All Eyes on New Year's Eve! ;)

Black-eyed peas are one of the most popular foods traditionally eaten for New Year's feasts. Some people think they symbolize coins so they'll bring prosperity and wealth. Some people think the little black ring or "black eye" represents a continuous ring of luck carrying over into the new year. And some think they are just a rockin' good time.  ;)

Vegans love 'em because they slip easily into all sorts of bean-friendly recipes, they're high in protein and fiber, and they're crazyyumful!

Black Eyed Pea Hummus

from Kylie at Fellowship of the Vegetable

Collard Green and Black Eyed Pea Burritos with Nacho Cheese Sauce

from Morgan at Fo Reals Life

Texas Caviar: Black-Eyed Pea Salsa

from Andrea's Easy Vegan Cooking

Kale & Black-Eyed Pea Stew

from Julie Morris via PETA

Black Eyed Pea and Potato Pie

from Dan at The Gourmet Vegan

Quiche with Black Eyed Peas and Greens and Cornbread Crust

from Vegan in Louisiana via VeggieBoards

Smoky Hoppin’ Jane

from megmeister at Vegan Food Addict

Smoky Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Braised Greens

from Adrienne at Adrienneats

Black-Eyed Pea Cakes

from Susan at FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Spicy Black Eyed Pea Cakes with Cauliflower Puree, Cocoa-Coffee Collards & Blackberry-Red Wine Reduction

from Erin at Vegan Homemade

Black-Eyed Pea and Quinoa Croquettes with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce

from Lisa's Kitchen

And yippee...black-eyed peas' best bud cornbread is lucky too!

Gluten-free Vegan Butternut Squash Cornbread

from Rachel at Almonds & Avocados

Organic black-eyed peas online...
Eden Organic (canned)
Greater Goods (bulk dried)
Shiloh Farms (bulk dried)

What's your favorite way to eat black-eyed peas? Do you eat lucky foods for the New Year? What's your New Year's wish? 

Have a safe and spinningly joyous New Year's Eve!  :)

Bubbled Up

Nope, not the champagne kind. It's National Bicarbonate Of Soda Day (Baking Soda Day)...lol! Silliest holiday I've ever heard of...invented by a baking soda company would be my guess.  :)

Baking soda is one of those ingredients that helps things like cakes and breads bubble up, rise and stay soft...good things to have in yumful treats from the oven! Since it's still National Pear Month, let's bake up some pear-kissed bubbled up deliciousness!

Seasonal Spiced Pear Bread

from Miachel at spiced curiosity

Vegan Pear Bread

from Aylin at Glow Kitchen

Easiest Vegan Sticky Date Pudding with Sliced Pears

from Katinka at The Thoughtful Eater

Ginger Pear Muffins or Bread

from Mattie at VeganBaking

Maple Pear Scones

from Shannon at Killer Bunnies, Inc

GF Vegan Breakfast Apple, Pear & Carrot Muffin

from Konoups at The Fussiest Eater

Blue Corn Pear Muffins

from Kaylie at Vegan Mischief

Chocolate-Pear Muffins

from Mihl at seitan is my motor

Gluten-free Vegan Sweet Pear Cake with Vegan Buttercream Frosting

from Megan at The Gluten Free Vegan

Gluten Free Vegan Pear Dark Chocolate Upside Down Cake

from Cupcake Richard Cake Shop

Fall Pear & Apple Crisp

from Patrick at The Vegan Road

Pears or apples...which do you like in your muffins? Which are your favorite kinds of pears? What was the last treat you baked?

Deep Freeze Remedy

Happy Pepper Pot Day!
Perfect weather for a wicked hot pepper pot! A pepper pot is a Caribbean-born soup or stew with lots of hot peppers, veggies and spices...and a choice of beans or tofu for us lucky vegans. Go crazy and use Appaloosa Beans or Black Turtle Beans or even Jackson Wonder Beans!  :)

Black-eyed Pea Pepper Pot and Vegan Cornbread

from Janet at Mosaic Kitchen

Butter Bean Pepper Pot Stew with Dumplings

from Thrifty Vegan

Images: West Coast Seeds (Scotch Bonnets, Spinach, Squash)
and Purcell Mountain Farms (Butter Beans)

Mushroom Butter Bean Pepper Pot Stew with Dumplings

from Emmy at Vegan Gourmet Caravan

Tofu Poblano Jamaican Pepper Pot

from Nava Atlas via Vegetarian Times

Images: Nava Atlas (Tofu, Poblano)
and Johnny's Selected Seeds (Leeks, Potatoes)

Brown Rice & Tofu Pepper Pot Soup

from Twin Oaks Tofu

Taro, Yam & Sweet Potato Pepperpot Soup

from Laura at VegWeb

Images: The Cook's Thesaurus

Black Bean Caribbean Pepper Pot Soup

from Sacha Gingras-Fox via Greenster

Lentil Kidney Bean Spicy Caribbean Chilli

from Natalie at Cook Eat Live Vegetarian

Caribbean Veggie Pepper Pot

from Ellen Kanner via SavannahNow

Images: Seeds of Change (Carrots, Jalapenos)
and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Collards, Sweet Potatoes)

Jamaican Kidney Bean Stew Peas with Dumplings

from Michelle at Healthier Steps

Do you like your stews hot and spicy? Are you planning for the spring planting season? Have you been to the Caribbean? Would you like to be there now?  :)

Blockbuster Cinema Sweets!

Happy National Chocolate Candy Day!
Let's head to the movies!

This is prime movie-going season with loads of superfabulous new films exploding onscreen. Big screens mean big snacks but most movie theaters aren't vegan-friendly!
The best-selling movie theater chocolates...
Baby Ruth
Butterfinger
Goobers
Junior Mints
Kit Kat
M&Ms
Milk Duds
Raisinets
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Sno Caps
Whoppers
Fizzling box office failures! At last check, all contain dairy products and/or gelatin, including their dark chocolate versions. 

So what's a film fan to do? Veganize 'em!

Vegan Baby Ruth

from Cara at Fork and Beans

Vegan Butterfinger

from Claryn at Hell Yeah It's Vegan!

Peanut Clusters

from Betsy at Desserts Required

Coconut Junior Mints

from Margaret's Dish

Homemade Vegan “Kit Kat” Bars

from Angela at Oh She Glows

Homemade Peanut Butter M&Ms

from Dana at Minimalist Baker

Homemade Milk Duds

from Lauren at Oatmeal with a Fork

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

from Kortney at Vegan Housewives

Vegan Reese's Pieces

from Pj at Vegan Dinner and a Movie

3 Ingredient Homemade Chocolate-Covered Raisins

from Angela at Oh She Glows

Homemade Vegan Sno-Caps

from Cara at Fork and Beans

Homemade Malt Balls

from Shannon at leaves & flours

FYI...40 years ago this week the Endangered Species Act was signed into law! Celebrate (and help support the cause) with chocolate and change!

Which films make the top of your list this season? What's your favorite cinema snack...popcorn, candy, chocolate...? Do you smuggle your own treats into the movies? Somehow krispy treats often find their way into my coat pockets on movie nights.  ;)

Fruitcake Remake

Happy National Fruit Cake Day!
It's also National Fruit Cake Month. Which is crazycool if you're a fruitcake fanatic...though why it's on Dec.27th is a mystery to me. By this time, most people have had their fill of these chunky fruitapaloozas!

For those who got caked out before the holiday, here's a superdelicious list of what you can do with your extra dried fruits!

Raw Lemon Goji Berry Bites

from Ashlae at Oh, Ladycakes

Sticky Nut Bars

from David, Luise & Elsa at Green Kitchen Stories

Easy Apricot Squares

from Miriam at Sometimes I Veg

All Natural Energy Bars

from Eliza Domestica

Cranberry Pistachio Energy Bars

from Julie at The Simple Veganista

Vegan Gluten-free Nutty Fruity Granola Bars

from Nancy at The Sensitive Pantry

5-Minute Any-Way-You-Like No-Bake Granola Bars

from Gena Hamshaw at Choosing Raw via Food52

Okay, okay...for those still groovin' on fruitcake, here ya go!  :)

Gluten-Free Vegan Fruit Cake Morning Muffins

from Caroline Karasik via eat purely. live purely.

Vegan Fabulous Fruitcake Cookies

from Helyn's Healthy Kitchen

Vegan Gluten-free Fruitcake Cookies

from Kristina at spabettie

Got a truckload of cakes with no place to go? Check out Uses for Leftover Fruitcake

What about you...did you feast on fruitcake, freeze it or feed it to the birds?  ;)