Meatout Recap

I hope everyone had a blast celebrating the Great American Meatout this weekend.  Have you made a pledge to go vegan?  It's easy if you start with some great recipes. At the Well on Wheels cooking class, we toasted the first day of Spring with an Equinox Elixir made with pear, pineapple, banana and kale.

This was followed by a warm Potato Leek and Fresh Asparagus Soup topped with Wild Garlic Chives.

Looking at the leeks

The main course was Walnut "Neatballs" in a Vegan Bechamel Sauce with Quinoa and Steamed Kale.  This required a little hands-on assistance from some willing volunteers.  

 

Getting into the mix

Thank you, Jeff and Linda!

 

Lovely little rows

We finished the evening with a Chocolate Molten Lava Cake and Raspberry Sauce.  

 

 

The alchemy of hot water and chocolate

Thank you everyone who attended, and to Camden and Dianna for the fantastic action shots.  If you would like to see more photos from the event, click on the link here.

Special THANKS to my helpful assistant:  mom!!  :)

Meatout Prep

In between raking, mulching, planting and cleaning, I've been doing some prep for tonight's Great American Meatout cooking class.

I cut a bunch of wild garlic chives form the yard - these will go nicely as a garnish on the Potato Leek and Fresh Asparagus Soup.

And to save a little time tonight, I blanched and cut the asparagus.  Everything tastes so green!

Meatout Giveaway

I just opened my package of goodies from FARM USA for the Great American Meatout cooking class I'm hosting March 20.  I have a cool men's size small t-shirt to give away to one lucky person attending, plus lots of cute postcards.

Will this be yours?

Great American Meatout 25th Anniversary

Ahhh... smell that fresh air. Yes, my favorite season is just around the corner. While March 20 officially marks the first day of spring, this year it also marks the 25th anniversary of the Great American Meatout - the day to commemorate our love of animals by not eating them!

Every spring, thousands of caring Meatout supporters educate their communities and ask their friends, families, and neighbors to pledge to "kick the meat habit (at least for a day) and explore a wholesome, compassionate diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains." I hope you will be one of them!

In honor of the Great American Meatout, I will be hosting a cooking demonstration at the Well on Wheels headquarters (more below). Please join me for this fun event!

Great American Meatout Vegan Cooking Demonstration
(perfect for newbies with tons of questions and long-time vegans who just want to enjoy some good food and good conversation)
Well on Wheels Headquarters
Hamden, CT
Saturday, March 20, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
$25 (proceeds benefit FARM USA)

Seating is limited so please RSVP to reserve your space.

Vegan Vernal Equinox

March 20 marked the first day of spring, and also the anniversary of the Great American Meatout. I was happy to hold two events this year to encourage people to consider a plant-based diet. The first was a cooking demonstration at Newington Public Library on Thursday night.

On the menu was Tomatoes with White Beans and Sage, Wilted Kale with Toasted Pine Nuts, Curried Chick Pea and Quinoa Pilaf and Grandma's Apple Cake. Over 50 people attended this event and received literature from Vegan Outreach and Farm Sanctuary, plus food samples from Eat in the Raw and Primal Spirit Foods. Phew! Thank you sponsors and mom and dad for all of your help passing out the plates!

Last night was a special Vegan Vernal Equinox Dinner at my house. Guests received a goodie bag with free samples, recipes and seed packets to get that garden started early.

The special green-themed Spring menu began with an Equinox Elixir made with raw kale and parsley, then followed with Green Olive Tapenade, Cornmeal Crusted Tofu Cutlets with Colcannon (mashed potatoes and kale), Crimini Mushroom Gravy and Caraway Cabbage. Dessert was a vegan interpretation of my grandma's incredibly moist and delicious Apple Cake, and guests left with a little bag of homemade chocolate peanut butter truffles. Thank you everyone who came to this special dinner!!


(and I apologize to everyone for Zinnia's bad manners!)