Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ, Last Thursday & Two More Days of Dittering

Last night I made the trek up to NE Alberta Street for Last Thursday mayhem. I was planning on going anyway to live it up dittering style, and then I found out about a new all vegan BBQ stand opening, Homegrown Smoker, and three vegan bake sales,

so I teleported there after work, an iced coffee break at Sweetpea Baking Co. and a stop at a new cocktail bar opening. Same ole Thursday routine.

Chronic Tempeh Ribs, Smoked Soy Curls, Mac and Cheeze, Molassesey cornbread, BBQ beans

Three of us split this, and I swear, it cost $8. My favorite part was the fantastic smoked soy curls. They're closed this weekend, but check them out for a real opening Wednesday or Thursday! The staff is adorable, and one of their dads does the BBQ-ing! Exclamation!

Spotted at Last Thursday:

The new roaming Voodoo Doughnuts van

The new Spud Locker topped potato cart - featuring a yam with vegan cinnamon roll topping! Must try sometime...

Some more Last Thursday photos

As I mentioned earlier, my friend Michelle Crocodile knows an owner of Petunia's Pastries who had their opening last night - many vegan treats!

My friend Michelle C, Strawberryrock and I shared this beautiful Chocolate Hazelnut frosted & filled cupcake. It tasted..beautiful.

I was worried a few months ago that I was allergic to hazelnuts when making test recipes for the Vegan Cookies book, since I couldn't breathe and my lip and eyes swelled and all, but forgot about this until just now, and phew, I was fine last night.

The initial reason we were heading to Last Thursday was for The Grilled Cheese Grill.

Michelle and I shared this grilled mozzerella soy cheeze with grilled jalapenos.

At the GCG, you can eat your sandwich in an old, decorated school bus. It's trippy.

Look at the table below. There's so much more to say, but you really need to check it out for yourself.

The obligatory Sweetpea stop. Since we're vegan.

Dittering lunch #4 - Eggplant with basil & tofu from Just Thai.

Going back in time, Dittering lunch stop #3,

a Tastebud Pita salad from the Portland Farmers Market.

I picked up apricots and sugar snap peas.

After work that day, I stopped by the Peoples Coop street fair. Not on twitter, but they're my neighbors and I heart them. There was a vegan (gosh!) salad (gosh!) stand.

For $1 from their farmers market, I picked up the cutest shiitakes I have ever seen.

Ever seen.

Field Roastin' and farmers markets

It's farmer's market time again in Portland, and you know what that means - I start eating a LOT of salad once more. Honestly, the field greens above are store bought that a friend brought over for dinner, but you get the point. Today, the downtown weekday farmer's market opened, and although it was annoyingly rainy, I managed to pick up sweet strawberries and grab lunch from the Hoda's stand. The rain also meant that we could walk around the market freely, ie not bumping into tons of people, strollers and dog (no real offense, it's just a constantly crowded saturday event).

Celebration Roast, VWAV biscuit, gravy and Tommy's mashed potatoes.

Our friend brought over a celebration field roast on Sunday night, which I warmed with asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, shallots, tamari and vegetable broth. This product is MUCH easier to make over tofurkey, and though a little bit too rosemary-riffic for my boyfriend's and my own personal tastes, I quite enjoyed it. I would consider getting it for thanksgiving.
I know you can make seitan roasts, and I have made my own seitan quite a few times, but it's nice to try new things, and this roast takes only 15 minutes to heat, snap snap.
I like that this 'faux meat' is actually not intended to be 'meaty'; rather it's made with butternut squash, apples and mushrooms. I tried some at last year's veg fest, and really liked it, but haven't wanted to spend the money on it. Now that we've had it at home, and other field roasts couple times on excellent sandwiches at Backspace, I really give it a thumbs up.


Ready to warm.

VWAV seitan and herb stuffed mushrooms. Using sun dried tomato and Italian herb seitan o greatness and cashews.

Whole wheat penne with roasted garlic marinara, spinach, grilled tofu, portabella and roasted red pepper. I've eaten a lot of variations pf the above meal lately.

Mucho Margarita and Chocolate Stout cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
Have I mentioned that I like cooking and baking with liquor?


I picked up more baby boy choy, bulk tofu and chocolate hemp milk from people's coop and their farmer's market tonight, so except reviews and photos next time~

Also, if you're interested in my Grandma's veganized Stuffoli recipe that I photographed a while back, check out the current online edition of Herbivore Magazine's Give it up for Grandma piece. What, you don't subscribe??

Mini Cupcakes and an All-new Vegantastic Grill Pan

Mini cupcakes for a ppk potluck this past weekend. Coconut with coconut buttercream, coconut-strawberry with coconut buttercream, and blood-orange agave with blood-orange agave glaze. Based on VCTOTW, of course.

I came across a very affordable cast-iron grill pan recently, and have been desiring one, so I bought it.
My first meal from it, above, is grilled asparagus, smokey grilled tempeh (Veganomican) and cavatappi with esme's sauce and chard. Esme's sauce feeds my recent miso craving, and is ridiculously easy and delicious.

Here's the pan on my needs-to-cleaned stove..

Lunch at work - leftover grilled asparagus and tempeh, and half of a leftover ginger-miso stir fry from Lion's Den Veg*n food cart. I really wanted to try the Portballa burger there, but alas they were out that day.

The night before last I made another half batch log of Seitan O'Greatness.

This time I tried to copy Tofurkey sausages and made a sundried tomato and Italian herb version. I was close, but not *quite* there. After another go I hope to post my adaptations.
Above it's pan-fried with garlic, white wine, creminis and broccoli over whole wheat spaghetti (it may not look ww but it really is) and roasted garlic marinara. Sprinkled with some 'parmesan'~

Raspberry Creme filled chocolate cupcakes (cherry/vctotw)

I tried some new ones this past week..

These are the Sexy Vanilla Lowfat Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.
They are spread with local strawberry jam, squiggled with vanilla icing and topped with local strawberries.
I'm making a different batch of never before made cupcakes from the book this evening. Don't you love an excuse to bake? Especially in the cooler months!?!
Group Shot. Made three plain glazed ones as well.
Chickpea Noodle soup goodness.
This is a PPK testing recipe from their book in progress, due out next fall.I have a new favorite 'cheez' recipe, the Vegan with a Vengeance Alfreda! It's nothing like actual alfredo, but I dig it even more. It has bite, and is reminiscent of 'Yumm' spread. This photo is from last week, and I made it on a wim last night after a stressful day.
The sauce recipe is also available on theppk.com here. I omitted the onion, threw in a pinch of onion powder and thinned it with some soymilk to my liking. Urbanvegan raved about it a week or two ago and I knew I had to try this one.
Served over steamed chard, and with steamed chopped spinach.
Sweet potato and pear tzimmes, also from the PPK test kitchen~ Roasted delights.
My gigantic breakfast from our new favorite spot - Junior's. Spuds, tofu scramble with chard, tomatoes, mushrooms & vegan sausage, whole wheat toast with mulberry jam and an orange slice. The essential hangover breakfast (though I wasn't hungover!)BBQ Pomegranate tofu from Vegan with a Vengeance. On the side are roasted bell peppers and red kuri squash, wild brown rice blend, sliced cucumber and more steamed chard <3

My copy has seen better days, it's even lost the cover, but it's well used and well loved!


Ah, lowfat cupcakes..