Meatless Mondays from 2 Edgy Veggies to Go

Last Monday was my last Meatless Monday Meal from 2 Edgy Veggies to Go for November.  The meal had an Asian theme and consisted of fresh rolls with peanut dipping sauce, soup, and rice pudding for dessert.  It was a nice lite, fresh meal. 

Vietnamese Fresh Rolls w/ sprouted tofu and orange-scented peanut dipping sauce

Thai Curried Potato Soup w/ fresh cilantro garnish

Coconut Jasmine Rice Pudding w/ toasted coconut and cashew topping

Go to the Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe blog for recipes:

Thai Curried Potato Soup
Vietnamese Fresh Rolls
Coconut Jasmine Rice Pudding

Meatless Mondays from 2 Edgy Veggies to Go

This is way delayed but after everything with Murray, posting about my Meatless Monday meal was the last thing on my mind.  But I promised so here's a quick recap of LAST week's meal.  

The 2 Edgy Veggies are in Florida this week for a half marathon they've been training hard for so there wasn't a meal pick-up this week.  Because of that, they did their Thanksgiving meal last week.  The menu included all the traditional Thanksgiving items - vegan style.  They were all delicious.  My favorite part of the meal was the roasted vegetables.  I love roasted root vegetables!

Roasted Tofurkey with Wild Rice Stuffing, Sage Gravy, and Roasted Root Vegetables

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

Delicate Pumpkin Pecan Tartelettes

If you're interested in the making the pumpkin pecan tartelettes for yourself, you can get the recipe here.  The orange-cranberry sauce recipe can be found here.  Both are courtesy of Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Meatless Mondays from 2 Edgy Veggies to Go

For my birthday, my sister-in-law Jennifer gave me a gift certificate for 3 Meatless Monday meals, courtesy of 2 Edgy Veggies to Go.  On November 7, 14, and 28 I can pick up my meal in the morning and then have it ready to warm up for dinner.  This is perfect because after a long day of work followed by a staff meeting and my cycle class, the last thing I want to think about when I get home after 6:30 is what to make for dinner.

Such a cute personalized bag!

Last week's meal was an orange, fennel, and beet salad; chik'n pot pie; and sweet potato pudding. I was a little ambivalent about the salad because I've never had fennel before. I looked it up on Wikipedia first to make sure it's not related to an onion. It was described as having an anise flavor, which I like, so I gave it a little nibble. It had a nice flavor that paired so well with the sweetness of the oranges and beets. I ate it all.  And drank the juice. If you want to try it yourself you can get the recipe here.

Orange Fennel Beet Salad

Next I moved on to the pot pie. Poor Brian - he loves pot pies - so I really felt bad eating this in front of him. (But not so bad that I offered him even a taste!). This was by far the most delicious pot pie I've ever tasted! The topping was a light and fluffy biscuit that was neither too dry nor too buttery. It was just the right thickness and was easy to cut through with a knife. Underneath the biscuit topping was a thick and hearty mix of fresh carrots, peas, potatoes, and little cubes of chik'n, all perfectly seasoned as a pot pie should be seasoned. I was sad to get to the last bite and practically licked the tin clean. (Truth be told, I DID lick the tin clean.)

It was 6:45 by the time I got this in the oven so I got a little impatient waiting for it to be ready.  After a while I took off the foil, hence the over-baked heart.  oops!  Otherwise it was perfect.

I waited a little while for my dinner to settle before having the sweet potato pie for dessert. It was thick and creamy with just the right mix of spices and sweet potato flavor. It almost had a hint of butterscotch to it, which I love. It would have been delish on its own but I topped it with a sprinkling of shredded coconut. Yum!

Sweet Potato Pudding

Wondering what was for dinner tonight?  I'll have to keep you in suspense for a little while...

Have you ever participated in a homemade meal service?

No-Beast Feast

On Friday I attended the Dearborn Animal Shelter's 2nd annual "No-Beast Feast" - an evening of vegan food, drinks, raffles, and entertainment.  Since it combines delicious vegan food with raising money to save animals, it's something I'm obviously all about!  Brian and my mom went with me and two other friends showed up, as well.  Our table was rounded out by a cute young couple and a woman who was there by herself.  She was a riot!  Our table was hilarious and it was definitely a good thing we were sitting in the back!

I didn't get many pictures because I only had my phone and the lighting wasn't great.  The food was delicious, though.  For appetizers I had 2 fresh rolls (compliments of Chef Genevieve Vang from Bangkok 96).  There were also fresh veggies and dips, along with pretzels and nuts.

Dinner was a light Michigan vegetable soup, rolls, salad, fruit, tofu stir-fry, rice, steamed broccoli, and shepherd's pie.  My favorite was the shepherd's pie.  I haven't had much shepherd's pie, vegan or otherwise, so I can't compare it to anything but this was incredibly delicious.  It was so hearty, savory, and flavorful that I wish I had taken a whole plate of it!

Dessert was an amazing array of mini cakes, cookies, fudge, truffles, and raw treats.  Here's just a small sampling (yes, there was more):

The trail mix cookies hiding under the thumbprint were probably my favorites.  I thought about smuggling a half dozen home in my purse but had forgotten to line it with aluminum foil before leaving the house.

Dark chocolate peanut butter ice cream from Treat Dreams - ohhh yeah!

Before leaving, I got up the courage to go and introduce myself to fellow bloggers Sherry and Sandy from Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe.  We have mutual friends but haven't actually met.  Now, for those of you who know me, you know I am shy.  VERY shy.  Like, so shy that I won't even go up to someone I went to high school with because they might not remember who I am and I'm worried it will be awkward.  So we were about to leave and I was standing there debating about whether or not I should go introduce myself.  The debate went on and on and was really just with myself.  But out loud.  Poor Brian.  

Finally I just walked over to Sandy who was talking to someone else and said, "Hi, sorry to interrupt.  My name is Amanda.  (slight pause)  I'm Vegan Road Runner!"  SO cheesy, right?  But if she thought it lame she didn't let on.  Instead, she grabbed Sherry who was standing nearby and we talked for a few minutes.  Their passion for health, animals, and the environment is an inspiration so I was extremely pleased to finally meet them.  (And they are SO approachable and easy to talk to - why the worries?!?)

Speaking of Sandy and Sherry, be sure to visit Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe for inventive vegan recipes that are delicious and easily accessible for both vegans and non-vegans alike.  They're great about keeping you updated and informed and since I've been delinquent in posting recipes lately, you can get fantastic meal ideas from them when you're wondering what to cook for Meatless Monday.

Give me a few weeks to settle into 1st grade, though, and I promise I'll be back with some regularity.  Just don't be surprised if most of my recipes utilize copious amounts of wine.