Happy National Raisin Day!

Blogger of the Day: Helen at Eat Pray Bake

A long time ago there was a bakery in our neighborhood that made the most yumful muffins on the planet. I loved their raisin bran muffins...so weird because I don't usually like raisins in baked things but these little gems were drenched in stickysyrupy sweetness, packed with raisins and were heavier than a wet sandbag. Dizzyspinninggood! I haven't yet found a recipe that equals them but I keep trying. And eating muffins. And trying some more.  ;)

That's how I found Helen's raisin muffin recipe. Helen is a superactive socially motivated nutrition student from Toronto who thrives on travel, Tabata, yoga, running and healthy vegfriendly cooking. Her blog is a bright beautiful read...travel stories, fun and lovely photos, food facts and easy treats. I'm still on the hunt for the ultimate muffin, but I gotta love Helen's BRB Muffins because, admit it...blueberries make everything better!  :)

Blueberry Raisin Bran Muffins

Banana Bread Muffins

Dark Chocolate Almond Brownies

Chocolate Beet Cupcake

Chocolate Truffles

Coconut Matcha and Spiced Date Balls

Vegan Ice Cream Sandwich with Banana Soft Serve

Super Easy Key Lime Pie

Yellow and Green Quinoa Salad

Sweet Potato Pesto Canapés

Brown Rice Flour Banana Pancakes with Lentils

Helen puts raisins in plenty of recipes...bars, cookies, fudge, salads, even her eggplant caponata stew! What kinds of foods do you raisin up? Who makes your favorite muffins? What's your favorite fitness workout?   :)

Celebrate some more with our 2014 Daily Food Holiday and Featured Blogger Series!

Happy National Florida Tomato Month!

Blogger of the Day: Jen at The Raw Cooked Vegan

A bit of trivia about tomatoes...
• Florida is the nation’s largest producer of fresh tomatoes
• Tomatoes are supersources of Vitamins A and C and lycopene
• Keep tomatoes at room temperature in a dry storage spot
• Store with the stem side up
• A medium size tomato has only 25 calories!

Going with a Florida flow...Florida girl Jen serves her tomatoes up with veggieloaded appetizers and nachos, pastas and pizzas, salsas and more yumful stuff!  :)

Tomato Tart with Roasted Red Pepper and Potato

Penne Primavera

Raw Corn Tortilla Tacos

Citrus Wheat Berry Salad

Pesto Power Salad

Flatbread Pizza

Ultimate Vegan Nachos II

Beluga Lentil Stuffed Tomatoes

Vegan Burger Topped with Mint Avocado Mash

Veggie Pizza

Carrot Cake

From The Peace Patch Past...Sweet Bursts of Tomatoey Goodness!

Treat the Earth and its people with respect. If you go with canned tomatoes look for Certified Organic brands like Eden Organic or Muir Glen. In the produce section look for fresh tomatoes labeled Certified Organic from Fair Trade Certified growers like Del Cabo, Divine Flavor, Master's Touch, Signature Brand or Wholesum, or buy from stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's that have signed on to the Campaign for Fair Food.

What's your fave way to eat tomatoes...green and fried? Stuffed? On a kabob? Sprinkled with sugar? Do you grown your own? Do you look for organic and fair trade labels when you shop?  :)

Find more feasts in our 2014 Daily Food Holiday and Featured Blogger Series!

Happy National Blueberry Pie Day!

Blogger of the Day: Nicole at veggicakes

Want a mouthful of blueberry yum but not a bumful of calories? Grab your fork and visit veggicakes! Nicole's sweet vegan treats are all 150 calories or less, oil-free and generous enough to satisfy your craving! Cupcake, bar and bread recipes, each with helpful stepbystep photos and nutritional info compared with a commercial version. Today's holiday features one of my favorite foods so I'm grabbing my fork...no, my spoon, because I want every last juicy blueberry bit.  :)

Bob’s Blueberry Pie

Strawberry Citrus Tarts

Sriracha HOT Chocolate Cupcakes

Thin Mints

Gluten-Free Fudge Brownies

Chocolate Chip Blondies

Coconut Cream Cake

Vanilla Cupcakes

Almond Joy Macaroons

Cinnamon Rolls

Banana Bread

Gluten-Free Blueberry Bran Muffins

From The Peace Patch Past...Love Ya Some Blueberries

What's your favorite lowcal snack? Which would you choose...blueberry pie or blueberry cheesecake? Who makes your favorite pie and what flavor is it?  :)

Check out the rest of our 2014 Daily Food Holiday and Featured Blogger Series!

Happy Plantain Day!

Bloggers of the Day: Justin and Amy at The Chubby Vegetarian
Pubs: The Southern Vegetarian

Many Latin American and Indian dishes feature plantains, a close cousin of bananas. Plantains are starchier, a bit tougher to peel and almost always eaten cooked...often simply fried with a bit of spice and sugar. That's how I first tasted them, when I was a kid. My parents had just come home from a vacation in Curaçao, brimming with inspiration from the Caribbean cuisine...suddenly all sorts of tropical treats starting showing up on the table! Most were mysteries to me (and superspicy!) but I'll never forget those sugary slices of fried plantain...yumza!

Plantains are perfectly at home in the Memphis kitchen of The Chubby Vegetarian. Professional photographer (and marathoner!) Justin and Amy, an award-winning writer and teacher, are veg cuisine connoisseurs doing a modern spin on Old Southern Favorites and international classics too. They turn average ingredients upsidedown and insideout to create sensory stunners...deeply rich tastes that Justin deftly captures in enticingly staged scenes. Even the plain plantain becomes of work of art in their talented hands!  :)

Plantain Tortillas

Vegan Migas Tacos + Poblano & Tomatillo Salsa

Eggplant and Mushrooms Mini Tacos

Portobello Pastrami + Microwave Sauerkraut & Horseradish Mustard

Portobello Mushroom & Tempeh Reuben
with Red Cabbage Kraut on Marble Rye

Smoked Eggplant & Date Yakitori

Peanut Chili with Charred Corn and Avocado Salsa

Chipotle Sweet Potato Burger

Country Captain

Jerk Tofu on a Pan-Fried Plantain Cake
topped with Jicama & Currant Slaw

A few helpful links to learn more about plantains...
Turbana brand Plantains...basics, nutritional info, tips, a few vegfriendly recipes
Chiquita brand Plantains...basics, nutritional info, tips, a few vegfriendly recipes
Melissa's brand Plantains...basics, nutritional info, tips, a few vegfriendly recipes
Grab Em Snacks Gourmet Plantain Chips...Plantains vs. Bananas? plus Plantain Recipes
Frying Ripe Plantains...about.com's guide to ripe plantains and how to fry them
How To Ripen Plantains...Raw Food Health's Video and Picture Guide

Have you tried plantains? In a restaurant or at home? What's your favorite tropical fruit? Is there a mystery fruit you'd like to try?  :)

Celebrate some more with our 2014 Daily Food Holiday and Featured Blogger Series!

Happy National Pretzel Day and National Soft Pretzel Month!

Blogger of the Day: Mathew at Veg with an Edge

Soft pretzel recipes are a dime a dozen and most are vegan or supersimple to veganize, but it takes a creative brain like Mathew to bring us this twisty tasty pretzly treat! Mathew is a wiz of a baker...he does everything from French Baguettes to Baked BBQ Seitan Chicken Wings! I'm smitten with his Soft Pretzel Challah, recipe which you can adapt to make baked pretzels, pretzly bites, rods, buns, whatever you wish...but the loaf, oh the loaf. A soft pretzel challah bread is a sandwich builder's dream!  :)

Vegan Soft Pretzel Challahs

Classic Skillet Cornbread

Rosemary and Olive Oil Focaccia

Thai Coconut Pepper Biscuits

Superfood Focaccia Buns

Corn and Parsley Burger Buns

Plantain Flatbread

Parsnip Pecan Scones Drizzled with a Fennel Seed Glaze

Gluten Free Blueberry Banana Nut Muffins

Banana Carob Pancakes

Chocolate Plantain and Date Cupcakes

Raw Chocolate Cashew Cheesecake

Do you make your own pretzels or buy them? Do you eat them straight or dip them up? Have you tried Pretzillas? What would you put in a giant pretzel bread sandwich...vegan hot dogs?...vegan cheese?...a big fat vegan burger?   ;)

Find more feasts in our 2014 Daily Food Holiday and Featured Blogger Series!