Rainbow Potluck! It's so intense!

RAINBOW POTLUCK!

Yesterday we had the most magnificently beautiful, fun and delicious potluck ever. It was amazing. Our last potluck was a "dumplings potluck," which was also tasty, but was a seriously beige meal. We all know the adage to "eat the rainbow," and those drab plates full of (tasty) dumplings got us to thinking about a more vibrant rainbow party.

Each guest was pre-assigned a color of the menu to represent. We were shooting for a complete "double rainbow," meaning a sweet and a savory in every color and we almost made it. Truth be told, we erred on the side of savories, which was just perfect. Isn't this just a glorious display of color and beauty!!?? You can see I even bought color-coordinated fizzy fruit juices at Trader Joes. Because I am a rainbow-loving dork.

Here we are, all lined up in reverse-o rainbow order, from Violet through to Red... most of us representing the color of the dishes we brought. So much party spirit, it was truly awesome. I guess maybe we are all rainbow-loving dorks!

RED! I made a 1 1/2 batch of the almighty delicious Borscht from Voluptuous Vegan. Quite a few folks at the potluck hadn't ever had borscht before, and this fantastic recipe has a way of making everyone into a convert. If you haven't ever made this before, give it a try - it comes together in less than an hour, it's full of beans and veggies and nutrition, and it's crazy beautiful. Seriously, this stuff is red.

For our red sweeties we had bowls of fresh strawberries and raspberries. Mmmmm!

For our sole orange dish, Nikki brought this amazing "Annatto Infused Coconut Stew with Bell Peppers and Corn." Beautiful, decidedly orange, and delicious! I'm pretty sure she made this recipe up, and it was great!

Yellow was well-represented with some mighty deliciousness. Alana made this crazy good mac & cheeze, from the VegNews recipe. I am a bad vegan who doesn't really like nutritional yeast all that much, and so I was totally stoked on this recipe. Not too "noochy," and smooth and creamy, and... yellow! I had heard about it, but hadn't ever made it before, and now I'll definitely make it when I'm in the mood for some old school comfort food.

Also representing yellow were Hanna's adorable and delicious mini cornbread muffins with maple frosting. She used coconut oil in the frosting, and the coconut flavor with the cornbread (complete with little kernels of corn) was a glorious combo.

p.s. Check out Hanna's blog, it's really awesome!

Josh brought these perfectly beautiful and totally scrumptious mini lemon bundt cakes (complete with lemon syrup, which was poured on top). Bundt cakes are special, and lemon cake is already my favorite kind of cake ever, but mini lemon bundt cakes turn out to be the most fun of all!!

For Green savory, I made a batch of fresh bruschetta, using the final harvest of Aunt Ruby's German Green tomatoes from our garden... Just like regular bruschetta, but with ripe green tomatoes. Yummy!

Representin' for GREEN on the sweetie side was Sophia, who created this total show-stopper: Basil Coconut Lime Ice Cream. Holy Wow, Batman! Unexpected flavors that resulted in a magnificent harmony! It was unusual and new, but not so exotic as to be confusing or weird. And, beautifully green!

Rose busted out the big bucks and splurged for a mess of beautiful blueberries. Lest anyone get confused, she decided to spell it out for us. BLUE! Ha ha, I love it! The cake and cuppers were chocolate, with a simple frosting and fresh blueberries. It was a great combination! The fresh fruity-ness of the blueberries with the light chocolate cake was a perfect. And blue! Blue food is not so easy!

Erin was another brave soul, heading forth fearlessly into the realm of blue food. Because she is a genius mastermind of food chemistry, she did all sorts of research into using red cabbage water with different food combinations to result in blue or purple foods. These were pupusas stuffed with refried beans... dyed blue with the cabbage water. She said that as she cooked them they transformed from one shade of green to blue, back to a more greeny-blue. Very exciting. Even the refries inside the pupusas were blue, which was a glorious feat. And, by the way, totally YUMS.

Accompanying the pupusas was Erin's purple cabbage dish, meant to be heaped on top of the pupusas. She had a fancy name for it, but I don't remember it. My fancy name for it was "yummy!" This dish was all carefully turned blue, until she added the dressing, which was acidic and turned the whole thing purple. Apparently this is part of the magic of red cabbage. Although it wasn't what she was shooting for, it ended up just perfect, because without this we would have had a pretty much purple-ness potluck. Which would have been sad.

The Lemon Family has had a full plate, what with a broken ankle, ankle surgery, a rented wheel chair - oh, and a toddler too! So, rather than making their lives more stressful with more cooking, they cleverly stopped by the newly opened Cinnaholic (up in Berkeley) and brought "the clouds of the rainbow": CINNAMON BUNS. My most favorite naughty indulgence of all time. Evidently, Cinnaholic makes all sorts of weirdo specialty flavors, but the Lemons brought the tried and true classic, and they were delicious. And cloud-like. Plus, I was floating around on clouds with a belly full of cinnamon roll goodness.

Finally, I made a big rainbow salad... because it's always great to have a big fresh salad at a potluck. I used red cabbage, kidney beans, red tomatoes, carrots, orange cherry tomatoes, yellow-orange tomatoes, raw corn, cucumbers, and watercress (all over a big bed of lettuce). Also, you can see my high-end construction paper table decorations!

Yes! Many pairs of rainbow socks were in attendance! Little Stevie Wonder is wondering when some rainbow scraps will fall to the floor so she can gobble them up.

More rainbow socks! There were rainbow tee shirts, rainbow earrings, and all sorts of great outfits. Seriously, this party had me bouncing around with giddy joy and feeling so much love and gratitude to have such a fun group of friends. (pic by Alana)

People even brought along rainbow party decor, because our friends are AWESOME.

Little Baby G. is pretty much summing up how much fun we were all having, with his big smile and his orange tee. (pic by Alana)

Here's me in my special rainbow Snoopy tee shirt with the Official Party Snuggle Bug, our dog Snoopy. (pic by Alana)

One more parting shot of the whole spread in all its glory! (pic by Alana)

Long live the rainbow!

What To Bring To A Party

Last week, we were invited to two different potluck dinner parties. Lucky us to have such festive friends! For Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats, these potlucks are simply a time of merry consumption and chatting. But, as many of you know, any vegan attending a potluck has a few things to consider... like "What else will be at the party that I can eat?" or "How hard do I want to work to spread the Good Word of Veganism through delicious flavors that everyone will love?" We all know that a potluck is an opportunity to help the rest of the non-vegan world learn about and enjoy vegan foods, but sometimes that feels like a bit of a burden.

Party #1 that we went to was at a good friend of Mr. VE&T, and it was going to be a big meaty BBQ deal, so I didn't think there would be much for me to eat. So, the first thing is that I needed to bring something that would sufficiently act as a dinner entree for me. Also, that particular day I didn't much feel like cooking. Left to my own devices, I probably would have just defrosted some kale from the freezer, and cooked it up with a little garlic and some beans. But, you know as well as I do, that I'm not about to bring some thing like that to a potluck. Partly because no one else would like it. But also because then everyone would just assume that sad vegans only eat kale and beans (what's wrong with that!?).

So, after a little consideration, I met both qualifications with a double batch of "Zesty Mojo Baked Tofu" from Viva Vegan. This totally delicious tofu has become my new favorite baked tofu of all time. It's very quick to throw together, and takes about an hour of no-fuss cooking time in the oven. It was a yummy and nutritious entree for me, and was very much enjoyed by all the other non-vegans at the dinner party. A perfect solution!! Also, I presented it on my special snail plate that I brought all the way home from Portugal.

The second party was a more vegan-friendly affair, a dinner of yoga buddies after our yoga class that we all take together. Even though I was the only official vegan in attendance, I knew in advance that my friend the hostess was planning on ordering a big batch of dhal and flat bread for everyone. This was great news, of course, because it meant that there would definitely be something yummy and nutritious for me to eat for dinner, regardless of what anyone else brought along. Also, this was doubly great news because it meant I could bake up some sweeties!! Mr. VE&T has been watching the calories very closely for about 9 months now, so my baking projects have been few and far between. It was so fun to get out the cupcake pan again! To go along with the flavor palate of the dhal, I decided to make "Chai Latte Cupcakes" from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.

I hadn't ever made these before, but they were totally delicious and perfect! They are light and delicately spiced... almost more a muffin than a cupcake, which was just right after a big yoga class. They were a big hit with me and all my buddies too! I'll definitely make these little yummies again.

Scenes From The Farmer's Market

Over the course of the last few years, I have developed into a Total Devotee of the farmers' market. I go twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays), all-year-round. I buy about 90% of my produce from the market... with a little bit of cheating in the winter if I really want a red bell pepper or a tomato. But this time of year, there's just no need for the produce section of the grocery store. I thought I'd capture a few shots from my beloved Wednesday market, when my friends Sophia and Nikki and I met up for some friendly time and fresh produce.

Beautiful nectarines & peaches! My true addiction. This is my favorite vendor, Kashiwase Farms - They offer great flavor, loads of varieties, and a good price for their all organic fruits. Some weeks I buy them by the flat, and I don't share them with Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats either! He is content with oranges and apples from the super market, so why should I waste my precious beloved fruits on his non-discriminating taste buds?? Ha!

Also, Kashiwase always offers a tasting table so that you can taste all the different varieties they have each week, and then buy accordingly. I am all nerdy about it... I taste them all and sometimes I even take notes on the ones I like best, so that I won't forget.

It won't be summer much longer, but every time I see an apple or a pear, I quickly avert my gaze and run back over to stand near the watermelons. I need to hold on just a little longer. This week, we came across this huge bin of big organic watermelons for $5 a pop ... so I bought two!! Gluttony! yeah! If they are still there next week, I'll buy two more. They are great. And heavy.

Recently I was trying to articulate just why I love the farmers' market so much.... One of the things I noticed is that, for me, going to the farmers' market is a bit like going for a hike. Seeing all the food, and the shifting of what's in season and what's not, is a way of being in harmony with nature. And somehow, that brings me a very peaceful and relaxing feeling.

I love seeing when the first tomatoes arrive, and noticing when the corn is no longer available... Seeing the different colors of the seasons - all the vibrant reds and yellows of summer and deep greens and darker reds of winter. And everything in between.

Eating seasonally also really makes me appreciate the different flavors so much more. When tomatoes are fresh and corn is fresh, I really love to dive in and eat them all the time. When asparagus arrives in spring is always one of the most exciting times, because you know it's just the beginning of the bounty to come. And this time of year, I am seeing all the lovely winter squash and pears showing up and getting ready to enjoy those wonderful flavors again. (but maybe not just yet!)

Summer squash and sunflowers in the late summer light... eat those zukes while you can!

Look at these beautiful dry-farmed tomatoes. Sooooooooo good. One of my weekend projects is to do another big batch of tomato canning. Preserving food is one of the great ways you can make seasonal foods last all year. I've got a freezer full of corn kernels, basil leaves, pesto, and so on... plus a cupboard full of pickles and canned tomatoes. With more to come!

In the last week or two, grapes have also started to make their appearance. I picked out some amazing, super sweet little organic champagne grapes, but snapped a picture of these pretties together.

Finally, my foodie friends and shopping companions! Nikki's baby G. is a serious fan of lemons. You should have seen this little guy just munching away... happy as a clam. Hint: don't try to take it away from him!!

Sophia is showing off her giant parsnips! Ole!! What is she really going to do with three huge parsnips?? I'm not sure. Nikki and Sophia seem to think that I should explore the world of parsnips, so I will give it a go. I've cooked with them a few times, but not often. This is another one of my favorite aspects of going to the farmers' market : seeing all the different foods that are available and getting to ask the farmers and the other shoppers how to prepare them and "what's your favorite way to cook parsnips?" or "what are you planning to do with all that okra?" and so on. It's a chance to connect with friendly people and delicious food. Long live the farmer's market, my life just wouldn't be the same without it!

Harvesting the Tomatoes!

The Great Tomato Blitz of 2010 is officially underway! Each day I can go out and pick a few more giant heirloom tomatoes... faster than we can eat them... The dark red ones are Purple Cherokees from my friend Jane's farm. The big orange-y ones are Pineapple Tomatoes. The green ones are called "Aunt Ruby's German Green Tomatoes." The reddish ones are probably more Early Girls.

Check out this huge haul from our little garden. When life brings you this many tomatoes, it is a real call to action. Guards, man your stations! No meal plan will be approved without a copious ton of tomatoes in it! Prepare your canning jars! Get to work!

This beautiful soup is the Roasted Tomato Soup with Sweet Corn from Vegan Soul Kitchen. The recipe also calls for crispy fried okras in the soup, but I just skipped that this time, and served the soup with some green beans. This soup is a really wonderful summer time recipe, such a perfect blend of summer's two greatest hits: corn and tomatoes. We loved it!

Still, one can only eat so many tomatoes, even if you are having tomato soup and tomato salad and tomato risotto (and so on). So, I turned to my first official batch of canned tomatoes for this year. Oh, happy day! This is pretty weird, but just for fun, I made up 3 jars of pasta sauce using my green tomatoes. Please note, these are tomatoes that are ripe when green, not "green tomatoes" as in "unripe tomatoes." Mr Vegan Eats & Treats and I thought it would be funny and weird to have some green pasta sauce on hand. I'm sure my little nephew would enjoy it, or maybe we will eat it on St. Patrick's Day for added green power.

Finally I combined a lot of other red varieties into this huge batch of tomatoey goodness. These jars are just straight up tomatoes: no added oil, salt, spices... no nada! Just tomatoes. On the end there, over on the right, are two jars of tomato juice for Mr. VE&T, who absolutely loves the stuff!

Sentimental Garlic

This story starts with my father's father, my Grandpa Slim. He lived in Port Angeles, Washington, and he loved to garden. One of his favorite things to grow was garlic. Over the years, he worked hard at finding/developing a strain of garlic that thrived in his garden and he grew lots of it.

Well, my mom's father, my Grandpa Kirk (aka Granddaddy) also loved to garden, down here in Santa Cruz. So, many moons ago, my Grandpa Slim gave my Grandpa Kirk some of his homegrown garlic to use as seed garlic. Soon enough my Grandpa Kirk was successfully growing his own abundant crop of garlic from those very bulbs.

Today, sadly, both my grandfathers are no longer alive to grow and trade garlic. But when my Grandpa Kirk died, my aunt Laura and I divvied up the remaining garlics and made a vow not to let this sentimental line of garlic come to an end! Garlic is a bit finicky to grow. It doesn't have very deep roots, so it takes lots of water, and some fertile soil... and then at some judicious point, you must totally stop watering it and allow it to do its own magic. You can imagine the pressure I felt to get it right! I'm not always the best about watering my garden, but I was determined not to drop the ball on my very special Two Grandpas Garlic.

Lo and behold, just this weekend I finally harvested these beautiful heads of garlic. I am so happy! For now, I've braided them together and hung them in our garage (I learned later that I shouldn't have cut the roots off just yet, so next time I won't make that mistake), where the air is cool and they can cure for about a month or so. Then, I will pick out the biggest heads of garlic, and use the most robust cloves from those for seed garlic, and slowly try to grow back up to a larger and more abundant crop. What's left will be distributed amongst the family so we can all enjoy the tasty lineage of my grandfathers' glorious gardening efforts!!