neat market & the vegan van

Happy Monday everyone! I know it's only been 24 hours since Sunday, but I've been dying to tell you all about the Neat Market I attended this weekend, hosted by Plants and Animals Denver :)

Plants and Animals Denver is a vegan advocacy group looking to improve the lives of animals, unite local vegans, and make Denver more vegan-aware. Each month they're hosting an event called the Neat Market, where all kinds of vendors come together to sell their vegan wares. Julie and I made our first ever appearance there yesterday, and let me tell you, it totally blew our minds! Watercourse Bakery and the Denver Seitan Company were both there, along with all kinds of coffees, wines, fake-meats, accessories, cookbooks, sweets, and the best kale chips EVER. Oh, and did I mention the best part? It was all vegan! Yayy!!

After Julie and I dug into some Monster Kale Chips and Tofurky jerky, we had to top off the afternoon with lunch at the Vegan Van, which was parked just outside the Neat Market.
While I've dined at many food trucks, this was my first time at the Vegan Van, and it was outstanding. The menu boasts all kinds of tofuffalo, corned befe, coconut bacon, and walnut parm, but I decided to dig into the "Freak Out" sandwich- veggie-ball, marinara, and avocado spread on a roll, with a side of chips to boot.

Woah. Them veggie balls look damn good, am I right? I am right! The sub was ridiculously delicious, the kale chips are already mostly gone, and the market was absolutely phenomenal. I can't tell you how exciting it is to discover such a badass group of vegans in Denver. This may have been my first Neat Market, but it most certainly will not be my last! ♥

food cart bites & crafty delights

Sometimes I take for granted the amazing vegetarian and vegan options out there. Friday night I went to a BBQ, and when the meat-free guests showed up, everyone looked around in amazement as to what they would eat. I quickly ran to the store for some Morningstar Farms burger patties, but it was very interesting. I just haven't found myself in that situation for so long. My parents and a number of my friends are all meat-free, so we always cook that way, or make sure to dine somewhere with options. A meatless lifestyle is becoming more widespread, but sometimes I forget that it's not the norm everywhere. This is definitely part of the reason I always get so excited when there are places that specialize in meatless cuisine.

Some friends and I attended a food truck party on Saturday, which is where we found the Steamin' Demon, the vegetarian/vegan food cart run by City 'O City and Watercourse, 2 of the best veg places in Denver. We all swore that we'd attend fewer food truck gatherings, both for our waistlines and pocket books, but when we heard the Steamin' Demon was going to be there, we couldn't stay away. If you're in the Denver area and looking for mobile meatless delights, definitely hunt down the demon!

Julie, myself, and Brian all got the Moco Loco- some kind of gooey bowl with rice, a spicy burger patty, mushroom gravy, avocado, and an egg if you so choose. It may sound strange, but it's amazing! Omg so good.
We also gobbled down a pistachio cupcake from the Cupcake Truck, while Jenna and Michael hit up the Biscuit Bus for some of the best fresh biscuits slathered in honey butter or vegetarian mushroom gravy. Also amazing. Food trucks may be fattening me up, but holy shit, they're so damn tasty.

Apart from oinking out on mobile foods all weekend, I've also been attempting to spruce up my kitchen. I'm currently renting a little studio, so it's hard to make the place look really great without being able to paint walls, or tear out ugly cabinets. I decided that red would be my theme, and this weekend I added some fun touches I wanted to share.

For simple cutesy magnets, I collected red buttons of all shapes and sizes, and hot glued them to small, round magnets that I bought at Michaels. While I was binge shopping arts and crafts, I also picked up some plain glass votive holders and a bottle of Delta rose red transparent glass paint. I gave each holder a couple coats of the paint, and realized that I was looking for a much bright shade. I added a few coats of Craft Smart in bright red, and when it was to the opacity I wanted, I finished off with a coat of the glass paint to give it a shiny surface. Magnets went on the fridge, and I lined up the newly painted glasses on my windowsill.

I'm very pleased with my newest red touches. I'd like to make a triangle banner to hang around the window next, but so far, the few things I've made are really helping make my rental a little homier. A very successful weekend, indeed, full of tasty foods and fun crafts. The summer is already starting out with a bang, and I hope it just gets better from here! :)

street food eats & mother's day treats

Happy Mother's Day out there to everyone! Normally I can find the cutest, most perfect thing to get my mom, but this year the holiday snuck up on me, and a jam-packed weekend kept me extra busy.

Yesterday I checked out the Horseshoe flea and craft market with some friends, hoping to find the perfect thing for mom. While there were tons of fantastic vintage and handmade goods, I didn't quite find the right thing. I did, however, find the Seabirds food truck from Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race. They're filming season 2, and I'm really excited I got to dine at the vegan truck!

The avocado tacos were good, the fries were really good, and the jerk jackfruit sliders were phenomenal. I don't know what jackfruit is, but if it tastes that good all the time, I want more of it, and I want it now! Unfortunately, we waited in line for around an hour and a half, which was seriously lame, but I'm still glad I could support them in their food truck race! Yay vegan street food!

And now, on a very NON-vegan note, I just wanted to share the Mother's Day gift I made for my mom. The inspiration came from the Real Mom Kitchen, and I must say, the outcome was far better than I anticipated.

I made my mom half a dozen mini cheesecakes (it's one of her favorite treats) with strawberry, chocolate, or caramel and pecan toppings. I pretty much followed the recipe, except for the Nilla Wafer crust. For my version, I finely crushed up about 10 Nilla Wafers and mixed them up with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. I then pressed the mixture into the bottom of the muffin tins, and baked them at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.

From there, I poured in the batter, and baked them for 20 minutes. When they looked ready, I popped them in the fridge overnight, and decked them out with various toppings this morning before giving them to my mom. I opted for drizzled chocolate, caramel sauce with pecans, and fresh strawberries soaked in a simple sugar solution (thanks to Chef Troy).

The recipe was surprisingly easy, and the outcome was perfect! The flavor was right on- just like a store bought cheesecake- and they're so cute and elegant looking, no one would believe I made them myself. Add a bottle of merlot and a little card, and that's an indulgent gift, indeed :) Happy Mother's Day, Mama! I ♥ you!