Las Vegas in a NY Minute

Happy late 4th of July!! Just thought I would show off my Stars and Stripes cobbler (recipe based on this one from Everyday Dish).

I should be sleeping right now, but here's a quick run down of our trip to Las Vegas. Thanks to stonie brook for her suggestions! The first place we hit up was the Go Raw Cafe down by the airport. For lunch, I had the enchilada. Very refreshing after stuffing my face with way too much food the day before in San Fran.

And of course, what trip to Vegas would be complete with out a little... no, not gambling (for me at least).... vegan donuts from Ronald's! I roused up John and the couple we met in Vegas to drive out and get some donuts one morning. This place looks like a normal donut show, but the top two shelved are all vegan! These reminded me of the donuts I used to have growing up. We tried chocolate covered, cream filled, glazed, and what John referred to as an "apple burrito".

After donuts, we made a trip out to the Hoover Dam, quite an amazing engineering accomplishment!

Other things we did in Vegas... walk the strip, see two shows (go see Le Reve!), watch John play blackjack, ate overpriced sushi. And I got a preview of the city where I am right now.... New York!

Can't wait to catch up with what everyone has been up to!

Houston Vegans Celebrate!

This past weekend, Houstonian vegans gathered to celebrate two milestones..... the 6th birthday of the Go Vegan Texas radio show and the opening of a new all vegan restaurant, World Veggie Cuisine. **Update 06-06-08 Sad to report that World Veggie Cuisine is no longer open** First, the food. The buffet was huge, about half raw items, and included cajun, ethiopian, and comfort food. On my plate below I have bbq seitan, lentils with injera, potato salad, sprout salad, chickn empanada, green salad, and black beans. This wasn't even close to everything that was served. The food was delicious, and I think my favorite was the potato salad. It's very exciting to have another vegan option for dining out!

After dinner, we honored the founders and hosts of Go Vegan Texas, including Janice Blue (pictured below), Shirley Wilkes-Johnson, Jerrilyn Halbert, and Kristen Lee Ohanyan, as well as their longtime sound engineer Mark McGuire. They told the stories of how the show began, challenges over the years, and hope for the future. We are so lucky to have an all vegan radio program here in Houston!
We also had a raffle to raise money for Society of PEACE. The prize? A vegan cake that I baked and decorated. Almond torte with a strawberry mousse and fresh strawberry filling and frosted with an almond buttercream. The raffle raised over $50!
Here is a close-up of my buttercream flowers (yellow chrysanthemums and pink rose) in my basketweave "basket" with a rope border. This is probably my best rose to date! I've had some issues with my icing being the right consistency. But with my new stand mixer (thanks honey!), things seem to be improving. Oh, and since several of you asked how I got the embroidered affect; it was easy! Simply ice your cake smooth then wait approximately 10-15 minutes for the icing to crust over. Then, take a paper towel (this is where the print comes from, so they will vary by brand) and a fondant smoother (or your hand) and essentially "iron" your cake.
Since the cake was being raffled off, I wanted to sneak a taste of my creation. So using the leftover cake after leveling, I made my own little mini cake. The mousse came out kind of runny, but it was still delicious! And as it turns out, I got to have another taste, since the person who won the raffle graciously shared the cake with everyone after the dinner. Aren't vegans nice?
I hope you're not sick of seeing pictures of cakes, because there's another few headed your way soon. That, and pictures of the art car! The parade rolls tomorrow! Expect a full report by Monday....

Cracking New Cookbooks

Like many of you who have a serious addiction to cookbooks, I have so many that they tend to get neglected every once in awhile (okay, lots). So last week I made it my goal to actually use two cookbooks that I haven't made a thing out of. The first is Vegan Vittles, which I got for xmas from my sis. I've had several things bookmarked, but hadn't followed through on any. Since I am also trying to get better about using what's already in my pantry, I chose the Moroccan Millet since I had a jar of millet that had been sitting unused for quite awhile. While millet isn'tmy favorite grain, this was a satisfying dish... my favorite part being the pine nuts and chopped dates mixed in, so don't skimp on those!

Next up is the new cookbook Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, which has been getting quite a bit of press lately. I got this book for my mom and sis for xmas and couldn't help but sneak myself a copy as well. Not sure how in the world I landed on the "meatloaf" as my first choice, since I hated it as a child, but I'm glad I did. This was my first time trying the Gimme Lean ground round, and overall I was pleased. This was moist and flavorful, and I found myself saving the hardened edge bits for my final, savored bites. I added some ketchup on the top before I baked it since I had remember seeing others do this as well. Another first for me that night, roasted purple potatoes! We don't often eat potatoes in this household, but these were a treat.
And going back a few weeks, it was my turn to bring breakfast into work for my colleagues. Most of the time we get store bought muffins, or donuts, or breakfast burritos. So I went for homemade treats and made the strawberry love muffind from My Sweet Vegan and the lemon poppyseed muffins from VWAV. I also made a big fruit salad (all seasonal.. apples, pears, oranges, banana) and brought some soy yogurt with hemp granola. I gave the new So Delicious yogurts a try... while I liked the flavor, the texture was a bit off for me. Has anyone else tried them? I try not to eat yogurt that often because of the plastic containers that can't be recycled around here. Anyone know a good craft to use them for? I've got a bunch saved up that I just can't bear to throw away....
This past weekend some friends decided last minute to get together for munchies before going out on the town. Having lots of leftover frosting inthe freezer from my last decorating class, I made cupcakes in a mad rush. Please note these were decorated in 20 minutes.... so please don't judge me!! I did do a special pink ribbon cupcake for a good friend whose sister-in-law is currently battling breast cancer. And finally on Sunday night we had our townhome association yearly meeting (John was elected president! ha ha), which called for some baked treats to make it through the meeting (they bore me to tears). I know I saw someone make these just recently and I'm sorry for not remembering who! These are the jam print cookies from ED&BV made with strawberry jam and whole wheat flour instead of barley flour. I'm usually not too excited over any cookie that doesn't have either peanut butter or chocolate, but these made me happy.


In other news, our local Society of PEACE group hosted a lunch for Jon Camp of Vegan Outreach where he talked with us about leafleting techniques. It was a very informative and motivating talk. He was also featured today on the Go Vegan Texas radio show. That's right.... there is a vegan radio show based here in Houston (aren't you jealous?)!! It airs on Mondays at 10am CST and there are archives online you can listen to. I really encourage everyone to listen in and support vegan radio (they are having their pledge drive the next two weeks)!
Okay, I've got more to share before I leave for a quick ski trip to Colorado on Thursday, but I like to keep my posts short and this is already too long!

Fire Ants on a Log

I am trying as hard as I can to get rid of the celery that is lurking in my crisper (especially since it's going on two week old). My solution? Updating the favorite (?) kids' snack of ants on a log. I have never been a big raisin fan, but I love dried cranberries (though not by themselves as much). This made the celery easier to swallow (since usually I can't stand it) and made for a healthier after-work snack than I usually have.

Like the rest of the country, we are experiencing some colder weather, somewhat welcome since we've had a mcuh warmer than average winter. Another method of ridding the house of celery? A veggie chili! I tossed in every veggie I was in the mood for, including onion, red pepper, zucchini, kale , and 3 kinds of beans (black, pinto, kidney). Add some diced tomatoes, plenty of chili powder, and a package of Boca crumbles and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. And what goes better with chili than cornbread? This was the recipe for skillet cornbread from V-Con, except I didn't use a skillet (pyrex) and I halved the recipe. And I threw in some jalapenos for good measure.
But did I mention there are benefits to having a warmer than average winter? Fresh, local strawberries!! These are from Wharton County, just up the road from Houston. They were so big and bright and juicy....
And all gone!! I love my little strawberry bowl. Reminds me of the time I spent in England with my parents (this is from Portmeirion).....
And finally, a quick dinner from earlier in the week. I have been really anti-going out to eat lately. Mostly because I'm just sick of explaining to waiters that I don't eat animal products and then they point out the fish on the menu. Ugh! No seriously, it's not that bad here. But I wanted to not go to one of my standard places I'm comfortable with. So I took Ruby Red Vegan's advice and hit up Pei Wei. I got the teriyaki bowl with veggies and tofu, and left feeling full and satisfied.
I am sooooo ready for Friday.