl. I've listened to all the back episodes of the podcast, cooked plenty of dishes from both NMA cookbooks, and I'm a member of the No Meat Athlete Tribe/Pulse Community (meaning I donate a small amount each month to support the work of the NMA team).

Matt Frazier, the founder of No Meat Athlete, also serves as the Chief Outreach Officer for Alpine Organics, a new-ish supplement company that makes products designed for vegans. I learned about Complement on his podcast and subscribed right away last year! At the time, the original Complement was a D3, B12, and EPA/DPA supplement available in spray form (and it still is!). 

But just this month, they've released another product called Complement Plus – a capsule that contains B12, D3, EPA/DHA, Iodine, K2, Magnesium, Selenium, and Zinc. According to Alpine Organics, which relies on medical advice of Dr. Joel Kahn, B12, D3, and EPA/DHA are the three essential nutrients missing from a plant-based diet.


So those are covered here. Plus, you get Iodine and Zinc (two important minerals not abundantly found in plant-based foods), K2 (which can only be found in natto, and who eats that everyday?), Selenium, and Magnesium. Before I started taking Complement Plus this month, I was taking the Complement spray for my essentials, taking a magnesium capsule to help me sleep and prevent headaches, and eating a daily brazil nut for selenium. 
And now I can get everything in three handy pills every morning! Complement Plus is offered by subscription. A two-month supply is $70, which is about what I was spending on vitamins from the store anyway. If you're interested, check it out!

Tacos, Muffins & Pies

On Friday night, my friends Misti and Mike suggested we all go out for dinner and drinks, and Misti chose Babalu in Overton Square. It'd been quite awhile since my last visit there, and they've changed the menu a bit. But of course, they still had Tableside Guacamole! I could typically make a dinner from this alone.

But I ran nine miles Saturday morning, so I was pretty hangry. I needed a little more than chips and guac. I used to love Babalu's vegetal tacos, but I was sad to see those are no longer on the menu. They did have Cauliflower Tacos, which were less vegan friendly (with mayo-based slaw and mayo-based comeback sauce). But the server let me swap out slaw and sauce for pico. They were good, but the old tacos were better. My whole meal was washed down with a Crosstown Brewing Co. Traffic IPA.

When my parents came to visit Friday night, my mom brought me a Blueberry Muffin she'd made. It had a crumb topping and made a PERFECT car snack while out running weekend errands.

My dad brought me some tofu he'd smoked in his new smoker. I first tried the tofu on a salad with tahini dressing and fried chickpeas. So good!

Then I had some in a Smoked Tofu & Veggie Bagel Sandwich with Air-fried Squash. The sandwich (on a whole wheat bagel thin) had avocado, tomato, cucumber, and lettuce, and it hit the spot. The air-fried squash (my dad's recipe) satisfied my craving for deep-fried squash without the oil.

Speaking of the air fryer, I also made some Maple Cinnamon Apple Hand Pies in the air fryer using my mom's no-fail crust recipe and my apple pie filling recipe. These were flaky and best enjoyed warm with Halo Pancakes & Waffles vegan ice cream!

Burritos & Burgers & Cupcakes

Y'all, I swear I'm getting my junk food binges under control, but I still have some older pics from the week before when I just went junk food crazy!

One of those meals was a Daiya Santa Fe Burrito with vegan beef crumbles, brown rice, potatoes, and Daiya cheese. I saw these at Sprouts and just HAD to try one cause they're new! They had some with rice and beans (instead of plant meat), but I figured "go big or go home," right? Topped with homemade cashew sour cream and served with baby carrots and hummus. Because balance.


Last week, I was really back on that whole foods wagon. But then we had our monthly Crosstown Arts staff lunch meeting, which meant Impossible Burgers, Home Fries, Nachos with Vegan Chili, and Salad. Prepared by our Crosstown Arts cafe staff.


And we also had vegan Cookies & Cream Cupcakes from Muddy's Bake Shop. I'm so lucky to work in such a vegan-friendly place!


Here's a healthy meal! Tempeh with Brussels, Squash, & Kale Over Quinoa with Tahini Sauce. Nothing beats a bean/grain/green bowl with tahini.


And finally, my parents were in town on Friday night, and we went out to eat at The Liquor Store. They have Impossible burgers there, but since I'd just had one at staff meeting, I opted for the Cuban Platter with black beans, yellow rice, sauteed peppers and onions, and fried plantains. So good!

Lulu's Brunch: The Classics

The Lulu's Food pop-up brunches are back! And they're hopefully happening on the regular now. My friends Don & Kenzie have hosted occasional Lulu's brunches at Fuel Cafe over the past year, but they were more sporadic — typically once a month. But that was back when Fuel Cafe was open for business, and Don was working there full-time as the pizza chef. He was holding his brunches at Fuel on some Sundays when they were closed for regular business.
But Fuel Cafe closed back in December, and owner Erik said he was keeping the restaurant space so chefs could hold pop-ups. And Don is taking full advantage of that! He says Lulu's brunches should be happening every other week now, so long as everyone who makes them happen is in town and available to help out. There may be a few times when every other week isn't possible, but that's his goal. 
Today's Lulu's brunch was themed The Classics, and the menu featured biscuits and gravy, a big breakfast, and crepes. I started with a black coffee (small batch, locally roasted).

I had a hard time choosing between the Big Brekky and the Lion's & Crepes (sweet and savory crepes stuffed with lion's mane mushrooms). But in the end, I realized I was craving tofu scram more than crepes. So the Big Brekky it was! Tofu scramble, Don's homemade sourdough bread, roasted white & sweet potatoes, country smoked carrots, and braised shiitakes from local Bluff City Fungi.

I can't wait until the next brunch! You can follow Lulu's on Instagram to get details on future brunch dates, plus that'll also let you know when Don will be at the Cooper-Young Farmer's Market selling his famous buns and cookies.