veggie beef and squash empanadas

The main course of our Argentine Christmas dinner, in Maryland: homemade empanadas, some stuffed with veggie ground beef, and others with spiced butternut squash. Not pictured: mote provenzal.

sugarplums

Fantastic sugarplums, courtesy of Sandy. Made from chopped dates, dried figs, prunes, dried cherries, raisins, grated coconut, chocolate, and sugar.

BBQ nuggets

Crisp tofu nuggets with barbecue sauce, from the vegan fast food joint Veggie Bite, in Chicago. Tasty, and healthier than your average nugget!

Vegan diablos

Vegan diablos: handmade corn tostadas topped with "scrambled tofu," seitan chorizo, beans, rice, and chipotle sauce. From the Handlebar in Chicago. My only peeve: cubed tofu does not = scrambled tofu, no?

lemon meringue pie

Vegan lemon meringue pie, from Karyn's Cooked in Chicago. The lemon part was smooth and tasty, the meringue was good too but more like whipped cream than meringue... harder to replicate I suppose.

tofu and carrot flautas

A tofu and carrot mix stuffed inside corn tortillas, fried crisp, and topped with soy sour cream. With guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa verde, mixed greens and refried black beans on the side. From Karyn's Cooked in Chicago.

Smoked spinach lasagna

Smoked spinach and tofu ricotta lasagna, with grilled bread on the side, from Karyn's Cooked in Chicago.

vietnamese three color bean drink

Coconut milk, sweet red beans, and sweet yellow mung beans, from White Lotus in Toronto. Delicious!

chili paratha

Grilled paratha bread sauteed with onions, peas, and peppers in a rich chili sauce, from Madras Cafe in Toronto. The bread is so dense and tender that it was like fake meat!

rice with quinoa

Rice and quinoa with carrots, peppers, and onions, in soy sauce - a Northern Argentina invention.