Skip to main content

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!




Comments

  1. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 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!

    ReplyDelete
  4. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 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!

    ReplyDelete
  6. 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!

    ReplyDelete
  7. 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

    ReplyDelete
  8. 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

    ReplyDelete
  9. 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!

    ReplyDelete
  10. 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!

    ReplyDelete
  11. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Green beans are my favorite vegetable straight from the garden.

    That meal looked amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  15. 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!

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

    ReplyDelete
  17. 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.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yay for old friends!!

    And the food looks yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  19. 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!

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

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

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Race the Bar 5k Recap (AKA: A Personal Worst!)

Do you remember a few weeks back, when I was all braggy about running in Florida in February/March? Sunny mornings around a lake with a light breeze off the water have turned, cruelly, into humid stretches of time where I am humbly reminded of my own limitations. You guys, I see these gazelle-like creatures, men and women alike, who prance on my running route with compression socks, a soft glow of perspiration at their brow. It's beautiful. It's also a harsh reminder that I am not them. I am currently running in the thinnest, smallest items of clothing I can without offending anyone (shirt stays on, people). I dare not step outside without some awful visor or wide-brimmed hat. When I hop in the shower after a run, my face is a deep crimson that causes my husband to voice his concern for my general well-being. Have I mentioned this is what happens after my easy runs, with a few walk breaks thrown in? Yeah. It's humbling. Now, I'm not complaining. It's beautiful

1st Wedding Anniversary--Celebrating with Chocolate!

One year ago today, I married the love of my life. And I couldn't be happier! In celebration of our very first anniversary, here are some pictures of our favorite moments together: Our first trail race together Hiking together in GA And of course, our wonderful wedding in Hong Kong. We both decided to keep things very simple, with a casual ceremony with a few friends and family and then lunch at the Mandarin Oriental. Exactly what I wanted! With our parents after making it official! Our entire wedding party. Just family and dear friends! Goofing around with my garter at the reception lunch! You think you know what couples do after they get married? You know, their first night at man and wife? If you guessed eat ridiculously delicious chocolates in their bed at the Grand Hyatt, you're right.  Oh, I haven't changed. One year later and I still celebrate with sweet things! Thanks Tim, for being a wonderful husband. I love you!

Brace Yourselves: Cuteness is Coming

One of the hardest things about moving, for me, was wondering how the cats would adjust each time. Although our cats are super travelers at this stage, I feel really guilty every time we have to pack them up and force them onto a plane. I remember my grandma telling me years ago that when she moved with a cat, they put butter on their paws. That way, the cats spent the first day in a new house licking their paws to get them clean, and that was enough time to lose the "smell" of the old house. I love that story, and I wish the same principle applied to longer moves. Anyway, that's a super long intro to say that for the fellow cat ladies out there, our three fur babies are insanely happy in this jungle gym of a home here in Florida. It's warm, there are plenty of sunny spots to curl up a take a nap, and they have lots of room to spread out. Despite the space, of course, they still usually want to take a nap on my head at night. Obviously. They also love climbing on ou