I AM HOSTING ANOTHER VEGAN POTLUCK IN VANCOUVER!

What: Vegan meet-up/potluck for good times and good food!
When: Saturday Nov. 1, 2014 at 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Where: East Van, email me [emilyvoneuw at gmail dot com] for address

Yes! It's true! The last one went so well that I basically HAVE to make it a tradition. Come one, come all! As long as you bring an open mind, positive attitude and - preferably - a delicious, wholesome vegan dish - you will be welcomed with enthusiasm! Invite your friends and family, and anyone you know who is interested in healthier and/or more compassionate living. Hey, even if they AREN'T interested, they will probably still have a great evening! We will be meeting in the same gorgeous spot as last time so if you went to my last potluck, you already know where to go for this one! If you didn't go to the last one, please email me to get the address.

The last potluck was sooo fun and exciting for me, and I'm pretty confident everyone else had a good time too. I met so many amazing people that I hope to make long term friends out of, and I basically ate myself into veggie Nirvana. (Can we all take a moment to remember that creamy LASAGNA!?) There ended up being around 30 people and a table FULL of amazing dishes (dinner and dessert!) And the party didn't stop until midnight (although from now on the potlucks need to end a wee bit earlier because some people must work). There were people from all over the world and it was fun to hear the different accents and personal stories. I wanna make the potluck even bigger this time, so all the vegans in Vancouver can have a place to go every month to connect with like-minded peeps and enjoy outta-this-world tasty healthy food together! That's right: I wanna make this a monthly or bi-monthly thing!

This potluck is a joint effort between me, Zoe the wonderful vegan rock star who is letting us use her beautiful home, the gorgeous raw dessert chef Heather Pace from Sweetly Raw, and Steph the exquisite high carb vegan Instagram celebrity (@happyandhealthy96)! Come to mingle, come to eat, come to dance, come to participate in some uber stimulating conversation! I'll be playing some funky tunes on the good ole iPod to keep the vibes ridin' high. I wish I had taken more photos from last time (seriously, the three I show here are the ONLY ones captured) but I was having such a great time I didn't wanna stop to document it. I hope to see you there if you can make it!

What: Vegan meet-up/potluck for good times and good food!
When: Saturday Nov. 1, 2014 at 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Where: East Van, email me [emilyvoneuw at gmail dot com] for address

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"it tastes like christmas!"

Today was my wonderful, funny, strange, and vegetarian friend Emily's birthday (yes, one of my best friends names is the same as mine). I gave her numerous hugs and a tart.

The crust tasted like crumbly Reeses, even though the only nuts in it were sprouted walnuts. That and some dates, cinnamon and cocoa. I molded that into a tart shell (remembering my mom's b-day present, anyone?) and then filled it with a chia seed caramel sauce. Which was just gelled chia seeds added to the caramel recipe.

I let it refrigerate overnight and then decorated it before I ran to meet her at the SkyTrain station.

It's a wonderful world we live in, when you can make something that tastes THIS GOOD, and is also crazy-good for your fabulous bod at the same time. Plus, it's easy to make and turns out really cute! The prefect gift for that special someone, an impressive dessert, or an (uber healthy) treat for yourself.

So go on, make this tart and enjoy life. What's not to like?

Goji Berry Caramel Tart: makes 4-5 or so, but you won't have any problems with leftovers

Crust:

1/2 cup walnuts

1/3 cup soaked dates

1/4 cup cocoa/cacao

1 t cinnamon 

1 t vanilla

1 T coconut oil, if it's too crumbly

Process all ingredients until it's like dough (but a little crumbly). Press it into your favourite tart shells and freeze while you're making the filling.

Caramel Filling:

Handful Brazil nuts

2-3 T raw honey/agave

1 t vanilla extract

7-10 dates, soaked for 30 minutes or so if you can - but don't dump the water!

3 T almond butter

2 T tahini

2-3 T coconut butter, melted 

1/2 t cinnamon
Pinch salt 

Water as needed (preferably the date water)

1/6 cup or so coconut flakes (doesn't really matter, you be the judge)

2 T chia seeds gelled with water

Process Brazil nuts into fine pieces, add all other ingredients EXCEPT coconut flakes and chia seeds. Process until it has a caramel-y consistency. You may need to add some water or more of the other ingredients. Try it. Your mind should be exploding now. If not, continue tampering until it reaches the mind-blowing stage. Add the coconut flakes and gelled chia.

Spoon this into the frozen tart shell crusts and let it freeze for maybe another 30 minutes. Then carefully take the crust out of the mold, not letting it break! Chill until you need them, and decorate with goji berries or anything else!