Olympic Sized Fun!

Last weekend we hosted our biannual Olympics Opening Ceremony party, and it was such a good time!

The rules are as follows:

~ Each guest must pick a country and bring a dish representing that country
~ Bonus points are awarded for wearing national colors or national dress
~ Games are held, medals are awarded, and we play the national anthem of the winning country

After some deliberation, I decided to represent Georgia. I made these wonderful Red Beans with Cilantro-Walnut-Apricot sauce. I first heard about this dish on an NPR show, and once I tried it, I really loved it! Plus, authentically vegan!

I know some people are not very excited about these games for various political reasons, but I just love the Olympics and part of what I love is the emphasis on individual achievement and determination. That said, I just had to make a giant Rainbow Salad in support of LGBT athletes around the world!

As you can see, there was a ton of amazing food! People really went all out and made so many amazing and delicious dishes.

Here's my plate, featuring Argentinian Locro stew with Quiquirimichi Sauce (!yum!), Ukranian Stuffed Cabbage, Italian Blood Orange & Fennel Salad, Mexican Rice & Mango-Black Bean Salad, and a Hummus sandwich from Togo's (representing Togo, get it??). It was super delicious dinner!

Of course there was dessert! Ms. S made these amazing Maltan desserts called Qaghaq ta'l Ghasel filled with semolina and molasses that were super delicious and unusual... and I made Finnish Aland Pancakes. This recipe is from "30-Minute Vegan Taste of Europe," and I have had my eye on it since I first cracked open that book. AMAZING. They are thick and custardy and just a little sweet - flavored with raisins and cardamom. The book suggests serving them with almond butter and jam, which was a very wise suggestion indeed.

This year, the "sports" we had at the party included face making and "figure socking." This was our first time ever introducing judged events, and it was great fun. For your amusement, I offer you a video of Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats and I doing our figure socking routine on the living room floor. Good times! We earned a silver medal for this performance!