Happy National Trail Mix Day!

Blogger of the Day: Brittany at We Heart Vegan

Gorp...that's what my dad called it when he taught us how to make trail mix as kids. He said it stood for Grape Nuts, OfCourseChocolate, Raisins, Peanuts and Seeds. (So I guess it was GORPS.) Anyway, that was his recipe. Then we'd hit the hills and hike and a big bag of this munchable snack kept us happy all afternoon. Call it whatever you like...the key is combining sweet, salty and a punch of protein. The classic mix contains raisins, nuts and chocolate but Brittany switches in chickpeas for a superboost of longlasting energy. Stuff this snack in your pocket on the trail, on the road, at a concert or just in a big bowl in the kitchen...it's crazy addictable so double up the recipe!  :)

Crunchy Chickpea Trail-mix

Carob Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

Maple Brown Sugar Cinnamon Scuffins

Sweet Trail Mix Millet Bowl

Zucchini and Summer Squash Mango Tacos

Sweet Potato and Almond Butter Granola Bars

Veggie Quinoa Cakes

Black Bean Pepper Enchiladas

Trail Mix Protein Bars

Oh! Mega Granola

Raw Protein Truffles

What's your favorite trail mix recipe? What other snacks do you take on the trail (or on the road)? Where's the best place you ever went hiking?  :)

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

Happy National Toasted Marshmallow Day!

Blogger of the Day: Kristen at Suburban Vegan

Perfect timing for a weekend of outdoor campfire fun...here's the secret to roasty toasty marshmallows!  :)

Dandies' toasting tips...
• You have a campfire? AWESOME! Get a stick and roast away.
• Do you have a fireplace at home? Kinda like a campfire. Do it up!
• At home without a fireplace? That's cool too. You can use your stove or a candle. Carefully use a chopstick or a fork and toast those Dandies.

What can you do with toasted marshmallows, besides yumfully munching them down?
• Stack them between graham crackers with a hunk of chocolate to make s'mores
• Layer them between cookies with chopped nuts or sprinkles
• Make a waffle sandwich with nut butter or vegan nutella
• Roll them up in pancakes with banana or mango slices
• Stuff them into scooped out strawberries or dried figs
• Serve them skewered with a variety of dried fruits
• Add toasted mini marshmallows to your granola bowl
• Drop minis in your milkshake
• Plop them on top of your fave frozen dessert
• Ask Kristen for her toasted marshmallow-covered cake recipe  ;)

You can skip the toasting and celebrate National Brownies At Brunch Month instead with Kristen's spinningly brilliant brownies! When she's not running marathons, traveling and reviewing fabulous vegan eats, she's mixing, baking and frosting supercute cupcakes, cookies and all sort of treats. Marshmallows pop up all over her blog, especially deliciously in these rich chocolate chunks of heaven.  :)

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Brownies

Butternut Squash Pancakes with
Rosemary-Apricot Syrup and Bacon Caramel Corn

Lentil Soup with Spinach and Potatoes

Grilled Tofu Skewers with
Smoked Red Curry BBQ Sauce

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Kale, Sweet Potato & Caramelized Onion Pizza

Gingery Garlicky Tempeh with
Udon Noodles and Steamed Eggplant

Braised Seitan, Kale & Fava Bean Risotto

Smoked Sweet Potato Soup with
Black Beans & Tequila Cilantro Lime Cream

Orange & Armagnac Cocktail Infused Cupcakes

Coconut Peanut Butter-filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Marshmallow makers...
Dandies Vegan Marshmallows
Sweet & Sara Vanilla Marshmallows
Marshmallow sellers...
Vegan Essentials
Pangea
Marshmallow DIY!
Homemade Vegan Marshmallows

Do you like your marshmallows gently toasted or burnt crispy on the outside? What's your favorite way to use marshmallows? Do you eat brownies for breakfast?  ;)

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

Happy Chop Suey Day!

Blogger of the Day: RG at Astig Vegan

My best friend Mike in grade school was ridiculously smart and superfriendly, always willing to share whatever he had, including his wondrous lunchfoods. He came from a merrily mixed half Filipino, half Italian family...I remember visiting for dinner and tasting amazing dishes unlike anything I'd ever had before. RG's buoyantly joyous attitude and deliciously fascinating foods happily remind me so much of Mike and his family, plus I love it when her smiley grandparents make cameo appearances.  :)

RG also has a "badass vegan" side to her kitchen attitude...that's what Astig Vegan means in Tagalog. RG (her full name is Richgail) is on a mission to veganize her family's traditionally meatheavy Philippine cuisine. She features crazyyumful noodles, soups and stews and spinningly sweet treats, all crueltyfree and made in brilliant vegan style! Chop suey is an easy place to start...a favorite Asian dish usually made with chicken, fish or pork and eggs, RG's recipe goes for tofu instead. Adobo recipes are aplenty, as well as more exotic entrees and tasteful American fare. Don't miss her videos...she's a broadcast professional so they're really well done, plus she's just so charming, regardless of the "badass" tag.  ;)

Chop Suey

Tempeh Adobo with Kang-kong (on choy with adobo style tempeh)

Bopis (exotic mushroom appetizer)

Simple Lentil Tagalog (lentils and veggies)

Fried Lumpia (wrapped veggie rolls)

Batchoy (savory noodle mushroom soup)

Ensaymada (Spanish/Filipino pastry coated in sugar, butter and cheese)

Siu Mai Dumplings (steamed tofu veggie dumplings)

Ginataang Bilo Bilo (chewy rice balls in coconut milk)

Homemade Mango Ice Cream

Halo-Halo (sweet fruit iced milk with purple flan)

What are your favorite dishes from the Philippines? Do you adore adobo? Which of RG's recipes would you like to try first? What tricky meat dishes would you like to badass veganize?  ;)

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

Happy Cherry Turnover Day!

Blogger of the Day: Mickey at Flourish

Pie has morphed into all sorts of forms...tarts, turnovers, patties, puffs, pastillas and pasties. All good stuff (in vegan versions)! Turnovers are triangular-shaped hand pies that are usually filled with fruit...cherries are a top choice because both tart cherries and sweet cherries are superhealthy and juicily delicious. If you can't find them fresh, go for frozen or canned pie filling for a quick cherry turnover fix.  ;)

Michelle (known mostly by her nickname Mickey) is an awardwinning recipe developer , personal chef and pop-up dinner genius, trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute and focused on creating extraordinary organic vegan feasts that will win over everyone! She's been featured by VegNews, WholeSoy and Earth Balance and it's easy to see why...her recipes are tastefully earthy and elegant and inspiring. These turnovers are truly irresistible...the smell of them baking will send you running to the oven but please let these pastrypockets cool a bit before biting into their steamysyrupy fruitchunk filling. Nobody likes hot turnover burn!  :)

Apple, Cherry & Almond Hand Pies

Spiced Apple Streusel Cake

Chocolate-Ginger Cupcakes with Coconut-Matcha Buttercream

Chili-Chocolate Mac Nut Cookies

Seitan, Red Rice & Veggie Burritos

Tart Cherry, Quinoa and Wild Rice Salad with Cherry-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Glazed Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes

Spicy Fall Cookies

Chocolate-Apple-Cherry Cake with Cocoa-Hazelnut Streusel and Ganache Topping

Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut-Pepita-Cherry Biscotti

 Local note...Mickey has moved to Madison...yippee!

What's your favorite form of pie? What fruits would you choose for your turnovers? If you had a personal chef for a day, what would you order for your meals?  ;)

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

Happy Banana Lover's Day!

Blogger of the Day: Melody at Little House On The Vegan Prairie

Melody dives deep into everything she does...she's a Certified Vet Tech who has volunteered for years at sanctuaries and shelters. She's passionate about animal & human rights, veganism and bananas! A thick slice of her Strawberry Banana Bread is fabulous alone but even better topped with vegan butter or cream cheese or a scoop of ice cream. Or slather on nut butter and banana slices if you're really a nanner nut.  ;)

Agave Sweetened Strawberry Banana Bread

Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes with Maple-Peanut Butter Sauce

Banana Oatmeal Chia Pudding with Options

Walnut, Mustard, and Cilantro Pasta

Lemon Rosemary Risotto, Roasted Glazed Beets and Beefless Tips
in a Garlic and Thyme White Wine Sauce

Mexican Polenta Pie

Spicy Basil Black Bean Burgers

Pasta with Garlic Olive Oil and White Wine Mushrooms

Banana Coconut Rum Cake

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name your favorite banana treat!  :)

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