September Vegan Potluck
What do vegans eat? Among other things, salad! But we all know salad can be so much more than lettuce and vinaigrette. Whip up your most creative vegan salad to share and join us for our last outdoor potluck of the year. If you’d like to host the Spokane Vegans at your home this fall/winter, please email spovegan [at] gmail [dot] com.Where: Riverfront Park, North Bank Shelter–look for the butterfly sculpture
Details: Bring your most creative vegan salad to share and your own plates, utensils, napkins and drinks. If you are not vegan and would like to attend, that’s great––but please bring only vegan dishes.
For more info email spovegan [at] gmail [dot] com
July Potluck: BBQ
Where: Riverfront Park, North Bank Shelter
Details: Bring a favorite vegan BBQ dish to share and your own plates, utensils, napkins and drinks. If you are not vegan and would like to attend, that’s great––but please bring only vegan dishes.
For more info email spovegan [at] gmail [dot] com
Pizza Cups
What could be better than pizza? Individual pizza cups! Perfect for parties, potlucks or lunch, these are sure to become a favorite in your kitchen.
What you’ll need:
1 lb. pizza dough
pizza sauce
vegan cheese
toppings of choice
Method:
Preheat oven to 425° and lightly oil muffin pan. Divide prepared dough into 12 equal balls. Stretch dough balls into discs about 3 inches in diameter and fill muffin pan, gently pressing dough into cups. Fill each cup with approximately 1 teaspoon each of pizza sauce and desired toppings. Top with cheese. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 2 minutes before removing from pan
Makes 12
*NEW LOCATION* June Birthday Party Potluck
Where: Audubon Park
Mexican Easter Potluck
Come celebrate Easter (or an early Cinco de Mayo) with the Spokane Vegans! Cook up your favorite vegan Mexican-inspired dish and join us for our monthly potluck. As with all our gatherings, you don’t have to be vegan to join us, but please bring only vegan food.
When: Sunday April 24th @ 1pm
Where: Jacque & Nate’s house, Browne’s Addition
Please email spovegan [at] gmail [dot] com for more info.
February Potluck: Brunch!
Let’s do brunch! Waffles, pancakes, fruit, muffins, tofu scramble, whatever you want. Bring a favorite vegan brunch-type dish to share and maybe something to drink. As with all our gatherings, you don’t have to be vegan to join us, but please bring only vegan food.
When: Sunday Feb. 27th @ 1pm
Where: Mark’s house
Email spovegan [at] gmail [dot] com for the address or more info.
Cherry Chocolate Luna Bar NOT VEGAN!
I just made an infuriating discovery today. My brother just arrived for a visit from California and asked if he could have a Luna Bar. I said, “sure, help yourself”. He read the ingredients and told me they had WHEY in them!
I thought I’d thoroughly researched this and on several vegan forums it seemed liked everybody raved about how much they loved them, so I had the impression that they were ALL 100% vegan. I guess you’ve got to really read the fine print!
These little bars cost me over a dollar each, DISCOUNTED. I ordered 2 boxes on-line. I’m going to finish them, because I hate to waste. (I’ve admitted often my veganism is “imperfect”.) But I’m going to boycott Cliff and Luna from now on, and I’m going to let them know about it. I really think it’s sneaky and inconsiderate to vegans not to warn them of their “occasional exceptions” in their products. They should know the impression they give.
Yeah, this really annoys me. JND
Vegan Challenge Update
Our friends over at SpoCOOL are getting ready to wrap up their self-imposed straight-edge vegan challenge and they’ve shared some of their thoughts so far. Seems like they’ve struggled with a lot of the same disappointments all vegans face in the early days after going vegan: dairy, specifically cheese. Too bad this round-up of healthy dairy alternatives we shared earlier today didn’t go out sooner so we could spare them the disappointment of bad vegan cheese. Kudos to SpoCOOL for giving veganism a go. If nothing else, hopefully they’ll end the month with a few more animal-friendly recipes in their repertoire.
Round-up: Healthy Dairy Alternatives
Veganism is a broad philosophy and each person chooses this lifestyle for different reasons. For most, the base of their commitment lies in compassion for the millions of animals who are raised and slaughtered for food each year, including dairy cows and battery cage hens. Some people may be attracted to veganism for health benefits, but simply replacing dairy with processed vegan alternatives isn’t necessarily healthier for you. Yes, you are making a more humane choice by forgoing dairy, but highly processed foods are rarely if ever a healthy choice. So why switch out the American cheese for a vegan cheese-like product? With the exception of a few, most vegan cheeses don’t even taste good. For ideas on replacing dairy with tasty and healthy alternatives, turn to resources like the FatFree Vegan, Dr. Neal Barnard of PCRM or attend one of Joseph Nally’s vegan cooking classes. Dr. Barnard has written several books promoting a vegan lifestyle as a way to fight diseases like diabetes. In reading one of Dr. Barnard’s books, you’ll notice he doesn’t advise his reader to drop the Velveeta just to pick up the Daiya. It’s all about making healthy choices and it’s a learning process, so give it time. You’re not going to find a vegan cheese that tastes and acts just like its dairy counterpart, but you will find alternatives that are tasty and satisfying in their own right.
Nally’s Mac-n-cheese recipe (the winning recipe at our Mac-n-cheese cook-off)
Round-up: Local Dining
Our friends over at SpoCOOL are challenging themselves this month to eat as vegans with an emphasis on local foods. They already have their doubts though, so for your benefit and theirs, we’ve put together a list of local restaurants serving up great vegan fare. This is by no means a comprehensive list of veg-friendly restaurants in the area. If you have a favorite spot that we didn’t mention, let us know in the comments!
Mizuna – A perennial favorite. Somewhat obvious, but in our experience never disappointing.
Picabu – Another go-to choice, especially if you’re dining with “mixed” company. Try: the curry bowl with Small Planet Tofu; vegan cheesecake
Hill’s Restaurant – It’s hard to imagine this place would be considered a diner, drive-in or dive. They serve up a wholly satisfying vegan black bean burger (black beans, brown rice and shiitake mushrooms) on a fresh-baked bun made in-house from local wheat. It’s not on the menu though, so look for the sign in the window and ask your server about it.
Gordy’s – We’re not sure how local their ingredients are, but this is one of our favorite take out places in Spokane. Almost anything on the menu can be made vegan. Try: coconut curry tofu
Pacific Ave. Pizza - Again, we’re not sure how local the ingredients are, but we’re told that they’ll make a vegan pizza with Daiya cheese with a day’s advance notice.
Main Market Deli - Looking for a quick lunch downtown? Stop in to the co-op and check their deli counter. They often have vegan salads made with local ingredients.
We can tell you from personal experience that both Sante and Latah Bistro can make a vegan dish upon request. And if you’re up for the drive (and it is totally worth it), Lovitt Restaurant in Colville will do the same. While you’re there, why not order a glass of vegan wine from China Bend (unless of course, you’re straight edge)?
