It's A Spirited Season!

Update 10/13: Kahlua is no longer considered vegan...see this post to make your own!  :)

Sendik's is running their Wine and Spirits Mega Sale this weekend so now's a great time to garner gifts for your lucky loved ones as well as your favorite award-winning liquors to stock your cellars! Kahlua is on sale and according to the trusty Barnivore, the go-to site for determining the vegan-ness of alcoholic beverages, here's the vegan lineup:

Kahlua, Kahlua Especial, Kahlua Hazelnut, Kahlua Mocha and Kahlua Vanilla are Vegan Friendly.
Kahlua Ready To Drink and Kahlua Drinks To Go are not.

So let's turn to the genius of Robin Asbell (featured by Zoë François at Zoe Bakes) for this spirit-filled gem of a recipe...

Vegan Triple Chocolate Cupcakes 

from “New Vegetarian” by Robin Asbell

Or go for a quick and easy bon bon from Vegetarian Times...

Vegan Chocolate Truffles

One Green Planet features several posts by supertalented vegan cookbook author Tami Noyes of Vegan Appetite on the subject of wine and the vegan lifestyle:
Vegan Wine Pairing Basics
Vegan Wines: All You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Too Afraid to Ask
Cooking with Wine
Here Come the Holidays: Top Vegan Wines of 2011
Her recipe for Seitan Wellington with a Creamy Spinach Sauce calls for Merlot and looks superdelicious!
And she suggests an excellent Riesling with her recipe for Pomegranate Sweet and Sour Tempeh
Cheers!

Parmesan du Jour...a today-only special!

Vegan Essentials is one of my favorite online full-of-vegan-goodies stores. They're based in wild and wacky Waukesha, WI, and while they don't have a regular storefront, they welcome you to pick up your order if you're in the area, in addition to their quick and excellent delivery nationwide. Huge, huge, I'm talking megaliciously huge selection of vegan foods (including chocolates, doughnuts, kringles and vegan Millionaire's Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Cookies!), body care goodies, nutritionals, clothing and footwear, etc. They always have a well-stocked sales and clearance page and I'm spinningly in love with the boots on special now. Yep, vegan boots. Crazycool!
Anyway, today only, along with their regular sale items and monthly specials, they're running a great deal on Parmela. Highly praised as the best vegan alternative to parmesan cheese, it's favored by critics and bloggers and cheese-craving vegans everywhere. Here's the deal...

Free Parmela Vegan Parmesan Giveaway

Today only on Friday, December 7th, we're giving away a FREE container of Parmela Vegan Parmesan Cheese with orders of $15 or more in other items!

All you need to do is make sure you have $15 or more in items in your cart excluding the Parmela (or, at least $17.99 in items if you have the Parmela included prior to coupon application), use coupon code "parmela" and you'll get a container absolutely free with your order!

Also, Parmela is on temporary special for $1 off the normal price for a very limited time - instead of the normal $3.99 retail price, it's only $2.99 for the next week on special promotion, so if you're a fan, you'll definitely want to stock up with this great deal!
Our Price: Free with $15 or more in other items!

Sign up for their email newsletter and you'll get thrift-loving notices like this, as well their monthly special discount code!

Now what to do with the Parmela you ask?

Mediterranean Orzo Stuffed Red Peppers

from Melissa of Vegenista, adapted from Cake, Batter & Bowl

Oh My Darlin' Clementine

The winter holiday season is filled with all sorts of fruity delights and one of my favorites is a Clementine Orange or two in my St. Nick's stocking. (Head's up people...it's St. Nick's Eve tonight!) Okay, yes, it's nice to get chocolate Santas and boxes of Cracker Jack and maybe a Barrel of Monkeys, but I always look forward to a sweet citrusy surprise! Those charming little wooden crates stuffed full of brilliant orange Clementines will come in handy this year when filling glittery Christmas stockings, topping the dinner table fruit bowl and just noshing on throughout the coming weeks. Their scent is heavenly and each bite takes me straight to herbivore heaven.  :)
Fortunately Sendik's has them in abundance, and they're on sale! So here's one of my favorite recipes from Lolo at VeganYumYum...

Candied Clementines

And don't miss her recipe using this deliciousness in  

Candied Clementine Cake!

Hitch on for a Vegan Ride!

Okay so this little blog has meandered here and there with no particular destination, just a bit of merry gypsy rambling. Today I think I'll drive it in a vegan direction and connect with community. I'll choose an item or two that are on sale at one of my favorite local stores and feature a vegan recipe, or I'll showcase a cruelty-free locally-made product, vegan-friendly restaurant or herbivorous art-maker.  
Sounds like a good direction to me...for now.  ;)

My two favorite local grocers are Sendik's Food Market and Outpost Natural Foods Co-op.
 

I've shopped at Sendik's since forever! It started as a little neighboorhood shop run by a wonderful Italian family where my Italian grandmother and mom could stop by, chat with the owners (who they grew up) and pick up our favorite Italian and specialty foods. They've grown quite a bit since then and the store is now a full-fledged comprehensive grocery store competing with the big box super-hyped stores. Sendik's is so much better in many ways, including their friendly personal attention, ambiance, specialties, wine selection and excellent produce. And they carry vegan bakery from East Side Ovens so I can't pass that up!

Sendik's has blueberries on sale right now so here's a delightfully delicious recipe from Madison of Veggieful...

Blueberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes

What's your favorite blueberry recipe or dish?

Outpost is outstanding because it's user-owned and totally committed to the principles of sustainability, sourcing locally, growing and producing organically and through fair trade and serving the community. Everyone on staff is super helpful and the selection will keep you shopping for hours...there's so much to choose from and it's all so fresh and flavorful! I defy you to walk by the bakery and deli and not buy something! It's not possible!

The vegan goods are abundant. In addition to made-that-day bakery and salads and sandwiches and so on, they've got all the big names from Alternative Baking Company to Zia Natural Skincare. If they don't have it, they'll help you find it.

Outpost has Organic Washington-grown Gala apples on sale right now...that's a full buck less per pound than Mr. Big Box down the street! Ha! So I'd like to point you to Vegan Yack Attack and Jackie's amazing Apple Pear Crisp...

Apple Pear Crisp

What's your favorite appley recipe or appley thing to eat?