C'est La Vegan

There’s just something about figs… They’re so beautiful, and they seem to effortlessly dress up any recipe.  I see them at the farmers’ market, and I have to have them.  Maybe it’s because they’re often served with things like bacon and bleu cheeze, and I’m a sucker for sweet and savory combos.
I’m also a sucker [...]

Even though all the kiddies are heading back to school and we’re approaching labor day, I kind of feel like summer is just starting because it’s finally gotten really hot here.
When it’s super hot out nothing tastes better to me than a simple and refreshing salad, and this Corn-Quinoa Salad from Vegetarian Times makes good [...]

Before going vegan I used to love buffalo chicken fingers – not the wings, but fried chicken tenders in buffalo sauce.  I never really understood the point of eating a wing (I still don’t), and bones in food always freaked me out.  Obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten real buffalo chicken anything, but [...]

If you’ve never tried this dessert it might seem a little strange – but trust me when I tell you that it’s delicious!  I had a non-vegan version of this grape salad years ago at a potluck, and I was so excited when I came across this recipe on skinnytaste.com. (Although I’m not sure how “skinny” [...]

Every time I sit down to write this post looking at the picture makes me so hungry that I have to go to the kitchen to eat something.  But nothing I’m eating compares to these nachos!  After making these I realized that I haven’t made nachos since going vegan.  It’s probably a cheese thing, especially [...]

Ah, hummus… the vegan’s best friend.  Hummus tends to be the first thing people choose to serve to vegans when they aren’t sure what else to make for them, and is often the only thing a vegan can eat a a party that’s chock full of cheese and salami plates.  You know, like at all [...]

Over the years I’ve made lots of mushroom pates.  I keep trying to find the perfect recipe, and this one comes pretty close for me.  There are a couple tweaks I might try next time I make it, but for now this is really tasty.  I got the recipe from one of my favorite sources, [...]

Okay, right off the bat I have to tell you that yours truly took the above photo.  I don’t think I’m anywhere near Ryan’s level yet (although in my defense, he has been doing it for over fifteen years and happens to be amazingly talented), but I think I’m off to a good start!  He’s [...]

I came across these gorgeous miniature eggplants at the Farmers’ Market yesterday morning and just couldn’t resist them. I’ve never had them before and had no idea what I was going to do with them, but I knew I could probably figure something out.  You might not be able to tell from the photo, but [...]

I’ve been dying to try morel mushrooms for so long now, but I’ve never been able to find them in the past. When I realized it was finally morel season, I became obsessed with finding some.  The only place I’ve found them so far is at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, but I’ve read that they’re [...]

Whenever I go to the Farmers’ Market I always get inspired to try new fruits and vegetables, although sometimes I have no idea what they are or how to prepare them.  I didn’t initially even know that these were fava beans, and even though I’ve never had them and had no idea what to use [...]

I sometimes forget how great a simple salad can be.  This one is from Janet Fletcher’s “Fresh From the Farmers’ Market”, and I used a mix of baby escarole and frisee lettuces.  Combined with the shallot vinaigrette, avocados, and oranges, this salad is full of different textures and flavors, all of them fantastic.  It calls [...]