Sunday, October 5, 2008

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.


8 comments:

  1. I have never seen a feast like that before. It's so stunning that I can't even pick one specific thing out.

    You're awesome.

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  2. Thanks Tami! It was a work of love. Seriously if it was just some random dinner with friends I wouldn't have spent that much time on it.

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  3. that all look amazing. You could charge admission for something like that.

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  4. Thanks. Well one day I hope to open a vegan restaurant here in the Philippines so people can pay me to promote vegan food!

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  5. When I saw the calamansi juice, i knew this had something to do with the Philippines. :D I LOVE ICED TEA + CALAMANSI om nom nom.

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  6. of course they loved the food, how could they not? looks absolutely incredible. just baking the cupcakes alone is a task in itself.

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  7. OMG! That feast looks amazing! Coming from a family where my mom likes to joke that she's the fast fry cook and microwave queen I also often go overboard trying to prove that veggie/vegan homemade dishes are just as good and worth the effort but I've never attempted anything like that! I want to become a Vegan Domestic Goddess! :) Kudos!

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  8. thanks guys! becoming a vegan domestic goddess --> it's a work in progress, hahaha

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