Monday 24 September 2018

VeganMoFo 2018 #24: Pot Luck Perfection



24th: Pot Luck Perfection – What would you bring to a pot luck?

Are you having a party? A food party? Can I come? I will bring food! Actually, I am not really one for large parties. More small gatherings. But I am serious about the food. Here are some things that I might bring to your pot luck.

Never underestimate the power of snacks at a potluck, and they don't have to be super fancy made yourself snacks (though that is always fun). If you are short on time, or spending your time making another dish, there are lots of fun snacks you can buy and bring. Here are a couple of things I have picked up recently. I have tried the cheddar snacks before, they are great and tasty and cheesy. Lots of fun. I haven't tried these cauliflower puffs yet, but I have heard good things from Hillary about them. Plus apparently they are probiotic, which always tickles my fancy.

Snacks


I know a lot of recipe books have hot dishes as potluck dishes, but I always worry about reheating them at the place. I prefer to bring things that can be served at room temperature. Living in Brisbane, it this works pretty well as well. A sturdy salad is a great option.

Sweet and Sour Brown Rice Salad with Fresh Herbs from Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz: I LOVED this salad. But I changed it a lot, using the recipe more as a guide. First up, I changed the dressing. No way was I going to be using a whole cup of sweet chilli sauce, or any amount of sweet chilli sauce. Instead, I used a 150mL bottle of Chef's Choice pad thai sauce that I had got in a CFS mystery box, and adjusted the rest of the ingredients accordingly (I used 1 TBS of lime juice, but I did still use the whole amount of agave as the miso made it quite salty). I also changed the ingredients in the salad a bit, using a large bag of microwave brown rice as my base (about 3 cups, rather than 4). I left out the scallions, used roasted crushed peanuts instead of whole ones, and used a small tin of bean sprouts rather than fresh. I also added some Japanese marinated tofu (instead of the aduki beans), chopped celery, and grated carrots, and served it over some soft lettuce leaves. The fresh herbs were coriander and mint. This was so lovely, and had fantastic and fresh flavours. I only got about three and a half serves, so definitely scale up for a pot luck! I'd also suggest taking the leaves separately if going to a pot luck, so they don't go smooshy under the salad.
Rating: :D

Sweet & Sour Brown Rice Salad


I always like to bring something sweet as well. I love vegan baking!

Spring Fling Muffins from Vegan Desserts by Hannah Kaminsky: These muffins are studded with rhubarb and strawberries, spiced with cardamom, and topped with a crunchy oat and sugar mix. The rhubarb is chopped finely and added raw, so you don't need to fuss around with stewing it first, and it cooks through perfectly. When I first took these out of the muffin tins, they seems pretty soft and soggy on the bottom and I was worried that I didn't cook them long enough, but as they cool down they firmed up perfectly. A great, not-to-sweet treat.
Rating: :)

Spring Fling Muffins


Of course there are many other things I can make and bring to pot lucks, including working to a theme! But these were a couple of things I made recently with this prompt in mind. Invitations can be directed to Dim Sim, who is my social events coordinator.

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post

Possum, Sahara, and Dim Sim


A blessed event, three kitties on the bed. Possum, Sahara, and Dim Sim. Possum didn't normally sleep on my bed, but he would when my parents were away (he wasn't shy about seeking out snuggles). This photo was taken after my sweet Gizmo had passed away, but when she was alive there were a few magical times when I had four cats on the bed with me! I don't care how weird and uncomfortable I have to sleep, I want them with me always.

6 comments:

  1. I hope you love the puffs! The Brussels sprouts puffs taste almost exactly the same! Ha! But I agree, if I can get probiotics in a delicious salty, crunchy snack I'm all in!
    Dim Sim seems to be surveying the sleeping arrangements with some disgust!

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    1. She's not pleased. These days she gets the bed and me all to herself.

      I am saving the puffs for next time my friend comes over the watch Buffy, but I am super excited to eat them.

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  2. The salad looks great, and a bed full of kitties sounds magical indeed!

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  3. Ooh, I've never seen cauliflower puffs before. The muffins and salad look delicious and perfect for a potluck!
    And what a sweet picture. Sounds wonderful to have so many kitties on the bed with you. <3
    Growing up my cat loved sleeping on my bed too, and anyone else entering the room after bedtime (feline or human) would get some very annoyed looks from her, haha.

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    1. Heh, sounds like your bed actually belonged to your cat. ;)

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