While I’m always eagerly excited to hear about the fun and creativity of others’ waffle parties, our own annual event also continues to be a high point of our year. The basic house party format hasn’t changed much over time, outside of growing in size a bit. I enjoy the combination of serving freshly-baked food, chatting with guests between baking shifts, and experiencing all the wonderful toppings that guests bring.
Here in Pittsburgh, the weather was wonderful for the evening of the party, and even the plants in our garden and yard seemed to be excited about the event before it started.
In line with this year’s suggested theme of vegan waffles, ice cream and sorbet, we displayed literature on Dylan the Cow, and gave a copy of The Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook to anyone pledging $20 or more to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary or another organization focusing on animal rights, welfare, or environmental issues. Thanks to those who contributed!
Nearly 40 guests attended, including neighbors, long-time and new Pittsburgh Vegan Meetup members, Pittsburgh Cohousing Community members, and others. Many of the guests have moved to the ‘Burgh from other states and countries.
While there were more sweet toppings this year due to the suggested theme, savories were also represented. The tasty variety included:
- amazing amaretto sauce
- apple-pear sauce
- black bean-mango tango
- blueberry sauce
- cherries soft and dried
- cherry fruit spread
- raw chocolate spread with coconut
- lemony cashew kream
- chocolate cashew-based ice cream
- chocolate hazelnut spread
- chocolate pudding
- dairy-free chocolate chips
- coconut manna
- coconut spread with cinnamon
…And more waffle toppings:
- cran-apple topping
- chocolate hemp milk ice cream
- deep dark chocolate waffle syrup
- garlicky tahina
- granola
- kicky syrup
- madras sambar
- mango sorbet
- mango-coconut sorbet
- mint-chocolate chip soy ice cream
- mint chutney
- mixed fruit sorbet
- neapolitan soy ice cream
- peanut butter fluff
- vegan queso
- roasted and salted pepitas
- ratatouille
- ravishing rhubarb sauce
- raw raspberry sauce
- shredded coconut
- Southwestern mix: black olives, salsa, salsa verde, guacamole, and spicy black beans (in an impressive homemade dish that I should have taken a picture of!)
- strawberries
- strawberry-rhubarb brown rice syrup
- vanilla soy ice cream
- vegan whipped cream
As I look back over this, I’m getting very hungry again! Wow.
Alongside delicious homemade toppings, store-brought brands included Nutiva, Love Street Living Foods (right here in Pittsburgh) Sharon’s Sorbet, So Delicious, Tempt, and Whole Fruit. If you attended the party and don’t see your topping(s) included in the list above, feel free to let me know in a comment.
I can’t really identify a “favorite” topping, because a number of them stood out for different reasons. But I will say that I was particularly intrigued by the coconut manna, and have since experimented with mixing it with cocoa powder and agave. Delicious–although still not quite as good as the Love Street chocolate spread, which makes a yeast-raised waffle taste kind of like a chocolate glazed donut.
Because they got good feedback last year and represent a good variety of relatively neutral waffles, we again featured three recipes available on waffleparty.com: Molasses Yeast Feast Waffles, Zero Excuse Rice Coconut Waffles, and Buckwheat Barley Malt Waffles. The gluten-free rice waffles were particularly popular alongside the vegan ice creams and sorbets.
Several kids attended—after carbing up on waffles and toppings, some played in the front yards alongside the garden boxes while some of the adult guests lounged beneath the lighted patio umbrella.
I love getting closeups of waffles. Even if they’re not as neat when they’re partially devoured, they still look tasty.
In the future, I’ll be posting highlights from other parties from this season, for hosts who wish to share this information. In the meantime, don’t forget to clean your plate!
Happy vegan waffling!