Vegan Thanksgiving with Cinnamon Snail

Hey everyone! I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving with family and friends! I know I have a lot to be grateful for. I feel rich with the friends and music and happiness I have in my life!

This year I celebrated with my dad and took the trek out to Stony Brook, Long Island. On the way there, I stopped in Manhattan's Flat Iron district to pick up our pre-ordered dinner from Cinnamon Snail. Yep! Cinnamon Snail offered a kick-ass Thanksgiving menu this year, and I was glad to partake!

NYC Vegans. We be many.

 

Even though everyone showed up with pre-orders, the lines were crazy, spiraling around the block! We were separated by alphabetical order. I waited for about 45 minutes. It was a bit of a pain, but it was so cool to see how many enthusiastic vegans were there to get their Cinnamon on!

 

 

 

Here's what we ordered:  Pecan Sage Crusted Seitan with Smoked Garlic Gravy, Rosemary Root Vegetable Puree, Lemon Mustard Marinated Kale, Grilled Fennel Cornbread Stuffing and Cranberry Orange Relish.

 

Everything was absolutely delicious! However..I daresay I make a better cornbread stuffing (recipe to come soon?). But the rest of the meal..the smoky gravy..the root veggies, the cranberry relish on the lemony kale..were all so impressive, and full of flavors to savor! It was my dad's first vegan Thanksgiving dinner. And he seemed to genuinely enjoy it!

 

 

Then came the part of the meal my dad and I eagerly anticipated-dessert! We got the Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, made with pumpkin (of course), rum, cashew cream, and coconut milk. With a gingersnap crust and toasted coconut on top. Apparently it took the chef over a dozen years to perfect. It may have been the best pumpkin pie I've ever tasted!

 

We enjoyed the pie with some green tea, watched movies and my dad lended me a book on the history of Sicily (half of my heritage) before I hit the road. And that was my vegan Thanksgiving!

 

More updates to come soon (festvities are not over yet)!

Till then.

xo,

Ellie

 

 



Veggie Prom 2012

Last Friday I went to the third annual Veggie Prom for the very first time. I danced my caboose off and had an absolute blast!!

Now, you may be wondering: What is Veggie Prom?

...It's simply a prom-themed soiree for the veg*n and veg-curious community of New York City headed by event planner extraordinaire Jessica Mahady. Proceeds benefited animal rights organization Mercy for Animals, and it was held this year at Fontana's Bar in the Lower East Side.

Many awesome vegan companies donated food for the event. Some of these companies were Lula's, Raw Ice Cream Company and Regal Vegan. There was also a vegan nacho cheese pump!-But I didn't partake in any of this, because the beloved Cinnamon Snail food truck was parked outside the event! I got their raw pizza and smore donut-which I devoured too quickly to take a picture of (sorry!).
For more info about the event and its origins, check out this link:
http://www.cllctv.com/2012/05/18/jessica-mahady-veggie-prom-in-prom-we-trust/

I was so happy to see my friends and bestie Michelle was my date. I was also really happy to see my dear friends Rachel Kay and David Karopkin win the title of Prom Queen and Prom King. They do so much for animal activism and they truly deserved their recognition!!

So. Much. Fun.

xo....
Ellie

The Cinnamon Snail Food Truck

Oh Cinnamon Snail! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!...

...I finally got a hold of that dang truck last Thursday! And let me tell you-the chase was worth it.

 Based in New Jersey, this amazing vegan food truck business is named for their signature cinnamon rolls-which I have yet to try. What I did order was their Maple Mustard Tempeh Sandwich- served on grilled spelt bread, with roasted garlic aioli, kale, tomato and onion...

...which I brought back to the teacher's office at work, and devoured in less than five minutes.

They also sell donuts in all sorts of flavors such as Raspberry Cheesecake and Creme Brulee. I decided to go with their Maple Pecan donut.

I shared some of it with my total omnivore co-worker Jennifer and we were blown away. Jennifer actually used the word "bomb" to describe it.

I overheard the (super-nice) worker at Cinnamon Snail tell someone that their Apple Cider donuts are really good, so I'll have to try them next time-as well as their Cinnamon Snail, and other delectable-sounding sandwiches! What goodies of theirs have you tried?

Btw, they were accepting donations for Farm Sanctuary in a jar-which was overflowing. Love it!!

Oh Cinnamon Snail, you have a new devotee in me!...

Follow that truck on Twitter or Facebook:
Twitter:@VeganLunchTruck
Facebook:www.facebook.com/TheCinnamonSnail

Till next time!

I'll be posting again soon about more food adventures and recipes. =)

xo, Ellie