Sundays Are For Love.

Yesterday was so awesome!! The Kansas City community really came out and supported local and sustainable foods! The meals hosted by both Dane and myself were very successful....and delicious!! For my lunch, I served up some veganized Italian foods, while Dane's dinner was a potluck this week! Fun fun fun!

Lunch!
I served Roasted Vegetable Lasagna for the main dish, and it was great! Layers of whole wheat lasagna noodles, homemade cashew ricotta, homemade marinara sauce, and roasted local veggies!! The top is Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella. Taaaaasty!I served the lasagna with a Caesar Salad--homemade dressing AND croutons, too! The bread for the croutons came from a wonderful local bakery here in KC, Fervere! Yeah!Dessert was Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti from Veganomicon. This was a huge hit!! Probably because these are some amazing cookies!! Duh!

Dinner!

Now, onto the potluck! Everybody brought amazing dishes, all vegan, too! Here are some highlights:

Dane made an Apple Pie, with local apples, of course

A lovely salad with ALL local, freshly-picked veggies! Also, local bok choy with red chilis!Yes, there was a Tofurkey! Two, to be exact. These things are so surprisingly good! We topped them with some pomegranate seeds! Yum.

I made a Shepherd's Pie! The bottom has homemade seitan and lots of local veggies, the topping is mashed potatoes...made with local potatoes! I loooooove this dish; it's just so wintery!Our friend, Adam, brought some Roasted Potatoes, with onions, garlic, and rosemary!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie!

Awesome siblings, Chelsea and Matt Huff, making some Cranberry Chutney! delish!!
There was even some awesome Rosehip Tea!Everyone sharing in the yums...Our gracious host, Bryce, who makes pretty much anything possible because of his big heart and hospitality! The potluck was at his house! Thanks, Bryce!!

Jim Button is enjoying a tasty Pumpkin Bisque....
The spread...including my Cinnamon-Chestnut Bread Pudding, and Harvest Bread (from Fervere Bakery) with agave whipped Earth Balance! Yes!Adam Brumback, showing his love for the food and the people!
More amazing people around amazing foods...And the lovely Chelsea Ringler! Always a Sustainability Sunday supporter!! Yeah, there was even organic soda. haha!

Neil, digging into the goodness.
Everyone got soooo full and sooooo happy! :)

And everybody helped out, which made it even more amazing!!

Including Emily Lodigensky...

A good...no, great....time was had by all!! Let's hope next Sunday is even better!

Yay food and yay sustainability!!

Buffalo Seitan Wraps and Another Lovely Sunday!

Yesterday was so wonderful! Lots of great people and great food were shared to make yet another fantastic KC Vegan Crawl! I am constantly astounded at everyone's support of Sustainability Sunday happenings!!

Onto the food! Where would we be without it!?

The star of the lunch on Sunday was the Buffalo Seitan Wrap: homemade chick'n style seitan dredged in a homemade spicy buffalo wing sauce wrapped up in an organic whole wheat tortilla with homemade vegan ranch dressing, organic red onion, tomato, and spinach. Oooooh they were so delish!! The cool ranch juxtaposed against the spicy buffalo seitan was divine.

And for the side dish, I made some Spiced Potato Wedges! Local potatoes tossed in olive oil and spices, and baked until nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside! Yum! Man, potatoes are a perfect food. GOSH. I also made my Kickin' Ketchup for the dipping of the potato wedges. I love to dip, what can I say?!And you know I gotta have dessert!! I made my Oatmeal Cream Pies, because I just wanted and needed and craved them. I think everyone was happy with my decision...so perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg for the fall, with that dollop of buttercream-style filling for a little naughty indulgent touch. I think I can declare this my new favorite dessert! There, I said it! :)

I was so very pleased with how yesterday went...now it's time to get crackin' for the next sustainability shindig!

Things I Thought I'd Never Eat Again Part 1: Pimento Spread!

Every once in a while, I want to start writing about things that I eat that I never thought I would have again, since I'm vegan and all. This will be the first post in the mini-series!

Today's item was Vegan Pimento Cheeze Spread!! The recipe is a tester for Bianca's (of Vegan Crunk) upcoming Cookin' Crunk cookbook. If you aren't familiar with pimento cheese, it's basically a spread made of Velveeta, pimento peppers, and mayonnaise. And it is totally better than it sounds! Very creamy, tangy, kinda sweet. Perfect on nice soft bread for a lunchbox treat or to dip celery and carrots into as an after school snack. I served my spread on locally-made Farm to Market's Grains Galore bread, which is super soft and nutty and tasty! I brought some sammiches to my mom at work and even took along some coleslaw for the side dish, and she provided some Cozy Shack chocolate soy pudding! A perfect little office picnic! So fun!

This Week in Sustainability...

Yesterday's Sustainability Sunday was a HUGE success! Dane and I both had tons of people come out to our supper clubs, and the KC Vegan Crawl made yet another mark on the midwest! Yay!

At my place for lunch, I made everyone's favorite: Brunch!!

My Lemon-Ginger Scones! A big, big hit! The recipe is here...I highly recommend it. I even got the lemons at the Farmers' Market!For the main event, I served up cakes 'n eggs, vegan-style!! Awesome Whole Grain Pancakes, Scrambled Tofu with Local Greens, and Local Homefries, featuring both yukon gold and sweet potatoes.

To mix it up a bit, I gave my guests a choice of different pancake toppings: Plain (Earth Balance and Maple Syrup), Homemade Pumpkin Butter, Cinnamon-Baked Apples, Chocolate Chips, or, for those with a savory tooth, Spicy Seitan Chorizo!

Here's my plate-- I topped mine with both the pumpkin butter and baked apples, being the little glutton I am. Did I mention ALL the produce and tofu used were local? Well, they were! The savory option: Pancakes topped with homemade Spicy Seitan Chorizo Crumbles, drizzled with agave nectar and sprinkled with sea salt. Holy moly this was one tasty plate o' food!!Then, for dinner at Dane's place: Gumbo and Rice! Food for the working folks, for sure!! Tons of okra, Anasazi beans, tomatoes, garlic and more in a delicious, spicy broth, topped with fluffy white rice. I think all the vegan Southerners would be proud!!And there was homemade bread: Whole Grain and French Baguettes!! BREAD!!And, since no meal is complete sans dessert: Depression Cake!! Dane found a recipe for cake from the Depression era, when things like eggs and milk were scarce...so it was already vegan and tasty and cheap to make! Yes!! He jazzed it up a bit with a Cranberry-Orange Glaze, and it was just too good!
Thanks to everyone who has been coming out to the Vegan Crawl!! Hopefully we'll just keep growing and growing! There will be more delish food to come, ya'll!

Cashew-Cardamom Baked Apples

Maybe it's my affinity for German stuff, but I gotta say I just loooove baked apples. Love 'em. And this just happens to be the perfect time of year for all things apple and baked. Cool!
My friend, Anna, and I made these for a potluck last week and they were a real hit!! And for those of you who can't handle the wheat, these are gluten-free! These are, of course, best when made with fresh, local apples from the Farmers' Market! Cashew-Cardamom Baked Apples (makes 12)
12 medium-sized apples...preferably local!
1 cup cashew butter
2 Tbs maple syrup or agave nectar
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder (or use up to 1 tsp if you are a true cardamom lover! haha)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1 pinch white pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegan margarine, such as Earth Balance

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
Wash and core the apples and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cashew butter, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined. Carefully spoon 2-3 Tbs of the mixture into each emptied out apple, until they are full of the cashew butter mix. Set on the cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the margarine and brown sugar. Sprinkle over the top of the stuffed apples, covering each evenly.
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pan and cook for 10 more minutes. You want the apples to be soft, but not mushy or burned. The topping should be nicely melted and caramelized. Let cool for 10-20 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Saucy!

Just a short post about a few things I've made lately!

There's so much pumpkin at the Farmers' Market...what better to make than Pumpkin Butter?!?! Nothing, that's what I say! Local pumpkin...hooray!
I based the recipe on my recipe for Sweet Potato Butter from last fall, but with a little different spice blend. I used 1 Tbs cinnamon and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice for the seasonings, and simmered it with an extra cinnamon stick. It's so fantastic! Great on toast, muffins, waffles or whatever needs a little touch of fall lovin! Yum!

I also made a tester sauce for Terry Hope Romero's upcoming Vegan Latina cookbook: Fresh Gazpacho Salsa Dressing! It's just what it sounds like...a combo of gazpacho, salsa, and dressing all in one! I made it a few weeks back when I still had fresh, local tomatoes and bell peppers, so it was perfect for showcasing the last of the summer goods. In fact, all the veggies in this were local! Woo! This went great with tacos, chips, salads, and arepas, too! Cuz a good sauce can really go with just about anything!

Something Sweet from Sweet and Sara!

I was just boppin around Whole Foods the other day and what did I find?! There were a whole pile of Sweet and Sara's Cinnamon Pecan Marshmallows, just calling my name!! These are sooooo so soft and pillowy. zomg. The cinnamon and pecan flavors both shine, and there is a little streusel-like topping on the top that gives a little crisp in addition to the crunch of the pecan. Soft and crispy and crunchy? Now that's a treat I can get into! I might even go so far as to say I like these better than the original!! I still can't decide. I guess it doesn't matter, because they are both just so wonderful! These were just made for cool fall nights, girl (or guy) talk, and a mug of cinnamon tea....