Thanksgiving 2009

From the bottom left: Fiery Sweet Potatoes[recipe from NYTimes], Chik'n Tofu Triangles, stuffing with onions, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts. There is also an apple slice on the far left.

The sweet potatoes were great! (click on "Fiery Sweet Potatoes" above for the link to the NYTimes Recipe) Blending coconut milk & curry paste into the sweet potatoes was a great idea, and I would make these again. Next time, I will give them enough time to really crisp once in the baking pan so a crust of sugar can be more formed. I became too impatient and took them out of the broiler a little early.

I've made Chik'n Tofu many times before. This was yet another experiment. I used firm tofu (water packed kind), and drained/pressed for a while longer than I normally do. I made a mixture of flour, poultry seasoning (a mix of dry herbs like thyme and rosemary) and some chicken seasoning (another mix of seasonings: salt, garlic, etc.) I sliced the tofu into triangles and then coated each piece with the mix and baked in the toaster oven for 45 minutes. They came out too dry and not seasoned enough -- too much flour. They were still tasty, just not awesome as the last few times.

The rest of the items were pretty straight forward. I roasted a head of garlic in the toaster oven with olive oil and kosher salt for 40 minutes -- or until soft. The garlic just scoops right out. I boiled red potatoes until soft, drained, then added the garlic and a little soymilk and a lot of vegan butter until at the consistency I wanted. I'm a fan of potato skin, so I leave it on.

Brussels sprouts were not as tasty as I've made in the past but again, still delicious. Stuffing was from a bag of bread cubes and my own diced onion and some seasonings.

I love that my plate isn't all brown/beige!

Olympic Cafe: Kapa'a, Kauai, Hawai'i

Breakfast at The Olympic Cafe in Kapa'a on the island of Kauai in Hawai'i. This place was great. There were vegan options for most of the dishes. Pictured above: "Kim's Scramble" subbed with tofu instead of egg. Green and red bell peppers, onions, tarragon and other spices with fresh papaya on the side as well as a lime wedge to enjoy with the papaya.

Lunch: Vegetable wrap with fresh tofu and a side of papaya and a lime wedge. Mr. Coconut had a Thai veggie wrap, not pictured, but was the most delicious meal ever.



Other food enjoyed in Kapa'a Town: Bubba Burger, which had delicious and unique Taro Burgers, made from taro root which is grown in Hawai'i as well as other islands. There was also a lovely coffee shop called Java Kai which had delicious vegan muffins and cupcakes which we had each morning for breakfast.

Wedding Food: MGM Grand in Las Vegas

March? Really? It's been 7-8 months since the last update? Whoa.

Well, The Saucy Coconut has been quite busy, as this post will prove. Yes, there was a wedding, and the reception was catered by MGM Grand Las Vegas in the Skylofts. I married Mr. Coconut in July, and the ceremony was great. Most importantly to this blog, there was great food. We had a chips and salsa station which also doubled as a taco station, a "build your own pita/falafel" station, lots of fruit and vegetables and some of the TASTIEST vegan cake EVER.

Pictured above: fruit kabobs with pineapple, melons, and strawberries.

Next: Vegetable "trays". If you're a vegetarian, chances are you've ended up at more than one buffet where there are only vegetable or fruit trays to choose from. While my wedding did have vegetables, I LOVED the way they were presented, such as the fruit kabobs above or the standing holders of vegetables below.



Close-up of the yellow squash and zucchini spears:



Grilled Vegetable Kabobs:

These have patty pan squash, artichokes, tomato and mushrooms. Hummus for dipping.

A giant mound of falafel:


An unimpressive picture of the most impressive cake I've ever had:


A more traditional fruit tray:


While in Las Vegas, we also visited Yellowtail inside Belaggio and Chin Chin inside NYNY. Next post I'll feature the food had on the honeymoon in Kauai, Hawaii.