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Vegan Dinner Party!

On Saturday hubby and I made a trip down to the big city--Atlanta. We had a dinner invite with friends, plus some things to pick up from Ikea while we were down there. 


We didn't get to buy the awesome office chairs (BOO!) but it was more fun to have a photo shoot here than in the bathroom sink section. 

My friend named Vanessa --name twin!--and I met when we were 14 at summer camp in Germany. Since then, we've visited each other in Hawaii, Georgia, and again in Germany. She was back in town for a few days and invited us to dinner with her family. To make it even better, it was a vegan dinner party!  Here is the table loaded with dishes before we sat down to eat:


On the table, we've got: a "non-meat-loaf", samosas, carrot and sweet potato soup, ratatouille, couscous, corn on the cob, cucumber rolls, fresh cucumbers from their garden, chinese sauteed eggplant, and of course---some wine!

It was a really fantastic meal, and great company. Nice to meet up with old friends, and of course make new ones. Thanks for having us!!

Hopefully we don't wait 7 years to see each other again!

Today we got to enjoy the meal all over again, with some leftovers. I got sent home with a ton of the non-meatloaf, which was my favorite dish of the night. In it: oatmeal, barley, flax seeds, carrots, and zucchini. With a side of spicy tomato sauce making it extra juicy and moist. I'm definitely asking for the recipe to try to recreate this one. 


We even got a big bag of goodies from the garden--so excited to use the fresh rosemary!


What's your favorite veggie/herb straight from the garden?
Fresh basil! I want to start growing some because I love to toss tons of fresh basil on pasta dishes, pizza, etc. 

Do you have any long-distance friends?
Since I've moved around a lot, my friends are really spread across the globe. So it's great when I'm in the same place as one of them and get a chance to catch up!




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Comments

  1. Neon Blonde RunnerJune 26, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Oh YUM that vegan meatloaf looks SO good....definitely share the recipe when you get it :)

    I also always have SO much fun going around IKEA. The store is such a visual treat, I like how it's laid out with all the displays on one floor and then the warehouse on the other floor.

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  2. Rachelle WardleJune 26, 2011 at 2:44 PM

    Sounds like you had a fabulous Saturday! I love Ikea!

    That food looks delicious and oh so healthy too! Love, love, love fresh veggies from the garden. Cucumbers are my favorite I think.

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  3. Sable WeismanJune 26, 2011 at 3:22 PM

    That non-meatloaf looks awesome! What a creative grouping of ingredients :)

    I have a lot of long distance friends too. Max is in the AF so we are originally from Massachusetts but have lived in TX and now in Montana, so I've got friends all over the place!

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  4. Christina @ The AthletarianJune 26, 2011 at 3:36 PM

    Ahhhh when you get the recipe, please share!!! that looks so delicious!

    We grow fresh herbs and I love them. Rosemary and basil are the best.

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  5. ChristineJune 26, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    I can't wait until I have a house big enough for dinner parties. I think they're becoming a bit of a lost art- everyone just goes out now!

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  6. JuliaJune 26, 2011 at 4:42 PM

    YUM!! all of those foods look so fresh and delicious! I love to grow fresh basil and really just love to cook with anything fresh whether it be spices, veggies, etc.

    All of my hometown friends seem far away now but it has been nice to make new ones here in Utah. Plus blogging makes me feel like I have friends all over the world...love that!

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  7. ATTrioJune 26, 2011 at 5:08 PM

    It is cool that you guys have stayed so close! I would have to say that I love basil most of all too. But I also like rosemary but hardly cook with it because I always forget to buy it at the store.
    Sarah

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  8. ShortSkirtsJune 26, 2011 at 5:36 PM

    i love fresh basil so good.

    A lot of my college friends are on the east coast so we stay in touch long distance and visit

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  9. TrishaJune 26, 2011 at 5:41 PM

    That all looks and sounds delicious! It made me happy to read that you got to see an old friend after such a long time. I love that the internet lessens distances between people!

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  10. Running RicigJune 26, 2011 at 5:44 PM

    about 90% of my friends are long distance :(. That's why I'm a giant hermit, because there's no one to hang out with!

    That food looks awesome. I kind of want to try some non-meat-loaf!

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  11. SamanthaJune 26, 2011 at 5:56 PM

    When I studied abroad in London I got to visit my long distance friend who lives in northern England. We hadn't seen each other since kindergarten!

    "Non meat-loaf" haha. creative name. Sounds yummy.

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  12. savoryandsavageJune 26, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    Green beans are my favorite vegetable straight from the garden.

    That meal looked amazing!!

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  13. AlyssaJune 26, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    Fresh herbs make me so happy! I cant choose a favorite. Most of my friends are long distance and it makes me so sad... I guess that's what I get for moving 400 miles away from home.

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  14. ChelsJune 26, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    Your meatloaf looks so tasty. Craig has more long distance friends then I do. He went away to college so his friends are all over the states. I went to college in my hometown, so of course my friends are all pretty close. I like that Craig has long distance friends, it gives us an excuse to travel.

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  15. AnonymousJune 27, 2011 at 12:02 AM

    That dinner party is my DREAM. I wish all of my friends who tease me mercilessly about my freakish eating could see that and see that there's TONS to choose from!

    Cheers to long distance friends... I have quite a few as well. Visits are the best!

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  16. UnknownJune 27, 2011 at 7:07 AM

    looks gorgeous! i want that non meatloaf recipe. Nutty and delicous I bet. Cheers to vanessa and vanessa!

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  17. LauraJune 27, 2011 at 8:40 AM

    That looks awesome!
    The only herb we have is tarragon...which I don't even really like but grows like a freakin' weed at our house.

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  18. ChristinaJune 27, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    Yay for old friends!!

    And the food looks yummy!

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  19. Emily @ Sweating SugarJune 27, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    I don't have a garden yet, but I would like to start one so I can have fresh mint, cilantro, sage and basil too!

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  20. MarleneJune 27, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    The spread looks amazing and yay for catching up with an old friend! Score on the garden loot too!

    ReplyDelete
  21. MelissaJune 27, 2011 at 6:51 PM

    I loveeeee "meat"loaf!!! And as for the herb, basil and cilantro tie, I love them both equally!

    ReplyDelete

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