Easter Party

Passover was pretty great. Then came Easter, with even more food and frolic.

I always take 89 to see the Easter Bunny, although looking back through the blog I'm realizing that I don't always post the photo, which is a damn shame. Here's her pic from this year; the bunny had two settings: 1) immediately let 89 step off their lap and sit as far away from them as possible, or, 2) hold 89 by the entire body so that only her head, a swatch of her bunny shirt, and one dangling leg are visible. Here's option 2 at work. VM tried to get a photo of option 1, but my enormous arse was in the shot and there's no reason to go there.

Since this is one bit of tardiness I can assuage easily, here are the bunny photos from the last two years.

2016 was THE BEST. I could tell the bunny was up for it, so I told them that 89 would squirm, but not bite and that I was going to toss 89 over. The bunny caught her like a champ and the moment of the catch, inclusive of 89's ears blowing in the wind of the fan meant to keep the bunny cool, was captured.

2015 was a rookie mistake on my part. 89 was dressed as a bunny, which does not read well in a photo- particularly under duress. Also, why dress like a bunny when you're visiting the bunny? We've since learned that homage, not imitation, is key.

But, I digress. This year 89's Easter basket was filled with stuffed peeps and an extra bunny outlier. They currently all still exist, although I don't think any of the peeps have their squeakers anymore and most are missing their stuffing. There's a really funny video of the basket attacking 89 if you're so inclined.

On the way to VM & OD's we stopped at our regular holiday flower spot to pick up some buds that color-coordinated with my #1 bud.

Because if not on all days, at least on holidays you should eat dessert with every meal: these are the Peaceful Provisions donuts we shared in the a.m.: Ferrera Rocher donut, cannoli donut, rainbow donut. Not pictured: their vanilla pudding/cereal donut I glommed all to myself the day before.

For dinner, VM was at it again with Follow Your Heart's vegan egg; this time, baked ziti.

I ate about 75% of it.

For dinner dessert, we had bunny-shaped rainbow cookies from Sweet Maresa because the only thing better than rainbow cookies are rainbow cookies shaped like bunny rabbits.

and, finally, a shot of 89's bunny-themed ensem for the day.

Hope your holidays were enjoyed as well!

Passover

Excuse my tardiness; I recognize that I'm a little behind! Okay, actually a lot behind, but that's a story for another post(s). It was just Passover, peeps! And you know what that means: VM does all the cooking.

Here's 89, moments before she fell asleep waiting for the reading to end and for dinner to start.

Charoseth on matzoh, a.k.a. the only time I eat apples.

The piece-de-resistance: VM's famous matzoh ball soup- new and improved with the Follow Your Heart vegan egg. Don't be jealous of the middle ball's carrot hat.

Looky who woke up for some soup.

 

The festive meal: a packed plate (not mine!) of kugel, sweet potato, string beans, and Brussels sprouts.

It took 89 a few days to find the afikomen because someone hid it six feet in the air. CORRECTION: it took me a few days to realize why 89 was sniffing the air under a six foot high shelf.

Beyond Burger- Quick Review (by a vegan and an omnivore)

It took me a bit of time to procure the Beyond Burger for two reasons.

1. I wasn't really sure I wanted to try it. Things that are "just like the real thing" aren't really marketed to me because I never liked meat.
   
2. Once it was hyped enough that I did want to try it (am I the only one who talks to people on line in the supermarket when their baskets are full of vegan stuff?), I couldn't find it. Pro-tip: not all supermarkets are stocking it in the meat department as originally stated. In fact, some Whole Foods' butchers will hotly contest it with you because "it's not meat." BUT, extra credit to Beyond Meat's uber-helpful stock guide (are you seeing this, Ben & Jerry's?) that confirms the item is in the store so that even if you can't find it, you can confidently ask for help.

But, I digress.

Ultimately, the Beyond Burger was found in the refrigerated veg section of the Whole Foods I was in: near Tofurky, Vegenaise, and the like. It looked as though it had been shipped frozen and, from what I can discern from the package, you can re-freeze it as long as it's not open (the package contains two burgers in a single, sealed compartment). Overall, pretty darn realistic-looking.

A lot of people reported a meat smell while cooking, but the smell I detected was relatively faint and kind of indescribable- albeit familiar. Perhaps beets? Certainly not unpleasant, just unusual.

Luckily, a friend had already cooked his Beyond Burger in a George Foreman grill only to watch all the juice/flavor drip out, so I was forewarned to use a frying pan (this was a winter-winter day as opposed to one of our recent spring-winter days, so the grill wasn't an option). Note: this is a small pan; the patty is a decent size, but not mammoth.

I don't really remember what a cooked cow burger looks like, but this looked pretty enticing.

And, even more so once dressed (sriracha ketchup, lettuce, FYH american cheese, pickles, no onions, on a sesame seed bun).

This isn't a great interior shot, but I hope you can see the texture of the burger, which was the most off-putting part for me. The burger itself had a very neutral taste, but the "mouthfeel" was too realistic for me: kind of granular-ly lumpy like chopped meat burgers.

I gave OD the other half of my burger to try- expecting him to take one bite and hand it back. Instead, he gobbled it up. I told him the one taste was enough for me and that I'd leave the other one in the fridge for him to have the next day. HE DID NOT PROTEST.

Because it was so obvious that he actually liked it, VM and I kept smirking. Because he can't stand smirking, he insisted that, although it was the best "veggie burger" he'd ever tried (highest compliment in all the land), he probably liked it mainly because of the toppings (big vegan cheese fan, OD?). So, I'd say this was a success.

This is no ordinary veggie burger, my friends. VM and I will stick to black bean-type burgers, but this could really be a game-changer for those looking to replicate meat.

Thanksgiving and a Noodle Pudding Miracle

There was a Kevin Hart meme going around this year suggesting that everyone stop posting photos of their Thanksgiving plates because we're all "eating the same shit." That may be true- literally, for millions of non-vegans, but the vegan plates that fill my social media feed on thanksgiving are some of the most colorful and meaningful plates that I see all year. Keep 'em comin'!

 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The reason I find these bountiful plates so thrilling is that when I went vegetarian in high school, it really just meant that I'd be leaving turkey off my plate. But today, as a vegan, it's not about elimination, it's about abundance. And never is that contrast more evident than in what VM prepares for Thanksgiving.

That inevitable first Thanksgiving when I refused a piece of obligatory turkey, VM was mortified and- dare I say, angry. It was surprising to me because I never even liked turkey in the first place. But, looking back, I think it was the symbolism of the defiance: refusing to eat something that she'd painstakingly prepared. Fast forward to my 16th Thanksgiving as a vegan: VM, now vegetarian herself, has now expertly veganized every holiday-specific dish and I am her biggest fan. Sure, we banter, but I kid!

TRUE STORY

 

professional corn stuffing preparation

Thanksgiving day started off with Trader Joe's seemingly accidentally vegan pumpkin rolls. These are the kind that pop out of a can and, just a few minutes later, you have a yummy and warm pastry. Well, 5 actually.

They come with a pouch of pumpkin icing, but I prefer to use only a little of that and then douse the roll in maple syrup. Not shown drenched because you'd plotz if you saw how much maple syrup I'm talking about (hint: that's why it's in a bowl). 

The rest of the day was spent cooking. Not me, VM. She made her famous corn stuffing, maple-roasted Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon and marshmallows, and a Field Roast Celebration Roast with applesauce.

look, I made a vegan meme!

As promised, I made the green bean casserole.

But, wait; there's more. 

We were gifted a box of Follow Your Heart's vegan egg and, a few days before Thanksgiving, VM made her 1000th attempt at veganizing her noodle pudding (keugel). IT FINALLY WORKED!

This vegan version was 100% indistinguishable from its egg-laden counterpart.

There are very few things left that have yet to be veganized. After m&ms, this was the lone holdout I can think of and I couldn't be happier. I think I actually forgot just how much I love it, and now it's mine any time I want it she makes it. Yay for me!

In case you're wondering what 89 was up do while all this was going on, she basically spent every waking minute sitting at the table waiting to be served.

And served she was; here's her plate. Watch her noisily scarf it all down.

Finally, I shall leave you with @thespicyvegan repost that's been blowing up my own FB page this week:

Hope your holiday was happy; there's more to come!

Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheese Slices and Blocks

As a huge Follow Your Heart fan, I was absolutely thrilled when they offered to send me an assortment of their new sliced and block cheeses to sample and review.

 

You can choose from American, mozzarella, provolone (!), and garden herb...or you can just try them all. That's probably advisable; why limit yourself?

89 was as excited as anyone.

The first thing I did was to melt a portion of the American block and serve it as a dip. I immediately recognized those familiar American cheese notes and couldn't wait to explore the rest of the flavors.

In fact, later that same day (don't judge) I decided to check the meltability of the garden herb slices. Nine minutes at 400 degrees: perfect texture.

So impressive!

I was a tremendous provolone fan as a pregan and this was one of my favorite concoctions of the review: Eureka bread, Tofurky slices, slawsa, and FYH provolone. Full disclosure: this delicious combo took me through the rest of the package in no time.

I made quick work of shredding the mozzarella block for a homemade pizza.

Because I severely mishandled the dough, my pizza was mostly a disaster: except for the cheese (and copious amounts of red pepper flakes).

VM was so enamored with the mozzarella, in fact, that I made her roasted garlic bread with the slices soon thereafter and she positively swooned...and swore off other vegan mozzarella.

There was a bit of a FYH cheese flurry of obsession going on in my house for a good, long while. I even fell into a routine of eating cheese & crackers (then cheese & pretzels when I ran out of crackers) just.... whenever. It's really good!

And then I got a hold of myself. No snacking: just meals; this was important research! Next up: American & mayo! What's the tagline from the old Reese's peanut butter cup commercial old saying? Two great tastes that taste great together:

I lurve original vegenaise, so this was an inevitable pairing: reminiscent of my lunches at day camp (and 3 consecutive years thereafter; thanks, VM!).

I'm sorry this is upside down, but you get the gist. 89 was quite a fan herself (just a taste! I know it's not intended for dogs).

So there you have it. The Follow Your Heart sliced and block cheeses were a grand success.

Go get you some!