Sunday, December 23, 2007

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

And in the bayou city, vegan cupcakes were spreading happiness, so yummy and pretty.

Last night I had my first experience with the Houston chapter of Food Not Bombs. The local Society of PEACE group that I belong too helped volunteer for the evening. We gathered on a chilly (for Houston) night to serve up yummy vegan food to Houston's homeless in front of the public library. I had known a little bit about this group, but after going last night I think it is truly amazing what they do. They are out there four nights a week feeding those that are less fortunate. It is so close to my house and such a noble cause, I will be definitely making an effort to volunteer more regularly. And of course, I had to bring some vegan food to share as well. I made the Tempeh Shepardess Pie from V-con (with sweet potatoes as I had previously), since it sounded like a warm, hearty meal for a cold night. And of course, I brought some christmasy-themed treats: mini-cupcakes!

There were 24 vanilla cupcakes with chocolate mousse (this is great stuff, I was pretty skeptical with the tofu, but no one has noticed at all) and 24 chocolate cupcakes with vegan cream cheese frosting, topped with some mints (which ended up giving a nice flavor to the frosting).
I even managed to spread vegan education awareness; one man asked me if I still ate fish, since vegetarians do (so he thought). I replied that people that eat fish are "flexitarians". He was pretty amused with that answer :-)



And luckily all the cupcakes and nearly all of the shepardess pie got eaten up, because when I arrived at my parent's house for the night, look what was waiting under the tree for me...
That's right, my sister brought these yummy donuts for me!! Those Mighty O's traveled mighty far from Seattle to Houston.
The flavors were: chocolate with mint frosting, chocolate with peanut butter frosting, pumpkin, plain with vanilla frosting, chocolate with chocolate frosting, and cinnamon sugar. I think my favorite is between the mint and the pumpkin, but they were all delicious. I tried a bite of every one with my breakfast (alongside a tofu scramble). And yes, I reluctantly shared with the rest of my family. I highly suggest you get your hands on some.
Hope everyone is having a peaceful, relaxing holiday season!! Santa should be making the rounds shortly....

16 comments:

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Your cupcakes look beautiful!
Aren't Mighty O fabulous?! I adored the pumpkin & choco-mint as well. Ooh, I want some! hehe.

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

you made 48 absolutely perfect-looking cupcakes?!?!?! I'm so inspired!! what little masterpieces you've got there!! and wow, look at those Mighty-O Doughnuts (especially the pumpkin one - yum!) - looks like a great accompaniment to your tofu scramble for breakfast :0)

Merry Christmas, Amanda!!

Pink Theory said...

Oh my! I haven't been blogging recently and have missed so many of your posts! The honeymoon looked and sounded simply amazing!!! I am glad that you had a wonderful time. And those holiday cookie gifts...those are so sweet! I love gifts like those and the quote you put on the back of the tags is perfect! And it is awesome that you worked with Food not Bombs...that is definitely a group that does great things! Happy Holidays!!!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

some of the best people i have ever known, i have met through Food Not Bombs.
those donuts look fantastic! so jealous!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Wow, those doughnuts look fantastic-- lucky you! And your cupcakes look perfect... I made vegan cupcakes for a party too :o). Yay for cupcakes!!!

Anna said...

Perfect, perfect cupcakes! We did some christmas ones too, but they don't look as season-appropriate as yours, with the green icing and red cupcake papers!

Loved the previous two entries too, btw. :) Just catching up on your blog again...always a treat.

Sarah P said...

the cupcakes are gorgeous (chocolate mousse frosting? YUM! and those pretty little mints!) - and I'm SO JEALOUS of those donuts! lucky.

Lizzy said...

Yay for FNB!!! The less-fortunate of Houston are sure lucky they've got you to bake yummy vegan treats for them!

Anonymous said...

oooo, your vegan creations are always beautiful! and those from mighty o's! happy holidays :)

Traci Anne said...

Just wanted to say hi! I just found your blog and Chocolate Covered Vegan's - I'm from Texas (Dallas!) but have been living in NYC for a little over two years (but I miss home!) Anyway, I love your blog so far! If I might ask, what part of Houston are you in? My bestie's from Katy, my college roommate and a few of my friends are from Sugar Land, and my boyfriend's family is in The Woodlands - I love Houston :)

Kayla said...

I have always wanted to get involved with Food Not Bombs. I'm glad you got a chance to do it. You're cupcakes are all so cute! And I am very excited that you got a big box of donuts for the holidays. I can't wait to go to Seattle to try them!

the little one said...

Great way to spend an evening! Thanks for volunteering and making delicious treats for those in need.

Ashasarala said...

That's awesome. Those cupcakes look soooo yummy. Oh, and Mighty O Donuts! ::clutching heart:: I hear so much about them, but not one in sight! I want, I want!

I must learn their secret recipe.

jd said...

1) That's sooo cool that you're getting involved with what sounds like an amazing group (Food Not Bombs). What a lovely way to spread peace - and a compassionate diet!

2) I am SO jealous of those beautiful cupcakes! I just made some of my own, and they're not nearly as adorable as yours. Boo! :)

3) Finally, although this is a little late, I just wanted to let you know how nice it is to have you back and blogging regularly again! I'm glad that you were able to enjoy your honeymoon, but I'm (selfishly) loving your fantastically frequent posts!

Anonymous said...

This is a very sweet post!!

vko said...

The cupcakes look gorgeous and that's so wonderful that you volunteered & got to spread the vegan goodness at the same time.

I need to try some Mighty-O's.