It's Gobblin' Time!

My gobblin' weekend began with a little Thanksgiving themed pot luck dinner. Our host had a craving for a pot-pie type of thing and whipped up a delicious main off the top of her head. Her combination of faux chicken, root vegetables and purple carrots in a creamy sauce topped with flaky biscuit wowed us all. I had to ask what went into this secret sauce but it turns out the real question is what didn't. It was an experimental mix of seasonings and spices, and even a little sriracha until it tasted just right, which sadly no one thought to write down.





















Nicole brought over some roasted root vegetables with cranberries tossed in - so sweet and savory.





















Served with fresh greens and balsamic vinaigrette on the side as our salad.





















I made pumpkin cranberry muffins from Vegan With A Vengeance. The book doesn't lie - they really are the best.





















For dessert we had Chocolate Cheesecake from Sweets from the Earth. Trust me, no one cares if you bring a store bought dessert to a pot luck when chocolate and cheesecake are involved.

Another great thing about potlucks is leftovers. I got to take home some of the extra filling that didn't make it into the pot-pie. I made a chick pea, potato and roasted garlic mash, added some corn, and created a shepherd's pie style bake out of it for lunch the next day.





















That night, because you can never have too many Thanksgiving meals, we had reservations at a local place called Green Earth Vegetarian Cuisine that does a vegan holiday special. Pumpkin soup to start, "turkey" with stuffing, gravy, asparagus and corn on the cob, followed by a slice of pumpkin cheesecake, and finally a glass of sparkling apple cider. So much food but so good. I'm definitely feeling a little thankful this year.

The Great Pumpkin

The most haunting thing about Halloween is pumpkins. These delicious winter squash are everywhere and resistance is futile. At the store pumpkins never seem big enough (with the exception of my neighbor's frighteningly huge jack-o-lantern above which still scares me), but once I get home I realize that my eyes are clearly bigger than my stomach. I instantly panic and start brainstorming every pumpkin recipe I can think of. Puree is really versatile and can be frozen so it's kind of my go-to thing. About a month later I'm haunted once again by all the pumpkin in my freezer. My cranberry pumpkin muffins are always a hit but this year I came up with a killer pumpkin ravioli inspired by a package of wonton wrappers and a block of tofu kicking around my fridge.





















Whip up a batch of Cashew Ricotta from the Veganomicon and add your left over pumpkin puree. No measurements required but keep it fluffy. Add a whole head of roasted garlic if you want. I did.





















Place a giant glob of filling onto a wonton wrapper. Don't hold back. The fatter the ravioli the better.




















Moisten the edges of the wonton with water and cover with another wonton.





















Pinch the edges closed - you don't want them breaking open.





















Boil in lightly salted water. They only take a couple minutes.





















I topped mine with a red sauce JJ's mom gave me. She made it with tomatoes and basil from her garden - so good. Caesar Salad with Roasted Garlic Croutons from the Veganomicon was a perfect pairing. No such thing as too much garlic for me.





















It's all about the pumpkin-y filling.





















I made a pot of espresso to keep with the Italian theme...





















...and got the brilliant idea to make affogatos. Scoop some Soy ice cream, make espresso, pour. Voila - impromptu Italian dinner!

Wham BAM, Thank You Ma'am!

When Vegetarian Haven took their seitan burger off the menu I began my quest to find a replacement for what was my favorite veggie burger ever. I never expected to find it at regular burger joint, but I did at a little place called Bamburger. The burger starts off simple with lettuce, tomato, red onion and a choice of white or whole wheat bun. There's a huge list of toppings and dipping sauces, some free, some for a small charge, that let you create the perfect personalized burger. And a good number of them are vegan: avocado, sauteed mushrooms or peppers, olives, jalapenos, pickles and even grilled pineapple to name a few. I decided to go for a simple pile of onion rings on top of my burger the first time I was there and have been doing that ever since.





















This is the way it comes - with killer fries.





















This is the way I do it. A little ketchup, mustard, and fries right on the burger. Don't knock it til you try it!

The staff are awesome. They have a binder on hand with a full ingredient list and can confirm any vegan inquiries in a flash. Whenever I get a burger craving, BAM - I'm there!

Double Dragon

I love the Dragon Bowl at Fresh. I can't decide if it's the perfectly grilled zucchini and tomatoes, the savory marinated tofu steaks, or the velvety miso gravy that makes me crave this dish most. When I want a Dragon Bowl I have to have one. I feel this way about a lot of the dishes at Fresh, and have unintentionally worked my way through almost the entire menu, but I took this particular bowl a step further. I got my hands on a copy of their cookbook and made my own.





















Delicious Dragon Bowl from Fresh. Nom.



















Refresh - the cookbook that reveals the secrets of deliciousness.





















My version of the Dragon Bowl. I know I sort of super-sized the portion but this dish kicks ass.

Oh Baby, How could I forget the Cakes?

On Sunday I wrote about MooShoes and completely forgot to mention the best part of the experience - Babycakes is around the corner! (Big thanks to meansoybean for the reminder). Babycakes is a funky little vegan bakery that has all kinds of treats - all natural, gluten-free, sugar-free - you name it. I fell in love with the place as soon as I saw the Susy Homemaker over in the window. Babycakes is awesome overload. I wish I had snapped more shots of all the retro cool stuff about the shop.


















Choosing what to order was one of the more difficult decisions I have ever had to make. Everything looks amazing. I finally decided to go with the classics: a chocolate chip cookie, a brownie, and a chocolate donut. They take delicious to a whole new level.





















A friend of mine had been to Babycakes L.A. and came home raving about them so I'd been dreaming about trying one of their donuts for weeks before our trip. Now I dream about going back...

My New York Sole-Mate

A recent trip to New York City taught me two things about my feet. One, the best way to explore the city is on foot, however, your feet will eventually turn on you and threaten to fall off. Two, all will be forgiven if you buy your feet some awesome shoes. This vegan went straight to MooShoes in the lower east side. They have a great selection - sandals, sneakers, heels, you name it - and all vegan. I'm a total sucker for boots so I picked up a couple pairs for fall.





















This is the Betty Boot from Novacas. Terribly cute. It's all about the buttons.





















The Condor Boot from Neuaura is basically a cowboy boot. They are ridiculously comfortable and so cute!

It's a funky store with lots of cool vegan stuff beyond shoes, adorable cats just hanging out, and the staff were great. I had to leave many kick-ass shoes behind and I didn't pick up a bag (I know, what was I thinking???), but I'm not too sad because I can always order online.




















Couldn't resist this sticker.

Who's Thirsty?

Using my juicer for the first time...





















My Breville juicer in all it's brilliance. Fruit and veggies beware!




















Cantaloupe, honeydew, apples, pears and kiwis waiting to be pulverized into delicious juice.





















Green and lumpy means its good for you right? Super refreshing!





















Now for beet, kale, carrot, cucumber, celery juice...





















Bloody beets!





















Voila - juice!

Me and My Scrappy Friends

Hey there, I'm Scrap E. Ter, a food obsessed vegan. I'm the one cooking my way through the Veganomicon at Scrap. Eat. Book. For those who don't know the Veganomicon, I'll give you a crash course in veganism 101. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero wrote what is, in my opinion and also clearly stated on the cover, the ultimate vegan cookbook. Say you found yourself in one of those desert island situations where you could only bring one book - this is one. (Sorry guys, I don't post Veganomicon recipes because, quite simply, they're not mine).




































I can always count on my favorite two food tasters for feedback...




































...and to help with leftovers.

We also get together from time to time and make culturally inspired dinners which I write about in Scrap. Eat. World. We've been on hiatus for a while now due to conflicting schedules but we are by no means done conquering the world in vegan food.

I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love being vegan.
This is where I write about it.