Vegan Thanks-living 2013

I went to VSOP's Thanks-living event last weekend. It was packed! 115 people showed up, even though they had planned for 100 people. Last year we got second servings, but this year there was barely enough for everyone. The entree was made by Vegan Comfort, exact same menu as last year but the roast was drier this year. The pumpkin cheesecake pie was from Sinfull Bakery and we got donated coconut ice cream from So Delicious to go with it this year! In the door prizes, I won a shaker of pesto seasoning and a bag of raw granola from Pat Greer's Kitchen. I gave my friend the bag of raw granola because I knew she'd like it. It had buckwheat, pecans, dates, and something else. Granola's not really my thing. The dude enjoyed the food but said he wanted more gravy. He's home for the holiday and said he'd make a game day decision about eating turkey. He's only been meat-free for a few months and I can understand that he's not super comfortable being the odd one out at a family gathering. I just said it'll probably put him to sleep, but I wonder if he'll get upset stomach from it. I'm proud of the progress he's making, so I won't be judgmental if he has a holiday slip-up. I never ate meat after going vegetarian, but I did eat cheese a couple months after I decided to go vegan (and it made me feel like crap).

Bread Baking

The dude likes fresh baked bread. It was a comment he made once and I thought, "Challenge accepted." I tried twice in the used bread machine I got from a friend, but neither attempt was successful. I think the temperature wasn't warm enough to encourage the dough to rise. Recently, I decided to try using my Kitchenaid to knead the dough and let it rise on the counter. I had the oven earlier so I think that made the kitchen warm enough for the dough to rise. You can see it rising above the bread pan edge in this photo. I followed a King Arthur recipe just replacing milk with non-dairy milk. He really appreciated the bread. I made Italian tofu from Vegan with a Vengeance and sun-dried tomato pesto to serve with the bread and some spinach. The sandwiches were delicious. I used the leftover marinade to make more tofu and created a bowl with the other ingredients. :)

Farewell, Miss Adie Mae

Since I introduced the new feral kitty in my life, I guess it's time to write about the saddest day of my life. On September 17th, Adie unexpectedly collapsed and died. I had fed her breakfast, then she went off to play. I heard her nails on the floor, like she was running, but it was way too fast. I came out of the kitchen to see her lying on the floor. I tried to lift her, but she was limp. I set her down, with the hope that I didn't injure her more. I petted her and tried to talk to her, then she took her last breath and wet the floor. I panicked and called the vet, rushing up the stairs to get her crate. She was so limp and light when I put her in the crate, I was crying hysterically the entire way to the vet. I knew it was incredibly unlikely that the vet would be able to save her, but I had to try. Or force them to take x-rays and tell me if she fell down the stairs. The vet helped me schedule a necropsy with the Texas A&M vet school. Turns out she had an enlarged heart that finally gave out. She did not have a heart murmur, so we had no idea that she had an enlarged heart. I knew from her ultrasounds that her liver was slightly too large, but the necropsy showed that one of her kidneys was 1/3 smaller than the other and that many of her organs had microscopic lesions. She had an adenoma on one of her thyroid glands too. Poor girl. All the result of bad breeding. She was a purebred Ocicat. I got her when her old owner dumped her at my house in Baton Rouge. She had misshapen toes, but was otherwise an absolutely stunning and intelligent cat. I miss her. Mischa has also been grieving. I posted many photos of her in the living room and made a little area for her urn in my room. I love you, Miss Adie Mae. You will forever be my little diva.

Meet Onyx

I have recently started feeding a feral cat by my house. I started putting the food inside a trap I borrowed from a neighbor so he'd get used to eating in the trap. Once I saw him go in the trap several times, I set it to actually trap him. Before you freak out and think I have awful intentions, I was doing trap and release. This program allows feral cats to be sterilized, vaccinated for rabies, and released back into their territory. Their ears are marked to show animal control that they are fixed and vaccinated, therefore they should be left alone. After having my hard drive crash and losing my fellowship application, I was very happy to have the kitty go in the trap last week on the first night of an extreme cold snap. It was down into the 30's!! After the vet visit, I kept him inside in a crate another night because of the weather. I hope he continues to come by for food. I've decided to name him Onyx since he's all black. :)

Beaucoup Bar & Grill - Houston, TX

I recently met the owner of Beaucoup Bar & Grill through my kickball league. We had our mid-season party there. I had inquired about the menu beforehand. There is a vegetarian section, so I knew I could modify that to make a vegan meal. After many questions, the owner said the beans and rice are vegan and the grilled veggies for the po'boy are cooked with oil, but the bread was probably not vegan. I ordered a bowl of red beans and rice with just the grilled veggies (no questionable bread for me!). Turns out the sandwiches come with fries, so I got a surprise side of fries. It was quite good! Plus, they hired a DJ for the party and had the LSU v. Alabama game on TV. LSU was doing so well during the first half, but we lost.

Tofu Quiche

Since we had to depart rather early for the chili cook-off and weren't going to have time to stop for brunch in Austin, I made a tofu quiche for breakfast. I actually cooked it the night before, so I'd just have to reheat it in the morning. It's a rare occasion that I make a savory breakfast, but this was quite good. The crust fell apart, not surprising since it's gluten-free. I used portabello mushrooms. It had great flavor, but I'd add a bit more nooch next time. I love nutritional yeast!

Bouldin Creek & Sweet Ritual - Austin, TX

After the eating tour of Austin, I knew I wanted to stop for dinner at Bouldin Creek Cafe and for ice cream at Sweet Ritual. I ordered the tofu migas for dinner. I skipped the beans, since I had a million beans at the chili cook-off. Bouldin Creek isn't stingy with the nooch on their tofu scramble. Nom. Other people ordered tacos and chips with salsa. After dinner, we headed over to Sweet Ritual for dessert. I tried the prickly pear ice cream, but went with the salted caramel sundae. I got one scoop of salted caramel ice cream covered in chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, mini Dandies, and graham cracker crumbs. So good! I'm glad I saved room for dessert. The dude regretted eating chips and salsa when he saw my sundae, but I had told everyone in advance that I wanted to stop for ice cream before driving us back to Houston.