Sweaty Chef

See you in less than a year! PS - are black sesame seeds a thing? Clearly I took creative liberties here. 

PSA: TEMPEH IS FOR SANDWICHES. Either that or I love sandwiches no matter what's on them. Yeah, probably both. Anyway, Savory Tempeh Carrot Sandwiches - A plus! Sandies are apparently the perfect vehicle for tempeh and turns it into a veggie burger kinda deal. I'm into it. And you should be too. Happy Earth Day. @thugkitchen

Pretty good ratings from that last post, right? Put it all together and put some Tahini Dressing on top like I was supposed to and packed it for lunch. First TK bowl: B minus. This plant power meal filled me up for the day but wasn't as tasty as it all was separate. Maybe cause it was cold. Or the tempeh was just bringing it down. Yeah, let's put it on the tempeh. @thugkitchen

Winding down on main courses in @thugkitchen so last night I started getting involved with their bowl building suggestions. The base was supposed to be Basic Brown Rice OR Fresh Herb Potato Salad but I didn't do the reading goodly so ended up with both! Rice - staple, didn't burn it - A. Potato salad - looks great, tastes better - A+. Wilted Greens - most I've ever liked kale - A. Savory Tempeh and Carrots - I'm tryin' to come around to the fermented soybean thing but I just don't know - C+. Lots of cooking but check 3 more off the list!

Good news! The Mango Curry looks like mango curry. But also in recent bad news, the Curry looks like curry. I guess that’s why they didn’t put a photo in the book. I’m gonna shoot you straight. I don’t think I’ve ever had curry before. I burned the rice. I forgot to drain the tofu. I had to open the can of coconut milk with a knife like the hobo from Dennis the Menace. BUT! It was delicious! The mango had a nice sweet, sour, spice thing going with the curry paste and it was great to get some new veggies in the mix. Final rating: A! @thugkitchen

Thug Kitchen says that Oat Flour Griddle Cakes with Blueberry Sauce are for when you're having a hard time choosing between oatmeal or pancakes... I'm gonna be real with you - I've never encountered this problem. I know when I wake up in the morning whether I want a stack of cakes sitting heavy for the rest of the day or not. But now my body's just confused. Did I eat healthy or not?? It's still vegan, so I'm going with yes. Lumpy oatmeal cakes: D+. Weird blueberry lemony jam: B+. Guess that puts us at a C+...I'm tough as nails this week, sorry TK. @thugkitchen

Nice fit, banana.

If you get one thing out of this blog it should be the thing I forget every other week: never give up on TK. Since I had enough leftovers to feed a family of five, I dressed them up with some carrots, cukes, green onions, and dumped on some extra sauce and ate it cold like Thug Kitchen told me to. Complete 180. All this guy needed was more veggies and more peanut sauce. Updated rating: A+! Tempeh - you're still only okay. And as a wise greeting card once said "We are all just pretending to like kale, right?" @thugkitchen

There it is: Tempeh Peanut Noodles with Blanched Kale. And I changed my mind…I do need a wok. Even though it’s on me for adding extra noodles, there was no way to get this monster mixed properly in a regular ol' pan. Trying not to complain cause I got to eat a bowl of noodles for dinner but the TPNwBK was a little bland until I hooked it up with some extra sriracha. Final rating: C @thugkitchen

Just when I thought Thug Kitchen was half-assing it with the ol' beans in a tortilla thing, they slam together some awesome flavors in Spiced Chickpea Wraps with Tahini Dressing. By far the quickest meal I've come across in my TK journey and super filling too. I think you know what comes next.... A+! @thugkitchen

Holy long time no thug kitchen cookin batman. Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Coleslaw and Fire-Roasted Salsa comin back from the hiatus strong! I'm a little surprised I liked it because as a general rule I prefer flour tortillas over corn, cauliflower has never blown my dress up, and the last time I made this salsa it was inedibly spicy but... A PLUS! These little fellas are delicious! Remind me to do hard shells next time. @thugkitchen

Out takes from tonight - cabbage lookin nifty and teaching my friend Harper how to be a sweaty baby chef.

what the hell happened in there tonight? Between the great sauce spill of 2016 and somehow managing to leave out 4 ingredients, I'm not sure that I can confidently say I completed Vegetable Pad Thai with Dry-Fried Tofu this evening. Somehow it ended up looking delightfully colorful and tasting a lot like how pad Thai should taste. Wish you could all see what the kitchen looks like right now including my soggy tax forms (sorry dad). I'll add the cilantro and green onions to the leftovers tomorrow and report back but for now: A minus. @thugkitchen

Thug Kitchen in a nutshell. Took a field trip to the whole foods and stocked up on some essentials. @thugkitchen

In other news... Proud owner of Nessie ! Coming to a pot of TK soup near you thanks to Chelsea!

Parmesan crusted salmon keeping my vegan followers on their toes with a side of my Thug Kitchen leftovers. Wanted: food photography tips.

Silky Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Zucchini and Basil Ribbons…hold the basil cause I guess that’s not a thing that’s in season. Chelsea and Lauren came to the consensus that this dish earned a B+ rating. (Turns out they didn’t know the proper rating scale is A+ OR F not A through F.) Their main hang up was that the zucchini wasn’t cooked enough but I’m pretty sure that’s a shot at TK’s recipe because check that photo - my knife skills were on point. Anyway, can’t argue with the people. Final rating: B+ @thugkitchen