Pre-birthday Zebra Cake

Oh, look, we’re having another Game of Thrones cookout. Not a damn thing wrong with that. Since it was the day before Kevin’s birthday, I whipped out a cake for dessert. But not just any cake, a zebra cake! You won’t believe how easy it is to do. Just use your favorite vegan vanilla and chocolate cake batters and follow these instructions for pouring them in the pans.

Here are mine ready to bake.

All frosted up in chocolate.

And look at the insides!

Now I want to do them with all kinds of colors. Imagine a rainbow!

We didn’t just have dessert. There was real food too. This time I had a hot dog with home made cheezy sauce, avocado, pickles and who knows what else, tots and mac & cheeze.

We might’ve been lacking a bit of vegetable this time around. But we got over it.

ATL Vegan Drinks at Urban pL8

April’s ATL Vegan Drinks was at Urban pL8 and Kevin made it back in town just in time for us to bust it over there. Since we didn’t make a reservation, I didn’t want to steal slots at the allotted table, so we sat separately with the Gunns.

It’s Friday, let’s start of with a Manhattan.

They had a special menu for ATL Vegan Drinks and they also have a couple of vegan or veganizable items on their regular menu. I had the roasted beet sandwich because I like them and Kevin doesn’t so I don’t cook them much at home.

It was a very nice sandwich, but the real star was the Sunflower Seed Crusted Tofu on a squash purée. It totally needs to be on the regular menu.

We also got a side of kale and shared it. They also have kale chips.

Of course I saved room for dessert. This is what they call a paleo chocolate cake. I didn’t pay attention to what was in it but it seemed like dates, nut flour and coconut were involved. It was almost like a raw dessert. Keep that in mind if you ever see it on the menu. Just so you’re not expecting a regular cake. But don’t discount it. It was really good.

 

A return to Ipanema

My last day in Virginia, after dragging my mom around Maymont Park, I made her eat vegetarian food at Ipanema Cafe. Kevin and I went last time we were in Richmond and had a lovely brunch. Tofu or tempeh benedict, I think. And pie, glorious pie!

Now it was lunch time. And there was a BBQ Jackfruit sandwich on the specials board. I’ll take it! Even my mom liked the jackfruit. Which reminds me, I need to send her some cans. They topped it with tangy slaw, with sides of sweet potato fries and salad. Perfect!

My mom had a hummus wrap which she really liked, and then strawberry rhubarb pie which was outstanding. Since I’d had their pie before, I decided to try the Coconut Creme Brûlée. Because how often does a vegan get that chance?

It did not disappoint. But I did find myself with pie envy and kind of wished I’d order a slice to carry away. What was I thinking?

Afterwards, I walked over to Harrison Street Coffee Shop for a coffee. Because they’re awesome.

Christmas Day/Birthday dinner

Christmas Day we celebrated not working and Nick’s birthday with a chill traditional dinner. Vegan of course. Nick was surprised that Danielle made him a cookie cake that he’d mentioned wanting months ago.

And here it is! Cute and delicious.

We found Christmas Vacation moose mugs, so those had to be busted out.

We brought the green bean casserole, a vat of gravy and sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping.

Crescent rolls.

My starter plate. I guess I was easing into it. There’s some tofurky under that gravy.

Mighty Mighty O

Oh Hi case full of vegan doughnuts. Donuts. Whatever. We woke up too early the first day in Seattle. Well, some of us did. So Kevin and I headed out to pick up some Mighty O Donuts and coffee. And just as we were getting in the car Jared walked up to join us in the townhouse. So he piled on in for the journey.

So we got a dozen, plus a fritter. There’s pumpkin cream filled, regular cream filled, apple spice, chocolate raspberry, pumpkin, chocolate coconut, peanut butter chocolate and probably something else I’m forgetting.

See that chocolate coconut donut there? It’s called the “Don King.”

Sometimes you can’t wait the 15 minutes it’ll take to get back to the place. So I got an extra pumpkin cream filled donut. Honestly, I’m not a donut freak but since we don’t have vegan ones here I just had to eat a few.

And here’s a random Seattle observation: the must have accessory is a dog. All dogs wear clothes. That is all.