This week on the show, we'll talk about vegan candy, friend-made comfort food, and Bakari's Plant Based Pizza, and eat Blue Diamond Chocolate Almonds.
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But first, Dave tries to name Talkin' Tofu fans...To-Heads (toe-heads)? What do you think? Can you top that? If you can top that, email us at [email protected]!
Also, Dave made me do another actual spit-take. (You can find that first spit take in the PigOut Porkless Pork Rinds episode.)
We also talked about journaling. Do you journal? Do you feel like Doogie Howser when you do it?
Vegan candy
With Valentine's Day coming up, we talked a bit about our favorite vegan candy. Here they are, in no particular order.
Dave loves:
- Dots
- Chocolove Chili and Cherry Chocolate Bar
- Sour Patch Kids
- Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Little Secrets Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
Becky loves:
- Simple Truth Hazelnut Chocolate Bars
- Simple Truth Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
- Chocolove Raspberry Chocolate Bar and their Almond and Sea Salt Bar
- Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
There are so many amazing vegan candies out there, it would be impossible to list them all. What are your faves? Tweet at us with #sweetstakes!
A great letter!
We got a letter!
Hello Talkin Tofu,
I heard about your podcast from a friend of mine who is my wife (shout out to wives).
Here’s my question: I eat vegan for breakfast and lunch but I usually eat an omnivorous dinner. Am I allowed to listen to your podcast?
I’ll take my answer off the air.
Thanks,
Bo Bedingfield
I replied to his question via email, and he wrote back to say that we actually could read his letter on the air.
And, of course anyone is welcome to listen to the show! We talk about vegan food on Talkin' Tofu, because we're vegan. But all nice people who love food are welcome here.
First all-vegan restaurant to get a Michelin star
The New York Times reports that ONA, a restaurant in Arès, France, is the first ever all-vegan restaurant to receive a Michelin star.
Their menu sounds like a delight! The article mentions sake-seasoned mushrooms, which I need to eat ASAP.
What we ate this week
We had two deaths in the family within days of each other the week before recording this episode, and our friends kept us fed all week long. A lot of folks sent takeout, but we wanted to talk about the two homemade dishes they made, because they were lovely!
The first was an African chickpea stew in a tomatoey curry broth. We served it over rice, and our friends included peanuts, cilantro, and chopped jalapeno to sprinkle on top.
I love a dish with a topping! It always sends me back to eating borscht with my family as a kid. My sister and I did like the soup itself, but our favorite part of it was that you serve it with lots of toppings options, like onion and sour cream. We would go to town on those toppings!
The other dish was mushroom and white bean gratin veganized from NYT Cooking. Instead of butter, she used a mix of coconut oil and olive oil to make the buttery croutons, and she left out the feta cheese.
It was so cozy! When we brought it into the house, it made the kitchen smell like Thanksgiving dinner.
Dave doesn't love it when mushrooms are the main event, but he loved this dish.
Bakari's Plant Based Pizza
Our amazing friends sent us lots of delicious takeout from our favorite places. But one place was new to us, so let's talk about it!
Bakari's Plant Based Pizza is not a vegan pizza place, despite the name implying that it is. Dave and I got into our thoughts on how watered down the term "plant based" has become, but let's just talk about the pizza here.
They do have lots of vegan items on the menu, including a vegan meat lovers pizza, which is what we got, with spinach and jalapenos added.
Y'ALL.
We will definitely be ordering from them again. This pizza was stellar. The crust was thin but soft and just a little bit sweet. And it was topped with Impossible and Beyond crumbles.
I made us a little Greek salad to go with our pizza, using Violife Feta and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. And dipping those pizza bones in the leftover feta-y dressing in my bowl was just a dream.
Blue Diamond Chocolate Almonds review
These almonds are the latest addition to our late-night snacking game, and I can't recommend them enough.
They are not what you'd expect from a chocolate almond, but the difference makes them stand out. These aren't almonds dipped in liquidy chocolate.
Instead, they're dusted with a sweet, cocoa powder coating. They're dry, but not in a bad way. They reminded Dave of Cocoa Krispies, and I wholeheartedly agree!
What's extra special about these is that they don't contain a ton of sugar. They are sweetened with a mix of sugar and stevia, and they nailed the ratio. You can't detect the stevia at all!
I got Dave a one-pound bag for Christmas, and it's going fast.
Where to listen
Thank you so much for listening (or reading!). We record these episodes for you, and we'd love to hear from you.
Got a favorite vegan treat that you think we should cover on the podcast? Send your suggestions to [email protected]!
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Have a question? Tried this recipe? Share your thoughts!