Fried Brown Rice With Oriental Sweet Potatoes and Sour Cream

Breakfast was a lovely affair of fried brown rice and my favorite kind of sweet potatoes-- the Oriental first introduced to me last year in Grenada. They sell them at Kroger for 99 cents a pound-- one great ingredient that'll be experimented with during Vegan Mofo. My theme is Caribbean Cuisine and it all begins in two days.
I used curry seasonings for the brown rice and sweet potatoes, adding extra turmeric and fenugreek (love the smell if this spice) to enhance flavors and beautiful golden color.  All in all a fulfilling dish that satisfies, especially with the dollop of Tofutti Sour Cream on top. Perfect yum.

Fried Brown Rice With Oriental Sweet Potatoes and Sour Cream Ingredients and Preparation

1 cup brown rice
1 Oriental sweet potato, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon Tofutti sour cream

Prepare brown rice according to package directions and cook chopped sweet potato until softened.
In a skillet, heat olive oil and add brown rice, sweet potatoes, and dried ingredients, blending well.
Sear on all sides and serve warm with sour cream on top.

Rainbow Spirals With Spicy Tempeh

There is tempeh beneath the delicious flavors wafting through.

As the summer temperature raises on, light pasta meals are still a perfect way to end the night, especially with some easy tempeh crumble. All in all, it is also budget friendly and quick to prepare. I placed half a package of Trader Joe's three grain tempeh ($1.99), crumbling  in hot coconut oil and mixing in a variety of spices including fennel seed to give plain pasta an added kick.

Rainbow Spirals With Spicy Tempeh Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup rainbow spiral pasta
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
4 oz. tempeh, cubed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Prepare pasta to package directions and set aside once fully cooked.
In a medium pan, combine coconut oil and garlic. Add nutritional yeast, tempeh, cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, fennel seed, black  pepper, and crushed red pepper.
Stir until evenly browned.
Toss in pasta and turn off heat.

Top with extra nooch. 

Enjoy. 

Peanut and Sesame Tofu and Zoodles

Zoodles can make you not miss pasta at all.

My budget summer continues with a yummy bowl of peanut butter sauced spiraled zucchini and tofu. At Kroger, I bought two beautiful zucchini squashes for $1.59. Their two ingredient peanut butter (roasted peanuts and salt) is $1.79 throughout August (plus I loaded a 30 cent off coupon onto my frequent buyer card) and extra firm tofu is on sale for $1.59.
I'm obsessed with peanut butter-- sweet or savory. Nothing matters. If peanut butter is involved, my taste buds are all for it-- well, all-vegan of course. I prefer the crunchy over the creamy, but my childhood was the exact opposite. For some reason, I hated the texture, especially picking the random peanuts off my tongue.
Peanut and Sesame Tofu Zoodles is definitely for those needing an extraordinary salad. It is best served at room temperature. Yet I'm sure this would be amazing pan fried as well.

Peanut and Sesame Tofu and Zoodles Ingredients and Preparation

1 zucchini, rinsed and spiraled
1 cup chopped tofu
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Toss all ingredients together until evenly distributed.
Serve either cool or warm.

These dynamite, flavor packed zoodles will make you not mourn the loss of pasta.

Chickpea Tacos

Chickpeas are amazing. That's all.

I have been busy writing, drawing, and budgeting. It seems like time passes by so swiftly. I didn't even realize that it has been going on almost seven and a half years vegan for me. I reached out to one of my favorite magazines -- expect a post from a certain publication soon. My latest post about visiting Augusta Savage's exhibit at New York Historical Society is up on phillyartblog and my body positive short story "Two Cups in a Bind" was recently published in the first launched SONKU Literary Magazine issue.

Other big life changes, I moved back to Dayton, Ohio and plan to take creative writing classes in the fall to strengthen my writing passions. In the meantime, I am committed to writing personal essays and short stories over the summer and using sketchbooks. I have been drawing almost everyday, alternating between graphite and watercolor. One of my current projects is "Black Women Writers From A to Z," illustrating and discussing black women across the African diaspora who are novelists, playwrights, essayists, poets, etc. The response has been pretty positive so far.

First page doodles of "Black Women Writers From A to Z ."
A is for Alice Walker
C is for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
D is for Dorothy West
E is for Edwidge Danticat
F is for Frances Harper
G is for Gwendolyn Brooks
H is for Harriet Jacobs

Third and fourth page doodles of "Black Women Writers From A to Z."
H (2) is for Helen Oyeyemi
I is for Ijeoma Umebinyuo
J is for Jamaica Kincaid
K is for Katori Hall
L is for Lorraine Hansberry
M is for Maya Angelou
N is for Ntozake Shange
O is for Octavia Butler

Almost everyday I pack my lunch before going downtown. Currently, there is no internet in the house. So I walk thirty minutes to the library- rain or shine with peanut butter and cherry preserves sandwiches. On occasion, I crave other things to sate my afternoon hunger. Like chickpea tacos.

Yes, yes. Another chickpea centered recipe. I eat chickpeas a lot. Like almost every other day. I mean 75 cents per can is definitely a saver. Since moving back to Dayton, I have fallen back into the habit of shopping at Kroger-- a much cheaper grocery option than many Philly favorites. Thus, chickpeas are on every grocery list.


Chickpea Tacos Ingredients and Preparation

1 14.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
small soft flour tortillas or hard taco shells

Fork smash chickpeas and mix with all ingredients.

This mixture can be served warmed or cold. 

These corn tortillas were on sale $1.25 for a package of thirty. One can go through these pretty quickly-- taco fans especially.

Tacos and tea: a winning combination.

Chickpea Sloppy Joes

A sandwich packed with meaty texture and great flavor.

As we all try to calm down from Sunday's terrible series finale of an otherwise bad Game of Thrones season (cheer up with my Missandei and Grey Worm appreciation post), let's get back to the kitchen and soothe our wounds with food, primarily with the amazing versality of chickpeas.
I think a lot of other vegans will agree-- chickpeas are endless recipe foundations. They can become anything even sloppy joes, a childhood favorite. I seasoned fork mashed chickpeas the same way as my Walnut Almond "Meatballs" and the results were absolutely delicious. Something about Liquid Aminos, cumin, and coriander screams "meaty" flavor. I'll likely mix this together and put it in the refrigerator with that name.
If you don't have any chickpeas, lentils would be a perfect substitute.

Chickpea Sloppy Joes Ingredients and Preparation

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and smashed
1 teaspoon Liquid Aminos
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 cup vegan mozzarella

Heat up skillet and layer with olive oil.
In a bowl, mix mashed chickpeas with Liquid Aminos, cumin, coriander, and garlic.
Pour chickpea mixture into skillet and stir until evenly browned. Add tomato sauce.

Melt in the vegan cheese and remove from heat.

Spread on bread and sprinkle with extra basil.

Chocolate Pound Cake With Icing and Almonds

A moist, chocolaty goodness cake.

I made my first chocolate pound cake weeks ago. Unfortunately, the ingredients weren't cohesive-- meaning every other bite contained a fleck of flour or so. That's an absolute nightmare for a baker. Thankfully, last night's effort came out perfect. I used Alison's Poundcake With Almond Icing recipe as a basis for my version, melting in pieces of Theo Chocolate's Baking Bar into the vegan butter and sugar. The is an exceptional chocolate flavored treat, a must have for chocolate lovers. I might have another slice with Nada Moo's Gotta Do Chocolate as a nod to my mom.

Chocolate Pound Cake With Icing and Almonds Ingredients and Preparation

1/2 cup vegan butter (used Miyoko's Kitchen)
1 cup cane sugar
4-5 squares Theo Chocolate Baking Bar
2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon soy milk (or any other dairy free alternative)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup slivered almonds
pinch of cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix soy milk and lemon juice together. Set aside and allow to curdle.
In a double boiler, melt butter. Add in sugar and chocolate, stirring until evenly blended.
Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.
Blend chocolate butter mixture with dry ingredients. Add the milk. Stir well, but do not over mix.
Pour into a parchment paper inserted baking pan.
After 40 minutes, remove cake out of the oven and place a tented foil over the top, careful not to touch the cake. Bake for another 20 minutes.
Let cake cool for a bit. Whip powdered sugar, soy milk, and vanilla. Pour over the cake and top with slivered almonds and extra cocoa.

Before the baking.

Plated and iced.

The first slice was divine.

Nada Moo's Gotta Do Chocolate

I have told this story a thousand times, but it is the purest truth. My mom always made or bought me a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream on my birthdays. Occasionally, I got to choose chocolate chip or chocolate swirl ice cream to cut down on the overload. Thus, I never had the full courage to disclose to her that I didn't like chocolate ice cream.
Yet Nada Moo has definitely changed my mind.

Nada Moo has been a favorite ice cream brand for a while now. Their mint chocolate chip is pure heaven. I found Gotta Do Chocolate pint at the neighborhood grocery store (which is slowly churning out vegan products). At $7.59, it would be a rare treat, considering that at Whole Foods Market the ice creams are frequently on sale for $4.99. Still, Nada Moo is a great company, being one of several ice cream manufacturers on the Food Empowerment Project list.

From the first incredible bite, Gotta Do Chocolate embodies wonderful bliss. The delivery of sweetened chocolate and coconut cohesively mixed together creates tantalizing moments on the tongue. Nothing at all like the bland chocolate ice creams of past birthdays and other random special occasions. Maybe it is the organic cocoa or maybe it is the coconut milk base-- either way this perfectly nuanced chocolate ice cream brings pleasant thoughts wrapped in newfound happiness.