Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

Our vegan dinner group of 5 couples enjoyed our 2nd annual "Thanksmas" dinner last Sunday. It's a joyful celebration of vegan holiday food on a date halfway between Canadian Thanksgiving and the Christmas/Winter holidays.  Our dinners are sort of  "planned potluck".  The host/hostess sends out an email asking what people want to bring and it usually works out to be a quite balanced meal.  If not, the host/hostess will fill out the menu or put it out there that there is a gap in the menu.  It always works out perfectly.


The female half of the table-- our friend Ellen was unable to attend-- in Sarah's kitchen.

I wrote a post about the Fluffy Vegan No-Knead Hazelnut/Bran Dinner Rolls I made as part of my contribution in my last post (recipe included):


They were a perfect accompaniment to Fireweed's ambrosial Wild Mushroom Soup, which was our first course, and nary a one left over.






The first course could have been a meal in itself, but we soldiered on and filled our plates with: 

Fireweed's delectable Roasted Vegetable and Spud Platter:



Pelka's Creamy, Cheezy Cauliflower Casserole:



My Seitan Wellington (served with Madeira Gravy and homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange, Ginger and Rum-Soaked Raisins )-- recipe in World Vegan Feast:



Pelka's colorful, fresh and crunchy Winter Holiday Salad:



Here are two views of the main course buffet table (we filled our plates and met around Sarah and Gordon's lovely large square table):






And, then, even when we thought we could not eat another morsel, we were tempted further by Sarah's gorgeous and sensational Steamed Pumpkin Pecan Pudding with Brandy Sauce & Tofu Whipped Creme: 



Ellen was not able to join us on Sunday, but her husband Rudy brought some of her wonderful traditional Scandinavian treats and truffles that are a tradition in their family, so we nibbled ourselves into blissful oblivion:



Until next time!


Happy Vegan Thanksgiving to all of my American friends, relatives and readers!

What is Vegan MoFo? Click here to find out!

This was our bi-weekly day to head off the island (to the "Big Island"-- Vancouver Island) and do our shopping and "town" errands, visit my mother, and go out for lunch with her and some friends. "Town" is Courtenay, BC, which has, I believe, a population of about 30,000. We try to go off island with the car only once every two weeks, because of gas and ferry costs, as well as in the interests of conserving energy. (When I go to work two days a week, I "walk on" the ferry and either get a ride with someone on the ferry, or take the bus.)

After doing some shopping at two of the local supermarkets, and doing other errands, we picked up my mom (bringing her a load of books from the library I manage-- about 2 weeks from her 91st birthday, she's still an avid reader) and headed to the nearby town of Comox, only about 5 minutes away from Courtenay. There, we met a couple of friends at The Blackfin Pub and had a congenial lunch.


The Blackfin, overlooking the Comox Harbour

We're lucky in our area to have many restaurants where we can actually have a pleasant vegan entree. We really like the Veggie Burgers at the Blackfin because they have a veggie patty AND a grilled Portobello mushroom together, with lots of veggies, on a wholegrain bun. It's filling and satisfying and juicy! That's what DH had, as usual:



I usually have the burger, too, but opted to try the Cashew Veggie Stir-Fry this time:



I got the "small" size, which was huge! It was pleasantly full of noodles, veggies, cashews and sesame seeds, in a sweetish sauce, which wasn't bad, but there was too much sauce. However, kudos for having a vegan option! And, in a pub at that!

I would say that in almost every restaurant in our area (aside from fast food joints), you can find something vegan that is actually good to eat. Even one of the pizza places has a wholegrain pizza crust and you can get veggie pepperoni on it! For a small city, that's pretty good!

We are also lucky to have good shopping here. There are only a very few items that I have to either order online, or get in Nanaimo or Vancouver.

After lunch, we did our last shopping at the local natural foods store, Edible Island Whole Foods Market on 6th St.



This store has been around for over 20 years and is well-stocked with organic produce (local whenever possible) and many vegan products, in a pleasant atmosphere. We always bump into friends and neighbors in Edible Island!


The refrigerator and freezer section


Looking at the section with cheeses, including vegan cheese like "Sheese"


The "meat subs" section


Some of the large bulk foods section


The produce section

Something more to be thankful for!

Enjoy!