The Betty Crocker Project : Nacho Knots (AKA Rolls)

OK. Back to the food!

These little buddies are pretty much an example of why Betty Crocker is famous. These are some old school appetizers that will make you get all dreamy eyed like when Captain Kirk met Joan Collins.

Let's make some!

A Special Message from The Shannons

Thank You Cards from TinyPrints

So yesterday something kinda strange happened. We got what I am calling "Hate Mail". It's wasn't from the usual Pro-Bacon-Hipsters or Eggy Mayo Loyalists who stumble in from time to time. It was numerous comments from people claiming to be readers who declared that they would stop reading our blog and tell their friends to join their "boycott" because we supported New York State's historic marriage equality bill . The comments were pretty hateful actually and all offensive. Now, I have no idea who posted them. They could have been vegans. They could have been pirates, or vegan pirates, or Pro-Bacon Hipsters & Eggy Mayo Loyalists with a nasty bigoted streak in them... who cares really? I would rather hateful people didn't read our blog. This is a place for celebrating living a cruelty-free life and that includes not being cruel to people as well. So, if you're into being a dick, this is not the right blog for you.

But that's not really the point of this post. Yesterday, I vented on Twitter about the hatemonger comments. I've been all emotional on Twitter these past few days. I can't explain it. But this stupid thing happened, and then I tweeted about it because I got sick of deleting comments. But then something happened that - in all seriousness - caused me to become verklempt. There's no better way to describe it.

I came home from dinner to find a series of supportive tweets from readers and other vegan bloggers, not only supporting Meet The Shannons and marriage equality, but being real friends. Since we started this blog, one of the best parts has been joining an online community that is doing such a great job promoting compassion for animals and being more environmentally friendly... and just being more amazingly kick ass. So Thank You Girlie Girl Army, Citizen Radio, Vegan Good Things, Erin Red from Vegansaurus, Kitsch & Kitchen, Laughing Samuari, Vegan Verite, and everyone else who tweeted support yesterday and understanding that the "pursuit of happiness" should include all America's citizens. We love you guys.

Vegan Chicken Lettuce Wraps & How We Survived The Heat Dome...

2 years ago today, I married my best friend. Now this might seem like a pretty obvious and trite way to describe a wedding, but it fits. I mean it wasn't like the old-school wedding days, where life as we had known it changed forever. My parents didn't hand me over in exchange for a few cows, and Dan didn't lift my veil with crossed fingers. Our lives slowly began to intertwine long before we ever even kissed. We'd been building a life together for years before I ever put on that off-white dress, and our course didn't really change much from the day we decided to be more than friends in the first place. In fact, the life we had already begun to build together just got a little better... we just dressed up, ate a bunch of cupcakes, and made it legal, is all.

Over the weekend in New York City, numerous same-sex couples (and some not-so-same-sex) finally got to make it legal too. Now, I know a lot of you like to read inside bits about our relationship rather than here me talk about politics. I mean, I get at least 20 emails a week asking about what we fight about and how we move past those bloody battles. But if we were all sitting down to dinner tonight, talking about how proud we are to live in a progressive state would come up. We might also talk about the Pompeii exhibit we saw over the weekend and some thoughts we had about the new Captain America movie... which was freaking incredible*.

And if you were visiting last weekend, we would have have eaten these lettuce wraps that require very little cooking and eased our suffering considerably. See, we were trapped last weekend in The Heat Dome. Now if you're wondering if that is worse than the Thunderdome... it seriously is. We're not big on air conditioning, so a Heat Dome is pretty much a nightmare. Now you would think we were used to heat after years in Virginia. Back then the sadistic humidity gave us an excuse to drive to the beach. On nights when we were feeling kinda fancy-ish, we'd stop by P.F.Chang's on the way back. Their vegan lettuce wrap appetizers are pretty spectacular and always went perfectly with sun burnt shoulders and large lemonades. We made ours with Gardein Crispy Tenders and enjoyed them with some beers from Brooklyn's Sixpoint Brewery**, a game of Civilization, and a giant fan.

And that I guess is why, on the 2nd anniversary of our wedding, we are posting this delicious recipe that helped us do more than just survive the Heat Dome... it was a tiny reminder of how we're not just making it through our lives together. We are, as my husband so eloquently put it, "Living in the Awesome!"

Let us eat lettuce wraps and be awesome! Awesome for all!

All Kneel Before The Great Herbivore Contest of 2011!*

Anyone who has ever planned a wedding has at one point realized the importance of having a good photographer. You look at how much money is being spent, think about all the folks traveling from all over, and it becomes clear that not having legit documentation would be a tragedy.

And anyone who's ever been anywhere near a wedding has experienced what is captured in this video. Now you might be tempted not to watch it, but someday you'll be old and will regret that choice.

When it came to our wedding, my first and most important request was that there would be no campy wedding photographer hijinks. No Easter baskets full of bridesmaids. No pretending we're on a trampoline. No Photoshop shenanigans. No freaking pyramids!

I can tell you this was clearly explained to our photographer, but alas, the day came and I was unprepared for the pure insanity that was inflicted on my loved ones. I mean it was so bad I keep expecting Ashton Kutcher in a trucker hat to pop from a the bushes all like "Dude! Hilarious!" Two years later, I've found a way to laugh at these photos. Many of you have already seen photos from our cruelty-free wedding on Offbeat Bride, but today you're going to see two never before released director's cut photos and get a chance to win a FREE t-shirt from Herbivore Clothing Company!

Our buddy Josh Hooten over at Herbivore Clothing designed the best wedding invitations ever for our special day, and so it only seems fitting that we'd celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary by sending more Herbivore awesomeness out into the universe!

So here's the contest! VOTE in a comment below for which ridiculous wedding photo you like the most, and we'll randomly choose one follower to win a Free t-shirt from our buddies at Herbivore Clothing Company! If you're not already a follower, you can find the button to follow in the right hand column.

We'll announce the winner on Wednesday, July 27th and release an album of more never before seen wedding photos that will make you laugh and cry. You will feel a wide spectrum of emotions. Shall we begin? Here are the contenders!

A. The Battle Cry (You really should click on this one so you can see the faces better) :

I just want to add that we have the best friends on the planet.

B.The Veil (Please note that this one is a photo of this shot being set up - so it just hints at the insanity you will seeing next week) :

Is this one a teaser? Yep.

So now you know how it works - get out and rock the vote**!



* This title might be only funny if you've seen Superman II and are clicking on the links in this post where I am comparing wedding photographers to General Zod. But even if you are a normal person who has better things to do than remember quotes from amazing 80s superhero movies... this is still an awesome contest!

** Dear 90s - I miss you so much.

The Betty Crocker Project : Margarita Vegan Shrimp Cocktail Cups

Not your grannie's shrimp cocktail.

So I was feeling a little fancy this weekend and just a tad bit experimental.

Ever feel like that? Like you want to mix it up but not too much. Sometimes it's the little things that can add a little color to your day. No, I'm not talking about blue nail polish or red shoes. Well, I kinda am but in relation to food right now. See, I love faux shrimp. It's a weird food but I really like it. If you've been reading this blog, you've probably noticed that. We've veganized shrimp dishes ranging from Gumbo to Scampi. Hell, we've even made Coquilles Saint Jacques.

You may have also noticed we have a preference for May Wah's Shrimp Balls. It's OK to snicker. It's a terrible name but you can't deny the texture and flavor of this product are really nice and versatile. But if you're one of those folks who prefers to have that signature half moon shape, you can always use these :

Vegan Shrimp from Vegetarian Plus

Now, I have had vegan shrimp cocktail before and it was OK. I don't know how or why but it never really became a favorite. Maybe because I've never eaten the version made with real sea spiders. It's hard to say. I mean who knows where love comes from. But this recipe has a few twists that are just enough to turn something pretty standard into something new and kinda awesome. Something spicy and cool at the same time - like a bunch of little Fonzis*. Not to mention, it's also kinda schmancy.

So, if you're looking for a date night appetizer or maybe just something to go with a chilled glass of white wine that will make that Monday night just a little more like a Friday, I vote Shrimp Balls! (tee hee) Seriously though, try this recipe. It was lovely.