my (all vegan!) birthday weekend

There was a lot of hype leading upto my 27th Birthday.

Prior to the big day, certain members of my clan had almost literally circled the date on their calendar and were counting down the days until D-DAY, armageddon, or some sort of firey apocalyptic doomsday.

Any mention of my vegan 27th birthday would send them into a comical (and cute) tirade, protesting July 31st and threatening to indulge in a beef-induced food coma before dinnertime.

The majority of my family was super supportive, and quite honestly, probably enticed to show up because of the comical banter and promise of witnessing the carnivores snack on carrot sticks, quinoa, and bean burgers 😉

Spent the weekend in Victoria catching up with longtime friends on sunny patios with sangria, kayaking the harbour, and strolling along the beautiful causeway.

My cousin and her boyfriend were also in town, so we celebrated our Leo bdays together! Mama made us a vegan coconut lime cake which was DELISH.

YAY for birthday!

The day had come! Mama and I pulled off an all-vegan menu, which everyone loved… including the anti-veg ers 😉

Started off with a few appies. Minimalist Baker’s Sun-dried Tomato + Basil Pinwheels were AMAZING! We used Tofutti cream cheese…that stuff is toooo good to be true! Serve these up, and NO ONE will be able to tell they’re vegan.

Also served up some store-bought onion rings (sans egg) and pakoras.

Then it was onto the mains.

Gardein chicken and beef sliders (of course) with all the fixins.

Rice, bean + veg enchiladas with cashew cream. (Loosely followed Vegan Insanity’s recipe)

Grilled-to-perfection shish kabobs, which we marinated in garlic, olive oil, s+p, herbs.

Spanish rice brought by my lovely friend. This was AMAZING with Tofutti sour cream.

And of course, my favourite thing in the world… garlic bread. We used Earth Balance butter spread and fresh parsley.

My Mama, AKA the Cake Wizard, refused to let me bake my own cake, so we brainstormed, and I threw her this recipe for Mocha Espresso Cake by Sarah at Savoring Spoon. Guys, guys, guysssssssss… let me tell you! This was the BEST CAKE I HAVE HAD IN MY LIIIFE! Vegan or NOT!

My cousin made me this EPIC blackberry + peach vegan PIE!! SO exciting, because this was the first pie I’ve had since going veg… it was in-CRED-ible. Served with Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss ice cream… ahhhhh so dreamy…