VeganMoFo up in this Mofo

This blog has been sorely neglected of late due to various factors including work, a god-awful virus, and sheer laziness, but that is all about to change now that VeganMoFo is upon us. If you're reading this blog, chances are you already know about VeganMoFo, but if not you can read about it here as well as find a master list of all participating blogs, thanks to the lovely Kittee. My goal is to post five times a week (not necessarily all weekdays), and I don't mind saying that I am more than a little intimidated by the task. Mostly because I have this problem with, uh, finishing what I start. However, between fall foods (love!), my husband's birthday, Halloween-themed treats, testing for Isa Moskowitz's latest cookbook, and some other ideas I have brewing, there should be no shortage of delicious things to blog about. Let's do this thing!

Dinner Partay

I wish I had photographic documentation of the dinner party I threw last night, but sadly I have yet to replace my broken camera. Shawn and I had a few friends over and ate on the rooftop of our six-story building, which boasts a lovely view of the mountains, downtown Denver, and our awesome neighborhood (Capitol Hill, represent!)

The menu:
Pesto and artichoke stuffed portobellos
Crusty garlic bread with sun-dried tomato pate
Caesar salad (courtesy of my pal and dinner guest, Abbie)
Eggplant rollatini
Tiramisu cupcakes

Candles were lit, wine was imbibed, and bellies were filled. Since I can't show you any pictures from the night, I can at least show you the adorable apron that my husband bought me for the occasion:

I may have been slaving for hours in the kitchen, but at least I looked damn cute while doing it.

And now I'm off to enjoy a lazy Saturday, reading and watching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with my dude. I hope my lovely readers (all four of you, and yes that includes you, Mom) are enjoying the remainder of summer and eating delicious, cruelty-free food with good company.

Summer Lovin'

"...Had me a blaaast, summer lovin', happened so faaast..."

No? FINE THEN.

Anyway, I was going to make an epic post wherein I porned all of the delicious grilling I've been doing this summer, but then my camera died (possibly due to my dropping it on the sidewalk) and many a lovely photo was lost. Nevertheless, summer is the time when my grill pan and I rekindle our eternal love for each other. Grilled corn and asparagus become default side dishes and entire meals consist of a whole mess of veggies thrown on the grill pan - my favorite so far is red peppers, zucchini, portobellos, and broccoli mixed with chickpeas and smothered in pesto. Perfection, I tell you.

Grilled asparagus: one of the best things about life.

I have been thoroughly enjoying the awesomeness that is summer in Colorado. Coming from Florida, I'm not used to this season being a pleasant, enjoyable time of year. Rather, the word "summer" conjures up memories of oppressive, sweltering heat and armies of mosquitoes. Besides the beautiful weather and delicious grub, this summer has been made infinitely wonderful by a visit from my mom and an Old 97's show at the Boulder Theater (one of the best nights of my life, I must tell you. We were dead center in the front row, the set list was a perfect blend of old and new material, and I swear that Murry and I shared a moment.)

Of course, a post about summer would not be complete without a nod to the perfect way to escape the heat: vegan ice cream from Sweet Action:
Peanut butter cookies and cream. Best ever.

The Green Stuff

I've never had a problem eating my greens. Collards, kale, spinach, chard - I love them all and enjoy them often. Thanks to a friend who works for a local CSA, I've been getting lots of local produce for free lately, including an abundance of greens like spinach and kale (the latter of which is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world.) Here is some recent deliciousness:

Spinach lasagna. I kept it pretty simple with tofu ricotta, basil marinara, fresh spinach, and a sprinkle of nooch (nutritional yeast) on top. With it I served more spinach sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

A clean-out-the-pantry hash comprised of sweet potatoes, kale, red bell pepper, onion, and frozen corn, served with herbed grits

As I was whipping up a batch of hummus and wondering what I was going to do with the last few handfuls of baby spinach in the fridge, the idea became so obvious: spinach hummus. I threw the spinach in raw and it could barely be tasted (not that I would have minded the flavor anyway) but lent tons of nutrients and color.

I also recently made gomen using collard greens, but when I make Ethiopian food the results are rarely photogenic, though delicious nonetheless.

Now that we've covered all that healthy stuff, how's about some cookies, eh?
Chocolate peanut butter and chocolate chip, sent to my dad for Father's Day.

What I Did Ate On My Summer Vacation

Yeah, so our San Francisco trip was almost a month ago, but work and general summer shenanigans (i.e. lounging about the apartment in my underwear) have kept me from updating this here web log. Rest assured, my delay in posting about our trip was not for a lack of tasty foodstuffs.

The Metro Hotel, our home away from home.

BBQ seitan cheesesteak from Jay's

Pizza with Cheezly from Amici's. Yeah, so I don't get the big deal about Cheezly. I mean, it was good, but to me it didn't taste any different than Follow Your Heart. Which is fine because I really like FYH, but I'm just sayin'.

Lemon chicken (vegan, of course) from Golden Era

Vermicelli with fried rolls and tofu from Golden Era - totally worth the terrifying walk through the Tenderloin to get there.

I haven't heard particularly good things about Herbivore but since it was mere blocks away from our hotel, we ate breakfast there a couple of times. There were some hits as well as some misses.
The hits:
French toast - as French toast goes, this was sort of perfect, I've gotta say.

Pesto scramble

The misses:
Pancakes - these were nice and thick but virtually flavorless

Southwestern scramble - this wasn't bad, but mostly because anything is good if you cover it in guacamole.

We also patronized the tiny and adorable Weird Fish on two different occasions: once for brunch and once to meet a friend for lunch.
Capp St. Potatoes - smothered in vegan cheese and sour cream, salsa, and green onions

The pancakes were on the thin side but had a delicious, old-school diner taste.

Buffalo tofu. These were okay, but here in Denver we're spoiled by the amazing seitan buffalo wings from Watercourse/City O' City, to which these paled in comparison.

Seitan fish and chips with vegan ranch. Holy fried, Batman! This was delicious but was a bit more fried food than I can handle in one meal, even when shared with my husband.

Raw strawberry cheesecake from Cafe Gratitude

Vegetarian platter from Axum. Best Ethiopian food I've ever had.

Ethiopian beer!

My dude still managing to look smokin' with a face full of messy Ethiopian food.

Vegan truffles and espresso from a little truffle shop on Divisidero near our hotel

We also had some amazing Japanese food at Cha-Ya and delicious ice cream from Maggie Mudd (okay...several delicious ice creams as well as a milkshake) that I failed to snap pictures of. We walked all over the city, went to the beach and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time (we're east coast kids), toured Alcatraz, and had a total blast. I must say, though, that I was happy to return home to my dog and my beloved city. And my kitchen!

If you are going to San Francisco...

...Be sure to bake some peanut butter blondies for your friends who will be dog sitting for you. These rich, fudgy morsels of peanut butter goodness come from the upcoming Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, with a sprinkle of bittersweet chocolate chips subbed for peanuts on top (because what the hell, right?) The hubs and I are leaving tomorrow to eat our way through the City by the Bay for the next couple of days, so stay tuned for what promises to be some killer food porn. Oh yeah, and I guess we might do some other stuff too.

Before I leave you, check out the shameless begging I had to endure while photographing the blondies:

I miss that little beast already.

Raw Tacos and Pretty Days

The weather here in Denver has been delightfully warm - perhaps even hot by some standards, but I'm from Florida so I laugh in the face of low 80s with no humidity. The result of this weather, in addition to running more often and sleeping with the windows open, is that I've been craving cool, refreshing meals. Enter raw foods. I recently made raw tacos using red cabbage leaves as the shells and filled them with raw corn salsa (Yellow Rose Recipes) and an almond cheeze that I based on a recipe from Vegan Fusion. Topped with lettuce and cilantro, it was a fresh, satisfying meal. Some avocado would have also made a lovely addition.

Another warm-weather perk: hiking with my husband and our friends.
Shawn, Norton, and Lacy on Mount Sanitas

In conclusion, I'm looking forward to a beautiful summer (my first spent living outside of Florida) filled with delicious eats and outdoor activities.