Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Appetizer dinner and a cutie

This dinner was inspired by Chili's and Mrs. Badmouth (odd combination, I know). Let me do some 'splainin. While heading back to Houston after one of our many trips to Austin before we moved here, we were very hungry and stopped in a Chilis for dinner (there are alot of really small towns between the two cities, and this is the only choice we had). Of course, there wasn't much for me to eat, but I was intrigued by their appetizer plate special. Although it was all laden with animal ingredients, it sounded like a neat idea to try at home. After seeing Spinach-Artichoke dip as one of the options, I immediately thought of Mrs. Badmouth's zine, Don't Eat Off the Sidewalk, and realized I had yet to try any of the recipes. So, I decided to put together my own appetizer special, using recipes from the zine.

Of course, we had to have the Spinach-Artichoke dip. I omitted the sour cream it calls for, because I don't keep it around. I loved that the recipe was bean based, unlike others that are all fat based. It was different from the dip I'm used to (it's almost like a baked hummus), but we loved it, and ate it all in two days.

Next up, the Tomato-Potato salad. I made my own tofu mayo for this because, again, I don't really keep stuff like that around. I also used died herbs instead of fresh. It turned out really good and flavorful. I added some edamame for a little extra somethin'somethin'.

And, finally, Tempeh Wingz! Probably the highlight of the whole meal, these were extra awesome. I used some Louisiana style hot sauce my sister-in-law sent for my housewarming gift. I never liked wings in my pre-vegan days, but these blew me away. They were so spicy and crispy, but also soft and sweet all at the same time. And so easy to make.

The whole meal, complete with homemade Garbanzo crackers. Yum yum, I wish I was still eating it. I can't wait to see what Katie comes up with for zine #2.

And a bonus. This is Rufus, the adorable little puppy that we puppy sit for ocassionally. He was given to Dirty Dog by a homeless woman a few weeks ago, and was in really bad condition. He has regained his health and vitality, and is an awesome dog. He has a home with one of the employees, but she can't keep him until November, so we all take turns bringing him home. We love him, and now I have puppy fever.

3 comments:

yomomma said...

Rufus is so cute..Man those wings and potato salad really look good..Sure do miss your cooking..Miss You LOTS.

Vegan_Noodle said...

I am loving that zine as well. Need to make the tempeh wings. I've all of a sudden discovered my love for tempeh....
Thanks for the restaurant suggestions! Still need to get a place to stay, hopefully it's not on UT home game weekend....

Kayla said...

She's got some talent. I definately suggest the wingz. Best use for tempeh.Ever.
If you can't find a place to stay, we have an extra room, and we are more than happy to accomodate guests. We're going to the cookoff, too, so maybe we can carpool. Just wanted to offer as another option for you.