Our book club gathered at my place on August 12th to celebrate the worldwide release of “Katy’s Song.” The date serendipitously fell on our regular meeting day, so most everyone was available. We invited a few neighbors to join us as well.

The menu was based on the vegan theme and part-time Texas locale of the novel. I believe Tex-Mex dishes are among the easiest to convert, because they largely consist of veggies, beans, and rice. Plus, they are some of my personal favorites.

To start, there were corn chips, salsa, bean dip, and guacamole. For the taco bar, we offered warmed flour tortillas, vegan beefless ground, chopped tomatoes and onions, shredded lettuce, and sliced black olives. We augmented the menu with rice and beans from Taco Del Mar. And, as usual, the guests provided delicious vegan salads, vegan dips, wines, and champagne. But, I’m sure I can speak for all of us that Karen’s amazing vegan chocolate cake with coconut icing was the true star of the meal! (We never got around to serving the Patron, but there’s always next time.)

The weather cooperated beautifully, so we spent all evening outdoors on a pleasant summer night in Seattle. I hope everyone enjoyed the celebration as much as I did.