VeganMoFo V: MMMS-American Dreamz

So a funny thing happened on the way to this blog.  Train derailment.  I have a Vegan Essentials order, with crucial ingredients, that was supposed to arrive on Friday.  However, the tracking had "trail derailment" listed for Friday!  I can't get mad at that at all.  It just means, Mandy Moore Movie Sunday has arrived!

kentucky fried tofu, baby!

Today's movie is American Dreamz.  How should I describe this thing?  It's a spoof of American Idol, the Bush-Cheney presidency, reality tv, the war(s), and a lot more.  The cast is pretty random: Mandy Moore, Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Jennifer Coolidge, Marcia Gay Harden, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein, and Sam Golzari.  Somebody on Rotten Tomatoes put it best: they try to satirize so many things, that it becomes completely ineffective.  This is a train wreck, y'all.  A sweet, deliciously painful train wreck.

Mandy plays Sally Kendoo, an AD contestant with dreams of stardom at any costs.  Grant pretty much plays Simon Cowell.  Golzari plays a jihadist with a love for Broadway plays.  I told you this thing was weird.

When making the menu, I had to think of what the American dream is.  Decidedly, I think it's combo meals.  And since this is the land of cultural fusion, I opted to grab something from the culture of the three main leads (Moore, Grant, and Golzari).  Oh, but it's wrapped up in a very American package.

beer battered tofu, southern green beans, hummus potatoes

Bomb Explosive Menu

Bucket of Fun (Vegan Brunch Beer Battered Tofu)

Hummus Mashed Potatoes

Southerners Kendoo Green Beans

The beer battered 'fu is, obvi, for Grant's character.  I dredged it in flour to make sure the batter stuck to it.  I also sprinkled on some malt vinegar.  Golzari's character is from the Middle East, though I don't think they ever say where.  Things that remind me of that cuisine: kebabs, hummus, parsley, lemon, mint.  When I saw the Sabra recipe, I knew I had to make it.  Sabra is the only store bought hummus I can eat with a spoon.  SO good.  Finally, Mandy's character is this small town, Southern girl.  I decided to make Southern green beans (onion, garlic, tempeh bacon, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper) because it was easy.  I even used...GASP...canned!

This was a fun one!  I especially love the graphic I begged Era to make for me!  Tomorrow, I'll be making something from The Gambia!