House parties and social events can be challenging as a vegan. I learned early on that if I want to eat when attending an omnivore's event, or just mixed company in general, then I have to bring my own food. Even when people tell me there are going to be vegan options, I have to assume it is a veggie tray, which they conveniently forgot the ranch was not vegan. Being at a party for hours with only carrots as an option to eat isn't fun, especially when everyone else is eating. I always find that I am exceedingly more hungry if I'm around a bunch of people who are shoving their faces with food. I once attended a wedding where the "vegan option" was hard cider, not that I was necessarily complaining about free alcohol.
Today I attended a Superbowl house party, and brought several bags of food to cook and assemble so that I had multiple options, and so that other guests can try what great vegan food tastes like.
(This is an image of my boyfriend and I. Yes we are wearing our Cowboy jerseys, even though they aren't playing we still need to represent, and yes that is a tattoo on my head. I am working on my introduceyourself post and will get into why I shaved my head and got a flower of life tattoo, stay tuned!)
The first thing I started on was the pigs in a blanket because those I actually had to cook.
Recipe:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
-Ingredients_
One can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Field roast sausages (vegan apple maple or whatever vegan mini sausage you desire)
Almond Jalapeno Jack style cheese (or any nondairy cheese you prefer)
Wrap the sausage and a slice of cheese up in the crescent and cook for 10-13 minutes, and you have yourself a lovely little party snack... I dipped mine in mustard, and loved them!
This next one is easy, because it's not a recipe, but I love this combination so much that I had to share! If you are a vegan and haven't tried this NuCulture cheese spread I suggest you go to your local Whole Foods, or New Seasons right now and pick some up (if you don't have those available you can go to their website and find where the cheese is located near you). When I first became a vegan this is what made it easier to not miss cheese, not to mention I loved telling people about my favorite "nut cheese", dirty inuendos are my jam!
Speaking of cheese, the following Mac and Cheese recipe was one that we stumbled upon. This is a go to recipe that I bring when I know people are skeptical of vegan food, but I find it's very convincing and people actually want to try it, and better yet, once they do they want more!
Recipe:
-Ingredients-
Elbow pasta
Heidi ho creamy
Heidi ho spicy
2 medium tomatoes
Garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste
Italian bread crumbs
Heat water to a boil, cook package of elbow pasta until Al dente. Drain pasta, add entire package of Heidi ho creamy and spicy, mix until creamy and evenly distributed. Add cut tomatoes and mix. Finish off with a sprinkle of bread crumbs (to your desired amount). Add garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste, I personally love a ton of garlic salt.
That concludes what I brought to the party, however, my friend surprised me with a Mexican dip that I loved, so I got the recipe for that as well....
Recipe:
-Ingredients-
Black olives chopped
medium tomato chopped
green onion chopped
Large can refried beans (no lard)
Taco seasoning packet
Tofutti sour cream
4 medium avocados
Lime
Small can diced chiles
Salsa (your favorite)
In a shallow pan, spread a mixture of the large can of refried beans and taco seasoning packet as evenly as possible.
In a large bowl mix sour cream, mashed avocadoes, diced chiles, and the juice of a half a lime (add more to taste if needed). Once mixed, layer mixture on top of refried beans and distribute evenly. Sprinkle salsa on top of that, followed by diced tomotoes, and green onion. Enjoy with your favorite vegan corn chips.
And there you have it, a vegan superbowl done right. I can barely breath right now with as full as I am after the day, totally worth it! Hope you enjoy the recipes, and let me know if you have any questions!