food trucks! bbq beet sliders

Another truck will be eliminated tonight on the Great Food Truck Race on the Food network. Unfortunately, last week I remade the Bold and Beautiful food truck, and they went home. Coincidence, I hope!

Good luck to these guys, who make, you guessed it, sliders. Their truck, The Slide Show, features unique, gourmet sliders. Each order comes with 2 sliders and a side of truffled fries. Which, to me, means that they added truffle oil to their french fries. 

Those who are fans of The Next Food Network Star might remember Das, the leader of The Slide Show, as a former contestant from Season 6.  Das was a high school culinary teacher. After his foray on the NFNS, he was all set to open a restaurant. Alas, his venture partner bailed, seemingly with all the money, leaving him in debt. 

Mo, Das and Ahren

Even if Das and his truck take the long road back to LA after tonight, I have a feeling that the Food Network will welcome him back on yet another show. He's charismatic and seems to be a good cook. And even if THAT isn't the case, he can still open a food truck, just not the exact one he drives on the show. 

Now all Das needs to do is recognize the need for some vegan sliders.

So, Das, here is my idea:

Beet Sliders. On the show last week he made Buffalo Sliders with barbecue sauce and fried onion straws on slider buns. I propose he use beets. Many chefs have successfully subbed the "t" for the "f" and consequently prepared beets instead of beefs. 

Cooking the beets in a flavorful, beefed-up broth and then searing the slices in a skillet, gives them an amped-up taste and mouth-feel. Not difficult or out-of-this-world unique, but it makes all the difference to the animals and those who care about them.

Just in case Das doesn't hear the plea, or you can't wait, make these sliders yourself. You can use your own BBQ sauce and grab a package of French's Fried Onions or home-make both -- up to you and the time you have. Grab some napkins, though, you'll need 'em!

BBQ Beet Sliders Printer-Friendly Recipe

food trucks! koi fusion

Koi Fusion Food Truck is based out of Portland, Oregon. They dish up Mexican-Korean fusion food, with tofu as an optional protein. They started back in 2009 when the prospective owner contacted Kogi Food Truck owner in LA for some advice since he didn't know exactly where to start, but he knew he wanted to operate a food truck. The guy from Kogi was nice enough to advise Bo Kwon and help him get going.

No, this truck wasn't on the Great Food Truck Race. On any season. They were featured on the show Food Truck Revolution back a few years ago, but there are so many popular food trucks that not all of them can be on The Race, for sure.

This truck dishes up burritos, tacos, quesadillas, rice bowls and sliders. Although you can pick chicken, beef, ribs or tofu, if you are looking for vegan, or even vegetarian, you should ask for your dish without the kimchi.  Kimchi is the Korean version of sauerkraut. As it happens, kimchi, unless vegan, is made with fish sauce, so check ingredients and ask questions.

I made a variation on their K-Fusion Burrito. This dish has rice, marinated in soy sauce and gochujang , cheese, meat, kimchi, pico de gallo, bean sprouts and a secret salsa. That secret salsa I interpreted as a Korean Salsa. This is where the imagination I mentioned the other day comes into play.

Gochujang is a Korean, spicy, pungent, fermented flavoring made from chilies, rice and soy sauce. If you can't find any, or don't want to spring for a package, you can use something that all vegans have in their kitchen - Sriracha. Use less of the Sriracha since it is spicier, but be aware that the taste will not be the same, as the fermentation lends its own set of unique flavor.

This burrito was good, we really liked it, but, I'll be honest, it was equally very different. Which is good, since you want food from a food truck that IS different - something that pushes you beyond your comfort zone for at least a single meal. No commitment needed. Don't like it? Don't get it again. What are you out, a few bucks? As for making it at home, it might be a bit riskier, but then again, we should all live on the edge once in a while, ey?

K-Fusion Burrito Printer-Friendly Recipe