ceviche tostadas

Tostadas (fried tortillas) topped with soy meat ceviche style. From El Faro in Chicago.

gordita de nopalitos

Thick tortilla stuffed with sliced cactus (nopalitos), onions, and pasilla pepper. From El Faro in Chicago.

chocolate wafer bars

Dark chocolate wafer bars, courtesy of Q bel. Light and crispy wafers sandwiched around smooth chocolate cream, coated by a shell of dark chocolate. A perfect combination of textures... now they just need to make some of those other flavors vegan :)

stuffed acorn squash

Acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, pistachios, and cranberries.

Moroccan carrot, beet, radish & eggplant salads

The veggie sampler plate, from Kif in Brooklyn. Candied red radishes, carrots with cinnamon and raisins, roasted beets, roasted eggplant pure...

peas, rice & potatoes

Trinidadian split yellow peas, spice rice, and roasted potatoes.

Chakalaka, Umngqushu Stambu, Uputhu & Pop

Fabulous side dishes at Madiba, a South African restaurant in Brooklyn, clockwise from top:
- Uputhu & Pop: boiled, ground cornmeal with tomato onion gravy
- Umngqushu Stambu: crushed corn and speckled bean stew
- Chakalaka: spicy mix of baked beans, carrots, tomato, peppers and onion
The chakalaka at least is very easy to make at home... I'll have to try the others soon.

persimmons

Squat tomato-shaped fuyu persimmon (non-astringent) on the top, hachiya persimmon (astringent) on the bottom.

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?