Happy National Macaroon Day!

Bloggers of the Day: Rissa & Nathaniel at The Dirty Hippie & The Bohemian Girl

Although they do embody an earthhugging peaceloving wandering free spirit, Rissa and Nathaniel aren't one bit dirty and there's no patchouli within sniffing distance They are in fact citysavvy supertalented professional photographers who cheer on going green, buying local and eating vegdelicious! Take a tour through a few of their projects...
• Baltimore Vegan Drinks...if you're in the area, meet, greet, eat and tip a few back with this lively group!
• Balance Photography...full service photography studio
• Balance Weddings...classic and creative photo styles (and a guide to green weddings too!)
• Cafe Boudoir...playful, stunning or sophisticated sessions
• Balance Headshots...portfolio portraits
• Balance Pet Photography...snappily captured animals, both exotic and everyday!

With all that on their plate, they find time to dream up deliciousness too! Anybody can make plainjane macaroons, but the Dirty Hippie Bohemian Girl version is yumfully far out!  ;)

Macaroon Muffins

Lavender Scones

Tofu Scramble Breakfast Wraps

Chili & Tot Casserole

Sunshine Curry

Tequila Citrus "Chicken" Chimi’s

Hummus Burgers

Veggie-Loaded Mac N Cheez

Panzanella Pizza

Strawberry-Balsamic Toasts

Chocolate-Coffee Scones

How about some coconutty treats for the pups?  :)

Blueberry Coconut Dog Cookies

Are you a macaroon fan? Baked or raw? Dipped in chocolate or not? What other cookies would you turn into a muffin? Where do you fall on the Hippie Continuum?  ;)

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

Happy Gazpacho Day!

Blogger of the Day: Alicia at Vegan Epicurean

I had a deprived childhood when it came to Classic American Food. My parents didn't groove on prefab eats.
• No instant spaghetti...no way my very Italian mom was gonna make pasta from a can. I think I may have had it at camp once.
• No mac & cheese...the first time I tried it was as a teenage babysitter. I had to make it for the kids' afternoon snack so I gave it a taste. I can understand how people get addicted to it but it just didn't spin my spurs.
• No grilled cheese sandwiches...my college roommate introduced me to my first GCS, soaked in butter, smashed and fried. Not bad, especially around 2am, but those neon orange cheese slices kinda freaked me out.
• No condensed canned tomato soup...definitely taboo. I've still never had this one.

Gazpacho was a whole different story. Both my parents loved Spanish food so gazpacho often popped up on the table when the days started to get hazywarm. My dad always made it with homemade bread, baked in the cool of the morning.

It's healthy and hungerfilling and you can make it as simple or sophisticated as you want...throw in your favorite veggies and play with the spices to invent your own version! But try Alicia's first because it's rich and yumful and smoothly cool.  ;)

Alicia's blog is full of life. She posts her remarkable recipes, rounded out with helpful nutrition info. She also recounts the dramatic and moving and funny bumps in her day, and often she leaves you with happy thoughts and quiet observations. She's courageous in a lot of ways, and full of zest to veganize many gourmet dishes, including another one of my childhood favorites Braciole. I'm still waiting for her delicious finished recipe.  ;)

Gazpacho with Avocado

Gazpacho with Olive Oil

Cold Spicy Indian Soup

Cold Avocado Bisque

Cabbage and White Bean Pasta

Smoky Spanish Tortilla

Spinach, Tofu and Bean Enchiladas

Bibimbap Inspired Rice Bowl

Deconstructed Vegetable Sushi Salad

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Wild Blueberry Fool with Lemon and Bourbon

How do you make gazpacho? Do you eat chilled soups only in warm weather or all year round? What's your fave way to cool down on a sizzling summer day?  :)

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

Happy Cashew Butter Day!

Blogger of the Day: Tiffany at Live. Learn. Love. Eat.
Pubs: Live. Learn. Love. Eat.

Today's a smackinglyfabulous day...supersunny, warm and lazy so my sister and I are scooping up my little nephew and heading out for a picnic in the park. Sometimes you just have to toss the To Do List and play in the sunshine.  :)

My nephew loves cashew butter (me too!) so we're making cashew butter sandwiches and these sweet simple cookies. Tiffany's recipes are delightfully deliciously healthy and easy, plus she's got loads of helpful vegan info if you need it, spiritlifting inspiration and plenty of chocolate if you need that too!

No-Bake Cashew Butter Cookies

Coconut Cashew Butter Crispy Squares

Extremely Addictive Walnut Banana Bread

Trail Mix Cookies

Cheesy Pizza Pasta

Asian Dressed Spring Salad with Chickpeas

Sesame Noodle Salad

Scrumptious Lentil Ball Subs with Vegan Monterey Jack Cheese

Strawberry Kiwi Spinach Salad with Walnuts

Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola

Mocha Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

One of Tiffany's favorites is cashew butter and banana ice cream on toast for breakfast...brilliant stuff! What are some creative ways you eat nut butters? When was the last time you ditched your lists and played hooky?  ;)

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

Happy Vegan Burger Day!

Blogger of the Day: Carrie at Carrie on Vegan

Carrie's one of the most inspiring people on the planet! She earned an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurialism from USC then switched gears and got a Master of Public Health degree so she's got serious nutrition smarts and business wizardry too! Carrie faced some major challenges along the way including thyroid cancer about a year or so ago, which she has mindfully evolved through to vibrant health! She creates superyumful recipes for her blog Carrie on Vegan, plus she manages an app called Vegan Delish and now she's thinking about writing a cookbook! Most importantly she's kind and caring and compassionate, guiding her readers towards healthier living on every level. See what I mean...totally inspiring!  :)

And she's got burgers! Lots and lots of beanboosted burgers, my favorite kind!  :)

Black Bean Tempeh Burgers

Sweet Potato Burgers

Outrageous Tofu Burgers

Indian Spice Burgers

Baked Chickpea Burgers

Beet-y Veggie Burgers

Baked Quinoa Burgers with Homemade Peach Salsa

Lentil-Mushroom Burgers

Beyond burgers...

Tempeh and Black Bean Tacos

Garbanzo Bean Salad with Mustard Dressing

Quick Collard Wraps

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal with Lentils

Blueberry Chia Pudding

Marionberry Ice Cream Pie

Raw Strawberry Tart

Carrie writes for Our Hen House too! You can listen to their interview with Carrie (it starts about 6 minutes into the podcast).  :)

Take your pick...fried, baked or grilled burgers? Beany burgers or tofu-y burgers? Do you like to get your recipes from smartphone apps or ebooks or printed cookbooks? What food/recipes apps do you use?  :)

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

Happy Vegan Food Truck Day!

Blogger of the Day: Adam at The Cinnamon Snail
Pubs: Cookbook due out Fall 2014!  :)

I daydream about a lot of things...meeting Dr.Jane Goodall, volunteering at The Elephant Sanctuary, photographing for National Geographic...and owning a vegan food truck! What better way to share some crazyyumful vegan love than to deliver it right to everyone's doorstep?  :)

Awardwinner Adam isn't just a lazy daydreamer, he's a spinningtop of go-vegan-go! His truck, The Cinnamon Snail, cruises NJ and NYC bringing dropdeaddelicious organic vegan treats to the streets...Blue Corn Pancakes, Thai BBQ Tempeh Sammies, Gouchujang Burgers, Pistachio Cake Doughnuts and White Chocolate Macadamia Twinkies are just a few of his marvelous munchables. He doesn't stop there...he also provides catering and custom cakes, runs a little etsy shop, does interviews, offers cooking tips and is currently finishing up his first cookbook! He's teased that it will include an entire chapter on his epic doughnuts...ohgoodgolly just that alone will make it a bestseller! I'm hoping it includes a few of his TCS classics...

Ancho Chili Seitan Burger with Beer Simmered Onions and Garlic, Arugula, Piri Piri Pepper Sauce and Horseradish Mayonnaise on Grilled Herb Focaccia

Spiced Pecan Ganache Stuffed German Chocolate Cupcakes

Bourbon Hazelnut Pancakes with Stewed Cranberries, Ginger Stout Syrup and Pine Nut Butter

Coffee Streusel Twists, White Chocolate Glazed Pumpkin Twists and Mexican Hot Chocolate Twists

Espresso Cream Filled Chocolate Twinkies

Bourbon Hazelnut Chocolate Shortbread Bars

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake Donuts

Raspberry Cheesecake Donuts

Cinnamon Snails

Adam's too busy to write a regular recipe blog but he does share a rare recipe if you look hard enough...here are a few that I've found:

Korean BBQ Seitan Tacos

Habanero Potato Murphy

Kabocha Squash Soup

Vanilla Sesame Milk

Coconut Star Anise Milk

Pan-fried Cranberry Chestnut Biscuits

Creme Brulee Doughnuts

Do you live in his territory? Adam is so busy with his projects and familytime that he's hiring right now! This is your chance to be a vegan food truckster! Don't just daydream...DO what you dream!  :)

Have you eaten at a vegan food truck? What's your fave food truck treat? Would you like to run your own truck? What would be on your menu?  :)

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