VeganMoFo

At first, I thought of doing an autumnal theme for today’s roundup since we’re now in the thick of fall. And of course, when I think of fall, I think of the kiddies going back to school. And when I think of school, I think of learning stuff. So, in a weird stream-of-consciousness way, I arrived at today’s theme: “Stuff you may not have known before, and oh, some posts about autumn too.”

I mean, did you know that the UK has a National Apple Day? Or that Medieval Times will do a vegan option? Or what a kurtos is? Or that the morel is the Minnesota state mushroom?

Did you know that Sweet & Sara has two new flavors of vegan marshmallows? Or that cauliflower comes in an an orange variety? Or that it’s possible to make vegan baked goods from some store-bought mixes? Or that Vegan Essentials sells an accidentally vegan flavor of Doritos?

Do you know what vegan-friendly candies you can give away this Halloween? Or how to grow your own sprouts? Or how to tell the edible sweet variety of chestnut from the toxic horse chestnut? Also, special bonus knowledge for Americans: Yorkshire pudding, not a dessert; and Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on a different day.

I almost forgot the autumnal bits: Tahinitoo and the Gluttonous Vegan (from whence was swiped the cute pumpkin picture above) have both been doing awesome pretty stuff with pumpkins. Mmm, pumpkins…

– H-Dog

Mark Twain said that.

But it’s not true ‘cos you need inspiration too!

And one thing this years Vegan MoFo is not short of is inspiration. Ideas are just zapping through the blogosphere and oozing out the monitor at me. Sunday’s picks that caught my eye shall ensue and I dare you not to drool a little bit when you feast your eyes on these creations.

Check out this amazing looking club sandwich from Lisa

This pot roast from meatsbegone had me sniffing the monitor, there’s bonus cute puppy pictures too.

How fancy does this Delicata Squash and Hazelnut Lasagna look from Rose. It sounds amazing and I love the combination of her ingredients.

I just LOVE these Caramel Apples from Andrea. They made me ask myself the question “Why have I not made these before??”

Now you’ll either think I’m mad or you’ll feel sorry for me; but I’ve never had sushi before. Zoa over at The Airy Way has delighted me with her sushi creations all weekend and I am definitely inspired to make my own.  These inari-zushi excite me.

And it’s not just MoFo’ers who are inspiring me – it’s their Grandmas too! Check out this awesome looking Pineapple Pie that Bianca’s Granny made her.

How awesome is that!

If anyone’s a bit stumped over what to MoFo about, how about taking some inspiration from the most awesome bloggers in the world – the MoFo’ers!

Have a FAB week.

xx

I don’t know what the weather is like in the rest of the country, but here in Maryland, it is rainy and cold, with no sign of sunshine, or warmer weather, for days. With autumn upon us, and especially after a long day and commute, I want a quick, satisfying meal, and pasta delivers every time.

Columbus Vegan reminds us that pasta doesn’t always have to be made from a grain, and serves up tasty tofu with spaghetti squash in a cream sauce. I really enjoy spaghetti squash, and really should use it more often!

Lots of MoFoers are serving up cream sauces with their pasta today, something I have yet to make as a vegan. It isn’t necessarily diet food, but with no cholesterol, it certainly doesn’t qualify as a heart attack on a plate! Bonnie, over at Eating With the Rabbits serves up a beautiful plate of the sauce from Yellow Rose Recipes over tagliatelle. Catherine at the In-a-Gadda-Da Vegan sings along with The Beets as she prepares a killer tofu alfredo, with peas, and over at Beats, Rhymes, and Cookies, there’s a yummy sounding pasta with an invisible cream sauce, peas, and veg ham.

Meanwhile, over at Vegan Crunk, Bianca serves up a delicious looking casserole made with coconut milk and butternut squash that would be perfect on any fall table.

Jen McCleary bakes up a cheesy and flavorful manicotti sure to stick to your ribs during these long, cold, nights, and the Green Goddess simplifies lasagna by baking up some luscious sounding lasagna rolls.

Finally, we have Stella, who creates a deliciously different pesto from pecans and cashews. Easy, tasty, affordable, and quick, things that I definitely look for in a recipe!

So, put a pot of water on to boil, and let me know when dinner’s ready! See you MoFos at the dinner table!

Posted by Luciana

Even though ideological cousins of veganism have sprung up at various points in history and throughout the world, the contemporary vegan movement really got its start in the UK and spread most quickly from there to the anglophone bits of North America and Oceania. All of which makes it that much more exciting to see the geographic diversity of the participants in this year’s Vegan Month of Food. Ready for a whirlwind tour of international MoFo blog posts from the the last weekend or so? Here goes…

•Over in South Korea, Mipa of the blog Alien’s Day Out, posted about the various faux meats she discovered in her local grocery store.
•Bonnie, over on Eating with the Rabbits, reviewed the vegan gyros she found in the Netherlands.
•Beats, Rhymes, and Cookies, out of Italy, made a first attempt at vegan cinnamon rolls.
•Andrea in Mexico City whipped up rajas con crema, and Vegan en Mexico shared a recipe for pasta with balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard.
•Melanie in Austria posted an interview with Melisser of San Francisco’s Sugar Beat Sweets and The Urban Housewife blog.
•The Vegan Animal blog out of South Africa shared a recipe for tomato and green bean curry.
•Over in Germany, Mihl of Seitan is my Motor has started testing Caribbean yumminess for the author of the Vegan in the Sun blog.

Of course, there are a whole lot of other participants from around the world, but it’s not easy keeping up with all you MoFoers. And speaking of not keeping up, I don’t know how I missed this one from last week: Marie, over in the Philippines, posted last Wednesday on her blog How to Become a Vegan Domestic Goddess about a vegan version of a childhood favorite, mais con hielo, pictured above. Yes, polyglots, that’s corn with ice. And it sounds kinda fascinatingly awesome. If it weren’t so chilly here right now, I’d have to give it a try.

– H-Dog

When you’ve just got to eat and you’ve got to eat NOW our MoFo’ers come up with some amazing quick and tasty meals.

Mihl’s sloppy snobby joes look hearty and satisfying for when you want a quick lunch that is packed with protein, fibre and iron amongst other delicious things.

 

You don’t get much quicker than a toasted sandwich and Susan over at Kitten’s Gone Lentil has had the tough job of trying out lots of different combinations. The sacrifices we make in the name of MoFo!

This Au Gratin that Megan got together in 15 mins positively had me drooling. Fork tender brussels sprouts combined with fresh mushrooms in a casserole dish, smothered in a basil-y red curry coconut sauce and baked.

HELL YEAH!

And for when we do have a bit more time for cooking at the weekends these two dishes totally caught my eye

Chana Dal Cutlets from The Messy Vegetarian Cook

and this Dhal Soup with Dhal-Chili Cake looks a proper winter warmer from Vegan Lovlie

 Sunday is a perfect day to indulge in some awesome brunching and Bonnie from Eating with the Rabbits did just that.

Curried Cauliflower Frittata

Samosa Mashed Potato Pancakes

And Bakery-Style Berry Muffins! What an awesome brunch!

Hope you’ve all had a fantastic weekend.

xx