My First DC VegFest!!

I am going to tell this story in pictures and words, but mostly pictures.  I had the best time ever at the DC VegFest this year.  In November, I will be nearly 2 years vegetarian and officially 1 year vegan.  I am so happy with my lifestyle and this wonderful compassionate choice that I have committed to.  My Hubby is omni and though he is supportive, he is equally as committed to his eating habits.  (I'm working on him). 

Well this year I found out about DC VegFest from a tweet by Terry Hope Romero and I was so happy that she sent it out.  I don't think I would have known otherwise.  I loaded up the car for our 3 hour drive and I took  my daughter, her best friend, my niece, my best guy friend and my brother met us there.  My husband couldn't go since he had to work.  When I say great time, I really mean it.  It was so encouraging and uplifting to be surrounded by people who shared my views and thoughts on how to change the world!  The vendors were great and the speakers were AWESOME!! I got to meet and Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Isa Chandra Moskowitz!!!!!!!  They were so informative and very approachable and even took pictures with me! 



The goodie bag tatoos modeled by my girls.



All in all DC VegFest was a validation for our lifestyle like no other and really helped even the veggie-curious take that leap.  Outside of my daughter and best friend getting to participate in the Sticky Fingers Bakery Cupcake Eating Contest, the very best thing that happened at the festival was that my beautiful daughter finally took her final leap into vegetarianism and I couldn't be prouder of her for making such a compassionate decision.  I feel so blessed and excited and I am going to be bending over backwards to keep her tummy full and her spirit encouraged.



Can you say Cupcake Eating Contest?  Oh yeah, this was certainly a highlight for the girls.  They had so much fun competing and really, who wouldn't?

  

Doron posing with my niece, daughter and her best friend.







Spectacular sweets from Vegan Treats. 
So so so so good!!

This is the ASL team that provided translation for the hearing imparired for all of the tent events.  They worked so tirelessly and were amazing, I asked them for a pic because they truly deserved to be celebrated.



Isa's demonstration complete with sample

A picture with Collen Patrick-Goudreau.
She was so freakin' cool.



The fact that I got to meet Isa was like
icing on a cupcake.  She was great!!!



As I said, I got to meet SUCH wonderful vegan superstars at this festival.   I had a great time with my family, my daughter's friend and my best friend, Dameon.

The last shot of my daughter is because she was bummed that she didn't get to take a picture with Isa, so I took one of her with Isa in the background and that seemed to satisfy her. She's pictured in her Sticky Fingers T-Shirt (earned for participating in the contest, as if she needed more of a reward than the cupcakes themselves.) This was such a great experience, I hope everyone gets to visit a festival near them. Thanks to all the people that made this day possible.





Thanksgiving Recap. . .

This wasn't my first vegetarian Thanksgiving, but it was my first vegan Thankgiving and the first time, I was able to share some of my favorite foods with my extended family. With my uncle's house filled with about 40 or so people, the festivities began. My family is very used to me turning down the various meats on the table, but bringing a bunch of "alternative food" sets off their individual "this girl is trying to convert me into one of them veh-gee-ter-ree-Uns" radars. Guess what? They loved it. I don't think half of them knew that they were eating vegan at all, and I only bothered to tell them about the Tofurkey, mainly because I didn't want them to waste it and partly because I didn't want them to eat up all of my only protein option. My hubby and I traveled to Accomac County, which is where I am from originally, with goodies in tow. Included in our trunk for travel where a roasted Tofurkey with carrots, celery, onions, garlic and rosemary;

Tofurkey before cooking...

Tofurkey after cooking (I really enjoyed it and so did my daughter, who also had a completely meat-free holiday too)

Green Bean Casserole;

My Cream of Mushroom Soup made from a roux for the casserole

After blanching my frozen green beans, I mixed in the soup

Topped with store bought french fried onions, (I don't skimp on the crunchies)

Though I didn't get a picture, we also took Rum Carrots (My Hubby made those and they were awesomely sweet with brown sugar, rum and Earth Balance), he also made a wonderful vegan stuffing based on his mother's recipe, I was so proud and hopeful for his Vegan conversion (he is destined to be veganized, I can't wait and I won't ever give up ever, muah-ha-ha-ha), I digress.

The following tasted much better than it looks, I browned it just a bit too much, but I was very pleased with how it turned out and my daughter loved it. She begged for sweet potato pie for a week so I took the plunge. Now, I have never made a vegan version of this until now and I may have taken a few more creative liberties than I should have right out of the box. I used Silk Nog instead of just soy milk, which made the normal sweetening and spice choices a bit tricky, basically I don't recommend it for the virgin veganizing voyage on your recipe, but I really did like the idea of playing around with cool flavors. I know, I know, I am not posting this recipe now, but I will as soon as it's perfected the correct way in my opinion. But, I will say this Sweet Nog Potato Pie did please and has been devoured.

Overall, Thanksgiving went so well and I think that I enjoyed it so much more because of all we were able to bring to the table. It has been a busy week, but oh what a week it was. I hope everyone had as blessed a time as we had. Happy Tofurkey Day!!!!

-Ty

Ode to My Cast Iron with a side of fungus?

"Why do you cook in that one, Mommy, it's so hard to clean". I remember saying that to my mother whenever she would pull out the dreaded black heavy frying cast iron to make EVERYTHING. It was crackly on the outside and ugly and hard to clean when Iwas old enough to do the dishes. . . Uggggh.

BUT. . .

One day, my stepfather taught her how and then me how to "season" it. I didn't know why at first, I certainly didn't want to eat it, lol. But when he showed me how to oil it lightly before I put it away and how to care for it and never leave it in a sink of water "soaking" because I hated finishing all the dishes, well I just finally fell in love with them. OMG, things just taste better in my cast iron. My cast iron skillet, which was given to me by my grandmother, when I got my first apartment (she picked it up thrifting, I love her), lives in the oven and gets used ALL the time. I sautee veggies, I make roux (apparently that IS the plural as well), I make sauces, and sear seitan and make chickn fried tofu, and...well you get the idea. The point is that I think all kitchens should have one. And if you have shunned the possibility because you were, like me, afraid of the heavy, black, hard to clean, "what if it leaves particles on my food", potential weapon of opportunity, I am here to tell you that will not regret that you did. treat it with a thin layer of oil after each cleaning and watch it become your favorite nearly-non-stick surface.


My beautiful cast iron skillet.



Oh yeah and I used mine last for sauteed mushrooms. Yay fungus!!



-Ty