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 […]

Here is part two of my 2-part series on making Banh Mi for a holiday (or some other kind of) party.  Now that you have your baguettes fresh from the oven, it’s time to top them and eat!  This recipe makes a lot, so if it is just for you, cut …

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 […]

This is part one of a two-post series on making Banh Mi for a holiday party.  Yes, I know that Vietnamese sandwiches don’t usually immediately jump to mind when planning a North American holiday party, but I have received very positive feedback on…

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 […]