Birthday Feast: Vegan MoFo #4

This year I celebrated my first birthday as a vegan and had a lovely (completely vegan!) pre-birthday dinner at home with omni friends and family last Saturday. Actually took a half day leave from work last Friday just so I could prep for the dinner, relax, and not stress out about the food (haha, as if I've never stressed out about food ever).

Feast Savory Menu

Homemade  Hummus with Chapati Bread

Tomato Salad with Parsley and Mint

Falafels

Fettucine with a Black Eyed Pea, Thyme and Tarragon Tomato Sauce

Garlic Oyster Mushrooms

Roasted Vegetables: 

Garlic Parsley Potatoes

Garlicky Green Beans

Carrots with Cumin and Coriander (a twist on Jamie Oliver's Carrots)

Eggplant

Zucchini

Red Peppers

Feast Dessert Menu

Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes with Rosewater Buttercream

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Margarita Cupcakes with Salted Vanilla Buttercream

Chai Latte Cupcakes

Lemony Cake with Lemon Buttercream

Feast Drinks Menu

Fresh Calamansi Juice

Bacardi Lemon Rum

Tequila

Absolut Rasberry Vodka

Fake beverages (Coke Zero and Sprite for liquor)

I enjoy cooking and baking, and sometimes I thrive on the stress and anxiety I get from cooking and baking. I don't recommend stressing over food on your birthday though. One thing I have to learn is to serve simple food during dinners, like casseroles and pasta and anything baked. It's really tiring to stand in front of a stove frying up a batch of falafels for 20 people. Also, I shouldn't overdose on the parsley and I should serve only one vegetable side dish (it took forever to prep the eggplant, zucchini, peppers, carrots, beans, and potatoes). Next time I'd like to experiment with savory tarts, homemade pizzas, and lasagna.

Well, despite the blood and sweat spent on cooking and worrying, my friends absolutely loved the food. I love showing omnivores that vegan food can be classy (not twigs and leaves), delicious and satisfying and that vegans don't eat salad all the time. 

We had leftovers for my birthday lunch (hummus on chapati, roasted veggies) plus an awesome Pan Seared Tofu with Garlic. I dressed up the hummus with a glug of olive oil, paprika, and parsley. The black eyed pea tomato sauce was transformed into an appetizer; warmed on top of garlic bread with an extra sprinkle of fresh garlic and parsley, it was satisfying and hearty.

Happy birthday to me! As I'm the only vegan baker my family knows, my mom couldn't get me a decent birthday cake (there was only one slice of the cake leftover from the night before). My dad topped leftover cupcakes (slightly smushed because the container containing them fell from the fridge) with candles and we called it a birthday cake.

For the omnivores out there, my birthday wish is that you incorporate more vegetables and vegan dishes in your birthday feast repertoire. As you grow older let's hope you don't clog your arteries with animal fat.