I am truly a fool for giving out a recipe like this for free, when I should be raking in royalties from the American Dental Association instead. Consider this fair warning: don’t even think about making peanut brittle if you’ve personally funded the college educations of two of your orthodontist’s kids, okay? That said, peanut brittle is actually very simple to make, and the first time I tried my hand at it, I was surprised by how nicely it came out. Plus, it’s shiny and pretty, and would make a nice, homey gift wrapped up in a festive tin. Two things will ensure your success in making brittle. First, make sure you have an accurate candy thermometer at your disposal. Second, measure out all of your ingredients beforehand, mise en place, as you won’t have time to fuss with them as you cook. Other than that, this recipe is extremely versatile and pretty much foolproof, so feel free to have fun with it! Those of you with peanut allergies (or loved ones with peanut allergies), can substitute slivered almonds for the peanuts. Or you could substitute some of the corn syrup for maple syrup, exchange the peanuts for walnuts, and […]

Hey readers! I hope you’re all keeping safe, healthy, and warm, and feeling as invigorated by the cold and general end-of-year excitement as I am. For my part, I spent most of this snowy weekend making cookies and candies to give to friends and family. If you need a visual, just think about being elbow-deep in powdered sugar with Wham! on repeat in the background. Anyway, I thought some of you might be looking for last-minute gift ideas, so I’ve gathered together some of my favorite gift-worthy cookie and candy recipes for your easy reference. And in the spirit of the season, I have a giveaway for you, too! Wrapped up with care, homemade cookies and candy make an easy, inexpensive gift guaranteed to cheer up just about anybody. All nine of these special occasion recipes can be made in an hour or less. Plus, you get to show off to everyone you know how totally fun and spectacular vegan food can be! Not that lentil soup and broccoli slaw aren’t awesome, but you just tend to make more friends with sugar than Brussels sprouts. Not to mention that it would be weird to hand someone a pile of cashew […]

December is one of my favorite months. Whatever the reason, I love that everyone everywhere just seems to be in better spirits than usual this time of year. I also love logging long hours in the kitchen whipping up cookies and candy to share with people that matter to me. I’ll be posting some of my favorite recipes for gift-worthy sweets soon, but one cannot live on sugar alone! Around the holidays, one should also remember to eat quiche. Specifically, this savory sun-dried tomato quiche with a hearty olive oil crust. While this recipe isn’t anywhere near as bad for you (not to mention farmed animals) as non-vegan quiche, I wouldn’t exactly call it health food. It is, however, rich and picturesque and delicious and just perfect for a festive holiday gathering. You can bake this in a pie or tart pan and serve it for brunch, or — if you’re feeling especially adorable — divide it between a few tartlet pans and slice it into wedges for an impressive bite-sized appetizer. If your have your heart set on making a flaky shortcrust pastry instead, have at it, but I think this olive oil crust really brings the whole savory […]

As I’ve mentioned before, I love to start my weekend off with pancakes. I do like to mix it up, though, and lately I’ve been all about these whole grain and nut pancakes. These pancakes just happen to be oil-free and don’t use any white flour at all; packed with oats, pecans, and whole wheat flour, they’re hearty without being dense. I’m certainly not allergic to or nervous about gluten, but I do love to substitute ground oats for some of the white flour called for in a recipe whenever I think I can get away with it. (Oats are good for you, right?) These pancakes are no exception. Due to their lower gluten content, these are more delicate than my standard pancake recipe, so I recommend keeping them on the small side to facilitate flipping. Medallion pancakes are pretty stinkin’ cute, though, so I really don’t consider that a drawback! If you’re impatient and have two frying pans, though, you might want to make them two-at-a-time. This batter browns quickly, so keep the heat lower than you usually would; a slightly low medium heat should be just fine. If you’re an obsessive multi-tasker like I am — always wandering […]

Man, Thanksgiving is the worst! Seriously, someone’s gotta say it. I’ve been putting off posting this recipe for apple pie for weeks because I could not for the life of me figure out how I was going to squeeze into one blog post exactly how much a celebration of imperialism and genocide over a feast of dead animals makes my heart hurt. It makes my head hurt, too. But you didn’t come here for the exhausted, post-political rantings of a disenchanted punk with a poli sci degree! You came here for pie, and I get that. And all right, it could be worse: unlike the fourth of July, hey — at least there’s pie. Do you know how I feel about pie? I feel like this. And this. And this. If pie is the opiate of the masses, pass me the syringe. It’s too bad apple pie has become synonymous with America, because apple pie really is tasty as heck if you do it right. You know the kind: a buttery, flaky crust enveloping warm, tender apple slices fresh from the orchard, vanilla ice cream optional. This is that kind of pie. It packs in the apples, too, leaving you […]