84th meeting. Wintry mix

Where? D's
Attendants: A, Y, G, D, and special guests B and O

Menu:
1) Wintry mix of butternut squash, potatoes, turnips, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas
2) Tossed salad
3) Gingerbread apple pie
4) Pumpkin chocolate bread pudding


Two illustrious guests joined the VSC for dinner



Wintry mix and hot tea



Gingerbread apple pie

83rd meeting. Cauliflower and chickpeas

Where? Y's
Attendants: Y, A, Ch, L, G, and D

Menu:
1) Curried Cauliflower and chickpea stew
2) Tossed salad with lettuce, spinach, avocados, and sunflower seeds

Discussion:
University governance 101, the Board-of-Visitors threat, students cheating in class, hiring, local tomatoes in winter, organizing winter-break festivities


Curried Cauliflower with Chick Peas and Tomatoes (Adapted from recipe by Tyler Florence)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons store bought curry powder
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (add more if you like ginger)
• 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1 head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into florets (I used frozen cauliflower)
• 3 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Salt
  

I also added 1-2 teaspoons of coriander seeds to boost the flavor of this dish.

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the spices and ginger to release the flavor, about 30 seconds. Add the onion abd stir for a few minutes to soften the onion. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in the cauliflower , chickpeas, tomato paste, and 1 cup of water; stir everything together. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, and continue cooking until the excess moisture has evaporated and the cauliflower and chickpeas are coated with a thick gravy . Season with salt to taste.

82nd meeting. Huitlacoche enchiladas and stewed kitty

Where? Vide Infra
Attendants: G, D, Ch, L, Y, M-boy (ex officio, proxy for Aa, in absentia)

Menu:
1) Huitlacoche enchiladas with tofu, spinach, black beans, onions, green peppers, jalapeño peppers
2) Baked acorn squash with apples and walnuts
3) Spice cake

Discussion: international travel, Hawaii, betraying your employer, cats, putting your best foot forward in interviews and why I should never have chosen to work here, trespassing


Welcome


Treat junkie


Acorns


Huitlacoche enchiladas


M-boy preying while everybody is distracted posing


Spice cake


I want me more cake


Got it!


Highly intellectual discussions commonly ensue dinner


I want me some more cake!


Sugar crash


Y is scared of kitties


Postprandrial inspiration


Partaking in the leftovers

81st meeting. Winter's Medley

Where? A's
Attendants: A, Y, D, G, Ch, and L

Menu:
1) Winter medley soup (butternut and acorn squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes)
2) Tomato, green pepper, northern beans, and lucky pesto salad
3) Strawberry/blueberry crumble
4) Olives and home-made bread


Discussion:
How to pet a kitty, giving thanks, modern conveniences that irritate us, retirement and the merits of getting hitched, gossip, e-mail quote etiquette, bend over boyfriend!


Pre-dinner briefing


The Oatmeal


Dinner's served

Winter-medley soup and salad

80th meeting. Gnocchi and celebration

Where? D's
Attendants: G, A, Y, Ch, L, and D

Menu:
1) Gnocchi in butternut-almond sauce and lucky pesto
2) Mixed-greens, quinoa, and avocado salad
3) Peanut-butter/chocolate cupcakes with peanut-butter/chocolate frosting
4) Roasted chestnuts
5) Celebration drink: Framboise Lambic Beer, Chardonnay

Discussion:
Code switching, masturbation, tenure, FML, three-letter acronyms, cider, retirement

79th meeting. Polenta and sloppy joes

Where? Ch-L's
Attendants: Ch, L, G, A, D

Menu:
1) Polenta circles bathed in sloppy joes
2) Fried mushrooms
3) Caramel cake

Discussions:
-Colors and personality types
-Elections/anarchy
-Theism/atheism/nihilism
-Polygamy
-Hawaii

78th meeting. Farro

Where? G's
Attendants: G, D, Ch, L, Y, A

Menu:
1) Farro soup with lucky kale and carrots
(adapted from http://www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail.html?p=detail&rid=17517&sorig=qs)

77th meeting. Curried split-pea soup

Where? D's
Attendants: Ch, L, and D

Menu:
1) Curried split-pea soup
2) Hummus
3) Salad
4) Roasted chestnuts

76th Meeting. Eggplant

Where? D's
Attendants: A, Y, C, G, and D

Menu:
1) Baba ghanoush
2) Baingan Bartha
3) Padrón peppers
4) Roasted Chestnuts

75th meeting. Pozole

Where? G's
Attendants: L, Ch, Y, A, G, and D

Menu:
1) Pozole (adapted from http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mexican-chicken-pozole-verde)


Potion brewing


Table set


BFF

Cheers



Mexican food makes members happy

74th meeting. 75th meeting celebration

Where? Heritage Park
Attendants: L, Ch, G, A, D, and special guest S.

Menu:
1) Lucky basil lemonade
2) Almond pate with lucky basil and peppers
3) Nepali Stew
4) Apple butter
5) Strawberry-Rhubarb crisp
6) Mothaf***ing Kimchi


Blacksburg's Heritage Park.




Nepali stew and almond pate with seaweed scoops.









Dessert



Ah, the great entertainer.

73rd meeting. Pesto

Where? D's
Attendants: A, G, Ch, L, D

Menu
1) Salad with local greens and lucky chocolate-beauty peppers
2) West African peanut stew with quinoa and homemade whole-wheat bread
3) Quinoa/black-eyed-pea pizza with lucky pesto and tomatoes
4) Rhubarb-strawberry cobbler


Cooking quinoa and black-eyed peas for the "pizza".


Quinoa and peas are processed with olive oil, chickpea flour, garlic, salt and red-pepper flakes to make the "pizza" dough.


Dough is spread on oiled baking trays ...


Tomato sauce is added for moisture


Lucky pesto is used to cover the base


Lucky tomatoes serve as topping


Pizza is ready


Lucky peppers for the salad


West African peanut stew with sweet potatoes and okra


Salad, stew and bread.


Rhubarb-strawberry cobbler


Only good times at the Vegan Supper Club meetings

72nd meeting. Fajitas

Where? G's
Attendants A, C, Ch, D, G and Y

Menu:
1) Portobello mushroom, onion and bell pepper fajitas with almond sauce and lucky hot peppers
2) Spanish rice
3) Spicy chili beans
4) Grapes

71st meeting. Enchiladas

Where? D's
Attendants: G, C, D, and special guests B, and O

Menu:
1) Tempeh enchiladas with lucky zucchini
2) Braised chard with quinoa
3) Applesauce cake


Enchiladas galore


Chard in soy sauce and quinoa


Applesauce cake

70th meeting. B-Foods

Where? G's
Attendants: C, A, G, D and special guests Lo and Chuck

Menu:
1) Borscht with lucky beets and carrots
2) Black Bread
3) Bummus, made with lucky beets

69th meeting. Noodles

Where? D's
Attendants: G, A, D

Menu:
1) Cold Udon Noodles in Peanut Sauce with Seitan
2) Lucky Veggie Towers


Home-made seitan


Udon Noodles


Peanut Sauce


Lucky shredded zucchini, with mung beans and green peppers.


Topped off with strips of stir-fried home-made seitan


Veggie towers made with lucky tomato and zucchini scaffolding and almond-paste concrete


Dinner