Wedding Fare

Photo booth madness!

 A few months ago, my cousin got married, and we are all so happy for her and her new husband, who we all like very much!  The wedding was one of the most lovely I have ever been to...but we were of course a little worried about the food situation.  My brother and his wife are also vegan and vegetarian (respectively), so they was a nice little crew of us who were waiting with baited breath to see what would be on the menu.  We were ASTOUNDED when it came time to eat and there were options for us!  I think I actually cried a little.  There was a stuffed squash and noodle and veggie dish that was amazing.  On the buffet there were grilled (like, really fresh and grilled, not just overheated) summer vegetables, hummus and pita bread, and even a mashed potato bar with a separate bowl of mashed potatoes just for us!  And to top that all off...the caterer made VEGAN CUPCAKES for us.  I am pretty sure it was the same recipe that I use from Isa's book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.  They were yummy, we were all full and so happy, and the wedding was like a dream.  Because we were not hungry, we were able to dance all night and really enjoy ourselves too!  The catering company is called Chef by Design Catering Company in Virginia Beach, VA.  I HIGHLY recommend them, I was very impressed!    Additionally, my general suggestion is to NOT be afraid to speak up about your dietary needs when you RSVP for a wedding or similar event, because you might just be pleasantly surprised (or in my case...mind-blown!).

When the moon hits your eye like a big...

Pizza Pie!  My family and I went on vacation to South Carolina, USA this year and we discovered a groovy new place to eat...Mellow Mushroom Pizza!  We checked out the menu online and were really excited to see tempeh, tofu, seitan, and Daiya cheeses on the "create your own pizza" list!  Woah, it was like my kids had died and gone to pizza heaven.  ANY cheese or protein could be substituted for something vegan.  They also can make salads, calzones, hoagies, and even have appetizers that cater to veg needs.  As you can see by the photo, my kids were so happy and we ate there more than once during our stay!  If you are living or traveling in the USA, there are many locations, especially on the East coast.  Check out Mellow Mushroom's website to see if there is a location near you and to view the menu.  If you aren't near a Mellow Mushroom, you can always gather ingredients at your local grocery and make your own :-)  Sometimes, your own is simply the best!

Karma Kindness Van

I went to the Bonnaroo Arts and Music festival again this year with my husband.  We always have a really fun time, and some of the highlights this year were Weird Al Yankovich, Billy Idol, Tom Petty, ZZ Top, and of course Paul McCartney.  Another thing we enjoy about festivals other than spending time together listening to great music is food.  I LOVE to eat, and I always want to make sure that I have plenty of it :-).  We packed a lot of food like Primal Strips, eggless egg salad and tons of bread, homemade seitan, fruit and veggies, and things like Vegenaise.  We also ate at a lot of food stands and trucks.  The one we liked best this year was the Karma Kindness Van.  We had "Portabello Big Macs" and hummus veggie trays with homemade guacamole.  Everything was really great, and because it was the end of the day, the food was really cheap.  Honestly, though, I do not know how to find these folks, even though I searched the Internet.  If you know where to find them, please leave a comment!  Moral of this story: TRY new things when you are traveling, and always ask them how you can stay in touch!

FireFly Fare, Roanoke, VA

 I was recently in Roanoke, VA for a conference.  I have been there before, but did not really take the time to find anything quality to eat.  This time, however, I did my homework.  I checked Happy Cow and found FireFly Fare in the historic downtown area.  It was just a little place and it not entirely veg, but I had a lovely time and had a delicious meal there.  I ordered the Indonesian BBQ Tofu and veggie stir fry.  There was plenty of Tofu and veggies.  With a cup of coffee on the side, it really hit the spot after sitting in the Roanoke Civic Center all day.  They also have salads, falafel, pitas, paninis, and more.  I recommend going out of your way to hit FireFly fare if you are in Roanoke...and I recommend checking Happy Cow no matter where you go to find nearby veg-friendly places to eat.  Also, when you are in Roanoke, be sure to check out Happy's Flea Market.  Think THOUSANDS of vinyl records.  I never go to Roanoke without stopping at Happy's to add some unique tunes to my collection.

Mediterranean in Virginia Beach

Vegan Moussaka

 We recently when on a vacation to Virginia Beach, VA.  Nothing complicated, but my aunt and uncle live there, so it was nice to visit them and have some fun, too!  We played disc golf at Munden Point Park, went to Croatan beach (where I got on a surf board for the first time in 10 years!), saw the state aquarium, and made/ate some great food!  One of the best things about going away for a vacation is eating food that you do not normally eat!  We are so busy that we quickly get into a rut with meals...spaghetti, enchiladas, mac and "cheese", stir-fry, vegan meatloaf...they are all pretty easy, and good for a typical week night.  When I am on vacation, though (as you know if you have been following this blog for a while!) I want to send my taste buds on vacation as well!  So one restaurant that we tried was Baladi Mediterranean Cafe.  It is pretty close to where all the action happend in VA Beach...the boardwalk, the beach, the carnival, etc.  I checked the website before hand (thanks again Happy Cow!) and was very pleased to see lots of green "V's" on the menu, indicating that a dish was vegan.  EVERYTHING (yes, I am serious!) on the starter menu was vegan, and they also had some nice entrees and wraps as well.  I tried the vegan moussaka...they brought me a huge plate of it and my first thought was that I would never be able to finish it all...well, it was gone in no time because it was THAT good.  I also had some really great baklava (vegans, when was the last time you had that!?!?), made with agave nectar instead of honey.  Oh, and some Turkish delight!  Overall, the atmosphere was great, the staff was so polite, and the chef personally came out to see how we liked our meal.  Do NOT go by Virginia Beach without going to Baladi!

Vegan Baklava with a Turkish Delight!

A Meal Away From Home

So here in the USA, it is summer (yeah!), which of course to many means summer vacation.  We typically go to the beach and avoid busy places like theme parks so that we can spend at least a few days being relaxed...not stressed out!  Because we are not staying at resorts, we often end up looking for places to eat out.  I love cooking, and it is very economical to cook during your vacation, but on vacation I do not want to be cooking all the time.  Enter HappyCow.net.  You can use this website to search for veg friendly and all-veg restaurants all over the world.  We typically find at least a few good places to eat whenever we use Happy Cow.  For example, let's say you are in...New Zealand.  Love New Zealand, used to live there, it should be on your bucket list!  Now that I am vegan, I need to find a place to eat because I am starving!  It is so easy to click on the map on Happy Cow, narrow down the search to cities, and I now see that there are 47 veg-friendly restaurants in Auckland!  Woah!  While the website is very user-friendly, the mobile app is even better, check it out.  Oh, and make sure you download the app BEFORE you are starving,it's better that way ;-)

Back to VFV!

So it's been a couple months since I last blogged...this is a busy, busy time of year for the special education teacher, I have to say!  I have had several new additions to my caseload in the last month, and we barely escaped an audit from the Dpt. of Education...whew!  At least my files finally look amazing!  So now that it is spring I am back full force...those buds on the trees and flowers on the hills have me thinking about plants, the environment, and chocolate peanut butter eggs :)  Yes, I put in my order to Pangea Vegan Store in Rockville, MD for the Easter Bunny's annual visit...that old bunny comes around every year and leaves all sorts of goodies that he ordered from Pangea.  This year he's leaving those big chocolate bunnies, peanut butter eggs, and creme-filled eggs.  Probably some Nerds, too, because I am a Nerd-aholic.  I love this tradition of having the Easter basket on Easter morning...we really stress the idea of Easter being a celebration of spring, new life, and new beginnings :)  We will probably take a trip out to Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary, too.
Some things coming up for Vegan Family Values...The Valley Earth Fest, where I will be tabling solo for the first time, lots of new recipes to try, the Poplar Springs 5K run, Earth Day, gardens and the Mother's Day Plant Sale, Apple Blossom Festival, and more!  Loving spring!

Thanksgiving With The Turkeys 2011

Me and Will Tuttle

My crew in the food line.

Piggy Nose

We had another fantastic time at the Thanksgiving with the Turkeys at the Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville, MD, USA.  It was a beautiful day, clear and brisk, and it was perfect to hang out on the farm with our friends the animals.  We always enjoy going out to Poplar Springs, but Thanksgiving is the best because they host the biggest vegan potluck I have ever seen.  Table after table of delicious vegan eats.  Since hundreds of people show up, there are hundreds of dishes to choose from.  There was a great selection of wine and drinks and desserts as well.  Even though I do not know most of the people there, I always feel right at home!  The turkeys always eat first, since they are the guests of honor.  They get long trays of corn and other things turkeys like to eat.  Then the people eat, and it is amazing.  Once we got our food and sat down, I got the surprise of the day...right over my shoulder, not more than 30 feet away, was the one and only Will Tuttle!  If you do not know who Will Tuttle is, you need to.  His website says, "Dr. Tuttle presents about 150 events yearly  at conferences, retreats, and progressive churches and centers throughout North America. A former Zen monk with a Ph.D. in education from U.C., Berkeley, he has worked extensively in intuition development, spiritual healing, meditation, music, creativity, vegan living, and cultural evolution."  He wrote the book "The World Peace Diet", which is "the first book to make explicit the invisible connections between our culture, our food, and the source of our broad range of problems—and the way to a positive transformation in our individual and collective lives."  He signed my copy and I got to meet and talk to him.  I was so honored!  The rest of our time at Poplar Springs was spent wandering around and visiting the other animals (especially our favorite, the pigs), talking to new friends, watching the kids run around and play, and digesting!  If you have the opportunity to make it out for this event, you really should!  Start looking for announcements on their website around September.

D.C. Vegfest 2011

Veg Kids!

Wayne Pacelle

Here are a few photos from the D.C. VegFest that we went to on the 24th of September.  We had an awsome time, I was especially impressed with the speakers.  Isa Chandra Moskowitz is the author of the Post Punk Kitchen and she actually did a book signing after she gave a demonstration on how to make vegan gumbo and pumpkin cheesecake.  Both were delicious and I brough my copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World for her to sign.  Yeah!  Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of the Humane Society, was there signing his book, as was Colleen Patrick Gourdreau.  I am a regular listener of her podcast, The Compassionate Cook.  I really had stars in my eyes for a little while there.  One of the main things that we came to do was EAT!  If you get a chance to take the family to a vegetarian or vegan festival, you should, because there is always tons of food.  And as a vegan, I like to eat a LOT!  I had some great nachos, and they had pumpkin spice whoopie pies.  A whoopie pie is like a GIANT cream-filled cookie/cake.  They are unbelievable!  My kids were thrilled to see other vegan kids, and we actually signed them up for a Vegan Kids playgroup there.  If you are a lonely vegan, a festival is a great place to hook up with other vegans and get plenty of great info on what to do next.

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