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 [...]

Remember how I mentioned in my last post that I feel like eating healthy salads balances out the ice cream that I eat right afterwards?  Behold  some epic ice cream.
Now I do have to admit that this followed up a rather large and not-entirely-salad-filled meal.  We had friends over for dinner, and I wanted to make [...]

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” [...]

For our Hollywood Bowl picnic dessert I decided to try something new.  I remember having a cream cheese-based fruit dip when I was younger, and I set out to try to make a vegan version.  It’s no secret that I love a good fruit tart, and once I found some non-vegan dip recipes to base my version [...]

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 [...]

The best sangria I’ve ever had was at a restaurant in Madrid, Spain about fifteen years ago.  Wish I hadn’t done the math on that one… it freaks me out to realize how quickly fifteen years can fly by!  The sangria I had was made with red wine, citrus fruits and apples, and it was [...]

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a good raw foods dessert.  I talked about my introduction to them in this post, and while I really do enjoy them, I rarely make them at home.  I don’t have a dehydrator, for one thing, and the ingredients can be pretty expensive depending on what you’re making. [...]

When I studied abroad in London I was fortunate enough to enjoy several afternoon teas.  I love sweets, I love sandwiches, and I actually prefer tea to coffee, so a classic tea is a little piece of heaven for me.  I know that my love of this tasty ritual informed my menu of baked goods [...]