Chances are my mother will read these posts, so I guess I’ll stick to saying nice things about her and the visit! Just kidding, there’s nothing mean to say about her time here. She flew in from Mobile, Alabama, last Thursday evening after I got off work and I dropped her off at the airport yesterday morning. In the interim was a fantastic “Best of Roanoke” vacation featuring wineries, festivals, al fresco dining, so so so much great food, tubing, hiking, and a bit of antiquing. Given that we hadn’t really spent time together in over two years, it was a great opportunity to catch up. Surreal that it’d been that long.

On Friday, we ended up cooking dinner for my friend C. and her father who had come down to Roanoke to help her move out of her apartment. A going-away dinner party of sorts. Before that, though, I decided my mom & I needed a refreshing lunch. So off to Lucky we tromped. I’d never lunched there before, so I was excited to check it out–and try the infamous Lucky Burger I’d heard so much about.

First up, though, a margarita. I love those margaritas. So fresh and tart and smooth–perfect way to start a long Memorial Day weekend.

My mom ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich which features Lucky’s famous fried chicken pulled off the bone and served on a brioche bun with BBQ sauce (I think…I can’t remember, actually). Note the fantastic pub fries with in-house curry ketchup–yum. I’ve eaten the fried chicken on several occasions, and this sandwich was a great take on the classic. The brioche bun was burned on the bottom, so that detracted a little, but, hey, it wasn’t a buzz kill.

I, of course, had to order the Lucky Burger–a burger featuring Waygu beef and the standard fixings on a brioche bun. (Note again the fries–for reals, they’re fantastic.) I’m really hoping I hit the lunch hour at a bad time because my burger was cooked beyond well done when I’d asked for medium-rare. Mistakes happen and it was still good enough to eat, but it wasn’t the juicy, rich burger I’d heard so much about. So I’m hoping to make it back again soon (the chef during lunch doesn’t appear to be Jeff, the head chef–I need to look into that) and give the burger another whirl. For all the accolades, it’s got to be good!

Post-Lucky, we headed back home for a marathon cooking session for the dinner party. Considering that I’m (obviously) obsessed with food and my mother made her living as a caterer, you can imagine how easy and fun it was to cook together. The menu was simple–hummus with toast points, deviled eggs with Rick’s Picks, roasted Springer Mountain chicken, pestoed quinoa with greens and peas, a side salad with local lettuce and a lemony vinaigrette, and a local peach & cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. Ok, maybe it doesn’t sound all that simple, but with two sets of hands, it was easy peasy. I didn’t take any pictures of the food (of course. gah.), but did get one last picture with C. I’m really going to miss that girl!

The next day we grabbed brunch at Angelo’s (I’m waaay too scared to take pictures in there of either the food or Angel) and then headed out for an afternoon of wineries. Our first stop was Virginia Mountain Vineyards where I subjected my non-boozy mother to a full tasting of the winery’s bottles. Fun fact: my mother no longer likes sweet wines! Hooray! But she wasn’t too keen on the fuller bodied reds either. Win some, lose some. More red wines for me to taste. (smile)

After Virginia Mountain, we were off to Blue Ridge Vineyard, one of my favorites in the area, for their 2nd Annual Jazz Festival. As soon as we paid and parked, we received a tasting of several of the wines (not the full gamut) as well as the red & white sangria. It was a hot and sunny day, so the sangria really hit the spot and we all bought glasses, complete with a curly straw and drink umbrella (those two are key, in my opinion), to enjoy with the music. (Addendum: I drank two.)

Lucky for us, there was one picnic table unoccupied outside which afforded us some shade (no idea what we would have done otherwise as it was a little too loud under the patio where the music was), so we settled in with one of the prettiest views in the valley to listen to some great jazz and sip sangria. Perfect afternoon.

Couldn’t resist taking pictures of ourselves though–G & I have so few photogenic pictures! I don’t know what our issue is, but I swear only 1 out of 4 ever turns out decent. Had to take as many as possible since we had another photographer with us!

By the end of the afternoon, though, we were needing a little snack and, thankfully, Blue Ridge Vineyard had arranged for several food vendors to be on the premises. One was a mom & pop place, another a fried catfish joint, and then a BBQ trailer. Can you guess which one I had to check out? The BBQ one, of course!

I’ve been on the lookout for good BBQ in town and it turns out that this trailer, Smoke House BBQ, travels around and spends 2 Saturdays a month on Williamson Road, here in Roanoke, and every Sunday in Salem, which is basically Roanoke. Awesome! But how was the BBQ? Really stellar. The pork was charred on the edges, juicy and not dried out, and the sauce was tangy with a smokey depth. Nothing not to love. We’d wanted to try the ribs, but they were still cooking for another hour or two when we ordered. Can guarantee we’ll be searching them out some weekend soon.

Upcoming–dinner at Blue Apron, tubing, & hiking! Hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend here in the states!

Lucky Restaurant
18 Kirk Avenue Southwest
Roanoke, VA 24011
(540) 982-1249

Smoke House BBQ
1st & 3rd Saturdays: Old Mill Primatives in Stewartsville, VA
2nd & 4th Saturdays: Williamson Road, Roanoke, VA
Every Sunday: Autozone, West Main St., Salem, VA

Although it’s been getting some attention lately, I first read about jackfruit as a meat substitute on Jenn’s Veganize It, Don’t Criticize It blog. Since early 2009, I’ve been scouring Asian markets for the infamous canned (in water or brine, not syrup) jackfruit and haven’t had any luck until recently at Oasis World Market in Blacksburg. (You have no idea how amazing it would be if that store would open a location in Roanoke…heaven!)

With G out of town the other week, I figured it’d be the perfect time to experiment with a meat substitute since he isn’t so keen on them. I also figured it was definitely the time to use up some rhubarb I picked up from the farmers market.

Rhubarb is cool and all, but the texture really gets to me (stringy and mushy? ick), so after reading about Rhubarb Ketchup I knew I had to make a rhubarb BBQ sauce. I rarely find a BBQ sauce that I like online, as was the case when I Googled “rhubarb BBQ sauce,” but I read a few recipes and rolled the dice to figure out a flavor profile I was keen on. The final sauce is thick and tangy and a little sweet and a little savory–perfect for any grilled proteins or on a veggie burger. While I wasn’t super keen on the texture of the jackfruit, the real star of the game was the sauce, so I was a’ok with that. My final pulled pork sandwich was topped with a quick pickle of carrots and radish and red onions, lending the perfect crunch a bit more acidity to the sandwich. What’s not love?

Vegan Pulled Pork with Rhubarb BBQ Sauce

For the Pulled Pork:
1 can jackfruit (in water or brine, not syrup)
1/2 onion, sliced
Coconut oil
Water as needed

For the BBQ Sauce:
1 bunch rhubarb, chopped into equal pieces
1/2 large red onion, diced
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
3/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
water to cover

For the Quick Pickles:
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin rounds
2 radishes, cleaned and cut into thin rounds
1 c chopped cabbage
1/4 red onion, sliced into slivers
2 tbsp sugar
Rice vinegar to cover

Warm a tablespoon of coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the half onion slices and saute until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the jackfruit. Chop larger chunks in halves or quarters. Place jackfruit in the pan with the onions and saute for 15-20 minutes, until the jackfruit has wilted and separated into ribbons (you might have to break apart chunks with a spoon while it cooks). Add water to the pan as necessary to cook the jackfruit (to keep it from burning). Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine all BBQ sauce ingredients in a saucepot. Add enough water to just cover the rhubarb and other ingredients. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. Once everything is soft, transfer to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.

To make the pickles, place the vegetables in a small glass or ceramic bowl. Add the sugar and then enough vinegar to cover the pickles to the top. Mix with your hands or a spoon and set aside for at least 30 minutes to pickle. Store in fridge for longer use.

To make the sandwiches, combine the jackfruit with just enough BBQ sauce to coat it and mix to coat. Place on toasted buns and top with the quick pickles. Enjoy with a side salad and a cold brew!

The Pulled Pork makes 4 servings.
The BBQ sauce makes approx. two cups.
The Quick Pickles make 1 cup pickled vegetables.

This past weekend while G was out of town, I went on a garden frenzy–I finished filling the beds with topsoil, added the amendments, planted all the plants, and finished constructing the polytunnels. Whew. A day and a half and lot of loving labor but totally worth it.

First, a shot of the garlic still growing crazy in the large pot I planted it in last fall. Can’t wait to harvest and see what I get–first time plants are always exciting/nerve-wrecking.

First order of business was to finish schlepping topsoil into the three boxes and then add soil amendments to try to make it growable stuff. Top soil isn’t ideal, but I didn’t have a good source of cooked manure and I shied away from using Black Kow or another store-available manure since I didn’t know where it came from. Putting manure in my garden which would probably be laced with hormones and chemicals from the cows just seemed like a bad idea. So, while the soil isn’t ideal today, hopefully I can keep working on it throughout the season and make it into something amazing for next year!

So, post top soil (approximately 1 bajillion 40 pound bags–my arms are seriously ripped now), I started rehydrating blocks of coconut coir that I purchased off Amazon (again, seriously, Amazon Prime is one of the best homeowner investments the two of us ever made). The coir comes in dried bricks which expand into light, fluffy stuff once rehydrated with water. The easiest way I’ve found to do that is to gently spray with a hose, let it soak in, scratch of top layer, and repeat (all in a bin of your choice, of course). Worked well enough. The bricks didn’t give me quite as much coir as advertised, but it’s a good start for helping with drainage and the like. (Even though it’s far more expensive than peat moss, I favor coconut coir due to the fact that it’s renewable & sustainable–a byproduct of coconut production. Your choice, of course, for the best plan of action for your garden!)

Next into the boxes were bags of worm castings. Oh yes, it’d be much cheaper to have my own worms and produce my own castings. As would having compost. But my compost isn’t ready and I’m just not into buying the stuff from Lowe’s or any other garden store. I also need to find a way to cook manure in a contained fashion (we don’t have much of a yard). Lots of things to do. So, for this year, I went the, again, very expensive route of buying worm castings from Amazon. At $25 for 15 pounds, it’s a bit tough to swallow, but the castings are so dense in nutrients that they go a long way (or so I hope). Again, next year I ought to have a better system, but, for now, this works!

After throwing the coir and castings in with the top soil, I mixed it all in and, voila, ready to plant!

But planting isn’t a willy nilly throw stuff in activity, I had to think things through a little more than I had. With the help of Gayla Trail’s amazing vegetable gardening book, Grow Great Grub, I worked through which plants like to be next to which, and then laid out a tentative plan with the plants.

Everything planned out, it was time to plant! In each hole I mixed a bit of organic fertilizer I picked up at the store (look for one with high nitrogen while the plants are little and growing, then lessen the nitrogen when they begin to produce) and then plopped an plant in. Simple! While I could have kept the paper towel rolls in the hole (to decompose and help the soil), they were getting a bit moldy and I didn’t think mold would be a good thing to introduce to the beds. So the paper towel rolls went into the compost bed instead.

See that little zucchini plant? He was the first plant in the ground! And he’s already flowering. Go Mr. Zucchini! (Advice: don’t ask why I’ve given it the male gender–I have no idea, it just seems like a Mr. to me–smile.)

Everything planted, I watered, and then it was time to figure out how to make the polytunnels (since a storm was about to roll through and the little guys would have drowned in that much rain). After looking at pictures of Monica’s beautiful polytunnel and at other sites online, I figured it couldn’t be that hard to make an attractive polytunnel.

Not so much. But! for the moment they work. Just got to figure out how to make it not only temporary, but also good looking, since I want to plant ground cover in the box area and putting bricks and plastic on top of plants seems like a bad idea. If anyone has any suggestions, I would love love love them. For now the plastic is just protecting the plants since they’re a lot smaller than I would generally like to plant outside, but I was running out of space for them indoors. Again, next year will feature lots of better planning, but, again, for now, it’s all working out.

So, hooray, plants in the ground! After two days and torrential rain, they’re looking good and the polytunnels are working quite well. Since it’s sunny now I’ve left both ends open for air and light and I’m hoping everything keeps trucking along like it is. Can’t wait to see how it looks in June!

But for now, it’s my R&R evening before G gets home–wine, catching up on the first two stages of the Tour of California, and Creamed Sorrel with Lentils on Toast. Could there be anything better? (Oh, and the wine is totally a bottle of Lucky Duck Chardonnay, the Walmart brand you can pick up for $3 and some change–I’m not ashamed!)

Sorrel, oh, how do I begin to explain it? I’ve only (to my knowledge) tried it once, in Atlanta at Restaurant Euguene, and as a sorbet to boot. Since then I’ve looked for it at the local farmers markets in Roanoke and at our grocery stores, but I haven’t ever found any. Even restaurants here seem not to feature it all too often, a shame I’m realizing after my brief foray into cooking it tonight.

I picked up a very small bunch of it Durham at the Durham Farmers Market (such a lovely little market, can’t wait to share pictures!) and, after a bit of searching online yesterday, settled on the idea of veganizing Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Creamed Sorrel on Toast, a few beluga lentils sprinkled on for texture and protein. The result was stunning–for one of the simplest recipes I’ve ever thrown together, the flavors are explosive. Sorrel is so bright and lemony and green and fresh, it’s almost impossible to explain how much like late spring it tastes. I can see why so many French recipes incorporate it–a little would go a long way in a more complex recipe, but creamed on toast it’s the star of the show, comfort food at it’s finest, which I’m more than happy about given how grey and rainy it’s been today.

My toast is the recipe from Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef which, for the record, I haven’t tried to veganize yet, and, again, I’ll be honest, I added a poached egg on top of the toast. My first poached egg! The toast doesn’t need the egg at all to complete it, it was just a fun experiment for me, to see if I could actually poach an egg. I’m really quite proud of myself. But sans egg, you can’t go wrong–toast, sorrel, lentils. That’s it. Easy, simple, real. And so, so good.

Creamed Sorrel with Lentils on Toast

Inspired by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

1/4 c beluga lentils
vegetable broth
salt

10 market/garden-fresh sorrel leaves
1/2 tsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp coconut milk
pinch salt
pinch sugar

2 pieces of bread (gluten-free or regular)

In a medium-sized pot, add the lentils and cover with vegetable (2 inches of water above lentils). Bring to a boil and cook, at a medium boil, for 10-15 minutes, until tender (I like mine to have a bit of a bite). Add salt to taste. If there’s any excess water, drain, and set the lentils aside.

Meanwhile, chop the stems off the sorrel and roll the leaves into cigarillos. Slice into ribbons.

Toast the bread.

In a small sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the sorrel and cook until just wilted. Add the cream, 1 tbsp at a time, and let wilt completely. Cook until it’s saucy and slightly thickened. Add a pinch of salt and sugar, remove from heat.

Spread the creamed sorrel on the toast and sprinkle as many lentils on top as you like. Serve with a nice glass of chilled white wine.

Serves 1

Growing up, I don’t remember my mother often making muffins–as a caterer, she was constantly making wedding cakes and brownies, cookie bars, your usual tastes-really-good-but-easy-to-make-in-bulk-fare, and, for some reason, I don’t remember muffins being a regular part of the rotation. I’m sure there were some breakfast spreads with muffins involved, but I don’t have a clue what kind she would have made for it. Mom, were you a banana or bran or blueberry muffin fan (seems like a lot of muffins being with “B,” no)?

And, following in her steps, I too rarely make muffins. Sure, I can blame it on the rather gluten-less nature of our house right now, but even before that (and looking through the blog), it appears I’ve posted about muffins five times in just as many years. It’s high time to add another to the list!

These muffins were crafted out of necessity–a few extra over-ripe bananas sitting in our fruit bowl and an overwhelming craving for chocolate. Although I’ve mostly kicked my sweet tooth (G, for example, ate almost all of those brownies from a week or two ago), occasionally it flares up and “I need chocolate RIGHT NOW” is the only thing I can think about. Hence muffins, with chocolate. I mean, is there any other way?

I’ve actually made the recipe more than once (a rarity for me), the first time with eggs, the second time fully vegan, and, I have to admit, while the first version was fluffier and rose more in the loaf pan, the muffins are buttery and rich and far more decadent for whatever reason. I’m sure there are ways to perfect the recipe more, but I’ll leave that to your tinkering. Photogenic these aren’t, but, mmm, do they hit the spot on a brisk spring morning like we’ve been having lately.  And trust me, the extra step of roasting the muffins is well worth it–these are the most banana-y muffins I’ve ever eaten and the caramelization just adds another layer of goodness.

 Roasted Banana (Chocolate Chip) Muffins

Adapted from Blackbird Bakery Gluten-Free

4 very ripe medium-sized bananas (adjust down if your bananas are huge)
3/4 c almond flour
1/4 c sorghum flour
1/4 c tapioca starch
1/4 c white rice flour
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 c turbinado sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 c Earth Balance (or any vegan butter substitute)
1/2 c plain vegan yogurt (I used SoDelicious Coconut Yogurt)
2/3 c vegan milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c chocolate chips and/or pecans (optional)
Spray Oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the bananas on it and puncture five or six times with a sharp knife. Roast until the peels are black and the bananas are bulging with juices running. (Should take 15-20 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool.

Once the bananas are cool, cream the Earth Balance and sugar in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the bananas, yogurt, milk, and vanilla and mix until combined.

In another mixing bowl, add all the flours, xanthum gum, baking soda, and salt. Pour the flour mixture into the banana mixture and beat until smooth and combined.

Add chocolate chips and pecans if using, stir to mix in.

Spray a muffin tin with spray oil and spoon batter into each muffin cup (about 3/4 of the way full). Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browning on top and an inserted knife comes out clean.

Let cool and enjoy!

Makes 12 regular sized muffins

Back in March, I mentioned that Roanoke is home to not one, but TWO food trucks and today it’s time to give credit to my favorite of them, the Noke Truck. The backstory of the two trucks (Noke and Gastro) was outlined by the Roanoke Times and, something that really stood out to me, was the difference between the histories of the two owning couples. In contrast to the $100,000 Bruno’s GastroTruck (which, trust me, from what I’ve seen of the setup is really nice), Juan and Claudia Urrea invested about $30,000 into their truck and hit the streets to sell authentic Colombian cuisine as well as, interestingly enough, crepes. (I don’t want to sound anti-Gastrotruck, it’s just more like I really respect a family trying to make the food truck work as their main restaurant.)

When I first spotted the Noke Truck in February parked about a block from our house, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A food truck mere meters from where I live, totally awesome! The menu ranges from an array of sweet and savory crepes to tacos to quesadillas and enchiladas made from crepes and it’s hard to pick an item to start with. A note on the service, the Urreas are swift at the stove and I’ve hardly had to wait longer than a few minutes, something that was really nice during the blustery winter mornings earlier this year.

Given that we can normally find the truck parked down the street from us on Saturday mornings, G & I developed a tasty routine of throwing on some clothes, walking down the hill, and grabbing some crepes for an easy Saturday breakfast. My favorite crepes to-date are these two–the Bretonne and the Caprino. The Bretonne features ham, cheese, and egg with a side salad (fantastic addition) and the Caprino is a vegetarian option of sundried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. Both crepes were light and full of fresh ingredients that, of course, feel very breakfasty. In France, I obviously loved crepe combinations like the Bretonne crepe–give me some egg, ham, and cheese, and I’m set. And the side salad? It ought to be offered with every crepe. The mixed greens with a simple vinaigrette were the perfect match to the crepe.

The other two savory crepes I’ve tried thus far were the Chicken Curry and the Stroganoff. More suited for lunch or dinner, the two feature chicken or beef, respectively, in a sauce, the crepes were a little too one note for me (though a side salad would have maybe added the little oomph I was looking for). Out of the two, I favored the Beef Stroganoff–the beef seemed to be of a little better quality than the chicken–but G preferred the Chicken Curry. The Chicken Curry was very lightly spiced, more salty than anything, and I found myself wishing that there was just more flavor in the crepe. Stroganoff should be simple, but curries typically burst with flavor. I wanted to love the crepe, but it just didn’t do it for me.

Where the Stroganoff and Curry crepes didn’t do it for me, oh dear me, the Noke Crepe did. A crepe stuffed with nutella and bananas, I don’t know how it could be much better (unless there was some flaming Grand Marnier involved…). Even though I’m not the biggest sweets fan anymore (to everyone struggling with sugar addiction, I highly recommend apprenticing in a bakery for at least six months. You’ll be done with sugar for good!), this crepe in all its simplicity bowled me over. I mean, Nutella was oozing from the seams. It doesn’t get much better than that.

On the more Colombian side of the menu, I’ve thus far tried a few of the tacos and an arepa (an arepa!). I can’t not order Carnitas when I see it, so a must for me was the truck’s version. Simply prepared with carnitas, lettuce, onion, and tomatoes (I asked for no cilantro) with a side of salsa and a lime, I found the pork to be juicy and tender, full of flavor and exactly what I look for in a taco. The salsa leaves a little to be desired, it’s rather watery and I like a bit of kick in a salsa, but that’s something that can be easily corrected. G’s Asada (beef) tacos were equally tasty–meat simply grilled with the same accouterments as the carnitas. These tacos are the kind I wish I could get after I’ve been out for an evening drinking and hanging out with friends–simple, delicious, and quick and easy to eat.

Bonus item! The arepa! God, I love arepas. (I thought I’d blogged about eating some from a food truck in Chapel Hill, but I guess I didn’t…hmmm.) The truck started offering them as a limited item and I was lucky enough to nab one on the first day. A simple cheese arepa, it was hot with crusty burnt cheese edges and a slightly sweet cornmeal exterior. I could eat twenty of them. Unfortunately, it was one that I had to split with G, but don’t tell him, I kept the bigger half for myself.

The Noke Truck is easily one of my favorite places to grab quick and tasty eats. Between the crepes and the tacos and the arepas, I’m sold (and I haven’t even tried the quesadillas or enchiladas yet). There are a few things that I like better than others, but I have yet to try something that wasn’t at least good. Plus the truck floats all over town from downtown to Grandin to even the suburbs and Williamson Road, so their reach is fairly extensive. If you live in town or you’re visiting, be sure to hit it up for some really outstanding Colombian food or for a little taste of France in Appalachia.

The Noke Truck
Find the daily location on Facebook or Twitter

Last night, staring at a fridge mostly cleaned out of leftovers and a freezer full of gluten-based things we had previously stocked up on (which I eat for lunches and such every now and then–hey that tortellini from Sam’s Club is really good, don’t judge me!), I landed on a pack of frozen Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burgers. (They probably have bread crumbs in them, but, since G isn’t celiac, there’s sometimes only so much you can do before you say, screw it, there’s some gluten in it.) A quick run down the hill to the co-op for buns and a tomato and we were in thrown-together-dinner-business!

But the strawberries, I digress. You have to eat something with a veggie burger. I mean, people can’t live on veggie burgers alone (though heaven knows I’ve tried over the years). So I threw together a quick market salad with an Asian greens mix from Betty over at Catawba Meadow Farm, some radishes from a new farm whose name I’ve forgotten, strawberries, and a simple strawberry & champagne vinegar dressing. The champagne vinegar hails from Oil & Vinegar in Charlottesville (a gift from a thoughtful friend) and it’s so light and fresh and bright, I just had to pair it with Thistle Dew Farm’s fresh strawberries (which were huge and luscious this week, mmm!). With just the strawberries, vinegar, and a neutral oil (safflower), it feels like I’m cheating to list it as a recipe. But you need to make it ASAP if you have fresh strawberries around–it brightens up every salad I’ve had since making it and makes the old side salad a centerpiece!

Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette

1/4 pint fresh, local, ripe strawberries
1/4 c champagne vinegar
3/4 c safflower oil

Place the strawberries in a blender and process until liquefied. Add the champagne vinegar and oil and blend until emulsified.

Makes 1.5 cups

Last weekend, G & I, along with our friend B, headed down to the Blacksburg Fork & Cork, a food and wine festival held in the First & Main Shopping District. More a wine festival than anything else (no food samples were included in the ticket price and very few food vendors were actually on premise), it was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The day started out rainy and cold but quickly warmed up once the sun broke through the clouds, and with eighteen different wineries* at the event, it was a fantastic showing of southwest & central Virginia’s best wines. Even though the food was a little lacking, The Cellar, one of my favorite restaurants and bars in Blacksburg, had a food truck out selling all kinds of sandwiches (no idea if there was anything vegetarian…have to admit, I didn’t even look). Hot damn, that pulled pork sandwich was everything and more–couldn’t have asked for a better drunk lunch. All in all, an awesome festival well worth the $20 for a ticket–oh, and if you go next year, be sure to buy a bottle of wine to drink while waiting in line. The lines can be kind of long, but you’ll never notice if you’re sipping away the whole time!

*The wineries represented include: Peaks of Otter, Savoy-Lee, Fincastle, Attimo, Horton, Veritas, Stanburn, Mountain Rose, White Rock, Barren Ridge, Molliver, AmRhein, Well Hung, Unicorn, Lexington Valley, Naked Mountain, Notaviva, and DeVault.

• these Fried Cactus Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce
• Brandi’s Triple Citrus Margaritas (olé)
• this amazing looking Strawberry-Infused Mint Julep
• a somehow veganized version of the Derby-Cinco mash-up Tex-Mex Hot Brown Sandwich
• and a glass (or five) of some simple Horchata (which I’ve yet to make–what on earth is wrong with me?!)

Since I can’t have any of the above right now, I’ll have to settle for some kick-ass Cajun food which, trust me, is a-ok by me. Ever since I found out that the Roanoke Co-op is finally carrying Twin Oaks tofu, I’ve been wanting to make it every which-way. It’s not that I don’t like tofu (oh I do), but more that Twin Oaks is just so good that you want to cook it up. Made in a worker-owned cooperative in Louisa, Virginia, Twin Oaks tofu is dense and rich and has a little something special about it. While I can’t get the herbed tofu here in Roanoke, I’m plenty happy to nosh on the basic one–from stir frys to cutlets, it’s my go-to extra firm tofu. Love it. If you’re close to Virginia, you’ve got to try it!

So, armed with a block, I decided to whip up some blackened tofu, but what to pair with it? Some random Googling led me to this Creole Sauce on Food Network’s site–a mix of tomatoes and peppers and onion that sounded too simple to be so good–but so promising sounding. Simple ingredients often make the richest dishes, and the creole sauce is a perfect example (even though the original recipe made far too much sauce for G & I to ever eat). As far as the blackened tofu, it was simple and spicy and perfect for the awesome Twin Oaks ‘fu. Served with some quinoa and sauteed spinach, the whole dish was awash with flavors that bounced off my palate: rich, spicy, bitter, a little bit of acid–the perfect plate in my mind.

Happy weekend all and I hope everyone has fun with whatever they’re up to. Now, is it margarita time yet?

Blackened Tofu with Creole Sauce

for the Creole Sauce
adapted from Emeril Lagasse:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 c onions, chopped
1/4 c celery, chopped
1/4 c green bell peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp Creole Seasoning (I use Penzeys Cajun Style Seasoning)
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 c vegetable broth
3 tbsp Earth Balance
Salt & pepper

For the Blackened Tofu:
1 tbsp smokey hot paprika
1 tsp fennel seeds, ground
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried garlic powder
1 tsp dried onion powder
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 package extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2″ thick slices (cutlets)
1/4 c Bragg’s Amino Acids
2 tsp corn starch
vegetable oil

To make the sauce, add the oil to a sauce pan and warm over medium. When the oil is hot, add the onions, celery, and green peppers. Saute the vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes or until the vegetables start to wilt.

Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and Creole seasoning. Continue to saute for 1 minute.

Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and vegetable broth.

Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 12 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Once it has thickened as much as you like, stir in the Earth Balance to give it a glossy sheen.

Meanwhile, while the sauce is simmering, combine all of the tofu spices in a large bottomed bowl. In a pie dish (or another large bottomed bowl), mix the Bragg’s and the cornstarch until the cornstarch is fully dredged.

Swirl a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet and warm the oil over medium-high heat on the stove. Soak the tofu in the Bragg’s mixture and then dredge both sides in the spice mixture.

Fry each side two to three minutes, until blackened. Remove from heat and repeat with each slice of tofu, adding more oil to the pan as necessary (I was able to do two-three pieces of tofu at a time). If you’re like me, you’ll make a lot of smoke, so open up the windows to air out the kitchen.

Enjoy the ‘fu with some quinoa, sauteed greens, and a ton of that hearty Creole sauce. Best savored with a cold brew.

Serves 4