The Jackson Bowl features red beans and rice and greens topped with sweet potato croutons, but the star of the show is vegan Comeback Sauce, a spicy Mississippi dressing that adds a Southern drawl to anything.
What makes a dish a local specialty? I’ve spent a lot of time mulling over that question since I returned home from a hectic, nerve-wracking (to this introvert), and ultimately exhilarating trip to Portland and Vida Vegan Con last week. (Big confession: I took almost no photos. See the end of this post for links to some people who did.)
My daughter E and I spent five solid days eating in incredible vegan restaurants that ranged from fast-food (Buffalo wings and All Hail Kale at Veggie Grill) to gourmet (gnocchi and beet tartare at Portobello Vegan Trattoria), but by the end it was a simple bowl of quinoa, kale, tempeh, and sauce–Canteen’s Portland Bowl–that made the biggest impression on me.
I’m still not sure whether it was the quality of the tempeh or the way it was prepared, but it was the best I’d ever had–flavorful, tender, and lacking that sharp, bitter taste that tempeh can have. I was left wondering what made this delicious bowl of food specific to Portland, and if I were to make a bowl based on my adopted hometown, Jackson, Mississippi, what would it contain? So I came home with a mission–to make The Jackson Bowl.
You know how when you move to a new area, there are things the locals know–shared history, customs, local dishes–that are entirely new to you, but which they expect you to know (and often won’t bother explaining to you)? When I moved to Jackson, I was thrown into a world of confusion when I’d ask about the salad dressing in a restaurant and be told “Comeback Sauce.”
No one could quite explain to me what it was, and it took an internet search to tell me that it’s a mayonnaise and ketchup-based sauce similar to a spicy Thousand Island dressing or a remoulade sauce. Since it obviously wasn’t vegan, I never sampled it in the local restaurants, but online recipes gave me a pretty good idea of what it would taste like. I knew that the sauce in my Jackson Bowl would have to be vegan Comeback Sauce.
Making a vegan Comeback Sauce could be so easy: Just mix a cup of vegan mayo with quarter cups of ketchup and Heinz chili sauce and add some seasonings. But that’s too many processed ingredients for my taste, so I went back to basics on everything, substituting silken tofu and cashews for the mayo and tomato puree and seasonings for the ketchup/chili sauce.
And whether or not it tastes like non-vegan comeback sauce, this recipe is a keeper if you like spicy as much as I do. Before you even get to the kick of the red pepper and mustard, the raw onion and garlic give it a real bite. In Jackson it’s served with seafood or as a salad dressing, but you can dip your falafel, “crab” cakes, or sweet potato fries in it or spread it on sandwiches. Or make The Jackson Bowl!
Vegan Comeback Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 12-ounce package Mori-Nu silken tofu
- 1/2 cup tomato puree
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 small onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to blend.
- Stir before using, adding a little water if sauce is too thick. Excellent as a dipping sauce or salad dressing. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
If there’s such a thing as Jackson cuisine, I think it would have to be a combination of country home cooking and soul food–field peas, greens, barbecue, and corn bread–heavily influenced by New Orleans’ Creole and Cajun dishes. You’ll find gumbos and red beans and rice on a lot of local menus, though they are never vegan.
I chose red beans and rice for my Jackson bowl because it’s one of the few local specialties that can easily be made vegan. And I topped it with sweet potato “croutons” in honor of the Sweet Potato Queens series of books and parade, another local tradition that I learned about only after moving here but which, like Comeback Sauce, gives this area its own spicy, quirky flavor.
The Jackson Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked red beans seasoned as below, or prepared ahead
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce or wheat-free tamari
- 1 generous pinch smoked salt optional
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 bunch kale about 12 ounces, removed from stems and chopped or other chopped greens
- 2 cups cooked brown rice or other grain
- 8 tablespoons Vegan Comeback Sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Red Beans: Start with already-prepared Easy Red Beans or season your own red beans by sauteing 1 diced onion, 2 chopped ribs of celery, 1/2 diced bell pepper, and 3-4 cloves minced garlic until onion is softened. Add the cooked beans, a little water, and 1 to 2 teaspoons (or more to taste) of Cajun or Creole seasoning. Simmer for at least 20 minutes to allow flavors to combine.
- Sweet Potato Croutons: Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine maple syrup, soy sauce, and smoked salt in a large bowl. Add diced sweet potato and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Bake for about 20 minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown, stirring once.
- Kale or Other Greens: Steam until tender. Or, in a large covered wok or deep skillet, sauté a small, sliced onion until translucent and add a couple cloves garlic, kale, and about 1/4 cup water. Cover and steam, stirring once or twice, until the kale is tender, about 4 minutes.
- Build a Bowl: Place 1/2 cup cooked grain on the bottom of each bowl and top with 1/2 cup red beans. Add a healthy layer of greens, some Comeback Sauce, and another 1/4 cup of red beans. Top with sweet potato croutons, more sauce, and a sprinkling of chopped pecans or walnuts. Enjoy!
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Vida Vegan Con
If you’re curious about the incredible vegan love-fest that was Vida Vegan Con 2013, check out these bloggers who weren’t so nervous that they actually forgot to take photos:
- Portland: Everything Came up Roses, by Maria at Plant-Based Slow Motion Miracle
- Vida Vegan Con 2013: The Food, The People, The Fun! at Dreena Burton’s Plant-Powered Kitchen
- My Ideal Day in Vegan Portland & Vegan Celebrity Sightings by Carrie on Vegan
- Vida Vegan Con 2013 Details and Swag at Low Fat Vegan Chef
- VidaVeganCon: I am STUFFED by Vegan Eats and Treats
- I Went to Vida Vegan Con in Portland by Andrea’s Easy Vegan Cooking
- Vida Vegan Con 2013 by The Veracious Vegan
- I Broke My Swagger and Other News at Cake Maker to the Stars
- Vida Vegan Con 2013 Part 1 at Bonzai Aphrodite
- Vida Vegan Con 2013 by Luminous Vegans
- #VVC2013: Meet & Greet. And Eat by Choosing Raw (with photo of the Portland Bowl!)
- Vida Vegan Con: An Epic Recap at Diet, Dessert and Dogs
- Vida Vegan Con 2013: A Love Letter at Cadry’s Kitchen
And so many more! If I left you out, please add a link to your post in the comments below.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy something through them, I receive a commission that helps keep me bloggin’. Thanks for your purchase!
Gena
I love this, Susan! Those bowls made a big impression on me, too. Perhaps I’ll take a stab at an NYC bowl…though I’m not sure I know what that would mean!
This meal looks delicious, and the sauce sounds perfect.
Susan Voisin
Gena, wouldn’t it be fun if everyone at VVC made a bowl based on their home town?
P.S. It was great seeing you, but I wish we’d had more time to talk!
moonwatcher
Susan,
This is absolutely inspired!! I laughed out loud with delight to read your local redo of that fabulous Portland bowl! It really was heavenly. What a great idea. . .I guess if I was to make a “Moscow bowl” or a “Palouse Bowl” it would have to have lentils in it. . .hmmmm. But first I may take a detour South and try a version of this Jackson Bowl. Love the sweet potato croutons. Thank you so much–this brings back that fun dinner and puts a whole creative spin to looking back on our wonderful time in Portland!
xoxo
Maria (moonwatcher)
Susan Voisin
Maria, having dinner with you, Mike, and Kelly was the cherry on top of the vegan sundae that was VVC. I’m sorry if E and I were so burned out after so much sensory overload that we did little but stuff our faces. I really regret not getting a photo with you! Or with almost anyone else! 🙂
Lee Yeager
It all sounds so good as do nearly all of your creations. Thank you so much for your perk me up blogs. I see recipes calling for golden raisins(which are treated with sulpher dioxide) so I haven’t used them. I just substitute regular raisins but the color is often nasty.
Sayward Rebhal
This looks absolutely delicious, a perfect tribute to that amazing Portland Bowl. It was so great seeing and spending time with you Susan! <3
Susan Voisin
It was wonderful to get to meet you and to be on your panel, Sayward. You did a great job moderating! Also, thank you for mentioning the Portland bowl in your VVC post. It was really what I needed after 4 days of vegan decadence.
Aimee
I first heard about comeback sauce when reading the Sweet Potato Queen books (which are fabulously funny)! Thanks so much for posting this healthy version!!
Carrie @ Carrie on Vegan
Hi Susan! I love that you’ve created your own version of the Portland bowl. It was fun running into you at Canteen. Thanks for including the link to my post, too. 🙂
moonwatcher
Yes, Susan, thanks for incuding my post abotu Portland, too. And Carrie, I am sorry I didn’t put it together to meet you while at Canteen. A friend of mine from the McDougall board, Nicole, recommened your blog to me. I really enjoyed your post about Portland! I look forward to following you more.
Maria
luminousvegans
As an introvert too I can relate. I feel like I didn’t meet as many folks because I have a hard time initiating conversations and found that I had to get away from the conference now and then due to sensory overload too. Your talk was really great and I took away a lot of great tips from it.
The bowls had an impact on me as well and I have been attempting various little bowls since we got back. I love that you put a hometown spin on yours. The sauce looks terrific and sounds exactly like something I would love!
Thanks for including my link.
Ricki
It was SO great to finally meet you, Susan, and say hello to E! And I am so making this bowl. . . sounds even better than the one I had a Prasad. 😉
Ruth
I am curious what is the difference between Cajun and Creole seasoning. And, have you found a way to create a nonfat dark roux?
Susan Voisin
Ruth, in simple terms, Cajun food is the food of the country and Creole is the food of the city. Creole is the product of several different cultures, including French, African, and Spanish, and tends to use more cream sauces (like remoulade sauce). But when it comes to those Cajun and Creole seasonings in a jar, I don’t think there’s a lot of difference; just use the one that you like best.
I actually have made a fat-free roux by browning flour in a hot pan before adding liquid. It works amazingly well, and you can see it in action in my etoufee recipe: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/02/vegan-sausage-and-mushroom-etoufee.html
Debmar
I made your “Jackson Bowl” tonight. Fabulous! My husband said “you know hon, you are a great cook– before and after becoming a Vegan”. 🙂
Rachel - A Southern Fairytale
This sounds amazing! Wow. You’ve got my mouth watering!
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy
this look phenomenal! I love the walnuts on there! Good omega 3s!
Dazzle59
Oh wow, Susan – this looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it. I love all your wonderful culinary creations!! I live in New Mexico and will have to develop a “Santa Fe Bowl.”
Amey
Susan!! I love this post so much. I love everything about it! I’ve never heard of Comeback sauce, but what a great name. I also really loved the Portland bowl so much, and it has been on my mind. What a great idea to come up with a Jackson Bowl. I’m going to try your recipe next week! I also want to challenge myself to come up with a Santa Cruz bowl. What will it be???
Pat
Is tomato puree the same as tomato sauce?
Susan Voisin
Not really. Tomato puree is just tomatoes and salt, while tomato sauce has added seasonings. Tomato puree is also a little thicker than tomato sauce. Tomato sauce would probably work in this recipe, but it would add flavors that would make it different than my original. If you don’t have tomato puree and don’t want to buy a can just for this recipe, another option would be to take a can of diced tomatoes, drain off about half of the liquid, and puree it in a blender. Then measure out a half cup to use in this recipe.
Jared
Susan, I didn’t get the chance to meet you in Portland while at VVC, but this bowl makes me want to visit Jackson. It’s so interesting the way you capture the flavors of your hometown and describe how they work into a vegan bowl.
Genki Kitty
Oh that looks delicious! Perfect for kale season in a lot of American states. 🙂
Alissa - Not Just Apples
This looks so tasty! Amazing flavour combinations…
Stephanie
Dude. That sauce is insane. I riffed on the beans (northern beans with Tony’s — all I had in the pantry) and sweet potatoes a little (added some red chili), and did pepitas instead of pecans. Of course kept “the precious” (kale). My husband went nuts over it. This one is a KEEPER.
Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond
Hi Susan – sorry about communication via your comments page! Did you get my reply emails and questions? Need to complete the article soon. Hoping haven’t been spammed again!
Andrea
Lydia
Hi Susan, it was great to finally meet you at VVC. It’s funny that now that we’ve met, as I read your post I could hear it in your voice. It made the recipe sound even better 🙂 Now I’ll have to make a Dtown (can I still use this sauce or will I have to make my own up?) bowl to try it since I didn’t get to go to Canteen while in Portland. Too many restaurants to try.
P.S. A friend of mine who used to live in Portland told me about this sauce. He calls it yum sauce. He made it for Mauro and I and had us over for dinner. It truly is super yum!
Shayla
Love this recipe, it was delicious. It was more than 30 minutes of prep, but worth the effort.
Kate
That sauce sounds so amazing! I want to try it.
Mikelle
Wow! Amazing. I loosely followed the directions and the end result was amazing! This is some good stuff and very healthy. I didn’t have a lemon and I only had onion powder but it was still off the chain good!
Tom
I wasn’t certain what tomato puree was. I have tomato paste, tomato sauce, cans of crushed tomatoes. Is this similar to Pomi tomatoes? I simply used 1-1/2 tomatoes and pureed them in the vitamix? Is this the idea? It may have made the sauce a bit watery (maybe I could have taken the seeds out). Open to suggestions or ideas. Thanks!
Tom
Oops, just saw this answered above. THANK YOU. That is helpful!!!
Susan Voisin
Hi Tom, I’m glad you found the answer but sorry your dressing came out watery. I think the secret would be cooking down your tomato purée until its pretty thick.
Megan
This recipe is soooo good! It is the first thing I have made on your website, and I love it! My kids loved it (4 and 1); I made a non spicy version for them. My recently vegetarian husband loved it. I loved how easy it is. It is super filling too. Great recipe. It is going to be a regular in our household. Thank you.
Wendy
This sauce is awesome! It made my baked potato and steamed veggies sing!
Julie F
I just made this last night for dinner. It was excellent! This will become a regular in our household. Thanks so much for your recipes. I try them often and many have become household favourites.
Michelle
Hi,
The recipes look great on your website! I was looking at the recipes under the ETL 6week plan but noticed they don’t abide by the 6week plan guidelines. Is there a place here that has recipes purely for the 6 week plan?
Thanks,
Michelle
Susan Voisin
Hi Michelle, can you point out any that don’t abide by the 6-week plan guidelines and how? They are all supposed to be appropriate for the 6-week plan if you use them without adding salt.
Liz
Susan,
I know you posted this over 2 months ago, but I just HAD to come back (LOL) and leave a comment. ThoughI haven’t made the salad, I am OBSESSED with the sauce. OBSESSED. Since first making it a month ago, not one day has passed without this being in my fridge. I rarely eat tofu, but I’m gearing up to make yet ANOTHER batch of this magnificent sauce. I put it on almost anything and everything, and it instantly makes it that much better. I need to go procure myself some more tomato puree, and as soon as I do, it’s on to the second month of my love affair with your Comeback Sauce. 🙂 Thanks a million for this creation and your endless sharing.
Lynn
Thanks for this recipe and the idea of having unique bowls like this!
I made the Comeback Sauce and put everything together for the Jackson Bowl. My kale did not look that great. Then I discovered one of the really good things about Comeback Sauce – it can cover up imperfections very well. It was so good! I had refrigerated the sauce, so the bowl had the contrast of a cool, spicy taste with warm beans and rice and the other textures and flavors from the rest of the toppings.
Steffy
Hei!
Wanted to give notice that your blog has not updated in Bloglovin since this post. None of the other ones are visible, or been notified to your subscribers. I happened to find this out by half-accident, missing your posts, I decided to check whether you write this blog anymore. It would be absolutely lovely if you could get that fixed. It is such a convenient way to follow, I saw there are 3,900+ followers that may also be sad about not reading your work!
Thanks and have a beautiful fall! We’re expecting snow here in Scandinavia in two days time!
Steffy
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Steffy! I’ve contacted Bloglovin to see if they can fix it. I appreciate your letting me know.
Steffy
It works now! Thank you!
PattK
I keep coming back to these Comeback Sauce and Jackson Bowl recipes. I love both of them, especially the sauce! Thanks for coming up with so many terrific recipes!
PattK
I returned to this recipe to give it a rating. There are only 5 stars, but I wanted to give it 10!
Mags
This looks delicious! Do you think medjool dates would work in place of raisins?
Susan Voisin
Yes, I think they’d be great!
Dana
Love the sauce. Like you, I enjoy a good amount of dressing on my salad. So happy to have found such a good choice. Thanks!