Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Back in the Game with a Vegan House Party!

So sorry for the several week hiatus!

Between school ramping up and my internship and law review and training for the marathon I have been completely stripped of all of my blogging time!

But don't worry because this post will make up for it!

Really.

There are no cupcakes in it BUT it is full of lots of other fun stuff to entertain you.

First things first!

FOOD


Colin and I had a house party for Jefferson Smith (Portland Mayoral Candidate)!

Ever heard of him? He's pretty cool. Check him out here if you have a sec.

We've gone to a couple of his events and done a bunch of research and are pretty jazzed on this guy.

See how jazzed we are?

So jazzed. In fact, we like this guy so much we threw him a party!

And the best party about parties is the food. And the drinks, of course (Shout out to Burnside Brewing for the keg donation).

But really, the food.

To start out the table I prepared two kinds of Bruschetta (pre-made from Trader Joe's - don't give me too much credit but at least I made it look pretty).

Traditional Bruschetta atop basil and a toasted baguette and drizzled with a classy balsamic vinegar.


Eggplant and sundried tomato tapenade atop basil, vegan cream cheese and toasted baguette.

Chocolate dipped strawberries. My Go-To at events like this. Easy to prep, easy to keep and everyone loves them.

Aaand the BEST part:


My SUPER GREEN cous cous salad.

Why is it SUPER GREEN you may ask?

Because stuffed into this gorgeous little fresh spring salad are each of the following green things:
  • Edamame
  • Asparagus
  • Spinach
  • Basil
  • Parsley
  • "Noodled" zucchini 
Take that, mix it with two boxed of Trader Joe's Israeli Cous Cous, the juice from an entire lemon, 1/4 cup Vegenaise (or more, to taste), a hefty sprinkling of salt and pepper and a kick of hot sauce and you have this delicious and wildly popular spring salad.

Perfect for parties.


Rounding out the rest of the spread was: veggie straws, pop chips, homemade veggie tray w/pita bread, a 4-hummus platter and guacamole and salsa with tortilla chips!

All in all (thanks to the food, all of Colin's work and Jefferson's charming company) the party was a blast and I think everyone had a great time :) Including us! Such a successful feeling. 


Also in the news - Colin and I and some law school friends participated in one of Portland's biggest races: The Shamrock Run!


It was an absolute blast (other than being freezing and snowing for part of the time) and I'm very excited for the 10k and half-marathon races we have coming up! (OK - Colin is doing the 10k but I couldn't convince him of the merits of a half).

Training is going great -- lots of kettle bell classes and integrative weight and circuit workouts.

Despite the endless rain and homework I have not been slacking on my training! Yay!

Send me good sunny vibes in the next few weeks as I prep for these races!


Last but not least - Wyatt requested a little shout out.


 There he is. Adorable as usual.

(By the way: His tongue doesn't always stick out - just in case that wasn't clear)


In conclusion: Happy Spring!

Live long and prosper! And throw some killer parties!