And big did I go!
About a month ago, I agreed, mostly on a whim and wanting to help a friend out, to enter in the Portland area's Vegan Iron Chef food competition.
The idea of PUTS was that local chefs would bring in a tasty taco filling to feed about 60 small sample servings. The people over at VIC would supply the tortillas, taco toppings (lettuce, cheese sauce, lime wedges and the like). 3 local judges would judge the tacos, and there would also be a people's choice award.
I had told Steph I would bring two fillings to the table. First off, a chilled avocado chick pea taco filling. Super easy, involves no cooking, and tastes great.
My other plan was to see about smoking some soy curls, since I had never tried that before, and pretty much just pan frying them up with some dried spices (cumin, Mexican oregano, chili pepper, etc). I figured I would just win people over by having humorous signs to go with my fillings.
I will win fellow vegans over with Gossling vegan taco jokes!
And sloths, because I love them!
But then Steph sent me a note on facebook that the chef from Portobello would be there...
Gulp.
At that point, I figured I'd should actually make an attempt and a better than my "normal" taco filling....
Now, I forgot to mention that the 3.5 days before the competition, I would be running around getting ready for, setting up, actually participating, and tearing down a local Relay for Life event.
I though I would find a recipe to veganize, buy supplies, test it out on friends at family and hopefully it tasted good enough that I could just remake it Sunday morning, take a short nap, and then head over to the Pop Up Taco Shop.
So, it didn't go as smoothly as planned. Found a recipe to veganize on Tuesday. Thursday we smoked a LARGE amount of soy curls. Friday (at 10p.m.) I was buying supplies, and then around midnight I was making the green curry drizzle (mainly because it involved a food processor, and I couldn't take that to our Relay camp site). Saturday I hada go with the test run. Which meant that I had Steph putting together my mango slaw recipe at a picnic table, while I made the sauce and cooked the curls over a camp stove (as the wind decided to blow over our big shade tent and bust the legs...) with my finger crossed that it would taste decent.
Even as crazy as it was, it turned out delicious, and there very little left overs. If my Omni family loves a vegan recipe, I know it's a keeper!
Between everything that needs to happen for Relay for Life, I was going on about 7 hours of sleep in the previous 36 hours to the competition.
That nap I was hoping to take before heading over, yeah, that didn't happen. Relay ended at 10a.m. on Sunday, and I was packed up, and over to Jill's house by 10:20.
I got prepping, chopping, soaking, and cooking! It took a bit longer than I thought it was going to, so I had just enough time to finish my two fillings, take a super quick shower, load up, and drive over to Portland.
I think I managed to take all of 3 photos (although I don't remember taking them)
This was my little set up. I got to sit next to Rosie of Portland Juice Press, who ended up winning first place with the judges!
At this point, I was pretty tired. I can honestly say I don't remember a lot of what was going on at PUTS. I remember setting up my station for serving (I think there ended up being 14 fillings to try), eating Steph's plate of taco goodness (since I hadn't eaten since the night before, and she watches out for me), and then at some point cheering because my taco filling was announced for something.
My two fillings are in the upper right photo, the green blop and the soy curls with the green drizzle)
Photo by C. Sobolowski (borrowed from Facebook, as I forgot to take any photos of my tacos)
I only brought home a little bit of the smoked soy curls (yea for planning correctly the amount needed!). Every other bowl I bought was beyond cleaned out.
I was so tired that after I sat in traffic trying to get home, I laid on the couch, and passed out for 12 hours.
I sent a message to Steph on Monday to see how my tacos did.
And you know what?
Third place for people's choice, and second place with the judges!
Part 2 will have recipes, I promise!
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