Sunday, November 15, 2009

Pre-Thanksgiving Party!

Because one day of gluttony just isn't enough, our local vegetarian group Food Awareness held a pre-Thanksgiving party to help gear up our tummies for the big day. About 45 folks — some vegetarians, some vegans, some omnis — packed into fellow member Vaughan's house for a Saturday night filled with delicious vegan food, wine, and a random late-night poetry slam. Here's a picture of the folks still hanging on at the end of the party:

Left to right: (Top) Vaughan, Barbara, Michael (Bottom) April, Me, Greg, and a nice German girl named Lena ...

Here's my first plate, loaded with savory goodies:

There's Carol's AMAZING vegan mac & cheeze, my cornbread dressin', a roasted sweet potato, Vaughan's super-spicy kale, some pineapple rice, lentils, and almond quinoa.

I made my mom's veganized recipe for Cornbread Dressin'. It's not the sexiest-looking dish, but it's very, very tasty. My mom's will ALWAYS taste the best, but I think I came pretty close this time. It seems to get better and better every time I make it. Practice makes perfect, I guess.

Barbara made some yummy Edammame Dip for pre-dinner snackin':

And we had tons of dessert! I took a photo of my dessert plate — loaded with pies, cake, cookies, you name it. But it didn't turn out so well. Here's a sample of what went on it though ... like this delicious Vegan Sweet Potato (or maybe it was pumpkin?...I can't tell the two apart!) Pie:

Or Stephanie's (Poopie Bitch) Bourbon Pumpkin Pecan Pie (just look at her fancy embellishments!):

And Stephanie's (yes, she totally outdid herself with TWO beautiful pies) old-school Apple Pie:

We even had a raw Sweet Potato Pie, courtesy of our raw friend Judith:

By the end of the night, I was miserably stuffed ... just how one should feel after gorging on an amazing vegan Thanksgiving smorgasboard. Now I just hope I still have room left when the real Thanksgiving comes...

18 comments:

nora said...

Yum! I'm getting two Thanksgivings too because I'm going to one at Animal Acres Farm Sanctuary next Saturday! It's such a good holiday, once isn't enough!

The Voracious Vegan said...

Oh how lucky you got to have a delicious pre Thanksgiving vegan feast! Everything looks delicious...especially those pies!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

YUM! Looks like an awesome spread.

ZippyZu said...

This all looks so tasty!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Stellar fare and company!

realtor in Vancouver said...

Amazing pictures, everything looks so delicious. Despite the fact that the Thanksgiving in Canada was few weeks ago I think that we will make small after thanksgiving diner. One could say that the Thanksgiving dinner for vegan is not the real Thanksgiving but I believe the it's not the truth. There are many tasty meals that can be served. My favorite one is the pumpkin pie from my grandmother.

Good luck,
Jay

Anonymous said...

That meal looks fabulous! I didn't think there was anything better than a Thanksgiving meal, but I was wrong...2 Thanksgiving meals is better!

Trinity (of haiku tofu) said...

Wow, you get to have two Thanksgiving feasts? I need some vegan friends.

Sarah S. said...

I'm supremely jealous!! I need to organize some awesomeness like this, so that Thanksgiving isn't a holiday to dread anymore!! :)

Jenna- The Tofu Lush said...

YUM! I'm going to a pre-Thanksgiving feast on Friday this week. It is a potluck to bring your favorite Thanksgiving dishes and share all the recipes. I may be the only veg there, so I'm planning to make a few amazing dishes and win everyone over! :)

dreaminitvegan said...

How fun to feast with fellow veggie people. Everything looks fantastic!

Cyn said...

Oh man, that looks so good! My friend Sam used to have pre-Thanksgiving friend thing we called "Samsgiving" that was always super fun, although not all vegan.

Happy Older Hippie Woman! said...

I was there (I made the mac n cheeze) and I have to say that the entire food selection was absolutely incredibly diverse and delicious. Bianca's Dressing and Steph's Apple Pie(I think her husband and I ate the most of that pie!) were my faves, and the generousity of Vaughan having it at his house made it even that much more wonderful. It was my
1st big gathering since moving here 3 wks ago, and everyone was welcoming, friendly, and interesting. There's LOADS of talented "cheffery" going on in Memphis!!

jessy said...

hooray for so much yumminess & good company, Bianca! that's so cool that your local veggie group puts together a pre-thanksgiving party - i love it, and i wish i were there to join in on all the yum! i think your cornbread dressin' looks most fantastical - and all those pies. mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Jessica said...

Looks like an awesome party! What a delicious feast!

River - The Crafty Kook said...

What an awesome feast! So many pies! Your friend Vaughan looks a little like Billy Bob Thornton there! :-)

aTxVegn said...

What a fabulous vegan feast!

Rabbit Food said...

Heck yes! Everything looks incredible. Way to celebrate being vegan with good friends and good food!