Monday I blogged while distracted. I shared a Bean and Barley Vegetable Stew recipe…and forgot to mention the barley! Like how much barley to use, when to add it… Ugh, sorry about that!

Anyway.

Saturday night Dave and I drove to New Jersey to hang out with dear friends. Our hosts, Ethan and Michael, planned a vegan Italian feast and all we had to do was bring a salad (and wine, naturally!) and our friends Gabriella and Deborah were asked to bring pasta.

We were a very happy crew

because we were noshing on this seriously over-the-top tray of vegan treats.

Everything was delicious but we all pretty much went nuts over Michael’s “spread” – which was like eating the richest, thickest, most wonderful vegan cheesy dip ever.

Did I mention that of the six of us, three are vegan and three are not? The omnivores and the vegans devoured that spread. Michael was kind enough to share the recipe with me – and you!

Michael’s Sundried Tomato Basil Spread

INGREDIENTS

½ Cup chopped Sundried tomatoes

1 8oz container vegan cream cheese, softened

½ Stick vegan butter (Earth balance), softened

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

2 TBL tomato paste

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

1 TBL dried basil

1. Put chopped sundried tomatoes in a bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Drain tomatoes and blot dry.

3. Put tomatoes and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Process until completely smooth.

4. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate at least an hour.

5. Before serving, allow to sit out for about 10 minutes to soften a little.

Thank you, Michael! I cannot wait to make this myself!

Moving on to dinner…

We started with Ethan and Michael’s Tofu Caprese

and this salad that I whipped up using…wait for it… my homemade vegan pepperoni!

Easiest salad ever! I chopped romaine lettuce, sliced red peppers, red onion, and black olives and sliced a small pepperoni sausage. I tossed the veggies and pepperoni in an Italian dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh ground black pepper, sea salt, fresh (minced) garlic and 2 pinches sucanet (sugar).

Now, about Gabriella’s pasta. She is Italian and makes homemade pasta that is unreal. I know this from my pre-vegan days. Yep, that day, as Gabriella readied herself to make pasta for the vegan dinner party, it struck her. Her pasta isn’t vegan! She’s an amazing chef and bounced right back. She brought an Italian couscous dish, packed with veggies, that wowed us all.

As if this weren’t enough, we had two other stars of the main course from our darling Michael and Ethan: Eggplant Rollatini and Focaccia!

Words cannot describe how delicious our bountiful entrée plates, filled with couscous, rollatini and focaccia, actually tasted.

Full yet? Too bad because we had dessert, too.

Ethan and Michael offered Tiramisu cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World for the finale.

With all of this amazing food you’d think that is what made the night so special. But it wasn’t. It was the conversation and incredibly rambunctious laughter that lasted all night long.

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