Happy Anise Seed Day!

Blogger of the Day: Ann at vegAnn's Kitchen

Anise cookies are a family favorite, especially around the holidays. You'll find various versions depending on where you bake:
• New Zealand Aniseed Wheels...cute wagon wheel shapes!
• Italian Pizzelles...delicate wafer cookies made with a patterned iron
• German Pfeffernüsse...full of pepper and spice and traditionally covered in powdered sugar
• German Springerle...charmingly sweet biscuits with pressed designs
• Austrian Anisbögen...potato chip-shaped cookies!
• New Mexican Bizcochitos...crunchy cinnamon anise cookies, the state cookie of NM
plus Peruvian Picarones...crispy spicy pumpkin and sweet potato doughnuts
and Netherland muisjes ...candied anise seed sprinkles!  :)
Source

Ann is a whirlwind of talent...after completing the Chef's Training Program at the Natural Gourmet Institute and an internship at crazyfamous Millennium Restaurant, she served as the pastry/salad chef at the award-winning Ravens' Restaurant. Currently she's creating fabulous meals at the beautifully serene Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. You can't get a better resume than that! She has generously shared many of her yumful recipes on her blog including these easy glazed anise cookies with sprinkelz! If you don't like anise you can leave it out or experiment with other extract flavors. If you love anise try her Apricot Anise Cookies too!  :)

Italian Anisette Christmas Cookies

Double Chocolate Cookies

Carrot Sunflower Oat Cookies

Blueberry Peach Oat Muffins

GF Banana Oat Muffins

Lemon Poppy Muffins

Garlic Knots

GF Rice Flour Pancakes

Apple Walnut Donuts

Cinnamon Rolls or Chocolate Pecan Buns

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

A sampling of anise...
From Savory Spice Shop
Anise Seeds
Ground Anise Seeds
Pure Anise Extract
Pure Anise Essential Oil
From The Spice House
Spanish Anise Seed
Anise Extract
From LorAnn
Super Strength Anise Oil ~ 1 dram size
Super Strength Anise Oil ~ 1 ounce size

Have you tried anise cookies? Which are your favorite?  :)

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

Happy Vanilla Bean Day!

Blogger of the Day: Yvonne at My Eclectic Kitchen
Pubs:
My Eclectic Kitchen Cookbook, Volume 1 (eBook)
My Eclectic Kitchen Cookbook (app)

Yvonne is a professional vegan glutenfree chef with years of training and experience but don't let that scare you...her recipes are simple, healthy, colorful and delicious! She features yumful worldly delights like tahdig, latkes, potstickers and pasta, plus plenty of sweeteasy treats and crazyluscious cakes!  :)

Vanilla vitals...
• The French and their taste for pastries are responsible for the global growth of vanillaloving culture.
• Mexico, Madagascar, Tahiti and Indonesia are the major sources for vanilla.
• Growing and harvesting vanilla beans is very labor intensive and begins with a tropical orchid flower.
• Double strength vanilla extract is made with twice as many beans (about 200 beans per gallon) as single strength.
• Get real! Pure vanilla extract is made from vanilla beans in an alcohol base. Natural vanilla flavoring uses vanilla beans with little to no alcohol. Imitation vanilla extract contains vanillin, made from guaiacol or from lignin, a byproduct of the wood pulp industry. Imitation vanilla extract may be weaker than pure extract.
• Best bean care...Never refrigerate or freeze your beans. Keep them in an airtight container, out of sunlight and away from heat.
• Removing vanilla bean seeds is easy! (quick video)
• Vanilla Equivalents: 1 whole Vanilla Bean = 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste = 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract = 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Powder

Vanilla Bean “Cheese”cake with Mixed Berry Compote

Best Pancakes and Waffles

Holiday “Meat”loaf

Spicy Lentil Dahl

Quinoa Meatballs

Oriental Cabbage Salad

Chickpea Fritters with Cucumber Dill Sauce

Monster Cookies

Fig and Frangipane Tart

German Chocolate Truffle Cake

Creamy Pistachio Rose Dreamcake

Which vanilla bean variety is your favorite? Where do you buy them? Have you ever made your own vanilla extract or syrup? Which would you choose right now...vanilla cake, vanilla pudding or vanilla ice cream?  :)

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

Happy Hot & Spicy Food Day!

Bloggers of the Day: Anni and Heikki at Tofu for Two

Anni and Heikki have plenty of yumfully sweet and deliciously mild recipes to share but their spicy dishes will take your breath away!  ;)

Five-Spice Tofu with Slightly Sweet and Sour Veggies

Spicy Stir-Steamed Broccoli with Cashews

Caraway Tofu with Spicy Potato Wedges

Spicy Rutabaga Fava Bean Soup

Spicy Breaded Eggplant

Spicy Potato Rösti

Spicy Sunflower Seed Spread

Carrot Oven Fries with Chipotle

Spicy Hot Brownies

Chocolate Muffins with Pink Peppercorns and Cinnamon

Chocolate Bark with Sugar-Coated Nuts and Spices

Hot Soy Milk with Chai Spices

On a scale of 1 to 10 how spicy do you like your chili? Tacos? Noodles? Soups? What's your favorite spicy dish?  ;)

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

...and Happy International Orangutan Day! Time to bake some cookies!  :)

Happy Herbs & Spices Day!

Bloggers of the Day: Rika & Doni at vegan miam

Rika and Doni are conquering the New Vegan World! They travel nonstop all over the globe, reviewing vegan restaurants, markets, products, even airport lounge meals! I love their reviews...rousing all your senses with vivid details, you feel like you're seated right beside them, sharing in the experience, smelling heavenly aromas and tasting epicurean delights! You'll learn about unusual cuisines and techniques, plus discover new tastes and flavor combinations through their richly imaginative recipes. Rika is a professional webdesigner and both Rika and Doni are gifted photographers so their site is spread full of lushly delicious pix. They love spicing things up (especially Doni!) so give their scramble and fries a try, then hitch along for more of the vegan miam ride!  :)

Tandoori Tofu Scramble + Spiced Fries

Mexican Taco Pizza

Spicy Mapo Tofu

Chai & Blueberry & Raspberry Waffles

Asian Noodle Salad with Tangy Peanut Sauce

Mediterranean Harissa Stew with Purple Sweet Potatoes

Bok Choy + Shiitake Mushrooms with Gochujang Vinaigrette

Lap Tao Hoo (Spicy Minced Tofu Salad)

Puff Pastry Pizza with Chanterelle Mushrooms, 

Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes + Artichoke Alfredo

Curry Japonés de Verduras – Japanese Curry

Sweet Potato Dumplings in Ginger & Jasmine Syrup (Tang Yuan)

Do you enjoy spicy food? Your fave spicy cuisine is...Thai? Indian? Mexican? Portuguese? or...? What's your opinion of vegan meals on airplanes or in airports? Where would you like to dine with Rika and Doni?  :)

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

Happy Ginger Day and World Environment Day!

Blogger of the Day: Heather at Healthy Eating Starts Here
Pubs:
Healthy Weight Loss Guide: Success Without The 'Diet'
Transition Guide: To Healthy Plant-Based Eating
Healthy Cooking Techniques: Gain Confidence In The Kitchen
Healthy Kitchen Tips: How To Set Up, Save Time And Save Money
Healthy Meal Planning: Plant-Based Balance
Finding Motivation: Make Healthy Eating Fun
Nutrition Guide: For Plant-Based Eaters
Healthy Holiday Guide: Festive Vegan Menu & Recipes

Heather started out as a commercial pilot but as she became more aware of the environmental effects of her job, she lost her groove for it. That ecosensitivity grew to include compassion for animals too! She became a Registered Holistic Nutritionist through the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and independently studied everything from Eastern philosophy to vegan cuisine...a complete 180 from burning up fuel zooming through the skies! Heather's Healthy Eating Starts Here is a fabulous site...in addition to her nutrition counseling and meal planning services, she offers free nutrition articles, resources and recipes, with loads of helpful videos that explain ingredients and techniques. I love her approach...it's informative yet fun, loose and creative, and the videos are crazycool if you're new to veganism or cooking in general. Plus she's happy to answer your questions, and shares lots of travel and hiking photos too! Heather's superspirited about living an environmentfriendly healthy vegan life so hop over and celebrate today's holidays with some spicy ginger joy!  :)

Blueberry Ginger Smoothie

Super Tasty Creamy Basil-Lime-Ginger Dressing

Quinoa Salad With Lime, Garlic And Ginger

Cajun Burgers

Eggplant Chickpea Curry

Peppery Tempeh Salad

Curry-Spiced Lentil Burgers

Cranberry Gingerbread Quinoa Cookies

Salted Caramel PB Banana Rooibos Baked Hemp Oatmeal

Nutty Spicy Chocolate Bark

Gingerbread Spiced Chocolate Pudding

10 reasons why you should party with ginger:
• Ginger boosts energy
• Ginger is an aphrodisiac
• Ginger soothes the stomach
• Ginger is good for hangovers
• Ginger is an anti-inflammatory
• Ginger helps treat migraines
• Ginger speeds up metabolism
• Ginger improves blood circulation
• Ginger cleanses the palate
• Ginger helps reduce nausea
(courtesy of The Ginger People!)

What's your favorite gingery treat...ginger cookies, ginger beer, ginger jam or...? Do you like spicy food? Are you living ecofriendly today?  :)

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