Food Network Monthly Cookalong June Wrap Up

I guess you can tell already that I am enjoying the Food Network Monthly Cookalong! I absolutely love Eat Street and it is one of the Food Network shows that you can always find on my DVR. It is amazing to me the different types of food people are making out there in the back of a truck! \

Here are the links to the participating blogs. Everything looks amazing and there has definitely been some vegan innovation!

Megan blogging at The Vegan Cookbook Aficionado finally got her hands on some canned jackfruit and made some magic happen! She veganized Thai Pork Tacos from Camille's On Wheels and they look delicious! http://cookbookaficionado.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/food-network-monthly-cookalong-thai-pulled-pork-tacos/

Melissa at Loves To Eat Vegan! decided now was a great time to join in on the cookalong fun and boy am I glad she did! Melissa first veganized the Cheesy Mac 'n Rib from the Grilled Cheese Truck and she too used canned jackfruit! I think someone should start buying shares in jackfruit! Vegans are crazy about it! This recipe is no joke either, Melissa went all out with pulled BBQ jackfruit, mac 'n cheese, caramelized onions and sliced Daiya Havarti (lucky you Melissa!) http://lovestoeatvegan.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-grilled.html

She then went on to imagine what she would make if she owned her own grilled cheese truck and with a little motivation from a contest winning sandwich, she created something awe-inspiring! It has Smoky Curls from Vegan Diner which are my absolute favourite soy curl, vegan cream cheese, Daiya shreds and a Blackberry Jalapeno Jam! Now that is a sandwich! http://lovestoeatvegan.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-my.html

Tami (the Food Network Cookalong originator) went for some local inspiration and veganized Dim and Den Sum's Soba Noodles which are the opposite of what you would usually expect from a food truck with no sign of a deep fryer and sauted fresh greens! Then she found a childhood favourite in Nosh Box's Cleveland Fried Bologna Sandwich where she easily swapped out that mystery meat for Tofurky's new bologna slices. 

I knew Liz would be in for this month's theme since she had been tweeting up a storm from Vietnam bragging about all the delicious street food she had been eating! I was happy she shared her take on the Banh Mi sandwich since she has tasted the real deal. She went open faced and stresses you have to find some sambal oelek to make it just right! http://cookingtheveganbooks.com/2012/06/09/food-network-monthly-cookalong-banh-mi/

My Cookalong Posts for quick navigation

Truitbe to Seabirds - Jackfruit Carnita Taquitos http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-my.html

Tribute to Native Bowl - Mississippi Bowl http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-my_11.html

Ice Cream - Drumstick Sugar Cone http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-if-i-had.html

Ice Cream - Sweet Curry Choco-Coconut http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-if-i-had-ice-cream.html

Pierogi - Cheeseburger http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-perogi.html

Pierogi - Shepherd's Pie http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-pierogi.html

Pierogi - Poutine http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-pierogi_26.html

Pierogi - Apple Strudel http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-pierogi_27.html

I Can't Say it's a Beaver Tail http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/06/food-network-monthly-cookalong-i-cant.html

Please note: I am posting photos with each link so you can see the beautiful creations these people put together. The photos are the property of each blogger and shouldn't be copied and used unless you have their consent. I'm sure they won't mind you sharing with friends just be nice and give credit where credit is due.

Food Network Monthly Cookalong: My Tribute to Native Bowl

After I did my last post on Seabirds Truck, I started thinking about all the other vegan food trucks out there. There are so many talented people out there creating delicious vegan food everyday and I routinely torture myself by looking at pictures and menus. I dream of what I would order and what it would taste like and when Ottawa will finally have a vegan food truck. One truck I would love to visit is Native Bowl in Portland, OR. Jay and Julie Hasson are the owners and chefs there and I think I would honestly be a little starstruck. I am absolutely smitten with Julie's book Vegan Diner and the pizzas I have been testing recently are her genius creations! I know that any bowl this vegan power couple makes would be extraordinary and the cart itself is just so charming, I would never want to leave. I looked over the menu and then I emailed Julie to ask her for some inside info on these bowls since I have never had the pleasure of actually eating one. I wanted to know the structure of them, the what goes where. And you know the best part...she quickly answered me with all the info I needed to make one. She even shared a little tip, most of what you need to make a Mississippi Bowl is in Vegan Diner!!! I can't share the recipes with you here but I can tell you which ones I used and if you don't already own a copy this would be the perfect reason to go and get it!

You have to start with a base of jasmine rice. It had been awhile since I had made jasmine rice and once I did, I was a little mad at myself for having denied myself of it for so long. It creates the most amazing aroma while it cooks and has such an amazing, slightly nutty taste. Next is a little ranch dressing* followed by some soy curls slathered in Rough Rider BBQ Sauce* with a few squirts of North Caroline Style BBQ Sauce* (which is my new favourite thing! I put it on everything!). For the soy curls, I rehydrated them in hot water, squeezed out all the water once they were, tossed them with some garlic and onion powder, dried thyme, paprika, oregano, a few cap fulls of tamari then pan fried them with a bit of olive oil until they were browned. Once they were browned, I added in 1/3 cup of the Rough Rider BBQ sauce and let it get warm and caramelized a bit before adding it to my bowl. Now top all that off with some crisp coleslaw* and some sliced green onions and your got yourself a Mississippi Bowl! It is so easy and worth every second! Make sure you stir it up a bit before you eat so you get a bite of everything just like they suggest on the Native Bowl website.

I am seriously in love with the combination of flavours in this dish and will be making it again and again. The crunch of the cabbage, the sweet tang of the BBQ sauces on those curls all mingled with the creamy ranch dressing, it's heaven! It even gave me a reason to break out my silicone take out containers and finally give them their first use. They worked perfectly but I am totally on the lookout for the bowls Julie and Jay use at Native Bowl! I will definitely give the other bowls a go in the future too. I know they would be even better if Julie and Jay were making them but this will definitely do until I make my way to the vegan heartland of Portland!

*denotes recipes that are in Vegan Diner

Food Network Monthly Cookalong

I really enjoy doing Food Network Friday with Tami and the gang hosted on Tami's blog at veganappetite.com so I was definitely distressed when I read that it and Vine and Dine would be going on sabbatical, possibly permanently. I totally understand that Tami has been the host for a long time and that it is something that she was ready to let go but I'm not so good with change or letting things go...I would still be watching Friends if they were still making it. After talking it over with Tami and the other participants, I decided that I would revamp and host a similar type of cook-along! I always loved the challenge of veganizing recipes from the meat and cheese heavy Food Network showing just how easy it is to take any dish and make it vegan. I also love the camaraderie of cooking along with other vegan bloggers and sharing our experiences of it.

As for the changes, I've decided instead of picking one specific recipe to veganize, I will be picking a theme each month. It might be a specific show or chef, holiday, cuisine, ingredient or type of dish. Then anyone who would like to participate can make as many dishes as they like and blog about them. This way you can cook as many or as few dishes as you like and show everyone what us vegans are made of. At the beginning of the next month, I will be posting a round up of what we all made so you can see it all in one place and then visit each blog to see how they did it, find recipes or inspiration and the theme for that month. To play along, all you have to do is send me an email near the end of the month with links to your blog posts and I will do the rest! And just like Food Network Friday, the only hard and fast rule is that it has to be vegan! I am really excited about the possibilities of this new version of an already awesome cook-along and hope you (yeah you!) will give it a shot!

All the above information will be found permanently on the tab above and so will the monthly theme.

Now for the theme for June, Eat Street!

Here on Food Network Canada we get a show called Eat Street but I'm pretty sure it's not on FN in the US (maybe the Cooking Channel). They do have a YouTube channel with lots of clips from the show so you can get acquainted though. The show goes around North America visiting food trucks showing off the signature treats of a few trucks per episode. Now there are lots of money shots of non-vegan food but I love to watch this show and dream of how I could  make all of it vegan. And that's exactly what I plan on doing this month! They do have recipes listed from some of the trucks featured on the show on their website so you could veganize one (or more!) of those. Or you can blog about a food truck you have been to that had the best food and you could even make your own take on what you had. Or you could dream about what kind of food truck you would own and create the treats you would serve up. There are so many possibilities! I hope you will be inspired to cook-along as well and if you do, just email me a link to each post and I will add you to the round up!