Turkey Excitement
I can hardly believe Thanksgiving will be here in a week and three days. Wahoo!! Vegan Thanksgiving food is so yum and fun to make (and so much of normal Thanksgiving food is vegan or can easily be made vegan). Even the turkey technically…I bought our Tofurkey roast today! The cute little thing has made a home in our freezer until next Thursday. Before Thanksgiving Day, our Dallas vegan meet-up group will have a vegan thanksgiving and the school cafeteria at the elementary school in which I teach is serving their turkey dinner this week. Lots of Thanksgiving eating to be had!!! So that I can enjoy turkey day on Wednesday at my school too, I’ve ordered the Vegan Holiday Dinner for 2 from Whole Foods (for me and a co-worker). I’m going to pick it up Tuesday night to take to work on Wednesday. I’ll be sure and take lots of pictures. This means I am SOOO looking forward to 3 Thanksgiving meals this year. Wahoo! Life is good. 
Here are some other vegan treats I’ve enjoyed lately….
A couple of Friday’s ago, Eric and I tried Pizza by Marco here in Dallas. I learned about this place in conversations at our last meet-up group. (This is why having a vegan meet-up is so amazing!! I learn so much.) Pizza by Marco has a thin, vegan crust and a ton of soy vegan toppings in which to choose from. We got vegan cheese, vegan pepperoni, onion, garlic, jalapeno, pineapple, and roma tomatoes. YUMmy! It is quite a drive from our house ( I mean only a little over 15 minutes…but it’s farther than most places we usually get to-go from). They supposedly have a sit-in location, but the one we went to, only had a couple of tables, so we brought it home.
One day last week, when I didn’t feel like cooking, we got to-go from Spiral Diner. I got the Jamaican Jerk Sandwich with Potato Salad. I was craving BBQ ever since there was a teacher appreciation luncheon at my school with BBQ.
I also spoiled myself and ordered another entree to take for lunch the next day. I got Ramsey’s Perfect Protein Platter, which is quinoa and black beans with salsa and avocado. I also got a small order of broccoli and ranch dressing. The first picture is of it sitting on the counter at my house, cooling before I put it in the fridge. I protected it very carefully from the hungry mouth of my husband. haha!! 
Here it is on my plate at school the next day….ready to be eaten…
Lastly, this past weekend we went to Fad’s Mediterranean Grill. I got the Vegetable Sandwich, which is pita bread wrapped with hummus, cauliflower, tabbouleh, and potatoes. They serve it with tahini sauce and wee pickle and jalapeno pieces. It’s so delicious when you stick a pickle and a jalapeno, drizzle it with the sauce, and take a huge bite. Delish!! You can’t really see the wrap (it’s in the foil), and I got a mushroom salad on the side. To drink I had freshly squeezed 100% strawberries.
Halloween Post Number 2
I know this is long overdue, but I just have to share a couple of things.
In Dallas, we have a meet up group called Vegan 101 that brings together vegans from the entire DFW area. Eric and I hosted the Halloween meet-up at our house. Most meet-ups have a theme (this one Halloween) like breakfest, desserts, summer foods, etc. It’s always a potluck, so everyone just brings a vegan dish. This was also a dress up party! Fun!!
Here’s Eric and me all dressed up…
I made Dinner in a Pumpkin (from Vegetarian Times Magazine…it was on the cover in the last issue), Roasted Chickpeas (from Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan), and I also put out a wee mix of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and cashews…just a fun party mix. Dinner in a Pumpkin is a holiday tradition for us. Eric started making a vegetarian version probably going on 5 years now. Now, every Halloween we make some form of dinner in a pumpkin (vegan of course). It’s so much fun! On the side in the picture (in the purple bowl) is an avocado salsa that goes on top of the chili. When you scoop it out, you scrape some of the inside of the pumpkin, making sure to get some pumpkin chucks in your stew.
You can see the roasted chickpeas and trail mix in the little bowls in this picture. Also, Esther made this AMAZING cheese dip from the Uncheese Cookbook. Eric’s already ordered it for us I think. It was delicious.
Briggitte made the lovely strawberry chocolate cake you can see. Cassie made these FAB Apple Peanut Butter Caramel Bars from Veganomicon (they’re in the red topped tupperware container). We also had chips, pita bread, and a rice dish.
Cute party dishes!
Drink station
Jessica in costume
The whole group…minus Eric (he’s taking the picture). And look at Scotchy….we let her belong too, even though she’s not a vegan.
On Halloween, October 31st, Eric and I attended Spiral Diner‘s almost annual Zombie Prom. We went as zombies!! Spiral rented a hall in Fort Worth and had music and food. We ate nachos, hot dogs, cookies, and cupcakes. It was a blast!
Out to Eat
Friday night we headed to Urban Taco in Mockingbird Station. This is Eric’s FAV place. It really is great food and a great atmosphere. I had been kind of limited in the past, usually just opting for one of their salads, which are super. However, this time the owner came by our table and had a wee chat with us. Eric mentioned I was vegan, and the owner told us they just created a couple of dishes for vegans (seeing the need in the area). The first plate he brought me was what he called a vegan set-up. It had three homemade corn tortillas (in the foil), guacamole, bean corn salsa, and pico de gallo. The second plate had two pre-made corn tortilla tacos. One had potatoes, corn, onions, and zucchini in it. The other had potatoes and peppers. They were both delicious and spicy. I loved it!! I told Eric he can take me to Urban Taco any time! If you’re vegan (or not) in Dallas, I would rush right on over to Urban Taco. You won’t be disappointed.
Saturday night we headed over to Spiral Diner. I was dying to try their new blue plate special of meatloaf and macaroni. It was suprisingly a disappointment. The macaroni was not good at all in my opinion. I had a few bites and didn’t finish it. Which is rare for me at Spiral…I finish everything there. Eric said it had a little bit of a funky taste, but he ended up not minding it that much. I had the meatloaf plate with hot red ketchup, macaroni, and green beans. Eric had the meatloaf sandwich with a side of mac-n-cheese. The meatloaf was pretty good. This has put me on a macaroni and cheese mission now. My craving has not been satisfied! I’ve made it a couple of times at home and have yet to find a recipe worth repeating. I’m giving Vegan Dad’s recipe a try this week. I have a feeling this is going to be THE ONE. He has loads of positive feedback on it. Let’s hope!
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Dessert at Spiral was lovely. It was especially enjoyable with their freshly brewed coffee and soy creamer. Eric got peach pie, and I had blueberry (warmed up). LIFE IS GOOD!
Supper Time
Here’s what we’ve been eating for dinner this past week…
Creamy Spinach Pasta from The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook and a lovely summer salad with fresh corn and carrots.
Field Roast vegan sausage, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes (made with soymilk and seasonings), and a wee little bowl of mixed beans and corn.
Spiral Diner to-go for fun in the middle of the week. Eric went on a long run, and I surprised him by picking up two wraps that we shared for dinner. The one on the left was the “Ate Layer Burrito”, and the one on the right was “Sweet Luv’Us Hummus”. These were both wraps that we had never tried before, and they both get thumbs up. The burrito was the best though! It had a chipotle mayo on it that was delish. I definitely recommend it and will get it again.
You just can’t go to Spiral without picking out some dessert. We had one of their famous brownies and a carrot cake cupcake.
This is one of my FAVORITE meals to make on a busy night. It is so delicious and simple, if you try it, you’re sure to make it a regular thing at your house as well! Corn tortillas with refried beans spread on top, baked or microwaved sweet potatoes, spinach leaves, and green salsa. Go ahead….try it! It tastes so delicious!! Fresh corn on the cob was for the side.
We usually eat out Friday and Saturday night’s, so this is what we feasted on this weekend. Friday night we went to Sushi Zushi , to get some great edamame and sushi. We got a veggie roll, a pickled plum roll, and Eric got a spicy vegetable tempura roll, which is not vegan because it has some mayo sauce on it (just to warn you). 
If you live in Dallas and are vegetarian, I’m sure you’ve heard of Kalachandji’s . If not, it is Dallas’s oldest and most renowned Vegetarian restaurant. It’s almost completely vegan too. They have a couple of things that aren’t vegan, but they are always marked. On Saturday and Sunday’s they even offer a vegan dessert. This time was apple crisp (sorry no picture of that). It’s a buffet offering mixed veggies, rice, various Indian curries, homemade vegan raisin bread, and an amazing salad bar as well (in the brown bowl). I took pictures of both of our plates. It was a feast! They have the cutest garden to eat around outside, and we loved listening to the live guitarist that was playing. Kalachandji’s does not disappoint.
Vegan 101 Meet-up Day…Yay!!
I recently joined a vegan meet-up group here in Dallas that gets together for various potlucks and events. This was only the second time I’ve gone. A couple of weeks ago we had a BBQ which was just as amazing. It’s so exciting going to a vegan potluck because I can eat everything!! That is something that doesn’t happen very often. I brought the Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Cake that I blogged about yesterday. You can see it sitting on the table. Other dishes included tofu scramble with tortilla strips from VWaV, blueberry corn muffins, rosemary potatoes, guacamole, sweet potatoes, fruit salad, rice and potato dish, savory corn pancakes with tomatoes and mushrooms to go on top, and lentil soup (not in the picture). It was AMAZING!!! I remembered to take a picture of the table, but must have been so excited once I filled my plate, that I don’t have a picture of it. But, I had some of everything. Everyone also shares what is left and everyone takes leftovers home, which means I get to eat this again tomorrow! So another picture of this delicious food will be coming soon. Oh what a fun time! I can’t wait for our next meet-up. Later this month I think we are visiting an animal sanctuary in Fort Worth and having a potluck there as well.
For an afternoon snack I had one of the blueberry corn muffins from the meet-up (which I believe was made from the recipe in VWaV). It was awesome!! We were in Fort Worth Saturday evening, so for dinner we headed to the old, original Spiral Diner that we used to always trek to for a delicious vegan meal. As you can tell, I forgot to take a picture until I had already half devoured my plate! 
I had the All Day Lunch Plate which is a serving of black and quinoa, broccoli (which is amazing there), side salad, and choice of dressing (ranch for me). Yummy!! It hit the spot.
Mom invades Spiral Dallas
Breakfast was quick and small this morning as I woke up only an hour before Bikram yoga. I have to eat something, but there’s a fine line. If I eat too much, I regret it BIG time in class. I ended up eating all of the apple slices and almond butter, but just a bit of the cereal I had poured. I was worried about crossing the line!
Lunch today was very similar to the sandwich I made on Monday: Ezekial sprouted grain hamburger bun, grilled tofu slices, avocado, Nasoya sandwich spread, Dijon mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers. Raspberry-Lime Tartlets for dessert.
For an afternoon snack I had a protein shake with Vitasoy. Thanks to Broccoli Hut for the recommendation of this amazing Living Harvest product. I’m in love. I found it at my neighborhood Whole Foods too, which was great because Amazon.com was sold out when I tried to order it. I also regularly snack on fresh fruit throughout the day, especially now in Texas during the summer. It’s so refreshing to have a juicy peach.
Mom treated us to a yummy vegan dinner at Spiral Diner.
Eric had the Jamaican Jerk BBQ Sandwich, Mom had Sketti & Meatballs, and I had Spaghetti Tropica (just like the Sketti & Meatballs, but with pineapple and black olives). We had chips and salsa for an appetizer. Dessert, which I’m so bummed I forgot to take pictures of, was a slice of vanilla cake for me, carob cookie for Mom, and chocolate ice cream for Eric. Of course we all shared. The vanilla cake was a hit! It was so moist and the icing was perfectly sweet. We talked to Sara, the owner of Spiral Dallas, on our way out and raved about the cake.
