Party!

Daiku and I threw an end-of-the-year party a couple of days before we left Syracuse. We weren't sure exactly how many people would end up coming, so we made enough food to feed an army! In addition, many of our guests brought food and drinks to share, making for an abundance of food. So sit back, relax, and enjoy photos of our delicious vegan spread. (I take full responsibility for some of the pictures being blurry, which might have been because of the lighting, or a hostess who combined an entire day of baking and cooking in a steamy hot kitchen with a little too much red wine...)

Veggies julienned, ready to be rolled into sushi. In the back, cucumbers. In the front, daikon, colored pink with the addition of a few drops of beet juice.

Various maki. Our friends, Heather and Eric, came by early to help. The four of us had a great time rolling sushi together. It is a great opportunity for talking smack- "oooh, you think you can stuff some more rice in there?" "Oh yeah, that's not gonna fall apart." "Um... do you need help?" We filled them with varying combinations of: rice, avocados, cucumbers, daikon, carrots, and chili sauce. We left the rice out for some of them, making just veggie maki.

Caribbean black bean and kale wraps, made by Heather. These were from a Moosewood Cookbook recipe, and she kicked them up several notches with the addition of orange liqueur. Spicy and delicious!

Fattoush salad, from a Nigella Lawson recipe: romaine lettuce, mint and cilantro, scallions and avocado, jalopeno and freshly toasted pita chips, topped with a lime/olive oil dressing. Green goodness.

Bruschetta made with market-fresh tomatoes, red onion, and basil topping freshly toasted baguette slices that had been rubbed with garlic.

Jambalaya made with smoked tofu and chick'n strips in front, a chickpea/spinach/tomato dish with cumin and other spices in the back.

Veggies with two kinds of bean dip, courtesy of Trac.

Fruit salad, courtesy of another guest.

Moroccan spiced meatballs with BBQ sauce. (These are the best vegan meatballs ever! I posted about them back in the fall)

AND DESSERT!

Coconut-lime cupcakes with lime buttercream frosting from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." These were bursting with flavor- so good!

Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes, also from VCTOTW. These were a flavor revelation- now the top contender for my favorite cupcakes yet from this book.

I also baked green tea cupcakes, but instead of green tea glaze, I topped them with the same lime buttercream frosting as above. It actually worked perfectly for flavor, but I forgot to take photos!

The party was fun, and it was good to see so many friends before leaving Syracuse. We sent people home with leftovers and yet still had a packed fridge for the next couple of days. Oh well, that's not the worst thing in the world....
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Party!