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First Week Round Up 2017

First Week Round Up 2017

VeganMoFo’ers, thank you for everything you do!  It’s been an amazing first week of VeganMoFo 2017, and we’ve been dazzled by all your creative offerings and culinary delights.  Choosing a few highlights for each day is a tough old job, but here are some that have stood out this week.

The week one theme was Changing Vegan Perceptions, and I think you will have easily convinced the rest of the world that a vegan diet is in no way a boring one!

1st: Re-inventing the veggie option

Fake Meat & True Love

Mike and Sarra livened up the dull old hummus and veg offering by making hummus-crusted tofu with an exciting range of veg (blueberry sweet peppers, anyone?) and sticking it all in a taco. Talk about an improvement!  They’ve posted a taco dish every day this week, so have a look at their other fillings too on their blog or Instagram.

@ambereatsveg

How do you make avo toast fresh and exciting? Strawberries, pomegranate balsamic and cocoa powder! We like Amber’s thinking!  All of her dishes this week have been beautiful and are worth checking out.

Living the Dream

Of course, you don’t have to be following the weekly theme or daily prompts to be featured in our round ups!  MoFo regular Jen is posting about hurricane recovery in the Florida Keys, and we were so happy to see her again!  Week 1 has been full of honest and hopeful videos from her B&B, along with inspiring tales of human kindness and generosity.

 

2nd: Junk food forever!

Coastal Vegan

Feast your eyes on this! Clare has a mouthwatering review of this vegan junk food haven in South Devon that will have us all descending there for a holiday! Clare has also shared some of her own flavoursome recipes this week if you’re in the mood for some cooking.

@vegfullife

Kirsty also went out for junk food:  where would you even start with this sample platter from Portland’s vegan BBQ joint Homegrown Smoker?!

Two Happy Rabbits

If you’re in need of a sugar fix, check out the recipe for this spectacular concoction: funnel cake topped with pumpkin pie ice cream, pecan pralines and caramel sauce.  Truly a work of art!  There’s a recipe every day on their blog, so do check it out for meal inspiration.

 

3rd:  But where do you get your protein?

Vegans Need Sauce

Emily (who happens to be VeganMoFo’s resident IT expert) went to the trouble of googling high-protein foods and then whipped them up into a veritable feast: baked tofu with a sun-dried tomato and pepita pesto, garlicky sauteed spinach, and a quinoa-lentil pilaf. Yum!

@tofumom

We have a lot of respect for Tofumom’s no-nonsense protein response:  plants, duh!  Check out this colourful array of protein-packed veg – just one of her vibrant pics from week one!

@elephantasticvegan

And you can’t talk about protein without mentioning the humble chickpea!  Bianca shared these collard green falafels, and you can find the recipe right here.

 

4th:  Catering

Accidentally Meatless

There were no catering disasters at this wedding – Michelle took a look back at her wedding, a week long celebration of vegan food (oh, and true love) culminating in this tower of five different kinds of cupcakes. Happy anniversary!

Walks, Talks & Eats

Emma’s worst catered meal was so unbelievably bad, you really do have to read it yourself to believe it. Let’s just say that this lasagne (made using actual lasagne pasta sheets!) was a huge improvement! She’s shared her recipe so you can make it yourself at home.  Look at her other daily recipe posts while you’re over there!

@suburbanvegan

Kristen pointed out that we vegans quite often miss out on little nibbles like hors d’oeuvres, so she made a whole meal consisting of delicate little appetisers!  They all looked amazing, but these fried chick’n tofu and waffles a really something else.  She’s posted some really beautiful dishes throughout the week.

 

5th:  Conversion meal

@dauliflower

Everyone tells Danielle that she makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the world, vegan or otherwise. Judging by this picture, I’m inclined to believe them!

@naschaer

First of all, yes, this would win anyone over.  Second, did everyone else know that banana blossom is a good fish alternative?!  You can find more details over on Natalie’s Instagram post.  She’s been serving up delicious and hearty feasts all week, so don’t head over there on an empty stomach!

@vegan.raptor

Checking in on another personal theme, if you ever watched The Wire this one’s for you! Every morning vegan.raptor posts a photo of a vegan dish inspired by the name of a character with a little clue as to who it is.  In the evening all is revealed!  This isn’t just bacon, it’s Wee-bey-con!  Play along and see if you can guess any of them!

 

6th:  Vegan Cheese is “real” cheese!

Banana Curl, Vegan Girl

Laura’s theme is ‘magical unicorn rainbow party’, and this mac’n’cheese seems to fit perfectly! Natural colourings abound, including something called butterfly pea tea powder.  You can find the recipe on her blog and check out her other great and thought-provoking posts this week.

@mrs.spaetzle

Check out this elegant looking homemade tofu chevre from Mrs S!  This would look at home on any cheese board.

@raqinthekitch

First time MoFo’er Raquella shared this tempting mac and cheese.  This was a popular dish for this prompt, but hers was the only one we spotted that was made with split peas!

 

7th:  Original vegan

@ladyfunk25

Angie made the smart choice of going for Indian cuisine today with red lentil soup and curried okra.  Let those vegetables and lentils shine!

My Apologies for the Novel

Julie turned to our vegan goddess Isa for this original vegan dish: the goddess noodles from Isa Does It.  In every blog post Julie included a drawing of her dish for Inktober, so make sure you stop by to admire her artistic skills!

@whoneedssalad

Look at this magnificent plate of food from Tania (or, to give credit where it’s due, her husband)!  As she points out, respecting your vegetables is all it takes to create a wonderful dish.  This seared cauliflower is served with steamed millet and braised thyme-scented white beans, finished with a lemon-tahini cauliflower puree.

 

8th:   You do make friends with salad

Kittens Gone Lentil

MoFor regular Susan treated us to a fabulous review of Terry Hope Romero’s Salad Samurai. Salads like this avocado tofu breakfast one are will win you friends any day of the week!

@andivert

Andrea recognises the importance of adding well-seasoned tofu to any salad. Doesn’t it just elevate every dish?

@veganistamama

Occasionally we might be persuaded to skip the tofu and instead get these black pepper candied maple bacon pecans!  Don’t they sound amazing?!  Oh, and they’re served with baby spinach, homegrown black krim tomatoes, and smoky pumpkin vinaigrette.

 

So that’s it for week one!  Week two starts today and we’re curious about what’s going on in your kitchen:  it’s Behind the Scenes week!  We’ll have another round up for you next Monday, but keep an eye on the blog for a daily cookbook giveaway Monday-Friday this week. And keep serving up that delicious food!

Tyne Chease Giveaway

Tyne Chease Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to the winner, Coastal Vegan.

Today VeganMoFo is inviting those of you following our daily prompts to celebrate all things cheesy, so it seems like the perfect time to announce our giveaway with Tyne Chease!

Tyne Chease is a small, family-run business which makes its own cheases using organic ingredients.  It won the Best Vegan Cheese Award at the Vegan Awards UK last year and currently boasts over twenty different varieties on the website.

If you are overwhelmed by all the choice, look no further than the Selection Box:  ten mini cheases to make up the most elegant and delicious of chease boards!  The Selection Box includes the following flavours: Original, Dill, Garlic, Ethiopian Spice, Mustard, Chilli Flakes, Za’atar Spice, Sundried Tomato, Pink Peppercorn and Smoked.

Thanks to the generosity of the Tyne Chease team, we have one selection box to give away!

To be in with a chance, you just need to make a cheese-related post on any of your registered VeganMoFo accounts – blog, Instagram, Twitter, whatever. We will then choose a winner at random.  You have until midnight BST to enter.  This giveaway is open to UK residents only.

Vegan Tuck Box Giveaway

Vegan Tuck Box Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to our winner, VegCharlotte.

If you’ve ever been to a vegan festival in the UK, you’ve probably seen the lovely people from Vegan Tuck Box there selling cruelty-free creme eggs, Go Max Go bars, and other insanely good snacks.

But you don’t need to travel all the way to a festival to sample their delicious treats – in fact, you don’t need to leave your house at all!  With their Variety Box or Ultimate Box, you can get a mouth-watering selection of mystery vegan goodies delivered to you anywhere in the world.

This month, Vegan Tuck Box is celebrating its 4th birthday, and as part of their celebrations the team has kindly donated one box to a lucky VeganMoFo’er! (FYI, the one pictured up top is just an example – the real contents are still a mystery!

To enter, you just need to leave us a comment here on the blog or on Instagram letting us know:  what’s the number one treat you would send in a vegan care package?  You have until midnight Pacific Daylight Time to enter.  This giveaway is open to entrants anywhere in the world, but you must be signed up to this year’s VeganMoFo.

Vegan Cuts Giveaway

Vegan Cuts Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to our two winners, @fromhalftohalf and Not Fun At Parties.

There’s no denying that this is a great time to be vegan.  Plant-based options are popping up on menus all over the world, you can watch vegan documentaries on Netflix, and thanks to Vegan Cuts you can get boxes of mystery vegan snacks delivered straight to your door every month!

The team at Vegan Cuts spend all month looking for the best vegan products to send out to subscribers in their two monthly boxes:  the Snack Box and the Beauty Box (they also do a quarterly Makeup Box).  Once you’ve subscribed, you just wait patiently (or not!) for your treats to arrive.

The kind people at Vegan Cuts have donated October snack boxes to two lucky winners!

This giveaway is now closed

 

To enter, you just need to leave us a comment here on the blog or on Instagram letting us know:  what’s your favourite vegan snack that you would love to have delivered to your door?  You have until midnight Pacific Daylight Time to enter and we will choose a winner at random.  This giveaway is open to USA and Canada residents only.

Welcome to VeganMoFo 2017!

Welcome to VeganMoFo 2017!

It’s October 1st, which means it’s VeganMoFo time! We hope you are really excited. Don’t forget to keep posting and commenting, and use the hashtag #vgnmf17 to show up on our instagram feed too.

Here’s a reminder of our weekly themes and daily prompts for you – though remember, they’re entirely optional, if you’d like to do your own theme or just go your own way, go for it!

Week 1: Changing Vegan Perceptions  (Sunday 1st-Sunday 8th)

1st: Re-inventing the veggie option – Think of a boring, bog-standard veggie option like nut roast or risotto and give it a makeover.

2nd: Junk food forever! – It’s not all kale chips and chia seeds being a vegan – show us your fave vegan junk food.

3rd:  But where do you get your protein? – Make a protein packed meal.

4th:  Catering – Improve on the worst catered meal (wedding, party, conference, etc) you’ve been served.

5th:  Conversion meal – What would you make to convince an omni to convert?

6th:  Vegan Cheese is “real” cheese! – Showcase your best cheesy dish.

7th:  Original vegan: Vegan meals that aren’t trying to replicate meat/omni ingredients

8th:   You do make friends with salad – A salad to win anyone’s heart.

Week 2:  Behind the Scenes: (Monday 9th-Sunday 15th)

9th:  Go go gadget – A kitchen gadget you couldn’t live without, be it a simple grater or a blender. Alternatively, use a gadget you very rarely use.

10th:  Secret ingredient – Is there an unconventional ingredient or product you use to make a certain dish that no one would suspect?

11th:  Kitchen tour!

12th:  Grocery store tips and tricks

13th:  Sell yourself  – If you were going to market a food  you make, what would it be?  How would you package it, and who would buy it?  (Or if you have already done this, tell us about the creative process.)

14th:  Repurposing food – Show us what you do with mushroom stems, stale end bits of bread, carrot tops, etc.

15th:  Spicy! – Talk us through your spice rack or cook with your favourite spice.

Week 3:  Ingredient Challenges  (Monday 16th-Sunday 22nd)

16th: Survival food – There’s a zombie apocalypse!  What can you make from just canned or foraged food?

17th: Let’s get boozy! – Food involving booze, like beer brats, Welsh rarebit or a boozy dessert. Feel free to make a non-alcoholic version if you prefer.

18th:  Chocolate – Today is Chocolate Cupcake Day, but you can make anything you want with chocolate!

19th: A dish with five ingredients or fewer (not including cooking oil and salt and pepper)

20th: Deconstructed dish – Hipster style food. Serving it on a slate is optional.

21st: Making the humble potato the star of the show

22nd: Unconventional grains – Cooking with freekeh, buckwheat, sorghum, etc – try something you wouldn’t usually!

Week 4:  Entertaining  (Monday 23rd-Tuesday 31st)

23rd: Fancy af – Dazzle us with your haute cuisine or gourmet dishes.

24th: Party! – Canapés, finger foods, something to share.

25th: Cook for your best friend – Tell us about your best friend and their favourite dish, make them a vegan version of it.

26th: Showstopper Dessert – Something that would earn a handshake from Paul Hollywood!

27th: Meals for the young (at heart)

28th: Brunch: the under appreciated get-together meal.

29th: History – What would you cook for your favourite historical figure?

30th: Practice run a dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas,  or another upcoming holiday

31st: Halloween – Try not to scare us too much with your spookiest dish.

VeganMoFo 2017 OPML File

VeganMoFo 2017 OPML File

This year, we’re trying to give you as many options as possible to follow VeganMoFo. As well as the RSS page, and the instagram feed linked to in our Blogroll Page, we’ve also put together an OPML file for you to download.

What this means is that you can import this year’s blogs into a blog reader – such as Feedly, and follow our blogs on there! Below, you’ll find the file itself, and a small tutorial on how to import this file into Feedly. You will need to create an account on Feedly in order to use that site!

Download the VeganMoFo 2017 OPML File Here.

  1. First, download the above file, and save it somewhere you’ll be able to find it later. Change its name, or leave it as it is, it doesn’t matter, so long as you remember what it’s called.
  2. Next, open up your Feedly.
  3. In the sidebar, click the green “Add Content” button
  4. Next, click the “Import OPML” button. 
  5. You’ll be taken to a page where you can upload the file you downloaded earlier. Do this, and it will import all the web blogs that are participating in this year’s VeganMoFo!

 

If you have any problems with this file, do let us know – but we’re hoping it all works. Enjoy your VeganMoFo!

VeganMoFo 2017 Blogrolls!

VeganMoFo 2017 Blogrolls!

It’s almost time for VeganMoFo 2017! With mere days to go the excitement is definitely building here at VeganMoFo HQ, and we’re thrilled to bring you the blogrolls of this year’s participants.  Of course, VeganMoFo is not only about sharing your own delicious food, but also about discovering great recipes posted by others and filling your social media feed with as many vegan accounts as possible.  We’re here to help you find all the other participants!

As always, we’ll be posting a weekly round-up post highlighting some of our favourite contributions.  But you don’t need to wait for us:  using these links you can see what your VeganMoFo friends are up to at all times!

First of all, here’s the Official 2017 Blogroll.  Everyone who signed up is listed on here, neatly organised by category (web blogs, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook).  Feel free to go on a following spree!

We’ve also got a Where in the World? blogroll so you can see which countries our participants are based in this year – for US contributors, there’s also a state-by-state breakdown, so you can see if you have any neighbours getting involved!

For the multilingual among us, make sure to have a little look at the 2017 By Language blogroll.

And here’s a handy guide to the Individual Themes chosen by this year’s participants – there are some really interesting choices, so keep an eye on these!

You can also easily see which blogs have been updated on our RSS feed here – though we’re still ironing out a few kinks, so do bear with us!

We’ve also added a handy Instagram feed too where you can enjoy every contribution using the hashtag #vgnmf17, so make sure to use it!

However you’re participating in VeganMoFo 2017, we hope you have a fantastic month!

September MiniMoFo Roundup!

September MiniMoFo Roundup!

Who’s excited for October and VeganMoFo 2017? We certainly are! But, in the meantime we’re enjoying reading all this month’s MiniMoFo submissions. The theme this month, Literary Inspiration, was a tough one we know, but there have been some great submissions!

Ichiban Vegan

Jess at Ichiban Vegan took inspiration from the much loved Harry Potter series and made Hagrid’s rock cakes. She made them gluten, soy, and nut free too – so perfect for all the Hogwarts students regardless of their diets! There’s even a little photo tutorial showing you how to make them.

@ambereatsveg

Amber made a Peach Margarita Cheesecake inspired by Tom Robbins’ Still Life with a Woodpecker. I’ve never read the book, but this has certainly inspired me to pick it up!

@veganistamama

More Harry Potter now, as earlier this month VeganistaMama celebrated “19 Years Later” from the Harry Potter epilogue by making creamy onion soup and Irish soda bread and serving it in a Marauder’s Map mug!

My Apologies for the Novel

Julie took her inspiration from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and made “Bananana Dakry” (as described by Nanny Ogg). Just like Nanny Ogg, she also drew a picture of her bananana dakry, make sure to go and check it (and her kitties!) out.

@veganfeastcatering

Janet from Vegan Feast Catering chose her favourite book as a cookbook, which may be cheating a little, but it works! Her current favourite cookbook is Bowl by Lukas Volger.

Herbivore’s Heaven

Jenny found a restaurant named after a character from Kipling’s The Jungle Book – Mowgli in Manchester! She had many different dishes, including this chip butty, which had sauce that was “pure fire” – sounds like a challenge to me.

Walks, Talks, & Eats

Another Discworld submission, this time from Emma who made Jammy Devils, also inspired by the same character as Julie – Nanny Ogg! These are little biscuits with different flavoured jam in the centre.

 

We hope you enjoyed this month’s MiniMoFo, and are on your way to being prepared for October and lots of amazing food! Keep checking back for giveaways, round ups, interviews and more.

Compassion Co Giveaway

Compassion Co Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED

Congratualations to our winner, Southern Food Fiend! 

VeganMoFo 2017 is starting soon and we want to make sure our lovely participants are dressed for the occasion!  We’re very pleased to announce our first giveaway in 2017, courtesy of the wonderful Compassion Co.

Compassion Co was founded by animal rights activists Andy Tabar and Paul Stellar, and all their clothing proudly conveys the vegan message.

Not only are they promoting kindness to animals – their products are also good for the Earth too! They only use either recycled or domestically grown organic cotton, and there isn’t a sweat shop in sight.  Compassion towards animals, humans and our planet?  This is a company we can all get on board with!

Compassion Co has kindly offered one lucky winner the t-shirt or tank top of their choice.

 

To enter, you just need to do two things:

  1. Sign up for VeganMoFo 2017 by 22nd September – if you haven’t already done so, the form is right here!  If you’ve already signed up, then you’re already in with a chance!
  2. Make your first VeganMoFo 2017 post on your registered social media account or blog on Sunday 1st October – but you were already planning on doing that anyway, right?!

It really is that simple!  Participants from anywhere in the world are eligible to win.  We’ll choose a winner at random and announce the lucky MoFo’er on Monday 2nd October.

In the meantime, don’t let lusting over their online store distract you too much from your VeganMoFo prep!

September MiniMoFo

September MiniMoFo

It’s already September, meaning there’s only one month to go until VeganMoFo gets underway! To get you in the mood, here’s our new MiniMoFo challenge.

In September our theme is:  a meal inspired by a book you love.

And there’s a deadline this month – we’d love your submissions before 25th September, so we have time for a roundup before October comes around.

8th September is International Literacy Day, so we’re asking you to cook up something inspired by a beloved book.  Harry Potter fans, how about some vegan butterbeer?  Can you give Willy Wonka a run for his money and create a sublime chocolate concoction?  Show us what you’ve got!

As usual, remember to use the hashtag #MiniMoFo or post your link in the comments below, and check back at the end of the month for our roundup.

September MiniMoFo