Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Early Summer Potluck Glory

You might already know that I teach yoga. But, twice a week, I get to go to class with my teacher and be a student. Long live Tuesdays and Fridays! 

My teacher is so wonderful and I am deeply grateful for him. He has truly changed my life. Another thing that's changed my life is meeting so many dear friends in his classes. Over the years, we've all watched each other grow and evolve, face challenges and triumphs, and it makes for a pretty sweet connection.
hungry yoginis!

So recently, I had a few yoga pals over for an early summer potluck and it was just great. Totally delicious food, and a chance to share interesting and fun conversations with my buddies (beyond the 5 minutes before and after class!). No one else who came is a vegan, but everyone brought vegan food to share, without me ever even saying anything. I was so touched!


Crystal and Ivo brought this amazing trio of dishes: Herbed Polenta Wedges, sauteed mushrooms, and a super-flavor-blast tomato sauce that Crystal had canned last summer. I don't eat polenta often, but this was so crazy delicious that I might just start making it more often. There was just the right amount of flavor from the seasoning in it, and it went great with the 'shrooms and tomato sauce. 


Jane and JP brought a Farro Salad with fava beans, sugar snap peas, and homemade pesto. Great combo of fresh green flavors and earthy substance. Plus - a little snap and a little chew! It was as good as it looks.



Maia brought a ginormous bowl of ginormous White Beans and Greens. Those beans were FIVE STAR. They were huge and cooked so nicely and full of flavor and this was - again - a great combo of fresh and substantive. I really love this kind of eating. It feels healthy and nourishing, but not heavy at all.



As for me, I made a gigantic double batch of my new salad crush: the Nicoise Salad (recipe from Appetite for Reduction). I love this salad so damned much, it's just crazy. I am IN LOVE. And, I wasn't the only one! You might not be able to tell here, but this was a massive quantity of salad, and there wasn't too much left over. (just enough to send some home with Maia, and for me to have it for lunch the next day - perfect!)

Here's my plate full of green glorious goodness!

Lastly, but not leastly, I made a Cherry-Apricot Crisp (recipe from Local Flavors). It was good, good, good. I served it up with some Vanilla Soy Ice Cream from Trader Joe's. It was summery, and vibrant, and full of fruity flavor explosions. 

Potlucks are really great for get-togethers like this. I love how everyone ends up eating fun dishes they haven't had before. I love how no one works too hard and no one ends up overwhelmed and exhausted... Most of all, I love having time to connect and eat together with my special friends!

14 comments:

  1. Yum! Please invite me to your next potluck. Haha :)

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  2. that looks like one DELICIOUS potlock! omigosh, you have some crazy awesome non-vegan yoga friends that cook up some out of this world vegan food!

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  3. This sounds like an awesome pot luck! I think the best one I ever went to was about three years ago when my high shool's vegetarian club was having a pot luck. Thank goodness I have just eaten before reading this blog post too because everything looks very delicious!
    How nice of them to have also brought vegan dishes. :)

    P.S: I have linked your blog to my most recent blog post. Just thought that I'd let you know. :)

    vegcourtesy.blogspot.com

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  4. wow everything looks incredible! its so nice to have a great group of friends. i just started taking Bikram yoga. i hope i can make great friends too!

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  5. Gorgeous gorgeous green everything! And you are right the Nicoise salad is off the hook.
    Polenta wedges look amazay too. I don't make them often myself. Incredible crisp. It looks super psychedelic.

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  6. Whoa. All I can say is, yoginis do it better.

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  7. Wow! Everything looks amazing! That's how potluck should be done! :)

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  8. That looks like the best potluck ever! Gorgeous food!

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  9. omgoodness!!! Gorgeous, gorgeous food pics. We have the most beautiful food as vegans, don't we? (adorable sketch too, you are so much fun!)

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  10. I love love love potlucks. I haven't been invited to one yet this month. Perhaps I need to get into the hosting habit.

    That farro salad looks fantastic. Any chance your friends want to share the recipe?

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  11. Wow, wow, wow. That is a delicious looking potluck. I used to have non-vegan coworkers who put together an entirely vegan potluck on my last day of working with them. All of the food was wonderful, and even better that they had gone outside of their usual comfort zone to make it. That cherry-apricot crisp is going to be added to my "make this summer" list. It's so pretty!

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  12. Fantastic! Every dish looked yummy.

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  13. Wow, your yoga buddies brought over some seriously amazing looking food! I really wish I had some of the farro salad right now, it looks perfect. I can't believe I've never made the salad nicoise from AFR, I need to fix that this summer!

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  14. Looks like a fab cookbook. I don't have outdoor space for a grill but Pablo does.

    And it looks like maybe you better get your cute tushie over to my blog post-haste. [Hint, hint :)]

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