Saturday, November 24 Vegan Dinner Party! Rating: 5 and then some

We were lucky enough to be invited to a dinner party at a friend’s home. We were so glad to spend time with her and several other friends, as well as meet some new folks, too. Oh, and did I mention that she’s an amazing vegan chef? She spent about 2 days cooking and it showed. Everything was amazing. We started off with light appetizers of little pastry cups filled with roasted grape tomatoes (they were like little pizzas!) and more little pastry cups filled with artichoke dip and hummus and pita. It was all very tasty. Next she served an amazing butternut squash and chestnut soup. Yes, it was a good as it sounds. Creamy, smooth yummy. 

The main course consisted of several dishes. There were two separate salads – one of mixed greens with a delicious creamy dressing, the other a “Christmas salad” (brought by one of the other guests) which was greens, cranberries, nuts and several other yummy things with a light, spicy dressing. The entrée dishes were plentiful and impressive – Moroccan Stew with chickpeas and sweet potatoes, Ratatouille Provençal, Boeuf Bourguignon made with Gardein beefless tips, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with chestnuts. We were blown away. It was all so, so good.

Dessert was as impressive as dinner. I have no idea how we found room for it, but we did. There was an apple tart, an apple crisp, and a custard with mixed berries. Seriously. It was, predictably as delicious as it all sounds. We're so grateful to have been invited to enjoy this delicious meal with our friends. Not only was the company fantastic, and the food amazing, but it was also nice to just relax and not worry if the chef used non-vegan butter in that dish. (Also, I got to give her dog & one of her cats lots of love which was pretty cool, too.)