Vegan Mofo Wrap Up

I was hoping to get in a few more Vegan Mofo posts this past week, unfortunately Chuck & I caught a nasty cold. We got about halfway through a task I was going to post about, making pumpkin pie from a pie pumpkin, before coming down with the Halloween Cough of 2011. So there is currently a bunch of fresh pumpkin puree in our fridge. Kitty is happy! We usually buy her canned pumpkin on a veterinarian's recommendation to help her digestive system. It's definitely the first time she's had it fresh. Anyway, there will probably be a pumpkin pie post coming up soon even though Vegan Mofo is over. November is another great month for cooking!

I really enjoyed following all of the new blogs posting about vegan food this month. As I was reading them, I also kept track of some of my favorites using Pinterest, a great site for making visual lists. I'm sure I will be coming back to this list for inspiration for a long time. 

Also, I won bowls from VeganDish! There were lots of great giveaways all month on the VeganMofo blog, but this was probably my favorite one and I still can't believe I won them. We actually have one large serving bowl I bough Chuck for Christmas one year a few years back, and it matches this set nicely. Even more inspiration to keep cooking great vegan dishes!

Also, Happy Halloween! I hope no one else is sick this year like we are!

Vegan Mofo: Spider Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes w/Cream Cheese Frosting

 

With Halloween Bat wrappers too! These were made using the standard chocolate cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and half of the Cream Cheese Icing recipe, since I didn't want piles of it on top of the cupcakes this time. Tofutti cream cheese was marked down a bit on our last trip to Whole Foods, a fact which makes me very tempted to buy several more containers and make cheesecakes, more cupcakes, and whatever other kinds of treats I can come up with. Vegan cream cheese is one of my favorite things.

I picked up the bat wrappers at our Safeway, too cute to pass up. And I was thrilled to get the Martha Stewart Cupcake Stencils on discount from Joann Fabrics last week. Unfortunately most of the faces were too big for my little cupcakes, but the spider worked out alright. I will have to start making huge, Martha Stewart sized cupcakes from here on out. I am excited about these stencils, so I may not stop playing with them even after Halloween is over. We could also use a finer sifter for these, the one we had on hand was just a little too course, allowing a bit more cocoa through than I would like. I already have plans to play with this more for Chuck's birthday, which is all the way off in January! He'll get the ravens and the skull and crossbones, though possibly on a larger cake.

The hazelnut flavor came from the cocoa used, Ghirardelli Chocolate Hazelnut Cocoa. Yummy!

Vegan Mofo: Field Roast, Garlic Spread & Fanged Pumpkins

 

Field Roast has been a favorite of ours for a long time. We first started eating it in Seattle, which is where it originates from. It was a bit more expensive when we lived in Chicago. This is the celebration loaf stuffed with "a sausage style stuffing made from butternut squash, apples and mushrooms." The stuffing is my favorite part!

We also picked up some more rolls from the Pearl Bakery this weekend. It's covered here in a simple garlic spread made from roasted garlic, blended with olive oil in a food processor. 

And then we made some new friends. Based on this great idea from Martha Stewart's site. We even used the templates for mouths she provided. Our fangs aren't plain white like Martha's, but I think they are a little more fun, since they glow in the dark! 

Saturday Market: Perfect Fall Day

There's so much stuff at the PSU Saturday Market right now. And yesterday was the perfect fall weather. Leaves in the trees, falling from the trees, all over the ground and kids throwing them at their parents. Pretty and entertaining!

 

I was so excited to start seeing some seasonal decor items like the Indian corn and the pepper wreaths! I love when the wreaths come out at the market. The arrangements are amazing, and the prices are pretty low. Of course then you have to pick out your favorite... I also really love that the price tags were on doilies!

Those cipollini onions were a really fun, flat shape extremely satisfying to hold in your palm. 

 

We've been really fascinated by the wide variety of squash, and especially like one vendor who does a very through job labeling and describing each type. This week we took home the "cream of the crop" a variant on the acorn squash, but with a sweeter flavor. 

There is also always such a great selection of really beautiful mushrooms. On the left, Nameko mushrooms, which I thought were so pretty. Of course fancy mushrooms are a little pricey, but it's facinating to see all the variety that can be cultivated out here where it's moist.

More pictures of various trips to the PSU Market in this set on flickr! I'm pretty excited, although the Wednesday market near our place ends this week, it's coming back in the winter next year! We'll only end up with two weeks out of the year, in March, when there are no markets around us. Pretty cool, but I think we'll still miss the markets for those weeks!