Early-arriving guests begin to sample waffle toppings.

We again had great fun with our vegan waffle party, with around 40 neighbors, friends, and Vegan Meetup Members bringing creative waffle toppings. The conversation was great, and individuals with a range of dietary preferences shared an abundance of vegan treats that all could enjoy.

The array of vegan waffle toppings included the following: Agave-Coconut-Cinnamon-Date Topping, Apple Butter, Apple Cinnamon Raisin Topping, Beans ‘n’ Front-Yard-Garden Greens, Blueberry Sauce,

At points it was difficult to choose what to try next.

Bruschetta, Carob Halvah Spread, Chocolate Cranberry Relish, Coconut Almond Granola, Dark Chocolate Waffle Syrup, Fitr Harr (spicy hot mushrooms), Fresh Strawberries and Pineapple, Fresh Walnuts, Hummus, Maple Nut Sludge, Mint Chocolate Chip “To Die For” Homemade Ice Cream, Mushroom Medley, Mushrooms with Squash, Papaya Cranberry Topping, Papaya Strawberry Fruit Salad, Raw Chocolate Agave Spread, Raw Strawberry Sauce, Savory Kalamata Sauce, Sesame Lime Yogurt Dip, Vegan Caramel Sauce, and several I’m probably forgetting because the topping labels went home with them.

Some crazy waffle topping combos resulted!

This year’s waffles included Molasses Yeast Feast Waffles, Buckwheat Barley Malt Waffles, and  gluten-free Zero Excuse Rice Coconut Waffles, served hot at two arrival times: 6 PM and 8 PM.

Some wafflers relaxed in the living room...

We continued some of last year’s practices to make the party more environmentally friendly, especially as it was connected to World Environment Day. This included utilizing recycled Preserve plates and cups, and setting up several labeled bins to simplify collection of used items.

And some enjoyed the fresh evening air.

I love waffle parties, and I’m always honored that some of the coolest people in town choose to spend a few of their weekend hours with us. (Is it conceited to brag about your guests? Our guests are so great…)

What excited me even more was that 60+ hosts around the world signed up to spread positive energy and awareness further. They not only did that, but they opened up whole new possibilities. And I’m not exaggerating.

A guest observes the art of waffle batter preparation.

Those who followed the original house party format generated some extremely creative and densely-topped waffles, a few of which have already appeared on the Facebook Vegan Waffles page.  Some incorporated specific topping themes. Several hosts aimed to draw larger crowds via outdoor or business-based venues, sometimes incorporating additional activities and attractions.

The educational literature table

A few events attracted local media attention, and some raised money for important causes. In other words, parties generated fun and awareness in several different ways. After receiving a few more highlights and photos, I’ll post more info on what other cities did, and links to blog posts on some of them. A few parties are still coming up!

Jen later took over the waffle irons to bake leftover batter.

Even though the largest weekend of 2010 vegan waffle parties has passed, it’s certainly not too late to host one this year! If you’re hosting something later this June, please let us know. Alternately, join the occasional updates list and Facebook Vegan Waffles page to stay in the loop about future events.

This year the multi-talented Vance Lehmkuhl at Vegcast.com interviewed me about vegan waffles and waffle parties. I may post some highlights about it in the near future, but in the meantime you can listen to the full interview (look for Vegcast #63, May 22, 2009).

As shown in the list and map on the right hand side of this page, several more cities (and countries!) threw vegan waffle parties this year. I’ve already received a few brief reports and photos, but I’m looking forward to getting a few more so I can post them here.

In Pittsburgh, participants included practicing vegans and vegetarians, individuals curious about veganism and vegan food, and others simply looking to try something different and have fun. The delicious vegan waffle toppings included eggplant and onion, sambar, nut-based gravies, green mango chutney, fresh fruits and jams, multi-layer bean dip, sloppy tofu, vegan ice creams, fresh homemade salsa, baked apples, and many others. Out of respect for privacy, I’ve blurred faces in the pics below with the exception of mine and Jen’s.

Wafflers congregate around vegan waffle toppings

Guests chat between bites

We enjoyed beautiful weather the afternoon of the party, so some of  the wafflers sat outside…

Fresh air aids digestion of vegan waffles

…While others relaxed in the living room.

Wafflers eat and enjoy conversation

As for the vegan waffle recipes, I served slight variations on the yeast-raised vegan waffles which have always been popular in the past, banana-spelt waffles, a rice-based waffle, and some “gourmet” waffles with fillings.

To make the party more environmentally friendly, we took a few additional steps to reduce waste. We didn’t want to use a bunch of disposable plates and cups, but we also didn’t want large stacks clunky, breakable plates and unstackable cups-especially given that we’d have limited room with a large crowd in our relatively small dining room. As a compromise, we invested in some recycled Preserve plates and cups, which are lightweight, stackable, and dishwashable on gentle cycle. They’re initially much more expensive than disposable plates, but should pay for themselves as we reuse them over time. A few of our neighbors also allowed us to borrow some plates and cloth napkins.

To simplify collection of used items, we set up several labeled bins for the following: plates, cups, silverware, non-recyclable trash including food scraps, recyclable trash, and compostable items such as lightly soiled paper napkins.

Jen with the vegan waffle party recycling system

Roughly 45 people attended over the course of the evening, and we ended up with less than half of a 13-gallon bag of non-recyclable, non-compostable trash. If you try a system like this for your party, I’d love to hear how it worked!

Our neighbor Gary Crouth dropped by with some of his MOO (no dairy products; stands for “Make Our Own”), a homemade laundry detergent placed in reused bottles, along with a message on the benefits of making certain items at home. This can not only save money (costs less than 10 cents a cup to produce), but can yield environmental benefits by reducing shipping, and can even form the foundation of local/neighborhood bartering systems. Pretty innovative stuff-so cool that we let him bring MOO in lieu of a vegan waffle topping. He doesn’t have a website up yet, but you can get more info by emailing MOO (at) digbybooks (dot) com.

MOO "Make Our Own" samples

Even though we’ve already had our annual waffle party in Pittsburgh, it’s not too late to have yours, especially if you’re doing a waffle-related event in conjunction with the first Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. If you’re hosting something along these lines in June, or plan to do something in 2010, please let us know.

Finally, I’ve been asked whether I’m involved in a secret marketing conspiracy with Isa Chandra Moskowitz, as her Vegan Brunch cookbook was released within a few days of the Vegan Waffle Party, and its front cover features her holding a stack of vegan waffles. While these may be interesting coincidences when taken together, I must deny these speculations. We simply set this year’s Multi-City Vegan Waffle Party on the same weekend it was held last year. Nor can I speak to whether the Vegan Waffle Party impacted how her book was designed or released; I can only say that I’m extremely flattered if it actually did. I hope that vegan waffle parties inspire even more people to buy her book. Although I haven’t yet seen it, I have no doubt the recipes are delicious. And, of course, I hope that her book inspires even more people to throw vegan waffle parties. Our efforts can’t reach everyone, so any assistance from others is welcome!

And thanks again to our neighbors and friends (Jen and Kevin, Anne Lynch, and others), who helped us out in various ways.

Happy vegan waffling!

We were quite excited with the turnout here in Pittsburgh, as more than 50 guests showed up for vegan waffles, toppings and conversation in our cozy rowhome. They included several neighbors, members of Pittsburgh’s growing Vegan Meetup Group (now over 200 people–thanks again to the founders of that group!), as well as friends from several other settings. Some were long-term vegans, and some were friends and neighbors who aren’t vegan or vegetarian at all. It was great to have this diversity in a setting where everyone can enjoy food and company. We even met a few new people who heard about the party from other websites including PETA. The food was delicious, and the conversation was even better.

Alongside prepping a beautiful veggie plate and a few of the toppings we supplied, Jen worked her usual magic with other logistics such as creating the “party atmosphere”–candles, lighting, and even incense for a “mood room” where a few guests enjoyed board games while digesting their waffles. Vegan personal chef Anne Lynch (a.k.a. “Vegan Goddess”) arrived a few minutes early and volunteered to help us with some last-minute touches. We’re glad she decided that her delicious cookies could count as a waffle topping.

For the waffles, I made additional adjustments to the modified vegan waffle recipes I used for WP9: buckwheat-oat (two tripled batches), yeast-raised whole wheat (two tripled batches), and spelt-oat-banana (two doubled batches). I’ll note the exact adjustments in the near future. I also enjoyed showing off the waffle apron I made on Zazzle, where I feature the RB People Gear. (I’ll likely be adding some WP-related items in the future.)

Some of this year’s vegan waffle toppings, in no particular order, are listed below. The pictures above, taken early in the party before the tables literally started to overflow, show a few of them:

• raw vegan chocolate sauce (from Pittsburgh’s Love Street Living Foods)
• guacamole
• cranberries in sweetened brandy syrup
• a whole watermelon
• cajun beans and greens (collards)
• savory brown rice medley
• marinated bean salad
• baba ganoush
• raspberry rhubarb sauce
• spicy peanut sauce and creamy raw spinach sauce (both brought by a Pittsburgh vegan cookbook author)
• fruit salad with mango, grapes, banana, cherries, apples
• vegan ice creams: Temptation peach cobbler, vanilla, homemade cashew-based chocolate/peanut butter, homemade coconut milk-based coconut/vanilla/almond
• Soyatoo vegan whipped cream
• vegan ambrosia
• chewy chocolate chip cookies
• hot maple syrup
• vegan cheez sauce
• vegan chocolate chips
• mango with lime, ginger and mint
• roasted red pepper basil sauce
• rice syrup
• banana in mango sauce
• spicy tempeh
• mixed berries
• mushroom medley
• no-bake mini cookies
• tropical oatmeal moist “brownies”
• crock cheez

I’m making myself hungry again by thinking about all the great things our guests brought!

The next evening, we even had an opportunity for a “mini follow-up party,” as a two friends showed up with a maple-currant-fig topping made with homemade syrup from a friend’s farm. While they were disappointed to have missed the party by a day, we happened to have one remaining batch of batter to mix up and cook–as well as some delicious leftover toppings. We enjoyed conversations about their endeavors to grow an entirely edible yard and other fascinating topics.

Thanks also to sites including Godairyfree, Veganhacker, Soystache, Vegan Recipes at Blogspot, Vegan World Network, the Vegan Society, and anyone else I’ve forgotten for helping to get word out about WP10.

Until we have the next “big one,” please keep us posted of any wafflicious events you have in the meantime! I’m sure we’ll find a few excuses to eat waffles. If you missed this year and would like to host one for your city/state/country in ‘09, let me know and we’ll add you to the list.