Tag: Amy Lawrence

Categories
Food & Drink Food Reviews

Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence Release Vegetarian Cooking for Two

Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence (Photo: Justin Fox Burks)

Being stuck at home for months, Justin Fox Burks and his wife Amy Lawrence turned to the pan during the pandemic. Instead of vegetating, they wrote a cookbook about preparing vegetarian meals for two.

“We were cooking vegetarian meals for two, morning, noon, and night,” Lawrence says. “We weren’t going out to eat or having anybody over. So, the publisher came to us and we agreed on this idea. And it turns out it’s a really good idea. People are responding.”

Vegetarian Cooking for Two: 80 Perfectly Portioned Recipes for Healthy Eating is the couple’s fourth cookbook. “Simple” is what they went for, Burks says. “There’s nothing that takes a particular set of skills ahead of time. You’re not going to have to study up on chiffonade or brunoise your red peppers. It comes together very quickly.”

Also, he says, “We used some prepared ingredients like salsas and sauces, so you don’t think you’re making everything from scratch. One of my favorites we do is a sheet pan stir-fry with peanut sauce, and it uses any vegetables you have on hand.

“Instead of cooking it in a wok, which has you sort of manning the wok the whole time, you just spread it out on a sheet pan and stick it in the oven for 20 minutes. It’s crispier. The flavor gets concentrated and you don’t end up with a watery stir-fry like a lot of people do when they try and stir-fry at home.”

Spiked Hot Cocoa Tiramisu is one of Lawrence’s favorites. “You use marscapone cheese and whipped cream,” she says. “We put a quarter-cup of bourbon in it. We like Blue Note Bourbon. We put hot cocoa mix in it and dark chocolate chips and mini marshmallows on top.”

The book is divided into breakfast and brunch, salads and handhelds, soups and stews, hearty mains, and desserts. “The first chapter is directions on how to shop,” Burks says. “How to think about cooking every day for two.”

They instruct the reader on “how to go to the grocery store and shop for the smaller can of coconut milk or a jar of salsa that will fit this recipe, so you don’t end up with a bunch of odds and ends in your refrigerator.

“If you’re a small household, you don’t want to have to cook for four or six people and have your freezer fill up with a bunch of the same food. Or, God forbid, waste the food.”

Their goal was to come up with a recipe a day. “It takes me a lot longer to put an idea for a recipe together than Justin,” Lawrence says. “He’s pretty quick. His always seems to turn out the first time. I have to give it a few tries.”

It took a few tries to get their chickpea chicken sandwich patties together, Burks says. “Since we’re a little more health-conscious, we didn’t want to deep-fry anything, which is how you get things crispy. We figured out how to shallow-fry these chickpea patties, and they are fantastic.”

Too many cooks might spoil the broth, but Burks says, “We’re a great team. We both know our strengths. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but I’m pretty good with the savory stuff and she’s pretty good with the sweet stuff and salads.”

Burks and Lawrence became vegetarians when they were 12 years old. After getting a hamburger at a dairy bar, Burks decided meat wasn’t for him anymore. “The idea was out there that an animal was a living thing,” he says. “I’d done some reading and research. It was just at that moment it all kind of hit me.”

“It seems less cruel to avoid meat,” says Lawrence, who already cared about the environment when she was 12.

Some people have a misconception about vegetarians, Burks says. “People think if you’re a vegetarian you’re going to be this scrawny little guy. Anybody who’s seen me, I’m kind of a big dude. I bike. I run. I’ve done five marathons.”

Burks goes by “The Chubby Vegetarian” in his books and on social media. “Whenever I say I’m a vegetarian, people say, ‘Really?’”  

Visit thechubbyvegetarian.com for more information. 

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink Food Reviews Hungry Memphis

Memphis Chefs Talk Mashed Potatoes

Photo: Michael Donahue

After hearing about Memphis being recognized as the mashed potato capital of America by Idahoan Foods, I wondered how Memphis chefs used mashed potatoes at their restaurants. So, I asked around.

Kelly English, owner of Iris, The Second Line, and Fino’s from the Hill, says, “I love crawfish boil mashed potatoes — with everything you would get in a crawfish boil. Just fold some crawfish tails, crispy sautéed andouille, corn kernels, and roasted garlic into your potatoes and season with your favorite Creole seasoning. Saute a piece of fish from the Gulf and pour brown butter and lemon juice over the whole dish.”

Derk Meitzler, chef/owner of The Vault, Paramount, Backlot Sandwich Shop, and Earnestine & Hazel’s, says, “I’ve used leftover mashed potatoes to make loaded tater tots. Put the potatoes, egg, flour, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and chives into a bowl and mix together. Form into the shape of a tater tot and roll in panko bread crumbs. Then fry them golden brown.”

Acre Restaurant executive chef
Andrew Adams
(Photo: Michael Donahue)

Elwood’s Shack owner Tim Bednarski shared his warm German potato salad recipe. Boil two pounds of new potatoes cut into fourths in salted water until tender. Render four pieces of bacon. Drain the potatoes while warm. Combine one cup sliced green onions, one-half cup diced celery, one-half cup mayonnaise, one-half cup sour cream, two tablespoons Dijon mustard, one-fourth cup apple cider vinegar, one-half cup chopped parsley, one-fourth cup pimentos, salt and pepper to taste, and “hot sauce for a kick.” Give it “a light mash.”

Veteran Memphis chef Mac Edwards, hospitality director for The Paramount, makes Very Anglo Latkes: “To leftover mashed potatoes, add grated onion, eggs, a little flour, and baking soda. Press into a patty, pan fry in one-fourth inch of oil until crispy and brown. Drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt while hot. I make a horseradish applesauce to go with it.”

Karen Carrier, owner of The Beauty Shop Restaurant, Mollie Fontaine Lounge, and Another Roadside Attraction, prepares Green Herb Roasted Garlic Creamed Potatoes, made with Yukon golds and a parsley, mint, and tarragon puree, unsalted butter, roasted garlic, creme fraiche, and grana padano, with salt and pepper to taste.

Saito 2 chef Jimmy “Sushi Jimi” Sinh makes a sushi roll with mashed potatoes. “Inside would be a deep-fried panko chicken,” he says. The roll is “topped with mashed potatoes and thinly sliced avocado.”

Ben Smith, chef/owner of Tsunami, says, “Mashed potatoes don’t play a major role in my restaurant, even though it’s one of the most requested side items. They normally only accompany our grilled filet of beef, but some customers get creative. We frequently have people order our pork and lemongrass meatballs on top of mashed potatoes.

“I’ve also known people to order mashed potatoes with a side of soy beurre blanc, which is kind of overkill because our mashed potatoes are already loaded with butter and cream.”

Acre Restaurant executive chef Andrew Adams says, “When I worked in a restaurant in New Jersey, I would make mashed potato sandwiches at the end of the night when leftovers were mashed potatoes and sourdough bread. I’ve been told that I break some sort of healthy eating rule by eating carbs on carbs. Lately, I’ve been doing the same with leftover cornbread.”

Peggy Brown, chef/owner of Peggy’s Healthy Home Cooking, cooks homestyle mashed potatoes: “We use Irish potatoes. Peel, wash, slice them up, put them in a pot with chicken broth, and boil until they get completely done. I also put salt in my pot while they’re cooking. Mash them with a potato masher and put in real butter and black pepper. Sometimes we put a little cream in them.”

If you still don’t have enough mashed potatoes in your life, try making some of these dishes.

Former Memphis chef Spencer McMillin, “traveling chef” and author of The Caritas Cookbook:  A Year in the Life with Recipes, knows his mashed potatoes. “I’ve been making smoked mashed potatoes since 1995,” says McMillin, now executive chef at Ciao Trattoria and Wine Bar in Durham, New Hampshire. “Wash Idaho russets, peel them, simmer — always starting in cold water — drain, smoke with any wood but mesquite, fortify with unholy amounts of hot cream and cold butter, season — kosher salt only, pepper and garlic fight with the smoke — and serve them napalm hot. If the roof of your mouth wasn’t singed with the first bite,  they’re too cold. Smoked mash is the one side dish of mine that has been remembered, sought after, stolen, and stood the test of time.

“In the restaurants, I always make way too much and find myself trying to merchandise them in other dishes or turning them into new ‘brilliant’ preparations. A kicky shepherd’s pie, creative duchess croquette, savory pancake — so good with braised pork shoulder — or cheddar-laced fritters.”

But, he says, “None of those dishes were as tasty and as simple to whip together during a mad rush as smoked potato bisque. Sweat out some leek and onion in butter, add chicken stock — not that crap in the aseptic box at the grocery store, make fresh — maybe add a bay leaf or two, bring to a simmer, whisk in an appropriate amount of day-old smoked mash — they’re better in this soup — a touch of cream and bam!”

In addition to his sandwiches, Acre Restaurant executive chef Andrew Adams uses mashed potatoes in dishes served at the restaurant.

“I like to make the super smooth extremely rich Robuchon style mashed potatoes or potato puree,” Adams says. “Five large russet potatoes, one pound butter, salt, and a small amount of hot milk. I treat the process like any emulsion, similar to a béarnaise, by slowly adding the butter and then refinishing with milk.”

Mashed potato concoctions don’t need fancy equipment, Adams says. “Years ago, I was eating at a Michelin three-star restaurant in New York City. After dinner, I was having a drink with the chefs who worked there. I was complimenting their truffle potato foam — when that was still popular — on a seafood dish. The sous chef said he spent weeks with aerators, stabilizers, and other high-tech equipment only for the chef to walk by one day and simply toss a spoonful of mashed potatoes into a white wine sauce and blend. The texture ended up so airy and balanced. Fifteen years later, I tried that. I made a simple sauce with white wine, shallots, milk. Then I added saved mashed potatoes slowly until thickened. To this, I added a little brown butter. And that was it. Last year, this made it to our menu. Now I smoke the potatoes. The final smoked potato sauce goes with our potato gnocchi and short rib dish. The gnocchi with ‘smoked mashed potato’ sauce has been a hit. It’s not listed on the menu that way.”

And, Adams says, “If I have leftover chunky mashed potatoes or some with less butter and other liquids, I will use those sometimes to mix with duck confit or duck breast ‘pastrami’ to make potato-duck croquettes. I just mix duck, mashed potatoes, and egg. That gets molded and breaded, fried.

“On days when we make potato rosemary bread, I’ll ask the crew to save the potatoes for the next day. The potatoes get mixed into the dough. The bread is usually used as the base of our country pork pate.”

Justin Fox Burks and his wife, Amy Lawrence of The Chubby Vegetarian blog and cookbooks, shared their Mashed Potato Dumplings recipe: 

2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes

1 tablespoon water

2 medium eggs (beaten)

1 cup semolina flour

one half teaspoon kosher salt

“Place potatoes and water in a microwave-safe bowl with a lid or a plate to cover. Microwave on high for eight minutes and then allow potatoes to rest, covered, for another eight minutes in the microwave. Mash potatoes with a potato masher and add the eggs, four, and salt. Mix with your hands until just mixed. Pat dough out to about one half inch thickness on a floured surface. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut dough into roughly one half inch rectangles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook gnocchi for two to three minutes. When they are ready, they will float. Use a strainer to remove them from the water.

For extra credit, extra flavor, and extra texture, sear the drained gnocchi in olive oil in a skillet on high heat before tossing them with your choice of sauce.”

Burks and Lawrence serve their gnocchi with “a garlicky parsley and walnut pesto or paired with a regular jar of tomato sauce and heaps of grated Romano cheese.”

Categories
Cover Feature News

Carb Wars: Why Are Alternative Diets Becoming So Popular?

By now, all us have that low-carb friend. The one who hisses at bread and pasta like a garlic-frightened vampire. The one who asks for bunless burgers at a restaurant. The person who rices (yes, it’s a verb here) cauliflower and “spiralizes” zucchinis into something called “zoodles.”

Maybe they’re just low-carb. Maybe they’re paleo. Maybe they’re Atkins. Maybe they’re keto. Heck, maybe they’re crazy.

If they are, they have plenty of company. While it’s impossible to know how many Memphians now follow some form of low-carb diet, surely there are many thousands.

But while you can’t quantify it, it is easy to see how these low-carb/clean-eating diets have risen over the last five or so years and have — for the moment — become the dominant diet trend. They are lauded and pushed by celebrities and amplified on social media.

So now Yolanda is eating a steak at lunch. Bryan says pork rinds are considered “health food.” And Aunt Dee is making her famous cookies with almond flour.

Before we go any further here, the Flyer is in no way pushing these diets. We’re not saying they’re good or bad. We’re not even suggesting that you try them. Let’s go ahead and cover our asses here and remind you that before you change your diet in any way, you should check with your doctor first.

When it comes to low-carb diets, Harvard researchers say there is “some evidence” that they “may” help “some people” lose weight more quickly and keep it off, compared to those on low-fat diets. A dietitian with Britain’s National Health Service says “not all carbs are the same” and that it’s “the quality and quantity of carbohydrates in our diet that is important.” Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say, basically (and correctly), that everyone is different and their diets should be, too.

It’s all a bit confusing. To help sort it out, we turned to some Memphians with knowledge of this stuff — a nutritionist, a restaurant owner, cookbook writers, and a clean-eating food blogger. They’re working on the front lines of health, wellness, cooking, and eating, and all agree that low-carb diets are the deal right now.

Justin Fox Burks

Brandi Marter serves food up old-school at Bedrock Eats.

At the Bedrock

The breakfast rush is over, leaving Bedrock Eats smelling of coffee and bacon. Chef and owner Brandi Marter sits in a side booth in black workout gear, working on a laptop.

Much was made of the paleo-inspired restaurant when it opened in 2015 at the corner of Main and Vance. It was “paleo friendly” — the restaurant’s name a subtle nod to the caveman style of eating. Heads were scratched. But Bedrock has thrived as more Memphians seek whole foods and low-carb options.

Justin Fox Burks

Marter says her restaurant offers way more than just paleo. It’s also gluten-free and caters to people with food allergies (like eggs or nuts), vegans, vegetarians, low-carb, low-fat, “or whatever your thing is at the moment.” Sometimes, people will bring Marter lists of their food restrictions, and she works to accommodate them.

She says she was “super-strict paleo” for a long time, but that changed as she began training for endurance sports and Crossfit. 

“The longer you try to adhere to a certain set of restrictions, the more you realize life happens,” says Marter. “Every human body is different. People get frustrated because they are looking for quick answers. You have to spend time with your body and figure out what works for you, specifically.”

40 Aprons, and Costco.

40 Aprons

Cheryl Malik loves Costco. It was there that she really started to see just how big low-carb diets had become.

She and her husband did Whole30 about four years ago. On that diet, you eat only whole foods for 30 days. It’s restrictive and often has adherents scrambling to find approved foods.

“It was so much harder back then to find convenient products to eat that way,” says Malik. “Now, it’s so easy. They have grain-free tortilla chips at Costco. There’s cassava flour at Costco. I used to spend a small fortune on a small bag of almond flour from Kroger. Now, I can get a huge bag for $9 at Costco. I’m a big, big Costco fan over here, apparently.”

Malik also loves cooking and says she is “obsessed with health and wellness.”

Ten years ago, she focused that love into a blog. The blog — 40 Aprons — now has hundreds of recipes, all elegantly organized by diet — Whole30, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb. You can even search by cuisine style: Mexican, Indian, American, and more.

Malik says the most-loved recipe on the site is for her egg roll in a bowl, which fits Whole30, paleo, keto, and low-carb diets. Also look for bell pepper nachos, cookie dough, buffalo chicken dip, and more.

The blog came from a love of writing, Malik says, and of cooking, which she began in college. But the notion of eating clean and doing paleo really began when she was 8. “I knew instinctively that the way we were eating — as a culture — wasn’t right,” Malik says.

Vegetarian was the only alternative diet with visibility at the time, she says, and she followed it for long time. But when she discovered clean eating, she decided “it made a lot of sense.”

She took the dive about a year after she had a baby. Her brain was foggy. She was stressed. And she couldn’t seem to lose that last bit of baby weight. She decided Whole30 was “doable.”

All of the previous issues melted away (along with the baby fat). Her husband’s running pace improved.

“I never looked back,” Malik says. “That focus on real food made such an immediate difference for us, physically.”

Kim Thomas

Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks

The Chubby Low-Carb Vegetarian

When it came time to name their new cookbook, Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence (scribes of The Chubby Vegetarian blog and cookbooks) did not bury the lede. The Low-Carb Vegetarian Cookbook is due in March, inspired by the surge of low-carb diets.

“The typical vegetarian diet — think beans and rice or sandwiches or even vegan pizza — is fairly high in carbohydrates,” Burks and Lawrence say in a statement. “We decided that we need to give our readers an off-ramp when they feel like they need some recipes that don’t lean too much on carbs.”

But the two didn’t crank out a product to fit the times. They did their homework. They consulted dietitians and nutritionists Erin Dragutsky and Kristi Edward from 901 Nutrition and Carolyn Nichols, nutrition education coordinator at Church Health, to “better understand the role carbs play in our bodies.”

“The standard American diet is crazy!” they say. “We have been tricked by marketing into believing that foods that are actually pretty terrible for us are ‘fun.’ Too much sugar and too many carbs can become a real problem.”

Meat and seafood are staples of most low-carb diets. So an already restrictive diet gets even harder for vegans and vegetarians. Burks is vegan. Lawrence is gluten-free. But they say some simple food swaps can make going low-carb and no-meat a little easier.

The easiest way, they say, may be using cauliflower rice and zucchini noodles. They swap jicama for potatoes in home fries and kohlrabi for wheat in tabouli. They also use a lot of nuts and chia and coconut in desserts. The new cookbook has a recipe for almond flour crackers and biscuits.

“The easiest of all is swapping sugar for Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener,” they say. “It has zero net carbs and tastes like sugar. It’s actually pretty amazing.” 

The Food Doctor is In

Susan W. Warner knows low-carb diets aren’t new. How? She’s a physician, a certified culinary medicine specialist, chef, and professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).

Warner says that one of the earliest low-carb diets was Irwin Stillman’s plan in the 1960s. Robert Atkins followed up with his Atkins Diet in the 1970s, but it didn’t gain popularity until the 1990s. Arthur Agaston came next, with his South Beach Diet.

These are just three notable examples of numerous low-carb diets that have been created over the years, Warner says.

“The theories behind these diets have actually been around a long time,” she says. “Their popularity will probably ebb and flow, as so many have done in the past. Some are more grounded in science than others, and it is important for consumers to be aware of misleading information and pseudoscience.”

Before hopping aboard for any of these diets, Warner suggests you ask a few questions. Did the information come from a credible institution or qualified researcher? Are there other studies with the same conclusion? Who funded the study?

More than anything, though, Warner says Americans should focus on mindfulness, quality ingredients, and portion control.

While there are some risks with low-carb diets, Warner says there are benefits.

“What I like most about these diets is that most stress whole foods instead of foods that have undergone a lot of processing,” Warner says. “Ultra-processed, convenient, and fast foods, which are so readily available in our food culture, have been linked to weight gain and poorer quality of diet.”

Find Warner’s full interview on low-carb diets this week on the News Blog at memphisflyer.com.

…

low-carb

Idea: No stiff definition but focuses on restricting carbohydrates to around 50 to 150 grams per day.

Good: meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits

Bad: grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, junk food

Celebs: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Hudson

…

paleo

Idea: Focuses on foods available to and eaten by humans in Paleolithic times. No set carb limit.

Good: meats, veggies, eggs, nuts, seeds

Bad: legumes, grains, beans, dairy, sugar, potatoes

Celebs: Kobe Bryant, Jessica Biel

…

ketogenic (keto)

Idea: Very low-carb, high-fat diet puts your body in a metabolic state of ketosis, using fat stores for fuel. Fewer than 50 grams of carbs per day. (A banana has around 27.)

Good: meats, low-carb veggies like kale and broccoli, low-carb fruits like berries

Bad: grains, beans, sweeteners, root vegetables, high-carb fruits like apples and bananas

Celebs: Kim Kardashian, Halle Berry

…

Atkins

Idea: Restrict carbs to under 20 grams for two weeks and slowly add them back to your diet.

Good: meats, eggs, full-fat dairy, low-carb veggies

Bad: grains, sugars, legumes, starches

Celebs: Sharon Osbourne, Alyssa Milano

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

The return of Edible Memphis.

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

There was one thing Bill Ganus promised himself for 2018: no new projects. But … an opportunity arose that he couldn’t pass up. “I had the chance to tell important stories about connecting people with food systems,” he says. The conduit for those stories was Edible Memphis, which was shut down a year ago by founder Melissa Petersen after 10 years in print.

Ganus, who is partner in such businesses as Flow Cryotherapy and the Rec Room, admits he has no background in media, but he plans to call upon his skills in leveraging and team-building. For the team, he recruited as his editor in chief Brian Halweil of Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn. Halweil will work on Edible Memphis from New York.

“I’m ready to see potential Edible ideas, community-building ideas, in another area,” says Halweil. He sees a bit of Brooklyn in Memphis. But it’s a Brooklyn that no longer exists. He sees it in the breweries and coffee shops, in the logos. He finds the city’s energy exciting.

Justin Fox Burks

Bill Ganus (left) and Stacey Greenberg

Another key member is Stacey Greenberg, who will act as managing editor. “She lives and breathes Memphis food,” Ganus says, pointing out that Greenberg is about as an authentic foodie as they come. “Memphians demand authenticity,” he says.

“My vision for the magazine is that it really represents Memphis. All of Memphis,” says Greenberg. “I’ve tried really hard to find a variety of writers and photographers to help us create something special. I reached out to the MABJ [Memphis Association of Black Journalists] and the internet at large to find some new voices, and I’m really excited with who I found. They’re people I’d love to get all in one room someday — until then the magazine is that room.”

Petersen, for her part, says giving the keys to Ganus made sense to her. “We had several people who were interested in taking over the magazine, but several were only interested in one or two pieces of the process. There are not-as-fun parts of creating a magazine — selling ads, doing the bookkeeping, delivering hundreds of boxes in July — but they have to be done,” she says. “Bill Ganus really did the legwork to come up with a plan for the entire process. And he’s assembled a team of people to share the work and grow things exponentially.”

Part of that growth is upping Edible Memphis‘ online game — create a usable website and posting on Instagram and other social media. What was never in consideration, however, was to make Edible Memphis online only. Ganus says that there is no substitute for opening a magazine, turning the pages, and seeing a beautiful spread of food photography. “It works best in paper,” he says.

Another part of the plan is to introduce up to five food festivals to complement Memphis’ lineup of other food festivals.

Edible Memphis will be on a quarterly release schedule, and Halweil imagines profiling local farmers and highlighting locally made products. They will not do restaurant reviews. They will not break news. He defines the editorial approach as akin to boosterism. “It will be celebratory and educational, a little bit rah-rah,” he says.

Ganus sees Edible Memphis as an invaluable source to Memphians who care about food. (We all care.) He says, “Edible Memphis will be the go-to local outlet for food and agriculture-related news. I’m committed to doing it well.”

Edible Memphis will relaunch in early November.

One byline you can expect to see in the new Edible Memphis is that of Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence, aka the Chubby Vegetarian. Burks and Lawrence are the author of two cookbooks. They’ve cooked at the James Beard House and contributed their vegetarian recipes to several local restaurants.

Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks, aka the Chubby Vegetarian

Their latest venture is a partnership with PeachDish, a meal kit delivery service.

According to Burks, PeachDish followed them on Instagram and became fans of the Chubby Vegetarian. Amy reached out to them and suggested a collaboration.

PeachDish suggested they veganize their recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes Po’boy with their Cold Oven Sweet Potato Fries.

Fried Green Tomatoes Po’boy

Burks says what sets PeachDish apart from other meal-kit services is their commitment to use only local produce. The company also keeps packaging waste to minimum.

Ultimately, Burks says, he’s for anything that gets people in the kitchen and cooking.

The Chubby Vegetarian meal kit will be available September 10th, peachdish.com.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

A Chubby Vegetarian Dinner Party

Last Saturday, I invited Flyer friends Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks, aka the Chubby Vegetarian, to dinner. Pam and Bianca were there too.

The plan was that I would cook from TCV’s newest cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian. (I was later told that cooking for the cookbook author from the cookbook author’s cookbook is weird for the cookbook author, so don’t do this.)

For starters, the Figs in a Blanket (along with some vegan pigs in a blanket for Bianca).

Made with figs, cheese, walnuts, and crescent rolls. This was maybe my favorite dish … sweet, salty, crunchy, cheesy and easy to put together. A surprise! 

Next up, the Bagna Cauda Smashed Chickpea Dip … 

Ain’t gonna lie, I just googled “Bagna Cauda,” which means hot bath. I think that’s in reference to the wine it’s cooked in? Also, very good. I made this early in the day and put it in the fridge. I’m wondering, if it might have been even better warm. 

This is the Fresh Cucumber Noodles with Cashews and Mints. Light and refreshing. The noodles are made in a zoodler or whatever those things are called. 

This is the main event … the Italian-style Eggplant Sausages. 

These are made with peeled Japanese eggplants that are marinated, put on a grill pan, and topped with sauteed potatoes and onions and peppers. Oh boy! 

One thing I began to appreciate as I was putting all this stuff together is how very artful TCV is with spices. Everything smelled so good even before it hit the stove and no being pummeled with cumin. 

Finally, the Frozen Peanut Butter and Banana Pie … 

This is speckled with dates and has a peanut crust. This one is quick and easy to put together. 

I consider myself to be a mostly-okay, sometimes disappointing, sometimes pan-ruining cook, but I wasn’t intimidated in the least by these approachable dishes. 

TCV is having a booksigning Thursday, October 27th at 6:30 p.m. There will be snacks, so I suggest y’all go. And I suggest you pick up the book. 

There’s also a book release party at the Second Line on November 6, 5-7:30 p.m.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

New cookbooks from the Chubby Vegetarian and Marisa Baggett.

It all started with a bowl of pasta and a few too many habaneros for Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence.

“That was the first dish we cooked for each other,” Burks says. “We went together to the grocery store. We thought the habaneros were real pretty. It was so hot, but we ate it because we had made it.”

They’ve come a long way since that first dish they cooked together as a couple, creating a blog, chubbyvegetarian.com, that now has more than 3.5 million visits, appearing on the Food Network, lecturing and cooking at the James Beard House, and now coming out with their second cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian (Susan Schadt Press).

“A lot of really fortunate things have happened,” Burks says.

The Chubby Vegetarian is a follow-up to their first cookbook, The Southern Vegetarian (Thomas Nelson), which has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Kitchn, and P. Allen Smith’s Garden Style.

“The first book looked inward at our Southern culture and tried to fit what we live,” Burks says. “The second is a look at other cultures, particularly cultures that already eat a lot of vegetables.”

There is the Veggie-Packed Napa Cabbage Wraps with spicy Peanut Sauce, or the Samosas with Raita Dipping Sauce, and the Asian-Inspired Taco Bar, or the Egg Foo Yung with Sriracha Gravy.

There are also some typical American dishes but with a veggie twist.

Like the Charred Carrot Hot Dog — a carrot charred on the grill, then smoked inside aluminum foil, topped with all the fixings, and served in a hot dog bun.

Or the Olive-Bar Puttanesca with Cauliflower Chops — big chunks of cauliflower roasted in the oven and made to look like pork chops topped with a spicy puttanesca sauce using things found at an olive bar.

“We were trying to keep things light. We don’t want it to be intimidating or to make it super serious,” Lawrence says.

“We’re taking vegetables and transforming them with just some simple alchemy,” Burks says.

The couple has several events planned for their book launch, including a booksigning at Booksellers at Laurelwood Thursday, October 27th at 6:30 p.m. and a book launch party Sunday, November 6th at the Second Line at 5 p.m.

For Marisa Baggett, it started in a locked bathroom with a

bottle of Jack Daniels.

Eleven Japanese businessmen had shown up at her Starkville restaurant wanting to try her “sushi.”

“All of my employees were concerned and knocking on the door saying, You’ve got to come out of the bathroom,” Baggett says. “I said, No, I’m not coming out.”

Eventually she came out, made her version of sushi that she had learned from books on Japanese cuisine from the library, and promptly enrolled in sushi school.

“After that, I said, You know what, I want to be able to stand in front of anybody and feel comfortable with what I make for them,” Baggett says.

She graduated from the California Sushi Academy with a job lined up at a new sushi restaurant opening in Memphis under the leadership of Karen Carrier — Do.

All the while she was thinking there must be more people like her out there who would like to be able to make their own sushi at home and who may not have access to elaborate Asian markets.

She pitched her idea to several publishers, but no takers, until after she started sharing her knowledge and experience on a blog, and Tuttle Publishing approached her about writing a sushi cookbook for home cooks.

And Sushi Secrets: Easy Recipes for the Home Cook was born.

Baggett recently released her second cookbook, Vegetarian Sushi Secrets: 101 Healthy and Delicious Recipes.

“I knew as soon as I turned in my first book, I was going to do something on vegetarian sushi,” Baggett says. “I was a vegetarian from the time I was in seventh grade until about age 25. It doesn’t seem fair the things they put in front of people and sell as vegetarian.”

Baggett’s books can be found at Booksellers at Laurelwood as well as most bookstores and ordered online. For more information, visit marisabaggett.com.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

The Chubby Vegetarian Announces 2nd Book

The Chubby Vegetarian (TCV) — aka Flyer friends Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks — recently announced their second cookbook, titled The Chubby Vegetarian. 

It will be published in November by the local Susan Schadt Press. 

The subhead of The Chubby Vegetarian will be “something like ‘100 Creative Vegetarian Recipes from Anywhere & Everywhere,'” says Burks. 

Note the wording there. TCV’s first book, The Southern Vegetarian, focused on Southern dishes. But even while doing that book, Burks says they realized that Southern means a lot of things. So for this book, they’re taking the global approach. 

Smoked Carrot Lox

Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli

“This is a reflection of how we cook at home,” says Lawrence. And as such, they are taking dishes that are in their regular rotation — be it weekly, monthly, or only for special occasions. 

“We want to help people cook at home more,” she says. “To take a little break to cook and share a meal. There’s nothing like it.” 

For the cover, there’s a butternut squash steak with Montreal seasoning and chimichurri. There will be tacos and sushi and, perhaps, even a dish called Smushrooms.

Butternut Squash Steaks with Mushrooms and Chimichurri

Cauliflower Wings

An incident from last summer also influenced the book. A faulty dishwasher had ruined the floors and other sections of TCV’s kitchen. The repairs took months, and meanwhile, they were without use of the kitchen. This turn of events made them think of cooking in a new way.

As a result, Burks says the recipes are both simpler and with better results.

Past books from Susan Schadt Press have included the lush coffee table books Wild Abundance and Memphis: Sweet, Spicy and a Little Greasy. Burks assures that The Chubby Vegetarian will be a cookbook in every way. 

“It’s going to be soft cover, matte pages,” Burks says. “Break the binding, get some red wine on it. Use the book.” 

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

There Will Be Snacks

Super Bowl 50 looms, and we’re determined to clear our schedules and dive into the craziness with just about every other American. We couldn’t tell you we know exactly who’s playing, but we’ll definitely be planning what to bring for the snacks. From our cookbook, The Southern Vegetarian, we’re psyched to make the Hoppin’ John Black-Eyed Pea Butter, and we have some help rounding out the dips and spreads table from two friends and fellow cooks who have recommended a couple of recipes they’ll be using on Super Bowl Sunday.

Cookbook author, food stylist, and restaurant consultant Jennifer Chandler offers up a Tex-Mex Corn Dip, which she deems “cheesy, warm, super flavorful, and delicious with Fritos — my favorite chip!” This one is in regular rotation for game day. “When having guests over, I want to spend time with them — not have them in another room while I’m in the kitchen,” she says. “And when it comes to the Super Bowl, I don’t want to miss any play, so nibbles and dips that can be made in advance are my tried-and-true go-to’s. This can be assembled the night before or in the morning and then popped in the oven just before your guests arrive.”

Jennifer Chandler

Chandler confides, “I actually had this Tex-Mex Corn Dip for the first time at a Super Bowl party hosted by my friend Jenny Vergos. Folks at your next party will be asking you for the recipe just like I asked Jenny.”

Whitney Miller, cookbook author and winner of MasterChef season one, suggests a Southern favorite with an inventive twist: Spicy Pimento Cheese with Crispy Green Tomatoes. She lightens up the dish with yogurt and spices it up with Sriracha, everyone’s favorite Asian hot sauce.

Her recipe came about when she decided to add heat to counteract the sweetness of homemade pimento cheese. “Everyone seems to love pimento cheese, whether it’s their first experience trying it or if they have eaten it all their lives,” Miller says. “It always makes me feel good when people rave over mine. What I love about serving it over the crispy green tomato corncakes is that the cheese is ooey-gooey and melty. This is a one-bite appetizer that will keep your Super Bowl guests coming back for more.”

This weekend, some may say they’re in it for the game, some for the halftime, some for the commercials, but we know the truth: We’re all just here for the food! So head to the store and load up on black-eyed peas, cheese, corn, and pimientos in order to make some amazing appetizers that might just turn out to be more memorable than the game.

Hoppin’ John Bean Butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large garlic cloves (smashed)

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 cups prepared black-eyed peas (or 1 can drained)

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon tahini or peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon hickory-smoked sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

In a medium pan over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, garlic, coriander, and cumin. Cook for about five minutes or until the garlic has softened. Add the contents of the pan to the work bowl of your food processor along with the black-eyed peas, Tabasco, lemon juice, tahini, hickory-smoked sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Blend until smooth. Serve with toasted baguette or pita chips. (Makes 1 1/2 cups.)

From The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook by Amy Lawrence & Justin Fox Burks

Tex-Mex Corn Dip

Tex-Mex Corn Dip

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 cups corn kernels, thawed if using frozen

1 jar (4-ounce) diced pimientos, drained

1 can (4-ounce) chopped green chillies

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise, and garlic powder. Add the corn, pimientos, green chillies, and cheddar cheese. Stir until well-combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the mixture in a two-quart baking dish. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with Fritos Scoops or your favorite tortilla chips. For a spicier dip, add a 1/4 cup diced jalapeños; this dip can be assembled one day in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. (Serves six.)

From The Southern Pantry Cookbook by Jennifer Chandler

Spicy Pimento Cheese with Crispy Green Tomato Corncakes

Spicy Pimento Cheese

2 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Sriracha hot chili sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded colby jack cheese

3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Fine sea salt

1 tablespoon chopped pimientos

Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, mayonnaise, and chili sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese, and pepper to the bowl. Stir to combine. Season the cheese mixture with salt, to taste. Fold in the pimientos. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to one week. (Makes two cups.)

Pimento Cheese and Corncakes

Crispy Green Tomato Corncakes

4 medium, firm green tomatoes

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for greasing

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Dice the green tomatoes, and place in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, milk, egg, and oil until smooth. Pour about 1⁄ 4 teaspoon of canola oil in the cups of two 12-cup muffin pans. Place the pans in the oven for three minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and immediately spoon 1⁄2 tablespoon of the cornmeal mixture into each cup. Top the cornmeal mixture with 1 tablespoon of diced green tomatoes. Bake for nine minutes. Remove the pans from the oven, and using a butter knife, flip the corncakes over. Return the pans to the oven, and bake an additional four minutes or until the corncakes are browned.

Remove the pans from the oven, and spoon one teaspoon of the Spicy Pimento Cheese on top of each corncake. Set the oven to broil, place the pans on top rack of the oven, and broil the corncakes until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from the oven and transfer the corncakes to a serving platter. Repeat the process with the additional cornmeal batter and diced tomatoes. (Makes about 32 corncakes.)

From Whitney Miller’s New Southern Table

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Chubby Vegetarian Pop-up Restaurant this Saturday

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

Grilled watermelon salad with goat cheese, tomatoes, and honey-lime vinaigrette

Exciting news for our friends Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks of The Chubby Vegetarian On Saturday, July 11th, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., it’s the Chubby Vegetarian Pop-up Restaurant at Iris Etc. at 62 S. Cooper. 

The event is the first of what may become a series, according Shawn Mitchell, who is chef at Iris Etc., the catering arm of the Kelly English’s various culinary ventures.   

Mitchell says there has long been talk about collaborating with Lawrence and Burks, plus such an event would showcase the Iris Etc. space.

At Saturday’s pop-up, the space will be set up with mingling in mind. There will be a long farm table, some high-tops, and outdoor seating. Mitchell envisions diners eating standing up as well, with the pop-up having a street food event vibe. 

“It’s going to be a fun, busy Saturday,” Mitchell says. 

The all-vegetarian menu will be small plates, and features dishes such as andouille eggplant poboys, cabbage kimchi dumplings, and carrot corndogs. High Cotton will provide the beer. 

A five-course Delta Sol wine dinner has been set for July 21st. Mitchell says if things go well they hope to have three or four more events in August. 

Categories
Book Features Books

Mid-South Book Festival Booked For September

This may be the first week of July, but the last weekend of September is on the minds of the folks at Literacy Mid-South. That’s because planning is very much in the works (and has been for months now) for the organization’s first-ever, citywide, and mostly free Mid-South Book Festival September 25th-28th. Dozens of authors, panelists, speakers, and workshop leaders — the majority of them Memphians or Mid-Southerners — are set to appear. Multiple venues have agreed to serve as event sites, and sponsors are in place. So too festival apps, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account.

For a list of participating writers, events, venues, and updates, go to midsouthbookfest.org. Among the invited writers are Memphis Flyer Associate Editor (and cookbook author) Bianca Phillips and Flyer photographer Justin Fox Burks (cookbook co-author along with his wife, Amy Lawrence). Other Memphians slated to be on hand: Steve Bradshaw, Jennifer Chandler, Heather Dobbins, Robert Gordon, Aram Goudsouzian, Mark Greaney, Lisa Hickman, Corey Mesler, Lisa Patton, Courtney Miller Santo, and Barry Wolverton. But there are out-of-towners scheduled to appear too, among them: Julia Reed, Scott Heim, and Michael Lowenthal.

Dean, Heather Nordtvedt (Literacy Mid-South’s community relations manager), and the organization’s staff have been working hard since the idea for a book festival was raised at a board meeting last summer.

“Nobody thought it was going to happen anytime soon,” Dean admitted. “The festival was simply in our five-year plan — a signature event, not just a fund-raiser. Then our fall reading campaign fell through for this year, so we thought we’d try out the book festival idea. It was going to be a small thing. We thought: Let’s try it and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work, we’ll get rid of it.”

And indeed, the festival began small: a one-day event at the Memphis Botanic Garden. It’s now expanded to four days — with programs for children and young adults and live-music components — and the venues so far include, in addition to the Botanic Garden, the Booksellers at Laurelwood, Burke’s Book Store, and the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center.

What prompted the expansion? Immediate and enthusiastic local author interest, for one thing. Public response, for another. According to Dean, when the festival launched its Facebook page, the site received 250 “likes” the first day.

Early in the planning stages, Literacy Mid-South was thinking maybe a couple hundred people would show up for the festival. The organization is now expecting thousands. Which all goes to show, Dean is convinced, that Memphians have been looking for such a festival in their own town. Nashville has its Southern Festival of Books. Little Rock has its Arkansas Literary Festival.

It was at the festival in Little Rock this past April that Dean talked to author Mary Roach, who’s no stranger to the book-festival circuit. Dean told Roach of Literacy Mid-South’s plans. She immediately convinced him that the Mid-South Book Festival needed to expand beyond a single day and single venue — and the better to meet one of the festival’s goals: funding local literacy programs. Proceeds from Literacy Mid-South’s onsite Bookworm store, concessions, and three creative-writing workshops during the festival will go to supporting those programs.

“I’m a big proponent of growing things — starting small, then growing,” Dean said of the festival.

But growing this fast? Dean has just hired someone to manage the festival for the next couple of years. And there’s been talk about doing some publishing at Literacy Mid-South: a collection of writings by festival authors about Memphis.

“This all shows a need that we’re filling, even among people who don’t necessarily know what a book festival is,” Dean said of the Mid-South Book Festival. “And what’s crazy: We have all these best-selling authors in Memphis, and I didn’t even know they live here! Putting the festival together has been educational for me too.”

But as planning the festival reaches its final stages, Dean had this to add: “Everything’s nailed down. Now it just has to happen.”

midsouthbookfest.org; facebook.com/midsouthbookfest; @MSouthBookFest