My Own Kind

I had SUCH a great night tonight! I met up with five friends who I worked with at PETA. It's been nearly a year since I left, and I hadn't seen some of them since. So it was great that we were all able to get together (minus one friend, who couldn't make it at the last minute). And we tried out this great restaurant in NW DC called Everlasting Life Cafe. I know, I know. A pretty terrible name, but it's an all-vegan restaurant that serves some of the best food I've ever had. I had the shepherd's pie with a side of cabbage and mac 'n cheese and a piece of cornbread. ALL VEGAN. So amazing. I have leftovers that I'm *hoping* to save for lunch tomorrow, but they just might be calling my name now...
It's just so great to spend time with like-minded people. I obviously love all my friends and family, but there's something about sitting around a table with fellow vegans/animal advocates that just warms my heart. We don't have to explain it to one another - we just get it.
We're hoping to do dinners once a month - just a regular date that we can all get together and catch up. Waiting for an annual get together is just too long! :)

Anyhow, speaking of vegan deliciousness...I tried a new recipe this weekend. My high school friends have referenced a recipe that one of the girls' mom's makes - these breadballs. I was skeptical, but they all swore these were so tasty. So Emily emailed us the recipe to make these meat-and-cheese-filled dough balls. And my first thought was, 'I can veganize this!' And so I did. I present to you....Sharon's Famous Breadballs!! (Sharon named them herself.) :)

SHARON'S FAMOUS BREADBALLS

-One loaf frozen bread dough

-One package seitan

-One package Daiya Vegan Cheese

-1/4 cup vegan margarine

-1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Thaw frozen bread dough (it doesn't have to raise, just be thawed). Cut it into 32 pieces. Cut the seitan into 32 small chunks (about 1/2" squares). Pour the cheese into a bowl (for easier access - you won't use the whole bag up). Melt the margarine on a plate and stir the garlic powder into it.

Take a piece of dough and kind of flatten it out. Set a pinch of cheese on the dough and top with a chunk of seitan and wrap dough around the seitan/cheese and pinch it shut. It forms a kind of a ball. Roll the ball in the margarine/garlic powder mixture. Repeat with each piece of dough

Place the balls in a casserole dish or even a 9" inch glass pie plate works well. You want them touching each other.

Let them rise for 2 hours. (Turn the oven on to the lowest possible temperature while making the balls. Then I turn it off, set the casserole inside the oven and also put in a separate bowl of water.)

Bake at 350, for 20-25 minutes, until they start to brown.

Pull off chunks of filled dough and devour. Enjoy hot or cold - always delicious!