To fill the void, and remind me of my younger, picture-taking shenanigans, here’s a look back at some my favorite creations* of 2010:

Khao Soi Yellow Curry Noodles with Tofu

This dish quickly entered my regular repertoire, and is currently on hiatus (until I buy more vermicelli).

Jalapeno and Herb Roasted Tempeh and Broccoli

I made this during the great jalapeño overload in my life that was late summer 2010. It was fabulous as a stand alone entrée, in addition to being tasty leftovers over grain bowls or pasta.



Cashew Basil Cream & Roasted Garlic Stuffed Morels

They’re dainty little elf hats and wicked gourmet. Enough said.

The next two are from my not so long ago LOST-obsessed days:

Mr. Paik’s Favorite Grilled Seitan Bulgogi

I was so happy with how this turned out! I mean, it impressed Mr. Paik like his daughter never could.

Dharma Veggie Burger with Namaste Sauce

The surprisingly satisfying vegetarian option in the Dharma mess hall.

White Russian & Chocolate Cream Dude Pie

No recipe for this one. Simply abide.

Strawberry Swirl Chocolate Cream Pie

Another cream pie, this one was pretty much pureed tofu, chocolate, soaked cashes, my hand-picked strawberries and a little sweetener:

Tempeh Benedict with Butternut Hollandaise

The Vegan Brunch classic, with a little love from American Vegan Kitchen’s diner tempeh patties, and some roasted butternut squash, since I was putting roasted squash in everything this fall.

Pumpkin Syrup

I made a lot of syrups this past year. They’re pretty, they’re flavorful, and can easily highlight the seasons.

Apple Potato Sage Seitan Roast

After I went to the annual Portland Apple Fest this October, I had a few (dozen) apple projects up my sleeve. One was this roast form of the VWAM Apple Sage seitan sausages from the old PPK forums.

Stuffed Courgette Rolls

This was my first ever Gordon Ramsay recipe veganization, for a wedding potluck over the summer. They’re classy, pushed me into upgrading to a better vegetable peeler, and I got to pretend I was on the set of Hell’s Kitchen.

Dave’s Killer Breaded Seitan

Straight up awesome! Seitan cutlets, go hang out with the best breadcrumbs around. Now, bake. Now, meet kale and BBQ sauce. Lastly, get on the plate.

Grilled Seitan with Pistou

Girl, you were a little fancier this past year!

*Creations meaning a dish that was altered from an existing recipe (with due credit given, of course) or somewhat original.

Last year, I was introduced to Petunia’s Pastries during their premiere Last Thursday on NE Alberta via my friend Michelle Crocodile. I sampled one of their very few vegan offerings at the time, a beautiful Chocolate Hazelnut cupcake. This was before I was aware of my stupid new hazelnut allergy, and I can still look back fondly about that rich & dreamy dessert.

This year, Petunia’s temporarily opened the season at the glorious PSU Market and now most of their case is usually vegan – and gluten-free! They’ve moved to the Sunday King Market and will be starting at the brand new Pioneer Square Market on Mondays next month. I took my first visit to the King’s Market in NE to revisit Petunia’s this past weekend. To my awe-filled delight, everything in the case just happened to be entirely vegan! It was a rainy day, and sweetness overcame gloom.

I picked up the cutest Marionberry pie I have ever seen in my life (and I’ve been looking at a lot of pies lately at The Piehole). Juicy, luscious berry filling with an even sweeter heart-shaped adornment. So juicy you almost make up a song in your head about it.

My friend Lucas documented:

Petunia’s also does custom orders and was recently raved about by former Portland Trailblazer and famous Yelper, Channing Frye, on his blog.The next time you’re at the market for some kale, stop by Petunia’s for a pretty decadent treat! They may a new kid on the block, but they’re certainly a growing, welcome addition to the Portland Vegan-Friendly Bakery Scene, and a new highlight at the farmers markets.

Prior to my return to Boston in February, I engaged in my normal vegan research:  googling “new vegan boston”, updating my facebook status with vacation countdowns, trying to make sense of reviews on Yelp, and inquiring with the best on a PPK thread.  A huge list of maybes was formed, with less than 4 days to make it happen…

These were the must-gos (and eats):

• Grasshopper of course! My bad memories of this place are quite behind me.
• Grezzo: upscale raw dining in the North End – crossed off because I went last Spring & I was on something of a budget.
• Red Lentil – newer vegetarian restaurant in Watertown – I didn’t go, but my travel partner, Millie, raved about it and a cauliflower dish…
• Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown- alas, I’ve yet to go.
• Veggie dog and curly fries at Spike’s – curly fries, check!
• My Thai Vegan Café (old Buddha’s Delight location, upstairs) – I’m working on a separate, small travel review for Stumptown Vegans. I miss Buddha’s.
• Veggie Planet in Harvard Square – because I’ve been so many times & it wasn’t pulling me back on this trip.
• Vegan ice cream and baked goods at Allston Café (formerly Herrell’s)
• Wheeler’s Ice Cream – I returned for my second visit here, and…they weren’t open.  I’ve heard so many stories like this.  There were boxes all around the front room. Please post hours and keep to them?
• Bagel Rising bagels – jalapeno tofu cream cheese & veggies on a bagel at Espresso Royale - and a fantastic soy latte.

Newer Recommendations:

• Pizza at Peace O’Pie (old TJ Scallywag’s location)
  • And bringing said pizza into the glorious Model Café next door (if you haven’t been, or you have, you know I mean that fondly, but sarcastically).
  • Consider me a fan after my slice of the day!
• Deep Ellum bar – the vegan offerings intrigued me, and the cocktails – even more so!
  • I had an El Diablo margarita with chili-infused agave. I wanted to sip it all night.
• Clover Food Lab – vegetarian cart in Kendall Square/MIT – I sought this cart out for a meal, but sadly, they only had oatmeal available at the time for vegans, so I passed.
  • The vegan lunch options seemed more inviting – really nice staff working.
• Jack and the Bean Bowl – vegetarian cart in Copley Square – wasn’t open on the weekends when I checked.
• The Pulse Café in Davis Square – another sadface! stopped by with Millie for lunch, learned it didn’t open till 5.  A very disappointing meal followed nearby.

Also on my To-Do’s:

• Great soy lattes – check! at 1369 in Central & Espresso Royale on Newbury
• Leslie and the Lys at TT the Bear’s – Millie convinced me to go to this.  I took her word on it – and was AMAZED.
• The Middle East – tends to be a regular stop on my trips, but not this time.
• Cheap falafel – technically happened at Olive Tree, but it was so dry and everything else in the wrap was so bland. I don’t forget how blah vegetables can be around Boston.
  • particularly sad because I used to frequent their cart (or the previous owner’s) on a much-too-regular basis in Kendall Square
  • their bathroom situation was hilarious…leave the front door, walk literally around the block till you have the big green door in the back, and find the bathroom with the broken light inside.
• Thai cuisine - surprise dinner at Montien in the Theater District – fantastic!
• Harvest Coop – I browsed and picked up a fair trade coffee at Clear Conscious Cafe
• Sam Adams beer – because it’s Boston? in any case, it didn’t happen this time. FYI, according to Barnivore, all their beers are vegan except for the honey porter and cherry wheat.
• Karaoke - Do Re Mi almost happened, but it wasn’t meant to be…
• Martinis with Maria – bubble gum martini, check
• Wandering Davis Square
• Frolicking in snow – there was some snow on the ground, but not enough to keep the smile on my face.

What actually happened?

I spent a few days in Boston just last May, so I didn’t have to jam it all in.  My primary reasons for going were snow, friends, and spending a few days of my much-needed vacation in a major city I was familiar with.  I attended Emerson College in Boston in the early 2000s (and I’m admitting it, Maria)! I’ve lived in historic buildings downtown, a beautiful old house in Davis Square, a craphole in Mission Hill and an ever bigger craphole in East Cambridge between Central and Kendall Squares. It’s the city I discovered my veganism, went to my first vegetarian restaurant (then Buddha’s Delight, originally upstairs) and started almost becoming an adult. And then I ran away to Portland, of course.

Food cart row at MIT – Clover is the furthest

The No Name at Grasshopper

Slice of the day at Peace O’Pie with kalamata olives & vegan sausage

Check back for more of the riveting, snow-less photo tour.

To celebrate and culminate, I picked some photos from my favorite posts of the past year on Get Sconed! – The year of the move! I attempted to choose one per month, but failed starting with January.

Behold a giant photo essay:

January

My first post of 2009 was an ode to recent Vietnamese meals. NE 82nd Ave was home to Nhut Quang Vegan Vietnamese Restaurant, which depressingly closed in late Spring 2009.

R.I.P. Nhut Quang Vietnamese crepes

Angel Food Marshmallow Making This is my mom’s old mixer, I love it.

I can’t go through January without mentioning LOST. I threw a Dharma rations themed party for the premiere of Season 5.  Next month, my friend Susie and I holding a Benjamin Linus Throws a Dinner Party!

February

I fell in even more love with my Vita-Mix: Peach Ice Cream

March

And even more love: Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu Mousse

The first Examination of Portland Soy Lattes I drank about 2,000 lattes, give or take a few.

April

Chicken Seitan Parmigiana with Teese and Roasted Broccoli

Had a magnificent visit with my friend Emily from my long-ago semester abroad to the upscale, all raw Grezzo in Boston.

Lavender cheesecake

Had my fix of Vegetarian Dim Sum House in NYC, twice

May

Chick o’fucking Stick Chocolate Chip Cookies for Katie Jayne!

June

The cart lot at SE 12th and Hawthorne just got better and better, and Portland became home to a vegan friendly fried pie cart, Whiffies, and the city was never the same again!

The very first pie Maeve and I shared: Apple

The rising wave of twitter popularity grew and grew, and a select group of friends and I entertained ourselves with a week of dining exclusively at businesses that had Twitter accounts: The Dittering.  The number was much less significant in June than it is now, but we had many favorites and scouted others out. To quote Maeve, this was “back when twitter was cool”.

This was also the beginning of the summer of food cart insanity and growth!

Koi Fusion tofu tacos

Vegan Brunch was released! As a tester, of course, I’m always excited and stoked to support it and must include the Ode to Vegan Brunch Testing. I helped make some of the baked goods photographed! Oh my gosh!

Vegan Omelet

July

My friend Jeff and I made this Raspberry Blackout cake for Maeve’s birthday:

I became a contributor to Veggie Thing! …which went kerplunk.  I’m trying to keep the spirit alive with Awesome of the Week, kinda.

Professor Nanotear muffins from Tube

August

Try Vegan PDX presented the second annual Try Vegan Week with great success.  The culminating event was the 90s themed U Can’t Touch This Vegan Prom. Thrilling!

The dance contest, featuring the first and second place winners – Simon and Angela

I discovered I seem to have an allergy to one of my favorite foods, the hazelnut.  The horror!

September

Hazelnut Encrusted Eggplant

I fell in love with a scone from the new Back to Eden Bakery & Boutique: Maple Walnut

October

Zomg.  Fakin’ Fest happened.  There was dark chocolate dipped vegan bacon, bacon stuffed mushrooms, bacon cupcakes, tempeh bacon, maple bacon ice cream and much, much, much more. There was best dish, favorite dish and best fakin’ haiki contests, with prizes (more vegan bacon!) donated by Lightlife.

Stef’s Coconut Bacon Cupcakes

The Spicy Vegan’s potato skins

Mike Vegan’s awesome pig cake

Dynise, the Urban Vegan, sent her new cookbook for review & I’ve been digging it.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I got my fix of apples at the annual Portland Nursery Apple Festival:

The compilation of the Vegan Friendly Food Carts Listing, which now has its own page here.

on the Bombay Chaat House:

I added another reason to ever leave SE Portland in my personal time from my friends Julie & Jay Hasson – they opened their food cart, Native Bowl, in Mississippi Marketplace, and it rules!

Hummus wrap and Couch Bowl, photo by Lucas DeShazer

The Portland Vegan 100! So fun to put together. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

November

I was obsessed with brussel sprouts.  All year, really.

Brussel Sprouts Au Gratin from The Urban Vegan

Roasted with blood orange and sea salt.

December

Banana Waffles! Banana Flapjacks from Vegan Brunch turned Waffles

Another test recipe from Isa’s new book, 40 Cloves Chickpeas & Broccoli

A little more Retrospect…

• I didn’t leave the country as I dream, but I did travel more on the West Coat, and had my annual pilgrimages to NYC and Boston – will happily be there again in February and playing in the snow!  Let me know if there are new places I should check out, I’m curious about Piece ‘Pie in Allston!
• 2009 called forth the @getsconed twitter account (I had a personal, private account beforehand), the inevitable, welcome move to WordPress and finality of a domain, which was the exciting part of November.
• In case you’re interested in the Portland vegan restaurant scene, we posted the Stumptown Vegans Year in Review Podcast earlier in the month.
• Coming in 2010: Vegan Eats in and around Laguna Beach, CA, A Walk on Super Vegan Friendly Alberta Street, Product Reviews Galore, and more I can’t even make up on the spot!

As always, thank you for reading and commenting!  I’m thrilled to be part of the vegan blogging world.