Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thanksvegan~ the binge of gastronomic proportions

     Saturday evening was all about friends, appreciation, and an abundance of delicious food at gastronomical proportions. Kia and Sean hosted another amazing party in honor of that good ol'binging holiday dubbed "Thanksgiving" but this one was (and is) Thanksvegan...a massive spread of cruelty free Homor-Simpson-drooling-sounds noms...ugh~
     Kia is a magician in the kitch, she made such a beautiful spread of visual-groans and moans. (I'm so glad that I didn't eat anything for nearly two days...I stretched my stomach by consuming jugs upon bottles upon cartons of water....ㅠㅠ). She whipped up the classics, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, biscuits, stuffed mushrooms, and some other new and funky dishes. She made honeyed-ham out of seitan, a stuffed seitan roast, squash gnocchi with a sage cream sauce, and stuffed pumpkin with a lemon lentil salad. Ugh~ feast your eyes...(I'm still digesting!)
vegan ham in a pineapple glaze (photo taken by VeganBeats)
cranberry sauce from scratch (photo taken by VeganBeats
stuffed mushrooms (photo taken by VeganBeats)
bisquits (photo taken by VeganBeats)
Sean made a spinach dip ^^*(photo taken by VeganBeats)
from left to right: green bean casserole, stuffed seitan roast, squash gnocchi with asparagus and a  sage cream sauce (photo taken by VeganBeats)
     Mipa brought over a green bean casserole!! This was my first time EVER having one...and..nom nom nom~ it's all I can say^^*
ughhh~ (photo taken by VeganBeats)
the roast and loads of veggies! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
cutting of the roast! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
     For a starter, Kia whipped up a bacon-cheese potato soup and this was divine! I used it as a gravy for everything...savory, warm, comforting...amazing!
     My plate(s) were full....and there was dessert for later! ^^*
the plate..(photo taken by VeganBeats)
     Mipa, Anna, and Dan all brought some goodies over (ugh I really wish I had!!) and they were yummy as well! Dan brought over "burgers" that were kidney bean based, and so yummy! I kept nomming on this with the spinach dip and Anna's sun-dried tomato spread!
Dan's bean burgers (photo taken by VeganBeats)
Anna's sun-dried tomato spread on veggies! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
     Dessert was a big spread of amazing sweets~ literally amazing~ Kia made a pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate pudding pie with coconut whip cream! Anna made an apple crisp with bitters and Mipa brought some gingerbread cookies~
pumpkin cheesecake (photo taken by VeganBeats)
pumpkin cheesecake and the chocolate pudding pie! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
Anna's applecrisp (photo taken by VeganBeats)
sliced up! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
photo taken by VeganBeats
tehe! ^^* (photo taken by VeganBeats)
photo taken by VeganBeats
     I am still in the process of digesting, I'm thoroughly stuffed, have had more than many plates of delicious noms...a great change from the daily carrots, cucumbers, and ssamjang~

Thank you and again, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!~

Go to Mipa's shop to get vegan goodies!!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Loads of "grazies"

     As tradition has it, and as influenced as I am (evidently), today/tonight brings about all these feeling of immense gratitude...I have come rather far from a year ago and have accumulated a lot of experiences, people, moments, thoughts, lessons, etc that have gotten me to an all around content and blissfully smiley state...I'm overall and broadly very thankful for many many things...list maybe? (in no particular order)~ and yeah, I'm photo bombing~~~
Jaxs, my best friend, my sister..love love love (photo taken by VeganBeats)
     For nearly a decade (wait...a whole one!) I've shared so many experiences with Jaxs, she's taught me so much, has helped me out in more ways than I can ever explain and has made Korea (and my life) so much brighter...xoxox~ (trust there's more but...this is a blog, my heart's not ready to be too publicly vulnerable, sheesh)
고구마 and tea! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
     A while back, way a while ago, as I was walking home from EDLS I nearly stepped on something scurrying on the ground. I figured it was snow at first but when I bent down I spotted this tiny wide-eyed hamster peering up at me...meeting one another during sweet potatoe season, this guy got dubbed, 고구마 (goguma) meaning just that...'Sweet potato.' He's sassy and obnoxious, and too cute to handle!
photo taken by VeganBeats
     Hamlet has brought so much love and comforting snuggles since we began our journey as Seoul roomies. She greets me when I come home and socializes all the time. She's a love bug that went from skittish nervous wreck, ducking under everything that could shield her from the outside world to a snobby attention craver~ 
photo taken by VeganBeats
     The first person I met the first day of EDLS and the sister I can never forget. She took me under her wing, provided support, genuine happiness, and shared so many fun adventures with! She's AMAZING, beautiful, and one of the greatest woman I have ever encountered in my life. Without her, Seoul would be lacking MAJOR soul!
photo taken by VeganBeats
     Ani~ a best friend, a soul-sister, fighter, strong woman, all around bad ass, and someone that lifts your spirits. Ani is brilliant, and we shared Vietnam together, along with Vermont, and again, words do not add up to the adoration!
photo taken by VeganBeats
     Korea's culture, land, the color it has to offer~
photo taken by VeganBeats
      Random (and special) events and gatherings that have been presented to me, granting me opportunities to meet some pretty amazing people!~ 
     Like the bakesale where I finally met Mipa! And where I met the beautiful and wonderful Kia and Sean (love love love)~ Also where I met Chris and some other beautiful seouls! And like the Tod's grand opening!
photo taken by Jaxs
     Wine nights with Jaxs, wine while looking over Seoul, tall buildings...ahhh wine~
     Long walks, wanderings, and trucks around the area where I make discoveries, clear my head, build up those endorphins...etc. 
photo taken by VeganBeats
     Markets where you meet the business owners/farmers, haggle, barter, and get to smell and be surrounded by fresh produce, steaming rice cakes, and sweet fruits. I love the chaos involved, the yelling sales, bustling shoppers, bag shufflings...the craziness is relaxing, somehow. 
photo taken by VeganBeats
     I'm thankful for far too many things to really get into...wine, friends, the people and crew back in VT, the memories I still hold onto from VT, organic veggies, my family here, the beautiful people I have in my life, art, shows...

ahhh~ thanks year^^*!~

Thursday, November 24, 2011

~Happy Thanksgiving~

     This is the second Thanksgiving I've sent Seoul-side and I can remember the one I had last year. Chillin in my apartment, snuggling with the kids...repeat, yea!
     I WISH I WISH I had an oven, I miss playing chef~
Usually I prepare all the noms for Thanksgiving for the fam back home (last year they went with lasagna because 'it wasn't the same') and this year I've got a skype date set with them!!
     Anyways...I went with the whole binge-y Thanksgiving American theme and this is my vegan Thanks feast...
veggies and ssamjang! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
     There is no traditional mashed taters, steamed onions, warm peas, cranberry sauce, or tofurkey...but this is spicey savory delish deals. I started with a carrot and cucumber dipped in 쌈장 (ssamjang) and then I whipped up a curry and served it with shitake red quinoa. The curry consisted of sweet potatoe, carrots, tofu, and seaweed. The curry was different in that I added lemongrass, red chilli strands, galangal, and cambodian black pepper. 
whoa curry! (photo taken by VeganBeats)
     Delicious and filling~
Ahhh and this is who I get to snuggle with...yea, I'm thankful^^*!~
yea I'm cute!! (photo taken by VeganBeats)