Holiday Recap... Yum

Happy Holidays, everyone! Oops. As usual, I'm late with the posting. But don't we all love to have our season linger on? So, you're welcome and quit yer bitchin'.

Anywho, the month sped by in a whir of Amazon purchases, baking, and twinkly lights. As per tradition my doggie and I headed over to my mom's house on X-mas Eve, where our family gathers to munch on finger foods and laugh. I baked myself into a tizzy again this year preparing nice boxes of treats for my extended family; this year it was peanut butter fudge, apricot jam kolaches, and s'mores bars. I regret not taking a photograph, so just trust that each of these recipes is a winner!

Me decorating Dori before the guests arrived.

Now an annual tradition: homemade baklava using amber agave nectar (mapley!). This was a huge hit with my omni family and surprisingly not difficult to make, just time-consuming. Highly recommended!

A poor shot of the other two dishes I brought: spinach dip with pumperknickel (who would eat it any other way??) and broccoli salad. Practically the only green on the table!

My awesome mother made a hearty vegetable soup with rice, chickpeas, potatoes, corn, green beans, peas, onions, celery, carrots... it was amazing! She even bought nooch for X-mas dinner, which was perfect to pile onto this warm bowl of goodness.

A perfectly pleasing X-mas dinner. My mom made a big pan of homemade puttanesca sauce for my dinner (about which my stepdad raved and requested for future dinners), accompanied by steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes, olives, and a cocktail. I was so stuffed, but so happy.

And this little darling... she was ready for a nap, too.

Family Holiday Party

Last weekend I hosted a holiday party with my immediate family in my new(ish) apartment, complete with real Christmas decorations - including a full-sized tree! Ha! What a grown person I am. It was a nice, quiet event with plenty of appetizers, cocktails, and laughs to go around. And wiener dogs!

Would you look at that tree?

Melted snowman sugar cookies! I stumbled upon this idea on a random blog while looking up something at work and HAD to make these. Aren't they pathetic/adorable??

My first cheezeball! This is typical holiday party fare, right? Recipe: take one tub vegan cream cheese, one cheddar-style Chreese packet and MOOSH. Roll in a ball, roll in chopped scallions and chill. This is beyond fantastic... I would totes make it again.

These little nuggets were perfect for dipping in said cheezeball! My amazing mother made mini Daiya-cheddar chive biscuits! These reminded me of Red Lobster's biscuits and were omni-approved.

Mini Daiya-Cheddar Chive Biscuits

(4 dozen)

3/4 c vegan margarine

2 c shredded vegan cheddar (Daiya, ftw!)

2 c flour

1 c vegan sour cream

1 T baking powder

2 T chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter over medium heat. Add cheese & cook for 2 minutes, stir constantly so it will melt evenly.

2. Stir in flour, sour cream, baking powder, and chives. Mixture will be very thick.

3. Spoon batter into ungreased mini muffin pans (2/3 full).

4. Bake 20-22 minutes & remove from pans immediately.

Ahh... what party with dip-ables would be complete without tapenade? My mama also brought over this lovely sun-dried tomato olive tapenade with pita chips! Delightful.

Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Tapenade with Capers

1 4oz jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil (reserve oil)

1 c fresh black olives

2 T fresh chopped basil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 c capers

salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine ingredients in food processor. Add 2-3 T oil from tomatoes and process until coarse & chunky.

I made some simple salad pinwheels (although they were a bitch to make and I'll never do it again) with spinach tortillas. The filling was tomato basil hummus, kale, red peppers and cucumbers. They were a hit! Also pictured: tartlets!

My dad's partner made sushi for us again! And, more importantly: she left a crap-ton of it for me as leftovers, yum. She's a pro, you guys, I'm jealous. I couldn't make sushi this simple.

Ahh, yes, tartlets. These were inspired by a sandwich which used to be served at the hip joint downtown called Crave. The sandwich was ciabatta bread with grilled vegetables (asparagus, onions, red peppers, etc.) with a hot pepper jelly. It was out of this world! But then they changed the menu and now nothing is easily veganized. Jerks. Here is a bite-sized version:

Mini Balsamic Vegetable Tarts with Red Pepper Jelly

2 pkgs frozen mini phyllo shells

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped

1 small yellow summer squash, chopped

5 oz mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

1 T olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 jar of red pepper jelly (spicy!)

1. Preheat oven as directed for phyllo shells. Heat up oil in a pan.

2. Add veggies and saute for a minute or so. Add balsamic vinegar and saute until fragrant.

3. Spoon mixture into phyllo shells and bake for 5 minutes (until shells are crispy).

4. Spoon a dab of red pepper jelly onto each of the tarts and serve immediately.

The whole spread! And I was worried we wouldn't have enough food for 6 people...

My dad, cuddling with one of my mom's dogs, Calpurnia. She brought both of the weenies over so they could mingle and play with my pup. All of the family was there!

Can you spot 3 pooches in this pic? My mom, surrounded by doggie-love. Here's the recipe for the cocktail she brought - fantabulous!

The Poinsetta

1/2 oz triple sec

3 oz cranberry

champagne

1. Combine triple sec and cranberry juice in a champagne flute and top with the bubbly.

2. Act fancy.

I'll keep m'blog updated with other holiday events as they arise, including all of the schtuff I plan on baking as gifts for my extended family and friends. See you soon!

Vegan Tour of Pittsburgh

Living in the northeast-midwest-Great-Lakes-region of the US (huh?) has its benefits. Little does the vegan world know that there are pockets of stunning vegan communities, restaurants, and shops hidden all throughout the country. A few weekends ago my mother and I took an overnight trip to Pittsburgh, PA for some retail therapy and mother-daughter goofing around time.

The 2 hour trip was mostly motivated by the draw of the fabulous IKEA, which is always an afternoon of fun. I couldn't walk away without grabbing some vegan caviar! So strange... but I will soon attempt some sort of tasty bite with this topping - anyone ever tried it before? Recipe suggestions??

After IKEA we went downtown to scope out an omni grille I had researched, which boasted a modest selection of vegan fare. I was enticed by the promise of yummy seitan wings, although when we were presented with the dish I was disappointed. My mom said that the chewy texture of the "wheat meat" was off-putting and I agreed. Plus, they were dredged in cornmeal, fried, and then covered in BBQ sauce - the combination didn't make sense to my taste buds. Perhaps the hot sauce version would have been better, but I doubt it.

Following the wings was their lentil burger. They were out of the vegan buns and so it was served on dry wheat toast. And dry it was. This burger was... interesting. It probably would have fared better in meatloaf form with a tomato glaze of some sort, it wasn't that great on a sandwich. Plus the square shape reminded me of Wendy's burgers! Creepy. All in all, the Double Wide Grille was not a place that I would enthusiastically try again.

Afterwards we spent a few hours walking around a quaint artistic district of town, including vintage clothing shops, one awesome hippie shop, local coffee places, and other interesting stops. The weather was kind to us and we enjoyed having nowhere to be and no time constraints.


Dinner was an obvious choice: Loving Hut! I appreciated there being an all-vegan joint close to our hotel. Loving Huts are found all over the place, yet they allow each location's chefs to create a distinctive menu.

This was found on the ceiling in the dining room!

I loved the wall decals - they covered the space with inspirational veg-conscious quotes.

Being intrigued by the "drumstick" appetizer, I had to try! It was a mixture of mushrooms, veggies, and soy protein wrapped and fried with a plum dipping sauce. See also: mom's wontons in the background. She approved!

This feels so... wrong?

Not wanting to miss the opportunity to finally try soy shrimp, I ordered the "Spicy Cha Cha". Although, I didn't realize that the shrimp would be fried; I was expecting a stir-fried dish with sauce over rice and had already gorged myself on a jumbo fried drumstick. Most of what you see turned into leftovers as my belly protested! Still: very yummy.

On the way out I fell under the spell of the dessert case... You mean I can have anything? You mean I can have EVERYTHING?! Such tough decisions.

Two walls covered in notes from happy customers!

Chocolate cheesecake. Nom.

Cookies & cream cake. Extra nom.

Three different kinds of doughnuts: pumpkin, s'mores, cookies & cream. Yum!

That night my fried food coma turned into a sugar coma as I tried bites of all of my desserts. My mom and I snuggled down with a movie before passing out after a long day of awesome.

The next morning, after dyeing my mom's hair (so girly!) we packed up and headed back downtown for brunch at the vegetarian Quiet Storm. My mom got a creamy frittata and I ordered the "hangover hash": potato hash with soy chorizo & veggies, and a curried tofu scramble. I also ordered a side of steamed kale because, holy shit, I needed some green!

As we drove home I realized how close we were to The Flaming Ice Cube in Boardman, OH. We had to stop! The original location has a large shop to the side with all sorts of goodies. We browsed for a while, my mama picked out some lovely earrings, and I ordered the "Mediterranean panini" to go. Creamy artichoke spread, kalamatas, tomatoes, spinach... yes. Yes. Lovely last meal of a lovely trip.

I wish I could go on a mini-vacation every weekend with my mama. :) Where have you been on a mini-vay-cay that was too much fun??

Oh yeah... Thanksgiving.

What a whirlwind this fall has been! MoFo came and went in the blink of an eye, Halloween whizzed by, and Thanksgiving is already in the past! Slooow down, life. Anywho, here's my Thanksgiving post. It was the 4th year I have been vegan during T-give and have hosted my own feast for my family! And... each year I have hosted I have lived in four different places. Weird. Let's check it out!

I set up my table for four with my new chairs, new fall decorations, and resurrected passion for cooking and entertaining. How lovely!


I was joined by my father, his partner, and my brother. My dad's partner, who is Korean, made a huge dish of veggie sushi! I have always envied those who can make sushi... I tried once and have been afraid to dare try again. This stuff was an excellent, nonconventional appetizer. Carrots, cucumber and radish, mmm.

The Dordles, reveling in all the attention and love she received.

Aw, photo opp. Why isn't my dog focused?! So cute. :)

My li'l bro. Isn't he handsome? Yeah, I know.

The fall feast staple: Vegan YumYum's butternut squash bisque. Wildly addictive, super-creamy, and always a hit.

My full plate! This year I served Gardein's Stuffed Turk'y, which sparked loud praise from my omni family ("It's so moist!", "This is really good!", etc.). I recommend this for any meal in which you would like to showcase vegan meats for omni folk. And it comes with bomb-ass gravy! Also, Isa's greenbean mushroom casserole, mashed sweets, mashed golds, and maple-dijon sprouts.

Best breakfast-lunch-and-dinner leftovers you could imagine.

Instead of making a pie I made a pumpkin roll. This recipe is tried and true. I accidentally spread the dough too thick and so it didn't bake to a moist-cakey texture, but instead stayed kind of creamy. It was like a pumpkin pie/cream cheese roll, which was 100x better! Yum.

Stay tuned for my vegan tour of Pittsburgh, PA!

Happy Trails Compassionate Thanksgiving Dinner

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away? Get planning, folks! Last weekend I had the honor of attending Happy Trails Farm Animal Sanctuary's annual Compassionate Thanksgiving event in my hometown of Stow. After speaking with our tablemates, it became clear that this year's event was much more hopping than previous years. Just look at that line for food! I couldn't capture the entire line, plus we went up in sections to get our food because the place was so packed!


In such a small urban area like northeast Ohio, I was truly shocked, impressed, and touched to find so many vegans or veg-friendly folks gathered in one spot. The real kicker? I didn't know any of them! So my handful of vegan friends weren't even a part of the total tally! It was a great feeling. Reminded me of VVC. <3

The event's catering was provided recipes by Chef Scot of the late VegiTerranean. This was the major pull for me deciding to attend, seeing as I won't have another chance to eat Veg recipes, since the place closed down. The meal was fantastic, too. Gut-busting, even - I couldn't move afterwards! Let's begin.


Appetizers were served upon our arrival: butternut squash hummus with pita bread and veggies, as well as a nice and simple veggie dip. This hummus was outstanding! I can never make a decent hummus, but I'm seriously going to try my hand at this one... it was thick and creamy, slightly sweet with that familiar tang of lemon and the heartiness of the chickpeas. Damn. (I foolishly went back for seconds!)


First course: celery root soup and greens salad with roasted root vegetables, dried cherries, and a balsamic vinaigrette. The soup really shined here, and I had no idea what to expect, never having had celery root anything. It was creamy and mild, reminding me of broccoli stems (yum) and with the right balance of saltiness. I no longer fear the celery root!

The salad... I was not crazy about. There's something about roasted vegetables served cold that turns me off. Plus I couldn't identify some of the veggies and that worried me. There were some odd textures and it just didn't add up. The cherries and balsamic, however, complemented the greens nicely and so we both ate around the veggies.


Oh gosh, the main course. How did I ever have room? Here we have stuffing and a thin, herby gravy, sweet potato casserole, green beans, and Gardein's Savory Stuffed Turk'y. The plate was just wonderful: sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy. The turk'y, which I've prepared on my own and loved, was a bit dry, but I attribute this to the buffet-style serving method (heating element underneath and open air above). I hope this did not turn anyone away from this impressive product.

And what's that hiding in the background? Pumpkin pie? VEGAN pumpkin pie?! Yes. It was delicious, delicious torture to polish off this slice, but I made it happen folks...

We had happy bellies, good conversation with our fellow guests, and a renewed understanding that Thanksgiving can be delicious and enjoyable without cruelty.

Ahh, and here is proof of my homemade turk'y dish! Served with canned green beans (nostalgia!) and smashed red tatoes with garlic. The gravy that comes with these nuggets of awesome is some of the best I've tasted, by the way. Give it a try!

Now, onto planning for Thanksgiving proper! I will be having my dad, his partner, and my brother over again this year and am serving up our fourth year of vegan T-give eats and sweets. What are you super-mega-excited to create this year??

My Halloween

Happy post-Halloween blogging, everyone!

I'm sad to have missed the last few days of MoFo... I just can't seem to get into the consistent blogging pattern! Plus, the multitude of others' bloggy awesomeness made it that much harder (and intimidating, jeez!) to find the time to both surf and post.

I did have some nice pics of some of the meals I've prepared recently and a few restaurants, although there were multiple complications with my phone and now all of my photos (food and other) are gone. :( Very sad. But luckily I uploaded some Halloween pics!

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year and I try to dive as far into all of its activities as I can. This year I visited two pretty kickass haunted houses, went to a few parties, celebrated at multiple work functions, and hosted my own bash!

You can tell what sort of ambiance I was trying to achieve with this dimly lit pic... lots of candles and spooky lights. Decorating my place was so much fun! I get most creative around Halloween and haven't had the motivation or need to decorate for a party the last two years because of my living arrangements. I was most excited to go all out this year.


Here's a pic of the spread - it was already dark and I have no overhead lighting, so this is the best I could do! We have:

• Pretzels and agave mustard dip
• Cucumbers, crackers, and spinach dip (silken tofu and a seasoning packet - quick & easy!)
• Pumpkin Pie Brownie bites
• Vegan onion ring chips (fake Funyons!)
• Pizza bites: baguette with marinara and Daiya (not pictured)

Along with the hot apple cider spiced rum, some good tunes, and wonderful company - the night was quite a success.

Whoa... who is that?! It's Lieutenant Jim fucking Dangle of the Reno sheriff's department. Want some more?

That's right. I love Reno 911! more than almost any form of entertainment that has ever existed. PROOF of its awesome-nitude. You see, every year, to send a big "fuck you" to the sexy/slutty/skanky lady costumes that nauseate us everywhere we turn, I cross-dress as one of my favorite male characters. Also, I might just like dressing as a dude sometimes, so what.

Hope you had a great Halloween! I have some awesome stuff coming up, including a very special event I'm attending tomorrow. Plus, I have some more giveaways up my sleeve! See you around!