I have mentioned this before but it’s worth repeating. I’m a Buddhist. It matters, simply because we don’t celebrate a traditional Christmas all that often. In fact, this year we didn’t even put up a tree. It is a little hard to resist some sort of celebration, though, and we do it in our own way.
On Christmas Eve we started at the Garden of the Gods. The sun was shining and we are still in awe that we live within walking distance of this natural beauty.
Then we went to a brewery. Truth be told, I’m not a big beer-drinker (I’m fond of hearty, red wines), but we are in the land of microbrews. Trinity Brewing Company, right down the street, is a fun brewery with vegan friendly menu items so, in just a matter of weeks, Dave and I have become somewhat regulars (Hi Kristen and Wes!). We, along with many, many other people, showed up at noon on Christmas Eve for the tapping of the 2012 Cherry Awaken Stout.
Standing room only we bellied up to the bar and ordered lunch.
Spicy seitan wings with vegan ranch and peanut sauce and
the hummus platter (the hummus is made with curry and sriracha…so good!).
Then it was tapping time!
Yummy!
We went home, changed into lounge-wear and enjoyed a quiet Christmas Eve evening at home. I sipped this
and flipped through the gorgeous, glossy pages of the new vegan quarterly magazine, Laika Magazine.
(Available in print or digital.)
Christmas morning was white.
Dave made a vegan hash for breakfast, served by the fireplace.
We went out for Christmas Dinner. Last month, while still living in New York, we decided to make a Christmas Day dinner reservation. I did what many vegans do when dining at a non-veg restaurant for the first time: I phoned ahead, spoke with the host, and discussed vegan options. He even called Friday to confirm our reservation and to let me know that he had noted “vegan” on our reservation.
The meal fell into the category of fine but not great. A house salad,
and a plate of veggies and rice.
The chef’s decision to grill the vegetables kept this from being too bland – and I really liked the sweetness of the cippolini onions.
They served me dessert, which I had to return (they forgot I was a vegan), and then offered me this sorbet.
which was a nice gesture but served 15 minutes after Dave finished his dessert (I insisted he eat it because it was warm) and well after we were given the bill.
While the meal at Cliff House at Pikes Peak didn’t wow me, the space is gorgeous and it was a festive outing. The view from our table was lovely
and I was with my man. Doesn’t get better than that!
What was most interesting about this dinner, however, was the response I got to this Facebook post when we got home.
Most people who replied understood where I was coming from, but there was a suggestion that we were “pretentious” and another suggested that our response was snarky. You can read all of the comments here. I stand by my responses to both assertions.
Oh, if you’re new to this blog, I have proclaimed loudly that I am not a gluten-free vegan. While there are some people who are both, they are not to be confused.
Anyway….
Dave made me awesome vegan cookies (Blackstrap Gingersnaps from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar) and we spent the afternoon and evening by the fireplace, with the cats, wearing pajamas and watching the first season of Breaking Bad.
It was a lovely holiday. I hope yours was, too.
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